Chapter 63: Building a Manor-Sized Tower Defense Game!

Xu Fengxing said calmly, "The person I pledge my allegiance to must possess a heart of universal love—meaning they must practice benevolent governance and cherish the people as if they were their own children.

A few days ago, I saw Your Highness generously paying for the common people's medical consultations and medicines, and I have also heard many praises of Your Highness's benevolence among the common folk. Therefore, I have no doubts about this point. I only hope that Your Highness will remain steadfast in keeping the common people close to your heart in the days to come."

Upon hearing this, Xue Yuan immediately understood why Zhao Huaichun had acted on his own initiative the other day. It turned out that Zhao Huaichun had known his junior brother's thoughts all along and wanted to help recruit him!

Old Zhao was truly a reliable friend; when something needed to be done, he really delivered!

Xue Yuan cast a grateful glance at Zhao Huaichun, then said to Xu Fengxing, "Please rest assured, Master Xu. Although I was raised within the imperial family, I suffered numerous abuses since childhood, and thus I am well aware of the sufferings of the common people. To speak of the present, at the very least, I intend to reform the corrupt officials within Ning'an City to ensure peace and prosperity for the people."

Xu Fengxing nodded and said, "The second condition is that we Mohists have always steadfastly upheld the principle of 'non-aggression'! Although these are turbulent times and Your Highness must achieve great things, which inevitably involves military conquests, I dare not violate the teachings of the Mohist school.

Therefore, I can only 'defend' for Your Highness—defending people, defending cities, and defending territories are all entirely acceptable; the only thing I cannot do is lead attacks to conquer cities and seize territories on Your Highness's behalf. I wonder if Your Highness can accept this?"

Xue Yuan had, of course, heard of the Mohist concepts of "universal love" and "non-aggression" back on Blue Star, and he could completely understand them!

Moreover, he was well aware of the terrifying power of "Mohist defense"!

Leaving aside the idiom "adhering to convention" which originated from Mohist defense tactics, consider how Mozi once dispatched only three hundred disciples to help the small state of Song defend its city, and succeeded in frightening away the formidable state of Chu. That alone demonstrated just how formidable "Mohist defense" truly was!

It was said that among the works of the Mohist school, there were a full eleven chapters dedicated solely to city defense, covering tactics, fortification layout, mechanisms, command, and various other elements.

In this world, if "Mohist defense" could be skill-based and materialized like the teachings of Confucianism, Xue Yuan simply could not imagine how miraculous and terrifying it would be!

So, being restricted to defense rather than attack—was that even a problem?

Dammit, what could possibly be more important during military campaigns than having an absolutely secure rear base?

To put it bluntly, with the Mohist school by his side, his margin for error would increase by at least tenfold! To speak harshly, even if he were to suffer a total annihilation of his forces due to some miscalculation out in the field one day, as long as the grand rear remained intact, he would still possess the capital to make a comeback. That advantage alone was unmatched by anyone!

Thinking of this, Xue Yuan immediately said, "I have always deeply respected the sages of the Mohist school and am well aware of their rules. How could I dare to ask Master Xu to overstep them? Please rest assured, Your Highness accepts this condition entirely!"

Xu Fengxing nodded once more and said, "Then comes the final condition. I wish to revive the Mohist art of mechanisms, but doing so requires purchasing many expensive materials. I hope Your Highness will be generous with financial support.

Additionally, some materials cannot be purchased, which will require Your Highness to provide personnel and manpower to assist me in searching for them. I also hope Your Highness will not spare your manpower."

Xue Yuan did not even need to think about this point. He immediately replied, "Master Xu, please rest assured. I have long admired the Mohist art of mechanisms and will give it my full and unreserved support.

How about this? There is a small courtyard within the Prince's Estate called the 'Chunhe Courtyard'. From now on, this courtyard shall be exclusively dedicated to your creation of mechanisms. Furthermore, as for how much silver and how many personnel you need, just draw up a plan and submit it."

Are you kidding me? He only wanted more and more of these Mohist mechanism devices!

He already had a plan to use Mohist mechanisms to blanket the entire Prince's Estate first!

If he could forge a Prince's Estate version of a "tower defense" system, wouldn't his sense of security be elevated to an entirely new level?

Seeing that Xue Yuan accepted every single condition without a moment's hesitation, the admiration in Xu Fengxing's eyes deepened even further.

After all, the other party had agreed without hesitation before even witnessing his capabilities. Such breadth of mind and magnanimity were likely unmatched among all seven princes!

No wonder even Senior Brother Zhao Huaichun was willing to assist him!

