After having Liu Fei locked away, Wei Yuan gathered the cultivators of the Palace of Grand Beginning in the council hall, including Cui Yu, who had just rushed back.
Casualty compensation was not a monumental issue in itself, but Wei Yuan had discerned a true crisis within it.
Once the cultivators had all arrived, Wei Yuan said, "This time, I want to hear your thoughts. But before that, let me explain why granting land is utterly unfeasible."
By now, Wei Yuan had organized his thoughts. He spoke at an unhurried pace. "Ever since Qingming was established, major battles have never ceased. I have always employed wartime measures, concentrating the entire domain's power. Those who joined Qingming at the start were all folk from the Western Regions. Had Qingming fallen, their homes would have been destroyed and their clans wiped out. Thus, all of us shared a single heart, resisting the enemy to the death. Only because of that could we keep our foes—both internal and external—beyond our domain's borders.
"In those earliest days, everything lay in ruins, demanding rebuilding amid unspeakable hardship. Enemies in the imperial court nearly starved us to death by cutting off our rations, forcing us to dig pits and feign death to conserve food. At the most critical juncture, we had only three days of provisions left, and we were forced to raid a military redoubt just to scrape through. Though Qingming now has grain in abundance, the sight of people starving to death back then remains vivid in my mind."
Many cultivators from the Palace of Grand Beginning had accompanied him from the very beginning, so they naturally knew the history of that period.
Wei Yuan continued, "Looking across ten thousand years of history, grain has always come first. And the root of grain is arable land. The foundation upon which great aristocratic families rise rests upon two pillars: high cultivators and land. Someone is using the compensation for this war as an opportunity to demand land division. Their intentions are sinister—they want to pry open a breach for dividing land. Granting land as compensation today means granting land for military merits tomorrow. After that, will granting peerages and appointing officials also require land grants?"
Xu Henshui frowned. "Does this matter truly carry that much weight?"
Wei Yuan replied, "Everyone heard what I said to Liu Fei earlier. Someone has begun probing me. Qingming is currently founded on grain. With sufficient grain, we can in turn hold leverage over the commanderies of Ningxi. To take grain as the foundation is to take land as the foundation. Throughout history, land grants always reach the point where there is no more land left to give. When soldiers earn merits and there is nothing left to reward them with, only destruction remains.
"Moreover, once land is parceled out, annexation is inevitable. It will eventually concentrate in the hands of wealthy magnates, and as those magnates swallow one another, new aristocratic families will emerge."
Cui Yu said, "The emergence of aristocratic families is inevitable. Besides, if an aristocratic family arises in Qingming, won't it bear the surname Wei? Other aristocratic families can only get a slice of the pie here. And having received benefits, they naturally have to give something in return."
Wei Yuan weighed his words, pondering how to convince Cui Yu. What Cui Yu described was the most common state of affairs in the present day, and what everyone took for granted as the natural course of things.
At this moment, Bao Yun suddenly spoke up: "This matter probably started because the Domain Lord gave the New City to me. Well, in truth, the New City was given to the Bao family. Someone must have seen that precedent and gotten ideas. But there is one thing everyone might not know: from the moment the title and ownership were decided, a vast amount of karmic luck gathered upon me. And all that karmic luck should have belonged to Junior Brother."
Cui Yu immediately came to a realization. Though Bao Yun spoke from only one angle, that single angle alone was already unacceptable.
Having cultivated within Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World in recent days, Cui Yu naturally understood how vital karmic luck was to Wei Yuan. And throughout the numerous past wars, had it not been for Wei Yuan's transcendent combat prowess, Qingming would have been wiped out long ago.
To undermine his karmic luck was to strike at Wei Yuan's very root. Whatever anyone else thought, Cui Yu would be the first to refuse. Once the other cultivators of the Palace of Grand Beginning understood the gravity of the stakes, they naturally sided with Wei Yuan as well.
Reaching a consensus against granting land with the cultivators of the Palace of Grand Beginning immediately brought Wei Yuan a sense of relief.
Xu Henshui then said to Wei Yuan, "Nephew Cui was right about one thing: if an aristocratic family arises in Qingming, it must bear the surname Wei. At this stage, all our families should contribute first. Once the grand situation is settled in the future, it won't be too late to reward everyone according to their merits."
