A Pawn's Passage

In the time that followed, Qi Xuansu had to accelerate the handling of all matters at hand in preparation for his upcoming “closed-door cultivation.”

Qi Xuansu’s primary task still revolved around money.

As Chen Shuwen had said, both the Daoist Order and the Great Xuan Dynasty were in a phase of expansion, so in theory, such a downturn in finances should not have occurred.

The crux of the problem was that the Daoist Order had launched two large-scale wars in succession, causing severe fiscal strain in a short period of time. It was akin to Great Sage Lan suffering backlash after using the Supreme Taiyi Technique four times in rapid succession. It was not because his cultivation was insufficient, but because he had used it too hastily. Had the uses been spaced out, the outcome would not have been so severe.

Qi Xuansu had experienced the Fenglin War firsthand, so he knew it in great detail.

As for the Western Region War, Qi Xuansu had only caught its tail end. By the time he joined the Tiangang Hall, it was already nearing its conclusion. One division of the Tiangang Hall had been completely wiped out in that conflict and merged into other divisions, which eventually led to Zhang Yuelu reorganizing the Yaoguang Division.

The brutality of this war surpassed even that of the Fenglin War. On the Fenglin battlefield, the Daoist Order had commanded the massive auxiliary armies of Chancellor Toyotomi’s Office, whereas on the Western Region battlefield, the Daoist Order had personally entered the fray.

The root cause of this war lay in the Daoist Order’s policy toward the numerous kingdoms on the Grasslands.

During the Qi Dynasty, when the Li family was in power, the emperor claimed to be the Khan of Heaven, and the empire’s territory encompassed the Central Plains, the Western Region, and the Grasslands.

The Jin Dynasty that came after the Qi Dynasty was weak and declining, losing cities and territories until only the core 19 states remained.

In the late years of the Jin Dynasty, the Golden Horde army marched south, leading to the collapse of the former. The Golden Horde seized control of the Central Plains and established a brief rule. That was the peak of the Golden Horde, which controlled the Grasslands, the Western Region, the Rus Kingdom, and the Central Plains. Its military spearhead pointed toward the Western Continent, and it even launched expeditions to Fenglin.

Later, the Wei Dynasty overthrew the Golden Horde, driving the latter out of the Central Plains. However, the Golden Horde still retained control over the Western Region and the Grasslands. When the Great Xuan Dynasty replaced the Wei Dynasty, it gradually reclaimed most of the Western Region and parts of the Grasslands that had once belonged to the Qi Dynasty, giving rise to the Xiting Protectorate stationed in the Western Region and the Beiting Protectorate stationed in the Grasslands.

It was also during this period that the Rus Kingdom freed itself from the control of the Golden Horde.

The Golden Horde remained vast in scale and occupied the expansive grasslands, but it was completely fragmented into dozens of tribes, with some following the Shamanistic Sect and some converting to Buddhism.

Between the Daoist Order and the Holy Court, the Shamanistic Sect served as a buffer. It was also one of the five religions of the Heavenly Court.

Thus, the situations in the Xiting Protectorate and the Beiting Protectorate were extremely complex. The Daoist Order continued the policies of the Qi Dynasty due to the Li family’s influence. The Li family had always claimed descent from the royal family of the Qi Dynasty, tracing a clear lineage from Laozi and therefore held the policies of the Qi Dynasty in great esteem.

The Qi Dynasty had its merits, being the pinnacle of the world in that era, possessing the most advanced production capabilities, the most powerful military, the most expansive territory, and the best culture. None of the later dynasties could compare because its institutional system was fundamentally different from the Confucian frameworks that governed the successive dynasties.

Thus, the Daoist Order of today should be benchmarking itself against the Qi Dynasty, rather than against traditional institutions like the Wei Dynasty.

Looking across the history of the tribes in the Grasslands during the Qi Dynasty Era, it was common for obscure minor tribes to rise to dominance under the Qi Dynasty’s support until they eventually grew strong enough to threaten the empire. They were then annihilated by the Qi Dynasty in alliance with other tribes. Their positions were subsequently taken by new tribes, and this cycle repeated itself endlessly until the Qi Dynasty began to decline.

