Ruins of the past

In the study room of the governor's office, Li Qingyun was still reviewing official documents and confessions from the people until late at night.

Today's Han Dynasty court has bloated institutions and overstaffed people. Local landlords have annexed land and hid properties. Many of them still rely on the officials, gentry, and Tianshi teachings to avoid paying taxes and grain.

This situation is even more serious in remote areas such as Shuzhou. Driven by profit, various landlords, officials, gentry, Tianshi sects, and clans have formed a group to control the local area and evacuate the government, so that the court's decrees cannot reach the bottom. People can't even collect taxes.

Wu Siqi, the chief minister of the cabinet, wanted to carry out land reform for the sake of money and to re-collect taxes from the local area.

But this is tantamount to cutting flesh from local wealthy families, and one can imagine how much resistance and danger it will encounter.

But now in Shuzhou, Li Qingyun has Chu Qiguang as his backer, and things have suddenly gone much smoother.

Feeling the terrifying power of this martial god, after rectifying the three major families in Jinrong Mansion, Li Qingyun simply opened a government office to complain and sent his subordinates to accept the people's oral complaints against the landlords.

Originally, most of the people at the bottom were illiterate, and the communication channels between them and the government offices were controlled by gentry, scribes, and servants from all over the country.

Now that Li Qingyun has opened a government office to file a lawsuit, and three other major families have been raided, more and more people immediately came to line up to file complaints, and most of them were related to the fight for land.

More and more wealthy people are being invited to the yamen to appear in court and be convicted.

Some of them were involved in colluding with evil cults, collaborating with demons, and offering sacrifices to evil gods. Chu Qiguang even led people to search their homes.

For a time, more and more people in Shuzhou were in danger, and the work of clearing the fields became smoother and smoother. Almost no one from top to bottom dared to stop it.

A large amount of land was either returned to the people, and if no people could claim it, it was auctioned by the government, and then eaten by the Bashu Chamber of Commerce...

…

Inside the Shuzhou Patrol Office, Yang Yi, the patrol censor, said angrily: "Chu Qiguang went to raid the Xiao family in Tianding Prefecture again?"

The staff member said: "I heard that it was found that the Xiao family has a captive monster beast, and the monster is used to commit crimes."

Yang Yi slapped the table and said angrily: "How could the Xiao family do such a thing? It must be this Chu Qiguang who killed the gentry! Framed Zhongliang! He wants to kill Cao Suga again!"

"This man has harmed the place and stolen people's property for his own selfish purposes. I must impeach him severely!"

The staff member on the side said: "You must not do it, sir. This Chu Qiguang is not only a Taoist Martial God, but he is also said to be the next generation leader of the Demon Assassin School in the Demon Suppression Department. Master, if you have offended him, how can you return to the capital in the future?" "

Yang Yi snorted coldly and said with an upright face: "As a patrol censor, I patrol hunting on behalf of the emperor. I make decisions on major matters and make decisions on minor matters. I have to speak out without hesitation about the gains and losses in political affairs and the benefits and disadvantages of the military and civilians. He suppresses No matter how tyrannical the Demonic Commander is, does he still want to block the way for speech?"

The staff hated the iron and said, "I heard that the Chamber of Commerce created by Chu Qiguang in Lingzhou can contribute hundreds of thousands of taels of silver to the emperor every year."

"Most of the proceeds from the confiscation of homes in Shuzhou this time will be donated to the emperor."

"If you impeach him like this, wouldn't you be slapping the emperor in the face?"

"Besides, behind the Lingzhou Chamber of Commerce are the shares of countless officials from the Tianyu School and the Qisha School. If you impeach Chu Qiguang, if it affects the stock price, you are afraid of offending these two schools."

The stock has spread all over the country. Yang Yi and his staff had learned about it before they came to Shuzhou and knew the relationship between the rise and fall of the stock price.

