Chinese martial arts! Grandmaster

Chapter 104: Establishing a "Vice Group"! Spending money like water

After Chen Jie killed the Japanese and buried Jin San, he finally found his direction
When he returned to the street he had been to, he found Aunt Thirteen waiting for him anxiously for a long time.

"Junior brother! Why did you leave?" Aunt Thirteen breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Chen Jie.

Then she sighed and said:
"The thing was lost and I didn't catch up!"

"Although that guy's martial arts level is not as high as mine, he has practiced light body kung fu and can run very fast!"

Chen Jie said indifferently: "It's okay! There are only a few silver coins in the backpack, nothing else!"

Thinking of the scarred man, Chen Jie was speechless.

But that guy is a real man!

Being able to lead so many refugees to make a living and not let them starve to death shows that Scarface is not a vicious person.

Next,
Chen Jie told Aunt Thirteen what Scarface said when he left.

"The people who stole our silver dollars were refugees from Shandong."

"And he said that a lot of people died when the concession was seized, and those children should be their families."

"They were forced into a desperate situation. Seeing that I had a lot of silver coins on me, they waited for us to show up."

"Okay, let's not talk about them, let's go back first!"

Aunt Thirteen nodded, put away the scimitar in her hand, and said softly:

"Junior brother, I was too reckless today. I shouldn't have left without permission."

"I just thought about it for a long time. If something happens to you, I really don't know what to do next."

Chen Jie smiled and said, "It's okay! My martial arts skills have now reached the entry level of meridian cleansing, and I have the power to protect myself!"

It's more than just the power to protect yourself!
He killed the Japanese warrior 'Tuzang Jinzo' who was at the 'high level of iron bones and dark energy'!
Thirteenth Aunt is only at the great perfection realm of Bronze Skin Ming Jin, which is a big realm lower than that of Burial Jin San.

With Tuzang Jinsan's fighting power, he could easily kill Aunt Thirteen in seconds.

But such a top master was actually killed by Chen Jie with a gun.

With a gun in hand, you have nothing to fear!

Chen Jie continued, "Let's go, Liu Qi should be released, and Tie Niu is waiting for us to return."

"I promised Lord Xu that I would let Tie Niu bring back the second half of the book."

Fortunately, Aunt Thirteen still had some silver coins on her.

Otherwise, going back would be a hassle.

Of course, it is not that troublesome. It is easy to solve the problem of lack of money. He just needs to find a hidden place to go back and waste 200 points of [Martial Arts Merit Points] back and forth, and the money problem can be solved immediately.

-

Capital city, wise prince’s palace!
The Sixth Prince Li Lie stared at the two books on the table.

He opened it and looked at it for a moment, lost in thought.

Beside him, Xu Shichang stood with his hands behind his back, looking respectful.

After a while,
Li Lie suddenly said, "Master Xu, you have read these two books. One is about the manufacturing technology and craftsmanship of artillery."

"The other one is about the smelting of steel. How true do you think the contents of these two books are?"

Xu Shichang took a deep breath and said seriously:

"Your Majesty, I believe both copies are authentic."

Li Lie frowned slightly, nodded and said, "Why do you think so?"

Xu Shichang pointed to "Steelmaking and Cold Forging (Volume 1)" and said:
"Your Majesty, we have a steel mill. Judging from the description in this book, it can indeed increase the strength of steel!"

"I have studied steelmaking techniques and have been to a steel mill."

"We have always wanted to imitate Western muskets and cannons, but we have not been able to do so. Although the imitations look very similar, they are prone to bursting."

"After reading this book, it suddenly dawned on me that the reason for the explosion was that our steel was of poor quality!"

"In addition, Mr. Chen, who gave me the book, is a man of integrity and would never cheat."

He did not mention another book, "Artillery (Volume 1)".

He was well aware that the technology of "Cannon" was relatively advanced and shocking.

As a minister of the Grand Council of the Daqian Dynasty, Xu Shichang naturally knew that it would be more convincing if he explained from the perspective of his familiar field.

The Sixth Prince Li Lie nodded and sighed:

"If we had obtained such a precious book three years earlier, perhaps our Beiyang Fleet would not have been defeated by the Japanese!"

"But now, it's too late!"

"After defeating the Beiyang Fleet, the Japanese advanced straight into the country and landed directly in the Northeast!"

