Chapter 526: On This Day of Great Joy, Let Us Raise a Grand Toast!

Chen Yan stepped forward, gently lifted Shen Junli's hand that was clasped in a salute, his gaze sweeping the dozens in the pavilion, then raised his hand in a vague gesture to the rest, his tone full of empathy: "Everyone has worked hard!"

After a brief pause, admiration flashed in his eyes, and he loudly praised: "To cause such chaos within the Qi State, and for Great Zhou to reap such great gains, you all may be called truly outstanding!"

Yuwen Ze followed closely, stepping forward, his posture upright as a pine, and solemnly addressed the crowd: "You all risked yourselves, infiltrated the heart of Qi, built this great feat, saving our Great Zhou people from hanging…"

Having spoken, he bowed slightly at the waist, respectfully clasped his fists and saluted the crowd, his voice earnest: "I, the king, thank you all!"

By A Xiong's side for so long, A Ze also learned how to win hearts.....

Chen Yan and Li Tan, seeing this, also exchanged a glance, stepped forward together, bowed and clasped fists to the crowd, and performed the salute in unison.

Shen Junli and the others, witnessing this scene, were instantly flustered, their faces full of fear and excitement, repeatedly stepping aside, waving their hands incessantly: "We dare not accept! We dare not accept!"

Li Kailan's voice trembled slightly, "How could we possibly accept such great gifts from you three?"

Zhan Yunchen also hurriedly bowed and replied, his tone exceedingly respectful: "All thanks to Pillar of the State's far‑sighted arrangements, plus Your Majesty's and Grand Preceptor's protection..."

"We are merely fortunate and capable executors, thus achieving this merit; we dare not claim the heavens' credit!"

Chen Yan's mouth twitched upward, his eyes deepening with a smile: "That is what you call underestimating yourself!"

He raised his hand toward the direction of Chang'an, his voice resonant, "The Taicang, Xiliu Warehouse, Chengyi Warehouse, and Zhaoning Warehouse of Chang'an are now all filled with grain!"

In the past few months, the major Qi strongholds of Jinyang, Yecheng, Luoyang, etc., purchased pledged grain, all turned into caravans, traveling by land and water, truck after truck, ship after ship, back to Chang'an....

Taicang has over eighty cellars, storing four to five thousand hu.

(1 jin ≈ 660 g, 1 hu ≈ 100 jin; after conversion each cellar can store about 26.4 tons of grain; with 80 cellars, Taicang's total storage capacity is about 2,112 tons)

Chengyi Warehouse, as an important grain transshipment hub of Chang'an, can reserve several hundred thousand hu of grain, roughly a few thousand tons after conversion.

【7】 Xiliu Warehouse and Zhaoning are key grain warehouses connected to the Wei River, their storage scale comparable to Taicang.

Xiliu Cang and Zhaoning are important grain transport warehouses that link the Wei River, and their grain storage scale is comparable to Taicang.

And now all four warehouses are full!

Li Tan immediately stepped forward to echo, his tone unable to hide his excitement: "These grains are enough to supply Chang'an's troops and civilians for at least five to seven years!"

Having said that, he gazed at the distant fields, sighed deeply, full of emotion: "With these abundant stores, our Great Zhou people will no longer worry about famines caused by heavenly disasters; the Guanzhong region will never again see the tragedy of grainless fields and children being fed by others!"

Yuwen Ze heard this, nodded silently, his eyes deep.

That is grain storage, but also military provisions!

It also means that once war breaks out, the militia system's war machine can run at full capacity! (Reference to the end of the Sui dynasty, those regional heroes rarely worried about food and logistics, thanks to the Pu Liu Ru father‑son systematic grain stockpiling, which made the late‑Sui chaos so spectacular)

Great Zhou's livelihood is stable, then Qi State will......

The cold wind still blows, yet it cannot disperse the warmth and excitement inside the pavilion.

Everyone, hearing this, had tears welling, the earlier dangers of infiltrating Qi and the fatigue of travel now turned into a heavy sense of achievement.

Shen Junli, choked with emotion, bowed again: "To serve Great Zhou, to serve the people, we subordinates would die a thousand deaths without hesitation!"

