Chapter Eighteen Misunderstanding

  Inside the Luo Mansion

  "That Na Luo's son wants to drive us out and kill us, Lifen, you must save me." Xiao Jian, the master of the Xiao family, looked pale and extremely anxious.

  "Save, save, save, I can barely save myself, how can I save you? The entire Luo Manor is surrounded by fierce soldiers like wolves, it's a desperate situation. What can I, a weak woman, do? Go out and fight those men to the death?" said the beautiful young woman known as Lifen with some impatience.

  "Lifen, you are the mistress of the Luo family, the nominal mother of the young master of the Luo family. Everyone in the Luo family listens to you. Saving one person's life is nothing, can't you think of a way for me?" Xiao Jian, the head of the Xiao family, continued to plead, thinking about his own life.

  "Listen to me, would that kid really listen to me and bring soldiers to surround this place? I'm just a stepmother, a later mother, what does it have to do with the future master of the Luo family? You think he's looking for you? He's looking for me, me! Now everything is over, everything is finished." The beautiful young woman looked dejected.

  "Lifen, there's still a way out, as long as you go beg him, kneel down and beg him, maybe there's still hope. Think about it, an elder kneeling in front of him, would he still dare to hold grudges against past things? Lifen, are you going or not? Let me tell you, Wang Lifen, if the Xiao family is finished, you won't be spared either. Don't forget, if that little brat finds out about our good deed, you're dead for sure, dead for sure!"

  "It's useless, do you think he wouldn't know about our affair? That kid Luo Kai has been suspicious of this sort of thing all along. Now that Hu Yuan Guang has handed over the intelligence unit to him, it means he won't be asking any more questions about this matter. Without Hu Yuan Guang's cover-up, he should know everything by now. At this point, we can only resign ourselves to fate." Wang Lifen's face was filled with despair, and if she had the courage to commit suicide, she would have ended her own life long ago.

  "No, I don't want to die, you slut, it's all because of you, you've ruined me. I'll kill you, and then that young master won't blame me." Xiao Jian's face was crazed as he suddenly pulled out a dagger from his clothes and stabbed it into the beautiful young woman's heart.

  "Even if you die, you'll die in front of me, and as for me, I won't die. I'm going out, I'm going to escape."

  Looking at the young woman's face filled with incredulity, looking at a beautiful flower wilting in front of her, Xiao Jian's numb face showed no emotion, his mouth constantly muttering words like "won't die" and "escape".

  Outside the Luo Mansion.

  Lu Kai, dressed in formal attire and exuding an aura of majesty, was surrounded by several elite warriors with the most advanced equipment. Under the leadership of Lu Zhenhuan, who had been waiting for a long time, Lu Kai proudly walked through the main gate of the Lu Manor.

  "Who would have thought that in less than ten days, I would return to the Luo Manor in such a way. The subtlety and complexity of fate lies in its unpredictability."

  "General, you are the one who holds people's fate in your hands. At least, many people's fate here is in your hands." Luo Zhenhuan said with a sigh, his eyes scanning around.

  Luo Kai smiled and patted Luo Zhenhuan's back, then turned around and asked Lie Jingcang.

  "Brother Li, my intelligence officer told me that my beloved Xu Guanjia is a formidable martial arts expert with great strength and skills, nicknamed 'Iron Plate Xu', I wonder if you've heard of him."

  "Who is Tieban Xu? I've only heard of him vaguely, I just know that he should be a figure from the same era as Zhao Hongyuan and Master Zhao, practicing Wudang's Eight Great Golden Fists, Hard Qigong, Iron Board Form, internal and external cultivation. His hard skills shouldn't be inferior to my Tiger's Roar Golden Bell Shield. As for the rest, I don't know. However, considering his age is already over 70, within ten moves, I will definitely win."

  Lethal Engine's massive body stood tall like a mountain, his arms crossed over his chest.

  Without seeing him, his words are already superior; only someone as mighty and powerful as Liezi can have such a grand tone.

  "Alright, Brother Lie is indeed a dragon and tiger among men, with an extraordinary aura of dominance. However, this time it may not be necessary for Brother Lie to take action."

  Luokei nodded slightly and gestured for the long spear holders behind him to move forward, starting to search for several specific targets that had been previously assigned, which were directly related to the rebellion.

  The long spear men were sent up first, this arrangement was undoubtedly made with ulterior motives. Now the gunners are hard to come by and Luo Ke cannot bear them being injured in vain during the search, so he sent the long spear men up first.

