Online Game: Me, with Unparalleled Comprehension

After receiving their orders, the three men immediately entered the city with documents, their subordinates, and the pacification decree:

The process of checking household registrations, reducing or exempting taxes, opening granaries to distribute grain, repairing city defenses, recruiting scholars from humble backgrounds, and promoting virtuous officials was carried out smoothly and efficiently.

At the same time, notices were posted widely to discover talents of all kinds, such as craftsmen, doctors, martial artists, and strategists, and to recruit them according to their abilities.

Once the city is completely stable and the talent is in place, the three can be transferred back to their original positions.

With domestic affairs arranged, Wu Feng immediately ordered Han Yu, Mu Lingyun, and Huo Jiushan to lead their troops to advance and extend the border defense line to the vicinity of the newly occupied city, constructing fortresses, arrow towers, and beacon towers, and setting up layers of defense.

As for the northern defense line, Wu Feng was not worried at all.

The mixed army of players and NPCs led by Li Hu and Professor Zhang had already established a tight defense in the north.

Players are quick to react and well-informed, while NPC soldiers are stable in combat strength and disciplined. The combination of these two factors makes their combat power far exceed that of ordinary armies.

The remnants of the Liao army were so weak that they didn't even have a complete organizational structure. Even if they wanted to launch a surprise attack, they would be no match for them.

With his rear secure, he could naturally focus on heading south and gradually make his plans.

Wu Feng stood atop the city wall of Weiyuan City, gazing towards the southern heartland of the Great Song Dynasty, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

This era has never been a peaceful one.

After the cross-era integration of "Jianghu Dream", the territories of surrounding countries were opened up, and forces from Japan, Northern Europe, Europe and even further afield were eyeing it covetously.

The Song Dynasty's emphasis on civil affairs over military matters and its cowardly appeasement policy only attracted more wolves.

Rather than wasting military strength and resources on internal strife with the Song Dynasty, it would be better to simply annex it and rebuild a new, martial, powerful dynasty capable of external expansion.

The rules of the game world are the survival of the fittest; whoever controls the local territory first has the right to expand outwards first.

If even the homeland cannot be unified, it can only be trapped in a corner, and when the surrounding forces rise, it can only be passively beaten and slaughtered.

That wasn't the outcome he wanted.

Wu Feng raised his hand and placed it on the crenellation of the city tower. The profound internal energy of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill flowed slowly, and golden light faintly emanated from his palm.

"Pass down the order."

His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached the ears of the general beside him.

"The newly captured cities must be stabilized within seven days. Once the food and supplies have been inventoried and the weapons distributed, scouts will be sent south to investigate the defenses of the various prefectures of the Song Dynasty."

"Once the internal affairs are stable and the defenses are consolidated, we will immediately march south and gradually incorporate the lands of the Great Song Dynasty into our territory."

"Unify the Central Plains as soon as possible."

Han Yu, Mu Lingyun, and Huo Jiushan clasped their fists in a resounding fist salute, their armor clanging loudly, their voices echoing through the city walls.

"Yes, my lord!"

Banners fluttered in the wind, and the long wind howled.

The black flags of the Yan Yun Army have been planted all over the cities along the Song Dynasty's border.

Meanwhile, in the southern heartland of the Song Dynasty, the panic of defeat and the disarray of the people were still lingering.

A month passed in the blink of an eye, and Wu Feng's troops steadily advanced southward. Wherever the black banners went, the cities of the Great Song Dynasty changed hands one after another.

The speed of this advancement was several times faster than Wu Feng had anticipated.

Heading south from Weiyuan City, passing through Yingchang, Chenzhou, Caizhou, and then Ruzhou and Xuzhou, the journey south was almost entirely unimpeded.

If it weren't for the time required to consolidate each city after it was captured—taking stock of provisions and weapons, appeasing the people, deploying troops, and changing city defense flags and orders—Wu Feng would even think that with his 200,000 elite troops, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he could sweep through the entire Song Dynasty in a month.

After the annihilation of 300,000 imperial guards and the death of their commander Cao Bin, the Song Dynasty seemed to have had its spine broken, completely losing any effective ability to resist.

