You became an emperor by letting me AFK.

Based on this level of control, can it be said that the territory has been completely demarcated?

One of the leverage points is in religion.

In reality, the main temple headquarters continues to send priests to the Tendo sect branches in the fiefdoms to maintain management.

This network remained under control, and the feudal lords dared not question the Heavenly Dao Sect's arrangements. Who didn't know that the Emperor and the Heavenly Dao were behind it all? Rather, they were very welcoming, treating the priests with great courtesy.

Their superior, the Great Prophet Gergentana, could remotely control them.

Religious activities are an important manifestation of cohesion.

Even though the grasslands have already completed their conversion, not to mention the new meaning they have acquired in the new era:

Psychic power.

This measure further expanded the status of the priestly class.

However, Feng Tianyin was also intentionally curbing the equal expansion of power, and with her around, she could keep things in check. Besides, from the High Priest's perspective, it was more appropriate to allow them to continue their research on psychic energy.

Xia He discovered that the academy had added many new psionic-related notifications:

The Great Qian Dynasty has added a subject called "Mysticism," which has been formally established in the academy and focuses on the research of extraordinary powers.

Some heroes have successfully cultivated psionic abilities.

The scholars believe that the current stage of psionic power is internalized, focusing on physical enhancement. Without the aid of runes, further power output is difficult. They propose cultivating the use of runes as a mature tool…

[Mysticism +5]

The Great Qian Dynasty is quick to respond to new knowledge and disciplines and is already conducting systematic research on them.

Although Feng Tianyin's database clearly didn't contain any information related to extraordinary beings, she was incredibly adaptable and immediately decided to catch up with the version update.

Her emphasis on academics influenced everyone in the Great Qian Dynasty.

"...In other words, it is also more likely to attract the attention of the subspace."

Xia He was both amused and exasperated.

Knowledge, more or less, is inherently tainted, and the study of the occult, in particular, often attracts all sorts of bizarre phenomena. The reason they remained unscathed was neither due to adequate protective measures nor the priests' exceptional talent—

It was purely due to the protection of Feng Tianyin's powerful brick.

Any pollution that attempts to descend upon Xiayi is dispelled by the weather that has been imbued with the power of nature for many years; it would probably nod and run away.

I was so scared I cried.

What place is so densely populated that it gets glanced at only once every ten years? I'd better just slip away.

They might not even have time to escape before being dispersed by the priesthood led by the Great Prophet. Indeed, ever since the beginning of the Classical Era and the emergence of supernatural abilities, the entire priestly sanctuary has been constantly purified.

Xia He was finally relieved.

The North is no longer the focus of Daqian's work; the key lies in the South, and then we'll see how the Little Man Machine fares.

-----

Xiayi.

The panting horse galloped through the city gate and saw that the messenger's flag and guards did not obstruct its path.

"Express delivery at breakneck speed!"

Both the messenger and the steed were at their limit, drenched in sweat, their hearts pounding.

They were immediately met and taken over by fast horses from the temple district, and made their way into the absolute center of the Great Qian Dynasty. Even at dawn, they rose earlier than anyone else, or rather, they never stopped working day and night.

The clerks hurried to catch up.

Within a few breaths, a letter with three feathers arrived on the table.

Feng Tianyin was holding a brush and writing red paper. She glanced casually at the seals of the vassal states on the cover and immediately understood.

She looked at Gergentana beside her.

The latter stretched, still sleepy-eyed. He had fallen asleep in the office last night, exhausted from divining the invasion of a new infected clan, which had drained his spiritual energy. He had just recovered.

"How enviable! Your divine protection must also include endless spiritual energy, right?"

"Just because you can't use it all doesn't mean there's no output limit. Getting back to the point, open the letter; there's also a package."

Is this appropriate?

"It's news about the inner sanctum of the priests, and I'm watching it."

Feng Tianyin followed the procedures without wasting any more time, so she probably already knew what had happened.

She learned about it immediately through the authorized message and guessed that the Heavenly Dao had possessed her once again. Although the information was brief, it was faster than an urgent dispatch, and everything became clear after it happened.

Gedentana opened the letter and immediately became sober.

It describes in great detail the process of the new clan's infection, which is quite complicated.

Naturally, the priest also mentioned the reliance on the Heavenly Way. He dared not hide anything and recounted the whole story in detail, while also praising the protection of the Heavenly Way.

The two giants exchanged a glance and decided on the first thing.

"It's time for a promotion."

Since she was fortunate enough to be possessed, she must be an auspicious person. Even if she didn't have the ability, she would still have political value. Moreover, she was the one who led the first wave of attacks, so she should be rewarded as a matter of course.

Didn't the scouts who were possessed by the Heavenly Dao back then rise all the way to become generals?

He is not wrong; the Great Qian Dynasty has a worthy successor.

