Under one person: I, Zhang Zhiwei, the arrogant Zhang.

Song Wen followed a young Taoist priest along the mountain path of Longhu Mountain.

He did not go alone. Although Xiao Shuai and Song Wu did not accompany him, he brought a team of elite guards.

This makes him seem somewhat timid, but in fact he is no mediocre person. In today's turbulent world, how many people can thrive without some real skills?
However, his actual skills were far from sufficient compared to the person he was about to meet, which is why he brought a team of elite guards.

In truth, he knew that if the person he was to meet truly harbored ill intentions, no amount of guards, let alone ten times as many, would be of any use.

But sometimes, having more people gives you more confidence. It's like walking alone at night; you're afraid of ghosts in the dark when you're alone, but you can chat and laugh with a few others.

But in reality, if there really are ghosts, it makes no difference whether there are one or several.

The group arrived at the back mountain of the Celestial Master's Mansion.

A tall figure stood with his back to them, hands clasped behind his back.

"Brother Zhiwei, the person has been brought here," the young Taoist priest said respectfully.

Zhang Zhiwei turned around and said, "You've worked hard. You should go back now."

The young Taoist priest nodded and then quickly left.

Zhang Zhiwei looked up and glanced at Song Wen.

Song Wen was surrounded by fully armed guards, but when that gaze swept over him, he still felt as if he had been doused with ice water, and a chill ran down his spine.

He subconsciously looked at his guards, only to find that they also seemed to be intimidated. The tall figure had taken away their souls and courage with just one glance, and the surrounding air was heavy and cold.

"Are you Song Wu's brother?" Zhang Zhiwei said. "Didn't Song Wu also come to Longhu Mountain? Why didn't he come with us?"

Song Wen took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and said, "I am Song Wu's cousin. He did come to Longhu Mountain, but he was somewhat intimidated by your majesty, Little Celestial Master, so he only offered incense at Tiantong Temple before leaving the mountain."

Zhang Zhiwei grinned: "He's a major financial backer of the Tiantong Church. He donated many buildings. Why would he be afraid of me?"

"This... I don't know!" Song Wen said, but in his heart he understood why Song Wu didn't want to see Zhang Zhiwei. The pressure was so strong that if he had a choice, he wouldn't want to see him a second time.

"Maybe he's afraid I'll ask him for more money. Things haven't been peaceful these past few years. With great power comes great responsibility. With your great abilities, you should definitely take on more responsibility."

Zhang Zhiwei smiled at Song Wen: "Mr. Song, you agree, right?"

Song Wen smiled and nodded: "That is certainly how it should be. A virtuous person, when poor, cultivates his own virtue; when successful, he benefits all under heaven!"

“Then I thank Mr. Song on behalf of all the people of the world.” Zhang Zhiwei changed the subject, “Mr. Song, what brings you here to see me?”

“Little Celestial Master, as you just said, with great power comes great responsibility. Now, China is in turmoil, surrounded by foreign enemies and beset by internal troubles. I, Song, am determined to strengthen the nation and improve its military, but even a skilled cook cannot make a meal without rice.”

"Whether it's airplanes, cannons, guns, or helmets, you need enough steel. Even if we put all our effort into the steel plants we have now, we can only produce about 100,000 tons of steel a year."

"Our country's annual consumption is as high as 750,000 tons, which is still not enough to meet our own needs. Before your Tiantong Steel Plant was built, we had to import hundreds of thousands of tons every year to meet our basic needs."

"Your Tiantong Steel Plant currently produces over 400,000 tons annually and is still expanding, with huge development prospects. If Little Master can cooperate with us, I have the funds and you have the steel, and we can build large-scale arsenals, expand our military, grow bigger and stronger, and create a new glory for China."

Zhang Zhiwei looked at Song Wen quietly, without interrupting him.

Song Wen continued, "Speaking of which, Little Celestial Master, you must deeply hate the Japanese pirates, right? I was very excited to hear about what you did in Northeast China and Shanghai."

"My attitude towards the Japanese pirates is actually the same as yours. I wish I could get rid of them as soon as possible, but unfortunately, I have the will to kill the thieves, but I am powerless to change the situation."

"On this point, we are of one mind! Although the Little Celestial Master is strong, his individual strength is ultimately no match for the power of a nation. I believe that we should cooperate to build a truly powerful army so that we can keep the enemy out of our borders!"

He asked earnestly, "Little Celestial Master, what do you think?"

"I think..." Zhang Zhiwei smiled, "not very good!"

