I Have a Friend (Seeking Recommendations and Collections!)

Guangnan West Circuit.

Yong Prefecture.

"The fields here are truly desolate!"

Huang Shang looked at the patches of barren land and sighed.

The fields of Yong Prefecture were the most desolate he had ever seen.

The local farmers did not maintain irrigation canals, nor did they apply fertilizer, simply sowing and harvesting at random.

Because of this, even by the riverside, the land remained almost entirely dry.

At this rate, the yield per mu would not even reach one-third of that in Jiangnan.

Murong Bo analyzed, "To increase production, one must rely on immigration, improved seeds, and better farming techniques. Yong Prefecture lacks all of these, and with the constant incursions from Jiaozhi, it is destined to be this way."

Huang Shang nodded.

The two traveled through the various prefectures of Guangxi, and wherever Huang Shang went, he made every effort to visit the homes of the common people and record data.

He had no pageboy, so as the data accumulated, he carried it on his own shoulders every day.

Murong Bo watched silently, his eyes flickering.

Eventually, they arrived at a place called Guwan Stockade.

This was the southern gateway of Yong Prefecture, which, along with Yongping Stockade and Taiping Stockade, formed the defensive line against Jiaozhi.

The names were all auspicious, yet they never truly knew peace.

The latter two were quite remote, and Huang Shang did not wish to seek out unnecessary trouble, so he decided to make Guwan Stockade his final stop.

Among the three stockades, this one was indeed the largest, situated on a major thoroughfare with frequent merchant traffic.

Ten years ago, when Nong Zhigao raised an army to rebel against the Great Song, he breached Guwan Stockade and occupied Yong Prefecture. Later, Nong Zhigao was defeated by Di Qing and fled, and over the years, Guwan Stockade had recovered.

Not only did merchants travel through the military stockade, but a small town had also formed outside its walls, consisting of over a thousand households.

However, when Huang Shang arrived, he was informed that no one was permitted to leave the stockade.

The garrison had tightly sealed the gates, and even the high ground used for scouting was guarded and off-limits.

The merchants were accustomed to such things, but under Murong Bo's suggestion, Huang Shang climbed the mountain path to bypass Guwan Stockade.

Consequently, what appeared before them was a scene of shocking misery.

The small town that should have been built against the walls of Guwan Stockade had vanished.

In its place lay a charred, grey ruin left behind by fire.

Walls had collapsed, houses had fallen, and beams turned to charcoal lay scattered across the ashes.

Corpses were laid out in the open, all burned beyond recognition, making them impossible to identify.

Murong Bo said, "Fire attack—it was the Jiaozhi army!"

Indeed, just last night, hundreds of Jiaozhi soldiers had launched a sudden raid. Most of the townspeople had fled into the stockade, but some of the elderly and weak had been unable to escape in time.

Those barbarian thieves had slaughtered and looted outside the walls, yet the garrison within Guwan Stockade had not dared to take a single step outside.

Only when the Jiaozhi had finished venting their animalistic desires and burned the town did the survivors, in the light of day, begin to search the ruins for the remains of their loved ones and what little property remained.

Huang Shang stared blankly at the scene.

On Earth, through photographs, people could see the misery of war-torn nations.

But no matter how clear the photos were, they could not compare to the shock of witnessing it in person.

The numb expressions of the adults formed a cruel contrast with the children sitting in the ruins, wailing in grief.

Huang Shang did not quite understand why these people lived in such a dangerous little town, but he knew this was not the first time, nor would it be the last.

From the Eastern Capital Kaifeng Prefecture to Yong Prefecture in Jinghu South Circuit, everything had seemed like a scene of peace and prosperity.

Having witnessed the learning and integrity of the great scholars, it seemed the Song Dynasty—often mocked by later generations as the "Great Cowardly Song"—was not as pathetic as rumored.

But now, the bloody reality laid out before him finally tore the veil of decency to shreds.

It was not the Liao Kingdom, nor Western Xia, but Jiaozhi!

Even such worthless scum could bully the Great Song!

Murong Bo observed Huang Shang's expression and sighed deliberately, "A tiny, insignificant nation, yet their ambition has never been small!"

His tone was filled with sorrow and indignation, though he gloated in his heart.

Huang Shang's fury ignited in an instant.

However, he said nothing, merely watching it all with a deep gaze.

"As for the barbarians beyond our borders, let us start with Jiaozhi!"

"Since I have come to this world, I will not turn a blind eye."

Huang Shang understood now why the Heavens Consciousness had granted him a Universal Card to infiltrate as a character in the plot.

Sense of immersion.

If they were merely passing Reincarnators, perhaps seeing it would be the end of it, and they would never harbor such sentiments.

Yet, for those who live in this world, it is impossible to turn a blind eye.

As for Huang Shang now, he is not so noble as to be willing to shed his blood and sacrifice his head to defend the Main God Temple against the Heavens Consciousness.

He simply wishes to be different, to possess the advantages that Reincarnators lack.

But at the very least, his sense of identification with the identity of Huang Shang is growing stronger.

