"All right, all of you, get into the water!"
The poorly dressed craftsmen looked at one another, completely at a loss.
One of them gathered his courage and spoke up. "Little young master, the weather is freezing. There should at least be a reason."
"Did you not hear what Attendant Officer Ma said? Get in there at once! He naturally has his reasons!"
The voice was loud and showy, and the tone left no room for refusal. Ma Su turned his head sharply and nearly had to squint from the sight.
The newcomer wore fine robes and a jade belt, with a headpiece threaded with gold and a jade pendant swaying with each step. If not for his narrow eyes ruining the aesthetic, he would have been the very image of a refined young noble.
Beside him stood another man dressed as a military officer. He was plainly clothed and stood slightly hunched in deference to the young noble.
Perhaps intimidated by the noble's strong presence, the craftsmen finally began to move. One after another, they jumped into the river.
This reaction threw Ma Su into a panic instead.
"Hey, hey! Take off your clothes first! Wash yourselves clean, then come up immediately! Do not jump in fully dressed!"
As he spoke, Ma Su hurriedly ordered his personal attendants from Yicheng to gather firewood and start several fires.
Only after finishing did he turn back, narrowing his eyes at the newcomers. "And you two are, sir?"
"Mi Fang, courtesy name Zifang. My elder brother is Mi Zhu."
The well-dressed Mi Fang warmly grabbed Ma Su's hand and shook it, then introduced the other man.
"This is Fu Shiren, courtesy name Junyi, currently serving as the county Zei Bu Officer."
"We have long admired your name, Attendant Ma. Hearing that Jichang had returned to Yicheng while you remained, we came specifically to invite you out for some leisure."
The two sized him up as they spoke. Mi Fang's smile was sincere, while Fu Shiren straightened his back noticeably when facing Ma Su.
To Mi Fang, the fact that Ma Su got appointed straight to Attendant Officer right away was no small thing at all. What others might look at and see as being stuck with lowly work, Mi Fang saw as a huge show of favor. He knew his brother-in-law and Zhuge Liang both had a sharp eye for capable people. That was exactly why he had brought his good friend along in the first place, to help him make those connections.
Unfortunately, he was destined for disappointment.
"I am occupied with official duties and have no time for leisure. Please, do as you wish." Ma Su gave them a brief, stiff smile before turning away, loudly calling the craftsmen who had washed up to gather by the fires.
'Just two favored men with nothing but hard work to show for it', Ma Su thought to himself.
"Bring two more piles of firewood... no, forget it. I will go with you!"
After a bit of work, several bonfires were lit and blazing bright. Standing right in the middle of them, Ma Su spoke up loud and clear to the craftsmen who were busy drying their clothes and bodies.
"Lord Liu Jingzhou, in his great kindness, is setting up new workshops right here in Gong'an! We need many skilled hands. Food and shelter will be provided, and you will earn proper wages too!"
"He has also specially invited the divine physician Zhang Zhongjing! Following the physician's guidance, everyone who comes into Gong'an must first wash and cleanse themselves fully!"
"Think about it. All of you have traveled across mountains and rivers from Jianghuai. The hills are thick with miasma, and people have fallen ill and died along the way. We must take these precautions to keep everyone safe!"
One craftsman spoke up, sounding unsure. "Little young master, if you had told us this earlier we could have washed ourselves clean before we even got here. Just now we all thought you were deliberately making things hard for us."
Ma Su just huffed and said nothing else. He led the whole group, now washed spotless and dry, through the western gate of Gong'an County, pointing things out as they walked.
"That building over there will be the new blacksmith workshop. All blacksmiths can head straight there. Just walk in and ask for Master Sun. He will test your skill. Anyone who passes will stay on and work."
"Master Sun has a sharp tongue and a quick temper, but he is a truly good man at heart. If he scolds you he has a reason for it. Do not talk back, do not curse him, and do not argue."
They walked further down the main street until they reached a small plot of land east of the county office. Foundations and wooden stakes were already laid out there. Several craftsmen stood gathered around a scholar, deep in discussion.
