Chapter 396 – Relocating to Chenzhou (Part 3)
If we’re talking about being merciless, the viewers in the live stream take the cake.
【脉息赵子龙】： After watching this live stream for so long, I’ve finally grasped one truth: streamers are not like ordinary folks. Ordinary people can only look at what’s in their bowl while eying the pot. But the streamer? She hasn’t even touched what’s in her bowl and is already thinking about what’s still cooking in the pot, and in her mind, she’s plotting which chicken or duck to cook for dinner and what late-night snack to have…
【营养快线】： The one above expressed it so delicately. Just say the streamer is greedy, right? But of course, that’s a compliment.
【老司机联萌】： Do you think “greedy” can truly capture the essence of a streamer?
The chat exploded with discussions, while Jiang Pengji rolled her eyes internally and promptly blocked those comments.
Most people would probably be intimidated by Jiang Pengji’s words, but Feng Jin, who’s not your average guy, somehow understood her peculiar line of thought.
He adjusted his mindset, pondering for a moment, and said, “So what you mean is… you want to take over Fengyi County?”
Looking at the eastern map of Dongqing, Dongqing consists of six prefectures, totaling twenty-one counties.
These six prefectures are Cangzhou, Chongzhou, Zhangzhou, Wanzhou, Chenzhou, and Haozhou.
Wanzhou includes Shangyang County, Fengyi County, and Chengde County. Among these, Fengyi County has the largest area, but it’s situated to the north and has the least population. Jiang Pengji’s future assignment, Xiangyang County, is located within Fengyi County.
Jiang Pengji showed a smile that said she was determined to make it happen and retorted, “What’s wrong with that?”
Feng Jin replied, “I’m not trying to dampen your spirits, but the Official Master won’t allow it.”
Liu Zhi is already the governor of Chongzhou. Before he steps down, Liu Xi can only be a deputy in Xiangyang County at most; he can’t rise any higher.
The Emperor is suspicious by nature, even wary of his own son, let alone the Liu family.
“When have I ever said I need his permission?” Jiang Pengji smiled and said, “Huaiyu is just too much of a gentleman.”
Being called a “gentleman” by her was definitely not a compliment.
Jiang Pengji chuckled, “With the entire Wanzhou in chaos, and the Emperor stubbornly relocating the capital to Chenzhou, while the northern borders are under constant threat from the three tribes of the North, in other words, the northern part of Dongqing is in quite a disarray, and the court doesn’t have time to spare. Huaiyu, in this situation, which do you think is more valuable: the Emperor’s decree or a well-armed military?”
In chaotic times, only military strength is the best trump card for survival.
Having previously taken the route of elite troops, her forces had been significantly reduced.
Now that chaos has emerged, Jiang Pengji had to consider expanding her military.
Feng Jin understood what Jiang Pengji meant; as long as her army was strong and powerful enough to seize control of the entire Fengyi County, then her plan would be considered a success.
At that point, even if Jiang Pengji remained a deputy in Xiangyang County, she would practically be equivalent to a governor.
Jiang Pengji had never been to Xiangyang County, but she was well-read and had come across some geographical records and historical texts that mentioned Xiangyang County, giving her some knowledge about the area’s specifics. “Xiangyang County is a great place for military training, as its terrain is easy to defend but hard to attack…”
Feng Jin, being from Shangyang County, which borders Fengyi County, had some knowledge about it too.
He frowned, his expression heavy.
“The land here is broad, but it’s a rugged and impoverished place. The population is sparse, and the terrain is treacherous, making agriculture difficult.”
It’s not easy to sustain an army; one soldier is one mouth to feed, plus with daily drills, one person eats twice as much as the average man, which makes food consumption enormous. Xiangyang County has poor land, few farming folk, and the food produced is nowhere near enough to sustain an army.
In other words, if she stationed troops there, she would have to spend a fortune each year to import grain, and could her assets cover that?
That’s assuming a troop size of five thousand; if she wanted to expand, the costs would skyrocket.
“Huaiyu, you need to understand something,” Jiang Pengji crossed her arms and smiled with utmost confidence, “A place can be poor, but it’s not because the resources are bad; it’s because the person managing it is too foolish, only focusing on the downsides rather than utilizing the advantages.”
Her words were akin to a blunt critique.
“Come, come, come, let me show you a treasure.” Jiang Pengji rummaged through her box and took out a slightly yellowed piece of sheepskin, spreading it out to show Feng Jin, “Sometimes, reading more is definitely beneficial.”
Feng Jin stepped closer, sitting down beside the desk to closely examine the opened sheepskin, which still emitted a faint odor.
“This is… the Kunyu map of Dongqing?”
Feng Jin scrutinized and confirmed that it indeed was the Kunyu map of Dongqing, yet what was depicted was far more detailed than what he had seen before, with many rivers, mountains, and an abundance of strange symbols.
“Yep, it’s definitely the Kunyu map of Dongqing.” Jiang Pengji said, “Mr. Cheng Cheng’s collection covers a wide array of topics, and Langya Academy is also remarkable, preserving many rare ancient books and unique texts. I compiled all the geographical records and related folktales, then traced the Kunyu map to create these annotations, which took quite a bit of effort.”
At first, Feng Jin was confused, but once he noticed the symbols at the corners of the map with annotations beside them, it suddenly clicked for him.
Understanding what each symbol represented made the interpretation of the Kunyu map much simpler.
“W-what…?” Feng Jin nearly gasped in astonishment.
The Kunyu map marked various mineral veins!
“How did you know all this?” Feng Jin finally regained his voice after a while.
Jiang Pengji rolled her eyes and replied, “Reading more is good for your body and mind. Writing reading notes can yield unexpected rewards. Before the Sixteen Kingdoms, people were bold and free-spirited, many scholars traveled far and wide, compiling their observed experiences into books. But after the turmoil of the Sixteen Kingdoms, most of these books were lost or damaged, and some exist only as single copies…”
She organized Mr. Cheng Cheng’s collection, which contained quite a few relevant books, but people mostly regarded them as travelogues and didn’t pay much heed.
In the two to three years at Langya County, Jiang Pengji didn’t waste time and made sure to read several precious unique texts.
Don’t be deceived by the simple drawing of this Kunyu map; it actually took three years of her heart and soul.
Feng Jin still didn’t comprehend entirely, so Jiang Pengji continued, “Take the ‘Travelogue of Mountains and Rivers’ written by great Confucians of the last dynasty. Most people only focus on the splendid landscapes depicted in the book and the fun anecdotes from the journey, but I see something else…”
She tapped on the Kunyu map resting on the table, her finger tracing from one point to another, highlighting the great Confucian’s “travel route.”
As Feng Jin looked over, he noticed a countless number of small annotations on that route, and upon careful examination, his scalp began to tingle.
For instance, when that great Confucian described seeing an incredibly beautiful sight, one that resembled a scene from heaven, Jiang Pengji would analyze the cause behind such scenery, investigate other similar geographic records, combining factors like mountain ranges, soil, temperature, humidity, and the exact time to theorize what unique geographical or geological situation existed nearby…
She didn’t even need to measure the mountains and rivers in person; her eyes had already “seen” what others overlooked.
