197: Chapter 197 Martial Arts Manual

"Gao Lin." Gao Feng's voice was calm, without a ripple, as if he were merely asking about a trivial matter. "Do you have a strategy to break Shu?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Lin walked out from the Ranks steadily. There was not a trace of nervousness on his young face; instead, it was filled with a confidence and composure that belied his age.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, your subject has one!"

His voice was loud and resonant, striking the ground like metal. All the generals in the hall turned their gaze toward him, wanting to see what astonishing words this scholarly young man could utter.

"The reason Shu is difficult to attack is not because its troops are elite or its provisions are abundant, but because its terrain is perilous and supply lines are difficult to maintain. If our army wishes to launch a frontal assault, the logistical supplies for hundreds of thousands of troops would be the greatest challenge; every step forward would come at the cost of blood."

"But what if we could build a 'Heaven-Supporting Shu Road' that ignores natural barriers and leads directly into the heart of Shu?"

Gao Lin's words were like a bolt of lightning, piercing through the fog in everyone's hearts!

All the generals in the hall gasped, and then bursts of discussion erupted, as they all thought this person was insane.

Build a great road amidst those towering mountains where even monkeys struggle to climb?

This was simply a fantasy, the ravings of a madman!

Gao Lin, however, remained unmoved and continued to speak eloquently, his eyes shining with intelligence and fervor: "Your Majesty, when I was at Panshi University, I once researched a brand-new explosive and mountain-clearing machinery with Great Master Gongshu Ban. Supplemented by the 'war golem' you bestowed upon the Ministry of Works, clearing mountains and bridging rivers is not impossible!"

"As long as the Imperial Court can provide sufficient support, I am confident that this road can be built within two years! By then, our Dynasty's heavenly troops and the endless flow of supplies will be able to ride steam-powered iron beasts, driving straight in, covering a thousand miles a day, and striking directly at the heart of the enemy! That so-called 'Jianmen natural barrier,' in the face of Your Majesty's heavenly might, will be nothing more than a laughable screen!"

"Good! What a 'drawing the firewood from under the cauldron' strategy!" Gao Feng, upon hearing this, was greatly pleased and suddenly stood up from the dragon throne!

He immediately issued an order appointing Gao Lin as the Chief Engineer of the 'Heaven-Supporting Shu Road,' bestowed upon him the Imperial Sword, authorized him to control all military and political affairs along the route, and gave him full responsibility for this matter!

He also allocated one hundred thousand of the most elite engineering corps, along with the steam-powered 'war golem' newly developed by Gongshu Ban—which stood over ten zhang tall and had the power to split mountains and shatter rocks—to fully support his work!

"'The road to Shu is difficult, more difficult than ascending to the blue sky?' That is for the Mortal of the old era." Gao Feng looked at the perilous region marked as "Shu" on the massive sand table, his deep eyes flashing with the supreme aura of ruling the world. "For my engineering corps and the 'war golem,' it is merely a matter of spending a little more time."

After deciding on the "economic blockade" and "logistical strangulation" strategy against Shu, Gao Feng's gaze did not rest; he knew deeply that the strength of a country does not lie solely in its economy and politics, but more importantly in its fundamental military power.

He founded the country through "Martial," and thus he would implement the word "Martial" into every corner of this Dynasty.

He ordered the assembly of all Martial Art Grandmasters under heaven, and using his own unfathomable martial cultivation as the Foundation, combined with the strengths of a hundred Schools, discarding the dross and selecting the essential, to compile an unprecedented general outline of martial arts—the "Martial Scripture."

This scripture was all-encompassing, covering everything from the most basic body-tempering methods to advanced True Qi circulation, to profound Concept comprehension, and even the mysteries of attempting to reach the Ninth Rank Human Immortal Realm of legend.

The compilation of the "Martial Scripture" was not intended to be hidden in the Imperial secret treasury, but to be popularized throughout the world!

Gao Feng ordered that, in addition to public Schools across the country, "Martial Schools" of various levels be established.

Any subject of the Wu Dynasty, regardless of gender, could study the basic chapters of the "Martial Scripture" in these Martial Schools to strengthen their bodies and protect their homes and country.

