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Chapter 186: The world has changed, the eagle is flying (a long chapter, please vote for it)
Geng Xuan nodded and said, "Yes, that's it."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yueji hurriedly nodded and said:

"Yes, Master Shao told me about this.

I even asked him at the time, if this really happened, what would happen to the vacant land in these destitute neighborhoods?

Geng Xuan stared at him for a while and asked meaningfully, "Do you have any thoughts on this?"

Liu Yueji nodded again and spoke directly what was in her mind.

“My idea is very simple. We can follow their example and find some suitable homeless settlements to fill the vacant land after they move away.

As for the price, it can also be based on the same conditions offered by those down-and-out neighborhoods.

Payment will be made according to a certain amount based on the future output of the land.

When the payment period reaches the number of years agreed upon by both parties, these neighborhoods will be completely owned by these vagrants.

Of course, to accomplish all this, the most important thing is to have someone who is strong enough and can convince all parties to act as a guarantor.

No one else is qualified to do this except you.

Therefore, if this matter is to be accomplished, it still requires your approval first."

Geng Xuan didn't say anything, but stared at Liu Yueji.

After a while, Liu Yueji's heart was already hanging in the air, and the natural smile on his face gradually became a little hard. He smiled and said:

"It seems that our ideas coincide with each other."

When Liu Yueji heard this, she was like a blooming flower, and said happily: "You think so too? That's great!"

Geng Xuan asked, "Have you ever thought about making this a bigger event?"

Liu Yueji was stunned for a moment and asked in confusion, "How can it be bigger?"

“From what I know, there are also huge disparities among the nomadic settlements.

The difference between a good homeless settlement and a bad homeless settlement is even greater than the difference between a good neighborhood and a bad neighborhood," Geng Xuan said.

When Liu Yueji heard this, her originally smiling face turned a little more serious.

He nodded gently and agreed, "Yes."

He understood this situation better than Geng Xuan.

This time, under Geng Xuan's "instigation", the five villages that moved west from Yueluyuan to the nearby Wujiafang are considered to be in a good situation in Yueluyuan.

Especially Fengzefang, which has the largest population, is spread all over Yueluyuan. Even if you can find other places that are better than it in all aspects, their number will not be too many.

As for the neighborhoods with poor conditions, just look at Liuyunfang and the surrounding neighborhoods and you will know that not only are there fewer people, but the locations are also more remote and the land is more barren.

Those who are worse off are not much worse off than them.

Because if things get worse, this neighborhood won't be able to survive at all and will have to disband immediately.

As for good homeless settlements, except for their stability and security, they are not much worse than such lifang in other aspects.

If they are given another one or two generations to develop and manage, they will have a stronger centripetal force towards their homeland, and all aspects will be further refined and improved. This will become a real neighborhood.

In the homeless settlements where the situation is the worst, every single person is struggling between life and death every day.

Almost every day, I have to face the choice of being a human or a beast.

The gap is so huge that it is much larger than the gap between the neighborhoods.

If broken down further, Geng Xuan felt that these different nomadic settlements could be divided into several, or even dozens of levels.

——Some lifangs will collapse and disintegrate, and the residents will go their separate ways, seeking their own way out, and become vagrants. There are also vagrant settlements that slowly develop and become lifangs again. However, compared with the former, the latter is more scarce.

When it comes to the differences between Lifang and vagrant settlements, whether they are larger in scale, whether the living standards are better, whether security is more guaranteed, these are just appearances, or even just results.

The biggest difference lies in "cohesion" and "loyalty to homeland", and how much each individual who makes up this community is willing to give up their own interests, or even sacrifice, in order to maintain the order and stability of this collective.

This is also an important reason why people in the neighborhood are wary of and look down on vagrants.

When faced with a major crisis that could affect the entire community, the first thought of the residents is to face it together and resolve it.

Even if they themselves may suffer heavy losses or even die in the process, they will not think otherwise.

The residents are willing to contribute to the neighborhood, even to make sacrifices.

They also believed that the Lifang could provide them with better shelter. If they left the Lifang, their survival would be more dangerous and less secure.

When nomadic settlements face a major crisis, it is highly likely that they will scatter and flee in all directions.

The people in the neighborhood are more loyal and trustworthy.

The nature of vagrants is even colder and more indifferent. They are born with a rebellious mind, are poisonous snakes, and are ungrateful. Even if you treat them with all your heart, once they catch you with a chance, you will probably be bitten hard.

This is the world, a stereotype engraved in the minds of most people.

However, Geng Xuan did not see it that way.

The difference between ordinary people and vagrants is more due to the different depths of the ties between individuals and the group.

The vast majority of residents in the Lifang have basically lived under the protection of the Lifang for generations, and have also maintained friendships with their neighbors for countless generations. Going back two or three generations, they all have common ancestors.

A few exceptions, who were integrated into the neighborhood as fresh blood, were easily assimilated in such an environment.

It is different for vagrants, it is a completely opposite situation.

They were stranded in the world and before they decided to live together, they each had their own backgrounds and were neither ruthless nor friendly to each other.

If we can all get by together, then let's get by.

If you can't make it, then just break up and find new partners.

Do you want to hang yourself on a tree?
Emotionally, there is no possibility of any burden.

If some people cause disasters and misfortunes, it will bring disaster to everyone.

Not chopping up and eating the perpetrator before disbanding is already a way of showing consideration for the friendship among colleagues.

……

"My idea is to wait until Liuyunfang and the surrounding poor neighborhoods move away.

Select some settlements with better situations nearby, with long-term experience in land reclamation and farming, and able to organize large-scale agricultural production, and move them into the vacant neighborhoods such as Liuyunfang.

These vacant nomadic settlements will be filled by settlements that are relatively worse off, but not too bad.

