Chapter 392: He–Wei Junction

March 20.

The waning sun, blood‑red, poured over the rolling Huangtu plateau on the right of the Long.

Eight hundred cavalry stirred up a trail of dust, and finally, as dusk deepened, they tightened the reins; the hooves kicked up sand and gravel that fell with a rustle, mingling with the heavy breathing of the warhorses.

The soldiers each wore battle attire, and the rushing wind made their armor clatter. (Armor was transported by auxiliary troops and farmers)

Each rider's three warhorses had already been rotated twice.

Gu Yuci urged his horse forward, leapt down beside Chen Yan, and in a deep voice said, "Grand General, the He–Wei Junction has arrived!"

Chen Yan lifted his hand to lift the visor covering his helmet, revealing a face that still held a youthful air yet was sharply defined.

The continuous raids had left his eyes a bluish‑black, and dust still clung in the seams of his armor, but his eyes alone remained bright.

He tightened the horse rein and looked afar, seeing a half‑person‑tall Qingshi monument standing beside the official road.

The four characters "He–Wei Junction" on the monument were faintly discernible in the setting sun.

"Proceed."

Chen Yan gave Gu Yuci a slight nod, then pressed both hands on the saddle bridge, deftly flipped off his horse and said, "Then today we will first set up camp here!"

He paused, then continued, "Wait for A Ling and A Luo to bring the Wei Province troops to rendezvous....."

After entering the Wei Province territory, Chen Yan adopted a split‑up approach......

He ordered Dou Luling, A Luo, and his own Private Soldiers, bearing Order Arrows, to select elite Wei Province soldiers.

He, meanwhile, led eight hundred Elite Cavalry, each rider on three horses, continuing northwest toward Benshi.

"At your command!"

The generals answered in unison, their voices echoing loudly over the open plateau, and they all swiftly dismounted.

Helian Shi was the first to dispatch over ten Rear Guard units, rushing to the wind‑sheltered slope nearby to scout the terrain, using a Horse Whip to mark the camp area.

On the other side, the cooks had already dug a simple stove on the flat ground below the slope, set up a cast‑iron pot, and the sounds of chopping wood, lighting fire, and the warhorses' whinnies intertwined.

Soon, a few wisps of blue smoke rose from the stove, drifting gently in the dusk.

Chen Yan's gaze swept over the bustling camp; he walked to a relatively even earthen slope, knelt, and sat cross‑legged, followed closely by Yuwen Ze, Yu Yan, Wang Xiong and others.

A faint smile curled at his mouth as he looked at Yuwen Ze and asked, "A Ze, with nothing to do, let me test you—how are you?"

Yuwen Ze's gaze drifted to the distant sunset sinking slowly into the plateau's base; he raised a hand to smooth his wind‑tossed hair and replied softly, "Very well."

Zhu Yi happened to come bearing a skewer of roasted rabbit legs; Chen Yan took it, and the scent of oil mixed with charcoal fire hit his face.

He bit into a tender piece of rabbit, chewing slowly, his gaze fixed on the dimming horizon; when he spoke, his tone was casually indifferent yet laced with amusement: "Why do the wealthy nobles often distribute porridge?"

He paused, then continued, "Even if the porridge becomes so watery it loses shape, they still insist on doing it......"

Yuwen Ze was still pondering, but Yu Yan was the first to answer, "For reputation?"

"To spread one's good name....."

In Yu Yan's view, it was merely a face‑saving project.....

Those wealthy nobles' tool for crafting a persona.

Chen Yan took the water flask handed by Hongye, unscrewed the stopper, tipped it back and took a sip; clear water dripped down his mouth corner, which he brushed away with the back of his hand.

After returning the flask, he shook his head, looked at Yu Yan with a mildly discerning gaze, and said, "That is part of the reason, but not the main one....."

Between the lines, every word was laden with meaning.

Yuwen Ze stared toward the Boundary Monument, thoughtful, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the armor piece on his knee.

