Chapter 57: Li County Chrysanthemum Garden
At the other end, the Black Bear Fleet loaded the horses and went upstream along the Dan River. After passing Nanxiang County, it took the Xishui River, the main tributary of the Dan River, and directly arrived at Xi County.

The terrain around Xi County is relatively flat, but there are high mountains in the southwest, northwest, north and northeast.

This place is located on the Wuguan Road and Wancheng Chidao, which runs east-west and intersects with the north-south Xishui River.

This brought devastating disaster to Xi County, and the county was reduced to ruins early on.

The black bear rode on his dry horse and inspected the area within a radius of 100 miles. All the areas with convenient transportation, suitable for farming and living were deserted.

In the southern suburbs of Xi County, on the bank of Xishui River, there is the Qu Yuan Temple.

It was already dusk when the black bear returned. At night, a strong mountain wind blew, and smoke from cooking and campfires were seen in the temporary camp on the shore.

The battle flag of the Henghai Commandant stood alone, fluttering in the wind.

The Qu Yuan Temple is still well preserved. Perhaps because it is close to the Dragon Boat Festival, nearby villagers and scholars have cleaned up the dust in the temple, making it clean overall.

There was a bonfire burning in the temple, and Zhen Mi brought him corn rice and cold wild vegetables.

While he was having a meal, Liu Ye, Xuan Liang and others came over after hearing the news, and Zhen Mi hid in the inner room.

The statue of Qu Yuan sat in front of the hall, so Black Bear asked, "Chief, how is the morale of the camp?"

"Nothing unusual was found. The life of traveling by boat was convenient. No differences in color were found between men and women."

Liu Ye fiddled with the brazier beside him: "I'm afraid something unexpected will happen when we abandon the ship."

They might have to abandon the ship. Xuan Liang and his men looked conflicted, as nearly half of their skills were in the fleet.

"I am going to Guanzhong, and these ships will be abandoned sooner or later. Those who are unwilling to go will not be able to keep these large ships. So I will give these ships to the son of Chengwuhou in exchange for food, fodder and equipment."

Black Bear looked at Xuan Liang and the others, and seeing that no one objected, he said to Xu Lin beside him: "Starting tomorrow, we will organize the troops. You are the military commander, and you can use all the equipment in the camp. According to the military book, I want one team of knights, two teams of infantry, and four teams of light soldiers. If there is any problem with the personnel, you can adjust it yourself; the young and strong soldiers missing, Cheng Wuhou's son will help me fill it."

Without hesitation, Xu Lin asked, "How should Gan Xingba's troops be resettled?"

Gan Ning took the money and went to Jiangxia to recruit his old subordinates and refugees, and more than 200 troops remained in Zhuyang County.

Black Bear did not force the two hundred people and Gan Ning's family to migrate, but gave the initiative to Gan Ning and gave him another chance to choose.

Gan Ning probably had no other good choice, and when he came back, the money had already been spent.

Without subsequent financial and food supplies and a visible future, the soldiers he recruited with his own money would mutiny and scatter.

Black Bear did not take any responsibility for Xu Lin's question and answered truthfully: "If he is willing to lead his troops to join us, he can be the Sima of another army."

"Yes, I understand."

Xu Lin bowed and took his seat. He was not surprised. Gan Ning had brought his own people to attend, so his status was higher than others.

Liu Ye, Xuan Liang, Zhang Ding and others joined after being captured, and Xu Lin was recruited with money as a soldier.

Then Black Bear turned his head to look at Zhang Ding and said, "You are from Nieyang. How far is it from Xi County to Nieyang by taking the highway?"

"Report to Commander Qu, two hundred miles."

After Zhang Ding finished answering, he looked a little confused. He had never thought that he would be able to return to his hometown one day.

"After the prince of Chengwuhou sends money, food, equipment and soldiers and settles them properly, I will go to Xinye to pay a visit to General Zuo. It's on my way, so you can accompany me and I will allow you to return home to visit your relatives."

Zhang Ding asked directly: "Does Commander Qu want to recruit local militiamen?"

"If you have this idea, it doesn't matter if there are dozens or even dozens of people. There's no need to force it."

After saying this, Black Bear glanced at Chen Yang, who looked depressed. Among the three leaders of the fleet, Xuan Liang returned to Xia Pi several times and recruited some of Xuan Liang's fellow villagers and relatives into the fleet.

