Chapter 29: Luring the Tiger Away from the Mountain

In the Southern Frontier, under the cover of night, Aunt San gazed at the flickering flame within a lotus lamp.

A spark crackled and popped from the wick: "Yan, you have been embedded in the camp for two years now. Why have you achieved nothing?"

Aunt San, addressed as "Yan," replied: "Xin, you just squat in your cave and talk. The defectors you have sent over have yet to even set foot on the city walls."

"Xin" snapped: "You and 'Yan' both promised before leaving the mountains that you would lay the Southern Frontier's defenses wide open within three years."

The flame representing "Yan" brought forth the excuses of the Immortalist Xian Daoren: "Yes, the plan was proceeding smoothly, but we are currently stuck on this nephew of Wu Hanluan's."

"Xin" countered: "Can you not sow discord between Wu Hanluan and his nephew? Isn't manipulating hearts your specialty?"

"Yan" (Xian Daoren) replied: "We are working on it; do not be impatient. The Wu family has many who can fight, but only one who can lead. Wu Hanluan does not fully trust his nephew either, and he constantly monitors the nephew's movements through agents placed there. 'Xin,' you must wait. We have waited for a thousand years; there is no need to rush."

"Xin" began to laugh maniacally. The lamp popped, sending sparks flying, though the flame and the smoke column remained steady.

"Xin" hissed: "You two received the blessing and were able to shed the curse of the 'Flowing Ember Pill' to walk among mortals, while I alone continue to endure the corrosion of the rot-oil. And now you tell me to wait?!"

Silence fell over the conversation. "Xin" eventually said: "Forget it. I do not expect you two to be clever or calculating. Just draw Wu Hanluan’s main force away, and you need not concern yourselves further."

Aunt San immediately sensed something and asked with "concern": "Do you intend to launch an all-out assault on Yongji Pass?"

"Xin" replied: "Why? Since you cannot enlighten him (Wu Fei) to serve us, I shall teach him a lesson myself."

Aunt San, as "Yan," sneered: "I tell you now, the city defenses of Yongji Pass are the strongest they have been in a century. Even though you have gathered the monster troops of the Southern Frontier, nine out of ten chances, you will only end up with a broken head and bleeding."

"Xin" retorted: "Ha, that is no concern of yours."

At this, Xian Daoren, the "Yan" in the lamp, spoke: "'Xin,' have you found another way? I recall that the 'Crow-Men' from beyond the sky have descended, and while seeking your protection, did they confirm something for you? Is that why you are so desperate?"

"Xin" did not answer.

Xian Daoren chuckled: "If that is the case, then as you wish."

The lotus lamp’s flame remained, but eerily, the wick had vanished. The flames of Yan and Xin hovered like rootless duckweed. Suddenly, the lamp turned into a pool of blue, and the flame transformed into a giant eye.

...The following is the blue content...

The Eye of the Past and the Eye of the Future did not merely watch Wu Fei simultaneously; they had toyed with others before. Once control over a person is fully achieved, one can traverse space and time to the anchor point within that person's soul, crossing past and future. Currently, the eyes had chosen Wu Fei, but Wu Fei proved impossible to enlighten, leaving the two trapped on this timeline, unable to jump beyond this space-time.

However, on this very timeline, other unfortunate souls they had thoroughly enlightened were already playing their roles in the "plan."

Aunt San smiled faintly: "Brother, it seems this fellow 'Xin' wants to break away from the Trinity."

Xian Daoren sighed: "Indeed. We have coexisted with him for two or three hundred years, watching him win repeatedly. (There were seventeen elders at the beginning of the Lihuo Sect's southern flight; now only three remain, the rest having been devoured.) Now that we have reached the end, it is time for a final 'transformation'."

Aunt San asked: "So what should his ending be? We must integrate our 'new ideas' into this." (The so-called new ideas involve them choosing a new observer upon arriving in this timeline, involving themselves in the process.)

Xian Daoren replied: "That Crow-Man lineage possesses a portion of the Bi-Fang bloodline, which contains a wisp of fire essence. He wants to use the Bi-Fang as a source, gathering the fire of war across the land to ignite his own living flame."

Aunt San remained composed, as if she had long known the plot: "If so, why do you still help him!"

Xian Daoren laughed: "You said it yourself—Yongji Pass is strong, and outsiders will only break their heads against it. Since they are so confident, we do not mind changing the wick."

Aunt San murmured: "A new wick?" Though she said this, her gaze rested on the camp of Wu Yuanchang at Yongji Pass.

Xian Daoren continued: "He does not want to be a good wick, so someone else will. Had he not stubbornly refused to abandon the title of 'Prince of Supreme Virtue,' violating the path of change, he would have long ago escaped the shackles of being burned."

Aunt San asked: "A new wick! How should I light it?"—This was not a question, but a demand.

