madnovel Chapter 145 The Academy Recruits People, Reactions from All Sides
Chapter 145 The Academy Recruits People, Reactions from All Sides
The eldest prince's smile froze on his face, unaware that he had crushed the wine cup in his hand.
His face turned from pale to red.
His anger reached its peak.
A calculating glint flashed in the Third Prince's eyes, and a barely perceptible smile played on his lips. This was definitely good news for him.
The eldest prince's forces have been weakened, but they will join forces in two days, and Tianwang Village will surely be unable to withstand them.
Once the latter is eliminated, the struggle between him and the eldest prince will be much simpler.
The Seventh Prince's anxious expression turned into excitement. Tianwang Village had truly given him a huge surprise; he hadn't expected their strength to be so formidable.
Compared to the other party, his former subordinates were far inferior.
We've never eaten refined grains before.
What kind of subordinates do they use?
At this moment, Tianwang Village's status in his heart rose sharply; it was definitely a force worth cultivating.
Although the three of them had their own thoughts, they could not show them in this situation.
After his initial anger subsided, the eldest prince's face was masked by hatred, becoming completely expressionless.
In two more days, the army will be assembled and they can take revenge; he's not in a hurry.
The Third Prince eagerly awaited the arrival of the Heavenly King Village in two days, hoping to destroy it and then conveniently annihilate the First Prince's Ice Mirror Lake, at which point the position of Crown Prince would be his.
After his initial excitement, the seventh prince's eyes once again revealed a hint of sorrow.
His worry deepened. He hadn't known the exact strength of Tianwang Village before, but now that he understood, he was even more reluctant to see this force destroyed.
Thinking of this, he glared fiercely at the First Prince and the Third Prince.
Anger flashed in his eyes.
"Tianwangzhai, we must hold on!"
As he thought this, his hands unconsciously clenched tightly.
However, his heart immediately calmed down. Even if the eldest prince suffered losses this time, together with the third prince, they could still gather an army of 500,000, which would be an invincible force in the entire buffer zone.
Lu Yuan, unaware of all this, returned to Tianwang Village before nightfall.
Upon entering the residence, he asked Wei Yong, who was following behind him, "How is the recruitment process going at the academy in the Northern Barbarian region?"
As he spoke, he quickly entered the front hall.
The academy is a very important matter. If it can truly attract the wealthiest people in the world to send their children to study in the northern barbarians.
This was a radical change for the entire imperial court.
The wealth they created is absolutely unimaginable.
Wei Yong quickly bowed and said, "Your Highness, Steward Cai Chong has been sending messages that the news of the academy's enrollment has been spread by people and has also been contacted by merchant caravans in various places. However, there doesn't seem to be much movement in the capital. Many people are watching and waiting, and some don't believe it, thinking that the Prince's Mansion is deceiving them."
"Oh? That's quite interesting. Let this news circulate for a while longer, but I'm afraid there won't be any spots left by then," Lu Yuan said with a chuckle.
The rule he set was that a small courtyard would grant two places to students entering the academy, and a manor would grant five places. Once all the houses were sold, the academy would be ready.
Some people might regret it.
The conditions in the Northern Barbarians are too poor now. Compared with the Great Yong, their financial and material resources are not even on the same level. In the past two years, the Beast Cavalry has hardly sent any new members.
This is a very dangerous phenomenon.
Therefore, we must turn the tide; otherwise, we will be unable to withstand the attack of Dayong two years from now.
"Is there any news from the capital?" Lu Yuan asked after taking a sip of his tea.
"Yes, many places suffered disasters after winter began. I heard that the imperial court has held several court meetings for this purpose, but in the end, they all failed because there was no money for disaster relief. Instead, the local warlords took the opportunity to absorb a lot of people," Wei Yong said with a wry smile.
The Northern Barbarians have far too many places to spend money.
Lu Yuan nodded: "Once the buffer zone is stable, I will approve a batch of silver to be used for the fixed annual purchase of grain. I will ask the Seventh Prince to find a way to buy it at the lowest possible price."
Tell Wu Han about this and have him contact the Seventh Prince later.
"Yes, Your Highness," Wei Yong replied and withdrew.
