Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 46 Material Selection
February of the 28th year of the Tianli calendar.

Wu Fei has returned to his base in Lingnan. All departments are working in an orderly manner, following General Wu's instructions.

Bamboo tallies were sent out from within the General's Mansion. When they were executed by various departments, the markings on the tallies were checked. The tallies were then sent back to the General's Mansion's archives.

When Wu Fei was not around, the exploration missions at Yongji Pass in the first half of the year were carried out according to the plan from the previous year.

For example, trade is strictly limited to a 200-mile radius around Yongji Pass, just like last year. Merchants are allowed to explore areas beyond 200 miles, but they must act under the guidance of guides provided by the Wu family army.

The paths that were once carved out by scouts with their sharp blades are now dirt roads marked by stones. Every time the peddler makes a trip, he places a stone he picked up from the roadside at fixed intervals.

In the past, Xuan Chong felt that he was constantly being swept along by the aftereffects of the upper echelons, but now his influence can also create widespread aftereffects.

…The Explorer's Divider…

In the northern part of Lingjiang, the Claw people, led by Yike, along with some Yao soldiers, formed an expedition and entered the Claw tribe. This composition was similar to that of early colonist expeditions, where white people, guided by local indigenous partners, established trade routes between the various tribes.

Now, trade is different from the past, because this time, Wu Fei is willing to provide weapons to his partners in southern Xinjiang.

Yikot led the Da Yao people to the tribe. In addition to trade, they also purchased some servants. Among these servants, he nodded to the accompanying Da Yao squad leader, who opened the supply wagon and took out muskets according to the number of people and began to distribute them.

After Icott named each of the slaves, the Great Man also engraved their names on the muskets with a knife, indicating that the weapon belonged to the owner.

As the slaves excitedly clutched their guns, ready to fire indiscriminately, Yikot whipped them one by one. Their arrogance, barely beginning to flare after being freed from their shackles, was quickly brought to the ground by Yikot's blows. Next, led by Yikot, the slaves lined up and underwent a naming ceremony. After receiving their names, they were required to simultaneously copy and carve them onto a fixed spot on their equipment, just as written on bamboo slips. Since these clawed people were illiterate, if they didn't personally carve their names, they would forget them the next day, rendering the naming ceremony pointless.

Wu Fei: In the West, it seems that each person is issued a dog tag with a numerical code. Perhaps, in my opinion, this is because names with the same syllables in pinyin can lead to duplicate names, but this problem doesn't exist with Chinese characters due to their different informational characteristics.

Furthermore, this naming method was not controlled by slave army leaders like Yikete, but rather by "freelancers" sent by the Wu family army based on the slaves' birth dates, facial features, palm lines, and other characteristics. Therefore, it had certain requirements.

That's right, Wu Fei wanted to monopolize these essential human information resources in order to control the auxiliary army.

After these auxiliary soldiers painstakingly engraved their names and learned the meaning of their names, they were told that the guns belonged to them and were marked with their names. If they were lost, they would be severely punished: those with merit points would have their merit points deducted, and those without merit points would become slaves again.

Beneath the treetops, the slaves carefully clutched their guns and paid special attention to the names Yiket had given them.

Yikete looked at the list in Yaoren's hand with awe. Only after his list matched the list in Yaoren's hand could he collect the ammunition.

Three days later, under Ikert's leadership, this auxiliary army finally completed two rounds of training and was finally able to fire a gun under the command of the senior sergeant. Every time he was ordered to turn and move, he would immediately reply, "Yes, yes, corporal."

The relationship between Yikete and the vassal soldiers he personally selected, according to the situation in the Great Yao, belongs to the "Ce Ming Wei Zhi" (策名委质) ceremony of loyalty, but it is slightly different from the situation in the Great Yao.

The appointments and pledges of those under the jurisdiction of the middle-level bureaucratic group of the Great Yao are not made public to the upper echelons. For example, the superiors of the Great Yao do not know which soldiers in the Wu Family Army are Wu Fei's and which are Wu Hanluan's personal guards. However, the appointments and pledges among the Yike Te and other ethnic groups are recorded at Yongji Pass.

The civilization on the Da Yao side is more advanced, and trust and righteousness are widely present among all levels of society. However, the foreign tribes of the Southern Frontier lack trust and righteousness. Without a strong third-party contract to verify their loyalty, they will betray each other. Furthermore, they will be proud of the benefits they gain from betrayal, believing it to be their own skill.

