Li Jialing thought for a moment and shook his head solemnly. "Not necessarily. For example, Li Wuji, Marquess Yongchun, seemed rather determined to destroy the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors in the beginning. His strategy on the Blue Sky Market was very ruthless."
"Li Wuji is a hereditary marquess of the Imperium. The annual crops alone — the grace that the country should give him — are astronomical. The money that his entire family receives from the court every year is enough for the expenses of a sect. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. The bulk of it is the mines, farmlands, and monopolies that his family has accumulated over hundreds of years."
Li Yao counted with his fingers for Li Jialing to hear. "Speaking of farmlands alone, his family owns hundreds of thousands of acres of the best farmlands. The rice that he grows is all natural, pollution-free, and high-energy fortified food. It is needless to mention the farmlands that are thousands of kilometers long and fertile, where millions of animals are kept. How much profit is there in that? You won't be able to spend it all even if your bones are broken.
"Therefore, Li Wuji, Marquess Yongchun, naturally disdains to accept the bribes of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors. He does not need to conspire with the rebels. Instead, he is determined to clean up all the rebels and maintain his position as a marquess of the Imperium. That's where his greatest interests lie.
"Aya, I almost forgot. You are a member of the Li family too. You must've seen a lot of such things. You should know without me telling you. Even in the Li family, one of the four Kurfürst families, what is the proportion of the 'lucky guys' like Li Wuji? What kind of life do most of the descendants of the Li family live?"
Recalling his life in the past, Li Jialing couldn't help but nod his head. "That's true. Of the hundred thousand members of the Li family, not a single one has Li Wuji's position and power. Most of the descendants of the Li family are no different from the Immortal Cultivators of other surnames. They are even more exploited. Also, the descendants of the main bloodlines are very wary of the secondary bloodlines. They try everything possible to stifle the advancement of the secondary bloodlines, fearing that the secondary bloodlines will steal food from their bowl after they climb to the top. Why have I been keeping a low profile for so many years? On one hand, it's because I hate Li Lingfeng's viciousness, but on the other hand, it's also because I've seen too many examples of distinguished training geniuses being murdered for no good reason. "
"That's it."
Li Yao said, "The leaders such as Li Wuji have taken away all the benefits. Naturally, they are irreconcilable with the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors. However, the bottom-level Immortal Cultivators have not received any benefits at all but are monitored and alerted. They are unwilling to accept their fate and want to advance, so they need additional resources. You can't be rich without unexpected gains! The greatest windfall, on the other hand, was the shares provided by the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors or the gains from adventures through the anonymous platforms of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors. All the shares and the gains would be converted into free coins in the end.
"Even the bottom-level of the four families have been riddled with holes because of the free coins, not to mention the warlords and local magnates who have been on the same side as the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors in the peripheral worlds in the first place. They have long wagered their lives on the free coins and the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors. Asking those people to 'suppress the bandits' and 'quell the rebellion' is like asking a thief to be a thief, isn't it?
"Naturally, the four Kurfürst families still boast extremely tough troops. Nobody can ignore the strength of their elite fleets. Neither the bottom-level Immortal Cultivators nor the warlords and local magnates will confront them head-on, but they shout 'pledge loyalty to the Kurfürst' louder than anybody else.
"But when it comes to the real battle, they will make all kinds of excuses, feign ignorance, and refuse to contribute at all. It is often the case that before the fleets leave the mother port, the routes of the march and the intelligence of their configurations will be sent to the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors. Some of them are even secretly shipping assets for the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors under the pretext of 'suppressing the bandits'. They have made a fortune as' captains of transportation '. Tell me, how can the battle be fought?
"Therefore, is it strange that the market here is still as prosperous as ever when the final battle is coming?"
After a long daze, Li Jialing said, "It does make sense. So to speak, the few big nobles who are determined to fight can't do anything to the people below?"
"It can't be helped in the first place."
Li Yao said, "For example, the captain of a warship may be a great noble who owns a mine. He has too much wealth at home to bother with the insignificant money of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors. He is a staunch war hawk who is determined to annihilate the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors.
"But the advisors, the chief mate, the fire control officer, the manager of the engine compartment, the captain of the assault team … Those people all hold shares of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors and have channels to exchange intelligence for free coins. They all receive tributes from the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors every year. Chances are that they even have a few mistresses and illegitimate children in certain secret markets under the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors. Tell me about it. What combat ability does such a warship boast, however remarkable its performance and firepower is? However awesome the captain is, it is impossible for him to pilot a starship on his own, right?
