Chapter 326: The Devilish Muscular Man

Xiaopangdun did not feel he was slacking off; after all, he had many things to do, his tasks were heavy, and he was, after all, the personal disciple.

It was just that he had long since learned to be obedient and never talked back, fearing that if Xu Jia had a sudden inspiration, he would simulate the Demon Examination for him once more.

Xiaopangdun invited Xu Jia to take a look around the village.

Some of the houses here resembled the earthen tube-shaped buildings of the Tujia people, but the weather was humid and hot, and there was much rain; even though the top floors were waterproofed and tiled, they remained damp and stuffy, and would even leak, with things easily growing mold, yet they were still in use for now.

The new houses were built starting from the "second floor," similar to stilt houses, separated from the ground so they would be slightly less prone to dampness and mildew.

There was no need to survive the winter here, and clothing was mainly "summer cloth," which saved the trouble of wintering; the Tujia-style buildings were more inclined toward keeping warm in winter and ventilating in summer, which was more suitable for places with distinct seasons.

The houses here could not be arranged in dense, orderly rows, as that was not conducive to ventilation; following the local style of house construction, there were clusters of three or four here and there.

However, when organized into production brigades, these people were still grouped together.

"That is Chen Liuxian," Xiaopangdun said, pointing to a physician who was treating a villager for a snake bite. "He seems to have changed his nature now; are you still going to take him as a disciple?"

Xu Jia said, "Since he has already identified with my philosophy, it doesn't matter whether I take him or not. Let him slowly comprehend great love. In a few years, when we relocate talent back, we will move him back and see if he still misses that snake demoness, and whether he has let go."

Xiaopangdun sighed, "Master, it's not that I'm complaining, but why did you have to break them up when you were fighting the Lishan Sect? That snake demon is now suppressed in the pagoda, and the anger has dissipated."

Xu Jia glanced at him, "Whose side are you on? Do you want me to give you a kick?"

Xiaopangdun immediately stopped talking, and Xu Jia said, "That was a Dao Tribulation. If I do not attain the Dao, can you ascend to heaven along with the chickens and dogs?"

This area was developed quite well, with a bit of the ethnic minority charm found in Yunnan and Western Xiang.

"That over there is the terraced field," Xiaopangdun said proudly. "Although there are many mountains here, there is enough land for farming. In every tier, we built a pond, and in each pond, we placed a waterwheel. By pedaling the waterwheel, water can be continuously transported upward. We also dug canals that spiral downward, winding around the mountains. When there is too much water, it flows down along the canals. This is my proudest work."

"You have ideas," Xu Jia praised him. "It can be considered a spectacle; it is refreshing to look at."

The terraced fields, waterwheels, small bridges, flowing water, and stilt houses looked just like a freehand brushwork painting.

The most important thing was the absence of the "government" institution.

This fit the romantic sentiment of the Chinese people, like the Peach Blossom Spring scene of Tao Yuanming—farming a bit, looking at the scenery, and fishing.

If it were advertised as a bitter, pestilent land in Nanyang, I fear there would be very few people wanting to immigrate; but if it were called a fertile land overseas, full of opportunities, then many people would head to Nanyang.

However, these immigrants currently had no choice; they were refugees to begin with—either starve to death, revolt, or follow Xu Jia's arrangements.

"Besides our own reclamation, we also taught planting techniques to several tribes that are on good terms with us. Their efficiency is not as good as ours, and many are short-sighted, but grain is never a bad thing. It soon spread, and now the tribal people of the entire Luzon Island have begun to farm."

"Promoting agriculture and education is a great Merit," Xu Jia exclaimed. "Your methods are good, and teaching the natives is good."

"They originally knew how to plant, but it was very primitive—slash-and-burn. They would plant two or three rounds on a piece of land, and when it was no longer viable, they would burn another piece of land to plant. The weather here is hot, and the unplanted land quickly grows into wasteland. After two or three years, they burn it again and scatter seeds haphazardly, and it recovers." "We mainly use seedling cultivation, deep plowing, soil sun-drying, water management, rice transplanting, composting... these techniques are more advanced than slash-and-burn. The way they farm is purely a waste of land and grain. Fifty catties of seeds go in, and at most eighty catties of grain are harvested. Is that rice straw used to feed cattle or burn for fire?"