... In this way, we will gradually move those settlements with the worst situation, where no one knows how many people will die in one winter, to settlements with better situation. "

Geng Xuan revealed to Liu Yueji some of the thoughts that had arisen in his mind when he passed by Liuyunfang because of Shao Yuntao's suggestions.

Listening to his story, Liu Yueji's eyes widened and her mouth opened a little bit. She was completely stunned by the blueprint described by Geng Xuan.

"This is actually a redistribution of land resources to allow as many people as possible to benefit.

...Well, try a little bit of everything."

“It’s okay to do this on a small scale.

None of those big shots would pay attention to the movements and life and death of a group of vagrants, let alone care whether the vagrant settlement has a new group of people.

But if the noise is too loud, people with ulterior motives will get a glimpse of the actual number of people and scale involved in this plan.

Given the current atmosphere in Yuanzhou, it is still a taboo.

Therefore, the entire plan should be as low-key as possible and avoid causing any big noise.

In fact, according to my idea, except for the person who is in charge of this matter, the nomadic settlements and the nomads who are involved in this matter should not be allowed to know the whole picture.

This is a good thing for them and for the program as a whole.”

Geng Xuan looked at Liu Yueji, whose expression had become completely serious, and said:

“My need is to mobilize as many people as possible so that more people can get a taste of the benefits.

But on the other hand, the whole plan should be as quiet as possible.

Moreover, considering that the homeless population's ability to withstand risks is already very low, all relocations should ideally be completed within one to two days' walking.

In other words, the migration distance of each settlement should not exceed one hundred miles.

If you can allow adjacent settlements to complete the relay replacement, don’t go further away.”

“So, how big an area can this plan eventually cover?
How many settlements should be included?

If there are settlements that don’t want to go through all the trouble for such a small benefit, how can we convince them?
How to gain their trust in such a short time?

Not to mention these problems, for many people, it is not clear how many nomadic settlements there are around Yueluyuan and where they are hidden.

These are the key to whether this plan can be implemented and implemented as soon as possible.”

“Another factor to consider is that the entire plan cannot affect farming next year.

In other words, the window period for carrying out this operation will not be too long, at most two to three months.

In addition, the land that needs to be turned over should be turned over, and the canals that need to be repaired should be repaired.

We cannot abandon it and leave the mess to others just because we are about to move away.

That defeats the purpose of my pushing this matter.”

“…It can be said that this is a very laborious and thankless task, and it may even bring great danger to the person doing it.”

Geng Xuan stared at Liu Yueji and said slowly:
"So, I want to hand this matter over to you. Do you dare to take it over?"

Geng Xuan asked this, but there was no reply from Liu Yueji. Instead, there was the sound of her knees falling to the ground with a "thump".

Then, Liu Yueji hit her head heavily to the ground.

Geng Xuan frowned and was about to say something when he saw Liu Yueji's shoulders suddenly twitched slightly.

Then, Geng Xuan heard the low sobs that Liu Yueji tried hard to suppress, and the sound of water drops falling to the ground.

Geng Xuan saw this and said, "Talk properly, why are you kneeling and crying?"

Liu Yueji, with her head on the ground, said in a hoarse voice:
"Boss, I, Liu Huaer, have traveled to many places and met many heroes.

But like you, you truly treat homeless people as human beings, care about their survival and feelings, and have no prejudice against them.

I have never seen anyone else besides you.

Not to mention outsiders, even many vagrants themselves hate their own origins.

Whenever he gets a little bit of power, he wants to cut off all ties with the past.

It seems he is afraid that others will know that he has had this shameful experience!"

Geng Xuan remained silent.

After a pause, Liu Yueji got up again.

When Liu Yueji stood up from the ground, the tear marks on her face had disappeared.

But those eyes seemed to have become much brighter and more lively than before.

Geng Xuan asked: "So, are you willing to take over this matter?"

Liu Yueji cupped her hands and said, "I am so lucky to have the leader's trust and be entrusted with this matter!"

Geng Xuan nodded. Seeing that Liu Yueji was willing to take on the responsibility, he continued:
"During this period, I have some other problems to deal with, so I can't give you much support.

...So, the food that is still in Liuyunfang and has not been transported here should not be moved for the time being.

Let's use it to offset the extra consumption incurred during the migration of various nomadic settlements.

After things are over here, I can arrange for some members of the Giant Bear Gang to directly participate and help you share some of the pressure."

Liu Yueji said:

"Yes... You don't need to be too anxious about this matter, Gang Leader.

I just thought about it, the most difficult part of this matter is actually the preliminary work.

This includes identifying which settlements will be included in the plan and convincing them to cooperate.

And how to make adjustments so that as many settlements as possible can benefit from it while allowing them to complete the transfer with the least consumption and the least noise.

Once these are clearly mapped out and all the preliminary matters are coordinated, the actual migration does not take too long at all.

It can all be completed within three to five days at most, and the cost will be very small.”

"In addition to the organization and coordination during the migration, the most challenging thing is actually to come up with a practical plan.

If we want to do this well, it is far from enough for me and the guys around me to do it. I have to invite some more people to join in. ”

At this point, he looked at Geng Xuan and asked, "Boss, can I invite some more people to join us?"

Geng Xuan nodded and said, "Okay."

"Then...can I share the outline of this plan with them?" Liu Yueji asked again.

Geng Xuan nodded again and said:
"Of course, as long as you think he is trustworthy.

...Since I entrust this matter to you, it shows that I trust your ability.

You can decide how to do it yourself, I won't ask.

I just hope that you can give me a satisfactory result. "

Hearing this, Liu Yueji paused, then bowed and said, "I understand."

Geng Xuan shifted his gaze and looked at Shao Yuntao who was standing beside him with a dazed look on his face.

Shao Yuntao couldn't help but be shocked and stunned.

This matter was originally the first spark he ignited in front of Geng Xuan.

At that time, he already felt that the plan was bold enough.

