Longzang

Chapter 445 Pension
The grand formations in each hall of the Primordial Palace are extraordinary, costing a fortune but also possessing formidable power. All grand formations share a fundamental requirement: the ability to directly extract primordial energy from heaven and earth, transforming it into spiritual energy or other functionalities.

These grand formations do not draw energy from the mountain gate; instead, they release spiritual energy to replenish it. Therefore, the more formations there are, the more beneficial they are to the mountain gate itself. Xuan Yue Zhenjun's deployment of two grand formations at once not only benefits the Tianqing Palace but also provides a noticeable improvement to the mountain gate's environment.

At this moment, Wei Yuan was filled with admiration for his patriarch's realm.

But before the emotion could last more than three seconds, Xuan Yue said, "Come, come, play a game of chess with me, and then I'll make my move."

So Wei Yuan set up the chess set, detached from worldly affairs, and played against Xuan Yue purely based on his own skill level.

But after playing for a while, Wei Yuan found that his moves had become more like those of a human player after being influenced by the ten consecutive games. His chess skills had improved greatly without him even realizing it. Xuan Yue was about to collapse at the beginning and couldn't even make it to the middle game.

Wei Yuan quickly held back his strength and made a few moves, which allowed Xuan Yue to slowly turn the tide.

Bao Yun sat quietly to the side, watching without saying a word.

In the blink of an eye, sparks flew as the two sides fought fiercely, displaying the brutality of chickens pecking at each other to the fullest extent. Their claws drew blood, and after fighting for a long time, they were still only slightly injured.

In the end, Wei Yuan narrowly lost.

Xuan Yue Zhenjun laughed three times, his mind clear and his state of mind improved, his cultivation subtly advancing a small step. Without saying much, he took a step and soared into the sky.

In truth, Wei Yuan was able to nearly cause Qiu Yue and Chen Zhou to collapse their Dao hearts, so how could he possibly lose to Xuan Yue? Xuan Yue was well aware of this, but he was happy to have won this game.

After Xuan Yue left, Bao Yun rolled her eyes at Wei Yuan and said, "Shameless!"

Wei Yuan chuckled and said, "What's a little face to me if it can make the patriarch happy?"

Bao Yun suddenly reached out and pinched Wei Yuan's face. Wei Yuan was startled, but did not dodge. Unexpectedly, Bao Yun held his face tightly, pulling it left and right with gritted teeth, twisting it into various shapes.

Although Wei Yuan wasn't in pain, being so close to Bao Yun immediately put his Dao heart in turmoil. Especially since he was no longer a naive child.

This sword, after being repeatedly sharpened by Consort Yuan, has been honed to its full potential.

Seeing that Wei Yuan had no reaction, Bao Yun angrily said, "Can't you be a little shameless in front of me?"

Wei Yuan instinctively felt that this was another life-or-death situation. He had already raised his hand, but he obediently put it back down and said with a wry smile, "I'll do my best."

"You'd better do your best!" Bao Yun said through gritted teeth, then tried to leave a claw mark on Wei Yuan's face, but failed.

Exhausted and panting, Bao Yun's warm, sweet breath sprayed onto Wei Yuan's face, tormenting him once more. Just as Wei Yuan was about to lose his temper, Bao Yun suddenly chuckled, pushed him away, and drifted off into the distance.

Wei Yuan was so angry he wanted to bite his teeth, but he was helpless. The tug-of-war at this moment was not without reason.

After the great battle, many things were in turmoil, and then suddenly a major issue confronted Wei Yuan: compensation for the victims.

Previously, the main force of the Azure Nether Warriors consisted of lone cultivators from the Western Regions, refugees, sacrifices, and the Xu family youths. When casualties occurred, they were mostly isolated individuals. Furthermore, the initial battles were extremely fierce, victories achieved almost entirely through life-for-life exchanges. In that instant, even mortals had to join the fight; otherwise, they simply couldn't withstand the Witch Clan army.

At that time, there were almost no children in Qingming, and many families had died in battle, so there was no issue of compensation later. But now it's different; many refugees come with their families.

Furthermore, some people who could have barely made ends meet sold their property and moved here with their families after hearing about Qingming's story.

At this time, the population within the realm had reached over 1.6 million, and there was basically no longer a need for mortals to go to the battlefield; families with households could simply send out male cultivators who had reached the Body Forging stage. Now, many cultivators who later joined Qingming, including those from the Taichu Palace, felt that they should be given compensation.

The generals from all sides compiled a list of over five thousand households requiring relief. This number is neither too high nor too low, but it cannot be ignored.

The generals not only submitted lists of those receiving pensions, but one general also included a memorial. This memorial was written exactly according to the format of a memorial submitted by the Western Jin court, but it was somewhat incongruous with the style of the original.

