Chapter 132: A Business with No Capital

Chapter 132: A Transaction Without Capital

Combat reconnaissance was a long and complex process.

Even with drone support, even though the enemy's dispositions and movements were almost transparent to Chen Jian's squad, gathering sufficient usable intelligence still required time to grind.

After all, the disparity in strength between the two sides was immense.

If he wanted to pull off a splendid annihilation battle, Chen Jian had to push his informational advantage to the extreme.

It was not only intelligence about the demons within Anqing's ruins that mattered; peripheral intelligence was equally vital.

What attitude did the surrounding forces hold toward them? Did they have countermeasures? Could they be mobilized? Would they join the fight? Could they provide logistical support?

These were all questions.

And even a single variable shifting could greatly affect Chen Jian's deployment.

Therefore, to gather as much intelligence as possible, he devised a step‑by‑step deployment.

Shen Yue, Lei Jie, Xie Liu, and Li Shi remained in place, lurking to observe and guard, while the rest accompanied him to Anqing City to conduct infiltrative reconnaissance.

Those few on observation duty fared well; they only needed to stay put, fly the drone, and seize any chance to draw near and snatch as much intel as possible.

But for Chen Jian, the considerations multiplied.

Infiltrative reconnaissance first demanded concealment, so they could not lug around ostentatious gear.

Exoskeletons were out of the question, the cat‑cart could not appear, and even unfamiliar firearms and weapons had to be concealed.

Just that alone posed a tremendous challenge to the squad's safety.

Yet at this juncture, Ji Xing's role as a source‑blooded individual came into play.

She assured Chen Jian she could guarantee safety to the utmost degree, and if an mishap occurred, she could stay behind to cover his retreat.

Chen Jian eyed her promise skeptically, believing that should things turn dire, Ji Xing would abandon the others without hesitation.

Nevertheless, any insurance, however unreliable, was better than none.

If worse came to worst, revealing their identity might at least deter potential foes.

After all, if they could not obliterate the entire Huaxia army in one strike, it amounted to failing to destroy it at all.

The specter of nuclear deterrence loomed fresh in memory; surely no one would dare court that risk.

With all plans set, after a night's rest, Chen Jian led his team on foot toward Anqing City.

Anqing lay twenty kilometers away; their route headed due east, they paused after ten kilometers, then veered northeast.

This stretch frequently saw caravans, and with a paved surface underfoot, their pace was not slow.

As noon approached, the party could already see in the distance the black smoke rising from Anqing.

Chen Jian raised his binoculars, observed for a moment, then said:

“Does anyone here know what the smoke from an iron smelting furnace looks like? Who’s been to Anqing? What’s it like inside?”

Hearing him, Zeng Yi replied:

“Anyone who has traveled the north‑south road must have passed through Anqing; it is one of the most vital nodes on the Yangtze waterway.”

“Though the permanent resident population is modest—around four thousand—the area is rich in resources, and with many merchants about, the actual populace likely swells to six thousand.”

“These people have developed quite respectable technology, especially in iron smelting and casting, ranking among the best in several major cities.”

“The Machine God Sect has established a foundry here; according to them, they can cast over a hundred assorted cannons each year for the sect.”

“Yet strangely, the inhabitants here do not live particularly affluent lives.”

“In a sense, they are even worse off than Han Shui City.”

“Why?”

Chen Jian asked curiously:

“With industry this advanced, productivity shouldn’t be low; even if agriculture lags, barter trade alone ought to keep everyone fed, right?”

“Han Shui City is barely better than just having enough to eat; Anqing doesn’t even measure up to that?”

“Yes.”

Zeng Yi had not yet finished answering when Ji Xing, standing nearby, interjected:

“No one would let the foundry workers eat their fill; perhaps when Anqing was first founded, when the Machine God Sect first arrived, they did enjoy a spell of good times.”

“But those good days ended swiftly.”

“The Machine God Sect needs workers—full‑time, full‑capacity professionals, not peasants who till their own fields and only swing by the workshop when there’s no farm work.”

