Chapter 745: Melons One After Another
The Duke of Eastern Capital had already brought twenty thousand cavalry to Mount Heng a few days earlier; at that time Mount Heng was already besieged, but Baili Qi only surrounded it without attacking, with envoys traveling back and forth for negotiations. Liang Jin rushed there and immediately repelled Baili Qi's rebel army; the remnants had fled west, and now the twenty thousand Northern Border cavalry are stationed at Mount Heng.
Zhu Ti briefly mentioned the situation at Mount Heng; the Great King knew it wasn't that simple. However, since the King of Mount Heng had declared his allegiance to the court, the Great King tentatively believed him—after all… the Heir Apparent was still in Youzhou with his family's wealth.
The Great King only cared: 'Have they been fed all along this route?' He knew exactly how much grain was in Chang'an. Forcibly requisitioning that grain to supply Chang'an's nearly three hundred thousand troops, he had taken that same grain when he left with his ten thousand plus elite troops; now the Marquis of Eastern Capital heading south can bring even more grain supplies. This fellow has regretted more than once not bringing the Forbidden Army back to Youzhou to farm after returning; moving the capital isn't on the agenda now, and moving the Forbidden Army isn't timely.
... they haven't gone hungry either. So far I haven't used the military grain I brought; the cavalry is temporarily being supported by the King of Mount Heng.
The Great King nodded; the King of Mount Heng still had some sense. 'The grain I've withheld from recent duties is all stored in the warehouse; later you can take another fifty thousand bushels to the Mount Heng garrison.' A full-scale attack on Chu might have to wait until after the autumn harvest before it can be put on the agenda. He isn't just feeding a few thousand elite troops either—he's really short on funds.
The Great King again asked Changli about the situation in Chang'an; he now had a complete topographical map of Chang'an's safety, and all he wanted to know was whether there were any abnormalities in the military and government offices that he couldn't see. His cousin's Feathered Forest Guard is stationed inside the city, and the Forbidden Army is under Feng Xiang and Zhao Tu, which also strangles Chang'an's lifeline. Changli said everything in Chang'an runs normally, and lately there haven't even been any refugees outside.
The Great King turned to ask Chen Cang when he could turn around; the reply was that the southbound ship's hold was only one-sixth filled, and it would still take a few days.
Turning around now would be somewhat uneconomical...
Alas!
This fellow sighed and looked toward Dong Fu, who stood unmoving like a mountain. 'The arrangements for the second half of the year, right? I think Your Lordship should focus on settling the affairs of Guangling and studying for now.'
Great King: ……
Not a single one he likes to do.
But turning around, this fellow again broke into a satisfied smile: 'How do Chang'an and the south view my extermination of the Xiongnu and the Bald-headed Xianbei?'
Both said the news hasn't been transmitted yet.
The Great King had been waiting for exactly that!
This fellow couldn't wait, pulling two big stacks of weekly reports from under the table: 'Here, these are the last two issues of the new weekly; both carried detailed reports of my Northern Expedition. Take them out and spread them, vigorously promoting our cavalry's prestige! How did I only just think to summon you for a meeting? This is much faster than going by relay station!'
Dong Fu raised his head and glanced at the Great King twice, really unable to tell whether this fellow still cared about popular reputation? He also seemed to want that whatever 'war god' title.
But that's the thing—he, who has personally witnessed the strength of the Northern Border cavalry, is still shocked, let alone the southern commoners who have never seen it; whether they'll believe it later remains questionable, after all the Xiongnu's brutality has already taken root in the Great Jin. He didn't mention it, though, seeing the Great King's tail already perked up.
The Great King went through the accounts one by one, feeling this head‑to‑head meeting was quite meaningful. If a few more were sent out to the far corners of the world, even the relay stations might be saved. At the very least, don't even dream of profiting from his silver like that profiteer He Who Covers the Sky does.
Fine, it looks like I'll have to stay in Youzhou for now; then the chief steward can temporarily remain in the south to oversee the Ministry of Commerce and the Intelligence Section.
Youzhou City had already posted notices about the imperial examinations; the badger that the Great King also likes felt the days were getting better too—one melon after another, melons linked together.
