The world of film and television starts from the flow of money

Hengshan, known as the "Southern Peak" among the "Five Mountains", is also known as Shouyue and Shoushan. It is located in Hengyang in central Hunan today. It has a great reputation in the martial arts world and is one of the Five Mountains sword sects along with the Huashan Sect.

It is more than 2,000 miles from Huashan to Hengshan. Yi Huawei rode non-stop all the way, sleeping in the open air, and when he arrived in Changsha, he counted on his fingers and found that there were only five days left before Liu Zhengfeng's retirement meeting.

Changsha city is quite lively, with people coming and going.

Yi Huawei took a short rest in an inn, when suddenly an idea flashed through his mind. At this time, the Fuwei Escort Agency should have been targeted by the Qingcheng Sect. Along the way, he had not heard any news of any incident at the Fuwei Escort Agency, so the Qingcheng Sect should not have taken any action at this time.

The historical process in the world of Swordsman is roughly the same as that in the original time and space. Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty expelled the Tartars and established the Ming Dynasty. In the middle and late reign of Zhu Houcong, he was obsessed with Taoism and favored Yan Song's party, which led to rampant corruption in the court and made the people miserable.

The Mongols in the north frequently invaded the border, burning, killing and looting; the Japanese pirates in the southeast coast were rampant and committed all kinds of evil. Fortunately, there were capable officials such as Xu Jie and Gao Gong who tried their best to maintain the situation, so that it did not get completely out of control.

In 1566, Zhu Houcong took a large number of elixirs but failed to ascend to heaven. The throne was passed to Prince Yu Zhu Zaigui - the only prince alive at the time who had not been made crown prince.

Zhu Zaigui knew that his ability was limited, so he simply handed over the power of government to the cabinet ministers and indulged himself in sensual pleasures. However, during this period, the high positions in the court were all pragmatic and hard-working people, and there were no treacherous and evil people. The country's politics and economy were able to develop steadily, laying the foundation for subsequent prosperity.

However, Zhu Zaigui indulged himself too much and died after only six years in office.

History took a turn here. The throne was not passed on to his 9-year-old son Zhu Yijun, but to his younger brother Zhu Zaiquan.

When Zhu Zaiquan ascended the throne, he worked hard to develop the economy, bringing unprecedented prosperity to the Ming Dynasty. Capitalism even sprouted in the Jiangnan region, achieving the "Wanli Restoration". (It was also during this period that Lin Yuantu founded the Fuwei Escort Agency)

However, the good times did not last long. In the middle and late period of Zhu Zaiquan's reign, he became increasingly lazy and indulged in wine and sex. Not only did he fail to continue the momentum of revival, but he dragged the Ming Dynasty step by step into the abyss. In the Battle of Sarhu, the Ming army was defeated and its vitality was severely damaged. From then on, it was no longer able to organize large-scale attacks. In the end, Zhu Zaiquan died of illness in the Hongde Hall of the Forbidden City.

Zhu Changxun succeeded to the throne, and the eunuchs and civil officials fought endlessly. The East Factory, West Factory and other secret agencies were extremely powerful and arbitrarily monitored officials and civilians, causing panic among the people. Officials were so focused on party struggles that they had no time to care about the affairs of the underworld. As long as the underworld forces did not openly rebel, the court would let them do whatever they wanted.

In order to maintain stability in their jurisdictions, local officials usually try to appease local martial arts sects and escort agencies. Even if conflicts arise, they try to mediate and do not dare to start a war. This is because the forces in the martial arts world are complex and intricate, and improper handling can easily lead to chaos.

During this period, the borders of the Ming Dynasty were not peaceful either.

Although the Mongolian tribes in the north had been attacked and divided many times, they still went south to plunder the border from time to time. Small-scale cavalry raids continued, causing great harm to the people on the border and exhausting the local garrisons. In order to resist the northern border troubles, the imperial court invested a lot of money and grain to maintain the Great Wall defense line and station troops, and the inland control resources were reduced as a result.

