Knife splashing

Chapter 312 Struggle for Crossing
On the eve of the Dragon Boat Festival in the Jiachen year, Jiuling respectfully writes:

Dear Brother Yan:

It has been several months since we parted. I recall that my family was in danger last month. Fortunately, Brother Yan rushed to save us. I will always remember this and am grateful to him...

In front of the window, Li Yan was flipping through Yan Jiuling's letters.

In this era, the exchange of information is very slow.

It took a long time before Yan Jiuling in the capital learned about what happened in Yichang. He was so frightened that he immediately returned to Ezhou.

Of course, his father Yan Boyan had anticipated this and sent a servant to deliver a sternly worded letter, urging him to focus on the imperial examination and to reassure him.

Although he could not return, he still wrote several letters, one to his parents, brother, and Li Yan.

This letter talks about a lot of things.

First of all, of course, he expressed his gratitude. From the words, it can be seen that Yan Jiuling was very frightened.

Then, there were all kinds of observations and information.

Yan Jiuling was very smart. He knew what Li Yan valued more, so he shared a lot of news he saw in the capital without reservation.

Just as Li Yan expected.

The Yan family was not considered a big family in Ezhou, and even in Yichang, they were only upper-middle class. However, because of his grandfather Yan Jiuling's "Ten Strategies to Guard the Country", their identity immediately became extraordinary.

Emperor Daxuan adopted two of these strategies.

Both "opening up the sea for trade" and "reforming the native system" have had a significant impact on the current situation in China.

Any reform cannot be achieved without theoretical support.

With the strong financial support of Kaihai School, Yan Jiuling's grandfather, who was ignored during his lifetime, has now become a national master-level figure.

Anyway, just blow it however you can.

Therefore, Yan Jiuling quickly became a celebrity as soon as he arrived in the capital. Officials and wealthy businessmen who were well-connected vied with each other to invite him, and he was constantly invited to banquets of all sizes.

The local people were trying to find faults, and at several banquets in a row, some people criticized and questioned the party.

In this situation, the Yan family had no way out.

But fortunately, Yan Jiuling was good at thinking. On his way to Beijing, he visited many places and his knowledge far exceeded those who talked big.

Not only was he not stumped, he also put forward many insightful suggestions.

This time, it was really serious.

The Kaihai faction had always intended to flatter him, and this was like finding a treasure. Even the Emperor Daxuan asked for his name.

It was also because of this that Yan Jiuling came into contact with a lot of information that was difficult for ordinary people to know, and also gained a deep understanding of the situation in Daxuan.

Today's Daxuan Dynasty has reached a critical juncture.

Land annexation in various places has become very serious. Along with it, there has been the expansion of local forces in various states. Forming cliques for personal gain has become common, and they have even colluded secretly to influence the policies of the court.

The treasury is empty, and even the post stations can no longer be maintained...

These officials cannot be moved, because if they are moved, the place will be in chaos...

The court's military budget was not enough, and some generals even smuggled weapons secretly. Some of them bought food to maintain the stability of the army, while others bribed their superiors in an attempt to make further progress...

Now, the Emperor Daxuan is also a cruel and ruthless person, so he has naturally thought of many ways.

He increased the power of the Duwei Division and used his harsh laws to suppress officials. Although he cleared out some people, he also faced a greater backlash...

He tried to balance the two sides and divide the local forces, but it caused even greater chaos, and almost caused the same chaos as the Maitreya Sect...

If this continues, the Xuan Dynasty will probably lose control and decline in a few decades, and there are enemy countries around that are eyeing it covetously.

Opening up the sea for trade was the Emperor Daxuan's strategy.

The rise of the Kaihai faction caused the local native faction to begin to split, and a series of court struggles created a lot of trouble.

More importantly, the treasury began to fill up.

With money, everything is easy.

The first things Emperor Daxuan did was to mobilize the border troops. Through repeated transfers of generals, he kept a firm grip on military power.

This reform of the system of native officials was also a reorganization of the power in the army, and the emergence of new gunpowder made it even more powerful.

It can be said that as long as this war is victorious, the prestige of Emperor Daxuan will reach a new peak.

By then, I'm afraid there will be another round of bloody storm...

Naturally, the knowledgeable people in the court have seen this situation. Although they are in different positions, they all have a consensus that China will usher in changes.

Or the phoenix will be reborn from the ashes and continue its luck.

Or they may never recover and gradually decline.

There is no other way.

The source of all the chaos in China today lies here.

Just two months before the new firearms were developed, a master-level expert broke into the imperial city at night and tried to assassinate Emperor Daxuan, but was repelled by Huo Yin, the president of the Divine Fist Association and also a master.

