Chapter 109: When the Map Ends, the Dagger Appears

The "Water‑and‑Land Dharma Assembly" held in front of the Ganzhou Prefecture office inside Zhangye City truly restored a great deal of face for the local Buddhist temples, again showing the local believers that the temples' power remains strong, the Buddhist teachings remain profound, and at least the recitation of sutras remains fluent.

All the local Buddhist temples sent elite participants; those "masters" were either transcendent or amiable, not only looked impressive but also were fluent in Buddhist language, quoting allusions at will.

After all, although many temples have fake monks, they do have genuine masters; otherwise they could not establish a foothold locally.

Yet the monk who shone this time was still the "Holy Son" who had only been in the West Journey Temple for a few days and whose fame had recently skyrocketed.

Perhaps it was a deliberately arranged highlight; many eminent monks of the Exoteric Sect stepped forward to "challenge" the Holy Son by reciting sutras before him. After reciting, they asked the Holy Son to repeat it.

To ordinary people, this is actually a task of high difficulty. Many people indeed have photographic memory, but that is a matter of comprehension. Moreover, such an act consumes a lot of mental energy.

Even if one truly has eidetic memory, under prolonged fatigue battles and round‑after‑round wear, collapse is common at the end.

However, this Esoteric Sect "Holy Son" could accomplish it effortlessly, describable only as a superhuman skill.

Of course, this Holy Son is rather mysterious. When senior monks asked him Buddhist questions, he always kept his eyes closed, appearing very enigmatic.

They say the eyes are the windows of the soul; when the windows are shut, outsiders naturally cannot know what the person thinks, making him seem lofty and mysterious.

The rumor‑filled blind Holy Son always calmly answers monks who come to question: "The Buddha says: It cannot be spoken."

It is "cannot be spoken," not "I don't know," which would seem like a cheap trick.

Yet playing it this way does no harm; "The Buddha says it cannot be spoken" is itself one of the high monks' hype routines.

With "great supernatural powers" at his side, no one dares to doubt Fang Laique's extraordinary nature, and that is enough. Everyone in the charlatan circle knows what may be said and what may be said, by convention; often dismantling another's platform is tantamount to dismantling one's own.

Without absolute confidence, no one would commit such a foolish act that kills a hundred enemies while harming a thousand oneself.

Thus, in this solemn yet friendly atmosphere, the previously tense Exoteric and Esoteric Buddhist temples of the region actually joined together to hold a gathering that could be called a "joyful assembly" of the Water‑and‑Land Dharma.

The local populace came happily and left satisfied; truly a universal delight.

Afterwards, the Ganzhou Prefecture office and the many temples agreed on a make‑up exam for qualification, namely:

Still a recitation‑to‑determine victory, but no longer fixing the number of passages; instead, from the unqualified, the bottom twenty percent would be eliminated!

In other words, those monks temporarily "off duty" have an eighty‑percent chance to "return to duty"; for the remaining twenty percent, the authorities will arrange their livelihood and a solution will be issued soon.

This is akin to the famous "last‑place elimination system" from Fang Chongyong's previous life.

Fang Chongyong neither extorted nor suppressed; the matter was handled fairly and transparently, and no one could find a flaw.

These actions displayed a seasoned "mature bureaucrat" maneuver, not to be taken lightly.

Everything he did was observed by the Minister of Works Niu Xianke, who recorded it in detail.

……

That day, the Ganzhou Prefecture office welcomed a team of craftsmen sent by the court to assist Ganzhou in metallurgy, led by one of the three chief officials of the Ministry of Works.

At the Tang central Ministry of Works, there is one Minister, one Vice‑Minister, and they issue orders concerning engineering, craftsmen, colonization, waterworks, transportation, etc.

Under it are four departments: Works, Colonization, Yu, and Water.

Within the Works Department there is one Director, one Assistant Director, and three Chiefs, each with their own authority. This chief, Zhang Yunyang, oversees forging, metallurgy, mining and related enterprises throughout the Tang realm.