The merchants of Yongji Pass had already experienced firsthand the fickle nature of the people of Southern Xinjiang. Unless the Wu family army arrived and the merchants couldn't forcefully demand payment, these tribes would never remember the final payment after receiving the goods. They might even migrate entirely to other places to escape their debts, making themselves untraceable to the merchants.

Therefore, a system of upper-level violence is needed to validate the legitimacy of allegiance.

In the land of Da Yao, on Wu Fei's side, the loyalty of the lower ranks to him doesn't actually need Da Yao's certification. As long as Da Yao doesn't find any irredeemable faults in them, these generals who have pledged allegiance to Wu Fei will remain loyal to Wu Fei's generation. Well, their loyalty to Wu Fei's next generation will be somewhat weakened, but as long as Wu Fei's next generation remains as incompetent as Liu Shan, they can basically maintain a stable relationship between the ruler and his subjects.

However, this doesn't work with Yiket. Whoever he summons from his clan now is considered to be loyal to Lü Bu. Yiket's loyalty to these vassal troops on his list is heavily dependent on the Wu family army's certification. The Wu family army can thus maintain stable control over this vassal army through its system. As for whether Yiket can build sufficient trust within his clan, that's not something a superhuman can accomplish.

Narrator: When Xuan Chong was working on this question, he felt that it was actually inappropriate for the Wu Family Army, a military organization of violence, to issue legitimacy certificates. Military organizations of violence are essentially legitimized by their size and power. Once their power weakens, their legitimacy is questioned. The truly suitable way to legitimize "loyalty" is through religion, as its own history has already proven.

European Catholicism affirmed the legitimacy of the Holy Roman Empire's knights' loyalty to the king. When this legitimacy was revoked, the Germanic barbarian king had to beg for forgiveness. Thus, it proved that this was the most suitable civilizational framework for the Germanic mountain-dwelling, hunter-gatherer peoples.

The Zhongli Fire Sect of Southern Jiangxi is this sect.

Therefore, Wu Fei's strategy was to take advantage of his military strength, that is, during his generation, to wipe out the Li Huo Sect, then disperse its religious authority and reform its doctrines.

Wu Fei: Let's leave it at that for now! Let's lay a solid material foundation first, and then we can gradually work on the spiritual transformation.

…Factory dividing line behind…

Amidst the noise and vibrations of the turning mechanical gears, Wu Fei began to conduct undercover investigations in the workshops and discovered that all the workshops had problems with production efficiency!

Having witnessed the rigid, bureaucratic society of the 21st century, Wu Fei observed that production under his own feudal system was characterized by constant procrastination and shirking of duties.

How does "loafing around" occur? It means that at every stage of the work process, personnel form small cliques, and these cliques can completely cover up information about the progress of the work.

In fields where hard labor was required, the visible shackles on the slave laborers were becoming fewer and fewer. However, the number of times they had to kneel to receive their wages while recording them in the accounting office was increasing.

Wu Fei, like the sun, is determined to "warm" everyone in the production chain with his radiance, and will not allow any "small stoves" other than himself to appear in the production chain or form cliques.

The latest directive states that "to reduce procrastination, large-scale meetings must be held."

After Wu Fei personally appeared in various workshops, he received unanimous approval from everyone, and thus began to implement reforms with full confidence.

Reformers always start with great ambition. But this history lesson is all about hitting roadblocks.

In his previous life, Wu Fei belonged to the far-right conservative faction in political thought, but in industrial production, he strongly advocated democratic procedures. The reason was simple: there were too many links in industrial production, and each link was related to the collective's responsibility for success or failure. It was wrong to directly assign responsibility without allowing people to speak or express their opinions.

Wu Fei knew very well how the technologically advanced, established aviation manufacturing industry collapsed back then. The people who made the PowerPoint presentations said everything, but the real problem was that after they spoke at the meetings, the engineers who had no say in the matter ended up bearing the blame.

The map of Yongji Pass now shows a large number of military settlements slated for expansion and reclamation. At the first "Production Conference," after statistical calculations, Wu Fei held a general discussion on the manpower needed for the development of coal mines, saltpeter mines, iron workshops, and irrigation canals. Wu Fei then made the selections at the meeting.

At the meeting, the foremen all looked at Wu Fei, some with trepidation, afraid of making a mistake, while others stood tall and proud.

While looking at the data, Wu Fei was also secretly observing these people. They wanted to rush into a feudal society, but they collapsed after taking only one step.

The data reported on the bamboo tally platform was actually inaccurate. Some of the people below were exaggerating, while others were too timid and "cautious" in their reporting, resulting in unusable statistics.

Like a company from a past life. The report was prepared by both Indians and Chinese. Can these reports be combined for statistical analysis?

