Fish Meat – Chapter 209

by Little Panda

The Fifth Year of Zhao Wu

Jointly Chasing The Lost Deer (5)

Zhen Wenjun, having personally witnessed the terrifying consequences brought about by the Qi County refugee riot, had already devised a strategy before accepting the refugees.

Absolutely not opening the city gates widely was the top priority. She would gradually allow the injured and the elderly and weak into the city for treatment, followed by the able-bodied men and women. Every person entering the city was to immediately hand over their household registration card, and everyone was recorded; if anything happened afterward, there would be a trail to follow and investigate.

Huaiyang’s local household registrations were white; in order to distinguish between locals and refugees, blue registrations were issued. All blue registrations were placed under the gentry. The gentry provided food, clothing, shelter, and even farmland for the elderly and weak, allowing them to cultivate and produce grain. The young and strong were all registered for military service, receiving grain, weapons, and military pay.

A small prefecture and six counties south of Runing had been temporarily placed under Huaiyang by Zhen Wenjun; the land was fertile, and everything was managed in an orderly manner.

However, there was also bad news.

Because of the war, Zhen Wenjun lost many ironworks, and her income was reduced by nearly half for a time.

The rolling wealth brought in by weapons and wrought iron and increasingly valuable grain under the pressures of war were the foundation of Zhen Wenjun’s current standing in Huaiyang, becoming a powerful regional leader. The money earned earlier had been transformed into a powerful army, and maintaining the army required even greater expenses; Zhen Wenjun could not stop making money for even a moment.

Through Guan Xun, she re-established ironworks in Huaiyang, double the previous scale.

Guan Xun hadn’t been in Huaiyang for long. However, since being exiled from the central government to the south, he had no further ambitions for the rest of his life, only wanting to live peacefully. He didn’t value money, often hosting gatherings for local prominent figures to eat, drink, and travel around.

He was not vague when handling serious matters. The prominent figures admired Guan Xun’s character; he was not only generous but also a wise man of experience and broad-mindedness. He quickly made a group of friends in Huaiyang.

Zhen Wenjun owed Guan Xun a favor. Her ability to establish herself in Huaiyang, besides her own substantial accumulation and the good reputation earned from helping the people, was also due in no small part to Guan Xun’s help.

The Lin family was also settled in Huaiyang.

Huaiyang was remote, and land prices were less than one-tenth of those in Runing. Zhen Wenjun decisively bought a plot of land and several houses for the Lin family to settle in. The Lin family was extremely grateful for Zhen Wenjun’s kindness to their entire clan. Lin Yue even personally visited her, prostrating himself in gratitude.

Zhen Wenjun helped him up: “You and I are old friends, why such a grand gesture?”

The formerly pale-faced scholar now had a face full of messy stubble, having barely escaped with his life from the war, appearing quite disheveled. Seeing Zhen Wenjun bright and elegant, looking grown up and mature, with a composure rare in times of chaos, Lin Yue couldn’t help but sigh.

Lin Yue, having already married and had children, no longer dared to harbor inappropriate thoughts towards Zhen Wenjun. He merely brought up the amusing incident of her singing “New Wedding Dress” at the Runing Wei manor years ago. Looking back on the past and then at the present, with the nation’s capital occupied by barbarian invaders, life felt like a fleeting dream; gains and losses, prosperity and decline, all vanished in the blink of an eye. With his country and home destroyed, Lin Yue felt lost, unsure of what to do next.

Zhen Wenjun, however, had entirely different thoughts.

The fifth year of Zhaowu was the year she emerged from the fog of life.

In this chaotic world, she had gained unprecedented clarity about her path forward, clearly understanding the steps she would take and where she was headed.

News of Li Feng’s ascension to the throne naturally reached Huaiyang. Guan Xun and Jiang Wang were jokingly saying that every time they thought Wei Zizhuo would make a ruthless move, she not only made a ruthless move but also a decisive one, each move exceeding expectations. It was said that she burned Li Yanyi’s edict in front of Prince Lin’an, and perhaps throughout history, only she would dare to do such a thing—and yet, no one could do anything to this audacious person.

