I Built a Territory in Ancient Times Chapter 135

Chapter 135

Ming Yu’s convoy was grand, and after leaving the city, more and more merchants and caravans joined in. The Ma family’s caravan gathered a dozen carts of goods, following behind and making the group even more imposing.

These dozen carts were mostly filled with the scarce goods Ming Yu had mentioned, like grain and cloth. As Duan Wang had said, these goods would be eagerly sought after. Since they had to go anyway, they might as well make money along the way.

Heading west, after passing bustling towns, the vast, barren land of Liangzhou unfolded before them. The yellow sand filled the sky, and even the sky had a yellowish tint.

Some people started feeling uneasy, unsure if this trip was right. It seemed so different from what Duan Wang had described. Although the bandits were gone, the people along the way were all gaunt and frail, even worse off than the refugees from the recent southern natural disaster.

Duan Wang had said to bring goods to sell, but did these people even have money to buy? If the goods were brought here and couldn’t be sold, they would have no choice but to cry.

These people gathered together, whispering privately, full of worries. “Now that we’ve come, what else can we do? Let’s take a look first and see.”

“That’s true. It’s lucky we came to check first. Otherwise, if we had believed the one-sided story and brought all those carts of goods like the Ma family, only to find we couldn’t sell anything, we’d have to haul it all back. Heh heh!” The implication was clear, and many started to find amusement in the Ma family’s misfortune.

“The Ma family is rich and bold, so what do they care about a little loss? They just want to please Duan Wang. Tsk tsk!” Some thought that the Ma family was just trying to flatter Duan Wang, even if it meant a costly mistake.

“Maybe the Ma family’s calculations are wrong. Does that fool Duan Wang really deserve such flattery?”

“Who knows what the head of the Ma family is thinking? It’s really confusing!”

“Sigh! What they think doesn’t affect us. Shh! Someone’s coming.”

The group scattered like birds and beasts. Tan Shan, overhearing these conversations, furrowed his brow. Looking ahead at Duan Wang’s convoy, he started to regret his decision. Sigh! If he hadn’t taken this trip, he would already be back home, surrounded by his wife and children. That would certainly be better than looking at the endless yellow sand.

“Brother Cheng, looking at the situation, Liangzhou seems to be nothing special. It really wasn’t worth coming all the way here,” Tan Shan said, handing a water pouch to Cheng Guangsheng.

Cheng Guangsheng was organizing his bag. He paused when he heard, looked at Tan Shan, took the water pouch, drank from it, wiped his mouth, and smiled, “Since we’re here, we might as well make the best of it. Why are you in such a hurry?”

Tan Shan was anxious, “What? Brother Cheng, do you still have hope for Liangzhou?”

Cheng Guangsheng shook his head, “Can’t judge yet. We’ve just entered Liangzhou. Let’s get to Liangcheng first and see how things are there.”

Tan Shan sat down on the ground, deflated, “Sigh! From the looks of it now, Liangcheng may not be much better.”

Cheng Guangsheng raised his head and glanced at the caravan ahead, then lowered his head and continued with his actions. Although he was somewhat uncertain, he still chose to trust Duan Wang. The Ma family wasn’t foolish. After years of doing business, they had seen it all. How could they have built such a vast fortune without any insight or discernment?

Previously, they hadn’t fully understood the situation, but once Duan Wang mentioned the Western Qi Corridor, the Ma family foresaw the potential and prepared early. By forging ties with Duan Wang, they were able to secure the top bid at his auction with just their own efforts, gaining Duan Wang’s trust. This was undoubtedly a brilliant move, and the head of the Ma family proved himself worthy of his position. It was easy to imagine the benefits the Ma family would reap from the Western Qi Corridor in the future.

Thinking of the embarrassing incident involving the Zhu family at the auction, Cheng Guangsheng couldn’t help but feel contemptuous. The Zhu family had once been on equal footing with the Ma family, and at one point, they even seemed to surpass them. But looking ahead, in two or three years, who could say? It wasn’t impossible for the Ma family to become dominant.

