Chapter 305: Struck It Rich

You won?!

Chen Bushi stared at Chen Wuji, and a deep shock uncontrollably surfaced on his face.

Chen Wuji raised his eyebrows slightly, "What do you mean? You don't trust my abilities that much?"

"It's not that I don't trust you, it's just... unbelievable." Chen Bushi said, "I hurried back this time because I inadvertently got news that the Canglang Qiang have dispatched over six thousand troops, taking a risky route to enter Nan Jun from South Mountain. By the way, how many people did you encounter?"

Chen Wuji gave a faint smile, "Sorry, it's exactly what you said."

Really?!

Isn't that nonsense? What's the point of me lying to you?

Chen Bushi first showed surprise, then uncontainable joy; he excitedly waved his arms twice and shouted exhilarated, "Not bad, you kid! Quickly tell me how you fought this battle."

"I know you're curious, but don't be curious yet; take care of business first. I haven't had a chance to close my eyes since we mobilized; I feel like I'm about to die, I want to go sleep." Chen Wuji said.

He was truly exhausted and sleepy; now that he relaxed, his brain buzzed with chaotic noise as if it might explode at any moment—under these circumstances, he had no inclination to chat with Chen Bushi about how the battle was fought.

Aside from earth-shattering matters, everything else must wait until he wakes up and rests his spirit.

Chen Bushi sighed regretfully, "Too bad—you should rest now; I'll handle the follow-up. I've brought plenty of help on my return, enough to handle this."

"Fine, go ahead—just don't get the place wrong." Chen Wuji instructed, then without further regard for Chen Bushi, he simply lay down and slept.

Chen Bushi's mouth almost split into a grin; he vigorously waved his arm, then carefully lowered the flap of the camp tent and left Chen Wuji's camp tent.

Chen Wuji slept this time exceptionally soundly; upon waking, he felt as if time had been forgotten by the world. Sitting on the bed, it took him a good while to gather his senses before he gradually came to.

He stretched lazily, full of vigor, and stepped out of the camp tent.

Outside the door, the two Chen family oxen stood like the two stern generals, staring straight ahead.

"What are you two doing standing here?" Chen Wuji asked curiously.

Chen Wushuang cupped his fists and said, "Reporting to the Brigade Commander, this is Shi Yi Shu's order: he says our forces are beginning to show promise, and we must have hierarchy and rules."

Chen Wuji guessed at once that this was surely Chen Bushi's arrangement.

Chen Li excels at military formations, but he doesn't necessarily think of these matters.

Chen Wuji didn't press further on this issue, instead asking, "What time is it?"

"It's almost mid-afternoon." Chen Wushuang said.

Chen Wuji stared in surprise upon hearing that, "I slept so long I almost aged an eternity."

He shook his head and made a self-mocking remark.

He actually slept for a full day and night.

"Has San Shu returned?" Chen Wuji asked.

"He returned at noon, and is now arranging the seized goods brought back."

Chen Wuji nodded.

As he moved his feet, Chen Wushuang and Chen Wuyi immediately followed.

Chen Wuji glanced, said nothing more, just feeling a bit unaccustomed.

Chen Bushi and his group were painstakingly refining the rules; as the one taking the lead, it would be improper for him to sabotage them. In this strictly hierarchical era, although he isn't fully accustomed, some things are indeed necessary.

At the outset of the venture, he not only cannot discard these rules, but should strive to uphold them.

Chen Wuji first strolled around the camp, chatted with the soldiers to gauge their condition, then left the camp and headed to the western edge of the village.

There was a modest wetland there, connected to a spring that the residents of Xishan Village have used for generations unknown; spring water seeped down from the mountainside, accumulating over the years to form a depression roughly the size of one mu.

When rainfall is abundant, the water here can reach about a person's depth, qualifying as a small pond.

This is also the main battleground where the Yuan Jinshi brothers catch crabs.

However, from now on, there likely won't be any crabs left to catch here.

Chen Bushi, to facilitate livestock watering, penned all the cattle, sheep, and horses he brought from the mountains around the area.

When Chen Wuji passed by, Chen Bushi was leading a large crew in erecting fences around the perimeter.

"Wuji, I've got a terrible headache right now, I feel awful." Upon seeing Chen Wuji, Chen Bushi began to complain, his expression like that of a newly widowed woman.

Chen Wuji frowned slightly, "What happened?"

"There are too many sheep; we have nowhere to keep them." Chen Bushi sighed heavily.

Chen Wuji: …

"Before, a bastard complained to me that his wealth was too much to manage, and I once wanted to punch him to death. Today I truly feel the same—excess wealth really is unmanageable. We have twenty thousand sheep, and our Xishan Village is only this big; there's simply no room to keep them." Chen Bushi shook his head, his grin harder to suppress than an AK.

Chen Wuji gave a faint smile, "Sorry, it's exactly what you said."

"Compensation is appropriate, but isn't twenty taels of silver a bit much?" Chen Bushi hesitated.

Chen Wuji shook his head, "If the silver runs out, we can think of something else. But this measure is for morale; we need to give the soldiers a compensation they can accept, even feeling that death was worth it."

That was overly blunt, but Chen Wuji had no choice but to consider it for that reason.

This amount came from his discussions with the soldiers over this period, after careful consideration; setting it higher might indeed be unaffordable, but setting it lower would chill the soldiers' hearts.

At this stage, twenty taels is about right, and the sheep are just a bonus.

Chen Bushi wants to establish rules, and this is the core rule.

"I have no objections; I'll follow your lead." Chen Bushi pondered for a moment, then nodded.

Chen Wuji then added, "Besides that, to motivate the troops, I previously promised them rewards based on military merit—also silver and sheep. Implementing these two measures should reduce your twenty thousand sheep by five or six thousand; if you're still worried, you can contact merchants to sell some."

Chen Bushi calculated for a while, "We really do need to sell!"

"Our village's fodder is limited; raising six or seven thousand head is about the limit—any more and the fodder will run short."

"Then let's sell—we can exchange for grain or silver." Chen Wuji hadn't paid attention to the village's fodder issue; for a moment he had no sense of it, but Chen Bushi's estimate should be correct.

Without fodder, raising cattle and sheep is pointless.

He then asked, "What about the warhorses and cattle—how many are there?"

Chen Bushi's lips curled up again, "We really struck it rich in this battle. We have 4,800 warhorses, 2,000 cattle, and countless good bows and arrows."