When Lu Cangfeng handed over another skewer of roasted rabbit legs, he took a small bite, swallowed, then looked up at his own A Xiong, his tone tentative: "Could it be to deceive the Court's officials, so as to secure a post by virtue of a virtuous name?"

As for diluting porridge to the consistency of water yet persisting, Yuwen Ze saw it as a kind of showmanship.....

Either for fame or for profit.....

But more likely it is to become an official, gaining both fame and profit, reaping greater benefits!

Chen Yan, hearing this, curled a finger and gave a slight shake, a faint smile tugging at his mouth, his tone still steady: "That is only a part, still not the core......"

Having said so, he tossed the leftover rabbit leg bones aside, wiped his hands with a cloth, and scanned the camp in the twilight.

His eyes held an unfathomable depth.

One could not say it was wrong, yet it still missed the point.

Yu Yan, Wang Xiong and the others, hearing this, furrowed their brows, exchanged puzzled looks, not understanding.

"I am foolish!"

Yuwen Ze was momentarily stunned, clasped his fists toward Chen Yan, and said, "Please, A Xiong, enlighten me!"

His eyes were full of earnest eagerness to learn.

Chen Yan smiled ambiguously, the curve of his mouth deepening further, and said meaningfully, "It is to ensure the number of impoverished commoners!"

He paused, then continued, "Or put it another way, from ancient times to now, the estates of the wealthy nobles consist of vast numbers of impoverished commoners!"

Speaking, his peripheral glance fell on the distant Boundary Monument, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

He Ruodun, listening nearby for a while, furrowed his brows tighter and couldn't help asking, "Aren't the wealthy nobles' estates just farmland, gold, silver, and property?"

Liang Shiyan scratched his head, his face also full of confusion.

Impoverished commoners?

They are so poor they rattle; what oil or profit can be squeezed from them?

Aren't the valuable things the fertile fields, gold, silver, and treasures?

"A Xiong, I still don't quite understand....."

Yuwen Ze blinked, his lingering doubt unswayed, and asked, "What use do impoverished commoners have for the wealthy nobles?"

Yuwen Ze believed that his A Xiong had his reasons for saying so.....

But he could not fathom it at all; where exactly is the use?

In these times, the least valuable thing is not the commoner's life itself?

Chen Yan smiled calmly and patiently explained: "Gold, silver and farmland are merely a way to drive the impoverished commoners!"

"For example, the family of the Inspector of Wei Zhou owns ten thousand mu of fertile land…"

"If the poor who rent his fields to farm starve to death, who will till the land?"

"Who will produce and replenish the household servants and slaves?"

"Furthermore, we also fear the backlash: impoverished commoners, driven to survival desperation, looting the wealthy gentry's property is a frequent occurrence…"

"When the poor are starving to the extreme, they cannot go far; inevitably they form groups to break into homes and seize money and grain, causing nearby large households to fear."

"Of course, the gentry will hire many household retainers and thugs to guard their estates, but there is always a risk of being breached…"

Having said that, Chen Yan slightly raised his eyebrows and surveyed the crowd.

After hearing the analysis, Yuwen Ze's confusion vanished instantly; he slapped his thigh hard, his eyes blazing like fire, and said, "Brother, I understand!"

Yu Yan, Wang Xiong and the others exchanged a glance, still frowning, and looked at the suddenly enlightened Yuwen Ze, asking with a bewildered expression, "Crown Prince, what have you understood?"

Yuwen Ze lightly patted his palm, his gaze burning, and said gravely, "A Xiong's test is to teach us how to pacify and handle the Liuren of Hezhou, and how to govern the people!"

People cannot eat too much, or they will cause trouble for no reason.

They cannot be too hungry; extreme hunger makes them capable of anything.

Having something to do, earning little, and not starving to death is best......

Liuren are not as difficult to deal with as imagined!

"Indeed!"

Chen Yan nodded, snapped his fingers, and in a tone of patient instruction said, "Dealing with a Liuren rebellion is actually easy; as long as they have something to eat and can survive, they will not risk their lives....."

