MWC – Chapter 197 War Approaching?

I AM DROPPING THIS NOVEL. IF ANYONE WANTS TO CONTINUE THEY CAN. IF POSSIBLE PLEASE SHARE THE LINK SO I CAN BINGE READ TOO.

An hour later, all forty-one councilors of the Bate City-State gathered in the plaza before the stone fortress of the City Lord’s official residence.

There were four White Flag councilors, thirteen Yellow Flag councilors, and twenty-four Blue Flag councilors.

City Lord Chong Quanluo and Councilor Lu Ming of the Jifeng seat sat behind the stone table by the fountain, while the tri-flag councilors took their places on the dozens of stone stools scattered across the plaza.

To put it plainly, the true power holders of Bate City-State were the City Lord and the four major White Flag families.

The thirteen Yellow Flag councilors had already seen their power decline in comparison to the White Flag families. The most prominent among them owned just a few thousand mu of land and three to four hundred serfs. Some Blue Flag councilors were essentially title-holders in name only, clinging to status inherited from their ancestors. Two of them had seen their families sell off all land and serfs in the previous generation, and now relied solely on ancestral prestige to keep a seat in the political plaza.

When Chong Quanluo granted Lu Ming the same rank as the City Lord, naming him the Jifeng Councilor, no one objected; all accepted it calmly.

In fact, many felt quietly excited. Judging from the trial a few days ago, this Mayor Lu, even in the Eastern world, clearly wielded immense power and influence.

Such a figure becoming one of the city-state’s decision-makers could only benefit them. Some even hoped to bask in his reflected glory.

Chong Quanluo also heaped praise on Lu Ming.

He then sighed and shared news from his uncle in Nicolo City: the Allied Council was likely to expel their city-state from its ranks. He also spoke of the capital’s public outcry and harsh criticism directed at their city.

The tri-flag councilors were stunned, with sighs echoing from time to time. Some Blue Flag councilors were already considering whether they should abandon their homes and estates and flee elsewhere before the borders were sealed.

Suddenly, the gruff voice of Military Affairs Councilor Luo rang out coldly: “Then we fight! Rally all our sons and brothers—if we’re to die, we’ll die cleanly! Anyone who wants to feast on our flesh will crack their teeth doing it!”

No one responded, and the atmosphere turned awkward.

Lu Ming was momentarily taken aback. This old man, already over sixty, was still muscular and spoke with a thunderous voice—but evidently, he was as hot-blooded and simple-minded as a young man. No wonder his family’s military strength had been left far behind by Hawkeye Luo over the years.

At this point, Economic Affairs Councilor Luo looked at Lu Ming and sighed. “Councilor Jifeng, what should we do?”

His face was heavy with worry—he had lost the lawsuit and was now in an awkward position, especially considering the arrest of the rich man Liu by the Eastern Garrison.

Luo Yi stood by to translate for Lu Ming, dressed today in traditional sheer silk for the sake of harmony.

Popolo and Hawkeye Luo sat side by side like close allies, also turning to Lu Ming. They weren’t too worried—at worst, they could take their people and flee with Mayor Lu. Who knew? Perhaps their families would find a new future in the East.

The other councilors, hearing Economic Luo’s question, also turned their eyes toward the newly appointed and “one-of-a-kind” Jifeng Councilor.

Under the gaze of dozens of eyes, Lu Ming let out a long sigh and said, “At this point, we must seek renewal and reform. The customs the outside world condemns—though once taught by sages—are no longer suited to the times. Sage Baibite once prophesied a great upheaval unseen in a millennium. The East wind moves westward. We must endure. We must change. And wait—for my messenger to come again and spread the gospel.”

The local chieftains all nodded in agreement, though some felt doubtful—Why have I never heard this sage’s teaching before?

Still, this Councilor Jifeng seemed profoundly well-versed in the sacred texts, as they had already seen during the courtroom trial.

To argue with him—he really didn’t have the confidence. If the man managed to cite the source of a Hadith, then he himself would be committing a serious sin.

Several other tribal chiefs chimed in with their support, but in their hearts, they saw things all too clearly.

Among them, Economic Luo seemed to be one of the aware. The old man blinked his small eyes and gave a faintly bitter smile.

Lu Ming pulled out a thick stack of documents and first handed it to Chongquan Luo. “Lord Castellan, this is my proposed strategy for reform. Please take a look.”

Lu Ming dictated it, while Luo Yi and Luo Er wrote it down in the local dialect.

Chongquan Luo picked it up and glanced through it—only to be startled. By the time he finished reading, he was filled with dread.

He thought for a moment, then ordered the documents to be passed around.

Lu Ming was already getting up. “I caught a chill last night and have a headache. I’ll go back and get some rest.”

He didn’t want to listen to their bickering—he knew full well that the moment he left, chaos would erupt.

Sure enough, he hadn’t even left the Castellan’s residence when the square outside was already a noisy mess.

The so-called “strategy for reform” was to have Bate City abandon the supreme status of the Barbitt Code and revise it into a written law suitable for modern society.

He had already made substantial revisions himself. In fact, he had been busy with this for several nights. From the moment he decided to use the forced-marriage custom to absolve Old Liu of guilt, he knew this day would come.