But now, compared with Geng Xuan's plan, his suggestion of moving between the localities seemed like just an introduction.

It is just a prerequisite for revitalizing those nomadic settlements.

Geng Xuan didn't pay attention to what was going on in Shao Yuntao's heart, but just said to him:

“If Liuyunfang wants to move west, there’s no need to wait until the food is transported.

After the last batch of supplies from the Five Squares is transferred, you can borrow their carriages and horses to relocate Liuyun Square immediately.

After you leave, the Liuyunfang that is vacated will be given to Liu Yueji for use."

"Yes." Shao Yuntao responded respectfully.

After Shao Yuntao and Liu Yueji said goodbye and left, Geng Xuan said to Luo Qing, who he had called over to listen to the whole thing:
"I'll leave you here. In addition to matters related to the Wufang camp, you'll also be asked to take care of these two matters... Well, while Master Shao is here this time, you should give him the housewarming money that should be given to Liuyunfang, and let him take it back this time."

"Yes."

Luo Qing responded respectfully and left the room.

After leaving the room, Luo Qing did not leave directly, but went to a secluded room next door as instructed by Geng Xuan.

Arriving at the door, Luo Qing raised his hand and knocked.

"Bang bang bang-"

Soon, the door opened, revealing a man in plain clothes with a wary look on his face.

After seeing Luo Qing, the vigilance on the other person's face quickly disappeared, and was replaced by a look of surprise.

"Protector Luo, is it you?!"

Luo Qing nodded and said, "Du Mingjie, the gang leader is waiting for you in the study now, go quickly."

Having said this, he looked at Du Mingjie with a meaningful look and said:

"...You kid, you're really good. Back then, you even fooled me."

Before this, he had gone to Wufang Camp and stayed there for two days ahead of the Giant Bear Helper and others.

It was not until Geng Xuan led the remaining gang members through Santongji that he left the Wufang camp and rushed to join them.

Therefore, he naturally knew Du Mingjie, who also lived in the Wufang camp and was so bold as to use a knife to kill someone else and even played the trick on his own gang leader, and finally escaped unscathed.

Not only did they know each other, but during the limited time in the Wufang Camp, Luo Qing's contacts with Du Mingjie were no less frequent than his contacts with Liang Wenying and others.

At that time, he really thought that Du Mingjie was the spy arranged by the gang leader in the Wufang camp to help him pay attention to the specific developments of the Wufang migration.

It was not until just now when the gang leader asked him to stop by and summon this person that he suddenly realized that this guy's mission could not be so simple.

Otherwise, why would the gang leader take the time to summon this person.

He knew very well how obsessed his gang leader was with cultivation.

If it weren't for something very important, he would never waste his time on anything other than cultivation.

After hearing what Luo Qing said, Du Mingjie just smiled implicitly, but did not say what task he was assigned.

After entering the study, Du Mingjie bowed respectfully to Geng Xuan.

After he finished his greetings, Geng Xuan immediately asked:

"How's it going?"

Du Mingjie reached into his bosom and took out a book that was neither thick nor thin. He held it in his hand and said:

"Boss, I have recorded all the people who have tried to get the silver for housewarming in this book. Can I tell you in detail?"

Geng Xuan narrowed his eyes slightly when he heard this, glanced at the book in Du Mingjie's hand, and said, "Give it to me, I'll take a look."

"Yes."

Du Mingjie held the book in both hands, stepped forward respectfully and presented it to Geng Xuan.

He took the book that Du Mingjie handed to him and started flipping through it.

After quickly flipping through a few pages, the coldness on Geng Xuan's body dissipated a lot, and was replaced by a look that gradually became surprised.

"They actually do this kind of operation?!"

Du Mingjie didn't need to look at the specific content at all. He had been paying attention to Geng Xuan turning the pages, and immediately judged which paragraph of text Geng Xuan was looking at based on the thickness of the book he was turning.

He explained:

“There aren’t actually that many fools who would keep some of the money that they are supposed to distribute for themselves.

On the contrary, the practice of first distributing the two taels of silver that everyone was entitled to, and then collecting the silver back under various pretexts, was more common.

Geng Xuan was stunned for a moment, nodded slightly, and continued to turn the pages.

The speed of turning pages was obviously faster than before.

Although this method could not be considered sophisticated, strictly speaking, he gave out two taels of silver per person for moving into a new house without any discount and distributed it all without any loss.

The silver and money that were later collected under various names seemed to be a different matter and could no longer be confused with the "housewarming money".

After taking a rough look at some of the specific recycling items, Geng Xuan couldn't help but sigh in his heart that he had learned a lot!

It can only be said that as long as people's subjective initiative is mobilized, their potential and imagination are enormous.

After reading some of them, Geng Xuan was unsure how to define them.

For example, during the westward migration, each district had to rack its brains to mobilize enough transportation capacity.

I simply don't have the mind to pay attention to which carriages and horses provide a better riding experience and which provide a worse riding experience... Having a carriage to ride is already good enough, who would think too much about that.

But in the hands of the people who actually handle this matter, the tricks are very profound.

Who should be allowed to ride in a better vehicle, and who should be allowed to ride in a worse one?

It is not ruled out that some people in charge of this matter secretly operate this kind of business according to the "charging standards".

But more importantly, it is the strict implementation of the orders from the higher-ups. Because there are good and bad vehicles, some people will be assigned to ride in good vehicles and some will be assigned to ride in bad ones.

Some people want to make it easier for themselves and their family members, including the elderly and children, to move and suffer less. After making a fortune, they are willing to spend a little to have the relevant people make some adjustments secretly.

The money was taken and the job was done.

Although the money spent is for moving into a new house, should those who received the money be sentenced to death?
But what if there are many charges that seem to be between reasonable and unreasonable?

The westward migration took three days, and the treatment for passengers on the bus varied.

