Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 95

"Snow Woman, come on up, let's get out of here."

"Yes, Sister Lu Ni."

The carriage started moving again. Once they were out of town, Lu Ni looked at the now calm Xue Nu and, out of gratitude for the kindness Xue Nu had shown Xiao Yan'er over the years, spoke up:

"Have you recently hit a bottleneck in your Jade Soul Technique?"

"Yes, when did Sister Lu Ni realize it?" The Snow Maiden can be playful with those close to her, but cold and aloof to strangers; this is a result of her life experiences.

From a young age, dancers practiced dance and music on the terrace. There was no genuine affection between them. If they wanted to perform on stage and stand out, they had to beat everyone else in their class.

After leaving Tantai, Xue Nu merely moved between Fei Xue Pavilion and Lu Qiu Pavilion in Ji City, and had no other friends. Moreover, ordinary people were unlikely to catch her eye.

Despite her low social status, Xue Nu is proud and only has the acquaintance of Hall Master Lu and Lu Ni and Ji Yan, who live under the same roof.

"I haven't learned the Jade Soul Technique, but the technique that Hall Master Lu brought out is certainly not ordinary. Since this technique is named after Jade Soul, it must be possible to improve by understanding the meaning of Jade Soul."

Lu Ni carefully analyzed the situation for her, while Xiao Yan'er, who was meditating and practicing her rejuvenation technique in the carriage, also listened attentively.

"Jade is an elegant and beautiful object. If one's character is like jade, one will achieve success; if one's character is like broken jade, one is prone to rebellion."

"Ayan and I haven't heard you play the flute in a long time. Could you play more pieces along the way?"

"Yes, thank you, Sister Lu Ni!"

After pondering for a moment, the Snow Maiden smiled broadly, nodded, and climbed into the carriage. She took out a jade flute from her bundle, placed it to her lips, and gently began to play...

The sound of the Snow White symphony left the three of them momentarily stunned, and even the horses moved an unbelievably faster...

...

The large plots of land that Li Mu allocated to farmers reflect the extent of population loss in the Zhao state due to years of war.

It was truly remarkable that he, as the Marquis of Wu'an, could lead the Zhao state to consecutive victories against the Qin army, but that was all that remained of his story.

Without sufficient power to invade Qin territory, one can never inflict a truly devastating blow on Qin. Given Qin's national strength, its recovery would far surpass that of any other state.

A war machine pieced together from the entire nation's population was not something the scattered six states of Shandong could withstand. However, the long-term, extreme exploitation of the people under the harsh Legalist ideology, and the refusal to relax even after unifying the six states, would inevitably lead to the collapse of this war machine.

Lu Wei stood on the edge of the field and took off his outer robe with Zi Wu. The two of them worked hard all day with the disciples of the nearby farmers, and only met the person in charge, Tian Du, in the evening.

"How can Hall Master Lu personally go to the fields!"

Tian Du rushed over from a distant town. He looked at Lu Wei, whose trousers were rolled up and whose hands and calves were covered in mud, with a look of surprise on his face.

"I am the head of the Gonggong Hall of the Farmers, why can't I go to the fields?"

Because of the considerable distance from the edge of the field, the sect leader had to use his internal energy to shout this out loud, causing disciples from other sects nearby to overhear it.

He then subtly gave a look to the Gonggongtang disciple beside him, who nodded firmly before Lu Wei climbed up the ridge.

He was one of Lü Qing's subordinates in Zhuangzhen. He was assigned to lead the Gonggong Hall disciples to Zhao State. He naturally understood the Hall Master's intention: in the next few days, the deeds of Hall Master Lu of Gonggong Hall would spread throughout the twelve thousand disciples of each hall!

"Brother Tiandu, I was just looking for you."

Taking the damp towel handed to him by the disciple behind Tian Du, Hall Master Lu smiled and thanked him. He first wiped the sweat from his forehead, then wiped away most of the thick layer of dirt from his hands, quickly turning the once clean towel dusty.

"I just arrived today. How are the disciples' farming going?"