And the outstanding ones among them would have the opportunity to enter higher-level prefectural Martial Schools, or even the highest institution, the "Imperial Martial Academy," to receive the top-tier martial education and become the sharpest swords of the Empire!

Gao Feng's move was intended to improve the physical fitness and martial spirit of the entire nation. He knew deeply that although the world had just been pacified, the nomadic tribes of the northern grasslands remained a major threat; they were like wolves on the grassland, potentially raiding southward at any time.

In the even more distant West and South, there were endless unknown territories waiting to be explored.

Most importantly, he faintly felt that at the apex of this world, there existed some transcendental beings—those Ninth Rank Human Immortals of legend who possessed a Lifespan of nearly a thousand years and could move mountains and fill seas.

Although they never interfered with the succession of secular dynasties, this uncontrollable power remained a sword hanging over the head of the Empire.

Gao Feng had to make thorough preparations; not only did he need the Wu Dynasty to possess the power to crush Mortal nations, but he also needed the confidence to dialogue as equals with these legendary beings, and even the ability to contend with them when necessary!

However, the process of establishing a new Dynasty was not as smooth as the few strokes in history books; hidden between the lines were countless undercurrents and raging waves.

During the year and a half when the world-renowned "Heaven-Supporting Shu Road," aimed at piercing through the perils of heaven and earth, was in full swing, the newly born Wu Dynasty was far from reaching a state of peace and prosperity.

As Martial God Gao Feng's iron-blooded new policies—aimed at completely overturning the existing rigid class structure and reshuffling social resources—were forcefully implemented nationwide with an unquestionable and thunderous momentum, a storm sweeping across the entire era had already begun to brew.

Those aristocratic families and powerful clans that had once perched above the clouds, viewing the common people as straw dogs and grass, and whose legacies had been passed down for hundreds or even thousands of years, saw their Foundation for survival and the interests they had accumulated over generations suffer an unprecedented and devastating impact!

The "Acreage Tax" policy was like a heavy hammer, smashing to pieces, from a legal standpoint, the tens of thousands of hectares of fertile land they had acquired through trickery, plunder, and annexation, making the population no longer a tool they could hide at will to evade taxes.

"Officials and Gentry Pay Grain Tax Alike" completely stripped away the cloak of privilege they had been born with for thousands of years, forcing them to be just like the mud-legged peasants they once despised, requiring them to fulfill their obligations to the state for every inch of land beneath their feet.

"Abolishing Lowly Status" shook the very social Foundation upon which they enslaved others and displayed their noble status.

"Promoting Compulsory Education" meant that knowledge would no longer be a weapon they monopolized; countless children of the bottom-tier commoners would have the opportunity to change their fates through learning and challenge their hereditary ruling status.

These new policies, seemingly simple and clear but in reality dripping with blood and cutting to the bone in every word, were like the sharpest scalpels in the world, precisely and ruthlessly dissecting the core tumor of the old era, and cutting deeply into the flesh of those who had benefited from the old era!

They lost the land they could annex at will, lost the tenant farmers who were bound to the land and whose fates they could manipulate, and even more, lost that arrogance and privilege that had long been integrated into their Bloodline and placed them above the Laws of the Dynasty!

They could no longer act as tyrants in their own fiefdoms like their ancestors, viewing human life as grass and the common people as crops that could be harvested at will!

The massive loss of interests, combined with that class hatred originating from the depths of their bone marrow, filled them with endless resentment and deep-seated hatred for this newly born Wu Dynasty that had appeared out of nowhere and shattered all their glory!

They hid in dark corners, cursing the young emperor sitting high on the dragon throne with the most vicious language, fantasizing about one day tearing him to pieces and restoring their former "glory."

However, they ultimately dared not confront the Wu Dynasty openly—a Dynasty possessing a million battle-hardened troops and equipped with terrifying firearms capable of destroying heaven and earth.

Having witnessed the destructive combat power of the Panshi Army, they knew deeply that any form of direct military rebellion would be tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock, only inviting a more rapid and thorough destruction.

Thus, in endless despair and resentment, they cast their sinister gazes toward those Jianghu Schools that were equally dissatisfied with the new policies and had likewise lost their former transcendental status under the iron fist of the Wu Dynasty!

