Dao Equaling the Heavens
Chapter 291 - 192 Dao Foundation Perfection of the Seventy-Seventh

Chapter 291: Chapter 192 Dao Foundation Perfection of the Seventy-Seventh

Early November, South Water County, Jiang Family Village.

One carriage after another entered the unremarkable little village under the escort of cavalrymen. The South Water County Governor, with his rotund belly, dismounted from the carriage and displayed an ingratiating smile towards Jiang Jucai, who was mounted and armored at the side, "Marshal Jiang, whom are you taking me to meet?"

From the other carriages, individuals clad in silk and crowned with silver and jeweled headpieces stepped down, requiring a kneeling servant to provide a footstool.

More than a dozen representatives from the various aristocratic families of South Water attended though none of them had the backing of the Immortal Sect, given the village’s location on the frontier.

They carried a hint of arrogance when they surveyed the rural appearance of Jiang Family Village, but their good education and political acumen made them conceal it well.

With the change of leadership in South Water, the aristocratic families still calmly watched from a distance as if waiting for the world to come to them, having financed the Nanchun Army themselves.

If it were not for the two coups within the army that had erased the influence they’d implanted there, it would be Jiang Jucai paying them a visit today.

If they were dissatisfied, the position of Marshal of the Nanchun Army could be considered up for grabs.

Instead, they now had to accommodate Jiang Jucai, this upstart young man, because he really held the knife.

And also because there were rumors of an Immortal behind him.

"Just follow me and you’ll see."

Jiang Jucai dismounted and led the group toward the bamboo forest at the edge of the village, where a small courtyard house came into view.

A short middle-aged man looking like an elderly servant was sweeping the floor when Jiang Jucai quickly walked up to him and said, "Dad, let me do it."

The aristocratic representatives showed a trace of surprise; they hadn’t expected that this elderly servant was Jiang Jucai’s father.

They exchanged glances with each other, their suspicions growing stronger.

After a while, they entered the courtyard one after another, crowding the already small space.

Through the entrance, one could see a few people sitting in the living room; a man and a woman occupied the main seats. The man had a regular and handsome face, and the woman’s features were covered by a light veil. To their left and right stood men and women whose appearances were extraordinary—beyond mortal standards.

They were engaged in a conversation, not stopping due to the arrival of the others; in fact, their eyes didn’t even fall upon the new entrants.

"Mortals are useless; why bother with them? If you need people, just grab a few peasants. It’s all the same."

Jun Yan was arguing with Gu Wen, who was playing with a White Feathered Bird, "Peasants, uneducated, know neither the arts of charms nor the way of managing people. Just like any person here capable of slaughtering an army, we still need them to conquer the various towns and cities."

"To nurture from scratch is too time-consuming and laborious; simply using the existing offspring of the aristocratic families is more sensible."

Gu Wen, having not been a stranger to the lower rungs of society, very well understood the profound ignorance of the true common folk. At the same time, imposing responsibilities that were not theirs could benefit no one.

The ideas suggested by Jun Yan, to arbitrarily capture mortals to control their minds, as well as Jiang Jucai’s progressive inclination toward eradicating aristocratic families and favoring the lower classes, were advanced but contravened the basic logic of social development.

"So, are you planning to have these aristocratic families form a City Lord Mansion?"

"I should say, a court."

Gu Wen turned his gaze toward the aristocratic representatives with a benign look. His earlier words had comforted them, and he said, "Those with land holdings exceeding fifty thousand mu, step forward."

Upon hearing this, the crowd exchanged glances—none dared to step forward.

Seeing this, Jun Yan couldn’t help but show a hint of pity.

Based on his understanding of Gu Wen, this man possessed a Demon Heart. His unconventional background spared him the rigidity of the Righteous, and sometimes his actions were more extreme than those of the Demon Path.

"You don’t wish to speak?"

Gu Wen was unsurprised; land was a sensitive topic, and no one would openly disclose such information.

Throughout history, the powerful have annexed lands, and concealed fields and households were common—any aristocratic family could be beheaded for this. Even in modern times, tax evasion is rampant. This is human nature.

He called the common people ignorant, but that didn’t mean the aristocratic families were wise.

In reality, the opposite was true; the so-called aristocratic families enjoyed the best education and resources, yet often exhibited astonishing stupidity.

"Old Lord, proceed with Soul Search."

Upon those words, Jun Yan steadied the aristocratic representatives with a raise of his hand, wrapping strands of Divine Thought around their necks like ethereal threads under their terrified gazes.

Jun Yan confirmed, "After Soul Searching, these people are very likely to go mad."

Gu Wen said with glee, "Then it’s perfect to eradicate them completely; in any case, controlling their minds isn’t conditional on their cooperation."

"..."

The room fell silent for a moment, as tears streamed down the faces of those aristocratic representatives who had been immobilized.

Yu Hua was somewhat helpless; she could hear the almost harsh sentiments Gu Wen harbored towards the aristocratic families, yet he wasn’t averse to using them.

As Jun Yan’s Divine Thought penetrated the mortals’ three souls and seven spirits, soon an asset registry of all the major families of South Water County was compiled. To Gu Wen’s surprise, he had misjudged them—none needed to stand out because everyone had exceeded fifty thousand mu.

The Wu family, the largest, occupied one-tenth of South Water County’s arable land; where they resided, officials would personally visit their doorstep to collect taxes.

Gu Wen picked up the registry, crossed out names; soon, half of the families were marked with a red cross, and then he tossed it to Jiang Jucai.

"Go and confiscate their properties according to our military merit nobility system. With enough land for military merit, your army will be invincible."

Jiang Jucai, somewhat uncertain about attacking Luo River, asked, "Luo River has always been a place of immense wealth, and the local militia is well-armed. Are we truly capable of taking it?"

"If we lose, we’ll just come back and farm; if we die, bury us," Gu Wen said indifferently, "Times make heroes. If you step back, others will naturally rise. When the common people can no longer survive, they will inevitably rise in revolt."