Shushan: Extinction

Chapter 214 Rushing in
Normally, Coach Gu would train physical fitness first, then formation, then sparring, and finally archery or horse riding.

Coach Gu is a strict person, but he is not without emotional intelligence. He knows that Gong Tianwu has just recovered from his broken arm, so he arranged relatively less exercise for him.

If it was the previous seventh son of the Marquis' Mansion, whose personality was that he hated martial arts and loved literature, he would definitely just fool around and then muddle through. But now that it is Gong Tianwu, he will definitely not do that.

Soon they entered into the sparring session.

Gong Tianwu first looked at the third brother Chen Feiyong next to him, and found that his eyes were evasive. He immediately knew what was going on, so he walked up to him with his sword and shield in hand and said:

"Third brother, please give me some advice."

Although Gong Tianwu and Chen Feiyong have a two-year age difference, Chen Feiyong has been weak and sickly since childhood, so he looks even shorter.

But Gong Tianwu spoke loudly, and everyone around heard it. In addition, his father Chen Yunsheng's character is that you can lose, but you can't be a coward, so Chen Feiyong could only grit his teeth and say:

"it is good!"

Gong Tianwu knocked the shield hard with his knife and said:

"please!"

After the fight started, Chen Feiyong probably thought that it was just right that Gong Tianwu's left hand was broken, so he shouted loudly, raised his wooden sword and chopped forward.

Gong Tianwu easily raised his shield to block it.

With his strength that had once reached the "extreme of martial arts", it was too easy for him to deal with such an enemy. He killed Chen Fei in just a few moves, making him gasp for air and sweat profusely.

Suddenly, Gong Tianwu raised his shield and charged forward. Chen Feiyong stumbled back, and the two began to fight in close combat. Only then did Gong Tianwu whisper:

"You have a conflict with Old Seven, why are you messing with me?!"

Chen Feiyong said in panic:
"I'm not, I didn't!"

Gong Tianwu hit his shield hard with his elbow and said with gritted teeth:
"You didn't? Someone saw you messing around in the garden. The cage with the beast is still there."

Chen Feiyong immediately said in shock:

"Nonsense! They didn't use a cage at all. They used a sack to hold the person."

Gong Tianwu sneered, kicked out fiercely, knocked Chen Feiyong to the ground, and ended the sparring.

Gong Tianwu then didn't waste any words and strode towards the inner court - of course he couldn't suffer this loss in silence, so he told Lao Wu's biological mother, Madam Wang, and let them fight each other.

After all, the people in Zhenbeihou’s house are not harmonious at all.

Although Mrs. Wang occupies the position of the Marquis' wife and is also very shrewd and an expert in palace fighting, she cannot resist the strong desire of Chen Yunsheng, the Marquis of Zhenbei, to enrich his harem.

Those wives and concubines who came from high-class families and had noble status were banding together to fight against Mrs. Wang.

However, when he walked into the inner palace, Gong Tianwu's spiritual sense should have reached about 15 points, which was much sharper than that of ordinary people, so he heard someone talking from a distance:
"We have lost contact with the Young Marquis for five days, right?"

"Six days!"

"I've said it before, Lao Qin (Qin Hai) was lucky last time he succeeded, it's impossible to succeed every time."

"I guess the prince was instigated by that group of people, so he took the risk. The people of the Naiman tribe are not fools, how could they fall into the trap every time?"

"The Marquis left last night, right? There's nothing we can do about it. Once that bastard Li Tao finds out about this, it'll be troublesome."

"."

After hearing the news, Gong Tianwu's heart suddenly moved:
"Chen Feidi actually ventured in and got trapped?"

"Chen Yunsheng went out secretly to rescue?"

These two pieces of news can be said to be quite important!

After receiving this news, he thought about who Gong Tianwu was and came up with several plans.

For Gong Tianwu, the interests of the entire Marquis' Mansion are not important. His own interests are the core, so now he has to work hard to manage it. As for the little frictions between brothers, they are nothing at all.

Therefore, Gong Tianwu decisively turned around and walked out of the house.

At this moment, he suddenly felt that his low status also had its advantages. At least no one cared about his entry and exit of the mansion.

Needless to say, Gong Tianwu must have gone to his uncle Cui Ziyang's shop. Cui Ziyang was checking the accounts at this time. When he saw Gong Tianwu, he immediately smiled and said:

"Seventh Brother is here?"

