"I'm afraid there's only one person who dares to touch the goods of the Ziyin Flower Chamber of Commerce," Wei Chou said with narrowed eyes.
"Who?" Lin Muyu asked.
"Situ Sen!"
Wei Chou's eyes lit up. "The entire slum area in the east and west of Lanyan City is controlled by the 'Heaven Execution Society' established by this person. From human trafficking to the employment of wandering mercenaries, even the Imperial Army has to give him some face."
"There's such a thing?"
Lin Muyu looked at Feng Jixing and said, "General Feng, Lanyan City is the territory of your Imperial Army. How can you tolerate the existence of such a person?"
"It's not as simple as you think, Yu." Feng Jixing touched his nose and said, "After three years of recuperation and population migration, Lanyan City has recovered to a megacity with a population of five million. The scale of the city is far larger than you can imagine. The slum area stretches for hundreds of miles and is not under the jurisdiction of the 20,000 Imperial Army. On the other hand, the Heaven Execution Society has more than 100,000 members and has spontaneously formed a self-growing model. Although the Heaven Execution Society has also done some bad things, they have unknowingly solved the food, water, clothing, and other problems of the slum area."
Qin Yin blinked and said with a smile, "Brother Yu, our current military and financial strength are quite limited, so we have allowed Situ Sen and the Heaven Execution Society to grow in power in the east and west of the city. But don't worry, this is just General Feng's tactic of 'rearing pigs'. Once the time is ripe, the Heaven Execution Society will provide us with a lot of manpower and material resources."
"So it's because the empire is unable to govern …"
Lin Muyu pondered for a moment and said with a smile, "It doesn't matter. Let me go meet this Situ Sen and see who he is. How dare he rob my goods!"
"Yu, be careful." Feng Jixing cautiously warned, "Situ Sen is not the only one in the Heaven Execution Society. He has a younger sister called Situ Xue. She is the leader of the North Ridge Mercenary Group, the top mercenary group in Lanyan City. You should have heard of her."
Lin Muyu was stunned. "Situ Xue? It does sound familiar … "
"If you're going to the Heaven Execution Association's headquarters, you'll need to bring more people with you. That way, you'll be able to protect yourself if a conflict breaks out."
"Got it, don't worry, Big Brother Feng!"
Lin Muyu turned around and cupped her fists. She bowed to Qin Yin and excused herself. Then, she led Wei Chou, Jin Xiaotang, and the others out of Ze Tian Palace.
"Commander, how many brothers of the Longdan Army Camp should we bring?" Wei Chou asked.
"We don't need too many. A thousand soldiers will do. Let Fengxi and Xu Jiantao lead the troops."
"Yes!"
…
Two hours later, the cavalry of the Courage of the Dragon Battalion galloped out of the camp. Under Lin Muyu and Wei Qiu's lead, they headed straight for Dongcheng District. The headquarters of the Heaven Execution Association was in the center of the slums in Dongcheng District. At the same time, it was also the poorest and most densely populated place in Lanyan City. As for Tongtian Street, where Lin Muyu usually resided, it was actually a place where nobles and wealthy commoners gathered.
After galloping for more than half an hour, the buildings on both sides of the street gradually disappeared. They were replaced by low-rise houses that were closely connected to each other. Many of them were made of wood, as if they could be washed away by a heavy rain. The people in the slums looked indifferent as they watched the army of the Longdan Army Camp gallop past them. It was as if they had nothing to do with it.
Not far ahead was the food market and slave market. Although the Qin Empire seemed to be very prosperous, it was still in the transitional stage between a slave society and a feudal society. The people's hearts were cold, and a group of slaves stood in a row like goods for the merchants who came and went to pick and choose. It was as if black, white, fat, and skinny were all bargaining chips.
Lin Muyu frowned and urged his horse forward slowly. Jin Xiaotang seemed to see through his thoughts. She smiled and said, "Brother Yu, you still can't stand the slave trade?"
"Yes." Lin Muyu nodded. "People are born equal."
Jin Xiaotang was a little surprised. She stuck out her tongue and smiled. "But in this world, it is not like this. Some people are born to be emperors, like Her Highness. Some people are born to be slaves, like these people in front of us."
Lin Muyu said, "If we were to release these slaves, give them abandoned land for them to cultivate and harvest a portion of their food, wouldn't the value they could produce be even greater?"
Jin Xiaotang was stunned again. "Maybe Brother Yu is right, but Xiaotang has never thought about this …"
Wei Chou said in a low voice, "Commander, do you want us to use the funds of the Purple Flower Chamber of Commerce to buy the strong men in the slave market at a low price and grant them freedom so that they can pick up weapons and serve the country loyally?"
"No."
Lin Muyu shook her head and said, "This will only make the slave traders more aggressive. One day, I will change everything from the source."
Wei Chou was stunned and didn't say anything.
Perhaps it was as Lin Muyu said, this situation needed a change.
What could be changed?
Nothing more than an imperial edict from Empress Qin Yin to grant amnesty to all the slaves in the world, grant them complete equality, and compensate and appease the masters of those slaves. This would change everything fundamentally. But this needed time, a lot of time.
…
The sound of galloping horses could be heard. After passing through several city gates, they finally arrived at the heart of the slums. From afar, a patrolling knight could be seen leading a warhorse over. His face was full of fat. He bowed respectfully to Lin Muyu and said, "This subordinate greets Lord Commander. May I know who this general is?"
