Chapter Forty-One: Return to the Lands of Han

In the end, they decided to return to the land of Han first.

Ji Chao still retained some strength; when he fled to Chu, he brought with him his own clan as well as the Zhao, Mao, Yin, and Nangong families, numbering several thousand people, who for the time being settled in Wan in northern Chu.

The two quickly reached an agreement: the four clans would merge into Han, and Han would recognize Ji Chao as the legitimate heir of the Zhou house.

This was also because Ji Chao, after suffering endless hardship and displacement, knew that without a suitable refuge, his followers would eventually disperse. The land of Han, being remote, was ideal for recuperation and rebuilding.

For Meng Di, what he had was a vast fief; what he lacked were people, especially these exiled countrymen, many of whom were skilled artisans—a most precious resource.

Because Ji Chao had not yet recovered from his internal injuries, they traveled slowly, and on the way, they encountered the Wu army returning in triumph.

King Helü of Wu had absorbed the remnants of the Tang and Cai armies and plundered widely, making his forces even stronger than before.

However, the discipline of the Wu army had declined sharply; the soldiers, having grown arrogant in Chu, marched in disarray and loose formation. Now, as they drove commoners back to Wu to bolster the population, the cries and wails echoed for miles.

Meng Di and his companions watched from a height, shaking their heads and sighing, sensing that Fuge was in grave danger.

All the powers of Wu were observing the situation. Traditionally, succession alternated among brothers, so both Helü and Fuge had plausible claims to the throne.

Had Helü been trapped in Chu and unable to return, or suffered heavy losses, the balance might have shifted; but with the Wu army’s current might, a single command could rally the realm against Fuge—a force of mere thousands would be hard pressed to resist.

By the time they returned to Gumei Mountain City, the autumn wind had begun to rise, tinting the forests with color.

The land of Han was noticeably livelier. Before dawn, Meng Di was awakened by the crowing of roosters that echoed through the city.

Han Qu and Old Jing were already waiting outside. When they saw Meng Di rise, they hurried to pay their respects.

“Judging by your cheerful faces, is there good news?”

“Master, there is indeed.” Han Qu grinned. “The rice is nearly ripe!”

After a fire cleared ten thousand acres of fertile fields, they gradually developed nearly ten thousand more. Not wanting to leave the land idle, the two of them had agreed to replant rice in the fourth and fifth months.

Now, the rice was growing splendidly; most of it had already headed, and every household had erected straw shelters to watch over the fields day and night.

“Come, let’s take a look.” Meng Di was delighted—after all, grain was the foundation of everything.

The road from Hangu to Gumei had been trampled into a broad thoroughfare. With the curious Ji Chao and Zhong Ying in tow, Meng Di entered the valley. From afar, the crisscrossing fields stretched out, and the autumn wind made the yellow-green rice ears undulate gently.

“With so much arable land, we can feed thousands of households!” Ji Chao exclaimed, his face full of excitement. Having been exiled for years, he had seen much.

The old farmer, summoned by Han Qu, approached nervously, not daring to speak.

“These are the farmers relocated from Yue?”

“Indeed.”

“Old sir, how fares the rice crop?”

Encouraged by those around him, the old farmer finally stammered, “My lord, we planted late; I fear the yield will not be great.”

Meng Di frowned, but then his expression softened. “No matter; to have sown anything at all this year is a fortunate surprise.”

He pointed curiously at several children in the fields, waving bamboo sticks. “And what are they doing?”

“These plots were planted earliest; the rice is nearly ripe, so we asked the children to drive away the birds lest they peck at the grain.”

“Oh? Isn’t there a risk of angering the bird spirits by doing this?”

Han Qu’s face flushed with embarrassment. “My lord, you are the reincarnation of the bird spirit—we have no such fears.”

Meng Di burst out laughing. With this grain, he finally felt secure.

“How are the chickens doing?” Remembering the chorus of crowing that morning, Meng Di asked again.

“Please, come with me.” Han Qu wore a look of mystery.

What was this about? Meng Di glanced at Old Jing, who only smiled in silence.

Very well, let’s see. They all followed Han Qu to a hillside by the stream, where bamboo groves flourished.

Before they drew near, the clucking of chickens was audible. Looking at the fenced enclosures around the hills, Meng Di asked, puzzled, “Are you raising chickens in the bamboo grove?”

“Indeed. We call this place Chicken Mountain.”

Chicken Mountain? Meng Di chuckled; so even the honest Han clansmen had begun to be playful. When he left, there had only been a few dozen chickens. Aside from those kept in the city, how many could possibly be here?

Wait—that didn’t seem right. Meng Di paused. Judging by the noise, there were indeed a great many, with the occasional long crow of a rooster. He asked, “How many birds are there?”

“A thousand,” Han Qu replied proudly.

A thousand? Impossible. He’d only been gone a few months; for chickens to lay eggs and hatch, surely more time was needed.

Sensing Meng Di’s doubt, Han Qu smirked to himself.

“All right, Deputy City Lord Han, if you keep us guessing, be careful our lord doesn’t punish you,” Old Jing teased, tapping his staff.

Meng Di played along, snorting with mock severity, as if he might fly into a rage at any moment.

“All right, all right. These are all Wu chickens.”

Han Qu had recently traveled to Kuaiji. Hearing that Yue was attacking Wu, he requested to go see for himself.

After all, he was a maternal uncle to Goujian, who could hardly refuse him. Since they were mobilizing troops to join Fan Li’s forces, Han Qu was taken along.

Chicken farming was popular in Wu. Han Qu collected a batch of chickens from the lands occupied by the Yue army and brought them back.

“How far has the Yue army advanced?”

“When I left, they had already taken Zuili.”

“Where is Zuili?”

“It’s by Lake Tai, not far from Gusu City.”

“So much territory has been captured?” Meng Di was taken aback.

“Yes,” Han Qu agreed, nodding. “The people of Wu are too weak, unable to put up a fight. It’s hard to imagine how they ever defeated Chu. Still, Wu’s lands are truly rich—it’s no wonder the king disdains these mountain forests.”

Meng Di smiled wryly. The people of Wu, too weak? Their elite had all gone to campaign against Chu, and with Fuge’s self-proclamation and the ensuing chaos, Goujian had merely taken advantage of the situation.

Now, Yue’s territory had nearly doubled, but the state itself was still far weaker than Wu. They might seize land, but holding it would be another matter.

Meng Di had no mind to inspect Chicken Mountain in detail. He hurried back to Gumei City and summoned Xiao Wu, who, along with Xiao Liu, was stationed at the military camp outside the city.

Seeing Zhong Ying, Xiao Wu was overjoyed—for in the past, Zhong Ying’s quiet demeanor had not meshed with the lively, mischievous natures of Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu.

Now, after surviving disaster, their reunion was warm and affectionate, with arms slung around shoulders as they chattered endlessly.

“All right, Xiao Wu, mount a swift horse and ride to Kuaiji. Tell King Goujian of Yue that Helü’s army has already returned to Wu, and by now should be nearing Gusu.”

“My lord, the king is likely still at Zuili,” Han Qu interjected.

“Then go to Zuili as well. You must personally inform Goujian: Helü’s army remains unscathed. Once the matter with Fuge is resolved, he will surely turn his might against Yue to reclaim lost territory. Warn him not to be greedy for merit.”

Seeing Xiao Wu’s somewhat bewildered look, Meng Di said impatiently, “Just remember my words and repeat them exactly.”

After sending Xiao Wu off at once, Meng Di fell into deep thought. In his memories of his previous life, it seemed Yue had first been defeated by Wu, and quite badly—but the details escaped him now.