Where to stay overnight? Where to eat?
To put it bluntly, as long as you are willing to use your brain, you can create differential treatment even in matters like defecation and urination.

After arriving at the Wufang Camp, this kind of thing happened even more often.

During the construction of the Wufang Camp, although everyone had to participate in the labor, some of the work was heavy and tiring, while some was relatively more leisurely.

After the people have moved, the materials will be transported. Since they cannot be transported all at once, there will naturally be a lag in the order of arrival, and in the end some of the low-value items will be thrown away and not moved.

So, which one goes first and which one goes later?

They are all disposable items, so which ones are more valuable and which ones are less valuable?

In other words, the value of an item itself has a lot of room for manipulation.

So, is a pickle jar that has been passed down for three generations in your family more valuable and worth transporting all the way here, or is a wooden box that has been passed down for two generations in his family more valuable?
Which one should be thrown away? Which one should be transported?
Because drinking water was in short supply when the camp was first moved here, "water", "better water" and "more abundant water" could also become profit points for those with ulterior motives.

……

It can be said that as long as you use your brain, there are so many places where you can make money.

Among these actions, which ones can be strictly defined as a deliberate attempt to seize the "housewarming money" he was given, and which ones are simply the cashing out of the power in his hands?

Looking through the information Du Mingjie had carefully recorded, Geng Xuan suddenly discovered.

Because of the nearly 200,000 taels of silver that he spent, he created a lot of "trading demands" among the nearly 100,000 people in the neighborhood that did not exist originally.

If everyone does not have money, or in other words, if it is the hard-earned money that everyone regards as their life and has saved bit by bit, more than 90% of the transactions will not happen.

If we don’t pay, will those who make the specific arrangements dare to leave anyone behind and not let them get on the bus?
Or let him live outside at night and freeze to death? Or let someone die of starvation or thirst during the westward migration?
From an individual perspective, those who have "thrown money" along the way have indeed spent money to enjoy better treatment from the beginning of migration to now.

But if we look at it as a whole, apart from the fact that the "housewarming money" he distributed gradually gathered and concentrated on certain individuals in this process, it did not bring about any meaningful changes.

Instead, it has spawned some things that should not exist and are rather negative and pessimistic to the neighborhood.

——Some people benefit from spending money, while those who don’t spend money will inevitably suffer.

In some extreme cases, everyone even spent money, but those who spent more benefited, while those who spent less suffered.

And these things can be obtained without spending any money!

"……grass!"

All the emotions accumulated in my heart, and eventually turned into a simple, emotion-filled voice output.

His outburst of emotion was not a big deal, but it frightened the already cautious Du Mingjie and made him look a little flustered.

He knew very well that this might be the only chance he would have in his life to change his fate.

Therefore, when he was notified that Gang Leader Su would come to the Santong rally to meet him in person, he made more thorough and detailed preparations than anyone else.

He felt like he would be mad to death if he missed this opportunity due to some negligence on his part.

Geng Xuan glanced at Du Mingjie and saw sweat dripping down his forehead. He was stunned for a moment, then came to his senses and shook his head.
"I just cursed casually, it has nothing to do with you... Well, you did an excellent job, exceeding my expectations."

Best of all, Geng Xuan also praised Du Mingjie.

To be honest, the situation recorded by Du Mingjie was indeed very different from Geng Xuan's original idea, which was also his original intention in arranging Du Mingjie.

His original idea was actually very simple. Du Mingjie only needed to ensure that the two taels of "housewarming money" were distributed to each person.

Those who have received the payment will pass.

If it is not in place, it will not pass.

The boundaries are very clear.

Geng Xuan also knows clearly how to deal with those who fail to meet the requirements.

But Du Mingjie may feel that there are too few idiots who directly withhold the "housewarming money", which does not show his ability.

Or maybe he just wanted to seriously complete this task, which could greatly change his destiny.

Therefore, he not only recorded the few cases of direct embezzlement during the distribution of the "housewarming money".

It also records in detail, using simple and clear examples, how the "housewarming silver" distributed to the residents in each neighborhood gradually slipped away from their hands, either actively or passively.

After reading these records, Geng Xuan felt that although Du Mingjie's approach deviated a bit from his original idea, it was also very meaningful in itself.

This had a profound impact on Geng Xuan. He was even considering whether to stop giving the housewarming money to Liuyunfang, or to change it to a method that would keep the money in everyone's hands.

But he just thought about it and gave up the idea.

The hidden dangers of doing so are even greater.

Either give all or give none.

Now the other five Jiafang have been given, but Liuyunfang is the only one left.

Isn't this just looking for trouble?

There was no contradiction originally, but he created one.

Geng Xuan threw this even more unreliable idea out of his mind and continued to flip through the book in his hand.

After a while, he gradually had a feeling in his heart and asked Du Mingjie:

"Are the people of Yueluyuan so lenient?"

Because he found that for some things where there was obviously not much difference between spending money and not spending money, there were still many people who were willing to pay for them.

This is very different from the image of the people in the neighborhood that he had in mind.

Du Mingjie's explanation left him speechless.

“When people spend their own money, they are very tight-fisted.

After all, it is saved penny by penny, not only with sweat, but perhaps even the blood of family members. No one dares to spend it lavishly.

Unless absolutely necessary, try not to spend money if possible."

"But the housewarming money you gave out is different. It's certainly a pleasant surprise, but many people will treat it as a windfall.

There has always been a saying in our neighborhood that unexpected wealth cannot be kept.

The earlier you bloom, the earlier you enjoy it. Forcing it to stay may bring disaster.

Some even think that the money is likely to be recovered.

Leaving it in their hands will only make them worried and overthinking.

Just use it up early.

In this way, even if the silver is eventually recovered, at least we can enjoy some extra benefits."

"..."

Du Mingjie's explanation left Geng Xuan speechless.

