Journey to the head

The majestic Baiyujing Peak stands tall, while the verdant Biluo Peak rises majestically.

Since Sect Leader Lu Qian led Jiang Qingfeng, Jiang Baitao, and Yu Jiao to the distant ocean, Wang Yu felt the burden on his shoulders had increased tenfold.

Lin Le's inner demon tribulation was fierce and dangerous. For the past half year, he had been confining himself to the courtyard. Not to mention that outsiders did not know whether he was in danger or not, Wu Yan could only look towards the courtyard gate and pray day and night. Her mind was restless and her energy was greatly scattered.

According to the original arrangement, Lin Le was unable to manage the Transmission of Skills Department and the Intelligence Department due to the calamity, so Wu Yan was in charge of the Transmission of Skills Department, Wang Yu concurrently managed the Intelligence Department, and Jiang Baitao took over Wu Yan's original Rewards Department.

However, Wu Yan is becoming increasingly anxious and unable to manage affairs. Jiang Baitao has also gone to sea with Lu Qian, making it difficult for the Transmission of Skills Department, Intelligence Department, Rewards Department, and Foreign Affairs Department to operate normally. They all need Wang Yu's supervision.

The most troublesome thing is that the busiest and largest department, the Internal Affairs Department, was handed over to Wang Yu by Jiang Qingfeng, who was at sea. In addition, the Punishment Department, which Wang Yu was in charge of, also came into play. Now, Wang Yu would have to take charge of six departments to varying degrees. Moreover, with Lu Qian absent, he, as the deputy head, had to oversee the entire situation.
An absolutely inhuman workload.

Even if Wang Yu is no longer human, it would be difficult for him to bear the consequences. Now, Yunshan is a large and powerful family, a major force in the region. If he is overwhelmed with problems and makes any mistakes, the impact would be enormous.

Therefore, Wang Yu decisively convened a meeting of elders, and the remaining elders distributed and divided the work among themselves.

In addition to his duties in the General Staff, An Fanghe also concurrently served as the head of the Intelligence Department; Zhao Kongque, the deputy director of the Public Security Department, assisted in managing the Rewards Department; even the Supervision Department, which was clearly stipulated to be an independent system and could not be staffed by multiple people to ensure fairness, could only be temporarily assisted by Director Su Yan of the Foreign Affairs Department.

Even so, Wang Yu was still responsible for the Punishment Department, the Merit Transmission Department, and the Internal Affairs Department, while also providing overall guidance, instructions, and coordination for the work of each department and division.

For more than half a month, he had barely slept. Fortunately, his half-corpse body was incredibly resilient, and he had made some progress in martial arts, so his body could hold on, but he was inevitably mentally exhausted.

At this moment, he was sitting at his desk, which was ten feet long and piled high with official documents from various departments and offices. He was writing furiously and reviewing them with flowing strokes. Four disciples assisted him from the side. Two of them sorted out the documents he had finished reviewing and passed them down, while the other two brought new documents and placed them into the small mountain of books and documents.

Meanwhile, Li Sheng, who was being groomed as a key candidate, stood quietly behind him, learning how to handle government affairs and approve official documents.

Report from the Public Security Bureau on the Relocation and Reconstruction of Ordinary People

The "Relocation and Reconstruction of Mortals" project is actually called the "Large-scale Land Relocation and Reconstruction Project of Mortals within the Territory, and the Reconstruction of Counties, Towns, and Villages."

This is a new policy discussed and passed by the Yunshan Sect Elders Council sixteen years ago, after the end of the demon chaos, and the Security Department is fully responsible for it.

Over the past century, the chaos caused by corpses plagued Cangzhou, and the chaos caused by demons ravaged Qingzhou. The people of both states have been devastated, the three-tiered governance structure of counties, towns and villages has been damaged, and the foundation of cultivation has been greatly destroyed. How to quickly stabilize the people's hearts and increase the population has become the primary problem.

The attempts to use drugs and colored books to stimulate the image were halted. The Yunshan Sect did a lot of work in accordance with Lu Qian's eight-character policy of "no worries about food and clothing, and no worries about doing anything". Later, they launched the project to relocate and rebuild ordinary people.

