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"Xiao Wei, remember to ask a few more families who are planning to engage in maritime commerce when you enter the city this time..."

In Daqing Mountain, several sturdy men instructed Wei Gongzhan, who was about to head to the city, "Especially that new trading company in the north of the city; I hear they are quite strong. They independently bought a ’Sea God’ ship, and they must be planning to buy a lot of alcohol.

Your Hongshen Fruit is top-notch in Daqing Mountain, and it will certainly fetch a good price.

Take the opportunity to promote our fruits as well; I’m counting on this money to send my child to the academy at the end of the year! "

"Got it!" Wei Gongzhan replied with a beaming smile. He had roughly thirty neighbors who had entrusted him with tasks, and he had good relationships with all of them. He usually agreed straight away to such favors.

That’s also why he was now so well-liked in Daqing Mountain.

"Old Li, are you sure you want your kid to study?" Wei Gongzhan asked curiously, "I thought you wanted him to inherit your Hongshen Fruit farm..."

"Sigh... Of course, it’s better to go to school if he can..." Old Li glared at him, "Have you seen how capable those kids who come out of the academy are? Especially the ones brought to Daqing Mountain by Master Xu from some... what’s it called... some academy, right?"

"Agricultural Academy..."

"Oh yes, yes, yes!" Old Li said with a grin, "It’s really impressive. Many of the best-selling agricultural products are his research achievements. Isn’t that true skill? Things have changed now. Nanyang’s Shaoyang Mountain, Xiangzhou’s Yunmu Peak, Yunzhou’s Nan Mountain—things have gone wild.

The stuff they produce gets more and more fancy every year.

Our goods aren’t as easy to sell as before! "

"It’s because we were too complacent before!

" An old man glared fiercely at a group of idlers who loved to fish, "We in Daqing Mountain were the first to produce grain, and fruit wine also originated from us. Lyuzhou is close to us too, so theoretically, it should have been easiest for us to connect with the academy’s students. But now, look at us; we’ve been overtaken by other provincial governments! "

"It’s all because you were lazy. I’ve been saying for months that the students from Huang Academy are like hens that lay golden eggs, but you wouldn’t believe me. Now do you?"

"Heh heh..." The group of men bashfully scratched their heads.

"The children have to study!" Old Tou took a drag from his pipe and looked at Wei Gongzhan, "Xiao Wei, you know people at the academy; inquire more about next year’s enrollment.

Many children from Daqing Mountain have been educated.

See if we can get a few in, especially to Huang Academy.

Even if they are not as talented as Teacher Xiao Yang who can come up with so many things, at least they can learn some skills to keep by their side. .."

"That’s right..." another burly man chimed in, "The last time there was an epidemic in Daqing Mountain, Teacher Xiao Li from Renxuan College settled it in just a few days. If it had happened in the village before, I’m afraid half the village would have died!"

All the villagers nodded in agreement. Epidemics were terrifying. In the past, in rural areas without any supervision, once infection broke out, it often spread through dozens of villages, and a severe outbreak meant many deaths.

The epidemic that struck Daqing Mountain last time had been sudden; many people started coughing up blood in just a few days. It scared everyone to the point that they began to blame the mountain deity!

Thankfully, Teacher Xiao Li from Mystic Academy was skilled. How old was he? It seemed... he was just fourteen years old, right?

Such a young child had managed to resolve the crisis, truly a divine doctor. Lord Chen’s academy was remarkable!

"Yes, Village Chief, sir!" Wei Gongzhan chuckled, addressing the old man who was reputed to have once been an influential village chief.

Having now moved here, he still liked to take charge of affairs.

But because of his amiable nature and fair dealings, everyone was quite supportive of him.

Although there was no longer the title of village chief, people still liked to address him as such.

"Hmph..." The old man grunted, "As long as you understand this principle. Gather all the clever and sharp kids from your homes; when the academy starts recruiting, take them all to try their luck. Who knows, if even two get in, it’s a win!"

"Exactly, exactly!" Everyone nodded vigorously.

Wei Gongzhan listened and smiled wryly, but it wasn’t in him to dampen the villagers’ spirits.

He had discussed the academy with Shen Yuan on several occasions.

The children they selected were of exceptional talent.

Not just these rural children, but even state scholars who used to focus only on rote learning couldn’t get in.

He was referring to Gu Beiquan and his cohorts...

Yet he still hoped that Daqing Mountain could send more children to the academy. Those who graduated were in high demand. With more such children from Daqing Mountain, things could only get better. Old Li was right; the competition out there was fierce, nothing like it used to be...

How time flies...

Images haunted Wei Gongzhan; he remembered how, when he first arrived at the mountain, Daqing Mountain had been somewhat desolate, often walking hundreds of meters without seeing a soul. Now the entire mountain bustled with farming activity, brimming with life and vigor.

Places like Daqing Mountain that provided the city with grains, alcohol, and tea under the protection of mountain deities have grown to hundreds in number!

Some had scales even larger than Daqing Mountain.

For example, Nanyang City’s Shaoyang Mountain had bigger land and produced more grain.

Especially in the past six months, since they had lured away several students from the Agricultural College, they had introduced various new products.

They were even sold in Lyuzhou, capturing the market.

It had embarrassed Daqing Mountain!

That had finally gotten their attention...

Thinking of the competition, there was indeed a vigorous and vigorous spirit spreading, and all of this had happened in just one year!

Wei Gongzhan felt nostalgic; in just one year, the entire Jiangnan had transformed. He wondered what expression the Imperial Court would have if it saw Jiangnan now.