No matter how prosperous a state became, the common people still had to suffer. This statement was not entirely accurate when applied to the peak years of the Qi Dynasty. During that time, every war was a campaign of external plunder, much like the Western powers today. Livestock, gold, and silver were seized, and entire villages were sold into slavery. That was why the Qi Dynasty’s poetry had plenty of references to Kunlun slaves and Hu concubines. With large numbers of slaves replacing ordinary laborers, the lives of the common folk were certainly better than in any other dynasty. However, it might not have been the most just society.

Driven by enormous profits, the Qi Dynasty was able to wage war without fear and maintain its vast territories. It could even sustain warfare through warfare itself.

But the Daoist Order could no longer engage in open plunder or sell captives into slavery, as they preached equality and civilized behavior. As a result, the cost of warfare rose sharply.

In essence, the recent Western Region War was not fundamentally different from the Qi Dynasty’s wars. Although it preserved the authority of the Daoist Order and greatly deterred separatist forces, the Daoist Order’s subsequent handling of the aftermath was overly “civilized.” Thus, it did not gain any benefits and even paid an enormous price. This was where the problem lay, and Qi Xuansu’s job was to fill the deficit.

There were five concrete ways to resolve a deficit.

The first method was a breakthrough in productivity to enlarge the overall economic “pie.” The second method was a large-scale external cash inflow by expanding sources of revenue. The third method was to wage external wars of plunder, which was the Qi Dynasty’s model. The fourth method was internal reform, by forcing those with a large portion of the pie to make sacrifices and reduce expenditures. The fifth method was to squeeze and exploit the common people. Among these five methods, the degree of difficulty decreased from the first to the last.

The first method was the Daoist Order’s achievement over the past 200 years, beginning with the Holy Xuan and sustained through the unremitting efforts of four generations of Grand Masters. The shifting of the economic foundation from agriculture in the Wei Dynasty to industry and commerce in the Great Xuan Dynasty had enlarged the overall pie. The new system was able to sustain everyone, allowing benefits to flow from top to bottom.

However, such success was rare and difficult to replicate. It required the correct timing, geography, and talent to coincide. It was also extremely prone to failure. If the Daoist Order had not defeated the Confucian School, or if the Buddhist Sect had reaped the benefits as a bystander, there would have been no breakthrough.

The second method was what Qi Xuansu was currently employing. Since large-scale war had erupted among the three Western kingdoms, the Daoist Order was able to reap enormous profits from warfare. However, the drawback was that this approach was difficult to sustain and impossible to replicate at will.

The third method was difficult to implement because the Daoist Order prides itself on being civilized and insists on having legitimate justification for war.

The fourth method was Zhang Yuelu’s proposal—the redistribution of profits. Since the overall pie could not be enlarged in the short term, the method of dividing it must be changed. However, this approach would only work if the social classes had not yet completely solidified and if channels for upward mobility still existed.

Zhang Yuelu could be described as a moderate reformist compared to Li Changge, who advocated the third method of continuing the Qi Dynasty’s model. This showed how relative the term “moderate” was.

The final method was the easiest but also the most deplorable, as it amounted to bullying one’s own people. Rulers who were not strong enough to deal with external enemies, yet unwilling to sacrifice their own interests, would exploit the populace. Almost every dynasty in history had resorted to this method, and those dynasties had ultimately perished because of it.

Qi Xuansu naturally preferred the first method—a solution in which everyone benefits—but this path was the most difficult of all.

The reason the Holy Xuan succeeded was the result of good timing, geography, and talent. With the world unified, the Holy Xuan’s authority was sufficient to force the process forward. Moreover, the foundation laid by Elder Xu and the strengthening trade with the West enabled the Daoist Order to learn new technologies from abroad, ultimately achieving a perfect integration of mystical Daoist arts and mechanical techniques. By now, this path had nearly reached its limit. More importantly, the end of the era was approaching, making it impossible to continue along this route. Thus, a new path had to be forged.