"..." Tian Du's mind went blank for a moment. He stared at the straw hat on Lu Wei's head. The hidden dissatisfaction in his heart that the boy might have killed Tian Zhong dissipated a lot: "Hall Master Lu, go to the camp and take a good bath first. There is hot water there. We can talk about work matters when we have dinner tonight."

“Alright!” Lu Wei turned to look at Zi Wu, who was still working tirelessly in the fields, and nodded in agreement.

Two and a half hours later, the two met again. At the banquet, in addition to Tian Du himself, he also brought two assistants, both of whom were members of the Tian family.

"The drought is more severe than we imagined. According to experienced farmers in various villages, this year's drought is worse than any they have ever seen before."

After Lu Wei and Tian Du first toasted each other with a glass of chilled Yan-style strong liquor, Lu Wei asked another question, which was answered by one of Tian Du's assistants:

"The Zhao army is very large. Relying solely on the disciples cultivating the fields can only meet part of Lord Wu'an's needs. We are so grateful that since last year, Xia Kui has gathered most of the farming tools and some oxen here, which has solved the biggest problem."

"Right now, we can only have our disciples work longer hours to expand the cultivated area as much as possible."

Tian Du listened and nodded slowly, then looked at Hall Master Lu.

"I worked for about four hours today. At noon, I had lunch with my disciples sitting on the edge of the field. After lunch, I had to continue working without a break. Even though I have internal energy to sustain myself, I feel that the pressure is too great."

The sect leader frowned: "Besides, the disciples work even longer hours than I do. If we increase their working hours further, won't they be able to handle it?"

Lu Wei also brought two disciples from the Gonggong Hall to the banquet. The two held their breath and silently memorized what their hall master had said that night.

"The planting season will only be tougher for you disciples. Once this period is over, things will be much easier."

Tian Du's other assistant replied helplessly, "Based on the experience of the experienced farmers in each village, they believe we can hold on."

"Then we need to increase the disciples' benefits!"

Master Lu spoke earnestly: "I will be going to Daliang to handle important business in half a month. In the half month before that, I will personally accompany my disciples to work in the fields, experience their pressure, and collect their feedback."

"Before we leave, let's gather all this information and give it to Brother Tiandu. Then, Brother Tiandu can adjust the management approach accordingly based on the information from all parties. How about that?"

This is clearly an attempt to win people's hearts, but what Tian Du doesn't understand is, is it really necessary to do this for the sake of a little bit of goodwill from his subordinates? Toiling in the fields for half a month? Even with internal support, this is a meaningless act of self-torture...

"I deeply admire Hall Master Lu's good intentions!"

------

Over the next fifteen days, thanks to the spontaneous promotion by the disciples of Gonggong Hall and some disciples from other halls, everyone knew that a hall master was working alongside everyone.

The reaction wasn't as big as they had imagined, but they remembered the name Lu Wei.

As for whether remembering it will be useful later, that depends on the results over time...

"If the leader wants to win people's hearts, three or five days of labor would be enough. Why drag it out in the fields for so long?"

Ziwu helped Lu Wei hold the plow steady, then asked in a low voice, puzzled.

He worked very hard in the fields for the first few days, mindful of his identity as a disciple of the farming family. But as time went on, he grew tired of it and lost his curiosity about farming.

"Winning people's hearts is certainly one goal, but personally experiencing the hardships of farming is also a real one."

The lord's hands were covered in mud, so he had to wipe the sweat from his forehead with his arm, but a few drops of mud still fell onto his hair as he raised his hand.

“The lives of ordinary people are extremely difficult. After paying taxes on their earnings from farming, it is already difficult to support their own families. Their hard work day after day can be ruined if the weather changes even slightly.”

"I want to experience their lives for a while myself, and remember what it's like. If I ever have the chance to gain even a little bit of power in the future, I will make sure these people can live."

"Aren't they alive right now?"

"They are alive now, but they could die at any moment tomorrow."

Lu Wei said with a firm gaze!

Before long, this conversation was leaked by someone maliciously and spread among the disciples in the countryside.

The focused fifteen days passed quickly. Shedding their farm clothes and donning a brand-new set of fine attire, the headmaster, beaming with joy, rode his horse with Ziwu towards the Zhao-Wei border, seemingly having completely forgotten their labor experience...