He vaguely remembered that there was a similar saying in his previous life, for example, money won at the gambling table or money picked up on the road must be spent immediately, as it would be unlucky to keep it in your hands.

However, he did not expect that these residents viewed this "housewarming money" with this mentality.

"I probably don't have a very good impression of myself in the eyes of these locals."

Geng Xuan couldn't help but reflect in his heart.

"In the future, try to do less or even no such thing as giving money directly to others."

"Goodwill that exceeds common sense will become a burden, and may even be seen as harboring evil intentions."

Because of his previous life's thinking, Geng Xuan originally thought.

Because of his own impulsive thought, he forced these people to leave their homeland in the cold winter and go to an unknown place thousands of miles away.

When they are confused and instinctively resist this, give them some financial compensation as they do not have much money.

It is a good way to show your sincerity in a short period of time and resolve their inner conflicts.

But looking back now, the kindness I showed has obviously exceeded their understanding.

With these thoughts in mind, Geng Xuan closed the book in his hand and put it aside.

To Du Mingjie:
“These things you recorded are very valuable to me.

...You can put the matters at Wufang Camp aside for the time being. Liuyunfang will be relocated soon, so you can keep an eye on it for me.

If there are similar situations, please write them down for me."

Du Mingjie responded respectfully, "Yes."

He was not afraid of Geng Xuan assigning him tasks, he was only worried that no new assignments would fall on him.

When Geng Xuan saw Du Mingjie leaving, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he swallowed it back in the end.

Then he asked, “What do you want to say?”

He paused and added, "You don't have to be so reserved around me in the future. Just tell me what you want to say."

"Yes." Du Mingjie was happy because he could tell from these words that Gang Leader Su had officially recognized him.

"I wanted to ask about Xiao Cui and Fan Hao's recent situation, but I felt that as the gang leader, you might not notice such a small matter." Du Mingjie said.

Geng Xuan suddenly understood and nodded:

"I do remember this. Liu Xiaocui and Fan Hao were both placed in Kangleji as my gang's family members. They are under the care of the headmaster of Kangleji, so you don't have to worry about their safety.

Fan Hao has been practicing with Xie Hang for a while. Although he is a little older, he has not missed the age to lay the foundation for practice.

In addition, he has a good foundation. As long as he is willing to work hard and has enough resources, there will be no problem for him to get started with leather refining.

As for how far he can go in the end, it all depends on his own luck."

……

After Du Mingjie left, Geng Xuan thought about it.

I found that I had met all the people I needed to meet and handled all the things I needed to handle.

He got up and left the study, heading towards the training ground to prepare for today's training.

Ever since he had basically used up the remaining power of his "Wanjun Jin" at the Grandmaster level in the second year of the Chinese New Year and brought it to perfection, Geng Xuan would continue to focus on it for the next period of time.

Although the unusual movements in Wu Yi's camp in the past two days did not have much impact on his progress in tempering his body and refining his marrow, it had a significant impact on his practice of the "Iron Back Leaning" and "Iron Leg Skills".

The progress of these skills will directly affect Geng Xuan's upper limit of achievement in skin refining.

Although the skin refining achievement has now been raised to "91%," it is still a lagging achievement compared to several other body tempering achievements.

And the characteristics of "Wanjun Jin" are there.

Therefore, Geng Xuan still wanted to practice these skills to the highest level as soon as possible so as not to let them become obstacles to his own progress.

When Geng Xuan was walking through the corridor and crossing the courtyard and was about to reach the training ground, he suddenly heard a loud noise coming from the outer courtyard.

He raised his eyebrows, curious about who in the Santong group was bold enough to cause trouble at the Giant Bear Gang’s base at this time. He turned a corner and walked towards the outer courtyard.

After passing through the last doorway, Geng Xuan saw a group of people gathered in the open space in front of the outer courtyard hall. Many of them were silent, but a few young men and women were chattering and clamoring to see the "leader of the Giant Bear Gang."

Feng Yu stood in front of them, preventing them from going in.

In the face of their request, he just responded indifferently and said he would convey their request, but before that, he would let them leave.

The young men and women opposite him seemed to be humiliated by his overly cold reaction, and their voices became louder.

It was also at this time that Geng Xuan walked out of the side gate of the courtyard and saw all this.

Soon, everyone in the courtyard noticed him.

Geng Xuan looked at the group of people, waved to a middle-aged man who was silent in the crowd, and said, "Zhao Xinglang, come here."

Zhao Xinglang was stunned for a moment and quickly walked towards him.

The woman next to him, who had a chubby face and was one of the loudest shouters, quickly followed him and wanted to come over.

Seeing this, the others also started to move and wanted to follow.

Geng Xuan frowned and said, "Only Zhao Xinglang can come here."

His words made the chubby-cheeked woman look stunned, and then she showed an expression of humiliation and anger. Not only did she not stop walking, she even wanted to speed up her pace to catch up.

Unfortunately, Feng Yu had already blocked her way with a cold face.

Geng Xuan turned around and left after he finished speaking his last sentence.

Geng Xuan did not take Zhao Xinglang to the study, but met him in a secluded and deserted courtyard.

"What's going on?" Geng Xuan asked.

Most of the people just now were familiar faces that I had seen once or even twice.

There were also a few who had only been seen this time. Geng Xuan guessed that these people should be representatives of certain forces in Yuanjing and had only come here recently.

Zhao Xinglang politely greeted Geng Xuan and replied:
"We heard that Gang Leader Su was coming to Santongji, and everyone wanted to come and visit him."

"If you really want to visit, you should just submit your letter honestly and wait to be summoned. There is no reason to force your way in... Tell me, what's going on?" Geng Xuan said.

Zhao Xinglang was silent for a moment before he said:

“I know that a character like Wu Yi is no longer in your eyes.

However, we received news that the Xu family in Yuanjing sent a lot of people to help Wu Yi.

