Ma Jiamen: I was forced to fight for supremacy

The small palace slowly drove towards Chaotian County. Ma Zhan and Puyang Yingjun sat on the edge of the carriage, exchanging stories about the unique customs and practices of Liang and Shu.

Seeing that the atmosphere was almost set, Ma Zhan began to slowly turn the topic to the martial arts world and court of Shu Kingdom.

This topic instantly made Puyang Yingjun unable to close his mouth. His words were like the water of a river in the wilderness, flowing endlessly.

"I'm telling you, you've asked the right person about this. I, your brother, know everything about the Shu Kingdom.

In this world, our Shu Kingdom may not have a large territory, strong military, or rich people, but the Shu Kingdom's martial arts world must be the best in the world.

The so-called one pavilion, one city, one imperial court, two mountains, two sects, two guilds, three religions, four schools, five rivers and lakes, and the independent cultivators of the green forest eat the rich. Ranking is a symbol of precedence and strength.

The "one pavilion" refers to Jiange, which occupies the entire Jianzhou.

Jianzhou is the Jianzhou of Jiange, and Jiange is the Jiange of the world. It is a pilgrimage site for sword cultivators all over the world and the world's number one sword sect.

Yidu refers to Fengdu. The Ghost Emperor built Fengdu, and there is a Ghost Gate on the riverside.

The Ghost Emperor alone once suppressed tens of thousands of sword cultivators in the Sword Pavilion, making them unable to raise their heads. Before he left Fengdu, Yidu was ranked ahead of Yige.

The court does not represent the Shu court, but the underworld forces supported by the Shu royal family, Xiulou.

Xiulou obeyed the emperor directly and was the royal henchman.

The two mountains are Mount Emei and Mount Qingcheng. Mount Emei and Mount Qingcheng are the only two immortal mountains in the territory of Shu Kingdom, and are also the blessed land of immortals where many martial arts masters have emerged.

The two sects are the Tang Sect and the Yulong Sect. The Tang Sect focuses on hidden weapons, and the disciples' skills, body movements, and magic techniques all converge on the art of hidden weapons. The Yulong Sect, located atop the mysterious Yulong Mountain, adheres to the martial arts style of external martial arts.

There are two guilds, one is the Explorer Guild. Countless explorers from Shu Kingdom are constantly heading west and south through the heartland of the demon clan, looking for a new human kingdom.

The other is the Hundred Races Guild, which is mainly composed of humans, snakes, and wolves, and absorbs other ethnic groups within the Shu Kingdom. They are also called alien guilds.

The three religions are the Five Pecks of Rice Sect that migrated from Hanzhong, Tantric Buddhism that came from the West, and the Five Poison Sect that took root in the southern border of Shu Kingdom.

The four sects are the four most powerful sects in the Shu Kingdom, namely the Jinchuan Sect, Diancang Sect, Fuxian Sect, and Liangshan Sect.

The Five Jianghu are five underworld gangs, namely the Shuangsha Gang, Jincheng Gang, Salt Gang, Cao Gang, and Horse Gang.

In the Green Forest, some work alone, while others rule the mountains and become kings. Some independent cultivators join aristocratic families, while others join the embroidery houses. While they may not be prominent in the martial arts world, they nonetheless represent a significant force.

In short, the Shuzhong world is vast, and there are many bigwigs in it... "

Ma Zhan listened to Puyang Yingjun's endless chatter and fell into deep thought.

Shu and Liang were two completely different worlds. The Liang court was powerful, and the Jianghu was very small.

Most of the martial arts talents were basically absorbed by the Liang State’s military and aristocratic families.

There is a lack of successors in the world of martial arts.

The Shu Kingdom, on the other hand, was completely different. The imperial court was completely unaware of its purpose. From the perspective of the royal family, how could they allow so many powerful forces with so much influence, wealth, and territory to exist in the country?

But in the eyes of the people in the martial arts world, Shu Kingdom is indeed a free paradise.

The feeling of galloping across the world and taking revenge is something that makes people yearn for it.

Ma Zhan found an opportunity to interject a sentence from Puyang Yingjun's secret notes.

"The Shu Kingdom's martial arts world is so powerful, so the Shu Kingdom court doesn't care?"

"How to care?"

Puyang Yingjun was surprised by Ma Zhan's question, so he asked in return.

"Why can't we control it? The government suppresses small forces, and sends troops to wipe out large forces. I don't believe that the underworld forces can be a match for the army."

Puyang Yingjun looked at Ma Zhan in surprise and warned him in a low voice: "Brother, don't talk nonsense, you are going to destroy the Shu Kingdom.

The elite troops in the Shu Kingdom basically came from martial arts sects. Why do you ask them to attack their own sect? Are you betraying your teachers and ancestors?

The royal family only supports an embroidery building to contain the Jianghu. If you follow your ideas, then the Great Shu will just wait for its demise."

Ma Zhan still felt it wasn't that simple, so he continued, "Doesn't the imperial court have any means of controlling the martial arts world?"

Puyang Yingjun nodded and replied, "Yes, the Shu Kingdom royal family and famous sects in the martial arts world have signed agreements.

Most of the agreements were similar, and their purpose was to maintain stability within the Shu Kingdom and resist foreign enemies.

For example, the people within the sect's territory must live in accordance with the basic laws of Shu Kingdom, and the sect is not allowed to oppress the people, take human lives, etc.

The people who depend on the sects do not have to pay taxes to the court, but instead pay the usury collected by the sects, which is also the protection fee.

However, there are certain requirements for the amount of loan sharking that the common people who rely on the sects must pay.

If a sect does not charge usury and protects the safety of the people, what is the difference between that and rebellion?

Sects had to pay a certain fee to the imperial court every year, which was equivalent to land rent. There were also regulations on how much land rent could be offset by how many practitioners they sent to the court.

At the same time, the two sides agreed that if any sect tore up the agreement, the imperial court and the other sects would jointly attack it.

In short, on the surface, the Jianghu and the imperial court still coexist harmoniously. Behind the scenes, there are countless petty calculations and minor frictions, but they do not affect the overall situation.

I understand. The Shu royal family used the Jianghu way to deal with the Jianghu people. They used the power of the Jianghu to maintain the stability of the country.

Another possibility is that because there are too many dangerous elements in the country, the court is adopting a delaying tactic, waiting until the court or the military is strong enough before carrying out the liquidation.

In short, the world of Shu was not as chaotic as imagined.

Ma Zhan thought for a moment and looked at the fat guy who looked like Bai Shitong. "So, Brother Yingjun, which sect are you in now?"

Puyang Yingjun's face was filled with pride. "Haha~, I'm humble, but I'm Huang Geng, the Master of Zhanlu Sword at Jiange, and a disciple of Mr. Huang."

Damn, you little fat guy who is dizzy with swords, and you are still a disciple of Jian Ge.

Zhanlu Sword Master, you can tell he's a master of swordsmanship. For someone to accept you as a disciple, either your family has connections to the Sword Pavilion or owns a mine.

Ma Zhan continued, "Brother Yingjun, I see you are handsome and elegant, and your conversation is extraordinary. I believe your family must be prosperous and you must have a master who teaches you."

Ma Zhan's flattery really pleased Puyang Yingjun, and the fat boy's mouth was almost cracked to his ears.

"Haha~, to be honest, my aunt is a genius in swordsmanship, the youngest sword master in the Sword Pavilion, the Great River Sword Master.

The family has two black gold mines in the western mountains. The black gold ore they mine is supplied to the swordsmiths in Jiange.

You can’t tell that this kind little fat boy is a rich second-generation.

They do have a mine, and they have a real and practical relationship with Jiange.