blueteamnovel Chapter 66 Martial Arts
Chapter 66 Martial Arts
Fu Que felt it was time for him to put on a show. He stood up with a fierce glint in his eyes, walked over to the bartender who was lying on the ground pretending to be dead, and kicked him in the face with his toe.
"..."
Without saying a word, the bartender quickly rolled around a few times and moved to another spot to play dead.
Immediately afterwards, Fu Que became furious and smashed a dusty wine jar with his two-handed hammer, sending shards of porcelain flying through the sealed cloth mouth.
He lifted the wine jar, which was as tall as a person, with his bare hands, gripping the jagged broken ends of the jar like iron clamps, and splashed the wine everywhere, soaking the ground.
Several tattooed bandits also realized what was going on. These men, drawn from various gangs, were clearly elites with good physical abilities. They followed Fu Que's example and smashed the wine jars.
He acted like a madman, spilling flammable liquid everywhere.
"Or I'll burn this whole place down and use your son as a lamp."
Fu Que pulled out a fire starter and then added.
If the tavern owner says anything wrong, the place will be turned into a blank wasteland.
The tavern owner had already knelt down, begging for mercy incoherently, his face covered in snot and tears, his speech slurred. His wife was so frightened that she fainted.
"Boss, he doesn't have any money on him, so let's just burn him and the whole family can go together."
A burly man chuckled.
He saw that the leftover food left on the table by the fleeing customers was quite substantial, indicating that they were kind-hearted and their business could last a long time, but they couldn't come up with a large sum of money.
The others also looked on with amusement and amusement. Although the Fishermen's Mutual Aid Association had established some rules that had to be followed, these people were used to being wild and couldn't be changed overnight.
Fu Que kept these people by his side not only because he needed a certain number of elite personnel to keep things under control, but also to keep an eye on them and prevent them from causing trouble.
Bullying ordinary people makes you seem stupid, but there's no other way. They don't even realize how good you are to them, so you can only resort to violence. As 014 would say, a strict father's love is always hard to accept.
Mo Tong, from the Fishermen's Mutual Aid Association, has been registering everyone these past few days. Based on Fu Que's requests, she always manages to find a reasonable excuse for the residents of the area marked 014 to leave.
For example, the accounts of the tavern owner in front of us were found in an illegal casino that was shut down. We need to come up with a pretext to kick people out, because we will still need these people later.
Fu Que stared at the pleading tavern owner and said, "Seventy gold coins is indeed not a small amount. I have a compromise. Your tavern is not in a good location, but the scenery is beautiful. I want to build a separate courtyard here."
"Your son lost fifty gold coins, with a monthly interest rate of forty percent. By today, it must be worth far more than seventy gold coins. I'm a righteous person, so if you give me this tavern and work for me for another six months, this debt will be settled, and your son can return safely. How about it?"
Everything went very smoothly.
Based on Mo Tong's information, the group approached the people in the relocation area one by one to "talk" to them. They basically didn't charge any money, only asking for the land, which was considered a service fee for helping these guys settle their affairs.
If there's nothing wrong, then go find something to do. In short, take it first and get compensation later; it's a privilege granted by imperial authority.
They've already taken care of most of the people on their side, and 014 has basically got control of all the marked locations in Gaoyang County.
"Boss, is this the last one? Do we have any other tasks?"
As the tavern owner and his wife were led away with mournful faces, a burly man asked.
"Go back and await orders. Don't wander around for now. Two days ago, the Dragon Cavalry led most of the county soldiers away from Gaoyang County. For safety's sake, we should guard our stronghold."
"Yes."
……
Two days later.
The first day of the sixth month in the 79th year of the Hongli reign of Emperor Wu.
Flags fluttered in the wind in front of the reviewing stand at the Gaoyang County military camp.
Today is the day the martial arts examination begins.
After passing the military examination, one gains official rank and can receive a monthly stipend from the Great Zhao court. It also makes it easier to join the Great Zhao's vast military and political system and become one of the military officials.
Therefore, the annual martial arts examination was a relatively important event for the Da Zhao court. In addition to absorbing fresh blood and replenishing the institutions that were distributed throughout Da Zhao like capillaries, it was also to assess the level of martial spirit among the people.
More importantly, there is the sect martial arts competition held every three years, which can be participated in by all citizens of Da Zhao.
No age or cultivation level restrictions apply. Once you become one of the top eight, as long as you swear allegiance, you can immediately rise above others and become a superior person.
Then there's the World Martial Arts Tournament, held only once every ten years. This is even more prestigious, with no restrictions on nationality or even race. The champion not only receives a generous reward immediately but can also make a request to Emperor Wu Hong, the current rising star of the Great Zhao Dynasty.
Fu Que called it the number one martial arts tournament in the world.
Although it happens every year, it does not dampen the enthusiasm of the people of Gaoyang County. Under the high-pressure environment where extraordinary power governs the rules, ordinary people do not have many ways to release their stress, and this grand event is one of them.
And for some reason, this year's martial arts exam is different from previous years; there aren't as many casinos opening.
On the reviewing stand directly north of the drill ground, 014, Peng Chi, and Zhou Jing sat upright like three admirals of the navy, with clerks responsible for recording standing on either side, and county soldiers in full armor patrolling around them.
The Great Zhao Dynasty valued martial prowess and took water as its form. Therefore, the official robes worn by Zhou Jing and the others were all solemn black, with only the patterns on their chests differing, representing their respective ranks and positions.
Only those who frequently deal with government officials can understand what these patterns represent.
Below are the candidates who registered for this year's martial arts competition. They had already lined up and stood at attention according to their place of origin and number, numbering nearly two hundred.
Each of them stood tall and straight, their blood and energy flowing like a torrent. They wore uniform, pure gray training clothes, cloth belts around their waists, and cloth shoes.
This is to prevent people from using magical artifacts to enhance their physical abilities during the assessment. These people are mostly sharp-eyed, eager young people.
Only a few were more composed, but they were all no more than thirty years old.
The age limit for martial arts selection is thirty. Once you are over thirty, you can no longer take the martial arts exam. Even if you have a fortuitous encounter and your strength increases greatly, you will still be unable to enter the officialdom through the proper path of martial arts. You can only participate in the grand event held once every three or ten years.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the reviewing stand to the north of the drill ground. In Da Zhao, Master Wu was a real master, but only the military commander was truly a superior person.
On the viewing platforms on both sides of the drill ground were prominent figures from Gaoyang County, including gentry, wealthy merchants, and elders.
Ordinary people could only sit down and watch from the stone steps around the observation platform of the drill ground. Even so, the entrance fee was thirty coins per person per day.