I run a training class in Shu Han

Chapter 105 Arsonist's Retirement from the Mountain: A Lifetime in Jail

Meng Huo thus settled down in Chengdu.

They did not stay at an inn or wear luxurious clothes, but instead lived in ordinary houses and wore the coarse cloth clothes of ordinary people.

Several personal guards lived with him.

According to the guards, after the hundred or so men disembarked, their weapons were confiscated, and they were divided into several groups and taken to different places, where they were cut off from contact.

They wanted to return to Nanzhong, but the conditions were the same as Meng Huo's: they had to cultivate the fields properly.

Meng Huo had no idea what Liu Shan was up to, but making him farm was certainly frustrating.

But he knew even better that if he did not return to Jianning County soon, his foundation would be uprooted, and he would have no choice but to endure humiliation.

"All of you, come here."

Meng Huo called several of his personal guards to his side, forming a circle around them, and then whispered, "The Han emperor wants to seize our territory in Nanzhong. If we want to save our lives, we must return to Nanzhong as soon as possible, contact other powerful families, and then raise an army to rebel against the court."

The guards looked at each other in bewilderment after hearing this.

Although they were unaware that Li Hui had already stationed himself in Jianning County to intimidate the southern regions.

Little did anyone know that Wang Ping was already training troops in the south, ready to lead them to the city at any time?

However, they knew that since the Southern Region was reorganized into seven prefectures by the imperial court, the power of the local strongmen had been weakened.

With Gao Ding and Zhu Bao executed, neither of them wanted to oppose the imperial court.

With no leader in the south, the people will soon submit to the imperial court. When that happens, if the Meng family were to raise an uprising in the south, I fear no one would respond.

Seeing hesitation and fear in their eyes, Meng Huo said in a low voice, "What are you afraid of? My Meng clan has lived in the south for generations and has deep roots. As long as I can successfully return to the south, I will surely be able to rally a hundred people to my cause."

"Even Liu Yan and his son Liu Zhang couldn't control the southern regions. I wasn't afraid when Liu Bei was around, so why should I be afraid of a mere child?"

Liu Shan's name carried little weight in the hearts of the people of Nanzhong, so they naturally didn't take him seriously.

The guards regained some of their spirits after hearing this, and one of them asked, "Your Majesty, what should we do? We'll follow your lead."

Others chimed in.

After pondering for a while, Meng Huo revealed his plan.

"First, we need to find out the whereabouts of our companions who were scattered in Chengdu; it will be difficult for us to accomplish this on our own."

They currently number less than ten, and will certainly be under surveillance, making their movements difficult.

If we can contact more people, we can distract the imperial court.

"Since the Han emperor didn't want us to farm, we'll take this opportunity to go out and explore, and figure out the way back to Nanzhong."

To escape Chengdu, one must know the checkpoints along the way, avoid important towns, and keep a low profile.

"Do Gao Ding and Zhu Bao still have any old acquaintances in Chengdu? If we can get their help, our chances of escaping will be much greater."

Meng Huo believed that there must be powerful clans in Chengdu who were dissatisfied with Liu Shan's rule, and if he could get their help, his chances of escaping would be greater.

"Remember, you absolutely must not let this slip out!"

The next day, before dawn, Meng Huo and his companions, who were still fast asleep, were awakened by a knock on the door.

The one knocking on the door was an official from the Agricultural Supervisory Office, urging them to go to the fields to work.

Meng Huo squinted at the hazy view outside the window, and a nameless anger surged up within him.

"It's so annoying so early in the morning."

Just as he was about to get angry, he remembered that he was now a "prisoner" and had no choice but to swallow his anger.

After a quick wash, Meng Huo and his companions, led by an official, arrived at a field.

"Your task today is to plow and level the land in preparation for spring planting. This is breakfast; eat it and then get to work."

Breakfast consisted of wheat porridge, small pieces of dried meat, and wild vegetable soup. The soldiers wolfed it down and finished it all in no time.

"Your Majesty, why aren't you eating?"

Meng Huo threw the bowl aside and said angrily, "This stuff is so coarse, how can anyone eat it? I am here to farm, not to be a prisoner. You can't treat me like this. Quickly bring me wine and meat."

The official sneered, "Wine and meat? What do you think this place is, offering you wine and meat? All the workers eat this; take it or leave it."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Meng Huo was about to step forward to argue when he was stopped by a guard.

"Your Majesty, this is already quite good, please eat!"

Meng Huo lamented, "A tiger fallen into the plains is bullied by dogs," then picked up the soup, smacked his lips a few times, frowned, and then spat it out.

"Is this for people to drink?"

He was about to raise his hand to pour out the soup when his personal guards immediately stepped forward to stop him.

"Your Majesty, it's such a waste to throw away this soup. If you're not going to drink it, why not share it with the brothers..."