These Jianghu Schools were accustomed to a life of quick revenge and lawlessness; the Wu Dynasty's strict household registration management, weapons control, and the severe crackdown on "knights using martial arts to violate prohibitions" made them feel unprecedented restraint and oppression.

Under the secret funding and constant instigation of these aristocratic families and powerful clans—who had been drastically weakened but still possessed enormous wealth—an evil Jianghu organization named the "Fuwu Alliance" quietly gathered like toxic bacteria breeding in the filth of a gutter, and rapidly expanded.

Using money, Secret Manuals, and divine weapons as bait, they recruited a large number of Jianghu outlaws dissatisfied with the Wu Dynasty, as well as those stubborn Schools that clung to the so-called "Jianghu orthodoxy" and were unwilling to bow their heads to the Imperial Court.

Under the hypocritical banner of "purifying the Emperor's side, executing the tyrant, and returning a clear and bright universe to the world," they carried out insane assassinations and sabotage in various prefectures of the Wu Dynasty, targeting those officials responsible for implementing the new policies at the grassroots level in an organized and premeditated manner!

These officials were the cornerstone of the new policies and the most direct bridge between the Wu Dynasty and the common people; destroying them meant shaking the ruling Foundation of the Wu Dynasty.

Like poisonous snakes lurking in the dark night, they used the most despicable and cruel methods to create one bloody tragedy after another; they were not just assassinations, but brutal slaughters.

Zhang Jingzhi, the Prefect of Qingzhou, angered local powerful clans due to implementing "Officials and Gentry Pay Grain Tax Alike." Assassins from the Fuwu Alliance snuck into the prefectural office in the dead of night, and not only was he stabbed thirty-seven times, but his entire family—including his wife, children, and elderly, and even the servants in the office, totaling fifty-four people—were all slaughtered. Blood stained half of the office, and the words "Those who defy Heaven shall die!" were written in blood on the wall; the scene was too horrific to behold.

For a time, the entire officialdom of the Wu Dynasty was plunged into an atmosphere of terror where everyone was on edge and fearing for their own safety!

Those young officials who had just passed the new-style imperial examination, filled with hot blood and ambition, wishing to do something for the country and the people, became the most direct victims.

Within just a few short months, over a hundred conscientious and dedicated Wu Dynasty officials, who were wholeheartedly serving the people, died tragically under the butcher knives of these executioners who styled themselves as "Jianghu heroes"!

Their deaths were not just the loss of lives, but a heavy blow to the implementation of the new policies, even causing a stagnation of the new policies in some regions for a time.

When the urgent memorials, soaked in blood and sin, flew in like snowflakes from across the country and were finally placed neatly by trembling attendants upon the dragon desk of the Martial God Gao Feng, the entire magnificent and solemn Hall of Supreme Harmony fell into a deathly silence!

The air seemed to solidify into substance, so heavy that the civil and military officials standing in the hall could barely breathe.

All the officials could clearly feel a terrifying Killing Intent, sufficient to freeze the entire world, erupting like a volcano about to explode from the young emperor sitting high upon the dragon throne!

That Killing Intent was so pure and so cold that the burning candles in the hall flickered, as if they would be extinguished at any moment.

"Jianghu?"

Gao Feng slowly stood up from the dragon throne; his movements were slow, but every step felt as if it were stepping on everyone's heart.

In those eyes, usually as deep as a sea of stars, now flickered a bone-chilling cold light like ten-thousand-year black ice, devoid of even a shred of emotion, containing only Killing Intent that had reached the extreme.

He casually picked up the topmost memorial, which was about the tragic case of the Qingzhou Prefecture Governor Zhang Jingzhi's entire family being slaughtered.

"Zhang Jingzhi, I remember him; he said he wanted to create eternal peace for the common people of the world. He had only been in office in Qingzhou for half a year, and the local grain tax had tripled. It wasn't that the burden on the people had increased, but that those so-called gentry families had finally started to cough up the people's lifeblood they had been devouring for a century. But now he is dead, his entire family of fifty-four, not even an infant in swaddling clothes survived."

Gao Feng's voice was not loud, but it was like a cold wind from the Nine Netherworlds, chilling the entire court of civil and military officials to the bone.

"In My Empire, there is no place outside the Law!"

