83: Chapter 82: A big taboo in military strategy!

A quarter of an hour later, Jiang Hanwen followed the Family servant to the Zhuang Family ancestral home.

As soon as he entered, it was like stepping from the Flaming Mountains into an underground cave; the temperature plummeted, and a refreshing coolness washed over him.

Four verdant Cloud Lo trees stood at the four corners of the courtyard, their palm-sized leaves like jade surfaces, reflecting the brilliant sky as if they were golden leaves.

Crystal-clear water flowed serenely from the corner of the wall, rising in a misty vapor that moistened the air.

Looking at the unfamiliar house, Jiang Hanwen felt a surge of emotions; this was his second time here.

The first time was when he had researched and developed the fertilizer fruit. At that time, he came with Old Du and requested that his father be arranged to retire at the Zhuang Family.

In the blink of an eye, power had shifted. The owner of the house changed from Zhuang Xian to Zhuang Kongming, and he himself replaced Old Du, taking sole charge of the Medicine Field.

Entering the room, Jiang Hanwen’s brow subtly raised. The scale of today’s meeting was somewhat high.

The head, Zhuang Kongming; the second-in-command, Zhuang Mingyu; Shang Xian, who had been promoted to Great Commander; Chief Steward of Money and Provisions, Chen Qingzhi; and a smallFat Man Jiang Hanwen didn’t recognize, whose rat-like eyes gleamed with shrewdness.

Jiang Hanwen was about to sit on the edge, but Zhuang Kongming waved him over, patting the first seat on his right side:

"Come here. I saved this for you."

It was well known that seating order represented the hierarchy of power. Jiang Hanwen’s position, just below Zhuang Mingyu, occupying the third chair, was already the highest position an outsider could sit in.

After he sat down, the unfamiliar Fat Man proactively spoke.

"Chief Steward Jiang, my name is Yuan Feng. I’m responsible for running errands and selling things, always on the move outside. I’ve only just come to pay my respects today, please don’t blame me."

Yuan Feng?

Jiang Hanwen didn't dare to act superior: "Chief Steward Yuan, I've heard much about you."

...Jiang Hanwen became even more puzzled. Yuan Feng's main job was selling things externally. This position was previously held by Zhuang Kongming.

Now, with himself, who manages the Medicine Field, added to the mix.

Both internal and external personnel were all present. It could be said that everyone sitting here was from the highest echelons of the Zhuang Family.

With so many present, what could they be discussing? Could it be the selection of the next Family Head?

Everyone chatted for a quarter of an hour, then a heavy thudding of footsteps came from outside. Someone had arrived.

"Thump-thump~"

A Family servant stood at the door:

"Family Head, Third Master said he won’t be coming. He just wants me to give you this thing."

"Come in."

As he spoke, Zhuang Kongming’s right hand instinctively pressed down on his chair, clutching it tightly, unable to suppress the excitement in his heart.

The servant pushed open the door and brought in a foot-long wooden box.

Zhuang Kongming opened the box, and everyone looked on curiously.

Inside the box lay a half-foot long, entirely translucent, pale purple stone.

"A spirit detection stone!" Yuan Feng blurted out, his face full of surprise.

"Mm." Zhuang Kongming nodded impassively, then closed the box.

Jiang Hanwen was close enough to clearly see the slight tremor in the other’s hand.

Clearly, Zhuang Kongming was not as composed as he pretended to be.

spirit detection stone?

Jiang Hanwen searched his mind. He only paid attention to Spiritual Plants and Cultivation, so he wasn't very clear about this item.

Shang Xian and Chen Qingzhi were the same, looking bewildered.

"Old Yuan, what is a spirit detection stone?" Shang Xian asked.

"spirit detection stones are only found in Spirit Mines. They are specifically used to test special Physiques and talents. The best spirit detection stones are transparent..."

Yuan Feng spoke slowly, a confident smile on his lips.

In short, a spirit detection stone is used to test a person's talent; the deeper the color of the light, the stronger the person's talent.

"Today, I asked you all to come here to discuss how our Zhuang Family should proceed," Zhuang Kongming’s resonant voice echoed through the room.

Their gazes refocused on Zhuang Kongming, waiting for him to continue.

"Last month, the Third Prince’s attempt to ‘clean the emperor’s side’ failed, and Emperor Long Hao was furious. Three hundred thousand troops were executed overnight, and thirteen Sects were implicated and suffered, their mountain gates destroyed by the Blood Slaughter Army, affecting millions of people.

Yunmang County, where the Third Prince’s maternal Family resides, suffered the most severe damage, with large numbers of refugees fleeing for their lives.

Evil Cultivators took advantage of the chaos, and Blackrock City was also heavily damaged. Fortunately, the City Lord had help from people in Spirit Valley, barely managing to hold on.

However, the city is already overcrowded. As of just now, nearly two thousand people have flooded into Dazhai Village.

This number is just the beginning; it won't stop for the next ten days.

The definite news I received is this:

The Xuan Tie Army of Hanguang County is gathering. They might also go to war. By then, more and more refugees will flee towards us. It’s possible the number could exceed two hundred thousand.

What do you all think? How should our Zhuang Family position itself?"

As soon as his words fell, it was like a massive boulder crashing into a calm body of water.

Aside from Zhuang Mingyu and Yuan Feng, who already knew about the situation, everyone else frowned.

Although it was organized as a village, Jiang Hanwen had lived here for decades. Dazhai Village was nominally a village, but in reality, it was extremely vast.

Let alone two hundred thousand people, even forty thousand people, as long as they survived the initial food crisis, harvesting after autumn would be no problem at all.

