Chapter 497: Chapter 329: The Ultimate Interpretation Right of ’Cang Mountain Sword Discussion’ Belongs to the Court! [New Chapter, Seeking Monthly Tickets!]_2
The King City that was struck just happened to be found by the Great Yan, what are the odds?
Strange!
Everything seems suspicious!
He Hao laughed, "The Mountain and Sea Realm is vast and boundless. In the Mountain and Sea Department where I belong, we have ’Mountain and Sea City Patrol Envoys’ holding ’Star Stones’, shuttling around, locating each King City and documenting them, constantly monitoring. Some King Cities are remote, some are small and weak, and some may be destroyed like this one due to natural disasters or man-made calamities."
Mountain and Sea Department!
City Patrol Envoy!
Yan Chuan wasn’t very familiar with the departmental structure of the Great Yan Court. Last year, he hadn’t even heard of the Three Martial Divisions. But as he interacted with more people, he gradually learned some details about the Three Martial Divisions. However, his understanding of the ’Mountain and Sea Department’ and the ’Archaeological Department’ established specifically for the Mountain and Sea Realm was still limited.
For instance, the Mountain and Sea City Patrol Envoy—this was the first he’d heard of it.
But—
"City Patrol Envoy!"
"Looking for King Cities!"
"Inspecting King Cities!"
That makes sense.
With such a department and such arrangements, the Great Yan can discover more King Cities. By leveraging the ’Star Stone’ which allows them to enter and exit the Mountain and Sea Realm at will, they can constantly monitor and inspect many King Cities, seizing opportunities to raid and occupy devastated King Cities. This gives them a natural advantage.
Yan Chuan exchanged glances with Wang Zhengyi, Chen Ze, and others.
At this point, they seemed to understand how the Great Yan Court had risen so quickly!
But—
"The Mountain and Sea Department has City Patrol Envoys. Since the Great Yan is not lacking in King Cities, isn’t giving us such a ruined city rather unfair?" Wang Zhengyi spoke his mind.
This King City!
It’s really in tatters!
Made him wait expectantly for so many days for this!
The Cang Mountain Sword Discussion, competitions, fighting life and death, only to end up with this?
"Who says the Great Yan isn’t lacking in King Cities?"
He Hao smiled and pointed at Wang Zhengyi, "Don’t be ungrateful while enjoying blessings!"
"These blessings—"
Wang Zhengyi pointed at the ruined city in front of him, his mouth twitching, "Whoever wants it can take it!"
But Yan Chuan sensed a hidden message in He Hao’s words.
Could this ’ruined city’ have some other significance?
Yan Chuan quickly asked, "Please, Lord He, enlighten us!"
He Hao had come here for exactly this purpose. He pointed at the King City, "Coincidentally, this King City is actually located at an enclave in the southeastern Yize Swamp of the Guangling Domain corresponding to your Jian Province Guangling County. It’s isolated; outside the city lies a circle of swamps, cliffs, chasms, thunderstorms, and poisonous miasma regions, layer upon layer of obstacles cutting it off from the outside. So, if you can gather the people of the surrounding cities and tribes in the deep mountains and great swamps, this could become a King City with a population of no less than twenty million, even considerable among many King Cities beyond."
Huh?
This?
"Starting with a ruined city, and relying on snatching people for the population?"
Fu Yunzhan, a man of few words but sharp observations.
"It’s not quite like that," laughed He Hao, "In this Sword Discussion, didn’t you also gain an army of eight thousand and a troop of eight hundred?"
"Starting with a ruined city, plus eight thousand eight hundred ragtag soldiers?" Wang Zhengyi still felt this was hell mode, and: "These eight thousand eight hundred were meant to be our reward anyway!"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
"Right, right, right!"
He Hao didn’t argue with Wang Zhengyi, he chuckled and continued, "But besides these two forces of yours, there are also those like Ban Xianfu, Peng Fannian, Situ Fei, Wei Lingshan, Ding Xiang, Jing Bao, and Lu Yuru who became Military Leaders through the Second Tier prizes in the Sword Discussion and will lead their troops here to follow City Lord Yan’s command!"
"Ah, this—"
Wang Zhengyi pursed his lips, delighted, trying to suppress his excitement, he lightly nodded, "This is more like it!"
Ban Xianfu, Second Tier Ninth Level, leads eight hundred!
Peng Fannian, Second Tier Third Level, leads five thousand!
Jing Bao, Second Tier Fifth Level, leads four thousand!
Lu Yuru, Second Tier Seventh Level, leads two thousand!