Song Wen's face stiffened. He had been so humble in his words just now, but he didn't expect the other party to reject him so decisively, without giving him any face at all.

"Is the young master worried that I'll profit from this?" Song Wen asked anxiously. "You can rest assured about that! I manage multiple banks. If I really wanted to make money, I have plenty of ways to do so. I don't need to target the steel mill! If you're still worried, the accounts can be made public after we cooperate!"

Zhang Zhiwei said, "You are very sincere, but you can't make the decisions. If it were really handed over to you, I estimate that it wouldn't be long before you would come to me and say something like you are willing to develop the business but are powerless to reverse the situation."

These words were like a needle, piercing Song Wen's heart! His face flushed instantly, but he couldn't refute them. Yes, he seemed to hold a high position and great power, but in reality, he was hindered at every turn. He couldn't make decisions internally, and although he claimed to be in charge of the money, he couldn't actually control it.

He couldn't help but recall what had happened over the years. Ten years ago, he had already disagreed with his sister marrying a common man who led troops into battle.
Moreover, this vulgar man has a terrible reputation; he has had three or four illicit affairs with women, and he would never be interested in such a woman.

And the result? His objections were ineffective! His family and outsiders joined forces to exert pressure, seized his assets, and forced him to be the officiant at the wedding!

Since then, he has become a money bag, paying for his brother-in-law's absurd actions time and time again.

In particular, those failed encirclement campaigns, which involved hundreds of thousands of people, not only emptied the national treasury but also nearly drained his own resources.

He was in charge of the money and he was extremely worried about everything. In order to increase revenue and reduce expenditure, he formulated a detailed budget system.

But to his surprise, his brother-in-law agreed readily on the surface, but his spending on money was even more extravagant than before.

To win over Xiao Shuai, she even promised him a huge sum of 30 million yuan, which was practically a death sentence for him. His sister almost drove him to his death because of this money.

He also grew to the extreme of his disgust for his brother-in-law, especially after several major defeats in succession, when his brother-in-law, like a madman, wanted to mobilize a million troops for a massive annihilation.

Because he never wanted to fight a civil war, his brother-in-law, wanting to reduce his support, sent him abroad to seek sponsorship in order to gain national support to punish the Japanese invaders.

He went and humbly begged from various countries. When he returned, a huge hole of 60 million was placed in front of him.

He was going crazy. Unable to bear it any longer, he confronted his brother-in-law and started arguing with him. He angrily told his brother-in-law that if he had money to do this, he should go fight the Japanese pirates and take back the country.

At the time, his brother-in-law angrily rebuked him, saying, "You're just a worthless money manager! You can't even manage the money properly, and you still interfere with my decisions! You even said that the reason we suffered a series of defeats was because of your incompetence as the logistics officer; you didn't actively and effectively raise military funds and allocate funds." He immediately flew into a rage and retorted, "I don't value the position you gave me... The reason you were defeated was because of your incompetence... What other abilities do you have besides being tyrannical and indiscriminately killing innocent people? Even if I gave you all the money, you still wouldn't win."

Those words were utterly hurtful! Enraged, his brother-in-law slapped him twice. In a fit of rage, he grabbed a stool and retaliated! The two began to fight.

After the fight, he went back and resigned. But without him, the makeshift team really couldn't function properly, and a few months later, he was invited back.

However, although he regained power, his authority, especially in financial matters, was greatly diminished, and control fell into the hands of his brother-in-law's trusted henchmen.

Zhang Zhiwei's words were like cold water poured over his head. He began to ponder what the little master had just said. What would happen if Tiantong Steel Plant allowed him to join?

First of all, with his abilities, he can definitely develop better, but can he really protect himself?

Before, he always thought he could definitely hold on. He had even dared to pick up a stool and smash it against his brother-in-law, so who else could take things from him?!

But after the young master said that, he became a little unsure.

Just like how he was determined not to let his sister get married back then, but she still got married in the end, and he personally saw her off.

“What you said… makes some sense; I hadn’t considered it carefully,” Song Wen said with difficulty. He then offered a compromise: “Could I simply invest without getting involved in the specifics? I promise that once I invest, I will provide substantial low-interest loans to fully support the steel mill’s continued growth!”

Zhang Zhiwei shook his head again: "Mr. Song, there's no need for you to worry about the Tiantong Steel Plant. If you really have this in mind, you should support the Hanyang Arsenal."

"The entire Hanyang Arsenal is rotten; to revive it would be even more difficult than establishing a new factory!" Song Wen said urgently. "To be honest, my interest in the Tiantong Steel Plant might have some selfish motives, but more importantly, I want to truly strengthen our military to deal with the Japanese pirates!"

