Chapter 218

This official was none other than Sun Chaoen; the County Magistrate of that day had now been promoted to Vice Prefect of Bianning County. Wei Yuan had only discovered that this old acquaintance was still around while gathering intelligence on all the newly established prefectures and counties, so he had come to visit in secret.

The county seat of Bianning County was only eleven hundred miles away from Hanyang Pass. Because it was close to the border, it could receive support from the tens of thousands of garrison troops at Hanyang Pass at any time. If the Shaman tribe wanted to invade, they would first have to break through Ningxi County, where Wei Yuan was located, before they could reach Bianning County.

Sun Chaoen serving as Vice Prefect here was both safe and the administrative seat was prosperous; it could be considered a lucrative position among the four counties. He gave many tributes, so the Right Prime Minister arranged things well; from this, one can see the character of the Right Prime Minister.

Not seen for several months, Vice Prefect Sun had now gained a circle of fat and become three parts fairer; his face was round and his expression kind, looking just like a good person.

Sun Chaoen sent the steward away to urge the kitchen, carefully closed the study door, and casually laid down a magic power barrier. This spell was completed with a wave of his hand, without the slightest sign of stagnation; from this, it was clear that although his official rank had risen and he had become fat, his cultivation had not only not fallen behind but had instead greatly advanced.

After the few sat down, Sun Chaoen did not speak, first looking at the two people beside Wei Yuan.

Wei Yuan then said, "This is Wang Yu, from the Wang family, a Heaven-rank Dao Foundation. This is Miss Xu Yi, who is of the direct lineage of the Xu family, also a Heaven-rank Dao Foundation. These two have both been through life and death with me and can be trusted."

Sun Chaoen relaxed a little and said, "That is good. Since we parted that day, in such a short time, you have accomplished such a great undertaking. Daring to establish boundary stones in the Absolute Domain, saving countless lives—this is truly great merit! I have also read the books of sages for decades, but every time I ask myself, if I were in your position that day, I fear I would not have had the resolve to dare to act."

Wei Yuan smiled bitterly, "I was young and impulsive at that time, acting on impulse. Now I am just struggling to hold on."

Sun Chaoen said, "Coming to find me at this time, I think it is nothing more than one thing: grain."

"Magistrate Sun is as wise as a god."

Sun Chaoen smiled slightly and said, "This person Yuan Qingyan has quite a bit of skill. Since he has gone to such great lengths to lay out this grain-starvation strategy, he has mostly likely calculated it correctly. Let me first tell you about the current situation."

Sun Chaoen spread out a map on the table, reached out and pointed to several places in the eastern part of Ningxi County, saying, "I have just received news that Provincial Governor Chen has decided to blockade the grain routes and rebuild the military strongholds. This matter is being personally supervised by Regional Commander Yue, who is preparing to set an ambush, waiting for you to take the bait. However, I assume you will not fall for the trap."

These few points were all stuck in critical locations; Yuan Qingyan's choice to build military strongholds in these places back then truly left no way out for the domain.

Wei Yuan frowned and said, "The Shaman Domain is difficult to traverse, and grain convoys need flat roads even more. These few military strongholds are indeed positioned perfectly; if we don't take one out, even if we had grain, we wouldn't be able to transport it. Does Magistrate Sun know where the ambush is set?"

Sun Chaoen laughed, "If it were in the early Great Tang, perhaps we would truly have to fight, but now the nine marquises of Great Tang stand side by side, and we are in Western Jin, so in all things, harmony is precious; it is better not to fight if we can avoid it."

Wei Yuan's heart stirred, and he asked, "Then how can we have grain without having to fight?"

Sun Chaoen said, "I calculated that you would likely come in these few days, so I have already laid some groundwork in advance. Even if you didn't come, I would have sent someone to find you. Serving as an official for a thousand miles is only for wealth; this is the common knowledge of the Western Jin officialdom from top to bottom. The current Western Jin is like a ship leaking everywhere; even if Chen Dao is determined to be a paper-paster, with his own strength, he can only plug a few places, and the places that leak will only be more."