"Those who submit to Me shall prosper, those who defy Me shall perish!"

"I want everyone to understand clearly that the times have changed! That set of so-called Jianghu rules is nothing but a pile of bullshit to Me! My rules are the only rules!"

Gao Feng's voice echoed in the spacious hall, every word like a thunderclap, exploding in everyone's ears.

His gaze swept across the hall and finally landed on the area behind the imperial throne that seemed to blend into the shadows.

"Gu Shenwei!"

"Your servant is here!"

A muffled response, like the clashing of metal and stone, rang out. He was completely shrouded in a black cloak, wearing an expressionless black iron mask on his face, revealing only a pair of lifeless eyes. But at this moment, those eyes were surging with endless killing aura, as if they had already seen a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

"I order you to immediately establish the 'Martial Suppression Bureau'. It shall not be part of the Six Ministries, nor under the Cabinet, but directly responsible to Me! You will oversee the affairs of the Martial Forest, and monitor all Jianghu Schools and Martial Artists!"

"I grant you the power to execute first and report later! I grant you the power to mobilize local garrison troops below the third Rank! I grant you all authority for interrogation, conviction, and execution!"

"I only want one result!"

Gao Feng's voice grew colder, devoid of any human emotion, as if it were the verdict of the Heavenly Dao.

"Within three months, I want the name 'Anti-Martial Alliance' to be completely erased from this world and from everyone's memory! I want those so-called 'Jianghu heroes', every single one of them, to die!"

"I want all the Jianghu Schools in this world to honestly kneel at My feet and beg for mercy! Otherwise, they shall be reduced to ashes along with their Schools!"

"Your servant obeys the decree!"

On the face hidden beneath the black iron mask, Gu Shenwei's mouth slowly curled, revealing a bloodthirsty and cruel smile. He had waited for this day for too long.

He knew that a bloody storm, about to sweep across the entire Jianghu and completely crush the old Martial Forest order, was about to be unleashed by his own hands!

...

Three days later, night, Yunzhou, Cloud Peak Mountain.

Cloud Peak Mountain, named because its main peak towers into the clouds and is shrouded in mist all year round, is the highest mountain in Yunzhou.

And the "Cloud Peak Sword School" that occupies this place, with a Legacy of over three hundred years and generations of experts, enjoys a prestigious reputation like the Taishan and Beidou in the entire Yunzhou Martial Forest.

At this moment, the Cloud Peak Sword School is brightly lit, bustling with noise, and exceptionally lively.

Today is the sixtieth birthday of Pang Dong, the current leader of the "Anti-Martial Alliance" and the contemporary Sect Master of the Cloud Peak Sword School, known as the "Cloud Peak Sword Saint".

Under the guise of this birthday banquet, almost all the Sect Heads and Elders of the large and small Jianghu Schools that have joined the "Anti-Martial Alliance" from the entire Yunzhou and several surrounding prefectures have gathered here, ostensibly to celebrate the birthday, but in reality, to discuss how to expand their results in the next step and create greater chaos for the Wu Dynasty.

On that huge martial arts arena paved with solid bluestone, hundreds of banquet tables were densely packed.

Those figures with loud reputations in Jianghu, who self-proclaimed themselves as "heroes" and "knights-errant", were now flushed with excitement, clinking cups, and talking loudly.

They were spitting as they boasted about how many "dog officials" of the Wu Dynasty they had assassinated recently, and how many "scum" who informed the imperial court they had eliminated for their "Martial Forest comrades", their words filled with contempt for the Wu Dynasty and arrogant confidence in their own martial power.

How lively and high-spirited the atmosphere was! They seemed to have already seen the Wu Dynasty falling apart under this endless assassination, and they would become the "meritorious officials" of the regime change, gaining a more transcendent status in the new round of benefit distribution.

However, none of these "heroes" immersed in their sweet dreams noticed that in the ink-black forest at the foot of the mountain, thousands of mysterious Martial Artists, dressed in specially made black night-traveling clothes, wearing hideous and terrifying ghost masks, and moving silently, had long since surrounded the entire Cloud Peak Mountain like ghosts crawling out of Hell, so tightly that not even a bird could fly out.

And at their very front, on a protruding rock, Gu Shenwei's figure almost blended into the deep night.