The PR offensive by Richard’s legal team and Fira Oil in the Imperial Capital was, in truth, helping him—becoming his weapon to pressure Bate City into change.

He just hadn’t expected the City-State Alliance to respond so swiftly, and not with vague platitudes, but with a real threat—to expel Bate City from the alliance. There must be some changes behind the scenes that he wasn’t privy to, but in any case, this gave him the leverage to push for reform. Otherwise, he would’ve had to drag this out over who knows how many more rounds.

Back at Wolong Fort, Lu Ming saw a reporter from the trade delegation interviewing Hasan.

Lu Ming smiled and headed upstairs.

The interview was about a Tuzu woman treated as a slave and subjected to daily domestic violence. An Eastern tycoon fell for her simplicity, developed feelings for her, but angered the slave owner. As a result, the tycoon was falsely accused of rape—and Lu Ming won the case for him.

Hasan’s photo would also be published.

Influenced by so-called civilized society’s media narrative, outsiders had imagined a story of some beautiful Tuzu maiden—perhaps even a virgin—being raped and forced into marriage, which explained their outrage.

They needed newspapers rooted in Donghai to reveal the truth.

The press in Donghai had always been at odds with the press in the Imperial Capital.

Upstairs, Lu Ming made several long phone calls to the outside world.

By evening, Chongquan Luo and four White Flag Council members had arrived at Wolong Fort.

“All done arguing?” Lu Ming smiled slightly when he saw the five of them in the reception room.

Chongquan Luo looked a bit pale. “My uncle called again. Tomorrow, they’ll be voting on the proposal to expel Bate City from the alliance.”

Economic Luo and Military Luo both looked worried.

Hawkeye Luo and Bobo Luo were sighing as well. Though they believed Mayor Lu wouldn’t abandon them, the thought of leaving their homes and livelihoods still left them uncertain about the future.

Lu Ming nodded. “Just the six of us…” He paused for a moment—technically Luo Yi was also there, but Lu Ming had always treated him like background furniture. “Plus my secretary, whom I trust completely. So let’s speak frankly, from the heart.”

“Actually, the five of you alone can decide all affairs of Bate City-State, including abolishing the Barbitt Code and implementing the new legal code. Those who are dissatisfied are free to leave. You’re only seeing the immediate minor losses brought by the new code, but in reality, it will also attract a large influx of serfs from other city-states. Coupled with the development driven by the Tienhai Oilfield and the ongoing infrastructure projects—what do your short-term petty gains really amount to in comparison?”

In the new legal code, Lu Ming had merely removed many backward customs, with little else changed. After all, if the reforms moved too fast, not just the nobility but even the local serfs would struggle to accept them. Many changes needed to be implemented as part of a coherent process.

A sudden leap forward would inevitably trigger intense conflict—in most cases, revolution.

Even so, one major change remained: the new legal code recognized the concept that all people are born free, granting all serfs the status of free peasants.

Regarding marriage, it was defined simply as a union between a man and a woman to form a family—not as a property registration. However, polygamy, specifically one man with up to three wives, was still considered legal.

Looking at the group, Lu Ming continued, “Free peasants will still work the land under your ownership, just as before. In essence, nothing’s changed in that regard. And this new regulation will also attract more laborers to come here. Think about it—doesn’t that make sense?”

Chongquan Luo gave a bitter smile. “Mayor Lu, we can accept the new code. But will implementing it prevent the alliance from expelling us? My uncle says this time, the Alliance Council seems very serious.”

Lu Ming replied, “Take it slow—there’s no rush. Here’s what you can do: submit a request to the alliance for a fact-finding mission, let them come and assess whether our new legal and city-state system qualifies us to remain in the alliance. Just based on how our new legal code aligns with so-called Eastern civilized world standards, it already surpasses two-thirds of the other city-states!”

After a moment’s thought, Lu Ming added, “Also, if White Deer City tries anything during this time, all the better. I’ve been wanting to confront them. They’re running around claiming my oilfield is theirs and even making contact with Fira Oil—what are they trying to pull?”

Chongquan Luo’s eyes lit up, and he nodded silently.

The group continued talking late into the night before finally departing.

Lu Ming felt like he had only just fallen asleep when a sudden knock came urgently at the door.

He sat up as Luo Yi burst in with the telephone receiver in hand. “Master! It’s urgent—military intelligence. I—I…”

Lu Ming nodded and took the receiver from him.

It was Old Catfish’s voice. “My lord, White Deer City is on the move—they’re going door to door, rounding up all able-bodied men.”

Lu Ming nodded. White Deer City was the largest city-state in the region. After arriving here, the intelligence unit of the United Matrix had picked a target and recruited a small local merchant as an informant.

It seemed the news about the Alliance Council’s plan to expel Bate City-State had reached White Deer. After considering the matter, its lord had made up his mind: if the Council’s proposal passed the next day, he would declare war on Bate—or perhaps even launch an undeclared attack.

Thinking it over, Lu Ming said into the receiver, “Get ready.”

Although White Deer City had only a population of a little over 100,000, if it fully mobilized for war, it could still muster over ten thousand serfs for battle. After all, it still used a slave-society conscription model.

However, against the military technology of the Eastern states, such a force would be little more than a ragtag militia. Most would be equipped with cold weapons, and even counting every makeshift musket, they’d be lucky to field a thousand musketeers.