Chapter Ten: The Pre-War Conference

  "This time our army captured a total of 7 million taels of silver, and the estimated value of other goods is around 30 million; in addition, there are 300 million dan of grain and fodder, which can provide for our army's supplies for two and a half years. The population within the city walls totals 13 million, including 8 million original residents, 5 million slaves brought by Hulan, and 6 million able-bodied men who can take to the battlefield."

  "So much!"

  The generals attending this meeting were all stunned.

  "Wei Liao explained: 'This time, the Hulan people helped us a lot. They concentrated all the wealth and efforts they plundered from the Central Plains in this place. Due to the rapid progress of the war, they plundered too much, exceeding their own transportation capacity, so it's all accumulated here. Master, you have now obtained almost one-third of the wealth of our Holy Dragon Empire in the entire Central Plains region.'"

  The lucky man stroked his chin and smiled, saying: "It seems that Hulan people have become our transportation team leader this time. To say that Hulan people are really foolish, they are currently fighting on two fronts, obviously without the ability to swallow the entire Shenzhou, yet they don't know how to take advantage of a good situation; The four major families now must also be regretful, with national difficulties at hand, they not only failed to seize the great opportunity that was theirs for the taking, but instead let people all over the world see their hypocritical side.

  Everyone had a common reaction - no wonder, heaven knows that you actually came out with this freak, using 3,000 soldiers to take down the most heavily defended city in the land within a month.

  The nickname "Cunning Upstart" spread from then on.

  The dull fellow did not notice the thoughts of others and said to himself: "We can't just sit back and enjoy these things, we have to think of a way to use them reasonably."

  "I humbly report to Your Excellency, I have a suggestion: we can allocate part of the funds to recruit vagrants from all over the country to develop wasteland, and at the same time dispatch some troops to participate in tuntian (military colonies), so as to increase military expenses while solving the food problem. Moreover, we should also allocate large sums of money to invest in commerce in various cities and towns, which can increase revenue and take the opportunity to establish a perfect intelligence network."

  The speaker was a stout middle-aged man with the appearance of a cunning merchant. At that time, no one could have imagined that this former finance officer of Hulan County, who had been captured by the wind and rain, Gao Fengyang, would later become a high-ranking official in the imperial court, grasping the financial power of the whole country.

  According to Gao Fengyang's later autobiography, on the day the city was broken, he saw the heroic figure of Fengyu galloping on the battlefield and determined that Fengyu was a future dragon among men. He then offered his strategy to Fengyu, breaking through the inner city guarded by the Hulan people, and from then on, he followed Fengyu's side, establishing extraordinary merits.

  However, in the memoirs of Eugène, Marshal of the Empire and commander of the Imperial Guard, at that time, Feng Yü led his troops into the city, where he met a merchant who was holding onto his money bag. Even when a sword was placed on his neck, the merchant continued to haggle over prices, and only after receiving a certain amount of compensation did he agree to lead Feng Yü through a tunnel he had dug himself into the inner city.

  "This is a family that values money more than life."

  After gaining a common understanding of the people in the wind and rain, he made an absolutely abnormal decision - appointing him as his own financial officer.

  The fact is that under the supervision of Wei Liao, who was later called a hunting dog, this greedy merchant showed financial management skills and political foresight above the standard, becoming one of the few non-military ministers around Feng Yu, and after his death, it was astonishingly discovered that this frugal husband had secretly donated to countless poor children in his lifetime, making it impossible for people to make a correct evaluation of him.

  After hearing this suggestion, Feng Yu also couldn't help but look at Ou Jing with new eyes. At first, he let him take the position of financial officer simply because he was lazy - Ou Jing had only come from Worry-Free Valley after the city was broken, and Feng Yu needed someone to help him deal with the affairs in the city at that time. The original financial officer of the city, Gao Fengyang, was naturally the first choice. However, today's speech made Feng Yu look at him with new eyes, and perhaps even Ou Jing himself didn't know that this speech had established his position as a merchant in the Feng Yu Group.

  Feng Yu thought for a moment and said, "Yes, that's fine. You and Mr. Wei will be in charge of investments together, mainly investing in inns, brothels, and carriages to facilitate intelligence gathering. The entire intelligence network will be under Mr. Wei's full responsibility; as for financial matters, we'll have to trouble Mr. Gao."

  "The little man must go all out." Unexpectedly, he was reused, making the merchant who had always been in a low position feel grateful and tearful.

  Then Feng Yu asked Autumn again: "How is our army's training going now?"

  "The army's formation is basically complete, but it will still take time to form corresponding combat effectiveness."

  "Intensify training, and order all men in the city between 18-45 years old to join the reserve forces. During breaks from training, arrange for them to work on farming. You and General Bai are responsible for this task. We must hurry, I fear a big battle is imminent."

  "Are you worried that Hulan will come to attack?" Bai Qi asked in puzzlement. In fact, Hulan's invasion had already been defeated, and the recovery of Lunyu Pass had severely affected the morale and supplies of the Hulan army; the siege of Shengjing had not been successful for a long time, and the four major families had recently announced that they would join forces to send troops, and the army had already moved out in full force, making Hulan's military advantage disappear. At present, Hulan's wisest decision was to detour westward and return to their country from the controlled Liang and Xia states. It seemed unlikely that they would turn back to capture Lunyu Pass - after all, this was not something that could be solved by having more people, as the Hulan army had never been good at attacking cities, and being unable to take down Shengjing was a good example.

  "Just listen to Feng Yu's faint words: 'No matter what decision Ge Shou Xing Wen makes, I will force him to fight a battle under Lian Yu Guan. The army can only be trained in the best way through war. If we can rely on this famous pass and Hulan to fight a grand battle, it would be more beneficial for us. After Hulan's clever move, the real game is just beginning. I must have an ironclad elite troop in the shortest time possible, just like a real combat exercise. Everyone should prepare quickly.'"

  As he spoke, he casually recited: "Why not take Wu for men?! Collect the 50 states of Guanzhong. Please ask you to temporarily ascend to the Lingyan Pavilion and become a scholar with a fief of ten thousand households. Haha, everyone should work hard now, the great opportunity to show off our heroic spirit is right in front of us."

  In the stirring words, all the generals were emotionally stirred up, unknowingly waiting for the arrival of battle with clenched fists and grasping palms.

  In history, this upcoming army corps battle led by Feng Yuxiang for the first time, with its mysterious causes and consequences, complex political and diplomatic background, bloody and intense combat process, and inexplicable outcome, has left countless puzzles to later generations.