Chapter 165
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Once the news reached Jizhou, Yuan Li burst into laughter, saying, “Great!”
He asked the talented writer Cui Yan to write two articles—one about the Xiongnu and the other about the Wuwan. Cui Yan was a native of Youzhou and had suffered from constant invasions by external enemies. Upon hearing the news, he couldn’t contain his joy and wrote two brilliant and remarkable articles. Both were eloquent and captivating, earning praise and acclaim, and could be considered masterpieces worth passing down through generations.
As Yuan Li, who already knew about the events, read the articles, he was exhilarated and filled with passion, and he could easily imagine how others would react.
He immediately praised Cui Yan, “Marvelous! Indescribably marvelous.”
Blushing, Cui Yan smiled modestly and said, “I’ve been busy with inventing agricultural tools in the Artifact Division for these days, and I’ve neglected writing. I’m glad that you find them satisfactory, Duke Wen.”
Yuan Li was very satisfied. He even thought that, based on his experience of memorizing several famous literary works from the future, these two articles might also be selected for future language textbooks.
The thought delighted him even more.
He then publicized the articles, spreading the news of the Xiongnu’s annihilation and the killing of the treacherous Wuwan people.
Such major events didn’t require any further promotion; they spread at an incredible speed. Both literati and common people were jubilant and excited. They wrote letters and went out to tell others about this great news as soon as possible.
A few days later, Yuan Li received a letter informing him that Chu Hechao and the others would not return until the end of the month. He patiently waited, preparing a celebratory banquet for these heroes upon their return.
Chu Hechao led the army back to Ye County several days in advance, arriving in the middle of the night.
Yuan Li was sleeping when he returned, and Chu Hechao didn’t want to disturb him. After washing up, he silently climbed onto the bed.
He missed Yuan Li so much, and he couldn’t help touching and hugging him, planting several kisses before he felt satisfied enough to sleep.
Initially cautious and ready to wake up, Yuan Li relaxed upon smelling the familiar scent and continued sleeping peacefully. The next morning, when he opened his eyes, he was startled to see a wild man in his bed. Subconsciously, he kicked his legs and sent Chu Hechao tumbling off the bed with a heavy thud.
Chu Hechao groaned a few times, veins popping on his forehead, and said, “Yuan Le Jun.”
Yuan Li realized that he had kicked the wrong person, coughed, and helped Chu Hechao up. “When did you come back?”
Using his momentum, Chu Hechao flipped onto the bed and pinned him down, keeping his eyes closed. “Last night, I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in several days. Let me sleep a little longer.”
Yuan Li said, “Don’t crush me, go sleep on your side.”
“Nope,” Chu Hechao pressed down on Yuan Li’s limbs and acted spoiled, “Sleep with me. You kicked me early in the morning, and you didn’t even give me a piece of your personal clothing to ease the longing. Don’t you know how to cherish your man?”
As he spoke, he couldn’t help but sound a bit resentful.
Yuan Li sighed, “I do cherish you, but you are so heavy that you make me uncomfortable.”
Chu Hechao smirked and lowered his head to kiss Yuan Li on the lips. He sighed and said, “Silly boy, how could I bear to keep pressing on you.”
With that, he released Yuan Li and laid down beside him, holding his hand. “Wait until I fall asleep before you leave.”
Yuan Li obediently agreed and shortly after, he heard Chu Hechao’s breathing grow steady. He turned to look at Chu Hechao, observing the dark circles under his eyes and the chapped lips.
With a scruffy beard, it was evident that he had been traveling day and night.
Quietly slipping out of bed, Yuan Li called for Lin Tian and asked, “Did the General come back last night? Why didn’t you wake me?”
Lin Tian responded that he had, and he added, “The General instructed us not to disturb you and let you sleep well.”
Yuan Li couldn’t help but smile, “Has the army returned?”
“Not yet,” Lin Tian had already anticipated Yuan Li’s question and had asked the guards by Chu Hechao’s side in advance, “The General came back ahead of the army, and they are expected to arrive at the end of the month. Lord, the General has brought back quite a lot of things, including a Ferghana horse. It’s currently being taken care of in the stable. Would you like to take a look?”
A Ferghana horse?
Yuan Li’s eyes lit up, and he immediately got up and went to the stable.
Upon arrival, he saw a reddish-brown Ferghana horse engrossed in eating fine fodder. Its tail swayed elegantly, exuding a remarkable grace.
As Yuan Li approached, he noticed the horse’s red coat shimmering without a trace of other colors.
The horse was extremely vigilant and raised its head to threaten with a neigh when it noticed someone approaching, displaying its wild and untamed nature.
Yuan Li found its lively eyes, powerful and slender limbs, and resounding neighs alluring. He fell in love with it almost instantly, “Let it out. I want to ride it around.”
The stable hand quickly advised, “Lord, this horse is too wild, it’s dangerous to ride it now.”
Yuan Li chuckled, “It’s a Ferghana horse, it’s natural for it to have some wildness. Don’t worry, let it out.”
The stable hand had no choice but to release the Ferghana horse.
Yuan Li had been keeping up with exercise over the years and was a skilled rider. As he got on the horse and started riding, the horse also tired out and ceased its restlessness, nuzzling Yuan Li’s palm affectionately.
After attaching the reins and the tack, Yuan Li prepared to ride it for a circuit, saying, “Alright, let me see what you’ve got.”