After a long while, Xian Daoren said: "You handle the Bi-Fang blood."

...The overly clever calculation...

In the workshop, Wu Fei was fiddling with the roller of a vernier caliper, squinting at the millimeter divisions. This tool was common in his past life, but in reality, Xuan Chong had only heard of it. After describing it to the craftsmen many times, they spent a long time making various other things before finally producing a sample of their own. Only then could they manufacture it.

Technological items like the vernier caliper would likely exist in the workshops of the Great Yao Imperial Capital, but here at the frontier, the craftsmen in the newly integrated small workshops had never heard of them.

In a small workshop, a vernier caliper does not equate to productivity; every carpenter’s touch is precise enough to build a wooden bucket that holds water. But in a large workshop, where multiple links collaborate, a "unified measurement" is essential.

It is like leading troops: bandits can use all sorts of specialized jargon to coordinate, but a regular army must have unified commands.

Wu Fei put down the caliper and instructed the craftsman: "All fletchings must be 3.4 inches long, 1.8 millimeters thick, and weigh 1.5 qian. Remember that." The workshop manager took note of the data.

Nearby, a rotary cutter was manufacturing fletchings for the arrows.

Regarding the production standards for fletchings, Wu Fei had reviewed relevant engineering classics but found a lack of universal standards. The experience recorded on bamboo slips was always like this: "Select feathers with gray-bright colors from the tails of male pheasants that are one year old."

This relied on the growth stability of bird species to ensure the dimensions of the fletching—pure empiricism, lacking any interconnected theoretical system.

Wu Fei could not find that many bird feathers at once. He settled for carving bamboo slivers instead. The crossbows held by Zhao Tu and other gate commanders reached a range where they could pierce skin and flesh by an inch, though they fell twenty paces short of the original range.

However, with the massive increase in arrow production and the intensification of practice, the accuracy of the crossbowmen improved significantly. Relying on the "sight" to aim, they could hit a pot-lid-sized target from a hundred paces with over seventy percent probability.

The firing range was filled with grass effigies of various alien tribes. Wu Fei checked the penetration of the arrows at different distances one by one, then recorded the data on bamboo tallies with a carving knife.

...The Southern Frontier is a land of blood and musk...

Xiao Qing followed behind Wu Fei. She remained slender, but her stature had grown by a circle, reaching a full eight feet.

Xiao Qing was now in charge of the "Panlong Society," a commercial organization—or rather, a group of snake-folk and other Southern Frontier aliens that collected intelligence for the Wu family army's southern commercial activities.

Although "Xiao Qing" was not a tribal leader in the Southern Frontier, she could decide the life or death of many tribes.

Wu Fei was well aware of her situation: she was a useful blade, but also a case of "nurturing a tiger that invites disaster." Once he ran into trouble, this snake-woman and her "Panlong Society" would lose control, similar to the wild boar-hide that Li Liangcheng had inadvertently raised.

Wu Fei felt helpless about this. According to his historical records, this was an unsolvable problem. To expand territory, one had to heavily employ alien talents from the frontier. Once the Central Plains dynasty began to guard against the frontier and weakened its own power, it inevitably led to "nurturing enemies for self-importance."

The Hu people moved inward after Emperor Wu of Han struck the Xiongnu became arrogant by the Jin Dynasty; the Eastern Hu, who were as obedient as dogs during the height of the Tang Dynasty, were demanding tribute and raiding the borders by the Song Dynasty. It was even more so during the Ming. After the scholars dismantled Li Chengliang’s private army, the "wild boars" who had started by picking up scraps began to turn into wolves that devoured their masters.

Looking at the submissive Xiao Qing, Wu Fei felt a momentary lapse in concentration. He listed these problems and set them aside for the time being.

Wu Fei asked: "Qing, the intelligence you submitted says that the tribes south of the Lingjiang River in the Southern Frontier show signs of rebellion."

Xiao Qing replied: "Yes, my lord. They are currently networking, and there is a possibility of them gathering tens of thousands."

Wu Fei nodded as he looked at the silk map where "malignant qi" was closing in on Yongji Pass from the north: "It should have happened long ago."

Based on intelligence, Wu Fei already knew that the Lihuo Sect, forced to migrate its sect to the Southern Frontier four hundred years ago, had never forgotten to subvert the Great Yao and had been infiltrating the region ever since. Every war in the Southern Frontier over these centuries, including the one Wu Hanluan fought against the snake-folk, had the shadow of the Lihuo Sect behind it.

Attempting to "change the status quo" for centuries, Wu Fei remarked: "They are truly diligent. But diligence requires choosing the right time."

...As if in response, an ill-timed event occurred for Wu Fei...

In the 27th year of the Xutian Calendar, in May, the imperial court suddenly ordered the elite forces of the Wu family army to move north.

