Having lived in the martial world for so long, Shangguan Jin had witnessed countless acts of repaying kindness with enmity, and he understood the lessons all too well.
Some favors can never be repaid, but the recipient of such favors doesn't want to be judged. So what's the best way to end these favors? It's to kill the person who bestowed the favor. Only when the person is dead can everything be wiped clean.
Shangguan Jin sighed deeply: "Valley Master Song, you've really given me a difficult problem!"
"It's not that I'm giving you a difficult problem, but if you want to keep Wuhua Tower safe and sound, you must first be prepared."
"With the imperial army of 100,000 and the unpredictable methods of the heretical cult, do you and I have any chance?"
“How could there not be?” Song Xia looked at the bright moon in the sky. “Cooperating with someone like Ouyang Zhen is naturally hopeless, but you and I can give it a shot.”
"Let me think about it."
“Shangguan Jin, I know you’re not as cold as you appear. If you always stand by and watch everything, neither Yangzhou City nor any town with Wuhua Tower would be as prosperous and peaceful.”
"What do you plan to do? These refugees who have come to us are not enough to overthrow the imperial court and the cult."
How many people do you think sweet potatoes and corn can feed?
When these two crops were mentioned, Shangguan Jin became very excited: "As long as people are not lazy, no one will go hungry anymore. I have already had people try planting sweet potatoes and corn in the north, and the harvest is even higher than in the south!"
"Overthrowing the cult and purging the treacherous officials is not something that can be done overnight. We can take it slowly. Shangguan Jin, I remember you also have a horse farm in the border region?"
“That’s right, they are all excellent warhorses.” He said, his voice becoming increasingly sarcastic. “My horse farm used to supply the imperial court, but later they chose inferior breeds. Now, the warhorses equipped by those warriors are not as good as the horses from my horse farm in terms of endurance or agility.”
"They didn't have any designs on your horse farm?"
"How could there not be? It's just that when those people with ulterior motives tried to make a move, I bribed their superiors back, so the horse farm has always been under the control of my Wuhua Tower."
Song Xia was speechless, never expecting it to go like this.
"Because the imperial court hasn't been buying them, the horse farm has actually been operating at a loss all these years. To be honest, I almost couldn't keep going. You know, raising a horse is really expensive, let alone a horse farm with thousands of horses. In recent years, I haven't dared to let them breed much."
"Thank you for your hard work. I forgot to tell you, corn is very suitable as their feed."
"When I first saw corn, I had this feeling. I really hope that these two crops can spread throughout the country as soon as possible. But if you announce these two crops, I'm afraid it won't be so easy to recruit forces again, right?"
"Shangguan Jin, you're making the spread of crops seem too easy. The people are timid. They won't dare to try anything until they see tangible benefits for themselves. No matter how easy these two crops are to grow, they still take up their energy. And once they grow crops on wasteland or mountains, do you think they'll be afraid of the court imposing taxes? They're used to being exploited and just want to live a safe and peaceful life, preferably without any changes in their lives."
Shangguan Jin was taken aback: "That's true. Since ancient times, the promotion and planting of new crops have always been mandated by imperial decrees. They certainly don't have the guts to do it on their own."
"However, your concerns are valid. Relying solely on these crops to attract refugees is not enough, because all refugees are either old, weak, sick, or disabled, or are people who burn, kill, and plunder. It is indeed difficult to get them to take on important responsibilities."
What's your idea?
Song Xia's gaze was resolute: "There have always been women's corps and boy corps, just like the children in cults. Should we look down on them? So it depends on how we train them. Among the refugees who come to join us, no matter what they did before, anyone who is disobedient will be made a slave to do work such as quarrying and smelting."
"Isn't that too cruel?"
Song Xia shook her head and chuckled: "Now you're even more soft-hearted than me, Shangguan Jin. They've suffered and gone hungry. Anyone who wants to continue living like this won't cause trouble. Only those who have stained their hands with blood will be restless and take advantage of us. If we want more people to have food and shelter, we have to be tough in the early stages."
"With such great wisdom, how could you have been willing to let Ouyang Zhen become the valley master before?"
“My father’s last wish cannot be fulfilled, and we cannot let him die with regrets. Besides, the old Ouyang Zhen was not as excessive as he is now; it was power that made him lose his mind.”
Shangguan Jin also shook his head: "To command the world, it's not enough to just have the title of martial arts alliance leader. You also need to have the virtue that makes martial arts practitioners believe in you. Looking at the entire martial arts world, even Master Wuya of the Zizai Sect cannot be so virtuous and respected. Moreover, to achieve his ambition, it's not enough to just rule the entire martial arts world."
"The former island lord, Situ, was once recognized as the number one master in the unofficial history of the martial arts world. At his peak, he had tens of thousands of followers on the island, all of whom were martial arts practitioners with a solid foundation in martial arts. But what was the result? He was still no match for the cannons and navy of the former dynasty. Although the current dynasty is not as powerful as the former dynasty, the number of people that Ouyang Zhen can gather is far less than that of the island lord, so his defeat will be inevitable. Therefore, I will not let the disciples of Linghe Valley follow him to their deaths."
"Speaking of cannons, the secret to manufacturing them is in the hands of the imperial court. If we were to face them in the future, I'm afraid we wouldn't fare well."
Song Xia stared at him intently: "Do you believe me? I have a way to deal with the imperial court's cannons."
Perhaps having witnessed the miracles that had happened to her, Shangguan Jin nodded immediately: "I believe you."
"Since you trust me so much, I will not let you down. Give me some time."
Shangguan Jin was filled with boundless pride: "Just tell me what you want me to do."
"Your help is indeed indispensable for successfully manufacturing firearms to suppress the imperial court."
The two talked all night long. By the next morning, the sun was shining into the courtyard. Shangguan Jin's eyes were bloodshot, but he was not tired at all. He looked at the direction of the rising sun with high spirits and then laughed heartily.
He was happy for the world and for the countless people. If he could help Song and Xia achieve great things, what would it matter if he contributed the resources of Wuhua Tower? This would be an achievement that would be recorded for thousands of years!
Song Xia's wisdom and ambition exceeded his imagination. Since he trusted him so much and revealed all his plans, how could he let Song Xia down?
However, by then, there will be fewer and fewer people practicing martial arts. But that may not be a bad thing. If there are too many martial arts enthusiasts in the community, it is easy to cause trouble and make it difficult to manage.
If ordinary people can have enough to eat and wear, who would send their children to suffer such hardships?
Many people join martial arts sects out of necessity.
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