Chapter 494 - 495: Suspicion
Chapter 494: Chapter 495: Suspicion
Mountain Leader had it out for Tian Er right now, but that didn’t mean he was brainless.
"Then you’ve definitely got the wrong man. Tian Er isn’t that clever. He hasn’t even explored the whole island, so how could he draw such an excellent geographical map?"
"You’re not him. How would you know?"
Mountain Leader turned his back on him and started pulling weeds in another corner. "If he were that brilliant, I never would have dared to keep him under my command."
Mr. Lang had finally managed to zero in on a suspect after all these days, only to have the idea dismissed just like that. He couldn’t help but pause his work. "Then who could it be?"
Before he could snap out of his thoughts, a sharp pain lanced across his back, accompanied by the sound of curses.
He quickly pushed the thoughts from his mind and immediately began working faster, pulling out weeds with both hands in a flurry. He didn’t even dare to reach up to protect his back.
Ancient Wen Heng stood in the distance, quietly watching all of this unfold. He turned to ask Vice General Wang, "Do the guards here rotate in shifts?"
Vice General Wang replied, "Of course. The people of our Rong Dynasty aren’t cruel and ruthless like these men. They know when to stop.
Besides, a new group of people comes to this wasteland every month. Right now, the line of those waiting outside to come in and exact their revenge is already scheduled out for the next year or two.
But the supervisors here have already made it clear to them: they can vent their anger, but they can’t take a life. After all, these men will be our heavy laborers from now on. To lose one would be a considerable waste."
’Where else can you find servants who are strong, eat little, work hard, and don’t need to be paid?’
Thinking about the recent fruitless days spent guarding the coastline, Vice General Wang couldn’t help but mutter to himself, ’Why aren’t they here yet?’
’I’ve already located several more plots of wasteland. Now I’m just waiting for the labor.’
"No wonder I see a different group every time I come over," Ancient Wen Heng said, some of his earlier concerns easing. He had genuinely feared that these people, swinging whips all day, might become mentally warped.
"Even if they were willing, the people waiting in line wouldn’t agree," Vice General Wang said, then chuckled. "I reckon by the next time you visit, we’ll have a unit of female soldiers taking over."
Ancient Wen Heng was speechless. "...The army is recruiting female soldiers now?"
"Speaking of which, we have you to thank for this, Mr. Gu," Vice General Wang said. "Ever since you proposed having all the common folk participate in training, we’ve discovered that some women have potential that’s no worse than the men’s.
Some can even take down two or three men. The Great General has been giving it some thought; he’s preparing to establish a company of female commanders.
So, this also serves as another training ground for them to build their courage and temper their will. Who knows, we might even train a troop of special forces."
Ancient Wen Heng gave him a thumbs-up. "That’s an excellent idea. If we can achieve a state where every citizen is a soldier, I imagine this border city could finally be at peace."
Vice General Wang laughed heartily. "Exactly! We’re all waiting for that day. It might not be long before we see it happen."
He knew, however, that none of this would be possible without the efforts Ancient Wen Heng had previously made.
Ancient Wen Heng pointed to the newly cleared grassland behind them. "It’s likely too late to sow seeds now. I’m thinking of planting some medicinal herbs here. Go ask the Great General and see if he has any thoughts on the matter."
"Medicinal herbs?" Vice General Wang almost couldn’t follow his train of thought. "Can medicinal herbs even be cultivated?"
A heavy feeling passed through Ancient Wen Heng. It was something he had only recently discovered—it turned out that in the Rong Dynasty, there was no concept of cultivating medicinal herbs. They were all foraged from the mountains by doctors, slowly accumulated over time.
For this very reason, the people of the Rong Dynasty dared not fall ill. The exorbitant price of medicinal herbs was something no common person could afford.
"I’ve read some agricultural texts before. I know that as long as the climate is suitable, most medicinal herbs can be cultivated.
Anyway, since this land is being cleared now and we can’t plant grain, why not make use of it? It might just be a success, you never know."
Vice General Wang’s mind immediately recalled the past. Every time they pleaded with Shangjing to send medicinal herbs, the shipments were always reduced for one reason or another, or sometimes they didn’t arrive at all. He knew all too well that for the soldiers of the border city, who were often injured, herbs were absolutely essential.
If they could really manage to grow their own herbs, it would be a huge piece of good news for all the soldiers.
"We’ll discuss this when we get back," Vice General Wang said, having already made up his mind. Even if others objected, he would have to try his best to persuade them.
"Then you’d best consult an old physician as well, to see which herbs are suitable for growing here." Ancient Wen Heng was already thinking about going back to look through those cultivation books again and compiling a summary.
"Naturally," Vice General Wang was beginning to feel more and more that Ancient Wen Heng himself was a treasure trove; every idea he had brought a wonderful surprise.
He had intended to return after inspecting this area, but now he changed his mind. "Mr. Gu, you haven’t seen the Great General in a long time, have you? Let’s go mooch some wine off him. Someone just sent the Great General a jar of fine wine a few days ago, and I’ve been craving it for a while. This is the perfect opportunity for us to go grab a few mouthfuls."
Ancient Wen Heng replied, "General Wang, I am not fond of wine."
Vice General Wang grabbed him and laughed. "The Great General is always more generous when you’re around. Otherwise, I’d never be able to get anything out of him."
Ancient Wen Heng was left speechless. ’So I’m just a means to an end for you.’
...
No one knew what was going on with the bandits, but they hadn’t made a single raid for several months.
This unprecedented abnormality put Zhou Shixiong on high alert.
In the time that followed, he deployed most of his forces to the coastline.
He didn’t limit patrols to their usual landing spots; he also arranged for other areas to be patrolled on a regular schedule.
Ancient Wen Heng and Jin Qianqian sat in the courtyard, facing each other. Although they didn’t know what the enemy was plotting, they were certain they were preparing for a major move.
Ancient Wen Heng picked up a brush and, with a few casual strokes, the coastline leaped onto the paper. "These places aren’t easy to defend; the line is too long."
Jin Qianqian added, "The main issue is that there’s hardly anyone living in the vicinity. If they really managed to slip in, it would be a terrible situation."
"That’s what we’re worried about, too. It’s just a pity the local boats are too fragile, only suitable for fishing near the coast. If we had a few large ships, we wouldn’t have to worry about these things.
The advantage ships provide on the open sea is simply too great."
Jin Qianqian said, "The problem now is that we can’t find any craftsmen who can build ships. I’ve already prepared the blueprints and the silver taels."
She had collected and read many books before, and she had actually managed to find some detailed diagrams for ship construction.
Ancient Wen Heng had also copied them in detail in a 1:1 ratio, adding some of their own annotations. If a ship were actually built from these, they couldn’t say for sure about other regions, but it would certainly be able to navigate the nearby seas.