The Trade Routes Were Cut Off

After leaving the Sili Xiaowei's office, even without using his Divine Sense to search, Li Fan could feel that he had been followed by many tails, both openly and secretly.

This was exactly what he expected. After all, in Jingji city like Changsi City, even a stranger had to register and pay taxes. And this was a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator who came straight to the Sili Xiaowei's Office, a place with eyes and ears everywhere, and he even took the initiative to introduce himself and specifically asked to pay his respects to the Commandant of the Jingji. How could he not attract attention?

So it's likely that early this morning, "Li Er, Tingwei Left and Right Attendant of the Court of Justice," entered the city to pay his respects to Wen Zhang, the Sili Xiaowei. The two of them, at this crucial moment of the new king's ascension to the throne, probably spent the entire night discussing the assassination of the former king. It's likely that the matter has already been written into the official gazette and presented to various powerful figures Li Country and around the Imperial City for preview.

Li Fan chuckled, completely unconcerned. In fact, stirring up trouble was part of his plan. He wasn't going to look for clues in the stinking ditch; instead, he started leading a bunch of followers around Changsi City.

In fact, Wen Zhang didn't really cheat anyone. Well, actually, he was just taking advantage of this Central Plains young man from the Li Country strife was. He deliberately concealed many secrets involving Li You, and didn't mention the masterminds of the two cases. He fooled Li Er down the wrong path that led straight to the sewers.

But this wasn't a scheme to harm anyone; on the contrary, Wen Zhang actually wanted to help this "Li Er".

After all, it's only natural to avoid trouble and protect oneself rather than pursue the truth. If this Nascent Soul Stage expert from out of town, 'Li Er,' really investigates and stumbles around like a headless fly, not only will he get involved in the treacherous struggle within the Liqiu Palace and disrupt the harmony inside and outside Changsi City, but even if the fighting damages the roadside flowers and plants, he, as the Sili Xiaowei, might also be implicated.

Fortunately, this guy was quite polite. Although he was a martial artist who made his living with a knife and a master of the Nascent Soul Nascent Soul Realm, he had been to places like the Three Realms and was different from the bunch of good-for-nothings from the Nangong Family. He knew what was good for him and knew that the first thing to do upon entering the city was to pay a visit to the chief of the Royal Capital Police, which was a way of giving him face. Therefore, Wen Zhang decided to give this guy a hand and offered some good advice.

If Li Er had actually followed Wen Zhang's instructions and gone to the west of the city to investigate the dyeing workshop along the stinking ditch of Yong'an Channel, he might not have caught the real culprit, but he would certainly have made some progress.

After all, the area around Yong'an Channel, south of the West Market, was a place where Three Religions and Nine Schools mingled, a veritable "Kowloon Walled City." Back then, Lu Chai and his cult opened a branch in the area to plot a rebellion, and the Luo Sect from Shatang Village also hid in the ditches to survive. There were also plenty of legitimate "celestial thieves" with murder cases on their hands.

So if 'Li Er' really is a thief catcher from the Six Doors, he could easily catch a few fugitives just by wandering around, right? It would be even better if he could kill the witnesses and insist that they were remnants of the Black Lotus Sect who harmed the Li Country's ruler. Wen Zhang would definitely cooperate then!

Then you cut off my head, I stamped the official seal, everyone shirked responsibility, and we took the corpse directly to the Three Palaces to claim the reward. There would be no way to prove anything, and both the Six Doors and the Li Country court could report back to both sides. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

So Wen Zhang kept Li Fan talking non-stop all night, giving him a lot of information and hinting at several places in the market where the 'celestial thief' might be hiding. Clearly, he was planning to use someone else to do his dirty work.

Perhaps this cunning and shrewd fellow also realized that 'Li Er' wasn't some official from the Six Doors, but so what? He might actually be from the palace, specially sent to smooth things over.