“So, if it were you, what would you do?”

Chen Jian fell silent.

After a moment, he spoke:

“Drive wages down as far as possible, extract their surplus value, stifle workers’ wealth accumulation, and lock down labor mobility.”

“You understand this well, don’t you?”

Ji Xing nodded and said:

“I may not know exactly what you mean by surplus value, but that’s roughly the idea.”

“The world is vast, with unclaimed lands everywhere; even with monsters roaming, finding a relatively safe tract is not that hard.”

“But clearing land carries a cost; you must at least prepare to survive a year with no harvest and still live.”

“How could the Machine God Sect allow such a thing to happen?”

“In fact, the workers’ wages here barely suffice to feed themselves, perhaps plus one child.”

“And their wives must also hold a job.”

“Anqing was built on this foundation; it’s brutal, isn’t it?”

“Yet the most ironic part is that, though cruel, this mode of operation is highly efficient.”

“By these means, the Machine God Sect rose in a short span to become the world’s most powerful organization, even eclipsing the once‑dominant Hall of Holy Blood.”

“No one can escape this curse; perhaps the future Huangshi City will turn out the same.”

“We will not.”

Chen Jian shook his head and said:

“We have our own method that can break this cycle.”

“What method?”

Ji Xing asked curiously.

“As long as the efficiency gains from technological growth outpace the efficiency losses from labor attrition, all that lost labor will be transmuted into the drive to expand.”

“They need two thousand workers to forge a hundred cannons in a year; what if we only needed two hundred?”

“The remaining eighteen hundred could then turn to other pursuits.”

“This is called… technology liberating productive forces.”

"But what you're saying, no one can do that."

When Ji Xing finished speaking, Chen Jian smiled.

"If it were in our world, I truly wouldn't dare to conclude whether it could be done."

"At least before achieving this, we must indeed endure a considerably painful and prolonged struggle."

"But in this world, I am quite confident."

"Where does this confidence come from?"

Ji Xing pressed on.

"Her tone was no longer purely questioning, but inquisitive."

"From Chen Jian's words, she could indeed sense that reckless, even somewhat extreme confidence. He truly believed he could do it, and it was more than just a feeling—it was as if he had evidence proving it."

"Chen Jian did not answer her question, merely saying:"

"In short, if you want to see, just keep watching."

"We will give you a satisfactory result."

"Understood."

"Ji Xing nodded thoughtfully, fell silent for a moment, then asked again:"

"So, have you already devised a more advanced set of rules to govern the residents under your rule?"

"Do you think such advanced rules could exist in this world?"

"They cannot endure long-term, but in the short term they can unleash tremendous power—in fact, I can use a simpler example to make this clear."

"Chen Jian paused, then said:"

"For example, when you only need 100 grams of gold, you can only purchase weapons worth 100 grams of gold."

"But if, from somewhere, you borrowed a treasure of 1000 grams of gold, you could purchase items worth 1000 grams of gold."

"We are the same, except we borrow not gold, but productivity."

".I think I understand."

"Ji Xing first nodded, then shook her head and said:"

"What you borrow must be repaid; when the time comes to pay the price, what will you do?"

"A joke—I already have so many weapons; why should I repay your money?"

"Ji Xing stared, dumbfounded."

"She looked at Chen Jian, both laughing and crying, suddenly realizing he wasn't as stern and rigid as she had imagined."

"After all, they are still human."

"Ji Xing let out a long breath, her tone wistful as she said:"

"This is the first time I've heard someone explain their plan in this way—frankly, it's quite interesting."

"Perhaps after we find a way into the mountain city, we can continue cooperating."

"Because I really want to see just how far you can go."

"But first, look at what's before you—Anqing has arrived."

"Chen Jian pointed to the building emerging ahead, then said:"

"Since you are all familiar with Anqing, this time you will take the lead."

"First find a place to settle, then we will carry out our plan."

"With Zeng Yi taking the lead and Ji Xing assisting."

