chsdbacks Chapter 88 The Necessity of Using Force
Chapter 88 The Necessity of Using Force
While he was unwilling to have a direct confrontation upon first meeting, this did not mean that Vijay would tolerate the other party's rudeness.
It's just a Vaishya, what's so special about it?
Vijay immediately questioned him with a serious expression. Although he had not yet shown any signs of aggression, he was prepared to overturn the table and leave at the slightest provocation.
The proper etiquette has been observed, but the other party simply declined.
However, the fat man wasn't that arrogant. Seeing Vijay's imposing aura, he knew he wasn't joking, so he reluctantly sat up slightly and tried to make amends, "By Brahma, Patriarch Vijay, please don't be angry. This is just my father's rambling when he's lucid."
How filial of her to shift the blame onto her own father!
Did you think you would be intimidated by the power of the Kshatriyas?
But since it was at least a way out, Vijay pretended to accept it, his expression cold and devoid of any warmth: "So it's your concern, sir. It was indeed my fault!"
"I will report to you in person when I meet you, sir," Vijay paused, then said nonchalantly, "The watchtowers were only built to keep my subordinates, Dalit, in check and prevent the slaves from escaping in droves!"
Whether you believe it or not, just look at the fat man's "you're kidding me" expression.
I don't know if it was because Vijay softened his tone a bit, but this fat guy took advantage of the situation again!
"Your Mittal family, born into merchant families, don't manage your villages and farms properly, and your management of slaves is truly appalling!"
"I can make the decision. Just send a few capable servants over, and our Titi Village will certainly be happy to offer their guidance!"
From these few words and his expression, Vijay was certain that this guy wasn't malicious; he was just plain stupid.
Don't worry about it!
Vijay subtly gestured to his servants to lift the curtain of the oxcart, revealing a series of heavy gifts inside. The fat man, now completely silent, stopped his incessant tirade and stared blankly at the sight of the numerous valuable items laid out before him.
Clearly, they had never seen such a lavish gift before.
He immediately abandoned all further rambling and forced a mouthful of saliva. "Master, please come with me. My father is awake!"
Leading the way, yet seemingly forcing himself not to look back, as if suppressing his desires with immense willpower.
He quickly led Vijay into the house, which looked dilapidated and small, not at all befitting a Kshatriya's status.
The room was dimly lit with small windows. The elderly Kshatriya was deep in bed, barely breathing, with only a maidservant by his side carefully attending to his medicine.
According to the information Kara gathered, this former high-ranking warrior now spends most of his time in a coma, his consciousness is blurred, and he cannot even open his eyes to see. When he is awake, he can only manage to utter a few murmurs.
After bringing Vijay to the room, the fat man immediately turned and left, seemingly still thinking about the treasure he had just taken.
There was no time to grieve for Kshatriya's fate in his old age. Following proper visiting etiquette, Vijay solemnly placed his personal gifts on the table.
I wanted to get a closer look and assess the true condition of this Kshatriya.
But it seemed unnecessary. The old man remained motionless, with only his chest rising and falling slightly, proving that he had not yet breathed his last.
"May Shiva protect you, my lord!" Vijay bowed respectfully according to etiquette and waited quietly for a moment, but received no response.
Vijay had no choice but to bow again in respect before taking his leave of the bedroom.
I had barely stepped out of the house when I heard a loud argument coming from the other side of the courtyard.
A strange voice asked, "Why is my brother so selfish? Does he want to keep the gift for himself?"
"This is a gift for Father. What's wrong with me, the eldest son, keeping it safe?" The fat man's attitude was firm, and he did not back down even when facing his own brother.
Another voice chimed in: "Could it be that my brother intends to demolish the dam and give the water to Namital village for nothing?"
Don't these guys know why they're here?
It is said that this Kshatriya had four sons, all of whom lived in the village, but only three of them have been seen so far...
The last guy jumped out, his tone practically identical: "Even visiting an old man brings so many gifts, I think Mittal Village is richer than the legends say. Why don't we let him spend money to buy water!"
"Pay once, get water for a day, and keep making money this way!"
"Good plan," Vijay thought with a cold laugh. "Do these guys really think my knife is ineffective?"
Vijay, standing under the eaves, originally intended to linger a little longer under the commotion of the argument in the courtyard, to quietly listen to the details of the four brothers' dispute.
In his initial prediction, the four brothers were all from the same old Kshatriya father and had the same fiefdom and dam resources. Although they were greedy and mean by nature, in order to continue to seize the benefits sent by Mittal, they would more or less stick together and work together. With their interests bound together, they would not easily fight each other and break apart.
