novelraw Chapter 103: Something's Not Right
Chapter 103: Something's Not Right
Chapter 103: Something's Not Right June 14, 2025 Chapter 103: Something's Not Right The generals of the three armies who left the council hall did not achieve their goals, and while disappointed, they still held some hope.In their eyes, Wen Gu indeed possessed some ability, and his sudden involvement this time was truly surprising.
For the sake of the telescopes and microscopes, they did not hold any resentment, but rather some admiration. When sharing a meal at the same table, they saw Wen Gu as elders viewing a junior.
But when competing for food from the same pot, it became a battle on the same level!
True ability earned respect.
As they returned to their homes, they mused, "Even if Wen Gu's appetite is large, he wouldn't possibly devour all the wealth in Old Zhao's accounts, would he?"
That fellow surnamed Wen currently only managed two districts.
Even if he was indeed involved in market affairs, how much business could there be? How much money and grain would he need?
However, recalling the reactions of the Zhao family father and son, perhaps there were some new ingenious devices or divine artifacts?
Thinking this, they felt a renewed sense of anticipation.
If that were the case, even if Wen Gu emptied Old Zhao's account balance this time, it wouldn't matter.It truly wouldn't matter.
They could simply wait for the next batch.
The wealth accumulated during the autumn and winter seasons might be depleted, but spring would soon arrive, and Old Zhao's account would swell again.
When spring came and the ice and snow thawed, the rivers would rise, allowing for navigation.
The large families from the south would head north along the various rivers before the weather turned hot.
These wealthy families would come to Xin Prefecture to seek refuge with the Zhao Clan and would naturally need to show their sincerity, which meant exchanging a large amount of food and supplies for Xin Prefecture money certificates.
After deducting military expenses and necessary reserves, there would inevitably be a large quantity of grain and supplies that were temporarily unusable, flowing into Old Zhao's private treasury.
Even if the previous batch was intercepted by Wen Gu, they would surely have another chance with the next batch… right?
That fellow Wen Gu wouldn't possibly be eating from his own bowl while his eyes were on the pot… would he?
The commanders and scholars all thought this way.
As for Old Zhao?
Hmph, why keep so much money in his accounts?
Food and supplies were meant to be used!
Nowadays, the fields in Xin Prefecture were gradually being cultivated, but the yield certainly couldn't keep up. What could be used were the stockpiles of the various wealthy families.
In these chaotic times, one had to seize the opportunity to preserve oneself and strengthen oneself!
The more Old Zhao milked, the more they could take!
The magnates of the three armies who had departed were already planning the distribution of the next batch of grain and goods.
Inside the council hall.
Wen Gu, holding the manuscript, explained it page by page to the Zhao family father and son with fluency.
Nowadays, the major forces were mainly focused on defense.
Everyone knew the importance of preserving their strength.
Monsters and living people were in a predator-prey relationship.
Xin Prefecture was neither too large nor too small. Nearly two years had passed since the epidemic of evil and chaotic times erupted, and the surviving population within the prefecture was concentrated in a few important towns.
Now, over ninety percent of villages and towns had been abandoned.
Beyond the gathering places of the survivors, outposts were established only in strategically advantageous locations or where necessary, to observe enemy movements and transmit messages with beacon smoke if there were any unusual occurrences.
To this end, many scouts had been trained.
However, these outposts were either simple earthen forts or sentry tower wagons built with timber.
If a wave of monster clusters attacked, the outposts would essentially be wiped out and would need to be rebuilt.
Thinking pessimistically, monster clusters were encountered every year when the weather turned hot.
As time went on, when survivors from the south migrated north, these monsters that fed on living people would also follow their prey north, and the clusters might become more frequent.
Would there be enough time to rebuild then?
Outposts were the eyes of the Zhao Clan scattered throughout Xin Prefecture.
Without them, the Zhao family would lose much of its control over the movements within Xin Prefecture!
A sturdier, more stable outpost was therefore crucial in these special circumstances!
Such an outpost would need to meet several requirements:
It must have a certain defensive capability, able to provide temporary shelter and supplies for passing teams.
It must assist in information collection, intelligence transmission, and material transfer.
It must survive attacks from monster clusters!
Wen Gu flipped over a page and revealed a conceptual sketch.
"Therefore, considering various factors, I have envisioned such a defense outpost…"
Wen Gu referenced circular earthen buildings and made corresponding modifications based on the special demands of the time and the new technological materials available from the workshop, finally drawing the conceptual sketch.
These monsters possessed by evil spirits were different from human armies; after their mutation, they lacked human consciousness and the ability to think.