Zhen Wenjun listened from the side but didn’t speak.

Since their last parting in Pingcang, the two hadn’t seen each other for several months, both engrossed in planning their own affairs.

The seasons changed, and in a blink of an eye, it was autumn again. With the distance between them, learning of the actions of someone once so familiar through the words of others felt strangely novel, as if seeing a different side of her. All that was once taken for granted now invited renewed reflection.

The wooden doll Wei Tingxu had given her was always carried with her. After years of travel, the doll was still sturdy, though wear and tear were inevitable. The small smile on its face was no longer visible, leaving only a bare wooden shell.

On a moonlit night, Zhen Wenjun poured herself a cup of wine alone, without calling for Bu Jie or Guan Xun, drinking by herself in the garden.

Her fingertips traced the doll, feeling every worn spot. Wei Tingxu had put her heart into making this doll; even the height and proportions were realistic, like a child of about ten years old, not yet fully developed.

This was her former self.

Having been in Huaiyang for more than half a year, living in this residence, it was much more spacious and opulent than the one in Runing. Lush vegetation, gurgling springs; she had a small forest within her home. Furthermore, Huaiyang enjoyed a spring-like climate year-round, with almost no drawbacks except for its remote location and inconvenient transportation.

She liked it here, but this wasn’t her home.

Neither Suichuan nor the Gulun Grasslands were her home. Although Huaiyang was good, it still lacked the sense of belonging that came with home.

Speaking of “home,” the first thing that came to her mind was “Zhuojun Manor”, the “home” she and Wei Tingxu had built together.

The residence, meticulously decorated and painstakingly designed, had probably been reduced to ruins.

Her mother’s whereabouts were also unknown, and where she and Wei Tingxu would go…

“Meimei! Wenjun, Meimei!”

Zhu Maosan’s rough voice instantly shattered Zhen Wenjun’s train of thought. She placed the wooden doll in her bosom and asked:

“Zhu-dage, what’s the rush?”

“A letter!” Zhu Maosan handed her a tightly sealed bamboo tube, adding, “An express letter from Pingcang!”

Hearing the words “Pingcang,” Zhen Wenjun couldn’t hide her surprise. As she took the bamboo tube, she already had a hunch. After unfolding and reading the letter, she couldn’t help but recall Guan Xun and Jiang Wang’s assessment of Wei Tingxu—every time, she exceeded expectations.

Zhen Wenjun knew that the young emperor’s ascension to the throne in Pingcang was due to the occupation of the capital, a matter of necessity. As long as the young emperor remained in Pingcang, there would be gossip, and the Wei family would be suspected of holding the emperor hostage. Whether for her own reputation or to further legitimize the young emperor, Wei Tingxu naturally needed to return the young emperor to Runing. Once Runing was retaken and the emperor was supported in returning to the capital, what couldn’t Wei Tingxu obtain?

Wei Tingxu’s letter was quite sincere, not hiding her ambitions. She wanted to form an alliance with Zhen Wenjun, to retake Runing together, eliminate the rebels, and wash away the humiliation, allowing all the people of Da Yu to see the hope of the nation, to see the possibility of survival.

“Ah Qiong has been brought back to the Wei residence and is safe and sound. Wenjun, do not worry. My aspiration is for equality for all and a stable central government, and I further wish for the peace and prosperity of the people and bountiful harvests. I hope to create a golden age together with you.”

If these words were seen by others, it would be a serious crime of treason. She completely trusted Zhen Wenjun, sharing all her thoughts and even her plan of action.

Zhen Wenjun burned the letter.

“Zhu-dage, how many troops do we have now?”

“In total? Adding everything together, there are probably 180,000.”

“Recruit again. I need 250,000.”

“This… I’m afraid that will be a bit difficult!”

“If it were easy, why would I trouble you, Zhu-dage? I believe you definitely have a brilliant plan.”