Along the eastern coast, the Japanese pirates' rebellion intensified. There were frequent wars in Japan, and a large number of ronin warriors colluded with pirates and crossed the sea to invade coastal towns of the Ming Dynasty. They burned, killed, and looted, causing heavy losses to coastal fishing villages and port towns. The imperial court's coastal defense forces were unable to cope with the situation at first because they had been away from battle for a long time and their armaments were in disrepair. The coastal commerce suffered a heavy blow, and many coastal escort routes of the Fuwei Escort Agency were forced to be interrupted, greatly affecting business.

In the southwest, there were constant frictions with Myanmar, Siam and other countries. Border disputes and trade disputes occurred one after another. The local chieftains were wavering. Sometimes they were bewitched by Myanmar to confront the Ming Dynasty, and sometimes they were intimidated by the Ming Dynasty to return to control. The situation was extremely complicated. Such border conflicts led to frequent movement of people in the martial arts world. Many masters, with the ambition to serve the country, joined the anti-Japanese and border defense teams; there were also ambitious people who took advantage of the chaos to stir up trouble and seek personal gain, making the already turbulent martial arts world even more turbulent.

...............

I've strayed off topic, let me get back to the point.

Fuwei Escort Agency was founded in the middle of the Ming Dynasty. The first head, Lin Yuantu, was born in Southern Shaolin Temple. He was originally a proud disciple of Master Hongye, and his Buddhist name was Duyuan. Lin Yuantu was gifted and had a high level of understanding of martial arts. He was particularly obsessed with the "Sunflower Manual", one of the 72 unique skills. At that time, two seniors of the Huashan School, Yue Su and Cai Zifeng, secretly read the manual from Putian Shaolin Temple. Before they could fully understand it, they attracted the attention of the martial arts world. Master Hongye sent Duyuan to persuade them. However, Duyuan was inspired by the scriptures of the manual and returned to the secular world to enter the martial arts world, transforming himself into Lin Yuantu.

It was during this period that bandits were rampant, goods were often looted, and merchants were suffering. Lin Yuantu saw the opportunity and, relying on his martial arts, found an old house in Fuzhou City, Fujian, and erected a signboard of "Fuwei Escort Agency".

Lin Yuantu established himself with the 72-move "Evil-Exorcising Sword Technique", which was fierce and fierce, as fast as lightning, and the trajectory of the sword was tricky and strange, making it difficult for others to figure it out. With this peerless martial arts, he founded a school in Fuzhou City and made a name for the Fuwei Escort Agency.

In the early days, Fuwei Escort Agency was just a small martial arts company, relying on Lin Yuantu's personal force to escort some ordinary goods. But as Lin Yuantu repeatedly repelled robbers and resolved disputes, his reputation gradually grew.

The business scope of the escort agency began to radiate from Fuzhou to the surrounding areas, to Zhejiang in the north and Guangdong in the south, and branches were opened along the way. More and more escorts were hired, and the power gradually expanded. Because of its outstanding reputation and the bodyguards never failed, dignitaries and wealthy businessmen came to the door one after another. In just over a decade, Fuwei Escort Agency accumulated huge wealth and became the leading escort agency in the Jiangnan area.

The business in Jiangnan was flourishing, and valuable goods such as silk, porcelain, and tea were constantly flowing in and out. Fuwei Escort Agency established long-term cooperation with major merchants in Suzhou, Hangzhou, Yangzhou, etc. They escorted escort cars loaded with silk and satin, shuttled through the water towns in Jiangnan, and made contributions to opening up the northern market for silk and satin merchants in Suzhou and Hangzhou.

To the west, the escort team entered Jiangxi and Hunan, connecting with the inland transportation of porcelain and medicinal materials. The exquisite porcelain from Jingdezhen and the precious medicinal materials from Hunan were loaded onto the escort vehicles and transported to the residences of dignitaries in various places. To the south, deep into Lingnan, the overseas treasures and spices from coastal port cities were transported to the inland with the help of the Fuwei Escort Agency, and the fruits and specialties of Lingnan also flowed to the north.

In order to operate better, Fuwei Escort Agency has set up branches in key cities. The Ningbo branch in Zhejiang is close to the port and is responsible for loading and unloading overseas goods and dealing with sea merchants from various countries every day; the Jingdezhen branch in Jiangxi is located in a porcelain kiln cluster area, which is convenient for receiving porcelain orders and organizing escort transportation in the first time; the Guangzhou branch in Lingnan is even more lively, with mountains of exotic goods and escorts frequently dispatched here.

