20demayo Chapter 141: Buffer Zone
Chapter 141: Buffer Zone
Meanwhile, Lu Yuan had already returned to the Northern Barbarian Imperial Palace. Outside the Hall of Gathering Heroes, almost all the officials from the imperial city had arrived.
I've been waiting for this for a long time.
Lu Yuan and Xiao Hua had just arrived at the door.
The assembled officials simultaneously said, "Congratulations to the King of Qin on his resounding victory."
Such treatment was rare among the northern barbarians; only those who had rendered great service to the court received this honor.
Lu Yuan dared not be negligent, after all, these people were all extraordinary individuals.
Even the Grand Master of Ceremonies was there.
He immediately returned the greeting, saying, "You are too kind, gentlemen."
Then, surrounded by the crowd, she entered the Jiying Hall. The palace maids had already begun to set out the wine and dishes, and two seats were still reserved next to Xiao Shi.
She had obviously arrived long ago, waiting for Xiao Hua and Lu Yuan.
The latter stopped, and Xiao said with a smile, "Our Northern Barbarian hero has returned."
He paused, and after Lu Yuan had stood still, continued, "The King of Qin has rewarded you with three manors, ten million taels of silver, ten sea dragon pearls, and one hundred spirit flowers for your merit in repelling the enemy..."
The series of rewards left Lu Yuan stunned. Was this what it felt like to be pampered?
Back in the Dayong era, I risked my life and only managed to become a Northern Patrol Captain. But now, all I've done is fight a battle on the border, although it was a pretty good one.
But this is too much. Even knowing that one-tenth of what he had captured was among these rewards, the total value of everything was still far less than this.
Especially spiritual flowers, which are extremely precious. After consuming them, one's comprehension can be increased in a short period of time, allowing one to comprehend any cultivation technique one wishes to learn. They are so valuable that they cannot be replaced by silver.
It is considered one of the most precious medicinal herbs of the Northern Barbarians.
I gave myself so much all at once.
Lu Yuan didn't hesitate and bowed, saying, "Thank you for your reward, Your Majesty."
Li Qing, standing to the side, couldn't help but twitch his lips.
He managed to save some money by feigning poverty, so he could have it in case of emergency.
But His Majesty is quite generous, showering Lu Yuan with rewards, practically emptying the entire palace.
Now look what happened! Not only have I offended someone, but I haven't even kept any money.
His gaze involuntarily swept around, and the first thing he met was the unfriendly look of Grand Master Xiao Gu.
It seemed to be saying, "So this is what you mean by having no money?"
Faced with this, Li Qing could only lower his head and remain silent.
After bestowing the gifts, Madam Xiao waved her hand, and the banquet officially began.
This time, however, everyone learned their lesson and stopped going up to Lu Yuan to offer him toasts. They simply made a token gesture and then sat down below.
I started chatting with some people I knew.
Xiao said softly to Lu Yuan, "I'll give you a little more money this time. Go back and make up for the shortfall as soon as possible. You're really bold, kid. You bought such a big piece of land and sold houses without even discussing it with me."
"If you can't sell them, how are you going to support the royal family?"
Everyone knows that the Prince's Palace has high expenses. After all, he once rewarded the Prince with more than a thousand tiger servants and five hundred beast riders. These two items alone are money-devouring beasts.
Maids and servants, daily maintenance of the house—none of these require money.
"Your Majesty, please rest assured, the house will definitely be sold."
"Alright, alright, I know you're stubborn, but this time the silver reward you're given can't all be spent in the South City." Madam Xiao was like a mother admonishing her spendthrift son, looking very earnest.
Seeing her like this, Lu Yuan could only nod with a wry smile, preparing to agree first.
After all, it wasn't said that the current project should be stopped.
For the rest of the time, it was almost entirely Xiao who was lecturing, talking incessantly.
Lu Yuan nodded from time to time.
The ministers below watched this scene with envy on their faces.
The only people who could be treated this way by His Majesty, besides the Crown Princess, are probably Lu Yuan.
After finishing a meal.
It was already late at night, and the officials dispersed.
After bidding farewell to Madam Xiao and her daughter, Lu Yuan returned to the Prince's Palace.
As soon as he entered the mansion, Cai Chong and his guards came to greet him; they had clearly been waiting for him.
He bowed and said, "Welcome home, Your Highness."
"Cai Chong, come to the study. Everyone else, go back first." With that, Lu Yuan walked towards the study on the side of the front hall.
Inside, the stove burned with an orange-red light.
As soon as the door was pushed open, a blast of hot air rushed towards me.
Lu Yuan asked Cai Chong, "How's the house situation?"
"Your Highness, because of the Crown Princess's message, the government has approved an additional 2,000 mu of land, bringing the total to 6,000 mu. Of these, 3,000 mu are planned to be used to build small courtyards, which can accommodate 2,500 houses. The remaining 2,000 mu will be used to create large courtyards of about 100 mu each, which will amount to about 100 manors."
