Chapter 182: Damn, It

The nineteen prefectural lords were executed.

This is a show of power.

Zhou Man and the others hoped Gu Jin Nian would bring Wang Wei forward to display authority, and also drag some innocents out to do the same.

But they did not expect that Wang Wei, at the moment Gu Jin Nian arrived, chose to hang himself.

To claim that Gu Jin Nian had no part in this, he would resolutely not believe it.

Wuwuwu.

Zhou Man wanted to speak; he felt too distressed, his heart full of grievance.

Ladies and gentlemen, fellow villagers and elders.

I, Gu, have come to Jiangzhong Prefecture today to handle three matters.

Fair disaster relief.

Open granaries and distribute food.

Execute corrupt officials.

If you all follow my commands, I can issue a military decree that, starting tomorrow, guarantees no citizen of Jiangzhong Prefecture will go hungry.

Fellow villagers and elders, can you trust Gu?

Gu Jin Nian spoke, his voice resonant and confident, echoing across the land.

His words rang out, instantly drawing great joy from countless townsfolk.

In an instant, a flood of shouts hailed the Lord as a saint.

Gu Jin Nian's arrival and execution of corrupt officials acted like a tonic to the people, stirring them to great excitement.

In truth, winning the people's hearts is easy.

But the people's hearts are also easily exploited.

Gu Jin Nian watched the people's soaring morale; honestly, he felt little joy, for that fervor was bought with sacrifice.

Wang Wei's death became a thorn in Gu Jin Nian's heart.

Wuwuwu.

At this moment, Zhou Man was still struggling desperately, as if he had something to tell Gu Jin Nian.

Sensing Zhou Man's agitation, Gu Jin Nian thought briefly, then ordered someone to take the cloth strip from Zhou Man's mouth.

Lord.

I, a low officer, know my crimes are unforgivable; I earnestly beg the Lord to grant me a chance to atone through merit.

I do not seek to live; if the Lord will spare my entire family and protect them, I am willing to assist the Lord in resolving Jiangzhong Prefecture's troubles.

Zhou Man knelt on the ground, lowering his voice, and voiced his inner thoughts.

What he did would normally merit death; now even implicating nine families is not excessive, yet he wishes to struggle for a chance, hoping Gu Jin Nian will grant him a lifeline.

Assist the Lord?

How would you assist?

Gu Jin Nian fell silent briefly; he did not disdain Zhou Man, but was curious about the assistance.

Lord, Jiangzhong Prefecture's many jurisdictions include the nineteen prefectures; you executed the nineteen lords, gaining popular support, yet any future policies still require someone to aid the Lord—outside officials are not as capable as locals.

Furthermore, Lord, could you truly think we masterminded this? I do not know who is behind it, but Jiangzhong Prefecture is not under my control; the real power lies not with me but with the three great families that truly dominate this region.

Killing those nineteen lords only boosts public sentiment; beyond that it serves no purpose. Though I do not know who the mastermind is, I am aware that the mastermind must have a contingency to keep Jiangzhong Prefecture unsettled.

If the Lord spares my entire family, I will devote all my effort to stabilizing Jiangzhong Prefecture's troubles.

Zhou Man spoke, informing Gu Jin Nian of the true situation.

Within Jiangzhong Prefecture, the real power does not belong to me, the prefect.

Gu Jin Nian actually believed this.

If it were another prefecture, Gu Jin Nian would never believe it; a respectable prefect should be able to command his domain.

Yet Jiangzhong Prefecture's situation truly has issues; before arriving he investigated and found three great families with great influence, and today Zhou Man confirmed their high standing in Jiangzhong.

A lineage is a hereditary line, and these three great families have distinguished origins.

The Wang family's ancestors earned merit from the Dragon, fought alongside the founding emperor, and later did not enter the power core; because of that, the Wang ancestors were fortunate, escaped death, and now thrive in Jiangzhong.

The Chen family, a scholarly lineage of the Li Dao tradition, thus holds many foreign connections; Chen women, aside from internal marriages, mostly wed nobles of the Great Jin Dynasty or the Fuyu Dynasty.

The Liu family's ancestor was a great scholar with many disciples and considerable court connections.

None of these three great families is simple; indeed, to wield such power in Jiangzhong Prefecture, they must have some background. "What do you mean?"