But the identity of this master remains a mystery...

In addition, the Tiansheng Sect is not only causing chaos in Ezhou, but also in western Hunan, Lingyou, Guangxi, Minzhou and the sea... there are also evil forces causing trouble.

Therefore, the imperial court used Taoist documents to restrain the people in the Xuanmen sect while vigorously developing firearms...

In addition to the current situation, Yan Jiuling also talked about many of his experiences.

Lin Yu, the fat young man of the Lin family in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, found him. The two hit it off immediately. In addition, they both had a friendship with Li Yan, so they became good friends.

Yan Jiuling was originally fascinated by mountains, rivers, history, and folklore, but after seeing many things, he changed his mind and wanted to enter the court to govern the country and bring peace to the world...

As for the fat young master Lin Yu, he was curious by nature and followed him around the mansions, seeing many treasures...

In addition, Yan Jiuling also emphasized one issue.

Because the Ministry of Industry's new firearms drawings were stolen, new gunpowder needed to be explored in various places, and many overseas treasures and mechanical devices were transported to the capital...

For various reasons, Emperor Daxuan planned to establish a new school in the capital to specialize in the study of yin and yang, feng shui, mountain and river history, mechanical mechanisms and firearms, and many other miscellaneous subjects.

The name is Qiankun Academy, which means to take charge of everything.

Some people from the Confucian and Mohist schools are trying their best to promote this matter. Even some declining Xuanmen external alchemy sects are interested in it.

It is currently being prepared and will probably be established next year or the year after.

In the capital, many people were waiting to see the joke.

But Yan Jiuling felt that this academy might have great potential. If he passed the imperial examination and made it to the list, he would try to get into this academy...

Qiankun Academy?

Li Yan watched and a hint of interest emerged in his heart.

According to the letter, this academy was a bit like a comprehensive university in later generations, but it studied some strange and mysterious skills and things.

If I have a chance in the future, I will definitely go and see it...

…………

At Parrot Island Pier, the atmosphere became increasingly tense.

Today is another sunny day, the river surface sparkles under the dazzling sunlight. There are crowds of people on the shore, and dragon boats are neatly lined up beside the pier.

It is now the ninth day of May. As the competition progresses, those teams that came along for the fun and lacked strength have all been eliminated.

Everyone knows that the next few days are the key.

A winner will emerge every day, and on the last day, all the winners will race on the river to compete for the final championship.

The champion will have a domineering name, Jiang Shang Kui Shou. For the common people and some participating teams, this is just a grand festival. As long as the results are higher than those of the villages they dislike, they will be so happy that they will get drunk for several days.

If you win against your arch-enemy, you’ll have a grand banquet.

The loser was covered in disgrace and the villagers all looked down upon him.

For some big forces, winning the annual Jiangshang champion is also a symbol of strength, and they can stand taller when speaking out.

At this moment, all the dragon boats are in place.

From the dragon's head to its tail, there are colorful silk hanging, and a colorful flag in the center. This is called "hanging dragon clothes."

The men on the boat were all wearing vests and belts of the same color, revealing their muscular arms. They were concentrating and waiting for orders.

Unlike later generations, this dragon boat race was more lively, with not only big drums but also gong players to control the rhythm.

Of course, the most important thing is the "steersman", which is performed by the most experienced person, waving colorful flags to give commands. He is not only responsible for controlling the pace, but also for checking the route.

On the shore, a sacrificial ceremony was taking place.

Rows of Taoist priests were praying, incense smoke was burning, various sacrificial rice dumplings were laid out in a row, and many respected elders, on behalf of the people of the three towns of Wuchang, were praying and offering sacrifices.

This ceremony is held before every game.

Soon, with the crackling of firecrackers, some cake offerings and rice dumplings were all thrown into the river, marking the end of the ceremony.

Huh-boom!

The huge sky-piercing cannon shot into the air and exploded.

And this is the signal for the game to begin.

In an instant, thousands of oars were set in motion and the dragon boats surged out to sea like a dragon.

Gongs and drums sounded, the helmsmen stood at the stern waving colorful flags, and the crew members shouted slogans and moved in unison, inserting the oars into the water at the same time, splashing water.

Dragon boats ride the wind and waves and gallop across the river.

Boom boom boom!
The gongs and drums are like war drums. The dragon boats are chasing each other, refusing to give in, just like a battle on the battlefield, which makes people's blood boil.

On the shore, the people were also shouting like waves, their faces flushed, and they were standing on tiptoe, vying to watch.

