Chapter 196: First Allocate Interests, Then Establish The System, Finally Determine Conquest
The Wu Family Army’s large camp rested at this location temporarily designated as “Ting Zhu Tan” for a full three months.
Xuan Chong explained to Wu Zaixing, the student on duty in the Staff Department: “Currently, we have sufficient ‘Nutrient Block’ supplies. But the army lacks intelligence the most right now, so we must patiently collect it. Since we’re idle anyway, we might as well properly build defensive points here. I plan to set up a Fortified Village area here, equipping each area on a scale of one thousand people.”
While the army was at Ting Zhu Tan, the soldiers also dug up a very important Stone Tablet left by people from one thousand four hundred years ago, and those knowledgeable ones in the army immediately translated its contents.
It described a place called Thorn Country in the southern region Sea of Trees. This place had several powerful leaders, the strongest being Eighteenth Duke, known as Jin Jie. Next were Gu Zhi Duke, Ling Kong Zi, Fu Yun Sou, Chi Shen Gui. Of course, there was also a pink wood mother.
After confirming the content above, Xuan Chong muttered: “This seems familiar from somewhere?” Then he asked the system: “Isn’t this a bit too much? As if I haven’t read Journey to the West?”
…The system skips a line of small text…
War is inevitable. After the entire army felt the effects of “Herb Restoration Liquid” in these past few days, the killing intent in the army grew stronger. The accompanying southern merchants were also excited. Without needing Xuan Chong’s orders, these merchants proactively transported wine jars and sealing wax.
Because “Herb Restoration Liquid” mixed with strong alcohol for storage, sealed with wax, and then sealed with soil, it can be stored long-term.
Speaking of which, Xuan Chong hadn’t even made a supplies list yet, but the merchants who smelled profit proactively helped Xuan Chong meticulously prepare the relevant logistics and procurement plans.
If not worried about upsetting Wu Xiao Que, the merchants wanted to say: “Just push south as you please; cargo preservation, transportation chains, and such matters don’t need your concern.”
Of course, the merchants didn’t dare to “take initiative” like that and could only wait like eunuchs.
The merchants watched eagerly, hoping to get some military intelligence, but due to the strict military laws of the Wu Family’s new master, they didn’t dare to probe too much.
Speaking of which, Xuan Chong is now quite the “tyrant” in the Southern Border. The trading posts in the villages along the southbound route were all forcibly relocated after issuing “redemption loans,” with about sixty percent being merchants! In the eyes of the southern merchants, the crimes arranged by Wu Yuanchang even seemed like nitpicking—merely spending silver to inquire about army shortages was spying on military intelligence! And hoarding strategic materials without timely reporting became hoarding for speculation!
Speaking of which, if not for Wu Xiao Que’s skill at carrot-and-stick being too strong, everyone would have rebelled long ago!
Xuan Chong’s stick is a bit too thick right now, and the carrot of opening this trade route along the way is a bit too sweet.
In this Great Tribulation under heaven, demons and monsters are increasingly mixed in the Human Realm, but spiritual energy is also increasingly infused; within Da Yao, the armed forces of various warlords and vassal lords have all shown “supernatural characteristics.” Now the difference between Da Yao’s laborers and regular troops is whether they have cultivated rudimentary internal energy.
When Wu Hengyu was around, the Wu Family Southern Route Army wasn’t favored, so many Northern Route Army factions chose Wu Hengyu during the split in Bo Prefecture north and south.
Because Lingnan is savage, the military’s cultivation reserves were too rudimentary. They only imitated the forms of tigers, pythons, and cranes to create techniques. These techniques only aimed for fast initial progress. Soldiers reached Acquired First or Second Layer within three or four years, which was sufficient in the Wu Hanluan era.
But in recent years, all sorts of demons and monsters have appeared. (Narration: If Xuan Chong hadn’t gotten the Electromagnetic Cannon to bombard the sect gate, in a few years, Da Yao internally would have various “powerhouses” joining the battles.)
Xuan Chong emphasizes technology, modernization, and heavy industrial production. After consciously clearing noble families and breaking with sects, he lost this soft power!
Now, with mountains and rivers collapsing everywhere, spiritual energy revival has appeared in the Human Realm. Some vassal lords’ personal soldiers in Da Yao have all developed martial qi; they had already cultivated for seventeen or eighteen years with high-upper-limit techniques, now reaching Acquired Seventh or Eighth Layer.
