allendalepharm Chapter 37 A Golden Carp Is No Ordinary Fish in a Pond
Chapter 37 A Golden Carp Is No Ordinary Fish in a Pond
"That bastard Guo Jing!"
Tolui smashed the cup and began cursing Yang Kang.
Jebe and Borju pushed open the door and rushed in to report:
"Prince Tolui, something terrible has happened! Princess Huazheng has gone missing!"
Tolui, Borju, and Jebe looked at each other in bewilderment.
"She must have gone after that rascal Guo Jing!"
"Tore said through gritted teeth."
"Yang Kang'an, when you have the chance to visit the grasslands in the future, we'll have a good drink together then."
"I need to go after Hua Zheng and that bastard Guo Jing first."
Tolui immediately grabbed Jebe, Borju, and the others and rushed out of the room, spurring their horses to give chase.
Yang Kang and Yang Miaozhen exchanged a smile, but did not stop Shi Tianze from leading his men to follow him.
"Tianze, take your men and follow them."
"Don't let them get into trouble on my Shandong territory."
Yang Kang chuckled and gave instructions to Shi Tianze.
Shi Tianze accepted the order and left. Yang Kang and Yang Miaozhen returned to the World Society and began another busy day.
The joy of their newlywed life had barely ended when Guo Jing left, and Yang Kang and Yang Miaozhen didn't have much time to indulge in their romantic relationship.
Although the Mongol threat has come to an end, the war disrupted the autumn harvest and destroyed the already fragile rural economy of countless people.
After losing their food and the seeds for the following year, countless people starved to death in the first snowstorm of winter.
Those who still had some strength left could only desperately carry the last remaining food, tattered clothes, and their wives and children who might fall in the snowstorm at any moment, regarding Shandong as their last hope.
They surged toward the only hope they could see, yet were unsure if they could grasp it.
The "Wumu Legacy" is a hope, and the reincarnation of Xiang Yu is also a hope.
As long as a person has hope, he/she has the courage to live.
In such a chaotic world, even if the hope is slim, those who have nowhere else to turn will still try their best.
The hope of a million people surviving can be the most tragic nightmare, or it can become the most terrifying force in the world.
That was the power Yang Kang had always dreamed of, but before he could truly grasp it, Yang Kang needed to do one thing.
That is to ensure these people survive until next year's autumn harvest.
Yang Kang did not have the ability to record the entire Baidu Encyclopedia. He knew very little about the knowledge that would later create the Industrial Age, and could only provide his craftsmen with some limited guidance and direction.
But every era has its share of geniuses, even in this small corner of Shandong, there are the artisans of the martial arts world.
They began to actively explore new fields, improving gunpowder, researching fertilizers, and seawater salt production technologies. Every now and then, they would produce results that left Yang Kang speechless.
But all technologies, when transformed into food production and clothing to keep warm in winter, require time, and at this time, the world society is most lacking in time.
No matter how much value those things can create in the future, he has to make sure these people get through this winter first.
As the Grand Steward of the World Society, Yelü Chucai had been working tirelessly and using all his skills during this period.
In order to obtain more money and food to feed the influx of people, Yelü Chucai abandoned all the modesty that a Confucian scholar should have and began to extort money from wealthy households in Shandong without any mercy.
Those who were rich but unkind were even directly confiscated. Even the Confucius Mansion in Qufu, a sacred place in the hearts of Confucian scholars, was forced to hand over 99% of its property under Yelü Chucai's extortion.
Apart from the ancestral home and a few plots of land, everything else was taken by Yelü Chucai and resold.
"Jinqing, aren't you afraid of being criticized by Confucian scholars all over the world for your extreme actions?"
In the study, Yang Kang looked at Yelü Chucai with a hint of surprise.
"Confucian scholars have only one sacred place in their hearts, and that is a peaceful world."
"The so-called sacred site of Confucianism in Shandong is nothing more than an excuse used by corrupt scholars who are incapable of making achievements or doing practical things for the world."
"The fate of the twenty-three prefectures of the World Alliance rests on the shoulders of its subordinates, encompassing eight million people."
"I don't have time to argue with those pedantic scholars."
Yelü Chucai said dismissively.