He wields great power but holds only a ninth‑rank official position.

This reflects the Tang bureaucracy: the office is the office, the post is the post, the assignment is the assignment!

High rank does not guarantee power, low rank does not guarantee neglect; having a title without duties is merely decorative.

"Minister Niu, Lord Fang, the subordinates pay their respects."

Zhang Yunyang's official robe was jet‑black, as if he had rolled in a coal pile. In fact, he had just returned from Shandan County.

"South of Shandan, is there a place that yields coal?"

Minister Niu asked with a smile.

Zhang Yunyang not only manages metallurgy but also mineral exploration, which technically belongs to the local prefecture's report and then central verification.

If the exploration authority were to be centralized in Chang'an, even expanding the Ministry a hundredfold would still lack manpower.

"Replying Minister, indeed so. According to local herders' guidance, there is a cave in a mountain hollow. Gathering a little bit poses no problem, but large‑scale mining would require shafts and construction."

Zhang Yunyang spread his arms and saluted.

"Will these coals be suitable for making dry coal? What do you think?"

Minister Niu asked calmly.

"Replying Minister, I think the issue is minor. Yet whether it works requires building the appropriate workshops; once everything is ready we can confirm.

Or we could ship it to Chang'an… In short, the decision rests with the Minister."

Zhang Yunyang said very "obediently".

Minister Niu waved his hand lightly; Zhang Yunyang slowly withdrew from the office study.

After he left, Minister Niu handed a memorial to Fang Chongyong, saying: "Sign your name on the top; I'll have it sent to the central office today."

Fang Chongyong took the memorial, opened it, and saw that Minister Niu wrote:

"We have already located a coal‑gathering site in Ganzhou; it seems that ancient coal‑smelting of iron ore was not a myth."

"I will inquire here about iron ore; once I have leads I will return to Chang'an to report. The Ganzhou Inspector Fang Chongyong says we have clues to iron ore locations but have not yet pinpointed the exact spot; we are still searching and hope the court can be patient."

In short, Minister Niu set the table, had Fang Chongyong sign, and let the court issue an official document.

Minister Niu's role is "limited guarantee": I think the problem is minor, but I cannot rule out that Fang Chongyong's persuasive tricks might have deceived me as well.

This memorial shows Niu's style of governing: handling affairs while protecting himself, sincere yet leaving room.

Even those historically labeled "mediocre" may actually have been talented; their failures stem from era constraints and the intense bureaucratic infighting that had reached its peak.

Modern people in their shoes might not do better.

This is the so‑called "nothing new under the sun".

Fang Chongyong cheerfully signed his name, stamped the Ganzhou Prefecture seal, and handed it to Minister Niu.

"Everything is now entrusted to Minister Niu."

Fang Chongyong respectfully spread his arms and bowed.

Minister Niu used his authority as Minister of Works to dispatch a professional team that found a suspected coal‑mining site, which truly helped Fang Chongyong a great deal.

Actually, this was easy to understand. Even after Niu Xianke reached the court's center, his roots remained in Hexi, where his friends, family, and youthful years were all spread.

Within the scope of his authority, Niu Xianke naturally did not mind doing Fang Chongyong a favor. He was not helping this young master Fang, but rather building up his own hometown, adding bricks and tiles to his native land.

"Eh, Your Excellency's words are too polite. Right now it is not you asking me, but rather I who should be asking you.

Once this memorial is submitted, the arrow cannot be pulled back. If the Sage does not see an iron mine found in Ganzhou, I have no idea what he might do in a fit of rage.

It is I who should be asking Your Excellency for help."

Niu Xianke laughed heartily and patted Fang Chongyong on the shoulder, returning the salute with hands crossed.

What was originally an extremely complex and bewildering problem, Fang Chongyong unraveled thread by thread, breaking it down into smaller problems, then solved the simple ones and set aside the difficult ones, concentrating his strength to tackle them.

This kind of ability was precisely the essential quality required of those who accomplished great things!

