Wan Shou Zhai, Wan Shou Mountain, Sichuan.
This was the headquarters of the Sichuan White Pole Soldiers.
The height of summer had arrived, and with it came the season of harvest. Ears of corn were being gathered one after another.
At the main gate of Wan Shou Zhai, the fifty-nine-year-old General Qin Liangyu stood quietly, watching her subordinates carry basket after basket of corn into the fortress for storage.
In recent years, the affairs of the realm had steadily worsened. Disorder spread everywhere, and Qin Liangyu had enjoyed very few peaceful days. Yet today, her face was filled with genuine smiles.
A great harvest.
What could be more joyful than that?
With this yield, the people of Shizhu would have enough grain to last an entire year. More importantly, the long-standing problem of military provisions that had plagued the White Pole Soldiers was finally resolved.
It was truly something worth celebrating.
Qin Liangyu turned her head toward her daughter-in-law, Zhang Fengyi, and smiled.
"Fengyi, this time you've truly rendered great service. You brought back new crops, new cultivation methods, and even celestial fertilizer. You allowed Wan Shou Zhai to reap an unprecedented harvest."
Zhang Fengyi replied modestly, "This is not my merit. It was Squire Li of Gao Family Village who gave these things to your daughter-in-law."
Qin Liangyu paused, her expression turning thoughtful.
"Squire Li… Who exactly is he? With cultivation methods this effective, why have they never been widely promoted? I've never heard of such techniques before."
Zhang Fengyi sighed softly.
"Squire Li's home is in Shaanxi. With the severe drought there, he had no way to promote them on a large scale. At present, he's trying to spread them in Shanxi, but since he's not an imperial official, he encounters great resistance. When he gave me these methods, he said he hoped to use our Ma family's authority in Shizhu to promote them more easily."
Qin Liangyu nodded slowly.
"That makes sense. Without official authority, spreading new techniques is extremely difficult. Even officials face obstruction from local interests."
The reason these methods had spread so rapidly in Shizhu—and produced such results within half a year—was precisely because Zhang Fengyi was her daughter-in-law, and because Qin Liangyu herself served as the Chieftain of Shizhu.
In this region, her word was law.
Qin Liangyu continued, "This Squire Li is truly a good man. Not only did he save your life, but he also bestowed such valuable agricultural knowledge. Later, prepare a generous gift and personally deliver it to him. We must express our gratitude properly."
She paused, then added, "And that celestial fertilizer he gave us—we only tested it on a few plots, but the effect was astonishing. Next year, we won't have any left. You'll need to contact him and ask whether we can purchase more."
As she spoke, her brows gradually knitted together.
"Shaanxi is far from here, and Sichuan's terrain is treacherous. Transport alone is extremely difficult. Haah… If we must haul fertilizer all the way from Shaanxi, that won't be easy. What should we do?"
Just as they were speaking, a sharp voice rang out from the watchtower above the fortress gate.
"A fast horse approaching!"
Qin Liangyu looked up. "Only one rider? A messenger?"
A single rider soon came into view, galloping at full speed. As he neared the gate, he was forced to slow down because a long line of soldiers carrying corn blocked the road.
The White Pole Soldiers had temporarily laid aside their armor to farm, and the men transporting corn were all veterans of battle. Bold and fearless, they were not intimidated at all by the charging horse.
Instead, they laughed loudly. One soldier even stepped forward, spreading his arms wide.
"Wan Shou Zhai of Wan Shou Mountain! Unauthorized entry is forbidden!"
The rider shouted urgently, "Urgent military intelligence! Make way!"
"Urgent military intelligence?" Only then did the soldiers step aside.
The rider spurred his horse forward and rushed straight to the gate.
He had expected to wait for a formal announcement, but to his surprise, General Qin Liangyu herself—along with Ma Xianglin and Zhang Fengyi—were already standing at the gate, looking directly at him.
The rider quickly dismounted, cupped his hands, and spoke with urgency.
"This humble one is Li Yuan, a messenger from Gao Family Village, bearing an eight-hundred-li urgent report!"
"Gao Family Village?"
Ma Xianglin and Zhang Fengyi spoke at the same time, their faces lighting up.
"A friend from Gao Family Village!"
Qin Liangyu let out a soft sound of acknowledgment. She glanced at the corn being carried inside the fortress, then looked back at Li Yuan, finding him unexpectedly pleasing to the eye.
Li Yuan was clearly travel-worn, but his spirit remained high.
He had once fled from under Yansui Regional Commander Chen Qiyu and joined Gao Family Village, serving under Shi Jian. There, he had returned to his old trade as a messenger.
This time, Gao Family Village needed to send a message to Sichuan.
The journey was long, the roads difficult, and the mountain paths infamous—"harder than ascending to heaven." The newer messengers simply weren't up to the task.
Thus, the veteran Li Yuan had been chosen.
Using his expertise in eight-hundred-li express deliveries, he had ridden day and night straight to Wan Shou Zhai.
Before departing, Shi Jian had promised him a special reward: fifteen taels of silver.
Under Chen Qiyu, such generosity would have been unimaginable.
Thinking of that silver, Li Yuan felt invigorated. He spoke rapidly:
"General Qin, the rebels are advancing southwest from Kaifeng. They bypassed Luoyang and are likely to enter the border region of the four provinces. Gao Family Village has already dispatched troops to Shanyang County, and Henan Governor Fan Shangzheng has mobilized his forces to pursue them!"
Qin Liangyu immediately understood.
"White Pole Soldiers, prepare to march to Kuizhou!"
Kuizhou—modern Fengjie—was a vital choke point in eastern Sichuan. Any army attempting to enter the province through regular routes would have to pass through it.
But just as the order left her mouth, Qin Liangyu's expression tightened.
"No. Wait."
Her tone grew grave.
"Rebels are not the same as regular armies. Regular troops must maintain supply lines, so they move city by city. Kuizhou would be unavoidable for them."
She shook her head.
"But rebels do not rely on fixed supply lines. They won't attack Kuizhou head-on. Instead, they'll slip through the mountain routes north of it and enter Sichuan that way."
She immediately revised her command.
"Xianglin. Fengyi. The three of us will personally lead several thousand White Pole Soldiers to the mountain line north of Kuizhou—Langshu Yakou, Baiyan Cao, Xiagou, Shuangtou Baoshan, Feidu Gorge, and Nangong Mountain."
"We will establish outposts and conduct constant patrols. The rebels must be blocked from entering Sichuan."
Mobilization began at once.
The White Pole Soldiers who had just been happily hauling corn immediately dropped their baskets and seized their white pole spears again.
Then, after a brief pause—
They discreetly stuffed two ears of corn into their pockets.
This year's abundant harvest had greatly strengthened morale.
For the first time in many years, the White Pole Soldiers no longer worried about running out of food. They could fight with full stomachs.
Qin Liangyu herself quickly donned her armor.
The set she wore was the very model that later opera troupes would use for the character "Mu Guiying." It was imposing and beautiful at the same time.
Though nearly sixty years old, once armored, she still radiated valor and martial spirit.
She turned to Li Yuan.
"Messenger, your name is Li Yuan, correct? Ride ahead and report back. Our army will follow immediately."
Li Yuan's eyes widened.
"Ah? Yes! Yes, General!"
He laughed loudly as he mounted his horse again.
"As soon as I return, I can collect my fifteen taels of silver special bonus! Hahaha! Gao Family Village's treatment is truly excellent! An eight-hundred-li express—off to collect my silver!"
He cracked the reins and galloped away.
Qin Liangyu stood at the gate, momentarily stunned.
"…What an energetic messenger."