Chapter 00179: The Arrival of Money
# The Arrival of Money
Chapter 179
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 179: The Arrival of Money
At this moment, the gathering of celebrities was in full swing, and everyone was all ears, which was precisely the environment that He Chunhua needed.
He did not refuse and sat down to speak at length.
Regarding Zhu Xiuer's role at Xianling Lake, he did not mention a word, only stating that some villagers had secretly reported to provide support for the army.
Others saw that his words were appropriate and his demeanor was graceful, all nodding in approval.
However, He Lingchuan was paying attention to Ke Jihai.
When he conversed with He Chunhua, his eyes were solely on He Chunhua, and when he laughed and chatted, he seemed completely oblivious to anyone else.
Other nobles could not help but cheer and applaud at crucial moments, but Ke Jihai grew impatient and turned to reprimand them.
Today’s banquet was clearly centered around the Zhu family and Zhu Xiuer.
Although it was said that guests should follow the host, he had come and taken over the role of the host without any awareness.
General Ke seemed to have a straightforward temperament and did not care about offending others.
Zhu Xiyan laughed it off, but the younger members of the Zhu family frowned and were displeased.
Regarding battle strategies and combat processes, Ke Jihai asked in detail, especially about the part where the support army led the elderly and weak villagers to flee westward.
Upon hearing this, he raised a question: “Lord He is benevolent, but women and children move slowly. To shake off the bandit army, they must have left behind a rear guard. May I ask how many were lost in this part?”
“The rear guard of the support army consisted of thirty-five people, seventeen horses, and fourteen villagers who stayed behind to help.” After experiencing that harrowing night, He Chunhua was already well-versed in these numbers. “They held back the bandit army for nearly three hours.”
“Thirty-five people, delaying for three hours!” Ke Jihai was moved. “Good, there must be brave warriors among them. Lord He, you must make good use of them.”
He Chunhua smiled slightly and then called He Lingchuan over: “At that time, my son volunteered to stay behind, and I was quite reluctant. Who would have known that this boy commanded well and completed the task perfectly.”
He sighed deeply: “He was shot by Lu Yao and fell off a cliff during the retreat. It is said that that arrow can hit three times with one shot. We all thought he was doomed, and my wife fainted on the spot. Who would have thought, ha, he not only survived but also rescued the critically injured Wu Shaoyi. Otherwise, that fellow would not have surrendered. Truly, it was the heavens’ blessing.”
“Only those who save themselves can be saved by the heavens. Lu Yao’s bow and arrow have a history; it is one of the treasures of the bandit leader Hong Xiangqian, known as the ‘Ghost Eye Bow.’ If it misses once, it will automatically shoot twice afterward. The imperial army has experienced its power on the battlefield; I have two officers under my command who died under the Ghost Eye Bow. For Lu Yao to shoot you with this bow and not kill you, that boy is not simple.”
Ke Jihai turned to He Lingchuan: “You are young, yet possess both strategy and bravery, rare indeed! Not going to the battlefield is not a hero; you will have ample opportunity to hone your skills in the north. You must strive to become a tiger general for our Great Yuan!”
Wang Ting’s intention in transferring He Chunhua to Xiazhou was clear to this seasoned battlefield veteran; it was to increase military strength against the Xunzhou governor Nian Zanli and the northern demon nations.
The eldest son of the He family would inevitably see battle alongside his father.
He Lingchuan nodded, his voice firm: “I will heed the general’s teachings!”
Ke Jihai appreciated his straightforwardness and lack of nonsense.
He then unsheathed a saber from his waist and handed it to He Lingchuan: “A treasured blade for a hero.”
“How can this be!” Before the eldest son could speak, He Chunhua immediately declined.
Ke Jihai ignored him and directly pressed the blade into He Lingchuan’s hands: “This blade is called ‘Bai Pi,’ and it has been with me for twenty-two years. I hope you will use it well.”
He Lingchuan was overjoyed, accepting it with both hands and solemnly saying: “I accept it with gratitude; I will not disappoint the general’s expectations.”
Ke Jihai placed such importance on a sixteen or seventeen-year-old rural boy, praising him as a hero and gifting him a blade, yet he did not regard others in the room.
The other nobles were not pleased, especially those in their twenties, who found his words about “not going to the battlefield is not a hero” particularly grating.
He Su, who had previously chatted with the He brothers, said: “I heard that General Wu Di’s eldest son, Wu He, went to the battlefield at thirteen and captured enemy generals at sixteen. He is currently campaigning in the northwest with his father against Dong Haoming. He is just two years older than the He brothers; could it be that our Yuan Kingdom is about to produce another pair of equally formidable tiger generals?”
The young men surrounding him echoed in agreement, while the other nobles merely smiled without speaking.
Ke Jihai glanced at He Su: “Who are you?”
“My surname is He, my father is He Liwen from the Censorate.” His father did not attend the Zhu family’s night banquet to avoid suspicion.
The Zhu family members added: “This is the third son of the Censorate Grand Minister, He Su.”
“Do you have any achievements?”
He Su’s face flushed, and he could only shake his head.
“Have you ever offered any strategies or advice?”
For other seventeen or eighteen-year-olds, it was extremely difficult to offer suggestions to Wang Ting, but for the son of the Censorate Grand Minister, it was much easier.
He Su’s face turned even redder as he stammered: “I have submitted a few essays to the emperor.”
But they had only been returned with the words “read” written on them.
Ke Jihai chuckled: “Since you have neither achievements nor have been heeded, you are merely a spectator, left to watch from the sidelines.”
This was meant to silence him in front of so many people! He Su’s face turned from red to purple, and he swallowed his anger, clenching his fists secretly in his sleeve.
Ke Jihai was so rude that one could hear a pin drop at the banquet, and everyone fell silent.
