Chapter 774 – Four Killings, Layout (Four)
Jiang Pengji hurried off to the alliance meeting, leaving Wei Ci with a secret mission.
Now, as the meeting entered its final moments, Wei Ci’s merchant caravans were gradually arriving in Northern Border from different routes.
The three clans of Northern Border were utterly bewildered by the sudden outbreak of the Horse Plague. Not only had their military strength been severely impacted, but their economy had also taken a nosedive.
The main horse ranch suffered heavy losses, and the Royal Court provided a bit of subsidy and support, but the smaller ranches and common herders were left in dire straits.
As several merchant caravans crossed the Northern Border, they were greeted by desolation, a far cry from the previous bustling prosperity, leaving them astonished.
“How long has it been, and how did the Northern Border end up like this?”
This question was on more than just their minds; countless Northern Border herders who had lost their homes also wanted to know—why had it come to this!
Before the Horse Plague, Northern Border was the thorn in Dongqing’s side.
In the eyes of Northern Border, Dongqing was merely a blood-soaked piece of meat, destined to be torn apart and devoured.
But everything changed after the Horse Plague struck.
First, the war horses fell ill and died suddenly, with less than ten to twenty percent surviving, and then the plague further spread to common horses.
Common horses, of lesser quality than the carefully bred war horses, faced a horrific death rate of nearly one hundred percent after the plague wreaked havoc!
“…You all know, ever since this king ascended the throne, he united the clans of Northern Border, leading to a significant increase in military strength. The Royal Court was not satisfied with this, still harbored ambitions… Over the years, they have been rampantly breeding war horses, all to attack Dongqing, right? To rapidly cultivate a large number of war horses, the Royal Court even issued edicts encouraging common herders to breed horses. Common herders could buy foals from the ranches and sell them back once they matured. Many herders profited from this, enticing more and more to raise horses…”
“Seeing the potential profits, numerous herders sold their cattle and sheep to raise horses, and many even borrowed money to do so…”
As the caravan elder spoke, he clicked his tongue, his hoarse voice tinged with schadenfreude.
“Now, due to the Horse Plague, all the horses the common herders raised over one or two years have died.”
Everyone gasped in shock.
They understood now; for many Northern Border herders, horses were their livelihood.
The Horse Plague washed away their hard work and finances like water down the drain.
After years of toil, they had earned nothing, and instead, they had sacrificed their very livelihood.
Except for those with ample reserves, many common herders could no longer afford food, and the number of those who lost everything was countless.
At this moment, a merchant sighed, “What a pity…”
Someone disagreed, scoffing, “Pity them? It’s the Northern Border Royal Court that’s to blame. If it weren’t for their ambitions, would the herders have been pushed to stop raising cattle and sheep to instead breed war horses? Now that the Horse Plague has struck, it’s clear that heaven has opened its eyes.”
At the beginning, common herders mostly tended sheep and cattle, raising few horses.
It was only after the Royal Court’s repeated calls that herders reduced their flocks to raise horses in large numbers.
If it hadn’t been for that, these herders wouldn’t have fallen to the point of losing everything.
Clearly, it was the Royal Court’s failure, yet the common people were left to bear the consequences.
“Shut it.” The crowd was alarmed and quickly warned, “This is Northern Border territory; if the barbarians hear you, do you want to die?”
The caravan continued on its journey, receiving very few sheep skins, rabbit skins, dried lamb, and dried rabbit meat.
“Since the herders aren’t raising sheep anymore, how much dried goods can we possibly get?”
Looking at the paltry amount of goods collected, many wore frowns.
After so many days of gathering, this was all they had received; how could they account for it later?
“Didn’t we say to collect whatever we can? Anyway, we’re not worried about selling, just gather it; whether we collect more or less, there’s still profit to be made.”
Even so, after wandering around the three clans of Northern Border, the number of sheep and rabbit skins they collected was still less than twenty thousand.
In the past, they could easily collect thirty to forty thousand sheep and rabbit skins with a casual sweep, let alone more dried lamb and rabbit meat.
The size of these caravans varied, appearing to be completely normal, not attracting any official attention. Besides sheep and rabbit skins, they also procured many unique local specialties, privately arranging to return in two to three months for more.
Despite this, the caravans were not optimistic about the prospects for the next procurement.
“For these goods, we’ve likely walked through countless homes… By the next time we come, we probably won’t even collect a piece of mosquito meat…”
They had cleared out almost all the available goods from the common herders’ homes.
Returning in two to three months to collect again, they were willing to pay a high price, but what goods would the herders have?
One merchant interjected, “In a while, the grasslands of Northern Border will flourish again; herders can raise more rabbits and sheep… After all, their horses are all dead, and leaving the ranch empty is pointless; might as well raise some small livestock to survive.”
If they didn’t find a way to make a living fast, these unfortunate herders would end up gnawing on grass.
The merchant continued, “I think rabbits are a good option; they breed like crazy and grow quickly.”
The growth cycles of sheep and rabbits differ; they can’t raise many in two to three months, but they can raise rabbits.
If they’re aiming for some quick means of sustenance, raising rabbits is a solid choice.
The Northern Border ranches are huge, covered with grass, and raising rabbits doesn’t require much care; how convenient!
At this point, someone raised a different opinion.
“If they only raise rabbits as you suggested, we can only purchase rabbits. We won’t know how much we’ll lose coming back.”
The caravan leader clicked his tongue dismissively, “Wanzhou has money, they enjoy these things… We’ll make double the profit on the way back by trading. We won’t incur losses. Even the smallest mosquito is still meat; the profit from rabbit skins and meat might be low, but it accumulates to a considerable amount.”
“…But…” Someone hesitated, “No matter how rich Wanzhou is, they can’t keep making losing trades…”
The murmurs of the caravan gradually faded away.
Not only the merchants didn’t know Wanzhou’s aims, but even Wanzhou’s own people had no idea what was brewing.
“What exactly did the lord ask you to do? It’s almost time for spring plowing; collecting sheep and rabbit skins now might just leave us with rotten stock.”
Feng Jin watched with cold eyes for a while, still unable to decipher Wei Ci’s true intentions.
Naturally, Wei Ci couldn’t reveal specific details; the fewer people who knew about the plan, the better.
If Feng Jin and the others figured it out on their own, that would be a different matter.
Wei Ci shook his head, “This matter is confidential. Without the lord’s permission, I cannot divulge a word. If Huan Yu is curious, wait until the lord returns victorious; then you can ask her about the sheep and rabbit skins… Even though it’s time for spring plowing, the collected sheep and rabbit skins are not without use. Now, the entire Wanzhou is already under the lord’s command, and the population has grown far larger than a minor county like Xiangyang. If we don’t make early preparations for the coming winter, won’t we find ourselves in a panic later? Just consider our actions as making provisions for the future.”