Be careful not to fall into their trap."

After hearing this, Geng Xuan finally became interested and asked:

"Just now, I saw some new faces around you. Are they all here in the past two days?"

"Yes." Zhao Xinglang said.

"Are they all high-ranking families in Yuanjing?" Geng Xuan asked again.

"...That's right."

"Did they bring this news to me, or did your Zhao family pass it on to you?"

"All."

"Then what is their real purpose for coming here at this time?
Is it about the westward migration of Wujiafang, or something else?"

"...The main purpose is to follow up on the westward migration of the Five Quarters. If there is a chance, they also want to see how the Xu family performs." Zhao Xinglang was silent for a moment and then spoke.

Geng Xuan thought for a moment and asked again, "Then do you know how many people the Xu family of Yuanjing sent? And what is their quality?"

Zhao Xinglang did not answer immediately, and a look of embarrassment appeared on his face.

Seeing this, Geng Xuan did not force him, but nodded slightly and turned to leave.

Seeing this, Zhao Xinglang quickly said:
“I don’t know the exact number, I just have a rough idea.

The reinforcements should generally consist of two parts: one is the Xuanyou Iron Cavalry, and the other is the heavy sword soldiers."

"The Xu family maintains 300 Xuanyou Iron Cavalry all year round. Yuan Jing wants to keep some of them. I guess the exact number should be between 150 and 200.

In addition, the Xu family has unique experience in the use of heavy weapons such as heavy swords and heavy hammers. They maintain 500 heavy sword warriors all year round, and this time they should arrange 300 to 400 of them.

Furthermore, I heard that the Xu family's head personally invited the Blood Fang mercenaries, who have a long-standing friendship with the Xu family, to accompany them."

"Mercenary group, Blood Fang?" Geng Xuan muttered softly, with an inexplicable expression.

At this moment, Zhao Xinglang didn't think so much. Seeing that Geng Xuan seemed confused, he immediately explained.

Ever since the upper echelons of Yuanzhou chose to abandon their martial arts, although there are no clear regulations, all parties will not rashly expand their armed forces except for maintaining a certain amount of armed combat power to protect their own gates.

Similarly, although there are no clear regulations, there is a tacit understanding of how many cards each faction should hold.

With the status of the Xu family in Yuanjing, having three hundred Xuanyou Iron Cavalry and five hundred heavy sword warriors is the limit that other parties can accept.

Although Yuanjing does not have an official government, it is able to maintain long-term order and stability, and family wealth can be passed down from generation to generation, all thanks to the tacit understandings that everyone abides by.

What will happen if this tacit understanding is broken?

Of course they were all targeted together.

In the early days when these rules have not yet been fully formed, there may be forces that will try to challenge them, but one bloody lesson after another has made all forces within Yuanjing recognize the effectiveness of these tacit understandings.

What if some forces suddenly have an urgent need for larger-scale combat power?
For example, when fighting between forces, or when dealing with some catastrophic crisis.

There are many ways to do that.

Either form alliances, ask for help, or find allies.

Or they would reveal their true cards that they had carefully hidden and dared not show to others easily.

What, no trump card?

The power that your family displays openly is all the power?

Are there still such honest people these days?

Wait to die!
Either they rely on money, empty promises, favors, or something else, and hire a group of mercenaries to act as thugs.

There isn't much else in Yuanjing, but there are many cultivators who come from far and wide and want to settle down and make a living in Yuanjing.

And it continues all year round.

These cultivators not only come from all over Yuanzhou who are unwilling to be trapped in a corner, but also include those who have escaped from other states, are born in military towns, and are real fighters who have experienced life and death on the battlefield.

These people, no matter what they do for a living in Yuanjing, basically work part-time as mercenaries.

They are called mercenaries, but in fact they are just thugs for rich men.

Most of these mercenaries are temporary groups that gather for profit and disperse for profit.

But there are always some people who can stand out in such an environment and form a mercenary group with a stable source of income and a stable sphere of influence.

This is basically equivalent to the leader of this corps successfully "starting a business", taking root in Yuanjing and becoming a new high-ranking family in Yuanjing.

This is the case with the "Blood Fang Group".

“…The leader of the Blood Fang Group is named Xue Zhiheng, who is less than fifty years old and still in his prime.

He has over 600 soldiers of all kinds under his command, and is known for his fearless, cunning and cruel fighting style.

This time, at the request of the head of the Xu family, he is said to have arranged for his most capable and trusted deputy captain, plus 300 of the Blood Fang Regiment's most elite soldiers to accompany him.

According to our prediction, the Xu family's Xuanyou cavalry will set off first.

The Xu family's heavy sword soldiers and the Blood Fang Corps will lag behind by two to three days."

Zhao Xinglang said this to Geng Xuan.

After listening to Zhao Xinglang's story, Geng Xuan had a better understanding of Yuanjing's ecology and nodded slightly.

After a while, he asked again: "Anything else?"

Zhao Xinglang shook his head and said, "I know, and I have told you everything, Boss Su. This is my conclusion after combining the intelligence from our Zhao family and several other families."

Geng Xuan nodded gently and said, "Did you come here just to tell me about the Xu family in Yuanjing? Thank you... Is there anything else?"

Geng Xuan asked this, but Zhao Xinglang stared at the ground and did not answer.

Geng Xuan waited for a few moments, and when Zhao Xinglang still didn't respond, he said:

“In that case, let’s leave it at that for today.

As for your kindness in coming to my house to remind me today, I will come back to thank you after this period of time is over."

After saying this, Geng Xuan turned around and was about to leave.

Zhao Xinglang, who had been silent, finally spoke up and said, "Boss Su, please wait a moment."

"Ok?"

Geng Xuan looked at him.

Zhao Xinglang sighed and said:
"Boss Su, I have no right to comment on this matter. Those young masters and young ladies will come forward to handle it.