"No matter which country's Liuren....."

His words were full of deep implication.

According to the information returned by the embroidered‑cloth emissary Chen Yan sent out, Hezhou does not have many Great Zhou Liuren.

Instead, a number of Liang Kingdom Liuren, who cannot get enough to eat (displaced by Emperor Liang's sycophantic Buddhism), have been drawn in......

In massive numbers, they poured from Tu Gu Hun into Great Zhou territory.

The Tongtian Society stole the prefectural grain, loudly claiming it was the officials' greed, inciting popular anger....

Therefore, while redeploying troops, Chen Yan also requisitioned grain from the jurisdictions of Shan Zhou and Wei Zhou.

To be used for post‑combat relief and pacification after crushing the Liuren army......

Yuwen Ze nodded, massaging his jaw, and after a moment asked, "A Xiong, should we first strike the Tu Gu Hun cavalry, or first strike the Liuren rebels incited by the Tongtian Society?"

Combat is inevitable.

Neither Tu Gu Hun nor the Tongtian Society can be watched being aided, then resolved without bloodshed, undoing the Liuren rebel army we have painstakingly stirred up!

But these two forces must be tackled separately, concentrating superior troops to defeat them one by one.....

That is why Yuwen Ze asked such a question.

Chen Yan heard this, blinked, a playful curve lifting his mouth corner, and laughed, "Take a guess!"

Yuwen Ze looked at his own A Xiong, that half‑smile, half‑sneer, and thought to himself, "A Xiong smiles so badly....."

No need to think, it's obvious he's brewing something nasty......

There will be fun to watch, and things to learn!

At that moment, a sudden explosion rang from the plateau behind the north‑west, a coarse, sand‑grit‑like raging roar hurled by the wind came straight at them: "Run!"

"Why aren't you running?"

"I've chased you for over ten li; I guess I've finally caught you!"

The voice carried relentless, fierce pursuit, unmistakably the arrogant aura of a hunter chasing prey.

It made the soldiers in the camp, who were busy, all halt, their hands instinctively resting on their Weapons.

Chen Yan frowned slightly, raised his hand to grip his waist‑sheathed sword, and said gravely, "Helian Shi, you summon a dozen or so men and follow me to take a look!"

"At your command." Helian Shi replied immediately.

He instantly turned, called fifteen militia from the side camp, and together with Yuwen Ze, Yu Yan and others, followed Chen Yan toward the plateau.

On the open ground below the plateau, more than thirty people wrapped in cloth, wielding rust‑stained machetes and sharpened wooden sticks, were tightly encircling a dozen civilians in the center.

Their faces were fierce, muttering curses, occasionally thrusting weapons at the crowd, forcing the civilians to retreat and huddle together.

Among the crowd, a girl of about eighteen stood out.

She wore a thorn‑embellished cloth skirt, her face dusted with yellow earth and grime, yet her delicate features shone through.

Beneath willow‑shaped brows, a pair of almond eyes held fear yet a stubborn glint; a straight, high nose, thin lips pressed together.

Her slender frame was not weak; her shoulders and back were upright, shielding two youths behind her.

The two youths, bearing a resemblance to her, must be her younger brothers.

One, appearing about seventeen, stood out especially: nearly two meters tall, broad shoulders, thick back, built like a small calf, his arms thicker than an ordinary man's thigh.

He clenched a wooden stick thicker than a wrist, his face flushed, yet the woman pressed him firmly behind her.

"It's a Liuren rebel!"

Yuwen Ze, looking down at those people, recognized their identity from afar and said, "They are likely surrounding ordinary civilians....."

He paused, then looked at Chen Yan beside him and asked, "A Xiong, should we rescue them now?"

"No!"

Chen Yan shook his head, stared at the Liuren rebels and the civilians, his gaze cold, showing no concern or pity for their lives, and said gravely, "Brother, I will use these people to assess the quality of this Liuren rebel force....."

"One more, in case of deception!"