Chen Yan's heart surged with heroic spirit, and he burst into hearty laughter, his voice bright, piercing the howling cold wind outside, echoing across the wilderness.

Then, he thrust his hand backward and shouted loudly: "Bring the wine! Fill it up!"

The embroidered‑clad messenger outside had already been on standby; hearing the command, he immediately stepped forward, hoisting the stacked coarse earthen wine jar from the corner.

The red silk at the altar was tugged, and a rich wine aroma instantly spread, bearing a sharp vigor and the mellow scent of grain.

Holding a ceramic bowl, he poured wine for each person in the pavilion; the amber liquid streamed down the altar, striking the bowl's bottom with a crisp sound, splashing fine wine bubbles.

Chen Yan took the offered wine bowl, raised it high, his gaze sweeping the excited and sincere faces before him, and declared loudly: "On this day of great joy, let us raise a grand toast!"

Yuwen Ze, Li Tan, Shen Junli, Yuanzhou, Li Kailan, Zhan Yunchen and others all raised their wine bowls.

Dozens of ceramic bowls stood tall in the pavilion, reflecting the sky, full of heroic vigor.

"I, Chen Yan, toast you all with a bowl!" Chen Yan's voice was loud and strong, full of respect, "I toast you for risking your lives, for serving the nation, I toast Great Zhou's peace and prosperity, and the people's well‑being!"

"I, Yuwen Ze, toast you all with a bowl!" Yuwen Ze's eyes burned, "I toast you for your loyal hearts, for braving hardships, I toast Great Zhou's mighty soldiers and splendid horses, striking fear across the lands!"

"I, Li Tan, also toast you all with a bowl!" Li Tan patted his chest, declared loudly, "I toast Great Zhou's full granaries, four seas rise in peace!"

Shen Junli and the others, hearing this, felt blood surge, and together shouted: "Toast the Pillar of the State! Toast the Supervisor! Toast the Prince!"

Their voices were uniform, filled with respect and gratitude, reverberating in the pavilion for a long time.

As the words fell, everyone simultaneously lifted their heads and drained the fiery wine from their bowls in one gulp.

The spicy wine slid down the throat, scorching the internal organs, yet it made the heroic spirit in their hearts burn even hotter.

When the bowls were set down, someone—unknown who—first struck, "Clang!" and smashed the ceramic bowl hard onto the stone floor of the pavilion.

The bowl shattered into pieces, making a crisp sound.

Immediately, "Clang! Clang! Clang!" a series of cracking noises rang out.

Dozens of ceramic bowls were smashed on the ground, fragments scattering, yet no one cared; it even added a few more notes of unbridled exhilaration.

Zhan Yunchen lifted his hand to wipe the wine spilling from his mouth corner; the wine ran down his jaw, wetting his collar, but he paid no mind, his face full of delight, and shouted loudly: "How exhilarating!"

He looked at Chen Yan and the others, his eyes blazing with satisfaction, and said with emotion: "To be honored with three elders personally offering wine, to have achieved such merit for Great Zhou, even if I, Zhan Yunchen, were to die right now, it would be worth it!"

"This life has not been in vain for a single pass through this world!"

Yuanzhou, hearing this, gave his shoulder a heavy pat, his brows slightly furrowed, his tone playful yet serious: "What nonsense!"

Then, he raised his hand and patted Zhan Yunchen's chest, "Keep this life, continue to serve the Pillar of the State, build more merits, rise in rank, grant wives and heirs, isn't that better than anything?"

Zhan Yunchen, hearing this, smiled deeper, nodded repeatedly, and slapped his own thigh vigorously: "Indeed, indeed! Brother Yuan is right!"

"My mouth just can't stop talking nonsense!"

Chen Yan's smile remained, his gaze turning to Shen Junli, his tone inquisitive: "How is the Qi State faring now?"

Shen Junli, immersed in the drunken revelry, straightened his back at once, a spark of excitement flashing in his eyes, and answered in detail: "When we left Qi territory, the Qi State was already rife with chaos, grain prices had surged to terrifying levels..."

"Millet five hundred cash per dou, wheat even rose to eight hundred cash per dou!"

"In the first moment after inciting the platform, while Qi had not yet reacted nor had time to attend, we withdrew according to plan..."

