Chapter 175: I'm Really Busy, Not Lying to You

After hearing the number Zhao Xing stated, Ling Yuan actually calmed down. It was simply impossible to achieve. The figure Zhao Xing proposed not only surpassed Yuncheng's historical standards but also exceeded the regulations for a county-level administration. As the saying goes, "a clever housewife cannot cook without rice." If it was impossible, they couldn't possibly kill him for it.

Zhao Xing continued, "Given Yuncheng's actual circumstances, I understand this figure presents a challenge for you. However, the past is the past, and the present is the present. I can guarantee that the Heavenly Crafts Workshop will receive its full quota of materials from now on. This is a major imperial policy, and anyone who dares to obstruct it will be making a futile effort. Furthermore, there will be personnel reassignments. Previously, coming here was like being exiled. But now, things are different; ambitious individuals will be eager to serve as officials here! If, even with sufficient materials and manpower, you still fail to meet my requirements, merely being dismissed from office will not be the end of it."

Zhao Xing rose from the main seat and slowly descended the steps. "I have said all I need to say. Esteemed sirs, those who need to inquire, go inquire; those who need to work, go work. There's no need to see me off."

The officials present wore thoughtful expressions. After pondering for a moment, Ling Yuan immediately jogged out to catch up with Zhao Xing. Although his superior said there was no need to see him off, Ling Yuan couldn't genuinely just let him leave. Moreover, he still had something to say.

"Sir Ling, didn't I say there's no need to see me off?" Zhao Xing said, though his steps halted.

"My Lord, if materials and manpower are fully supplied, even if I have to throw myself into the furnace, your subordinate will achieve the figures you've requested! Beyond meeting the combat readiness needs of the Department of Agriculture, we can even supply a batch of equipment to the Department of Agriculture's internal treasury!"

"Oh?" Zhao Xing raised an eyebrow. Ling Yuan was quite astute, having understood so quickly. "Weren't you quite troubled just a moment ago?"

Ling Yuan lowered his voice. "My Lord, your subordinate has something to report."

"Speak."

Ling Yuan said, "Although Yuncheng has frequently experienced warfare, as you've mentioned, it hasn't suffered large-scale harassment from barbarians in the past decade. Since the seventh year of Jingxin, even though official transfers have been frequent and many sought to leave, the various departments of the Heavenly Crafts Workshop have mostly remained near full staff, and materials have been distributed in full. Only..."

"Only what?"

Ling Yuan gritted his teeth. "Only one-third of the materials intended for Yuncheng have actually reached us on average over the past 10 years! Today, by rights, forty-nine people should have come to meet you, but only fourteen, including your subordinate, actually arrived. This is because Yuncheng has other official duties, with personnel dispatched to the Fengming Mountains for mining. Your subordinate has no authority to transfer them back."

"I understand," Zhao Xing said, waving his hand. "I'll give you seven days to audit the warehouse accounts. I won't impose strict demands for anything before your tenure, but for matters within your term, investigate thoroughly and carefully. You should have a clear idea of who is capable and who isn't. Immediately begin crafting equipment according to military management regulations, not just for agriculture, but also defensive and offensive siege weapons. Use whatever materials you have available to start. Seven days from now, submit the accounts to me."

Ling Yuan promised, "Yes, your subordinate will certainly comply, even if it costs me my life! I just fear that my life and the lives of my few brothers here won't be enough."

Zhao Xing smiled. Ling Yuan was still apprehensive and wanted a concrete assurance from him. He boarded the Arrowfish Airship and entered the small material storage compartment on board. Ling Yuan was puzzled but waited patiently, seeing that the airship had not yet taken off.

A quarter of an hour later, seven straw figures descended. After that, a steady stream of straw figures continued to jump off the airship. Soon, fifty straw figures stood all around Ling Yuan.

"This is... the Straw Figure Technique?" Ling Yuan's heart was startled. This was because Zhao Xing was using excellent materials; at minimum, they were cut from third-tier plants, and some parts even incorporated fourth-tier materials.

Zhao Xing jumped back down and nodded to Long Xiao. Long Xiao immediately understood. Placing his hand on the back of each straw figure, Long Xiao paused for at least half an incense stick's time for each one. Twenty days had passed since Zhao Xing first met Long Xiao at Huailiu Courtyard. All along the journey, Zhao Xing had been training Long Xiao to improve his Guardian Straw Figure technique, which had now reached the mid-tier, seventh-turn level.