However, the discussion inside the room, which had been about the terms of the water distribution and the acceptance of gifts, suddenly turned into a fierce argument about dividing the benefits and calculating the amount of extortion. The four brothers attacked each other verbally, refusing to give an inch, and the previously restrained quarrel quickly escalated.
The fat man I had just met had a familiar voice. He slammed his hand on the stone table, knocking the heavy porcelain fruit plate to the ground, scattering dried fruit everywhere. "I'm the eldest son. I was the one who made the initial contact. I will naturally have full authority over the subsequent negotiations. Fifty percent of the wealth we demanded from Mittal will be mine, and the remaining thirty percent will be split equally among the three of you. There's no room for discussion!"
The others naturally had strong opinions. A high-pitched voice spoke up: "Why should you take all the lion's share? I was the one who sent people to receive the visiting cards, and guarding the village entrance and keeping an eye on outsiders was all done by my men. It would be reasonable for me to get at least a third!"
Another voice, rough and hoarse, shook the rafters, sending dust flying: "The dam is under my jurisdiction. The flow of water is entirely controlled by my men. Without the dam as leverage, why would they offer such a generous gift for nothing? I want 40% for myself, and the remaining 60% will be split among the three of you!"
The youngest voice also expressed its opinion: "My father is still bedridden, and from now on, all village deeds and fief documents will have to be handled and reported by me. Without my involvement in the paperwork, even if Mittal is willing to offer gifts, he won't be able to do so legally. I want at least 30%. If anyone disagrees, I'll turn around and go to Hara City to report to the steward of internal affairs, stopping all private transactions!"
After a few back-and-forth exchanges, the conflict of interest completely tore away the facade of kinship. The argument grew increasingly shrill, quickly escalating from verbal sparring to fistfights. Overturned tables and chairs and the clattering of wooden objects echoed continuously, mixed with angry curses and muffled groans. The fighting in the courtyard grew louder and louder, and the heavy sounds of fists and feet colliding could be clearly heard outside the corridor.
It was no longer proper for Vijay to continue eavesdropping from the shadows, so he could only slowly walk out from under the eaves to appear and try to reconcile them.
But when his gaze swept over the four people locked in combat, Vijay was suddenly startled, genuinely shocked by the scene before him.
None of the four Vaishya offspring, including the obese leader, were mediocre. Their punches and kicks were well-ordered and seemingly casual, yet they carried real force. They deliberately restrained their strength during the fight, but faint aftershocks of their power still emanated from them. By merely suppressing most of their outward aura, they made the surrounding air slightly stagnant.
Vijay is no longer a novice. He has seen the mighty Delan Vera and has also witnessed the realm above the mighty. Therefore, Vijay instantly judged that each of these four brothers possessed the level of a mighty warrior like Mahayoda!
In the Harappa city-state, the warrior Mahayoda was already a top-notch fighter capable of serving as the captain of a city guard. He was on the same level of strength as Vilandra, a trusted confidant of Roshman. It would be rare for an ordinary village or town to have one.
But the sudden emergence of four warriors of the same rank in a small border village with a history and establishment inferior to Mittal was completely beyond Vijay's expectations. He stood there stunned, his mind filled with astonishment and confusion. He couldn't understand how an ordinary village that had risen by relying on the fiefdom of an old wounded soldier could simultaneously cultivate four high-ranking martial artists!
Upon seeing Vijay appear, the four fighters immediately stopped their melee, stopped fighting, and distanced themselves. They brushed the dust off their clothes, their anger still simmering. Their expressions toward Vijay were anything but friendly; some were wary, some were impatient, and others were still thinking about how to extract benefits from Mittal.
Not a single one of them is kind!
Vijay was stunned and, of course, did not want to get too entangled in the water-dividing issue at this critical juncture of infighting. After exchanging a few simple polite words, he took the opportunity to bow and bid farewell, and set off to leave Titi Village.
On the return journey, Vijay deliberately slowed down the oxcart's pace, carefully observing the open space at the entrance of Titi Village and the villagers along the street.
Having rushed here to meet the person in charge, I hadn't paid much attention to the village's customs and traditions. Now, with a more relaxed observation, I've discovered a hidden place that even Kara, who went out to investigate earlier, hadn't been able to uncover.
The ordinary, middle-aged villagers working idly at the village entrance stand with upright posture and steady steps. When they casually lift heavy objects, their muscles are taut, and their reaction speed to instinctively dodge flying stones from the roadside is far beyond that of ordinary people.
That's at least the level of a formal samurai!
