I Have A Martial Dao World

Chapter 494: 494.【2.5%】

Throughout the ages, the ascension of an Emperor has always been a matter of paramount importance.

The saying goes, “When the Son of Heaven assumes the throne, his officials change accordingly.” When the new sovereign takes hold of the Imperial Throne, a lavish and grand ceremony must be held to announce to the world that he has become the new ruler of the Divine Land.

Li Pei’s coronation would take place at Chengtian Gate, symbolizing their “mandate from heaven and the beginning of a prosperous era.”

Months before the event, people from distant places had already flocked to prepare for the spectacle.

On the day of the ceremony, long before dawn, the area was a sea of humanity, shoulder to shoulder, a crowd of a million strong.

All walks of life were represented, and their attire was varied. There were richly dressed scions in long robes, as well as laborers clad in burlap sacks.

...

The latter, the lower class majority, were largely illiterate, and to them, it mattered little who sat on the throne.

They came merely to join in the excitement and to catch a glimpse of the fabled immortals and their “flying fairy boats.”

However, these people, benumbed by the harshness of their lives, held a faint hope for the New Dynasty.

After all, the reputation of Lord Lu was truly exceptional.

He had no desire for beauty or wealth and spent his days cloistered at home in arduous practice, attended only by three maidens, hardly rivaling the opulence of an ordinary wealthy landlord.

Under his rule, the land was exceptionally stable, criminal forces were wiped out, and people were hopeful, with rumors even hinting at tax exemptions…

As the crowd indulged in their hopeful reveries, suddenly, from afar came a growing hubbub, accompanied by the synchronized and weighty sounds of marching feet.

Everyone craned their necks and looked in the direction of the commotion, and soon someone excitedly shouted, “The Imperial Guards have arrived!”

A thousand-strong military array slowly made its entrance, these were the handpicked Imperial Guards, akin to the Emperor’s personal guard.

On the spacious Chang’an Street, a thousand men didn’t stand out much, but as the onlookers saw them marching in formation, they couldn’t help but exclaim in awe, instinctively stepping back.

They were unnerved by the arrival of the most elite “Mecha Warriors,” whose bodies were completely encased in steel with not a sliver of skin exposed, each one resembling a ferocious and brutish steel monster that emanated an overwhelming presence.

Luckily, the professionally tailored bright red capes added a touch of splendor, making them well-suited as a ceremonial guard.

The crowd excitedly discussed among themselves:

“I heard that the true Lord has given these armors names—the light ones are called ‘Battle Armors,’ and the massive ones are called ‘Mecha.'”

“Even the lightest armor must weigh at least 200 pounds, right? You can’t wear it unless you’ve reached the Organ Refining Realm.”

“Indeed, those towering over two and a half meters weigh as much as two tons, only a Great Martial Master of the Blood-Exchange Realm could manage them.”

Amidst these discussions, those with insider knowledge began to show off:

“The Imperial Court has reformed the military, and from now on, only those who can wear armor will be the regular army, responsible for assault and penetration. Those who can’t wear armor will only serve as auxiliaries, known as the ‘Auxiliary Army.'”

As soon as these words were uttered, people flocked around to make inquiries.

The well-informed individual puffed out his chest proudly and said:

“The Imperial Court intends to cut down the majority of its forces, leaving only the elite. The original Imperial Guards will be reformed into the ‘Imperial Fist’ legion, and also a small portion of the Beiyang Fleet and the Western Expedition Army will be retained…

In essence, all are following Lord Lu’s intentions. In the future, the Great Yi Dynasty won’t fear the foreigners! And we’ll reclaim all the concessions and abolish the unequal treaties…”

The bystanders were all common folk, hearing such “inside information” for the first time and listening with rapt interest.

But as they listened on, suddenly someone’s stomach growled audibly.

“I’ve heard that the New Dynasty is quite adept at stabilizing grain prices, but I don’t know when… My family is nearly out of food, I just hope we can make it through the winter.”

“How come I’ve heard that the South is also short on grain, and that grain prices will continue to rise!”

Hearing this news, the crowd began to murmur restlessly.

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Meanwhile, at the same time, numerous high-ranking officials, aristocrats, and Martial Path experts also gathered at Chengtian Gate, waiting for the start of the grand ceremony.

Among them were die-hards like Fu Fangsheng and Dong Fuxiang, renowned major sects like the Wudang Sect, Fahua Temple, and Yushan Sect that supported Lu Yao, and numerous prominent families that outwardly submitted.

People from all sorts of backgrounds were clearly segregated into their circles.

The things of this world are never just black or white—there’s always a vast expanse of grey.

The majority in the crowd were those prominent families who outwardly submitted.

These long-established families were mostly sensible. Subdued by absolute martial power, they submitted, and so Lu Yao did not fully eradicate them.

But there were also many who were dissatisfied at heart, looking for other ways to fight for more say.

It was these people who, behind the scenes, stirred up trouble and colluded to raise grain prices.

In fact, this has been the business of the wealthy clans for thousands of years.

They colluded to buy up all the grain on the market, then spread rumors of grain scarcity to create panic, causing the grain prices to triple in a single day.

Just then, with the appearance of the Imperial Guards, cheers like a tidal wave sounded from outside.

Watching the steel columns advance like human tanks, a middle-aged man in a suit and tie, sporting a goatee, said with a face as dark as water, “Good and evil will always exist, but I can’t believe we’ve let this monster gain such a foothold!”

This man was Xi Sugui, the chief comprador of HSBC Bank.

Starting as the lowest runner on the streets for HSBC, he’d worked his way up to chief comprador, becoming a figure who could summon the wind and call the rain in the financial world.

Xi Sugui knew well—he’d reached his position today solely by relying on the power of foreigners!

Therefore, he could tolerate Lu Yao’s taxation on the prominent families.

But Lu Yao aimed to strike at foreign influence, affecting the comprador business, and that he could not stand!

It was like digging the roots of the Xi family, with contradictions that were utterly irreconcilable.

Hence, Xi Sugui was the most frantic one in this grain price manipulation.

Not only did he mobilize all his family assets, but he also used the energy of HSBC to hoard a full billion catties of grain—that’s 500,000 tons!

Given that Lu Yao had brought back 20 million tons of rice, for him to reach 2.5% was quite an accomplishment.

At that moment, several comprador families just like his gathered together, whispering secretly.

“The Great Grandmasters of the Kunlun Sect and the Tianshan Sect refuse to come out of seclusion.”

“These sly dogs, they always close off their mountains every time there’s a dynastic change, only to re-emerge when peace has been restored.”

“What use is there in coming out? No one can cure this demon named Lu, the vanquisher of evil in the Land of Divine Land!”

The thought of humbly paying taxes like mud-legs filled everyone with waves of sorrow.

Xi Sugui said sternly, “Gentlemen, do not panic! This time we must make use of the grain famine to show the demon Lu—governing a country isn’t about fighting and killing! To want peace and stability, he must show due respect to us!”

Someone immediately slapped his thigh in agreement, “Brother Xi speaks well! We’ve got to use the famine to teach the demon the principle of ‘ruling the world together with the scholars!'”

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement.

They had seen many authoritarian rulers throughout the ages, and without resorting to martial force, the clans had their own ways to vie for power and profit.

Xi Sugui stroked his beard, “If the New Dynasty is sensible, we could release the grain before the New Year, it’s not good to starve too many people to death.”

“Brother Xi is kind-hearted; this could mean earning less.”

“It’s only right, only right.”

Just as Xi Sugui was modestly waving his hand, Chengtian Gate slowly opened—the coronation was about to begin!@@novelbin@@