Each branch office and the headquarters in Fuzhou rely on well-trained carrier pigeons and fast horses to exchange information, so that they can quickly coordinate and respond to emergencies such as robberies and delays.

The escort agency has a strict organization and detailed division of labor.

As the chief escort leader, Lin Yuantu is in charge of the overall situation and makes decisions on major matters. He has four escort leaders under his command, who are in charge of the four escort teams in the southeast, northwest, northeast and southwest, and each leads dozens of escort masters and porters.

The selection of escorts is strict. Not only do they require strong martial arts, but they also value experience and adaptability in the underworld. Most of them are experts who have been in the underworld for many years. The porters are responsible for clearing the way, looking out, and delivering messages. They need to be nimble and have a loud voice. In daily operations, when accepting an escort order, the accountant first calculates the value and risk, negotiates the escort fee, and then the escort leader plans the route and deploys the staff. Before the escort team sets off, they must offer sacrifices to the escort flag and pray for a safe journey. The escort flag embroidered with the words "Fu" and "Wei" is also well-known in the underworld. When ordinary thieves see it, they will mostly give way.

Fuwei Escort Agency opened up many key trade routes. Starting from Fuzhou, passing Wuyi Mountain into Jiangxi, then along the Ganjiang River to Jiujiang, and then connecting to the Yangtze River waterway, you can directly reach commercial cities such as Nanjing and Yangzhou; going south along the coastline, relying on the power of maritime shipping, connecting coastal cities in Fujian and Guangdong. Relying on these mature escort routes, precious goods such as porcelain, tea, medicinal materials, and silk can travel unimpeded under the escort of the escort agency, bringing endless wealth to Fuwei Escort Agency, and also allowing it to establish intricate interest relationships with local chambers of commerce and gangs.

When Lin Yuantu was alive, Fuwei Escort Agency had a high status in the martial arts world. He was a master of martial arts and had many friendships with the leaders of famous sects such as Shaolin and Wudang. During festivals, they kept exchanging letters, exchanging martial arts and discussing Buddhism. When encountering disputes in the martial arts world, Lin Yuantu would mediate with his prestige, often making both sides give him some face and turn hostility into friendship. Fuwei Escort Agency also often funded some downtrodden sects and rescued fellow martial artists in disaster areas, thereby accumulating a good reputation and attracting many wanderers in the martial arts world to join the agency and be willing to work for it.

In dealing with local forces, the Fuwei Escort Agency maintains a delicate balance with local governments. It pays taxes on time, and when there are official missions to escort materials, it will also undertake them at a low price to give the government enough face; in return, the government will secretly help when the escort agency encounters trouble, crack down on gangs that take advantage of the fire to rob, and ensure that the escort road is unobstructed. In the business circle, it is closely connected with major banks and businesses. The escort agency escorts important documents such as silver bills and contracts for them, and the banks and businesses provide the escort agency with convenient capital turnover, forming a mutually beneficial and win-win ecology. Even some gangs, such as some small gangs in Fuzhou, are protected by the Fuwei Escort Agency and follow the lead of the escort agency in exchange for a stable livelihood and protection. Under Lin Yuantu's planning, the Fuwei Escort Agency has woven a huge social network across the martial arts world, officialdom, and business circles.

When Lin Yuantu got old, he handed over the escort agency to his son Lin Zhongxiong. Lin Zhongxiong's martial arts were far inferior to his father's. Although he practiced the sword technique diligently, he only learned the basics, and the power was less than one-tenth or one-twentieth of the original. Fortunately, he was honest and good at managing relationships. With the help of his father, he was able to stabilize the situation. But problems followed one after another. The escort agency's inheritance emphasized martial arts over literature, and the training of the younger generation lacked systematic planning. Most of the descendants of the Lin family practiced martial arts since childhood, and neglected the study of literature and business management knowledge, which caused the operation of the escort agency to gradually become rigid.

In terms of martial arts inheritance, the real sword technique of exorcising evil spirits requires castration of one's own flesh and blood. It is naturally difficult for "future generations" to reproduce Lin Yuantu's former glory. By the time of Lin Zhennan's generation, the crisis has completely surfaced.

