Chapter 274: Chapter 162: Where Did Elder Sister Get All This Good Meat

Lu Yuan waited for a dozen or so seconds before the call to Gu Gaoxu connected.

Lu Yuan could hear a cacophony of noise coming from the other end of the line.

’Where in the world is Gu Gaoxu? The signal is terrible,’ Lu Yuan wondered.

Gu Gaoxu couldn’t make out what Lu Yuan was saying. He bellowed into the phone, "Hey! Brother Lu, what are you saying? I can’t hear you!"

Lu Yuan held the phone closer to his mouth and raised his voice. "I! Said! What the hell are you doing?"

"Ugh! Don’t even ask! I’m in the middle of a charge right now!"

Lu Yuan could hear Gu Gaoxu panting breathlessly.

Gu Gaoxu continued, "The second I got back to Yandu, my old man dragged me off to the Northern front. We’re in the middle of wiping out the Northern Beastmen’s main lair."

’So that’s what happened. Gu Gaoxu left in such a hurry he didn’t even have time to meet before taking off.’

"Brother Lu, we have your Mortars to thank for this! And guess what? My old man even got Song Chi, the General of Qilu, reassigned to us."

Song Meiqin’s younger brother, Song Chi, was originally the Vice General of Qilu. He had been promoted to General for his merit in suppressing bandits. Now, due to the advanced firearms under his command, the shrewd King Yan had him transferred over, requisitioning all of Song Chi’s Firearms and Mortars.

King Yan, Gu Di, had previously petitioned the Grand Ancestor Emperor for the transfer, citing General Song Chi of Qilu’s expertise in combat command as the reason.

He guaranteed that if Song Chi were brought under his command, he could wipe out the Northern Beastmen within three months.

The Grand Ancestor Emperor, eager to unify the northern regions of the Empire, naturally agreed.

King Yan had already acquired some firearms from Lu Yuan through the connection between his son, Gu Gaoxu, and Lu Yuan.

In Yandu, one of the workshops in the factory Gu Gaoxu had built produced a small number of Flintlock Guns each month to equip King Yan’s Army.

Combined with the firearms from Song Chi’s troops and the small number of Red Coat Cannons the Empire permitted its Vassal Kings to possess...

...in terms of weaponry alone, King Yan was now one of the most powerful of the Vassal Kings.

’Looks like the war in the North is ending soon. A month at most, I’d say.’

"Brother Lu, you should come over! Things are really heating up at the front."

"Alright, alright, that’s enough talk. Men, charge up that hill! Mince them!"

With that, Gu Gaoxu hung up.

During the call, Gu Gaoxu had invited Lu Yuan to visit the front lines, but Lu Yuan had declined.

Although Lu Yuan had only exchanged a few words with Gu Gaoxu, he could already estimate King Yan’s current military strength based on what was said.

Lu Yuan had originally wanted to discuss the returns from the factory with Gu Gaoxu.

But hearing how busy he was, Lu Yuan decided not to bring it up.

’What’s mine is mine, anyway. It’s not going anywhere.’

Lu Yuan had to admire King Yan’s methods; he had managed to transport firearms to the front right under the noses of the Jinyi Guard.

’I can’t tell if King Yan is just that skilled, or if the Grand Ancestor Emperor is simply too trusting of his sons.’

’In any case, they’re all powerful figures I can’t afford to provoke right now. It’s best not to offend any of them.’ 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

After hanging up, Lu Yuan left his residence with a few trusted men and took a stroll in the outskirts of the city.

Lu Yuan had his eye on a plot of land. Standing at its edge, he scanned the area.

In the distance, he could see a sparsely populated village.

Lu Yuan walked over to make inquiries with the locals. Pointing back in the direction he had come from, he asked an elderly woman, "Ma’am, I noticed that large plot of land just outside the village. How come it’s unused?"

A large group of middle-aged women and several elders leaning on canes were gathered under a large tree.

Each person was sitting on a small, hand-woven stool, gossiping.

During the sweltering Indian summer, the cicadas in the trees buzzed incessantly.

Seeing how Lu Yuan and his men were dressed, the crowd knew he was either rich or noble—at the very least, someone from the city.

A younger woman fanning herself with a cattail leaf fan cut in, "Aunt Chen is a bit hard of hearing. That land’s no good. It’s all rock underneath, so nothing can be grown there."

"I see. And who does the land belong to?" Lu Yuan asked.

"Belongs to Li Xiaosan’Er," one of the women replied. "Look over there," she said, pointing. "It’s the third house from the village entrance. He’s a Scholar, doesn’t know the first thing about farming, so he just abandoned it."

"I heard when he went to the city to take the exam to become a Scholar, he didn’t even make it through the doors of the examination hall."

"Tsk, tsk... And to think Old Li’s family used to be quite wealthy."

"I know, right? Ever since Old Li passed, things have just gone from bad to worse for them."

"All the other young people in the village have gone to the city to find work. But him? Still sitting in the village with his books. Sigh."

...

Seeing the group devolve back into a cacophony of gossip, Lu Yuan decided not to inquire any further.

He led his Mansion Guards into the village to find Li Xiaosan’Er.

Lu Yuan knocked on the door of Li Xiaosan’Er’s house.

"Who is it?" a voice responded from inside.

From outside the door, Lu Yuan briefly stated his purpose.

Li Xiaosan’Er opened the door and politely welcomed Lu Yuan and his men inside.

Lu Yuan took in the small residence: one brick-and-tile house and two thatched sheds.

It bore a slight resemblance to his old home back in Shige Village.

Even the walls of the single brick house were covered in large, crooked cracks.

The house was clearly in disrepair and long overdue for being torn down and rebuilt.

Books were stacked neatly on a table. Though the home was simple, everything was arranged in a tidy and orderly fashion.

"Gentlemen, I have no tea to offer. Please forgive me for only serving hot water," Li Xiaosan’Er said as he poured.

Lu Yuan hadn’t come for a drink. He got straight to the point. "Is that large, overgrown plot of land outside the village all yours?"

Li Xiaosan’Er answered honestly, "Yes, it was passed down from my ancestors, but our family’s fortunes have declined.

We sold off a few acres of paddy fields we used to have, but no one was interested in the remaining dozen or so acres of poor land. I don’t know how to farm, so it’s just been left to go to waste."