Chapter 618: New Smoke of War, Old Afterglow

After the great battle, Lv Yunchang reluctantly followed the trio to collect the broken remnants of the famous swords. The young man couldn't understand why his immortal master, with such a vast fortune, would still be so meticulous about trivial expenses, like a thrifty housewife. Unlike the carefree Lv Yunchang, Wang Sheng showed much sorrow when picking up and holding the swords. Lv Yunchang, a swordsman who looked down on swordsmanship, was different; she was genuinely saddened to witness dozens of once-renowned divine weapons of the jianghu destroyed. As Lv Yunchang tossed the last handful of broken swords into the carriage, he glimpsed Wang Sheng's distraught expression and playfully remarked that she was like a woman, only too tall and not delicate at all. Enraged, Wang Sheng reached for the Goose Yellow at her waist. In an instant, formidable sword energy erupted. The daring Lv Yunchang showed no fear, grinning to reveal a mouthful of stark white teeth. He twirled his palm around the hilt of his Great Frost long sabre, his eyes burning with eagerness as he asked Wang Sheng if she wanted to fight, with the winner becoming their immortal master's eldest disciple. Wang Sheng's expression changed, but she remained silent. For a moment, the young boy and girl were at an impasse. The old spy, unable to bear such childish infighting, was about to punish both equally to make them understand the gravity of the situation. Unexpectedly, the young Prince did not mediate; instead, he fueled the flames, making them swear to a battle three years hence, with each responsible for their own life or death. Afterwards, when the old spy privately asked for the reason, Xu Fengnian chuckled, explaining that he intentionally made the two children sharpen each other, and that he wouldn't hold back anything from either, teaching them the world's most superior sword and sabre techniques respectively. He also wanted to see the outcome of this blade-versus-sword rivalry.

As the carriage reached the border of Youzhou, Lv Yunchang heard a rapid hoofbeat, unlike any he had heard in other prefectures—single but exceptionally heavy. The young man quickly released the reins, jumped onto his horse, and strained to look. He then witnessed a scene that would be unforgettable for his entire life: hundreds of elite cavalry, all on white horses with white armor, carrying Liang Sabres and powerful crossbows. The rise and fall of their horses' backs perfectly matched the landing of their hooves, explaining why their gallop on the post road produced only a single sound, as if a solitary warhorse were running. The great horses of Beiliang and the Xu family's Liang Sabres were treasures coveted by other princes of Liyang. Unlike the uninformed Wang Sheng, Lv Yunchang, having spent time in the bustling and complex Wudi City, had a rough understanding of both jianghu and court affairs due to his curiosity. Traveling west, the young man had largely guessed the identity of the "immortal young master." However, as a jianghu youth who had roamed the streets and alleys of the East Sea, he had never seen the scenery of the northwest frontier nor imagined the grandeur of the Xu family's iron cavalry in the northwest. Now, seeing it with his own eyes, the young man had the most direct impression, feeling that with a few thousand cavalry, he could easily overwhelm Wudi City's countless experts multiple times over. For a moment, the young man was lost in thought, feeling that practicing his sabre behind closed doors was merely decorative. It would be better to enlist in the border army and forge a "killing sabre."

Half of the eight hundred White Horse Volunteers arrived. Upon seeing the King of Liang, they simultaneously dismounted, clutched their sabres, and knelt in deference. Xu Fengnian casually glanced over them; most were new faces, which was unsurprising. Many of the original personal guards and cavalry had been dispersed as trusted confidants into various military units, especially those White Horse Volunteers who had accompanied him to Iron Gate Pass to intercept Prince Zhao Kai. Most had attained significant official positions; even if their ranks weren't high, they held real power. Some young individuals who had shown outstanding performance on the battlefield, like the fierce Hong Shuwun, had even made a significant leap in status, ensuring a promising future. Xu Fengnian raised an arm, signaling the White Horse Light Cavalry to remount and continue their journey.

