Chapter 27: Exit Closed-door Cultivation, Return To Seclusion
“What is spiritual, what is killing intent?”
Wu Fei opened a volume of bamboo slips. Compared to peers of the same age in this world, or even fellow Military Strategists, Wu Fei’s hobby was reading books. Oh, Xuan Chong recalled that before his transmigration, he had loved reading novels. Reading is beneficial.
Back to the topic, the bamboo volume read: “Take from the surplus and add to the deficit is spiritual, take from the deficit and add to the surplus is killing intent.”
This sentence seems baffling at first glance and requires reference to Immortal Family classics, as well as Human Realm Confucian, Legalist, and Military Classics for comparison to understand clearly. Square characters have this drawback: they easily imply profound meanings, with most vocabulary in an article being insider jokes. So one must read many books, repeatedly, and with more knowledge, each reading yields different understandings.
Cultivators absorb and nurture spiritual energy, taking from the surplus and adding to the deficit. Heaven and Earth are complete with all five elements, but cultivators lack full five elements due to their spiritual roots, so they take from the surplus in mountains and rivers and supplement their own deficiencies.
Cultivators all have spiritual roots, Wu Fei cannot cultivate immortality, reportedly due to insufficient aptitude. So? “Take from the deficit and add to the surplus is killing intent.”
Wu Fei was carefully savoring the content of this volume because the killing intent on his body was now gathering intensely.
After finishing the bamboo slips, Wu Fei suddenly condensed killing intent, turning everything within ten zhang gray-white. Insect chirps vanished in half the checkpoint, and a crying child at the end of the street immediately stopped.
…Wu Fei: I just want to maintain the order system around me…
In the second half of the 26th year of the Shu Tian Calendar, as Wu Fei led twelve hundred men out again to expand southward; after the activity began, besides capturing slaves, another key task was forcibly selling off the backlog of goods in the checkpoint.
Notably, Wu Fei now captures slaves selectively, targeting tribes daring to block the southward roads he designated. As for those poor foreign races in the mountain gullies, Wu Fei: Why fight them?
Moreover, when capturing slaves, Wu Fei has a strategy of taking them as dogs; those willing to obey and pledge loyalty can be released.
After opening trade routes to He Prefecture and Zhu Prefecture, jade and wood from Yongji Pass could fetch good prices. But when out-of-town merchants bought large quantities of salt goods and cloth to transport and sell at huge profits to the barbarians, they couldn’t sell them. This was why, after Wu Fei led those eight hundred lightly equipped out of the pass and gained “nothing,” some in the checkpoint started gossiping behind Wu Xiao Que’s back.
But this exit saw Wu Fei taking his knife out to clear preset force range channels, conveniently forcibly selling off this batch of goods from the warehouse inside the pass.
It could be said that if tribes were robbed with knives, little might be taken, as no one knows where locals bury valuables, but exchanging with knives brought in all related jade, pine resin, furs, and such.
From the tenth month to year-end, merchants in Yongji Pass holding “gold brick orders” followed the army’s route, selling off months of hoarded goods, while seizing the window to continuously transport wood, jade, even crude gold sand from the southern border, and drive pigs and sheep. They footed the bill, obeyed orders to set up temporary post stations at key points, providing clean water and fodder along the way.
By Military Strategist standards, these merchants’ post stations had very lax defenses, incomparable to the warehouse camp Wu Fei guarded when Wu Hanluan penetrated deep into Crimson Serpent Mountain that year.
But no need to compare; Wu Hanluan penetrated deep into burned and killed Snake People hatcheries, so Snake People fought desperately, but Wu Fei now just disciplined disobedient tribes along the road repairs—those tribes fled far upon discovery, how could they guerrilla against the Wu Family Army! Other unrelated villages facing Da Yao salesmen also didn’t want to fight.
Additionally, Xuan Chong strictly limited the exit troops’ distance; no forward deployment beyond two hundred li south of Yongji Pass.
That is, within this range, Wu Fei reckoned if the exit troops encountered a southern border surprise attack force of the intensity of the Snake People attack on the granary he faced that year, the whole army must immediately cover each other and contract back inside the pass to defend.
…Two months…
Exit trade activities proceeded normally, but as return neared, troops grew indulgent, trying to grab one last haul. Thus, cooperating with local large tribes, they intervened in tribal contradictions and conflicts—mainly finding excuses to capture people.
When Wu Fei saw his soldiers excitedly capturing slaves such that wooden cages in Yongji Pass rose in price, he thought these lads needed to rein in.
However, in the military tent, the exiting squad leaders seemed still excited; even during rotation rest, they didn’t settle. Checkpoint merchants banqueted them, and they made all sorts of promises.
In the tent, with the map open, as Wu Fei began asking their next plans, someone led: “Continue south! Fight to where the old Military Master (Wu Hanluan) reached that year.”