But you only summoned me, so I had no choice but to tell you.

Please forgive me if I am being intrusive. I am only delivering a message on behalf of Yuan Jing, and it is definitely not my own intention."

Geng Xuan was surprised and asked, "What message do you want to convey on behalf of Yuan Jing?"

Zhao Xinglang looked directly at Geng Xuan and said, "Boss Su, I heard that you are going to provide money and manpower to dredge the ancient Zhushui River, which has been blocked and diverted for nearly 400 years?"

"Yes, that's true. You guys are well-informed." Geng Xuan nodded in acknowledgment.

Zhao Xinglang said:

"This matter has been widely circulated in the Wufang Camp for a long time. However, when we first heard this rumor, we actually didn't believe it.

Because we believe that a smart person like you, Gang Leader Su, would never wade into such muddy water.

But recently, a piece of news came from Yuanjing that could corroborate this."

"News from Yuanjing? How could this matter spread to Yuanjing?" Geng Xuan was surprised.

Zhao Xinglang was stunned for a moment when he heard this, then smiled bitterly and said, "So, this is true?"

Geng Xuan didn't answer him, but instead pressed on, "Tell me first, what is the news from Yuanjing?"

Zhao Xinglang stared at Geng Xuan for a while, as if he was confirming something. After a while, he smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying:

“To be honest, it’s not a big deal.

The head of the Guo family in Yuanjing frequently visits some families, and our Zhao family is among them.

The purpose of his visit was very simple, which was to ask each family whether they had atlases of the water systems and mountains in Yuanzhou, as well as local chronicles, especially those about the section from Cenling to Zhushui River.

If there was one, he would like to borrow it; if not, he would visit someone else.

When asked the reason, he said someone wanted him to dredge the ancient Zhushui River.

But he was not familiar with the rivers and mountains in this area, so he did not dare to accept the job rashly. He wanted to learn first and then consider whether to take the job. "

After listening to Zhao Xinglang's explanation, Geng Xuan was really stunned.

I was a little confused at first, thinking, is there anyone else who has the same idea as me and wants to do this project at this time?

But soon, Geng Xuan rejected this idea.

The Zhushui River has been blocked for nearly four hundred years, and no one has taken any action to fix it. It just happened to happen to me. It's not such a coincidence.

Thoughts raced through Geng Xuan's mind, and soon, an idea flashed through his mind, and he remembered something that Fan Qi had casually mentioned when he first met him.

Oh, I remember now. At that time, Fan Qi said that he would spend all his money to go to Yuanjing to invite someone to Kangleji to take charge for a period of time to resist the threat from Xu Xiangfeng.

Knowing that he had connections in Yuanjing, Geng Xuan asked him to find technical personnel who were familiar with large-scale projects such as river dredging.

Thinking of this, Geng Xuan looked at Zhao Xinglang and asked:

"Is this Guo family you're talking about also a high-ranking family in Yuanjing?"

Zhao Xinglang shook his head and said:

“No, well, it’s very different from a family like ours. I remember that they didn’t produce many talented people in cultivation.

...However, the Guo family has a very special status in Yuanjing. Even forces like Wuyou Palace generally do not provoke them.

After Yuanjing was burned down by the Overlord, it was dilapidated and abandoned for decades. The subsequent reconstruction was presided over by the ancestor of the Guo family himself.

Not only is the Guo family responsible for the daily maintenance of Yuanjing's city walls, but the Guo family is also the only one who knows the intricate underground canals and waterways of Yuanjing.

Moreover, no drawings exist in the world, they are all remembered in the minds of the Guo family.

If something really happened to the Guo family, a heavy rain would flood the streets of Yuanjing."

Geng Xuan suddenly realized that the Yuanjing Guo family was actually such a Guo family.

He became more and more convinced that this was probably related to what he had entrusted to Fan Qi.

However, was the fact that Patriarch Guo was so open about telling others about this matter a sign of his technical geekiness or perhaps just an overly blunt attempt to test the waters?

Or, is there some other intention behind it?
Geng Xuan couldn't help but ponder in his heart.

His interest in this matter was even greater than all the other things Zhao Xinglang mentioned combined.

Seeing that he didn't reply, Zhao Xinglang couldn't help but ask, "Boss Su, is it true that you want to dredge the ancient Zhushui River?"

Geng Xuan said casually, "Yes."

Zhao Xinglang was shocked and asked, "Don't you know that doing this kind of thing is taboo?"

Geng Xuan finished thinking about this "Guo family" and looked at Zhao Xinglang and said:
"Breaking taboo? Whose taboo is it?

Are you worried that after I dredge the river, I will turn the wilderness on both sides into a base for conquering the world?

If you are worried about this, you can arrange for people to come here in advance and divide the wilderness on both sides. I don’t care about this.”

Zhao Xinglang was dumbfounded and stammered, "This...this...you're not saying this in anger, are you?"

"Why would I say such angry words to you? Do you think I'm angry now?"

Zhao Xinglang stared at Geng Xuan, looking at him as if he were a monster: "What good will it do you if you do this?"

Hearing this familiar question again, Geng Xuan sighed and said:

"In this world, I want to be a good person and do a simple good deed. Is it really so difficult to understand?"

After hearing this, Zhao Xinglang had a strange expression on his face, as if to say, "I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about."

Geng Xuan stared at Zhao Xinglang and said:
"If you have any doubts and are afraid that I will turn this wasteland around here into my own territory, you can come here now to enclose the land in advance. I don't care.

If you think it's too hard for me to do this alone, or if you also want to do something good, then you can also contribute some money and manpower.

If you really think I'm a nuisance and want to take full control of this matter, I can also hand it over to you.

But if Yuan Jing simply wants to stop this, or even threatens me for it, I don't care.

Whatever tricks you have, just use them.