Instead of heading directly to the Liangzhou Prince's Mansion, Xu Fengnian veered south towards Lingzhou, taking only the two children, Wang Sheng and Lv Yunchang. The old spy, along with the White Horse Volunteers, first entered Liangzhou and then proceeded to Chu Lushan's Fushui House to "report for duty." Xu Fengnian's trip was to visit Xu Beizhi, the prefect he had "abducted" from Beimang. The seasons in the northwest were such that spring and autumn blended, giving rise to the saying "long winter, no summer." This didn't mean there was no intense heat; when it was supposed to be hot, it was often far more scorching than other places. High terrain and proximity to the sky left no escape from the relentless sun. However, with autumn approaching, there was still no sign of cooler breezes, which left Lv Yunchang, unaccustomed to the climate, feeling somewhat sickly. Wang Sheng, who had endured hardship in the lower strata of society, was fine and continued her diligent sword practice as always. Huangnan County, through which they passed heading south, was Beiliang's granary. Continuous streams and lush water plants made it not only a vital passage for those leaving the frontier but also the "waist" of the Liangxi Corridor. At this time, mid-season rice and corn were beginning to mature, late-season rice was sprouting, and cotton bolls were bursting open, revealing a unique "Jiangnan-beyond-the-frontier" charm. The two children marveled at the sight. As they traveled south, the children consistently drew more attention than Xu Fengnian. One carried a large sabre in a white scabbard, and the other, besides carrying a back-mounted sword box, also had seven or eight swords strapped to his body. They looked less like young wandering heroes and more like peddlers of inferior swords.

Before entering Lingzhou's prefectural city, the trio encountered a convoy on the official road also traveling from north to south. Everyone rode tall horses, and the carriages were exceptionally luxurious and imposing, bearing a "Liu" flag embroidered with a black-gold fish-dragon. For some reason, the convoy got into a dispute with a group of visiting scholars. Normally, Beiliang currently relied heavily on scholars coming to Liang, and anyone with genuine talent would be given important positions, so people usually yielded to them. However, the convoy, without a word, beat the brightly dressed scholars until they cried out for their parents, their eyes full of resentment after the pain. Lv Yunchang, being well-versed in jianghu networks, looked at the flag and exclaimed with envy, "Wang Mutou, open your eyes and look! It's the Fish-Dragon Gang, one of the current top ten jianghu sects! Although it's not as refined and honorable as Kuaisnow Villa by Spring God Lake, nor as lofty as Deficient Moon Tower on Huishan Great Snow Terrace, the Fish-Dragon Gang accepts all kinds of jianghu people. Whether you're a notorious bandit or a greenwood outlaw, as long as you're capable, you can find a lucrative position in the Fish-Dragon Gang. That's why this gang is famously numerous and powerful, looking down on everyone. A few gangs from outside Beiliang, if they provoke the Fish-Dragon Gang, even if there's a whole prefecture between them, the Fish-Dragon Gang will send one or two hundred people under the guise of an escort mission, charging all the way with their weapons drawn. Heh, even the local officials don't dare to utter a peep."

Xu Fengnian remained unmoved. Afterwards, outside Lingzhou City, at the old site of a granary called Jiahe Granary, he met Prefect Xu Beizhi. This granary was once considered one of the foremost granaries in the ancient world, its scale comparable to the two major royal granaries currently located in Tai'an City and Guangling Road, known as "North Tribute, South Sweet Dew," both renowned worldwide. However, Jiahe Granary had never been used throughout several dynasties, falling into complete disuse and becoming an empty shell. When Grand Administrator Li Gongde concurrently served as Lingzhou Prefect, he did consider renovating this granary, but unfortunately, no one responded, making it impossible for him to succeed alone, so he had to give up. Firstly, renovating Jiahe Granary required an enormous sum of money. Secondly, transferring grain into the granary required great determination. Furthermore, once grain entered official granaries, the government essentially took on a major burden, having to spend money daily to maintain the grain. Ordinary granaries could profit illicitly by exchanging new grain for old. But once Jiahe Granary was restored, it was destined to be a military strategic location that even the young Prince would scrutinize. Who would dare tamper with things there? The new Prefect Xu Beizhi, against this backdrop, acted unilaterally, even draining Lingzhou's tax revenue, determined to rebuild Jiahe Granary. To seasoned officials, this was either a far-sighted decision or an unrealistic ambition. The old foxes in Lingzhou's officialdom dared not openly stand by, but they secretly created many obstacles. If that "stubborn youth" truly succeeded in bringing Jiahe Granary back to life, it would cut off countless people's sources of wealth. A large Jiahe Granary could not only store all of Lingzhou's tax revenue to pay official salaries and local military provisions but also regulate grain prices for famine relief. This would prevent the rampant private "righteous granaries" from making exorbitant profits during frequent natural and man-made disasters. Officials from top to bottom, from high-ranking officials to clerks and even laborers, tacitly dragged their feet and often caused issues that hindered construction progress. Director Xu, who was mocked as the "Grain Prefect," did not react with thunderous anger or resort to making examples of anyone. He simply borrowed two thousand armored soldiers from the Lingzhou General and requested three thousand laborers from the commandants of Huangnan and Longqing counties, which he could control. He almost entirely bypassed the orthodox Lingzhou officialdom. Simultaneously, he dispatched Lingzhou's Auxiliary Administrator Song Yan to rectify all official granaries within Lingzhou. Upon discovering any illegal activities, he wouldn't make a big fuss; at most, he would remove officials from their posts and replace them with new, clean scholars from outside. Generally, Lingzhou's officialdom did not suffer unbearable turmoil, but a small group of sharp-minded influential figures, finally realizing what was happening, began to frequently visit the much quieter Grand Administrator's Residence.

