Chapter 108: Wan Niuyu
Zhao Chuan dragged this super flashy wild horse into Shanggu Pass, and along the way he was the focus of everyone's attention.
He finally realized this horse wasn't very practical either; riding such a horse, he couldn't stay low-key.
When Zhao Chuan arrived, the Marquis of Dongdu happened to be in the camp, idly flipping through a book bought by Ge Zhong on Zhuque Avenue, titled
This book really dares to boast—this thing called potato, scientifically named potato, commonly called tater, supposedly could yield ten thousand catties per mu if planted well; even a novice just needs to follow the book's method strictly to reach four to six thousand catties per mu. How dare such nonsense be written and sold as a book?
He flipped forward to see who wrote it, and it said Meng Meng? That's obviously a pen name! Besides, how could such nonsense deserve a real name?
A subordinate came in to report that the King of You had sent someone to see the General, also bringing along a top-quality treasure horse.
Upon hearing this, the Marquis of Dongdu guessed eight or nine out of ten—he was afraid the General would put the bill on the King of You's head. As for the top-quality treasure horse, he didn't mind; the more top-quality, the better—could it even surpass his Ferghana horse?
When he finally saw the White Gold Wild Horse, the Marquis of Dongdu almost bit his tongue—what Ferghana horse? The Ferghana horse tethered at the gate looked like a lackey next to this treasure horse.
No, no, no, he couldn't think that of his old comrade, but the horse's appearance really was worlds apart.
Even the well-informed Marquis of Dongdu had never seen a horse of such quality; the Great King said it came from overseas, which he believed, since he'd dealt with the northern barbarians for years and had never seen a Xianbei or Xiongnu horse of such quality.
As soon as the White Gold Wild Horse appeared, the reception standard for Zhao Chuan went up a notch.
Even Ge Zhong, who hadn't given Zhao Chuan a glance when he went to Youzhou, now started calling him brother; it shows how lethal a good horse is to these soldiers.
After feeding it two Beast-Feeding Pills, the wild horse calmed down considerably; the Marquis of Dongdu walked circles around it, and it never gave him a kick with its hooves.
The Marquis of Dongdu also praised the Great King without end; upon reading the letter, he immediately said he would definitely invite the Great King to the autumn hunt, anyway on the surface it already looked like they'd let bygones be bygones.
Zhao Chuan was very respectful, repeating the Great King's instructions verbatim: this wild horse is unbroken and very unruly, so the Marquis of Dongdu must be careful.
It just happened to be lunchtime, so the Marquis of Dongdu set up a small banquet to entertain, attended only by his close aides.
As expected, at the table the Marquis of Dongdu's several aides praised the White Gold Wild Horse without end, inquiring whether there were any more spares they could buy with silver.
Here it comes, Zhao Chuan made a difficult expression.
The Great King said it didn't matter if the border troops couldn't afford it—spread the name and there will surely be a commander in the Great Jin army who can buy it.
"Let me be frank with you all—this horse is extremely expensive. You can all see it's not ordinary. It looks white short-haired, but the hair tips are golden; when it runs, golden light rolls along its muscle lines, truly stunning. The Second Prince, elder brother of His Highness the King of You, bought one for seventeen thousand taels, still after His Highness the King of You knocked off ten thousand taels; you can inquire in Chang'an. This horse has no flaws—everyone loves it, only the price is too high. Our Highness isn't wealthy either; this isn't some scheme from Chang'an, feeling sorry for the Marquis of Dongdu… sigh, I won't say more."
How much? Seventeen… ten thousand?
The Marquis of Dongdu knows quality, not too surprised either—after all, it's a once-in-a-lifetime divine steed. His Ferghana horse, after changing hands, cost him sixty to seventy thousand taels of silver altogether, and it simply can't compare to this wild horse.
Upon hearing this, the officers all dropped their thoughts, now fixated on envying the Marquis of Dongdu's horse.
Leaving the horse aside, the Marquis of Dongdu asked about that planting manual sold in Youzhou—such a precious book, why not print something useful? Spouting nonsense is barely tolerable, especially those yield descriptions, which would mislead the common folk.
"How could it not be? Our Highness has planted it on his manor, summoning all the village chiefs of Youzhou to witness the harvest; his manor's land is good, well tended, yielding over ten thousand catties per mu."
Up and down Shanggu Pass were stunned; Zhao Chuan enthusiastically invited them to go to Youzhou to buy seeds and follow the planting—this book is readily available, and the grain‑short, famine‑stricken Marquis of Dongdu was deeply moved; Zhao Chuan then withdrew, mission accomplished.
Regarding this planting manual, the Great King was very pleased—it was the first book issued by their Youzhou, he printed five hundred copies at once; although few sold, he gave away many, sending a copy as a gift to any major merchant who came to Wanxiang City.
In the Great Jin, books are precious; everyone who received a copy was delighted, and the Great King already began dreaming of Youzhou potatoes and sweet potatoes selling all over the Great Jin.
The actual farmers couldn't read at all, so the Great King dispatches a literate person every two days to a fixed spot to teach the masses how to plant potatoes and sweet potatoes; all of Youzhou is preparing for spring reclamation and sowing.
The Great King's biggest hobby now is riding his horse to loop around the construction site of the city wall, chatting a bit with Mr. Zhao, watching his wall grow higher each day, then heading off to train with Ling Yin at the camp.
Then he uses his immense strength to strike the soldiers; if he wins, he innocently asks, "You really didn't let the king win, did you?"
After the physical damage comes the mental damage.
Originally, on the drill field, only Ling Yin made people tremble at the mere mention; now with the Great King added, even Zhao Chuan and Zhang Tu detour when they see him, unwilling to provoke him.
Whenever the Great King's striking winds down, he starts teaching them Qiao Yi's body‑forging technique—truly twice the result for half the effort, each one training harder than the last.
East Xianbei King City
The King of East Xianbei, Wan Niuyu, returned from inspecting the borders, only to be told that Qiu Mulong had come to the capital seeking an audience a month ago and still hasn't left, still wholeheartedly waiting for him.
"Do you know what it's about?"
"I heard Qiu Mulong led two thousand cavalry south into Youzhou, hoping to plunder during the Great Jin festival, but who knew he'd suffer a huge loss—reports say he almost got wiped out there, only three escaped. Because of this, his tribe has recently fallen into chaos, two thousand able‑bodied lost, the losses heavy; Qiu Mulong is probably avoiding his own people, so he's been loitering in the capital."
"What? Two thousand came back as three?" Wan Niuyu kicked over the slave who was changing his clothes.
"He alarmed Shanggu Pass? What an idiot!"
"Then I don't know—he only said he wanted to see the Great King, and revealed nothing else."
"Summon him!"
End of Chapter
