Kays Translations

Chapter 104: Shocked

Yan Ze’an’s expression remained somewhat wooden. After all, anyone who experienced such a fate would likely feel the same. He had devoted all his efforts to the Cai Kingdom, only to end up with such a conclusion; from the emperor to the common people, everyone was cursing him!

Since ancient times, heroes shed no tears because they could no longer weep!

Once the former prime minister changed into fresh clothes, Xu Ren slowly approached Yan Ze’an. “Prime minister Yan, let’s take a walk.”

Yan Ze’an finally lowered his head to look at Xu Ren, suddenly giving a self-deprecating smile. “I’m no longer a prime minister.”

“No, you are still a prime minister. Anyang needs a prime minister like you; the rising Brilliant Star Group also needs a prime minister like you!”

“I am from the Cai Kingdom.” Yan Ze’an’s expression darkened, yet he did not exit the carriage.

“But the Cai Kingdom has already abandoned you. You sacrificed so much for Cai, even sparing the people from war, yet they pushed you away, insulted you, and even sought to exterminate your entire family. It’s not that you abandoned Cai; it’s Cai that abandoned you. Come on, let’s walk for a bit.”

Xu Ren’s words ruthlessly stripped away the last shred of hope in Yan Ze’an’s heart. He finally numbly stepped down from the carriage and walked alongside Xu Ren into the city walls of Anyang.

The first place they passed was the barracks, where Yan Ze’an saw a very different scene. The most striking difference was the banner hanging at the entrance: “A soldier who does not wish to be a general is not a good soldier.”

Moreover, there were no supervising soldiers or lazy stragglers in the barracks. All the soldiers, except for those on duty, were practicing or studying. Xu Ren then took Yan Ze’an to a remote shooting range, where soldiers were practicing marksmanship.

“Firearms?” Seeing this weapon that had caused Cai to suffer a great defeat, Yan Ze’an was naturally quite concerned. In fact, Yan Ze’an understood that his current situation was closely tied to this new weapon. If it weren’t for this new weapon enabling Anyang’s victory, he might still be the prime minister of the Cai Kingdom, second only to the emperor.

“Gun! Firearms are quite a primitive design,” Xu Ren said as he picked up a gun and disassembled it for Yan Ze’an to see.

After Yan Ze’an examined it and attempted to fire a few times, he finally had to acknowledge, “Very impressive; firearms are indeed primitive. But this design requires a strict industrial system to support it, right?”

As expected of a former prime minister, he saw right through its essence. Xu Ren smiled slightly, offering no explanation, and took Yan Ze’an on a walking tour of all of Anyang. From the small villages to the Anyang government, they stood for a long time in front of a school, where Yan Ze’an was particularly struck by the various slogans hanging on the walls.

“If we cannot cultivate qualified talent, we have no future.”

Standing under this slogan, Yan Ze’an suddenly smiled. “Such blunt and unrefined words must be from Li Xian, right?”

Upon hearing this, Xu Ren chuckled. “You speak so directly!”

“Hey, he even made two typos in the personal letter he sent me!”

Xu Ren: …What on earth…?

After exiting the school and seeing the bustling streets again, Yan Ze’an suddenly sighed, the heavy atmosphere around him finally dissipating.

Upon seeing this, Xu Ren finally smiled. Yan Ze’an had finally given up everything from the past Cai Kingdom and accepted Anyang; next, it was time for the final step!

“Prime Minister Yan, let’s go take a look at the Qingyun Valley. Only there can you see the real miracle. To be honest, even I find it hard to believe that the young master could create this enterprise in just a year and a half.”

They continued to walk; from Anyang Mansion to Qingyun Valley was a full ten miles, or five kilometers. Along the way, Yan Ze’an observed the flourishing businesses. The road to Qingyun Valley was wide, and all the groups were clearly divided into two teams: one team moving forward on the left and the other returning on the right, all in perfect order.