It was He Chunhua who broke the silence: “I heard that the front line in Wuzhou is in a stalemate. Why has General Ke returned to the capital at this time?”
He had also grasped a bit of Ke Jihai’s temperament and asked directly.
“Alas, it is still to urge the collection of grain and funds.” Ke Jihai’s smile gradually faded, “I heard that Wang Ting’s tax officials sent to the southern four states returned with a full load, collecting several million taels of tax silver.”
“Dong Haoming has fortified Wuzhou, leaving us no grain at all. This year’s autumn harvest in Wuzhou was abundant, but they have already arranged it all, and there is no surplus grain in the fields. To request funds, General Wu and I have sent twelve urgent letters to Wang Ting, but in the past three or four months, we have only received two shipments of supplies. Fortunately, after breaking through Baiding City, we can still replenish some food and drink.”
“If it were not for the urgent situation, why would I have to shamelessly return to the capital to beg for money and grain?” He sighed deeply, “The front line has been owed wages for over three months. What was once a day’s worth of rations now has to last for three days. If we do not distribute it soon, the soldiers will have no strength to fight.”
An official present said: “Wang Ting does not wish to withhold funds; this year has been too difficult. Woling Pass first suffered from rebels and then encountered floods, with little harvest in spring, summer, and autumn. That vast area has always been one of the grain-producing regions, accounting for thirty percent of the national grain harvest. This year, not only can they not contribute grain, but the state also has to provide disaster relief.”
The righteous army and the imperial army had been exchanging blows at Woling Pass for months, and the tug-of-war had been chaotic.
Then they collided with the floods, turning the grain-producing area into a disaster zone, leaving Wang Ting at his wit's end.
Zhu Xiyan also sighed: “The grain prices in Shihuan City have already risen by forty percent. Once grain prices rise, everything else follows suit. My servants say that even candles have become expensive.”
“Coincidentally, I heard a lot of complaints in Wang Ting as well.” Ke Jihai shook his head, “We are responsible for fighting on the front lines, while the logistics and funding are the officials’ responsibilities. If I do not ask Wang Ting for money, who else can I turn to? Soldiers can fight on empty stomachs, but what about the horses? If they do not eat wheat bran and bean cakes, just grazing on grass will not allow them to run fast or carry heavy loads.”
The official’s face was heavy: “In fact, the families in Shihuan are also tightening their belts to support the front lines. I heard that Lord Cao, who is responsible for transporting supplies to the front, has not slept for several days.”
He Lingchuan instinctively glanced at the delicacies on the table.
He Yue could not help but say: “Dong Haoming was well-prepared. His troops are strong, his city is fortified, and his grain is sufficient. He intends to engage in a war of attrition with the imperial army. Once the imperial army cannot hold out and begins to retreat, he will turn from defense to offense.”
“That is indeed the case.” Ke Jihai nodded, “Dong Haoming has been on the battlefield for decades; he understands all this. Once the situation shifts, if the imperial army cannot hold the northern Jixin Ridge, Dong Haoming can board ships there and sail straight into Hongchuan, putting Shihuan City and the capital in danger again.”
Everyone’s expression changed.
The last time the rebels took Woling Pass, the residents of Shihuan were greatly frightened.
If the rebels took boats from Fengling Crossing and sailed downstream along Hongchuan, they could reach Shihuan City within days and start a massacre, with no barriers in between.
Some nobles present heard the news and fled with their families, only returning to Shihuan after hearing that Wu Di and Ke Jihai had defeated the rebels.
No one wanted to experience that kind of fear again.
Someone asked Ke Jihai: “General, what were the results of your return to the capital?”
“The funds requested are merely a drop in the bucket.” Ke Jihai sighed heavily, shaking his head, “Dong Haoming’s troops are not like Hong Xiangqian’s rabble; their elite forces surpass the imperial army and cannot be eradicated overnight. Cutting off supplies is the most demoralizing; during the harsh winter, the army lacks clothing and bedding, and people die from freezing and injuries every day. I am not afraid to speak the truth; if this continues, we will have to retreat to Jixin Ridge by the latest next spring.”
That would be in less than three months.
“Jixin Ridge is already constructing defenses, digging deep ditches and building high walls. But as far as I know, the terrain there cannot accommodate over a hundred thousand troops.”
Zhu Xiyan saw the expressions of the crowd and knew the time was right, so he cleared his throat: “The soldiers on the front lines are fighting bravely; my family also wishes to contribute a little. Therefore, my Zhu family is willing to donate fifty thousand stones of grain and five thousand stones of fodder to be sent to the military needs of Wang Ting, to be urgently dispatched to the front lines!”
He Yue quickly calculated in his mind.
At the current grain price of eight hundred wen per stone, the Zhu family would need to spend around forty thousand taels of silver to buy grain for donation to the front lines, not including the cost of fodder.
A murmur arose around them.
Since the host Zhu Xiyan had made a statement, the others calculated in their hearts, realizing that spending a little money to support the soldiers on the front lines to withstand Dong Haoming’s iron hooves was far better than facing the destruction of their families later.
Thus, several esteemed royal relatives also opened their wallets.
Their status was even more esteemed than Zhu Xiyan’s, and they could not afford to be outdone.
The most generous family promised to donate one hundred twenty thousand stones, while others ranged from sixty thousand to ninety thousand stones, along with fodder, clothing, shoes, and bedding.
With them leading the way, the noble families and officials present had no choice but to follow suit, secretly cursing their luck.
They had already given a gift by attending Zhu family’s welcoming banquet tonight, but unexpectedly, General Ke Jihai was waiting here and wanted to collect a second round of donations.
With so many families buying grain, wouldn’t the grain prices near Shihuan soar to the heavens?
(End of Chapter)