Hu Zongxian’s presence commanded the room.
The former God of War of the Great Ming, his name resonated with the five families. It was largely due to his involvement, coupled with Fan Li's connection to the former Han Emperor, that their recruitment had proceeded so smoothly. Their attention immediately focused on him.
“Within ten years, I shall forge an army for Your Majesty. An army of unmatched strength, unwavering loyalty, and indomitable spirit!”
“I have taken the Great Ming’s Spirit Armor Technique as a foundation, incorporating my years of battlefield experience, and created a new military cultivation method: the Dragon Scale Technique.”
Naming a technique after the dragon, a symbol of imperial authority, was a risky move. In the Great Ming, such audacity would have drawn the ire of the Confucian scholars and Emperor Jiajing himself. But Fan Li merely looked at him expectantly.
Emboldened, Hu Zongxian continued, “The Dragon Scale Technique builds upon the strengths of the Spirit Armor Technique, surpassing it in every way. A cultivator who masters it, upon reaching Great Vehicle, can withstand ten attacks from the Emperor’s Pangu’s Giant Body unscathed.”
His words stunned the court, particularly the five families. They knew Hu Zongxian's legendary past. Even with his cultivation having fallen to the Unity Realm, he remained a formidable figure. But to create a technique of such power? If the Dragon Scale Technique truly possessed such efficacy, it was enough to establish a new sect, perhaps even a new kingdom, given the right circumstances.
Their hearts raced. If their clan members could cultivate the Dragon Scale Technique, their families’ power would soar. But military techniques were not meant for civilian use. Unless… their sons and daughters joined the army in large numbers.
But then, who would be relying on whom?
Great Jin on the five families, or the five families on Great Jin? Likely the latter. They looked at Hu Zongxian with a mixture of excitement and trepidation swirling within them.
Finally, their gazes shifted from Hu Zongxian to Fan Li, their Emperor, the source of all authority.
Their fervent stares were impossible to ignore, but Fan Li, sensing the time was not yet right, feigned ignorance.
Did these families believe that having missed out on positions in the Ministry of Agriculture, the Imperial Hospital, and the Censorate, they would automatically be granted places in the army?
Denied official salaries, they now sought military stipends? They were mistaken. Their desire for the Dragon Scale Technique required a greater display of loyalty.
“Grand Marshal Hu!” Fan Li rose abruptly. “Regarding recruitment, I have a matter to discuss.”
“I await Your Majesty’s instruction,” Hu Zongxian replied immediately.
“I once defeated a detachment of Crown Prince Wanli’s troops in Yunzhou and captured 50,000 Ming Wolf Troops. If I were to entrust them to you, Grand Marshal, are you confident in your ability to… re-educate them and integrate them into the Great Jin army?”
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Before Hu Zongxian could respond, the five families panicked.
Fifty thousand captured soldiers?
Where had they come from?
The Wolf Troops were the Great Ming’s elite force! Hu Zongxian, a former Ming general, would surely welcome such a valuable addition to his army.
“Your… Your Majesty…” One of the representatives, unable to contain himself, spoke up.
“Yes? And you are…?” Fan Li’s gaze fell upon the mam with gentle smile.
“I… I am… this old man… I mean, your servant… no, this humble citizen…” The man realized, with a jolt, that he held no official position.
“Ah, yes. You are Elder Yin Ziheng of the Nanyang Yin Clan, correct?” Fan Li’s unexpected recognition of him flustered the old man.
“Yes, yes! That is I!” Yin Ziheng beamed, delighted. He was formulating a subtle reminder for Fan Li to consider the five families for positions within the court when the Emperor spoke again.
“I understand the five families are still deliberating on the name for the new city and seek my guidance. I shall address this matter shortly. However, military affairs are of paramount importance and must be dealt with first.”
His reasoning was impeccable, leaving the five families speechless. Too proud to admit their eagerness for official positions, they swallowed their carefully crafted arguments.
Yin Ziheng, embarrassed, nodded and retreated into the crowd, drawing disdainful glances from the other families’ representatives. His face flushed, he glared back at them, as if to say, If you’re so eager, why don’t you speak up yourself?
“Grand Marshal Hu, will fifty thousand Wolf Troops suffice?”
The five families shook their heads inwardly. The Great Ming boasted an army of a million. Wei, Han, Wu, and Chu each commanded hundreds of thousands. Even the newly established Great Ci, with its population exceeding one million, many of whom were cultivators, likely possessed an army of over one hundred thousand. Fifty thousand soldiers seemed… inadequate.
Hu Zongxian replied, “Your Majesty, it is sufficient.”
“Oh?” Fan Li, though anticipating this response, pressed further. “Only fifty thousand? Isn’t that too few?”
“Your Majesty, an army’s strength lies not in its size, but in its quality. A general’s skill lies not in brute force, but in strategy. With proper training, fifty thousand soldiers can become an unstoppable force.”
Fan Li nodded. “Excellent. I shall arrange for the Fan Clan Trading Company to transport the Wolf Troops to you, in small groups, disguised as caravan guards.”
The five families were utterly dejected. Officials, physicians, censors, soldiers… not a single position offered to them. They were frustrated, yet they couldn’t complain. Fan Li hadn’t explicitly rejected them. He simply had other plans. And they, in their arrogance, had failed to offer their services directly. They had watched helplessly as every available position was filled.
Fan Li’s gaze finally fell upon the dejected representatives who had their heads bowed like wilting flowers.
“The Nanyang Zhang Clan, the Zhuo Commandery Lu Clan, the Fufeng Dou Clan, the Nanyang Yin Clan, and the Shanggu Kou Clan. I am… pleased… by your presence in my court today.”
The five families, roused from their stupor by the mention of their names, were momentarily confused. Then, the word “court” seemed to jolt them back to reality. They knelt, albeit hesitantly and unevenly, offering the customary greetings.
“We greet Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor! Ten thousand years!” Their combined voices lacked the strength and resonance of Hu Zongxian’s lone voice.
As they knelt, realization dawned. Why were they prostrating themselves? Though they acknowledged Fan Li as their Emperor, where was the respect, the courtesy, the recognition of their status they had expected?
Fan Li, suppressing a smile, thought, As the Art of War states: Morning’s energy is sharp, noon’s energy wanes, evening’s energy returns. He had kept them waiting, their initial enthusiasm now replaced by a midday sluggishness. Their momentum lost, their spirit broken.
“Rise.” Fan Li spoke calmly. “This matter of naming the new city… such a trivial issue, yet you squabble amongst yourselves? I am… disappointed.”
His tone was almost… chastising.
The five families whose mindset were now completely molded by Fan Li’s manipulations, responded instinctively to the Emperor’s displeasure. They prostrated themselves once more. Having risen and knelt repeatedly, their movements were now surprisingly synchronized.
“We have failed Your Majesty! We beg your forgiveness!”