Chapter 1390 – Nan Sheng, The Autumn of Chaos (Sixteen)
The young boy said, “The corpses of the Southern Barbarians that were massacred before were mostly dumped into the river nearby. With the hot weather now, the bodies are rotting at an alarming rate, surely increasing the murky substance in the water. I wonder… could that be the reason for the spread of illness among the two armies?”
Hua Yuan asked him, “Is that what Young Master thinks?”
“If it weren’t so, why have both Teacher and Father been boiling their drinking water lately?”
He couldn’t help but suspect that this current situation was all part of Hua Yuan’s grand plan.
Once he opened his mouth, it became easier for the young boy to express his following thoughts.
He continued, “Before, when the allied lords ostracized Father, the designated camps were poor and miserable. The generals were quite annoyed. Teacher must know that our camp is far from the water source, making it hard to collect water. Why did he agree without a second thought and even send people to dig several wells?”
Hua Yuan provided a very proper reason—
“With a great enemy at hand, our army should prioritize the bigger picture. Such trivial matters aren’t worth tearing apart our faces and harming our harmony.”
Now that he thought about it, it sent chills down his spine.
Most of An Huan’s soldiers sourced their drinking water from wells; the others relied on river water, which meant sick soldiers were significantly fewer compared to other lords.
The young boy clenched his fists, his gaze becoming complex.
“Previously… it was Teacher who proposed wiping out all the Southern Barbarian captives. Was this part of some scheme he concocted from the start?”
In ancient warfare, handling corpses was quite brutal.
Either they were buried in pits, thrown into rivers to feed fishes, or left to rot on the wild.
Every time Jiang Pengji fought, she would burn both enemy and ally corpses, which to others seemed like a waste of time and brought her a tainted reputation. Not only did she leave no trace of the enemy, but even the bodies of her own men were burned. How malicious could a lord’s heart be!
Now, he saw that this teacher may even surpass her.
Hua Yuan chuckled lightly, “That’s just them reaping what they’ve sown, unrelated to others. I’m merely going with the flow, not intentionally plotting.”
The young boy couldn’t help but shudder. Hua Yuan continued, “I initially thought the Southern Barbarian bandits were like grasshoppers in autumn, not lasting long. Who knew they would be like ‘a centipede that, though dead, does not stiffen,’ causing trouble until the very end? Naturally, we’ll have to consider other strategies.”
The young boy asked, “Then, what about the allied forces? The Southern Barbarian bandits are worthless, but the allied soldiers…”
Hua Yuan looked at the young boy with a hint of disappointment.
“Isn’t this all for the Lord and Young Master?” he said, “Once the Southern Barbarian bandits are annihilated, can the allied forces maintain their current status? Young Master might want to look into the alliance at the Huangshui meeting in Dongqing. During the meeting, they schemed against each other; after it ended, it was a fight to the death. The Lord’s influence isn’t top tier among the lords of Nan Sheng, so to survive in this chaotic era, one must never give the enemy an advantage! Now is a great opportunity!”
The young boy’s mind was in a flurry.
Hua Yuan shook his head secretly; the struggle between lords was a matter of either you die or I die. The coalition against the barbarians was only united because of external forces. Once that force vanished, inevitable infighting would begin. An Huan’s supplies were ample compared to other lords; how could others stand by and watch him rise?
Only by striking first could he secure his position.
The next day, the young boy found Hua Yuan intentionally befriending Yan Lin, a strategist under Yang Tao, and “accidentally” revealing the potential source of the epidemic.
The young boy became even more confused; Hua Yuan had just said the day before that he wanted to weaken the plots against others, so why was he helping Yang Tao the next day?
Hua Yuan responded with a cold smile.
“If Yang Tao were to fall, who would stand against the ambitious Liu Xi?”
Between Nan Sheng and Dongqing lies Yang Tao.
