Shen Feng had not expected that Wang Ao Ye's underground trade would reach Wuling Mountain. If this could truly be achieved, then the trade would be very promising.
Seeing Shen Feng's continued suspicion, Shi Wei Tian explained in a low voice, "Lord Fengshen, please rest assured. Our boss's sincerity is evident. As long as you agree to cooperate, we can deliver the goods first and then collect payment, sending the supplies directly to Wuling Mountain. We can reveal a little more: we have a base in Dongting Lake."
Hearing this, Shen Feng fell silent for a moment, his eyes drifting across the map. Dongting Lake was indeed relatively close to Wuling Mountain. If Wang Ao Ye and his group had a base in Dongting Lake, it meant they had the capability to deliver supplies to nearby areas and could bypass the Three Gorges, effectively creating an alternative route to the outside world.
Shen Feng frowned in thought for a moment, then suddenly looked up and said, "Please, Mr. Shi, rest for a while. This matter is very important, and we need to discuss some opinions before giving you a reply tomorrow. For today, Mr. Shi, please feel free to explore the city. Whatever delicacies you wish to eat, just put it on the City Lord's Mansion's tab."
Shi Wei Tian nodded and said, "Of course, of course. Then I will await your good news. Please, Lord Fengshen, consider it carefully."
Shi Wei Tian then left the conference room, knowing that half of his mission's objective had been achieved. As long as Shen Feng agreed to consider it seriously, it would be difficult for him to resist this temptation. After all, this trade could bypass the Three Gorges. Shen Feng surely wouldn't like being controlled all the time. At this juncture, opening up new trade routes was the most appropriate course of action.
Shi Wei Tian patted his belly and left the conference room, led by staff to his accommodation. As for delicacies, he had already eaten plenty today.
Lin Yue also received news from his subordinates, specifically about Shi Wei Tian. He quickly took it out and handed it to Shen Feng, saying, "City Lord, please see this. This is the news my subordinate just sent. Shi Wei Tian's ability is of the body-strengthening type."
Shen Feng picked up the information and discovered that Shi Wei Tian's ability was likely a blood-enhancement type, allowing him to absorb the enemy's blood to heal his own injuries. In summary, he was a person with exceptionally tenacious vitality; as long as he could drink blood, he couldn't die. Beyond that, there was nothing special.
For such body-strengthening ability users, the method of dealing with them was simple: sever their heads or hit their hearts with a gunshot to inflict a fatal wound. These types of ability users could not endure such injuries.
Shi Wei Tian had indeed absorbed a lot of mercenary blood outside the city earlier, but he hadn't killed anyone. It was likely that he knew he was on Shen Feng's territory and couldn't kill indiscriminately.
This also indicated, indirectly, that Shi Wei Tian understood the rules and would not casually offend Shen Feng.
Looking at the information in his hands, Shen Feng thought carefully and said to Yang Chang, "Go and call Feng Shi Cheng over. I need to ask him a few things. As for the content of our conversation today, I don't want you to spread it out. Ensure confidentiality, understand?"
Upon hearing this, Yang Chang immediately nodded and left to fetch Feng Shi Cheng. Next, Shen Feng needed to consult on some relevant matters.
In fact, Shen Feng's side was preparing to lead people to sweep through the southern mountain forests, with the aim of reducing the number of mutated beasts in the mountains. Otherwise, the mutated beasts would descend the mountain every year to prey on humans or eat crops. If this continued, Yuzhou would face immense pressure annually.
"Mr. Shi, please advise me. Should we agree to Wang Ao Ye's proposal? I'm about to go on campaign soon anyway. If we can push our controlled territory to the vicinity of Wuling Mountain, wouldn't that give us a viable trade route?" Shen Feng inquired.
Feng Shi Cheng, who was originally a novelist, was good at boasting. However, when truly asked to advise on a major plan, he felt somewhat overwhelmed. Fortunately, he had some knowledge reserves, so he braced himself and began to offer his suggestions.