Sun Chaoen left the study, called the steward, and ordered, "Send someone to the residence of Mobile Corps Commander Yue, and say that this official has prepared a table of good dishes tonight and would like to invite him over to taste them."

The steward accepted the order and left.

Sun Chaoen then chatted with Wei Yuan about the current affairs of the Western Jin imperial court, and then detailed the backgrounds, experiences, temperaments, and characters of the four county prefects. These were all extremely important, and Wei Yuan noted them down one by one.

A moment later, a table of private banquet was set in the back hall, and General Yue also arrived.

Entering the door was a spirited general, looking very young, with not-bad cultivation. Wei Yuan observed him with the Qi-Gazing Technique; this person's Dao foundation was thick and bright, which should be the upper-rank of Earth-rank foundations, and he had already cultivated to the late stage.

Sun Chaoen closed the door, laid down Dao spells, and then introduced, "This is General Yue Qilin, the current Mobile Corps Commander of Bianning County; all eight thousand people in our county are under the command of General Yue."

Wei Yuan and the others stood up to pay their respects, and this General Yue was secretly startled.

Although the three of Wei Yuan had changed their appearances, Wang Yu and Xu Yi were both from aristocratic families, and the ease and grandeur in their gestures could not be concealed, which was something ordinary people could never learn. As for Wei Yuan, he gave him the feeling of a mass of darkness; as long as he closed his eyes, he could not perceive Wei Yuan's existence, but his own Primordial Spirit was constantly stinging slightly, as if being stared at by a natural enemy.

The trace of unruliness that General Yue Qilin originally had on his face was all put away; he greeted them with a smile, then entered the banquet, and sat down beside Sun Chaoen.

After three rounds of wine, the atmosphere became lively, and Sun Chaoen laughed, "Actually, General Yue has another identity, and that identity is even more important. Our Grand Regional Commander Yue is the General's uncle."

"My own uncle," Yue Qilin added with a smile.

Wei Yuan felt a sense of respect.

Sun Chaoen pointed at Wei Yuan again and said, "This Mr. Zhang is a big financier from the west, who has always only done profitable business, and only big business."

Yue Qilin then asked, "I wonder what Mr. Zhang collects?"

Wei Yuan smiled slightly, "In the west now—no, in the entire Ningxi, the only things that are profitable are two: livestock and grain."

There are few plow oxen in the Western Regions; in this region, the "livestock" in the mouths of the upper class has another meaning, specifically referring to human sacrifices. Wei Yuan is now, after all, one of the top horse bandits in the Broken Domain, and he is well-versed in the underworld jargon of the Western Regions.

Yue Qilin moved slightly and said, "Mr. Zhang has good methods; I wonder how much you can collect?"

"I collect as much as there is, and I pay in immortal silver." Yue Qilin asked tentatively, "Then, are there any specialties from further west?"

"With the war now, normal trade routes are cut off, but I still have some stock on hand. You also know the situation over there, General; with armies crossing the border, everything is a blank slate, and no merchant caravan dares to come."

Yue Qilin looked at Sun Chaoen, and Sun Chaoen understood, saying, "We do have a batch of surplus grain on hand, but I don't know what price Mr. Zhang can offer."

Wei Yuan had already communicated with Sun Chaoen about this matter in advance, so he said, "The price of military grain within the Great Tang is one tael of common silver for ten catties. But this is the border, so the price cannot be calculated that way. The price I offer is one tael of immortal silver for fifty catties!"

Yue Qilin's hand trembled, and some of the wine in his cup spilled out. Wei Yuan had raised the price twenty times in one breath! The military grain in his hands was all allocated by the imperial court, and he didn't have to spend a single coin.

Yue Qilin put the wine cup down heavily and said, "Forty catties! I will be responsible for delivering the grain to your doorstep!"

Wei Yuan revealed a charming smile and said, "General Yue truly has heaven-reaching methods!"

Yue Qilin said proudly, "I can still handle this little matter; that is my own uncle!"

"The price is no problem; how much grain can General Yue provide?"

Yue Qilin pondered for a moment, then hardened his heart and said, "I will give you 1.2 million catties, all top-quality military grain! But you have to help me do one thing."

