Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 208 The Right to Seal Coins! Souls are the Monarch's Currency
"Wow!"

"So much money for incense!"

Someone throws money in the street, and passersby who see the radiant glow know that it is genuine incense and religious offering money.

They were utterly ecstatic, knowing that a single incense stick was worth more than an ounce of silver.

Clang——!
The imperial guards accompanying them drew their swords to quell their restless greed. The Japanese were so frightened that they knelt down on the spot, while the Da Zhao people slowly retreated.

When the bald monk saw that his lord had only been stunned for a moment before suddenly gaining such powerful authority as "killing people and extorting incense money," he didn't care about continuing to convert the female benefactors and hurriedly bent down to pick up all the incense money for Wang Cheng.

His face beamed with joy: "I'm rich! I'm rich!"

Wang Cheng ran his fingertips over the incense money, which was indistinguishable from the silver coins made by the artisans, gaining a preliminary understanding of his new ability:

"The essence of incense and prayer is the faith of sentient beings, and craftsmen can use this as raw material to make incense and prayer coins."

But the 'minting rights' I, as the Commandant of the Waterways, have obtained go even further.

Not only can one control the incense and prayer power surrounding oneself before becoming a living ghost or deity, but one can also forcibly convert the source of another person's prayer power—the soul—into incense and prayer money in one go.

A person's monetary output is roughly equal to his valuation in a market where goods are scarce.

The lower three grades are generally worth a few hundred to a few thousand, the middle three grades are worth up to 100,000, and the upper three grades are of inestimable value.

The warrior who was killed didn't have any special destiny. A ninth-rank official could build a hut, while an eighth-rank official could light a lamp. Since he was an eighth-rank official, he was probably only worth two hundred incense money.

But that's alright, Yingzhou currently has a population of 1200 million, which is more than enough.

Among all the three ranks of officials, the [Lord of the State] represents the pinnacle of political power, while the [Commander of the Waterways] represents the pinnacle of economic power.

To some extent, financial power is political power, and the two can be considered equal.

Once the Water Balance Commandant establishes an economic system that matches his official rank and position, and catches up with the former, then the souls of all sentient beings will become the monarch's currency!

The endless stream of enemies makes it a veritable "human mine".

Once you have enough money for offerings and religious donations, you naturally have the prerequisite that "wealth can communicate with the gods."

Wang Cheng only needs to pay a wisp of his own spiritual light to summon wind, rain, thunder, lightning, mountains, rivers, grass, trees, and other beings without a self or with a weak self, which can temporarily transform into soldiers and generals.

If one is willing to invest heavily and pay a large sum of incense money to issue a talisman, one can also borrow the divine power of high-ranking ghosts and gods to perform rituals, greatly expanding one's own scope of authority.

Moreover, in this situation, the spirits and deities are not considered to have violated the "Female Qingtian Law," and the Water Balance Commandant himself bears all the consequences.

While coercive power may not be as strong as that of the ruler, if used properly, it can still be just as powerful as turning the world upside down.

Moreover, Wang Cheng prefers this kind of fair transaction where both parties are willing.

“The spiritual responses have always only granted officials basic abilities; only when they are in perfect harmony with the secret teachings can the effects of the spiritual responses be fully realized.”

Even if no one had ever held the position of "Water Balance Commandant" before, I am certain that I can accumulate enough through the grace of absorbing Dao Qi and constantly acquiring knowledge, and through risk-free business, to create my own secret and orthodox method, just like General Yu.

Holding a coin of incense offering, Wang Cheng once again adjusted the scales between his Yin and Yang bodies.

The perspectives shifted, and in an instant he was back under the large osmanthus tree at Fenglinzhai, silently praising it:
"The evil spirits and their spirits attach themselves to the legend of the 'Sending the King Ship,' and their ability to survive is much stronger than that of the original body."

Such a sudden attack on the battlefield is like having an extra lifeline—a huge gain!

He opened his palm, and the thin incense coin lay quietly in his hand, indicating that he could move the object with him when he changed locations.

It only requires paying the physical effort needed for spatial displacement.

"Small amounts don't matter; they can be transferred through the little world of money."

The money-making machine can't hold a living person yet. My physical strength and mental capacity can't afford to carry someone from Yuegang to Pinghu, so I can't bring anyone with me for the time being.

Once the [Mirage Cloud Dragon Ship], existing between reality and illusion, is initially completed, this situation should improve significantly. I've already devised several powerful and unexpected tactics.

When I looked up, I saw my two older sisters looking at me with concern.

He thought to himself, "Perhaps my 'Golden Chamber Techniques for the Bedchamber' has been wasted."

Initially, I planned to use it to assist in fusion with magic positions, but now that need is no longer there. I just wonder who will be the first to take advantage of me.

He briefly explained his abilities to his two older sisters, and this secret was known only to the three of them.

The first appearance of the Spiritual Response [Divine Communication] was unique to Scorpion Daddy, and the intelligence advantage he could gain on the battlefield was extraordinary.

For the time being, he must continue to pretend to be a simple man and a court official, lest he stand out from the crowd.

After saying that, he turned to Shen Yueye and grinned mischievously:
"Senior sister, have you forgotten something?"
"Come, come, let me show you some great treasures." He said, pulling out five beautifully bound military books from his money box and placing them together with the original manuscript of "The Influence of Sea Power on the World."

