Since the Wu Family decided to pay for peace, they sent people across the river to Linzhou to gather intel. If Chen Mo really came down to Jiangdong to confront them, they could pay in advance to avoid disaster.

Therefore, although Chen Mo's shipyard construction was conducted in secret, it couldn't escape the attention of those with intentions. Having operated in Jiangdong for a thousand years, the Wu Family naturally had their own people north of Linzhou.

The fact that the other party was shipbuilding and constructing docks recently startled the informants, who immediately returned to Jiangdong to report the news to the Patriarch.

To verify the authenticity of the information, Patriarch Wu Yanqing sent his son, Wu Changlin, to investigate personally.

Early in the morning, Wu Changlin led his people to the northern part of Linzhou, near the Celestial River, to a county town named Qiantang.

Qiantang is a small county, lacking any renowned noble clans or significant attractions. Because it is near the river and has limited farmland, the locals rely on fishing for a living, making Qiantang appear poorer compared to other county towns in Linzhou.

Without money, the government office naturally wouldn't spend to build docks. There is only one small pier constructed by the community for fishing boats to dock.

The water level at the pier is not deep; once a large or heavily loaded ship docks, it would immediately run aground.

In his youth, the family used connections to help Wu Changlin serve as the Qiantang County Magistrate for a time, but he was young and proud; such a small official position did not suit his tastes, and he found it uninteresting.

Thus, he left behind a resignation letter and left, abandoning the position of a county magistrate.

To ordinary people, achieving the position of a small county magistrate might be a lifelong struggle, but to nobles, it could be discarded at will.

He hadn't been to Qiantang for over a decade, but Wu Changlin still had some familiarity with this small town from memory.

He brought his subordinates and servants to a location he remembered, which was a small tavern a decade ago but had now become a tea stall.

Wu Changlin had his men hand a silver ingot to the tea stall vendor, borrowing his spot to sit down for a rest.

The servants rushed in, laying out carpets, moving tables, taking out lunch boxes. If the situation allowed, beauties would be strumming pipa and singing tunes.

The spot was nice, close to the river, but due to Qiantang County's poor economy and the high cost of wine, making the selling price high, previous taverns here couldn't sustain themselves.

Tea stalls, with lower costs, benefited from the recent influx of people by the riverside, allowing the vendor to earn some money.

The vendor noticed Wu Changlin gazing at a nearby dock and said, "Not sure what the government office is thinking, building such an extensive dock when there aren't many people in Qiantang."

The vendor skillfully served a bowl of herbal tea, placing it before Wu Changlin.

As for the vendor, he didn't know that a new shipyard had recently been built in Qiantang County.

This rustic little shop offered crude food, some even not fit to be seen.

Wu Changlin glanced around without any intention to pick it up.

At that moment, a servant had already set up a fire rack and was putting heavenly spring water from a deep pool in Jiangdong into a pot to make sour plum soup.

Among the servants was also a cook, who started making dishes on the spot with food from the box for Wu Changlin.

The vendor watched Wu Changlin in astonishment.

Where did this noble come from with such pomp, bringing a cook, a pot, and food...

Even the County Magistrate didn't have such grandeur.

Wu Changlin ignored the vendor's words, focusing instead on the dock in the distance.

After taking over Linzhou, Chen Mo allegedly had an army of 100,000 ready for battle, and looking from Linzhou, the advance was towards Huai State and retreat towards Jiangdong.

Moreover, Chen Mo previously signed a non-aggression pact with Prince Huai, and now building docks in Qiantang County made Wu Changlin feel a chill down his spine.

He casually said, "The government building docks likely means they want to construct ships. The river sides here have mountains, creating a narrow, excellent exit for ships."

"The noble indeed has a discerning eye to recognize it at a glance," praised the vendor, sensing the unusual status of the visitor. "It's a pity the water is shallow and even fish are scarce; those merchant ships going to Jiangdong and Jiangnan wouldn't come this way.

During the construction of the government's docks, a lot of river mud was excavated, almost piling up like a small hill."

Then he tentatively asked, "Is the honored guest here for sightseeing?"

"Yes," Wu Changlin replied casually, losing interest and delving into his thoughts.

There's no more time to wait.

If they wait until Chen Mo is fully prepared, even money won't buy peace then.

"It's time to meet this Marquis of Pingting County..."

Wu Changlin murmured to himself as the sour plum soup was ready, and a servant handed it to him.

Holding the bowl, the sour plum soup, warm just moments ago, suddenly cooled, leaving traces of frost in the bowl in the sweltering weather.

He took a sip and spat it out: "Why is today's sour plum soup so sour?"

It was already June.

...

When leaving Linzhou, Chen Mo did many things, starting with meeting the new navy recruits in Linzhou, namely the newly formed Fish Scale Guard.

So far, they had only recruited over two thousand people, and Nangong Wen had stringent requirements for the soldiers, with swimming ability being foundational.

If one can't swim, they will be eliminated in the first round.

Indeed, to show his regard for the Nangong Family, Chen Mo appointed Nangong Wen as the Captain of the Fish Scale Guard, but arranged Liu Ze as his deputy.

