Longzang

Chapter 446 The man behind the scenes
After imprisoning Liu Fei, Wei Yuan summoned all the cultivators of Taichu Palace to the council hall, including Cui Yu, who had rushed back.

The matter of compensation itself was not a big deal, but Wei Yuan sensed a real crisis from it.

Once all the cultivators had arrived, Wei Yuan said, "This time I would like to hear your opinions. Before that, let me explain why the land grant is not feasible."

At this moment, Wei Yuan had roughly organized his thoughts and slowly said, "Since the establishment of Qingming, there have been constant battles. I have always used wartime tactics to gather the strength of the entire realm. Those who initially joined Qingming were all people from the Western Regions. If Qingming falls, their families and clans will be wiped out. Therefore, everyone is of one mind and determined to fight to the death. Only in this way can we keep enemies from both inside and outside the realm."

In those early years, everything was in ruins, and the hardships were immense. We were nearly starved to death by enemies in the court using a strategy of cutting off our food supply, and we even had to dig pits to feign death to save food. At the most critical moment, we only had three days' worth of provisions left, and we had to raid military fortifications to survive. Now, Qingming has more than enough food, but the scenes of people starving to death back then are still vivid in our minds.

Many cultivators of the Taichu Palace have followed the sect from the very beginning, so they are well aware of the history of that period.

Wei Yuan continued, "Throughout ten thousand years of history, grain has always been the most important thing. The root of grain is land. The foundation of the rise of aristocratic families lies in two things: high cultivation and land. Some people are taking advantage of the relief efforts during this great war to try to distribute land. Their intentions are sinister; they just want to create an opportunity to distribute land. If land is distributed as relief, the next step will be land for military merit. And the next step, won't land also be distributed when titles and official positions are conferred?"

Xu Henshui frowned and said, "This matter doesn't seem that big of a deal, does it?"

Wei Yuan said, "Everyone heard what Liu Fei and I said just now. Someone is testing me. Qingming is currently focused on grain. With enough grain, it can control the Ningxi prefectures. Focusing on grain means focusing on land. Historically, when land was allocated, in the end, there was no land left to allocate. Soldiers who made meritorious contributions had no reward, and only destruction remained."

Moreover, once the land is distributed, it will inevitably be consolidated, eventually falling into the hands of powerful families. These powerful families will then annex more land, and new aristocratic families will emerge.

Cui Yu said, "The emergence of aristocratic families is inevitable. Besides, if Qingming were to come from an aristocratic family, wouldn't it still be surnamed Wei? Other aristocratic families can only get a share of the pie here. And if they take the benefits, they will naturally have to give something in return."

Wei Yuan carefully considered his words, thinking about how to persuade Cui Yu. What Cui Yu said was the most common situation nowadays, and what everyone considered to be the obvious answer.

At this moment, Bao Yun suddenly said, "This matter should have started because the Realm Lord gave the new city to me. Oh, the new city was actually given to the Bao family. Someone must have seen that a precedent had been set and started to have designs on it. But there is something that everyone may not know: from the moment the titles were determined, a lot of fortune was bestowed upon me. And this fortune should have originally belonged to my junior brother."

Cui Yu immediately understood. Although Bao Yun only mentioned one perspective, that one perspective alone was already unacceptable.

Having cultivated amidst the mundane world these past few days, Cui Yu naturally understood how crucial fate was to Wei Yuan. And in the many battles of the past, if it weren't for Wei Yuan's extraordinary combat prowess, Qingming would have been annihilated long ago.

To shake the very foundation of destiny is to threaten Wei Yuan's very existence. Regardless of others, Cui Yu would be the first to object. The other cultivators of the Tai Chu Palace, understanding the gravity of the situation, naturally sided with Wei Yuan.

Having reached a consensus with the cultivators of Taichu Palace not to grant land, Wei Yuan immediately felt much more relaxed.

At this moment, Xu Henshui said to Wei Yuan, "Nephew Cui is right about one thing: if there is a family in Qingming, it must be surnamed Wei. At this stage, we should give our all first, and then reward each other when the situation is settled."

