Chapter 210

Prime Minister's brows furrowed even tighter, he waved his hands repeatedly and said firmly: "No need, no need! Absolutely no need!"

"Why not?" the Wasteland Nation's king's fleshy face was full of doubt.

Prime Minister held up two fingers and explained confidently.

His Majesty

"First, not long ago the Great Wilderness and Peace Kingdom fought, consumption was too great, food and supplies were already insufficient; we must prioritize supplying our Royal City, from His Majesty you to the nobles and officials— isn't that more important than the soldiers at Zhenhuang Pass? Where would there be extra supplies to give them!"

"Second, Mu Cheng's previous actions were purely superfluous and a waste of resources!"

"Everywhere in the Xuanhuang Shanmai region is freezing once winter arrives— could it be that only our Zhenhuang Pass is cold while Xuan Guo's Zhen Xuan Guan isn't?"

"Only crazy soldiers from Xuan Guo would cross the Xuanhuang Shanmai in deep winter to attack the Great Wilderness— that's tantamount to seeking death! So why would we need to extra-care for Zhenhuang Pass? I implore His Majesty to think: in past winters, has Zhenhuang Pass ever been attacked by Xuan Guo?"

Prime Minister's reasonable, evidence-based arguments soon convinced the Wasteland Nation's king quite thoroughly.

"Hmm… that makes sense," the Wasteland Nation's king nodded slightly, "but, Prime Minister, earlier for the war with Peace Kingdom I had people transfer a lot of grain and fodder from Zhenhuang Pass's granaries; what they have left may not be enough to survive winter, and furthermore I promised that once we recover the lost lands I would give them double compensation— what do you think we should do?"

Prime Minister stroked his goat beard, showing disdain: "His Majesty may have promised double compensation after recovering the lost lands, but he didn't say it would be this year— whenever there's surplus, we can top up then. As for their lacking grain and fodder, let them solve it themselves! Near Zhenhuang Pass there are prefectures and villages; just take some from the locals— if they can't even do that, what ability do they have to guard the border and protect His Majesty? Freezing or starving to death is what they deserve!"

Wasteland Nation's king suddenly realized: "It's got to be the Prime Minister! He easily dispelled my worries! Alright, I will now issue an order for them to solve the winter problem on their own!"

Prime Minister and the nearby ministers exclaimed in unison: "His Majesty is wise!"

Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army

Zhen Xuan Army

On the drill ground of Zhen Xuan Guan, Daxuan's border soldiers practiced weapons and battle formations; the twenty thousand were trained by ten thousand Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army.

During these two months of war preparations, the Zhen Xuan Army had already switched to the new equipment provided by Ning Jinli.

Not only did they use the standard weapons of the Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army, they also wore warm clothing, socks, and over that a set of modern winter combat gear and bulletproof outfit; they not only feared no cold, but also had greater protection and flexibility than before when wearing a full suit of armor.

Prince Rongrui of the Xiao royal family

Qi Zhan

From tents to bedding and even daily rations, everything was replaced with modern winter military supplies.

A comprehensive improvement spanning over two thousand years shocked these soldiers; not only did they not become lax and careless, but they instead trained harder in combat practice.

With these guarantees, they no longer need to worry about starving or freezing in winter.

Both morale and physical condition have greatly improved.

After all, before this, being able to wear a decent cotton coat and eat meat once or twice a month was a luxury for them.

In just two months, the combat power of the Zhen Xuan Guan soldiers reached an unprecedented height, more effective than years of previous training.

Originally, these soldiers felt somewhat uneasy about replacing the commander-in-chief general.

After all, the former general was the son of the Xiao clan's Prince Rongrui; he was not skilled at leading troops in battle, but his extremely noble status made the soldiers feel honored.

Even though they saw the general living in luxury while they ate bran and vegetables, they didn't think it was a problem.

Since learning that His Majesty had directly eliminated the Daxuan royal nobles, they instead worried they would lose the honor of being soldiers under the royal family, and some even feared being implicated.

But with the arrival of Qi Zhan and Mu Cheng, and a steady stream of food, supplies, and weaponry beyond their imagination, the soldiers' worries completely vanished.

Here the soldiers are drilling intensively with their new equipment.

At the same time, the Xuan Guo commoners near Zhen Xuan Guan were not idle.

Before winter, they needed to stockpile as much food and supplies as possible.

The leftover grain after the autumn harvest was usually insufficient, so they also had to go into the mountains to hunt.