If Qi Xuansu were to become Grand Master, how should he forge this new path? How should he break through the limits of existing technological capabilities?

Looking back now, the creation project was truly the Holy Xuan’s greatest and most visionary undertaking.

Of course, some argued that one need not be confined to a single path. One could achieve a small technological breakthrough, obtain some external financial input, plunder a little, carry out some reform, and exploit the masses to a measure. Combined, these approaches might also alleviate the problem. However, these methods were inherently contradictory. One could not wage external wars while simultaneously carrying out internal reforms. Doing so was equivalent to fighting on two fronts and would inevitably lead to a total collapse.

When the Holy Xuan decided to launch an all-out war against the Buddhist Sect, he immediately halted all efforts to integrate the Three Sects and stopped suppressing the Confucian School. Therefore, Zhang Yuelu and Li Changge’s methods were naturally incompatible. Either Zhang Yuelu or Li Changge must exit the competition, as it was impossible for them to coexist in an alliance.

The third method of external cash inflow usually required one to sell something. Human beings were inherently short-sighted. If one could sell weapons and earn profit, who would still be willing to invest in developing new technologies? As long as one could profit in the short term, it was good enough.

After returning from the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, Qi Xuansu began to ponder this problem. If he were merely to serve as a Mansion Master, his tendency to value technique over principle would not be a major issue. But if he were to become Grand Master, he could no longer avoid it. He would need his own doctrine and express it through a clear, concise slogan.

For example, Zhang Yuelu’s slogan was to reform the Daoist Order. It had been proclaimed for many years and was widely known. Li Changge’s slogan from the past two years was to use the sword of the Daoist Order to win more for the Daoist Order. Yao Pei’s slogan was to build a harmonious Daoist Order.

Qi Xuansu had not yet decided on his own slogan. He thought, Make the Daoist Order great again?

Before Qi Xuansu had formally articulated any ideology or slogan, many people had already expressed confusion and doubt. Some criticism had even begun to emerge from the upper ranks.

This left Qi Xuansu deeply troubled.

Among the five methods, the last one—exploit the commoners—was something the Daoist upper echelons dared to do but not say out loud. Whoever said it openly would be doomed. Among the first four methods, Zhang Yuelu occupied the fourth, Li Changge the third, and Yao Pei the first, which aligned perfectly with the Quanzhen Sect’s emphasis on creation projects and technological advancement.

It seemed that Qi Xuansu could only start with the second method. He was already walking that path, but it was difficult. A single misstep could turn him into a traitor to his own nation and condemn him to eternal infamy.

However, Qi Xuansu did have an idea. Chen Shuwen had once suggested venturing overseas in search of cheap resources, then expanding from there. The foundation of the Daoist Order’s first expansion had been Nanyang. Cheap resources were, in essence, a form of external input. But now that Nanyang had developed to the point that they were no longer cheap and had even become part of the Daoist Order itself, they had to be treated as equals.

The question was, could he find another Nanyang? Could the Daoist Order once again rely on its technological advantages to establish itself upon vast reserves of cheap resources and achieve rapid development?

Qi Xuansu believed this second Nanyang might be in the New Continent.

The Daoist Order would not turn the New Continent into its own territory. Instead, it could help the indigenous peoples of the New Continent to develop. However, such assistance would not be given for free. It would require an exchange of resources in return.

To achieve this, the first step would be to help the indigenous peoples of the New Continent defeat the invaders from the Western Continent.

From the looks of it, it seemed that the Daoist Order had already begun laying out its plans in the New Continent long ago because it had foreseen this possibility.

The real divergence would emerge after the defeat of the Holy Court. If Li Changge were to take charge, the Daoist Order would completely occupy the New Continent and demote the indigenous peoples to an inferior status. The benefits would still flow back to the elites of the indigenous people. Essentially, the upper class would take the lion’s share, while the ordinary populace would merely get the crumbs.

If Qi Xuansu were to take charge, it would be far more moderate. He would emphasize equality between both sides, and both parties could develop in tandem through an exchange of resources on mutually agreed terms.