For Xu Fengxing, who wished to bring peace to the world, someone like Xue Yuan was exceedingly rare and fit his aspirations perfectly.

Thus, he nodded and said, "Very well. From this day onward, Fengxing is willing to use everything he has learned in his lifetime to help Your Highness pacify the realm!"

With that, he turned and prepared to head out.

Xue Yuan hurriedly asked, "Where is Master Xu going now?"

Xu Fengxing replied calmly, "There are military strategists of high renown within the Prince's Estate who have already dispatched guards to occupy all vital strategic points. It cannot be said to be anything less than meticulous. However, in the eyes of we Mohists, there are still flaws everywhere! I shall go set up some mechanisms first to help Your Highness patch up these vulnerabilities!"

Before his voice had even faded, he had already flashed into the courtyard, pulled out a luopan and other tools from his black wooden box, and began surveying the terrain.

Hearing this, the look of appreciation in Xue Yuan's eyes was almost overflowing.

Look, look, look! This right here was a model employee!

He had only just been hired, and he was already pulling out his tools and getting straight to work!

What is more, he was a top-tier technical expert—the kind whom any company's boss would have to treat like royalty and provide with the best of everything—yet he remained so diligent and humble!

Xue Yuan looked at Jian Qi.

Yes, I'm talking to you, reading novels at work all day long with zero motivation. Have you even looked at the sword manual I gave you?

Jian Qi returned Xue Yuan's gaze with a look that said he was looking at an idiot, then calmly went back to reading his pulp fiction.

......

For dinner, there were twelve dishes and one soup!

Xue Yuan, Jian Qi, Su Ruowei, Wang Yu'er, Qi Yuansheng, Zhao Huaichun, and Xu Fengxing gathered together, exchanging toasts in a lively and bustling atmosphere!

Xue Yuan loved dining with his subordinates because many issues could be resolved right there during dinner without the need to hold formal meetings.

For instance, upon hearing that Wang Yu'er was searching for that Northern Yan individual, Xu Fengxing proposed a mechanism he created called the "Mirror Mouse"—capturing a rat, hollowing out its interior, and implanting a Mohist mechanism inside. Not only would the rat be able to move, but everything it saw would also be projected onto a bronze mirror within a radius of a hundred miles!

Xue Yuan couldn't wrap his head around the principle behind this mechanism at first; after all, it wasn't as if surveillance cameras had been invented here too, right?

But upon second thought, damn it, the great Confucian scholar Chu Yanshu could seal off a river with a single wave of his hand—was he really being impolite by fussing over the scientific principles of Mohist mechanisms?

Anyway, the guy could actually pull it off; who cares whether he used science or metaphysics!

Wang Yu'er was overjoyed and immediately asked Xu Fengxing for ten of them, intending to place them secretly in the corners of various antique shops throughout the city, since that Northern Yan individual liked to frequent such places.

"In addition, if that person's tracks are discovered, I also possess tracking runes. These runes are as thin as cicada wings and transparent; one only needs to stick them onto the target to track their exact location," Xu Fengxing added.

This left everyone clicking their tongues in amazement.

Wang Yu'er was even more delighted. Never one to drink alcohol, she poured a cup on the spot and toasted Xu Fengxing.

Once the conversation flowed, Qi Yuansheng, an elite disciple of the military strategists, also began discussing defensive tactics during military marches and battles with Xu Fengxing. As the two chatted, they sparked numerous brilliant ideas.

Watching the number of people at the dining table grow, Xue Yuan felt a deep sense of gratification in his heart.

These people were all absolute treasures!

Though they were also truly expensive to maintain!

Qin Santai needed to grease palms and relations and had just taken away eighty thousand taels.

Zhao Huaichun was researching a new medicinal formula and drew thirty thousand taels from Su Ruowei.

To win over the hearts of the people in the Ning'an branch, Wang Yu'er took another ten thousand taels, following the ten thousand taels she took last time.

Qi Yuansheng was no less demanding; to enhance the combat effectiveness of the estate's guards, he spent a full fifty thousand taels purchasing various pills to strengthen muscles, bones, and cultivation levels, and another twenty thousand taels upgrading and modifying the guards' armor and weapons!

However, the most formidable of all was Xu Fengxing. He casually requested three hundred thousand taels, and this colossal sum was merely for crafting twelve mechanisms dedicated to the defense of the Prince's Estate!

Good lord, it almost scared Su Ruowei's pretty face pale, and she hurriedly came to consult Xue Yuan.

