It doesn't matter what the lord is.

"Lied, this may sound a little sudden, but based on my observations, it would be best if we could take over Rivet City this year. Otherwise... there will be some trouble."

15. New conflicts are always arising

He Yue and I walked side by side on the street. This time we did not choose the main road, but found some relatively remote places. As we walked, we talked:

"The development of this city is just like the human heart. It can be satisfied, but it is difficult to be satisfied all the time. When you first came to Yuxi City, the biggest danger to Yuxi City was the invasion of the demons. It was because you saved Fileta that Yuxi City was saved. Afterwards, Yuxi City began to build and develop, but soon encountered a bottleneck, so you came to Yunhai to find me, and I followed you to Yuxi City and began to take over internal affairs. Later, because there was no qualified commander, Yuxi City was invaded by the north and the east, so you risked your life to go to Tianxing City and rescue Fang Shisan. From then on, I was in charge of internal affairs, Fang Shisan took over the army, and Yuxi City was basically stable."

He Yue sighed and said:

"But if you think about it carefully, you will find that compared with those territories that have developed very well, Yuxi City still has many problems. For example, in terms of economy, it is too dependent on the demon breeding industry, and the industrial development is quite distorted. For example, the Anbu organization mentioned just now, and medical facilities. Speaking of these, we have to mention education. We don't have our own talent pool. I see these in my heart and I am very anxious, but it is not something that can be accomplished overnight. In fact, I am not sure if I have the ability to accomplish it. I don't want to hide it from you or show off my ability. I am too poor in terms of connections, and I really don't know anyone who can take the lead in these areas."

I turned my head, looked at him, and said with a smile:

"It's okay. I'll help you with what you can't accomplish. Just like I brought Fang Shisan back last time, I will bring other people back in the future."

He Yue made a small complaint:

"If possible, I hope to bring a few men back in the future."

I said helplessly:

"It's not my fault, okay?? I didn't deliberately pick on girls, otherwise why would I have brought you back in the first place."

After joking with him for a few words, there was suddenly a commotion ahead.

He Yue stopped me with his hand, motioning me to stand aside with him, and then said:

"Here it comes, look."

A rather luxurious carriage appeared on the road. Although it was not as luxurious as the imperial carriage of the city lord's mansion, it was still quite cool. Compared with the gray houses around it, it felt like the style was not on the same level.

He Yue and I were dressed inconspicuously and no one noticed us.

A low wailing sound came from the area around the carriage. A closer look revealed that a young man about 23 or 24 years old had fallen on the road, holding his leg and groaning in pain. The horse kept pawing and snorting, looking annoyed. Judging from the situation, the speeding carriage must have hit the pedestrian.

A middle-aged man dressed in silk and satin got off the carriage. I didn't recognize him at first, but after a closer look, I found that he was the head of the demon breeding farm, Hantu. After this former butcher became the director of the breeding farm, his body was still as fat as ever, and his face was as fierce as ever.

Because he was loyal and reliable, I had a good impression of him, so I kept watching him.

Hantu came down and adjusted the small hat on his half-bald head, which made him look quite funny. He walked to the side of the young man who was hit by the carriage and said gently:

"What happened? What happened? How could he be knocked down out of nowhere? Someone, call a doctor quickly. I'll pay the bill and bring him some compensation..."

Some of the onlookers wanted to step forward, but suddenly, Hantu raised his foot and stepped heavily on the young man's chest. His small eyes suddenly opened, the flesh on his face trembled, his eyes flashed with ferocity, and he shouted coldly:

"Are you hoping I would say that? You're just dreaming! Lowlifes are lowlifes. Do you think you can live without having to worry about other people's opinions just because you came to our Yuxi City? You scared my beloved horse. How can I settle this account? Hmm? Whose family is this? Xiaowu, get him and go to his house to ask for compensation! I bought this horse with great difficulty. I can't just let it go like this!"