Now it is Zhang Ding's turn, but Chen Yang's hometown has become a ruin.

Black Bear doesn't care much about many things, and he is not very active in recruiting people. Even if it is an armed group like Gan Ning, it would be best if they can come, but he will not be too demanding if they cannot come.

It just means using more brutal means to deal with the other party in the future when they become hostile.

Whether in Hebei or Jingzhou, he was too lazy to give proper advice.

It's not your own business, so is there any need to lower your posture and persuade the other party to choose the right option?
There's no need to be so humble. If you want to listen, just listen. If you don't want to listen, just forget it.

The two Yuans in Hebei and the two Lius in Jingzhou have the same function in the long run, which is to limit Cao Cao's expansion speed.

Give yourself time to develop.

After observing the rapid decline of the Chen Deng clan, Black Bear completely gave up the idea of ​​being a thug.

This is no longer the time when many heroes emerged at the end of the Han Dynasty, when one could start a business with just a few hundred people.

Now all parties will have a tacit understanding to wipe out the small fish and shrimp in the cracks. Let alone a few hundred people, even a few thousand people will not be enough.

After arranging the night duty, everyone said goodbye one after another.

Black Bear escorted Liu Ye out, and Liu Ye said, "The situation is not favorable to you. In the first month of the year, Cao Gong gathered his troops in Chenliu. At that time, the officers and soldiers in Hebei were uneasy, and many of them abandoned their posts and surrendered to Jingzhou. There were Lieutenants Liu Jian, Tian Mai, Huang He and others. They all thought that Hebei would be defeated, so they surrendered."

"Don't worry about these people. Since they abandoned Hebei and went to Jingzhou, they are now officials under Liu Jingsheng. They are of no help to our cause. If we associate with them, it will only make Liu Jingsheng suspicious, and Liu Xuande will not like it either."

Black Bear raised his hand and placed it on Liu Ye's shoulder: "If there is a chance, I will save your family. If I cannot, you will not abandon your family, so you can return to Xudu on your own."

Liu Ye shook his head: "I am away from home, and my family is not disturbed; if I leave the command and return to Xudu, a small jailer can destroy my family. I know the severity of this matter."

He was kidnapped by the rebels and used as a strategist and think tank, and he still had value to the Xudu court in order to win over and instigate rebellion.

If you return empty-handed, you will be doomed.

Black Bear could understand it to some extent. Seeing that Liu Ye understood it clearly, he just patted Liu Ye's shoulder vigorously and then parted ways.

Return to Qu Yuan Temple... This is Qu Yuan's hometown, so it is normal to have a temple dedicated to Qu Yuan.

In the temple, Zhen Mi had already hung up the mosquito net and burned some broken cedar and mugwort.

The flames danced and the smoke filled the air. Seeing her busy figure, Black Bear felt a little helpless.

Mosquitoes, mosquitoes, I wish there would be a heavy snow that would last for a day and a night, enough to freeze many mosquitoes to death.

Although the accumulated parasites were cleared after investing white magic power into himself, he became more attractive to insects from outside, especially winged mosquitoes.

The air was filled with smoke from cedar and mugwort, and Black Bear and Zhen Mi went to the bedroom behind the main hall of the temple.

The wooden bed had already been set up. Black Bear looked around to eliminate any fish that had escaped the net, while Zhen Mi turned around to close the mosquito net.

Everything has its own growth and decline. Black bears' physique makes them particularly attractive to mosquitoes. This is easy to understand for Zhen Mi.

Mosquitoes suck blood, and black bear blood tastes better than ordinary human blood. It's a simple truth.

After being busy for a while, the two of them held hands beside the bed to relieve the boredom that had accumulated over the past hundred days.

Add some flavor to the boring life.

In these two months, Black Bear estimated that he had grown about two inches taller, but he was still suppressed by the 19-year-old Zhen Mi.

Her barefoot height was seven feet two or three inches; if she added an exaggerated wig, crown, and clogs, her height would easily exceed eight feet.

I feel that Zhen Mi's interest is greater and stronger, and I feel more and more that I am at a disadvantage.

After continuous traveling and migration, even if she took a boat, Zhen Mi was physically and mentally exhausted.

At first she was interested in seeing the scenery, but now she just wants to find a secluded place to live a quiet life.

Even at this moment, Zhen Mi didn't want to move anymore and enjoyed the tranquility.

