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Chapter 676: The Auction of Treasures
Chapter 676: The Auction of Treasures
September 25, 2017
In the blink of an eye, time had flown to April of 185.
After the Yellow Turban Rebellion, all across the land, various outsiders began to emerge one after another.
With the appearance of these outsiders, the entire realm became lively, and from time to time, conflicts could be seen in different regions. In just a few months, Lu HaiKong was aware of dozens of significant clashes.
Despite the conflicts, these outsiders maintained a level of restraint during this period, preventing the escalation into prolonged wars. Overall, the world remained relatively peaceful, as those with ambitions for the greater good were mostly in the developmental stage at this time.
Typically, those who emerged during this phase had secretly accumulated strength and needed to interact with the outside world to continue their growth.
Apart from the inevitable conflicts, the year 185 onwards also witnessed a commercial boom, with various caravans sprouting up everywhere, all striving to develop their economic territories. At first glance, it seemed like a thriving and prosperous scene.
This situation was within Lu HaiKong's expectations. He was more vigilant about the Three Prefectures, absolutely not allowing any other outsider forces to appear within them.
Of course, Lu HaiKong's dominance was well-known. Not only had he thoroughly cleansed the Three Prefectures numerous times, but there were no other outsider territories left. Even if there were, they would have to choose to leave, for Lu HaiKong was, without a doubt, the foremost outsider in every sense across the realm at present.
Interestingly, while many outsider forces were making big moves, Lu HaiKong, as the leading outsider, had been relatively quiet these past months, without any significant actions.
In reality, Lu HaiKong had been making moves, but they were too minor. He had been busy with the construction of Beifeng City for the past few months, but the progress seemed lackluster.
Despite an improved appearance compared to before and becoming the economic center of the Three Prefectures, Beifeng still struggled to achieve a surplus in its finances, and the scale was still too small.
Moreover, its influence on the areas outside the Three Prefectures, including the previously conquered Taiyuan Prefecture, was minimal.
This situation arose because Lu HaiKong's primary development tool, the livestock industry, faced competition. Gongsun Zan, in the neighboring Youzhou, had imitated Lu HaiKong's rise by establishing a livestock market to compete for business, which was not surprising given their rivalry and the substantial profits involved.
However, what Lu HaiKong didn't anticipate was someone setting up a similar market within Bingzhou, specifically in Shuofang Prefecture.
As soon as the livestock market in Shuofang Prefecture emerged, Lu HaiKong knew something was amiss. Indeed, most of the aristocratic merchants from outside Bingzhou and the Three Prefectures flocked there.
This situation became tricky. Lu HaiKong's livestock industry in Beifeng was further reduced, which he was unwilling to accept. However, he had no solution at the moment. Any action he took against Shuofang Prefecture would cause the aristocratic families in the other prefectures to be on high alert, uniting against him with the stance, "You dare to touch it, and we'll fight you to the death."
Under these circumstances, Lu HaiKong restrained himself from making any significant moves.
Just when everyone thought Lu HaiKong had no more tricks up his sleeve, his followers suddenly began sending out numerous invitations.
These invitations were primarily aimed at newly emerged outsiders, as well as aristocratic families and caravans controlled by outsiders or those with outsider connections.
Initially, few people showed interest in Lu HaiKong's invitations, as this was a time for rapid development. Everyone knew that Lu HaiKong was in an economic predicament, and without introducing new strategic economic goods, his situation would become dire.
During this period of high-speed development, if Lu HaiKong were to be restrained, his position as the top outsider might be in jeopardy. Although Lu HaiKong held the titles of General Who Conquers the North and Governor of Bing Province, and could even be considered a future Imperial Son-in-Law, many formidable figures had emerged in recent times.
However, a beautifully illustrated catalog accompanying Lu HaiKong's invitations shocked everyone.
In this world, there was one thing that all outsiders cherished the most—Treasures. These were extremely rare, and a good treasure could play a pivotal role, with some even having long-term impacts on the development of territories. Thus, treasures were always treasured and cherished by outsiders.
While some outsiders obtained a treasure and cherished it with great care, others were already updating and replacing their treasures, and some could even hold auctions for them.
