Chapter 911: Chapter 124: Forging the Nine Cauldrons
“As long as it’s not an instant annihilation.”
“There will always be noble families to argue on our behalf.”
Li Guanyi agreed.
He ordered Wen Lingjun to host a banquet concerning these matters. The other noble families, initially prepared for a fight to the death, relaxed upon realizing that the Qilin Army seed only to be targeting the Zhou Family.
They all stood with the Heavenly Strategy Mansion, scolding the Zhou Family, and discreetly sending gold, silver, precious gifts, and beautiful singers to Wen He and Wen Lingjun.
Wen Lingjun declined politely.
Wen He returned all the beautiful won, but accepted the gold and silver without hesitation.
After accepting them, he split the profit evenly with the noble family scions.
The noble family scions increasingly regarded Mr. Wen He as a like-minded friend, believing he was rely forced to stand with Li Guanyi, gradually confiding in him, and openly saying, “Mr. Wen He, you are truly a sincere gentleman!”
Wen He conveyed all the matters to Xiao Zhi.
Xiao Zhi’s little notebook was quickly filled with notes again.
The troubles with the noble families gradually subsided. In Jiangnan, the Eighteen States, previously divided among the Martial World, Chen Country, and Ying Country, had different currencies and ratios of gold and silver circulation. They were even concerned about potential invasions by other countries, and even the width of carriage tracks differed.
With the support of the Mo School, Marquis Qin Wu gave the order.
The two thousand miles of Jiangnan territory would now have uniform carriage tracks and unified currency.
Books and publications were to have consistent styles.
No discrepancies were needed.
ssages were sent to various villages, inviting the elders and youths to select honorable individuals to go to the State City of the Eighteen States of Jiangnan to witness the Qilin Army’s military parade.
By this ti, the spring planting season had passed, and several esteed individuals from the villages were chosen to go. Everyone was curious about what this entailed, while the noble families were secretly fearful.
One matter, yet two perspectives.
anwhile, as Li Guanyi implented these policies, resolved the noble family troubles, and prepared for a grand military parade, the Qi Fortune of all the land and people of Jiangnan began to converge.
Like dragons and serpents rising from the earth, the waves surged mightily.
The old Siming sat on the back of the Mystic Turtle, watching the changes in Qi Fortune, stunned for a long ti before finally sighing and saying, “In the past, Tuyuhun carried out revenge and also gathered power at the sa ti.”
“He killed all the leaders of the Western Regions and lted their royal seals before connecting his prestige with the grand trends of the world. But what he achieved then through rivers of blood, you managed to accomplish so easily?”
“Easily?”
“This is not easy at all.”
“I just have broad knowledge and experience.”
Li Guanyi replied.
The old Siming said, “Broad knowledge and experience? Where did you acquire it from?”
Li Guanyi hesitated slightly, then calmly said, “When I was young, I wandered outside with my aunt and once saw…”
It was the sa old opening, without even changing the script a bit.
The old Siming was exasperated, leaping directly from the Mystic Turtle in a flying kick, grumbling, “I’ve had enough of you.”
“How is it that you encounter everything while wandering?”
“If you’re going to fool an old man like , at least have a better reason!”
Li Guanyi pondered, then earnestly said:
“I once dread…”
Siming was speechless.
Dreaming?
Isn’t that too lazy even to make up an excuse?
The Qilin Army swiftly prepared for this military parade.
Or more accurately, it resembled a military assembly of the era, albeit this assembly was not for conquest, but to showcase martial prowess to the people. The populace, seeing the Qilin Army’s excellent equipnt and grand montum, felt greatly at ease.
They conversed with each other, showing joyful expressions.
“My child also wants to join the Qilin Army.”
The noble family descendants, however, thought of the Zhou Family’s situation and turned pale with fright.
No one knew who uncovered the Zhou Family’s cris.
Every detail was ticulously recorded.
Consolidating land, attaching populations, either by seduction or force, taking over the land originally owned by common households was not uncommon.
Initially, noble families leased land from the common folk, with tax exemptions, which the people welcod. They only needed to redirect seventy percent of the taxes previously paid to the state to the noble families, benefitting themselves as well.
Then the second step involved acquiring land through various forceful styles.
Soon, the land leased to noble families was sold to them.
Common people, once in cooperative relations, beca hired long-term or short-term laborers.
Despite working hard,
their debts to the noble families grew, and even selling land couldn’t fill the gap, forcing them into self-sale. Such tactics were well-known among the Jiangnan noble families. They were unlike the Xue Family, which focused on comrce, nor like the Murong Family famous for sword-making in the Martial World.
Without such ans, they needed to maintain their vast estates.
Their extravagance and ostentation exceeded even the Xue Family.
They naturally required more land and people.
With so many people, naturally, there were instances where “the noble family’s law overrides the state law,” and incidents where masters punished to death a few servants, within the noble families, were trivial matters.
Let alone the buying and selling of people as slaves.
Which noble family in Jiangnan hadn’t done so?
These matters, in the era of shared governance between the Red Emperor and the noble families, were tacitly accepted, but once exposed, they beca shocking atrocities, each revelation distressingly startling.
Xiao Zhi cross-referenced laws and regulations ticulously one by one.
No oversight was allowed.
As for judging the severity, it considered various factors.
If one’s character was reasonably good, and all actions resulted from noble family involvent, the leniency was considered.
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