Chapter 313 - 304: Trading People for Pay, Wuchen Grand Competition

Chapter 313: Chapter 304: Trading People for Pay, Wuchen Grand Competition

In Shenghai, Fu Juemin was used to having a large entourage wherever he went, but being served by a group of men with long, braided queues and shiny, shaved foreheads was a first.

It gave him the strange feeling of having traveled twenty years back in time.

’How novel,’ he thought.

Fu Juemin had no particular destination today; he was simply going for a stroll.

After all, he was planning to stir up some serious trouble in Yingjing City, so he needed to familiarize himself with the terrain.

A carriage was already waiting for him in front of the Mu Mansion.

It was a black carriage with a nanmu wood frame, upholstered in woolen cloth. A copper bell hung from each of its four corners, chiming crisply in the wind.

It looked unremarkable at first glance, but closer inspection revealed its opulence. All four wheels were banded with wrought iron, its corners were adorned with dark, gilt-copper patterns, the windows were made of glass, and the thick door curtain was clearly interwoven with gold thread!

The carriage was much larger than an ordinary one and looked quite heavy, yet it was pulled by only two horses.

The real point of interest was the two horses pulling it. They stood nearly seven feet tall at the shoulder, with an exaggerated, gnarled musculature in their limbs. They were powerful and majestic, and the hot breath snorting from their nostrils carried the faint but thick stench of blood.

Fu Juemin recognized them at a glance: fine steeds that had undergone the Fake Internal Energy Method. ’Artificial Demon Horse’ would be a more fitting name.

You see, once the Fake Internal Energy Method was applied, the creature had to consume Human Pills.

The daily feed for these two Demon Horses must have been mixed with Human Pills, and refining a single Human Pill required at least ten living people.

And now, they were being used to feed two beasts whose only purpose was to pull a carriage...

This was a clear testament to the extravagance of the remnants of the Yingjing Nine Banners.

What Fu Juemin didn’t know was that controlling the two Demon Horses raised by the Mu Mansion required a Martial Artist of considerable skill.

Each trip consumed a substantial amount of "blood food"—human-derived materials.

Normally, even the Patriarch Mu Feng was reluctant to use them. They were reserved only for certain important occasions.

Today, they had been brought out specially to curry favor with him, the "Spirit Lord," for his outing.

As Fu Juemin descended the steps, Xu Chu—the man he had terrified with his [Nightmare] skill the day before—immediately climbed into the driver’s seat.

Hong Huan went with him.

Then, two men, one from each side, walked forward. They knelt before the carriage, their heads touching, to serve as a human stepping stool for him.

Fu Juemin glanced at the two "human stools." A flicker of light crossed his eyes, but his expression quickly returned to normal as he calmly boarded the carriage.

The interior of the carriage was a world of its own. Without dwelling on every luxurious detail, Fu Juemin kicked aside an unsightly copper foot-warmer, strode to the sable-fur-covered divan at the rear, and sat down casually.

"Aren’t automobiles in fashion in Yingjing City?"

The compartment next to the divan was filled with all sorts of pastries and snacks. Fu Juemin casually picked up a piece, popped it in his mouth, and spoke to Mu Feng, who had followed him inside and was now cowering in a corner.

"Western automobiles?"

Mu Feng paused for a moment before quickly replying, "There aren’t many in the city, no.

If the Spirit Lord finds this carriage uncomfortable, I can have one brought over from Xinjing.

It would only take two or three days."

"Xinjing?"

Fu Juemin toyed with a piece of candied fruit. "And where did this Xinjing pop up from? I’ve never heard of it."

"It’s a new city about fifty li from Yingjing City. It was only built a few years ago, so it’s perfectly normal that the Spirit Lord hasn’t heard of it."

Mu Feng explained, "Those Military Barbarians from the North... I don’t know if they were all drunk, but they got it in their heads to establish a capital.

But they didn’t think Gukou was prestigious enough, so they just built a new city between Yingjing and Gukou and called it Xinjing.

They talked about ’establishing a capital’ for two years before they were too embarrassed to bring it up again. But Xinjing itself has grown more and more popular. Lots of Westerners gather there, and it’s full of factories and schools..."

Hearing this, something stirred in Fu Juemin’s mind. Two names suddenly surfaced: Jiang Yao and Zhou Yunzhi.

These were the two women he’d had a slight acquaintance with back in Luan River. After Luan River City fell, they had taken a boat, saying they were heading to a university in Yingjing.