Then many stood to chime in, “Yes, yes,” “The Young General campaigned back then too, now it’s familiar,” “We are willing to fight to the death.”
But as they spoke, the scene quieted; Wu Fei leaned obliquely watching them, eyes with faint gaze, but killing intent silenced them all.
Wu Fei stepped down from the general’s chair, took a sword to point on the silk map, then finger to the south—on that river marked Spiritual River, a “big fish” leaped out. Wu Fei paused, then realized it was a map marker, and this silk book map was embroidered by San Gu.
First-time readers of such Yao Calculation silk book maps, if not collecting their mind, directly lose themselves inside—lightly dazed drooling, heavily comatose. The silk book has not just mountain-river lines; close inspection conveys vast other info, including local details.
Wu Fei first saw a silk book in Wu Hanluan’s large camp, then got trapped too.
Wu Fei stared at the river’s meanders. Those sporadically leaping big fish and skulking strange beasts in surrounding mountain range lines all shrank back under Wu Fei’s killing intent suppression.
Rubbing his temples, Wu Fei felt someone following too close, looked up to San Gu: “Step aside, I can see the map clearly.”
Then, Wu Fei issued strict orders to all “agreeing” to go south: Wu Fei: “This patrol edge plan limits to two hundred li south of Yongji Pass. Further south not considered this exit; discuss back in checkpoint! And all prepare luggage recently, stay alert, we prepare to return!”
In the tent, these generals made arch-hand obedience gestures but glanced at each other. Wu Fei then issued military orders!—From today, those leaving camp without leave beheaded, private talks with merchants beheaded. Indiscriminate killing of captives: fifty military cudgel strikes. …
Wu Fei rattled off ten military orders, bamboo slips in hand turning to flying birds, darting out to strike the drum outside the tent; each drum resound paled all officers and soldiers’ faces, killing intent directly shaking mind, breath and heartbeat as if gripped by Wu Fei.
…Under high pressure, the military camp operated again in Qingsha; Zhao Tu patrolled camps with knife in hand…
Wu Fei now as “blood reward blood labor” system designer constantly knew its core purpose was sustaining army morale vigorously long-term, not falling into money-eyed profit-only war.
If “profit-only war” tendency established, when some hard battle lacked profit one day, how as commander stimulate morale? In crude generals’ subordinate ways: Can’t let soldiers eat too full, too full and they can’t fight.
Wu Fei still ensured soldiers ate full as much as possible, at least fuller than most under his rule system.
Wu Fei was no Confucian “benevolent governance” advocate. Since the slave rebellion years ago, Wu Fei stopped “empathy,” turning to cold “contribution matches rank” principle.
For example, now in his control area there were masses of low-status registrars. These weren’t just slaves; many fishermen, mountain hunters were low-status, bullied entering cities, Wu Fei wouldn’t right wrongs or manage. Despite Xuan Chong from modern equality.
Because Feudal Era isn’t Industrial Age. At current productivity, hunters, merchants, fishermen’s economic activities highly free; his group collected no taxes from them, nor would they pay voluntarily.
Farmers, collectively settled, easy for grassroots bureaucratic system management, bore corvee and taxes. Forcing equality with these non-household people would be unfair.
Of course Wu Fei firmly rejected caste system; merchants giving money in wartime, fishermen, hunters joining military actions, all granted ranks!
This was Legalist system, all forged for reality
…Divider for the small interlude…
Inside Yongji Pass, a Horned Person called Wu Haha looked outside the cage. These days, he felt some despair. He vaguely remembered the joy of robbing a Da Yao Merchant caravan on the road a year ago, but before a year of joy had passed, he and his team were all captured. His brothers, some were pulling carts, some were doing coolie work under the leather whip, carrying bricks to the city wall, and if he hadn’t offered enough treasures in time, he would have been embedded into the city wall during the rammed earth process too.
“Come out!” With the fall of the leather whip, Wu Haha was driven out.
He felt a great sense of foreboding, thinking he might be executed, and quickly knelt down, forcing a smile.
However, it was to no avail. He was dragged to a place, but it was not the execution ground. There were also slaves from other races with him. Um, he recognized them; they were the same accomplices’ leaders who, like him, had been robbing on the trade route. For example, the clawed person to his left was called Steel Tooth, who had once fought with him over territory.
“What is this for?” Wu Haha asked in a low voice, “Who knows, maybe they want us to sacrifice to the flag.” Steel Tooth was not arrogant as before, but muttered in a low tone.
At that moment, with a gong ringing, a young Da Yao man wearing a mask appeared on the high platform ahead.
Although very young, Wu Haha felt danger, and he and all the Southern Border people present lowered their heads.
