Chapter 153: The Army Approaches

the rolling smoke and dust cleared, a man in flame-colored robes appeared.This man had sword eyebrows and a handsome, dashing appearance. His scarlet flame-patterned robe was intricately embroidered...Jiang Wang wasn't sure about other places, but at least within the Jiacheng city domain, Qian Zhishi's escape had only spread in a small radius. The Four Seas Merchant Alliance's "work" here was still continuing.

It primarily relies on warehouses established in various locations upon the initial settlement.

Outside Qinyang Town, the so-called "work" was nothing more than local warehouse managers trying to sell their supplies at high prices while ensuring that not too many people starved. Even in times of weakness, the Yang Kingdom government had a bottom line: no starving its citizens.

All the valuables that could be carried away were taken by the steward, leaving behind a large amount of materials stockpiled in warehouses across the land.

Ironically, the newly appointed mayor of Jiacing is still hesitant about how to respond and has not immediately seized control of the resources. After all, the other party is Qi Guo's Four Seas Merchant League. Like many officials in Yang Guo, he still harbors illusions about Qi Guo.

After so many years as a dog, many times, I have come to consider myself the master.

The new lord of Jiaceng, surnamed Shi and given name Jing, is over fifty years old and has spent many years in obscurity. The reason he was able to take on the position of lord of Jiaceng is purely due to another layer of relationship.

He was actually the adopted son of the fourth concubine of the county magistrate of Rizhao!

And I don't know how it got tangled up.

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In short, he became the adopted son of the county magistrate of Rizhao. With this kind of "relative" relationship, he was able to take office smoothly.

Now, the chaotic high-level officials of Yang Guo don't care about such things anymore.

At least in Jiasheng, supplies are actually not lacking. At the initial stage of disaster relief, the Four Seas Merchant Alliance, with its strong mobilization capabilities, mobilized a large amount of materials and stationed them in various locations.

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Have you not seen that in Qingyang Town, the bald guards Chen Yong and the others have left, but the warehouse remains, still supporting the livelihoods of tens of thousands of townspeople.

On July 27th, under Qian's efforts, resources were gradually gathered to Qingyang Town.

On July 28th. The newly appointed Lord of Jiaccheng awoke from his dream as if, abruptly halting the flow of goods throughout the city and seizing all resources under the guise of the City Lord's Mansion for redistribution.

As for the members of the Four Seas Merchant Alliance, besides those who escaped, the rest were captured and severely tortured, interrogated about their assets.

But for Jiang Wang, it no longer mattered. The Qingyang Town supply depot was already full to the brim. It had enough supplies for at least three months' worth for the people of Qingyang Town.

No matter what the commanders of both armies think, war cannot possibly drag on until November.

By July 29th, the news that the large Qi army was besieging the country's borders had spread throughout the land.

On official state letters, the State of Qi expressed its intention to continue helping the State of Yang with the blockade against the plague and maintaining security in the East.

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Besides prohibiting entry and exit, they seemed to have no battle plan at all. Of course, this also gave the Yang Kingdom enough time to organize its army - a confidence that was especially disheartening to behold.

The people of Yangguo know very well that they don't actually have a powerful and combat-ready army. Let alone the last strong army that previous monarchs squandered.

Over the years, following Qi's armies into battle and enduring constant losses in numerous wars, they didn't return as soldiers tempered by hardship. Instead, what they received were vast material rewards from the State of Qi.

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Although the Yang Guo seemingly becomes richer and richer, with its national treasury overflowing, its military strength keeps declining.

This is a gradual weakening, like boiling a frog in warm water. Unfortunately, many people only realize this now, even though the army has been closed off for a long time.

Yang Jiande was very clear about this, but precisely because he saw through it, he couldn't refuse. The only result of refusal would be to accelerate the process of national destruction.

So gradually he relinquished his power, devoting himself to spiritual cultivation. On one hand, he saw no hope in national affairs and turned his hopes to the extraordinary abilities of individuals; on the other hand, it was not without a touch of escapism.

Because Yang Guo was weak, after Yang Jiande killed the prince, he did not immediately gather his troops to fight Qi to the death. Instead, he begged for mercy and even risked his country's dignity by trying to lure Chong Xuan and Zhu Liang to Zhao Heng City to kill them.

