Kaixian County.
Ran Ke, the Pacification Commissioner of Kaixian, studied Flat Rabbit with an expression that hovered somewhere between admiration and headache.
After several days of interaction, he had confirmed something undeniable. The man before him possessed real military capability. His musketeers were not decorative soldiers meant to look intimidating from a distance. They were terrifyingly effective. Not once had the rebels managed to break through their formation. Every charge had ended in smoke, thunder, and bodies falling before they ever reached the walls.
More impressively, these musketeers were disciplined. They did not panic. They did not scatter. They reinforced weak points in the defenses before those weaknesses could even be exploited. Several times the rebels had attempted flanking maneuvers under cover of night, only to discover that the angles they had chosen were already fortified and waiting.
With Flat Rabbit commanding the defense, Kaixian stood as steady as a mountain.
And yet.
Ran Ke pressed his fingers to his temple.
The general himself was unbearable.
Flat Rabbit rarely spoke without exaggeration. His tone carried natural swagger. His gestures were wide. His voice rose and fell like a storyteller performing in a marketplace teahouse. Even when stating something mundane, he sounded as though he were bragging about conquering the world before breakfast.
There is an old saying that a cowardly soldier ruins one man, but a cowardly general ruins an entire army. By logic, a man who sounded this unreliable should have led an equally unreliable force. Yet reality stubbornly contradicted the proverb. His army was solid. Efficient. Reliable.
Ran Ke found it profoundly unfair.
As if on cue, Flat Rabbit was speaking again, completely unaware of the complicated gaze fixed upon him.
"General Ran, I am not exaggerating at all. Once our new crops are introduced to your mountain villages, your people will never worry about hunger again. Potatoes, corn, sweet potatoes, and Celestial Fertilizer. With these in place, Kaixian's Tujia population will eat their fill every year. I guarantee it."
Ran Ke's smile did not waver, but inwardly he sighed.
If I believed that so easily, I would deserve to be fooled.
Outwardly, he nodded politely.
"These new crops sound remarkable. I would very much like to see them."
Inside, however, his thoughts were merciless.
I have never heard of these things in my life. Potatoes. Corn. Sweet potatoes. They sound like curiosities brought by traveling peddlers. And this so called Celestial Fertilizer. If it truly exists, why has no one in Sichuan ever seen it? Even if they grow, will they taste like anything worth eating? I do not believe a single word.
Flat Rabbit continued, entirely at ease.
"My logistics team will arrive soon. When they do, they will bring food, clothing, all sorts of supplies. We will help you arrange everything properly. Your Tujia people do not need to hide in the mountains forever. Come out. Trade with us. Live side by side with the Han. Everyone prospers together."
Ran Ke's smile remained steady.
"That would be most welcome."
In his heart, he scoffed again.
Logistics team. In Sichuan? Through this terrain? With rebels running wild in every direction? Moving goods on a large scale here is nearly impossible. And even if it were possible, no one sends large quantities of supplies without expecting something in return. Free generosity does not exist in this world.
He was still complaining silently when the County Magistrate rushed into the hall, face flushed with excitement.
"Master Tu! Your logistics team has arrived. They are here. There are so many carts. So much grain. It is unbelievable."
Flat Rabbit shot to his feet, laughter bursting from his chest.
"They finally made it? Excellent. Come, come. Let us show the refugees something worth celebrating."
Ran Ke blinked several times.
They actually came?
He had not expected that the man's boast would materialize into reality. With a dazed expression, he followed the County Magistrate and Flat Rabbit up to the southern city wall.
From atop the wall, the official road stretching southward revealed a sight that made him momentarily forget how to breathe.
The convoy extended beyond vision.
Horse drawn carriages, ox carts, single wheeled handcarts, and every imaginable contraption designed to move goods crept forward in an unbroken line. In Sichuan's rugged terrain, the humble single wheeled cart was a marvel of practicality, but its capacity was limited. When used in large numbers, however, even modest loads accumulated into something magnificent.
The front of the column had already reached the city gate.
The tail still wound its way out of distant mountain paths.
Ran Ke inhaled sharply.
"This is truly a large scale transport convoy. Master Tu, you were not deceiving me after all?"
Flat Rabbit froze for a moment.
Only then did he realize that Ran Ke had not believed him even once.
The discovery stung more than he expected.
Without another word, he strode toward a nearby cart and lifted the covering cloth.
"What are you carrying?"
The logistics soldier grinned.
"Corn, Master Tu."
"Good."
Flat Rabbit grabbed a sack weighing roughly ten catties, carried it up to the wall, and dropped it in front of Ran Ke and the Magistrate.
"This is one of the new crops. Corn."
Ran Ke crouched, untied the sack carefully, and withdrew a golden ear. He held it in both hands, turning it over slowly, studying the neat rows of kernels.
"One ear is this large?"
"Exactly."
The simplicity of the answer made it more convincing.
Ran Ke felt a ripple of genuine surprise. If one ear truly contained this many kernels, then the yield per mu could be astonishing. Even without knowing precise calculations, he understood abundance when he saw it.
Flat Rabbit continued, warming to the subject.
"Corn is not delicate like rice. It does not demand rich paddies or perfect irrigation. Even poor soil will do. Even rocky slopes. Your region's landform makes rice cultivation difficult, does it not?"
Ran Ke frowned slightly.
"Rocky slopes, yes. The soil is thin."
"There you have it. Corn will grow where rice struggles."
"You are certain?"
"Why would I lie about something like that?"
Ran Ke did not answer immediately. He stared again at the bright yellow kernels and finally voiced the doubt that still lingered.
"Even if it grows, it surely cannot taste very good."
Flat Rabbit waved a hand dismissively.
"Whether it tastes good or not, we will know once we cook it. Steam it. Steamed corn is sweeter."
Curiosity, once awakened, is difficult to suppress. Orders were given. Large steamers were prepared.
The convoy had not yet finished entering the city when the first batch of corn was ready. When the lid of the steamer was lifted, a wave of warm, sweet fragrance drifted outward.
Ran Ke inhaled.
"So fragrant."
The Magistrate nodded eagerly.
"The air itself smells sweet."
Each of them took an ear.
They bit down slowly.
The kernels burst under their teeth, releasing natural sweetness and a soft, satisfying texture.
Their expressions shifted almost imperceptibly at first, then openly.
"This is delicious."
"Truly delicious."
They looked up at Flat Rabbit.
"Master Tu, were you actually telling the truth earlier?"
"You were not merely boasting?"
Flat Rabbit threw up his hands.
"Every word I speak is the truth. Why do you all assume I am fabricating things?"
Ran Ke could not help but laugh.
"Master Tu, the way you speak invites suspicion. Your tone, your gestures, your confidence. You sound like a man who survives on bluster alone. Anyone would think you are a street rogue spinning tales."
Flat Rabbit opened his mouth, then closed it again.
Ran Ke's expression softened.
"But now I see that you are a man who stands by his word. A true hero of the martial world. The Tujia people of Kaixian are honored to forge friendship with you."
Flat Rabbit rubbed the back of his head.
"Why does that sound like an insult?"
High on the city wall, under the drifting scent of freshly steamed corn, laughter finally replaced suspicion.
And for the first time, Ran Ke began to believe not only in the crops, but in the man who had brought them.