Wu Fei reflected on this and realized, "Oh, I am a feudal lord. As a feudal lord, I naturally have close and distant relatives. Therefore, I can speak well of those close to me, while I fear that those distant from me will ruin my life."

The sons of in-laws who were related to their families by marriage were eager to claim credit in advance. Those in charge of the quarry reported production figures that were more than 50% higher than usual.
During Wu Fei's review, it was determined that following this goal would require at least twice the number of slaves killed or wounded in the past, which would be detrimental to sustainable development and necessitates adjustments.

On the contrary, those old craftsmen who were truly familiar with the production chain, when urged by Wu Fei to improve production, all said that the ancestral rules could not be changed, for fear that if they made a promise but failed to complete it, they would become the unlucky ones who "made a promise but failed to complete it".

Wu Fei thought for a moment and decided to decide on the remaining agenda items for tomorrow.

Wu Fei: I can't just step in and manage it myself; I need to find someone who isn't afraid of offending people to take charge.

…Wu Fei had already thought of a suitable candidate for factory director… In the northern part of Yongji Pass, a brand-new physics research institute was operating. A 20-meter-long waterwheel, bound by iron hoops made of pine wood, was spinning. The waterwheel powered a rotating axle, which was inserted into a mechanism made of “Heart Iron.” Thunderous power then began to emanate from it and enter the magical artifact constructed from precious jade. (“Heart Iron” was another special phenomenon that Wu Fei wanted to ask the system about, but the system declined to teach physics, explaining that its magnetic field exhibited a single magnetic pole.)
Under the influence of the lightning, drops of silvery-white liquid dripped from the furnace. Due to the presence of chalcedony, the substance became active, moving like a piece of meat. The chalcedony formed a network similar to nerves within the metal.

The metal came into Wu Qing's hands and quickly formed an arm guard, which then transformed into a sword.

Meanwhile, Jamud was fiddling with his small stove, staring at the dark, molten metal inside, which looked like solder, and fearing that his wife might transform into loving him again.

Jamud's name contains the character for wood, but he is actually skilled in "metal" magic. Angri's name contains the character for fire, but his spiritual root is actually wood-based. His "Blood of Life" can repair soldiers' wounds in a wide area and can even reconnect severed limbs.

Metal magic is adept at countering heavily armored combatants, capable of melting the iron armor of soldiers or generating barbs inside their armor, while also dulling the gears of giant golems.

After observing Jamud's refining process, Angri emphasized several key points that Jamud had overlooked before refining the second batch.

Such a harmonious research atmosphere is quite rare, because ever since the Battle of Yongji Pass, Jiamude has harbored resentment towards Angri. Especially when Wu Qing was around, he was very unhappy about being a prisoner.

With a clang, the mechanical door opened, and Ang Ri in the laboratory looked up, facing the doorway: "General, you've arrived."

Wu Fei nodded to Ang Ri. This guy had been working very hard since integrating into the Wu Family Army. As for the crow people under his command, thanks to the Wu Family Army's much higher productivity than in the Southern Frontier, their armed methods were also much more diverse.

Back in the Haotian Realm, the Crow People used these bombs to drop bombs from the sky. Wu Fei quickly made arrangements; five-kilogram iron bombs were far too heavy for the Crow People, limiting them to three. However, they could carry ten "noise bombs"—cross-shaped darts that emitted irritating smoke—to create disarray in formation. The Crow People could throw these cross-shaped darts from the sky with a range of 150 paces, far more powerful than their iron bombs.

Of course, Wu Fei didn't mention another point: he was actually a little uneasy about handing the bombs over to the Crow People to take to the sky. What if one of the Crow People rebelled and dropped a bomb on Yongji Pass one day and then immediately ran away? In short, the Crow People haven't yet pledged their loyalty. Once they have pledged their loyalty in the next Southern Frontier Campaign, Wu Fei will provide them with lethal weapons.

At that time, Wu Fei will give Ang Ri even more important responsibilities.

After exchanging polite greetings with Angri, Wu Fei walked over to Jamud, who was still fiddling with his equipment. After standing there for a while, Wu Fei realized that Jamud was just pretending to be busy, so he walked over and kicked him in the butt.

Wu Fei: "Hey, I'm here. You didn't even say hello."

Jamud could only sit up: "General, I am performing the Midas touch."

Looking at Jiamude's timid and submissive demeanor, Wu Fei suddenly understood the feeling of Wu Hengyu bullying him. Hmm, this feeling is pretty good.