"These are the Flying Guardian Straw Figures I have activated," Zhao Xing explained. "Combining two techniques with superior materials, and augmented by the sword cultivation method of the valiant Captain Long Xiao, these straw figures will protect you. No one below the seventh rank can harm you. Even a seventh-rank martial artist, a typical Qi Condensation practitioner, as long as they don't exceed his realm, will not escape death if struck by his sword qi."

Zhao Xing's Flying Technique was perfected. The power of the Guardian Straw Figures primarily depended on the realm of the one whose power was imbued. After achieving the seventh turn, Zhao Xing could barely store two strands of Long Xiao's sword qi. Who was Long Xiao? He was one in ten thousand among martial artists! He was also a rare sword cultivator. The incomplete sword technique he acquired from an ancient tomb he personally comprehended, summarized, and gradually perfected. It later became the renowned "Divine Firmament Sword Art," a supreme skill that martial artists would go to extreme lengths to learn. Even with fourth-tier materials and having trained the figures to the seventh turn, Zhao Xing could only imbue two strands of Long Xiao's 'Gengjin Sword Qi' into them! These Flying Straw Figures could both fight and flee.

"What? Even a seventh-rank Qi Condensation practitioner would die?" Ling Yuan's eyes were wide with shock. This was beyond his comprehension; after all, he didn't truly understand the full capabilities of such prodigious talents. Imbuing sword qi into straw figures was already an eye-opener for him, as he had never even heard of Guardian Straw Figures before. Wasn't the Straw Figure Technique only supposed to be used for scaring away birds and beasts? Yet these Guardian Straw Figures were supposedly capable of killing ordinary seventh-rank practitioners? However, a glance at Zhao Xing and Long Xiao's expressions confirmed they were not faking it. Indeed, after imbuing sword qi into all fifty straw figures, Long Xiao visibly looked much weaker.

"A small matter! Are these enough? If not, Sir Zhao and I can add a few more for you!" Long Xiao roared with laughter, though his hands, hidden behind his back, were actually trembling.

"More than enough, more than enough," Ling Yuan quickly bowed and said, "Your subordinate will certainly not fail your trust!"

"Let's go," Zhao Xing said. After giving orders to the Flying Guardian Straw Figures, he piloted the airship away. Mid-tier Straw Figure Techniques, especially the Guardian Straw Figures, unlike their low-tier counterparts, have no distance limitations and can even function in an 'offline state.' The Guardian Straw Figures Old Chen had given him back then could endure indefinitely, accompanying him to the countryside and later even being left for Granny Gui to use. Of course, if the distance was too great, Zhao Xing's 'brain-computer' interface wouldn't be able to sense the status of the Guardian Straw Figures. Whether they were destroyed or still intact could only be known once he was within a certain range.

"Damn it, I'm exhausted," Long Xiao grumbled, quickly pulling out a few fruits from a bamboo box to restore his vital energy. "You brat, showing off like that, but I'm the one who suffers! Activating fifty Guardian Straw Figures in one go nearly drained me dry!"

Zhao Xing looked at Long Xiao's trembling hands and couldn't help but chuckle. "Who was just saying, 'Do you want a few more?'"

After eating a few fruits, Long Xiao let out a satisfied sigh and leaned against the box. "Since you'd already said it, could I really say no? I had to go, even if it meant being completely drained. Damn it, you're even more ruthless than Old Chen. At least he treated me like a human being. You scoundrel, you're directly treating me, a valiant captain, like an ox or a horse!" Long Xiao continued to grumble and curse. He had originally thought that leaving Old Chen to serve as Zhao Xing's protector would be a bit easier. He could cry to death; it wasn't easy at all.

"Calm down. I just thought you, my elder brother, were wise and mighty and could completely handle it. Old Chen also said that this is a form of training for you."

"Hmph, of course I'm wise and mighty," Long Xiao said proudly. "Do you think just anyone deserves the title 'valiant'? As for training, well, I suppose so... it's just a bit tough," Long Xiao sighed. "Why isn't there a way to get strong quickly without getting tired?"

"You should rest and recover quickly. Tomorrow, we still need to make a trip to the county yamen," Zhao Xing said.

"What are we going to the county yamen for?" Long Xiao asked.

"The only people who could transfer personnel from Ling Yuan, the head of the Heavenly Crafts Workshop, without him being able to do anything about it, are the Yuncheng county magistrate and county commandant. However, here, the county magistrate also holds the position of county commandant concurrently. Ling Yuan didn't explicitly say it, but the implication is clear: the Yuncheng county magistrate transferred people from the Heavenly Crafts Workshop for private work. Furthermore, all materials entering and leaving Yuncheng must be reviewed and signed off by this magistrate, making it highly probable that he has been embezzling."

