Chapter 44: The Ever-Stable Realm of Dayao

The grand camp of Wu Hanluan in Donghua Commandery was the final destination of the great army's grains.

Although filthy, this place was regarded as a mountain of gold and silver by certain individuals within the army. Naked men hauled barrels of "gold" out of the latrine pits and loaded them into the bellies of iron oxen. Then, with a clanging sound, the iron oxen marched out, traveling several dozen li away to the newly reclaimed fields outside the grand camp.

In these fields dependent on the great army, all kinds of crops grew exceptionally well, especially the vegetables. Vibrant and green, a fresh crop could sprout in just seven days. These vegetables were sent back to the camp kitchens to be processed into vegetable stews.

This was a cycle. Wu Hanluan’s army rarely fell ill, and even when someone felt unwell, taking a single "Excrement-Purging Powder" and squatting on a latrine in the camp would flush all ailments away through a bout of diarrhea.

However, there was a secret to this Excrement-Purging Powder and the entire army's cycle of grains—a secret that even Wu Fei and Wu Hengyu knew nothing about.

At the bottom of every single latrine bucket in the grand camp lay a connected passage!

Occasionally, soldiers relieving themselves would notice a vortex forming in the bucket, but no one ever investigated what lay beneath the swirling water. Wu Hanluan, however, knew.

This was actually a kind of "anomaly."

Three hundred years ago, a large-scale disappearance of people occurred in Dongyi Commandery. The Demon-Suppression Bureau lost a dozen fine fighters before discovering that the ghost-locust trees in front of every village entrance connected to the netherworld. In the end, an entire army had to be deployed to exterminate the threat.

The situation within the Wu family army was similar. The occasional vortex appearing in each latrine bucket connected entirely to a place called the "Golden Dipper Realm."

This "Golden Dipper Realm" was the name Wu Hanluan gave it.

Forty years ago, when he was twelve years old and compared to his younger brother, he was a sickly child. After treating him, various renowned physicians concluded that he would not live past the age of thirty. Yet later, overnight—reportedly after worshiping a deity in the wilderness—his illness suddenly vanished.

However, as if to balance the Heavenly Dao, his siblings subsequently fell ill and died one by one.

To return to the topic, ever since that time, whenever Wu Hanluan relieved himself, it would take just a little longer than it did for ordinary people, while his fingers swiped across something in a downward motion—he possessed a connection to the "Golden Dipper Realm."

Because the "Golden Dipper Realm" was far too filthy, Wu Hanluan had never spoken of it to anyone else, not even his beloved wife or his sons.

Without a doubt, the Golden Dipper Realm was powerful; all evil and filth would be absorbed and contained by it.

For instance, that malevolent entity that had previously hindered the army's advance—the Military Strategist school's Nine-Quurve Yellow River Formation could only trap it, and suppressing it required rare treasures like the Evil-Averting Stone, or the immense labor of constructing an "Yin Village" or "Yin City." Yet when Wu Hanluan opened his Golden Dipper Realm toward the anomaly, it silently sucked all these malevolent entities right in.

…And once tainted by the filth, all fierce hostility would be neutralized…

For example, on the east side of the grand camp, the Jiuche had been unruly and unyielding in its cage for several days. What about now?

These two giant flying monsters had been pressed onto the execution platform, their nine heads secured by iron yokes. Beneath their heads were large trenches that had been dug out, already filled with the filth dumped from the army's latrines.

Amidst the incomparable terror of the giant beast's nine heads, over a hundred soldiers pulled with the force of a tug-of-war, dragging one of its heads down into the cesspool. Strong ropes within the pit pulled taut, dragging the Jiuche's head downward until it was completely submerged in the chaotic, yellowish-brown turbid liquid. Its body, splayed across the platform, shook violently, its wings flapping in a desperate struggle to break free.

When the head of this giant bird was hoisted back out, all its ferocity had vanished. Aside from being utterly filthy, it now looked benevolent and kind-hearted, and it even began grooming the feathers of the other heads that frequently used to fight with it.