"Understood—but what is the plan?"

"Zeng Yi spoke up, asking:"

"Reconnaissance, surveying, spreading news, testing feedback."

"The specific details will be determined after we settle down."

"Understood."

"Zeng Yi asked no more; the group entered the city as merchants, then followed Zeng Yi to the inn prepared for merchants to check in."

"Meanwhile, Chen Jian and He Shuo walked silently behind the two Holy Blooded ones, carefully observing the surroundings and gathering any intelligence they could."

"After a while of observation, Chen Jian spoke:"

"Anqing's armed forces should be considerably stronger than those of Han Shui City."

"Although Han Shui City can muster nearly a thousand people, the vast majority are logistics personnel, or what they call artillery priests and machinists."

"Those roles are not full-time combatants; they are more akin to militia."

"But Anqing is different—just the number of patrolling city defenders far exceeds that of Han Shui City."

"These people are surely full-time soldiers, and their weapons are far superior to those of Han Shui City's defenders."

"By this calculation, Anqing should be able to field a fighting force of over a thousand."

"Although they might not be able to withstand 4,000 horrors head‑on, as support they are absolutely sufficient."

"But the precondition is that they are willing to fight."

"He Shuo, while scanning the residents walking through the city whose skin was generally smeared with black grime, said:"

"The Machine God Sect may not have the motive to take the offensive; a thousand fighters cannot defeat 4,000 horrors in open battle, but in a city defense they would have more than enough."

"Rather than actively seeking annihilation, they would be better off staying put."

"What was that word again? Deterrence?"

"In short, to get them to fight, we need a sufficiently strong motive."

"And right now... we seem not to have one."

"So we will first release information about Huadu to test their reaction."

"Chen Jian followed Zeng Yi into the inn; the proprietor quickly noted their details and arranged rooms."

"The conditions here, while not matching the standalone residence they had in Han Shui City, are still far superior to those of Xia Ma Town."

"Beside the inn's lobby, there is even a specially set‑aside room housing a radio that can contact the outside, for use by traveling merchants."

"However, this device is costly to use: the startup fee alone is ten grams of gold, and it charges ten grams per minute, so unless the situation is truly urgent, few would be foolish enough to employ it."

"——"

"Chen Jian certainly wouldn't use it either; although their own portable radio is only fifty watts, it is already more than sufficient."

"Radio signals in this world are pitifully scarce; the ionosphere is clean as a whistle—even a ten‑watt set can send its signal a thousand kilometers if luck is on their side."

"That is probably why radio equipment has survived in this world."

"Because this thing is genuinely useful."

"After simply setting down their gear and luggage, Chen Jian let out a long breath, switched on the radio to contact the standby Shen Yue and others, then tuned to the frequency used by Wang Li of the Circular Merchants' Guild, intending to brief them on the latest intelligence about the Anqing ruins and, incidentally, raise the price."

But just as the channel came online, he received a call from Wang Lizi.

Obviously, they had already been trying to make contact with our side.

Chen Jian's heart gave a sudden jump; at that moment, he felt a premonition akin to intuition.

Perhaps these ring merchants had already known the situation in Anqing.

Chen Jian had no evidence to prove his guess, of course, it could also be that his logic hadn't caught up yet, and his intuition sounded the alarm first.

But he did not reveal himself; instead, he exchanged information with them in a calm manner, informing them of the progress.

And upon receiving his message, just as Chen Jian had guessed, the ring merchants immediately arranged a meeting.

"Our people will arrive in Anqing City in two hours; we'll contact you again then."

"We'll discuss the finer details when the time comes."

"If the situation is truly as dire as you say, we can consider deepening our cooperation."

"Understood."

Chen Jian gave a brief reply and cut the frequency.

Then he let out a soft breath and said to the few waiting beside him:

"These ring merchants' thoughts are not so simple."

"No matter what they're plotting, we must be prepared."

"We will cooperate with them, but we must absolutely not let them take advantage!"

(End of chapter)