For example, Ning Prefecture side assembled thirty of the most elite Imperial Guards for the orthodox emperor, all wielding six-stone strongbows, able to shoot into brick seams of city walls from four or five hundred steps away, deeply embedding to form climbing wall ladders. This level is one-third of Wu Hengyu’s panel!
Of course, it’s not that three could beat Wu Hengyu. Xuan Chong: “Three people with only one-third my arm strength, even holding the same iron hammer weapon as me, I could still sweep through unrivaled! The only limit on my performance is my stamina bar.”
However, there are no Acquired Eighth or Ninth Layer experts in Lingnan’s army, and even Third or Fourth Layer experts are rare. Xuan Chong’s side is compensating with iron armor and firearms technology.
But now this shortcoming is obviously gone. First, the Chi You Ship provided medical facilities for human energy transformation surgery, and after encountering the tree spirit domain southward, it provided resources for reshaping roots, bones, and meridians.
In other words, if the “Southern Expedition” task had been completed earlier, the military unit attributes would have skyrocketed.
Of course, overall judgment: Xuan Chong doesn’t regret doing the “Northern Contest” task first, because brushing this southern resource point a bit later can still be done.
While the intangible reputation from the “Northern Contest” task is a case of “once the village passes, the shop is gone.”
Even today, no matter how much under heaven disparages Wu Xiao Que, one thing can’t be denied: Wu Xiao Que is a proper general promoted by Emperor Shu, and under heaven recognizes this title.
Now, the vassal lords everywhere denigrate Wu Family soldiers no longer from the barbarian angle attacking Wu Fei, but by saying Lingnan is savage, short on grain, sparse population, unable to achieve anything.
This very flaw is now quietly changing as Wu Fei continuously conquers southward, brushing one resource point after another!
You know, before the transatlantic route to medieval America opened, Western Europe was poor, while the Mediterranean line was Europe’s essence.
And in late Ming, Shaanxi’s Guanzhong was poor, but during Tang Dynasty, when the Silk Road was unimpeded in Central Asia, Guanzhong was the richest place under heaven. Before the Pacific Ocean was navigable, Xinluo and Japan as civilization edges weren’t much more developed than the southwestern outer lands.
…Open a road…
That night, Xuan Chong summoned all mid-level officers, along with some merchant representatives, to discuss this matter.
Xuan Chong began briefing the heads of various internal factions.
Xuan Chong emphasized that the biggest obstacle to current interests is the Thorn Ridge tree country force.
These merchant representatives at the small meeting had no objections and firmly supported. This was the effect Xuan Chong wanted, and he then required everyone to sign guarantee letters.
After collecting everyone’s guarantee letters like a teacher collecting homework, Xuan Chong added: “Everyone must stand united.”
Additionally, it’s about profit distribution. Xuan Chong stated: Fine water long flow.
If left to merchants and army to choose “profit acquisition” plans themselves, it would inevitably be the “loose cultivators seizing treasures” mode from previous life’s novels in the Cultivation World: arrive at a place, grab all opportunities possible, and as for later? Just leave this map and don’t care.
Xuan Chong said this won’t do; the southern trade route must be maintained. Short-term total plunder feels great but misses key resources, and massive short-term profits entering our force would create regime hidden dangers.
Xuan Chong: So the purpose of war isn’t unlimited plunder, but through one or two campaigns to force this domain’s ruler to acknowledge our presence here, then fine water long flow slowly. The main work is future trade route station maintenance and intelligence collection here, so the military Fortified Village Qian Hus in this station area must get over sixty percent of profits.
Of course, local dividends are dividends, but as the center, Xuan Chong can’t let these frontier military leaders lack nothing!
In the future, set up a “martial arts academy system” in Lingnan and Zhenzhou, reserving standard spots for children from these trade route outposts.
Xuan Chong agreed on ritual law rules with all who have fiefs here: Never use resources on the Evil Path; violators, our side will dismantle the fief!
Note: What is the Evil Path? Xuan Chong defines it as “extreme utilization of single resources.”
That is, in lack of communication, various cost-no-object uses of some abundant resource.
For example, the shamans in the Southern Border use “Herb Restoration Liquid” in a very Evil Path way, full of a style clashing with civilized society.
Various implanting beast organs into warriors’ bodies! Xuan Chong, when excavating local vanished city-states, found such post-transformation mutation traces on some bones.