He quietly gazed at the brilliant lights on the mountaintop, listening to the noisy laughter coming with the wind. In his eyes, hidden beneath the ghost mask, flickered a heart-palpitating cold light of death, as if he were looking at a group of already dead ants.

He slowly raised his right hand, his fingers slender, wearing a pair of black iron gloves as thin as cicada wings, and then, in a tone devoid of any emotion, as if announcing an eternal natural Law, he gently swung it downwards.

"Kill!"

"Leave no one alive!"

These two cold words were like the final decree of the Death God.

With the order given! Those thousands of "Martial Suppression Bureau" experts, who had long been hungry and impatient, like vengeful ghosts breaking free from the Nine Netherworlds of Hell, let out suppressed and inhuman, shrill roars from their throats, transforming into black torrents, charging fiercely from all directions towards the Cloud Peak Sword School, which was still immersed in singing and dancing!

This was a thorough, bloody massacre that followed no Jianghu code of conduct and accepted no surrender!

The first battle of the establishment of the Martial Suppression Bureau was to announce their existence to the world in the most cruel and direct way!

"Enemy attack!!"

A shrill scream finally tore through the night sky. A Cloud Peak Sword School Disciple responsible for guarding the mountain gate had just shouted two words when his throat was precisely pierced by a crossbow bolt shot from the darkness. His body was carried backward by the immense force, slamming heavily against the mountain gate.

Following that was a roar like a rainstorm!

"Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish!"

Countless arrows, carrying the screech of death, rose into the air from the darkness below the mountain, forming an airtight net of death, precisely covering the entire brightly lit martial arts arena.

These were not ordinary bows and arrows, but the "rapid-fire divine arm crossbow" specially made by the Wu Dynasty arsenal for the Martial Suppression Bureau. They had long range, great power, extremely strong penetrating ability, and could fire continuously!

Those so-called "Jianghu experts", who were talking loudly just a moment ago, were shot into hedgehogs by this sudden rain of death arrows the next moment. Their protective True Qi was as fragile as paper in front of this scale of concentrated fire, and was torn apart in an instant.

Screams, exclamations, and the sounds of weapons falling to the ground merged into one; the originally lively banquet instantly turned into a Shura field.

And this was just an appetizer.

Under the cover of the arrow rain, the first batch of Martial Suppression Bureau assault team members had already rushed onto the martial arts arena like ghosts. In their hands, they did not hold traditional swords or blades, but pulled out fist-sized, pitch-black iron lumps from their waists—"Explosive Shells".

They lit the fuses and threw them forward with all their might. Dozens of Explosive Shells drew arcs and precisely landed in the most densely packed areas of the crowd.

"Boom! Boom, boom, boom!!"

Deafening explosions rang out one after another, fire shot into the sky, illuminating the entire night sky of Cloud Peak Mountain in a blood-red color!

The terrifying shockwave, mixed with countless high-speed flying iron fragments and steel balls, formed storms of death, crazily harvesting lives.

Those hard-training experts who boasted of having copper skin and iron bones were torn into flying pieces of flesh and blood on the spot at the center of the explosion, with severed limbs splashing everywhere; the scene was bloody to the extreme.

One round of arrow rain, one round of explosions, and over half of the thousands of "Jianghu heroes" on the martial arts arena were dead or injured. The remaining people had long been scared to the point of Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering by this unheard-of, Demonic Technique-like attack method, and had lost all fighting spirit.

"Demonic Technique! This is the imperial court's Demonic Technique!"

"Devils! They are devils!"

In the chaos, a vigorous roar sounded like a thunderclap: "All of you, calm down! Form the sword formation! Follow me and kill our way out!"

A white-bearded old man in a brocade robe, holding a precious sword that shone with cold light, rose into the sky from the main seat; he was the "Cloud Peak Sword Saint", Pang Dong.

He swung his sword, and a massive Sword Qi several zhang long swept out, cutting a dozen crossbow bolts flying towards him in mid-air, demonstrating the powerful strength of a Rank 7 Martial Ancestor.

"You sneaky rats! Come out and die!" Pang Dong roared, his eyes bloodshot. Looking at the corpses of his Disciples all over the ground, his heart ached, and he was also filled with endless fear.