However, Wu Fei's main task was not to inspect the place, but to tell Ang Ri to keep busy and lead Jamud to the lower-level office.

……

In the room, Wu Fei looked at Jia Mude and said with a smile, "Don't be shy. Wu Qing is my sworn sister, and you can be considered my brother-in-law now. We are family."

Jamud's lips twitched. Wu Fei's words were pure nonsense. Wu Qing, that snake-woman, was Wu Fei's slave. Just because Wu Fei verbally acknowledged her as his sister didn't mean she was his sister. The gossipy officers of the Wu family army all knew the whole story. As for themselves, one a prisoner of war, the other a gigolo given to Wu Qing, they were all suppressing their laughter when discussing this matter within Yongji Pass.

Wu Fei: "Hey, don't look so grumpy. A real man can bend and stretch. What do gossip matter? Those people outside used to talk about me, but now they all call me General."

Wu Fei gestured with his hands as if he knew better, offering his "enlightenment": "Even if a man loses his title and is in a slump, he still needs to have a broad mind and a long-term vision! There's a poem that goes, 'Not afraid of the floating clouds obscuring the view, only because one is at the highest level.' Brother, you need to be ambitious."

After hearing this, Jamud pondered for a moment. In his eyes, it was truly impressive that the uncouth Wu Fei could come up with such a poem.

However, Jamud was well aware of his situation.

Jamud: "General, what is it you want to see me about?"

Wu Fei: "I need your help with something."

Jamud: "I wouldn't dare, but please give your orders, General." — Clearly, Wu Fei's modern-style attempts to get close to Jamud, who was aware of the hierarchy, made him very uncomfortable.

Wu Fei then handed over a jade slip.

After seeing it clearly, Jamud took a deep breath and asked Wu Fei, "General, you entrusted this matter to me. Aren't you afraid that it will be leaked from me?"

Jamud stared at Wu Fei, practically saying, "I'm from Southern Xinjiang."

Wu Fei said slowly, "Don't worry, I have ways to guard against you. But what's the point of keeping you under control just for the sake of guarding against you? I don't have that much time. I need to hope that you can be useful to me."

After accepting the jade slip, Jamud nodded, tacitly agreeing to Wu Fei's appointment of him as the governor of his factory.

Wu Fei nodded: "If you do well here with me, I will support you to become the sect leader of the Li Huo Sect."

Jiamude paused slightly and slowly said, "The Sect Master of the Li Huo Sect has always been our Ancestor. Me?"

Wu Fei: "I think your ancestor lived too long, far beyond the years his descendants need to support him. At his age, you should be burning paper money to show your filial piety, not offering flesh and blood with trepidation."

Jamud remained silent.

Wu Fei smiled and said, "Let's not talk about that. You are a virtuous person. In a year of great disaster, when people are even resorting to cannibalism, you need to end the sins and cruelty committed by your ancestors. As long as you can express your opinion from the perspective of the common people, that will be enough. You can simply stay out of the situation. I won't make things difficult for you."

After a stick of incense.

After Wu Fei left, Jiamude sat alone in his room, deep in thought. He held the newly forged silver-white jade sword, and before he knew it, the sword shattered because he had poured too much magic power into it.

As the sword shattered, Jamud recovered from his panic and slowly said, "I must protect the legacy left by my ancestors."

The sound of leather boots gradually faded into the distance in the laboratory corridor.

Like a SS villain leader, Xuan Chong strolled around after inspecting the experiments conducted in Jamud.

Along the way, Xuan Chong stood in front of a separation cylinder and opened the system to ask, "System, is it possible for the Taoist arts of this world to separate 'uranium' and 'plutonium' isotopes?"

Seeing the refined metalworking techniques demonstrated by Jiamude, Wu Fei began to doubt whether the "immortals" of this plane truly possessed the power to summon the great sun and "destroy the world," like the powerful beings in ancient legends. And if that were the case, his current efforts in the "military" field would be utterly insignificant.

System: "The question you asked is not within the scope of the curriculum syllabus. This course is a history course."

Xuan Chong: "Hmm, what if I'm going to die?"

System: "You can use your credits to seek help (cheating)."

Xuan Chong: "Ha, how much help can academic credits provide? If I want to overturn the Great Yao while lying down, is that even possible?"

System: "One hundred credits. You can ask someone older than you to start the evolution, and you can just sit back and watch."

Xuan Chong: "For those with longer schooling, wait, one hundred credits? One credit for a major battle. If I need to collect one hundred credits, I can take down the Great Yao myself."

System: "Yes, study hard and improve every day. Don't even think about copying homework."

(End of this chapter)