Early the next morning, Feng Entai personally came to the side courtyard to look for Niu Youdao. They had agreed yesterday that he would show Niu Youdao around the new location of the School of Heavenly Jade as a host.
Bai Yao, who was guarding the side courtyard, went up to greet him. Knowing that the other party was here to see Niu Youdao, he quickly withdrew, unwilling to meet Niu Youdao.
The reason for his reluctance was due to awkwardness. In the past, Niu Youdao was nothing in his eyes. Now, Niu Youdao had become his Martial Uncle's sworn brother. In terms of seniority, Niu Youdao was one generation higher than him. When they met, he had to politely address Niu Youdao as' Daoye '. It was truly awkward.
All the disciples of the School of Heavenly Jade in Qingshan County could disregard Shang Chaozong, but they couldn't disregard Niu Youdao. They had no choice. He was Elder Feng's brother. Even if they didn't give face to the monk, they had to give face to the Buddha. They had to politely address him as' Daoye 'when they met.
Many people had objections, secretly blaming Elder Feng for being muddle-headed and blindly becoming sworn brothers.
After finding Niu Youdao, Feng Entai left the side courtyard with him and took a stroll around the beautiful mountain range.
Originally, the sect that occupied this area was relatively small. The scale of the buildings was also not large. Now that the School of Heavenly Jade had occupied this area, it was still undergoing a large-scale expansion.
Compared to the expenses of the School of Heavenly Jade, the cost of expansion was nothing. The School of Heavenly Jade didn't need to pay for it either. The gifts from the various families were enough. Niu Youdao personally contributed ten thousand gold coins as a congratulatory gift. Naturally, the Prefectural Governors contributed even more. In order to express their sincerity, Shang Chaozong represented two counties and contributed a hundred thousand gold coins.
Finally, the two of them stood on top of a mountain range, overlooking the scenery of the lake and mountains below. Under the sunlight, purple smoke could be faintly seen drifting about. Occasionally, fish could be seen leaping and birds could be seen.
"What a great place!" Niu Youdao, who was standing with his hands behind his back, praised.
Feng Entai shook his head in dissatisfaction. "It seems that Third Brother hasn't been to the original mountain gate of the Heavenly Jade School. It's much better than this place. With the current conditions, the entire Heavenly Jade School has to obey the overall situation. We'll just have to make do with it for now."
Niu Youdao chuckled and said, "You're still looking down on this? Big sects are indeed different."
"Third Bro, I contacted Second Bro," Feng Entai suddenly said.
Niu Youdao slowly turned to look at him.
"Second Bro told me everything. Not bad!" Feng Entai patted him on the shoulder and sighed with emotion.
Niu Youdao smiled without saying a word.
Right at this moment, a disciple flew over and reported with cupped hands, "Elder, the banquet is about to begin."
"Alright, got it," Feng Entai nodded, turned around and gestured to Niu Youdao, and the two of them returned.
Yesterday's banquet was to welcome the guests, and today's banquet was to send them off. The people were the same as before.
To these people, eating and drinking were not the main goal. What they discussed during the banquet was the real business.
After a few cups of wine, the topic shifted to the supply of troops and horses for the five counties. Currently, the total number of troops and horses for the five counties, including the miscellaneous ones, was almost six hundred thousand. This was a heavy burden for the financial resources of the five counties.
The main point of the discussion was whether or not they still needed so many troops. In the past, the counties were separated and each had their own way of doing things. Each of them had to deal with the pressure from all directions, so they had no choice but to raise more troops. Now that the five counties were gathered together, with their own people to rely on, the pressure on their backs had been greatly reduced. It wouldn't be a problem to casually reduce the number of troops by two hundred thousand, which would greatly reduce the burden on the counties.
However, the Heavenly Jade School later made it clear that the Southern Region was their target, so they had to endure the pressure. Once the Southern Region was conquered, the six hundred thousand troops that they had on hand would not be enough to deploy for defense. The Heavenly Jade School would also limit the amount of tribute they demanded, so as not to increase the burden on the counties.
The relevant personnel were well aware of this fact. The Heavenly Jade School was only able to be so generous because of the profits from the wine business. Their annual income of several million gold coins was more than what they had previously received from the various counties in the past.
The Tu 'an County Chief Zhao Xingfeng couldn't help but mention, "Sect Leader, the governance model of Qingshan County and Guangyi County is not bad. If our three counties could also reduce their taxes …"
Before he could finish, Peng interrupted him with another sentence. "Qingshan County and Guangyi County can provide other income, but what can your three counties provide? Do you think that the Heavenly Jade School can swallow all the wine business? The yearly tribute from Xiao Yao Palace, Purple Golden Cave, and Spirit Sword Mountain can't be cut off. If we want to conquer the Southern Region, the expenditure on the tribute will only increase. Will you pay for it? It's all Heavenly Jade School's. Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. "
Zhao Xingfeng was slightly embarrassed. He didn't expect that just mentioning it would cause such a big reaction. He had no choice but to shut his mouth.
Peng You continued, "Each of the five counties has its own governance. Usually, there's no problem, but if something happens, the troops of the five counties need to be unified. This matter needs to be prepared in advance. Who do you think is the most suitable person to be in charge?"
As soon as these words came out, Niu Youdao and Meng Shanming's eyes subconsciously met. They thought that this matter would only be brought up after they conquered the Southern Region. They didn't expect that it would start now.
Zhao Xingfeng was about to speak again, but Niu Youdao coughed to attract everyone's attention. "Naturally, it's better for Sect Leader Peng to be in charge. In terms of prestige, is there anyone who can compare to Sect Leader Peng?"