Once washed clean, this bird head no longer offered any resistance. Meanwhile, the other bird heads that had not been soaked in the "golden juice" wore expressions of sheer "disbelief." However, military orders had already been issued: every single bird head had to take a tumble through this "Yellow Springs."

Just like that, three days after entering the camp, the Jiuche was tamed. Yet no one noticed that the pupils of the Jiuche seemed to contain tiny little bugs.

Only Wu Hanluan understood that the Golden Dipper Realm had a side effect: every animal released from the Golden Dipper Realm would bring back a plague.

After the Jiuche was tamed, it received Wu Hanluan's orders and flew a circle toward the south. And the south bank? Chang City was brightly lit…

…Shifting perspective to the south…

Within Yongji Pass, Wu Fei was reading a family letter which explained that everything outside was safe and sound. Following that was a request for some urgently needed supplies, among which medicinal herbs were of paramount importance, followed by earthen jars.

Wu Fei immediately set to work, issuing orders through various channels to procure them regardless of the exorbitant cost.

Wu Fei paused and muttered, "After a great battle, there must be a great plague. Hmm, Uncle has considered things very thoroughly. But then pay attention to the qualifying phrase that follows: 'Do not let other families snatch the lead,' and 'Bandits run rampant in the Yunmeng Marsh region; do not grow lax'?"

Wu Fei unfolded the silk cloth, looked at the map, and remained puzzled and perplexed.

…

In a red-tower within Chang City, wealthy noble servants were discussing matters with elite soldiers from the two other grand camps. After exchanging pleasantries over flower-wine, the conversation shifted to conspiracy.

The noble servants cautiously stated the tasks assigned to them, while the elite soldiers laughed heartily and replied that it was all on them. However, they required the Chang City side to provide intelligence on the northern Wu family army camp.

The aristocratic clans within the city had previously arranged for the Wu family army to be stationed in the impoverished northern mountains with the intention of "eliminating all three scourges," or at the very least, ensuring both sides suffered total mutual destruction in the ensuing conflict. No matter how naive and childish this notion was, certain young elites who had been designated as "clever" since childhood had already begun plotting according to this very idea.

Now, the Jiuche had been subjugated, the Wu family army was firmly entrenched on the north bank, and their subordinate southern merchants were borrowing military might to act as bandits, terrorizing all directions.

The scholars of Chang City were deeply indignant about this. Therefore, they intended to contact the two grand camps in the south. Since the northern side was unleashing soldiers as bandits, why couldn't the southern side do the same? Especially since several villages had gathered near the northern grand camp—they were ripe for plundering now.

…

In January of the 28th year of the Shutian Calendar, a great plague broke out in Chang City.

Plague is impartial; regardless of poverty or wealth, everyone in the city contracted dysentery, with the aristocratic clans suffering the worst. Every day, diseased servants were discarded outside the city walls.

The good positions of noble servants—those "room and board included, lifelong employment" perks found in certain novels from Xuanchong's past life—actually only worked in times of peace. In times of disaster, it was a matter of "if you can't make it, someone else can," and the servants within great clans were precisely those recruited during disaster years.

Naturally, at present, the noble servants were falling ill and collapsing one after another. Those masters who relied on Five-Stone Powder to boost their spirits were even more inescapable, often dying suddenly after drinking alcohol. The children within their households perished early on.

On the other hand, some impoverished wretches of lesser worth fled out of the city and arrived outside the grand camp to the north of Chang City. At the porridge stall set up by the southern merchants, they took a bowl of herbal decoction, suffered from diarrhea for two or three days, and pulled through. Then, they headed north to enter the grand camp and perform corvée labor for the army.

This great plague left Chang City virtually devoid of life within ten rooms out of ten. Those who wished to partake in grand enterprises just months prior were now fleeing the city in droves. Due to geographical separation, several conspiracies were severed right then and there.

As for the two armies suppressing bandits in the south, they were not spared either. The rampant plague reduced the combat effectiveness of their troops; even the elite family armies suffered from severe vomiting and diarrhea. Because the two southern grand camps were ravaged by the plague, the gathered populace rapidly scattered, and the armies, listless and lacking firewood and grain supplies, were forced to withdraw southward and disengage from the battlefield.