"By the way, Xiao Wei, is your friend, the general from Yunzhou, planning to return today?" a burly man suddenly asked.

"Hmm, I’ve received a letter from my friend ... uh, cough, I’ve received word that he should arrive in Lyuzhou today!" Wei Gongzhan replied, his face lighting up with excitement.

The Young Master’s renown in Yunzhou had reached his ears as well. Truly befitting the Young Master, he had become a general, fighting his way through. He always knew his Young Master could do it!

"Impressive!" the man next to him said with admiration, "The boys who went to Yunzhou suffered the most losses. Many good men perished there. To reclaim Yunzhou City, many died. Your friend is one of the good ones!"

"Indeed..." Wei Gongzhan nodded. He had worried for days when the news of the battle to reclaim Yunzhou reached him.

Thank heaven, the Young Master was safe.

"My brothers fell over there..." the burly man said reflectively.

"Old Zhao..." Wei Gongzhan looked at him and comforted, "Don’t worry, the Warrior Army has good welfare after entering the afterlife; your brother is certainly not doing badly."

"That’s easy to say..." the burly man forced a bitter smile, "Maybe no one who’s alive would want to go to the afterlife, and since he died in Yunzhou, his soul hasn’t even been extradited yet, the family is anxious."

"Ah..." Regarding this matter, Wei Gongzhan had heard as well and was somewhat at a loss for words.

This issue needed to start with the establishment of City Gods in several other provincial government offices!

It seemed that these City Gods were keen on snatching souls. Even though the soldiers were dispatched from Lyuzhou and died in battle over there, the City Gods insisted they were under their jurisdiction and forcibly detained the souls there.

But many of Lyuzhou’s sons had married in this region, with their wives, children, and even the elderly remaining here.

After the soldiers’ deaths, the various welfare benefits should have been calculated in Lyuzhou, but without the release of the souls, the welfare couldn’t be settled here.

Negotiations had to keep going through the City Gods.

But for some people, especially a high-merit existence like the Warrior Army, if the other party wouldn’t release them, they just wouldn’t; forcing the relatives here to move there to ensure they received the benefits due to the families of the fallen...

Because of this matter, the citizens of Lyuzhou had cursed a fair amount...

It was said that Daqing Mountain had seen many families move away because their relatives died in battle; the population of Lyuzhou was already lower than that of other states. With such back and forth, it was rumored that the City God himself had become furious.

It caused quite an uproar, and even now the problem hasn’t been properly resolved...

Just thinking about the scene of several afterlife City Gods squabbling over souls, Wei Gongzhan couldn’t help but chuckle. It turned out that these so-called deities, when it came to achievements, were not much different from ordinary people...

"So, Old Zhao, are you considering moving to Yunzhou?" someone next to him asked curiously.

"I’m pondering it..." Old Li also wore a face of complaint, "If we don’t move, I’m worried about my younger brother’s widow and orphaned children in Yunzhou.

But if we do, there are so many Hongshen Fruits I’ve cultivated here; I really can’t bear to leave them behind.

It took me so much effort to prepare their soil. .."

The others nodded in agreement. These high-quality crops required nurturing with spiritual power, and many farmers developed a bond with them.

A year of nurturing made the soil’s quality different from that of soil not nurtured, and Old Li naturally couldn’t bear to leave it.

Even if he sold all the Hongshen Fruits, he’d have to start anew in nurturing the soil over there.

This was bound to be quite the loss...

Wei Gongzhan wasn’t sure what to say. The families of the Warriors had very few instances of remarriage, because according to the rules, women who remarry cannot enjoy the afterlife blessings of the Warrior Army.

So once a husband had fallen in battle, the wives and children left at home basically followed the policy; they must relocate, otherwise wouldn’t the husband have died in vain?

Wei Gongzhan felt there were issues with this system, but how to resolve them was a matter for those higher up; he couldn’t interfere...

After chatting with everyone for a while, Wei Gongzhan went into the city with large and small packages.

He was carrying quite a lot mainly because the young master was back, and had even become a general. This time, they had to celebrate properly. He had taken the Hongshen Fruits he recently harvested and brewed several pots of wine, just to welcome the young master back.

Moreover, it had been a long time since he caught up with Shen Yuan, so they definitely had to drink a few more cups this time.

With his spirits high, Wei Gongzhan jogged all the way to Lyuzhou City; however, he didn’t expect that as soon as he arrived, someone would completely ruin his good mood!

"Gongzhan, come here, I have some great news to tell you!"

If there was anyone Wei Gongzhan entering the city did not want to see, it was the person in front of him.

But the issue was, it seemed as if the person had predicted his arrival, barring his way at the city gate early on.

"What are you up to in the middle of the day, not properly on duty?" Wei Gongzhan frowned at the man before him.

After being eliminated, Wei Gongyan was never well-received in the Warrior Army and ultimately, in a huff, he left to join the Gate God’s Guard. It was said that he wasn’t well-regarded there either, but at least he behaved for a while.

But from the looks of it, he seemed unable to stay behaved now.

"Come on, let me introduce you... This is Teacher Lyu, the relative of the current Assistant Minister of Rites!"

Wei Gongzhan: "....."

He just knew it, this guy was never up to anything good...

However, this time, the information brought by the other party was not some utterly boring news; it was bad news that could send his mood plummeting.

The Imperial Court had already decided to send troops to Jiangnan...

What’s more, the one leading the troops was the Duke from the Weichi Clan: Weichi Peng!!