Chapter 635: It Actually Fell Apart!

At the seaside docks of Qingshan Commandery, ships large and small crowded the shore. Many more could not find a berth in time. The great shipment of grain sent by the State of Wei had arrived.

Unlike the long journey Niu Youdao had once made transporting horses from Qi, this route bypassed Qi and Jin, and the distance from Wei to here was not especially great. Of the supplies being sent by the three states, Wei’s grain was therefore the first to arrive.

On shore, an immense number of mule carts and horse-drawn wagons had gathered. The air reeked of animal dung.

Many Wei cultivators disembarked from the ships, while others stood guard atop the decks, watching the surroundings. Still more cultivators bobbed in the sea itself, guarding against attacks from below the water.

Large numbers of garrison troops had assembled on shore. Shang Chaozong had personally led men here, and Xue Xiao had likewise come in person from Dingzhou.

Whichever province the grain entered became responsible for escorting it onward. Xue Xiao had not wanted to come at all. The imperial court had ordered him here specifically to keep watch, fearing Nanzhou might play tricks.

One man had fabricated the theft of his women to start a war. The other had lost three commanderies of territory to him. Not long ago, the two had fought each other to the death. Now they appeared to be talking and laughing together, as though national disaster had made them set aside their former grievances. In truth, one occasionally sneered inwardly while the other occasionally laughed coldly to himself.

Xue Xiao was rather nervous about coming. Gai Huan, Sect Leader of Tianhua Cave Residence, and Wan Qingyan, Sect Leader of Xianyun Sect, had both personally brought men to protect him.

A row of cultivators came ashore from one of the ships. At their head were representatives of Wei’s three major sects: Tian Que, an Elder of Lingxu Mansion; Chong Gu, an Elder of Shouzheng Pavilion; and Kun Ziyue, an Elder of Dale Mountain. None of the three looked particularly pleased.

They had spent the entire voyage being tossed endlessly by the waves. Worse still, they had personally watched great numbers of Wei cultivators stain the blue sea with blood along the way. How could they possibly be in a good mood?

When the two sides met, the Yan party saw their poor expressions and exchanged only a few perfunctory courtesies before beginning the transfer of grain and fodder.

According to Wei’s accounts, there had originally been one hundred thousand cartloads of grain. Zhao had deducted thirty thousand cartloads. To save manpower, all the remainder had then been sent by sea.

After all the mishaps along the voyage, only about eighty percent of that remained, amounting to a little over fifty thousand cartloads.

The accounts were handed over. What followed was the actual tally. Large groups of laborers boarded the ships to unload the grain and then load it onto carts. The docks became a scene of frantic activity.

At that moment, four flying mounts approached through the sky: one Scarlet Hunting Eagle and three Black Jade Eagles.

Niu Youdao and Guan Fangyi had arrived with the Sect Leaders of Qingshan Commandery’s three sects.

The four flying mounts landed, drawing everyone’s attention. Shang Chaozong was somewhat surprised. Master Dao, who had refused to see him, had unexpectedly appeared here. He hurried over to greet him.

While the surrounding cultivators glanced their way, many gazes, seemingly casual yet not quite so, settled on the flower-robed man who had come with Niu Youdao and now stood silently to one side.

Shang Chaozong then accompanied Niu Youdao over to greet the cultivators from Wei. After the usual courtesies, the people from Wei’s three major sects all studied Niu Youdao carefully. His reputation preceded him.

When Niu Youdao learned that Xue Xiao was present as well, he turned and looked over with a smile. “Lord Xue came too? You have quite some nerve, daring to come here. Do you think Nanzhou has no one capable of dealing with you?”

Xue Xiao had not expected him to deny him face so openly. His expression stiffened. “Your Nanzhou? Your Highness, is this not the fugitive wanted by the imperial court for killing Yan’s envoy in Jinzhou? Was he not already said to have no connection with Your Highness? Why is he here?”

Niu Youdao planted his sword before him and sneered. “Sharp tongue. Keep babbling and, believe it or not, I could kill you and the imperial court wouldn’t even dare fart! You came here and still expect to leave?”

There was not the slightest respect for the imperial court in those words. Before everyone present, he had openly profaned its authority.

