141: Chapter 0141 The Music Continues

"Ridiculous!!"

Prefect Wu Yonghe slammed his wine cup down heavily and questioned, "Let me ask you, if he wanted to take Lincang Prefecture, why didn't he come before the start of winter?"

"We only have three thousand garrison troops in Lincang Prefecture. If he didn't come back then, why wait until winter when attacking a city is difficult?!"

"Even taking a step back, if he were to send troops to attack the city, could Prince Bai really remain indifferent?"

"And the entire Cang Province... do you know how difficult it is to march in the Northern Territory once it snows in winter?!"

"How much military strength does he even have? Can he withstand the consumption of fighting a war in the dead of winter!?"

"The winter wheat planted by their Zhenbei Army hasn't even been harvested yet. Are their provisions sufficient!?"

Prefect Cai Heng frowned, "What you say makes sense, my lord, but... but I dare to suggest that we at least pay the three months of military pay owed to the soldiers."

"In case the Zhenbei Army attacks, if the soldiers don't even have their pay, their morale will definitely be affected..."

Prefect Wu Yonghe was furious: "The imperial court is in chaos right now, and even my own salary is in arrears. What does it matter if they are owed a few months!?"

"I haven't starved them. If they don't want to be soldiers, tell them to get lost!"

Prefect Wu Yonghe couldn't be bothered to say more and waved his hand, "Keep the music playing, keep the dancing going!"

Seeing that no one paid him any mind, Prefect Cai Heng retreated dejectedly.

After leaving the Prefects Mansion, Prefect Cai Heng realized that he had been busy all morning and hadn't eaten yet.

Being a bachelor, he was familiar with the area and arrived at a small eatery he visited almost every day.

He ordered a bowl of noodles and a small dish of pickled vegetables, and began to eat.

A few commoners at the next table glanced at Prefect Cai Heng but didn't pay much attention; after all, he didn't dress like an official.

"The weather is so cold. My old yellow dog froze to death..."

"Sigh... be content. At least there is honeycomb coal this year; it's much easier to get by than in previous years."

"Speaking of which, we really have to thank Lin Xiao for saving us commoners a large sum of money."

"Isn't that right? It's even solved cooking and heating water. In previous winters, I didn't even dare to dream of drinking a cup of hot water!"

"By the way, have you heard? People over in Wu Mountain and Baishui can buy two coal briquettes at half price every day!"

"I heard! My uncle's family lives in Wushan Commandery, right? I'm so envious; think of how much money that saves!"

A thin man wearing a hat said, "It used to be very bitter over there. When Prefect Guo was in charge, we didn't know if we'd have the next meal!"

"Ever since the Zhenbei Army arrived, they went straight into northern construction, with food and housing provided. They even built schools, and children can learn to read and write without paying!"

"When spring comes next year, I want to take my wife and mother to Wushan Commandery to join my uncle..."

"Really? Why don't we go together?"

Another man at the table with prominent front teeth said excitedly, "I want to join the Zhenbei Army!"

"Haha, do you know martial arts? Will the Zhenbei Army want you?"

"You don't know anything! The Zhenbei Army isn't just for fighting. There's something called 'Militia' that works everywhere. As long as you know how to farm, that's enough!"

The man with the prominent front teeth lowered his voice, "Have you heard? The garrison in our city hasn't been paid for three months!"

"The Zhenbei Army not only doesn't owe pay, but their income is two or three times that of our garrison troops!"

The small man looked shocked, "No way? Where did you hear that?"

"Why would I lie to you!? My cousin is at the city gate!"

"My uncle is in poor health and often needs to buy medicine. The military pay hasn't been issued, which has really worried my cousin!"

"He said... if the Zhenbei Army really attacks, he'll just open the city gate! He might as well be an insider!"

Prefect Cai Heng couldn't listen anymore upon hearing this.

"Outrageous!" Prefect Cai Heng turned his head and shouted, "What is your cousin's name?"

The man with the prominent front teeth and the others looked at him strangely.