Yet Xue Yuan didn't even ask questions; with a grand wave of his hand, he approved it!

Don't ask why—just remember that a Mohist practitioner who carried the world in his heart and spent his whole life wearing tattered clothes and straw sandals was simply incapable of swindling him out of his money!

Furthermore, Xue Yuan was also curious: what kind of results would such an exorbitantly expensive mechanism yield?

However, with expenses piling up like this, Su Ruowei, who held the financial reins of the estate, could no longer sit still.

After everyone had finished eating and dispersed.

She flipped through the ledger and said to Xue Yuan, "Your Highness, in these past few days alone, the accounting office has disbursed over fifty thousand taels of silver. This does not even include the daily living expenses of the estate, the maintenance costs for the guards, and..."

Gazing at a certain line in the ledger, her beautiful eyes suddenly widened slightly. She abruptly raised her head to stare at Xue Yuan and asked, "And the one thousand taels you spent at the brothel? Your Highness, could you explain which maiden was so exquisite that she was worth one thousand taels... for a single visit?"

Xue Yuan looked at Su Ruowei's stern expression, which resembled a prosecutor interrogating a suspect, and for some reason, his back suddenly felt a bit sweaty, as if his wife had caught him doing something shady during an audit...

He hurriedly suppressed his racing thoughts and said, "Nonsense! It wasn't just one; it was dozens of them!"

"Dozens? You—you went out and looked for dozens of them?"

Su Ruowei's expression crumbled as if her entire world had collapsed, and her hands even trembled slightly with anger!

Realizing that CEO Su had zero tolerance for teasing, Xue Yuan held back his laughter and quickly recounted the whole story from beginning to end.

Only then did Su Ruowei's complexion improve somewhat. She continued, "Even if it was just putting on an act, Your Highness didn't need to spend a thousand taels all at once, did you? Brothel women are bottomless pits, as Your Highness should know!"

Xue Yuan nodded hurriedly. "Yes, yes, yes, CEO Su is right. I will definitely be more careful next time!"

Su Ruowei took a deep breath and spoke in a professional, emotionless tone: "As the steward, I am merely offering a reminder.

Let's talk about official business! The cash seized from ransacking various households and extorted by various means earlier amounted to roughly one.five million taels. Now, there is less than one million taels left.

Currently, apart from the annual agricultural tax yielding over one hundred thousand taels of revenue, all other businesses associated with the Prince's Estate are operating at a loss. At the rate the estate is spending money right now, I'm afraid we will eat through our reserves within a few months."

Only then did Xue Yuan realize just how fast money could vanish!

In the past, he only knew that supporting scholars and soldiers required money, but he had no idea it required money flowing like water. Now he finally understood why Prince Yu was so desperate to extend his reach into Jiangnan!

Thus, he asked, "Then does CEO Su have any solutions?"

Su Ruowei closed the ledger and said, "First, we establish an auction house to auction off the gold, silver, jewelry, antiques, and paintings seized from the confiscated estates. Many wealthy people in Jiangnan are fond of these items, which should bring in around three hundred thousand taels of revenue. Furthermore, the auction house can continue operating in the future to help others auction goods while we collect commissions."

"Not bad, that's a good business. I agree!"

"Second, I intend to lease all three hundred or so shops under the name of the Prince's Estate in bulk to the Su Family Commercial Firm—which is my father.

My father has manpower at his disposal, and those shops are located in prosperous areas. If managed properly, each shop can easily earn one thousand taels a year.

Yet we will only charge a fixed profit of eight hundred taels per shop. In this way, we will have an annual income of two to three hundred thousand taels, which is vastly better than running losses."

"Wait a moment!" Xue Yuan looked at Su Ruowei and asked, "Earning one thousand taels a year, and we take eighty percent without lifting a finger—isn't that a bit harsh?"

Su Ruowei replied with absolute detachment, "It's fine. Didn't my father say he wanted to repay Your Highness? Leaving him twenty percent is already showing him great consideration."

"Ah, this..."

"Additionally..." Su Ruowei suddenly remembered something and said, "Hasn't my father hauled away the raw silk belonging to the Su family yet?"

"Ah, right, he said he'd come pick it up in a few days. Why?"

"That batch of raw silk and semi-finished products is currently valued at eighty thousand taels. Let's just charge him thirty thousand taels as a handling fee! To put it bluntly, without Your Highness, my father wouldn't even be able to retrieve them!"

Xue Yuan's mouth twitched violently.

Wait, CEO Su, would you like to reconsider? Are you certain you want to fleece even your own biological father?

You have the nerve to suggest it, but I don't even have the face to agree!