The scattered, surviving ordinary people will be relocated and brought together in one place. We will select prosperous areas and rebuild the three-tiered system of county, town, and village.

As for those barren mountain gullies and remote villages and towns, they were all abandoned.

After sixteen years of gradual relocation and reconstruction, the relocation and reconstruction project for mortals within the Yunshan Sect's territory is now basically complete. Inspired by the Yunshan Sect, various sects in Cangzhou and Qingzhou are also implementing similar practices.

In summary, this report comprehensively summarizes the achievements of the relocation and reconstruction project, extracts the experience gained in the work, and points out the existing problems and the next steps for improvement.

The Yunshan Sect governs Pinghu County, Xuantu County, half of Junle County, more than half of Chongming County, and a quarter of Sanshan County in Cangzhou; and Quyang County in Qingzhou.

After the relocation was completed, the scattered towns were merged and rebuilt, totaling 400 county towns with a population of 80 million.

It seems like a lot, but in fact, before the chaos of corpses and demons, 80 million was only equivalent to the population of two counties!

Furthermore, this figure of 80 million is just the total number. If we exclude the mortal population of the subordinate sects and vassal sects within the territory, the Yunshan Sect directly governs only 60 million people.

Converted to spiritual seedlings, approximately 170 to 180 spiritual seedlings can be born each year.

After reading the report, Wang Yu smiled slightly as he looked at the neat handwriting throughout and the bold signature of Wang Ruoyu at the end.

He wrote in his instruction: "The relocation and reconstruction over the past sixteen years has been a great achievement. The Public Security Bureau is hereby awarded a major merit. The Rewards Bureau is requested to draft a list of rewards in accordance with the relevant regulations and submit it to the Council of Elders for review."

"Furthermore, population growth is a long-term plan for the sect, and relocation and reconstruction are just the beginning. The Security Division must always implement the sect leader's eight-character policy of 'no worries about food and clothing, and no worries about doing anything,' and take stabilizing the mortal world and ensuring population growth as the top priority."

He handed over this report and then picked up a jade slip, which was delivered by the Transmission of Skills Department.

Draft of the Special Assessment Rules for the Mysterious Sound Dharma Assembly.

The first paragraph reads: "In order to thoroughly implement the spirit of the important speech delivered by Headmaster Lu Qian at the Elders' Meeting in April of 535, to implement the important instructions and directives on 'benevolence and leniency' in handling affairs, to further improve the working system of the Xuan Yin Miao Fa Hui, to enhance the effectiveness of the transmission of skills and teachings, and to build Yunshan into a great sect where disciples can each pursue their own dreams, display their own talents, and achieve their own path, these detailed rules are hereby formulated."

Wang Yu nodded. After all, the Transmission of Skills Division was trained by Lin Le. Even without the director, the quality of official documents had not declined.

The detailed rules are actually not long. They mainly address Lu Qian's previous ideas and specifically formulate and refine the relevant systems.

After these detailed rules are promulgated, if a disciple is deemed unqualified in ten consecutive Xuan Yin Miao Fa Hui ceremonies and is unable to obtain new cultivation techniques, he/she can apply for a special assessment.

As long as one passes the evaluation in terms of character, reputation, and past performance, they can be granted an advanced skill once, even if they are not considered for the position.

Wang Yu carefully considered the document for a moment and wrote on it: "Send this document to all elders for review, solicit their opinions, and make revisions and improvements. It will be implemented after the elders' meeting discusses and approves it."

The next letter was "Application from the Armory of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for Additional Funds for the Production of Tengshe Daobing".

Oh, it's Tao Zhongxian.

This kid doesn't care about official document format. Apart from the title, which looks somewhat decent, the whole thing is written in plain language.

He said that after he and his brother finished refining the two Sea-Measure Pearls for the sect leader, they finally had the energy to advance the research and development of the Tengshe Dao Soldier. However, after refining these two extraordinary treasures, he had a new idea and wanted to invest more in the materials for manufacturing the Tengshe Dao Soldier, so he applied for funding.

Finally, he confidently stated that as long as the funding was in place, the Tengshe Daobing experimental machine would be ready soon. Wang Yu smiled and wrote in plain language, "Money is not a problem. I can approve as much as you want. However, special funding must first be reviewed by the Elders' Council and supervised by the Supervisory Department throughout the process. After you take the money, think it over carefully. There's no rush to manufacture it."

