Ding Qirui cursed inwardly, his chest still faintly aching from where Li Daoxuan's foot had pressed him into the ground earlier, yet he did not dare show the slightest trace of resistance on his face as he lowered his head and spoke in a subdued tone, "Understood. After I return, I will reflect deeply on this matter, draft a memorial to the throne, and do my utmost to smooth things over for them."
Before his words had fully settled, Wang Ji immediately followed up, afraid that even a moment's delay might cause things to change again. "I will also submit a memorial identical to Commissioner Ding's," he said earnestly. "With memorials from both of us corroborating each other, His Majesty will certainly believe that this matter was handled properly."
Only then did Zhao Bazong and the others finally let out the breath they had been holding for what felt like an eternity.
For these rough frontier officers, the fear was not the clash of blades or the charge of cavalry, but the reckoning that came afterward, the cold, ink stained lines of an imperial document that could decide life and death with a single stroke. Now, with two high ranking civil officials willing to stand in front and speak on their behalf, the shadow hanging over their heads finally seemed to lift.
The seven men exchanged glances, then hurriedly expressed their resolve, swearing that from this day forward they would obey the law, serve the court loyally, and never again stir up trouble for the empire, their words spilling out in a rush as though loyalty itself could be proven by speed alone.
Li Daoxuan listened to them for a moment, then laughed softly and waved a hand, interrupting them mid flow. "Don't rush to pledge loyalty just yet," he said lightly. "Words are cheap. Let me ask you this instead. If you return to your posts and, after another year or two, your military pay is still delayed, still missing, still nowhere to be seen, what then? Will everything you just said turn into nothing but empty air?"
The seven men froze, their expressions stiffening all at once.
No one answered.
Ding Qirui and Wang Ji both felt a faint heat creep up their faces, as though the question had struck them just as hard as it had struck the frontier generals.
Li Daoxuan turned his gaze toward Wang Ji, his tone no longer teasing. "You are the Governor of Yinchuan. All civil administration in this region ultimately falls under your authority. Two days ago, I already spoke with you about this. If the issue of frontier army pay is not resolved at its root, rebellion is not a question of if, but when, and each time it happens, it will only grow larger and more uncontrollable, until the situation collapses completely."
Wang Ji straightened his posture and replied solemnly, "Young Hero, everything you discussed with me that day, I have kept firmly in my heart."
Li Daoxuan nodded slowly. "Large scale livestock farming, cattle and horses alike, must be pushed forward as soon as possible. Governor Wang, you understand internal administration far better than I do. I should not need to spell out the specific measures for you, correct?"
Wang Ji cupped his hands respectfully. "Young Hero, you may rest assured. This time, I very nearly lost my life. Even if only for my own survival, I will seize this matter firmly and see it through. However…" He hesitated for a moment before voicing the doubt that had been weighing on him. "If Yinchuan truly develops large scale livestock farming, how are these animals and their products to be sold?"
At these words, Li Daoxuan fell silent, as though deliberately leaving the question hanging in the air.
Before Wang Ji could grow anxious, the manager of the Warm and Sleepy Textile Factory suddenly stepped forward from the side, his movements quick and practiced, and presented a calling card with both hands. "Governor," he said respectfully, "I am the manager of the Warm and Sleepy Textile Factory. This time, I came to Yinchuan to conduct business with the local herders. In the future, our factory is willing to purchase their wool in large quantities. However, the herders roam constantly and lack fixed residences, making it difficult for us to contact them directly. We hope the imperial court can step in and help organize this process."
Li Daoxuan chuckled softly, as though everything had fallen neatly into place. "Lord Wang, I will teach you a simple way to make money," he said. "Have the government establish an Official Wool Collection Station. Let the herders bring their wool there, and let the government purchase it at a standardized price. When the Warm and Sleepy caravan arrives, they can buy the wool directly from the government. The court takes a small, reasonable margin in between. Is that not far more reliable than squeezing the people through taxes? Not only does it avoid the infamy of tax collection, it earns praise for genuinely benefiting the people."
Zhao Bazong's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this. "Many families of the frontier army also raise livestock," he added eagerly. "But the quantities are small, so large merchants usually ignore them. If the government opens a collection station, even our small amounts of wool would have somewhere to go. That would solve the livelihoods of many frontier households."
Wang Ji fell into deep thought.