If the executioner could be eliminated, it would undoubtedly greatly boost morale throughout the Yang Nation. Yang Jiande himself could also gain some time to maneuver and strategize. He could seek support, rally allies, or even sow discord within the ranks of the Qi people... in short, this is the only feasible way out of the current predicament.

But Chong Xuan and Zhu Liang simply ignored him, remaining calm and composed in their tent. Though they no longer seemed as valiant as before, this only intensified the feeling of despair.

Let's not talk about the bigger picture. Let's just talk about Rizhao County for now.

When people all over Yangguo were in turmoil, Song Guang, the aging prefect of Rizhao County, once again pulled off a "brilliant move".

He even levied taxes on the resources of all the cities under his rule, requiring that reserves of grain kept by local areas could not exceed seven days' worth. All supplies were to be consolidated and dispatched to the county government for unified allocation, thus strictly controlling grain supply to stabilize the lives of the people in his dominion.

They were again required to pay large sums of money, claiming it was for maintaining the army and protecting the country. However, as there was no official approval from the Yang court or a formal decree, this was only known privately as "national salvation tax".

This series of actions is not just dazzling, it's downright blinding and deafening.

Speaking of unified allocation of grain, allocating it on behalf of the city lord's mansion to various cities and allocating it on behalf of the county government to the entire county are not in the same league at all. It’s simply choosing a difficult task over an easy one, wasting manpower.

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Song Guang is not stupid.

Being able to become the prefect of a region, how could Song Guang be an incompetent fool with only empty strength

Although he made many decisions that seemed foolish during a time when the nation was in turmoil,

But this kind of "stupidity" is relative to Yang Guo. From his own perspective, it was an extremely wise decision.

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If Yang Guo could recover, he would have stabilized the situation as well.

If Yang Guo had no tomorrow, he would have even more control over resources. To put it bluntly, he could sell them for a good price.

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However, where Jiang Wang was standing, the feeling wasn't so comfortable.

Because the tax notice from Jiacheng City Lord's Mansion has already been sent to Qingyang Town.

Of course, Jiang Wang ignored him and tore it to shreds right there.

He wasn't rich himself, and it was impossible to satisfy the greed of that old scoundrel, the county magistrate of Rizhao. As for the supplies stockpiled in Qingyang Town, they were the lifeline of over 30,000 people, and he couldn't possibly let go.

But what surprised him even more was...

Just one day after, the newly appointed mayor of Jiasheng City, Shi Jing, actually mobilized the city guard and attacked Qingyang Town!!

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Outside Qingyang Town, the army lines up.

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The general hadn't drawn his sword yet, but the killing intent had already clouded the sky.

The Jiacheng city guard had a full complement of 10,000 men. The Xi family completely evacuated Yang Kingdom, with some mid- and high-level officers leaving. However, the army couldn't take them all. Some talent was lost, but the overall structure remained intact.

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Even though Shi Jing relied heavily on his connections, he understood the importance of military power. Therefore, upon taking office, his first priority was to control the army, and he achieved tangible results.

When Godfather Song Guang gave the order, the city lords all thought he was the most active.

Alas, the entire Jiacheng city domain, as a heavily stricken area by the plague and having experienced the withdrawal of the Xie family and the harvesting by the Four Seas Merchant Alliance, was truly impoverished. There wasn't even a drop of oil to be scraped from the ground.

He led his troops to Qingyang Town for two reasons: first, to make an example of the monkey and establish the new town lord's authority. Second, he received reliable information that Qian, the treasurer of the Four Seas Merchant Alliance, had absconded with a large sum of money and was hiding in Qingyang Town.

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Of course he knew about Jiang Wangqiang killing Xi Munan.

To be on the safe side, he brought a full five thousand city guards this time. All of them were elite troops.

Apart from the garrison troops necessary to maintain order in the various cities and regions, almost all forces had been mobilized. Needless to say, he had also brought in two peak Tenglong Realm experts through personal connections, summoned from the county government to join the army.

All preparations are complete, we just wait for the battle to begin and strive for absolute victory!

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>the ceremony was incomplete, and he couldn't claim it legitimately. Only during the Soul Falling Snow Tribulation did he unexpectedly receive a response. But it wasn't through orthodox means in the en...