Gong Tianwu nodded, without saying any more nonsense, and said directly:
"Another opportunity has come. We can use the cash we have now to buy some food."

After hearing this, Cui Ziyang immediately had an idea and said:

"it is good!"

Gong Tianwu looked around and said:

"Is my second uncle here?"

Cui Ziyang said:

"He just went back yesterday."

Gong Tianwu said:

"Last time, my second uncle told me that he wanted to form a caravan and travel around. I think it's a good idea. How many people has his caravan recruited now?"

As the saying goes, if you live by the mountain, you can eat by the mountain; if you live by the water, you can eat by the water. Sansheng City is close to the border and grassland, so it must make a living by border trade, so it must form a corresponding caravan.

However, although this business is lucrative, the risks are also great. Apart from anything else, if you want to run a border trade caravan, you need at least a dozen brave fighters in the caravan.

Gong Tianwu said that it was his second uncle who wanted to form a caravan, but in fact it was the result of his constant hints, guidance and inducement during the conversation.

For Gong Tianwu, he must keep a low profile in the next one or two years. After all, the threat from the Floating Life Map is like a thorn in his side.

However, being low-key in life and high-key in work are not contradictory. You can hide yourself, but you can support other people to come out, and these people will not be monitored by the Fu Shengtu!
Gong Tianwu has thought it through clearly. Since he wants to retrace the path of Emperor Tianyuan and cultivate his roots in the mortal world, he must build up his own power.

Therefore, in Gong Tianwu's plan, Cui Ziyang, who has business talent and reliable loyalty, is the one to be supported first, because he is his own money bag.

It is well known that without money, everything you do is in vain.

At the same time, Cui Zicheng, the second uncle, was strong, liked hunting, and had good archery skills, so he was temporarily planned by Gong Tianwu into the "martial arts" direction.

By taking both civil and military approaches at the same time, wouldn't it be possible to form the basic team?

Hearing Gong Tianwu's question, Cui Ziyang was stunned and said, "Ah? Second brother hasn't mentioned this to me yet. You know his character."

Gong Tianwu said:

"It's better to do it now than to wait for a good day. How about this, Third Uncle, accompany me to the human market. There should be a wave of market recently. Let's set up the caravan first."

Cui Ziyang was somewhat stunned:
"Ah? Are you going to the human market to buy people? This caravan invites people from the same hometown to join them."

Gong Tianwu smiled and said:
"Uncle, I will be an adult in two or three years. Once I am an adult, the Marquis' Mansion will definitely send me away."

"Although I am nominally the seventh son of the Marquis' Mansion, you are well aware of the situation in the Marquis' Mansion. There are more than ten brothers alone, and the number may continue to increase in the future."

"My brothers either get the favor of their father or have powerful families on their mother's side to rely on, but I have none of these."

"So, if I don't prepare for some things now, I will be in a mess in the future."

After hearing this, Cui Ziyang immediately agreed with it and said:

"Okay, I'll go with you then."

***
About an hour later, Cui Ziyang accompanied Gong Tianwu to the human market in Sansheng City.

This place is located in a remote corner in the west of the city, a place full of depression and despair.

There was a dull smell in the air, a mixture of sweat, mildew and an indescribable smell of decay, as if even the wind was carrying a heavy sigh.

The color of Renshi is gray and monotonous. There is a large open space surrounded by a shabby wooden fence. The ground is full of mud, and there are occasional puddles of water that reflect the gray sky.

Inside the fence, groups of ragged people, their hands and feet tied with ropes, were lined up like cargo.

Most of them were slaves captured from the grasslands. Their skin was dark and rough from being tanned by wind and sun. Their faces had the high cheekbones and deep eye sockets unique to grassland people, but their eyes were full of numbness and despair.

Their clothes were tattered, some were just a few pieces of rags to barely cover their bodies, their feet were wrapped in straw ropes, and their bodies were covered in dust and grass from the grassland.

Some were desperate Han Chinese who had to sell themselves. Their faces were pale, their eyes were filled with shame and helplessness, they lowered their heads, and dared not look at anyone. Although their clothes were somewhat neat, they had long been faded and worn. In their hands they tightly grasped a few crumpled pieces of paper with the words "sale contract" written on them.

After arriving here, Gong Tianwu's ears were filled with shouts one after another:

"Strong laborers from the grassland who can ride horses and shoot arrows are sold at a low price!"