"Because the sect leader has not returned, Lin Le is in seclusion, and the Tengshe Daobing matter is of utmost importance, it would be more appropriate for them to be present during the spirit infusion. Otherwise, if any problems arise, will you have to sacrifice half of your soul again?"

"You should rest more for now and don't rush to catch up. I heard you haven't been visiting Dongfang Hui much lately, and she's gotten so thin from starvation, that's not good."

As he put down the jade slip and was about to reach out again, an urgent document was handed to him.

Upon seeing the orange lacquer on the cover, Wang Yu's smile vanished. This indicated that the matter involved a certain scale of military force, and if the situation escalated, it could trigger a large-scale war.

The General Staff's Recommendation on Strictly Suppressing the Chaotic Rebels was followed by detailed intelligence from the Intelligence Department regarding the chaos among the rebellious rebels in Qingzhou.

After the demonic chaos, not only ordinary people but also the various sects that ruled Qingzhou suffered devastating blows.

The Yuan Shen Sect and the Ciji Sect were slaughtered, leaving only three Golden Core cultivators and a dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators, with a total of less than two thousand disciples.

Of the six Nascent Soul sects, only four remain, with a total of six Nascent Soul cultivators and forty-three Golden Core cultivators.

The Golden Core sects, including the Moonflower Sect, have dwindled to only five, with a total of nine Golden Core cultivators.

Many other minor sects at the Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining stages were almost completely wiped out, creating a huge vacuum and gap in the cultivation world of Qingzhou.

The surviving sects found themselves struggling to effectively control the territories of the forty-three prefectures.

For example, the Magnetism Sect, with only three Golden Core cultivators and two thousand disciples, was trying to control five prefectures. They were simply too busy trying to manage everything. They were only able to hold onto the Liangyi Mountain, a mid-level sixth-grade mountain, thanks to the decree from the Taiyi Paradise.

The vast Qingzhou, with its forty-three prefectures, was deserted, with many uninhabited spiritual veins frequented only by wild beasts, naturally attracting the attention of those who would pry from all directions.

Rogue cultivators from all over the world came attracted by the scent. They didn't need to challenge those Golden Core or Nascent Soul sects at all; they could settle down anywhere on a small spiritual vein. Some ambitious ones would shout and call out, recruit some cats and dogs, and establish their own sect.

Then there are the small, extinct sects, suddenly seeing many cultivators claiming to be survivors, wanting to inherit their legacy, rebuild their sects, and revive them. With legitimate and illegitimate successors all mixed together, who can distinguish the true from the false?

If one's own spiritual vein has already been occupied by a rogue cultivator, then a bloody conflict is inevitable.

There are also those who are wanted by the authorities in other places, whose hands are stained with blood, and who are even evil cultivators or demonic cultivators. They sneak into Qingzhou, change their appearance, and take the opportunity to clean up their act and become righteous cultivators.

The most troublesome thing is that even though Taiyi Paradise issued an order not to levy taxes on Qingzhou, the neighbors with ulterior motives still found loopholes.

Taking advantage of the situation, they dispatched their subordinates, disguised as independent cultivators, to enter Qingzhou, directly occupy the spiritual veins, and falsely establish sects, thus gaining control of a significant portion of Qingzhou's territory.

In recent years, several rogue cultivators of the Golden Core stage, whose authenticity is unknown, have emerged. They have each used their own methods to occupy a prefecture, claiming to be sects and ancestors, and becoming local tyrants. Inevitably, they have conflicts with the native sects of Qingzhou.

The native sects of Qingzhou lacked leaders and strategists, and they themselves were struggling to manage even their own small territories, making it difficult for them to achieve their goals.

Qingzhou, once a beautiful place, has gradually become a chaotic land in recent years. There are those who occupy the mountains and claim to be kings and ancestors; there are those who use false banners to commit petty theft; there are those who roam around, killing and robbing; and there are those who seize spiritual veins and sell them to other states.

It has reached a point where it must be dealt with seriously!
The various Nascent Soul and Golden Core sects in Qingzhou were quite astute, sending numerous letters to the Yunshan Sect. Ostensibly, this was because Yunshan occupied Quyang in Qingzhou, their ancestral lineage was there, and they were therefore part of Qingzhou; in reality, it implied that they would follow Yunshan Sect's lead.