For example, implanting tiger heart into chest, crocodile skin into back. Herb Restoration Liquid itself is a holy medicine effect, but this indiscriminate method is truly sinister.
The old shamans in Southern Border tribes also retain such usage records, but classify them as “forbidden techniques.”
And such “forbidden techniques,” for the predecessors in this place’s extinct city ruins, by the fourth and fifth generations, limited by vision and unable to find other progress paths, all tended toward these “forbidden techniques” to boost power, ultimately completely losing human form, humanity, even reason.
These city-states’ upper classes, unable to curb bestiality, lost the ability to maintain civilization system.
These misguided city-state upper classes, to boost power, destroyed their social foundation in Thorn Country. Finally, the city-state became a beast pen, all destroyed by local mutant forces.
Previous life born in Eastern civilization, attitude toward archaeology is clarifying history, not tomb raiding for treasure.
Xuan Chong: The civilization power overflowing from Da Yao native repeatedly took root here, then vanished. Archaeology’s attitude is to gain warnings from it!
To plant his own stake in the southern border domains, Xuan Chong must avoid predecessors’ mistakes.
You know, the Western Regions were occupied in Han and Tang eras, but after loss, they localized; but from gene lineage, patrilineal remnants are quite numerous, meaning not total slaughter. But because communication cut off, resource use inevitably localized.
Only stakes secured by expanding communication won’t localize.
Such as previous life in Central Asia region, all closed villages localized as natives. But in big cities, all liberalized, leaning toward Europe and America values, and when Europe and America starts sanctioning a Central Asia country, it immediately reverts to native style.
Summary: Why Central Asia urban liberals are liberals! Because they know native resources’ “diversified utilization” internationally brings massive value, far higher than closed native areas’ backward resource use value.
“Without profit, who leans toward so-called civilization!”
Xuan Chong’s future policy is the same: must connect this conquered area with the Central Plains.
At this series of outposts, Xuan Chong must make those stationed here know their native resources only maximize value by aligning with the center.
Xuan Chong looked back north, taking a deep breath.
Da Yao as under heaven center has detailed records for various root bone physiques’ matching mind methods, all sorts of bottlenecks; letting noble family cultivators break barriers easier, fewer detours. This is noble families’ foundation.
Da Yao is complacent in self-seclusion; noble families’ child drug baths, learning Five Animal Frolics from young to hone aptitude, all kept within noble family groups, not transmitted outside, no exchange.
Xuan Chong instead wants inclusivity, build an “Imperial Academy system,” hand-hold teaching entry students drawing qi into the body. And summarize martial qi cultivation techniques. As well as develop using tree sap to expand meridians, increase physique methods.
Once personnel under these southern border line systems witness “diversity, no-side-effect stable improvement methods,” they won’t use native abundant resources for those “cost-no-object” Evil Path routes.
Such as welding human heads onto trees, or swapping heart and torso with wood—such evil arts are doomed to vanish.
…Gongs and drums sound, larger meeting convenes…
After planning and allocation finalized, with army drill ground horn sounding, Xuan Chong: No need for armor at drill ground review.
After all soldiers assembled, facing their eager gazes, Xuan Chong announced two things. First: Based on bone mutation situations in archaeological ruins, strictly investigate private use of Herb Restoration Liquid. Second: I, Xuan Chong, have had physicians develop the best method to expand meridians!
After rubber products popularized, syringe injection also popularized; combined with acupuncture, Wu Family Army’s eccentric doctors confirmed it’s far better than drug baths. Drug baths are like flooding; directly alcohol-extract prepare into agents, finally via acupuncture drip-feed entry, same amount usable by twenty times the people.
Grass Returning Pill’s most widespread use now is expanding meridians, which for Body Fixing Technique’s Xuan Chong has zero effect.
But very effective for coolie men grown in soil from young, doing rough labor, meridians misaligned.
Xuan Chong’s current military merit blood reward reward-punishment system is publicly acknowledged good in Southern Border, because it can grant field nobility.
But for talents coming from other under heaven regions, they don’t recognize this “regional” merit nobility; because fields here seem hopeless to them—only after Wu Family Army dominates under heaven, positions earned in Da Yao Central Plains deserve “great talents” to join! Da Yao now heroes abound, past places suppressed by Da Yao ritual law scholars all think themselves great talents, so collectively look down on “settling for second-rate” Xuan Chong.
