After a male student transmigrated into the body of a widow,

Chapter 241 Ruthless and Disgusting

In the summer, Youzhou Prefecture was unbearably hot. The sun hung high in the sky, and the ground was scorching hot. Waves of heat rose up, and there was no shade on the road. The intense sunlight felt burning hot on people, and after a while, sunburn and peeling were minor issues.

Under such intense sunlight, even the most capable and hardworking people dare not confront the scorching sun overhead. They all avoid working during the hottest part of the day and instead work when it is not so hot.

This summer, Gu Lin only goes out when the morning sun is weak, and stays at home to avoid the heat after lunch.

While in the mansion, he was not idle. Every day, he had the kitchen staff brew plum soup, mung bean soup, and jasmine and chrysanthemum tea, and then he had Da Yan send people to deliver these heat-relieving soups to the government office and the white porcelain factory, in order to prevent anyone from actually fainting from heatstroke.

In this sweltering season, the Song family caravan once again returned from the northern barbarian grasslands.

Upon hearing Zheng Hao send someone to deliver a message, Gu Lin walked to the study.

Just as he was entering the courtyard, Gu Lin bumped into Mr. Ye, who was coming out of the study. He greeted him with a cupped hand.

"Mr. Ye."

Ye Kuo stopped and stood in front of Gu Lin, raising his hand to stroke his black beard: "Husband Gu, what brings you here to see the lord?"

Gu Lin smiled and said, "I just came up with a few weapon designs and came over to ask Mingzhang for his opinion."

Upon hearing this, Ye Kuo immediately thought of how the weapons workshop used the steel-casting method to create a continuous stream of new weapons. Looking at the other man, he understood perfectly, and the doubt in his eyes disappeared. His gaze towards the young man became even more affectionate: "The master has just finished his official business. Husband, please go in first."

Gu Lin nodded, but did not leave immediately.

He said to Ye Kuo, "Sir, you have worked hard all this time. I have already had someone prepare some easily digestible wontons and send them to your courtyard."

He added, "The wontons are vegetarian."

Mr. Ye is over sixty years old. If his late-night snack is greasy, he may have difficulty digesting it all night.

Ye Kuo paused for a moment, then smiled and thanked the other party: "Brother Gu is very thoughtful. I thank you for your trouble."

After Ye Kuo finished speaking, he turned and left.

Stepping into the study, Gu Lin looked up at the desk, but what he saw was not what he had imagined. The young man was not sitting behind the desk as usual, but standing in front of a high table.

He walked over and saw a large parchment drawing spread out on the table.

Noticing his movement, Zheng Hao turned his head and beckoned. Gu Lin approached, looked down at the parchment drawings on the table, and then saw what was drawn on them.

His gaze swept over the mountains, rivers, and other markings on the map, and Gu Lin asked hesitantly, "Is this... a map of the Great Qian Dynasty?"

Zheng Hao nodded slightly.

It's no wonder Gu Lin hesitated and couldn't be sure, as if he had never seen it before, because this was truly the first time he had ever seen a complete map of the Great Qian Dynasty.

At present, a country's map is extremely precious and confidential. Zheng Hao's sheepskin map was actually a copy made from the map of the Marquis of Zhenbei.

On the parchment map, the territory of the Great Qian Dynasty was divided into small pieces. Each area separated by lines should be a prefecture. Gu Lin looked at it and suddenly his gaze stopped on several prefecture cities in Chengdu Prefecture. He saw that they were covered with small red flags, while the other prefecture cities were not.

Following Uncle Gu's gaze, Zheng Hao withdrew his eyes and explained in a calm tone: "His Majesty ordered all the southern prefectures to rise up together to quell the rebellion in Chengdu Prefecture, kill the rebels, and reclaim the prefectures in Chengdu Prefecture. However, driving away the tigers and leopards has attracted jackals and wolves. The prefects and generals reappointed by the court to take up their posts in Chengdu Prefecture and other prefectures have no real power. These prefectures have already been occupied by the southern prefectures that led the troops to quell the rebellion."

"so······"

Gu Lin wasn't too surprised. He pondered for a moment and said, "These prefectures are now defunct in name only and no longer obey the Great Qian."