The more he considered it, the clearer the advantages became. As long as the price difference was modest and his subordinates were strictly supervised to prevent deliberate price suppression, this policy could bring stable revenue while preserving a good reputation. It was rare to find a measure that benefited both the state and the people so cleanly.
As he was pondering this, Li Daoxuan let out another soft laugh. "Lord Wang, you are thinking about how to strictly manage your subordinates so they do not lower prices and harm the people, aren't you?"
Wang Ji was startled. "Oh? Young Hero, you seem to understand this very well."
"I do," Li Daoxuan replied calmly. "No matter how strict the supervision, there will always be those who line their own pockets by suppressing prices and exploiting the people. If you want to prevent official collection stations from doing this, there is only one effective method."
Wang Ji leaned forward slightly, his expression earnest. "What method? Please enlighten me, Young Hero."
"Do not allow government stations to form a monopoly," Li Daoxuan said. "Grant the common people the right to establish private wool collection stations as well."
Wang Ji paused, momentarily stunned. "Oh?"
"Herders are not fools," Li Daoxuan continued patiently. "If official stations suppress prices too harshly, herders will naturally turn to private stations. If the officials cannot buy any wool, those who wish to profit illicitly will find themselves with empty hands and will be forced to raise prices again. This is the market regulating itself. Likewise, if private stations collude to manipulate prices, the government station only needs to raise its own price, and the private ones will instantly lose their profit margin."
Wang Ji's eyes widened as understanding dawned on him. "That… does make sense."
"Of course," Li Daoxuan added, "there is always the possibility of collusion between officials and private merchants. As this policy develops, new problems will certainly emerge. Still, I trust that a provincial governor is not an incompetent man and will be able to deal with them appropriately."
Wang Ji straightened and declared firmly, "I have been enlightened. Young Hero, your insight is extraordinary. I will put this method into practice."
A few days later.
After returning to Guyuan, Ding Qirui reported the Yinchuan incident in detail to Hong Chengchou, the Supreme Commander of the three border regions of Shaanxi. He explained that earlier reports had been mistaken, that the Yinchuan frontier army had not truly rebelled, but had merely gathered beneath the city walls to demand long overdue pay. Upon arriving, he had mediated impartially, inviting Governor Wang Ji and the frontier generals to negotiate together.
In the end, Wang Ji had borrowed grain and silver from merchants, advancing the soldiers' pay, while also implementing a series of internal policies aimed at increasing local revenue and supplies, with the goal of gradually eliminating reliance on external subsidies.
After hearing the report, Hong Chengchou felt that something about it was not quite right, yet suppressing the issue and keeping it from escalating was, in the end, the best possible outcome.
Some time later, the news reached the capital.
Emperor Zhu Youjian read the memorial and finally felt a weight lift from his heart. He issued an imperial rescript, praising Ding Qirui for handling the situation properly and easing the court's concerns, and promoted him to Right Administration Commissioner.
As for the Yinchuan frontier army.
They knew very clearly who truly cared for them.
It was not Wang Ji. It was not Ding Qirui.
It was that mysterious Young Hero who had appeared out of nowhere, and the caravan he had brought with him.
From the caravan, the frontier soldiers obtained copies of Tales of Dao Xuan Tianzun's Demonic Exorcisms. After reading it, they finally understood why the Young Hero could remain unscathed by blades and spears, why he could charge alone into an army and capture Ding Qirui with his bare hands.
As a result, the Dao Xuan Tianzun Daoist Sect rapidly gained followers among the frontier troops.
For a time, the phrase "Dao Xuan Tianzun bless us" was heard more often in the barracks than "Amitabha Buddha."
While Li Daoxuan's influence quietly spread across the northwestern frontier…
In central Henan, at Pingdingshan, Lao Huihui was leading three thousand iron cavalry in a steady retreat deeper into the mountains.
There was no other choice.
Zuo Liangyu, Zu Kuan, and Luo Dai had divided their forces into three columns, closing in from multiple directions, while behind them, the armies of He Renlong, Cao Wenzhao, and Lu Xiangheng pressed forward relentlessly.
The imperial forces were vast and overwhelming.
Even with elite frontier iron cavalry under his command, Lao Huihui could not withstand such a coordinated encirclement and could only withdraw for the time being, waiting for an opening that might never come.