117 Marketplace (Part 1)
Shen Tang couldn't help but murmur softly. "So that's why..."
Qishan, with keen ears, inquired, "What do you mean by 'so that's why'?"
Zhale also turned his gaze over upon hearing the sound. Shen Tang said, "You mentioned that a fifth-rank official could start preparing to establish their own private army. It's no wonder that hundreds of countries have emerged, leading to a fragmented world. As long as martial warriors have ambitions, isn't it easy to cause trouble?"
Zhale couldn't resist giving martial warriors their rightful title.
"The current situation has little to do with martial warriors," he remarked.
Qishan couldn't bear to look directly at the situation either.
He chuckled and said, "Do you really think martial warriors are that powerful? Just by raising a private army, can one establish dominance? If that were true, the world wouldn't have just hundreds of nations but thousands and tens of thousands. Every town and village could become a country. Moreover, private armies are not so easy to cultivate. How many martial warriors can't even support themselves..."
Shen Tang murmured, "...Is it really that dire?"
Qishan said, "Yes, it is."
But Shen Tang retorted, "I don't believe it."
"If Shen Xiaolang doesn't believe it, let me calculate it for you."
Martial warriors aiming to establish dominance?
Private military forces need to be trained.
The first hurdle is the expense of training oneself in martial arts. Not to mention extravagance, but meat is essential, and some luxury ingredients are supplemented with medicinal herbs to maximize potential.
The second hurdle is the cost of feeding hundreds of people. Training in martial arts consumes the most physical energy. If there's no grease in the bowl, how can one build strength? Without strength, how can one win battles?
Just eating can impoverish people.
Do you think that's the end of it?
No, no, no, there are more hurdles ahead.
The third hurdle: private military forces must learn various military formations, be able to respond to changes in commands from the general, and this cannot be achieved in just a day or two; it requires years of hard training and coordination.
The fourth hurdle: the power of words. It's not just the martial spirit of the general that's needed but also the literary spirit of the scholar to assist.
Only by combining the two can strengths and weaknesses be balanced.
With all this done, can one go into battle?
No, no, no, there's still one last, most important hurdle.
Shen Tang listened attentively and couldn't help but speak up, "There's still something more important? Training the troops isn't enough?"
"Of course not."
"What's the most important thing?"
"The Royal Seal!"
While the previous hurdles could be solved with money, the last hurdle can leave one dumbfounded, no matter how much money you throw at it.
"The Royal Seal... Is it really that important?"
Shen Tang had heard Qishan mention the Royal Seal more than once, but she had never been very interested in it and had never really delved into it. She took advantage of this opportunity to find out.
This time, Qishan didn't intentionally hide or avoid the topic.
How important is the Royal Seal to a faction?
It is so crucial that, if a general goes into battle, either the general himself possesses the Royal Seal or the sovereign to whom the general pledges allegiance has it; otherwise, going into battle is akin to handing warmth to the enemy. It concerns not only the "way of the vassals" but also the defense against external enemies and the stability of the nation.
How to defend against external enemies?
By harnessing the national spirit and fortune to consolidate the national barrier.
The stronger the national fortune, the more robust the national barrier.
If this cannot be breached, how can one think of attacking cities and seizing territories?
It's better to turn in early for the night.
How to stabilize the national fortune?
This is somewhat elusive and falls into the realm of the esoteric. For instance, it may involve reducing the frequency of various natural disasters within the realm... Of course, this is limited to natural occurrences.
While one can control natural disasters, one cannot control man-made calamities.
If, for example, someone deliberately blocks a river upstream before the rainy season, causing drought downstream, and then releases water during the rainy season, causing flooding downstream, no matter how strong the national fortune is, it won't be able to counter such cunning maneuvers.
In simple terms, having the Royal Seal grants the most fundamental and comprehensive enhancement BUFF. Without the Royal Seal, this enhancement is missing, leaving one significantly disadvantaged compared to others. Going into battle without it, even if one is a Viscount of the 20th rank, would lead to utter defeat.
Thinking of claiming a hilltop and declaring oneself king?
Daydreaming!
After listening to the description, Shen Tang could only think: "..."
The only thought left in her mind was: "Wow, is this some kind of 'build city decree' or 'establish gang decree'???"
The above elucidates the difficulties of martial warriors establishing dominance.
Zhale also added, "The true strength of martial warriors lies not in individual combat but on the battlefield. In essence, fighting individually is no different from being a wanderer. At most, one may be slightly better than an ordinary wanderer, able to take on ten, a hundred, or even a thousand opponents..."
Sounds terrifying, doesn't it?
But since the appearance of the bandit star over two hundred years ago, only three individuals of the 20th rank have emerged! There are barely over a thousand people with a name and reputation of the 15th rank or higher. Compared to the population of the continent over the past two hundred years, this number is merely a drop in the ocean, how can it influence the overall situation?
If it weren't for Qishan by her side, she would even consider passing the buck—
In today's world, it's clear that the responsibility lies more with the literati and scholars.
Shen Tang sighed, "That's terrifying."
Low-level martial warriors are manageable, at most being slightly stronger than ordinary individuals, but mid-to-high-level martial warriors possess strength far beyond the common realm, aiming for higher martial prowess.
Life is truly arduous for ordinary people.
Perhaps too engrossed in conversation, it wasn't until they were almost descending the mountain that Qishan noticed the panting sounds beside him. His face darkened as he lowered his gaze to see the two naughty kids still holding onto those two black pigs—
They had actually been leading the black pigs down the mountain the whole way!!!
His gaze flickered towards Shen Tang, a wry smile playing on his lips.
"Master Shen?"
Did he really intend to recruit people while leading a giant black pig?
Shen Tang shook her head resolutely, "No! Regardless, it's still over a hundred or two hundred catties of meat. I absolutely won't abandon it!"
Qishan: "..."
If he couldn't even control Shen Tang, how could he manage Zhai Le?
Qishan could only suppress his frustration, leading the two troublesome kids and the two black beasts straight towards the small town near Xiaocheng.
Referred to as a "small town," it was actually comprised of about twenty scattered impoverished villages, totaling no more than a thousand households.
Today happened to be the monthly "grand market."
Although called a "grand market," there weren't many legitimate commodities being sold.
The most abundant commodity was people.
Along the dusty and rudimentary mud roads, under the low walls of earthen houses, stood, sat, or lay "commodities" of varying ages, with straw woven into their hair. Some were brought by human traffickers, some sold themselves, and some were from "family workshops."
These so-called "family workshops" involved selling children, spouses, or even parents... The various facets of human nature were vividly portrayed in this small corner of the world. They sold their loved ones not all out of greed.
Shen Tang then saw a emaciated mother with sunken cheeks and eye sockets, tightly hugging her son, pleading with passing pedestrians to buy him, willing to endure beatings and abuse, just for a mouthful of food.
The child, dressed in ragged clothes, was clearly emaciated, with visible ribs and skeletal limbs, yet his belly bulged as if he were a woman in the sixth or seventh month of pregnancy.
She couldn't bear to look any longer. "Yuanliang... he is..."
Qishan said, "There's no hope for these people."
Zhai Le also couldn't bear it, sighing, "Perhaps they've ingested too much soil, causing gastrointestinal obstruction, which eventually led to..."
Shen Tang, Qishan, and Zhai Le stood out conspicuously among the locals, and the two fat and formidable black beasts, drawing countless stares, even causing pedestrians to instinctively make way for them.
Gastrointestinal obstruction: colloquially known as constipation.