At Any Cost

At Any Cost

Time slipped away in a hurry, and before they knew it, evening had arrived once more.

The weather today was fairly good. The stifling heat of the past few days had faded, replaced by a hint of cool early-autumn breeze that left one feeling refreshed.

However, not a single drop of rain had fallen for a full three months. This year, a vast portion of the northwestern frontier of the Great Ming Dynasty would likely see its crops fail completely.

The common people at the bottom could barely afford the many taxes already, yet because the military situation in Liaodong had grown dire this year, the court had raised taxes once again, pouring oil onto the flames.

There was no need to think too hard about it. With blazing fire boiling oil, this land would surely see many more rebel armies raising their poles in revolt.

Having finished a day of martial training in the Basic Fist Technique, the dozen-odd gifted youths had just eaten another bowl of Spirit Rice Meal and drunk a bowl of Vitality and Blood Soup. Led by a soldier, they did not return to the large storeroom where they had previously rested, but instead marched in formation toward the rear mansion compound they had never visited before.

Clearly, now that Zhang Xianzhong had discovered and selected them, not only had their supply of cultivation resources increased greatly, but their living quarters would likely be changed as well. They would no longer sleep on the communal kang beds.

As the residence of a local landlord and gentry family within the county town, the Wang Family Courtyard was naturally luxurious and immense.

Moreover, the gentry Wang Family, one of Dingbian City's three great gentry clans, did not even have its main residence within this county town. It was located near the Wuding River, a hundred li southeast of the county town.

There, the Wang Family possessed a fortified estate and garden spanning tens of thousands of mu. Not only was it comparable in area to a small city, even its walls were somewhat taller and larger than Dingbian City's!

Although Dingbian City had fallen into the hands of the rebel army, the main residences of the three great gentry clans, including the Wang Family, were not in the county town. Most of their foundations and accumulated wealth remained intact, and they had not suffered great losses.

The rebel army, having risen in haste, lacked the strength for the moment to capture those fortified estates, while the three gentry clans lacked both powerful commanders and sufficient force to launch a counterattack against the county town.

Thus, the two sides temporarily ignored each other and maintained an uneasy peace. It was quite a strange affair.

Zhang Xianzhong had anticipated this situation even before raising his banner in rebellion.

Across the vast lands of the northwestern frontier, even the Tatars who often entered the passes to raid for grain had no way to swiftly capture the fortified ancestral estates of such wealthy gentry families.

To capture the main fortified estates of those three gentry clans, at least for now, was impossible with only himself and the rabble under his command.

Together with the dozen-odd gifted youths, Li Dingguo was led through a half-moon-shaped arched courtyard gate and arrived before a cluster of buildings filled with exquisite towers and pavilions.

There were rockeries and gardens, pavilions and lofty halls, even little bridges over flowing water, along with rare flowers and unusual plants. The sight opened the heart and delighted the eye.

Droughts had indeed occurred frequently in recent years, but Dingbian City was not far from the renowned Wuding River, and its groundwater was abundant. As long as one had money to dig deep wells, the problem of water was easily solved.

Though the Wang Family could not be called fabulously wealthy, it certainly did not lack the small amount of money needed to dig several deep wells.

The Wuding River was a great river. Even on Earth in Li Dingguo's previous life, it had been a major river, two or three hundred meters wide at its broadest point and still dozens of meters wide at its narrowest.

In this great world, whose area exceeded that of Earth from his previous life by an unknown amount, the Wuding River stretched beyond the eye, and had never once run dry.

Fortunately, all manner of miraculous Treasure Ships existed in this great world. Only powerful merchants and officers and soldiers could travel back and forth across those immense, dangerous rivers.

In this world, without sufficient strength, it was impossible to travel far.

At the very least, most ordinary people could not do so by themselves.

That was not traveling far. That was seeking one's own death.

If ordinary people wished to travel far to visit relatives or the like, they had to be protected by the guard escort of a medium- or large-sized merchant house, or guarded by soldiers from a great army.

Under the night that had just descended, Li Dingguo and the other youths were led into a brilliantly lit main hall.

They discovered that Eight Great Kings Zhang Xianzhong was there as well. Two trembling old scholars even sat in large wooden chairs below.

"You lot, stop looking around everywhere. It is impolite."

Zhang Xianzhong's expression remained calm. Pointing at the two old scholars beside him with one hand, he said to the gifted youths who had just arrived, "These are the two xiucai scholars I invited for you."

"For the coming period of time, the two of them will teach you how to read and write."

At this point, his tone turned stern. "I trust you all understand just how difficult it is for ordinary people in this world to have a chance to study and learn to read and write!"

"You must all cherish this opportunity and study diligently, so that you will not disappoint the painstaking effort I have put in."

"Starting tonight, under normal circumstances, one hour of study every day will be compulsory work that you must complete!"

"At most two months! Among you, anyone who still cannot complete the study of basic cultural knowledge will likewise be eliminated and driven from our rebel army!"

"Have you heard me clearly!"

He looked at the gifted youths, silent as cicadas in winter, and barked coldly.

"We heard clearly!"...

Li Dingguo and the others hurriedly answered, their expressions solemn.

Even if their origins had limited their knowledge and experience, they still knew how difficult it was for ordinary commoners in this world to obtain an opportunity to study and become literate.

This was a learning opportunity they had long sought but never obtained. How could they possibly complain?

Zhang Xianzhong first introduced the two old gentlemen to the sixteen youths so they could become acquainted. Then he turned and went to sit off to the side, watching the two old xiucai scholars, whom he had brought here through threats and inducements, tremblingly begin their teaching duties.

This main hall had already been arranged like a small schoolroom. Brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, books, desks, and chairs were all present.

Furthermore, the schoolroom was brightly lit, so even at night, it did not affect the lessons.

Zhang Xianzhong had even ordered large amounts of mugwort to be burned throughout the place, fumigating it thoroughly until even mosquitoes and insects were scarce.

It could be said that Zhang Xianzhong had put considerable thought into arranging this little schoolroom.

His aim was to give these sixteen gifted youths a good learning environment and strive to have them complete their basic cultural education as quickly as possible.

He did not need these youths to possess the scholarly knowledge of xiucai. He only needed them to be able to read books, military reports, and official documents smoothly in the future, and to distinguish right from wrong.

Only then could they fulfill his expectations, help him take full control of the rebel army, learn some Military Strategy and Tactics, and gain the ability to command armies independently.

What he looked forward to most were the four gifted youths who had only just been discovered, those with monstrous talent.

Zhang Xianzhong refused to believe that, under his all-out cultivation, he could not raise several core rebel commanders accomplished in both letters and martial arts!

Once these gifted youths matured, the rebel army, now scattered like loose sand, would finally be completely under his control and transformed into an elite force that could not be crushed.

Only then would Zhang Xianzhong have hope of fulfilling his ambitions and rapidly expanding and strengthening the rebel army.