You don't even know who's pulling the strings behind?

Gu Jin Nian spoke, looking at Zhou Man, and asked in an even tone.

Reply, Lord.

In such a grave matter, if someone intends to target you, would they leave any evidence?

This is no longer a crime of beheading; it is a crime that implicates the whole family.

Zhou Man's face wept; he spoke honestly, for Jiangzhong Prefecture suffers a great drought and the whole nation watches—who would dare act at such a critical moment?

Whoever acts recklessly will die.

Taking such a huge risk, one must be fully prepared.

At that moment, a voice sounded beside Gu Jin Nian's ear—it was Fang Jingcheng's voice.

Lord, Zhou Man is correct; he is the prefect of Jiangzhong, and these myriad officials are merely names on a roster to us.

If he can sincerely repent, he could indeed help you, Lord, in disaster relief.

Fang Jingcheng spoke, endorsing Zhou Man's suggestion.

Hearing Fang Jingcheng's words, Gu Jin Nian did not answer outright, but pondered briefly.

But just then, a firelight appeared in the middle of the city.

In an instant, Gu Jin Nian slightly furrowed his brows.

Zhou Man looked over, just a glance, and his expression instantly changed.

"Not good, this is the granary area."

In an instant, Zhou Man's expression turned greatly alarmed.

"Marquis, they have already started to act."

Zhou Man continued speaking, pointing toward the rear.

"Someone, go quickly to investigate the situation and hurry to put out the fire."

Upon hearing it was the granary, Gu Jin Nian's expression suddenly changed; in this year of great drought in Jiangzhong Commandery, what is most important at this time?

That is grain.

But I never expected someone would dare to set fire to the grain? This is truly audacious.

"Marquis, you have just finished killing the lord here, and those hidden people have already begun to act; please Marquis rest assured, I swear with the lives of my entire family that I have truly repented."

"I am willing to assist the Marquis in resolving Jiangzhong Commandery's crisis, only asking that the Marquis spare the lives of my whole family; if the Marquis is not at ease, he may now arrest my entire family, and if I have the slightest transgression, my whole family will be executed."

Zhou Man spoke, his words becoming more fervent; he now wants nothing else but for Gu Jin Nian to employ him, so at least the lives of his whole family would be preserved.

Upon hearing Zhou Man speak.

Gu Jin Nian again looked at the fire, finally he took a deep breath and turned to Zhou Man, saying.

"This Marquis has come with full confidence, able to settle the crisis of Jiangzhong Commandery."

"In theory, this Marquis fundamentally does not need to rely on your forces, but doing so would still let many common folk fall into dire straits."

"This Marquis gives you one last chance; I will look after your whole family, and if you truly can do what you said, I can guarantee the safety of your whole family's lives."

"But if you dare to play any tricks again, this Marquis will not only exterminate your nine clans; the Office of the Hanging Lantern has countless means to make you wish you were dead, do you understand?"

Gu Jin Nian has great confidence, able to settle the crisis of Jiangzhong Commandery.

He does not need Zhou Man, but that lack of need refers to pacifying Jiangzhong Commandery; however, if we make use of Zhou Man, frankly speaking, there are indeed many benefits, at least being able to save more commoners.

Upon hearing these words, Zhou Man immediately knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly to Gu Jin Nian in thanks.

"Thank you, Marquis; please Marquis rest assured, I, as a scholar, having realized my repentance, will certainly not act recklessly."

Having received Gu Jin Nian's reply, Zhou Man was extremely grateful; he took a deep breath and continued speaking.

"Marquis, I will now immediately go to the granary to first put out the fire?"

Zhou Man spoke, he asked Gu Jin Nian in this way.

"No."

"Since the other side dares to burn the grain, they likely have already calculated everything; if you go, how much grain could you rescue?"

"If nothing unexpected happens, in the Nineteen Prefectures, most granaries will probably be burned down."

"They simply want to throw Jiangzhong Commandery into chaos."

Gu Jin Nian spoke lightly, "Since they dare to burn the grain now, at this critical moment, their daring to do so means they are not afraid."

Since they are not afraid, then Gu Jin Nian will go along with their intention and let them set the fire.

"Marquis."

"All the grain of the Nineteen Prefectures is piled in the granaries; now putting out the fire could at least salvage thirty to forty percent of the grain."