The rich aroma of ink and the power of aspiration flowed from "On Sea Power" into these five military treatises, rapidly transforming them into secret military manuals exclusively for Wang Cheng!

Ancient military treatises are always concise and profound, and their correct application is beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Those ancient military strategists would only break down and analyze these points, combining them with various case studies, when teaching their disciples, so that they could avoid taking detours.

Different people in later generations had different understandings, which naturally led to various interpretations.

For example, Cao Cao's "A Brief Explanation of Sun Tzu's Art of War" (also known as "Annotations on Sun Tzu by Emperor Wu of Wei"); Zhuge Liang's "Annotations on the Yin Fu Jing"; and the "Seven Military Classics" officially compiled in the Northern Song Dynasty.
The most recent book is "Seven Commentaries on the Military Classics" by Wang Bo'an, a sage of the School of Mind.

It is his systematic commentary on seven military books: Sun Tzu's Art of War, Wu Zi, Sima Fa, Wei Liao Zi, Liu Tao, San Lue, and Li Weigong's Questions and Answers.

The original manuscript was kept by the Wang family and was later given to the famous general Hu Ruzhen by his nephew Wang Zhengsi.

Furthermore, Hu Ruzhen added annotations based on his experience in resisting Japanese pirates, which made it the most famous and battle-tested first-class military treatise of the time.

Wang Cheng's approach was the same as that of the ancient sages.

It discusses the evolution of various warships, naval battles, and sea battles both domestically and internationally, from ancient times to the present, but when it comes to specific tactics, it only writes about the core combat concepts.

The purpose was to gather the power of will, and then a detailed tactical manual was written with annotations, which are these five books in my hand:
"Detailed Explanation of Naval Siege Warfare" (Boarding Warfare Tactics), "Line Tactics" (Volume 1: Land Warfare Musketeer Tactics), "Line Tactics" (Volume 2: Naval Warfare Battleship Tactics), and "Naval Maneuver Tactics" (Line-Breaking Tactics).
And most importantly, there's "Command Tactics for the Great Fleet".

Wang Cheng devised a special signal flag system that, even without the participation of Eastern deities or Western theological professionals, could significantly enhance the combat capabilities of the formations on their own.

The inspiration comes from Western battle flag signals.

Pirates' battle flag signal: the St. George's Banner (a blood-red triangular flag), signifying that they would fight to the death even when they were out of ammunition and supplies.

The battle flag signal for the Battle of Trafalgar: "Britannia hopes that every officer and soldier will perform their duties to the best of their ability."

Ultimately, Wang Cheng combined it with fleet command theory and evolved it into "Large Fleet Command Tactics", also known as "General's Orders".

The main ability is also to gather a crowd, but Yu Zhifu's "Millions as One" is land warfare, while his "General's Order" is naval warfare:
"It can be used as long as there is one or more warships."

It can materialize the yang energy of everyone in the fleet and launch it along with the cannons, thus countering all supernatural powers and spells.

"As long as you have enough ships and cannons, quantitative change will lead to qualitative change, and you can even kill a god!"

In the Great Zhao Dynasty, the Secret Scrolls of Military Strategy were the court's trump card for ensuring its military superiority and suppressing rebellious traitors, evil spirits, and the worship of wicked gods. It was strictly forbidden for civilian forces to possess or study them.

Once they're at sea, they're far from the emperor's reach, and nobody can control them anymore.

Even without the original manuscript, one can directly learn military strategy and gain some of the bonuses from the secret scrolls of military strategy.

Wang Cheng plans to use his five books, "The Art of Pacifying the Seas and Training Troops," as the core teaching materials for the East China Sea Naval Academy, in order to train a group of invincible naval generals.

Under the influence of abundant ink and the fragrance of books and the power of aspiration, the five volumes of "Jinghai Training Techniques" were formed in an instant, and the military spirit surged and transformed into the shape of a dragon.

Shen Yueye grabbed Wang Cheng by the collar, her expression both cute and fierce:

"Teach me quickly, don't force me to beg you!"

The Bodhisattva Barbarian, who advocates "nothing can be considered eternal truth, and the means are not bound by constraints! Iron nails, explosives, poison arrows, and naval cannons are all hidden swords!" has absolutely no resistance to this kind of violent-sounding philosophy.

Wang Cheng remained unmoved, letting his charming and adorable senior sister pull him along, and said with a half-smile:

"Someone said this when they made the bet."

If my military treatise produces even one copy of the "Secret Scroll of Military Strategy," I'll immediately pack my things and move into the Pear Blossom Palace to serve as my maid, attending to my every need, from serving tea to pouring water.

Now that five books have been produced in one go, what should we do?

Upon hearing this, a blush rose on Shen Yueye's jade-like cheeks, but she forced herself to remain calm and said:
"A promise is a promise! I'm willing to accept defeat."

Since the number of secret military manuals has increased fivefold, then I will… I will…

Wang Cheng and Yun Xiao beside him both stared at her curiously.

"What!"

But then Shen Yueye suddenly stood on tiptoe and gave Wang Cheng a hard kiss on the cheek.

Then it transformed into a large, fiery red fox and vanished in a flash.

Only a trail of rising steam remained in the air, proving that the girl who took the initiative was so embarrassed she was practically steaming.

(End of this chapter)