OFTLHFRO C144

Chapter 144: A Scavenger?

Early the next morning, Luo Mingchen saw six large, neatly lined-up rats at his doorstep.

Realizing it was the handiwork of the white cat, he cooked a large piece of chicken breast for it.

From then on, the white cat was theirs—pampered, cuddled, well-fed.

Once all the fields were planted, even cotton sown, Huo Yan took the papers to Bingcheng to claim the fields.

The soil was problematic; there was no perfect solution but farming directly in Bingcheng was best.

They were received by Bingcheng’s city lord.

“Gentlemen, have mercy. If half the fields are rented for free to you, how will the people of Bingcheng survive the winter?”

The two had anticipated the city lord’s objections. Luo Mingchen told him, “I have a variant strain that grows quickly and yields heavily. Are you interested?”

The city lord looked puzzled, “What variant?”

“A better vegetable seed, cold-resistant and high-yielding. Normal wheat takes three to four months to harvest, but these can yield a crop in just over two months.”

This was Luo Mingchen’s own experiment.

He had not known normal wheat took so long. When he first planted the variant seeds, they grew somewhat slowly, so he nurtured them in his space for a while.

Although this reduced their cold resistance compared to natural selection, they still outperformed normal wheat and the first batch of variants by far.

The Bingcheng city lord fell silent for a moment. “Sir, we are short on funds…”

“No payment is needed. You may plant them freely, but we have one condition.”

Luo Mingchen glanced at Huo Yan and continued, “Your city’s taxes must be cut in half.”

The city lord replied helplessly, “Sir, our taxes are already low.”

Because the region was remote, the emperor decreed that taxes were collected by the city lord or the stationed military, some of which went to military wages.

“You may charge little, but you collect with General Wu. We investigated—he collects fifty percent, you twenty, totaling seventy percent. The remaining grain is insufficient for winter, and when war breaks out, you increase the levies as if to take everything.”

Luo Mingchen was shocked when he saw those figures in the accounts.

This was no longer excessive—it was reckless madness.

The peasants provide labor and seeds, yet their harvest barely covers costs, and they incur debts and penalties.

Previously, they hoped to have many sons for labor.

Now they hoped to have daughters—if one caught the general’s eye, the family would no longer worry about food and drink.

Even if not favored, marrying away was better than their children living eternally in the dark, hopeless Bingcheng.

The city lord’s lips twitched awkwardly and he stepped closer, lowering his voice, “I have no choice. Honestly, Bingcheng’s fate is not mine to decide. The previous city lord was killed by General Wu. The court cares nothing; I cannot manage this. My two children are under ten, my wife bedridden. If I defy General Wu, I’m sending myself to death. Without me, who cares for my family?”

Luo Mingchen had heard about Wu Qing from Hu Zhongyi but thought it exaggerated. Hearing this, he realized it was true and said, “We’re only informing you. We will still negotiate with General Wu.”

The city lord smiled, “That’s good then.”

On the way to the military camp, Luo Mingchen complained to Huo Yan, “A general like Wu Qing should be replaced.”

Huo Yan smiled faintly, leaning close. “Wu Qing’s fine. He’s greedy but foolish. If a shrewd and greedy one replaced him, Bingcheng would be doomed.”

Luo Mingchen wondered, “Are there no generals of better character in the court?”

“Of course,” Huo Yan gazed toward the distant camp. “But they’re all junior officers. Real power remains with the great clans. Otherwise the emperor wouldn’t send Wu Qing. The nobles’ influence is tangled. Scholars might rise via exams, even from humble origins. But generals come from a few families. The older generation is loyal, but their descendants use ancestral merits as immunity. After so many years, the emperor has cultivated only one like Hu Zhongyi.”

Listening to this gave Luo Mingchen a headache. “Is there no military exam at all?”

“The candidates are still from those families, unless someone like Hu Zhongyi, strong enough to overpower them with skill, comes along.”

Luo Mingchen was curious, “Did you hear this yourself?”

He wanted to ask if the Third Prince had said it but, with others present who knew martial arts, he changed his approach.

Huo Yan said, “General Hu said it himself.”

Luo Mingchen: “…Oh.”

Such matters are easily known with a little inquiry; nothing surprising.

In the camp, Wu Qing was almost dropping his chicken leg upon hearing Luo Mingchen and Huo Yan were outside.

“What do they want now?”

A soldier replied, “They said it’s about the fields and want to meet with the general.”

Wu Qing frowned, “Didn’t I agree already? What more is there?”

“I don’t know.”

Thinking of Luo Mingchen’s strange skills and Huo Yan’s odd poisons, Wu Qing shivered, putting his chicken leg down impatiently. “Let them in.”

“Yes.”

Upon entering, the couple saw the sumptuous feast before Wu Qing and exchanged meaningful smiles.

Luo Mingchen mocked, “General Wu’s meals look good.”

Wu Qing twitched his mouth, “What else do you want?”

“The Bingcheng fields total over three thousand acres. We leased thirteen hundred. Though many fields remain, it isn’t enough to feed the population. Does General Wu have anything to say?”

Wu Qing was baffled, “Isn’t that what you rented? Why say such things now?”

Luo Mingchen looked helplessly at Huo Yan.

Talking to a general who cared so little for the people was exhausting.

Huo Yan said, “We don’t want Bingcheng citizens to starve. We found some high-yield wheat seeds and asked if the general wanted to plant them together.”

This was good news, but Wu Qing was thick-headed and immediately laughed. “Afraid now? Renting so many fields, Bingcheng has more people than Hancheng. Afraid they’ll starve and the emperor will blame us?”

A silence fell.

After a while, Luo Mingchen seriously asked, “Did you always hide in the rear and scavenge after battles?”

Wu Qing didn’t fully grasp the words but knew they were not praise. “What do you mean?”

Huo Yan said, “We mean to invite your strategist here to talk.”

Feeling rejected, Wu Qing: “…”