"Please speak, General Yue."

!.

"The main general of the second-to-last military stronghold in the south, Wang Kun, is my life-and-death brother and can be trusted. I will have the grain transport team go through him, and nominally, it will be transporting military grain to him. When you reach the vicinity of the military stronghold, you have your people intercept this grain transport team. At that time, there will be a Assistant Regional Commander in the transport team named Song Chao. I want this person dead!"

Sun Chaoen laughed, "This General Song, he is a bit pedantic in his conduct and has repeatedly ruined General Yue's good deeds. It just so happens he married a fair and beautiful young wife. General Yue has long found him an eyesore, and now he has taken a fancy to that little sister-in-law? It's just the right time to take this opportunity to handle both matters at once."

Wei Yuan remained calm and said, "His appearance and Dao foundation information."

Sun Chaoen immediately took out a piece of jade paper and wrote with a flourish; the person drawn was lifelike, and the information below was written in small, fly-head script. Although it was not yet at the level of a master, it was enough for an ordinary wealthy merchant to collect. In terms of the Six Arts of a Gentleman, this Sun Chaoen's level was not below that of Fang Hetong.

"It's all here." Sun Chaoen pushed the jade paper over. Wei Yuan looked at the words "late-stage Dao Foundation" and didn't look any further, handing the jade paper to Wang Yu to put away. Anyway, except for the teacher, the senior sister, and a few others, all Dao Foundations in the world were the same in Wei Yuan's eyes.

Oh, and have to add that young girl.

At this point, the major matter was settled, and the atmosphere was different again. Wei Yuan said, "I came in a hurry this time and didn't expect General Yue's scale to be so large. I only brought ten thousand taels of immortal silver, so I will leave it with Magistrate Sun first, and the remaining twenty thousand will be delivered tomorrow."

Yue Qilin said, "You must be careful on the road."

Sun Chaoen laughed, "Although this Western Region is large, if you ask who can snatch things from Mr. Zhang's hands, besides your uncle and Provincial Governor Chen, I really can't think of a third person. I actually hope Magistrate Yuan can hear some wind and intercept you alone."

Yue Qilin was moved immediately, looked deeply at Wei Yuan, and said slowly, "The fifty great bandits of Heaven-Slashing are indeed worthy of their reputation. There have always been rumors that Dharma Form cultivators have died at your hands; it seems it is not an empty rumor."

Wei Yuan said indifferently, "There have indeed been those who were blind and sent themselves to me."

Yue Qilin immediately raised his cup, "Good! Then I will wait for Mr. Zhang's good news! I will drink first as a sign of respect!"

Sun Chaoen also raised his cup, "For General Yue finally being able to win the beauty, I will also drink!"

After a few rounds of wine, the atmosphere became more enthusiastic. Sun Chaoen then said, "General Yue, the quantity this time is a bit large, and balancing the accounts will require some effort."

Yue Qilin nodded, "Indeed, such a large amount of military grain, just relying on burning the granary is a bit hard to justify. Does Magistrate Sun have any good methods?"

Sun Chaoen was confident and said, "Actually, it's simple. The Western Regions are hot and humid, and military grain is prone to rot. At that time, divide the accounts into three parts: one part is robbed by Mr. Zhang, which is witnessed by all in the military stronghold. One part is burned in the granary according to the usual practice, and the last part is rotted. This is also simple: pile wood shavings at the bottom, put a layer of rotted grain on top, and burn it after inspection. Those who inspect the grain are also our own people."

Yue Qilin was convinced, "Magistrate Sun is still the most thoughtful!"

Sun Chaoen laughed, "The key is still to have a big financier like Mr. Zhang, who doesn't even blink when taking out tens of thousands of taels of immortal silver, so that our system can operate and what we have learned can be put to use."

"That is indeed the case; I should toast Mr. Zhang three cups!" Yue Qilin raised his cup and drank.

The night was quiet, and both host and guest were happy.

The three riders left the county seat under the cover of night and headed west all the way.

The heaven-and-earth net that Chen Dao had painstakingly laid out was thus riddled with holes by his own people amidst the clinking of cups.

(End of chapter)