Security was tight outside Jiahe Granary. Xu Fengnian did not reveal his identity, simply asking a young commander to relay a message: the assistant magistrate of Bishan County in Yanzhi Prefecture, Youzhou, was an old acquaintance of the Prefect. Xu Beizhi, who had been roughing it at the old Jiahe Granary site for some time, quickly arrived, appearing even more disheveled than the traveling Xu Fengnian. The youngest prefect in Beiliang's history looked exhausted but had good spirits. He showed no surprise upon seeing Xu Fengnian and silently walked beside him, which startled the commander. Jiahe Granary was a hive of activity with massive construction. Xu Beizhi, considered Lingzhou's biggest prodigal son, wiped his dusty face with his sleeve and spoke as they walked: "Jiahe Granary was the Great Qin's second largest granary eight hundred years ago, only slightly inferior to Luoyang Granary. Though called a granary, it was essentially a city capable of both offense and defense. The granary city was one and a half li long from east to west and two li wide from north to south, with over three hundred granaries and no fewer than fifty grain cellars. What's more, during renovation, ancient brick inscriptions clearly state the origin of the grain, the year it was stored, and the names and positions of the officials responsible. Not a single reign title of the Great Qin Dynasty is missing; everything is traceable. I used to think revering the past and disparaging the present was a bad habit, but after coming to Jiahe Granary, I realized that some things were indeed done better by the ancients."

Xu Fengnian chuckled, "As public intelligence gradually opens up, it brings both good and bad. Otherwise, the Daoist patriarchs wouldn't have proposed 'abandoning wisdom and renouncing sageliness' and the idea of a world in decline, which will be increasingly mentioned in the future. Beiliang has relatively few scholars, yet they still employ various cunning tactics in officialdom. If you were in Jiangnan, where powerful families are deeply entrenched, you truly wouldn't be able to achieve anything. Here, after all, military officials still hold sway; the time for civil officials to rise has been relatively short."

Xu Beizhi sighed and said in a low voice, "Once Jiahe Granary is completed, and with this year's autumn harvest from the three prefectures as grain sources, it will be enough to support two years of border warfare. However, this is only if the various counties and districts don't skim off the top, and if private righteous granaries retract their claws and don't interfere. Otherwise, forget two years, even half a year would be a luxury. Time is not on my side. In fact, if I could take my time, I could even have the local powerful grain merchants buy grain at high prices from other prefectures and provinces to fill Beiliang. This amount of silver is nothing; once war begins, let alone gold and silver, even land is less valuable than readily available grain. However, twenty years of peace within Beiliang has ironically given them the audacity to be so shortsighted—it's utterly ridiculous. Those descendants of generals who take their families abroad even declared that they would rather let the stored grain in their 'righteous granaries' rot completely than sell a single grain of good rice at a high price to Jiahe Granary. This reminds me of what my grandfather used to say about rivalries between neighbors: if one person could earn one silver coin while a neighbor could earn three, they would rather both earn nothing than let the other earn two more."

No matter how indignant he felt, Xu Beizhi's tone remained calm and measured.

Xu Fengnian stopped in front of the main gate of an ancient gray-tiled granary and smiled, "Since Lingzhou is so enthusiastically making trouble for you, let them be. But I can guarantee you that the autumn grains from Liang and You prefectures will definitely fill Jiahe Granary. By then, those who escaped reckoning when I was Lingzhou General will be dealt with this autumn. Anyway, from today onwards, so-called priceless antiques and treasures, as they are carried out of Beiliang, can be taken as much as they can move. But don't even think about taking out a single tael of silver or gold, or a single catty of white rice."

Xu Beizhi scoffed unceremoniously, "Wishful thinking. Do you think you can do it? 'When the water is too clear, there are no fish.' Which of those generals and commanders guarding the border passes isn't related to someone?"