The academy was the first to be built, and now its foundation has been laid, large enough to accommodate 10,000 people for cultivation.
The vacant areas will be paved with bluestone paths, and there will also be several gardens.” As Cai Chong spoke, he took out a planning map.
Lu Yuan nodded, a satisfied look on his face: "Approximately how long will it take to complete?"
"One winter is enough. Among our employees, there are quite a few who have entered the realm of cultivation and have undergone bone forging. They are quite efficient at their work." Within the imperial city, there are many people whose cultivation is at the realm of cultivation and have undergone bone forging. They dare not go into battle to fight the enemy, nor do they want to leave the imperial city. Therefore, they can only do some work such as building the city and constructing houses.
They earned quite a bit of money.
After all, they work much faster than ordinary people.
Lu Yuan nodded, then smiled and said, "Alright, prioritize building the academy. Have Wei Yong and the others all arrived?"
"They've all arrived. As you instructed, we've approved a lot of resources during this time. Their cultivation has all reached the Tendon Refining Realm, so they'll have no problem mentoring disciples," Cai Chong said with a smile.
Although Lu Yuan's idea was bold and even somewhat wasteful in his opinion, if it were to succeed, the world's richest people would likely flock to it.
After all, while many dynasties had plenty of silver, very few possessed cultivation techniques, as these were strictly controlled.
It is a family heirloom in every family.
Many families, even when they are down on their luck, would rather lose their martial arts techniques than reveal them.
The completion of this academy will have a profound impact not only on the northern barbarians, but also on the entire world.
"Since it can be completed by next spring, let's start recruiting students in the next few days. After all, it will take some time for students from afar to come. There are merchant caravans from all dynasties in the imperial city. Send people to follow them and spread the word that anyone who buys a house we build in the southern city can learn two third-grade martial arts techniques."
Furthermore, outstanding disciples may even be able to unlock fourth-grade and fifth-grade cultivation techniques.
Every year, a select group of students will be chosen to practice sixth-grade cultivation techniques. Lu Yuan's voice was calm.
But Cai Chong was terrified upon hearing this.
"Your Highness, what are the prices of these houses?"
"Each small courtyard costs five million taels, and each large courtyard costs fifty million taels. The tuition fee is one hundred thousand taels per person. As for the cultivation technique, it will double for each level you advance in the future," Lu Yuan said calmly, taking a sip of tea.
"Sir, isn't this price too much?" the butler stammered.
If it really works out, the small courtyard alone could earn hundreds of millions of taels of silver. That's a lot more than the imperial court would be.
This is enough to elevate the wealth of the Northern Barbarians to a new level.
"These houses of ours were never intended for ordinary people, but rather to gather together the wealthiest people in the world. However, these courtyards may not be enough, and we can continue to acquire more land and expand the academy in the future."
"We aim to transform the entire southern part of the city into an academic city."
Lu Yuan has big ideas.
If fourth- and fifth-grade cultivation techniques are indeed released later, not only will merchants be restless, but even the nobles of the various dynasties will likely be uneasy.
That's when it's really fun.
The butler, standing to the side, bowed and said, "Yes, sir!"
Hearing Lu Yuan's words, he was also very excited.
If it really succeeds, then the Prince's Mansion will truly be richer than a country.
Lu Yuan continued, "In the coming days, we must ensure that the message is disseminated effectively."
"Yes, Your Highness," Cai Chong replied hastily.
"Da da!"
But just then, footsteps sounded outside the study.
Then, Wei Yong's voice came: "Your Highness, I have something to report."
"Come in," Lu Yuan said, looking up.
Then, Wei Yong walked in, looking like he wanted to say something but hesitated.
Lu Yuan glanced at Cai Chong and said, "You can go now. I'll leave the affairs of Nancheng to you."
The latter bowed and withdrew.
Then, Lu Yuan said to Wei Yong, "What happened? Tell me."
"Something has happened in the buffer zone. The princes of Dayong are acting like madmen, constantly taking over the territory of the buffer zone. It is said that the eldest prince, the third prince, and the seventh prince have even gone there in person to oversee things in the city."
"It looks like it's about to engulf the buffer zone, and there's even a trace of a Core Formation expert." Wei Yong looked somewhat anxious.
Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow and narrowed his eyes slightly.
A sense of vigilance rose in his heart. There was probably only one reason why Dayong was doing this: they were probably preparing to deal with the Northern Barbarians. If they secretly controlled the buffer zone, they could use it as a springboard to continuously send large armies to the Northern Barbarians.
"Didn't the Northern Barbarians also support several factions? How are they doing now?"
"This is very bad. We've suffered a severe blow. The court seems to be short of money, and the support sent to the buffer zone is decreasing. It simply can't withstand the expansion of the forces supported by Dayong," Wei Yong said softly.
Even Xiao Hua doesn't know about Lu Yuan's relationship with Tianwang Village; she only thinks that the two sides have a good relationship.