"City Lord, I think this trade has both advantages and disadvantages. Firstly, the advantage is that we can obtain supplies without going through headquarters, which is naturally a great thing. However, if headquarters finds out about this, it will cause their hostility, as this trade behind their backs is entirely smuggling. Furthermore, the disadvantage is that we must station people along the road between Wuling Mountain and Yuzhou. If anything unexpected happens in the mountains, Yuzhou cannot provide swift support!" Feng Shi Cheng stated his views.
Although Feng Shi Cheng did not explicitly say it, his true meaning was clear: he did not approve of trading with Wang Ao Ye, as there were too many difficulties.
Shen Feng listened to Feng Shi Cheng's advice and nodded, saying, "I understand. You may go now. I will consider this matter carefully."
Feng Shi Cheng was relieved that the City Lord's consultation ended so simply. If he had been unable to answer during the consultation, he would have lost his value and been kicked out of the City Lord's Mansion, which would have been a huge loss.
After Feng Shi Cheng left, Yang Chang couldn't help but ask, "City Lord, you're not going to do business anymore, are you?"
Shen Feng chuckled and leaned back in his chair, saying, "Don't worry, I will think about it myself. Business must be done, but we can't be caught with our hands in the cookie jar. I just wanted to hear different opinions. My true belief in future planning still lies in what Professor Chu told me."
Shen Feng knew that Feng Shi Cheng's ideas could only be a reference. He was, after all, just a novelist. No matter how broad his knowledge base, it was still just his own thoughts. As a strategist, Feng Shi Cheng's advice was still insufficient.
Professor Chu had told Shen Feng the future strategy of "build high walls, store grain widely, and save the people." Shen Feng had never forgotten this. Now, Wang Ao Ye was preparing to trade grain for evolution base, which tempted Shen Feng. Although Yuzhou did not lack grain for the time being, he would not refuse more grain. As long as the safety of the trade could be guaranteed, Shen Feng was willing to conduct the transaction.
Shen Feng thought for a moment and said to Lin Yue, "Recently, keep an eye out for suitable business talents, preferably unknown figures. I plan to support an agent to be solely responsible for transactions with Wang Ao Ye. If something goes wrong, this person will be sacrificed. If nothing goes wrong, this person will handle the business. Wouldn't that solve the problem?"
Upon hearing Shen Feng's words, Lin Yue was immediately amazed by Shen Feng's meticulous planning. He had devised a solution in such a short time. As expected of the City Lord, his mind was incredibly agile. It seemed he was not only powerful but also exceptionally intelligent.
"City Lord, please rest assured. I will definitely find a suitable candidate for business and ensure your plan proceeds successfully!" Lin Yue quickly nodded and said.
After returning home, Shen Feng discussed the trade matters with his senior sister and Chu Chaoyan. Chang Jianyi strongly supported Shen Feng's decision. Supporting an agent to handle inconvenient matters was indeed a good move. Even if headquarters questioned him about this in the future, they could push the agent forward to take the blame.
Chu Chaoyan, however, suddenly asked, "Ah Feng, weren't we planning to sweep the southern forests? Shouldn't we proceed? We can use this opportunity to finalize the trade route and also divert attention."
Shen Feng nodded, "That's exactly what I'm thinking. Tomorrow, I will notify the mercenaries to assemble, prepare the supplies, and head south to kill mutated beasts. I'll also inform Shi Wei Tian of my plan."
Chang Jianyi's belly was already quite large. Calculating the time, she was more than seven months pregnant. It was now late autumn, and she was expected to give birth in winter. Although her mobility was not affected, Chu Chaoyan had someone follow her closely at all times. Any accident would be truly disastrous.
Shen Feng slowly walked to Chang Jianyi's side, bent down, and placed his ear against her belly. He could already hear the heartbeat. This was a small life, and Shen Feng suddenly felt a sense of kinship. This was his child!
"It's a pity that I won't have time to accompany you while I'm sweeping the southern forests. This is truly regrettable," Shen Feng said with a sigh.