In short, since the former ruler is already dead, there's no need to waste time, energy, and financial resources on a dead man. As long as this matter is handled well, the higher-ups can have peace of mind, and everyone can happily welcome His Majesty's ascension to the throne, isn't that enough?

But how could Li Fan let these people have their way?

He went to all this trouble to chat with that old bastard Wen Zhang, not to be used as a pawn by these people to maintain harmony inside and outside the Imperial City!

That's right, he came here specifically for the Taiping Temple in Changsi City.

Now that everyone knows that the Black Lotus Sect demonic cultivators who broke into Ink Bamboo Mountain were instigated by Taiping Temple, what's the point of being coy? For the sake of the abbot, spare Taiping Temple's life, rush in through the main gate, give them a good beating, and force the remnants of the Black Lotus Sect out.

Yes, being 'strong' means being able to do whatever you want and act recklessly.

I ask you, among those useless fellows at Taiping Temple, is there anyone who can stop him?

The reason for taking this extra detour is, frankly, to conceal my clone and make things easier. Anyway, if anyone asks later, "How did you know the Black Lotus Sect is backed by the Taiping Temple?" Li Fan will reply, "It was all told to me by the Sili Xiaowei last night. You can ask him."

Yes, so what if he tricked this guy? This kind of cruel official would beat even commoners to death for blocking his way. Li Fan not tearing his head off is already showing great consideration for the overall situation and giving him a break!

However, before charging head-on into Taiping Temple to start the battle, Li Fan had to wait a while. Even if he stirred up the enemy, he had to give them a chance to move.

So now Li Fan doesn't go straight into the city to arrest people. Instead, he pretends to wander around the west side of the city for a while, then goes to the West Market to stroll around, drink tea and listen to music. He pays his bills with the Golden hairpin and coins he swindled from the Grand Tutor Manor, acting as if he's here on a publicly funded trip and won't stop until he's squandered all the funds he has for the case.

The spies who followed him were not surprised. It's normal for officers to scout out the area and gather intelligence before handling a case. So they also went to the restaurant to spend money, drink tea, listen to music, and take turns keeping watch on him.

But after sitting in the restaurant and staring at the West Market for a while, Li Fan realized that something seemed amiss. He stopped pretending and threw out several gold coins to inquire about the situation.

He wasn't asking about immortal thieves or assassins, nor was he asking where the Black Lotus Sect's demonic sect was. He was asking why the population of Changsi City was so small.

The last time Li Fan came to Changsi City was five or six years ago.

Back then, the market was teeming with people, and many brushed past him. The main road was congested with traffic, so much so that if one was dazzled by the dazzling array of goods, one could easily get their foot run over by a car rut. If one was using an invisibility spell, one would often have their shoes stepped on and fall off.

But only a few years later, it had already become a desolate scene in the truest sense, with few people coming and going, and the shops and buildings in the West Market were deserted.

What the hell? How did Li You manage to renovate the palace? How could he turn Changsi City into this mess in just a few years? And with all this chaos in Changsi City, Ink Bamboo Mountain really not doing anything about it?

So Li Fan chatted and asked around the restaurant owner, the waiter, the actor playing the zither, the old beggar, and even the spies drinking tea at the next table. He got a general idea of what had happened in the Li Country in recent years.

Well, the plight of the people in Changsi City cannot be entirely blamed on Li You, but the role he played, while not the main culprit, certainly exacerbated the situation.

Okay, so all the king wants is a new house, and he's been indulging in food, drink, and entertainment for a few years, so what? As the lord of Twelve Countries, second only to the king, it would be a big problem if he didn't even have this much money! Besides, to some extent, civil engineering can even be considered a way to boost domestic demand and promote the development of the tertiary industry!

If it were a peaceful era, and the ruler of a country, along with his princes, ministers, and officials, indulged in pleasure without causing chaos among the people, the country would not have been ruined.

But as I've said many times, we live in chaotic times.