Cheng Guangsheng was a man who saw things more clearly and thought more deeply than most. So, when he heard the gossip and discussions around him, he merely smiled and ignored it.

When Tan Shan saw he didn’t respond, he shook his head with a sigh and walked away. Everyone had their own thoughts, and no one could be forced. He planned to ask around to see if anyone was returning the same way, hoping to find some company for the journey.

Ming Yu sat in the carriage, one hand propped under his chin, the other moving pieces on the chessboard. He thought about making a move but hesitated, deciding it wasn’t quite right. He withdrew his hand and continued pondering.

The journey was exceedingly dull, so he began to think about chess again. But without an opponent, he could only play against himself.

The Ma father and son were too intimidated to play chess with him, and he didn’t dare ask Xie Yixiu for a game. If he played with Xie Yixiu, a match would end in no more than a cup of tea, and he would never win. There was no room for tricks.

He had even asked Xie Yixiu to go easy on him and not make him lose too badly, but General Xie’s reasoning left him speechless.

Xie Yixiu had said: “The battlefield is like the chessboard, and there is no mercy in either. One wrong move, and you lose everything. If you can’t win, it’s a matter of life and death. During my years of battle, mercy was never an option. So, if you want me to let you win, you’ve come to the wrong person.”

Ming Yu fell silent, resigned to the consequences. Of course, the consequence was that his pride took a significant blow. He had thought his chess skills were quite good, but against Xie Yixiu, he was easily defeated in just a few moves. After a few more losses, he never dared to challenge Xie Yixiu again.

Ming Yu thought for a long while before losing interest and tossing the piece he was holding directly into the chess jar.

“Not playing anymore?” Xie Yixiu, who had been observing him, asked when he saw that Ming Yu had lost interest. “Shall I accompany Wang Ye for a game?”

Ming Yu had only learned to play chess while in the capital. A common trait of beginners was that they were eager but inexperienced. He had played with the royal family and officials who could play chess, making them so uncomfortable that they avoided mentioning the game whenever they saw him. Now, with no one to play against on this journey, he was bored out of his mind.

“No, no!” Ming Yu clapped his hands together and turned to Xie Yixiu, trying to change the subject. “Chess isn’t that interesting. What are you reading?”

He finally understood why no one wanted to play with him. It wasn’t even a fair match—it was just self-inflicted suffering.

Xie Yixiu closed the book. “Just some military strategies and battle records. Would Wang Ye like to have a look?”

Ming Yu quickly shook his head. “No, these things make my head ache. Let me look at travel stories or novels, but I’m not interested in anything else.”

Xie Yixiu smiled slightly. “But from what I’ve observed, it seems that Your Highness has your own principles of strategy. For example, the Thirty-Six Stratagems you mentioned earlier—I thought they were quite insightful.”

When Ming Yu had casually mentioned the Thirty-Six Stratagems during a moment of boredom, Xie Yixiu had remembered it. Over the past few days, he had subtly brought up many of the strategies from the book.

The Thirty-Six Stratagems, known to everyone in later generations, was a famous military treatise. Ming Yu had once been quite interested in it and had even studied it for a time, but eventually, he had forgotten all about it.

This era didn’t have Sun Wu, so the military strategies were quite different. That’s why Xie Yixiu found Ming Yu’s reference to the Thirty-Six Stratagems intriguing.

Ming Yu waved his hand, wary. “Don’t bring that up again. I’ve said everything I know. You can figure out the rest for yourself. I only learned it from others. No need to bother me with it.”

“Understood!” Xie Yixiu’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “I had no intention of pressing further, but I’ve compiled what Your Highness said, adding my own insights from years of battle experience. I wanted to ask Your Highness for guidance.”

Ming Yu was both frustrated and amused. Was Xie Yixiu playing with him? However, he had no intention of engaging further and simply responded, “What do you want to ask me? I know nothing about warfare. If General Xie, an expert in this area, were to ask me for advice, people would laugh their heads off if it got out.”