For a time, the only grand camp left near Chang City was the Wu family army camp on the north bank.

The Divine Capital was furious, reprimanding the local commandery governor for his inadequate divination and calculation, which had allowed calamities to manifest.

At the same time, an imperial edict was delivered to Wu Hanluan's military camp, commending him and bestowing merits and rewards upon all the descendants of the Wu family. By the way, in the imperial edict, Wu Fei was officially granted the title of Major General due to his merits in pacifying the border pass in the south.

…Deep within Yunmeng Marsh…

Amidst layers of floating pavilions, aboard a giant timber-hulled vessel, a woman gazed into the distance at Chang City, which was shrouded in pestilent Qi.

As the core of the bandit rebellion currently defined by the Great Yao dynasty, Yu Li did not seize this opportunity to lead her aquatic subjects to capture Chang City. Instead, her gaze was filled with vigilance as she looked up at the sky, where two Jiuche were hiding within the dark clouds.

As a lake spirit descendant with high spiritual perception, she knew from the source of the evil Qi that this great plague was actually related to those two malevolent birds!

…

During the New Year, Wu Fei personally escorted a batch of supplies northward to provision the grand camp. Twenty mechanical ox-horses carrying forty tons of cargo—amounting to thirteen hundred dan—arrived at the grand camp, supplying the sulfur, saltpeter, and medicinal products currently in high demand by the army.

Wu Fei stayed in the military tent for only a single day. As a pass commander leaving his garrison without authorization, if others found out, it would give the local aristocratic clans an excuse to impeach him. Of course, with the war in Yunmeng Marsh still ongoing and the imperial court's heavy reliance on the Wu family army, they probably wouldn't bother with such trivial matters. It was simply that Wu Fei's temperament preferred avoiding trouble.

Inside the tent, Wu Fei met his uncle, as well as Wu Hengyu, who was clearly high-spirited and riding high.

During the battles between the Wu family army and Yunmeng Marsh over the past few days, Wu Hengyu had repeatedly led the charge personally, displaying a considerable aura of dominance. His military tactics were simple: taking himself as the core, he would assault the enemy's center to create chaos, after which the other soldiers would strike wherever the confusion was greatest.

If the enemy did not wish to be scattered, they could only thicken their lines and huddle together. But executing such a turtle-formation with the same number of forces meant being surrounded on all sides! Under the impact of the iron oxen, the outcome was akin to walnuts taking a hammer—shattering even more thoroughly.

Wu Fei's commentary: This tactical style had some distinct traits of "a reckless brute lecturing a scholar," with the premise, of course, that he himself was that sharp of a "spearhead." If one wasn't sharp enough oneself, one would just be Sun Shiwan.

When delivering the supplies into the camp, Wu Fei saw Wu Hengyu riding on horseback, with no one daring to meet his gaze. Evidently, after several battles, his overwhelming might was formidable.

Regarding this, Wu Fei was quite envious. Back then, even when he won the defense battle at the Great Granary, he still had to guard against the captains of the corvée laborers fighting over merits and pursuing the enemy without authorization. It wasn't until Zhao Tuo arrived and executed a few people that this chaotic phenomenon was finally resolved.

In front of the military granary, Wu Hengyu made a joke with Wu Fei.

He sat on horseback, holding his spearhead and waving it emptily right beside Wu Fei's cheek. Squinting his eyes, he asked knowingly, "Who goes there? How dare you fail to report yourself upon seeing the General!"

Wu Fei immediately raised a hand to pinch the tip of the lance, shoving it directly aside. Note: because Wu Hengyu hadn't exerted force, it was quite easy.

Wu Fei raised his head to stare at this "show-off," and retorted ungraciously, "Don't delay my work!"

The supplies entering the granary at this moment needed to be categorized; for instance, saltpeter and sulfur had to be stored separately and required specialized dry earthen cellars for storage. Throughout this process of entering the granary, Wu Fei was also inspecting the army's current storage facilities.

The one who had gotten the upper hand, Wu Hengyu, chuckled softly. "The storage side is as stable as can be, you're just making a fuss over nothing. Hurry up, the Marshal is waiting for you in the tent."