"Li Qingyun is a member of Mr. Wu Ge. The current land tax reform in Shuzhou is probably driven by Mr. Wu Ge behind the scenes. This has offended the chief assistant."

Hearing that one breath might offend so many people, Yang Yi frowned. After pondering for a moment, he said: "But I have already received money from the Xiao family..."

"Sir, you are confused!" The staff member looked helpless, but he was not a great talent, so he immediately came up with a bad idea: "Now that I see the situation, I can only divide the money between Chu Qiguang and Chu Qiguang."

Hearing this, Yang Yi said with a heartbroken face: "Go to Chu Qiguang for me to find out the news. Unless it is absolutely necessary, don't give me any money."

"As for the Xiao family, no matter who comes next... they all say that I have caught a cold and feel unwell, so I can't see guests."

In the face of Chu Qiguang going around clearing fields, except for Yang Yi, the patrol censor, other officials in Shuzhou officialdom scolded Chu Qiguang and Li Qingyun bloodyly behind their backs, but no one dared to come forward to confront them.

In the next month, one prefecture and county after another was dealt with by Chu Qiguang and Li Qingyun, and the Bashu Chamber of Commerce's stores also expanded in Shuzhou.

…

In late September of the 18th year of Yong'an, the weather in Shuzhou has gradually entered autumn.

On the boundary dozens of miles outside Jinrong Mansion City.

A caravan was walking slowly forward on the official road, and the main goods it carried were weapons, agricultural tools from the Bashu Chamber of Commerce, and some local products purchased on the road.

Ning Kun is the leader of this caravan. He originally came from an ordinary family, and his parents were frugal enough to allow him to practice martial arts to the first level.

On weekdays, he would look after people's homes or take care of people's homes, or work as a escort for a chamber of commerce to earn money.

But six months ago, he was looking at the goods in the weapons shop of the Bashu Chamber of Commerce, and he became a member of the Bashu Chamber of Commerce in a daze and bought a small cart of bone tools and weapons.

But later it was sold to other counties and resold for more than ten taels of silver.

So after taking over Ning Kun, he began to purchase goods from the weapons shop of the Bashu Chamber of Commerce and sold them throughout Shuzhou.

Over the past six months, his business has gradually grown, and he has begun to form a caravan, getting to know more local gentry, opening up more business routes, recommending products to others, and expanding the market...

Although Ning Kun looks weathered now, he has money in his pocket. He has more meat and elixirs than before. He looks much stronger and has more confidence in his eyes.

Looking at the carriage full of goods, Ning Kun couldn't help but smile: 'After selling these goods, I will have enough money to buy a field in my hometown and renovate the ancestral house. ’

But when he arrived at the store where he originally received the goods, Ning Kun found that the store did not accept the goods.

After Ning Kun's questioning, he found out that the Mao family behind the shops had been raided, and now all the shops have been owned by the Bashu Chamber of Commerce.

Moreover, it is said that the weapons shop of the Bashu Chamber of Commerce will be opened in Jinrongfu City, and people here will buy goods directly from the weapons shop in the future.

Hearing these words, Ning Kun was angry and anxious.

In the past six months, he had worked hard to transport goods from Bafu and sell weapons and agricultural tools from the Bashu Chamber of Commerce to the locals. He finally opened up the market, but he was able to enjoy it just like that...

He directly found the place where the Bashu weapons shop was said to be opened, and saw more than a dozen workers working there.

Suddenly his eyes narrowed, he stopped in front of a young man, and asked: "Is the Bashu Chamber of Commerce going to open a store here?"

The young man he stopped was named Yang An. He was recruited into the Bashu Chamber of Commerce six months ago and became a shop assistant, specializing in selling weapons and members.

In the past six months, he has ranked first in performance for several consecutive months, and has become a sales manager in the Chamber of Commerce. There is confidence and agility in his eyes that he did not have in the past.

Looking at Ning Kun who stopped him in front of him, Yang An knew what he wanted to ask.

