The nominal main organizer of the Imperial Military Examination is the Imperial Home Affairs Bureau, but the implementation of many specific tasks is mostly done by the Zhongyuan Guild Hall, which has close ties with the imperial family, such as the construction of facilities, invitations to various martial arts sects, Among them, the proposal and modification of the competition regulations and selection system, as well as the organization and implementation of the entire competition process, are mostly carried out by the Zhongyuan Guild Hall or the Zhongyuan Guild Hall invites and hires famous figures in the martial arts.
The imperial internal affairs department is mainly responsible for reviewing the qualifications of contestants and referees to prevent people with bad intentions or fakers from getting in. However, because even His Majesty the Emperor attaches great importance to the Wuyu Examination, no matter whether it is contestants from various places or invitations from the Central Plains Guild Hall, The personnel who serve as referees and organizers are basically relatively competent, and there has been no obvious case of favoritism for many years.
When Wu Feng brought Qin, Gu and Song Tianxiong to the Xijiaochang, the place was already crowded and bustling. In addition to some people who are martial arts people, most of them are common people in the imperial capital who like martial arts. This is also the original intention of the imperial court to hold the martial arts examination, which is to arouse the martial spirit of the people and encourage them to be loyal to the empire and learn to sell it. The Imperial Family, this sentence is probably the purpose of the Wuyu Examination.
Wu Feng was still a little unfamiliar with all this. Martial arts figures with different costumes and strange markings walked past him from time to time. They were all kinds of people, and most of them had knives and swords hanging on them. On this day, he could probably carry these normally restricted weapons with ease. . However, patrols from the Imperial City Police Department and spies in plainclothes can be seen anytime and anywhere in this competition venue. Even in case of an accident, a regiment of city guards is stationed near the competition venue to keep them safe at all times. Be on standby, just in case.
The two daughters of Qin and Gu were very enthusiastic about the annual martial arts examination. When they entered the competition, they looked around to see if they could see anyone from their sect appearing. Even Song Tianxiong, who had always been calm, could not suppress the excitement in his heart. Although his expression did not change much, a pair of fiery eyes revealed his inner thoughts. All this was seen by Wu Feng, which further deepened Wu Feng's curiosity to learn more about the martial arts world.
"Tianxiong, will your Daxiangguo Temple participate in this martial arts examination?" Seeing that the two women were so dazzled, Wu Feng could no longer care about Wu Feng, so Wu Feng had no choice but to turn to Song Tianxiong, who had been following him.
Although Song Tianxiong was also looking around, when he stepped into the arena, he realized that it was a huge mistake for him to agree to Wu Feng to go out in plainclothes in the morning without bringing a guard. The arena was crowded with people, and most people in the martial arts field carry their own Weapons, this is a huge threat to the safety of adults, and there is only one of them. The two women's minds are on other things. It is simply a difficult problem to protect Wufeng's safety.
"Sir, I think we should go back. It's too messy here and it's really unsafe." Song Tianxiong answered nervously while looking around at the surrounding situation.
"It doesn't matter, we are all in disguise, no one will know us, and there are so many security personnel around, who will be doing what here?" Wu Feng replied with a relaxed expression.
"No, sir, I am responsible for your safety. It is indeed unsafe here. Either we go back or you go over there." The more Song Tianxiong thought about it, the more unsafe he felt. He wanted Wu Feng to go to the VIPs over there. The VIP seats are located in a special area in front of each high platform. A specially designated area is prepared for the empire's important ministers and nobles with earl status or above. Tea tables and chairs are placed, and they are also isolated from the surroundings and have guards. Personnel on patrol.
But Wu Feng didn't want to reveal his identity. He just wanted to watch the game as an ordinary person, so he disguised himself. But if he disguised himself as an ordinary person but had a large number of guards who were not good at hiding their military identities, it would definitely It would attract the attention of the internal affairs department personnel responsible for inspections, so there was no point in dressing up, so Wu Feng resolutely rejected Song Tianxiong's request, and Song Tianxiong did not insist anymore.
"Tianxiong, you worry too much. Wouldn't it be more conspicuous to go to the VIP seat? Maybe it would be more dangerous." Wu Feng replied with a smile. The fight on the high platform had already attracted his attention, "Hey, Tianxiong, you Which sect does that belong to?"
Seeing that Wu Feng was stubborn, Song Tianxiong could only pray secretly in his heart that nothing would happen. At the same time, he also greeted the two girls, asking them to be more vigilant and pay attention to what was going on around them. "Sir, where are you talking about? It seems to belong to Huaiyang Mansion. The Eagle Claw Gate, you see, the weapons they carry are a bit special. They all have a long chain of iron eagle claws. It is said that their iron eagle claws are specially made of refined iron. There are also mechanisms inside. If they are activated by internal force, they can also A sudden hidden weapon is hard to guard against, and it is a powerful weapon."
Wu Feng looked carefully and found that, as expected, the disciples dressed in the same color had a bulging loose cloth bag wrapped around their waists. A chain handle leaked out of the mouth of the bag, which happened to be in the most convenient position for hand. It was obviously specially designed and the leader Although one is a bit old, he still looks energetic and has extraordinary spirit.