Further south on the border between Zhao and Wei, on the south bank of the Yellow River.

Wei Zhuang, a Korean general with long white hair, stood alone, his hands supporting his Shark Tooth Sword, silently staring at the turbulent Yellow River.

In his line of sight, a young man in white was rapidly approaching the Yellow River from the opposite bank. Just as he was about to fall into the water, the young man not only didn't stop, but actually increased his speed even more.

Then, he actually flew up from the riverbank!

With a light touch of his toes into the air, he crossed nature's barrier in one breath: the great river.

Only after landing beside Wei Zhuang, where he had just stepped, did a few white feathers slowly drift into the river, be swept away by the surging current, and continue flowing eastward...

"The Qin army has already assembled in the Nanyang area, and they have also prepared ferries in the upstream areas."

"They will definitely head south this month."

"What's meant to come will come." Wei Zhuang said in a deep voice. The wind was strong by the riverbank today, blowing his long hair and robes that hung down to his chest.

"Bai Feng, pass on the message: we will fight the Qin army right here."

"Win, and you gain a brief respite. Lose, and let your blood flow with the river, returning to the boundless distance..."

The white-clad phoenix did not respond, but only took a step back, and its figure disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye.

Wei Zhuang still stood there alone, his gaze seemingly piercing through the Yellow River, across dozens of kilometers of space, seeing the black-armored Qin soldiers in the Qin army camp, seeing the sharp, cold glint of the long spears they held...

With a sharp clang, General Wei Zhuang drew his Shark Tooth Sword and began to unleash a flamboyant display of the Ghost Valley Horizontal Sword Technique: for the sake of the great river before him, for the sake of the earth beneath his feet...

Unaware that war was about to break out in Korea, the sect leader had only just crossed the border into Wei territory, and during their conversation, he was making empty promises to Ziwu beside him:

"Your Zhaodan Sword needs a more suitable scabbard; that is the only way to truly cherish the sword. When we return to Daze Mountain, there are the best craftsmen there; they will surely satisfy your sword!"

"Thank you very much, Hall Master Lu!"

Ziwu clasped his hands in gratitude, completely unaware of the rumor that the Hall Master had promised to find Lu Mu the best mechanical arts teacher, a promise that hadn't been fulfilled even after Lu Mu himself could create mechanical beasts...

Chapter 118 Secret

The terrain around Daliang City is flat and the hydrological conditions are excellent.

Besides being close to the Yellow River, it is also surrounded by natural waterways such as the Ji River, Ying River, Dan River, and Ju River, as well as natural lakes such as Putianze, Pengze, and Muze, making it very suitable for agricultural development.

In the past, King Hui of Wei used these waterways to build large-scale water conservancy projects and painstakingly managed the water network around Daliang City, making the city's water and land transportation extremely convenient and attracting a large number of people.

Lu Wei and Zi Wu had been in Wei territory for some time, and were still about three to five days away from their destination.

When they stopped to rest and eat at a small inn, the waiter suddenly brought out several dishes and wines that were not for them.

We didn't order any of these things, did we?

Ziwu gripped the hilt of his sword at his waist with his right hand and calmly looked at the waiter.

"Two heroes, these were ordered by the guests at that table, and they have already paid for them."

The waiter smiled broadly and turned to point to a table at the far end of the hall: "Please enjoy your meal, gentlemen."

After saying that, he left to attend to other matters. Lu Wei and Zi Wu glanced at the direction the waiter had pointed before leaving:

There were three people sitting at the table. The gentle young man sitting opposite them had been watching the two of them. When he saw them looking over, he waved and greeted them in a friendly manner.

Lu Wei glanced at the man's clothes and smiled in response.

"Master, is that also one of our peasant brothers?"

Ziwu withdrew his gaze and asked.

Lu Wei lowered his head and took a bite of fish: "No, I don't know him either, he's a stranger."

"Oh~" Ziwu glanced in that direction again and found that the man was no longer looking over, but was chatting and laughing happily with the person at the table.