Ma Su pointed ahead. "That is Attendant Sun. He is far more capable than I am. All carpenters here in Gong'an County fall under his supervision now. Anyone skilled with wood can go straight to him."
He added earnestly, "Attendant Sun is easy to speak with, but do not let that make you careless. He has served Liu Jingzhou for ten whole years."
They kept walking and took the road south out of the city. Before long, the Hudu River came into view. A stretch of ground had been cleared right beside the water, and a line of wooden stakes had already been driven into the bank.
'Attendant Ma, what is this place meant for?"
Ma Su's gaze drifted a little. "Strategist Zhuge Kongming calls this the power of technology. Either way, once it is all built, it will surely be something truly amazing. That open ground right by the river is where the paper workshop will stand. We are going to make Zuo Bo paper here."
The craftsmen exchanged looks. One dark-skinned man stepped forward cautiously. "Attendant Ma, what exactly is Zuo Bo paper?"
After seeing the papermakers settled into their lodgings in the western district, Ma Su headed home. As he passed the rear gate of the county office, he spotted a stall set up there, with a long line stretching out in front of it.
"What is all this about?" Ma Su stopped a plump young man who looked absolutely delighted to ask.
"The divine physician Zhang is handing out Tusu wine! He says drinking it makes the body stronger and keeps sickness and plague away! If you want some, young master, you better hurry and get in line. I just got mine and there was hardly any left."
Ma Su stood there for a moment without knowing what to say. This divine physician was truly putting his whole heart into it. As for Tusu wine? He had already had his fill of it at the lord's morning feast.
'Might as well just drink herbal medicine directly, he thought.'
A crowd had also gathered around the public notice board beside the county office. Someone was reading the notice out loud for everyone to hear.
"Over the past year, our Lord Liu Jingzhou and Marquis Sun have together driven back the Cao bandits. Yet many lives were lost in the fighting. Even more people have traveled here from Jianghuai, crossing mountains and rivers, and many fell ill or died along the way. That is why on the Shangyuan Festival, the county office will sponsor a grand Nuo ritual!"
"To cast out plague, to drive away evil spirits, to comfort those who have passed, and to pray for peace for all people!"
The crowd listening cheered loudly the moment they heard it. "Liu Jingzhou is truly benevolent!"
When the cheers faded, some people wept, thinking of family and friends they had lost this year. Those beside them reached out and offered comfort.
Ma Su let out a long sigh. In that moment, he remembered his lord's words from that morning.
"To build this great cause together!"
Could this noble vision truly bring peace to the land?
...
Inside the study, Liu Bei trimmed the lamp wick and kept writing by its tiny flame.
Right at the top of the letter, bold words stood clear. "To Mengqi, to be opened by your own hand only."
This was already the third letter he had sent to Ma Chao lately.
With Jingzhou and Liangzhou so far apart, Liu Bei never wrote anything too sensitive. He kept it simple. Friendly greetings. Talk of the times. And plenty of praise for Ma Chao's courage.
The moment the light screen spoke of Hanzhong, Liu Bei had sent Jian Yong out to gather every last bit of news from Liangzhou. But he realized with regret he was already too late.
Last year, Ma Teng had been appointed Minister of the Guard. His sons Ma Xiu and Ma Tie were both made Cavalry Commandants. They had brought over two hundred members of their clan to the capital and took up official posts there.
Ma Teng going to the capital was nothing less than surrendering to the Cao bandits. With Liangzhou no longer a threat, Cao Cao could march his army south with full confidence. And there he was stopped by Zhou Gongjin.
Zhou Gongjin! Liu Bei felt a sharp pang of envy. The Sun clan actually had such a brilliant man standing beside them.
Then he sighed again. The New Year had come and gone. Zhou Lang of Jiangdong was running out of time!
And that was exactly why Liu Bei had made up his mind to travel to Jiangdong.
He was not going for Sun Quan's sister, but because Nan Commandery absolutely had to be secured!