Although he didn't think much of Gu Beiquan and his group, Shen Yuan cared about the topic he mentioned.
After all, he didn't want Chen Qing to be besieged by the imperial court at all. He used to be reluctant to part with the Daoist scriptures of the academy, and now he was reluctant to part with the city of Liuzhou. To be honest, the world Chen Qing was in under the current system was something he had never dared to imagine before.
He really hoped that this place could last longer.
But he also knew it would be difficult!
Chen Qing's model is a declaration of war against all the powerful families in the world, not only those with blood ties, but also ordinary gentry families. The order under Chen Qing's rule is digging up the roots of those landlords!
"I've already found out the details through my colleague who works as an accountant under Zhou Haitao these past two days!" Gu Beiquan said excitedly, " Chen Qing is mobilizing troops on a massive scale, not even sparing Yunzhou, the furthest point. Based on the figures he revealed, and considering the enormous amount of grain and fodder, Chen Qing has mobilized at least 300,000 troops this time, plus at least a million laborers!"
Shen Yuan stared at him blankly upon hearing this.
Do you know what this means?
"Representative Chen Qing has developed really fast," Shen Yuan said, swallowing hard. He had spent most of his time at the academy and didn't pay much attention to the Battle God Army, but he knew how powerful Battle God Army. After all, when he was in Whitewater County, he had personally witnessed how the Battle God Army cleared out the living corpses and protected the villagers as they returned to Liuzhou.
He wasn't some ignorant peasant boy; he had befriended scions of powerful families and knew very well the fighting strength of those Fighter Army. Could Chen Qing really mobilize 300,000 of those troops so easily now?
It's only been a year.
But thinking about it, it seems quite normal. Chen Qing's Fighter Army's power transfer is inherently illogical; anyone who joins the Fighter Army can receive power and be trained into a fighter. As for food, he has many friends among the Agricultural Academy students and roughly knows the production volume of some new products. In Jiangnan today, feeding a million bloodline children is really not a problem.
So, Chen Qing is already that strong?
Hearing Shen Yuan's reply, Gu Beiquan felt a surge of discomfort. "What's so fast about it? It's just a rabble. Can Chen Qing's soldiers, recruited from the countryside, be compared to the imperial army's elite forces?"
Shen Yuan remained silent. To be honest, he felt that if the imperial court hadn't dispatched elite troops like the Golden Dragon Guard or the Northern Flying Dragon Guard, ordinary soldiers would probably have been beaten to a pulp if they came to Jiangnan!
"The key isn't how many soldiers Chen Qing has, but that Chen Qing's mobilizing so many. Do you know what that means?" Gu Beiquan exclaimed excitedly, "It definitely means there's external pressure! Is there even a question? The imperial court must have realized Chen Qing's wolfish ambitions and sent troops to suppress him!"
Shen Yuan was taken aback, and murmured, "Has this day finally come?"
"Brother Shen, you must also be looking forward to this day?" Gu Beiquan said excitedly. "Once the imperial army suppresses these rebellions, we can regain our former identities. However, we can't just wait around. That Chen Qing has not only bewitched the people of Jiangnan, but his wicked methods are also troublesome. As subjects of the court, we must share the burden for the court!"
I have absolutely no expectations.
Shen Yuan inwardly grimaced, but outwardly cooperated by asking, "How can we share the burden?"
"Intelligence!" Gu Beiquan whispered, "We lost our territory, and although we were tricked by that treacherous Chen Qing, it's a fact. If we want the court to take us seriously, we need to offer them what they want. I've already asked a friend to find out about Zhou Haitao's grain distribution. Brother Shen, you should mainly gather intelligence on Chen Qing's so-called Warlock Academy. I heard that Chen Qing is building a large ship and some kind of cannon that can kill enemies from a thousand meters away."
"Those low-class scoundrels, skilled in bizarre and wicked techniques, create things that are truly immoral and deserving of death. We must not let them use those things to hinder the imperial army. Brother Shen, could you possibly steal the cannons and the blueprints for the Sea God from the academy?"
Shen Yuan: "."
Did I really associate with these shameless guys before?
On the one hand, they despise engineering as second-rate, while on the other hand, they worry that the things produced by engineering are a threat and that they will steal other people's academic achievements.
What does it mean to have both a foundation and a position?
I've seen it for myself now.
"Even if I could steal what you want, who are you planning to give it to?" Shen Yuan asked curiously.
He was very curious. How could this group of good-for-nothings, who just loafed around all day, have the nerve to plan such a big thing? Putting aside whether they were courting death, the key question was: who gave them the audacity?
Gu Beiquan and the others exchanged glances, seemingly hesitant to reveal certain information.
Seeing this, Shen Yuan stood up impatiently. "It seems Brother Gu doesn't quite trust me. The military aircraft project in the Academy of Engineering has always been classified, and even the professors are not allowed to participate. Don't you know how much risk I would have to take to steal the blueprints?"
"You want me to take such a big risk just to fool you with a few words? Do you think I'm a three-year-old?"
Without hesitation, he turned and left!