Meanwhile, inside the Northern Barbarian Imperial Palace, Xiao Hua sat in her mother's chambers, somewhat worried, and said, "I heard that the princes of Dayong are fighting fiercely in the buffer zone. Even Yuan-ge's friend, Tianwangzhai, has sided with the Seventh Prince. I wonder how he is doing now. Is he alright?"
"Don't worry, you receive messages from Lu Yuan every day, right? His friends didn't lay a hand on him. He only joined the Seventh Prince for personal gain, after all, he has hundreds of thousands of people to support."
"Without a powerful figure backing us up, it will be extremely difficult, and given the current situation of the Northern Barbarians, we can't offer much support," Madam Xiao gently comforted her daughter.
Xiao Hua nodded: "But I heard that the houses in the south city started selling a few days ago, but many people are just watching and don't believe that there is a place where you can teach martial arts."
Many people inquired about it, but none were actually willing to spend money to buy it.
"It was expected. The information that A Yuan released was too unrealistic. Who would dare to make a move so easily? After all, the prices he set were really outrageous. A small courtyard costs five million taels of silver," Madam Xiao said helplessly.
Actually, the most important reason is that it is currently the dead of winter in the northern barbarian territory, and many wealthy merchants with money simply dare not gamble.
That's why I've been observing.
"It seems we really have to lose money." Xiao Hua sighed, feeling a pang of heartache.
Madam Xiao smiled wryly and said, "What? Feeling sorry for someone? You haven't even married into the family yet, and you're already worrying about them."
"Mother, what are you saying?" Xiao Hua blushed involuntarily.
At this moment, Madam Xiao patted her shoulder and said, "Don't worry, Mother won't let A-Yuan suffer. Even if the money is lost, with the palace supporting you, there won't be any problem in supporting you and him."
The most pressing issue now is the snow disaster affecting several tribes. Too many people and livestock have frozen to death, and local warlords are taking advantage of the situation to seize people.
If no money is allocated for disaster relief, the imperial court will lose a significant portion of its population by the end of winter.
Xiao Hua's face showed even more worry.
Since arriving in the northern barbarians, the mother and daughter have faced all sorts of problems.
Even though the Xiao family has broken the seal, their strength has now reached its peak.
However, these unexpected situations have left her looking somewhat haggard.
Xiao Hua gritted her teeth and took out a stack of silver notes from her bosom, which looked to be worth tens of millions of taels: "Mother, I sold some of my jewelry. Although it's just a drop in the bucket for this snow disaster, every little bit helps, and it's better than nothing."
She had originally intended to use this money to cover Lu Yuan's expenses, but now that the Prince's Mansion had bestowed a reward upon her, she probably wouldn't need it for a while, so she took it out now.
Madam Xiao looked at the silver notes in her daughter's hand, her palm trembling slightly, but she still took them: "We will definitely get through this."
If there were even the slightest hope, she wouldn't have taken the money.
The silver seized during the last suppression of the three barbarian tribes has somewhat alleviated the situation.
However, after distributing silver to the Imperial Guards, border troops, and members of the imperial family, there was almost nothing left.
As for spirit stones and rare treasures, although they can be sold, and many places are willing to pay high prices to buy them.
However, these things must not be touched lightly; they are strategic materials.
All the powerful figures in the court needed this stability.
It's barely enough for now.
The real disaster would be the loss of these things; the most terrifying thing would be if the powerful figures in the court had ulterior motives.
Now, the Northern Barbarians have completely fallen into a vicious cycle.
It appears enormous, but it is actually quite fragile.
While the northern barbarians were experiencing the dead of winter, inside the palace of the Great Yong Emperor, the Yong Emperor sat on his dragon throne, looking at the message handed to him by his subordinates. A slight twitch appeared on the corner of his mouth behind the golden mist.
"The Northern Barbarians really have no one left. In our Great Yong, he was just a mere Patrol Captain, but when he went to the Northern Barbarians, he was made a king. Moreover, this Lu Yuan even established an academy to deceive everyone."
A sixth-grade cultivation technique is treasured by the Northern Barbarians, and a seventh-grade technique can only be practiced by the Northern Barbarian Emperor. He actually dared to use it to lie; it's laughable.
"It seems that exchanging Wushuang Hou for Lu Yuan was a huge win back then," Emperor Yong said with a smile.
In fact, he had never taken Lu Yuan seriously. If it weren't for the fact that he needed to use Lu Yuan and exchange him for the title of Marquis Wushuang, he probably would have forgotten that name long ago.