So the high priest and the great prophet jointly ordered the drafting of the letter of appointment, which was then solemnly sealed and transmitted by the surrounding scribes.

They witnessed the meteoric rise of a future high-ranking official.

moment.

Feng Tianyin went straight to the point: "Maintain the current suppressive posture, let the vassal states share the pressure, eradicate the pollution while conquering the camps, and leave the north to them, which is currently safe and controllable."

"Yes, our psionic research is correct, but without the help of the Heavenly Dao this time, it is indeed easier for the infection to spread."

"That's right, so we need to send more instructors to improve their military skills."

"I will also dispatch more excellent priests."

Gedentana echoed this. The reason for adopting the model of sending officers to guide training was that the vassal states couldn't be allowed to become too powerful; they had to be safe and controllable. There was no need to help them increase their combat capabilities too much; striking the right balance was an art.

Moreover, the current military strategic focus of the Great Qian Dynasty is not in the north at all; their meddling is insignificant, and the main focus is elsewhere:

south.

With a population of 200 million, the Great Qian Dynasty was already considered a great power in the early classical era.

As the saying goes, a royal enterprise cannot be confined to one side.

Although the Cifu Basin is fertile, it cannot remain stagnant indefinitely, as this would only limit its future development potential. It must break free from its existing geographical boundaries and aspire to dominate the Central Plains.

In Feng Tianyin's eyes, the so-called "Central Plains" is the Great Plains of Cifu in the south.

She unfolded a large roll of map in front of her.

Numerous resource veins, topographical contour lines, rivers, and natural transportation hubs have been marked on the map. On the surface, it appears to be a vast plain, but several passes still exist. Even without high mountains, there are crisscrossing rivers where cities can be built to control the surrounding areas.

For example, the first few cities established, such as Zhuguan, were located in a place with a dense network of rivers, guarding the shipping routes westward from the Cifu Basin.

Things are different now.

An "enhanced version" of Zhuguan terrain was laid out before us.

It is not far from Cuiwei City, but it guards the lower reaches of the Jianxia River, which nourishes the black soil of the Great Plain.

Two years later, the "Fishing Fireside" project has been initially completed. A simple model is placed in front of Feng Tianyin's sand table. With the help of skilled craftsmen from Daqian, the project has been restored.

The city is majestic and imposing, surrounded by a natural moat and vast farmland.

It's obvious that this place is aiming to become a major military stronghold, because the river's volume and flow rate are just right, and water conservancy facilities can be built to control the downstream area, achieving multiple benefits in one fell swoop.

Capable of undertaking great responsibilities.

It's a super-enhanced version of Nagisa and Seki.

Feng Tianyin said, "In the future, countless cities can be built along the stream to the vast plains, but the key node is Yuhuopan."

She has a keen eye and immediately grasped the key point.

Gegentana, who also had some military experience, understood the reasoning and echoed:

“That’s right. In the past two years, we have been building the city and constructing water conservancy facilities at the same time, which has also diverted some water. So the downstream area is actually vulnerable. The strategic point is right at Yuhuo Bank, and the surrounding barbarians and city-states must also understand this.”

“Those who can be enfeoffed should be enfeoffed, and those who cannot should be conquered… But in my opinion, we must fight a battle to establish our authority.”

Are you referring to the city-states or the two great kingdoms in the south?

"City-state".

Feng Tianyin understood the priorities and knew that it was not yet time to start a national war. She should first try to acquire the scattered city-states on the plains.

Thanks to favorable farming conditions and early development, they have a considerable population.

They are clearly all scoundrels.

As long as they are quickly absorbed, even in the form of enfeoffment, the population and labor force can be replenished rapidly. It is well known that this is the metric she values ​​most; otherwise, the vassal states wouldn't be paying tribute of large numbers of slaves every year.

Population and arable land are the reasons for their existence.

Otherwise, the high priest could depose a feudal lord with just a simple decree, and anyone would have to accept it without any rebuttal.

On the contrary, the Daqian headquarters had been training and expanding for two years without any battles.

urgent.

They knew from the constant supply of warhorses that the one sitting in the imperial court was thinking about war, but they didn't know the specific timeframe and couldn't wait any longer. Little did they know that Feng Tianyin was waiting for an opportunity.

"Report: A large group of barbarians has invaded Yuhuopan."

Upon hearing this, she exchanged a glance with Gergentana, who thought for a moment before sneering:

"Where do they get their level of organization? There must be someone pulling the strings behind the scenes, most likely a city-state."

The reason why I don't think they are the two southern countries is simple: they are indeed far apart, and their efficiency in expanding the Great Plains is relatively lower than that of the Great Qian.

"We'll find out once we investigate."

Feng Tianyin gave a dismissive reply, then said loudly: