Chapter 33: Jia Xu, the Merchant

Jia Xu continued unhurriedly, "Furthermore, it is well known that the Xiongnu Right Worthy King, Qiubei, is on bad terms with the Lanti clan. Wouldn't Huchuquan wish to install a Right Worthy King who is friendly to him? My Lord Provincial Governor might as well lend a helping hand to this friend.

"Once the Xiongnu descend into civil war, wouldn't the Xianbei to the north and the Xiutu and Qiang-Hu to the west want a share of the spoils? Once chaos erupts, who else can this Left Worthy King rely on? He will surely have to ask the Provincial Governor once again to 'mediate' the conflict.

"With a few exchanges back and forth, as long as the Provincial Governor's military might is formidable, you can hoist Huchuquan's prestigious banner. When the others look on in astonishment and investigate the cause, after a thorough understanding, who wouldn't want the Provincial Governor to help 'mediate' their internal and external conflicts?

"By then, if you favor one side, it will outwardly seem like the highest bidder wins, but secretly, whichever side pays the highest price will be decided entirely by a single word from the Provincial Governor. Not only will you reap the benefits, but you will also continuously weaken the strength of the various barbarian tribes.

"Once the barbarians are weakened, driven to the northern city of Shouxiang for unified resettlement, and all the northern and southern barbarians are reduced to mere grooms for our horses, it will not be too late for the Provincial Governor to establish the Mobei Protectorate."

In a burst of excitement, Chen Cong slammed his palm down, shattering the table before him.

Thank goodness!

He had always maintained the fine habit of "when in doubt, let Jia Xu bail you out."

Look at this poisonous Jia fellow; that was a true businessman right there!

He would eat his fill and wipe his mouth clean, yet still leave people scrambling to compete for the "honor" and overflowing with gratitude.

To think he had previously considered making a killing once every three years—how could that ever compare to this sustainable method of draining the pond to catch all the fish?

"Good! You shall oversee this matter. If it succeeds, I shall personally submit a memorial to the Emperor in Chang'an, guaranteeing you the title of Protector of Mobei and the enfeoffment of a full marquis!"

Jia Xu was speechless.

This was precisely why he was reluctant to offer strategies.

It was because this fellow Chen Cong had absolutely no sense of propriety!

Without exception, every single strategy he offered would eventually turn into a boomerang and strike him back in the face!

Could that damned Protectorate of Mobei possibly be a good post?

Guard against exasperated barbarians day in and day out, and you wouldn't even dare close both eyes while sleeping!

"This humble old man lacks great talent and is unworthy of heavy responsibilities. I am willing to remain a petty clerk by the Provincial Governor's side. However, to manage this affair, we will need someone eloquent and persuasive to assist."

"Oh?" Chen Cong looked Jia Xu up and down, then said with reluctance, "Hardships for you, Wenhe."

Gasp!

Jia Xu jumped straight up, waving his hands frantically. "This humble old man has a clumsy tongue and possesses zero ability for persuasion. I beg the Provincial Governor to transfer Li Su from Luoyang to Jinyang."

"Li Su... won't he run away?"

"Just treat him the exact same way the Provincial Governor tortured this humble old man earlier, copying the cat to draw the tiger. How could he possibly run away?"

"You said it yourself. If Brother Li holds a grudge later on, it has nothing to do with me."

Jia Xu: .....

So what on earth did he gain in exchange for always running his mouth and offering strategies...

Chen Cong stopped teasing him and laughed heartily, "Just a joke, do your job well. Afterward, I'll request marquis titles for all the mice in your house!"

...

Stepping out of the study without a moment's delay, Chen Cong led Xu Huang toward the military garrison.

With all matters settled, the next step was: strengthening the army!

At present, Chen Cong lacked neither grain nor livestock for meat. With his prestige, if he were to conscript soldiers in Taiyuan, there would likely be no shortage of recruits.

The only things actually lacking were weapons and armor.

However, manufacturing in Bingzhou was lagging behind. To acquire weapons and armor, he first had to open the passage through Shangdang to connect with Luoyang.

At the same time,

only by opening Shangdang could the warhorses of Bingzhou be continuously transported to the Central Plains.

No.

Cavalry tactics in the Central Plains were relatively underdeveloped. Leaving aside Dong Zhuo in Guanzhong and Gongsun Zan in Youzhou, very few of the other warlords excelled in cavalry combat; sending horses over there would simply be a waste.