Wang Yu picked up his pen and pondered deeply. Qingzhou was of great significance to the Yunshan Sect. In fact, most of the sect's elders already regarded Qingzhou as the Yunshan Sect's sphere of influence. They would not allow others to covet either the Yunshan ancestral vein or the possible emerging grotto-heavens.

However, Lu Qian adhered to the principle of uniting the people as kings and would not launch an attack without a just cause. Furthermore, at the Taiyi Paradise Peace Conference, he brought up the still-extinct Magnetism Sect and refuted the Golden Spear Mystic Lord's desire to occupy Qingzhou, thus earning him the title of "Jade Balance Spirit". Therefore, in terms of reputation, morality, and strength, he was temporarily unable to occupy Qingzhou.

Furthermore, for more than a decade, the Yunshan Sect has been working hard to digest the gains from the demon chaos, focusing its energy on self-improvement. The core members have shown promising growth, but the motivation to expand outwards is not strong.

Therefore, the situation in Qingzhou gradually deteriorated, and the Yunshan Sect did not take many actions, only firmly holding onto Quyang County.

Now that various sects and factions in Qingzhou are asking Yunshan for his opinion on suppressing the chaos caused by rogue cultivators, it is an opportunity for Yunshan, who has been practicing internal energy for sixteen years, to take action again and openly and legitimately deepen his control over Qingzhou.

After the Yunshan Elders Council discussed the matter carefully, it instructed the General Staff and the Intelligence Department to conduct research and provide their opinions. This is the background for the issuance of this recommendation.

After carefully reading the urgent report several times, and combining it with Lu Qian's ideas and arrangements before he set off, Wang Yu took another piece of paper and wrote.

"It is not appropriate to characterize it as 'suppression of rebellion'. The situation of the scattered cultivators in Qingzhou is complicated, and we must be extra careful in our handling of it. As instructed by the sect leader, 'suppression' should be changed to 'pacification'."

"Our faction will take the lead in convening the native sects of Qingzhou to establish the Qingzhou Sect Alliance, and conduct a comprehensive review of the newly established sects and the occupation of all spiritual veins in Qingzhou."

"Sects that have indeed met the criteria for establishing a sect and are willing to take root in Qingzhou, regardless of size or level, can be registered after passing the review and issued an imperial edict in the name of the Qingzhou Sect Federation to acknowledge them."

"But from now on, they shall be managed in accordance with the laws and regulations of the subordinate sects of my Yunshan Sect, fulfilling their corresponding obligations and enjoying their corresponding rights. They shall never again act recklessly or attack each other without cause. Conflicts between sects shall be adjudicated by the Federation."

"Those that do not meet the standards for establishing a sect should be disbanded immediately, and their spiritual veins should be returned to the management of the Qingzhou Sect Alliance. As for whether the disbanded cultivators stay or leave, that is up to them. However, if they choose to stay in Qingzhou as independent cultivators, they must abide by the laws of my Yunshan Sect."

"In identifying evil cultivators and demonic cultivators, we must mobilize the power of the vast number of cultivators to identify, report, investigate, and convict them. We must not let any bad person go unpunished, nor should we be swayed by biased opinions or wrongly accuse good people."

"In short, we must keep in mind the sixteen-character policy: focus on appeasement, supplemented by local governments, integrate locally, and strengthen through absorption."

"Of course, military deterrence is indispensable, and it is necessary to make an example of someone when necessary. At the same time, in order to restore order, it is essential to eliminate bandits."

"A year-long special operation to eliminate evil in Qingzhou will commence immediately! Two combat teams, 'Hanjiang' and the newly formed 'Zangying', are to be deployed to Qingzhou, led by the Mingzhao Zhenren Xiao Tianci, with the Four Precepts Vajra Xiang Kong and the Bottomless Taoist Fang Mengsheng as assistants."

Li Sheng suddenly reminded him from behind, "Senior Uncle Wang, Wudi Daoist and Ye Xiao of the Huanggen Sect are preparing for their ceremony to become Daoist partners. You previously granted him three months' leave." (End of Chapter)