Chapter 243: Imminent

In the end, Hai Ruyue left with a deep sense of melancholy.

Inside the swaying carriage, she held a mirror in one hand while lightly stroking her cheek with the other, carefully searching for flaws in her face.

Was she old? No!

She could tell from the hidden looks men around her gave her. She knew those looks very well. She knew exactly what those men wanted to do to her. It was the desire to strip every thread from her body.

Yet whether it was the cold-spoken Yuan Gang or the glib-tongued Niu Youdao, she could find none of the look she wanted in either man's eyes. It left her feeling deeply insecure. That was right. Their lack of desire to possess her actually made her feel insecure.

She lowered the mirror and looked out the carriage window. The unease she had carried here had not eased in the slightest. Niu Youdao refused to admit he had done it.

She was no longer the young girl who had once loved Shang Jianbo so desperately she could live or die for him. She no longer believed there was such a thing in this world as someone offering help of that magnitude for no reason and asking nothing in return. Without a definite answer, she always felt as though an enormous black hole lurked behind her, ready to swallow her at any moment...

After seeing his guest off, Niu Youdao returned and found Gongsun Bu standing outside the thatched cottage.

"Something the matter?" Niu Youdao asked with a smile.

Gongsun Bu asked, "Still no news of Lu Shengzhong?"

Niu Youdao said, "Either Shao Pingbo killed him or he submitted to Shao Pingbo. Either way, Shao Pingbo won't let him come back."

At the mention of it, his expression grew somewhat grave. Looking back afterward, perhaps one decision of his had cost them their last chance to recover Lu Shengzhong.

He should not have halted the men from the three sects who were going to the State of Song to meet Lu Shengzhong. When Shao Pingbo's side found no one waiting to make contact, they would know Lu Shengzhong had been exposed and would never release him. Otherwise, Shao Pingbo might even have used Lu Shengzhong to feed them false intelligence.

Gongsun Bu said, "Better if he's dead."

Niu Youdao smiled faintly without comment... Another midsummer arrived. In the blink of an eye, a full year had passed. A waterfall poured down from a cliff. On the rock beneath it, a figure stood submerged in the curtain of water without moving.

Black Peony flew over and called, "Master Dao!"

The figure within the falling water suddenly moved, shooting upward along the torrent. He raced against the current at astonishing speed without disturbing the water in the slightest. Within the curtain of water, he drew his sword.

Boom!

Spray exploded above the waterfall as a figure burst out of the flow, sword raised toward Heaven. He turned in midair, sheathed the sword, then drifted back down and landed beside Black Peony. Black Peony stared blankly. Such a tremendous mass of falling water somehow seemed to offer him no resistance at all.

Steam rose from his body as Niu Youdao planted his sword before him. "What is it?"

Black Peony replied, "I asked about the matter you mentioned. They aren't spies. Qingshan Commandery's population has exploded lately, and merchants are gathering here in large numbers. We aren't very far from the commandery city, so it's normal for people to stray into this area from time to time. His Highness heard that it was disturbing Master Dao's secluded cultivation and has already ordered warning steles made forbidding passage. They'll be erected around the area soon."

So that was it. Niu Youdao nodded. Yuan Gang had mentioned earlier that people kept trying to enter this area, so he had asked about it.

"From the sound of that, Qingshan Commandery is quite prosperous now?" Niu Youdao asked.

"Prosperous!" Black Peony nodded. "Incredibly prosperous. The difference between now and a year ago is like Heaven and earth."

"After His Highness implemented the new policies, refugees from every direction came after hearing the news. The population of the two commanderies has increased seven- or eightfold. Most of Qingshan Commandery's farmland that had been abandoned in earlier years has already been reclaimed. To keep the refugees here and truly let them settle down in the two commanderies, His Highness not only divided up farmland but specially allocated one hundred thousand gold coins to recruit large numbers of scholars as teachers. Free schools have been established throughout both commanderies, so every refugee has fields to cultivate and every refugee child can attend school. Villages are now rapidly taking shape around the farmland and schools. In Lan Ruoting's words, once people establish homes and livelihoods here, they won't easily leave the two commanderies again unless they're forced to."

"And with so many people gathering here, together with reductions in commercial taxes, merchants from every direction have been drawn in as well. Those merchants in turn employ large numbers of refugees. Qingshan Commandery is truly nothing like it used to be. The city is incredibly lively now. There are problems too, though. There are too many people and not enough shopfronts, while the merchants have their own needs. Mr. Lan is negotiating with them right now."

"Negotiating?" Niu Youdao froze. "About what?"

Black Peony said, "His Highness plans to treat the current commandery city as the Inner City, then expand another five li outward around it and build an Outer City."

"Expand five li in every direction?" Niu Youdao was startled. "Where is he getting the money for something on that scale?"

"That's why Mr. Lan is negotiating with the merchants. They plan to give merchants land in the Outer City free of charge for building shops, but on one condition: the merchants must finance construction of the Outer City's walls. How much land they receive inside the city will depend on how much of the wall they pay to build. That also creates work for refugees who can't be settled immediately, giving them a way to support their families. I hear the negotiations are almost finished. They're still resolving a few conflicts of interest."

Niu Youdao asked, "These are Lan Ruoting's policies?"

Black Peony nodded. "It seems so. His Highness appears to have delegated domestic administration to Lan Ruoting. His Highness himself mainly handles military affairs."

"Lan Ruoting truly is talented. This is bold work!" Niu Youdao sighed with some feeling, but his thoughts drifted toward Beizhou.

He had been cultivating in seclusion here and had barely asked about the affairs of the two commanderies. Ironically, he paid rather more attention to what was happening in Beizhou.