This time it was Zhou Man's turn to be somewhat puzzled.

"Can we really salvage thirty to forty percent?"

"Think carefully yourself; if you were to set fire to the grain, do you have full confidence in burning it all to ashes?"

"Furthermore, is all the grain inside the granary actually there?"

Gu Jin Nian spoke slowly, questioning Zhou Man.

As soon as these words were spoken, Zhou Man fell silent instantly, because what Gu Jin Nian said was not wrong at all; leaving aside whether to fight the fire, part of the grain inside the granary is actually empty sacks.

"Then may I ask the Marquis, what should be done next?"

Zhou Man, curious, inquired of Gu Jin Nian.

"Immediately begin, notify all the commoners, tell them that you had long prevented the granary from being destroyed, therefore storing all the people's grain in cellars."

"Unify the story, at least eighty percent hidden in the cellars."

"Furthermore, tell the commoners to distribute grain, returning all the grain that had been previously levied."

Gu Jin Nian spoke, "At present the first thing to do is to stabilize the people's hearts; everything else is secondary."

"Ah?"

"Marquis, the granary is burned; where is there grain to distribute? Although the court has been transporting grain all along, it is still not enough for distribution."

Zhou Man felt somewhat bitter; Gu Jin Nian moved his mouth, wanting to distribute grain out, but the problem is that Jiangzhong Commandery has no grain.

"This Marquis understands."

"You only need to announce one more piece of information, informing the commoners of two points."

"First, within Da Xia, disasters have occurred everywhere, thus manpower is insufficient, so distributing grain will take some time, at most seven days, at least three days, it will surely be resolved; but if any commoner wishes to deposit grain in the government office, the office will give interest, and after the situation stabilizes, repay double; this is not compulsory, but must be specially declared as this Marquis's order."

"Second, immediately gather the commoners; tomorrow at noon, this Marquis will host a relief feast for the entire commandery's commoners, having the garrison slaughter cattle and sheep; any commoner with stored grain may eat two meals per day, not allowed to take away, eat as much as they can, regardless of how many people are in the family, regardless of rich or poor."

Gu Jin Nian spoke; these two orders instantly left Zhou Man dumbfounded.

Not only Zhou Man, but also Fang Jingcheng, Gu Ningya, and the Heir Apparent Li Ji beside him were dumbstruck.

The first clause is fine; several people also understood Gu Jin Nian's meaning, to stabilize the people's hearts, as long as there is no panic-induced run, even if these granaries are burned, it will not cause a major problem.

The imperial court has been continuously transporting grain here; this grain is enough for everyone to exchange.

But this second clause seems a bit absurd? Have the whole family come to eat? Eat as much as given? Regardless of population? And also slaughter cattle and sheep? If Jiangzhong Commandery had no drought it would still be fine, but with a great drought, how could it withstand such extravagance? Moreover, now the grain has been burned, adding insult to injury; the current grain stores will not be many, at most enough for the commoners to eat for ten days or half a month; to stabilize the people's hearts, must we pay such a huge price? "Marquis."

"This"

Zhou Man wanted to speak, but Gu Jin Nian's voice was half a step faster than his.

Why haven't you gone to take care of it?

Hearing this, Zhou Man fell silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth, immediately stood up, took fifty iron cavalry, and hurried toward the inner city.

As Zhou Man left, Sixth Uncle Gu Ningya immediately came over.

"Jin Nian, what do you mean by this?"

Gu Ningya spoke, he really couldn't figure out what Gu Jin Nian wanted.

"Sixth Uncle, I have a brilliant plan."

Gu Jin Nian didn't explain much, but instead looked at the attendant beside him and said.

"Come here."

Have the troops set up camp, immediately start boiling water, notify everyone, and cook rice and dishes for these people.

Use the food specially prepared by this Marquis to feed these people, and notify everyone at once.

Gu Jin Nian spoke; before he arrived, he had already loaded a portion of grain, not a lot—about a thousand stone of True Dragon Treasure Rice—and this is his key to victory.

As you command.

The attendant had no more words, immediately set off, and at once the iron cavalry began beating gongs and drums.

Folks, the Marquis has ordered: start cooking rice, please wait a moment, and you'll have food soon.