If he told her, Xiao Hua would definitely do everything she could to help, but Lu Yuan also knew something about the situation in the Northern Barbarians.
It simply couldn't support the expenditure of hundreds of thousands of troops.
Sending people would make it easier for the Northern Barbarians and Dayong to start a war sooner, and he couldn't take that risk.
Therefore, he has to resolve this matter himself.
Therefore, after pondering for a moment, he said, "I understand about this matter. I will set off early tomorrow morning for Tianwang Village. Didn't you transfer a hundred men from Tianwang Village? Have them come with me. I won't bring the guards from the Prince's Mansion."
After Lu Yuan finished speaking, he took out his brush, ink, paper, and inkstone and began to write furiously.
A moment later, he finished writing a letter, packed it up, and sent it to Wei Yong: "Send someone to deliver this letter to the Crown Princess first thing tomorrow morning."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Wei Yong nodded quickly.
The letter essentially said that Lu Yuan needed to go to the buffer zone to pick up his mother.
Tell Xiao Hua not to worry, and take this opportunity to ask for leave from the Xiao family.
Then, he waved for Wei Yong to step down.
"call!"
Lu Yuan let out a long breath
It's been a while since I left Dayong, and I wonder how Xiao Hongling and Zhou He are doing. If I could, I would really like to see them.
Then, he waved for Wei Yong to leave.
At this moment, a clear plan had already appeared in his mind, if Dayong really had the idea of using the buffer zone.
That would be a good opportunity to make good use of Tianwang Village.
Then he went back to the backyard to rest.
Nothing happened that night, and early the next morning, Lu Yuan led Wei Yong and the others out of the mansion.
These more than one hundred people, having practiced the cultivation techniques given to them by Lu Yuan and received various resources, have now all reached the stage of tendon refining.
He was wearing black scale armor, which looked similar to the armor of Tianwang Village, but the quality was far superior.
Now, they all know Lu Yuan's identity.
He realized that this famous Northern Patrol General of Dayong was actually his own chieftain, and that the other party had now become the King of Qin of the Northern Barbarians.
Everyone was very excited.
Especially after they were transferred to the Northern Barbarian Imperial City.
He even claimed to be Lu Yuan's confidant.
However, their strength is indeed quite good, not inferior to that of the ordinary imperial guards of the Great Yong Dynasty.
When they set off, they all wore bronze masks. Wei Yong had specifically instructed that no one was allowed to reveal the prince's identity, or they would be killed without mercy.
After experiencing Lu Yuan's emergence from seclusion.
Although many people know that he has a good relationship with Tianwang Village, they do not know that Lu Yuan is the leader of the village.
After all, at that time he was just a general patrolling the north, and his cultivation level was only at the innate level in the eyes of others.
It's simply impossible to make such a large village submit.
It should be noted that Tianwang Village has experts who can control the Void, and some speculate that the strength displayed by that mysterious village chief has even reached the Core Formation stage.
Lu Yuan wanted to take advantage of this.
We'll make a big deal out of this later, so this identity must be kept secret for now.
At this moment, in a newly built, magnificent mansion in Huangsha City, the Seventh Prince was sitting in the main hall.
His gaze was fixed on the ground below.
Dissatisfaction appeared on his face.
And standing there was none other than the envoy who had always been at Tianwang Village.
At this moment, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, his face was somewhat pale, and he appeared very cautious.
After a moment, the Seventh Prince said in a deep voice, "Tell me, what price is needed to make Tianwang Village submit? You've been there for so long, if you don't even understand their bottom line, what use are you to me?"
The envoy said tremblingly, "Your Highness, their chieftain has been away recently and hasn't returned. Moreover, the chieftain has a very good relationship with Lu Yuan. Although I haven't been able to find out exactly how close they are, the fact that he dared to lead so many people to confront our Imperial Guards that day already says it all. I think the chances of incorporating them are slim..."
"Shut up. So what if you have a good relationship with Lu Yuan? It only means that our price isn't high enough to tempt Tianwang Village. Go there again and stay there this winter until their leader returns."
Tell him that as long as he is willing to assist me, he can ask for whatever conditions he has, and from now on I will allocate the resources of Tianwang Village.
"Two years from now, I'll get him the title of Marquis of a City."
Then, glancing at the envoy again, he continued, "Another thing is that he must unify the buffer zone. If he really succeeds, the price will increase, and I will do my best to help him."
Now, several princes want to obtain a buffer zone so that they can control this springboard for Dayong to attack the northern barbarians.
Once this matter is accomplished, the position of crown prince will be practically secured.
That's why the Seventh Prince is in such a hurry, and has even come to Saicheng in person to take charge.
"Yes, Your Highness. I will definitely convey your message on this trip, and this time I will make Tianwang Village submit to us." The envoy wiped the sweat from his forehead and said.
The Seventh Prince nodded in satisfaction and waved his hand, "Alright, you may leave now. We'll set off for the border tomorrow. I'll be waiting for your good news."