Zheng Hao nodded slightly after hearing Uncle Gu's words.

Unlike his calm and composed demeanor, Gu Lin frowned. Although he had long known that the Great Qian Dynasty would descend into chaos, he had not expected it to happen so quickly. The southern prefectures had not even bothered to put on a show and were already eagerly annexing other prefectures.

Gu Lin had a headache. The current turmoil in the Great Qian Dynasty was not a good thing for their Youzhou Prefecture.

They had just gotten on the right track; weapons were being manufactured, food was being grown, and the population was slowly increasing...

If neighboring prefectures attempt to annex Youzhou Prefecture, and the northern barbarians are eager to invade southward again, they will be unprepared and have to fight another bitter battle.

Gu Lin lowered his head in deep thought; they needed to come up with a solution as soon as possible.

Seeing Uncle Gu frowning in thought, Zheng Hao spoke up, mentioning the Song family's merchant caravan.

"This time, the Song family's caravan returned with countless treasures and gold, making dozens of times more money than last time through the trade of refined salt."

Hearing the young man's cold, deep voice, Gu Lin looked up and saw a hint of pleasure flash across the other man's brows. He twitched his fingers slightly. Zheng Hao was not the kind of person who would be swayed by a huge sum of money.

He asked, "During their trade, did they encounter or do anything?"

Zheng Hao did not hide anything. He lowered his head and met the young man's light brown eyes, then recounted to Gu Lin everything that the caravan leader had reported to him during the day.

It turns out that the Song family's caravan did not come away empty-handed last time. They used refined salt to establish relationships with the nobles and kings of the grassland tribes. After they had used up most of the refined salt during the autumn and winter, they began to eagerly await the arrival of the Song family's caravan.

Meanwhile, the nomadic tribesmen who had been consuming refined salt long ago disdain the coarse salt offered to them by the Xiongnu.

This time, the Song family caravan brought more refined salt to the grasslands than before. The grassland princes and nobles were overjoyed and warmly welcomed their arrival. The Song family caravan did not forget to do their business. While talking with the grassland princes and nobles, they intentionally or unintentionally sowed discord between them and the five major tribes of the Xiongnu and Xianbei.

The grassland tribes already had a deep-seated blood feud with the five major Xiongnu tribes. Without any instigation, they wished they could tear them apart and eat them. How could they withstand the Song family caravan's clever provocation, which seemed to avoid mentioning the northern barbarians but actually spoke ill of the Xiongnu and earnestly worried about their situation?

After further sowing discord between the grassland tribes and the five major Xiongnu tribes, the Song family caravan left the grasslands with satisfaction and headed to the Northern Barbarians. However, upon arriving in the capital of the Northern Barbarians, they were met with a pleasant surprise.

During their last trade trip, the people they left behind in the Northern Barbarian lands actually managed to infiltrate the Northern Barbarian royal palace through the recommendations of princes and nobles.

This is why they returned to Youzhou Prefecture so late compared to last time, because they were waiting for the messengers who had infiltrated the Northern Barbarian Palace to send a message.

Thus, they stayed in the Northern Barbarian lands for half a month until news came from the Northern Barbarian palace that a monk trusted by the Empress had observed the celestial phenomena at night and said that the Consort's fate was about to change and that she would clash with the Emperor in the next three years. The Empress pleaded with the Emperor to issue an edict to send the Consort to a temple to cultivate herself and beg for the forgiveness of the Eternal Heaven. At the same time, she prayed for the Emperor and for the Northern Barbarian lands.

Unfortunately, the Northern Barbarian Emperor was very fond of this concubine and did not believe in fate. If it weren't for the fact that a few days later, he and the concubine were riding horses together when he accidentally fell off his horse and broke his leg, followed by a cold, fever, and constant assassination attempts, the monks around the Empress would have been dragged out and beheaded long ago.

Even so, the emperor was still reluctant to blame the concubine, but he did believe in the theory of incompatible fates and ordered her to seclude herself in the palace to cultivate herself. At the same time, he summoned the monk who served the empress and questioned him. No one knows what they talked about until nightfall. The monk came out of the Northern Barbarian emperor's residence, and then he was appointed as the national teacher by the Northern Barbarian emperor.

