Eight Islands of Gong
"Boom!"
A bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, illuminating the entire area. Rain continued to fall, hitting the sides of the boat. Although it was close to the shore, the boat was still shaking violently.
"Quick, quick, carry it down!" The boatmen formed a group of four. They wore coarse linen short sleeves and straw raincoats as they slowly lifted the heavy boxes down the gangplank. On the side, the steward's shouts were deafening, urging them to move towards the warehouse not far from the pier.
Lanterns were lit in the warehouse, as a few men were counting the items.
"Dong!" The boatmen placed the boxes on the ground, and as soon as they were placed down, an accountant came forward to check and register the items. The wind was blowing loudly outside, and from time to time, the wind would blow in.
Wei Ang was flipping through the accounts when the wind blew in, causing the lanterns to flutter. Wei Ang had a scar on his face, and under the dim light of the lanterns, he looked terrifying.
After a long time, Wei Ang finally closed the accounts. Shen Zhi was still in his coarse linen coat, as he carried the last box in. Two soldiers followed behind him.
"Third young master, it's all done." Shen Zhi said as he heaved a sigh of relief, "It's a total of six hundred thousand taels, half of what's in the treasury."
After accepting such a large sum of money, Wei Ang paced a few steps and looked outside.
"Hu!" The wind and rain continued, causing the trees and grass to fly. Every now and then, a bolt of lightning would flash across the sky, indicating that the storm was far from over.
"I wonder how father is doing?" After a long time, Wei Ang sighed.
Shen Zhi listened and did not speak. He then walked to Wei Ang's side and looked in the direction of Ying Prefecture, "Master Marquis is blessed by the heavens, he will definitely …"
Before he could finish his sentence, he paused and paused before continuing, "I'm thinking that third young master should immediately take over the position of Ji Marquis, and try to pull himself together!"
"Father said to wait for what if …" Wei Ang was taken aback.
"It's too late, third young master, listen to me." Shen Zhi frowned and looked outside, "The Eight Islands of Gong are no bigger than one county. According to the High Duke's orders, the number of families who have migrated here is no more than two thousand."
"If the High Duke wins, he can take over Ying Prefecture and control the entire prefecture. Ying Prefecture has sixty-five counties, and the Eight Islands of Gong are nothing to him."
"If you fail, to put it bluntly, the hearts of the people will crumble. Even if the Third Young Master wants to ascend to the position of Ji Hou, there won't be anyone who will support you. When that happens, you won't even be able to eat blood."
"The only thing we can do now is for Third Young Master to assume the position of Ji Marquis in advance, and establish a manor and ancestral shrine." Shen Zhi had a cold smile on his face. His eyes glowed with a faint light as he said, "This way, if something happens, we can control the situation instead of panicking."
Wei Ang's eyes flickered. He clenched his fists and said, "Your words are irrefutable. But even so, it is not my turn to be Ji Hou. Both of my brothers have sons."
Before he could finish, Shen Zhi interrupted him, "Third Young Master, now is not the time to be sentimental. How old are your sons now? The oldest is only seven years old. How can he sit still? "
At this point, Shen Zhi took a deep breath and said, "Third Young Master, since ancient times, everyone has died. The common people only set up ancestral tablets beside the kitchen stove in their bedrooms, but the scholars, officials, feudal lords and the Emperor all have ancestral temples."
"But if we don't set up an official system, establish a manor, and don't govern the army and the people, which is the standard of commoners and scholars, if the Duke fails, we won't even have the power to draw the soil. Then we will be condemned to sin."
"That is why I advise you to immediately assume the position of Ji Hou and build a shrine. This is the most important thing."
"I can say that the Duke has given me an order." Shen Zhi said coldly, "This time, we have five hundred soldiers and some clerks. With them, it won't be difficult to establish a manor."
"Ten households will have one Jia, and five Jia will have one Li. First, we will set up a village."
"There is no need to set up a county. It will be directly managed by the Duke's manor. We can set up a chief official, who will be the Deputy Marquis. There will be six branches!"
"The military system can be changed. The navy will have one boat, and the land army will have five teams. That will be enough!"
"This way, we will have the army, the government, and the citizens. As long as you pay your respects, Young Master will be able to worship at the shrine."
The wind outside had subsided slightly, but the gloomy clouds were still hanging low, shrouding the sky in darkness. After an unknown amount of time, Wei Ang took a deep breath and said, "What you said makes sense. Tomorrow, I will gather the soldiers and soldiers and prepare for Ji Hou."
Ji Bei County
Ji Hou's army arrived at the foot of the city. There were military camps everywhere, and flags were everywhere. The word 'Ji' was extremely eye-catching. From time to time, there would be small groups of soldiers patrolling the city.
"Set up camp, set up camp, look for water, prepare food, and send out scouts." Ji Bei Hou had just arrived at the front of the county when he gave out orders to the army. The army was very organized. Some of the new soldiers were a little unskilled, but with the guidance of the old soldiers, they were able to get the hang of things quickly. Before long, smoke could be seen rising from the kitchen chimneys.
Count Zhong Qin led his generals and looked down from the top of the city wall. He saw an army of fifty thousand soldiers marching in an orderly manner. They were very strict, and had a stern demeanor. After some time, he sighed, "Ji Bei Hou is a strong man."
Just as he said this, a loud shout could be heard from below, causing all the generals' faces to turn red. Count Zhong Qin looked at the piles of ash, cannons, wood, swords, bows, and shields. They were all prepared, and there was nothing to worry about. He then laughed, "We're about to annihilate Ji Bei Hou, and yet we don't allow them to shout at us? Even if we kill a pig, the pig will still bark. "
Count Zhong Qin said sarcastically, his expression relaxed.