Hantu retracted his foot, spat, and casually touched his horse's head twice. The horse snorted, looking arrogant. In this world, it's not just dogs that know how to take advantage of others, animals know how to do that too.

Just like Hantu knows how to take advantage of my power.

The man called Xiaowu was a thin-faced man with monkey-like eyes and chin. He ran out from behind Hantu and roughly pulled the injured young man up, but found that he had fainted.

There were also some kind-hearted people among the onlookers who said:

"Sir, we are all farmers. We only save a few dollars a year. Why do you make it difficult for us?"

"You can't treat us like this just because we used to be from Tianxing City."

"I don't think the horse is in any trouble. Isn't this bullying?"

Xiao Wu shouted sternly:

"Shut up! Do you know who this lord is? The demons have all heard of him, right? Who wouldn't be afraid? Lord Hantu is the owner of the demon breeding farm! He has a say in the city lord's office, and killing you guys is like playing! Come on, whoever says another word will be caught on the spot and fed to the demons!"

The crowd shut up.

Xiao Wu showed a monkey-like smile, showing his yellow teeth, pulled the collar of the young man in his hand, walked around in front of the crowd, and said with a smile:

"This guy is also a coward, he fainted just like that! But he didn't tell me where he lives, where can I go to get money? Since you and him came here together, you must know him, right? Come on, someone come out and lead the way for me! No one? Then I'll call your name, you come!"

Xiao Wu pointed at a man who looked honest and loyal. The latter's knees went weak and he fell to the ground.

"I don't know, I don't know..."

Xiao Wu folded his arms, sneered and said:

"I advise you to think it over carefully. This horse is not an ordinary horse. Lord Khantu's horse is worth at least ten gold coins. If you protect your accomplice, you can't escape!"

The man kneeling on the ground was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat. He quickly stood up, wiped the sweat off his face, and stammered:

"No, no. I'll take you there..."

Xiaowu pulled the young man with a broken leg, and blood dripped down the young man's trouser leg onto the ground.

Hantu took a look at the situation and climbed onto the carriage with satisfaction. The horse's hooves stepped on the blood and the carriage drove away into the distance.

Human life? It's nothing, why bother about it?

Hantu walked away, Xiaowu carried the unconscious young man on his shoulders and walked arrogantly. When he passed by me, I raised my foot expressionlessly to trip him and caught the injured young man.

"Who? Who tripped me?"

Xiaowu stood up and looked around fiercely. But before he could stand firm, I raised my leg and kicked his calf, knocking him to the ground again. This time, I didn't give him a chance to get up. I first broke his calf, and then stepped on his face, crushing his nose, and he fainted.

I threw the young man, whose leg was still bleeding, into the crowd and someone naturally caught him. After I freed my hands, I pulled up Xiao Wu, who was also unconscious, and threw him to the person who had led the way for him before, saying:

"Go, follow the carriage and return the man. If the arrogant fat man asks you, tell him, 'Someone said that your men did not do their job properly and dirty the cobblestones of his house.' The fat man will understand and will not make things difficult for you."

The man was still a little hesitant, so I smiled and patted his shoulder:

"Why, you're so stubborn, you won't do anything unless you lose a leg yourself?"

The man was frightened again and trembled all over. He hurriedly carried the unconscious Xiaowu on his back and ran in the direction where the carriage disappeared.

16. Stand in the ditch and look at the stars

I raised my hand and said:

"Everyone, go away. Don't panic about what happened today. If anything goes wrong, our Lord He Yue will take care of it for you. Send this injured person home, and then do what you need to do."

When the storm has settled, someone will naturally carry the injured young man back to recuperate.

After the crowd dispersed, He Yue clapped silently behind me.

I looked back and saw that his smile was indeed somewhat sarcastic.

I smiled bitterly:

"Don't laugh at me. Can't you just say I don't know how to judge people?"