The Marquis has ordered: start cooking rice.

As the order was given, nearly a hundred thousand civilians gathered outside the city; one stone of True Dragon Treasure Rice equals 120 catties, one catty equals 16 taels, so one stone equals 1,920 taels.

True Dragon Treasure Rice is not ordinary food; a warrior eating half a catty feels full of strength and strong satiety, while for ordinary civilians, two taels is the limit—after eating, they have energy all day and won't go hungry, and those with small appetites may need only one tael.

This is data that Gu Jin Nian had tested beforehand.

Therefore, one stone of True Dragon Treasure Rice can feed a thousand people to fullness.

A thousand stones can feed a million people for one day.

Moreover, there should be no other side dishes; if there are too many, they won't be able to finish them.

At this moment.

For the civilians, hearing the army start cooking rice immediately lifted their spirits; during this time, they truly hadn't had a full meal.

Right now, no matter what happens, eat first and talk later.

Not only that, some townsfolk heard the news and came running, even bringing pots and pans to help cook, making everything lively and harmonious.

Seeing the newly arrived civilians, Gu Jin Nian directly ordered the camp to be set up and deliberately expanded the main military camp.

After the main camp was set up,

Gu Jin Nian entered the main camp alone, and also had people bring a large number of empty grain sacks.

Sacks capable of holding ten thousand stones of grain appeared in the main camp.

No one may enter.

Gu Jin Nian issued a military order.

Then he took out the Map of Splendid Mountains and Rivers; in an instant, grain flowed continuously into the sacks, each sack holding one stone.

Inside the Map of Splendid Mountains and Rivers, Gu Jin Nian had already harvested everything, and it can be withdrawn at any time.

Soon, ten thousand stones of grain were produced by Gu Jin Nian.

Come, take this grain to Liu Ping Prefecture.

Gu Jin Nian said, ten thousand stones can feed ten million people for one day.

As Gu Jin Nian spoke, soldiers immediately entered the main camp; although they were surprised and didn't know where he got the grain, they said nothing and directly transported all the grain away.

Thus, again and again.

Jiangzhong Prefecture has nineteen prefectures; Gu Jin Nian took out two hundred thousand stones of grain, enough to feed the entire prefecture for two days.

Within Jiangzhong Prefecture, the civilian population is ten million, consuming one hundred thousand stones of grain per day, while our current stores amount to one million stones.

Originally, Gu Jin Nian intended to sell this grain; the grand opening of Da Xia Sleepless City was meant to use it as a publicity stunt.

But now, with danger all around, he doesn't intend to hoard it privately.

Two hundred thousand stones of grain were escorted away.

Gu Jin Nian immediately left the main camp; at this very moment, Fang Jingcheng, Gu Ningya, and Li Ji were all looking on in astonishment.

A large pile of empty sacks was brought into the main camp, then a large pile of sacks filled with grain was sent to each prefecture—what a divine method!

Does the Marquis have sufficient grain?

At this moment, Fang Jingcheng couldn't help but ask, looking at Gu Jin Nian and saying this.

Yes.

This Marquis dares to issue such a military order because he possesses ten million stones of grain, enough to feed the ten million people of Jiangzhong Prefecture for a hundred days.

Although Jiangzhong Prefecture suffers a great drought, this Marquis can guarantee that no civilian will starve; a hundred days is not enough to restore agricultural production? Grain transported from the capital can also last a hundred days.

Gu Jin Nian spoke, appearing extraordinarily confident.

He didn't know where Fang Jingcheng came from, but one must be wary of others, so he bluffed about having a hundred days' worth of grain.

However, Gu Jin Nian's answer shocked everyone present.

One person carrying a hundred days' rations?

How terrifying is that? This is practically divine intervention.

But these words also reassured everyone.

Meanwhile,

Outside the prefectural city, things were already bustling; pots of True Dragon Treasure Rice turned into fragrant rice, and just smelling the aroma made many feel full.

Even the soldiers on campaign couldn't help but feel their appetites stirred at this moment.

The commoners brought their own bowls and chopsticks; Gu Jin Nian had previously ordered that each person receive about two taels of rice, you may take less but not more, and if it's not enough you may add more.