"Hey, hey, hey, Brother Shen, Brother Shen!" A group of people hurriedly stood up to stop him, especially Gu Beiquan, who was sweating profusely. They had received a guarantee from a certain high-ranking official, and if they couldn't get what was promised, how could they rise in rank based on their new merits?
Looking at Shen Yuan's cold and unyielding expression, Gu Beiquan knew that he couldn't persuade Shen Yuan to take the risk with just a few words.
He then exchanged glances with the other local gentry and finally said, "Let me introduce you. This is Squire Liu, a cousin of the Ministry of Rites in the capital."
"Oh?" Shen Yuan glanced at the fat country gentleman who had been introduced, and gave a forced bow, saying, "I admit I was mistaken."
"Not at all, not at all. Shen the Second-Place Laureate is exceptionally talented and promising at such a young age. We should have gotten to know him long ago," the fat rich man chuckled.
" Brother Gu, do you mean there's news coming from the capital?"
"Yes." Gu Beiquan nodded. "As you all know, Chen Qing has already started organizing merchant caravans to go out of Jiangnan. Although most of the people in Jiangnan have been misled by Chen Qing, many still support the imperial court and are using the opportunity of going out of Jiangnan to purchase goods to report Chen Qing's wolfish ambitions to the court!"
Shen Yuan nodded upon hearing this; so that's where the loophole was!
He knew about this too. Jiangnan was short of horses. Even if Chen Qing had a magical existence like the Mountain God, he would still need basic horses for research. Moreover, Jiangnan's large ships were short of timber, and the towering trees in the east were something Chen Qing urgently needed to import.
As early as half a year ago, Chen Qing had already begun organizing merchant caravans to travel out of Jiangnan. Most of them were daring individuals, including former maritime merchants. The high-quality grains, teas, and silks produced in Chen Qing's territory far surpassed those from Jiangnan in the past, and they sold extremely well. Chen Qing was willing to spend large sums of silver to purchase the war resources and materials such as horses and dried timber that were brought back from those caravans, resulting in those maritime merchants who dared to go out to sea making a fortune!
Under such circumstances, how could anyone still go to the capital to report Chen Qing?
Have you lost your brain?
However, in a large forest, there are all kinds of birds, so Shen Yuan is not unusual.
So he said, "Since the imperial court had news of this, why didn't they immediately send a large army to encircle and suppress them? Instead, they resorted to this petty act of stealing technology."
"Brother Shen, you're mistaken," Gu Beiquan quickly retorted. "How can you call it petty behavior? Chen Qing uses crooked methods to create these things. Although the court isn't afraid, if we can understand the enemy and minimize casualties, it would be a great deed, wouldn't it? With inside help, how many soldiers could be saved? How many wives and children could avoid losing their husbands and fathers? Brother Shen can understand that, can't he?"
Shen Yuan: "."
This guy's skin is incredibly thick. You're so focused on suppressing the Jiangnan, but have you ever considered the wives and children of most of the soldiers here? Now you're putting on this pitiful act, who are you trying to fool?
"I want to know, is this really the imperial court's intention?" Shen Yuan was too lazy to argue with the other party about these irrelevant things, and went straight to asking the question that concerned him most.
Gu Beiquan glanced at the fat man, who then produced a letter. "This is a letter from my elder brother. Brother Gu also passed the imperial examinations, so it must be from the Minister's handwriting, right?"
Shen Yuan nodded slightly. The Ministry of Rites would write comments on every Jinshi's essay, and anyone who could pass the Jinshi exam had naturally seen the Minister of Ministry of Rites' writings.
Moreover, the letter also bears the seal of the Ministry of Rites, one of the Nine Ministers.
That's definitely right.
But something still doesn't feel right.
The reason is simple: if the imperial court were truly going to launch a major offensive against Jiangnan, shouldn't the Ministry of Military Affairs be responsible for intelligence gathering?
Even if it's the Ministry of War, it's still the Ministry of War. When did it become the Ministry of Rites to handle this?
Either Gu Beiquan and this fat man are hiding something, or the imperial court has different attitudes towards Jiangnan!
To be honest, he prefers the latter.
So what should I do?
For the first time, Shen Yuan felt somewhat lost. Even if there were disagreements within the court, he couldn't escape these issues now.
Ultimately, I have to make a choice!
In fact, he knew that this day would come sooner or later after he entered the academy.
Chen Qing will definitely stand against the imperial court, and one day, I will also have to make a choice between Jiangnan and my family.
The other party already has channels of communication with the capital. If we refuse today, and they send a letter back, my family may completely sever ties with me!
What should I do?
Brother Shen?
"Give me some time." Shen Yuan, deeply conflicted, took a breath and subconsciously delayed, saying, "As I said before, the information on shipbuilding and firearms from the Yellow Academy is classified. I'm a disciple of the Heaven Academy, specializing in sorcerer formations. Obtaining the Yellow Academy's information will take time."
"Of course, of course," Gu Beiquan quickly replied with a smile, but then added, "However, Brother Shen, a great battle is imminent, and time waits for no one. You must hurry!"
Shen Yuan: "."
Two chapters released back-to-back, four more tonight, but the last two will probably be posted quite late. Thank you again for your monthly votes!