Ding Xiang, Second Tier Third Level, leads five thousand!
Wei Lingshan, Second Tier Second Level, leads six thousand!
Situ Fei, Second Tier First Level, leads eight thousand!
These seven, seven Military Leaders, seven troops totaling nineteen thousand eight hundred, nearly twenty thousand.
Adding Yan Chuan’s own force of eight thousand eight hundred, it nearly reaches thirty thousand.
This looks more promising!
If it had really been up to the five of them to start from scratch looking at this ruined city, they might as well abandon it!
But there’s still one issue—
"All seven are Absolute individuals, how can the Military Leaders be commanded by us?" Wang Zhengyi wasn’t naive.
If he were in their place, a man of Absolute status and top-tier Heavenly Pride, with the potential to reach Innate in the future, would he willingly work under someone of the same peer not yet Innate, for a common cause?
That’s improbable!
At least, it wouldn’t sit well emotionally!
Any discontent, and they could easily show defiance!
What could one do then?
Reasoning from self, Wang Zhengyi didn’t think Situ Fei, Wei Lingshan, and especially rebellious types like Wei Lingshan would follow their orders.
The elite troops are excellent.
Just fear a future mess of disunity.
However, the court also considered this for Yan and the others—
"These seven received Second Tier rewards; although granted troops and became Military Leaders, their forty thousand catties of Essence Stone have not yet materialized. Your Majesty, considering the arrogance of geniuses, held back the Essence Stones so that City Lord Yan could better direct their deployment—when and how much to distribute, City Lord Yan is the key. If they don’t comply, delay them ten or eight years, and they’ll certainly lose their patience!"
...
"Sinister!"
"Too sinister!"
Wang Zhengyi ground his teeth in frustration.
Yan Chuan also felt a strange mix of feelings.
The court’s withholding of the bonuses for Situ Fei and others enabled Yan Chuan to better command them, which was favorable for Yan Chuan, but the method was rather underhanded.
"So!"
"They gave us a ruined city!"
"Situ Fei and others didn’t get a good deal either, soldiers were granted, but the Essence Stone wasn’t?"
Wang Zhengyi never expected the court to be so shameless, with written agreements before the Sword Discussion promising rewards that, after the discussion, were manipulated in delivery—
Either through ’cutting corners’: swapping a King City for a Ruined City.
Or by defaulting on Essence Stone—
"Not defaulting."
"Not withholding."
"Just deferring, in installments."
"The court has its difficulties as well, unable to provide too much Essence Stone at once, and you must understand." He Hao lamented, advising Yan Chuan, "Also, it’s worth emphasizing, while City Lord Yan can somewhat decide on the Essence Stone’s distribution for Situ Fei and others, he must be considerate, keeping in view the court’s actual situation and not being too hasty. Your Majesty outlined a figure, at most six thousand catties per month, and this encompasses City Lord Yan’s one hundred eighty thousand catties. How to allocate specifically, City Lord Yan knows, I needn’t elaborate."
This this this!
This court!
Really reliable!
Yan Chuan, Wang Zhengyi, Chen Ze, Wang Ge, Fu Yunzhan, all were left speechless!
Each of Situ Fei and the others was to receive a Second Tier reward of forty thousand catties of Essence Stone.
Yan Chuan and his group altogether had a First Tier and two Second Tiers totaling one hundred eighty thousand catties of Essence Stone.
Adding it all up.
Totally four hundred sixty thousand catties!
But the court can’t handle that, so they devised a ’installment plan’, with only six thousand catties ’returned’ each month!
"Four hundred sixty thousand!"
"Six thousand a month!"
"Does it take over six years to settle?!
Wang Zhengyi was dumbfounded.
The Cang Mountain Sword Discussion is an annual event, and their first event’s rewards were to be stretched to the seventh event to clear, utterly laughable if spoken aloud!
"It doesn’t necessarily take six years."
He Hao advised, "If the monthly six thousand Essence Stone is retained, in two and a half years, your eighteen thousand Essence Stone will be settled."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
The five were speechless for a moment upon hearing that.
...
This court!
Doing vile deeds!
Skilled in disgusting people!
Yan Chuan and others inwardly cursed.
"Aren’t you cursing the court, cursing His Majesty?" He Hao knew without looking at their faces, he laughed heartily, beckoning the five to follow him into the city.
Crack!
Yan Chuan followed, stepping on a stone at the city gate, dust fell off, revealing an inscription—
"**"
Yan Chuan couldn’t read.
...