This examination covers the whole Great Jin; orders will reach every prefecture and county. Since the number of scholars is low, this year the country set up four provincial examination sites according to region, and then the top hundred from each site will come to Youzhou for the final palace examination.
As soon as it was announced, some were happy, some worried; the Northern Border Academy even stirred up a bit, with some rolling up their sleeves ready to test their skills, while others had already fallen into the fear of failing.
Last year's contestant Lu Xing trembled as he held
Student A: 'Did His Majesty specially send it together with the examination notice?'
Student B: 'Congratulations, Brother Lu! I'm so envious of you—His Majesty is treating you as a close friend.'
Student C: 'Great, His Majesty still remembers you—it shows you've been registered in the imperial presence.'
Lu Xing even wanted to play the song '【Don't Think of Me】'.
You don't understand; you haven't gone with me to the Northwest… this book, this isn't a warning—it's intimidation!' Lu Xing almost burst into tears: 'Sniff, sniff, brother, if I fail again this time, never mind how my family will deal with me—His Majesty will definitely make me raise pigs!'
The classmates burst out laughing, thinking that Lu Xing usually modest and unassuming, and even when he was in Fanyang he didn't boast of his lineage—what wind is blowing today? Some envy, some resentment, but nobody really takes it seriously. The Fanyang Lu clan—how could that be? If it were true, wouldn't His Majesty be humiliating the Lu clan?
Only Lu Xing, who had become close friends with the Great King, remained sober.
Baili Jing—he can do anything!
The next day's court assembly, the Great King attended on time; let him say it's actually fine not to go—the whole assembly could be abbreviated as the Minister of Finance's crying‑poor meeting.
The Great King listened as he laid out the pending items one by one; in a moment he listed three top priorities, all of which couldn't be delayed and required immediate allocation of funds, and the Great King immediately felt panicked, short‑of‑breath, headache, and swaying on the verge of collapse.
The officials argued over revenue‑increase and expenditure‑cut plans for half a day; in the end, not only was there no use, but even if there were, the money couldn't be seen right away.
The Great King clutched his chest and gave away a bit of the silver he had just snatched, still warm. He had no choice—if he didn't cough up some gold coins, those people below would see his glittering Yingtai Isle and lose their composure.
'I've transferred two hundred thousand taels from my private purse to Zhang Sinong for emergency use,' he said, 'but I can't give any more, or it would delay the Ministry of Commerce's operations. Rely on you lot, or my Purple Forbidden Palace won't even be able to light its lamps!'
The old-timers with their faces raised heard this and all lowered their heads together.
Zhang Sinong repeatedly led the cry of 'I am incapable,' which the Great King had grown tired of hearing. Seeing Zhang Sinong still looking embarrassed, obviously having more to say, the Great King urgently cut him off.
'I'm truly disappointed in all of you, my loyal subjects! Even sitting in this position I still have to subsidize the treasury with my own money buying sugar people—what's the point of sitting here?! Back when I was just a fief under my father the emperor, he only gave me one hundred thousand taels, and now I don't even know how many hundreds of thousands I've had to chip in—alas! I've lost out.'
Officials: ……
After finishing his briefing on the high point, the Great King returned to the palace to have a meal; having just obtained a palace grounds the size of Yingtai Isle, his mood was not bad.
When his mood improved, his appetite grew even more; he and Xiao Jin headed the feast, and even Wei Shen, who is at the age when one can eat heartily, lamented that he couldn't compare.
'Are you two possessed by pig demons? Fortunately you were born into the imperial family—if you were born in a commoner's household, when you got hungry you'd have to gnaw the house beams.'
He was just pulling out the clan genealogy to joke about treason when Zhao Bao arrived, saying Zhang Sinong requested an audience.
The Great King can't stand hearing those three words 'Zhang Sinong'; at this midday, what good could this old man have? Seeing him would hurt his purse.
This fellow immediately put down his mutton chops and slumped onto the chair, 'I feel like I'm coming down with something~'
Wei Shen gave a meaningful glance at the empty banquet table, while Zhao Bao was extremely nervous: 'Your Majesty, where do you feel unwell? I'll go transmit the order for the Imperial Physician right away!'
The Great King gasped faintly: 'Maybe it's swine flu.'
Wei Shen: ……
Zhao Bao: ……
End of Chapter