But the problem was, with so many people coming, how could the Zhuang Family maintain its ruling status?

As it stands, Dazhai has over twenty thousand people. The Zhuang Family, with its population of two thousand and two Qi Induction Realm cultivators on the surface, can sit comfortably and act as the village’s decision-makers.

If too many people come, how will they govern such a large population?

And more importantly, most of the newcomers will be of low Realm, or uncultivated farmers.

After all, those of high Realm would go for Opportunities. Even if they had to retreat, they could still safely remain in the city and wouldn't have to wander.

However, it's not guaranteed that there won't be Qi Induction Realm cultivators, or rather, there will definitely be Qi Induction Realm cultivators coming here.

In that case, what qualifications would the Zhuang Family have to maintain its ruling status?

By relying on the Third Miss's husband's Family being the captain of the Patrol Guard?

Don't be ridiculous. Distant water cannot quench a nearby thirst.

In fact, would someone covet the Zhuang Family's assets?

It was fine not to think about it, but once he thought deeply, the Zhuang Family was already in a precarious situation in the blink of an eye.

"I think, regardless of how many people come for now, we live our lives, they hide theirs, and we close our doors.

After this storm passes, most people will leave." Zhuang Mingyu spoke, making it clear he didn't want to get involved in this muddy water.

"Second Master is right. They are here to seek refuge. Even if they stay for a month or two, it's hard to leave one's homeland, and most will still return," Yuan Feng echoed, his smile never fading.

Changing his tone, Yuan Feng frowned and analyzed with a serious expression:

"However, this matter is also an Opportunity for our Zhuang Family.

With so many people, there are bound to be some with good talent. If we can bring good seedlings into the Zhuang Family, that would also be a superior strategy."

Cutting tofu with a sharp knife, pleasing both sides without offending anyone—a merchant's philosophy of 'harmony brings wealth' was fully embodied in Yuan Feng.

"What about the others? What do you all think?" Zhuang Kongming surveyed the crowd, first fixing his gaze on Chen Qingzhi.

Chen Qingzhi managed the accounts and all storage quantities within the Family. Whether he could maintain his position, or even if he couldn't, whether he had the confidence to face this impact, his statement was crucial.

Seeing the Family Head look over, Chen Qingzhi pondered for a moment, then said seriously:

"Family Head, we cannot close our doors."

"How so?"

Chen Qingzhi glanced at Jiang Hanwen and said:

"We can't afford to gamble.

If other Families set up residence in the village, apart from the Medicine Field, our Zhuang Family has no other advantages!"

Chen Qingzhi’s words were severe, but they hit the nail on the head.

If other Families settled down, they could provide what the Zhuang Family could, and then, without a monopoly, they would not be able to obtain excessive profits.

For example, someone might be lucky enough to gather valuable Spiritual Plants from the mountains while the savage beasts were gone and sell them to the Zhuang Family.

Whether it was three taels of silver or thirty taels of silver, the Zhuang Family would set the price.

As for whether the Zhuang Family resold them for three hundred taels or three thousand taels, it was none of their business, and they wouldn't know.

But once the monopoly disappeared, they would have to do business openly. At that point, profits would plummet, and they would have to rely on their hard power to earn money.

Zhuang Kongming glanced at his second brother, Zhuang Mingyu, beside him.

His younger brother said he was going to be responsible for the beast pens, raising scaled horses and savage cattle. He had been raising them for a year, but the results were still minimal, with only a dozen savage cattle and scaled horses, not at all resembling a proper stable.

In contrast, for the Medicine Field, he had requested a fifty percent increase in two years.

But ever since Jiang Hanwen took over, in just one year, the output directly doubled, far exceeding his requirements. The results were so good that he didn't even know how to reward the other party.

Others might not know, but he and Chen Qingzhi were clear that if other areas also generated normal profits, the income from the Medicine Field would likely account for fifty percent of the Zhuang Family's total income!

"It's not that serious, is it?" Shang Xian shook his head, looking at Chen Qingzhi with disdain, as if disliking his timidity:

"The back mountain is desolate. If we kill all the savage beasts and clear it out, it'll be another good territory.

If you ask me, there are many people down the mountain, so we just won't get involved in that muddy water. They'll leave eventually anyway.

I think we should pool the Family's strength, reclaim the back mountain, and kill all the savage beasts.

No matter how many people die down the mountain, or what kind of chaos erupts, it has nothing to do with us."

In such a setting, speaking out indicated one's stance, and implicitly, one's interests.

Why did Zhuang Mingyu insist on closing off and defending themselves?

Naturally, it was to oppose his elder brother and demonstrate his continued fighting stance.

Jiang Hanwen also understood why Shang Xian didn't suggest going down the mountain—cowardice!

This person, who was about to Break through to Qi Induction Realm and was the Zhuang Family’s new Great Commander, was the strongest among those not of the Zhuang Family’s direct lineage.

If they opened up, it was possible that Guest Elders might join the Zhuang Family, like Gong Qing’s father, Gong Hai, once did. At that point, how would he protect his own status?

In fact, when Zhuang Kongming brought out this spirit detection stone, his attitude was already very clear: he definitely wanted to open up, accept the people, and seize this Opportunity to grow stronger!

However, for their respective interests, it was not certain that people would readily agree.

Finally, Zhuang Kongming looked at Jiang Hanwen, his eyes filled with helplessness, a hint of weariness, and even powerlessness.

In such a situation, where unity was clearly needed to face the challenge, the Zhuang Family’s internal affairs were already in disarray.

With a formidable enemy at hand, discord between generals and commanders was a major taboo in military strategy!