The rice cooked from two taels of rice is actually not much—about five taels, a normal bowl—and many commoners had prepared a large bowl, yet when they got the two taels of rice they still felt something was off, after all Gu Jin Nian had promised to fill them up.

That's what was said, but giving each person two taels naturally stirred up some unnecessary emotions.

Fortunately, after hearing that they would be filled up, the commoners had nothing to complain about; most of them understood Gu Jin Nian, and an elder ladled out the rice cooked from two taels and then spoke.

"Marquis, this is military rations he's giving us to eat, with beef and pork; as long as we're content, that's fine—where could we find such a good official?"

As the elder spoke, many commoners nodded in agreement.

"Yes, the rations smell fragrant; let's eat quickly, and later we'll add two pieces of vegetables." "This line is so long; if everyone filled their bowls, what would those behind do? Let each person eat a little first, then take turns queuing, and everyone will get to eat."

"Exactly, exactly, the Marquis truly lives up to his title; you wouldn't really think the Marquis is unwilling to give us food, would you?"

"I don't care anymore; I'm starving, I'll eat first, finish these few taels of rice, then hurry back to the line."

Some voices rose; most people were understanding of Gu Jin Nian, but some felt two taels wasn't enough and wolfed down the Jiangbao rice.

After eating, they indeed didn't feel very full, so they started lining up again.

After walking just two steps, a warm current surged through their stomachs, immediately making their whole body feel at ease; the previous hunger vanished instantly.

Not only were they not hungry, their bodies filled with energy, causing many to involuntarily jump up and down.

"Hiss, what kind of rice is this? I've eaten it and I'm not hungry at all."

Someone exclaimed, swaying their body, because honestly they weren't hungry anymore—they felt a bit overly full, their body brimming with energy, feeling a little uncomfortable.

"Me too; I'm this big, how can eating just a few taels of rice leave me with seemingly endless energy?"

"What kind of rice is this? I feel my whole body is filled with energy."

"Good grief, I get it now—this is top‑grade military rations; this rice is specially supplied by the Imperial Household. Just two taels will keep you from being hungry all day and even vitalize the blood and stop coughing."

"Specially supplied by the Imperial Household? Really? You're just bragging."

"I'm not bragging; when I was young my father was a merchant, I've tasted it once, it's genuine—this is the flavor."

Outside the city, after the first batch of commoners finished eating, each one was bursting with heat and vigor, lively as a dragon and a tiger, feeling they had inexhaustible energy.

Consequently, many were surprised, various speculations arose, and someone stepped forward claiming that the True Dragon Treasure Rice was indeed specially supplied by the Imperial Household; at first some doubted, but gradually they found it quite reasonable.

But some of those still waiting in line felt resentful.

"Brother, we know the Marquis is a good person, the greatest sage under heaven, but you don't need to hype it up like this—it's just a meal, only two taels; how can you make the rice sound like this?"

Someone felt resentful; they knew Gu Jin Nian was a good person, but forcefully promoting this was pointless.

It wasn't just one person; all the commoners who hadn't yet received food thought the same way.

"I'm really not lying to you; if you don't believe me, just wait and see for yourself."

"How could I be deceiving you? It's almost your turn—try it yourself."

"Yeah, why would I deceive you?"

Even the commoners who had already eaten the True Dragon Treasure Rice felt resentful; they didn't want to be like this, but the fact is, it's true.

Indeed, as soon as that was said, many commoners became curious, full of anticipation.

Moreover, as more and more people finished eating, they all wolfed down their food, five taels of rice going straight into their stomachs; at first they just felt so-so.

But after a short while, they immediately began to shout.

Especially later on, someone who refused to believe started insisting on the truth, drawing a crowd of onlookers; deep down, most people actually didn't believe it.

As for rice, although the poor usually eat coarse rice, there are also some commoners who can afford good rice.

No matter how good the rice, it's only a difference in texture—how could two taels possibly fill you up? But when it came to this person, he ate the two taels outright, and many watched, wanting to see what would happen.

About half an hour later.

The commoner who had been shouting nonstop was instantly dumbfounded.

"Hiss."

"Damn, this rice really is potent—why don't I feel hungry?"

"I feel my whole body is full of strength."

"What's going on?"

With this person's loud outcry, the commoners were utterly astonished, each one dumbfounded.