"If a warship is like that, wouldn't the so-called 'coalition fleet of the four families' be like that too? Otherwise, why would they have the toughest fleet at the center of the cosmos but be helpless against the garrisons of a bunch of profiteers from the peripheral worlds? "
Li Jialing was silent, his face somewhat gloomy.
Although he did not like the four families, he still felt rather uncomfortable when he thought that the glorious and powerful army of the Imperium in the past had been corrupted to such an extent.
He browsed through the catalog of goods in the Seven Seas Grand Market in silence, especially the most sensitive military assets. The more he browsed, the more upset he felt. So, he simply clicked on another item and turned over two pages. His eyes bulged wider and wider, and he couldn't help but shout, "Brother Yao, look. What's the meaning of this?"
Li Yao craned his neck and looked. "Oh, it's the service of shooting from the back. Is there a problem?"
Li Jialing asked, "What do you mean by shooting from the back?"
Li Yao said, "It means that somebody in the coalition fleet of the four families releases the news that they want to join hands with the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors and kill their boss on the battlefield! Generally speaking, they will agree on a precise time and coordinates. The Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors will attract the firepower in the front, and the guy will shoot from the back. The odds of taking down the boss by surprise are very high. "
Li Jialing asked, "Why are they doing that?"
Li Yao opened his hands and said, "There are a lot of reasons. For example, like I said just now, most of the middle- and low-level officers on a warship are in cahoots with the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors, but the headstrong, unreasonable captain has cut off everybody's source of income. Isn't it perfectly normal that everybody works together to take down their boss?
"Or, they are coveting the position of their boss. The advisor wants to be the chief of staff, the vice-captain wants to be the captain, and the captain wants to be the commander of the branch fleet … They don't usually have a chance, but on the ever-changing battlefield, if they can collude with the 'enemy' in advance, it will be very easy to take down their boss!"
Li Jialing still found it hard to believe. He extended his finger and pointed at the light beam, shivering. "However, such a secret is written on the light beam openly. Are you not scared that somebody will learn it?"
"Even if they do, so what? Scroll down. Do you see it? It's so dense that there are almost thousands of businesses that want to shoot from the back."
Li Yao said, "Let me tell you an open secret. Almost all the vice-captains on the warships of the Immortal Cultivators want to take down the captain and replace him, even if the captain is their biological brother. Well, sometimes even their biological father doesn't work!"
Li Jialing mumbled, "How did that happen?"
"This is exactly what I said before. When the world of Immortal Cultivators develops to the peak, it will be a war of everybody against everybody. It can't be helped. If you want to accept the benefits of the true path of immortality, you have to accept all of the true path of immortality."
Li Yao said casually, "Ever since the Immortal Cultivators established the law of survival of the fittest, the situation today was unavoidable."
Li Jialing pondered for a long time but could not refute Li Yao's words. So, he simply changed the interface and sold all kinds of war bonds and long-term interests.
As he read on, the young man's eyes bulged out again. He found it hard to believe his eyes. "How is it possible? A level-A Grand Brightness Stone mine with an annual output of five hundred thousand tons, which is guaranteed to be exploited for at least eighty years, and a 1% permanent interest is only priced at fifty thousand free coins? This — this — this is almost free. Brother Yao, is this fake? It's too cheap! "
Li Yao glanced at it. "It is indeed fake. The Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors is quite trustworthy. However, take a closer look. Where is this mine?"
Li Jialing focused his eyes. "On the fourth planet of the North Peace Space Zone in the North Stone Sector. Huh? That's not right. Isn't the North Stone Sector a Sector under the governance of the Li family? This mine should be owned by someone. It should belong to a leadership or even an elder of the Li family! "
"Yes, it is owned right now. The Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors has always been fair in business, at least on the surface. Look, there are even detailed files of the current owner. Right, he is indeed an elder of the Li family."
Li Yao said with a smile, "However, if the reformists win a complete victory and completely control the Imperium, and the elder of the Li family is killed, who do you think the mine will belong to?
"That's exactly what the long-term interest means. Of course, it can't be cashed out right now. It can only be cashed out after the reformists win a complete victory. That's why it's sold so cheaply.
"Come to think of it, it's only fifty thousand free space coins, and there's a chance to become a minor shareholder of a large mine. It's not a bad deal, and it's not a bad deal. It's still worth a gamble.
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