According to the Tang Dynasty's rites, only memorials addressed to the Prince of Jin could be called "memorials," and only officials of the fifth rank or above could submit them to the Prince of Jin. That general was an unorthodox figure and was not even on the list of officers Wei Yuan had reported to the Western Jin Dynasty.

The letter was lengthy, mainly describing how bravely he and his battalion fought, how heavy their casualties were, and then he applied for pensions and wanted land.

Wei Yuan read the letter over and over again, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper. He tapped the table lightly, lost in thought, his mind replaying relevant passages in historical records. After pondering for a full half hour, Wei Yuan summoned Cui Yu and showed him the letter.

After reading the letter, Cui Yu said, "This is normal! It's not much they're asking for. Is there a problem?"

Wei Yuan did not answer, but said, "Go and find out how many people are left in the Third Battalion of the Left Army, and what their origins are. Also, find out how many other units are similar to the Third Battalion."

"Okay." Cui Yu sensed something from Wei Yuan's expression, became serious, and hurried away.

In fact, Wei Yuan didn't need to investigate at all. Every single person in every unit kept track of the numbers in their minds. During the great battle, he had a panoramic view of the situation and possessed a human touch. With just a glance, he could tell how many soldiers had died and how many had been wounded in each unit.

The reason for sending Cui Yu to investigate the military personnel was simply to allow him to discover the problem himself.

After much deliberation, Wei Yuan summoned Yu Zhizhuo, Sun Yu, Chuhe Zhenren, Xu Henshui, Bao Yun, and Feng Tingyu, and showed them the letter.

After reading it, Xu Henshui thought for a moment and then said, "Qingming was built by your own hands. I will support whatever you want to do, so there is no need to worry about that. If anyone causes trouble, I will naturally stand on your side."

Yu Zhizhuo and Sun Yu echoed his sentiments. The old Taoist priest, Chuhe, however, was filled with murderous intent and declared loudly, "If anyone tries to cause you trouble, I, the old Taoist priest, will be the first to object."

Feng Tingyu stared at Wei Yuan with wide, bewildered eyes, occasionally showing off her chest muscles.

Bao Yun didn't speak; she was lost in thought.

At this moment, the cultivator outside the door said, "Liu Fei, commander of the Third Battalion of the Left Army, requests an audience!"

Wei Yuan left the cultivators of Taichu Palace in the study and went to sit in the side room of the front courtyard.

According to Qingming's current military system, a battalion consists of a thousand men. In addition to the commander being a Dao Foundation cultivator, there is generally one Dao Foundation captain for every hundred men. This battalion is composed of surrendered soldiers from the Xu family and former government troops, accounting for about 70%. The remaining 30% are refugees from various places.

Liu Fei was tall and strong. After entering the room, he bowed and then sat down on a chair to the side.

Wei Yuan inquired about the casualties in the camp and then said, "The three battalions fought bravely this time and will be rewarded according to military regulations. However, there is currently no precedent for compensation, so for now, it will be calculated based on military merits, silver, and promotion quotas."

Liu Feiteng stood up abruptly and shouted, "Sir, the brothers don't want anything else, they just want some land! With land, they'll feel at ease and be able to fight to the death for you! Lord Wei, those brothers died in battle, but their families are still waiting, and the surviving brothers are waiting too!"

Wei Yuan took out the memorial and asked, "Is everything written here your idea?"

Liu Fei said, "That's right, I wrote it all! Lord Wei, the brothers risk their lives fighting for a little bit of property! Besides, we don't ask for much, just that piece of land next to our camp will do, I've already picked it out!"

Wei Yuan then asked, "Is this what your entire camp thinks?"

Liu Fei was taken aback and said, "I didn't ask, but it should be fine. Anyway, no matter what I say, the brothers will listen to me."

"What do you plan to do if you don't give them land?"

Liu Fei knelt down with a thud and said, "If you don't allow it, then please let us brothers leave. We will fend for ourselves from now on."

Wei Yuan's voice carried a chilling undertone: "You want to stage a coup?"

Liu Fei prostrated himself on the ground and said, "This humble official dares not! However, Lord Wei, more than two hundred brothers in the camp died in this battle. I ask myself, I have done my duty to you and to Qingming! If you do not wish to provide compensation, then this humble official truly cannot understand. Perhaps it would be better to lead the brothers to find another way out! If you feel that the brothers in the camp have also fought bloody battles for Qingming, then please spare their lives!"

"Who taught you to say that?"

Liu Fei paused for a moment before saying, "Many people share the same thought as me. Rewarding soldiers with land for their military merits is a common practice throughout the land, but you, sir, forbid it! I couldn't understand it at the moment, which is why I said that."

Wei Yuan said calmly, "You are indeed loyal, still protecting others even at this point. Go and calm down. Men, seize him and lock him in the dungeon to await his fate!"

(End of this chapter)