MLMD -Chapter 166 Inspection (Part 3)

Seeing everyone turn their eyes toward him, even Yue Yang—no small-hearted man—felt his pulse quicken.

As the highest civil and military officials of Shanxi, Lu Xiangsheng and Xu Dingchen were naturally at the front. Lu Xiangsheng looked at Yue Yang with a slight smile and nodded.

“General Yue, who would have thought that not even a few months after we last parted, we would meet again? Yet you’re still as sharp-edged as ever—so much so that I have to look at you in a new light. Hahaha…”

To others, Lu Xiangsheng’s words were not exactly praise. Although spoken in a joking tone, in this age scholars revered the doctrine of moderation, and ‘being too sharp-edged’ carried a negative meaning. Yue Yang understood it at once—Lu Xiangsheng was subtly advising him to keep a lower profile.

The people around them also stirred inwardly. Many were secretly wondering, “Could it be that Governor Lu doesn’t really like this Yue Yang?”

Though puzzled, Yue Yang replied solemnly, “To have the honor of seeing Your Excellency again and receiving your guidance is already a great blessing for this subordinate. I hardly deserve to be called someone you must ‘look at in a new light.’”

“Hahaha!”

Lu Xiangsheng laughed again. He dismounted, walked up to Yue Yang, and gave his shoulder a hearty pat.

“Garrison Commander Yue, you really are an honest man. I was only joking—no need to take it so seriously. In truth, it’s not just me who holds you in high regard. Even His Majesty the Emperor speaks of you with great praise. I can say with certainty that you truly deserve those four words.”

As he said this, Lu Xiangsheng’s face was full of sincere admiration. He genuinely appreciated Yue Yang. Previously, he had only known Yue Yang as someone good at organizing agricultural colonies, easing his superiors’ burdens, and developing the people’s livelihood. But after Yue Yang submitted his battle report, Lu Xiangsheng realized that this young man’s military talent was just as outstanding.

Beheading more than two thousand enemy soldiers—this alone was a major victory rarely seen in recent years, and it had been achieved without any allied support. That could no longer be described merely as “excellent.”

When Lu Xiangsheng withdrew his hand, Yue Yang quietly rolled his stiff shoulder, inwardly shocked. This guy’s strength is terrifying—my shoulder still hurts from that one slap.
Historical records said Lu Xiangsheng had practiced martial arts from childhood and possessed extraordinary strength, training with great blades weighing nearly a hundred jin. Even more rare was the fact that, though a scholar, he excelled at commanding and drilling troops, sharing hardship with his soldiers and charging into battle alongside them. Among the generals of the late Ming, he was truly one of a kind. Moreover, he was also good at farming—Yue Yang had heard from Sichuan-si that in just a few months, Lu Xiangsheng had already begun organizing large-scale land reclamation, planning for three hundred thousand mu. A truly grand undertaking.

After greeting Lu Xiangsheng, Yue Yang went on to salute Xu Dingchen, Chen Xinjia, and the other officers one by one.

Xu Dingchen remained as warm as ever, his admiration obvious. Chen Xinjia’s attitude, however, was hard to read—neither close nor distant, as if maintaining a faint, deliberate gap. As for the others who had followed Lu Xiangsheng, their reactions were all different. In their eyes, Yue Yang could see traces of envy, jealousy, disdain, or curiosity.

After the greetings were finished, Lu Xiangsheng stepped forward and pointed ahead.

“Garrison Commander Yue, that should be Wuli Village up ahead, yes?”

“Yes, Your Excellency. This is already the outer area of Wuli Village.”

“Mm… It’s the season of autumn harvest now. How has the yield of Wuli Village been this year?”

Hearing this, Yue Yang felt a bit embarrassed. He had been at home most of the time lately and was not fully up to date on Wuli Village’s affairs. He motioned for Hailou to come over and said:

“Your Excellency, because I have been confined at home these days, I am not fully familiar with the current situation here. Let me call the official in charge to answer this properly. I have always believed that professional matters should be handled by professionals.”

“Professional matters should be handled by professionals…”

Lu Xiangsheng fell silent, slowly chewing over those words several times before nodding.

“Though it sounds somewhat strange at first, the more one thinks about it, the more sense it makes. Lord Xu, Lord Chen, what do you think?”