  "Now hundreds of archers and gunmen have surrounded the Luo mansion, making it as impenetrable as a copper wall and iron fortress. Those inside are unable to escape, and the only way out is for them to capture me alive to use as leverage to break through the siege, but this possibility is extremely slim."

  It seemed like he was talking to himself, but also seemed to be explaining to Li Qingcang and Luo Zhenhuan beside him. As soon as Luo Kai's words fell, a commotion broke out in the backyard, with sounds of fighting and wailing growing louder from afar, Xu Guan's housekeeper charged towards Luo Kai unexpectedly.

  "Full auto fire."

  Luo Zhenhuan gave the order, and like a taut string being released, the soldiers behind him, who had been on high alert for some time, almost simultaneously fired bullets from their guns at the target.

  Xu Guanjia saw Luo Kai, his eyes lit up, and he was about to pounce forward, but suddenly his body hair stood on end, and a sense of foreboding arose. He hastily slid sideways and dodged behind a fake mountain after rolling over lazily.

  At that time, the crackling sound was loud and clear, just like pouring water, the wall beside Xu Guan's house was almost shaved off by the dense bullets, and the stone chips flew everywhere.

  Lethal Engine's eyebrows were tightly furrowed, seemingly shocked by the rifle's actual combat power, and also seemed to be thinking about switching positions, wondering what he would do if he were in this situation.

  At the critical moment, Xu Guanjia remained calm and composed, having encountered countless dangers throughout his life. The great martial artist's heart was not about to be intimidated by this scene. Judging that the first round of bullets from the firearms in front had basically been fired, Xu Guanjia calmed down, concentrated his mind, and prepared for a desperate move.

  As Lai Jing Cang said, Iron Plate Xu was old, but the successive movements caused this old man's breathing to become disordered. However, Iron Plate Xu was no ordinary old man.

  In fact, both Lü Jing and Luo Kai underestimated the strength of Xu Guan's house, because personally, Xu Guan did not make himself look younger, which led to Luo Kai and Lü Jing making a wrong judgment.

  This martial artist, who made a name for himself as "Iron Plate Xu" in his early years, is an old and venerable master of the national art. He is a true and authentic master of the national art, unlike Li Jingcang, who has just begun to condense his fist intent and is still easy to provoke. This old steward, like Zhao Hongyuan, is an old master who has practiced to the point where his face remains youthful and his spirit is fully realized.

  What is Yì Suǐ Dà Chéng? Through the practice of Qigong, entering the bones and washing the marrow, it makes the whole body's organs clear and empty, the meridians smooth and unobstructed, and the bones strong and full of marrow. Achieving Yì Suǐ Dà Chéng in martial arts is a living legend!

  Such a legend can condense the essence into the bone marrow, collecting the essence into the bones and spinal cord. In peacetime, use the essence to warm and nourish the bone marrow, cultivate the body and nurture the nature. In wartime, it is possible to force out the essence and energy from the entire skeletal system in an instant, bursting forth with a power that is several times stronger than that of a young master at his physical peak.

  This explosion is as resplendent as summer flowers, colorful and varied, but short-lived like a fleeting flower, only for an instant!

  Only wish life freezes at this moment, only wish time freezes at this moment!

  "Taihai Wang, I have fulfilled all your promises. The young eaglet has grown up, and a new eagle will replace you flying in the blue sky, but who will replace me?"

  The old steward looked up at the sky, a meteor fell.

  Hunchbacked and pot-bellied, walking like a crane with the back of a turtle, feet moving like dragons and snakes! The old steward's internal and external skills have been brought to an extreme in the Eight Great Golden Vajras of Wudang.

  When the cat is crouching, its back is round, which is the best state of "hugging chest and pulling back" required in traditional martial arts - rounded shoulders and rounded back. The old housekeeper burst out with all his might, with precision, energy, spirit, and life.

  As if possessed by a ghost, with strength like a ghost taking over!

  Bang, bang

  Two shots rang out, and everything returned to calmness.

  Lu Kai Zhang panted heavily, his entire body drenched in cold sweat. His outstretched right hand trembled uncontrollably, causing the metallic glint of the 54 pistol to shake along with it.

  Roke's pistol was pressed against Old Guan's forehead, while Old Guan's dry palm rested on Roke's neck.

  Sometimes silence is better than sound.

  It was as if a century had passed, Luo Ke closed his slightly open mouth, smoothed out his disordered breathing, and the look of shock on his face returned to calmness. His right hand, which had been strained from overexertion and was now sore and aching, was withdrawn.

  "Rest in peace, old steward. I've received your intention. All of this is fate. The only thing to blame is that you stood on the wrong side, and the only thing to blame is that you knew my biggest secret."

