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Chapter 186 - 186: One Hundred Eighty-Two: Clan Council (4)

Tang Luo believed that the trade-off was clear to many, such as the Mountain Chief and the Clan Principle. Taking this small amount of money in exchange for the true foundation of power in Xiling.

The two individuals who should’ve opposed this decision the most had yet to voice out their dissent, inadvertently offering the greatest support for this edict. As for Tang Gaomin’s opinion, he was powerless. In this world, there are always sacrifices for gains. There are no good prospects that offer immediate windfall without strategies. It couldn’t be realized through this ordinance for this instance.

Those present were people who were well acquainted with the inner workings of the Tang Clan. They also understood that a slight reduction in annual income didn’t amount to much. As Tang Gaomin was about to chime in, the patriarch, Tang Zhi, cut in, “Have you ever considered how the Mi Clan would react in response to this ordinance?”

For the Tang clan, the civilians of Xiling were merely an optional nuisance, and the wealthy families were nothing more than decorative ornaments. Only the Mi Clan of the South City was considered their sole competition. Hence, in any governmental decisions, assessing the reactions of the Mi Clan was deemed especially crucial.

Tang Luo was no exception and confidently replied, “The Clan Chief of the Mi Clan is by no means a foolish man. Faced with this new policy from North City, they have only one way to respond.”

To imitate us. As we lift the ban on cultivating lands, the Mi Clan will have to follow in our footsteps. If they do not, the South City commoners will converge towards North City, becoming our subjects. The Mi Clan would never allow this to transpire, hence, implementing similar policies will be their necessary course.”

With the intelligence of the Mi Clan’s leaders, once they see this ordinance, they would deduce the key issues. Their response would merely be a helpless choice because this ordinance doesn’t aim for immediate profit, but rather for the welfare of the common people. Their imitation wouldn’t enable them to break free of this framework.

That was Tang Luo’s real objective. As long as both clans were willing to implement the Five-Acre Farming Edict, the common people would be provided for. In twenty years, with Tang Luo’s progressive speed, as long as the development was steady, it would be easy to break the Mi Clan’s dominance.

Tang Zhi nodded. He had asked that questions just to test if Tang Luo had considered all angles. Upon receiving the answer, he fell silent.

He didn’t care much about whether to open the cultivation or not, nor was he concerned about Tang Luo’s plan. There were many ways to drastically increase the population. The only reason they had not been acting was due to Mi Clan, who stood in the Tang Clan’s way.

Before settling the conflict with the Mi Clan and truly establishing the dominant status, their internal governance strategy for Xiling has only one goal – to surpass the Mi Clan.

As Tang Zhi stopped speaking, the elders looked at each other. Other than Tang Gaomin, who still seemed resentful, the rest began to weigh their thoughts, preparing to vote. Just then, the Great Elder Tang Siyuan spoke, “This ordinance, benefiting the people at the expense of the Tang Clan, may seem like a fair trade but it plants the seeds for potential troubles. I am the first to disagree with it!”

There was an uproar among everyone present. They all turned their gaze to the Great Elder. They never expected him to be the first to voice his clear dissent in this clan meeting, especially when neither the Mountain Chief nor the Clan Principle spoke out. His attitude undoubtedly took a stance, causing wavering thoughts among those few elders who initially planned to pass the ordinance.

Tang Luo’s brow furrowed even more. He had known that the Great Elder disagreed with his proposal but didn’t expect the old man’s opposition to be so vehement. The Great Elder was the eldest among the thirteen elders. Many people present had been raised under his teachings, his stand undeniably held an influential impact on the decision of many. This sudden opposition was clearly hindering Tang Luo’s proposal.

Great Elder!’ Tang Luo stared straight into his eyes, asking, “What is the meaning of this?”

The elderly Tang Siyuan looked calm and composed, “Centuries of established ordinances are suddenly revoked without offering any benefits to the Tang Clan. I believe it would be more appropriate to leave it for future considerations.”

This was a policy that required time to take effect and was a minor concern to him. As for the original ban on cultivation, it was by no means inviolable. His outright opposition was not because of whether the proposal was feasible or not. Instead, he wanted to dampen Tang Luo’s assertive spirit!

Although Tang Hongtao had smoothed Tang Luo’s words many times, there was no doubt that his underlying resilience remained. The world, however, is such that the extremely rigid are easily broken. Just for this insignificant policy that could be easily maneuvered by an individual with authority, he wanted to let Tang Luo understand; although the courage to crash into the proverbial brick wall is commendable, helplessness in the face of reality is the norm.

However, what kind of person was Tang Luo? It was capability, not age, that he respected!

If the Great Elder could provide a reason, pointing out the shortcomings of the Five-Acre Farming Edict, he would joyously accept it and make the necessary amendments. But he was supposed to agree just because of old-fashioned principles? It was simply naive.

Frowning, Tang Luo says, “This is a place for discussing clan affairs, not a place for you to act old and wise! If you are so confused that you can’t even tell if a policy is good or bad, then maybe you shouldn’t be the Great Elder anymore! Keeping the position warm without fulfilling its duties is not the style of the Tang Clan!”

Silence…

No one expected Tang Luo to dare to mock the Great Elder so brazenly at the clan meeting. This caused the faces of those present to change dramatically. “Wham!!!” The strong spiritual power burst out from Tang Siyuan’s body. He stood up in an uproar, never having experienced such mockery. The formidable spiritual force of the Fierce Realm pressed against Tang Luo, the murderous intent was so strong that the temperature in the meeting hall dropped. Everyone silenced, watching the scene unfold before them.

The Great Elder was furious!

Tang Luo remained steadfast, even in the face of the oppressive might of the Fierce Realm, he held up his sharp spirit to resist, scoffing at his opponent.

“You… how dare…you…” Tang Siyuan’s eyes were filled with murder. He stared at the young man’s eyes and said almost word byword. The chilling tone made people shiver, but it couldn’t affect Tang Luo in the least.

With a snort, Tang Luo shot back, “If you disagree when the voting begins, just vote against it. Why make such a fuss and resist so vehemently with gibberish? What’s good or bad about this edict, have you thought about it carefully? Or are you just opposing for opposition’s sake? If someone who acts like you isn’t called confused, then who can be called that?”

“Good… very good! What a fine son Tang Sen has raised!” Tang Siyuan laughed out of anger, “You might not know, but the elders have the right to strip the council seat of a Clan Elder. You disrespect your elders so, I’m going to revoke your council seat right now!”

Everyone’s faces changed at once, and Tang Hongtao also stood up and said to Tang Siyuan, “Great Elder, that’s not right!”