“I have no doubt about Mr. Song’s determination to deal with the Japanese pirates,” Zhang Zhiwei said. This was also the reason why he was willing to meet Song Wen. No matter what happens in the future, at least Song Wen is doing a good job now.

Back then, during the battle between Shanghai and the Japanese pirates, the higher-ups ordered that no fighting be carried out. The 19th Army disobeyed the order and took action on its own. He was the one who ran around raising funds for the 19th Army and mobilizing the tax police corps to help.

Later, when Japanese pirates occupied Northeast China, he condemned them in various ways and tried his best to protect the image of China.

When the Rehe War broke out, he rushed to the front lines to inspect various places, saying, "We will never give up the Northeast, we will never give up Rehe. Even if the enemy occupies our capital, no one will be willing to make a treaty under duress."

He also said that if the Japanese pirates attacked, he would mobilize the entire nation's resources to fight them, allowing his soldiers to focus on killing the pirates while he would raise funds for their supplies.

He also repeatedly called on all regions and sectors to set aside prejudices, unite as one, and work together to fight against the Japanese pirates.

Regardless of what happens in the future, at least for now, he is indeed remarkable.

Zhang Zhiwei continued, "But military equipment is not something that can be handled by a single steel mill. You can build an arsenal, and I will definitely have someone provide enough steel."

"Mr. Song, instead of focusing on these things, you should make good use of your influence to unite all parties and fight against the Japanese pirates. No matter how good the military equipment is, it will be in vain if it can't hit the Japanese pirates."

Song Wen was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "Actually, that's what I think too. Not long ago, I received a letter that said, 'The country is in dire straits. The only way to save the nation and ensure its survival is to return to the united front.'"

"They also said that I am a prominent figure in the country, with insights into the resistance against Japan, which is admirable. They hope that I will take the lead in advocating against traitors and collaborators and restore the spirit of Mr. Sun Yat-sen."

“I think it makes a lot of sense, but my influence as a prominent figure in this nation is still insufficient. I have failed in my duty,” Song Wen sighed.

“One prominent figure in the country isn’t enough; a few more would be enough,” Zhang Zhiwei said with a smile.

A prominent figure in a nation is someone who has status, influence, and prestige throughout the country.

"A few more?" Song Wen was taken aback. There were quite a few influential people, but who could sway his stubborn brother-in-law?

He looked at Zhang Zhiwei: "Little Celestial Master, you've lived in Longhu Mountain for a long time, do you know us well?"

"I don't know much about it," Zhang Zhiwei said.

"So what's your assessment?" Song Wen asked. "I'd like to hear it."

Zhang Zhiwei thought for a moment and said, "The organization with aspirations and ideals in your heart actually died ten years ago. What I am seeing now is just the process of its corpse rotting."

"You have experienced the Northeast, Shanghai, and Rehe, but they were all small-scale local resistances. Have you ever launched a top-down, nationwide counterattack?"

"No way! If this continues, we'll be in big trouble."

"Your brother-in-law has been fighting warlords for a long time, but in fact he himself is a warlord. No matter how much territory he occupies, with his vision and ability, he can only control one province or one city. He still acts like a local warlord."

Song Wen was speechless. Yes, he had seen through all of this, which was why his relationship with his brother-in-law had become increasingly strained.

After a long silence, Song Wen said, "In your opinion, Little Celestial Master, what should be done to restore light to the land of China?"

“A loud drum doesn’t need a heavy hammer; if it’s not a loud drum, then naturally you need to use a heavy hammer to hit it hard!” Zhang Zhiwei said.

"Is the young celestial master willing to be the one to deliver the heavy blow?" Song Wen asked again.

“I am not the hammer,” Zhang Zhiwei said, looking at Song Wen. “The hammer is already being raised.”

"Where is the heavy hammer?" Song Wen's eyes snapped open.

"Let the hammer be lifted for a while!" he would say.

"Raise it a little longer?" Song Wen felt that these Taoist priests spoke in a very mysterious way.

However, he could also tell that something big seemed to be happening soon, so he had to go back and make preparations as soon as possible.

Having said that, Song Wen no longer dared to hope to invest. He was about to take his leave when he stopped:
"Young Master, the investment is off. But the low-interest loan you promised remains valid. Please... make sure the steel mill continues to grow!"

Having said that, he solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute to Zhang Zhiwei, a gesture of courtesy typical of martial arts practitioners, and then turned to descend the mountain. (End of Chapter)