After all, he was the one who sold Ning Kun's membership to the other party in the first place. In the past six months, he has often sold goods to the other party, and the other party is one of his customers.

Yang An opened his mouth and said: "Next, the Chamber of Commerce will open stores all over Shuzhou. In the future, it will not only sell weapons and farm tools, but also start selling seeds, grains, fertilizers, cotton cloth... and more and more things will be sold.

"I'm afraid the way you used to sell goods won't work anymore."

"But don't worry too much. The Chamber of Commerce also has arrangements for small businesses like you..."

The Bashu Chamber of Commerce has three paths in front of Ning Kun.

Or if you transport goods for the Chamber of Commerce next, the Bashu Chamber of Commerce will pay you per piece.

Either they purchase goods from the Bashu Chamber of Commerce in various prefectural cities, and sell goods to various counties, towns, and villages with the prefectural city as the center, and explore the trade routes into the villages.

The last way is farming. Nowadays, the farmland under the name of Bashu Chamber of Commerce has increased rapidly, and a large number of people are being hired to farm. Ning Kun can contract a piece of land, and the chamber of commerce will provide technical support.

Faced with these three choices, Ning Kun hesitated.

…

Just when Shuzhou in the real world continued to make huge commotions.

The City of Ten Thousand Buddhas in the Buddha Realm corresponding to Jinrong Mansion is now in the area renamed Night City by Chu Qiguang.

Braziers were placed on the ground, dispelling the darkness.

Hundreds of farmers and workers are coming and going on the construction site, carrying stones and stirring cement under the command of the monster...

This is Chu Qiguang's plan to build a "newbie park" next to the gate of the Buddhist world to entertain "migrant workers" who will come to work in the Buddhist world in the future.

Regarding the future Night City planning in the Buddhist world, Chu Qiguang is preparing to build it into an open city in the dark with the logistical support provided by the Bashu Chamber of Commerce.

In his plan, in the future, whether they are ordinary people, overseas aliens, court officials, Taoist priests or cultists, whether they are humans or monsters, as long as they abide by the rules here, they can all consume and trade here.

In addition, they can also hunt down the evil Buddhas in the Buddhist world, and then absorb the power of the Buddha's fire through Jin Nu.

Of course, during the process of absorbing the Buddha's fire, Chu Qiguang was worried that they would go crazy if they absorbed too much in one breath, so Chu Qiguang decided to let Jinnu secretly keep part of it, and Chu Qiguang himself silently shouldered this threat for them.

"This is a novice park. There will only be two types of members at the beginning. One is the adventurers who come to hunt Buddha evil and collect Buddha fire, and the other is the employees who provide services to adventurers."

While inspecting the construction site, Chu Qiguang said to the monster beside him: "For the 'adventurers', our park will provide them with basic necessities, food, housing and transportation in the future. We will sell them whatever they want."

"There are all kinds of elixirs, medical treatments, weapons, secret books, classics... everything."

"For employees who serve adventurers, we must also create good conditions so that employees can focus on their work and serve the adventurers well."

"For example, the canteen where employees eat should not be too big, the chairs should be smaller, the tables should be more crowded, and the tables and chairs are all fixed with nails, so that employees can leave as soon as they finish eating and go to work after eating..."

"The sleeping quarters should also be built in Datongbu, so that employees can eat and live together to develop good relationships. There is no need to consider lighting in the room, so that employees can have a good rest in the dark..."

"The latrine? The latrine does not need to be covered, so that the employees can have close contact with nature, and the smell will dissipate quickly..."

Qiao Zhi, who was on the side, followed Chu Qiguang, his head hurting secretly as he listened to Chu Qiguang's request: 'Fortunately, I don't have to work now...'

After inspecting the construction site, Chu Qiguang came to Jin Nu's workshop.

Half a year ago, he arranged for Jinnu to restart the workshop here, preparing to create more Jinnu who would only obey his orders and use them to collect Buddhist fire in the future.

