Chapter 614: Seeking Guidance

Chapter 614: Chapter 614: Seeking Guidance

Shen Hao felt extremely uncomfortable on the inside of his thighs. If he hadn’t cushioned himself with True Qi, his skin would definitely have been chafed raw by now. He had already felt it when they left Zhuo Huo Pass, but this time it was far more pronounced. He hadn’t expected that sitting on horseback for such a long time would bring about this kind of trouble for the first time.

"Is this Lord Shen’s first time riding a horse for such a long distance? Hehe, it’s nothing, you’ll get used to it on the way back. Afterwards, you probably won’t even want to ride in a carriage anymore."

The one riding side by side with Shen Hao was Alchemist Chen Zifang.

Previously, Chen Zifang had suggested that Shen Hao, the newly minted "Chief of Miscellaneous Affairs," accompany him on a round of camp inspection. Shen Hao accepted with the mindset of "assist and follow as needed," but had no idea that what Chen Zifang called a "round" included much more than just circling the Central Army Main Array at Wu Lake. It also comprised the camps on both wings, slightly ahead of the Central Army, as well as the frontline bases stretching from Jianchuan to Hu Zhu Yuan. Even all the major waystations and supply points along the way were included.

So after making a round at Wu Lake with Chen Zifang, Shen Hao was now advancing toward Jianchuan, where the fighting was fiercest on the front. According to Chen Zifang’s plan, they’d head to Jianchuan first, then after inspecting, proceed south to White Head Gorge, and end at Hu Zhu Yuan.

"Alchemist Chen, you make me laugh. I used to handle matters mostly in the city or outlying regions. For farther places, the Teleportation Array replaced carriage or horse. I’ve truly never traveled such a distance on horseback before."

"We’re almost there. Once we pass the supply point ahead, we’ll be entering Jianchuan territory. We’re not in much of a rush, so let’s rest a bit when we get there. It’s a good chance to check out how things are running at the supply point. What do you think, Lord Shen?"

"I’ll follow Alchemist Chen’s arrangement," Shen Hao replied. What else could he say? Right now, the Xuanqing Guard had pushed him out as a "Temporary Bridge"—he couldn’t really do nothing and act like a block of wood, could he? And besides, wasn’t Zuo Yuliang sending Chen Zifang along just to keep him moving forward? Still, even if he had to work, Shen Hao had no intention of taking the lead; with Chen Zifang at the front, he’d just chime in at the edges.

This time, Chen Zifang had brought along a squadron of eight hundred cavalry. On one hand, it was to escort him and Shen Hao; on the other hand, after reaching the front, part of them would stay behind as flexible reinforcements on the lines. It was said that pressure on Jianchuan was heavy recently, with small Barbarian Race groups often breaking through the lines and harassing rear waystations. Having cavalry on hand made for quicker response.

But given Jianchuan’s terrain, large-scale cavalry charges were out of the question—even a few hundred riding together was just barely manageable.

Shen Hao had also brought quite a few people with him, most of whom were the Personal Guards he’d taken from Fengri City. Among them, nearly half had connections with Black Water—handy for Shen Hao to relay Black Water’s information back and forth.

Along the way, Shen Hao’s Personal Guards, under the guise of staying to scout, had set up temporary Thousand-Mile Sound relay channels everywhere. These days, Shen Hao relied on them to stay connected with the Imperial City and Fengri City, which also made his long-distance command far more convenient.

The other day, while still on the road, Shen Hao received a relayed message from Wang Jian—after decoding, it turned out to be a summary, mostly about Minister of Revenue Bai Changqing preparing to implement a nationwide austerity plan for money and grain, and also Black Water’s analysis showing Bai Changqing deliberately distancing himself from his old Civil Servant colleagues, as if to protect only himself—a most peculiar move.

Because of the peculiarities of the Thousand-Mile Sound, each transmission could only carry limited information. Wang Jian couldn’t send a full document, but merely gave Shen Hao an overview, and also forwarded a command from the Governor’s Office.

"Keep the seven Princes and key figures from the Civil Servant Group under close observation?" Upon seeing the Thousand-Mile Sound message, Shen Hao immediately thought, "Seems things at the Imperial City are complicated as well."

Shen Hao had always kept his distance from those Princes. Just looking at how Jiang Cheng and Pang Ban treated them, it was clear they were not to be trifled with. Now, with things heating up on the southern front, these Princes were causing even more trouble. He couldn’t figure out what they wanted—did they really think they could just pile all the problems together and solve them in one go?

"Oh, right—Lord Shen, you mentioned the other day that keeping fingernails trimmed could prevent many diseases. I thought it over last night, and I believe you are absolutely right. Our hands touch all sorts of things throughout the day; if the nails are long, just imagine the filth that gets trapped underneath. If you don’t wash your hands or pay attention, wouldn’t you be eating all that dirt whenever you eat or drink? Maybe some people even get worms in their belly because they’ve eaten worm eggs this way... "

On the road, Shen Hao discovered that Chen Zifang was a true chatterbox—capable of talking to you endlessly for a whole day. From magic to medicine, even to elixirs and military strategy, he knew a bit about everything and was happy to discuss them all with you.

And ever since Shen Hao brought up his "boiling water" idea, Chen Zifang was constantly fishing for more knowledge from him. "Trim your fingernails" was something Shen Hao had casually said yesterday just to fend him off, but who knew the man would seize on it and actually think it through.

"Trim your nails, wash your hands often"—a lesson every child knew in the other world, but in this particular world it was a brand new discovery. Even after all these years, Shen Hao, accustomed though he was, couldn’t help but find it both funny and exasperating deep inside.

People were people in both worlds, but the paths of civilization were utterly different. Which was the greater was hard to say.

By noon, they arrived at the supply point Chen Zifang had mentioned. The cavalry walked their horses over to replenish feed, while the men ate in batches—nothing more than dry biscuits and a bowl of fatty bone broth soup.

Before eating, Chen Zifang solemnly went to the creek to wash his hands, and even ordered several ordinary soldiers who weren’t cultivators to wash before eating as well, claiming it was an experiment; if it really helped prevent disease, he would petition the Commander-in-Chief to promote the practice army-wide.

After the meal, Chen Zifang and Shen Hao made a full inspection of the supply point. Chen Zifang, who was usually mild and polite, changed completely and became exceptionally strict during the rounds. Whenever something fell afoul of military regulation, he would pick it out and scold it harshly; if the oversight was serious, he’d order the immediate use of the military staff. Chen Zifang had brought four soldiers assigned just for beatings—each stroke guaranteed to sting.

Shen Hao just followed along quietly, hardly uttering a word. But that didn’t make Chen Zifang any less cordial—in fact, he only became more enthusiastic toward Shen Hao, reckoning that Lord Shen was truly learned, only a little too modest. Who knew, if they kept talking, he might wring some more secrets out of him?

Chen Zifang found several major lapses during inspection and had a few captains and deputy generals of the supply point flogged. By the time this round of discipline was over, it was already evening, so there was no need to hurry onward—they’d set out at dawn the next day.

Shen Hao sighed inwardly; Chen Zifang’s authority was indeed considerable. With barely a word, he could order the flogging of even deputy generals. Judging by the circumstances, as "Chief of Miscellaneous Affairs," he himself actually wielded power on par with Chen Zifang. That so-called "useless post" he had considered might actually have some real weight after all.