Afterward, he went to the barracks to inspect the newly recruited Xianzhen Guard soldiers.

The batch of Xianzhen Guard in Linzhou totaled five thousand men, under the command of Wei Qing, with Hu Qiang as his deputy.

When Chen Mo first issued this order, there were some murmurs among the Divine Brave Guard, feeling that Hu Qiang was also a veteran in the army, having followed Chen Mo since the days at Fu Ze Village, being one of the first followers of Chen Mo.

Now, however, he isn't doing as well as these newcomers.

Of course, this isn't just the case with Hu Qiang; there are also Cui Shuang, Sun Meng, Liu Ze, each wielding more authority than veterans like Zhang He, Han Wu, and Hu Qiang, and even captured generals like Shao Jinneng and Wen Heng, whose status keeps on rising.

As for these veterans, although they have been promoted to Captains, enjoying the salary of a Captain, their actual power is gradually diminishing.

For example, Zhang He, Han Wu, and Hu Qiang were responsible for managing the Divine Brave Guard, but now they have gradually stepped back.

These complaints naturally reached Chen Mo's ears through the newly established Inspector Guard.

Chen Mo didn't wish for this situation either.

The skills of veterans like Han Wu and Hu Qiang have somewhat lagged behind the army's development, and by skills, it's in terms of management.

When the numbers were small, Han Wu and Hu Qiang were adequate.

But as the numbers grew, governing thousands became bewildering for them.

Additionally, perhaps because they had no education when young, even if Chen Mo forces them to read and write to improve themselves now, they simply cannot learn it properly.

Just as Lin Li mentioned to Chen Mo twice about Hu Qiang falling asleep or daydreaming during classes, Chen Mo wouldn't have even arranged this deputy role for him if he hadn't recently become a Martial Artist.

The adage goes that times are progressing, and those who cannot keep up are destined to be left behind.

Though it's cruel to the army's veterans, since dealing with Zhang He, Chen Mo has adapted.

There's a saying: soft-hearted people are not fit to wield power.

And the higher one's position, the colder their heart becomes.

Later, Chen Mo visited the Divine Martial Guard camp in Linzhou. In the military tent, Chen Mo lightly tapped the table with his right index finger in front of him. Below him, generals like Cui Shuang held their breath and listened intently.

"Send a thousand men to Qiantang. You decide who to send first, Cui Shuang," Chen Mo said.

"Yes, sir."

The Divine Martial Guard in Linzhou is currently under Cui Shuang's command.

Chen Mo continued, "There hasn't been a battle for more than half a year, but training must not be neglected. After returning to Yu State, I will issue a document. On this day next year, I will conduct a full military exercise in Yu State, and all Five Guards must be present, so I can assess the results of your recent training."

"Yes, sir."

Upon hearing this, Cui Shuang felt a shiver run through him and silently considered the first batch of candidates.

Finally, Chen Mo found Zuo Lianglun for discussions, gave him the Military Token, allowing him to temporarily mobilize the Divine Brave Guard in Linzhou, and asked him to keep an eye on Qiantang and the Fish Scale Guard.

Despite the emphasis, the required caution should not be overlooked.

If the Fish Scale Guard painstakingly built and the warships crafted all got taken away by Nangong Wen, Chen Mo would have nowhere to vent his anguish.

Before reaching such a position, Chen Mo often criticized some strategies like the Emperor's Heart Technique, checks and balances, and being cautious of those around. Isn't it possible to trust someone entirely without reservation? But after reaching this position, Chen Mo's viewpoint changed.

All of this is necessary.

For example, was Cao Cao inherently suspicious?

I think not, it must have been caused by later factors.

"I understand, Your Excellency." Zuo Lianglun bowed his head and cupped his hands, then reported on Linzhou's affairs to Chen Mo.

"Marquis, due to the impact of war, some refugees from Huai State have fled by boat to our Linzhou. Should we drive them out?" Zuo Lianglun asked.

On hearing this, Chen Mo felt somewhat peculiar.

In early April, the Celestial Master Army had already launched an attack on Jing County.

Although they retook Jing County, the casualties were heavy. Later, as the Celestial Master Army invaded Yu State, they suffered continuous defeats, but at the end of May, the situation reversed, with the Huai Army in constant retreat.

"Have these refugees been screened to see if there are spies among them?" Chen Mo asked.

Zuo Lianglun said, "Reporting to the Marquis, they've been checked thoroughly; no issues found."

"In your opinion, how should we handle these refugees?"

"I would send people to gather them, capping it at a thousand households. Currently, the Xianzhen Guard is recruiting fresh troops, so they could pick new recruits from the refugees. After being taken in, they will be registered and become new recruits of the Xianzhen Guard. According to the County Marquis's military household system, their households can be turned into military households, and after being allocated land, they would naturally be settled."

As he spoke, Zuo Lianglun paused before continuing, "As for those not selected, they could be settled by implementing the Cyan Yang New Technique (Green Seed Technique) you promulgated, allowing them to stabilize and quickly restore production in Linzhou."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.