I saw that the ashes that were originally everywhere in the underground workshop had been cleared away.

Jin Nu was moving a human figure around, adjusting the formation diagram and various strange instruments.

After noticing Chu Qiguang's arrival, Jin Nu immediately came over and said, "Welcome back, Master. Do you need my help with anything?"

Chu Qiguang asked: "How is the repair process in the workshop?"

Jinnu replied: "I have restarted the formation diagram and adjusted the magic weapons left by the Buddhas."

"But the power dispersed by the fire remains in the untouchable darkness."

"Only by bringing the fire back to the lotus platform can the ritual here be restarted. The ritual is to give birth to a new Jin girl."

Chu Qiguang looked at the huge nine-grade lotus platform in the center of the workshop, and said casually: "That means we need to collect a batch of Buddha's fire in order to restart the production line here and create another batch of Jinnu, right? "

Jin Nu was stunned for a moment, then nodded: "As you said, Master."

"Well, then you can work alone first, and then activate this place after collecting the first batch of Buddha's fire."

Chu Qiguang looked at Jin Nu and suddenly said: "If other Jin Nu are born in the future, have you ever thought about giving them a name? Otherwise it will be difficult to distinguish them."

A trace of confusion flashed across Jin Nu's face: "Name?"

Chu Qiguang nodded: "Yes, it's a name unique to you. Never thought about it? Do you want me to pick one for you?"

After Jin Nu thought for a moment, she replied: "I understand. I am your Jin Nu. I only follow your instructions. Please give me a name."

Chu Qiguang touched his chin and said, "Well... what is it called?"

…

Jinrong Mansion, in the Governor's Yamen.

A clerk rushed in and shouted: "Zhongcheng! Something happened in Yueguan County!"

Li Qingyun raised his head and asked, "What happened?"

The scribe said: "The men and horses of the Bashu Chamber of Commerce were robbed by the natives! The people who went to accept the land were also beaten out!"

"The magistrate of Yueguan County led a team to rescue people, but the indigenous people rioted and surrounded them!"

Li Qingyun's eyes narrowed and he said coldly: "Haha, those toasts... are really greedy."

Yueguan County under Jinrong Prefecture borders Heishui Prefecture.

Blackwater Mansion is located in the mountains. Since the founding of the country, it has been ruled by local chieftains for generations, claiming to use barbarians to control barbarians.

The Tribulation Sect is the biggest belief of the local people. Almost 99% of the people in Heishui Mansion are members of the Tribulation Sect. Even the main altar of the Tribulation Sect is located in the Nine Sacred Mountains of Blackwater Mansion.

For a long time, the imperial court has been unable to collect taxes from Heishui Mansion. Every year, the chieftain pays as much as he wants.

When Li Qingyun came to Shuzhou this time, he originally just wanted to take action against the local gentry.

But with Chu Qiguang in charge for more than a month, Qingtian's movements were extremely smooth, and he couldn't help but have more thoughts in his mind.

For example, taking action against the chieftains in Shuzhou, and cleaning up the Taoist fields of the Tianshi Sect in Shuzhou...

Unexpectedly, before he even made any move, the indigenous people would cause trouble first.

"I just don't know if Chu Qiguang can withstand the Jie Sect?"

When Li Qingyun thought of the Jie Sect, he hesitated. In his knowledge, Li Yaofeng, the Taoist Immortal of the Jie Sect, had been famous for a long time. He was a well-known evil leader in Shuzhou with countless demons under his command.

"Chu Qiguang may not be able to suppress this old devil alone."

"Bai Shihe has been a Taoist Martial God for many years. He is mature, prudent and experienced. If he can take action together with Chu Qiguang, he will definitely beat Li Yaofeng."

Thinking of this, he immediately sent a letter to Xuanji Mountain, wanting to ask Baishihe to go down the mountain to deal with the Jie Sect.