I'll take over!

...Oh, I forgot to tell you that I have never seen the Xu family reinforcements you mentioned, the heavy sword soldiers and the Blood Fang Corps.

However, I have already experienced the Xuanyou Iron Cavalry and killed quite a few of them.

In addition, the more than 500 mercenaries that Wu Yihua hired at a high price have all been killed by me.

If you want to know more, you can go and ask for yourself."

After saying that, Geng Xuan ignored the stunned Zhao Xinglang, waved at him, and turned to leave.

……

One day later, on the sixth day in the afternoon.

It is dozens of miles northeast of Qingyuanji.

A huge team marched in the wilderness, quickly approaching Qingyuanji.

Just when the team was more than twenty miles away from the new camp of Wu Yi and others, a figure was approaching quickly from a distance.

Finally, the man disappeared into a huge carriage.

On the curtain of this carriage, there is an engraving of a bright red fang dripping with blood.

Inside the carriage, there was a rapid flow of low conversation.

"...In that night raid alone, we lost a total of 17 strong men at the marrow refining level, including two from the Xu family at the late marrow refining stage, and several at the middle marrow refining stage...

...The mercenaries Wu Yi recruited from Yuanjing, nine marrow refiners, and five hundred bone and blood refiners, were all annihilated under the trampling of nearly two hundred Xuanyou Iron Cavalry...

...After this blow, regardless of victory or defeat, the Xu family will be severely damaged, and may even completely lose its power in Yuanjing. It will no longer be worthwhile to continue to make friends with them.

There is absolutely no need for us to continue wading through this muddy water!
Now, maybe we can make some arrangements before the news spreads..."

There was a quick exchange of whispers, followed by the sound of gasps of air.

Soon, a man who looked resolute and brave, exuding a strong aura of iron and blood, lifted the curtain and jumped out of the carriage.

Soon, the figure entered another carriage in the distance, the curtains of which were embroidered with dark heavy sword patterns.

After a while, a dissatisfied scolding broke out in the carriage.

“…Get lost! Mercenaries are mercenaries. They are a bunch of ungrateful wolves!”

Amidst the shouting and cursing, the brave man who had just entered the carriage walked out with a calm face.

Soon, he returned to his team.

After a while, this huge team split into two, and half of them turned back along the original route.

The other half continued to move towards Wu Yi's new camp.

at the same time.

Just further north of this wilderness, a group of mysterious cavalry were galloping across the wilderness.

Unlike the Blood Fang Corps that exudes a strong murderous aura and is known for its fearlessness and bravery, this Xuanyou Iron Cavalry does not have any obvious murderous aura or arrogance.

Only as hard and cold as the iron armor they were wearing.

As this dark and dark cavalry advanced rapidly and coldly across the wilderness, three large dark blue birds with a wingspan of more than two meters were arranged in a triangular shape in the sky, flying thousands of meters high in the air.

Their sharp eyes looked around, monitoring every movement on the ground around the Xuanyou Iron Cavalry below.

Even if there is a rabbit wandering in the wilderness, it cannot escape their eyes.

When the new reinforcements from Yuanjing went their separate ways, this Xuanyou cavalry was even further away from Wu Yi's camp.

But when the Xu family's heavy sword soldiers arrived at the camp, this group of Xuanyou Iron Cavalry had already entered Wu Yi's camp and took over the command of the camp without hesitation.

The remaining Xuanyou Iron Cavalry of the Xu family, as well as dozens of Xuanyou Iron Cavalry in the hands of Anleji Wu Yi, have begun to be taken over and reorganized by them.

The newly arrived heavy sword soldiers were disarmed before they could understand the situation and received a notice to undergo immediate reorganization.

At the beginning, some people said, "The dignity of our Xu family cannot be insulted!"

But after a few of them were killed casually, the Xu family, who could not tolerate being insulted, quickly became obedient.

……

As wave after wave of reinforcements arrived at Wu Yi's new camp, all of this was seen clearly by several dogs hiding in the jungle in the distance at the foot of Chiwu Mountain.

After seeing that the camp was quiet again, Ah Qi, who was lying in the thick shadows, turned his head to look at Huang Er next to him, making a "woohoo" sound.

It was asking why Huang Er didn't do as he did last time and take advantage of the moment when the reinforcements arrived and the situation was most chaotic and disorderly to get closer and conduct reconnaissance?

Huang Er ignored Ah Qi's doubts and looked up at the sky.

Through the gaps in the dense branches and leaves, it caught sight of three large birds.

They hovered in the sky directly above the camp, neither moving away nor falling, like the most loyal sentinels, silently guarding the camp below from high in the sky.

Looking at the three circling big birds, Huang Er's pair of dog eyes revealed an unprecedented solemnity.

After a long time, it finally withdrew its gaze.

He barked a few times to Ah Qi and Ah Liu beside him, warning them not to make any movements from now on until dark.

Don't hunt, and don't play.

Even with the cover of dense branches and leaves, there is no guarantee of complete safety.

Because according to Huang Er's own experience, moving targets are always easier to lock onto.

Therefore, even though he was extremely anxious, Huang Er still waited until it was completely dark before he quietly retreated into the depths of the remaining range of Chiwu Mountain with Ah Liu and Ah Qi.

Only after they were completely away from the camp did it lead Ah Liu and Ah Qi to run wildly through the jungle towards Qingyuanji and Santongji.

This time, it decided to take Ah Liu and Ah Qi away with it instead of letting them continue to wait.

This is because it is worried that with the intelligence of its two dog brothers and sisters, once it leaves, they will most likely be exposed immediately.

Then the dog skin is cruelly peeled off and turned into a horrible dog meat hotpot.

Although it did not come close to investigate, it knew just by watching from afar.

This time's reinforcements are different, very, very different!
　The transition plot is finally coded, please give me your monthly vote.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)