Chapter 250: Xi Zhong, the Strategist
Chapter 250: Xi Zhong, the Strategist
2017-09-25
Lu Hai Kong had just returned, and he immediately noticed the changes in the mountain stronghold. On one hand, it was due to Lu Hai Kong's keen observational skills, and on the other, the changes in the stronghold were indeed significant.
Zhang Wen had been organizing the scripts for several major projects in the stronghold over the past few days, and Lu Hai Kong was tasked with presenting them. With his eloquence, he barely needed to choose his words carefully.
In reality, the changes in the stronghold over the past few days were mostly due to one person, and that person was Xi Zhong, whom Wang Jun valued immensely.
During the negotiations with the aristocratic clans in Qiang Yin, Xi Zhong had been quite lenient regarding resources. The matters he focused on were insignificant to the clans.
For instance, when it came to accommodating refugees, the clans initially remained tense about this issue. After all, if a mountain stronghold were to take in a large number of commoners, what could their intentions be other than rebellion?
The aristocratic clans in Qiang Yin were genuinely concerned about a potential rebel force emerging within their territory. Such a development would lead to their demise in a most unflattering manner.
But who was Xi Zhong? If he proposed such an idea, he must have had a plan to appease the clans. In reality, in Qiang Yin or the border regions, refugees would appear during the spring and autumn seasons. Some lost their homes to foreign invasions, while others were driven away by the exploitation of the aristocratic clans. Various reasons forced them to leave their homes in search of a new life.
Typically, these refugees led pitiful lives. Neither the court nor the aristocratic clans would accept them, and ordinary commoners lacked the means to do so. Those fortunate enough to possess some skills might find refuge in villages, but those without skills often became mountain bandits or robbers, becoming a thorn in the side of local security.
This group of people was a headache for the court, which largely ignored them. If Xi Zhong wanted to accommodate them, it was a negotiable matter for the Qiang Yin clans. Furthermore, Xi Zhong promised that accepting refugees could be considered a contribution of resources.
Under these circumstances, after much hesitation, the clans finally agreed to Xi Zhong's proposal. They even utilized their influence to assist Xi Zhong in accommodating refugees. Within a few short days, the stronghold had taken in an additional five thousand refugees. According to Xi Zhong's estimation, they should be able to accommodate another five thousand, bringing the population of the stronghold to twenty-five thousand.
Aside from accommodating refugees, Xi Zhong and Wang Jun proposed another suggestion. Outside the stronghold's walls, there was a vast expanse of vacant land suitable for cultivation. Although the soil might not be particularly fertile, it was capable of producing crops. Xi Zhong wanted to utilize this land for cultivation.
Upon hearing this suggestion, Wang Jun's eyes lit up. Currently, the external environment of the stronghold had stabilized, and the Qiang Yin clans had been thoroughly subdued. Even if the stronghold wanted to accommodate refugees, a simple display of intimidation and enticement from Xi Zhong would make them yield. Regarding the cultivation of crops, the aristocratic clans would naturally not object.
On one hand, they dared not oppose it, and on the other, they had no grounds for opposition. Additionally, from their perspective, compared to tens of thousands of idle mouths to feed, they felt it was better to deal with a stronghold that had its own land and led a stable life. At least, they wouldn't easily lose their minds and raise a rebel flag.
As for whether such a stronghold would eventually cause any significant trouble, the Qiang Yin clans weren't overly concerned. The court's authority was well-established, and Xi Zhong was there to ensure that his talents wouldn't allow the stronghold to make such a foolish move.
Wang Jun, the second-in-command of the mountain stronghold, had merely mentioned it briefly, but he had actually accomplished the task, and Xi Zhong had proven himself capable! Lu Hai Kong played with the Silver Moon in his hand, listening to Zhang Wen's report, and he couldn't help but nod slightly in approval.
"Currently, Teacher and Mr. Xi Zhi Cai are outside the city planning the fields. As they aim to cultivate a vast agricultural land, the irrigation system must be well-planned, so they are being very cautious. Moreover, outside the walls, several thousand people have already started to reclaim the wasteland. However, there is a severe shortage of farming tools in the stronghold, making the reclamation process quite challenging. It will be difficult to complete the reclamation before spring arrives," Zhang Wen reported.
Lu Hai Kong pondered for a moment and said, "The lack of farming tools has always been an issue. Let's have the Blacksmith Camp temporarily put aside their current tasks and focus on producing a batch of tools. Additionally, the ranch has several hundred cattle that can assist with the reclamation."
"Teacher has already mentioned this. But the Blacksmith Camp requires your order, and Elder Wang at the ranch also said that without your command, he won't let anyone take the cattle," Zhang Wen replied.
Although Wang Jun was the second-in-command of the stronghold, many areas within the stronghold did not follow his orders. The Blacksmith Camp, located in the military industrial zone, and the ranch, which Lu Hai Kong had high hopes for, only took orders directly from Lu Hai Kong.
Since Lu Hai Kong had established these two departments himself, Wang Jun rarely interfered, so when there was an urgent need, Lu Hai Kong's approval was required. But Lu Hai Kong was not present at the moment, which is why Wang Jun was so anxious.
"Take my order and go. Now that the conditions for reclamation are met, we should prioritize reclamation for the time being," Lu Hai Kong said, understanding that the majority of the stronghold's population were farmers. For them, having a full warehouse of food was not as reassuring as having a barren field to cultivate.
Lu Hai Kong naturally wouldn't overlook the opportunity to produce food and stabilize the people by reclaiming the land.
However, after giving the order, Lu Hai Kong seemed to realize something and froze for a moment. "Wait, what did you just call him?"
"Teacher? Teacher saw that I was diligent along with Li Feng, and he accepted us as his students," Zhang Wen explained.
"No, I wasn't referring to that. I meant Mr. Xi Zhi Cai, isn't his name Xi Zhong?" Lu Hai Kong felt his heart skip a beat.
This guy used to be a shut-in, not well-versed in the history of the Three Kingdoms, so he wasn't familiar with the name Xi Zhong. Well, even if he had thoroughly researched the history of the Three Kingdoms, he probably wouldn't have recognized the name Xi Zhong, as it seemed to be a fictional name created by apocryphal history.
In the 1619 version of the book!
However, Lu Hai Kong was somewhat familiar with Xi Zhi Cai. He had read numerous online novels about the Three Kingdoms, and in those novels, Xi Zhi Cai was undoubtedly among the top five most popular strategists.
He was a top-tier scholar-official, comparable to Guo Jia in the world of online novels.
But could the Xi Zhi Cai in their stronghold really be this top-tier strategist? Lu Hai Kong couldn't quite believe it.
Zhang Wen explained, "Mr. Xi Zhong, named Zhong, with the courtesy name Zhi Cai!"
Upon hearing this, Lu Hai Kong suddenly felt like he had bought a two-dollar lottery ticket and unexpectedly won a million-dollar jackpot. He felt dizzy with excitement.
(End of Chapter)
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