The title of the Northern Barbarian National Preceptor was not bestowed arbitrarily by the Northern Barbarian Emperor. Due to their faith, the National Preceptor was highly respected in the Northern Barbarian lands and was revered by high-ranking officials, nobles, and common people.

"Monk?"

Gu Lin murmured to himself, wondering where Zheng Hao had found this talented person.

Zheng Hao: "That is the Daoist Zhengsheng."

"Daoist Zhengsheng?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Lin's face showed an incredulous expression: "Is it that Daoist Zheng Sheng who eats three catties of meat and two ounces of wine every day?"

Looking down at Uncle Gu's shocked expression and incredulous description, Zheng Hao smiled slightly: "Exactly."

Gu Lin was completely bewildered: "But wasn't he a Taoist priest? How did he become a monk?"

Gu Lin was puzzled; his mind was completely blank.

He didn't believe that the Northern Barbarian Empress, the Emperor, and even all the civil and military officials were fools. When the Taoist priest Zheng Sheng stood in front of them, they couldn't even tell whether he was a Taoist priest or a Buddhist monk.

The confusion on Uncle Gu's face was almost tangible. Zheng Hao explained, "Daoist Zheng Sheng originally practiced Taoism, but later became acquainted with Buddhism, so he practiced both Buddhist and Taoist methods at the same time. However, to outsiders, Daoist Zheng Sheng mainly practices Taoist methods."

Gu Lin nodded silently. If the other party were to enter a Buddhist monastery, how could they dare to openly eat meat and drink alcohol? No, wait...

If he remembers correctly, Taoist priests are also not allowed to eat meat or drink alcohol.

Zheng Hao: "In the Northern Barbarian Kingdom, the nobles believe in Buddhism, while the common people believe in shamanism. The reason why Daoist Zhengsheng was able to quickly gain the trust of the Northern Barbarian nobles and be highly valued by the Northern Barbarian Emperor and Empress is because he presented himself as a Buddhist disciple and was proficient in Buddhist teachings and could use them at will."

Gu Lin listened while shaking his head, not because he opposed their actions, but because he admired the courage of the Taoist priest Zheng Sheng.

If this gets exposed, I'll be dead in a heartbeat.

Thinking of the other party's love for alcohol and meat, and knowing that he would have to abstain from these things for quite some time, Gu Lin sighed softly, "It must be tough for Daoist Zheng Sheng."

Being a spy is no easy task. The Northern Barbarian Emperor is a few years younger than the Jian'an Emperor. Who knows how many years the Daoist Zhengsheng will have to lie low?

Gu Lin thought to himself, but couldn't help asking the question aloud.

Zheng Hao shook his head slightly: "He doesn't have that kind of patience."

Upon hearing this, Gu Lin looked up at him. Zheng Hao said, "When we discussed this matter, Daoist Zheng Sheng clearly stated that it would take at most two years to cause chaos in the Northern Barbarians."

?

Gu Lin's mouth gaped slightly. If the person in front of him hadn't said it himself, he would have thought that it was the one who had gone mad.

Even if the various tribes within the Northern Barbarians are not united, they are still one country. To expect them to descend into chaos at will is far too frivolous.

Gu Lin's expression was too easy to understand.

Zheng Hao raised his hand and stroked a strand of hair that had fallen in front of the other person: "Two months after Daoist Zheng Sheng entered the palace, the Northern Barbarian Emperor's old illness relapsed, and he was critically ill and bedridden. The large tribes behind the Empress and the Consort were constantly fighting, and they all wanted to promote the prince with the blood of their tribe to inherit the throne."

As the young man uttered one shocking piece of news after another, Gu Lin was almost numb: "Was it the work of Daoist Zheng Sheng that the Northern Barbarian Emperor was critically ill in bed?"

If the other side truly plotted to harm the Northern Barbarian Emperor, he shouldn't have been able to escape unscathed.

