Chapter Fifteen: Meeting Fellow Villagers in a Foreign Land

rrying the bucket back and forth to draw water.Thinking of her small stature, carrying a full bucket of hot water back and forth with such difficulty, Jiang Wang couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt...During the long reign of King Han Yin, Yong Nation was no longer as powerful as it had been under Emperor Han Zhou. It completely withdrew from the northern territories, but still held thirteen prefectures: Tianming, Jing'an, Nanyang, Taining, Shun'an, Yonghuai, Hechang, Fuchun, Lan'an, Fumeng, Yiyang, Zhenyou, and Lingbei.

> Compared to the three counties of Zhuang, this place is truly enormous.

Had it not been for the constraints imposed by the kingdoms of Jing and Jing, as well as the natural barrier of the Qicang Mountains, the numerous successive rulers of Zhuang Kingdom would have all been considered men of great talent. Yong Kingdom would have long ago swallowed Zhuang Kingdom whole.

But regardless of the reasons, after hundreds of years, the State of Chu not only did not perish but grew stronger day by day, being seen by many as evidence of Han's waning vigor.

Especially in the year 3919 of the Daoli calendar, at the beginning of the new year, a widespread war ended in a very short time.

It came as a horrifying realization to the people: since Duke Zhuang Cheng established his state, Zhuang had been oppressed and humiliated, but had never truly lost a war!

Whether it is to Mo Guo, Yong Guo, or even Xu Guo which has already been destroyed.

Zhuang Chengqian fought fiercely on the Qichang Mountain Range, stopping Han Yin's advance. Zhuang Gaoxian led two wars against other nations, the first time inflicting a painful defeat on the Yong nation's border army, winning years of peace on the frontier. The second time was almost successful in conquering the Yong nation!

The military strength of the state of Zhuang was awe-inspiring.

After the Battle of Zhuang Yongguo, the entire Lingbei Prefecture was occupied by the Zhuang Kingdom.

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Yiyang Prefecture was divided by Suolong Pass. The southern part also belonged to Zhuang Nation and was included in Zhuang Nation's Yongchang County together.

Lock Dragon Pass is located roughly two-thirds of the way south from Yuyang Prefecture, so geographically speaking, most of Yuyang Prefecture's territory still belongs to Yong Guo.

But due to the importance of Lock Dragon Pass, the entire Yiyang Prefecture was within the purview of its overlook, with not a single settlement outside its range.

Therefore, the city of Yin Ge arose from the ground, eliminating this geographical disadvantage.

What's fortunate for Jiang Wang is that the Qingyun Pavilion sect's base is located in Shun'an Prefecture, in the western part of Yong Guo, rather than Yiyang Prefecture where Zhuang Yong's army is currently facing off.

If he were in Yiyang Prefecture, under the suppression of a large army, he wouldn't even have to think about it; he would just abandon it directly.

While Shun'an Prefecture was a rare place that remained untouched during the previous national war. Its southern neighbor, Lan'an Prefecture, was once invaded by the coalition forces of Zhuang and Luo, but was soon driven out.

The armies of the southern Zhuang Kingdom never advanced past the Suolong Pass, and the Red Horse Guard of the northern Jing Kingdom failed to breach the defenses of the Jing'an Prefecture.

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The only time in the entire Shun'an prefecture that came close to war was probably when the Minister of State of Zhuang Guo, Du Ruhui, harassed Yong territory and restrained Yong Guo's divine military might. He briefly descended upon Ningyuan City, the prefecture seat, delivering a punch that didn't even break the city's protective formation before he hastily left.

Therefore, compared to places like Yiyang and Lan'an, the atmosphere in Shun'an Prefecture is noticeably much calmer.

Walking down the main street of Wenxi County in Shun'an Prefecture, Jiang Wang could clearly feel that Emperor Han Xu and his ministers had a firm grasp on the entire country.

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People's unease about change is palpable.

For example, Yong Guo now considers Moism the orthodox doctrine. As a result, Confucian academies, Daoist temples, and even monasteries all need to be demolished or rebuilt. The industries that originally thrived around these Confucian academies, Daoist temples, and monasteries have naturally suffered devastating blows. But these people are also citizens of Yong Guo, and they still need to live. This is the fundamental contradiction.

But everything within his gaze proceeded in an orderly manner. People were anxious, but not resentful, nor numb. In the midst of societal change, they had faith in the court and hope for the future.

Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate!

"Hope" can lead people to overcome all difficulties. It seems to require no cost, originating only in the spirit, but it requires the most effort.

It's not hard to imagine how long the Yongguo New Court, led by Han Xu, prepared for this day.

With the support of the Mohists, this is not impossible to achieve. The Mohist school's art of mechanical engineering is unparalleled in the world. Just the various kinds of mechanical devices they create are enough to make them wealthy beyond measure. If the Mohists pour some resources into it, smoothing over the pain of transformation would not be difficult.

But what surprised Jiang Wang the most was that the scene he imagined of Mojia's mechanical beasts swaggering through the market never appeared. Even after spending three days exploring most of Wuxian County, he couldn't find several members of the Mo family.

Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate!

It is possible that the Mohist school still has reservations about involvement in the state apparatus, and supporting Han Xu was just an experiment. Or perhaps there are internal divisions within the Mohist school, preventing a full-fledged commitment. It is also possible that Duke Han Xu and his ministers were highly skilled, establishing Mohism as the state ideology without significantly influencing various sectors of society.

In conclusion, the military and political power of Yong Kingdom is now clearly still in Han Xu's hands.

Yong Guo belonged to Han Xu, and it wasn't like many people speculated, just becoming another form of "Ju Cheng."

“Ju” means steel.

Ju Cheng is the location of the Mumen Holy Land. It is said to be a true ironclad fortress, but besides the high-ranking members of the Mumen Sect, no one knows its exact address to this day.

From Jiang Wang's observation, Yongting and Mo Men seemed to be more of a cooperative relationship than dependence. As for how Han Xu managed this against the much stronger Mo Men, that was something Jiang Wang couldn't know.

The thrills and chills of it all are not for public ears.

During these three days, Jiang Wang was not running around aimlessly. He was recuperating his body and adjusting himself to peak condition while also gathering as much information as possible and analyzing it, all in preparation for his ultimate goal.

Shunan Prefecture is one of the border prefectures of Yongguo. It's inevitable that all sorts of people, both good and bad, gather there. Furthermore, Yongguo is currently undergoing a period of significant political change, with various figures vying for power and influence within the country.

At this juncture, the Korean king and his ministers need to maintain national stability even more.

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...But people like Jiang Wang, who wore a mask and wrapped themselves tightly in their clothes, weren't particularly noticeable.

As in the previous few days, he got a bowl of "poor man's gruel" at the back alley of his inn and walked south along the clean street.

He changed to a more ordinary-looking dragon mask, covering only the upper half of his face, so it didn't interfere with eating.

"Poor Bird Calling" is a unique delicacy from Yongguo Shun'an Prefecture. It's actually a deep-fried snack shaped like tiny birds. The crust is crispy, and when you bite into it, it makes a sound similar to a living creature, "chi chi chi."

Locals call it "poor cry", meaning it is so delicious that no matter how much it cries out, it can't escape being eaten.

The taste is very unique, but it's really good. Jiang Wang has only been here for a few days, and he has already gotten used to eating a bowl every morning like the locals.

Because the size of each one isn't consistent, a bowl of "poor person's call" has roughly between twelve and fifteen. It purely depends on whether the shopkeeper's hand is shaking or not.

Jiang Wang had good luck today, with fifteen dumplings in his bowl. This delighted him greatly, and as he walked down the street, his steps seemed lighter.

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Unexpected encounters are not always pleasant surprises.

Let me know if you'd like me to translate something else!

He swept his gaze casually but carefully around the surroundings, as usual trying to gather information as much as possible, but his eyes suddenly fixed.

At this moment, the passersby on the street seemed to blur, their voices muttering "poor" brokenly, that "squeaky" sound like it was coming from the heavens.

Everything is far away.

Please note that I only translated the content within the > tags. I did not translate any HTML tags themselves. Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate!

He only noticed the person walking towards him.

Accompanying him to complete his first inner-gate mission, displaying bravery at the Three Cities Discourse...

He often tells others that he is

, but he may want to find it even more than they do.

Zhang Linchuan!

I really want to try all the delicious food at Akiko's... or maybe when I have some free time, I can research recipes and see if I can recreate something similar.rs. Wherever they got scratched or dented, he would feel very distressed. Those black-hearted merchants who sold puppets didn't come cheap even for repairs.Tian Yong, that hothead, remained silent. Th...