After a moment, she came back to her senses and asked lazily with a hint of dissatisfaction: "My dear, if we go to Guanzhong and move again, where should we go?"

"If we don't leave, we will establish a foothold in Guanzhong. Killing Zhong Yao will cause chaos in Guanzhong. Cao Cao can't afford to divide his troops. It's nearly a thousand miles from Chenliu to Chang'an. He has too few soldiers to help, and too many will cost too much for food and fodder."

The moonlight filtered into the bedroom. Black Bear was also tired of migrating and wandering, and said in a soft voice: "Once you go to Guanzhong, you won't have to travel like this anymore. Plant trees, raise horses, build a pavilion, and have a child to accompany you." Speaking of children, Zhen Mi, who was lying on her side facing him, was suddenly startled, and all her sleepiness and fatigue were swept away.

Their palms were put together and their fingers intertwined. She subconsciously used force and pinched the black bear, hurting it.

Seeing no response from the black bear, Zhen Mi simply closed her eyes, and her consciousness was soon overwhelmed by fatigue.

When she woke up, the sunlight had already refracted in and the person next to her was gone.

Rubbing his eyes, he squatted in front of the basin to wash and maintain personal hygiene.

Later, when he brought out the basin of water to splash it, he caught a glimpse of the clay statue of Qu Yuan in his peripheral vision. After going out to splash the water, he came back and bowed to the statue, praying for himself.

After putting on a white gauze scarf and a hat, she went out to look for the black bear.

In the early morning, near the riverside, where the smoke from cooking fires was dense, she saw a middle-aged official squatting on the ground, drawing a map with a dead branch. He said, "Eight miles north of the county, there is a chrysanthemum water. Many chrysanthemums are planted around the source of the water. The fragrance is strong, and the chrysanthemum water is also very sweet and fragrant."

"There were more than 30 families nearby who had never dug a well to draw water. They all drank this water. The oldest lived to be 120 to 130 years old, the middle-aged to be over 100 years old, and those who lived to be 70 were still considered premature."

Zhen Mi observed the middle-aged man and felt that he should be a nearby county official or one of the three elders.

The man continued to talk, "When Sikong Shanyang Wang Chang and Taifu Runan Yuan Wei were governors, Li County sent more than 30 stones of chrysanthemums every month in summer and autumn, and these two gentlemen used them for food, drink and bathing."

"The father of Hu Guang, the Grand Commandant of Nanjun, suffered from rheumatism. He passed by Nanyang and drank this water, and his illness was cured."

"This chrysanthemum has short stems and large flowers. It tastes sweet and is different from other chrysanthemums. Hu Guang collected the fruits and planted them in the capital, and then they were planted everywhere. However, in terms of the effects of prolonging life and curing diseases, it is far inferior to the source."

After he finished speaking, the man expressed regret: "It's a pity that when Yuan Shu entered Nanyang, he took all the chrysanthemums, and the remaining remnants are much worse than before. During the rebellion of Li Jue and Guo Si, the people of Guanzhong passed through the area, and the area was even more devastated."

"Just chrysanthemums are fine."

As Black Bear spoke, he turned his head to look at Xuan Liang, who took out a handful of golden five-zhu coins and handed them to him.

The man did not refuse and accepted it immediately.

The taxation system in Jingzhou remained the same, and the Wuzhu coin was still very important.

Black Bear asked Zhen Mi, "This place sounds mysterious. It is 48 miles from here by highway, and another 8 miles by country road. If we set out now, we can arrive before noon."

Zhen Mi had just woken up and was full of energy. Although she was tired from the journey, the joy of traveling overwhelmed her inner resistance, so she asked hesitantly, "Why are you looking for chrysanthemums for no reason, my dear?"

"I heard that chrysanthemums can repel mosquitoes."

Black Bear replied with a smile that he was really fed up with mosquitoes. In fact, he was not sure whether chrysanthemums could kill or repel mosquitoes.

It’s just that mosquitoes brought back many related memories for him. He remembered that there was a thing called pyrethroids in the ingredient list of mosquito and fly spray or mosquito coils.

Chemistry is such a serious matter that chemists would not use the name "pyrethroid" for no reason to refer to that effective mosquito-killing ingredient.

Besides, it would be nice to use white magic to wash some chrysanthemums and use them to make tea.