Meng Shanming slowly raised his cup to his lips. He knew that Niu Youdao was trying to stir up trouble. He didn't want the unified command to fall into someone else's hands.
As long as one wasn't stupid, they would know that the person who would be in charge of the five counties would most likely be the master of the Southern Region in the future.
Now that Peng You was mentioned, Zhao Xingfeng could only swallow the words that were on the tip of his tongue. It was somewhat inappropriate to say that someone else was better than Peng You.
Peng You laughed heartily. "Brother, that's a good suggestion. I don't have the energy for it. I'm not familiar with military affairs either."
Niu Youdao then pointed at the Heavenly Jade School Elders present. "The Heavenly Jade School is full of talents. Any disciple would be more than enough."
Peng You shook his head again. "Cultivators have their own matters to deal with. Cultivation is their top priority. Not to mention that they don't have the energy, they also can't spare too much thought to take care of worldly affairs. Otherwise, why would we need the prefectural governors here? The selection of people for military affairs and the selection of people for cultivators are two different things. Brother Niu, every profession has its own specialization. I think this matter should be left to those who are good at it. Let's not blindly join in the fun. "
"Sect Leader Peng's words make sense." Niu Youdao chuckled. He turned to look at Feng Ruonan and asked, "Princess, you're also a military general. Who do you think is more suitable for the unified command?"
Feng Ruonan secretly gritted her teeth.
Feng Lingbo looked at Niu Youdao coldly. Peng Yulan was so angry that her teeth itched. Exposing her daughter — wasn't that the same as roasting her daughter on a fire?
Shang Chaozong, Lan Ruoting, and Meng Shanming all looked at Niu Youdao strangely. How could this matter be decided by Feng Ruonan? They didn't know why he was looking for trouble with Feng Ruonan.
However, Peng You Zai waved his hand at the people present. "Cultivators shouldn't participate in this matter. Let the four prefectural governors make the recommendation!"
With a single sentence, he suppressed Niu Youdao and removed Feng Ruonan from the picture.
Niu Youdao smiled and raised his cup at Peng You Zai. He could only say this much. The decision was in their hands. The right to speak was also in their hands. The topic of discussion was completely up to them. This was a fact that couldn't be changed.
Zhao Xingfeng spoke again, pointing at Feng Lingbo, "First there was Guangyi Prefecture, then there was Qingshan Prefecture. It was all thanks to Feng Lingbo opening up the situation in Guangyi Prefecture that the two prefectures could have today. Among those who have been prefectural governors, I only admire Feng Lingbo. I recommend Feng Lingbo to be the commander of the five prefectures."
Niu Youdao raised his eyebrows. He mocked, "Prefectural Governor Zhao has a good name!"
Everyone looked at each other. Zhao Xingfeng was speechless. What did he mean?
Lan Ruoting immediately followed up. "Daoye, what do you mean?"
Niu Youdao said slowly, "Stirring up trouble."
Everyone present held back their laughter. Some were expressionless. Zhao Xingfeng's face darkened.
Niu Youdao immediately looked at him coldly. "Looking at Prefectural Governor Zhao's face, do you have something against me? I was just joking. Don't take it seriously. It won't be good if you take it seriously. "
Zhao Xingfeng immediately cupped his hands at Peng You Zai, asking him to uphold justice.
Peng You Zai quickly raised his hand to stop him from publicly falling out with Niu Youdao. Niu Youdao was obviously looking for trouble. If he really used this as a pretext to stir up trouble, Zhao Xingfeng might not be able to handle it. The key was that Niu Youdao held a source of income for Heavenly Jade Sect in his hands. Even Heavenly Jade Sect had to be wary of him.
Therefore, there was no need to fall out with him when it was time to settle accounts. Peng You Zai quickly raised his hand to stop him from falling out with Niu Youdao in front of everyone.
He suppressed his voice and said, "Brother Ox, we're discussing serious matters here. Don't joke around. If you feel uncomfortable sitting here, I can arrange a private room for you." He issued a warning.
Niu Youdao waved his hand. "Sect Master Peng is too polite. Everyone is too serious. I was just trying to lighten the mood."
Peng You Zai looked at the others.
Huxi Prefectural Governor Mei Linsheng also spoke up. "I also recommend Feng Lingbo!"
Martial Yang Prefectural Governor Wu Tiandang followed up. "I second the motion. Recommend Feng Lingbo!"
Seated in the banquet, Feng Lingbo's eyes flashed with joy. He had already expected this outcome. He looked at his son-in-law, wanting to see what Shang Chaozong could do.
Peng Yulan looked at her father with gratitude. After going around in a circle, she realized that her father was still on her family's side. She also realized that her father was wise. He gave up on the small for the big. After going around in a circle, Shang Chaozong was just a stepping stone for her family. Her father's methods were truly brilliant.
She couldn't help but recall what her father said to her last night. Heavenly Jade Sect wasn't the Peng Family's Heavenly Jade Sect. Everything had to be done in a reasonable manner. Things would be easier if they had everyone's support.
The Heavenly Jade Sect's upper echelons were all expressionless. Their gazes drifted towards Shang Chaozong. Naturally, this was the outcome that they had discussed beforehand.
Shang Chaozong fiddled with his wine cup in his hand. He remained silent.
Feng Ruonan pursed her lips.
Fei Changliu and the rest had grave expressions.
Meng Shanming glanced at Niu Youdao. Niu Youdao nodded slightly.
Peng Zai smiled again. He asked, "Prince, what do you think?"
Shang Chaozong said indifferently, "Is this prince's opinion still important?"
Peng Zai generously said, "Speak your mind. Everything should be reasonable. If you have any brilliant ideas, feel free to speak."
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