These elites naturally included the six Golden Bull giant soldiers, as well as the cavalry unit that had made a name for itself while suppressing the rebellions in Zhuzhou and Lizhou.

Wu Hanluan and Wu Hengyu led the troops north. As they passed Tianmengang, the accompanying Xian Daoren looked back at Nanshan Ridge, revealing an inexplicable smile and joking: "Now someone has had their wish granted."

On the journey to cross the pass, the six Golden Bulls waded across the river. During the crossing, whirlpools appeared around the bulls, causing the ferry following behind to rock violently, nearly capsizing. The intense rocking caused a soldier in iron armor to fall into the river and sink to the bottom. Due to this incident, the army's march slowed down.

On the bank, the soldiers of the Wu family army cursed while looking at the moldy yellow flour cakes distributed by the local post station.

Sitting on the ground, a soldier grumbled: "How cheap it is to leave home; look at this, we haven't even left the doorstep and they're giving us stale rice and grain."

Another soldier replied: "Say less. It's good enough that we have something to eat at all."

Thousands of soldiers grumbled, their voices merging into a wave of sound.

In the main camp, Wu Hanluan frowned as he watched the soldiers waiting to cross the river whispering to each other.

Beside him, Wu Hengyu was hoarse from directing the cavalry unit to find more boats upstream and downstream.

Wu Hanluan shook his head. If it were him, he would not have given the soldiers a chance to sit down and discuss. Even if it meant slowing down the rear guard, he would not have let them stop and wait at the riverbank. Instead, he would have organized teams to patrol the terrain and explore, and for meals, he would have had them eat in shifts of a quarter-hour, then "keep a bit of wood in their mouths" (to maintain silence) after eating.

"However," Wu Hanluan squeezed the yellow flour cake a soldier had received and sighed, "Once you leave home, you are bullied by others."

These yellow cakes came from the local government office in charge of military supplies, which had cleared out rice that had been stale in the warehouse for years to use as military rations. In contrast, when Wu Fei managed the main granary, military rations were rice-flour cakes stuffed with dried mustard greens and salted meat. During normal marching, every man ate hearty millet porridge and large pieces of salted fish for lunch.

Because Wu Fei held the silver, he let multiple merchant groups take charge of military supplies! If the supplies were substandard, they would be kicked out of the supply union. And the monopoly business in occupied territories after the war excluded these merchant groups entirely.

When Wu Fei was "scraping the land" in Zhuzhou and Lizhou, everything could be converted into military assets, even local real estate, which was forcibly bought and then sold to local merchants. To ensure credibility, if the buyer felt the property would be seized by local thugs, Wu Fei would immediately become a "ruthless magistrate," labeling the original owner a rebel collaborator and exiling the entire family to Lingnan. However, as long as one was willing to do business, he would not touch a hair on their head.

Consequently, while Wu Xiaoque bore the bad reputation, the Wu family army was sincerely welcomed everywhere they went.

At this time, there was also war in the north. Other armies passing through had no regular procurement channels, and the places they passed were impoverished. Even burning houses wouldn't yield much.

Wu Fei's army, however, was highly disciplined. After passing through, they surveyed the land, collected farm tools, and even fattened the oxen in the stables. The merchant groups would soon negotiate with local wealthy households willing to cooperate, taking what they needed while the status quo was being reshuffled.—What, you don't want to sell? You'll sue the imperial court after the army leaves? Well, then your whole family might die in a "bandit raid."

Of course, if a wealthy family was willing to pay a little more, the army could even use its abundant manpower to dig an irrigation ditch for their land, making it easier to compete for water with neighboring villages in the future.

The truth of commerce is that as long as you need it, I can put a price on it. Which wealthy family didn't have gold and silver buried in their backyard? The passing army wouldn't know, but the locals surely would. This information was worthless if unshared, but once exchanged, it became a transaction. The soldiers could turn these real estate assets into clean, ownerless property at any time and sell them to partners.

In Lizhou, where the imperial court hadn't been able to collect taxes for ten years, Wu Fei scraped out a fortune. The local wealthy families were "offering food and drink," and the army never complained about food.

Wu Hanluan looked at the busy Wu Hengyu. Facing the imperial court's conscription, he chose "father and son on the battlefield." Wu Hanluan thought: "What if it were Yuanchang who went out?"

But soon, Wu Hanluan dismissed the thought. This expedition might bring glory, but it was more likely to end in a horse-hide shroud. One had to be left behind to guard the home and provide a way out.

...The North-South dividing line...

In the "Military Affairs Office" of Yongji Pass, just as it was confirmed that the Southern Frontier alien alliance moving north numbered in the tens of thousands, Wu Fei received the bad news that his uncle and the others had been drawn away.