Not to mention the dock, even the trees in the distance were full of people, waving their own small flags and shouting. Sometimes someone would get too excited and slip and fall into the river.

Some big shots who came to watch naturally would not crowd with the common people. A high platform was specially built near the Parrot Island Pier, and there was even a sunshade for them to watch.

Shi Chen, the leader of the Pai sect, was also among them.

However, his attention was not on the game, but on playing with the flintlock rifle in his hand with great interest.

The head of the Wudang Escort Agency nearby saw this and couldn't help but shake his head slightly, "Shi Paitou, although you already have a quota, this thing is a murder weapon after all, so you'd better not take it out and make it conspicuous."

"It's not nice to hurt someone on such a happy occasion."

"The murder weapon?"

Shi Chen smiled and said disdainfully: "For people like us in the martial arts world, knives are weapons, sticks are weapons, and even these hands are weapons. Do we have to chop them off and send them home?"

"This thing is a deterrent. What's the point of hiding it? Only by displaying it openly can we deter the scoundrels."

"Master Li, don't blame me for being nosy. With this thing, the world of martial arts has changed."

"Your escorts train hard in the summer and winter, but how many of them can become famous? Most of them are just mediocre and need to be trained with great effort."

As he spoke, he raised the flintlock rifle in his hand and said proudly: "With this thing, I only need to spend more money to immediately set up a musketeer team. No matter how many people come, I can knock them down with one shot!"

The head of the escort agency suddenly looked unhappy and said, "This thing is just an artifact. No matter how good an artifact is, it still needs people to use it..."

"Alright, alright."

Shi Chen said impatiently: "I am too lazy to argue with you. Confucian scholars study and warriors practice martial arts. They are different from ordinary people. It's the same principle. What do you think the court wants to do by releasing this thing?"

"If warriors are shot to death by ordinary people at random in the future, how many people do you think will be willing to suffer this?"

After these words were spoken, everyone around fell silent.

They had heard a lot about muskets, but after getting a spot and getting a few to test, they understood a lot of things.

This thing may not pose a threat to them.

But those ordinary disciples who had only recently started practicing martial arts could not stop it at all.

After all, ordinary disciples are the majority, which means that the court runners equipped with firearms can suppress them.

This is still an ordinary musket.

If there were a few new-style muskets, even they would be shot into pieces if they were not careful.

The situation in the martial arts world has indeed changed.

There are some masters who cannot be defeated even by new-style muskets, but how many masters can there be? After all, the martial arts world is made up of ordinary people...

For a moment, everyone was uneasy and fell into deep thought.

At the same time, the competition on the river was still going on. After a fierce competition, Paijiao won again.

"Hahaha…"

Shi Chen was very proud. He stood up, put his rifle on his waist, and bowed to the people around him, saying, "Everyone, thank you for letting me. I will host a banquet in my house today. Please come and enjoy it."

"That's natural."

"I must ask for a glass of water."

That was how he spoke, and everyone was already used to it. But the Pai Cult had considerable influence on the Jiang after all, so no matter whether they went or not, they had to say some polite words.

There is no way, this is what they call it is difficult to offend a villain.

Shi Chen laughed and led his men away from the Parrot Island Wharf and back to Wuchang City.

He was the leader and had accumulated considerable wealth over the years. The house he built was one of the best even in Wuchang City. He also married several concubines and had a large number of children.

At this moment, a stage had already been set up in the mansion, and people from several groups were performing on the stage. As soon as the news of victory came out over there, a buffet was set up here.

"Meet the Shipaitou!"

"Brother Shi, congratulations!"

The guests who came to congratulate stood up to greet them.

"Hahaha, we are happy together!"

Shi Chen smiled heartily and toasted everyone at each table.

Meanwhile, at a table in a remote corner, the twins from the Fu family were drinking wine, smiling as they looked at Shi Chen in the distance...

…………

"Mr. Li, this way please!"

Under the guidance of the young monk, Li Yan entered Baotong Temple.

Two days had passed unknowingly. He waited in the Chamber of Commerce for a long time. When the sun set, he received the news and arrived at Baotong Temple.

Zen Master Tongxuan said that he would give him an opportunity today.

This matter had been mentioned by Master Mingzhu at the beginning, but Li Yan did not take it seriously. However, when Master Tongxuan brought it up again, he became quite interested.

It seems that this opportunity is probably not simple.

Even though night had fallen, Baotong Temple was still busy with monks constantly coming and going. But after arriving at the main hall, Li Yan noticed something strange.

There was no one here, and the sounds from outside seemed to be completely blocked out, making it eerily quiet...

　I wish you all a happy Mid-Autumn Festival. The second update will be later.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)