"Anyway, it had already reached that point then; now it will only get worse!"

"As for who will take the blame in the end, that depends on who gets unlucky..."

As soon as the words ended, Li Kailan impatiently stepped forward, raised his fingers and hurried to add: "And the land price has risen fivefold!"

"The cloth price has risen sevenfold!"

Yuanzhou heard the two speak, raised an eyebrow, his face full of excitement, and taking the lead he shouted, "Even better, the popular resentment is boiling!"

"We spread counterfeit money through false loans, which already disrupted the market; on top of that, grain and commodity prices are soaring, Qi State nobles hoard goods at exorbitant prices, and the common folk will explode at the slightest spark!"

"Riots have swept Jinyang, Yecheng, Luoyang and other strategic locations of Qi State!"

Yuwen Ze listened as the three talked back and forth, his face growing ever more delighted, repeatedly praising, "Great! Excellent!"

He turned his gaze toward the northeast, his eyes deep, a playful smile curling his mouth, and sighed, "Counterfeit money disrupts the market, famine disturbs the people, riots destroy the cities; this calamity will severely sap Qi State's vitality!"

Great Zhou, besides grain treasures, also obtained many Horses, livestock, iron ore and other strategic supplies…

Our side enjoys a bloodless pure boost, while the arch‑enemy suffers a bone‑crushing pure weakening.

That is the true case of one's loss being another's gain!

Our own Brother A Xiong's move is far from ordinary in its ruthlessness!

Chen Yan's gaze slowly turned to the northeast, where the heartland of Qi State lies.

The cold wind brushed the edge of his dark fox fur coat, the smile in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by a deep, subtle contempt.

His sight seemed to pierce a thousand miles of clouds, cross the vast wilderness, and reach straight into the palace walls of Jinyang, Qi State; a cold curve curled his mouth as he murmured low, "High Qi?"

As the words fell, a silent snort rose in his heart: "Heh!"

In truth, Chen's aim is not to cripple Qi's economy and livelihood, nor to incite civil unrest for massive destruction…

But to stir the Hu‑Han conflict in Qi State, which King Gao and Xini have only barely suppressed!

That is the "nuclear bomb", a systemic strike against Qi State's core foundation…

Li Tan, seeing this, turned to Shen Junli and the others, his face beaming with approving smiles, raised his hand to pat Shen Junli's arm, and loudly praised, "Well done!"

"Your covert operation in Qi territory has turned them upside down, perfectly achieving the set goal, and has not let down Grand Preceptor and Chen Zhuguo's earnest expectations for you!"

Shen Junli and the others, hearing this, immediately bowed together, fists clasped, their expressions respectful and modest, and in unison replied, "This is what Shuyi should do!"

Chen Yan withdrew his gaze; the dark fox coat swayed lightly in the breeze, his eyes sweeping over Shen Junli, Yuanzhou and the others, and in a solemn, firm tone said, "On this mission in Qi territory, you all have labored greatly and earned Unprecedented Merit…"

"Once we finish eradicating the remaining Qi conspirators in Chang'an and clear the final hidden threats, I, the Duke, will personally petition Grand Preceptor to reward each of you individually!"

He paused, his gaze sharp and sincere: "Those who merit it shall be promoted, granted titles, awarded gold and lands; the Court will never shortchange any person who serves the nation loyally!"

Speaking, a curve lifted his mouth.

Chang'an should also start casting its net…

These words fell like sweet rain upon everyone's ears; Shen Junli and the others instantly broke into ecstatic smiles, their prior humility vanished, their eyes filled with uncontainable excitement and anticipation.

They all bowed, fists clasped, their voices so loud they nearly shook the pavilion, "Thank you, Grand Preceptor! Thank you, Chen Zhuguo!"

Chen Yan, seeing this, gave a calm smile, raised his hand in a light wave, turned his gaze toward the southwestern towers of Chang'an, which, though shrouded in thin mist, showed a vague majestic silhouette, and loudly declared, "I have already arranged a welcome‑and‑celebration feast for you within the Mingjing Office; fine wine and delicacies are prepared, awaiting your return to drink heartily!"

"Let's go, back to Chang'an!"