They had just heard Count Zhong Qin say that they were a strong army, and yet in the next second, they had turned into pigs. All the generals were stumped. Someone then laughed, "You're right, Count. The bandits look like they're strong, but they're just meat on the chopping board. When the time comes, they'll be destroyed. "
One of the generals stood at the front and watched as more than ten people took turns to shout at them. Their throats were sore from all the shouting, and yet nobody responded. He then mumbled, "These damn bastards. They don't even want to reply. Looks like they're going to continue defending."
"All of you continue to shout, I shall report this to the High Duke." The general turned around and heaved a sigh of relief. He wasn't an old man who had started out as the Ji High Duke. He was a former subordinate of the Ji High Duke, and had some subordinates under him. He had joined the Ji High Duke for the sake of survival and a bright future.
For a general who had joined the Ji High Duke halfway through, not only did he not lose his military power, he even gained a few folds of it. This was a good thing, as it allowed him to relax a little. However, this was only possible if the ship he had boarded did not capsize. At this point, they had reached the center of the army. He retracted his thoughts and entered the city before kowtowing.
"My Lord, I've sent people to take turns to shout at them. More than ten of them are hoarse now. After shouting for two hours, there's still no movement from the city. They refuse to reply, and refuse to leave the city to fight."
Ji Bei Hou's face was expressionless. After a long time, he then said, "The city is very calm. I'm afraid they're planning to exhaust their forces. The weather doesn't seem right, it's going to rain soon. Stop your shouting and return to your troops."
"Yes, my Lord." The general obeyed the order and turned around to reorganize his troops. Indeed, not long after, the sky was filled with the sound of thunder. A gust of wind blew, causing Ji Bei Hou to shiver uncontrollably.
Ji Bei Hou took a few steps towards the main tent. A streak of light flashed across the sky, followed by another clap of thunder. The rain started to fall. Through the rain, he looked towards the city. There were many soldiers patrolling the city, and they didn't seem to care about him at all.
Just by looking at him, Ji Bei Hou's heart was filled with rage. He whipped the ground viciously, "Damn it!"
When an officer saw him, he hurriedly bowed, "My Lord, the wind is strong outside. Be careful not to catch a cold!"
"Oh, don't worry." Ji Bei Hou looked up to the sky and instructed, "The rain has started to fall. Command all the generals to not be slow. Continue patrolling the various camps and tents. Those that should be set up should continue to do so. Those that are not secure should continue to do so. Make sure that there are no loopholes.
"Yes!"
After Ji Bei Hou gave the order, he stood there motionless. His heart was filled with thoughts. In the blink of an eye, it was as though he had returned to the time when he had first conquered the county city.
At that time, a fortune teller had approached him, "General Wei, you have the Qi of a Marquis. This is a very valuable fortune teller."
"Oh, why am I only a Marquis?" At that time, Ji Bei Hou had tens of thousands of soldiers under his command. He had conquered the city and everything had been smooth sailing. He then asked, "Don't tell me I don't have the Qi of a Marquis?"
"Time, fate, and the Qi of a Marquis can be achieved."
"The first is the time, the second is the location, and the third is the talent. You've missed the time, and haven't obtained the Earth Dragon. You're not considered the best, and you don't have enough support. Hence, you can't form the Qi of a Marquis."
Hearing the fortune teller's words, Ji Bei Hou didn't think much of it. He then laughed, "If I don't have the Qi of a Marquis, then so be it. Am I a Marquis, or a Marquis?"
"Both are possible. It depends on your merits and the Emperor's favor. From what I see, you're more likely to be a Marquis." The fortune teller then replied, "It's just that you're too hot-blooded. You're bound to get yourself killed. If you take a step back, you'll be able to secure five lifetimes of riches."
"Tell me, why would I secure five lifetimes of riches if I take a step back?" At that time, he was somewhat dissatisfied. The position of a Marquis was too small. If it was a Marquis, he would be satisfied.
"General, no matter who wins the throne, the throne will belong to the Imperial Family. Besides, once you become the Emperor, how can you allow your subordinates to be so impudent? General, you're too hot-blooded, and cannot be humiliated. In the future, you'll be in trouble. If you take a step back, the Emperor will reward you handsomely. You'll be able to secure five lifetimes of riches.
"Haha, you're just a fortune teller. Men, give him ten taels of silver. Get out of here. If you speak ill of him again, I'll chop you up." Ji Bei Hou could still remember how he had been so hot-blooded that he didn't pay much attention to the fortune teller's words. Now that he thought about it, he couldn't help but feel sad. He then recited, "There are three types of Qi of a Marquis. Heaven, Earth, and Man!"
"The heavens are the will of the heavens, the earth is the dragon of the earth, and the people are the masses. In fact, when a person's talent reaches the pinnacle, he can form the Qi of a Marquis. However, it's easy to offend others, and attract jealousy and hatred." Ji Bei Hou looked up at the sky and exhaled deeply.
"Pei Zi Yun, the reason why I'm trapped today is partly because of you. In fact, even I, who have fought in wars my entire life, is secretly afraid of your tactics."
"I don't have the right time, the right place, and the right people. Even if I lose, I deserve to die. However, you don't have the right people either. With your talent, if it were twenty or thirty years ago, you would be a hidden dragon."
"The Emperor is getting old, and for the sake of his descendants, he has to remove the thorns. We are the thorns, but you are a genius, aren't you the thorns?"
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