novelraw Chapter 68 : The Gold Rush
Chapter 68 : The Gold Rush
Chapter 68: The Gold Rush
The spring breeze was proud, and the horses’ hooves were swift.
With the first merchant caravan laden with Anxi’s rare treasures and exotic goods returning, weary from the journey yet full of vigor, it finally arrived at the Guanzhong prefectures.
A legend from the distant western frontier, like a boulder cast into a calm lake, stirred endless ripples across the land within the Pass.
“The Prince of Anxi, wise and benevolent, treats the people as his own kin…”
“The Anxi Army, an iron-blooded might, sweeps across the desert…”
“The land of Anxi, fertile plains stretching for thousands of miles, oases as green as emeralds, and beneath the Gobi lies gold beyond measure…”
The merchants’ vivid tales and the travelers’ firsthand accounts—
—were like the hottest kindling, instantly igniting the long-suppressed flames in the hearts of countless impoverished commoners within the Pass.
That faraway Anxi Prefecture was no longer a synonym for desolation and hardship, but had become a “Land of Hope” filled with opportunities and infinite possibilities.
Action spoke louder than dreams.
The first batch of Guanzhong’s impoverished commoners, burning with the desire to change their fate, resolutely shouldered their meager packs.
They bade farewell to their thatched cottages and the few acres of barren fields that had bound their families for generations, and embarked on the long westward road.
Their goal was clear and unwavering—to cross the Burial Dragon Mountain Range that stretched across heaven and earth like the spine of a colossal dragon, and reach the fabled land of gold.
When these anxious pioneers finally passed the checkpoints, step by step, breath by breath—
—the sight before them widened their eyes and brought tears to their faces.
There were no terrifying sandstorms blotting out the sun as the stories claimed, no desolate wasteland as they had imagined.
As far as their eyes could see stretched vast, boundless grasslands of green.
Lush water grasses gleamed in the sunlight, clear rivers meandered like jade belts, cattle and sheep dotted the landscape, brimming with life.
Was this the so-called forbidden land of legends?
It was clearly a blessed paradise granted by Heaven.
Time flew by—half a year passed in the blink of an eye.
The gale of the Anxi Gold Rush swept through the prefectures near Anxi with astonishing speed.
The rumors of boundless gold, fertile lands, and exemption from taxes spread like an irresistible enchantment, stirring the hearts of all who longed to change their fate.
On the road to seek gold, people flowed like tides.
From a few groups at first, to endless streams later—
—and now, tens of thousands of commoners each month, young and old together, surged like a mighty flood toward the gates of Anxi Prefecture.
At first, the dozen or so feudal princes of Guanzhong scoffed.
They thought it was nothing but a bunch of desperate peasants chasing luck—hardly worth concern.
However, when the population numbers on their household registers began to vanish as though swallowed by an invisible black hole—
—disappearing at a rate of tens of thousands per month—those lofty princes could no longer sit still.
In a panic, they issued decrees, attempting to entice the people with “better” living conditions and “richer” cultural heritage within the Pass.
The government posted notices, promising meager land subsidies and slight tax reductions.
Yet these feeble gestures were laughably powerless compared to the wondrous visions painted by the returning warriors from Anxi.
“You’ve never been to Anxi—you just don’t know!”
A burly warrior who had just returned from the Gold Rush sat in a tavern, surrounded by a crowd, spittle flying as he spoke with fervor.
“That Anxi City—its towers rise high, the streets are so wide you can gallop a horse down them! Outside the city, there’s vast grassland where the wind bends the grass to reveal herds of cattle and sheep—it’s as beautiful as a painting!
Even the Gobi Desert isn’t a dead land—the sands hide real gold and silver! The government encourages mining, and if you’re lucky enough to find a chunk of dog-head gold, you’ll never worry about food or drink for the rest of your life!
And the Prince of Anxi is merciful and righteous—ordinary folks don’t pay a single coin in taxes for thirty years, and even the great clans only pay half! How could that be a land of hardship? It’s a paradise dropped straight from Heaven!”
His words, like a searing brand, burned deep into the hearts of every Guanzhong commoner who heard them.
Compared to the crushing taxes imposed by noble clans and landlords that left tenants gasping for breath—
Compared to the hopeless life of scraping by on barren soil as far as the eye could see—
—the promises of Anxi’s boundless opportunities and light burdens were like a lamp in the darkness, radiating an irresistible allure.
Panic spread among the Guanzhong princes like a plague.
The more they scrambled to roll out so-called “benevolent policies,” the faster their people fled.
Not only were the lowest tenant farmers and craftsmen migrating west with their families—
—even clans with established industries within the Pass began to sense the vast potential and boundless opportunities emerging in Anxi Prefecture.
They began sending their most capable descendants, along with resources and artisans, westward—to seize the initiative in that rising land of promise.
As they watched their territories grow ever emptier, villages turn desolate, and markets lose their bustle—
—the princes of Guanzhong fumed with rage, stomping in their halls and cursing toward the west.
Yet no matter how much they raged or swore, the powerlessness clung to them like a shadow.
Within the Pass, after centuries of development, all fertile land had long been monopolized by the royal family, the great clans, and the bureaucracy.
The remaining resources were like bones stripped bare—nothing left to gnaw.
What could they offer to keep their people?
Waive the already meager land tax that had been shaved to nothing by countless layers of exploitation?
Or promise a bright future that had never once been fulfilled?
Anxi Prefecture — Main Hall of the Prince’s Mansion.
Fan Kang entered, his face glowing with satisfaction.
“Your Majesty! This is the report from the Ministry of Revenue for the first half of the year. Please have a look!”
Jiang Zhaoming took the document and read it carefully, a smile he could not suppress appearing on his face.
In just half a year—
9.87 million people from Guanzhong had passed the checkpoints and entered Anxi Prefecture.
Most had stopped in Yili for now, but it was only a matter of time before they spread across the counties of Anxi.
“Good! Chief Fan, tell the officials to ensure that these people are properly registered as residents!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Jiang Zhaoming nodded, taking two scrolls from his robes and handing them to Fan Kang.
Fan Kang accepted them, his eyes falling on the titles—and he was immediately speechless with shock.
One scroll was titled “Geomantic Map of Anxi Prefecture’s Eastern Mining Veins.”
This was the treasure map Jiang Zhaoming had completed after months of effort upon advancing to the Divine Power Realm.
With this map, Anxi Prefecture would never again lack mineral resources for generations to come.
The other scroll, thinner, bore the title “Register of Eastern Prefecture Talents.”
Upon reading it, Fan Kang was even more astonished.
The book listed over four hundred names—from soldiers in the army to children still studying in government schools—all recorded in detail.
“Chief Fan, keep an eye on these people. Do not make it public, and do not offer them any aid. The only task is to assess their character.”
Anxi Prefecture might be in need of talents, but to bring true prosperity to the people, Jiang Zhaoming did not seek just any talent.
The cunning and treacherous kind were not to be promoted under any circumstance.
Fan Kang’s expression grew thoughtful; then he bowed deeply and left the hall.
Once Fan Kang had departed, Jiang Zhaoming sat in silence, lost in thought.
Although Anxi Prefecture seemed to be flourishing on the surface, there were still many pressing issues.
Foremost among them—the fine armor forged by the prefecture’s workshops needed to find buyers.