Niu Xianke saw this with perfect clarity and placed great hopes in Fang Chongyong!

Once the smelting workshop was built, even if the quality of the ironware here could not match Chang'an's and could not be used to make weapons, it would still be good if they could make agricultural tools. That would greatly improve local livelihoods and count as a deed beneficial to both the nation and the people.

The only question now was: where was the iron mine?

"Rest assured, Minister Niu. I already have a complete plan in mind, and we are now nearing the final stage."

Fang Chongyong put away his smile and said with great certainty.

"Mm, that is very good."

Niu Xianke put away the memorial and left the prefectural yamen directly, preparing to return to Liangzhou Prefecture. On this trip to Hexi, besides the matter of smelting iron ore, he had also been granted the title of Observation and Disposal Commissioner.

Clearly, coming to Ganzhou to check whether the smelting rumors here were true did not require the office of an Observation and Disposal Commissioner. Niu Xianke had come to Hexi on a separate secret mission that even Li Linfu might not know about.

During the Kaiyuan era, Tang government affairs were basically all managed by chancellors, and Brother Ji generally did not interfere. But he was very wary of chancellors getting deeply involved in military affairs, and often issued military matters directly by secret edict without informing the chancellors.

On the surface, the position of Observation and Disposal Commissioner had nothing to do with the military whatsoever. But in reality, an Observation and Disposal Commissioner could not only command troops but also intervene in local affairs and report directly to the Son of Heaven.

In Brother Ji's strategic planning, the administrative jurisdictions of the Military Commissioner and the Observation and Disposal Commissioner did not completely overlap, but only partially overlapped. Generally speaking, the prefectures and counties under an Observation and Disposal Commissioner were more numerous than those under a Military Commissioner.

This system of overlapping yet non-interfering authority was itself designed to restrain Military Commissioners from abusing their power in border garrisons. So far, these institutions were still functioning normally without any major problems.

Niu Xianke had been appointed Hexi Observation and Disposal Commissioner, going directly from Shuofang to Liangzhou, and no one could figure out what he was actually going to do.

After Niu Xianke left, Fang Chongyong sent for Yan Zhuang and asked in a low voice: "Is there still no progress on finding the iron mine over in Shandan County?"

Everything was ready, only the east wind was lacking—now it all came down to this one final blow!

Fang Chongyong appeared full of confidence on the surface, but in reality he was still quite anxious inside.

"To reply to Your Excellency: we have already sent several groups to search around Longshou Mountain, but so far there has been no progress. No, I should say we have not found even a hair, not a single clue."

Yan Zhuang said, extremely dejected.

Was it difficult to prospect for ore deposits in ancient times?

This question depended on the circumstances and could not be generalized.

If local villagers or mountain folk had seen it before, then finding it was as easy as catching snails with three fingers—a sure thing!

However, without the aid of "black technology," prospecting for ore in ancient times mostly relied on "experts among the common folk." The so-called "professionals" were not necessarily better at searching than the locals.

When one only knew the general area without precise leads, the difficulty of prospecting would rise sharply!

For instance, if the ore deposit's location had been confirmed to be within a ten-li radius, that would already count as very specific information, a very small range, right?

But in reality, even with information that specific, it was still very possible for the prospector to miss the deposit entirely, because it lay in complex terrain a mere hundred meters away while the prospector looked right past it!

Moreover, many iron ores looked utterly ordinary, and due to different formation processes, the color and shape of the ore could vary greatly. Only by picking it up and hefting it would one feel that its density was noticeably greater than that of an ordinary stone.

In other words, hefting a stone in hand was far more reliable than relying on the eyes alone.

Simply put, without any leads, this kind of search was like looking for a needle in a haystack! Yan Zhuang was actually somewhat baffled as to where Fang Chongyong's confidence came from!

"Alright, I know. Come closer, I have an important matter for you to handle."

Fang Chongyong lowered his voice and waved Yan Zhuang over.

He muttered at length to Yan Zhuang, who had leaned his ear close.