"Western warships are parked at Tianjin Wharf. At the same time, in South China, Southern Fujian and other places, Western warships are eyeing and starting to carve out concessions!"

"The Japanese have a big appetite. They not only want to eat up the Northeast, but also our entire Daqian!"

After listening to this, Xu Shichang lowered his head and remained silent.

The atmosphere seemed very depressing.

You know, the Sixth Prince Li Lie is the leader of the "war faction" of the Daqian Dynasty.

Even he had begun to lose confidence.

Then,

The fate of the Daqian Dynasty can be imagined.

After a moment, Xu Shichang looked up and said:
"Your Majesty, the Easterners and Westerners have always been at odds with each other. I think why not win over the Westerners and let them deal with the Easterners?"

"What we need is time. I believe that as long as we are given half a year to build artillery, we can fight the Japanese!"

He is well aware of the power of artillery.

With the technology in these two books, he believed that he could make it in just half a year.

Li Lie shook his head and said:
"Master Xu, who do you think is stronger, the Easterners or the Westerners?"

Xu Shichang thought about it and said seriously: "From the perspective of the development of industrial technology, it is naturally the Westerners!"

"Many of the technologies of the Orientals were introduced from the West."

The Sixth Prince smiled bitterly and shook his head, sighing, "If we can win over the Westerners, it would be a way to solve the current situation!"

"But our treasury has been empty since ten years ago, and we have owed billions of silver to Western countries over the years!"

"Even if you have the most advanced steelmaking technology, what good will it do?"

"I originally thought that the Beiyang Fleet would have a head-on battle with the Japanese and take back everything we lost!"

"But I didn't expect that this battle would completely wipe out our family fortune!"

When Xu Shichang heard this, he was immediately disappointed.

He murmured to himself, "My Lord, are we just going to sit there and wait for death?"

"The Japanese have already landed in Lushun and are heading north to Liaodong. According to recent intelligence, they are continuously increasing their forces in the Northeast!"

"Look at the Japanese's posture. If they seize the Northeast, the capital will be in danger!"

The Sixth Prince Li Lie looked up to the east, squinted his eyes and said:

"I mentioned the reconstruction of the Beiyang Fleet to the Emperor, but was flatly rejected!"

"The reason is simple, no money!"

"For now, there is only one way to delay the attack of the Japanese!"

"Form a militia! For the common good, we will fight against foreign enemies together. We call it the 'Vice Group'!"

"The Daqian Dynasty is full of martial arts, and the various forces formed by those warriors are a formidable force."

"Master Xu, I'll leave this matter to you. Although the court has no money, it has power!"

"As long as we grant them the legal status of the 'Daqian Righteous Group', I believe these martial arts practitioners will contribute money and effort to jointly resist the foreigners!"

Xu Shichang thought about it, hesitated for a moment and said:

"But - once the 'righteous group' becomes too big and is no longer under the control of the Grand Council, it will be like a wild horse running away from its reins. What should we do?"

Li Lie closed his eyes slightly, and after a long while he sighed and said:
"Let's leave it to fate! Even if the Righteous Group becomes too big and becomes a threat, it's still better than the demise of Daqian."

"If we can mobilize the forces of the Pao Brothers Society in western Sichuan, the Hongmen in southern China, and the Qing Gang in eastern China, we may be able to fight the Japanese!"

"Master Xu, please go and make the arrangements first. This is not only my idea, but also the Emperor's idea!"

Xu Shichang kowtowed and said, "Yes! Your Majesty, I will do it now!"

-

It was already three o'clock in the afternoon when Chen Jie and Aunt Thirteen returned home.

After Tie Niu sent Liu Qi home, he waited for a long time.

Chen Jie gave Tie Niu "Artillery (Volume 2)" and "Cold Forging of Steel (Volume 2)".

He had previously divided the two books into two volumes, upper and lower, in order to prevent Xu Shichang from destroying his bridges after crossing them.

but,

He did not expect the other party to be so efficient. Not only did he ask his trusted confidant Tie Niu to come and handle it personally, he also gave him a "sergeant" badge from the Military Affairs Office.

After this incident, Chen Jie had a good impression of Xu Shichang.

After Tie Niu left with the two books, Chen Jie called the three of them to the living room to discuss.

Liu Qi's injury has not yet healed, and it will take a hundred days to heal the broken bones.

He had herbs applied to his arms, so he couldn't use force easily for at least a few months. Chen Jie thought for a moment and said in a deep voice:

"Although Liu Qi has returned home, our crisis has not been resolved!"