The merchants were laughing and joking loudly, while the guards appeared drowsy, creating a peaceful atmosphere, completely devoid of the tense feeling from the outside world. 

Upon reaching the outskirts of Qingyun Valley, they saw a massive wholesale market where all the merchants were orderly receiving their goods.

However, there was one discordant note: a wooden stake stood outside Qingyun Valley, with a few drops of black blood on it. This was the stake that had once hung a body in the Golden Core stage and had been preserved until now.

Once they entered Qingyun Valley, Yan Ze’an was truly shocked—not by the ethereal beauty of the place or the bustling vehicles, but by the thick spiritual energy here. The spiritual energy in Qingyun Valley was nearly three times that of the outside world.

“Zhou Tian Gathering Spirit Array! You actually set up a Zhou Tian Gathering Spirit Array!” Yan Ze’an, who was well-read, immediately recognized this formation.

Xu Ren smiled slightly but did not explain, “Let’s go, I’ll show you.”

After that, Yan Ze’an’s shock did not cease, and by the end, he was even sweating coldly.

There were black iron, concrete, steel smelting workshops, machine tool workshops, and even sealed flying vehicles. The research department had electricity and had already achieved certain results in the “spiritual stone charging” research.

Finally, Xu Ren brought the somewhat dazed Yan Ze’an to a warehouse, a small warehouse that Qingyun Valley had opened to the public. Upon opening the small warehouse, there were 100 spiritual stones inside.

Xu Ren smiled and said, “Prime Minister Yan, if you were to govern Anyang and manage the Brilliant Stars Group, how much compensation would you need for a year? Think it over, and just take the spiritual stones yourself.”

Yan Ze’an was a talented prime minister, so how could he not hear the hidden meaning in Xu Ren’s words? “Think it over” meant that not only must he consider it, but he must also be prepared to act! After discovering so many secrets, Yan Ze’an found himself with no way out and could only swear an oath. Once the oath was completed, Yan Ze’an stepped forward and fiercely grabbed ten spiritual stones!

Xu Ren did not waste any time. “Ten spiritual stones; I hope you are worthy of this price. Let’s go back to the City Lord’s Mansion. From now on, the development of Anyang and the Brilliant Stars Group will depend on you, Prime Minister Yan. The specific appointment will wait for the young master’s notification.”

“I understand.” Yan Ze’an tucked the ten spiritual stones into his clothing, and after leaving the warehouse, he suddenly said to Xu Ren, “Mr. Xu, you are quite the schemer.”

“Not at all, I’m just a humble strategist; this is all I know how to do. Please don’t laugh at me.”

It turned out that although Xu Ren hadn’t said a single word of persuasion during their journey, he had unknowingly forced Yan Ze’an to take the plunge—there was only the path of swearing loyalty left to walk! Throughout this process, Xu Ren hadn’t uttered a single threatening word nor had he shown any strong intention to recruit Yan Ze’an. Everything appeared to be Yan Ze’an’s own desire to contribute to Anyang.

That evening, Yan Ze’an and his family of 176 settled down, and Xia Qingqing personally came to greet them. During this time, there was an unexpected surprise: one of the generals from the Cai Kingdom, Yan Zhengqing, turned out to also be from the Yan family and was part of the group! This time, Anyang had gained both a prime ministerial talent and a commanding talent!

Wang Jian, Chang Lin, Cheng Jiming, and Liu Leigang, among others, were all impressive individuals, being generals capable of charging into battle. However, they were unable to command a group army effectively. In contrast, Beichen Yuqing and Yan Zhengqing both had commanding talents.

But Beichen Yuqing and Yan Zhengqing were different; Beichen Yuqing leaned more toward the role of a military advisor, ultimately belonging to the strategist category. Yan Zhengqing, however, was the kind of commander who could stand on his own! This was precisely the kind of talent that Anyang lacked right now; such talents were definitely in high demand.

With these two key talents from the Yan family, Anyang was finally ready for everything!

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