After a long while, Yan Zhuang slapped his thigh and exclaimed: "Brilliant! Your Excellency's move is absolutely brilliant! How did I not think of this? No wonder Your Excellency has been building everything around the Holy Child!"

Yan Zhuang marveled inwardly that with a brain like Fang Chongyong's, he would have more than enough to become a chancellor when he grew up.

"Go get it done, and spare me the nonsense."

Fang Chongyong waved his hand dismissively, putting on the air of a superior man.

……

These past few days, an extraordinary piece of news broke in Zhangye City—small in scale, yet eye-catching enough!

The "Holy Child" who had been cultivating in West Journey Temple had previously been rumored to have gone completely blind!

Yet a few days ago, he suddenly opened his eyes without any warning and said to the abbot of West Journey Temple: Twenty li south of Shandan County seat there is a cave that yields black gold, which when lit can provide warmth through the winter. The common folk may gather it themselves; this is the Buddha's grace shining upon all sentient beings!

Yesterday the news came that twenty li south of Shandan, a mine shaft had indeed been discovered, filled with coal, layered and countless! Herdsmen from Shandan County had already gone to collect it, and the area had since been sealed off by government officials. So many people could confirm this news that it was absolutely impossible to be a hoax!

Sure enough, today many people gathered outside West Journey Temple, waiting for the Holy Child to "open his eyes" again!

There had long been rumors that this Holy Child was originally an attendant of the current Inspector of Ganzhou. Back in Chang'an, while begging, he had stopped the Inspector and, upon meeting him, immediately said that he would soon be appointed Inspector of Hexi.

A ten-year-old Inspector—was that not bizarre?

Inspector Fang took pity on him and kept him by his side, and was subsequently appointed Inspector of Ganzhou.

Later, the Holy Child said that the Buddha had appeared in a dream and told him to cultivate at West Journey Temple, so he came there to become a monk. Legend had it that whenever he opened his eyes, a "great prophecy" that would inevitably come true would follow!

Everyone had originally thought these were fabricated stories, never expecting that this Holy Child was truly a "manifestation of the Buddha"!

"Please, Holy Child, come out and manifest your divine power! The people suffer, and we beg the Buddha to deliver all sentient beings!"

Outside the gate of West Journey Temple, a shill planted by Yan Zhuang shouted loudly and performed a full prostration.

Behind him was a crowd of locals who did not know the truth but loved a spectacle, and they followed suit, bowing together. The scene was magnificent to behold.

Those who love a spectacle never fear things getting too big—whether the Buddha wanted to "manifest" or not, as long as there was fun to be had, that was enough!

Before long, Fang Laique, seated in a wheelchair, was wheeled out, his eyes wide open!

He still lacked any vitality, his demeanor languid, as if he had eaten too much all day long.

"The Buddha said: North of Shandan, Dragon Head Mountain has a heavy stone! Obtain it and you can smelt metal! One stone yields forty percent gold!"

Fang Laique shouted loudly, then his head tilted and he fainted.

Then he was pushed into West Journey Temple by the expressionless Abbot Facheng, and never came out again.

The melon‑eating crowd dispersed as if after three bows and nine kowtows; no one knew how this news would spread, but one thing is certain: this autumn in Gan Prefecture will not be peaceful.

Not far from the temple corner, Fang Chongyong, who had been hiding to watch the fun, complained to Anaye, who was laughing so hard she resembled a shrimp, bent over and unable to straighten up: "Fang Laique really isn't material for acting; just looking at this performance you can tell he's playing by the book."

"Sigh, there's nothing else we can do now."

"No no no, my lord, it's not like that."

"I was laughing at his dead‑serious expression, as if he were speaking the truth. If it weren't for the fact that my lord already told me the truth last night, I would have almost believed it just now."

Anaye stopped laughing and explained, her little face all flushed.

"Really? Turns out there really are people who fall for this."

Fang Chongyong half‑believed, half‑doubted, crossed his arms and muttered to himself.

The second update has been delivered.

(End of chapter)