Chapter 135: Changbai County

This journey to Changbai Prefecture had another purpose: to bring Changbai Prefecture under control.

Changbai Prefecture was currently in a state of isolated helplessness. To the north, the Highland tribes eyed it covetously; to the south, the old nobility of the Great Qin Dynasty squeezed and exploited its people. To the east lay the sea, plagued by the arson, murder, and pillage of pirates from the island nation of Wa. The only possible source of external assistance was the newly established Crescent Kingdom.

The original Prince of Changbai was an idle noble of the Great Qin Dynasty. However, when the Emperor of Great Qin abandoned the city and fled, this idle prince fled in a panic along with his entire household to the Jiangnan region, leaving all administrative affairs of Changbai Prefecture in the hands of the Prefect.

Seeing the establishment of the Crescent Kingdom, the Prefect had a sudden flash of inspiration and immediately declared that Changbai Prefecture was breaking away from the imperial clan. He proclaimed himself the new Prince of Chang, styling himself Prince Duan.

Earlier that year, Wang Keyue had received a secret missive from the newly self-proclaimed Prince Duan of Changbai. The letter essentially stated that Changbai Prefecture was willing to submit to the Crescent Kingdom, provided that the kingdom dispatched troops to resolve its current plight. From then on, Changbai Prefecture would become a vassal territory of the Crescent Kingdom.

To be honest, Changbai Prefecture faced a multitude of difficulties. The most urgent priority was the severe snow disaster and the acute shortage of grain. As for the Wa pirates and the invasion of enemy states, those would have to wait until everyone's food supply was guaranteed.

Wang Keyue and Xiao Hongyu boarded an airship and flew directly to the prefectural mansion, intending to make an appearance before Prince Duan and awe him into submission.

At that moment, the newly minted Prince Duan of Changbai was in the prefectural mansion, discussing urgent matters with his advisors.

"Prince Duan, our secret missives have been sent out for more than half a month, yet the Crescent Kingdom has made no move whatsoever. This subordinate fears that the new monarch of the Crescent Kingdom harbors ulterior motives!" said a thin, tall advisor standing below.

"Indeed! Mr. Li speaks the truth! This subordinate also believes that the Crescent Kingdom cannot be trusted!" agreed another official by his side.

"Then what do you propose we do now?" asked Prince Duan from the seat of honor. In his early thirties, he should have been in the prime of his life. However, his eyes were bloodshot and his expression was weary and haggard; he had not been able to sleep for several nights on end due to these pressing troubles.

"This subordinate believes we should defect back to Great Qin..." Before the thin advisor could finish, Prince Duan slammed his hand down hard onto the table, cutting him off.

"Since this prince has already broken away from Great Qin, there is no turning back!" Prince Duan glared at the advisor with his fierce, tiger-like eyes, staring him down so intensely that the man trembled and dared not utter another word of rebuttal.

"May Prince Duan calm his anger. This subordinate feels there is no need for excessive worry. The heavy snow has just stopped; if we wait a few more days for the weather to clear, I believe there will surely be news from the Crescent Kingdom," offered a younger advisor from the other side.

Hearing this, Prince Duan finally curbed his anger. Then, recalling something else, he sighed, "Ah! Although the heavy snow has stopped, what are we to do with these disaster victims? Minister Liu, how many more days can the grain reserves in your charge last?"

Minister Liu, an elderly man with a goatee, cupped his fists and replied, "Reporting to Prince Duan, half of the reserves were just dispatched to the disaster-stricken villages and towns the day before yesterday. Early this morning, another village head came to report that houses have collapsed and warm clothing is severely lacking!"

"How can this be?" Prince Duan asked, slightly angered. Shouldn't these matters have been prepared for in advance?

"Please calm your anger, Prince Duan. This is mainly because the former prince took away a massive amount of supplies when he fled. However, there are still plenty of old hemp fabrics and old cotton fabrics left in the warehouses, and this subordinate has already ordered them to be distributed to the worst-hit villages and towns," Minister Liu answered.