At this moment, this was definitely bad news. In war, the most important thing is a stable rear, and this stability is best when there is no change at all.

"Oh ho, someone wants to stab me in the back?" Wu Fei looked at the intelligence, his expression playful. Just as he was preparing to move against the south, the family's rear strength was drawn away, creating instability in morale.

Wu Fei highly suspected there was a mole in the Wu family army; otherwise, it would be impossible for the south to jump into rebellion so anxiously just as his uncle's main force moved north. Who was this mole? Wu Fei narrowed his eyes and looked in the mirror, looking at himself, and began to list everyone he was connected to through interpersonal relationships, with himself at the center.—The self in the mirror became very shrewd.

The side effects of the commercialized atmosphere of Yongji Pass manifested. With the slightest disturbance, confidence rose and fell dramatically. First, some elders of the Wu family felt an inexplicable sense of insecurity upon hearing that the family's local elites were being transferred north. Consequently, they became less confident in the Wu family's garrison, believing that Wu Fei was still young and lacked a grasp of the big picture, and that the strategy should remain conservative.

At the same time, merchants no longer had the enthusiasm for additional investment they had six months ago, staging a real-life version of the noun "market confidence shrinkage" for Xuan Chong. All merchants started holding back, extending the closing times of workshops in Yongji Pass, and when questioned by the General's Mansion, they were evasive, refusing to deliver goods to shops in Yongji Pass to maintain the market's prosperity.

The only cloth merchant who bought in bulk almost made Wu Xiaoque jump up and kill him—the idiot was stocking up on white cloth.

Wu Fei, this young general, had won all his past victories by tagging along with the old general Wu Hanluan. Although he had gained recognition in the army, in the eyes of those outside the army, Wu Fei's backing was Wu Hanluan, and he was still lacking in taking the lead alone.

Whether he could stand on his own would depend on whether Que'er could hold this first battle after leaving the protection of his elders.

Wu Fei looked at the map, not with the complacency of clairvoyance, but with empathetic thinking: "Of course, ten thousand brutes want to break through Yongji Pass? They underestimate this fortress. Historically, this pass withstood three years of attacks from tens of thousands of Southern Frontier monsters. The enemy's preparation clearly did not exceed the maximum historical force. And as for my defense of the pass, I am currently fully prepared."

"Then!" Wu Fei's finger slid across the silk map over the mountains where Yongji Pass was located. Where his finger pointed, the "Yao Calculation" mountain patterns on the silk seemed to show grass and trees swaying.

Wu Fei thought: "Perhaps they want to 'secretly cross Yinping and take Shu-Han directly.'"

If there were such a small path to bypass Yongji Pass, it could indeed cause marvelous results! Of course, this was based on the result that the main force on the side of Tianchi City had moved north, leaving the defenses empty.

Wu Fei reflected: In the campaign where Shu-Han was destroyed, secretly crossing Yinping was indeed a brilliant strategy, but more importantly, the fighting power of Shu-Han was all concentrated on the front lines. After Deng Ai broke through, they chose not to defend the dangerous terrain, and as a result, their last remaining forces were annihilated on the plains, leading to a collapse.

Wu Fei looked at the map. Such a strategy of "secretly crossing Yinping" might have succeeded ten years ago, but now?

The Military Affairs Office issued two orders.

The first was to "strengthen border patrols." This was issued to merchants within the territory, requiring them to purchase news from the peddlers traveling the mountain paths under their command. Because any merchant who wouldn't get up early for profit would surely know of any path that could be secretly crossed.

Providing information on a mountain path crossing the border would earn a "heavy reward" of twenty strings of coins; if confirmed that an unidentified army appeared on the road, timely delivery of news would earn a thousand strings and three merits; if they dared to actively guide the enemy army to that road to assist the Wu family army in an ambush, they would be rewarded with thirty thousand strings and twenty merits!

The second was to borrow money from various merchants to conscript local militia. The area behind Yongji Pass was no longer a barren place. After three years of setting up checkpoints and years of slave trade, it was now home to a large number of craftsmen, as well as a large number of slaves captured during the suppression of the rebellion in Lizhou. Now, organizing these slaves together with the militia—if these organized militia were to fight a regular war on the plains, they would obviously suffer heavy casualties, but if they were to ambush in favorable terrain, there was much to be done.—Slaves who participated in the war and followed orders without retreating would immediately gain the status of free citizens after the war. If they achieved any victories, their merits and rewards would be the same as the regular soldiers of the Wu family army.

With the two orders issued, regarding the problem of morale being so easily swayed, Wu Fei pondered creating a system within the Wu family army for which he was fully responsible, similar to the "Bafu" (Hegemon's Office) invented by Cao Cao. Wu Fei quickly declared in his heart: "I do not want to rebel against my family, I just want to provide a double insurance for the Great Tang's empire, like Li Erfeng."