Lan Ruoting, who had been giving instructions to the officials unloading the ships, saw that something was wrong and hurried over.

Shang Chaozong wore a strange expression. It was rare to see Niu Youdao behave this openly arrogant in public.

Guan Fangyi, a gold buyao in her hair, raised an eyebrow slightly while slowly waving her round fan.

Xue Xiao’s expression changed drastically. Sure enough, he no longer dared say anything. Inwardly, he complained bitterly without end. He had never wanted to come, yet the imperial court had insisted on forcing him here.

Gai Huan and Wan Qingyan immediately stepped forward to shield Xue Xiao. Wan Qingyan said in a deep voice, “Niu Youdao, don’t be too arrogant.”

Niu Youdao replied, “What? Do the two of you want to stay behind with him?”

Almost at the same moment, the flower-robed man clasped his hands behind his back and strolled slowly closer. Clear wariness appeared in the eyes of Gai Huan and Wan Qingyan.

Tian Que of Lingxu Mansion spoke up. “We did not come here to watch you people fight among yourselves.”

Kun Ziyue of Dale Mountain said, “Yan is already on the verge of destruction. If you have this much energy to spare, use it against your common enemies.”

The three men were genuinely displeased by the scene. How many Wei cultivators had died to preserve Yan? Yet the moment they arrived, this was what they saw happening inside Yan itself. They truly felt the deaths of those men had been wasted, and the three of them still had to continue accompanying the grain convoy all the way onward.

“Treacherous ministers hold power in Yan. I only regret I can’t slaughter them all. I’ve made the three of you witness an embarrassment.” Niu Youdao turned with a chuckle, then extended a hand in invitation. “You’ve all endured a hard voyage at sea. Please, come rest at the relay station.”

The group departed at an easy pace, while Xue Xiao and his people immediately became highly tense, quietly gathering their men and maintaining alert vigilance.

After the honored guests had been settled, Niu Youdao and the others stood outside the relay station watching the bustle at the docks. Fei Changliu tested the waters. “Master Dao, are we really going to make a move on Xue Xiao?”

Shang Chaozong and the others immediately looked toward Niu Youdao.

Niu Youdao looked too lazy even to entertain the question. “Who has the leisure to bother with him right now? I was only frightening him. He came here to watch this grain shipment. If I don’t make him pull his men in and keep their heads down a little, they’ll all be staring wide-eyed at everything. Wouldn’t that expose the trick too early?”

So that was it. Fei Changliu and the others immediately understood, while Shang Chaozong and Lan Ruoting exchanged glances.

Guan Fangyi covered a smile. This man was rotten all the way into the cracks between his bones.

Shang Chaozong had finally managed to see Niu Youdao in person. Lan Ruoting tried to stop him with a look, but in the end Shang Chaozong still could not restrain himself. “Master Dao, when the nest is overturned, no egg remains whole. If Nanzhou continues to sit and watch, Yan will be in danger. Master Dao...”

Niu Youdao cut him off. “Your Highness, if the imperial court isn’t anxious, what are you anxious about? Don’t worry. Yan won’t collapse that easily.”

Shang Chaozong still wanted to speak, but Lan Ruoting pulled him back.

Once all the grain had been unloaded and the accounts matched, Niu Youdao immediately gathered Nanzhou’s senior figures and left, turning the remaining work over to the people below.

The front lines urgently needed the supplies, so there could be no delay. The loaded grain carts set off at once, escorted through Nanzhou by Nanzhou’s army.

Yet not long after the convoy left Qingshan Commandery, trouble began.

The grain carts started breaking down.

Xue Xiao galloped back and forth along the front and rear of the convoy, checking the situation.

At first he had not paid much attention. A little damage to carts during a journey was perfectly normal. The accompanying craftsmen could simply repair them as they went.

But then the rate of damage became frighteningly high, forcing him to inspect the problem personally.

Once he looked closely, he discovered the issue. The carts he had requisitioned from Dingzhou were largely fine. Almost all the problems were with Nanzhou’s carts. Most of Nanzhou’s had been newly built, and their quality was appalling.

Right before him, sacks of grain lay scattered across the ground, while the cart that had carried them lay in pieces.

