The youth continued, "Most of the corpses of the southern barbarians were thrown into the river nearby. The weather is hot now, and the corpses decay very quickly. It will definitely increase the amount of Yin in the water. I think … this might be the reason for the spread of the disease between the two armies? "
Hua Yuan asked him, "Is that what the young lord thinks?"
"If not, why do you and my father have to boil the water before drinking?"
He had to suspect that the current situation was part of Hua Yuan's plan.
Once he opened his mouth, it was easy for the youth to say what he wanted to say next.
He continued, "Previously, the allied vassals ostracized my father and allocated a bad camp. The generals were quite indignant. You knew that our camp was far from the water source and that it was not easy to get water. Why did you agree without hesitation and even sent people to dig a few wells?"
The reason Hua Yuan gave was very decent.
In the face of a great enemy, our army should focus on the overall situation. Such a small matter was not worth falling out and damaging the harmony.
Now that he thought about it, it was frightening.
Most of the An Cui soldiers' drinking water came from wells and the other half from rivers. There were fewer sick soldiers than the other vassals.
The youth clenched his fists, his gaze complicated.
"Previously … it was you who proposed to slaughter the four factions of the southern barbarians. Was this a trap that you planned long ago?"
Ancient battles were very violent in dealing with corpses.
They were either buried in pits, thrown into the river to feed the fish, or left in the wilderness.
Jiang Pengji burned the corpses of both sides in every battle. In the eyes of others, it seemed like she had nothing better to do and even brought a stain on her reputation. It was one thing to burn the enemy's corpse, but she even burned the corpses of her own people. How vicious was this lord?!
Looking at it now, the man in front of him was even worse.
Hua Yuan chuckled. "They asked for it. It has nothing to do with others. I just took advantage of the situation and didn't plan it deliberately."
The youth could not help but shiver. Hua Yuan continued, "I thought that the southern barbarians were like grasshoppers after autumn and wouldn't be able to jump around for long. Who knew that they were like a centipede that died but didn't fall down? Even when they were about to die, they still caused trouble. Of course, I had to think of other countermeasures."
The youth asked him, "What about the allied forces? The southern barbarians deserve to die, but the allied soldiers … "
Hua Yuan looked at the youth with some disappointment.
"Isn't this for the sake of the Lord and the Young Master?" He said, "Once the southern barbarians are eliminated, can the alliance still maintain the current situation? Young Master, you might as well refer to Dongqing's Huangshui Conference. During the conference, there was a lot of scheming and scheming, and after the conference, it was a battle to the death. His Highness's power was not considered top-notch among the Nansheng feudal vassals. If he wanted to survive in this chaotic world, he naturally could not let the enemy gain the upper hand! Now is a good opportunity! "
The youth's mind was in a mess.
Hua Yuan shook his head inwardly. In the war between the feudal lords, it was either you die or I die. The barbarian slaying alliance was united by external forces. Once the external forces disappeared, internal strife was inevitable. An Cui's provisions were richer than the other feudal vassals', so how could others watch him grow?
Only by striking first and gaining the upper hand could one maintain an invincible position.
The next day, the teenager found out that Hua Yuan had purposely befriended Yan Lin, Yang Tao's advisor, and "accidentally" revealed the source of the epidemic.
The youth was even more confused. Mr. Hua Yuan had just said that he was going to weaken the others the day before. Why was he helping Yang Tao the next day?
Hua Yuan sneered in response.
"If Yang Tao dies, who will resist the ambitious Liu Xi?"
Nansheng and Dongqing were separated by Yang Tao.
To An Cui, Jiang Pengji's threat was far greater than Yang Tao's. Nansheng had been ravaged by the four factions of Nanman, and its vitality had long been greatly damaged. Although Dongqing was also weak, Jiang Pengji had basically unified it. She recuperated and trained her troops for a few years. Wouldn't it be easy to defeat Nansheng?
Yang Tao's existence was very necessary. He could buy some buffer time for An Cui at the critical moment.
The medical skills of the four factions of Nanman were backward, and the logistics of the military camp were simple and crude. They could not withstand the ravages of the epidemic.
When the midsummer passed and the weather turned cold, the number of people killed by the epidemic in the four factions of Nanman reached 200,000.
The situation of the barbarian slaying alliance was slightly better. Yang Tao had found the source of the epidemic. The military doctors isolated the source of infection and slowly brought the disease under control.
Even so, the alliance still suffered heavy losses. Only the two feudal vassals, An Cui and Yang Tao, managed to preserve their vitality.
While the feudal lords of Nansheng were scheming and guarding against each other, Jiang Pengji was busy like a spinning top.
Thanks to Madam Tao and the others' "selfless contributions," Jiang Pengji became rich again.
Money could only be earned if it was spent. It would only rust and gather dust if it was kept in the storeroom.
Adhering to this philosophy, she started dozens of construction projects in one go. They ranged from building houses and roads to building reservoirs, repairing rivers and reclaiming wastelands … Not only could they attract refugees and improve public security, but they could also provide a large number of jobs for the people.
As long as there was work and money to be earned, which commoner would be stupid enough to rebel and cause trouble?
They were used to Jiang Pengji's warlike state. Every day, she was either fighting a war or on the way to fighting a war.
What about now?
The content of the livestream changed from a hot-blooded fight for hegemony to a heartwarming scene of farming.
The streamer who went against the heavens and the earth stayed at home to manage her territory. She was not like the streamer they knew!
No matter how the salted fish roared, Jiang Pengji was indifferent. She continued to spend money like it was dirt.
Speaking of spending money, one had to mention the branch of the Golden Scale Academy.
Last year, during the enrollment expansion, Jiang Pengji secretly allowed the children of wealthy merchants and country gentlemen to enter the Golden Scale Academy. There were not many students, but those students were carefully selected. These children studied in the Golden Scale Academy for almost a year. Their learning effects were remarkable.
More and more people secretly inquired when the Golden Scale Academy would continue to enroll so that they could fight for opportunities for their children to enter.
Jiang Pengji felt that the time was right. She took the opportunity to propose the expansion of the Golden Scale Academy and the establishment of two branches.
The Golden Scale Academy was the blood and sweat of Feng Ren, Cheng Cheng, and Yuanjing. If she wanted to expand, she naturally had to discuss with them. The three big shots had no objections. After a few years, the academy had explored a more mature teaching plan. It was not a big problem to establish a branch.
Jiang Pengji smiled and said, "It's the fortune of all the students in the world that you are so understanding and reasonable."
Master Yuanjing joked, "In my opinion, Master Lanting's generosity is the fortune of all the students in the world."
The Golden Scale Academy was a teaching institution that had no income. The students' uniforms, textbooks, brushes, ink, daily expenses, and the teachers' salaries were all paid for by the government. There were also gifts during festivals. The land and buildings of the academy were also paid for by Jiang Pengji.
Master Yuanjing had run an academy before. Of course, he knew how huge the annual expenses of the Golden Scale Academy were.
After confirming their gazes, Jiang Pengji was undoubtedly a nouveau riche!
"Speaking of this, I have something to discuss with you. Now that the treasury is abundant, it won't be a problem to build three to five branches, but … this is not a long-term plan to maintain the academy's operations … I have a plan here, and I'd like to hear your opinions. "
Feng Ren and the others heard her and their hearts skipped a beat.
What did she mean?
Did she want the academy to transform and become self-sufficient?
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