Wei Yuan shook his head. "I harbor no such grandiose ambition. I merely wish to build a paradise where people can survive, allowing more mortals to live on here."
At this point, most cultivators of the Palace of Grand Beginning felt this was merely a trivial matter. Wei Yuan had only used this opportunity to secure their support, ensuring that the wartime measures could continue—and that was enough.
Afterward, the cultivators dispersed, but Bao Yun remained behind and called Cui Yu to stay as well.
Bao Yun said to Wei Yuan, "Military governance cannot last forever. As Qingming grows by the day and gradually prospers, people's minds will also yearn for fullness and abundance. Therefore, we must plan ahead for our future policies."
Cui Yu remarked, "Every nation actually has ready-made policies. The Great Tang has stood for thousands of years; wouldn't it suffice to follow ancestral institutions and precedents? Then, on that foundation, see if realms beyond the heavens have any good methods, and borrow them for our own use."
Bao Yun asked, "Couldn't you tell that Junior Brother dislikes aristocratic families?"
Cui Yu sighed. "Of course I know that. But to become an aristocratic family, one must first be founded by an Immortal. When a family possesses an Immortal, mortal cultivators cannot resist them. One must provide sufficient resources and territory to sustain the Immortal and their clan; otherwise, the Immortal will simply take it themselves. That is the origin of aristocratic families. You cannot stop it—you can only guide it along and ride the trend. Once Qingming prospers, other aristocratic families will certainly seek to stick their hands in, and that cannot be stopped either. If you want to oppose one aristocratic family, you must have another family backing you. If you want to oppose two, you must have two by your side. Junior Brother rose from humble beginnings; external assistance is an absolute necessity along his path of rise. Relying solely on the Palace of Grand Beginning won't do. The Palace of Grand Beginning rose too fast and has spread itself too thin, with numerous halls and temples within. Each hall has its own disciples and juniors to look after. In the future, if even a tenth of its resources could be tilted toward Junior Brother, it would already be unprecedented and unimaginable.
"Naturally, I support Junior Brother unconditionally, but my voice in my family right now carries less weight than an ordinary elder's; my words are of little use. Only by methods like giving the New City to the Bao family can one truly draw in the genuine support of an aristocratic family."
Bao Yun also found sense in his words, sinking into thought.
Wei Yuan said, "The aristocratic families are a matter for later. Right now, I have another concern. Fire guns have played an indispensable role in Qingming winning so many battles. However, the King of Jin has already secretly formed an army equipped with imitated fire guns. In the future, more and more people will begin using fire guns. Therefore, we must prepare for a rainy day and think carefully about how to defeat opponents who have learned from us."
This matter could not be resolved in a single day, so Wei Yuan could only take it one step at a time. The world beyond the heavens surely had relevant experience, but Xu Wenwu unfortunately knew nothing of it.
Both Cui Yu and Bao Yun led troops, and they both found the dilemma thorny. They prepared to return and deliberate thoroughly over countermeasures.
Cui Yu and Bao Yun departed together. On the way, Cui Yu asked, "Sister Bao, how far have things progressed between you and Junior Brother? Why do I feel your relationship is rather odd?"
Bao Yun let out a sigh and said, "It is indeed complicated. If it were just the two of us, everything would be simple. But now Qiongshan Immortal Island and the Great Treasure Radiance Pure Land are involved, so my family would never sell me cheap. As for Junior Brother and me, each of us has our own principles to uphold. We can only take it one step at a time. What about you? Shouldn't a political marriage be on your agenda by now?"
Cui Yu gave a self-deprecating smile. "I do not possess an immortal foundation, so the pressure on me isn't as great as yours. Noble daughters of comparable standing look down on my aptitude and talent, while my family isn't content with candidates who merely possess Heaven Foundations, so it's just being dragged out for now. I plan to wait until after achieving a dharma idol before addressing it. Before one becomes a dharma idol, one is nothing more than an ant."
"You've found the opportunity for your dharma idol?"
"Mhm. Cultivating inside Junior Brother's dharma idol at night noticeably enhances spirituality. Moreover, I've learned an unprecedented method of operating divine sense that allows me to process multiple matters simultaneously: how to break down tasks, make requirements reasonable, distribute them, monitor task progress, and finally summarize and extract conclusions. Every step follows a strict... ah, it's called an algorithm. Improving algorithms is an immense discipline in itself, worthy of a lifetime of study."