Meng Huo couldn't understand why someone would fight over a bowl of vegetable soup, so he casually handed it over and then picked up the dried meat and chewed it dryly.

The soldiers hurriedly finished the soup, taking turns to eat it, and then set their sights on the bowl of wheat porridge in Meng Huo's hand.

"What, you still want to eat?"

Meng Huo was even more puzzled. This wheat porridge was coarse and felt like a knife cutting into his throat, unlike the rice he usually ate.

The guards, intimidated by his imposing presence, shook their heads and waved their hands repeatedly.

Meng Huo glanced at the wheat porridge, but unable to swallow his pride, he coldly said, "It's all yours!"

The guards were overjoyed and immediately snatched it away.

After breakfast, Meng Huo and his companions began working in the fields.

As a member of a prominent family in southern China, although he had never done farm work, he had personally witnessed farmers cultivating the land.

All you need to do is poke small holes in the ground with a sharp stick and a hoe, and then sow the seeds.

Meng Huo picked up the hoe and, following the movements from his memory, began to work in a very professional manner.

But after working for a while, I realized something was wrong.

This place is different from the places I've seen in the south.

The guards also noticed something amiss and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, this land is not right. Not only is the texture hard, but there's also no black soil. How can we grow crops?"

Meng Huo, unfamiliar with farming, hurriedly asked, "Is what you're saying true?"

"That's absolutely true. When we farm, there's usually a layer of black soil on the ground, and we can easily poke a small hole with a stick. But this whole patch of soil doesn't have any black soil at all. I'm afraid the soil's fertility has been exhausted, and we can't grow any crops here."

Upon hearing this, Meng Huo threw his hoe aside and cursed, "Is this emperor kid playing a trick on us? Making us cultivate a barren piece of land. If we can't grow any crops, we'll never be able to go back. It's truly hateful!"

Despite the criticism, I'm now at their mercy, and can only react to whatever comes my way.

After calming down, Meng Huo considered his next plan.

"Are you sure this land won't grow any crops?"

The guard nodded firmly and said, "Your Majesty, this land is not fertile and is overgrown with weeds. It is a wasteland in the south and will only be usable again after seven or eight years when it recovers its fertility."

"Since that brat emperor is deliberately making things difficult for us, forcing us to plant crops on land that won't grow, why don't we find another plot of land, grow crops there, and see what he has to say?"

"Look around, is there anywhere that can grow food?"

Several guards looked around and, after scouting the area, pointed to a lush, green hillside not far away.

"Your Majesty, this place is lush with vegetation and dry, not prone to waterlogging, and the soil is thick enough to be used for farming."

Seeing that everyone had their eyes on that piece of land, Meng Huo slapped his thigh and said, "Excellent! Let's use this land then."

The guard continued, "Your Majesty, if you wish to cultivate the land here, you must cut down all the trees and burn them. This will create a layer of black soil, which will provide the nutrients for the crops to grow."

Meng Huo laughed loudly, "Alright, let's get started! Follow me!"

The group arrived at the hillside and, seeing the lush vegetation, quickly picked up their iron knives and cut down all the trees and shrubs on the hillside.

Fortunately, the hillside wasn't very big, and it was mostly small trees and branches, so it was cleared away in about an hour.

Looking at the results before him, Meng Huo felt proud.

Meanwhile, due to the heavy workload and the fact that he only ate dried meat for breakfast, he was hungry and could only fill his stomach by drinking water.

"What should we do next?" After a short rest, Meng Huo asked about the next steps.

"Your Majesty, normally, felled trees should be left to dry in the sun for more than seven days to ensure they are fully dry before being burned."

Upon hearing that it would take seven days, Meng Huo immediately frowned.

"Seven days? When will I be able to return to Nanzhong?"

"Your Majesty, even if we burn it now, we cannot plant crops. This kind of land depends on the weather..."

"No, burn it now," Meng Huo insisted.

The guard frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty, burning it now is fine, but the fertility of the black soil will be somewhat reduced after burning..."

"Who cares? As long as we can grow crops, it's better than that barren land." Meng Huo said impatiently, "Hurry up and burn it."

Soon after, a wisp of black smoke shot into the sky, and the fire began to spread.

Just as Meng Huo was feeling triumphant, he suddenly heard a commotion all around him.

Farmers who were busy in the nearby fields all ran towards the hillside.

"What are they doing?" Meng Huo asked.

"Perhaps they came to congratulate us on finding such a good location!" the guard said smugly.

Meng Huo was also smug after hearing this, thinking to himself: You little emperor, you didn't expect this, did you? You wanted to trap me with a piece of bad land, but luckily, heaven never seals off all paths and has found me a good piece of land. Are you very disappointed?