Before, when we were sailing along the river, we had no time to take care of these things.

Different chrysanthemums have different medicinal properties.

Just like the mosquito repellent effect, maybe it does, maybe it doesn't.

Black Bear was also in the mood to give it a try, but Zhen Mi thought about it carefully and refused: "It is inconvenient to drive back and forth, so I'd better stay on the boat and sew clothes."

If she goes with him, she will have to drive a carriage, as a horse-drawn carriage cannot go fast.

There is a flat highway from Xi County to Li County, but the highway has not been maintained for 20 years and is not friendly to horse-drawn carriages.

If the axle breaks, it will be troublesome again.

It would be better to let Black Bear go by himself, ride the summoned Yin-gan Horse, set off after dinner, and return at noon.

This will also help you escape when you encounter danger.

After a simple breakfast, Black Bear summoned his horse, rode it, and headed east along a very conspicuous road.

This highway was opened in the pre-Qin period and connected Xianyang and Wancheng.

The road has fallen into disrepair over the years, and due to the large number of refugees and disaster victims coming and going, most of the original road-protecting trees have been cut down.

Now there are dense trees on both sides of the road, and the wide hardened road surface has been bumpy due to rain washing.

Other plants find it difficult to grow on the road, so clusters of thorns grow strong.

The dried horse is not so particular. It is covered with white armor, a leather helmet on its head, and a horn with a gilded spiral pattern on its forehead.

Just run wildly, trampling on thorns as if they were nothing.

Black Bear roughly estimated that it was his riding skills that limited this second-level Yin-Gan horse, and its current speed was only about seventy miles per hour.

As a result, they ran all the way and when they arrived at Li County along the Chi Road, the dilapidated city gate of the county was closed.

There were not even any flags on the city walls, and the morning smoke above the city was even fainter.

This is a no-man's land. During the Western Han Dynasty, the surrounding area was under the administration of Hongnong County. Emperor Guangwu of the Later Han Dynasty came from Nanyang, and the territory of Nanyang was expanded, and the area south of Wuguan became the territory of Nanyang.

Now, the Inspector of the Imperial Capital, Zhong Yao, can reach out and appoint a fearless county magistrate to take up the post here; the court in Xudu can also appoint one.

Liu Biao, the governor of Jingzhou in the south, could also appoint county magistrates, and it was common for a county to have two county magistrates.

After all, the gentry in the imperial hometown of Nanyang were used to being arrogant, and it was common for them to look down on Liu Biao and resist the officials appointed by Liu Biao.

The black bear did not waste any time and headed north along a road that ran parallel to a stream.

After walking seven or eight miles, we saw the source of the stream.

This river originates from a pool of water, and it is like a spring. The water volume is quite large and quite impressive.

There were indeed patches of chrysanthemums near the pond, but it was not yet the season for them to bloom.

But the rich, unique scent of chrysanthemum permeates the air.

The black bear stopped at the water pond and looked around. There was no living person nearby and the houses had long been reduced to ruins.

The government-run pavilion near the pond also burned down and collapsed, with human bones scattered around.

With no intention of lingering, he took out his white magic power and invested it into a cluster of lush low chrysanthemums, which he refined and transformed into cards.

"Golden Chrysanthemum, produce five flowers a day, can be accumulated."

Glancing at the card, I felt like this trip was in vain.

Black Bear dismounted, took off his patent leather shoes by the pond, untied his foot bindings, and prepared to soak his feet.

The water in the pond was warm, not cold as he had imagined.

He frowned and thought about it, then with the mentality of giving it a try, he visualized the pool of water as the target in his mind and gradually invested white magic power.

If the white mana investment is ineffective, it will be returned, and he will invest more each time it returns.

When it reached fifty points, the pool of water bubbling with warm hot springs under my feet suddenly calmed down.

A card flew back and hovered in front of him.

"Hot Spring Land Card. After being stationed, it will draw hot springs from the ground to cure diseases and nourish the body. It can be used once."

The black bear showed a look of joy, and instinctively wanted to merge this land card into the Taoyuan land card, but was bounced out by the Taoyuan land card, as if he looked down on it.

"A strategic-level treasure!"

If the amount of water drawn out by the water veins is equal to the amount of water discharged from the pool, it means that it can meet the drinking needs of 100,000 people!
The longer the time, the stronger the effect of this card in changing the terrain!

(End of this chapter)