Therefore, the biggest problem Changsi City encountered was not the inaction and hedonism of the ruler, nor even the corruption of the court, the incompetence of officials, or the large-scale land annexation, but a more pure, direct, and painful blow.

The trade routes to Changsi City have been cut off.

The trade routes to the west (Kunlun), the north (Kun Country), and the east (Xun Kingdom) were all disrupted by the war. Merchant groups that brought countless riches to Changsi City disappeared, and there was a severe shortage of capital and logistics.

Meanwhile, the southern Ink Bamboo Mountain has recently been undergoing full-scale military buildup and transitioning to strategic defense. The abbot's main energy and resources are focused on organizing farming, preparing for war in the north, and major events such as destroying mountains and temples. The cultivators of Ink Bamboo Mountain also need to consume a large amount of resources to produce talismans and magical Magic Treasure for war. Since they can't buy resources in Changsi City, even the trade routes from the southern Ink Bamboo Mountain have been quickly cut off.

For Changsi City, a large city with a population of 2.4 million, this is a devastating blow.

It must be understood that after years of development, land consolidation in Li Country has become quite severe. The majority of the million people living in this remote southwestern corner of the country are officials, soldiers, scholars, merchants, servants, and artisans who serve the royal family and nobility. The vast majority of them do not own any land. The vast and fertile farmland Changsi City is entirely the property of the royal family and nobles. The Guo Family alone owns more than forty waterwheels and mills, while the common people of Li Country in the city have nowhere to stand. This is the reality of society.

However, thanks to its status Li Country and its advantage as the trade center of the Southern Country, the people in the city could work for high-ranking officials and nobles, buy and resell goods from all over the country, act as middlemen to earn price differences, provide various service industries such as business travel, accommodation, security, repair and supply, and even engage in financial services, pawning gold and silver and lending money at interest. In any case, their lives would definitely be richer and easier than those of farmers who cultivated the land in the border areas.

But now that trade routes have been cut off in all directions, and there is a severe shortage of funds and goods, the economy has collapsed, cutting off the means of livelihood for most people.

But the situation is even worse. If the trade routes are cut off temporarily, Changsi City is, after all, the center of the Li Country, with so many years of accumulated wealth and development. Moreover, the abbot wouldn't let so many people go hungry, would he? Life can still be maintained even if it's a bit tight.

However, at this point, it is necessary to explain the 'obligations' of the people of Li Country, or rather, the citizens of the Immortal Palace, and all mortals in the world.

The first is taxation, the second is corvée labor.

This rule was established during the time of the Immortal Venerable. After all, it was a time of brutal racial wars. Cultivators with the qualifications to cultivate were out there fighting against the Demon Race and expanding their territory. Mortals who could not cultivate could not do nothing either. They needed to produce and work to maintain the logistics of the Four Constellations, eight vassal states, and twelve armies of the Immortal Palace.

Specifically, taxes are the direct payment of money and grain. For example, the regular taxes stipulated by the state and still in use today include poll tax, tax on land, tax on forests and lakes, tribute, land rent, capital tax, market tax, rent in taels, customs duties, and so on. Local governments have even more miscellaneous taxes and donations. This is especially true in Li Country, particularly in places like Changsi City with its developed industry and commerce, where the number of tax categories is the most numerous.

The corvée service was the provision of physical labor for the military service, including building city walls and water conservancy projects, forging military equipment and armor, patrolling the inland counties, and transporting money, grain and military supplies to the front lines for rotation and border defense.

It's obvious that the civil engineering work for the major renovation of the Liqiu Palace was all done through corvée labor. And naturally, the bulk of the project's funds went to the contractors and corrupt eunuchs. The people of Changsi City were only assigned to perform unpaid labor. If they didn't want to do manual labor at their doorsteps, they had to go to the front lines to deliver military rations. And this kind of work certainly wouldn't be given to powerful clans like the Guo Family; in the end, it was all assigned to the people of the southwest city.

The cessation of trade and travel meant no income, and now they have to do unpaid labor for the government, working themselves to the bone all day without even a decent meal. Naturally, this has caused widespread resentment and anger among the people.