Two taels of rice is just a small mouthful; you could say an old person eating two bites is fine, but for a sturdy young man, what can two taels of rice do?

But now everyone who has eaten it says it's good, and in an instant the rumor of the Imperial Household's special supply spread everywhere.

Come on, the commoners were shocked that Gu Jin Nian produced the Imperial Household's special rice; he really is generous.

Secondly, they couldn't help feeling that this rice was truly fragrant; if not for the disaster, they wouldn't have gotten to eat such good rice.

That's how it is.

How many commoners initially drooled at the sight of cattle being slaughtered and pigs butchered? Now, after eating a few taels of rice, they feel no hunger at all; looking again at the slaughter scene, they have no appetite, instead feeling outright nauseous.

Why nauseous?

After being full, who wouldn't feel nauseous at such a bloody scene?

"Damn, I can't use up all this energy—any brothers want to go harvest wheat?"

"The Marquis gave us the Imperial Household's military rations to eat; we shouldn't be idle—let's go straight to the fields to harvest wheat, cut down all the dead crops, and replant them in a few days."

A sturdy man shouted loudly, even throwing his upper garment aside, sweat pouring from his body, brimming with inexhaustible energy.

As soon as that was said, many responded; now everyone is vigorous and lively, also thinking of making some contribution.

Even some people in their fifties, after eating and drinking their fill, are howling to go harvest wheat together.

However, once Gu Jin Nian learned of the commoners' ideas, he directly suppressed them.

First, it's dark now; going to the wheat field to harvest would be inappropriate.

Second, everyone has just finished eating; going to harvest wheat right away would also be inappropriate.

But the problem is, although Gu Jin Nian told everyone not to go, he can't withstand the fact that these commoners are full of energy.

One by one they howled and rushed forward, ignoring whatever Gu Jin Nian said; once they lifted their sickles they went to cut wheat.

But a group was pulled back by Gu Jin Nian and ordered to deliver rice to some townsfolk inside the city—such as those with little mobility, or the elderly and children.

Since everyone was idle, they helped out, counting it as doing a good deed.

Thus the overall scene became townsfolk coming out, each receiving two liang of rice, and eventually one liang per person; especially the elders, who often could not finish a liang, eating bite after bite for a while, leaving a little left, then taking the rice back home.

There was no other way; they were fully fed, but could not waste it, so they kept it at home in case they got hungry later.

About three more shichen later.

The camp finally could rest for a while, since the townsfolk were helping; although more civilians kept arriving, they could at least rest a bit.

But their "rest" wasn't real; each of them stared at the True Dragon Treasure Rice.

What the heck is this military ration?

They've eaten rations before, to be honest, they can't resist the fragrance of this True Dragon Treasure Rice; they just can't stand it.

Some soldiers tasked with serving the rice were luckier, managing to get a bite; after eating, they became vigorous, making the other soldiers drool.

But when these soldiers tried to scoop a bowl of True Dragon Treasure Rice, they were scolded.

"What are you eating this for? Is this even for you?"

A commander spoke up, berating the soldiers who wanted to eat.

"Sir, we've been exhausted all day; it can't be that we aren't allowed a single bite of rice, right?"

The soldiers were stunned; even though they were here to aid disaster relief, they at least deserved a mouthful of a full meal.

"Eat what? These are for the townsfolk. You want to eat those things? Such good stuff, I haven't even gotten a bite, and you want to eat first?"

"Lord Hou has ordered, hurry and eat. We slaughtered so many cattle, butchered so many pigs, and not a single person ate."

"Hurry up and eat."

The soldiers' leader shouted angrily.

This time, the soldiers were stunned; looking up, they saw indeed chicken, duck, fish, beef, lamb, pork turned into lavish dishes, yet no one ate them.

Usually the townsfolk would scramble for these, but now no one showed interest?

"Sir, let the townsfolk have these fine foods; we'll just have two bites of rice, just rice is enough."

The soldiers replied, insisting on two bites of rice, leaving the rest for later.

"Stop dreaming; I can't even get a bite, and you still want more—hurry up and eat."

"In this scorching heat, if we don't eat now it'll all go bad."

"Lord Hou said we must finish these before we can eat rice."

The latter didn't bother to respond.

Thus the soldiers could only eat meat through tears.

And they only ate the vegetables, not the meat.