"Wan Jinpeng from Humenfang said that the people who really want to deal with us are the Axe Gang!"

"The leader of the Axe Gang, Yan Hu, is a master of Iron Bone Dark Force. Their goal is to seize the entire West City District."

"It is conceivable that the Axe Gang will never give up in the coming period of time."

"And standing behind the Axe Gang is the Taiping, and behind the Taiping are the Japanese!"

finished,

Chen Jie couldn't help but take a deep breath, his eyes became sharp and he said:

"We, Ximen Car Dealership, will face the most severe challenges in the future if we want to gain a foothold in Xicheng District."

Thirteenth Aunt said solemnly:

"Junior brother, after a cycle of 'medicinal baths' and 'medicinal supplements', I have gained some understanding of the power of the Iron Bone Dark Force. I believe that in the next few days, I will be able to break through!"

"But with my current strength, I am no match for Yan Hu. This man is a master of the middle stage of Tiegu Dark Energy, and it is even possible that he has broken through to the late stage of Dark Energy!"

"If it really doesn't work, how about we move out of the capital?"

Chen Jie shook his head, thought for a moment, and said:
"Hiding is not a solution!"

"The Daqian Dynasty is on the brink of collapse. The world is in chaos. We have nowhere to hide!"

"We are now dealing with not only the Axe Gang, but also the Taiping and the Japanese."

"For now, if you want to protect yourself, you must improve your strength as soon as possible!"

"The second cycle of 'medicinal baths' and 'medicinal supplements' will be carried out immediately. The prices in the medicine shop have more than tripled recently!"

"Before, a medicinal bath only cost 6 silver dollars a day, and 84 silver dollars for a cycle, but according to the current price, it costs silver dollars."

"In the coming period, as the Japanese invade Liaodong, people in the capital will panic and supplies will become increasingly scarce. We must prepare for a rainy day and purchase supplies on a large scale."

For now, we can only take one step at a time and see what happens!

The situation of the Daqian Dynasty is becoming increasingly serious!
Although Chen Jie had already given Xu Shichang the "artillery" and "steelmaking" technology.

but,

However, he was not optimistic about the future situation of the Daqian Dynasty.

The Daqian Dynasty had been weak for hundreds of years. How could it possibly change the status quo in a short period of time relying only on two books?

Chen Jie got angry when he heard about the "war faction", the "cession of territory for peace faction", and the "surrender faction".

What the hell is this? And you’re still fighting among yourselves!
If this continues, how can we defeat the Orientals and Western powers?
But he is still 'Little Karami', with little influence and unable to change anything.

Although Xu Shichang gave him a "sergeant" badge, he was considered a soldier of the Daqian Dynasty.

but,

Chen Jie found out that the rank of 'sergeant' is the eighth grade, but he is not an officer. He is just equivalent to a grassroots 'squad leader' in the army!
A squad leader has no more than ten people under him.

What does this mean?
Isn't this standard 'cannon fodder'?

Chen Jie no longer had any interest in the "sergeant" badge.

-

at dusk.

Chen Jie took out 20,000 silver dollars from his hidden house, and gave 10,000 of them to Aunt Thirteen.

Stock up on supplies!

Taking advantage of the panic among the people in the capital, prices soared.

Now is a good time to stockpile land.

Although the prices of daily necessities have skyrocketed, the prices of land and real estate have become really cheap.

Originally, ten silver dollars could buy a large house, but now only five silver dollars are needed. No, three silver dollars are enough.

Thirteenth Aunt originally wanted to stockpile food, salt, grain, oil, etc. After all, there was a war along the coast and in the northeast, and food was the most precious.

but,

Chen Jie, however, did the opposite and asked Thirteenth Aunt to buy some worthless things such as real estate, land, shops, etc.

If it were peacetime, these properties would indeed be worth a lot of money.

but,

When war breaks out, these properties cannot be taken away and cannot be sold at all, so they are worthless.

What's more, the warships of the Western powers docked in Tianjin had long been clamoring to attack the capital.

Therefore,
During this period, the prices of land, shops, real estate, etc. in the capital continued to fall.

If the coalition forces of the Western powers really break into the capital, all the real estate will be destroyed and worthless.

Thirteenth Aunt was full of doubts about Chen Jie's decision.

However, she didn't say much and unconditionally obeyed Chen Jie's decision.