According to the intelligence they received, Shao Pingbo's projects there were on an even greater scale. He had been vigorously recruiting learned men and skilled craftsmen, and in the middle of these chaotic times he actually intended to connect and overhaul the entire water-control network of Beizhou. In barely more than a year, the results were said to have been remarkable, and the population had likewise surged. It seemed Shao Dengyun had granted Shao Pingbo even greater authority, leaving him far less constrained.

Shao Pingbo now oversaw military affairs above and domestic administration below. His ability was extraordinary. Through exceptional methods and administrative skill, he had transformed almost all of Beizhou in scarcely more than a year. Beizhou's strength was growing like a snowball, directly drawing in manpower and wealth from surrounding areas and putting them to use. Several neighboring provinces were finding the situation both embarrassing and painful, yet there was nothing they could do about Beizhou.

In this area, Niu Youdao himself had no choice but to admit that he was far inferior to Shao Pingbo. And that was precisely why the changes in Beizhou faintly worried him. The stronger Beizhou became, the more power from the cultivation world Shao Pingbo would be able to mobilize.

News from Beizhou said Shao Pingbo's ability had drawn Dachan Mountain's highest attention. More experts had been assigned to protect him.

Coming back to himself, Niu Youdao glanced at Black Peony, who had been speaking with unusual animation. An amused smile tugged at his lips. The woman had changed. She was gradually beginning to care about these matters. Otherwise she could not possibly have explained them so clearly.

"Where's Yuan Gang?" Niu Youdao asked.

Black Peony said, "He seems to have gone to the weapon-forging workshop. He's been visiting Gongsun Tieniu quite often lately."

Niu Youdao fell silent for a moment, then waved a hand. "I haven't left the mountains in a long time. Come. Let's go have a look at the commandery city."

Black Peony immediately went to the three sects and summoned several experts to serve as guards. The moment they approached Qingshan Commandery City, Niu Youdao, who had not left the mountains in a long time, immediately sensed that the atmosphere was different.

People streamed endlessly along the official road. Carts and pack animals were everywhere. Junior officials outside the city were measuring ground, drawing lines, and driving stakes to mark positions. It appeared the expansion of the city truly was imminent.

Once inside, Niu Youdao walked around casually. The streets were packed everywhere, and noisy voices never ceased. Compared with the somewhat deserted streets of the past, he nearly wondered whether he had come to the wrong place.

Many people were still dressed in ragged and shabby clothes. Quite a few even held bowls and begged for food. Yet it truly was entirely different from before.

People were everywhere. After so long in secluded cultivation, Niu Youdao found himself unused to it and quickly lost interest in wandering around. He went directly to the Commandery Governor's residence. Shang Chaozong's personal guards recognized him. They told the gate guards to stand aside and personally led Niu Youdao inside. When he reached the Government Affairs Hall, he could hear Shang Chaozong and Lan Ruoting discussing something within. Niu Youdao raised a hand to stop his escort from announcing him and stood outside listening.

Lan Ruoting's voice came from inside. "Your Highness, look here. The seaport to the south is precisely one of our advantages. If the surrounding regions blockade us, moving goods in and out by sea offers a shortcut, and it's also enormously convenient for merchants. I suggest we apply the same city-expansion method to the harbor. Build another city near the port to make it easier for merchants to transfer and store goods..."

"Ahem."

The personal guard beside Niu Youdao suddenly coughed. He genuinely felt it was inappropriate to let someone eavesdrop on His Highness's conversation. Ignoring Niu Youdao's attempt to stop him, he announced, "Your Highness, Master Dao has arrived."

Niu Youdao stared at him with a smile, then walked inside. Shang Chaozong and Lan Ruoting came out as well, both rather surprised. This was someone they could go an entire year without seeing even once.

"Master Dao, what brings you here?" Shang Chaozong cupped his hands. "Has something happened?"

Niu Youdao followed them into the Government Affairs Hall and immediately noticed the map hanging inside. He walked over and looked at it. "Nothing in particular. I overheard a few words outside. What is this? Are the surrounding regions blockading us?"

Lan Ruoting said, "It hasn't reached that intensity yet, but our pace of development has already made the surrounding regions wary. A blockade of our trade routes is only a matter of time. We have to prepare before the rain comes and get the sea route operating as soon as possible. The ocean is boundless, with routes everywhere. The surrounding powers can cut our roads on land, but sealing the sea will not be so easy. There's another point as well: once the surrounding regions tighten their blockade, bringing warhorses in will become even harder. Shipping them by sea may be one solution."

Niu Youdao nodded. "Excellent judgment, Mr. Lan. You're thinking far ahead!"

Shang Chaozong frowned. "The people the three sects and Tianyu Sect sent to the State of Qi still haven't given us a definite answer."

Lan Ruoting explained, "Master Dao, what His Highness means is that our development isn't slow. Once the surrounding powers feel seriously threatened, we're afraid they won't stop at a blockade. That means we need powerful military force as a deterrent. We urgently need warhorses. Otherwise the speed at which we can move troops won't keep up, and we'll be left waiting to take a beating! The farther our military strength falls behind, the more likely outside enemies are to develop thoughts of invading us."

Niu Youdao said, "We can't rely entirely on the State of Qi. Haven't we tried finding another solution ourselves?"

Shang Chaozong said, "We have bought horses little by little from the surrounding areas. There are more than a thousand by now. But there's a considerable difference between warhorses and ordinary pack animals. Only a tiny proportion can charge rapidly over long distances and withstand battle. The warhorses we already had are gradually aging as well. Our shortfall is measured in tens of thousands. It's almost impossible to scrape that many together from the surrounding regions in a short time, whereas Qi's pastures have countless fine horses."

Niu Youdao fell silent...

[End of Chapter 243]