"Ah! Let us do this, then. Have someone go immediately to my private estate; there is still some old cotton stored there. Send that along with the rest," Prince Duan said, feeling utterly helpless.

When the former prince fled, he took away almost all the garrison troops, leaving behind only the border guards stationed far away at the frontiers and customs. Today's Changbai Prefecture was less of an independent territory and more of an isolated cage. At present, Prince Duan's greatest wish was to receive a reply from the Crescent Kingdom.

"Registrar Zhao, send another group of people later with my secret missive to the Crescent Kingdom. You must bring back a reply," Prince Duan said, letting out another heavy sigh.

"Report!" A sharp, urgent shout echoed from outside the council hall.

Everyone started, their bodies jolting as they anxiously looked outside. A prefectural guard rushed in, his voice trembling with a mixture of terror and excitement. "Report... Reporting to Prince Duan, outside the prefectural mansion... there have come... come... immortals, immortals!"

Confusion flickered across the faces of everyone in the council hall, and Prince Duan wore an expression of displeasure. "Audacious! Cease this nonsense!"

"Spare my life, Prince Duan! This humble servant... this humble servant dares not speak falsely! Right now, those... those immortals are suspended in mid-air, and all the townspeople are out watching!" The guard was frantic, nearly ready to swear an oath.

Hearing the guard describe the situation thus, everyone unanimously believed him. After all, the guard had no reason to fabricate such a lie; they only needed to step outside to see for themselves.

The crowd hurried out of the council hall in a rush of walking and running, heading toward the gates of the prefectural mansion. Before they even stepped out of the courtyard, they caught sight of the immortal flying artifact suspended mid-air.

Atop the flying artifact stood two immortals in flowing white robes, their hands clasped behind their backs.

"They truly are immortals!" Someone muttered in awe from the rear. Prince Duan snapped back to his senses and immediately led the crowd in dropping to their knees before the immortals in the sky!

"Mortal Wang Xinggui pays respects to the immortals. Forgive me for failing to welcome you in time, and I pray the immortals will not take offense," Prince Duan said, steadying his emotions.

"Rise. I am not an immortal, merely guided here by one," Wang Keyue said. With that, she and Xiao Hongyu descended gracefully from the air, drifting down like deities descending to the mortal realm.

As they drew closer, the crowd finally snapped out of their dazed state. Prince Duan cupped his fists respectfully and bowed. "Forgive us for failing to meet you from afar. Please... forgive us, honored beings. May I ask the purpose of your visit?"

Because of Wang Keyue's earlier words, Prince Duan found it inappropriate to address them directly as immortals, so he switched to a different title. Yet the awe in his heart did not diminish by even a fraction—did they not still see the flying immortal artifact hovering directly overhead, showing no intention of leaving?

"By order of the new monarch of the Crescent Kingdom, we have come here to see Prince Duan!" Xiao Hongyu said with a stern face, her words carrying great imposing weight.

Hearing this, everyone understood and breathed a collective sigh of relief. Prince Duan could not hide his pleasant surprise. "That is wonderful!"

Over the next few days, Xiao Hongyu accompanied Wang Keyue as they restructured Changbai Prefecture into Changbai County, appointing Prince Duan as the county magistrate. Since the feudal system had been abolished, there was no possibility of continuing to recognize this self-proclaimed prince who had popped up halfway.

Though Wang Xinggui felt some regret, he dared not harbor any dissatisfaction. After all, the immortal status of the two before him was something mortals could not contend with. Furthermore, the new monarch of the Crescent Kingdom apparently served as the master of these immortals, which gave a glimpse into the formidable capabilities of the new kingdom's ruler.

Taking a step back, Changbai Prefecture's current predicament truly depended on the help of these two immortals.

The magical art of storing vast oceans within one's sleeves left everyone gaping in astonishment. Piles of pristine grain appeared before their eyes in the blink of an eye, followed by massive quantities of warm winter clothing, leaving the onlookers utterly dumbfounded.

With these supplies guaranteed, however, the people of Changbai County would surely weather the bitter winter safely, at least escaping the fate of freezing or starving to death.