I have added this story to my Patreon. You can support me and read the 40 latest and advanced chapters there. It also fed and motivate me to write more chapters!
Link: Patreon.com/AVRKingsTL
—------------------—
The news of the Douling Empire was transmitted quite quickly. Xu Tianxi, who was checking the fourth batch of prisoners, suddenly received a bunch of information from Xu Jiujiu one day, and his expression became very strange.
"The Emperor of Douling invited all the nobles above the rank of Earl and the exiled nobles of the three empires to a banquet in Lingdou City. During the banquet, cups were smashed as a signal, and a large number of spirit masters rushed out. The nobles' wails could be heard throughout Lingdou City..."
"Except for a very few powerful nobles who were left alive, the rest were either chopped to pieces or driven into the moat and drowned... Is this a spirit diving competition?"
"Because the nobles killed loved to wear crystal jewelry and were surrounded by jewels and precious stones, many people in Lingdou City called this night 'Crystal Night'. What's the connection?"
The more Xu Tianxi read the intelligence, the more he felt a wry smile. He had to admit that the evil soul master's actions were very efficient. If this continued, the nobles of the Douling Empire would be completely crazy.
From now on, Shrek City is the only pure land for the nobles in the entire Douluo Continent. The methods of the Douluo Empire are even more extreme than those of the three major empires.
Under the window, Xu Jiujiu rested his elbows on the table, holding up his cheeks, a faint smile on his red lips, and jokingly said:
"I now understand that the Douling Emperor's methods are the most ruthless. He has announced the abolition of the aristocracy system, confiscated all aristocratic properties, and sent soul masters to join the army to conquer all powerful aristocratic fiefdoms."
"There are several noble families in the Douling Empire that have Titled Douluo, but without their masters, these spirit masters can't do much except fight alone. They are either killed in battles or flee towards Shrek with their noble descendants."
"Normally, with such a big commotion, the Douling Empire would be in turmoil, and many people would take the opportunity to rebel. However, the Douling Emperor was too ruthless, slaughtering all the members of the Xue family except his own lineage, regardless of gender or age. Some people who wanted to rebel had no one to support them."
"Furthermore, the emperor never left the palace after that day. Those who wanted to assassinate him couldn't find an opportunity. If they showed any clues, their entire family would be killed and their heads would be hung up for public display.
At this point, 95% of the civil and military officials in the imperial city had been killed. Only a handful of powerful nobles had saved their lives by relinquishing their titles and handing over all their property. The Douling Emperor took advantage of the situation and announced a nationwide free martial spirit awakening program. What do you think?
Xu Tianxi pondered for a moment, then said sincerely, "This is the Heavenly Street that tramples down the nobles. After this, few people on Douluo Continent dare to become nobles anymore."
Regardless of the Holy Spirit Church's original intention, objectively speaking, they did some good things, which was a case of fighting poison with poison.
As long as all the nobles die out, Shrek's united front value will drop to the lowest point. In just one or two generations, the common people will no longer believe in Shrek.
After all, without the nobles touting their achievements every day, who would know who Shrek Academy and the original Seven Devils were? Hungry commoners didn't have time to dwell on that.
Xu Tianxi's thoughts drifted away, and he continued, "However, the Xue family's royal family is not extinct. There is still one member of the Xuanming Sect. The current leader of the Xuanming Sect is the youngest sister of the previous emperor. In terms of seniority, the current Douling Emperor is Xu Sanshi's cousin."
Xu Jiujiu's bright eyes slanted, and he asked suspiciously, "Do you want them to fight the Xuanming Sect again?"
"What nonsense! You're just lamenting that she was lucky enough not to have experienced the massacre."
Xu Tianxi shook his hands and thought, "This news makes it seem like I, Xu, wasn't decisive enough, wasn't ruthless enough. I can't fall behind. From now on, I should also take action against the nobles in my country..."
Xu Jiujiu was startled by his sometimes sharp eyes and hurriedly grabbed his wrist, reminding him urgently: "The great nobles in your country are not so easy to kill. Don't forget that you are also the Duke of Zhenguo."
"That's right. The crackdown on the nobles will start with me. From now on, I will hand over 94% of my salary. All nobles who own property will also pay 94% in taxes. Not a cent less."
Xu Tianxi stated his plan without hesitation: reform should start with himself, and no one, whether high or low, should think of escaping.
"Wasn't it 90% not long ago? How come it's 94% now?"
"This is called keeping pace with the times. I haven't collected 99% yet. Haven't I already left more than 50% for them?" Xu Tianxi said seriously.
Xu Jiujiu was startled, his expression changing several times before he asked, "What about the others? I remember that the Master of Mingde Hall is also a Duke, right? He can still use the ceremonial guards of a Duke."
"Whatever he needs, he can just use public funds to get reimbursed. Why does he need such a large salary? He has to pay taxes."
Xu Tianxi waved his hand, indicating that the Hongchen family was no exception. Starting from the Hongchen family, everyone would have to bear the brunt of the tax.
"Tax avoidance is possible. If someone is willing to use their own money to contribute to the empire, such as building bridges and roads, mining rare metal mines, constructing water conservancy projects, researching new soul guides, or providing disaster relief, they can get tax deductions. Even if a family member joins the army...
But from now on, the 90% tax, this fundamental knife, must be cut down, without any exceptions! "
"We've killed so many members of the royal family, and now that the treasury is overflowing, it's time to take some action. Many projects that benefit the country and the people should be launched. Anyone who dares to raise prices and hinder major events at this time will have their entire family executed!"