Long Xiao commented, "It's truly bizarre. Yuncheng, a county-level administration, frequently faces conflict, yet the position of county commandant is vacant, with the county magistrate concurrently holding the role. This scoundrel must have embezzled an enormous amount to satisfy those above him, creating a situation where he holds all the power."

Zhao Xing pondered, "I haven't met the person yet, so it's hard to say. Let's return to the Department of Agriculture for now and visit this Yuncheng county magistrate tomorrow. The Yuncheng county magistrate's name is Shao Wanjie. He holds the rank of senior seventh-grade. He was originally a military officer, a captain, before transitioning to a civil official as county magistrate. He took office in Yuncheng twelve years ago. At that time, the county commandant position was not vacant, and he was only a junior seventh-grade official. However, he was promoted every three years, steadily rising to senior seventh-grade."

Upon their return, Zhao Xing first sought out Bao Wenshan for a discussion. As the saying goes, "An elder in the family is like a living treasure." Bao Wenshan had resided in Yuncheng for over a hundred years and could be said to know the city inside out. Hearing his introduction of Shao Wanjie, Zhao Xing couldn't help but ask, "Given Yuncheng's situation, how could he have risen so consistently? Three ranks in ten years, concurrently holding the county commandant position—he's practically on his way to the sixth rank, which is quite rare. Did he make some significant contribution to Yuncheng?"

Bao Wenshan scoffed. "Contribution? He certainly made many contributions, but they were all for those above him. Shao Wanjie began lining his pockets the moment he took office. Of Yuncheng's five departments, he meddled in all but the temple. Whether it was quotas distributed from above or taxes collected from below, everything had to pass through his hands. Initially, it was small-scale corruption, but later it became rampant, with him simply taking more than half! He also frequently diverted personnel from various departments for his private schemes, treating officials at all levels as his personal troops!"

Zhao Xing flipped through the accounts Zhang Zhong had submitted and shook his head in dismay. What was the reason for all this? The land taxes paid by the Department of Agriculture were first sent to the county yamen's warehouse for storage, accounting, and review, before being uniformly transported to the prefectural city at year-end. However, the county yamen's various warehouses suffered fires, earthquakes, and water damage every year. Well, Yuncheng's terrain was perilous, so this could be explained. After all, the city itself was often breached, so a warehouse fire wasn't a major incident. Then there was the transportation from Yuncheng to the prefectural city, which mostly followed river routes. Shao Wanjie consistently dispatched people for waterway transport, and every year, goods would inexplicably disappear. Don't ask why; if you did, the answer would always be "a capsized boat on the Canglan River," with heavy losses of money and grain attributed to natural disaster, not human error. That's what they said, but natural disasters and capsized boats... wasn't that just subtly shifting the blame to the Department of Agriculture and the Heavenly Crafts Workshop? Consequently, Ling Yuan, the head official of the Heavenly Crafts Workshop, should logically have been seventh-rank, but under Shao Wanjie's manipulations, he was stubbornly held at senior eighth-rank. The Department of Agriculture also had eighth-rank officials as its heads for several years.

Didn't the previous Hydraulic Official and Workshop Director report this? Feedback was useless. Shao Wanjie had powerful backing, supported by a chain of vested interests. If they couldn't solve the problem, couldn't they at least eliminate the person who raised it? Thus, those who reported were either transferred or demoted, allowing Shao Wanjie to become completely dominant. After satisfying those above him, he not only rose steadily in rank but also nominally held the concurrent position of county commandant, effectively controlling four of the five departments, excluding only the temple. With little profit left to extract from Yuncheng, he began to find ways to make money elsewhere. The incomplete staff at Ling Yuan's Heavenly Crafts Workshop was precisely because this scoundrel had transferred most of them to the Fengming Mountains for mineral exploration.

So the question was, just how powerful was this man's backing?

Bao Wenshan pondered, "I heard this man boast that he is a disciple of King Liang. His direct superior is Liu Junliang, a senior fifth-grade prefectural assistant, and all of Shao's promotions were recommended by Liu Junliang. Furthermore, he was originally a member of King Liang's private army, the Black Dragon Guard. It's said he even served as a deputy commander, but I don't know if that's true."

Zhao Xing paused. "King Liang? Are you referring to Ji Mingxian, King Liang of Lvliang Prefecture?"