He Yue said:

"No, I think your behavior just now was quite handsome. Especially when you secretly put the only gold coin you had left into the young man's pocket."

“You saw it.”

I was a little surprised. When I tripped Xiaowu just now, I raised my hand to catch the young man who fell from his shoulder. When I threw the young man to the crowd, I stuffed the only private money I had left into his pocket. It looked like he had broken his leg by the carriage, and the medical expenses were probably not a small amount.

Anyway, a gold coin is not that important in my eyes, so I just give it to you.

He Yue asked:

"But why did you say my name instead of your own? The city lord's heroic act of saving the beautiful man will probably become a legend."

I smiled and said:

"I once heard a story about a king who could use magic, but he only used it once in his life. When others asked him why he didn't use it, he said that once was enough. He wanted to let his people know that he was awesome, so that they could do their work in peace. If he used it too often, they would become corrupt and rely on the king to do everything."

He Yue also laughed. He shook his head, looked at the bloodstains on the ground that no one had cleaned up, and said:

"Lied. I'm not here to make things difficult for Hantu. In fact, many people are doing the same thing he did today. Bai Huang and I both knew about it, but we didn't care. In the past, Bai Huang would occasionally help him, but she was not legitimate after all. Many new nobles were discussing privately, wondering how a girl from Yunhai could show off in Yuxi City. In addition, Bai Huang has been in a bad mood recently, so she didn't pursue these matters at all."

He Yue paused and said:

"But those nobles also gave her face. When she went on patrol, everyone behaved well. They lived in peace with each other, and out of sight, out of mind."

I smiled and said:

“They really have nothing to fear.”

He Yue nodded and said with empathy:

"Of course he is fearless. Take Hantu for example, he is reliable, loyal to us, and most importantly, he is very capable. He is respectful to us and kind to the civilians in Yuxi City, but he is ruthless to those outsiders. Do you think he did something wrong? Maybe, but can we remove him from his position and send him back home? No way. I have been in the brothel for so many years, and I can sum it up in one sentence - human nature is selfish, and no one living in this world is innocent."

He Yue and I continued walking on the street. A light drizzle began to fall from the sky. Neither he nor I held an umbrella.

The bun shop was still setting up its stall as usual, and the aroma from the steamers filled the air. I touched my pockets but found that I had no money left, so I had to give up my desire to buy. He Yue walked side by side with me, half-closed her eyes, looking at the rows of low houses and gray walls, and said:

"Li De. The most serious problem in Yuxi City right now is not other problems, but the contradiction between population and land. This is why I need Fang Shisan to take down the five cities of Li Neng as soon as possible. Even if I play tricks, it is impossible to make the land grow out of thin air."

I asked curiously:

"Didn't they issue a purchase restriction order? Why is there still a problem of insufficient land? If I remember correctly, Yuxi City should have a large area and a sparse population."

He Yue smiled bitterly and said:

"Yes. I have read your views on land. You once said that the collapse of many dynasties was caused by land annexation. I deeply agree with this. So I made adjustments when I just took over Yuxi City. But the problem is that Yuxi City needs to constantly stimulate consumption to revitalize it, but because the market is too primitive and backward, and the entertainment industry is seriously insufficient, those emerging nobles have nowhere to spend their money. Moreover, they were all born as commoners and are really afraid of poverty. Apart from land, there is no other commodity suitable for them. So I once extended the land purchase restriction order, but it is still strictly controlled within a reasonable range."

He Yue took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, with an indescribable look of fatigue on her face.

I thought about it and asked in a low voice:

"You mean the influx of people from the three northern cities..."

He Yue nodded.

He said:

"I was thinking in the wrong direction. I thought they would have enough money and food, at least to get through the winter. But I didn't expect them to be so poor. At the beginning, I specially reserved some wasteland in Yuxi City and left some ownerless land undistributed, just to deal with the influx of foreign population. But the problem is that these people from Tianxing City, Jiangxing City and Lixing City are too poor. They are so poor that they have to sell the land I distributed to them in exchange for some food to get through the winter, and the only ones who have the money to buy these lands are the emerging nobles. So I have to relax the purchase restriction order again, but the problem is that after they get through this winter, they will have no land when the spring comes next year. How are they going to live?"