To An Huan, the threat of Jiang Pengji was far greater than that of Yang Tao. Nan Sheng had already suffered great harm from the Southern Barbarian’s plunder, while Dongqing, though weak, was nearing completion of unification. After a few years of recuperation and training, defeating Nan Sheng would be a piece of cake!
Yang Tao’s existence was necessary, providing crucial time for An Huan during key moments.
The Southern Barbarian’s medical techniques were underdeveloped, and the army’s logistics were meager, barely able to withstand the rampant illness.
As summer ended, with cooler weather approaching, the death toll among the Southern Barbarian troops reached two hundred thousand due to the epidemic.
Things were slightly better for the barbarian-slaying allied forces; Yang Tao had found the virus’s source, and the military doctor isolated it, gradually bringing the situation under control.
Despite this, the losses for the allied forces still remained grave, with only An Huan and Yang Tao’s factions preserving their vitality.
At the same time that the lords of Nan Sheng were scheming against each other and wary of one another, Jiang Pengji was bustling about like a spinning top.
Thanks to the “selfless contributions” of the Tao Clan and others, Jiang Pengji had become wealthy again.
Money was something that could only grow by being spent; hoarding it in the treasury would only cause it to rust and gather dust.
Sticking to this philosophy, she launched numerous construction projects, from building houses and repairing roads to building reservoirs, repairing waterways, and reclaiming wasteland… Not only could this attract the displaced, enhancing public security, but it would also provide numerous job opportunities for the common people.
As long as there were jobs and money to earn, who among the common people would be foolish enough to rebel and stir trouble?
However, the idle folks began to voice complaints; they were accustomed to Jiang Pengji’s status as a valiant warrior, constantly fighting or on the road to battle.
But now?
The live stream content shifted from intense conquest to heartwarming farming.
The once fiery streamer now squatted at home, managing her domain, hardly resembling the person they once knew!
No matter how the idlers raged, Jiang Pengji remained unmoved, continuing to lavish her riches.
Speaking of lavish spending, one must mention the expansion of the Golden Scales Academy.
Last year she manipulated things behind the scenes to allow the children of wealthy merchants and gentry to enroll in the Golden Scales Academy, which was a small number but carefully selected. These children had been studying for nearly a year at the academy and had shown remarkable progress.
More and more people began to secretly inquire when the Golden Scales Academy would expand again, hoping to secure a spot for their children.
Feeling the time was ripe, Jiang Pengji proposed the expansion of the Golden Scales Academy and the establishment of two branches.
The Golden Scales Academy was the brainchild of Feng Ren, Cheng Cheng, and Yuan Jing, so if she wanted to expand it, she naturally needed to discuss it with them. The three prominent figures had no objections; over the years, the academy had developed a fairly mature teaching scheme, so establishing branches posed no issue.
Jiang Pengji smiled and said, “You gentlemen are so understanding, it’s truly a blessing for all scholars in the world.”
Mr. Yuan Jing joked, “If you ask me, Duke Lan Ting’s generosity is the real blessing for all scholars.”
The Golden Scales Academy was a teaching institution that generated no income. Student uniforms, textbooks, writing materials, routine expenses, and the salaries of the teachers were all funded by the government, with gifts during festivals as well. The land and buildings of the academy were funded entirely by Jiang Pengji.
Mr. Yuan Jing, having also run an academy, knew just how immense the annual expenditure of the Golden Scales Academy was.
After making eye contact, it was clear that Jiang Pengji was undoubtedly a wealthy person!
“Speaking of this, there’s something I would like to discuss with you gentlemen. Now that the treasury is well-stocked, constructing three to five branches is not an issue, but… this isn’t a long-term solution to sustaining the academy’s operations… I have a plan here and would like to hear your thoughts.”
Upon hearing this, Feng Ren and the others felt a jolt in their hearts.
What does this mean?
Could it be that she’s thinking of transforming the academy into a self-sufficient operation?
The students all came from impoverished backgrounds, unable to pay exorbitant tuition, let alone afford learning supplies.