The reason it reappeared this time was because of the academy that was being talked about everywhere.
In his view, the message being spread was a complete joke.
Although a third-grade cultivation technique wasn't considered particularly high in his eyes, even the Great Yong Dynasty didn't have the audacity to make it available for everyone to practice.
After all, such a training method could already cultivate a family of generals.
Occasional rewards are of utmost importance and must never be revealed to outsiders.
Lu Yuan actually opened an academy where anyone could come and study; who could believe that?
"Bang!" The jade slip containing the message was thrown aside.
The eunuch below hurriedly flattered, "Your Majesty is wise. Exchanging Lu Yuan for Wushuang Marquis is an absolutely profitable deal for our Great Yong."
"Hehe, alright, you don't need to flatter me anymore. How's the buffer zone going?"
"The three princes have completely clashed, and the Seventh Prince has secretly taken over Tianwang Village. I heard they are quite strong, and if they are trained for a while longer, there will be no problem at all."
"Well, although the maternal family of the seventh prince is considered noble, it is much weaker compared to the other princes. If he becomes the crown prince in the future, he will basically not be affected by his maternal relatives."
"So, for the sake of the stability of the court, I hope he can win, do you understand?" Emperor Yong said calmly.
Then, he continued, "Since he was able to subdue Tianwang Village, it means he has some ability. I heard that he almost sold his house because of this matter. It must have been tough on this kid."
Tell him that if the buffer zone is secured, the Crown Prince's edict will be issued immediately.
As for the resources needed in the future, the imperial court will provide some, so let him do as he pleases.
"Yes, Your Majesty," the eunuch hurriedly bowed.
Then, at the Emperor's signal, he carefully withdrew.
As the Emperor Yong was left alone in the main hall.
His body turned into a wisp of mist and disappeared from the spot.
However, just when everyone thought that Lu Yuan's academy was a scam.
Inside the main hall of the Qian family in Fengcheng, Dayu.
An obese middle-aged man sat in the head seat. He was about 1.6 meters tall, but probably weighed more than 200 kilograms.
He looked like a laughing Buddha.
He was wearing a long black robe embroidered with gold coin patterns.
At this moment, he narrowed his eyes and glanced at the group of family leaders and disciples below.
"We currently have fifteen direct descendants in our family. My idea is to directly purchase three manors and have the children set off as soon as possible. If this is true, then the sooner the better." After saying this, his usually cheerful face revealed an unprecedented seriousness.
This man's name was Qian Hong, and he was the richest man in the entire Fengcheng Prefecture of Dayu.
He got to where he is today not because of family influence, but because of his own hard work.
Among all the countries, the merchants of Dayu had the lowest social status.
Therefore, even though Qian Hong is now extremely wealthy, he still feels uneasy.
In the past, he had inquired in many places and spent a lot of money to buy cultivation techniques, but at most he could only buy a second-grade technique. He could not come into contact with third-grade or higher techniques at all.
Even if one manages to acquire a copy at an auction, it will only be a damaged or incomplete copy.
Therefore, upon seeing the message sent back by the caravan, he immediately summoned the family's top leaders.
"Brother, three manors cost 150 million taels of silver. If this so-called King Qin of the Northern Barbarians is deceiving everyone, isn't this price too high?" Qian Hong's younger brother said softly, expressing his concern.
Qian Hong picked up his teacup and took a sip: "Just like doing business, there's no way to be 100% certain. This matter is a gamble in itself. Although 150 million taels of silver is a lot, it's equivalent to several years' income for the family."
However, if we can really enable the fifteen disciples of the family to cultivate the third-grade cultivation technique, we will not lose out. As long as the family has powerful experts, the wealth we have earned can be preserved.
Otherwise, if I'm no longer here, can the current members of the family hold off the ravenous outsiders?
Therefore, I'm willing to take the gamble.
If we succeed, we won't have to depend on others anymore.
"But becoming an apprentice is the same," Qian Hong's second brother murmured, still somewhat reluctant.
"Can they be the same? How many people go to the sect to cultivate every year, but how many of them actually learn anything? Ninety percent of them are just doing odd jobs and only learn first-grade techniques. Now, as long as you pay silver, you can get a chance to learn a third-grade technique. This is much better for people like us."
