Castle of Black Iron

Before coming to Taixia Country, Zhang Yang had never believed that there was such an object in the world. Three decades ago, such a marvelous airboat had already appeared when an exotic metal called ”air floating metal” was excavated from the underground world. However, such an object could only be seen in Taixia Country. Even in Taixia Country, only very few people could have such an object. In the airspace of Taixia, the airship was still the main air traffic tool. Such an airboat was rarely seen. After coming to Taixia Country the past few months, Zhang Yang had just seen it twice.

It was very crowded when people got off the steamer. One person raised his head and watched the sky as he continued to walk forward. Unfortunately, he was pushed into the sea. He then flapped and exclaimed in the sea as those on his side pulled him out of the sea hurriedly.

”That’s an air floating airboat made of the air floating metal...”

A sailor in the dark brown skin explained to those people in Hua language fluently as he was fixing the anchor chain while those passengers were watching that exotic object in the sky.

”Can I buy one? How much?” A middle-aged man with a bulged belly while being pushed by people in all directions looked like ”This uncle doesn’t lack money” as he asked with glittering eyes.

”Of course you can...” That sailor had seen too many nouveau riches who escaped here in order to dodge from the holy war. He derided, ”Across Yingzhou State of Taixia Country, besides the governor of this state, only a few clans like Qin Clan could purchase the air floating airboat. Qin Clan is very well-known here. You will know them soon. If you think you could match Qin Clan on wealth, you might purchase an air floating airboat!”

”How rich is Qin Clan?” The middle-aged man continued as he felt the sailor’s ridicule.

”Qin Clan is a noble clan in Yingzhou State. They’ve multiplied over 40 generations here. They have a nickname, ’100-city Qin’!”

”100-city Qin?” That middle-aged man repeated as he felt strange about that word, ”What does that mean?”

”It means that Qin Clan has over 100 cities. If you also have many cities, you can also buy an airboat!”

”One clan has...over 100...ci...cities?” That middle-aged man was frightened as he stammered.

”Hmm, almost like that. Although it’s a bit exaggerating. I was told Qin Clan at least have 70 cities and dozens of large-scale town. Therefore, Qin Clan was called 100-city Qin!” The Sailor’s voice was full of admiration and respect when he talked about so much wealth of Qin Clan, ”You’d better be low-key here. In Taixia Country, if you have less than 1 city and levy tax of less than 1 million gold coins from your city each year, you’d better not tell others that you’re a rich man; otherwise, you would be ridiculed. They would treat you as a rustic.”

After hearing the sailor’s words, the man’s fury disappeared at once. He even dared not ask the price of the airboat. Watching the airboat disappearing in the sky very soon, the middle-aged man could only take his followers away while lowering his head. Only that little girl was still watching the sky.

After hearing this dialogue, Zhang Yang also smiled. Before coming to Taixia Country, all of these people had excellent lives. Many of them were rich in their former settlement. However, when they came to Taixia Country, they found the standard of being rich was out of commoners’ imagination. In Yingzhou State, a lot of clans had cities. In Taixia Country, cities were divided into official cities and private cities. Official cities were managed by Taixia’s governments and imperial court while private cities belonged to personnel or clans. Over two-thirds of cities in Taixia Country were private.

100-city Qin was well-known in Yingzhou State. When Zhang Yang came to Yingzhou State at the beginning, he was told that noble clans in Yingzhou State like Qin Clan had very deep root in this state. Qin Clan had been in Yingzhou State for over 700 years. Due to the efforts of generations, Qin Clan had such a great undertaking. If in other places, Qin Clan, with such a great undertaking, would be unrivaled. However, in Taixia Country, Qin Clan was just a local noble clan.

Private property was guaranteed by the laws of Taixia Country. According to the laws of Taixia Country, as long as you built a private city in a place, you will have that private city forever. The owner of the city had the right to levy taxes and formulate taxation policies to gain ”tax and interest”, you could also recruit army and guards for your private city...

In your private city, you could levy whatever you want as it was protected by the Taixia’s laws. Additionally, all the non-slave population in Taixia Country could enjoy free immigration. However, if you didn’t have enough conditions to attract people to do business in your private city, your city would be an empty city. You could have as many troops and powerhouses as you want. Rich people were even encouraged to cultivate powerhouses privately according to the laws of Taixia Country. They could do business and expand their own territory by force. Nevertheless, bullying the weak and violating others’ legal rights and interests were forbidden and intolerable in accordance with the laws of Taixia Country.

Therefore, all the noble clans and rich people in Taixia Country were wild about building cities and treating it as the best undertaking that they could leave to their posterity.

There was a saying in Taixia Country, ”Commoners kept houses, noble clans kept cities; houses existed for about 100 years while the cities existed forever.”

After coming to Taixia Country several months later, Zhang Yang’s ambition was also gradually aroused. For all the Hua people, Taixia Country was full of hopes. People had enough place to make their dream come true here. ’Others could build cities for the well-being of their posterity and have their bloodlines carried forward, why wouldn’t Zhang Tie and I establish an undertaking in Taixia Country?’

...

At almost noon, Zhang Yang finally saw that the Safety&Tranquility steam slowly driving towards the dock under the guidance of the pilot vessel. In Huaiyuan Prefecture, Safety&Tranquility was a huge vessel. However, it was dwarfed here.

The moment the Safety&Tranquility was anchored steadily and the gangway ladder was put down from the vessel, all the passengers who had traveled about 10 months poured out at once.