Wei Yuan shook his head and said, "I don't have such grand ambitions. I just want to create a paradise where people can live, so that more mortals can survive here."

At this time, most of the cultivators in Taichu Palace felt that this was just a minor matter. Wei Yuan was only taking this opportunity to gain their support. It was enough to continue the wartime strategy.

Afterwards, the cultivators dispersed, but Bao Yun stayed behind and called Cui Yu back as well.

Bao Yun then said to Wei Yuan, "Military control cannot last. Now that Qingming is growing stronger and more prosperous, people's hearts will yearn for abundance and prosperity. Therefore, we must think about future strategies in advance."

Cui Yu said, "In fact, every country has its own ready-made solutions. The Great Tang Dynasty has been established for thousands of years. Why not just follow the precedent set by our ancestors? Then, based on that, we can see what good methods the outer world has and adopt them."

Bao Yun said, "Didn't you realize that Junior Brother doesn't like aristocratic families?"

Cui Yu sighed, "I know that, of course. But to become a powerful family, the first requirement is to have an immortal as a starting point. When someone has an immortal, mortal cultivators are powerless against them. They must provide enough resources and land to support the immortal and his family; otherwise, the immortal will take it for himself. That's how powerful families are formed. You can't stop them; you can only guide them and go with the flow. After Qingming prospers, there will definitely be powerful families that want to get involved, and that can't be stopped either."

To contend with one powerful family, you need another powerful family standing behind you. To contend with two, you need two more by your side. My junior brother comes from humble beginnings, and his rise to power will inevitably require external assistance; relying solely on the Taichu Palace is not enough. The Taichu Palace has risen too quickly, its operations are too vast, and its internal halls have many attendees. Each hall has its own disciples and descendants to care for. If even one-tenth of its resources can be allocated to my junior brother in the future, it will already be unprecedented and unimaginable.

"I naturally support my junior brother unconditionally, but my current influence within the clan is less than that of an ordinary elder; my words carry little weight. Only by offering the Bao family a new city can we truly gain the support of the aristocratic families."

Bao Yun also thought it made sense and seemed to be deep in thought.

Wei Yuan said, "The aristocratic families are a matter for the future. But right now I have another concern. The firearms played a crucial role in Qingming's many victories. However, the Prince of Jin has now secretly assembled an army that uses imitation firearms. In the future, more and more people will begin to use firearms. Therefore, we must plan ahead and think carefully about how to defeat our opponents who have learned from us."

This matter cannot be resolved overnight, and Wei Yuan can only take it one step at a time. The outer world must have similar experiences, but unfortunately, Xu Wenwu is unaware of them.

Both Cui Yu and Bao Yun, who were both commanders, found the situation extremely difficult and prepared to return and carefully consider their options.

Cui Yu and Bao Yun left together. On the way, Cui Yu asked, "Sister Bao, how far have things progressed between you and your junior brother? I feel like your relationship is a bit strange." Bao Yun sighed and said, "It is indeed very complicated. If it were just the two of us, everything would be fine. But now that Qiongshan Immortal Island and Da Bao Hua Pure Land are involved, my family will never sell me off cheaply. As for my junior brother and me, we each have our own principles, so we'll just have to take it one step at a time. What about you? Shouldn't you put a marriage alliance on the agenda?"

Cui Yu gave a self-deprecating laugh and said, "I'm not a Celestial Foundation cultivator, so I don't have as much pressure as you. The noble ladies from similar backgrounds look down on my innate talent, and my family isn't willing to accept the offers from other Celestial Foundation cultivators, so we're just putting it off for now. I plan to wait until I achieve the Dharma Aspect before making any moves. Without the Dharma Aspect, I'll just be an ant."

"Have you found the right opportunity to connect with the Dharma?"

"Yes, cultivating in my junior brother's Dharma image at night has significantly improved my spiritual abilities. I've also learned an unprecedented way of operating my divine sense, allowing me to handle multiple tasks simultaneously. Furthermore, I've learned how to break down tasks, how to make task requirements reasonable, how to distribute tasks, how to monitor task progress, and finally, how to summarize and extract conclusions. Each step has strict... oh, that's called an algorithm. Improving algorithms is also a vast subject, one that can be studied for a lifetime."