Lu HaiKong arrived with a famous invitation, accompanied by a few precious items that he had kept as his most prized possessions for the upcoming Artifact Auction in Beifeng.
Among these treasures, the most valuable was not an artifact but a pill called the Divine Valor Pill.
When all the Outsiders saw this catalog, the success of Lu HaiKong's Artifact Auction in Beifeng was already guaranteed.
Lu HaiKong's invitations were sent out at the end of March, and the auction was scheduled for April 15th. These invitations were distributed across the three states of Bing, Ji, and You.
From the moment Lu HaiKong's followers sent out the invitations, numerous factions within the three states began making their way towards Lu HaiKong.
After all, this was the first and largest-scale Artifact Auction in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and even leaders of some factions, despite their busy schedules, would send representatives to attend.
Starting from April 10th, a steady stream of people flowed into Beifeng City. Each faction brought with them a guard team ranging from several hundred to several dozen members. Thousands of people came and went daily.
This situation somewhat exceeded Lu HaiKong's expectations. Initially, he had only invited around thirty to forty factions, mostly those nearby, but somehow, the news spread, and the number of attendees far surpassed Lu HaiKong's imagination.
Not only did various large and small factions arrive, but individual wanderers also flocked to the event.
Lu HaiKong's side was clearly unprepared for such a turnout. Before the auction began, he had already summoned Wen U's Wuyuan Legion to guard Beifeng, and arranged for Gao Shun's Immobile Army and Pan Feng's Imperial Guard to assist in maintaining order.
Initially, Lu HaiKong had no intention of restricting the Outsiders who came, but this was his first time organizing such an event, and it was also the first time these factions had experienced a gathering of dozens, or even hundreds, of factions in one place.
In this situation, it was easy for a small incident to escalate into a group event. Therefore, Lu HaiKong designated an area in Beifeng City specifically for accommodating these factions and holding the auction.
Of course, Lu HaiKong also took precautions in the most critical area. These factions were primarily attracted by the auction, and among them were not only Outsider leaders but also many Outsider wanderers. With such a mixed crowd, it was hard to guarantee that someone wouldn't act irrationally.
Lu HaiKong dispatched Dian Wei and the Phantom Guards to secure the auction, providing them with the Forbidden Stele to prevent any mishaps.
Lu HaiKong had only intended to take precautions, but from April 10th onwards, these Outsiders began to bring him pleasant surprises.
Some self-proclaimed powerful Outsider factions and wanderers decided to seize some items before the auction and leave. However, they ran into an iron wall.
On the night of April 10th alone, over a dozen unruly individuals were captured and executed by Dian Wei. These individuals either possessed unique skills or special artifacts, hoping to take advantage, but instead, they added several special items to Lu HaiKong's auction and became his best examples to demonstrate his authority.
On April 11th, Lu HaiKong displayed the heads of those ten individuals at the gates of Beifeng City, immediately subduing the other Outsiders.
These Outsiders had their own circles, and while the leaders had their secrets, the wanderers were different.
The world of wanderers was like a vast and complex network, and according to Lu HaiKong's knowledge, there was even a so-called List of Heroes Under Heaven among them, specifically recording famous and powerful wanderers.
Lu HaiKong hadn't paid much attention to this aspect, but his agency, Unusual Individuals' Home, was well-informed. According to them, among the ten individuals killed on April 10th, several were on that list, and it was their heads that had such a significant deterrent effect.
Speaking of the Unusual Individuals' Home, this agency was established last year after the suppression of the Wuxian Rebel Army, and in nearly a year, they had gradually developed a tacit understanding with Lu HaiKong, becoming a powerful assistant under his command.
As one of Lu HaiKong's agencies, the Unusual Individuals' Home played a significant role in this Artifact Auction. It was with their help that Lu HaiKong was able to quickly grasp the situation with the Outsider factions and deliver the invitations to them.
In addition to gathering intelligence and delivering invitations, the Unusual Individuals' Home also took on tasks in Beifeng City, such as maintaining order and purchasing artifacts.
With the efforts of the Unusual Individuals' Home and Lu HaiKong's other forces, the Artifact Auction finally took place as scheduled...
(End of Chapter)
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