Xu Fengnian said helplessly, "It's still better than doing nothing, isn't it?"

Xu Beizhi's expression softened slightly, and he nodded. When the Prince had swaggered out of Lingzhou, he hadn't truly touched the raw nerves of Lingzhou officialdom. With the dual protection of the Lingzhou General and the Crown Prince, no one truly dared to openly confront him. But when Xu Beizhi personally governed the complex Lingzhou, he inevitably touched the ultimate bottom line of the local military families. Moreover, Xu Beizhi was not an old Beiliang hand like Li Gongde. His sudden rise to power, even with Song Yan and the Four Great Wang families offering advice and help, and with the Lingzhou General "standing ready with his sabre," officialdom had always been complex and unpredictable. Royal law, personal connections, clan law—various rules intertwined, often conflicting, creating a chaotic mess. The so-called "cutting through chaos with a sharp blade" could only succeed temporarily, but its ill effects were far-reaching. Xu Beizhi, in his position, naturally made enemies on all sides whenever he took action. Chen Xiliang, who had handled salt administration and canal transport at the time, was a cautionary example. Chen Xiliang wasn't without good solutions, but what good was strategic acumen when he met with obstacles everywhere? Xu Beizhi sneered internally, thinking, "If one's temperament is too soft, everyone can bully them. How can they establish themselves in the fiercely independent Beiliang?" Even in Luzhou, the fourth "land of refugees" prefecture, Chen Xiliang, though successfully defending the city from nearly ten thousand bandits, earned the reputation of being indecisive and overly compassionate. In the future, even if he had the opportunity to govern a region, he wouldn't be able to achieve anything significant in local politics.

Xu Fengnian suddenly asked, "The Fish-Dragon Gang frequently engages in border trade. Have they overstepped the rules?"

Xu Beizhi said, "There are spies monitoring them. Since no intelligence has reached the prefect's desk, I assume there haven't been any violations." He paused, then frowned and asked, "Have there been any boundary-crossing actions?"

Xu Fengnian shook his head, "Not yet, I believe."

Xu Beizhi calmly stated, "The woman surnamed Liu has not yet called upon me, probably to avoid suspicion. But such an ungenerous woman, while fit to lead a second-tier gang within a prefecture, is destined not to hold the position of leader of a top-ranking jianghu gang."

Xu Fengnian smiled, "Don't blame her, it's hard for her. She was meant to be an ordinary jianghu heroine."

Xu Beizhi suddenly said, "Since you're back alive, why aren't you hurrying back to Qingliang Mountain? I've already prepared the thorny branches for you."

Xu Fengnian said bitterly, "With second sister, even 'carrying thorns to plead guilty' won't work."

Xu Beizhi showed unconcealed schadenfreude.

Then Xu Beizhi ordered a large meal for the un-fed King of Beiliang. Jiahe Granary always treated everyone equally: pickles with steamed buns. Both Xu Beizhi and Xu Fengnian squatted to eat. Lv Yunchang, very boldly, sat cross-legged with his sabre across his lap, and also ordered a pot of the long-renowned Beiliang local specialty "Green Ant Wine." He ended up choking and turning bright red. Wang Sheng, with her sword box and strapped swords, couldn't squat, so she just stood.

Xu Beizhi asked with a smile, "Are these your disciples?"

Xu Fengnian hummed in affirmation.

Lv Yunchang, with a playful smile, said, "This official from Lingzhou, my humble self is Lu Yun-chang, a native of Wudi City in the East Sea. I am Master's eldest disciple, and I hope for your patronage in the future, official."

Xu Beizhi listened to the young man's flowery speech and dismissed it with a smile.

Wang Sheng snorted coldly.

Xu Fengnian smiled, "They are more like the second and third disciples. The eldest disciple is a shepherd boy, but he's currently still with Xu Yanbing."

Lv Yunchang's eyes widened, "What?! Wang Sheng isn't even the eldest disciple? Immortal Master, then why should Wang Sheng and I fight in three years? No matter how much we compete, we'll only be fighting for second place. That's boring."

Xu Fengnian calmly said, "Drink your wine."

The young man obediently drank his wine, still showing respect for his master.

Xu Beizhi quietly asked, "What's the word from Guangling Road?"

Xu Fengnian calmly replied, "It's happening in the next few days."

Xu Beizhi sighed with emotion, "Once the war beacons ignite, does this also mean that a certain person in the Liyang Dynasty's court is experiencing their final twilight?"

Xu Fengnian hummed expressionlessly, "Out with the old, in with the new."