Zheng Hao: "The Northern Barbarian Emperor's harem has countless concubines from small tribes. Among them, one concubine was deeply favored by the Northern Barbarian Emperor, but not long ago, her tribe was annexed by the tribe to which the concubine belonged. She begged the Northern Barbarian Emperor to make a decision but was refused. She then harbored hatred and poisoned the Northern Barbarian Emperor, causing his old illness to relapse. With the new poison and old wounds, the Northern Barbarian Emperor was half dead."

As for where the concubines in the palace obtained the poison...

Zheng Hao lowered his eyes slightly, and said, "Then it's a matter of opinion."

A hint of suspicion flashed across Gu Lin's eyes. He strongly suspected that the poison in the little concubine's hands was related to Daoist Zheng Sheng. As everyone knows, Daoists and doctors are inseparable to some extent.

However, none of that mattered. He listened as the young man continued, "Now the Northern Barbarian Emperor is bedridden but not on the verge of death. With the two major tribes led by the Empress and Consort as the leaders, many tribes are divided into two factions fighting each other. The Northern Barbarians have no time to worry about the Great Qian."

This was also a crucial part of their initial discussion on stirring up trouble in the Northern Barbarians. The Northern Barbarian Emperor could not die easily, because once he died, the Northern Barbarians would quickly elect a new leader. There was a choice between an old wolf who was very old and feared death and a young and strong lion who was eyeing the Central Plains. Zheng Hao could not allow the latter to appear.

As long as the Northern Barbarian Emperor is still clinging to life and bedridden, the Northern Barbarians will be unable to focus wholeheartedly on launching their campaign against the Great Qian.

Even knowing the other party was deeply cunning, Gu Lin couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, "Your move was both ruthless and..."

He paused at the end of his sentence, not continuing. The young prefect looked down at him and said in a low, slow voice, "What is it now? Uncle Gu, just tell me."

Gu Lin slowly added, "It's both ruthless and disgusting."

It wasn't sarcasm; Gu Lin was genuinely praising him.

Zheng Hao was taken aback for a moment, but upon hearing his assessment, he wasn't angry or annoyed. Instead, a slight smile appeared on his lips: "Uncle Gu's summary is quite accurate..."

"Insightful."

Meeting the young man's dark eyes, and seeing the smile in his eyes, Gu Lin smiled too.

After the Marquis of Zhenbei left, the Zhenbei Army was handed over to Zheng Hao for full control. Generals such as Li Xiu, who were advancing, at least outwardly obeyed him, whether because of his status as a young military supervisor or because of the tiger tally in his hands.

Tian Kang led five thousand heavy cavalry back to the camp. His blood-soaked body could not hide his joy. He walked over with a big laugh: "We really had a good fight today. With the divine weapons given by Lord Zheng, those northern barbarians were beaten to a pulp. I cut them down like slicing melons and vegetables."

Upon hearing this, the generals present felt their blood boil. When they saw Tian Kang's imposing and gleaming armor and his brand-new longsword, their eyes were practically red with envy.

That old codger Tian Kang is really lucky. He caught Lord Zheng's eye and was actually given five thousand heavy cavalrymen who were all brand new from head to toe!

Those were heavy cavalry!

Faced with the envy, jealousy, and hatred from his comrades, Tian Kang felt extremely pleased.

Zheng Hao glanced over, and Tian Kang immediately dropped his smugness and returned to his serious demeanor as a general.

On the training ground, the young military supervisor withdrew his gaze and swept it over the group of generals below. The generals who met his gaze couldn't help but tense up, becoming even more serious and awe-inspiring, hoping to be valued by him so that they could also lead heavy cavalry out to have some fun.

The young military supervisor, with a stern expression, spoke: "General Li Xiu, the valiant cavalry, listen to my command!"

Li Xiu stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and replied, "This humble general awaits your command!"

Zheng Hao: "I hereby order you to lead 10,000 light cavalry for 100 days of training at the Mangshan Martial Arts Ground, effective immediately!"

Li Xiu, slightly out of breath, responded loudly, "Yes!"

Ten thousand light cavalry?

"If we don't have heavy cavalry, light cavalry will do just fine," the other generals said, their eyes fixed intently on the young military supervisor at the head of the table.

He did not disappoint them. Zheng Hao gave them instructions one by one, and they achieved the results he wanted. The generals were all satisfied.