After a full month of fighting, the prefectures and counties along the way either surrendered at the mere sight of the enemy or collapsed without a fight; there wasn't even a single battle that could be described as a hard-fought engagement.

When a large army arrives at the border, often only three arrows have been fired at the city walls before the surrender flag is raised on the city walls.

Even worse, when the city's generals and county officials heard that the Yan Yun army was coming, they abandoned the city overnight with their families and valuables, leaving behind an empty city, and even most of the city's soldiers had left on their own.

Wu Feng stood atop the city wall of Ruzhou, watching his soldiers take over the city's defenses without firing a single shot. He couldn't help but twitch his lips, speechless.

This Song Dynasty was truly hollow to the core.

For many years, the government has prioritized civil affairs over military matters. Military generals are afraid of war, while civil officials are greedy for survival. The elite Imperial Guards were wiped out overnight, and the local militias became virtually non-existent.

Ordinary soldiers don't even have the foundation of third-rate martial artists; they only practice the most rudimentary basic internal skills in the military. They can't even break through the Golden Bell Shield of his ordinary soldiers, let alone directly confront elite soldiers empowered by the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill.

[System Notification: Your forces have captured Ruzhou City, expanding your territory to the Northwest Circuit of the Great Song Capital. You have gained the regional buff "Abundant Troops," increasing new recruit recruitment speed by 20%]

A pale blue online game notification flashed at the edge of his vision. Wu Feng looked away and tapped the battlement with his fingertips.

He had considered the possibility that Zhao Guangyi might be gathering his remaining troops and concentrating his last forces in key cities like Kaifeng and Yingtian, preparing for a decisive battle and attempting to turn the tide.

After all, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. The Song Dynasty had been established for many years and still had its foundation. It was impossible for it to collapse at the slightest touch.

But despite his thoughts, Wu Feng was too lazy to bother guessing.

If you can take it, take it slowly and steadily; a solid and methodical approach is better than anything else.

His army was strong and well-fed, and his war-for-money model was already well-established. Every city he captured could replenish his military equipment and expand his manpower. The longer the war dragged on, the stronger his power became, while the Song Dynasty would only become weaker.

No rush, it will be swallowed up little by little.

The south was his main battlefield, while in the north, Li Hu, leading a large army of players, was busy clearing out the old territory of the Liao Kingdom. The cities, grasslands, and passes that he had conquered but had not had time to fully occupy were all taken over by Li Hu and Professor Zhang.

After the fall of the Liao Dynasty's capital, Shangjing, the northern grasslands and the old lands were leaderless. Small tribes fought each other, and the remnants of the defeated army scattered and fled, utterly powerless to resist the player's army's attack.

Unlike traditional NPCs, players are not conventional and are flexible in combat, well-informed, and more efficient at clearing out remnants and capturing strongholds than regular troops.

In just one month, large swathes of former territory in western and eastern Liaoning were brought under their control. The tribes on the grasslands either surrendered or were completely wiped out, leaving them no room for resistance.

Professor Zhang, along with a group of scholar-type players who were well-versed in domestic affairs and geography, plunged headlong into the northern grasslands.

These people are different from martial artists who only know how to fight and kill; they understand the value of this land better.

The vast grasslands, with their abundant water and grass, are natural pastures, capable of raising cattle, sheep, and horses on a large scale, providing a continuous supply of meat, fur, and warhorses. This is far more suitable for supporting large armies in their campaigns than the produce of farmland in the Central Plains.

If it were an ordinary Liao Kingdom NPC, they would only graze their livestock extensively after occupying the grasslands, wasting the land's advantages; but in Professor Zhang's hands, he immediately planned out pasture zones, horse breeding farms, forage planting, and fur processing, quickly building a complete industrial chain.

The fertile grasslands were divided into military horse farms and civilian ranches. Superior warhorses were bred in concentrated areas, and cattle and sheep were raised in unified enclosures. The meat produced was directly transported to the southern front, and the hides were used to make armor linings. Warhorses were used to replenish the losses of cavalry, and a wild grassland was transformed into a stable logistical base.