Xu Tianxi's eyebrows slanted into his temples, his eyes were bright like stars, revealing his unwavering will. It was obvious that the actions of the Holy Spirit Church next door had aroused his fighting spirit and he was ready to take unwavering action.
Xu looked at him for a long time, sighed softly, and recorded all of this, preparing to send it back to Douluo Continent and give it to Xu Jiawei.
Telling Xu Tianxi the information and asking for his opinion contained both Xu Jiujiu's own thoughts and Xu Jiawei's opinions. The purpose was to see the movement of the wind vane.
Now as expected, Xu Tianxi is going to increase the price significantly. Xu Jiujiu suspects that if this continues, the nobles of the Sun-Moon Empire will have to pay for their titles in the future.
"Wait... Could it be that he just wants to do this and force many nobles to give up their titles?"
Xu Jiujiu suddenly had an inspiration in her mind. She suspected that Xu Tianxi did this to completely destroy the aristocratic system, but his methods were relatively milder than those of the Douling Empire.
While pondering, Xu Jiujiu suddenly asked, "By the way, how is your soul force preparing now? I heard they've already chosen a site outside Mingdu and started construction."
Xu Tianxi nodded and said, "Yes, the Civil Engineering Spirit Guidance Team is very efficient. They have already built the basic framework and estimate that it will be completed in three months."
During this period, Xu Tianxi would occasionally go there to see the construction work of "Heaven". On weekdays, Ji Juechen, the cold-faced god, and Xu Sanshi were responsible for supervision, and the civil engineering work was quite efficient.
After thinking for a while, Xu Jiujiu asked tentatively, "Are you still short of money? How about we invest some too?"
Xu Tianxi raised his eyebrows and said with a strange look on his face, "I'm not short of money right now. I've saved quite a bit over the years. But if you want to invest money, that's up to you. We'll slowly draw up the rules later."
Things like gold soul coins have always been considered more valuable. It is great that Xu Jiujiu is willing to invest. The Xingluo Empire must be rich now.
Thank you for the gifts from the princes and nobles of the two empires.
…
Shrek City, Sea God Pavilion.
Zhuang Yusheng sighed as he took each step, with Beibei beside him. He said bitterly to Yan Shaozhe, who had his hands behind his back:
"Shaozhe, now that they're gone, we've spent a lot of our savings over the years."
Yan Shaozhe's body trembled slightly, and with a sad smile in his voice, he asked, "How much did you give this time?"
"The Body Sect paid 250 million gold soul coins and 20 soul bones in compensation, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect paid 150 million gold soul coins and 15 soul bones in compensation, and the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex family paid 300 million gold soul coins and 30 soul bones in compensation. Our academy's soul bone reserves are almost empty, and funds are becoming very tight."
Zhuang Yusheng lowered his head, his face sullen. "When Prince Xueyu heard we were about to issue a call for the return of outstanding graduates from the Shrek Empire, he used the excuse that many graduates from the Tianhun Empire held high positions in his country as an excuse to ask for 500 million gold soul coins and a large number of soul bones. This is simply outrageous!"
Shrek City's tax revenue is extremely high, with hundreds of millions of gold soul coins coming in every year, but its expenses are also very high, and there is not much surplus in a year. This time it can be said to be a serious blow.
As for the soul bones, I'm not too worried about them, as there are plenty of them in the training room of Sea God Pavilion.
It took so many resources to calm the situation down. Zhuang Yusheng was so angry that he was about to go crazy. When had Shrek ever suffered such humiliation?
"What's the result?" Yan Shaozhe's shoulders were already shaking, and his face, which Beibei and Mr. Zhuang couldn't see, was filled with grief and anger, a mixture of red and white.
Beibei replied, "We bargained for a while, and finally decided to put up 300 million gold soul coins and ten soul bones as a deposit. The rest will depend on how many seniors from the Tianhun Empire will return."
Yan Shaozhe laughed bitterly and said sarcastically, "When our teacher was still here, at the height of our prosperity, the royal families of every empire would treat us with the utmost respect. But now, seeing that we are in trouble, a prince dares to blackmail Shrek. This is truly outrageous!"
Zhuang Yusheng sighed, "I have no fighting power. Shrek only has you as the only Super Douluo left. Of course, they are no longer afraid of you. I think they no longer take Shrek seriously."
"I hope that this time, enough children will return from the three empires. As long as the Sea God Pavilion can have a few more Super Douluo, Shrek will still be Shrek and cannot be underestimated!"
Beibei's expression changed as he stood by, wanting to say something but he didn't open his mouth.
He once heard Zhang Lexuan say that most of Shrek's best students had chosen to stay in school over the years... As for why there were still no new Super Douluos among those who stayed in school, that was another question.
Beibei is confident that he can cultivate to that level, but it will be several decades later.
"Alright, now that things are settled, it's fine. Zhuang Lao Beibei, all the core members of Shrek are here. Announce to the public that Shrek is facing a life-or-death situation. Call all graduates from the mainland to return to the Sea God Pavilion."
Yan Shaozhe suppressed his anger, picked up a pen and wrote down the general content of Shrek's summons, and handed it to the two of them.
"I heard that the royal family of the Douling Empire has also gone crazy. Now is the time for us to stand up and withstand the pressure. Shrek will stand firmly with them."