Zhu Maosan loved to hear pleasant words, and Zhen Wenjun’s words made him especially comfortable. Even though his mind was blank and he had no immediate solution, he readily agreed: “Just give me, Old Zhu, three months, and I’ll definitely gather 250,000 troops!”

“Three months is too long. Ten days.”

“Huh? Ten… ten days?”

Zhen Wenjun didn’t repeat herself.

Zhu Maosan was worried. Where could he dig up 70,000 people in ten days? 70,000 people weren’t like 70,000 grains of rice.

Zhu Maosan went to discuss the matter with Bu Jie and Ah Xi.

“How many private soldiers does the Yao family of Nanya have?” Upon hearing this, Bu Jie, unlike Zhu Maosan’s panic, calmly asked.

“The Yao family? Perhaps 150,000.”

Ah Xi saw Bu Jie’s faint smile and guessed his thoughts.

A bottle of Saimafei [賽麻沸 | Sàimáfèi | A fictional fast-acting paralytic drug, likely derived from 麻沸散 | máfèisǎn | a historical anesthetic] was placed on the table. The three of them discussed it, and decided it could work.

The ten-day deadline arrived. Zhen Wenjun had already dispatched a wave of supplies ahead. Zhu Maosan had gathered 250,000 troops for her; a vast sea of brightly armored soldiers awaited her inspection.

The men were assembled. Many soldiers meant even more silver spent.

Zhu Maosan, Bu Jie, and Ah Xi stealthily led troops to Nanya, sending out a detachment of light cavalry to lure the enemy army into pursuit.

Initially, the Yao family army sent out only 1,000 men to scout the enemy’s position, not intending to go deep, but they never returned. They sent another 3,000 light cavalry, who also disappeared without a trace. The Yao family’s generals found this truly bizarre and personally led troops to search for them. They hadn’t gone two li [1 km ≈ 0.6 miles] before falling into the traps set by Bu Jie. As they were thrown into chaos, they were also poisoned by the Saimafei, completely immobilized.

Zhu Maosan and the others appeared, telling them that if they surrendered, not only would their lives be spared, but the Huaiyang army would double whatever payment the Yao family had given them. If they refused, they would be buried alive on the spot. In this way, they brought back over 40,000 men, and the remaining troops were recruited with a large sum of money.

When Zhen Wenjun heard that Zhu Maosan had spent so much silver recruiting troops, her eyes widened, but she couldn’t say anything.

Only after becoming a leader did she understand the difficulties of leadership. Earning silver was not easy, but spending it was like floodgates opening.

With an army of 250,000 in her grasp, Zhen Wenjun was determined to win.

She had already replied to Wei Tingxu with a simple three-word message: “See you in Runing.”

Zhen Wenjun led her troops north, and along the way, the common people welcomed her with open arms, lining the roads.

Everyone had heard of her deeds in taking in refugees; she was a safe haven for the people of Da Yu in these chaotic times. Those who offered flowers offered flowers, those who offered grain offered grain. Even families offered up their young gentlemen to General Zhen, hoping she would take them to join the army and fight, whether to achieve meritorious service or to bear children – neither would be amiss.

Zhen Wenjun had anticipated the villagers’ enthusiasm, but not to this extent. It seemed everyone had been so tormented by the war that they had lost their memories, forgetting she was the first person in Da Yu to have a same-sex marriage.

One by one, the young gentlemen were presented to her, and one by one, she sent them away with polite refusals, returning them unharmed, stating that she was already married. Although her wife was thousands of miles away, her heart belonged only to her wife, and there was no room for anyone else.

Only then did the villagers abandon their hopes of achieving status through their sons bearing children for Zhen Wenjun.

The story of Zhen Wenjun’s devotion and longing for her wife spread far and wide. Somehow, some cursed individual even turned it into a children’s song, which was sung all the way west, reaching Wei Tingxu’s ears.

Wei Tingxu sent an express letter to Zhen Wenjun. It contained nothing else but a handwritten copy of this children’s song.

It was truly a case of fearing what might come.

Zhen Wenjun unfolded the letter, too embarrassed to read it fully, her vision darkening as she wished she could swallow the letter whole.

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