A moment later, the farmers rushed up the hillside, completely out of breath.

"Was it...was it you...who set the fire?"

Meng Huo laughed and said, "It is indeed this general. How is the fire? It's burning very brightly, isn't it!"

"Are you out of your mind? How dare you set fire to this place?" the farmer screamed. "Fire! Help! Fire!"

Before the arriving farmers could catch their breath, they immediately rolled up their sleeves, grabbed their farm tools, and rushed forward to put out the fire.

Seeing this, Meng Huo thought they were sent by Liu Shan to stop him from farming, and he shouted with his iron knife, "Let's see who dares to put out the fire, believe me or not I'll cut him down with one stroke."

The farmers, seeing his imposing stature and ferocious expression, were filled with fear and dared not approach him.

"Brave man, this fire must not be burned, it must not be burned!" an old farmer pleaded.

"Why can't we burn it? This is how we've always farmed," Meng Huo said arrogantly. "Could it be that you've set your sights on this land and want to seize it for yourselves?"

"Brave warrior, the imperial court has long issued strict orders that arson is punishable by imprisonment."

Meng Huo spat and said, "Nonsense, I've never heard of such a rule. I think you're just after my land."

Seeing that the fire had already started, the old farmer was extremely anxious.

"Brave warrior, if we don't put out this fire soon, it will be too late. Here's what we'll do: let us put out the fire first, and then we can sit down and discuss the rest."

"What's the point of discussing? I, Meng Huo, want this land today. Even the emperor can't change my mind!"

"I said it!"

A soldier stepped forward, patted his chest, and said smugly, "Old man, weren't you worried that this fire would burn down the whole mountain? Before lighting it, I observed the wind and direction, and it won't affect the whole mountain or the farmland below."

"This is a principle we've known since we were little, so you can rest assured!"

Seeing that the fire was out of control and that further arguing would be futile, the old farmer could only keep saying, "What a pity, what a pity."

After the fire subsided, a patch of scorched earth remained on the hillside.

"Old man, I told you, it wouldn't affect the whole mountain."

The old man was so angry that he was speechless, and pointed at Meng Huo and the others with trembling hands.

The other farmers also looked angry.

"What? You're not convinced? Anyone who dares to come forward, I'll finish him off with one stroke."

Just then, a voice came.

"Lord Zhang Yi, Chief Secretary of the Prime Minister's Office, has arrived!"

Upon hearing Zhang Yi's name, Meng Huo was slightly moved.

The people quickly made way for Zhang Yi, who strode up the hillside. Looking at the scorched earth before him, he roared, "Who did this?"

Meng Huo nonchalantly replied, "It's me!"

Zhang Yi looked at Meng Huo, his eyes filled with surprise and anger.

"Meng Huo, His Majesty gave you the task of farming, not arson."

Mentioning Liu Shan's name infuriated Meng Huo.

"Lord Zhang, you be the judge! That brat emperor gave me a piece of wasteland and asked me to teach him how to grow crops. Isn't he deliberately making things difficult for us?"

"Then why did you set the mountain on fire?"

"Since the land I was given can't grow any crops, I have no choice but to find another place. You've all forced me into this situation."

Only then did Zhang Yi understand the whole story.

He suddenly burst into laughter.

His smile was tinged with helplessness and anger.

"Zhang Yi, how dare you laugh at me? If it weren't for your good fortune back then, you would have been our prisoner long ago, sent to Eastern Wu as a hostage."

Zhang Yi was unaware that Yong Kai had ambushed him years ago, and that Meng Huo had also been involved.

But he didn't hold a grudge. Instead, he addressed the issue directly, saying, "I'm laughing at your ignorance."

"How dare you insult me!" Meng Huo was furious, and he gripped his iron sword even tighter.

Zhang Yi said, "Open your eyes and look carefully. Which piece of land here isn't wasteland?"

Awakened, Meng Huo looked around and discovered that not only his land, but all the surrounding lands were the same.

"So what? How can wasteland be cultivated? You are exploiting the people."

"That's why I laugh at your ignorance. Here, the plains stretch for miles. To farm, all you need to do is turn over the old soil, loosen it, and level it. Then, apply fertilizer when sowing, and the crops will grow."

Meng Huo, unfamiliar with farming, blushed with embarrassment at the remark and retorted, "This is your Chengdu. In the south, people farm in the same way."

"You know you're in Chengdu now," Zhang Yi said sternly. "Since you know you're under the Emperor's nose, you should act according to the rules. Officials should only allow you to till the soil and level it, not burn down the forest."

"You have acted on your own initiative, which is a violation of the imperial law. His Majesty has strictly ordered that anyone who sets fire to a mountain will be imprisoned for life."

"Meng Huo, you can expect to spend the rest of your life in prison!"