: Chapter Three Hundred and Fifty-four: The Sorrow of the People
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Every member of the Tang n practices martial arts, and only the most outstanding ones are chosen to train in the First Cultivation Ground as selected proteges. However, all n members, from schrs to idle rich kids, are required to reach at least the Foundation Building stage.
This requirement means that even the most unimpressive descendant of the Tang n must reach the peak of the Mortal Realm. With the advantage of the Heavenly Pathway Technique, even a novice would be many times stronger than an average civilian martial artist. Add to that a well-nourished and physically robust body, thanks to a bnced diet and the use of Spiritual Food, and the disparity inbat power bes even more significant.
However, the difference between the n’s educational institution and the Martial Hall lies in their seven academic disciplines: misceneous studies, mathematics, agriculture, medicine, metallurgy, martial arts research, and political economics.
Students of the institution are required to choose one or several specializations from these academic disciplines, in addition to their cultivation practice. Although this multitasking could slow down their progress slightlypared to those training in the First Cultivation Ground, most of them manage to enter the Mortal Realm by the age of twenty.
The number of students of the institution considerably exceeds the number of proteges in the First Cultivation Ground. The graduates of the Martial Hall are first to serve the leaders of the sub-ns and then serve the n’s offspring as family retainers. The shortage of graduates caused by this distribution system is a lingering problem. The Tang n alone has more than two hundred sub-ns, along with a vast number of n members and proteges. Even if the thousands of orphans they recruit each year were trained into martial artists, they would still be far from enough.
The reality, however, is that only one in a thousandmoners can be a protege in the Martial Hall, and this is with the Foundation Building stage being dyed until the age of thirteen or fourteen. If a scion of the Tang n dared to dy Foundation Building until such an age, he would likely be punished regardless of his status within the family.
Such a situation forces the young masters of the Tang n, who have just established their households, to fight their own battles, as themoner martial artists they recruit are rarely of any substantial use. With only basic skills and a weak realm of power, they are incapable of holding their own against formidable opponents, causing the young masters to suffer harm and bear grudges.
Tang Luo can see this problem as clearly as anyone else can, but recognizing a problem is not in itself a solution; the key is how to resolve it.
The n Head Tang Zhi feels obligated to provide an answer to this dilemma. “Regarding the shortage of martial artists within the n, the recent influx of refugees in Chengzhou, which numbers over three hundred thousand, could possibly provide a solution. After removing nonbatants, almost everyone among these refugees is a martial artist. Their integration should suffice in alleviating our current problem of ack of martial artists. As for themoners in Xiling, the ambitious ones have already been taken to North Mountain by their instructors. As for the others, there is no potential left to exploit.”
Theck of breakthroughs amongmoners is not due to the Tang n neglecting their training. It’s because the foundation-building stage, which precedes formal martial arts training, must bepleted by individuals themselves. Innate talent andmitment determine the time required for this stage. But whenpared to the privileged children who canplete foundation building within five years, very fewmoners can do it in less than six.
Even the apprentices in the martial halls can only have incorrect actions corrected and their progress pushed by the Instructor. The actual foundation building process is still up to the apprentices themselves. During the ancient times, martial arts were not well-documented. Some martial artists treated simple manuals of bone strengthening during the foundation-building stage like treasures and learned to build a foundation through self-study byparing the moves to the ones depicted in these manuals.
In other words, if amoner can read, he can buy an ordinary Mortal-level martial arts manual andplete foundation building himself. But in reality, most martial artists are more willing to pay tuition fees to martial halls for foundation building rather than learning to read and studying on their own.
The reason why mostmoners never take a step towards martial arts training despite a lifetime of hardship, is that they seem to be able to bear all kinds of bitterness, but not the hardship of learning. They never save enough money to enter a martial hall, instead, cing their hopes on their next generation.
But under such circumstances, with all these examples before them, even if a prospective youth appears in the second generation, they would still need to solve the problem of obtaining food and warmth first. With the bizarre trend of early marriage amongmoners, many of these kids are engaged from childhood. By the time they are thirteen or fourteen, they are already married and have children, too afraid to extinguish their lineage. After taking responsibilities at home, they cannot practice martial arts anymore.
In this state, poverty seems like a curse, relentlessly trailing mostmoners and keeping them in misery, with no hope of advancement.
The reason Tang Zhi only focuses on the current military strength of the n and not the potential of the one hundred and sixty thousandmoners is not that he can’t see it, but that he thinks that the n has already done everything it can by widely distributing Mortal-level martial arts manuals, setting up numerous martial halls, and recruiting many orphans. But what’s the result? Thesemoners still couldn’t make it…
Tang Zhi’s statement receives nods of agreement from everyone at the table. The Tang n’s genealogy distinctly notes their ancestors’ humble beginnings, but they managed to develop exceptional skills through decades of arduous training that allowed them to assert themselves in the world. Theyter seized the opportunity of the development of Longzhou, enabling the Tang Family to officially rise frommoners, bing a powerful force.
The difference between nobles andmoners today is the result of generation after generation of effort. Still, the weakness ofmoners is due to the repetition of tragic cycles from generation to generation.
Of course, Tang Luo understands the problem withmoners. It is precisely because of these issues that he believes ruling overmoners is far more profitable than ruling over nobles.
“The n head’s operation in Chengzhou is breathtaking, but in my opinion, these noble families ultimately joined us only because of Tang n’s military force. Even if they appear toply, they do so begrudgingly. If any geniuses arise among them, they would most likely hide them and never reveal them. Do any of you agree?”
Despite acknowledging the inherent superiorbat power of the noble families, Tang Luo maintains that loyalty will always be an issue with varying degrees of severity.
Even if they don’t want to admit it, these noble families and the Tang n are undoubtedly not on the same page. But with the Tang n’s resourcefulness, they are certainly capable of finding solutions. That’s the benefit of having a clever n head.
Tang Luo notices the expressions of everyone at the table. They seem to reveal a sentiment that “Even if the noble families are not loyal, they are still more useful thanmoners.”
Tang Luo shakes his head dejectedly. Their preconceived notions aboutmoners are apparently immovable. Nheless, he earnestly tries to exin, “In my opinion, the biggest difference betweenmoners and noble families lies in their loyalty and governability. Even without any loyalty training, as long as they are given basic living guarantees, these people would willingly express their allegiance to the n. If we distribute resources received from Chengzhou refugees evenly among Xihngmoners, I believe the long-term gains would far exceed what the various departments of Chengzhou could ever offer our n.”
Tang Luo’s statement fails to convince everyone present. Apart from Tang Sen, who nods in agreement, everyone else appears nomittal.
The sixth elder, Tang Gaomin, dismissively borates: “Even if all one hundred and sixty thousand people pledged allegiance to the Tang n, how many martial artists could they produce? Orphans raised from infancy have only a ten percent sess rate. Even if one out of this group bes a martial artist of Mortal Realm, or one in a thousand ascend beyond Mortal Realm, it’ll be considered a huge fortune.. If we spent the same amount of time recruiting noble families, the returns would be more than tenfold!”