That is the real opportunity.
One hundred and fifty million taels of silver is a worthwhile gamble. There's no need to discuss this further. Tomorrow, have the family disciples accompany the caravan to the Northern Barbarians if this matter is true.
"From now on, we'll shift the focus of our business to the Northern Barbarians." After Qian Hong made the final decision, the others didn't say anything more and immediately stood up, saying, "Yes, sir."
After all, he built this huge business empire through hard work.
Therefore, Qian Hong absolutely has the right to have the final say.
Meanwhile, many wealthy merchants from other dynasties also had the same idea. Although not many, it was enough to shake up the southern market and achieve the effect of spending a fortune to buy horses.
After all, there is never a shortage of people with a gambler's mentality in this world.
The first batch of students, in their view, would always have more advantages than others.
If this academy is truly built, it will undoubtedly become a place of longing for all martial artists in the world.
Regardless of the number of talents they cultivate, just the title of a senior or alumnus is enough to make one swagger around in various countries.
Although these things will take time to prove, they are willing to wait.
However, this matter still needs time to develop. Once these wealthy young men arrive at the Northern Barbarian Imperial City and begin their formal studies, a huge explosion will occur.
Seeing the results and the academy's sincerity, wealthy people all over the world will surely flock to it.
At this moment, Lu Yuan, after resting for a night, had just woken up, eaten something, and came to the front hall. Wu Han stepped forward and reported: "Chief, we have received news that the forces from Ice Mirror Lake and Tianya Village have gathered."
They are heading this way and are expected to arrive tomorrow.
Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow: "They've arrived quite quickly. It seems the First Prince and the Third Prince are going to kick the Seventh Prince out of the game first. But it's good that they're here, saving us the trouble of searching for them."
"The two strongholds combined should have about 500,000 main force troops. This time, we'll wipe them all out."
"However, they have quite a few experts; there are three at the Divine Origin Realm alone," Wu Han said with some concern.
Lu Yuan waved his hand: "Let the army prepare. I'll handle the experts. This matter must be accomplished. Once the buffer zone is settled, I'll have to go back. This time, I'll be away for quite a while."
But remember to ask the Seventh Prince for something in return.
If we could train a force comparable to the Imperial Guard within two years, that would be ideal.
"I'll do my best," Wu Han said with a smile.
Lu Yuan nodded and said nothing more.
After Wu Han left, the entire Tianwang Village sprang into action, and the weapons and pills stored up over the past two years were moved out as if they were free.
The most abundant weapon was the feathered arrow; according to Lu Yuan's estimation, there was enough for his archers.
Meanwhile, Tianwangzhai was preparing for battle.
In the Seventh Prince's main hall, as time passed, although the First Prince had not yet recovered from the immense loss, a smile gradually appeared on his face when he thought about the impending destruction of Tianwang Village.
At this moment, the Seventh Prince became restless again. The two princes' armies had joined forces, totaling 500,000 troops, while the Heavenly King's stronghold had a maximum of 300,000.
Most importantly, there is a significant difference in the number of top players on both sides.
Even if the chieftain of Tianwang Village was at the Divine Origin Realm, he believed that it was impossible for him to withstand three Divine Origin Realm experts.
After the battle two days ago, the Seventh Prince has become increasingly fond of Tianwang Village.
Therefore, I am currently experiencing immense inner turmoil.
Looking at the eldest prince and the third prince who were still sitting and refused to leave, he wished he could strangle them.
However, the two princes remained unfazed.
He appeared very calm.
The Third Prince chuckled and raised his wine cup, saying, "Seventh Brother, let's have another drink. There are just too few days when we can get together like this."
After saying that, he drank the wine in his glass in one gulp.
The seventh prince looked at him coldly, without raising his cup, and said somewhat coldly, "Brother, I can't hold my liquor, so let's end this banquet here."
"What, Seventh Brother, do you look down on us two older brothers? In our Great Yong Dynasty, seniority is the ultimate rule. Your words are truly disheartening." The Third Prince's voice was equally impolite.
The eldest prince then pinched the youngest son beside him hard.
"Wow!"
The cries of a child echoed throughout the hall.
The seventh prince's lips twitched.
The two men, one with a red face and the other with a white face, made it impossible for him to leave.
Having stood up, he could only sit down again.
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