darknovel Chapter 121 First, establish a base.
Chapter 121 First, establish a base.
Throughout the entire room, only Ma Cong remained unchanged in expression.
He knew very well that everything Li Jianguo gave him was like poison disguised as honey.
Vice President? Sounds impressive, but there's a President above you. As long as you're within the system, you have to follow its rules. What's given to you today can be taken back tomorrow.
Reform Committee? That's utter nonsense. They give you a title, put you on a pedestal, send in a bunch of their people to hinder you, monitor you, and ultimately turn all your achievements into their own political accomplishments.
As for the National Martial Arts Federation, once it is "officially recognized," its name will no longer be up to you.
This old fox wasn't trying to help him; he wanted to lock this fierce tiger in a cage he had designed, put a collar on him, pull out his claws and teeth, and turn him into an obedient cat.
"President Li," Ma Cong finally spoke, his voice still calm, "your terms are indeed very tempting."
Li Jianguo chuckled softly, "A wise man knows when to yield. I believe you're a smart man."
"However, I still have a few questions to ask," Ma-Cong said.
"you say."
"If I become the vice president and establish a committee, will our alliance's certification standards be based on my actual combat performance, or on the martial arts association's rank and routine standards?"
Li Jianguo paused for a moment, then chuckled and said, "This can be discussed slowly! We can combine our ideas to create a new standard that is both practical and traditional, achieving the best of both worlds."
To put it bluntly, it's about trying to smooth things over.
"If I were to break down sectarian barriers and require all sects to hand over their true core traditions and put them into a database for alliance members to study and research together, would the Martial Arts Association intervene to enforce this if some sects disagree?"
Li Jianguo remained silent for an even longer period this time.
"Ma Cong, this... is a bit too hasty. Sectarian differences are a problem left over from hundreds of years of history, and it can't be solved overnight. We should respect tradition and guide them gradually, instead of taking a one-size-fits-all approach."
To put it bluntly, it's simply impossible.
"One last question," Ma Cong's voice turned cold, "If I discover that someone within the Martial Arts Association is colluding with a fraudster like Lei Lei, abusing their power for personal gain, and corrupting the national martial arts, do I, as the vice president, have the authority to directly expel them?"
There was complete silence on the other end of the phone.
After a good ten seconds, Li Jianguo spoke again, the laughter in his voice completely gone.
"Ma Cong, you're still young. Water that's too clear has no fish. Some things can't be judged solely by their appearance."
Ma Cong smiled.
"I see."
Holding his phone, he addressed each of the senior masters watching him in the room, saying it word by word:
"Thank you for your kindness, Chairman Li. However, we have different paths, so we cannot work together."
"Your martial arts association's big ship is too heavy and too old. It has too many holes that need patching and too many ballast stones that need to be thrown overboard. I'm not going to get on it. I'm afraid that if it sinks, it will drag me down with it."
"My martial arts alliance will build its own new ship. As for whether it can sail far, that's none of Chairman Li's concern."
After saying that, Ma Cong hung up the phone.
The room was deathly silent.
Wang Benlei's mouth gaped open, unable to close it for a long time. He wanted to say "awesome," but felt that word was too mild.
Sun Changqing's face was full of worry.
These words were tantamount to a complete break with the Martial Arts Association, leaving no room for negotiation.
"Bang!"
Wang Benlei slapped his thigh, jumped to his feet, and roared, his face flushed, "Well said! Damn it! That's what we martial artists should say! What bullshit about being offered amnesty? We'd rather rot in the mud than go to their gilded cage and be beasts!"
"That's right! The Alliance Leader is right!" another grandmaster echoed excitedly. "Surrounding ourselves with them will only turn us into a cesspool sooner or later! Let's do it ourselves!"
The passion of the veteran masters was instantly ignited by Ma Cong's words.
Ma Cong looked at them, smiled, and said, "Seniors, please don't get agitated. The more he acts like this, the more it proves that we're on the right path. He's afraid, which is why he's trying to control us this way."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone, his voice becoming steady and powerful.
"He thought that by cutting off our path, we would turn back to him and beg for help. But he didn't realize that we ourselves could forge our own way."
"Everyone, now that we've had our fun, let's get down to business."
"The first thing is our 'base'. Everyone, please share your thoughts."
Looking at Ma-Cong's young yet incredibly confident face, Sun Changqing's worries unconsciously dissipated. He suddenly felt that following this young man might really lead to something extraordinary.
Li Jianguo's phone call was like a block of ice thrown into a pot of boiling oil, causing an uproar in the room. But Ma Cong's last few words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly calming everyone down and bringing their thoughts back to reality.
That's right, it's certainly satisfying to challenge the Martial Arts Association and get a moment of verbal sparring.
But after the initial euphoria, life goes on, and things still need to be done.
The National Martial Arts Alliance is currently just an empty shell, a concept that remains only in words. For it to truly take root and become an influential entity, the three things Ma Cong mentioned earlier are indispensable.
Of these three things, the most basic and urgent is the "base".
Without a fixed location, everyone remains a scattered group, unable to gather together or stay.
"Base location..." Sun Changqing pondered for a moment before speaking first, "Alliance Leader, do you have any specific requirements for this place? For example, its size, location, and so on?"
Everyone looked at Ma Cong, waiting for him to make a decision.
Ma Cong already had a preliminary idea in mind.
"The space definitely can't be too small." He held up his fingers and began to analyze the situation point by point. "First of all, there needs to be a large enough training ground, both indoors and outdoors. As the number of alliance members increases in the future, we'll need to spar and train together, and we can't do without a venue."
"Secondly, there need to be enough rooms. On the one hand, they can serve as offices for us veterans to hold meetings. On the other hand, and more importantly, they need to be used as dormitories. In the future, we will recruit talented young people for intensive training, and they will need to live and eat there for easier management."
"Secondly, the environment must be good and quiet. Practicing martial arts requires concentration and tranquility, so it can't be done in a noisy place like the city center, which will affect your state of mind. It's best to be in the suburbs, or even in the mountains, where the air is fresh and it's peaceful."
"Finally, the transportation can't be too bad. While it needs to be quiet, it can't be completely isolated. At the very least, there should be a road so that it's easy to get in and out by car. Otherwise, it's impractical for us to have trouble getting in and out when we hold events or when people come to visit."
Ma Cong stated four requirements in one breath, clearly and comprehensively.
The old masters in the room nodded in agreement. What they had thought of before was probably just finding a larger martial arts school or renting a factory, nothing compared to Ma Cong's far-sighted and meticulous approach.
"Indoor and outdoor training grounds, dormitories, offices, a quiet environment, convenient transportation..." Wang Benlei counted on his fingers, then slapped his forehead and said with a worried look, "My goodness, this isn't a base, it's practically a resort! How much is this going to cost?"
His words brought the most pressing issue to the forefront once again.
money.