A victory report personally written by Wu Yi was placed against the messenger's chest, while a brocade pouch, also sealed by Wu Yi himself with great care, was strapped to the messenger's back and tied with a dead knot.
The short horse beneath him was not particularly fast, but its steady, quick strides were perfectly suited to the mountain paths of Nanzhong.
Accompanying him were more than ten guards. The group rode their small horses at speed across the lands of Nanzhong.
They were all Wu Yi's personal troops, men who had followed their general in marching south under Lord Xuande, and who had personally witnessed Nanzhong transform from a chaotic land of scattered strongholds into territory that now obeyed orders from Chengdu.
On the return journey, they could gallop freely without worrying about ambushes from native tribes or powerful clans. That fact alone was enough to lift the spirit.
General Wu Yi had fulfilled Lord Xuande's trust and completely pacified Nanzhong. Yet now, because of a small brocade pouch, he had acted with such gravity. It was impossible not to feel curious.
Still, as Wu Yi's troops, they knew these matters were not for them to concern themselves with. Their only task was to follow orders and personally deliver the items to Chengdu's prefect, Zhang Song.
Though Shu horses were short, their endurance was outstanding. After more than ten days of nonstop travel, passing Zhuti and crossing Nanguang, the group finally left Nanzhong behind and could rest for a while in Boda County.
This was the final stop on the way into Nanzhong, and also the first stop for the people of Nanzhong once they left the mountains behind.
Standing here and looking north, though Chengdu was still out of sight, they could already see the surging river to the north, and beyond it, fertile lands east of the river where sugarcane grew as densely as a forest.
One of the riders, reminded of that sweet taste, unconsciously licked his lips and muttered,
"Feels like these sugarcane fields have doubled in size again."
The Boda garrison soldier guiding them turned back with a smile.
"Good eye, honored guest. Last year, the Jiangyang prefect issued an order. The people all complied, reclaiming wasteland to plant sugarcane as a means of livelihood."
The messengers remained silent, though curiosity showed in their eyes. The rider who had spoken earlier continued the conversation.
"But I remember Boda does not have a large population. How could they cultivate so much sugarcane? And growing sugarcane is hard work. Surely not everyone complied?"
"Hah, honored guest, you jest," the guard replied with a laugh.
"No matter how bitter planting sugarcane is, it is not more bitter than going hungry."
That was true. The rider flushed slightly. Wu Yi was among Chengdu's wealthiest families, and as his personal guards, they had long been unfamiliar with hunger.
"Besides," the guard continued, "south of Boda, are there not plenty of native tribes?"
The rider raised an eyebrow and hesitated slightly before saying,
"Capturing slaves is forbidden by Lord Xuande…"
The guard waved his hand, cutting him off.
"What are you saying, honored guest?"
"Now that Boda grows sugarcane and earns wealth, and those native tribes have been subdued by Lord Xuande, they have become Han people as well. To live, they naturally need income."
"If they come to work for us planting sugarcane, how could that be improper?"
That made sense. The rider nodded inwardly in agreement.
They had fought their way through Nanzhong and seen everything clearly.
Though Nanzhong possessed rare and exotic items such as gold, silver, lacquerware, fine jade, and strange stones, these were monopolized by tribal leaders and powerful clans. The lives of ordinary natives were far worse than even beggars in Chengdu.
Nanzhong had no good farmland. The people depended entirely on their chieftains. Their craftsmanship was crude. Even pottery was poorly fired, let alone iron tools. The only thing worth mentioning was native cloth. Everything else was inferior.
Seen this way, earning money by working sugarcane fields and using it to buy goods was a genuine path to survival for the people of Nanzhong.
After resting one day in Boda, the riders continued north the next morning.
Remembering what the guard had said, they paid attention this time. Sure enough, they saw many natives in the sugarcane fields by the river, earnestly working alongside others to mound soil, irrigate, and strip leaves.
Racing northward, after passing Wuyang County, Chengdu was already in sight.
They deliberately detoured to the east of the city and once again crossed Wanli Bridge to enter. The riders felt a sudden sense of calm in their hearts.
They were home.
Along the river stood rows of Shu brocade workshops. To the south of the city, sugar refineries burned day and night. Mixed among them were arguments from paper workshops over dyeing techniques, and on the river itself, endless small boats transporting coal flowed back and forth.
All of it filled the riders, who had been away from home for over a year, with deep familiarity.
One rider even spotted an acquaintance at a glance.
"Li family's second son!"
After a brief exchange, the rider continued toward the Chengdu prefectural office while muttering to his companion,
"That Li family second son really struck luck. Married that young widow from Fan County and now lives without worry for food or clothing."
"I have heard of him. His whole family fled Moling with Lord Xuande a few years back. His father even has some connection with the general."
"I know that too. They originally fled south from Yan Province, so they count as fellow townsmen with the general."
"So marrying a widow with a fair amount of gold and silver is that famous?"
"Not really. But his family has a young lady said to be quite talented, and she even received praise from Strategist Zhuge."
"That is impressive. I wonder if she is already married…"
"Enough." The leading rider turned back and glared at them, reminding them that they had arrived at the prefectural office.
They verified their identities properly. After presenting their tokens, they handed over the two items to the prefect here, Zhang Song. Only then did the riders finally relax. After receiving permission, they dispersed and departed.
Wu Yi's victory report was easy to handle. A public notice would be written and posted, and another copy would be transcribed and sent to Chang'an to report the good news to the lord. These were all routine procedures.
Zhang Song stroked his beard and once again examined the cotton with interest.
This was the thing spoken of in later generations, something usable in warfare, able to ward off severe cold and benefit the common people?
The handling of this item was also straightforward. Kongming had left sufficient arrangements before departing Chengdu.
These included not only opening the Southwestern Barbarian route and using heavy funds to acquire cotton seeds, cultivation methods, and their associated texts, but also clear instructions on how to handle these items once obtained.
Zhang Song had an excellent memory. After a brief recollection, he recalled everything.
The seeds were to be divided into three portions. One sent to Chang'an, one sent to Jiangling, and one kept in Chengdu for trial cultivation.
Even the person responsible for trial cultivation in Chengdu had already been decided.
"Go invite Zichu to come."
Liu Ba was the person designated by Kongming, and Zhang Song had no objections.
At present, Zhang Song oversaw Yizhou affairs and the Lesser Academy. He also had to set aside time to study mathematics with Liu Ba, and exchange letters with Kongming from afar.
Liu Ba, meanwhile, managed the official markets and various workshops, and also had to take time to lecture at the Lesser Academy in Kongming's stead.
Now it seemed that the already busy Zichu would have yet another matter to worry over.
But he would surely have no complaints about it. Zhang Song was certain.
…
In Tang Chang'an, Li Shimin was just as busy, and once again lamented that these ten days of rest had nothing whatsoever to do with him.
On the third day of the first month, after watching the light screen, he had pulled the top scholar Ma Zhou aside for a long conversation. In the evening, he summoned Hou Junji into the palace for a meal, offering guidance through alternating pressure and leniency. Later, he still had to recount these experiences to Guanyinbi, and strengthen bonds with his sons and daughters.
The next day, he had been waiting to see Yan Lide demonstrate his method of reinforcing wells, but another piece of news arrived first.
This message was even delivered personally by Du Ruhui entering the palace.
And the message itself was extremely simple, only a few words.
"Envoys from Wa have arrived, seeking audience with the Son of Heaven of Chang'an."