Shen Feng didn't know how long it would take to kill mutated beasts in the mountains, as he had no prior experience fighting mutated beasts on a large scale. Few people knew about the conditions in the mountains, so Shen Feng didn't know when he would achieve his goal. He was worried that he wouldn't be able to be by his senior sister's side when she gave birth.
Winter was fast approaching. Once it snowed, the fighting would have to be halted. They had to seize this period to clear out the mutated beasts in the southern mountains as soon as possible. Otherwise, if time dragged on until spring, the mutated beasts in the mountains would reproduce again, and their numbers would increase.
Chang Jianyi quickly said, "It's alright. You go and fight outside. I'm fine. Chaoyan will take care of me. Don't let me delay important matters."
At this critical juncture, Chang Jianyi could still distinguish what was important, so she supported Shen Feng's decision to fight in the mountains. As for herself, she couldn't let Shen Feng be too distracted. This was what a wife should do: temporarily sacrifice her own interests when her husband was in a difficult position.
Chu Chaoyan also said seriously, "It's alright. I'll take care of sister here in Yuzhou, so you can go with peace of mind. Speaking of which, Zhang Xixi also said she wants to go with you to fight in the mountains."
Shen Feng shrugged and said helplessly, "The battlefield is not a tourist destination. Zhang Xixi's ability can be best utilized in Yuzhou. If she follows me into the mountains and something happens, no one can save her. It's better not to. However, Xiao Jie wants to accompany me. I can bring him along. He can fly in the sky, and that ability is quite good."
Shen Feng also knew why Zhang Xixi wanted to go with him on the campaign. It was to avoid Chang Haojie. Chang Haojie, that simple-minded fellow, naturally didn't notice anything unusual. However, Chang Jianyi often created opportunities for her younger brother and Zhang Xixi to be alone, which made Zhang Xixi extremely annoyed, forcing her to stay far away from Chang Haojie.
Therefore, Zhang Xixi wanted to follow him onto the battlefield to escape this forced pairing.
After much thought, Shen Feng decided to help Zhang Xixi secretly. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to answer Zhang Jue when he saw him later. Taking Zhang Xixi onto the battlefield was clearly impossible. The only thing he could do now was to take his brother-in-law away, which would also give Zhang Xixi some peace for a while.
When Zhang Xixi learned of this news, she was overjoyed. Even during meals, she couldn't help but eat two more bowls. As the saying goes, a happy person is spirited, and a troubled person is sleepy. Shen Feng noticed this unconcealable joy and felt helpless about her little secret.
The next day, the City Lord's Mansion began posting notices everywhere. The usable broadcast systems in the city also began to be used, all announcing one thing: the recruitment of mercenaries to prepare for battle in the southern mountains. The mercenaries who learned of this were all stunned. They hadn't expected this clause to take effect so soon. Refusal was not an option, but what if something unexpected happened on the battlefield?
The mercenaries had enjoyed a relatively comfortable three months. Now, being suddenly summoned, some began to waver. Going to the battlefield was impossible. If something unexpected happened, they would die in vain. It was better to hide and reappear as mercenaries after the war ended.
However, the City Lord's Mansion had also blocked their escape routes. Did they want to retreat? Impossible. If their names were not found on the list of participants in the war, and they had not completed any missions, they would be considered deserters, and their mercenary credentials would be directly canceled. Their names would no longer be in the Mercenary Guild.
In other words, if they became deserters, they would be expelled and could never be mercenaries again.
In Shen Feng's view, they enjoyed the benefits when it was time for comfort, but now that it was time to endure hardship and toil, they were trying to shirk their responsibilities. This was too simple. Since they had enjoyed the benefits, they had to pay something. From this perspective, equality had increased in the apocalypse, because without effort, there would be no reward.
Of course, the children of the truly powerful and wealthy still did not need to strive. They could obtain ability potions by relying on their power while sitting at home. The organizations they formed were even directly called the Heavenly Chosen Bureau, the chosen ones, the ability users chosen by heaven. This was no ordinary matter!