Chapter 129: An Unexpected Incident

The Southern Barbarian Kingdom was a child kingdom, and the Southern Barbarian King was its child king; therefore, he ought to show filial respect toward Great Xia.

This was a form of indoctrination for the young king.

The other vassal states had similar teaching materials. Chen Mu adapted each one to local conditions and had instructors explain them to the local royalty, ministers, and common people.

Although the results were not particularly obvious in the short term, over the years they would naturally reduce the barriers between the different peoples.

Chen Mu had learned this from the histories.

After exchanging a few words with the instructor, Chen Mu summoned the young king over.

“Liu Fangyuqi, I have something to ask you.”

The young king rode over and bowed.

“Your son pays his respects to the Honored Father.”

The young king’s name, Liu Fangyuqi, had also been transliterated by Chen Mu, which was why he addressed Chen Mu as the Honored Father.

Chen Mu pointed toward the vehicle. “Good. Come over and speak with me.”

“Yes.”

The young king rose from his saddle. One of Chen Mu’s guards reached out and pulled him up, allowing him to leap onto the vehicle. He then sat down opposite Chen Mu.

That seat existed only in Chen Mu’s personal carriage and had been specially prepared for those reporting on their work. Though it did not conform to ritual propriety, the carriage swayed violently while in motion. If someone knelt, he would inevitably lurch from side to side, which would look even more undignified.

For that reason, Chen Mu had designed a seat there that was one level lower than his own throne.

“How is the Southern Barbarian Kingdom doing now?” Chen Mu asked.

The same question meant different things when addressed to different people. What Chen Mu was mainly observing was the young king’s reaction.

Although the young king had no real authority over political affairs, he knew all the policies formulated by the instructors and had a general understanding of the Southern Barbarian Kingdom’s situation.

He immediately replied, “Honored Father, it is all thanks to the terraced-field techniques you taught us. The Southern Barbarian Kingdom now possesses vast stretches of farmland. The men till the fields, the women weave, and the land enjoys peace and prosperity. Many warriors have also been recruited by the Wudang Flying Army, and the allowances they receive are enough to support their families…”

As the young king spoke, Chen Mu nodded repeatedly.

It was clear that the young king had already gained some skill in delivering official speeches.

Chen Mu hoped that, in the future, the young king could accompany the technical personnel on inspections of workshops and other sites, inspiring the people with speeches and becoming a useful figurehead.

Judging by the current situation, things were progressing rather well.

The convoy continued onward. It did not head toward the capital of the Southern Barbarian Kingdom, but instead turned east and went directly to the rubber plantations.

This was a newly constructed road, relatively level, and the convoy advanced swiftly. Before long, they saw the rubber plantations ahead.

Soldiers guarded the area. When they saw the convoy approaching, they first greeted Chen Mu and then saluted the young king.

Chen Mu said nothing more and simply ordered them to enter the plantation. The convoy passed straight through the gate, then drove along the main road into the forest. The local garrison followed behind on horseback.

The extent of the land was difficult to measure. According to the instructor’s estimate, the rubber plantations covered several thousand mu.

Chen Mu examined the roads. They had been built reasonably well, though he did not know how they would hold up after heavy rain. Still, the design was sound. The roads appeared to extend in every direction, allowing sap to be collected in several areas at once.

As he looked around, Chen Mu pointed toward the trees. “Workshops can be built here and here. The rubber can undergo preliminary processing on-site before being transported out, which will reduce pollution. And over there…”

As Chen Mu continued speaking, the young king and the instructor listened attentively beside him, while others took notes with pen and paper.

Everything appeared perfectly harmonious.

After a while, the convoy reached a river. The bridge there had also been newly built, but it did not look very sturdy. Chen Mu ordered the vehicles to cross one at a time.

Fortunately, although the bridge looked flimsy, it was still able to bear the weight of the electric tracked vehicles.

When the final vehicle had crossed, something unexpected happened.

The cavalry following behind suddenly drew their axes and chopped down the bridge.

The soldiers of Great Xia immediately raised their muskets and aimed at the cavalry on the opposite bank, awaiting Chen Mu’s command.

Chen Mu was stunned.

“What are you doing?”

Only after saying this did he realize that the other side might not understand the language of Great Xia.

At that moment, the young king and the instructor shouted angrily toward the opposite bank. The cavalry answered in the Southern Barbarian tongue, then turned and left, looking remarkably pleased with themselves.

Chen Mu did not order his men to fire. He merely frowned and asked, “What did they say?”

The instructor replied, “Your Highness, they said that the young king is unworthy of the throne and that the old king’s illegitimate son should succeed him. They intend to return and install a new king.”

Chen Mu laughed. “Now they have even produced an illegitimate son? I would wager he is a fraud. This is clearly a rebellion.”

“They truly have no idea of Great Xia’s might. Do they still think the main strength of Great Xia consists of the sword-and-shield troops from years ago?”

When Great Xia subdued the Southern Barbarian Kingdom, the Invincible Flying Army had only just been established. At the time, it was not yet called the Invincible Flying Army, but the Punitive Army.

Its weapons consisted only of single-edged swords, shields, and repeating crossbows. They were utterly incomparable to the weapons available today.

If this had been Persia or Western Qiang, those people would never have dared to rebel, even at the cost of their lives.

Chen Mu asked the instructor, “What is the terrain like here? Where are the other exits?”

“Your Highness, under normal circumstances, there is only this one exit. The area ahead is all rubber forest. The farther forward we go, the farther we are from the towns of the Southern Barbarians, so there are no exits beyond this point.”

Chen Mu nodded. “That does not matter. We have troops, vehicles, and supplies. We can simply open another route.”

With that, Chen Mu took out a compass and ordered the army to proceed north.

The roads built so far were intended only for collecting rubber. They did not extend into the deepest parts of the forest. Even at the edge of the rubber plantations, there were still other kinds of trees.

Blocked by the dense timber, the convoy had great difficulty advancing.

Fortunately, Chen Mu had modeled the vehicles’ equipment on that of tanks, outfitting them with shovels, crowbars, ropes, and other tools. They now proved extremely useful.

Five days later, Chen Mu finally led his troops out of the forest.

Chen Mu let out a long breath. “Phew! That was damned difficult. When we return to the Southern Barbarian Kingdom, I’ll make sure to kill those bastards!”

By then, Chen Mu had emerged beyond the mountains. This region was already considered part of Great Xia’s territory. From here, they could turn northwest and reach the border county of the southern frontier, Sea-Gazing County.

Chen Mu ordered the entire army to rest before setting out for Sea-Gazing County. By nightfall, they had reached the city walls.

A soldier rode forward and shouted, “His Highness the Crown Prince has returned! Open the city gates at once!”

The soldiers on the walls noticed nothing amiss. Chen Mu had been away in the Southern Barbarian Kingdom for several days, so his return was entirely normal.

But when they opened the gates to welcome Chen Mu’s army, they realized that something was wrong.

The soldiers appeared to bear signs of having fought, and the entire army was permeated by a stifling, suppressed fury.

The guards did not dare ask questions. They could only hurry to report the matter to the county magistrate.