My Sexy CEO Wife

Chapter 366 - 363 Offended the Petty Man

"Uh..." Liu Qing hesitated, "Does the lord mean to say... give away all the captured gold, silver, and jewels?"

Gao Fei nodded, "Yeah."

"By doing this... the soldiers below might have opinions." Liu Qing said with a wry smile.

"Opinions? What kind of opinions could they have?" Gao Fei frowned.

"In this campaign against the bandits, the soldiers also exerted a lot of effort, and if they don't get some benefits, I'm afraid they will have complaints."

"Who said they wouldn't get benefits?"

"Ah? My lord..."

"Let me ask you, for a Cultivator, are gold, silver, and jewels important?"

"Uh... Does the lord want to hear the truth?"

"Of course, the truth."

"For a Cultivator, gold, silver, and jewels are like a chicken rib, useful yet dispensable."

"That settles it." Gao Fei curled his lips, "If I distribute the gold, silver, and jewels to the soldiers, will they be happy?"

"This..." Liu Qing didn't know how to answer.

"I have already thought it through." Gao Fei reached for his teacup, brought it to his mouth, and took a sip, "Distribute the captured gold, silver, and jewels to the populace, to make their lives a bit better; at the same time, I will reward the soldiers with a batch of Spirit Stones."

Liu Qing's eyes widened, "The lord is giving out Spirit Stones?"

"The soldiers have made merits, and I should reward them on both moral and rational grounds," Gao Fei smiled, "However... my financial resources are limited, I can only express so much, not too much..." pausing, he continued, "One hundred Spirit Stones per person, how does that sound?"

"One hundred?" Liu Qing's mouth twitched violently, "Isn't that a bit too much..."

"Not at all, not at all." Gao Fei waved his hand, "I just want to tell the soldiers that following me, they'll get a lot of benefits."

"But..." Liu Qing still wanted to say something.

"My mind is made up, no more objections," Gao Fei took out a Storage Bag, "I've already prepared the Spirit Stones, you take them and distribute them to the soldiers, and those gold, silver, and jewels, take them to the populace. You must personally see to this matter, ensure it's done fairly and justly; I don't want good deeds turning bad."

"Rest assured, my lord, I will handle everything perfectly." Liu Qing left with the Storage Bag.

"In the blink of an eye, tens of thousands of Spirit Stones are gone." Gao Fei said somewhat painfully, "Being a Centurion really isn't easy." Gao Fei did this to buy people's hearts.

Only when the soldiers and populace genuinely support him, will Gao Fei's position be secure.

There is an unwritten rule in the government that the spoils of war captured by the military belong to themselves and don't need to be turned over; they just need to report to their superiors, which was established by the government to boost local military zeal in fighting against bandits.

On the surface, the world seemed calm, but beneath that façade, tumultuous waves raged. Bandit problems existed in every corner and the government had been mobilizing troops to suppress them for many years to no avail, which infuriated the officials. Instead of diminishing under the government's blows, the bandit threat had only grown stronger...

It was later revealed that these bandits were covertly supported by the major Sects and influential families, whose aim was to create trouble for the government. They sought to weaken the government's power while tarnishing its reputation, significantly diminishing the government's standing in the eyes of the people. This tactic was extremely damaging.

Even though it was known that these major Sects and families were behind the mischief, the government felt helpless. On one hand, there was no concrete evidence; on the other, there was a fear of the power these major Sects and families wielded.

Indeed, in Human Territory, the government's power was the strongest, but the Sects and families were also formidable, and they had formed alliances. If the government were to cause trouble, the Sects and families would join forces to push back.

A single chopstick can be easily broken, but a bundle of chopsticks is not so easily snapped.

The power of unity is terrifying!

Over the years, the government had covertly tried to sow discord among the Sects and families, but to little effect.

In the end, it all boiled down to a struggle for interests. The government controlled over half of the Cultivation Resources, which the major Sects and families certainly resented. They were bound to devise means to fight back. If they couldn't do it openly, they would resort to underhanded tricks, in a contest to see who could outplay whom.

Sword fights were not scary; what was truly frightening were the schemes and conspiracies!

While swords kill and draw blood, schemes and conspiracies kill without shedding blood! And they are even more sinister and vicious!

In a nutshell: On the surface, all seemed well and good, with everyone amicable and getting along. Behind the scenes, however, there was incessant strife, with each wishing the other dead!

By joining the government, Gao Fei had essentially placed himself in opposition to the major Sects and families. Given his relatively low status, he had not yet attracted their notice. But this was temporary. With Gao Fei's capabilities and methods, he was sure to climb his way up steadily. Once he reached a certain level of status, he would inevitably catch the attention of the Sects and families.

At that time, Gao Fei would be facing danger upon danger.

As for these matters, Gao Fei was completely unaware. Of course, even if he had known the ins and outs, he wouldn't have taken them to heart. In the worst case, he would put up a fierce fight, no matter the odds.

...

Just as Gao Fei had anticipated, after the soldiers received their Spirit Stones, they were filled with gratitude towards him. Similarly, the commonfolk, upon being distributed gold and jewels, were overwhelmed with emotion. Many set up altars in their homes to honor Gao Fei's Longevity tablet and prayed for his well-being daily.

While some rejoiced, others were displeased.

For instance, Ding Runqiu was particularly unhappy.

Ding Runqiu was the richest man on the frontier, with a vast business empire. According to the regional division, he was under Gao Fei's jurisdiction.

Ding Runqiu had little regard for Gao Fei as a person and hadn't paid him a visit despite the many days since Gao Fei had taken office.

Ding Runqiu had two sons, both promising. His eldest was a favorite of the Chiliarch, while his younger son was clever and capable, helping manage the business. It was only because of his eldest son's backing that Ding Runqiu could afford to look down on Gao Fei.

Originally, Ding Runqiu had intended to maintain a neutral stance with Gao Fei; as long as Gao Fei didn't trouble him, he wouldn't trouble Gao Fei either. They would leave each other in peace and go about their respective lives.

Yet Gao Fei, on some misguided whim, had chosen to distribute gold and jewels to the impoverished citizens, and in large quantities at that, enough to sustain them comfortably for several years.

While the destitute could receive a considerable share of gold and jewels, the moderately wealthy got less, and as for wealthy merchants like Ding Runqiu, they received not even a single Silver.

What infuriated Ding Runqiu even more was... that he had employed many poor folk to work for him as farm laborers, paying meager wages that barely covered sustenance. Now that these poor laborers had their own Silver in hand, their conditions had improved, and they chose not to work for him any longer.

As a result, Ding Runqiu's losses were significant. Crops in the fields were ripe for harvesting, but no one was there to gather them. His workshops were backed up with work, but no one was there to do it...