But looking at Yingjing now—this lifeless Demon Capital, this ghostly domain where you could hardly spot an automobile on the main roads—it had none of the atmosphere of a modern city. It hardly seemed like a place that could accommodate the spirit of progressive academia.

’Those two came here for their studies. If they’re not dead, they’re probably in this so-called ’Xinjing,’’ Fu Juemin mused.

"If the Northern Army wanted to follow the Xin Republic’s example and establish a capital, why didn’t they choose the ready-made Yingjing City?"

Fu Juemin asked lazily, reclining on the divan.

The carriage was now in motion, rolling along far more smoothly than Fu Juemin had expected. As the streetscape flashed past the window, he found the ride was even more pleasant than being in an automobile.

But the thought that this carriage was fueled by "human lives" left a sick feeling in his stomach.

"How would they dare?!"

Mu Feng shot back with a sneer, his face a mask of arrogance and disdain.

"They’re nothing but a pack of mongrels from the frontier who’ve gotten a taste of power.

Every year, they shamelessly come to the Nine Banners, wagging their tails and begging us to toss them some silver so they can pay their troops and buy guns from the Westerners...

How could they possibly dare to offend us, the Nine Banners!"

"Oh?"

Fu Juemin couldn’t help but laugh. "From the way you tell it, the Northern Army Group still has to obey you Nine Banners?"

The Northern Army was famous for its military might. If not for their constant infighting and lack of a unified leader, they probably would have fought their way down south long ago.

Even so, on the battlefields between the north and south, their adversary, the Xin Republic’s Government, was often sent "scurrying for cover."

It was true that the Nine Banners of the Previous Dynasty supported a city full of Demon Fiends, but could a city of Demon Fiends really withstand a few artillery barrages from the combined Northern Army?

Though Fu Juemin didn’t know the inside story, he could tell Mu Feng was laying it on a bit thick.

Called out so directly by Fu Juemin, Mu Feng was suddenly embarrassed.

He gave a sheepish laugh, lowered his head, and answered honestly.

Only after hearing his explanation did Fu Juemin understand: the Northern Army and the Demon Capital Nine Banners had long been in collusion.

These nobles of the Nine Banners had inherited the vast majority of the previous dynasty’s wealth; each of them had more money than they knew how to spend.

Meanwhile, the Northern Army Group was desperate for silver coins to buy guns and pay their soldiers, so the two sides found it a perfect match.

One provided the money, the other helped capture people to be used for Alchemy and to feed Demons.

This cooperative relationship had been in place for many years.

So why did the Northern Warlords trade people for money instead of just taking it by force?

It came down to the same old problem: they couldn’t agree on a single leader.

A single faction might be able to take down the tough nut that was the Yingjing Nine Banners, but after they did, who knew if the others wouldn’t take the opportunity to stab them in the back.

They were all greedy, but they were all too afraid to act. This led to the transactional model they had now.

Any Warlord with people to spare could come to Yingjing and trade them for money, then use that money to buy more guns. In this day and age, human life was the cheapest commodity of all.

The common folk were like leeks—cut one harvest down, and another would grow back on its own soon enough.

It was more of a hassle, to be sure, but it had the advantage of being safe and reliable.

"...Right now, among the Northern Barbarians, the more powerful factions are the Ding Wu, Feng’an, and Cyan Horse cliques.

They’ve always dealt exclusively with the Royal Banner and the Upper Three Banners. We in the Lower Five Banners never even get a chance to negotiate with them..."

Mu Feng sighed. Though he didn’t say it outright, his words were clearly tinged with resentment for the Top Four Banners.

’This is a good sign,’ Fu Juemin thought.

Although Fu Juemin had already brought him to heel, the idea of the Nine Banners as a single, unified entity was still deeply ingrained in Mu Feng’s mind.

’Courage, ambition... these things have to be cultivated, bit by bit.’

"Your support for Chen You... did you learn that trick from the Northern Warlords?"

Fu Juemin asked offhandedly.

"Privately raising soldiers and capturing people is strictly forbidden within the Nine Banners..."

Mu Feng gave a bitter smile. "I was really forced into a corner.

The Mu Family has been suppressed by an alliance of rival Banners for the past two years, and on top of that, the Yin Crow’s appetite has been growing.

The Wuchen Grand Competition is fast approaching. If I don’t complete the Magic Sacrifice soon, I’ll lose my current Official Rank and Salary, and next year will be even more difficult..."

"The Wuchen Grand Competition?"

Hearing Mu Feng mention this, Fu Juemin sat up a little straighter. "Tell me more," he said flatly.