And let's not forget, there was also the problem of the excessive issuance of Divine Astral Coin during the same period.

The system of the Immortal Palace Divine Astral Coin had long since collapsed. The Three Enclosures had lost their ability to govern the local areas, and the right to mint coins had naturally been seized by local powerful families. Not only were the powerful clans of the Twelve Countries annexing land and plundering the assets of merchants and citizens, but the rampant private money was also a common problem faced by the Twelve Countries.

Of course, it wasn't just the Sanyuan and Nangong Family who were exchanging inferior coins for new ones. The courts of the Twelve Countries, local powerful clans, and even private money shops in Changsi City were all minting coins on a large scale, and it was a case of inferior money driving out superior money.

Li Fan had seen counterfeit Divine Astral Coin before, and the only difference was the content of Divine Hardness Qi, but they were still made of pure copper, which ordinary people could not distinguish with the naked eye. But now, let alone Divine Hardness Qi, even the quality of the copper coins has started to be substandard.

Li You, that idiot, was really something else. The country was already facing a financial crisis, with expenditures exceeding revenue, but for the sake of the enormous expenses on the Liqiu Palace mansion, new clothes, rewards for the Imperial Guards, and polo matches, this guy was going all out. He actually listened to the advice of those fools in the inner court, recasting the imperial treasury's Divine Astral Coin into two-coin versions, and selling official positions and titles became commonplace methods of accumulating wealth...

If even the ruler of the country is leading the way in reckless behavior, one can only imagine what the powerful clans below will do. With the Guo Family at the forefront, private minting is rampant, and land is being annexed and seized by force.

As a result, the income of the people of the Li Country plummeted, their burdens skyrocketed, their assets began to shrink dramatically, and prices soared. Meanwhile, the national treasury was on the verge of collapse, the taxes of the powerful clans could not be collected at all, and money was still being spent both domestically and internationally.

In this situation, the situation would have collapsed in any of the other Twelve Countries.

But if we don't specifically mention that the Li Country is prosperous and strong, with a wealth of talent, how could it not have collapsed? It has managed to stay stable!

This is also because of the contrast with other companies. While there are wars on all sides, the abbot can at least feed the people of one country, so the situation is not yet severe, and everyone feels that if they endure it, it will eventually pass.

Then the big one came.

In order to make up for the deficit in the national treasury and the lack of military spending, and at the same time to deal with the situation of rampant counterfeit money, under the leadership of the Imperial Censor Li Hongxian, the Director of the Revenue Department Li Wenrao introduced the Revenue Department and the policy of preparing for border defense and extending the treasury to rectify the national finances.

In short, salt, iron, silk, horses, water, and wine were all placed under the monopoly of the Department of Revenue, directly under the Ministry of Revenue. At the same time, local taxes were no longer collected in the Divine Astral Coin" (Divine Astral Coin" system collapsed instantly. Changsi City alone accumulated 120,000 bolts of cloth in a single year. Even the concubines in the Liqiu Palace went on a frenzy of dyeing cloth...

As for local specialties collected locally, they were all collected and deposited into the border defense warehouses of the prefectures, counties, and districts for liquidation. They were given priority for use in border defense military supplies. Any surplus or goods not needed at the front line were transferred to the surplus funds warehouse and transported to various markets by the Ministry of Finance to be sold to replenish military funds.

To put it bluntly, in the future, the Li Country will only focus on farming and warfare, and the profession of 'merchant' will no longer be needed.

As a result, the common people of Changsi City went bankrupt one after another. Those with some connections sold off their ancestral property or simply fled their registered residence, becoming refugees with their families, and came to Ink Bamboo Mountain to reclaim wasteland.

Why come to Ink Bamboo Mountain?

Because Ink Bamboo Mountain is now a Xuanmen (mystical sect), the people of Xuanmen never pay taxes to the Immortal Palace.