Monster clusters surged like waves, targeting concentrated settlements of living people, focusing on large towns, and would not stop for a small outpost.
"Like water in a shallow stream flowing past exposed rocks, it will surge right over, not stopping to flood them.
As long as the rock is tall enough and stable enough! It can exist forever! The water will not reach above the rock!"
Patriarch Zhao's eyes lit up, his excitement barely concealed.
The moment he saw Wen Gu's manuscript, he had thought of these things.
The constant consumption of outposts was indeed a major pain point for their Zhao Clan.
And as long as these "rocks" could be firmly established, it would be like placing a pair of eyes there!
If there were more of these "rocks," firmly planted throughout Xin Prefecture, it would strengthen his control over the prefecture!
Wen Gu looked at the beaming gaze of Patriarch Zhao and the excited expression of Young Master Zhao, then flipped another page of the manuscript and continued.
Behind the conceptual sketch were the technical breakdown points, listing the manpower, materials, and time required for each item…
It was… quite costly in terms of food and supplies!
Patriarch Zhao and Young Master Zhao, who had been filled with passion and ambition while looking at the conceptual sketch, fell silent upon seeing the numerous human resources, materials, and time consumption listed.
After a long while, Patriarch Zhao took a deep breath.
What account surplus?
Where was the surplus?!
Not to mention the current reserves in the warehouses, even the entire year's income would have to be invested!
Perhaps, it would only be enough to take the first step!
Patriarch Zhao's expression was solemn.
After some thought, he asked Wen Gu, "What is your suggestion?"
Wen Gu replied, "We can select one location as a pilot and build one to test it."
Patriarch Zhao nodded in agreement.
Building the defense outpost depicted by Wen Gu would undoubtedly require the improved ternary soil provided by Daoist Master Qingyi.
The defensive fortifications added this year had already been tested and proven to be sufficiently sturdy!
Unfortunately, the output was limited, and the workshop had already planned to recruit more staff.
If such defense outposts could succeed and withstand monster cluster attacks, they could try building more, or even larger-scale ones!
Patriarch Zhao took Wen Gu's manuscript and flipped a few pages back.
Wen Gu had drawn both a basic version and an advanced version of the defense outpost.
The advanced version was larger, with layers nested within each other, capable of accommodating more people.
Then the problem arose again:
How much food and supplies would be needed to build these?
Patriarch Zhao calculated the costs in his mind.
Wen Gu glanced at him.
Old Zhao looked as if he had instantly aged.
The next day, Patriarch Zhao successively summoned several important commanders for secret talks.
As a result, the generals of the three armies all knew that they would not be able to get much from Old Zhao's accounts this time, and perhaps not even in the next or the one after that, they might not receive any extra surplus!
This…
This defense outpost indeed looked quite formidable!
And that…
That Wen Gu!
He was truly ruthless!
This wasn't just eating from his bowl while looking at the pot; this was completely taking the whole pot!
The little scoundrel bit down hard!
Alright!
No need to think about what tricks to use to cry poor at the next meeting; no trick would be useful!
They no longer needed to eye Old Zhao's accounts.
Now they had to turn their attention to the defense outposts.
They were stationed in several of Xin Prefecture's cities.
The first pilot of the defense outpost would certainly not be too far from the survivors' gathering places, meaning it wouldn't be too far from the cities. The closest city would undoubtedly benefit the most!
Thus, the commanders who returned to Xin Prefecture City for the Chinese New Year began to act quickly.
Wen Gu, the initiator, became inconspicuous, with little further involvement. The subsequent developments involved the Zhao Clan, the three major armies, and the various survivor communities in Xin Prefecture.
He was just a minor district foreman, dealing with small matters within the district, and everything else was none of his concern.
In any case, as long as the defense outposts appeared, Wen Gu's objective would be achieved.
Where they would be established and how they would be built were strategic planning matters.
Xin Prefecture City was such a small place.
If there were any developments, the wealthy and influential families, if they were interested in paying attention, would at least be able to gather some fragmented information, even if they couldn't grasp the full picture.
The meeting held on the third day of the year at the Zhao Residence was the focus of everyone's attention.
They didn't know what kind of meeting these influential figures had behind closed doors, but rumors circulated in the marketplace that those who returned from the Zhao family mansion appeared outwardly calm, yet with a subtle shift in their demeanor.
Within a couple of days, several of them were summoned to the Zhao Residence again.
And their reactions became even more subtle.
It couldn't be called indignation, nor could it be described as pleasant.
Following this, their activities had become more frequent recently.
It seemed as if something was brewing.
Something was not right.
Continue to observe!
(End of this chapter)