”Boss...” All the people who got off the vessel were very thrilled at the sight of Zhang Yang. Some even dropped off tears. They finally arrived at Taixia Country and didn’t need to be terrified anymore.

”Thankfully, you all arrived safe and sound. After bumping on the sea for so long, you can have a rest for a few days. I’ve already arranged your residence. After a couple of days, we will discuss the next plan!” Zhang Yang let out a sigh when he saw the backbone personnel of Jinwu Business Group and their family members. ’As long as these people have arrived, I will have good helpers when doing business. As we are new here from Waii Sub-continent, we could only join hands with each other to tide over difficulties. By doing this, these people could be more loyal to me.’

”Boss, we’ve bumped on the sea for over 300 days, we’re almost driven mad. When can we assemble those machines? Once we find some more employers and figure out the purchase channels of raw materials, our Jinwu Airship Manufacturing Corporation could produce airships soon!” An engineer of Zhang Yang’s dad suggested enthusiastically as he couldn’t wait to show his value.

Zhang Yang threw a glance at that engineer. He knew clearly what that engineer was thinking about. At this moment, those people who came to Taixia were shocked by such a prosperous country. Therefore, they were very afraid of not finding their location in the new place so as to show their value, ”Don’t worry about our plan, Taixia is a bit different than Huaiyuan Prefecture. I’ve not figured out many things yet. You only need to believe me that as long as you wish to continue to work for me and serve Jinwu Business Group and Zhang Clan, as long as I have food, I will never make you hungry. Our Jinwu Business Group would never abandon those who would like to stand together with us regardless of any risks and difficulties!”

At this moment, Zhang Yang looked more like a leader. Only with a few words, he had made all the others reassured.

This time, over 100 employers of Zhang Yang came here from Huaiyuan Prefecture. Plus their family members, the Safety&Tranquility held over 1,600 passengers in total. As shipping tickets from Waii Sub-continent to Taixia Country were rare, almost all the employers came here with their relatives and family members. Even some guys came here with their beautiful wives. After asking the reason, Zhang Yang knew that since these guys were allowed to take their family members to Taixia Country, so many people would like to propose a marriage for them. Some girls even wanted to marry them voluntarily. Before going aboard, these guys were still intoxicated in their sweet dreams. Finally, they had to take their wife, and parents-in-law, their wives’ younger brothers together to Taixia Country.

As the old saying went, ”If one requested others too strictly, one would not have any friend.” Zhang Yang didn’t feel like figuring out the details. Because numerous people were dreaming to leave Waii Sub-continent, a steamer ticket would even arouse a fight. After remembering his mom’s instruction, Zhang Yang just wanted to save as more people as possible.

It would take 180 gold coins a day for the Safety&Tranquility steamer to anchor in the dock of Fuhai Harbor. Although it was not cheap, it was necessary. After handling the procedures on the harbor and arranging some people on the Safety&Tranquility, Zhang Yang took those people away from Fuhai Harbor.

Like how Zhang Yang felt when he came to Fuhai Harbor at the beginning, watching the over 70 mile-long harbor and those huge fleets which weighed over 1 million tons in the docks, everybody else was shocked by the prosperous scene.

...

Zhang Yang ordered a big hotel in a quiet place over 10 miles away from the port area of Fuhai Harbor. He arranged those people to take rest in the hotel for a couple of days and adapt to the situation of Yingzhou State. Although those people were very excited the moment they got off the steamer, after a short time, they had started to feel dizzy as they suffered from symptoms like seasickness. It was a common disease. Like some people would suffer from carsickness, after bumping on the sea for a long time, when they came to the steady land, some people would not adapt to such a change at once. Therefore, they would also feel uncomfortable temporarily. Many sailors had such an experience.

After having a meal with everybody else who had not eaten food on the land for over 10 months, Zhang Yang comforted them faintly and told them to have a good rest. After that, he left the hotel by car.

In that black sedan, on the way back home, Zhang Yang took out of a thick book ”Taixia Laws”.

If you wanted to understand a place, the most effective way was to learn the local laws. The complete Taixia laws contained 360,000 words in Hua language. The complete ”Taixia Laws” were divided into ”Great Laws”, ”Civil Laws”, ”Commercial Laws” and ”Criminal Laws”, which regulated the running of the entire huge eastern empire as the supreme code of Taixia Country.

Over 500 years, ”Taixia Laws” had just been remedied once, namely, increasing an item in the ”Commercial Laws” of ”Taixia Laws”, which made a clear definition about the shipping priority of maritime businessmen. Due to the authority of ”Taixia Laws”, Taixia became more and more powerful.

...

Only after half an hour, a manor that covered about 15,000 square meters appeared in front of Zhang Yang’s black sedan. At the sight of the sedan, two spirits fighters instantly opened the gate of the manor and had the sedan enter.

The moment Zhang Yang got off the vehicle had he seen some female servants running here and there. They looked very busy. The entire manor also looked a bit intense.

”Aunt Sun, what’s happening?” Zhang Yang hurriedly asked a senior who came to Taixia Country together with his family members.

”First young master, thank god, you’re back. The three wives of the second young master are going to deliver babies!”

”Now?”

”Yup, the three ladies have already broken their amniotic fluid simultaneously in half an hour just after the noon. What a coincidence...”

After hearing Aunt Sun’s words, Zhang Yang hurriedly walked into the inner chamber where the three ladies were.