Could this be the professional standard of a corporate executive? Business is business, and family is family?

Su Ruowei, however, gave it no further thought and furrowed her brows, calculating to herself.

"And there is also the twenty-five thousand taels promissory note from Yuxing Clothier; we need to recover that early as well. With these matters handled, our funds will become more flexible, and we can deposit one million taels into the bank to earn interest.

As for the remaining hundreds of thousands of taels, I have decided to invest them in the docks! The Northern Yan commercial delegation will arrive soon, and their primary business is maritime transport. By then, they will inevitably need to add one or two deep-water docks.

We must seize this opportunity to take complete control of all newly established docks!

Of course, to balance the interests of all parties, we can also invite the Transport Commissioner, the Prefect, and even Prince Yu to take equity stakes, but we must hold the controlling share! After all, in Ning'an City, we call the shots!"

Su Ruowei finished speaking as if she had just delivered a PowerPoint presentation. Her gaze shifted, her beautiful eyes resting upon Xue Yuan as she asked, "What does Your Highness think?"

Xue Yuan thought to himself: What do I think? Dammit, just looking at your serious face makes my heart flutter!

I really want you to wear a professional suit and stockings, CEO Su! The stockings must be black, and your hair needs to be pinned up into a bun!

Suppressing his distracting thoughts, he said, "I trust your judgment. Handle everything according to your plan; I am only responsible for signing off. By the way... do you have time to go out for a walk later?"

"Ah," Su Ruowei suddenly said with a troubled expression, "I have an appointment to speak with the people from the laundry bureau and the kitchen later. We've recently laid off some staff, and I want to settle their minds."

"Then what about after the meeting?"

"After that, I have to review the recently submitted expense reports; everyone is waiting for reimbursement."

Xue Yuan sighed. CEO Su truly was CEO Su—work was the only thing in her eyes.

Seeing a hint of disappointment on Xue Yuan's face, Su Ruowei offered, "Well then, after the meeting, I can spare a quarter of an hour to accompany you for a walk? Where are you planning to go? If we walk quickly, we should be able to make a round trip, right?"

Xue Yuan was speechless.

My dear lady, when I said a walk, I meant a romantic stroll under the moonlight. What you're talking about is a forced march, right?

And with a strict time limit?

Suddenly, a vivid image popped into his head: he finally managed to win Su Ruowei's heart, and just as he was about to lean in for a kiss, she announced that her time slot had expired...

The mood vanished instantly.

He said, "Never mind then, let's save it for another day. CEO Su, work is work, but make sure to rest properly."

"Oh, right, thank you for your concern, Your Highness!"

Their sincere mutual courtesies highlighted the unblemished purity of their flower of friendship!

Xue Yuan stepped outside, intending to borrow an angsty romance novel from Jian Qi!

The raciest and most violent one available!

......

The next morning, he slept in until he woke up naturally, as per his usual routine.

Under the new rules of the Prince's Estate, no matter who came to visit while His Highness was still asleep, they had to wait outside.

Upon waking, four maids entered the room—two served to dress him, one brought washing water, and another held the toothbrush, tooth powder, and towel.

After washing up, he headed to the spacious and bright dining hall, where the servants handed over today's breakfast menu.

The menu changed daily, offering over a dozen varieties. He only needed to make his selection, and whatever he ordered would be delivered within a quarter of an hour.

Don't bother asking foolish questions about whether they had the ingredients prepared; ordering meant that the breakfast items on the menu were already basically completed, waiting only for his selection to finish the final step of preparation!

One had to admit—being a prince came with massive risks, but the perks were genuinely fantastic!

Xue Yuan requested a bowl of tofu soup, two baked flatbreads, and a fried dough stick. With his mouth stuffed and thoroughly enjoying the meal, Su Ruowei walked in.

"Your Highness, someone claiming to be Lady Lin's personal maid sent a message this morning, saying the token has been secured. Do you know what that implies?"

Upon hearing this, Xue Yuan's heart swelled with delight.

Lin Shishi had officially assumed the position of舵主 (helmsman/chapter leader)!

In that case, the first batch of elite forces could begin gathering and training!

Xue Yuan had a premonition that once the Northern Yan commercial delegation arrived, major events were bound to transpire in Ning Province!

Therefore, he needed to assemble his forces as quickly as possible!

Not many—two thousand elite personnel for the first phase would suffice!

However, those two thousand individuals all had to possess cultivation levels!

Equipped with the tactical formations of the military strategists, they would become the elite of the elites, the trump card of all trump cards!