Any able-bodied young man in the village could easily reach the cultivation threshold of a standard warrior. The martial spirit of the entire Titi Village was far more exaggerated than the intelligence reports suggested, and its hidden overall military strength completely overwhelmed that of Mital Village.
What does this mean?
A harsh reality confronted Vijay: he was focused on reclaiming wasteland, stockpiling grain, and developing agriculture and commerce, single-mindedly consolidating the agricultural economy. Meanwhile, the neighboring village of Titi, with its vast military resources and a population of soldiers, was like a close neighbor wielding a steel gun. His own full granaries and vast tracts of cultivated land were, in the eyes of others, readily available granaries.
There's no such thing as a neighbor hoarding guns while you can safely hoard food; seeking peaceful coexistence only relies on the other party's good nature...
But are these guys kind?
Having witnessed firsthand the greedy and infighting nature of the four brothers, Vijay dared not apply those two words to them.
Vijay completely abandoned any hope of passively seeking peace. The most urgent task was to rapidly enhance Mittal's own military strength!
With a heavy heart, Vijay rushed back to Mittal Village. As soon as he sat down, he immediately brought up the system's knowledge panel and checked the overall assessment of the territory's current military strength.
The total score of all registered armed personnel in the entire territory is only 10.5 points, which is roughly equivalent to the combined combat strength of ten standard formal warriors.
If you break down the numbers carefully, Vijay's own cultivation level is equivalent to that of three to four formal warriors. All his personal servants and guards combined are only equivalent to five or six warriors.
Looking back at the source, Vijay smiled bitterly to himself. When purchasing manpower in large quantities before, he focused entirely on craftsmen, farmers, and business talents, without specifically seeking out martial arts personnel. Now, the weakness in martial arts has been completely exposed, which was an oversight left by his previous planning.
"This is unbelievable!" Vijay was speechless, his face filled with worry.
Bim, who came to report on the daily warehousing and workshop progress, immediately noticed his master's unease and quickly stepped forward to ask what was wrong. "Shiva, please help me, master, what's wrong?"
"Sigh," Vijay sighed deeply, revealing the true strength of Titi Village and Bim as he had witnessed it.
Bim, along with his several old masters, had always primarily engaged in trade routes.
At that time, Mittal Village was full of talented people. In Bim's memory, not to mention the fierce warriors, even Attilata Reho was a guest of honor of the old master.
One year, a Moharata Xiong even accepted a job from the village of Mittal and went on a trade route to the east.
So they never worried about military strength, let alone any methods to improve the village's military strength!
After much deliberation, only one option was offered. Bim respectfully said, "Master, could we use Lord Sada's connections to borrow some Kshatriya manpower from Harappa?"
"You mean, Roshman?" Vijay was momentarily tempted, but quickly shook his head.
The nobles in Harappa are currently divided and in a state of chaos. Going to borrow troops now could easily lead to misunderstandings.
Not only were their loyalty and dedication questionable, but they would also be subject to various additional conditions imposed by others, and the potential risks were difficult to predict. Vijay immediately rejected the plan to borrow troops.
After eliminating the option of borrowing troops, Vijay calmed down and analyzed the available resources at hand, and found that if he didn't care about the cost, there were actually three other paths he could take!
The first option is to immediately and urgently contact cooperating slave traders to purchase warrior slaves with martial arts skills, and use the merchants' extensive network of contacts in various city-states to search for fallen warriors!
Vijay believed that as long as enough money was spent, there would definitely be powerful enough samurai willing to be hired!
If the contract ceremony is completed, loyalty can also be controlled!
This path is somewhat of a gamble; it's uncertain whether we can find a powerful expert of the rank of Warrior or above in a short time.
The second strategy is to discover exceptionally talented individuals from the existing Dalit population and cultivate local combat power.
Vijay had noticed this when he settled a large number of newly arrived slaves. Many of the Dalits should have extraordinary physiques and special talents, with Treebeard being the most typical example.
Born into a lost forest clan and possessing racial secrets, he is not within the conventional martial arts ranking system, but in Vijay's opinion, his true combat strength is on par with that of a formal warrior.
Selecting and training slaves from one's own existing population offers two advantages: firstly, the loyalty of the personnel is controllable, eliminating concerns about defection in battle; secondly, it saves on high procurement costs, allowing for the rapid formation of basic combat teams in large numbers, making it the most cost-effective approach at present.
The third strategy is to use the two accumulated system talent points to fully enhance one's cultivation and break through the current realm.
As long as one's strength is promoted to the level of a warrior or even higher, even if four warriors from the opposing side come out together, one can still rely on one's own martial prowess as a trump card at crucial moments.
The best part is that these three paths don't conflict at all!