Xuanqing Guard

Chapter 369: Chapter 369: Waiting

Pang Ban’s words were layered with hidden meaning, and thus, for the time being, he suppressed the reproach that ought to have been expressed. Jiang Cheng chose to trust the judgment of his disciple Shen Hao and used this as an explanation for Pang Ban’s questioning. Pang Ban, in turn, accepted Jiang Cheng’s choice—on the condition that the choice was the correct one. If anything were to go wrong, Jiang Cheng would not be able to evade responsibility.

Just as Jiang Cheng was trembling under Pang Ban’s interrogation, news of military unrest in the South was already spreading throughout the Imperial City via various special intelligence channels.

Xuanqing Guard was not the only one with its own information networks; many people had excellent sources.

Especially those Military Supervisors who were affiliated with the Ministry of Personnel but served within the Ministry of War. They were completely different from those so-called Inspectors the Xuanqing Guard placed within the military ranks as mere figureheads. Military Supervisors wielded significant power—almost every military order had to pass through their hands. Nothing confidential could be kept from them.

And once these Military Supervisors knew, it meant the upper echelons of the Ministry of Personnel knew, and if they knew, it was almost equivalent to the higher-ups in the entire Civil Servant Group being aware as well.

And then there was the Slave Trade Association. They all made their living in the South and were the most sensitive to news from there. Although the skirmishes at the end of March were not large, the Slave Trade Association had caught wind of them too. Eventually, the Border Army directly informed them to retreat within the Pass or bear the consequences at their own risk. This immediately gave these vigilant folks a sense of danger, so they swiftly pulled out all their remaining assets and, at the same time, relayed the information back to the Dynasty.

Industries related to the Slave Trade Association, such as Carriage and Horse Shops, Rice Shops, brokerages, and so on, all received the news in succession. For a time, one could truly say that "the winds and cranes are in turmoil," and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

It wasn’t out of fear. Since the founding of the Jingjiu Dynasty, battles—both large and small—have been frequent, on both land and sea. Victories generally outnumbered defeats. But winning didn’t mean that people liked going to war; war meant deaths and would grievously impact the domestic economic environment from all angles. To the great merchants, this was undoubtedly a calamity.

Nonetheless, whether in the merchant circles or officialdom, those who received the news tacitly kept it within a very tight circle. No one ran around blabbing about it.

Firstly, because nothing was final yet: Zuo Yuliang, the Southern military Chief Officer, had not yet officially reported the military situation. Anyone spreading baseless rumors would be easily slapped with a "fabricating rumors and causing trouble" label, and in special times, something like that could cost one their head.

Secondly, taking advantage of the fact that word hadn’t spread everywhere yet, each party could take its own actions—not just to cut their losses, but also to prepare against trouble in advance. Everyone could use this buffer of time.

Of course, the happiest of all were Fengri City’s brokerages and the Hongli Trading Company.

People always talk about making a fortune from war, but before the conflict even began, these two had already pocketed so much profit it made them breathless from laughing.

The price of Barbarian Race slaves doubled in a single day, and there wasn’t a soul willing to sell; everyone was too busy hoarding. Except, every household—after keeping only the highest quality Barbarian Race slaves as a foundation—sold the rest off to Fengri City brokerages or Hongli Trading Company. The difference in this flow alone amounted to a sea of silver.

It was foreseeable that, as things developed, the price of Barbarian Race slaves would skyrocket even further; another threefold or fivefold increase was not out of the question.

Yet no one suspected the Hongli Trading Company—people just felt that its Shopkeeper, Liu Yuanxiang, had foresight and anticipated the outcome, reaping the rewards accordingly. As for Fengri City brokerages? That bastard Zhu Shou only profited because he was Liu Yuanxiang’s friend and got advance notice, otherwise there’s no way he’d have had such an opportunity to make a killing.

Discontent or not, circumstances prevailed. All the top-tier Trading Companies that missed out on the first opportunity now began to contract their businesses, pull in their silver coins, sharply cut expenditures, and even cashed out a large amount of silver from the Money Shops. They dared not cash everything out, as that would go too far and would annoy the bosses at the Ministry of Revenue—if things went sour, it wouldn’t be pretty.

Of course, all these moves happened with incredible speed—when one’s own fortune is at stake, people act fast, almost all taking action within an hour of getting the news.

But apart from that tiny, upper-tier group in the Jingjiu Dynasty frantically cutting losses or even seizing the opportunity to earn a windfall, the vast majority of ordinary people, even mid- and lower-level officials and local bureaucrats, knew nothing of the changes in the Southern military, leading their lives as usual.

Except, on the morning of April 11th, every Government Office in the various regions received an Order from the higher-ups: all rest days and leaves are temporarily canceled; all officials at all posts must strictly remain at their positions and implement around-the-clock standby duties...

As soon as this Order was issued, the mood below became rather tense.

Anyone with half a brain could smell something unusual in this Order. Unless something momentous was happening on a national scale, there had never been a time when rest days across the entire National Dynasty were suspended for all Government Offices. And around-the-clock standby... that meant everyone, on or off-duty, had to be ready at any moment to deal with emergencies.

Rumors immediately began to fly everywhere, but few could actually hit the mark. The higher-ups gave no further clarification about the Southern situation. The Government Office Order had been prepared by the Ministry of Personnel based on brief reports sent back by the Southern Military Supervisors. The meaning was clear: the Military Supervisors clearly lacked confidence in Zuo Yuliang’s ability to contain the Barbarian Race’s advance—there was just no official military report yet, but that was only a matter of time.

The merchants on the market reacted fastest: spurred by a web of behind-the-scenes influence, the Money Shops began imposing limits on large withdrawals; Rice Shops started restricting bulk grain transactions; and the iron, copper, General Spirit Stone, and Spirit Stone Mines in each area ramped up production but cut back on shipments, hoarding their stock...

The common folk also found that in just a matter of days, the prices of most market goods had inexplicably inched up. Luckily, the increases weren’t much yet.

Undercurrents had already begun to slowly surge, and all those privy to the truth turned their gaze toward the South, patiently waiting for new information. No one dared make a move at this juncture. Even the Advisors—usually so sharp-tongued and sour in the Temple Hall—shut their mouths of their own accord.

It was as if the calm before the storm.

But as always, there were exceptions—namely, the Xuanqing Guard.

The Xuanqing Guard, who ought to have been waiting cautiously for updates like everyone else, suddenly began beating drums and gongs, loudly declaring that a "Grand Martial Tournament" would be held in Jingxi Fengri City to test the outcomes of some pilot program or other.

What’s this "Grand Martial Tournament"? Never heard of such a thing—what the hell is it?

A pilot program? What kind of newfangled term is that?

Has the Xuanqing Guard taken to putting on flashy stunts just to attract attention these days?

When everyone else was laying low, the only one jumping around would naturally draw all eyes. There were those puzzled, those prepared to watch the spectacle, and those hoping to see someone make a fool of themselves. But no one dared gossip in the Temple Hall in front of Pang Ban—last time’s lesson was still fresh, not so easily forgotten.

After the initial disdain, everyone’s curiosity was piqued: what on earth was this "Grand Martial Tournament," and what did the so-called "pilot program" mean? So, their eyes shifted from Pang Ban to Fengri City.