Because no one knew who spread the rumor that this rice was a royal special supply, granting longevity and immunity, and that the emperor himself grew up on it.

The rumor spread, and those who ate praised it; even a frail old man, who might have died any day, after a meal looked noticeably healthier, though not exactly vigorous.

He spoke briskly, didn't need support, and his gait, while not fast, was far better than before.

Because of this, the townsfolk started shouting, preferring to line up for rice rather than eat these cooked dishes.

Even outside the city gate, tables laden with huge fish and meat stood; the soldiers, feeling greasy and overwhelmed by the rice aroma, each dragged townsfolk to the gate to eat the meat.

At first a few townsfolk fell for it, grabbing beef and lamb to gnaw, but gradually sensed something was off.

Most townsfolk insisted on queuing, no matter how they were pulled or urged, they refused to eat it.

And the soldiers, seeing the townsfolk eat meat, smiled, since Gu Jin Nian had ordered it.

If these foods weren't finished, the soldiers couldn't eat anything else.

Thus the soldiers could only let the townsfolk take a share, but as they watched, some townsfolk felt they'd been duped.

After learning what was happening, they were all extremely frustrated.

Seeing they couldn't trick the townsfolk into enjoying the meat, the soldiers had to bite the bullet and eat.

The most cunning were some commanding officers, supervising everyone to eat quickly, not eating themselves, just waiting to receive two liang of rice later.

Inside the main camp of the army.

Fang Jingcheng, Gu Ningya and others watching the scene were genuinely dumbfounded.

They had seen disaster zones before, but never one like this.

The common folk ate rice, refusing the huge fish and meat before them; the soldiers ate meat, but reluctantly.

"Damn it, is there any law left? Any rule?"

"Jin Nian, what kind of rice is this? Why does it smell like that? The Great Jin Dynasty sends some Great Golden Dragon Rice each year, but it doesn't smell like this."

Gu Ningya didn't know what to say, so he asked Gu Jin Nian what this thing was.

"The Great Jin Dynasty has Dragon Rice."

"Does the Da Xia Dynasty not have Dragon Rice either?"

Gu Jin Nian smiled softly at his sixth uncle.

Upon hearing that, Gu Ningya was instantly stunned, and so were Fang Jingcheng and Li Ji.

Great Golden Dragon Rice, renowned throughout the world.

All the dynasties in the world have sought Great Golden Dragon Rice, but countless studies ended in nothing.

Who would have thought Gu Jin Nian actually had Da Xia Dragon Rice? That was truly beyond expectation.

"No wonder Lord Hou dared claim he could pacify Jiangzhong County's crisis; it's because of such a divine artifact."

"May I ask, Lord Hou, is this Da Xia rice ear easy to cultivate?"

Fang Jingcheng instantly understood the source of Gu Jin Nian's confidence.

"Alright."

Gu Jin Nian did not answer directly, but that single "En" already got Fang Jingcheng excited.

"It seems that Jiangzhong County is about to turn disaster into fortune."

"The one lurking in the shadows is about to take a big loss this time, hahaha."

Fang Jingcheng spoke excitedly.

"Mostly it's thanks to your reminder, sir. Had you not been a hundred li outside the city, pointing out the way, we would have lost a lot of time."

Gu Jin Nian thanked Fang Jingcheng with a nod, then spoke directly.

"Mr. Fang, with such talent you are being wasted here. If you don't mind, this Marquis would be honored to invite you as my chief of staff."

Gu Jin Nian said, inviting Fang Jingcheng to join his staff.

Upon hearing this, Fang Jingcheng immediately bowed.

"Lord Hou, your generosity truly overwhelms this humble man, but the one who truly solved the puzzle is not me, but Lord Wang Wei."

"Therefore I cannot accept now, Lord Hou; only after Jiangzhong County is pacified can I accept your offer."

Fang Jingcheng was very clever—so meticulous that nothing slipped through. Gu Jin Nian's invitation was a good thing, and Fang Jingcheng was certainly willing.

But accepting at this critical moment would raise some suspicion.

After all, the one who truly contributed is Wang Wei.

He never claimed credit, constantly keeping Wang Wei in mind, showing the scholar's integrity.

"Good."

Gu Jin Nian nodded; he was also pleased with Fang Jingcheng's response.

