This is a method for nourishing the land. If you keep planting wheat, the soil will be depleted too much.

Swaying as he walked to the edge of the manor, he saw that next door was the estate of a wealthy family, separated by a wide road.

"Young master, they're so lazy! They don't even plant beans."

Little White looked at a few luxuriously dressed men driving the lazy tenants and felt a bit disdainful.

"Don't talk nonsense!"

William Foster saw a group of men surrounding a young man walking over and hurriedly stopped Little White.

The group was simply dressed, but their presence was extraordinary.

"...Taishun, Confucius said, the way of the gentleman is quiet yet bright day by day, the way of the petty man..."

"Taishun, our Great Ming is growing day by day..."

"Taishun, the manure here stinks unbearably. Let's rest at the manor."

"Ugh! It really stinks! To think that we, learned scholars, have to smell the stench of commoners—what a disgrace to culture!"

All the men covered their noses with their sleeves, looking at William Foster with contempt in their eyes.

Little White was a bit nervous, afraid of angering these men who looked so imposing.

William Foster glanced at the young man standing in the middle, chuckled, and everyone thought he was about to say something profound.

"Stinks, my ass!"

The atmosphere froze, and then a few of the middle-aged men couldn't help but want to explode.

"Country bumpkin, do you know who we are?"

"Take him to see the magistrate!"

The young man watched the scene calmly, showing no intention of stopping it.

William Foster leisurely patted the Tang saber at his waist and lazily said, "See the magistrate, my ass! A bunch of idiots who don't even know the five grains!"

The men were so angry their faces turned red. How dare you insult us, learned scholars, as if we could be as ignorant as you country bumpkins.

Chapter 8: I Despise You All

"Clang!"

William Foster drew his saber, and the men were so frightened they bit their fingers, one of them even turned to call for help.

"Swish!"

A flash of cold steel, and a branch from a large tree nearby was chopped off.

"Good blade!"

The young man walked over with a look of surprise, and the others couldn't stop him.

"Where did you get this saber?"

William Foster sheathed the blade and said calmly, "Same as me, both from the countryside."

The young man bent down to pick up the branch, looked at the cut at the knot, and praised, "It really is a fine blade!"

Anyone who's chopped wood knows it's best to avoid knots.

But William Foster's strike actually cut through the knot, and the cut was neat.

"Do you have a degree?"

The young man showed a playful smile.

Looking at this young man, who was a few years younger than himself, before William Foster could speak, Little White shouted from behind, "My young master is a juren (provincial graduate)."

"Juren? Not bad."

William Foster saw how young he was, which meant he must be very smart.

The young man crossed his arms and asked with interest, "Then let me ask you, what do you think of the proposal to move the capital of Great Ming?"

In recent years, there had been much debate about moving the capital to Beiping, and Zhu Di had even killed people over it.

William Foster cupped his hands toward the city and said, "It's a good thing."

"Unfilial! Unfilial! How can this be a good thing?"

A man with a long beard pointed at William Foster, ready to scold him.

William Foster said calmly, "The Son of Heaven guards the gates of the nation, the king dies for his country—this is the true iron backbone of Great Ming!"

"Well said!"

Just as the men were trembling with anger, the young man couldn't help but applaud, his eyes shining as he looked at William Foster, "A hidden talent in the wilds!"

William Foster looked disdainfully at these bookworms who had read themselves stupid. "The only external threat to Great Ming can come from the north, but the capital is far in the south. If trouble arises, may I ask you learned scholars, who will defend us?"

"Great Ming has nine border regions, fierce generals like clouds, armored soldiers like rain—how dare the barbarians even think of invading?"

"Just send a general, what's there to worry about!"

William Foster looked at these "learned scholars," shook his head, and shouted, "Idiots!"

You dare call us idiots?

Before the men could retaliate, William Foster drew his saber and said, "Since the founding of Great Ming by the Taizu Emperor, we've driven out the Tartars, and even now the current emperor still worries about the north. Are they not smarter than you idiots?"

Seeing the men only sneer coldly, William Foster got even more fired up, his inner hot-blooded youth bursting out.

"Since ancient times, China has always faced external threats, and the greatest ones have always come from the north. If we don't prepare now, are we going to wait until after the fall of Yashan to reflect?"

Now, no one dared to speak, but their expressions were strange, and they looked at William Foster as if he were a dead man.

"Great Ming has already driven the Yuan to barren lands—where's the crisis?"

A man who looked mature and steady said, "You say the threat is from the north, but did the Qin dynasty fall to the north? Did the Han fall to the north? Did the Sui fall to the north?"

As soon as he finished, his companions all clapped in agreement.

The young man played with the branch in his hand, also waiting with interest for William Foster's answer.

You fools, you underestimate my lurking skills on the forums!

William Foster laughed loudly, "You don't even realize you're idiots, so let me give you a lesson."