It is no longer just about completing a mission.

It is a new life.

And in this life, he intends to do something.

Huang Shang turned and left.

He had seen enough of Guangxi; next, he would head to Guangdong.

Along the way, Murong Bo probed, "Worthy Brother, what are your thoughts on Jiaozhi?"

Huang Shang replied indifferently, "Jiaozhi is merely a border region of a few prefectures from the old Tang, and even combined, they cannot compare to a single circuit of Guangxi. It is only because our Great Song has focused its strategic efforts toward the northwest for decades to guard against Northern Liao and Western Xia that the people of Jiaozhi have grown increasingly greedy and arrogant year after year. But that ends here. Whom the gods wish to destroy, they first make mad!"

"Whom the gods wish to destroy, they first make mad..."

Murong Bo chewed on the meaning of these words, unable to hide his agitation.

As a modern man, Huang Shang had learned much about the current world from Murong Bo along the way, but Murong Bo had gained even more inspiration from Huang Shang.

In Murong Bo's eyes, this young man, who frequently uttered such startling remarks, was not only a disciple of the great Confucian Zhang Zai and the top scholar of Yong Prefecture, but also possessed exceptional talent and had caught the eye of those eccentric individuals. It was said that he would surely place high on the imperial examinations and become the top scholar in the future.

That was why Murong Bo had deliberately sought to befriend him.

However, Murong Bo had come to Guangxi with the intent of investigation, and upon hearing Huang Shang's assessment of Jiaozhi, he was not satisfied. "The Prince of Jiaozhi is ambitious; he is reforming his military system, promoting the veneration of Confucius, and studying Confucianism. I fear he will become a grave threat to our Great Song in the future!"

"Prince of Jiaozhi" was the title used by the Great Song; historically, it was known as the Ly Dynasty of Vietnam. The current ruler was the third emperor, named Li Shengzong.

In 1054, this man changed his country's name to "Great Viet," declared himself emperor behind closed doors, ceased paying tribute, and made no secret of his aggressive ambitions. Since 1059, he had repeatedly violated the borders of the Song Dynasty, engaging in large-scale looting.

Having gained quite a few advantages, the entire Jiaozhi leadership was now as energized as if they had been injected with stimulants, even harboring the ambition of a snake trying to swallow an elephant.

But Huang Shang only asked one question: "Where is Nong Zhigao now?"

Murong Bo felt a chill in his heart.

The name Nong Zhigao sounded strange, but in reality, he was a leader of an ethnic minority in Guangxi who had rebelled against the Song ten years prior. His advance had been like a hot knife through butter; he had slain famous generals and defeated the imperial punitive forces multiple times, including those led by Yang Wenguang.

Yes, that very same Yang Wenguang.

In the legends, Yang Wenguang was the son of Mu Guiying and Yang Zongbao, though his role was far less prominent than his parents'.

In reality, Yang Zongbao and Mu Guiying were fictional, while Yang Wenguang was a historical figure.

Returning to the point, at the height of his power, Nong Zhigao claimed he could shake the foundations of the Great Song. And yet?

He was still wiped out in the end.

The disparity between the two sides was simply too vast.

The same logic applied to Jiaozhi.

The more they danced now, the more disastrous their future defeat would be.

Murong Bo was no fool; he immediately understood that this trip had been in vain.

He had gone to great lengths to incite war once more.

He had tried to use the Liao Kingdom in the north, Western Xia in the west, and now even Jiaozhi in the south.

He wished to be a strategist of the Warring States period.

When he is angry, the feudal lords tremble; when he rests, the world is at peace.

That was undoubtedly the highest praise, elevating the status of a strategist to one that surpassed the monarchs of various nations.

But the reality was the opposite.

When the various states were at war, strategists traveled far and wide, thriving like fish in water; but once the world was largely at peace, the strategists had to fade away.

They had no place to exercise their talents.

Now that Murong Bo wanted to act as a strategist, engaging in alliances and counter-alliances, he had to consider whether the world was in chaos.

The Liao Kingdom in the north was decaying even faster than the Great Song, and Western Xia had not been the same since Li Yuanhao died. Now, it was Jiaozhi's turn to jump about.

Small skirmishes might occur, but a great war was unlikely to erupt.

Murong Bo was unwilling to give up and looked toward Huang Shang.

Outside the Guwan Stockade, he had felt the anger within Huang Shang's heart.

This was a man of the pro-war faction.

He could be utilized.

However, although Huang Shang was young, he had a very strong sense of his own mind and was certainly not someone who could be swayed by a few words.

It must be someone close, influenced through subtle, imperceptible means.

At this moment, Murong Bo suddenly recalled a phrase those Reincarnators often kept on their lips.

If you don't invest, where will the returns come from?

It made sense!

A decision faintly took root in Murong Bo's heart, and he extended an invitation: "Brother, would you be interested in a trip to the Zhejiang West Circuit? I have a friend outside Gusu City who unfortunately passed away from illness, leaving behind a son who is truly a talent worth molding!"