They also needed to chop firewood, otherwise, when the weather turned cold, lacking enough wood to make fire for warmth could also freeze people to death.

However, even with the vast Xuanhuang Shanmai primitive forest nearby, hunting and chopping wood were far from easy for the locals; year after year, people who went into the mountains never came out.

Either they were devoured by beasts such as wolves, tigers, leopards, and brown bears, or they died from environmental hazards.

Therefore, every year to survive winter, these people stockpile supplies at the risk of their lives.

Even so, many still cannot make it through winter.

But this time is different from before.

They only need to assist the soldiers of Zhen Xuan Guan with work, and they can receive all the food and supplies they need.

And these items are far better than anything they have ever seen—hundreds of times better.

Such as refined rice and flour, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, fresh fruits and vegetables, and meat, plus various utensils and charcoal.

Likewise, there are bedding, clothing, and shoes beyond their wildest dreams.

Even the shovels, hoes, handcarts, and similar tools issued by Zhen Xuan Guan are permitted for them to keep for personal use, so they now have the implements for future farming.

Thus, the locals near Zhen Xuan Guan became increasingly eager, arriving with their families before dawn to help.

Women, children, elders, and the young washed clothes and cooked for the soldiers, while able-bodied men dug into the mountains and repaired roads.

They can eat three hot, tasty, and filling meals a day, and at night they can take supplies home to rest.

Thus, anyone who can contribute works with great vigor.

Word spread tenfold, hundredfold, so that now the number of Xuan Guo commoners from the surrounding areas coming to Zhen Xuan Guan to work can reach as many as three hundred thousand.

Thus, a road from Zhen Xuan Guan leading deep into the Xuanhuang Shanmai was excavated in just two months.

Although only one zhang wide, it is far from as level as an official road.

But placed in a primitive forest filled with lofty mountains and rugged ridges, it is already an unprecedented miracle.

The sky grew dark.

Countless civilians left Zhen Xuan Guan in a steady stream to return home.

They held torches, shouldering the supplies they had received for today's work; even though their steps were weary, their faces were full of smiles.

Mu Cheng stood on the city wall, watching the receding crowd, his expression solemn and thoughtful.

"Mu General, what are you thinking about?" Qi Zhan came up beside him and asked casually.

Mu Cheng returned a fist salute, saying, "Your subordinate pays respects to General Qi."

Qi Zhan laughed and said, "General Mu Cheng is my senior; there's no need to be so polite with me."

Mu Cheng said, "You are the commander, I am the deputy general, and we still need to observe military discipline. I was just thinking, that Jinli Fairy truly possesses vast divine powers—200,000 soldiers of Zhen Xuan Guan plus over 300,000 surrounding civilians actually received those extraordinary supplies. You know…… even just a pair of shoes given by the Fairy would be an unprecedented treasure here……"

Qi Zhan nodded, "Indeed, but the Fairy said that those things are the most ordinary items in her world."

Mu Cheng's heart jumped again.

Although he had briefly seen things in Lin Xian Cheng before and had continually broadened his horizons over the past two months, he was still shaken once again by those words.

He simply could not imagine what kind of scenery the world where Jinli Fairy resides actually looks like.

Mu Cheng lifted his head to gaze at the night sky, feeling the increasingly biting north wind, his expression solemn as he said: "The cold surge has arrived; before long the first heavy snow will fall…… I don't know…… whether the people on the other side of the Xuanhuang Shanmai can survive the winter…… General Qi Zhan, our Zhen Xuan Army is ready; may we launch an offensive?"

"General Mu Cheng, are you so eager?"

"I am not warmongering; I merely worry about the people at Zhenhuang Pass. If we could attack and occupy that place swiftly, they too could live well."

"General Mu Cheng, rest assured; according to the current progress of digging through the mountains and opening a road, in less than half a month the road we have built following the mountain terrain will be completed, and then we can lead the troops out on campaign."

Hearing Qi Zhan mention the matter of digging through the mountains to open a road, Mu Cheng also felt as if he were dreaming.

If one tried to open a road in the Xuanhuang Shanmai using the old methods, it would be nothing short of a fool's dream.

Even if the whole nation's strength were used, forcibly conscripting labor without regard for consequences, it would likely take more than ten years at least, perhaps managing to carve out a mountain track barely passable by a donkey cart.

But if we really did that, heaven only knows how many civilians would die, and the state would be drained to the point of being unable to withstand a single blow; likely we would perish before any neighboring state could attack us.