As he spoke, he slapped his forehead in annoyance, as if blaming himself for his mistake.

I felt a little guilty, after all, I had not discussed with He Yue about returning the three cities to Fang Li Tower, and his current situation was inseparable from me. But apart from a big fight with me when I just came back, He Yue never mentioned the past again during this period, and he has always been helping me clean up the mess silently.

My heart warmed and my face turned red. I quickly opened the umbrella in my hand and held it for He Yue.

He Yue turned to look at me. Her face was covered with a layer of drizzle, and the ends of her hair were stained with crystal water droplets. Her beautiful peach blossom eyes squinted and stared at me, which was actually a bit provocative. He Yue pulled up a smile, gently pinched my cheek, and said:

"What? You feel sorry for me now? Don't worry, I knew that Yuxi City was a mess, but I still followed you here. If everything was already stable here, I wouldn't have to add icing on the cake. The more you owe me now, the happier I am. Sooner or later, I will get back what you owe me."

After that, he let go of her hand and showed a little devilish smile.

I knew he was trying to be brave, so I held the umbrella with one hand and held his hand with the other. After thinking it over, I said:

"When the time comes, I will never run away from my debts."

17. Leave a note

When I returned to the City Lord's Mansion, Han Tu was already kneeling at the door.

When he heard the footsteps, he trembled, but he didn't dare to look back at me, and kept his forehead on the ground.

I walked past him without even looking at him and went straight into the City Lord's Mansion.

Just kneel for the whole afternoon.

To be honest, I understand these new nobles. The old nobles of Yuxi City were beheaded by the robber lady, and now these nobles are strictly speaking nouveau riche. They have complied with the policies of Yuxi City, and they are very smart. They know how to take advantage of the momentum of Yuxi City's development to continue to grow, and eventually rise to become a new batch of nobles. But their grassroots nature cannot be changed. The aristocratic families that have been passed down for generations have to have some face and will not do such things as humiliating the people in public, but they will.

To put it simply, these people are loyal, and they know very well that their status is given by me, so they will never think of confronting me. But they need a channel to vent their pleasure, and apart from marrying wives and concubines and purchasing land, only bullying the people can make them feel superior.

——If one does not return to his hometown when he is rich and powerful, it is like walking in the night wearing fine clothes, who would know it?

Isn't it human nature to want to tell the world about your success and make everyone envy you?

But then again, I don't care whether they are innocent or not, and I don't want to analyze what people are inhumane. The reason why Hantu kneeled down was very simple, that is, the shit he did dirty my eyes and made me feel very uncomfortable. Isn't it more unreasonable? I, Li De, am the greatest reason in Yuxi City. What else do I need to explain to him to kneel down?

Sitting at the table and taking a piece of white paper, I began to think about the question He Yue raised.

My own solutions to the conflict between population and land can be divided into three categories:

First, increase land.

Second, let rich people buy less land.

Third, allow the poor to survive even without land.

The first one is very simple. As long as Fang Shisan, who is fighting on the front line, can conquer the land that is profitable, the surplus population in Yuxi City will naturally have a place to stay. The core of the second one is to develop industry and commerce, so that the noble class can have more investment methods besides land. Entertainment facilities must be followed up, so that they cannot have no place to spend money. The third point is also to develop industry, support the "workers" in the working and peasant classes, and share the pressure of agriculture.

I wrote down some of my thoughts on a piece of paper, and suddenly I found a neatly folded note on top of a pile of documents on the table. I was wondering if it was a love letter that someone had secretly slipped to me, but when I opened it, I saw only two short words on it:

"Tonight. South of the city."