Although Liu Qi's arm was injured and he was unable to fight.

But this kid couldn't stand the loneliness, so as soon as he came out, he went to find his brothers.

According to Chen Jie's instructions, Ximen Car Dealership was renamed and now becomes 'Ximen Hall'!
Time was running out, so Chen Jie didn't explain too much to Liu Qi. He just gave him 5,000 silver dollars and asked him to recruit soldiers and start expanding the power of "Ximen Hall".

Liu Bamei was not idle either. She took the five thousand silver dollars given to her by Chen Jie and went to major drugstores in the capital to start shopping.

'Wild ginseng', Cordyceps sinensis, Polygonum multiflorum, Tianshan snow lotus, Ganoderma lucidum——!
I bought all the high-end medicinal materials I could.

What worries Chen Jie is that the price of medicinal materials is rising too fast.

But no matter how much the price goes up, Chen Jie must buy it.

There was no way out. The Japanese had already begun attacking Liaodong and had blocked Shanhaiguan, so the wild ginseng from Changbai Mountain in the northeast could not be brought in.

He originally had 28,000 silver dollars in his hidden house, and 20,000 silver dollars went out in one go.

This is just the first step of the investment plan.

In the following period of time, Chen Jie planned to increase his investment until Aunt Thirteen had spent all the ten thousand silver dollars.

He wanted to make additional investments again, not only in Xicheng District, but also in Dongcheng District, Nancheng District and Beicheng District, where he wanted to buy a large number of properties and shops, including land.

There are not enough silver dollars to spend!

If you want to buy a large amount of land and real estate in the capital at this time, naturally the more silver dollars you invest, the better.

If you spend a million silver dollars, these properties and land will be valuable after you defeat the Western powers and the Japanese.

Everyone was worried that the coalition forces of the Western powers would invade the capital, burn, kill, loot, and steal everything.

In particular, many princes, landlords, wealthy businessmen, etc. were selling off their properties and lands in large quantities.

They have all greased their feet and are ready to run away.

Some powerful people even planned to sell their assets and go to the West to avoid the war.

This is indeed the case. If history had developed as it had, the Western coalition forces would have landed in Tianjin and swept across the capital.

but,

Chen Jie has his own ideas.

The army of the Daqian Dynasty could not defeat the coalition forces of the Western powers.

However, Chen Jie has confidence in himself.

As long as he is given time and allowed to develop 'Ximen Hall', he will be able to stop the attack of the 'Western Powers Coalition'.

What gives him the most headache is the Northeast.

The Japanese army attacked Liaodong, and then the northern Russian army also wanted to seize this land.

Relying solely on Chen Jie to develop the "Ximen Hall" will definitely not be able to compete with the hundreds of thousands of "Kwantung Army" and "Mao Army"!
If you want to stop them, you must have the regular army of the Daqian Dynasty!

It's okay to just rely on a few scattered soldiers and fight a few surprise attacks.

The key point is that it is impossible for Chen Jie to directly transport the super-strong firepower from over there to here, he does not have that much [Martial Arts Merit Points]!
The only way is to make it here by ourselves.

The Daqian Dynasty couldn't make the cannons, so Ximen Tang made them!
Ximen Tang will refine the steel that the Grand Council cannot refine!

The army of the Daqian Dynasty cannot stop the foreign army, so Ximen Tang will stop them!
Ever since he saw the miserable scene of refugees on the streets of Tianjin, Chen Jie's heart has changed a lot!

【Martial Arts Merit Value】!
We must get more [Martial Arts Merit Points] and more money!

After Chen Jie arranged what Aunt Thirteen, Liu Bamei, and Liu Qi needed to do next.

He took one thousand silver dollars and went directly to the second-hand goods street on Ximen Street.

He wanted to find the stall owner who was selling jade and set up a store that specialized in purchasing jade and jadeite from the palace.

Jade and jadeite are worthless in this chaotic world, but taking them over there can bring him a lot of wealth.

This time, he was thinking that he would not only buy all the jade that he could, but also buy all of it.

Simultaneously,

He wanted to take over the jade shop that supplied the Daqian Dynasty palace, and even the jade mines in Myanmar and Yunnan.

monopoly!

That's right, Chen Jie wants to monopolize the resources of 'wild ginseng' and 'jade and jadeite'!

Only by monopolizing can we develop and have enough resources to deal with this catastrophe——!
(End of this chapter)