Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 481 480 External Conflicts
Turn around and look.

Standing outside the window was a beautiful young female student with two braids hanging down her shoulders. She wore an indigo-dyed blouse made of indigo dye (Note 1) and a black knee-length silk skirt.

Feng Xiuhu asked in astonishment, "Who are you?"

The female student said with a righteous expression: "No matter who I am, as long as we boycott foreigners together, we are like-minded people."

After saying that, without waiting for Feng Xiuhu's consent, the female student stuffed the leaflet directly into Feng Xiuhu's hand.

Feng Xiuhu glanced down and saw—well, these slogans were all incredibly powerful.

One shovel of foreign mineral soil, and thousands of acres of tea plantations wither!

[Tea shade, tea shade, but what shade is there without tea?]

Don't believe the lies of foreign merchants enriching the county; the ore carts crush the fragrance of a thousand years!

[I'd rather smash a teacup than kneel before a foreigner; the people of Chayin have an iron backbone!]

Fragrant tea is the bloodline of our ancestors, while foreign minerals are like a piercing knife!

[The day after tomorrow at dawn, gather at the county government office! Tea baskets and carrying poles may become swords, protecting our green mountains and clear waters!]

Feng Xiuhu was amused. These short poems came in sets, each with a different style, clearly written by multiple people.

Out of professional habit, Fang Youliu had already quickly taken out paper and pen, asking and taking notes at the same time: "This student, you seem very agitated to be distributing flyers. May I ask what your purpose is today?"

The female student looked at him questioningly: "What do you do?"

Fang Youliu straightened his collar and said seriously, "I am a reporter."

The female student's eyes lit up immediately: "Hello, reporter! What we're doing needs to be publicized!"

Before Fang Youliu could ask any questions, she took the initiative to explain.

"Foreign merchants have their eyes on the mineral veins of the tea mountain and intend to build factories to mine them, destroying the foundation of our Chayin County. What is most infuriating is that the foreigners are in cahoots with the government and have finalized the matter without the knowledge of us ordinary people. Now that they have obtained the approvals, they will soon begin large-scale construction."

Shunzi interrupted, bewildered, "What do you mean by 'keeping it a secret'? Why would I need to tell you this?"

The female student glared at her, raising her eyebrows: "What kind of talk is that? What happens in Chalin is what happens in all of Chayin! They deliberately kept it a secret; they clearly know they're in the wrong!"

Shunzi turned her head away, too lazy to argue with her anymore.

Fang Youliu took the opportunity to jot down a few notes, then looked up and asked, "Have you formed a resistance alliance with the Chamber of Commerce and tea farmers? Or are the students fighting alone?"

The female student tossed her head back, her braids flying behind her: "The Chamber of Commerce is short-sighted, and the tea farmers are ignorant. Only we students see the long-term benefits and harms. But that's alright. Even if we are the only ones left, we will fight to the end."

Fang Youliu quickly wrote down more, then stopped writing and asked again: "Now that the foreign merchants have obtained the government's approval and hold the permits, they have the moral high ground. If they disregard the opposition and forcibly start mining, do you gentlemen have any backup plans to ensure that everything is destroyed?"

The female student was taken aback, clearly not having considered this possibility, but she quickly said, "So what? There are millions of students in Yu'ai Prefecture. If it really comes to that, we'll strike! All the students in Chayin County will block the entrance to the mine. If Chayin County isn't enough, there will be students from Zhenqiu City. If Zhenqiu City isn't enough, we'll call on all the students in Yu'ai Prefecture. Then the entire Yu'ai Prefecture will strike together. I refuse to believe that the foreigners won't be terrified!"

Feng Xiuhu chuckled to himself.

After the interview, the female student left with a sense of pride. Before leaving, she repeatedly instructed Fang Youliu to publish her words verbatim to demonstrate the integrity of the students of Chayin.

Fang Youliu was equally satisfied when he saw an additional entry in his journal.

Feng Xiuhu couldn't help but sigh, "You said before that Yu Aizhou was a straightforward person, but I didn't really feel it until I saw it in this female student."

Fang Youliu nodded and said, "This is just a small part of the problem. Foreigners are mining in Yu'ai Prefecture, not just in Chayin County. I estimate that the opposition in other cities will only be more intense." Feng Xiuhu said, "Where there is opposition, there will be support. The foreigners aren't stubborn and insist on going against the people's voices. If this continues, not only will they fail to get anything done, but the government will also face difficulties—Jindi City is a case in point, but that's because Dumb Jin is secretly guiding things and deliberately keeping the situation deadlocked."

Fang Youliu immediately saw through it: "So you think the foreigners will take other measures to ease the situation?"

Feng Xiuhu stroked his stubble and pondered: "Given the character of the people of Yu'ai Prefecture, it would probably be difficult to ease tensions, since foreigners are naturally disliked in their eyes. But if we think about it carefully, it doesn't necessarily have to be eased. As long as we use another matter to divert the conflict, and the opponents' attention is no longer focused on the foreigners, they can smoothly do their own thing."

Fang Youliu quickly guessed what Feng Xiuhu was thinking and couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice, "You mean—the mountain bandit king's treasure?"

Feng Xiuhu remained noncommittal: "It's just a guess; we'll have to see for ourselves to know for sure."

At this moment, the servant brought tea, and the two tacitly ended their conversation.

Feng Xiuhu picked up his cup, took a small sip, and found it truly unforgettable.

……

After dinner, they set off as agreed, and as night fell, the carriage arrived at Zhenqiu City.

It is worth mentioning that when Feng Xiuhu entered the city, he noticed that the city walls on both sides were undergoing demolition.

Although it was late and there were no more porters or laborers working on the city wall, the temporary scaffolding was still up so that work could continue the next day.

Feng Xiuhu asked curiously, "Is Zhenqiu City going to rebuild its city walls?"

"You do not know?"

Fang Youliu was slightly surprised: "It was an order issued by the President last year, and it was an official letter with the Presidential Office seal. It was even published in the newspapers at the time."

"Not only Zhenqiu City, but the President has ordered all cities at the county level and above in the Xuan Kingdom to complete the demolition of their city walls within two years."

Feng Xiuhu asked in confusion, "Why did you demolish the perfectly good city wall?"

Fang Youliu said, "There are several reasons."

"First of all, as firearms have become more and more powerful, the protective function of city walls is far less than in ancient times."

"Secondly, with the popularization of the industrial system, cities also need to develop, and city walls, in a sense, hindered development."

"Of course, that's just the stated reason."

Feng Xiuhu pressed further: "Is there a hidden reason?"

Fang Youliu nodded: "In order to guard against possible rebellious forces, demolishing the city walls can weaken the resistance capabilities of the rebellious forces."

Feng Xiuhu was taken aback: "You mean the Duke of Daguo?"

Fang Youliu vehemently denied it: "Hey, I didn't say that."

With the topic brought up this point, Feng Xiuhu recalled another question—

The question that Xu Liansheng inadvertently brought up, but which Feng Xiuhu quickly forgot about because it didn't concern him.

Why did the President let the Church of the Mist go?

P.S.: The term "Indanthrene" comes from a German transliteration. Since there was no other alternative name, the written name was simply used. So there's no need to worry about why the book doesn't mention Germany but uses a German transliteration.

(End of this chapter)