…

In the grand camp, Wu Hanluan was stroking the mechanical ox-horse. The three-zhang-long vehicle body, the wind-catching sails, and the single wheel at the bottom whose width rivaled a tank's track gave the mechanical ox-horse a distinct aesthetic of "bigger is better."

Wu Hanluan had heard in the battle report from Yongji Pass about the tactic of using the wind-assisted mechanical ox-horses to charge enemy formations, which was why he asked Wu Fei to bring this item here. Seeing it today, he felt this invention had tremendous utility.

When Wu Fei entered the tent, Wu Hanluan inquired about the specific details of the mechanical ox-horse. Upon learning that it shared the same origin as the south-pointing chariot crafted by the ancient "Fenghou," Wu Hanluan looked at the steering-wheel-like jadeite on the front of the vehicle and sighed, "It still requires precious jade discs to communicate with the clouds and vapors of heaven and earth."

With that, Wu Hanluan produced a precious jade disc native to Donghua Commandery and asked, "How is this material?"

Wu Fei paused, reached out to stroke it, and found that the internal "Yin-Yang divination calculation" Dao-power flowed smoothly, marking it as spiritual material. He raised his head and asked, "This can be used. Where was it mined?"

Wu Hanluan replied, "Eight hundred li south of this place lies Mount Huaiyu, which produces an abundance of precious jade. The nobles of this region vie with one another to wear it."

As for the rest, Wu Fei could guess that it was most likely a gift sent by local aristocratic families.

In this world, "jade" was not merely a gemstone; it was a strategic resource. Cultivation required jade; the Confucian pursuit of righteousness and balance required wearing jade; and even sacrificial rituals to communicate with ghosts and gods required jade. Naturally, Wu Fei's current "heterodox path" made even greater use of jade.

The jadeite currently mined in the southern borderlands was not of top quality. Because it was brittle, it could not be carved into large objects. Wu Fei had once heard that a treasured sword carved entirely from pure jade could become indestructible once glyphs were engraved upon it, and he had attempted to replicate this using jadeite. However, once the Dao-power of the divination calculations exceeded a certain threshold, internal cracks would appear, leading to complete structural failure.

Therefore, in Wu Fei's phenomenological laboratory, jadeite served only as palm-sized spiritual energy components embedded into various devices for linkage.

Wu Hanluan said to Wu Fei, "You have done well in the southern borderlands, but the Central Plains are full of natural treasures; do not content yourself with a corner as a petty warlord."

During their conversation, Wu Fei confirmed one thing from his uncle: he had a new source of spiritual material. The production of battle chariots like the mechanical ox-horses would have to be scaled up.

Wu Fei looked perplexed at his uncle and tentatively asked, "Won't the imperial court hold us accountable? (Privately manufacturing military chariots is a capital offense.)"

Wu Hanluan glanced at Wu Fei, his meaning abundantly clear: "Even if they were to hold anyone accountable, haven't you already overstepped?"

Wu Hanluan stated, "The world is already in chaos. We are not privately manufacturing weapons; rather, we are capturing enemy armories and replicating them."

As Wu Fei hesitated, Wu Hanluan said leisurely, "Surely you didn't think that you are the only one who knows how to use heterodox mechanisms and puppet arts to build wind-driven military chariots?"

Wu Fei was slightly startled, and it dawned on him: indeed, upon arriving in this world, he had witnessed a vast array of divination-calculation items, confirming that he was not someone of "startling brilliance." Many of the creative ideas he had conjured up on the spur of the moment had already been tried by others here.

When Wu Fei questioned Wu Hanluan, the latter unfolded a silk map and pointed to the "wind-sailed giant ship" icon on Yunmeng Marsh that looked like a map menu button.

As his gaze fixed upon it, illusions appeared in Wu Fei's eyes: over the mist-shrouded Yunmeng Marsh, a massive forty-zhang treasure ship was hoisting its sails and flying suspended through the air above the marsh!

This celestial vessel was the mobile palace of that rebel entity in Yunmeng Marsh this time around.