Xue Xiao jumped from his horse, picked up one of the wooden pieces, and stood it upright. Grinding his teeth, he struck it with his riding crop and said angrily to the three Elders from Wei who had come over to inspect the damage, “It actually fell apart! What kind of rotten grain cart is this? If a few parts broke, I could understand it. But carrying a load for a short distance made the whole thing fall to pieces. Isn’t this going a little too far?”

The Elder from Shouzheng Pavilion said, “Then summon craftsmen immediately and have them repair it. Once it’s fixed, increase the pace and catch up with the convoy.”

Xue Xiao nearly laughed from anger. He had truly had enough of these men who knew nothing about military logistics. It was easy to talk when you were not the one doing the work.

Yet he could hardly blame them, so all he could do was shake his head and sigh. “A few damaged parts can be repaired easily enough. A simple fix would do. But the whole cart has fallen apart. How are we supposed to repair that? And this isn’t one or two carts. They’re falling apart in batch after batch. How could the craftsmen possibly keep up?”

“Can’t the three Elders see it yet? Almost everything breaking down was prepared by Nanzhou. Nanzhou is deliberately trying to keep this grain for itself!”

The faces of the three Elders gradually darkened.

So many Wei cultivators had died escorting this grain. They had finally survived the sea route and delivered it into Yan’s territory, only to encounter sabotage from within Yan itself.

The three men almost vomited blood from fury.

Kun Ziyue of Dale Mountain said in a deep voice, “Notify the nearest cities immediately. Requisition more carts as quickly as possible. I would like to see who dares disobey!”

Xue Xiao sighed bitterly. “Elder, it’s useless. If they’re deliberately causing trouble, why would they obey us?”

The three refused to believe him and insisted on solving the problem.

Messages were duly sent to nearby towns and cities. The local chief officials claimed they had already received military orders from the Prince to cooperate fully with the transport of grain. They immediately put on a convincing show of issuing notices, ordering any commoner with carts or draft animals to donate them at once, threatening severe punishment for anyone who concealed them.

And they really did manage to requisition some.

Two or three carts.

What use was that?

It was a classic case of policies from above meeting countermeasures below. When the people handling matters underneath did not belong to you, they could find endless ingenious ways to carry out an order badly.

The three Wei Elders were almost angry enough to throw down the burden and quit. Yet abandoning the mission halfway would betray the people who had already died, and they would have no way to explain themselves after returning home.

“Hyah!”

The three Elders, hair nearly standing on end with rage, whipped their horses into a gallop and broke away from the grain convoy to go settle accounts with Niu Youdao. Fortunately, the convoy had only just left Qingshan Commandery, so Maolu Villa was not far away.

At the same time, they sent a message back to Wei reporting the situation.

Xue Xiao likewise sent an urgent message to the Yan court, begging it to find some solution quickly. Niu Youdao had already publicly threatened his life. Against Nanzhou, Xue Xiao had no temper left at all.

...

When honored guests came calling, Niu Youdao naturally appeared personally to receive them. Fine tea was served.

Clatter!

Tea, hell. The moment Chong Gu arrived, he exploded. With a sweep of his broad sleeve, he smashed the teacups across the floor.

Inside the waterside pavilion, facing the three furious Elders, Niu Youdao raised a hand to stop the people on either side from glaring threateningly at them. With a face full of surprise, he asked, “Three Elders, what has made you so furious?”

Chong Gu pointed at his nose and shouted, “Niu Youdao, are you deliberately setting yourself against our three sects?”

Niu Youdao looked shocked. “Elder Chong, why would you say such a thing?”

“Stop pretending you don’t know. What is going on with those grain carts...?” Chong Gu rattled off the whole story of the large numbers of carts falling apart on the road.

Niu Youdao’s expression grew grave. “I won’t hide it from the three Elders. Nanzhou fought Dingzhou not long ago. At the time, we requisitioned large numbers of grain carts from the common people and suffered heavy losses. The people had not yet recovered when we had to requisition carts again, and there simply weren’t enough left in their hands.”

“But we had to fulfill the imperial court’s instructions. Nanzhou’s craftsmen truly had to rush the work desperately. Everything was built in too much of a hurry. I was worried about those grain carts beforehand. Who would have thought something really would go wrong?”

[End of Chapter 635]