"Young woman, you are very industrious and you can weave a blanket!"

"This kid's head is bigger than the wheels, so he can herd sheep without any problem."

"Bah! You call an old onion like this young and beautiful?"

"Uncle! This price is already very good."

"."

The bargaining sounds were condescending and indifferent, as if they were discussing the price of livestock rather than living people.

Occasionally, one or two low sobs or pleas were heard from the crowd, but they were quickly drowned out by the noisy market, like a wisp of smoke, disappearing in an instant.

Next to the fence, there were some children huddled in the corner, their faces covered with dirt and their eyes filled with fear and confusion.

Not far away, an old man was kneeling on the ground with his hands clasped together, muttering to himself, as if he was praying or begging. There was a faint smell of blood in the air, coming from somewhere, which was chilling.

Cui Ziyang is indeed a strong man with Class B business talent. When he came here, he still had quite a lot of acquaintances and frequently greeted and said hello to people.

After a rough walk, Cui Ziyang said:
"If we follow your standards, Brother Seven, then it would be best to buy those who are already herdsmen on the grassland."

"They are born in humble families and have suffered since birth. They dare to fight and kill. Giving them slightly better treatment can win their hearts. If we can reward them with some wine every day, they will be even happier."

Gong Tianwu nodded and found that what Cui Ziyang said made sense. He used Bai Ze's bloodline passive skill: the ability to identify people to make an identification.

It is found that this type of shepherd slaves usually have low/medium-level grazing skills. If you have a ranch, it is no problem to buy them for management.

The herdsmen also had fighting capabilities, and 80% of them had mastered a skill called "stone throwing", which must have been learned by throwing clods of earth at livestock while grazing.

Nearly 30% of the pastoral slaves have mastered the skill of "horse riding and archery", which is very important.

It is worth mentioning that the skills that can be specifically listed and recognized are all at a professional level.

Take playing basketball as an example, even elementary school students can play it, but if you want to make a living with this skill, you must be very good at it.

Gong Tianwu looked around but couldn't find anyone who could be considered a good candidate.

The strongest one has the C-type talent: Galloping.

This talent means being proficient in horse riding, but it must be combined with archery, or swordsmanship, or spearmanship to be combat effective.

What good is one's horsemanship if he has no courage or fighting talent to support it?
Under such circumstances, Gong Tianwu could only shake his head and return disappointed. Cui Ziyang went to inquire about it and said:

"I just made some inquiries. In about three or four days, several batches of new goods will arrive. You can come and take a look then."

***
As a result, on the next day, Gong Tianwu discovered that the rumor that "the son of Marquis Zhenbei rashly sent troops and was trapped, and Marquis Zhenbei had secretly sent troops to rescue" had quietly spread in the city.

This surprised him a little, but then he thought, since he could hear similar statements, then others could hear them too.

Of course, there must be someone behind this who is fanning the flames, and it may be that the thief is within the family.

After all, if this matter gets out of hand, the one who will suffer the most will definitely be the Crown Prince Chen Feidi, as there are many people eyeing his position!
If he gets into trouble, the remaining young masters of the marquis's mansion, including Gong Tianwu, will be the absolute beneficiaries, but some will benefit more and some will benefit less.

Obviously, Mrs. Wang, who stayed behind in the Marquis' Mansion, became furious and furious. That day, she saw the bloody bodies of three servants being carried out.

However, this has led to the accelerated spread of rumors. After all, it is well known that only those who are hurt will become angry and kill people in anger.

But soon, the Marquis' Mansion was faced with pressure from Li Tao. The governor directly sent a message saying that there was important matter to be assigned and he needed to discuss it with the Marquis.

The Marquis' Mansion was immediately in a state of panic, and finally could only respond that the Marquis was ill and temporarily unable to manage affairs.

Li Tao smiled slightly and said nothing more, but this small test made the suspected rumors outside become real.

How can Li Tao get promoted and make money? Can he become close friends with Chen Yunsheng?

of course not!

The purpose of the king appointing him here is, of course, to keep an eye on Chen Yunsheng and monitor him. Therefore, if Chen Yunsheng does not make any unusual moves, wouldn't it seem like he is just sitting there doing nothing?

Of course, for Gong Tianwu at this time, there were naturally tall people to hold up the sky if it fell, and it would not fall on him at all, and his plan began to be carried out in an orderly manner.

(End of this chapter)