"Who are you? We're chatting among ourselves; does it have anything to do with you?"

Prefect Cai Heng said sternly, "Since you have become a soldier, you must obey military orders! If your cousin is truly a Lincang garrison soldier, he should be devoted to defending Lincang City. How can he think of being a traitor?!"

"Are you sick? You don't pay the soldiers, yet you expect them to risk their lives? Where in the world does such a thing happen?"

"Exactly... only Prefect Wu Yonghe is allowed to eat and drink well, while the soldiers have to freeze and starve on the city walls?"

Prefect Cai Heng was left speechless by the retort and had to bury his head back into his noodles.

After drinking all the noodle soup, Prefect Cai Heng walked out of the eatery with his head down.

After he walked away, the small man, the man with the prominent front teeth, and the other commoners exchanged glances and also left the eatery.

On the other side, Prefect Cai Heng didn't go home but headed straight for the guard post at the city gate.

Because of the cold weather, the soldiers on guard rotated every two hours.

When Prefect Cai Heng went in, a few veteran soldiers were warming themselves by a fire basin.

Seeing the dozen or so honeycomb coal briquettes piled to the side, Prefect Cai Heng's expression was complex.

"Assistant Minister Cai, why are you here?" The captain of the South City Gate, Lao Zhou, led everyone to stand up.

Prefect Cai Heng smiled, "Nothing much, just patrolling. After all, the Zhenbei Army has advanced five miles, and I'm a bit uneasy."

Captain Lao Zhou hurriedly reported, "Don't worry, Assistant Minister, we have been keeping a close watch. The Zhenbei Army has no unusual movements; there are still only two or three thousand of them."

"That's good... you all continue resting."

Just as Prefect Cai Heng was about to leave, Captain Lao Zhou called out to him.

"Assistant Minister Cai, our military pay... when will it be issued?"

As soon as Captain Lao Zhou asked, the other dozen or so soldiers present also looked at Prefect Cai Heng with eager eyes.

Prefect Cai Heng felt guilty. Remembering what the man with the "prominent front teeth" had said, and thinking that the owed pay might be life-saving money for some soldiers' families...

"Soon, it won't be long now."

Prefect Cai Heng forced himself to tell a lie. He really couldn't bear to tell them that there was no end in sight for their pay...

Four days later. Baishui City, Generals Mansion.

Lin Xiao looked at the several marked cement roads on the map and nodded with satisfaction.

The triangular route from Baishui City to Wushan Commandery, and even to Lincang Prefecture, had been completed.

To get rich, build roads first! To fight a war, build roads first! Fighting a war is burning money; fighting a war is fighting logistics!

"Husband, listening to you and spreading salt on the cement roads, there isn't much snow accumulation." Xiao Qingxuan said excitedly, "Cement transportation hasn't been affected at all, and it was completed on time."

"You've worked hard, my wife, keeping an eye on it for me and coordinating the manpower," Lin Xiao smiled.

"I only provided some direction. If not for your brilliant ideas, Husband, it wouldn't have been completed," Xiao Qingxuan dared not take the credit.

Lin Xiao looked at Leng Bingyan to the side: "Yaner, what do the spies sent out say?"

"Prefect Wu Yonghe doesn't think at all that a few thousand Zhenbei Army soldiers can take Lincang City in winter; he is drunk and dreaming of death all day long."

"The most troublesome one is that Assistant Minister Cai Heng, but he has been influenced by our people, and because of the military pay issue, he has had a very tense falling out with Prefect Wu Yonghe."

Leng Bingyan said with some regret: "As it stands now, it is only a matter of time before Prefect Cai Heng is dismissed from his post, and he might even be imprisoned."

Lin Xiao was not surprised and said: "As long as there is a rift between them, that is enough. Prefect Cai Heng is a talent, and I don't want him to actually be beheaded."

"Tomorrow morning, we will let Prefect Wu Yonghe see what is called 'divine soldiers descending from heaven'!"