Then this young man said: “You’ve all been very obedient lately, not bad, not bad. I decide to give you an opportunity.”
Just as Wu Haha thought this meant making their group kill each other and finally decide a winner, this young man said: “Give you an opportunity to be dogs. Six thousand strings deposit per person, I’ll give you certain salt goods and cloth, go sell them in the Southern Border. If you sell successfully, you can take goods from me every year. If the deposit is not enough, you can exchange with intelligence. Whoever speaks the intelligence first gets it.”
Wu Haha and these people were stunned. Some had urgency in their eyes, others cunning. Obviously wanting to escape after release and run off with the goods.
Wu Haha raised his hand first to cooperate. He didn’t want to pay money, crying that he had become penniless, but confessed some intelligence. However, after hearing that intelligence needed time to verify, and during verification they had to return to the cage, he gritted his teeth and decided to first reveal his treasure hiding place to escape immediately.
Five days later, Wu Haha, wearing handcuffs, was escorted by Yao Army soldiers to the treasure hiding location he pointed out. Only after digging out the treasure was he released.
And together with him, a total of fifteen leaders were released. Of course, to transport the goods, the Yao people gave them slaves from their own tribe.
Wu Haha gazed at the majestic Yongji Pass, his eyes already meek and submissive. A fear of not daring to oppose had arisen in his heart, but after a while, a surge of greed and indignant restlessness rose. At this time, Wu Haha’s gaze was influenced by blue.
……
On Yongji Pass, Wu Fei watched these foreign race people he had released leave, while San Gu beside him said: “Do you really believe their promises won’t change?” Wu Fei stared at San Gu’s blue pupils, also ensuring her gaze was fixed on him: “Of course not. Barbarians fear authority but not virtue. There will definitely be betrayal.”
San Gu was slightly stunned, while Xuan Chong over here flipped through the historical materials given by the System: The way of heaven is constant, it does not exist for Yao, nor perish for Jie!
Xuan Chong was just waiting for this group to make all sorts of small moves, but he would tell them what choices are beneficial, and what choices are not. He only acts according to the rules most favorable to himself, and promotes this set of rules. As for whether you believe it or not, that’s up to you. In the words from his old home before transmigration, it’s called the sage is not benevolent, treating the common people like straw dogs.
…The difficulty of exiting closed-door cultivation is when to return…
Shu Tian Calendar 26th year, November, that is, three months after exiting closed-door cultivation, the trade route clearing military operation ended, and all troops at Yongji Pass began contracting back inside the pass.
Wherever the large army had gone before, local barbarians all “sincerely welcomed,” were “simple” and “kind.”
But after the large army left, those merchant caravans that did not heed advice and did not want to withdraw discovered their business suddenly went bad. All local tribes eyed the goods but did not want to pay, and after getting the goods, completely reneged on payment, causing these loss-making merchants to curse and return, and complain to the General’s Mansion, asking Wu Fei to continue exiting closed-door cultivation to teach these barbarians a lesson.
But Wu Fei’s response was, wait and see.
Everything came hastily and left hastily. After the large army withdrew, all supply points along the trade routes were completely sealed.
Merchant stations only left stone pier foundations, buildings were dismantled, all wood was also dragged to a quiet spot half a li away marked for identification and stacked. As for the wells dug at the merchant stations, heavy stones were dropped to block the spring eyes. These heavy stones had “holes” for iron chains to pass through. Next year when the large army arrives, they can be dragged up with pulley blocks and animal power. But this is not something local savage tribes with dozens of people can accomplish.
Wu Fei: Year-end, everyone still has to celebrate the New Year. After the New Year, inside the pass needs spring farming, and the rainy season is back too. Outside the pass, with abundant rain, jungle fruits, mushrooms, and various fish and frogs are plentiful. The Southern Border Tribes of Da Yao will definitely ally and pounce north.
The Southern Border still has some heroes who harbor rebellious intentions in their hearts against Da Yao’s force expanding influence southward this time.
However, what these heroes saw next was Wu Xiao Que: I appreciate your rebellious intentions, we’re withdrawing now.
What, stay to defend? Without a “farming” system supporting fixed assets and steadfastness, all education and indoctrination governance is like a clever woman unable to cook without rice!
So exit closed-door cultivation when the season is good, return when the season is bad—this is the most correct method.
Da Yao’s inner governance under heaven system cannot understand this kind of “use of troops.” Because it has too much nomadic style! Wu Fei’s behavior, according to the Confucian School, belongs to Yao people who often deal with barbarians at the border, so all thoughts and actions have been completely barbarized.
But ah, after studying the materials provided by the System, Xuan Chong believes: This is not “barbarization,” but a unique development path chosen due to local characteristic economic conditions.
Xuan Chong: “How was my answer?”
System: “You can take the civil service exam now.”