Seeing Wu Feng paying attention to the old man, Song Tianxiong hurriedly introduced in a low voice: "That old man is the master of the Eagle Claw Sect. Wang Tianlie, known as the 'Eagle Claw King', not only can he perform superbly with an iron eagle claw, but the most powerful thing is his hands. , his Hunyuan Eagle Claw Kung Fu has reached its peak, breaking stones and monuments, and is invincible. It is really a unique skill in the hard qigong of foreigners."
Seeing Song Tianxiong's understanding in such detail, Wu Feng couldn't help but feel surprised, "Tianxiong, you know this old man so clearly, could it be related to something?"
"My lord, you are joking. How can Tianxiong have anything to do with them? It's just that although the Eagle Claw Sect is located in Donghai County, it has always been closely related to the martial arts in the North. When I was still learning from my master, I went there with him. I have visited this house before, but it was already years ago, so they probably have no impression at all." Song Tianxiong answered with a smile.
"Tianxiong, how many sects are there in the Imperial Martial Arts Arena? I think there are at least nearly 30,000 people in this arena. Excluding the common people in Dadu, I think there are at least more than 10,000 people in the Imperial Martial Arts Arena. There are so many talents." Wu Feng walked around and looked around with interest.
"Sir, you have some misunderstanding. In fact, there are not many so-called real masters in Jianghu gangs and martial arts sects. Except for some sects with deep roots and long history, there are also martial arts masters in other small and medium-sized sects. There are only a few, and most of them are ordinary disciples. But they have practiced martial arts of their own sect, and most of them can only be used to strengthen the body. If they really want to show off their strength and win, then they are of no use." Song Tianxiong Although he is not a member of the martial arts world, he has a deep connection with the Daxiangguo Temple, a major sect in the Northland martial arts world, so he knows the true situation of the Jianghu sect very well.
"You see, although there are many people coming and going in the martial arts world dressed up, many of them are just small characters in gang costumes. In fact, most of them are here to cheer and cheer. They usually work in the martial arts, do odd jobs, and work with many industries to recruit. The status of the clerks is similar, except that they are slightly more disciplined and can practice martial arts in their free time. After all, they have to eat before they can talk about other things. Without an economic foundation, how can they talk about other ideas? And often these small and medium-sized sects lack the most The most important thing is the economic foundation, which greatly limits the development of these small and medium-sized sects. As for the sects whose economic foundation can be guaranteed, if there are one or two more capable leaders in the sect, after a period of development and growth, then This sect is very likely to develop into a big sect, and when you become a big sect, your influence expands, and you are often able to obtain a wider range of economic sources." Song Tianxiong's words gave a very good analysis of the real situation within the Jianghu sect. Thorough, obviously specially studied.
"Oh, that's it. It seems that this seemingly glorious martial arts sect actually has so many unspeakable difficulties!" Wu Feng said with deep feeling.
"Yes, sir, there are many sects in this Jianghu sect that have disappeared due to financial reasons. When you can't even solve the problem of food and clothing for your disciples, how can you expect him to get up early every day to practice martial arts and sacrifice his life for the interests of the sect? What about the desperate struggle?" Song Tianxiong's words indeed reveal an eternal truth, without an economic foundation, there is nothing.
Yes, if you can't even solve the problem of food and clothing, then how can you make them serve you loyally? Of course this is true for Jianghu sects, but why shouldn't it be true for a government? Without an economic foundation and unable to pay their salaries, government officials will still be unable to make a living. The army that maintains the operation of the political power will also only collapse, and the political institutions will also fall apart. Therefore, the saying that development is the last word is absolutely true. Only with development and strong financial support can you form a stronger army, and you can also use this stronger army to obtain more benefits. This is a mutually reinforcing process, and it is just how to grasp the balance in the middle. The point is where a leader’s ability is tested.
Thinking of the situation in the northwest and northern Luzon, Wu Feng was deeply touched. The intelligence from Gu Ji showed that the power of the Taiping Sect has shown explosive growth, especially in the Kansai region. The intelligence revealed that in addition to Lujiang Mansion, , the Taiping Sect has developed extremely rapidly in other prefectures, and intelligence shows that external forces may have intervened. The situation in Beiyuan and Yanyun counties is even more worrying. Taiping Sect members in many places have even had close relations with important officials of the local government. , this phenomenon has not attracted the attention of the imperial interior department so far. Wu Feng is really a little surprised as to why the always shrewd Lu Wenfu made such a big mistake in this regard.
However, Wu Feng had no intention of disclosing this information to the Imperial Interior Department. He knew that even if it was disclosed to the Imperial Interior Department, it would no longer be able to prevent the turmoil from happening. Instead, it might accelerate the turmoil. He hoped that both the Empire and the Taiping Religion would be able to Maintain the peaceful situation longer so that you can have more time to accumulate strength. The strength you can control now is really not enough to fight a big war that may affect the entire empire. Even if you can, it may be consumed. He has too much strength, which is not in his own interest. Wu Feng hopes that the war will come when he is more fully prepared. By then, with sufficient strength, he may be able to seize greater benefits in the upcoming great turmoil.
Seeing Wu Feng standing there silently, Song Tianxiong was a little strange. He didn't expect that his words would trigger so many thoughts in his master, but he was experienced and did not alert Wu Feng. He just stood aside and silently warned.
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