Chapter 322: Policy
In the City Lord’s Mansion of Anyang, Xu Ren looked at the brand-new feather fan in his hand, becoming more pleased the longer he stared at it. This feather fan was not only more beautiful but also a magical treasure. The feathers of the fan came from the task Li Xian had previously issued — to find feathers of a Nascent Soul-stage demon beast. Now, those hundred vibrant feathers had been turned into the magical treasure in Xu Ren’s hand.
“So beautiful,” Li Yuanming and Yan Ze’an exclaimed with admiration as they looked at the feather fan in Xu Ren’s hand.
Xu Ren smiled faintly without offering any explanation. This feather fan was custom-made by Li Xian and refined and enchanted by Xiao Yuquan, making it exceptionally meaningful. What the two were admiring was not merely the fan’s appearance, but more so the significance it represented.
Li Xian interrupted the meaningful glances being exchanged, “Alright, alright, let’s discuss the current situation in Anyang, the surrounding landscape, and the future development of Anyang.”
For now, Anyang seemed to have a lot on its plate.
“First, let’s talk about the attack from Cai State. Why hasn’t it started yet?”
As it turned out, Cai State had brought an army of 500,000 and had even declared war. Yet the war never broke out! After the crushing defeat of Xiao Liming’s 200,000 troops, Cai surprisingly did not launch a follow-up attack. Nor did they withdraw. The two sides remained at a standoff.
Xu Ren spoke up, “There’s really not much to discuss. We crushed Xiao Liming’s forces like a dry branch snapping. That’s why Cai State doesn’t dare to act.”
Li Yuanming, however, sneered coldly. “If Cai won’t attack, then we will. Since they’ve already declared war, launching a counterattack is entirely reasonable.
I believe Cai State is likely stockpiling resources and preparing in secret. So now is the time for us to go on the offensive and crush their army before they’re ready. Besides, Anyang is no longer a mere county-sized territory. We now have the strength to govern vast lands.
Let’s seize this opportunity to fully occupy Huaihua County in Cai State and restore Anyang’s borders from several millennia ago.”
“I don’t think we need to rush,” Yan Ze’an countered. “Cai State is likely hesitating. Xiao Liming’s swift defeat has thrown them into uncertainty. We should take this opportunity to prepare military supplies. Given Anyang’s current production and armament capabilities, the longer we delay, the greater our advantage.
Besides, Anyang has a lot of internal matters to deal with. If we can postpone dealing with Cai, we buy ourselves time to handle other issues.
Numerous mercenary groups are preparing supplies for the ‘liberation’ of Nanyang County.
Since forming a blood pact with the East Sea Dragon Palace of Yingzhou, many matters still need addressing.
The newly annexed Luliang County also requires development and management.
Furthermore, Anyang itself has countless matters to sort out. For Anyang to truly embark on a path of development, we’ll need three years just to get things in order. The ideology of commerce and industry is brand new and still unfamiliar in many ways. We also need to align it with the cultivation world.
And to bind Anyang’s interests, industrial power, and the people’s interests together, we need time for it all to settle. We must strive for a period of peaceful development — three years! Just three years, and Anyang will possess unshakable power.
At our current pace, in three years, Anyang will have over a hundred Nascent Soul cultivators, thousands of Golden Core cultivators, and hundreds of thousands of Foundation Establishment cultivators. By then, the entire eastern region of Yingzhou will have no choice but to heed Anyang’s will!”
Unconsciously, Xu Ren and the others began to align their vision with Li Xian’s.
But Xu Ren surprisingly opposed Yan Ze’an’s suggestion. “I disagree. This is a passive approach, and adopting a passive strategy in our current situation is the worst move. The best approach is to be forceful — eliminate Cai’s 500,000-strong army and shock the world.
Time must be seized by our own hands. Our living space must be carved out by ourselves. The road ahead must be paved with victory. If we can grasp it, we must grasp it. We cannot pin our hopes on others.
Our hesitation will only give the enemy the impression that we’re vulnerable, potentially triggering more conflicts.”
Everyone had voiced their opinions. The final decision now lay with Li Xian.
Li Xian pondered for a while, then suddenly opened his eyes wide. “Anyang’s development path will inevitably draw greedy eyes. What we must do is chop off any hand that dares reach out — and gouge out the eyes behind it! Kill the chicken to scare the monkeys!
Since Cai State has already declared war, there’s no need to be polite. If they won’t attack, then we will!
Chen Jinbing, go inform Yan Zhengqing. Since war is declared, don’t hold back. Cai’s 500,000 troops, plus border guards and laborers totaling around 600,000 — don’t let a single one escape.”