Narration: Small factory boasting highest profits still can’t attract civil service exam talents. Now Xuan Chong is small factory, and chaotic times emerging talents all aim for shore-landing.
During Xuan Chong’s rule, reasons traditional forces like local noble families centrifugal have primary and secondary. Though main is Reform, actually also feeling no personal improvement.
Because ambitious scholars feel: Mixing under Xuan Chong seems less promising than under Wu Hengyu.
Now under Xuan Chong, elites from traditional noble families in places like Donghua, Longyou have all left—some to join Wu Hengyu, others to other Da Yao forces.
But right now, they left too early.
Materials that boost “cultivation” are hard currency anywhere. Noble families and commoners’ gap in this spiritual energy revival era isn’t ordinary. But now if able to batch-plunder resources via conquest, lower entry cultivation threshold for masses?
If Da Yao Central Plains noble families learn, they’ll surely be sleepless with worry! Because their confident foundation has been cracked open.
Wu Family’s occupied under heaven corners aren’t regional seclusion, but biding strength strongholds.
…Only upright accumulation qualifies for “strategic restraint”…
Another month passed. After over three hundred forty soldiers, via physicians’ needle techniques, all completed cultivation leaps overnight; among them, originally cultivated Wu Family disciples and Lingnan Local Strongman forces bound to Wu Family, twenty-five successively broke bottlenecks, martial qi able to attach to weapons.
Military fervor grew thicker; everyone started feeling “Wu Yuanchang” Marshal’s current pause too long.
First Battalion east side.
Soldier A: “Aren’t they just those wooden people, easy to kill! If grandpa was up front then, I could take down a few too!”
Soldier B: “Heh, you? Few days ago, after shooting a few arrows, you grumbled ‘can’t penetrate wooden stakes’! Exactly so!”
Soldier A: “Aren’t those wooden stakes just without vital points? If they come again, grandpa~ I’ll wrap arrowheads with sulfur, guaranteed effective.”
These small soldiers excitedly discussed next enemy-killing.
…Sharpening knives toward pigs and sheep…
As general, Xuan Chong micro-incognito toured various large camps collecting opinions, just wanting to hear soldiers’ true views on heading south.
Xuan Chong especially cared about mindset changes in those bottom farmer soldiers! After all, this southward is bottom-up gathering hearts, different from Zhao Cheng’s top-down corralling.
These years’ conscripted soldiers, most are farmers, excess sons from homes; initially relying on hot blood for riches. —But after gaining fields, very few want sons to follow their path serving Wu Family Army.
Because noble families’ ceilings too strong; even Wu Family selected squad leaders like Zhao Xian Zhong worked for Wu Family several generations, finally producing someone with martial qi talent like Zhao Xian Zhong.
Especially after these soldiers saw battlefield, confirmed their military killing skills actually third-rate, cannon fodder, battlefield stepping stones. They self-reflect. “Now blade-licking blood surviving is grandpa’s luck. But to accumulate merits for generalship? Inevitably melted by battlefield steam, beast breath, not even bone scraps left!”
Ordinary soldiers’ thoughts: “This generation’s selling life enough, next generation must study well!”
Xuan Chong deeply realized: “Soldiers not wanting to be generals means the army they’re in isn’t a good army.”
From now, these ordinary soldiers see continuous class leap opportunities; right now just participate in battles, save “contribution points,” in future can redeem Grass Returning Pills for sons.
These soldiers think: “Let son cultivate, train good skills, then enter army continue earning merits, wouldn’t that be effortless!”
When bottommost have “multi-generation army merit advancement” motivation, national fortune is already planted now.
Xuan Chong sees this lush jungle, this resource zone—absolutely can’t one-generation loot and leave. Sudden external resources hard to distribute benefits to bottom; leave for grassroots generations to slowly mine, this makes system vibrant.
…Adjust internal, acquire external intelligence…
Xuan Chong’s large peacock circled over Thorn Ridge about sixteen times.
Xuan Chong carried equipment fished from Chi You Ship, remotely surveyed hundreds of kilometers south, found several places with abnormal carbon dioxide distribution. Those hexagonal silicon carbide mirrors, slung under hydrogen balloons by Xuan Chong, finally observed orderly hedges and A-frame distributed waterways there.
Though no horse carts visible, such regularity means Thorn Country tree people’s outpost.