The Ferghana horse was legendary in future generations and extremely valuable. Yuan Li rode one for the first time and understood why it was held in such high regard.
Upon his return, his hair was tousled by the wind, but his smile only grew. He dismounted the horse and fondly caressed its neck, saying, “From now on, you’ll follow me. How about I give you a name?”
Yuan Li felt that he also needed to have a grand and memorable name like Lu Bu’s Red Hare and Xiang Yu’s Black Steed. However, his mischievous side emerged, and he jokingly suggested, “How about calling you Little Red?”
“…Why not just call it Sweat-Blood*?” Chu Hechao replied.
* directly translated Ferghana horse is sweat blood treasure horse
Yuan Li turned around with a smile, “You’re awake?”
Chu Hechao casually walked over, dressed in a robe, and with a peculiar expression, “Are you really going to call it Little Red?”
“No, no,” Yuan Li chuckled, “I’m just teasing it.”
Chu Hechao laughed, “Let’s see if it understands what you say.”
Yuan Li took a glance at the Ferghana horse, which was still eating hay, and felt that it probably couldn’t understand him.
“As I said,” Chu Hechao said casually, “just name it something like ‘Chasing Wind’ or ‘Crimson Feather.'”
Yuan Li agreed, “Alright, let’s call it ‘Crimson Feather.'”
Among the eighty thousand horses that Chu Hechao had obtained, there were around a hundred Ferghana horses, with Crimson Feather being the most beautiful one.
Both Yuan Li and Chu Hechao planned to breed the Ferghana horses. Initially, they intended to use Crimson Feather as a stud, but it refused, so they had to choose another strong and sturdy Ferghana horse.
At the end of the month, the army arrived with their spoils, including eye-catching livestock such as cattle, sheep, and horses. Additionally, over a hundred thousand captured Xiongnu and Wuwan people also drew attention.
Chu Hechao did not kill these captives, and Yuan Li had no intention of killing them either. Instead, he ordered them to cultivate farmland, build cities, and roads, to change into North Zhou clothing, and forbade them from speaking in the languages of the Xiongnu and Donghu, only allowing them to speak in the language of North Zhou.
The goal was assimilation and intermarriage. If they behaved well, the children they bore would become North Zhou citizens, enjoying the rights of North Zhou people instead of being enslaved captives.
After handling this matter, Yuan Li did not forget to send a letter to the emperor, and he also sent a few excellent horses as gifts.
He did this not only to show the emperor that “I think of you and hold you in my thoughts all the time. Whenever I get something good, I rush to give it to you,” hoping to improve the emperor’s impression of him, but also to check on the current situation in the south.
More importantly, he planned to sell the livestock to the south and connect with southern merchants.
Over the years, Yuan Li had gotten to know many prominent merchants in North Zhou and had done business with over seventy percent of them. Especially in the prosperous southern regions, his white sugar and soap had brought him considerable wealth and food supplies.
Even during the war, Yuan Li’s contacts with southern merchants had not been severed. Although the soap was no longer sold, white sugar was still a rare commodity that southern merchants cherished and were reluctant to abandon.
After signing a five-year treaty with Chen Wang, the number of merchants engaging in secret business dealings with Yuan Li increased. They were not ignorant of the current situation, but they were willing to engage in under-the-table transactions for the sake of profit. They could even do some killings and arson, so why not secret business dealings?
It was also through these business dealings that the intelligence agents from the Liangliao Institution could discreetly infiltrate Chen Wang’s faction. Under Yuan Li’s direction, they secretly purchased a significant number of grain and food shops.
Over the years, they had amassed considerable influence.
The navy was not built in a day. When Yuan Li proposed the five-year treaty, it was primarily to train the navy. The second reason was his uncertainty about whether his navy could defeat Chen Wang’s navy. So, he decided to take a different approach and engage in a trade war with Chen Wang.
The economy in the south was prosperous, which meant that if Yuan Li could control the economic lifeline of the south, he could cripple the region by half. Now that the Wuwan people had been defeated, Yuan Li no longer needed to conceal the fine salt issue. He planned to secretly dominate the southern market using both fine salt and white sugar.
Some people might not consume sugar, but everyone needed salt daily. Yuan Li believed that no one could resist fine salt.
However, this matter needed to be handled with great caution. As of now, only Chu Hechao and a few trusted confidants knew of his plan.
After the horses were sent out, it rained for several days in Jizhou.
Despite the summer heat, the nights in the north were somewhat cool. This year’s rainfall had been abundant, and the crops in the fields were growing well.
Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, it was already August. Thanks to the abundant rain, the fish in the river were more plump and delicious than in previous years. Basket after basket of fish was sent to the Chu Wang’s mansion, and they were prepared in eight hundred different ways.
When Yuan Li was starting to get tired of eating fish, his teacher, Ouyang Ting, sent him a letter.
Yuan Li received the envelope and asked, “Didn’t my teacher send a letter just two months ago?”
What could be the matter that prompted Ouyang Ting to send another letter so soon?
Lin Tian whispered, “Lord, the messenger’s horse has died from exhaustion. This is an urgent message sent six hundred miles away.”
Yuan Li’s eyelids twitched, and he immediately opened the letter.
There was only a thin sheet of paper inside, with hastily written words.
Yuan Li’s expression turned serious.
It was a plea for help.
Xuzhou was flooded!
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