Afterwards, Zhuang Qiao's wife personally escorted Fang Jian out of the backyard. Fang Jian bowed to Zhuang Qiao's wife and turned to leave. At this time, Zhuang Xi came up from behind and escorted Fang Jian out of Zhuang Qiao's residence.
After walking to a deserted spot, Zhuang Xi called Fang Jian and said, "I heard everything you and my brother said just now."
Fang Jian smiled slightly and said, "Oh? What do you think, fellow Taoist?"
Zhuang Xi sighed, then whispered, "I think what you said makes sense. In fact, our Huang Yue bandit group has had some traitors over the years, but we kept it a secret from Brother. Brother is a kind man who can't tolerate any injustice. He believes that his Huang Yue bandit brothers and relatives are the most united and loyal."
At this point, Zhuang Xi turned to Fang Jian and asked, "I've heard your assumptions, and honestly, I'm very worried. If something like that really happened, what would we do? Hanhai Province has never been attacked by the Dao Court. The main reason is that it's remote and desolate. So even if the Dao Court were to attack Hanhai Province, the gains wouldn't be worth the cost, so there's no need to attack. Therefore, my brother and all the leaders are confident. They believe that even if the Dao Court attacks Hanhai Province, we can unite and resist the enemy."
Fang Jian, upon hearing Zhuang Xi's words, immediately knew that he was a very clear-headed person, so he said, "To resolve this problem, we must first establish a reliable army. This will provide the most basic strength to defend Hanhai Prefecture. Consider the current situation in Hanhai Prefecture. Although the Huang Yue bandits are numerous, everyone lives like a family. On weekdays, everyone is surrounded by their wives and children, and only assembles temporarily when they need to go out to fight. This model is fine in normal times, but in times of crisis, it becomes completely disorganized. Therefore, I suggest that you first establish an army that obeys only one command and has a single goal."
But Zhuang Xi shook his head after hearing this and said, "I can't do that. My brother hates all forms of hierarchy, such as 'official positions', 'organizations', and 'systems'. If you want to build an army, a necessary hierarchy is unavoidable."
Fang Jian was speechless after hearing this. Finally, he shook his head and said, "Then we can only take it slowly. Let's take it one step at a time."
Zhuang Xi nodded and said, "That's the only way."
After saying this, Zhuang Xi bowed to Fang Jian and said, "Alright, I'll see you off here. I have to visit my father-in-law tomorrow, so I'll be leaving for now."
Fang Jian smiled and said, "Okay, you can go now, fellow Taoist."
Zhuang Xi nodded, then said to Fang Jian, "There's a lantern festival going on over at Zinan Bridge tonight. If you have some free time, you can go over and take a look. Our Hanhaizhou lantern festival is quite good."
Upon hearing this, Fang Jian immediately bowed and said with a smile, "Okay, then I'll have to go and see it for myself."
Then Zhuang Xi left, and Fang Jian began to stroll on the streets of Daze City. At sunset, he finally arrived at Zinan Bridge.
Zinan Bridge is located in the south of Daze City. It is a bridge across the Nieshui River. At this moment, the lights on Zinan Bridge and on both sides of the river are on. The lights are bright and there are pedestrians and vendors everywhere. Fang Jian even saw those people from Dadao Court. He didn't expect that they also came to visit the Zinan Bridge Lantern Festival in Daze City.
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