Bao Yun asked for some more details, then looked at her strangely and asked, "Do you really think you're cultivating yourself, rather than working for him?"

After thinking about it carefully, Cui Yu's expression gradually became strange.

Bao Yun suddenly asked, "Are there many fox spirits in his Buddhist image?"

Cui Yu recalled, and then said, "Each time I went in, I would be taken to cultivate, and then I would focus on cultivation, and I didn't pay much attention to my surroundings."

"They're deliberately covering it up; there must be a big secret inside," Bao Yun muttered to herself.

At this moment, Wei Yuan entered the small building where political affairs were handled, summoned several cultivators, handed them a list, and said, "Take down all the people on the list and interrogate them separately."

Several cultivators hurried away, and Wei Yuan then ordered someone to summon Xu Yi and Xu Wan'er, giving each of them a list of questions, saying, "A group of people will be sent to the prison in a while. You two are responsible for the interrogation and making sure you understand the questions on the list."

Both women glared at Wei Yuan before leaving.

Wei Yuan possessed innate supernatural abilities; his divine sense was omnipresent in the Azure Netherworld, making it easy for him to track down the whereabouts of low-level cultivators. In addition, he remembered all the information about the military personnel clearly, so it didn't take long for him to identify those who might have had contact with Liu Fei.

The three battalions led by Liu Fei were mostly composed of Xu family private troops and Western Jin government troops that had been subdued in the early days. At that time, Wei Yuan had not yet become a military governor, and the status system had not yet been implemented.

Therefore, these people were initially civilians, and some were already close to becoming official soldiers. They did not participate in Qingming's first few, which were also the most difficult battles.

Moreover, unlike those who initially joined Qingming, these people did not regard the realm as their final refuge. Many of them actually still had families with the Xu family, but these were small households that could never afford the ransom demanded by Qingming, and so they were separated.

Wei Yuan then realized that he had overlooked a problem: Liu Fei and the surrendered soldiers of the Xu family's private army had known each other from the beginning, and had been together since they were incorporated into the army. Later, some new soldiers were added, expanding the army into a battalion, but the core was still the original group of surrendered soldiers from the Xu family.

This matter could be a big deal or a small deal, and Wei Yuan began to ponder the pros and cons of various possible solutions.

At this moment, in a barracks of the Left Army, several officers were gathered together, most of them commanders, and one was a captain in charge of two battalions.

"I heard Liu Fei has been imprisoned. Will he talk nonsense?" a commander asked worriedly.

Another commander glared and said, "Even if he said it, it wouldn't be a big deal. We just had that wish, we didn't do anything! Right, General Feng?"

The captain nodded: "We didn't ask for anything for ourselves, we just wanted some compensation for our fallen brothers so their families could live in peace. If that's not enough, then we might as well leave Qingming!"

"General Feng, the Realm Lord's power is boundless. Aren't we forcing him to abdicate? Can we leave? And where can we go?"

The captain smiled mysteriously and said, "Even if we don't take our soldiers with us, with our Dao Foundation cultivation, where can't we make a living? Besides, there are people eager for talent right now. As long as you follow me, I will find a place where you can gain wealth and honor! It's better than fighting here every day without any benefit."

Before the words were finished, the door was suddenly kicked open, and the window was smashed. More than a dozen cultivators rushed in. The leader glanced at the list, then at the people in the barracks, and shouted, "They're all on the list! Take them all down!"

The officers were both shocked and furious, shouting, "What are you trying to do? We just accomplished a great feat!"

The leading cultivator coldly said, "I am acting on the orders of the Realm Lord to arrest people. Those who disobey will die! If you have anything to say, go and talk to the Realm Lord!"

In addition to this location, officers in several other barracks were also arrested.

Just after midnight, Wei Yuan received the interrogation records and frowned slightly as he read them. The interrogation results showed that these officers had been secretly instigated and recruited by the head of a merchant caravan, which came from the State of Zhao.

(End of this chapter)