Lin Zhennan has a good business sense. He tries to open up new escort routes and expand his business, but this affects the interests of other forces.

In the west, the Tang Clan of Sichuan coveted the huge profits on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. They used to be wary of Lin Yuantu, but now they feel that they have an opportunity, so they secretly instigated their gangs to rob the escort teams of the Fuwei Escort Agency heading west many times. In the north, some branches of the Beggars' Gang were bewitched by the local escort agency, and on the grounds that the escort agency's power was invading the Beggars' Gang's base, they also began to make things difficult for the escort teams of the Fuwei Escort Agency heading north, setting up checkpoints for inspection or inciting refugees to loot, causing the losses to continue to expand.

At the same time, rumors about the Exorcist Sword Technique spread under the guidance of interested people. The rumors in the martial arts world became more and more intense, saying that the Lin family's Exorcist Sword Manual contained the secret to dominate the martial arts world, which attracted the covetousness of various powerful people. The Sun and Moon Divine Sect had long wanted to take this mysterious sword manual into its pocket to expand the martial arts secrets library of the sect; Zuo Lengchan of the Songshan School also wanted to merge the Five Mountains Sword Sects and achieve hegemony, and sent spies to sneak into Fuzhou City to spy on the every move of the Fuwei Escort Agency. Yu Canghai of the Qingcheng School and others were also coveting it secretly. The Fuwei Escort Agency was like being in the center of a storm, and it was shaky.

Yi Huawei originally thought that since he had severely injured Yu Canghai, the Qingcheng Sect would not attack the Fuwei Escort Agency so quickly. During the journey, he had not heard any news of any incident at the Fuwei Escort Agency, so he planned to wait until Liu Zhengfeng's resignation ceremony was over before heading to Fujian to visit Lin Zhennan.

In his estimation, with this period of buffer time, the Fuwei Escort Agency could at least remain safe for the time being. However, he did not expect that the Qingcheng Sect would act much faster than he had imagined, and even launched a brutal attack on the Fuwei Escort Agency several days in advance.

After being seriously injured, Yu Canghai did not fall into silence as Yi Huawei had expected. While he was recovering from his injuries, he summoned his trusted followers to make plans. He had been coveting the Exorcist Sword Technique, but now that he was defeated by Yi Huawei and his reputation was ruined, he had to fight quickly and obtain the Exorcist Sword Technique to avoid any more trouble.

The disciples were already full of energy, and when they saw their master nod, they immediately made a plan and rushed out in full force to attack the Fuwei Escort Agency. They gave up the means of infiltration and gradual testing, and directly attacked the Fuwei Escort Agency by surprise with the most fierce attack.

.....................

After the incident at Fuwei Escort Agency, Lin Pingzhi instantly went from being a pampered escort leader to a desperate criminal. He begged for food along the way. At first, he couldn't open his mouth and was so hungry that he finally mustered up the courage to ask passers-by for food. Sometimes he was lucky and met a kind-hearted peasant woman who gave him a few coarse grain buns; if he was unlucky, he could only pick wild fruits in the mountains to fill his stomach.

Fortunately, Fujian had good weather and a good harvest that year, so the people had plenty of food. Even though he was dressed in rags and his face was covered in filthy paint, his manners were elegant and he did not annoy others, so it was not too difficult for him to find food.

Lin Pingzhi was concerned about his parents' safety. He kept asking for their whereabouts along the way, asking everyone he met, not missing a single clue, but how could he get any useful information? After eight or nine days of walking, he had unknowingly reached Jiangxi. Hearing that there was a branch of the escort agency in Nanchang, he thought that there might be some information there. Even if he couldn't get his parents' whereabouts, at least he could get some money and ask for a fast horse to speed up his pursuit.

Unexpectedly, the entire street of Nanchang Escort Agency was covered with charred wood, red bricks and rubble. The once prosperous escort agency was now only a dead ruin.

Lin Pingzhi stood there for a long while, his eyes reddened, he bit his lips tightly, hatred surging in his heart. He did not delay any longer in Nanchang and headed west that day.

(End of this chapter)