Looking across Zhong Yuan, there is absolutely no feudal state that would dare to do so.

Therefore, since Xuan Guo and Wasteland Nation divided the Xuanhuang Shanmai for governance hundreds of years ago, this mountain range has never had a road through it.

Who would have thought that a single move by the Jinli Fairy could, without forced conscription, enable hundreds of thousands of civilians to reap great benefits while working together to open the road?

Moreover, the various labor tools provided by the Jinli Fairy—even the most basic hoes and shovels—are hundreds of times more effective than the bronze hoes and shovels the people used before.

What's more, there is also something called explosives.

Whenever they encountered rocks that human strength could not move, using explosives could easily blast them apart, greatly saving time and manpower.

Furthermore, there are cold‑resistant, protective garments and shoes; food and medicine are fully supplied; and drones can scout the route environment, eliminating the need for people to risk hazardous reconnaissance, giving the civilians an unprecedented safety guarantee.

This enables the civilians to achieve twice the result with half the effort, and the more they work, the more energetic they become.

"It is said that the Fairy also possesses a kind of colossal implement that only one person needs to operate; ahead of it is a huge shovel, and a single scoop equals the work of several people digging with hoes for half a day." Mu Cheng's eyes lit up, he described the rumor he had heard just recently from a few Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army soldiers with vigor and enthusiasm.

Qi Zhan nodded, "That's right, the Fairy said that thing is called an excavator. Besides excavators, there are many other kinds of heavy machinery, each one formidable."

"Why then don't we see the Fairy bringing that here?" Mu Cheng said, full of anticipation, "If we had an excavator, wouldn't we be able to open a road that runs straight through the Xuanhuang Shanmai much faster?"

Qi Zhan laughed and said, "Those heavy machines are not something you can just learn to operate casually; even over in Lin Xian Cheng only a few people can use them skillfully, and a careless mistake would cause an accident. Moreover, we don't even have a basic road here that would allow an excavator to move, so we can only first dig it out manually, and later we'll be able to use excavators."

Mu Cheng gave a slight nod, half‑understanding.

"General Mu Cheng, rest assured." Qi Zhan said sincerely, "The Jinli Fairy is the person I have ever seen who cares most for the common folk and holds them closest to her heart. Under her influence, His Majesty and everyone who has come into contact with her will be won over, willingly acting as she hopes. Therefore, Daxuan will surely not let the people of the Wasteland Nation suffer hardship again; you will certainly, in your lifetime, see peace under heaven, everyone fed and clothed, living in contentment."

"To obtain such a Fairy is indeed a blessing for Daxuan…… oh no, it is a blessing for all under heaven!" Mu Cheng was deeply moved and gave a heartfelt sigh.

In the night, snowflakes began to drift down suddenly.

Soon it became a dense, heavy snowfall like goose feathers.

Mu Cheng and Qi Zhan stood amidst the wind and snow on the city wall, watching the last batch of civilians depart, then descended the wall in turn and returned to their tents.

One night passed.

The entire Xuanhuang Shanmai region was covered with thick snow.

The towering, continuous mountain range lay like a silver dragon upon the vast earth.

Yet this magnificent winter snow scene became a nightmare for the civilians around Zhenhuang Pass of the Wasteland Nation.

In a certain small village.

A dozen or so able‑bodied men gathered beside the Village Chief's thatched hut, gazing at the ever‑thickening snow, their faces clouded with worry.

They were the main labor force of each household.

This winter arrived earlier than usual, and besides, when the Wasteland Nation went to war with An State, the imperial court sent people to seize much of their grain to supply the Great Wilderness Army, leaving their winter stores severely deficient; now they can only gather at the Village Chief's to discuss countermeasures.

The Village Chief's dwelling was also merely a thatched hut that could barely keep out wind and rain.

The hut was too small to hold so many people; everyone could only huddle, crouching on the open ground outside, relying on a small fire pit for warmth.

"Village Chief, why not, before the heavy snow completely seals off the mountains, we all go into the hills and hunt as much game as we can?" someone proposed.

"I don't think that will work," a man beside him shook his head, "Look at how hard it's snowing; if we go into the mountains we might not be able to get out……"

The crowd chattered in seven voices and eight tongues.

"What then? Just stay in the village and wait to die?"

"If we stay in the village relying on the remaining rations and firewood, we can probably only last a month or two……"

"Sigh, I could eat a little less myself and be fine, but if my wife and children are cold and hungry, they couldn't even last a month, not to mention the elderly—what are we to do?"