But at that moment, a voice sounded from outside the camp.

"Lord Hou, the food prepared for the civilians has already been eaten by our soldiers; there are still ten thousand people who haven't eaten, and the troops want to taste the fragrant military rice."

The voice drew a laugh from those inside the camp.

But Fang Jingcheng spoke up.

"Lord Hou."

"Let the soldiers continue with the big fish and meat."

He said, reminding Gu Jin Nian.

When he said that, the three grew curious; the big fish and meat were originally for the civilians, but they hadn't expected the genuine Dragon Treasure rice to be so fragrant.

Consequently the civilians didn't eat a single vegetable; to avoid waste, the soldiers were sent to eat it.

Yet Fang Jingcheng's words seemed to carry another meaning.

"What do you mean, sir?"

Gu Jin Nian asked.

"Take this chance to confuse the enemy, and let them leap out to their own death."

Fang Jingcheng voiced his thought.

Upon hearing this, Gu Jin Nian instantly understood.

"The plan works."

Gu Jin Nian nodded; he grasped Fang Jingcheng's idea.

Thus.

With the order given, a hundred thousand soldiers let out an indescribable wail.

After two hours, another absurd incident occurred: the soldiers learned they could not enjoy the dragon rice, and each became extremely discouraged.

But no one knew which clever rascal thought of a solution: he voluntarily served rice to the civilians, then accidentally dropped a clump on the ground, immediately scooped it up, claiming the soiled rice couldn't be given to the people, yet, adhering to the principle of no waste, he ate it himself.

He rinsed it quickly with water and ate it outright.

This trick prompted many soldiers to imitate, though they still kept a moral line; roughly thirty or forty would try it each time.

However, once discovered, all soldiers began queuing for rice, yet someone with a big appetite would take extra bites, leading to a quarrel; finally a Deputy General dragged the few offenders away.

He then went up himself to serve the civilians, but his only flaw was that his hands often trembled, dropping rice on the ground.

This left everyone speechless.

But at the same time,

Outside Jiangzhong County's government.

Some scouts dared not venture further and could only watch from a distance.

After Gu Jin Nian arrived, he immediately controlled the ingress and egress; they could only act in the shadows.

Inside the city there were also rascals, but those rascals couldn't come out; they were just troublemakers who usually cursed the streets without issue.

Who would dare act rashly when faced with the army?

They wouldn't even dare to go out to deliver messages.

Thus what happened inside was truly unknown outside.

After a period of watching, they were suddenly stunned.

Because they discovered that the Jiangzhong County civilians each ate ordinary grain rice, perhaps only two taels per bowl.

In contrast, the soldiers ate with mouths full of oil and wore fierce expressions.

Isn't this oppression of the civilians? In an instant, many vanished to quickly spread the word.

Is this even acceptable? If it gets out, the whole world will be frightened.

"How can the illustrious Da Xia Heaven's Mandate Marquis let his soldiers oppress the people? The common folk eat plain white rice, only two taels each, while the soldiers gorge on large pieces of meat. What is this? A scheme of deception? Gu Jin Nian, Gu Jin Nian, you are courting death."

The sky darkened completely.

Inside Prince Ning's residence.

When the Marquis learned of this, he was startled, double‑checked the situation, then waited for a few more scouts; he did not send only one scout to investigate.

In the end, all the scouts reported that after Gu Jin Nian arrived in Jiangzhong County, he beheaded the lords of nineteen prefectures, and then mobilized military grain to give the common people to eat.

But each commoner could only eat two taels of rice; although the people each said they were full and seemed very happy, not a single scout thought that two taels of rice could satisfy hunger.

And looking at the soldiers, each one was gorging themselves—utterly unreasonable.

He thought for a long while.

The Marquis's troops instantly showed delight.

"Fine."

"This Gu Jin Nian has no way to solve the crisis in Jiangzhong County; he does this only to temporarily pacify the people's hearts."

"Then he hopes to rely on the court to transport grain, and to suppress the commoners by force."

"This is a once‑in‑a‑thousand‑years opportunity; if the Prince can dispatch elite troops and send grain, he can win the hearts of countless people of Jiangzhong County."

The Marquis's troops were extremely excited; with this in mind, he rushed straight to the Prince's mansion.

(End of chapter)