It would be far better to establish a cavalry production chain right here in Jinyang, rapidly build up the army amidst the chaos in Bingzhou, and then continuously dispatch trained cavalry units to Luoyang in the Central Plains, thereby giving Cao's camp a crushing, dimensional-reduction advantage over the surrounding warlords.

Chen Cong was enthusiastically conceptualizing his genius plan until he entered the military garrison.

It was like a basin of cold water poured straight over his head.

He could hardly believe his eyes.

Cao Chun was standing alone on the commander's platform with a frowning expression. On the training field, Hua Xiong, Cheng Zhuo, and the veteran soldiers of the Flying Bears had spontaneously formed themselves into drill instructors, putting the new "Barbarian-Vanquishing" recruits through their paces.

That alone would have been fine.

The crucial point was that the recruits undergoing training were mixed-gender units standing neatly in formation, and lacking weapons, they were all uniformly holding wooden staffs.

The battle cries were soaring straight into the clouds, to be sure.

The problem was that there were massive physiological differences between men and women.

The exact same training volume that merely caused a man to break a sweat was absolute exhaustion to a woman, pushing them to the verge of fainting...

And these were the "Barbarian-Vanquishing" women soldiers!

An ultimate productive force born entirely out of hatred...

If Cao Chun were to train them into an army and send them to the front lines, it would be the most appalling waste of heavenly treasures!

"Cai Hezi! Is this how you act as acting commander of military affairs?"

Ugh...

Cao Chun twitched the corner of his mouth as he stepped forward, a look of mournful grievance on his face. "Didn't Zining take ill?"

"The physician told me to go out and breathe more fresh air, is that a crime? As for you, forming an army of women—are you planning to replace the Marquis of Huaiyin and achieve the legendary feats of a military immortal?"

Cao Chun said helplessly, "Zining is unaware. These women are extreme in their sentiments, declaring, 'If we do not hold blades to kill barbarians, we would rather die.' What could I do? I had no choice but to temporarily incorporate them into the ranks."

"Calling you Cai Hezi is truly no injustice. Do you have to hold sharp weapons to kill barbarians? Couldn't you have organized them into the Barbarian-Vanquishing Rear Guard to handle military provisions and logistics?"

"I told you, they wouldn't obey."

Glaring fiercely at Cao Chun, Chen Cong picked up the drumsticks and beat the drum three times fiercely, shouting, "Realign the troops!"

At the order,

it took nearly half an hour for the nearly twenty thousand people to finally assemble beneath the commander's platform in a bustling commotion.

"Order: the women in the camp, step forward five paces."

Another ragged shuffling of steps ensued as the women in the camp were finally separated out, all standing beneath the command platform.

Chen Cong shouted, "From this day forward, you shall serve as the Barbarian-Vanquishing Rear Guard, responsible for military provisions and logistics."

"General..."

Chen Cong raised a hand to cut her off. "From now on, the clothing and armor you weave will protect your Barbarian-Vanquishing comrades from the blades of the barbarians! The livestock you raise will provide even sturdier rations for your comrades! The warhorses you painstakingly nurture will transform into the mightiest cavalry, becoming the flying arrows that pierce through the barbarian cavalry formations!

"Furthermore, you must also form yourselves into camp units, drilling diligently every few days. On the day when all our young men are draped in mourning white, you will be the final line of defense protecting Bingzhou from the iron hooves of the barbarians. Can you handle this task?"

"We can!"

"We can!"

"We can!"

Chen Cong pressed a hand down to silence the chorus of resolute shouts, then pointed at random to a relatively sturdy-looking female soldier. "What is your name?"

"Liu Erya."

"Very well. From now on, you are the Captain of the Barbarian-Vanquishing Rear Guard. Now, take your subordinates, rebuild your camp, and await the orders of the Military Sima!"

"Yes!"

"Captain Liu, you should say 'Order received'."

Liu Erya dropped to both knees, banged her head heavily three times toward Chen Cong, and imitating the manner of men, clasped her fists tightly together and shouted, "Order received!"

Cao Chun was dumbfounded. Even after the female soldiers had departed in high spirits, he still couldn't figure out what had actually happened.

No matter how many nice words or harsh truths he had used, those women had stubbornly refused to budge, like rocks in a latrine pit.

Yet Chen Cong had just spouted some casual nonsense about "the day when all our young men are draped in mourning white..." and those women had cheerfully marched off?