“Wait,” Li Yuanming suddenly interjected. “Have Commander Yan Zhengqing shout some slogans before the attack, like ‘Those who surrender now will be spared; otherwise, none will be left alive.’ Even if we plan to annihilate Cai’s 500,000 troops, we mustn’t let others think Anyang is bloodthirsty.”
Chen Jinbing blinked. “If we shout that before the battle, no one’s going to surrender.”
Li Yuanming laughed loudly. “Anyone who doesn’t surrender clearly wants to kill Anyang’s people — how could we spare such people? Those who don’t seize the opportunity to surrender must be ruthlessly eradicated! Let the enemy’s blood nourish Anyang’s glory.
We do business fairly with others, but some want unearned gains — even to rob and kill. According to Anyang’s law, robbery and murder are punishable by death. Cai’s 500,000 troops claim to be at war, but let’s be honest — they’re just bandits. And with bandits, there must be no mercy or hesitation.
That way, even if we completely wipe out Cai’s army, we’ll still stand on the side of justice. We’ll also reinforce Anyang’s legal foundation. This is where Song Xing’s propaganda department must do more — use this opportunity to raise legal awareness in Anyang.
A mature government and ideology must be watered with blood. When the Great Xia Dynasty was founded, more than four million soldiers died in total, and the number of civilians who perished in the chaos is uncountable.”
“Alright, it’s settled then,” Li Xian nodded, and Chen Jinbing went to relay the orders.
After discussing the most pressing issue — the war with Cai — Li Xian turned his attention to the daily governance of Anyang. But Anyang’s administration was completely different from that of other countries. The development of industry and commerce, the expanding business branches across seven or eight neighboring nations, the advancement of technology — none of it was simple or isolated.
Today, a particularly important matter was up for discussion: technology openness. Li Xian planned to release to the public some of the obsolete technologies from the Brilliant Star Group within Anyang. For instance, basic internal combustion engine tech, common civilian locomotive tech, and so on.
“Anyang has already developed to the point where relying solely on the Brilliant Star Group can no longer meet our needs. Therefore, we need support from private factories.
For example, general steel refining, basic rail forging, standard sheet metal production, internal combustion engines — I even plan to release propeller aircraft production technology.”
The moment Li Xian finished speaking, Xu Ren and the others were instantly stressed — Young Master, could you stop making decisions off the top of your head? If you must, at least do it gently. If you crush your head flat, we’re in trouble.
Needless to say, the idea of releasing some technologies was met with firm opposition from Xu Ren and the others. Anyang’s current success relied entirely on its technological monopoly — especially the scientific knowledge and frameworks behind the technology.
If low-level technology was fully released, the corresponding scientific knowledge would inevitably follow.
And once the foundational knowledge systems were public, Anyang’s advantage could disappear. Even though Anyang sold technology everywhere, what it sold was obsolete machinery — not the real tech. The core technologies, fundamental knowledge systems, and scientific thinking were all still tightly held by Li Xian.
“Can you all let me finish?” Li Xian sighed deeply. “Everyone, technology lockdowns can only last temporarily. As we rise, others will gradually discover the benefits of technology.
The Immortal Domain has developed for who knows how many millennia. The documented history of the human race alone spans millions of years. Over that time, vast technical knowledge has accumulated; it only lacks proper guidance. And now, with Anyang’s emergence, others finally have a reference and a goal.
Given the current situation, if we don’t disclose the tech, others will eventually develop it themselves. And once new technological systems emerge, Anyang’s dominance will still be threatened.
Our goal should be to suppress these budding systems before they form. And the best way to do that — is guidance.
It’s common knowledge: ‘blocking is worse than guiding.’ The same principle applies to the development of science and technology.
I’ve said long ago that the spread of technology is inevitable. And since it’s inevitable, we should lead the way. If we guide it, others will always follow behind us.
When something is unavoidable, what we must do is maximize the benefits. Just like with doctrines, philosophies, cultivation methods — none can remain secret forever.
Besides, the first batch of graduates from Hope Star Academy has now graduated. From now on, we’ll have a fresh batch every year. These carefully trained students are the future backbone of Anyang’s development. Their loyalty has already been tested. But how do we utilize them?
If they’re eagles, they must soar. I plan to support these graduates in starting their own businesses — all tech-oriented ventures.
The best way to maintain a tech monopoly is not secrecy — it’s to always stay at the cutting edge and lead the direction of development. Through technology, we can win allies, strike at enemies, and split apart hostile coalitions.
Development is the best method of secrecy. Of course, how we release the technology needs detailed discussion. The technology we’ve worked hard to develop won’t be given away for free. Especially core technologies — those must always stay in our hands.”
With Li Xian laying things out so clearly, Xu Ren and the others gradually began to shift their thinking. Soon, everyone began discussing and reflecting.