Xiaopangdun got angry when talking about this. It was not his fault; land in China has a sacred nature. Without the status of a provincial graduate, even the wealthiest landlord could only have a hundred mu of good fields on the surface. But here, one fire could burn out hundreds of mu of land. It was too easy to obtain land.

Then Xu Jia met Chen Gongming, who was leading the first batch of Daoist acolytes to conduct military training for the second batch.

The number of the second batch of acolytes was also five hundred, but the quality was not just a little worse than the first batch.

The first batch were all good families from Jiangnan West Circuit, while the second batch were basically picked from refugee camps, and their innate quality was much worse.

However, their characters were much tougher and unyielding.

They were paired one-on-one. After they were well-trained, the first batch of acolytes would begin internal selection and competition. The outstanding ones among them could return to Jiangnan West Circuit first to become official disciples of the Sanqing Palace, and they would also be the backbone of future Dao propagation.

Chen Gongming was also startled when he saw Xu Jia and hurriedly came to pay his respects. He was originally known as the Bear, and now he looked exactly like a muscular devil.

With a wave of his hand, the thousand neatly dressed acolytes roared with momentum, like lions growling and dragons shouting, full of spirit: "Greetings, Dao Lord!"

Xu Jia really wanted to say: "Students, you have worked hard."

This standard Daoist Robe was like a school uniform. They were not very old, just in their early teens, green and hairless, looking even more like junior high or high school students.

However, Xu Jia felt no guilt about this. He had already saved them from suffering and difficulty, taught them characters and magic, passed down the Dao Register, and mastered martial arts, painstakingly cultivating their morality and conscience. Wherever they went, they would be talents.

"Master, two years of training for these acolytes might not be enough. I think it should be three years."

"Time waits for no one," Xu Jia sighed. "The north is rotten and decadent, and the Daning Dynasty has no power to resist aggression. I also fought a battle with the Longevity Sect's leader, the Wanshou Emperor. He is a pure demon, actually the cultivation of the last emperor of the Great Heng Dynasty, intending to subvert the common people to perfect himself. This time he has emerged, he will inevitably look toward the Central Plains. Our momentum has not yet risen, so we must seize the initiative. Only by first occupying Xiang-Gan-E can we have the possibility of managing the coastal areas of Min, Zhe, and Guang, or moving north. Our goal is to relieve the suffering of all living beings, and now is precisely the time when the world is suffering."

"Sigh, two years. These children haven't enjoyed their blessings for long, and sending them to the battlefield, I cannot bear it. Very well, they will have to go back sooner or later," Chen Gongming said. "The tribes of Luzon Island are all a rabble. Before sending them back, I will first give them some practical combat training, unify the whole island, and let them see blood; only then will it be complete."

Xu Jia nodded, "I permit you to act as you see fit. The next batch of supplies will include Flintlocks. This kind of gun has a longer range and greater power than the Firearm."

Chen Gongming asked excitedly, "Can someone with my skills withstand it?"

"I fear you would also be injured," Xu Jia said. "Unless you are an Earth Immortal, it is only a matter of time."

"With such a sharp weapon, success is certain!" Chen Gongming thought of something: "Although there are demon heads and monsters, and various sects coming down the mountain to follow the dragon, there is absolutely no need for Master to worry too much. We just haven't mass-produced troops yet. If these acolytes are sent out one by one, each might have trouble commanding a hundred, but managing twenty is absolutely no problem. With two months of high-intensity training, they can understand left and right, command, and be equipped with those firearms; that is enough to become killing machines."

Chen Gongming still had the idea of making contributions and establishing a career. Xu Jia said, "The problem is that there is no foundation for large-scale troop production, so we need to take down Xiang-Gan-E, and even Min, Guang, and Zhe. We are strong in naval forces; in land warfare, there are many variables. Strong ships and cannons, raiding by sea, and landing and garrisoning in many places—this is one path."

The main thing is the lack of scientific and technical talent. Unless Xu Jia goes into battle himself, although a large amount of technology from the First Industrial Revolution came from the America side, it takes time for people in this era to digest it. Even if Xu Jia performs empowerment, he has to find someone with strong comprehension and a strong soul. Moreover, in parallel universes, the laws may not be the same. One is an industrialized world, the other is a classic Xianxia world; there is a lot to be said about this.

(End of chapter)