“Do you really not understand?” Xie Yixiu asked, tilting his head.

“Not at all! I’ve said it hundreds of times already!” Ming Yu replied, feeling a headache coming on. Xie Yixiu, being so sharp, just wouldn’t believe him, which was giving him a headache.

The truth was, Ming Yu really didn’t understand the matter of war. Everything he said was mere theory. If asked for actual advice or suggestions, wouldn’t that just lead to harm?

Additionally, Ming Yu’s usual way of handling things was already a bit out of sync with others, even a bit unusual. If he were to keep pretending and giving unsolicited advice, others might just think of him as some sort of freak.

So, Ming Yu absolutely couldn’t acknowledge his difference.

“Hm! I believe you,” Xie Yixiu suddenly leaned closer to Ming Yu and whispered in his ear. It was as if he were sharing his thoughts, but there was an undeniable allure in his voice.

Ming Yu couldn’t stand it when he spoke so seriously, and with Xie Yixiu’s breath so close to his ear, his face turned red. Believe you, my foot. If you believe me, why ask so many times?

Ming Yu felt the air in the carriage grow warmer. He quickly tried to change the subject, rolling his eyes a few times. “By the way, I heard the merchants outside have a lot of complaints?”

At this, Xie Yixiu had already straightened himself up. He glanced at the red flush on Ming Yu’s neck, a strange emotion stirring within him.

Suppressing his impulse, he nodded. His normally cold voice now held a slight rasp, “Yes, many people, after seeing the situation in Liangzhou, are having second thoughts.”

Ming Yu’s expression darkened, and he sighed. “It’s a little better now. But when I first arrived in Liangzhou… the scene…” He still had a lingering shadow of it, “Everything was progressing too slowly. I arrived too late. If I had come earlier, would it have been better?”

Xie Yixiu understood what Ming Yu meant. He wanted to gain more time to develop and to help the people of Liangzhou recover from their hardships sooner. Ming Yu was anxious, worried that he hadn’t done enough. But the truth was, Ming Yu had already done so much. He had already changed many things for the better.

The bandits who once wreaked havoc in Liangzhou were completely eradicated, bringing peace back to the region. Ming Yu trained local militias and organized the people to dig tunnels, ensuring they had the means to protect themselves. Even if barbarian invaders came, the people would suffer no loss. The days of foreign plunderers killing innocent civilians were gone forever.

Though the people of Liangzhou still faced issues of poverty and hunger, their lives had improved vastly compared to the days of constant danger. They were incredibly grateful to Dean Wang for bringing about this change.

“Your Highness, things will get better. With you here, Liangzhou will only improve day by day. Just like the merchant convoy you brought back today—it’s already changing everything,” Xie Yixiu said, trying to comfort Ming Yu.

Ming Yu smiled wryly. “General Xie certainly knows how to offer comfort.”

Xie Yixiu gently took Ming Yu’s hand, his eyes filled with unwavering trust as he emphasized, “It’s not comfort. It’s the truth. I believe in you, Your Highness.”

The warmth from Xie Yixiu’s hand transferred to Ming Yu, and he felt the heat radiating from it. He looked at Xie Yixiu, who unconditionally believed in him—even when he himself wasn’t sure of his actions. Having someone like him by his side made Ming Yu feel less alone in the world.

“Thank you,” Ming Yu said, his heart filled with a renewed sense of purpose.

Xie Yixiu withdrew his hand, subtly curling it into a fist and pressing it to his lips to suppress a cough. “There’s no need to be so polite with me.”

The warmth in Ming Yu’s hand disappeared abruptly, leaving him with a sudden feeling of emptiness. He pursed his lips and lowered his gaze, returning to the earlier topic. “As for those who wish to leave or stay, it doesn’t matter. I believe that only those who truly remain will bring benefits to Liangzhou.”

In the future, Liangzhou would attract merchants from all corners of the world. What was happening now was just the beginning.

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