Wei Chou pointed to the insignia of the Longdan Army Camp on his chest and said, "We are from the Longdan Army Camp."
The patrolling knight naturally knew who this handsome commander was. He hurriedly bowed and said, "Greetings, Commander Yu!"
Lin Muyu nodded and asked, "What's your name? What is your responsibility here?"
The patrolling knight replied, "My name is Zhang Lei, and I belong to the Ministry of War. I am responsible for patrolling this street."
"You are the only one on such a big street?" Lin Muyu was surprised.
"Yes, the Ministry of War doesn't have that many soldiers to share the workload. Furthermore … there are thousands of streets like this in the east district. It is very troublesome to patrol, so there are very few soldiers assigned."
"I guess the security here isn't very good, right?" Lin Muyu asked with a smile.
Zhang Lei was silent out of fear. He cupped his fists and said, "Reporting to Commander Yu, very few people cause trouble here. Commander, please investigate this."
"Alright, let's not talk so much. Bring me to the headquarters of the Tian Jue Association. I want to see Situ Sen."
"Ah?"
Zhang Lei was aghast.
"Why? You don't dare to go?" Wei Chou sneered.
Zhang Lei gritted his teeth and said, "Then … I will only bring you to the entrance of the headquarters of the Tian Jue Association. I will not go in."
"Alright, let's go."
"Yes!"
Zhang Lei mounted his horse and led Lin Muyu and the others to the end of the street.
At the end of the street, there were no longer any poor people. Instead, there was a group of people dressed in embroidered robes. A black tower rose from the ground amidst the dilapidated buildings. It stood out like a crane among a flock of chickens in the slums. This was the headquarters of the Heaven Execution Association. Wei Chou, Fengxi, and the others couldn't help but sigh in admiration. The Tian Jue Association was indeed extraordinary. The grandeur of this building was already comparable to a noble's mansion!
When Zhang Lei arrived at the front of the mansion, several people wearing cyan armor laughed loudly, "Hi, Lieutenant Zhang Lei, why are you here again? What, the hot and sour rice I treated you to last time was not hot and sour enough?"
Zhang Lei's face was ashen as he urged his horse to take several steps back.
The disciples of the Tian Jue Association rushed out from the courtyard, grabbed the reins, and forcibly pulled Zhang Lei off his horse. One of them laughed loudly. "You dare meddle in the affairs of our Tian Jue Association? You must be tired of living. Come, come, come. Kowtow to this grandpa a few times and I will let you go back to your official duties. "
Zhang Lei's expression was extremely ugly as he looked at Lin Muyu and the others for help.
At this time, the disciples of the Tian Jue Association turned around and saw a thousand elite soldiers from the Longdan Army Camp standing behind them. Their faces immediately turned pale.
Lin Muyu dismounted and smiled faintly. "Imperial Longdan Army Camp Lin Muyu requests an audience with Situ Sen. Please pass on the message for me."
"You … you guys …"
The leader's face was ashen. "The imperial army never comes to our Lanshui Street. What is the Longdan Army Camp thinking?"
Wei Chou's expression turned cold. He unsheathed his sword halfway and growled, "What are you waiting for? Do you want to die?"
"Yes … yes, wait a moment …"
The ruffians let go of Zhang Lei and rushed into the mansion in a panic.
Zhang Lei said with a face full of shame, "Commander Yu, this subordinate has … has embarrassed the imperial army."
"It's fine." Lin Muyu said with a gentle expression, "It's the Ministry of Military Affairs that assigned too few people here, and the Tian Jue Association is too arrogant. It's not your fault, but you're the one suffering here."
"This subordinate isn't suffering …" Zhang Lei said in a trembling voice.
"Go, leave the matters here to me."
"Yes!"
…
About the time it took to brew a cup of tea, the Longdan Army Camp outside the mansion had become extremely impatient. Many people had drawn their swords and were ready to charge in at any time to start a massacre. The group of Tian Jue Association guards outside the gate turned pale with fright, not daring to breathe loudly. These people from the Tian Jue Association could only ride roughshod over the civilians. Once they encountered a regular army like the Longdan Army Camp, they would immediately be scared out of their wits.
It was at this moment that a martial artist wearing fiery red armor and a longsword walked out. He cupped his fists and smiled respectfully at Lin Muyu. "So it's Commander Yu who has come. I'm one of the five stewards of the Tian Jue Association, Zhou Nian. Steward Situ Sen has already prepared a banquet. Please come in with us, Commander Yu."
"Many thanks." Lin Muyu cupped her fists and smiled. She placed her hand on the hilt of the sword at her waist and stepped inside. Wei Chou, Fengxi, and the others dismounted and led the Longdan Army Camp inside.
Zhou Nian hurriedly turned around with an awkward expression. "Commander Yu, please forgive me. The Tian Jue Association's headquarters is too small and can't accommodate too many people. So … only five of you can go in."
"Is that so?"
Lin Muyu smiled and said, "Wei Chou, bring three people and follow me in. Fengxi, Xu Jiantao, the two of you guard outside with everyone else."
"Yes!" Fengxi and Xu Jiantao said in unison.
Wei Chou smiled and said, "If the commander and I don't come out in two hours, return to the camp and gather twenty thousand soldiers from the Longdan Army Camp to raze this Tian Jue Association to the ground."
"Yes!"
"Protect Xiaotang well." Lin Muyu instructed and stepped onto the stone steps of the Tian Jue Association's headquarters without looking back.
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