Xu Dingchen agreed readily. “Zhenghong is right. A man’s ability has its limits. No one can handle everything perfectly. If I were suddenly asked to deal with criminal law, for instance, I would probably only make a complete mess of it.”

Chen Xinjia’s response, however, was more subtle. He merely said lightly, “There is reason in those words. In my view, with bandits rampant and the Manchus so aggressive, Lord Yue should focus on drilling troops—that is the proper course.”

Hmm… what does this fellow mean by that? Yue Yang gave Chen Xinjia a careful look but could not read anything from his face.

“Enough. Whatever there is to say can wait until we reach Wuli Village.” Lu Xiangsheng waved his hand, remounted his horse, and flicked his whip lightly. His famous steed, Wumingji, sped up into a trot.

The others dared not lag behind and quickly followed.

After traveling a bit farther, they were astonished to discover that the dirt road beneath their feet had turned into a hard, flat roadway paved with some unknown material. It was also nearly a zhang wider than before. Everyone was amazed.

Lu Xiangsheng could not help asking, “Garrison Commander Yue, what is this road made of? How can it be so level and so hard? I have never seen anything like it.”

At the mention of the road, a surge of pride rose in Yue Yang’s heart. After all, I’m the first man in this world to use cement to build roads.

Though pleased, he kept a calm face. “Your Excellency flatters me. This road was made with a substance called cement. It is a powder that, when mixed with water, becomes a paste and can be shaped at will. Once it dries, it hardens like stone. It is extremely useful—not only for paving roads, but also for building houses and all kinds of structures.”

“Oh? Such a miraculous substance exists in this world?” Lu Xiangsheng was startled, then immediately asked, “Can it be used to build fortresses?”

“Of course it can.”

Yue Yang felt a surge of admiration. As expected of one of the late Ming’s greatest commanders—at the mere sight of cement, Lu Xiangsheng had already thought of its immense military value.

He went on, “Your Excellency, even if you had not come this time, I had planned to visit Datong once things here settled. I intend to build a fortress at Wuli Village. As you know, Wuli Village has developed at astonishing speed—calling it a hub of merchants would not be an exaggeration. Such a wealthy place, yet without any fortifications, is like a child walking through the market carrying gold bricks—far too dangerous. Recently the Manchus invaded Shanxi, and I feared they might suddenly raid Wuli Village. If that happened, nearly a hundred thousand people, hundreds of thousands of dan of grain, and countless valuables would be destroyed in a single day. Thankfully, the heavens showed mercy and the enemy withdrew before entering Yingzhou. But who can guarantee they won’t come again? Therefore, I respectfully ask Your Excellency to approve the construction of a fortress here to protect the people.”

In ancient times, building a fortress was no small matter—it required imperial approval. Otherwise, it could be taken as rebellion.

“So that is how it is.” Lu Xiangsheng pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded.

“Very well. After we return, Zhenghong, draft a proposal and submit it to me. I will review it, and if there are no problems, I will give you my reply.”

“Many thanks, Your Excellency!”

Yue Yang was delighted. Although Lu Xiangsheng had not agreed outright, in both ancient and modern times officials always left themselves room to maneuver. These words already meant that the matter was basically settled.

As Yue Yang and Lu Xiangsheng chatted casually at the front of the column, the officers behind them could all see it clearly: though Yue Yang’s rank was not high, he was clearly favored by Lu Xiangsheng. This man’s future in officialdom was bound to be bright.

After traveling about another li, a breathtaking scene suddenly unfolded before them.

Before their eyes stretched a boundless expanse of farmland. Countless figures moved across the fields, harvesting wheat and other crops with all their might.

Among them were old people, children, women, and grown men, all swinging sickles and hoes, laboring with every ounce of strength.

Although many noticed the long procession passing along the road, strangely, not a single one came over to watch—they all kept working.

The sight of tens of thousands of people laboring in the fields was overwhelming. Even Lu Xiangsheng was stunned.

His face flushed with excitement as he asked, “Zhenghong, I heard that last year you reclaimed nearly two hundred thousand mu and harvested one million dan of grain. How much have you reclaimed this year, and how much have you harvested?”

Yue Yang smiled slightly and replied proudly, “I can report to Your Excellency that this year I reclaimed another three hundred thousand mu. The harvest has been excellent—by my calculations, it should reach around five million dan of grain.”

“What… how much?”

Lu Xiangsheng felt his ears start to ring as a surge of blood rushed to his head…