Bao Wenshan nodded. "Precisely."

"No wonder he's so arrogant," Zhao Xing realized, as King Liang's exploits flashed through his mind. King Liang Ji Mingxian was one of the few first-rank princes. He was Emperor Wen's ninth son and Emperor Jing's full younger brother. In the early days of the Dingxin era, during the expansion of the empire, King Liang Ji Mingxian briefly served as the supreme commander of the three armies towards the end of the war. Afterward, he personally oversaw the establishment of the Nine Heavens Yingyuan Prefecture. He was deeply favored by Emperor Jing. The war was almost over, yet Ji Mingxian was made supreme commander of the three armies, and then he personally oversaw the creation of the Nine Heavens Yingyuan Prefecture. Wasn't such "peach-picking" a clear sign of favoritism?

However, this King Liang, who was laden with countless honors and appeared humble and gentle, actually harbored hidden ambitions. It was precisely because Marquis Shenwei, Yang An, cast a dissenting vote when King Liang Ji Mingxian took over as supreme commander of the three armies. Siding with the wrong faction had severe consequences. Originally, Yang An was slated for promotion to First-Class Marquis Shenwei based on his merits, and the central government's commendation was already drafted. However, after King Liang took office, he seized an opportunity to deliberately make the Shenwei Army commit errors, using the chance to demote Yang An to Third-Class County Marquis. The Shenwei Army was also disbanded, its core forces scattered, with only its name remaining. Yet, this King Liang, who bore countless honors and was deeply favored, for some unknown reason, allied with the Southern Barbarians and demonic sect figures to rebel in the late years of the Jingxin era.

"It seems Shao Wanjie was a vassal who became a regular official, but he couldn't have been the commander of the Black Dragon Guard; at most, he was a low-ranking soldier."

Bao Wenshan asked, surprised, "How can you tell?"

Zhao Xing explained, "The Black Dragon Guard was one of King Liang's three elite forces. If Shao Wanjie had retired as a commander, there's no way he would have been assigned merely a junior seventh-grade civil official post, let alone in a desolate place like Yuncheng."

Bao Wenshan cupped his hands. "My Lord certainly knows more."

Of course, Zhao Xing knew more. In his previous life, he had served in King Liang's Black Dragon Guard and even rebelled alongside him. At the time, he didn't fully understand the situation, thinking King Liang was a true enlightened ruler. He joined King Liang's ranks with his comrades, hoping to achieve great merit by supporting him from the very beginning. He had initially believed King Liang to be a figure like the 'King of Yan,' a true contender, but during the actual rebellion, he proved to be more akin to 'Emperor Jianwen.' The rebellion was crushed within two and a half years, and even the external sects and Southern Barbarians who aided him openly called him inept. Only in hindsight did he realize that Emperor Jing had been fishing, luring his younger brother to take the bait, and he had indeed rebelled. When the bait was truly taken, Emperor Jing was deeply saddened. King Liang's rebellion was also one of the key factors that led Emperor Jing to hastily conclude the Jingxin era and focus on siring an heir.

"My Lord, how do you intend to proceed? If Shao Wanjie doesn't leave, your efforts to manage the waterways will be like trying to dance in shackles," Bao Wenshan said.

"How to proceed? By reporting him, of course," Zhao Xing said, picking up the ledger and walking out. Shao Wanjie was merely a figurehead, largely unconnected to King Liang. He could be discarded easily if he became too tainted. Others might be unable to report him effectively, but Sir Zhao was different. He had originally considered meeting Shao Wanjie before deciding, but now it seemed unnecessary.

Unexpectedly, just as Zhao Xing was about to write his letter, Shao Wanjie sent an envoy to the Department of Agriculture.

"The County Lord was busy with official duties yesterday, but upon learning of your appointment today, he immediately prepared a banquet at his residence to welcome you, Sir Zhao," a middle-aged scholar said, handing over an invitation.

"I am also busy with official duties," Zhao Xing replied without looking up. "Please inform Sir Shao that I genuinely cannot attend."

The middle-aged scholar calmly said, "Agricultural Official Zhao has just taken office and may not even recognize all his subordinates. Where could these 'busy official duties' come from? My lord's invitation is truly sincere."

Zhao Xing finished writing his official document, blew on the ink, and said with great sincerity, "I am truly busy, I'm not deceiving you. You see, there are so many of your lord's transgressions that a single memorial won't be enough to list them all."

The middle-aged scholar was speechless.