  Gently lay down the old butler's gradually cooling body on the ground. Luo Kai said quietly.

  The next day, a file from the Intelligence Bureau was placed on Luo Ke's desk, and Luo Ke confirmed what he had been thinking.

  The growth of the young eagle requires long-term tempering, weak people need to be irrigated with hot blood, and the blood needs to be stimulated by hardships, but it is unknown that the weak Luo Ke has been replaced by a traverser...

  Pacifying the rebellion allowed Luo Kai to grasp the great power of southern Taiwan, giving him the necessary conditions for a big show.

  This country must make up for the loss of physical strength with spiritual power. It is precisely because of poverty that education should be promoted. There has never been a country that became poor or extinct from promoting education.

  A large amount of money was invested in education, 120 schools, 30 libraries, countless books, compared to the military budget, these investments were just a drop in the bucket.

  Undoubtedly, although the effect of education investment cannot be seen in a short period of time, it is a matter of nurturing future generations in the long run.

  As an excellent university student graduated from a famous university, Luo Kai has an eternal passion for learning. He established the first chemical laboratory on Taiwan Island and worked hard to bring together well-known and unknown experts and scholars on the island to form an academy called the Taiwan Academy of Sciences.

  Every night is the busiest time for the Taiwan Strait Science Academy, where people gather to discuss various issues related to different disciplines. The operation of celestial bodies, the evolution of the earth, the causes of war, the relationship between religion and government, and so on, are all discussed in an all-encompassing manner.

  And every time those spirited scientists argued until they were red in the face, Luo Ke would always declare as an arbitrator who was right, or that none of the debaters were correct, and then after declaring the correct answer, he would say a string of theories that made the scientists suddenly enlightened but still unable to fully understand.

  If there is a problem, it must be solved. Therefore, on the second day, many scientists will see busy figures, and the pioneers of science in Taiwan's Academia Sinica are growing up in this atmosphere.

  Without rules, there would be no square or circle. The operation of a country's politics, economy, and various social activities cannot be separated from the constraints of "law", and the implementation of various policies also requires a relatively effective theoretical basis. Therefore, Luo Kai formulated a code for the centralization of Taiwan - "Taihai Code".

  The "Taihai Code" has clear principles, reasonable arrangement, rigorous logic, concise language, and embodies the principles of freedom and equality, ownership principle, contract autonomy principle.

  The "Taihai Code" includes civil law, commercial law, civil procedure law, criminal law and criminal procedure law. It is a code with the characteristics of Taihai, compiled by Luo Kai, drawing on later legal codes and the French Civil Code.

  The scale and technical level of a country's heavy industry development is an important symbol of its national strength.

  To rapidly tap into the war potential of Taiwan, Luo Kai increased the intensity of natural resource extraction. Oil extraction, coal mining, metal mining, non-metallic mineral extraction and logging are all growing at a geometric rate every month.

  It is worth mentioning that although as early as 1852, the Pole Ignacy Lukasiewicz had invented a method of extracting kerosene from more readily available petroleum, the development of the oil industry as a whole was slow in the 19th century. However, Rockefeller made large investments in this area because he knew the value of this black gold.

  What troubled Luo Kai the most was the raw material industry. The so-called raw material industry refers to industries that provide basic materials, power and fuel for the country. Such as black and non-ferrous metal smelting and processing, coking and coke, chemicals, chemical raw materials, cement, electricity, petroleum and coal processing, etc., all of which belong to this category, and these are precisely the weakest link in Taiwan's heavy industry.

  For this, Luo Kai almost invested half of the reserve's more than 30 million taels of gold, equivalent to nearly 200 million taels of silver, all of which were smashed into the heads of foreign merchants and foreign firms, turning a hundredfold profit into the driving force for businessmen, so first-class technology emerged, and factories sprouted up one after another.

  As the focus of heavy industry, processing industry is actually what Luo Kai worries about the least. As long as he can train workers and has Wu Tong Shipyard in hand, he can almost build anything he thinks of.

  In short, a single factor must be wrong, it must be the combination of various factors that led to the rise of great powers. And the rise of great powers is not achieved overnight, time is an issue that cannot be avoided.

  Spring has gone and autumn has come, flowers have withered and bloomed again, two years of time have passed.

  In two years' time, apart from accumulating strength for his own body and fists, Luo Kai did not forget the famous quote from Sun Tzu's Art of War: "Know yourself, know your enemy, a hundred battles will not be perilous."

  A plan for reunifying Taiwan has been drawn up.