"If you have this idea again, remember to tell me in advance so I can step in."
"I am not the kind of hypocritical monarch who would let his subordinates bear the blame."
Yang Kang laughed heartily, patted him on the shoulder, and said with a smile:
Yelü Chucai lowered his head slightly.
"Your Majesty treats me as a national hero, and I should repay you as a national hero."
"The ruler and his subjects are one, sharing both honor and disgrace."
"Besides, this matter is of great merit, so how can there be any talk of guilt or blame? Your Majesty is overthinking it."
Yelü Chucai looked somewhat tired, but his eyes remained as bright as ever.
In this era, winter is hell for everyone; hunger and cold are the sharp blades on either side of a pair of scissors, ruthlessly reaping everyone's lives.
Under Yelü Chucai's manipulation, Shandong was almost completely drained of all its wealth.
With the help of Murong Yan's Ming Cult forces in the Southern Song Dynasty, they secretly made contact and finally purchased enough supplies to barely support the refugees in Shandong through this difficult winter.
Even with the World Society's best efforts to treat the disaster victims, nearly 200,000 people still died among the millions of refugees who flooded into Shandong.
When Yang Kang learned of this number, he couldn't help but feel a heaviness in his heart.
Whether it's hypocrisy or self-preservation, he suddenly felt that his ambition, which had appeared out of nowhere, might not be a bad thing for this era.
After the last snowfall, the snow gradually melted away, and the sun began to warm up.
As the first signs of spring returned, everyone in the World Society secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Although food shortages persist, the worst of the cold has passed.
The successful new salt-making technology, coupled with the established maritime trade routes, a strict food rationing system, and fishery supplements, still gave everyone in the World Society hope of making it to the autumn harvest.
In order to survive, everyone did everything they could.
Even the military began to try land reclamation to alleviate the pressure.
Of course, the results of everything will have to wait until the autumn harvest.
Just as the World Society was working tirelessly to ensure the survival of the people under its rule, the situation in the world was also quietly changing.
Genghis Khan returned north to the grasslands, leaving a contingent of troops under the command of Muqali, who was ordered to continue his campaigns in the Central Plains.
Muqali became the first person in the Mongol heartland to be truly granted the title of king. To show his trust, Genghis Khan bestowed upon him the nine-tailed banner, a symbol of his supreme power.
At this time, instead of seizing the opportunity of the Mongol main force's northward retreat to recuperate and form an alliance with the Song Dynasty to restore its vitality, the Jin Dynasty once again raised the idea of making up for its losses in the north by citing the Song Dynasty's cessation of annual tribute.
Wanyan Xun, following the example of the foolish late emperor Wanyan Yongji of the Jin Dynasty, launched another southern expedition.
Ignoring Wanyan Honglie's advice, he sent Zhuhu Gaoqi south to attack the Song Dynasty.
This war, which started in April, lasted for no more than half a year before ending with Wanyan Honglie launching a coup, completely sidelining Wanyan Xun, and recalling the army.
This year, which was full of upheavals and changes across the country, was a year of ordinariness and hardship for the Tianxiahui in Shandong.
After eight million people struggled through that winter, a vigorous construction project became the common goal of everyone in the World Society.
Among Yang Kang's three halls, the children gradually stood out.
Two young men, with their exceptional talents, were personally accepted as disciples by Yang Kang.
Those children who had already lost their parents and names in the war were given names by Yang Kang that only he himself understood their meaning.
Nie Feng and Bu Jingyun.
When the last seed of autumn is harvested into the granary, when everyone in the world can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Wanyan Honglie's almost boastful report of victory reached Shandong.
Yang Kang was stroking his wife's belly, where his first child was growing, and where the future of the World Society was being nurtured.
"The names given to the adopted sons of the soldiers are all based on their own surnames."
"These two children have long forgotten what their own surname is."
"Why didn't you give them the surname Yang, instead of bestowing upon them the unique names Nie Feng and Bu Jingyun?"
"Is there any purpose behind these two names?"
Yang Miaozhen stroked her belly with one hand and asked curiously.
"A golden carp is no ordinary fish; it will transform into a dragon once it encounters wind and clouds."
Upon hearing this, Yang Kang recited the poem with profound meaning.