Chapter 047: The Villain’s Difficulties
**
[Composting in progress. One batch of fertilizer is produced every twenty-four hours. Maximum storage: 4 batches.]
“From now on, put rotten vegetable leaves, tree bark, and things like that into the Compost Bin. Every other day, take the fertilizer out and store it. Take three portions to the fields to test the effects.”
Long Tian instructed the man beside him. This was Ma Tong, a descendant of the Mohist school whom Ma Jun had recruited.
Calling him a “Mohist descendant” sounded prestigious, but the reality was that the school had long since fallen into ruin.
He couldn’t even afford food or clothing.
If Long Tian hadn’t extended a helping hand, he likely would have starved to death.
The Mohist path was never something the poor could afford to pursue.
They excelled in designing intricate mechanisms, such as the Chain Crossbow, that required expensive materials and ingenious thinking to create.
Although the Mohist school had declined, its legacy had been passed down.
The status of a craftsman was low, but at least it allowed one to scrape together a living.
“Yes, My Lord.”
Ma Tong didn’t know what his master was thinking, nor did he care.
He only wanted to complete his master’s orders and study some mechanics along the way.
He only focused on completing his lord’s orders and studying some mechanical arts along the way.
That final night, Long Tian stayed home to accompany his mother.
He didn’t bring Chen Rong and Fa Shu, the mother-daughter pair, back with him. Instead, he kept them outside.
It felt like keeping his mistresses hidden away in a golden chamber, they were his private treasures, to be used when needed.
After a night of passionate intimacy, Long Tian woke up in the morning and dressed with his mother’s help.
He gathered his belongings, and departed with his personal guards.
The private soldiers he brought back were stationed in the barracks outside the city.
During his absence, they were responsible for training and protecting the city.
So for this trip, Long Tian only took forty men. These forty were all soldiers who had been upgraded; they were top-notch fighters.
Troops should be valued for quality, not quantity. Too many soldiers without discipline are just a heap of loose sand.
Growing up, Long Tian hadn’t left Tao County much. The previous war had broadened his horizons.
Now that he was venturing out again, his mindset was somewhat different.
**
A few days later, Chang’an City.
As the old capital of the Han Dynasty, Chang’an still housed a group of distinguished elders.
Certain ministers also bought residences here. Though its prosperity couldn’t rival Luoyang,
Its cultural heritage remained profound.
One could find many rare and curious items within its walls.
Occasionally, merchants from the frontier would travel here to sell their wares.
Standing outside the city for the first time, Long Tian felt a wave of civilization and history hit him in the face.
The towering city walls, with wisps of moss on the brick tiles, whispered tales of centuries past.
In front of the massive drawbridge, several soldiers clad in armor stood guard, spears planted firmly on either side, while a civil official sat at a nearby table.
To enter the city, one had to pay an entrance fee.
Except for certain special professions, ordinary people had to pay money to enter!
As soon as they reached the city gate, guards stopped Long Tian and his group.
“What business do you have here?”
“We are under Minister Zhang’s command, here to join him. I am Long Tian, the general tasked with quelling the Xiliang rebellion. Are you sure you want to stop us?”
Long Tian sneered. They actually dared to block him?
“I don’t give a damn who you are! If you want to enter the city, you have to pay!”
The frail-looking petty official behind the table didn’t even stand up. He glared at Long Tian with contempt.
“A bunch of army ruffians, you really think you’re something special!”
“You!” The personal guards behind Long Tian heard this and couldn’t bear it.
They surged forward to beat him up right then and there.
The city gate guards immediately leveled their spears and blew a whistle, looking as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
Long Tian reached out and stopped his guards. Naturally, he was displeased with the look of contempt from others.
But he knew he couldn’t make a move right now.
Chang’an’s city defense troops weren’t pushovers; otherwise, this place would have fallen long ago.
Though they hadn’t seen battle in years, relying on the twenty-meter-high city walls made defense a simple task.
The moat alone was eight meters wide and bottomless, at least five meters deep.
Acting now would put them in the wrong. ‘It is never too late for a gentleman to take revenge.’
“Don’t make any rash moves. How much is it? We’ll pay.”
“Hmph! One silver coin per person!”
The petty official snorted, opening his mouth wide like a lion to demand an exorbitant price.
Originally, the entry fee was just two copper coins per person.
One silver was one hundred copper coins, he had directly increased the price fifty times over.
Long Tian nodded and instructed his personal guard, “Lin Dong, give him the money.”
The guard ground his teeth in hatred. They fought tooth and nail on the battlefield, yet they had to pay an entry fee to get into Chang’an?
But his master had spoken, and he had no choice but to obey.
He pulled forty silver coins from the money bag and threw them over.
“Let’s go.” Long Tian didn’t make any threats.
There were plenty of ways to deal with people like this. He’d make him pay back every penny with interest later!
Perhaps sensing Long Tian’s calm demeanor, the petty official didn’t take it seriously.
He collected the money and handed over the entry permit.
“Remember, don’t cause trouble, or I’ll arrest the lot of you.”
“Put it away. Follow me.” Long Tian took a deep look at the official, memorizing his face.
Watching Long Tian’s party depart, the official spat venomously on the ground.
“What kind of trash? Whether you’re a dragon or a tiger, when you come here, you kneel before me!”
Inside the city walls, the cobblestone roads lived up to Chang’an’s reputation as the Western Capital.
“My Lord, the entry fee is clearly two coins per person. That guy was bullying us too much,” the guard Lin Dong said indignantly.
He had been converted into a personal guard by Long Tian, changed his class to a Swordsman, and after fighting his way through, changed class again to a Shield Soldier.
Deeply grateful for Long Tian’s promotion, he felt the fury of a loyal subject whose lord had been humiliated.
Long Tian wasn’t anxious. Following the instructions in the letter, he led his men toward Dong Zhuo’s residence.
“Such people have swallowed too much. They’ll have to spit it all back out, with interest.”
New to the area and unfamiliar with the terrain, Long Tian didn’t want to start a conflict immediately.
The power dynamics here were tangled and messy. There was no rush; he’d let the dust settle first.
Dong Zhuo had a large estate in Chang’an. It was said he claimed some relation to the current Empress Dowager Dong.
Even if the connection was practically nonexistent, he insisted on forcing the association.
With a reputation, things were easier to handle.
“Haha! Little Tian, you’ve finally arrived! Good, good!” Dong Zhuo greeted him with warm, boisterous energy.
“Come with me to visit Minister Zhang later. There are many connections we need to grease before we head to Luoyang. I’m afraid our current funds might be… a bit lacking.”
Dong Zhuo played the role of the welcoming uncle perfectly.
If he knew that Long Tian had fucked his mother and was currently coveting his wife, he would probably grab a kitchen knife and chop him up right now!
What a bastard!
After all, his mother was also Long Tian’s own grandmother. How dare he get her into bed?
**
Empress Dowager Dong: The mother of Emperor Ling. Dong Zhuo shared the same surname and often claimed relation to her to boost his political standing.
Mo School (Mohism): An ancient Chinese school of philosophy and logic known for its scientific and engineering achievements, particularly in defensive fortifications and mechanics. By the Han Dynasty, it had largely faded from prominence.