Bao Yun asked a few more details, then looked at him with a strange expression. "Do you truly feel you are cultivating, rather than doing work for him?"
Cui Yu thought about it carefully, and his expression gradually turned strange as well.
Bao Yun suddenly asked, "Are there many fox spirits inside his dharma idol?"
Cui Yu recalled, then said, "Every time I enter, I am immediately led off to cultivate, and after that I focus entirely on cultivation. I didn't pay much attention to my surroundings—"
"Deliberately concealing it... It seems there must be a great secret inside," Bao Yun muttered to herself.
Meanwhile, Wei Yuan walked into the small building dedicated to handling government affairs. He summoned several cultivators, handed them a list of names, and ordered, "Seize everyone on this list and interrogate them separately."
The cultivators hurried off. Wei Yuan then summoned Xu Yi and Xu Wan'er, handed each of them a list of questions, and said, "A group of people will be delivered to the dungeon shortly. You two will be in charge of the interrogation. Question them thoroughly according to the list."
Both women glared fiercely at Wei Yuan before turning to leave.
Wei Yuan possessed innate divine abilities, and his divine sense was omnipresent within Qingming. Tracing the movements of low-level cultivators was effortless for him. Coupled with his crystal-clear memory of every person in the military, it didn't take long for him to pinpoint anyone who might have been in contact with Liu Fei.
Most of the Third Battalion led by Liu Fei was comprised of the Xu family's private army and Western Jin regular troops captured in the early days. At that time, Wei Yuan had not yet assumed office as Military Commissioner, and the status tier system had not yet been implemented.
Therefore, all these men had started with the status of commoners, though some were on the verge of becoming official troops. Moreover, they had not participated in Qingming's earliest and most grueling battles.
Nor did they regard the domain as their final refuge like those who joined Qingming at the start. Many of them still had families on the Xu family's side; it was simply that as humble households, they could never afford the ransoms Qingming demanded, leaving them separated.
Wei Yuan realized he had overlooked an issue: Liu Fei and the surrendered troops of the Xu family's private army had known each other from the beginning, and they had remained together after being incorporated into the army. Although subsequent recruits were added to expand them into a full battalion, the backbone remained that initial batch of surrendered Xu family soldiers.
This matter could be trivial or catastrophic. Wei Yuan began weighing the pros and cons of various courses of action.
At that moment, in a barracks inside the Left Army camp, several officers were gathered together. Most were battalion commanders, while one was a colonel commanding two battalions.
"I heard Liu Fei has already been thrown into prison. He won't talk recklessly, will he?" one commander worried aloud.
Another commander glared. "Even if he talks, it's no big deal! We merely harbored a wish; we haven't done anything! Right, General Feng?"
The colonel nodded. "We didn't ask for anything for ourselves; we only wanted a bit of compensation for our fallen brothers so their families could live in peace. If even this isn't allowed, then Qingming isn't worth staying in!"
"General Feng, the Domain Lord possesses boundless divine power. Wouldn't our actions be seen as forcing his hand? Can we even leave, and where could we go?"
The colonel smiled mysteriously. "Even without taking our troops, with our Dao Foundation cultivation, where couldn't we find a way to make a living? What's more, there are those right now who are thirsty for talent. As long as you follow me, I know a place where glory, splendor, and riches await us! It's far better than fighting every day here without a shred of benefit."
Before his words had finished echoing, the door was suddenly kicked open, and windows shattered as more than a dozen cultivators charged in. The lead cultivator scanned a list of names, looked at the crowd in the barracks, and barked, "Every one of them is on the list. Seize them all!"
Shocked and enraged, the officers shouted in succession, "What are you doing? We just earned great merits!"
The lead cultivator replied coldly, "I apprehend you by order of the Domain Lord! Anyone who resists dies! If you have anything to say, take it up with Lord Domain Lord!"
Beyond this place, officers in several other barracks were arrested as well.
Just past midnight, Wei Yuan received the interrogation records. As he read through them, his brow furrowed slightly. The interrogation results showed that these officers had all been secretly incited and recruited by the manager of a merchant caravan—a caravan that hailed from the state of Zhao.
Chapter 444