You became an emperor by letting me AFK.

Only when the central hub of the Great Qian Dynasty is activated can we know how efficient it is.

This was He Wan's first time handling military affairs from the Shangshufang office. She had to sort out countless material dispatches, timetables, and personnel arrangements. Essentially, it was similar to her work at Yuhuopan, but the requirements for information volume, decision points, and timeliness were much stricter, and it had to be precise and effective.

It's hard to be an official.

It is even more difficult to be an official serving the high priest.

She joined the court council some time after being promoted to the central government, and unexpectedly encountered this major event soon after, which was also a good opportunity to accumulate merits.

Therefore, He Wan devoted herself to arranging military supplies and handed over the latest charts to Feng Tianyin.

"Good, keep the pace, the decisive battle at the front should be coming soon."

“The clans are all impatient. With the size of Shen Xingyao’s troops, they will be able to keep it a secret once they arrive. They will definitely take the initiative to provoke us, and then it will be a fierce battle. The result will be clear very quickly.”

The high priest made his calm and composed assertion, but the others became nervous.

So fast?

In a sense, their test has arrived: whether the rear operations are effective will be tested on the battlefield.

All the clerks present had a responsibility to record in their performance evaluations and demerits, and to be included in future history books... so they were all equally concerned about the front lines, except for Gergentana.

"I can sense a great deal of faith emanating from Nanqiu. What about you?"

"Yes, it's all thanks to their devotion to the Way of Heaven; otherwise, pollution wouldn't have been so easily contained."

“A good politician should consider post-war arrangements when war begins. I think the Heavenly Dao Sect can use this opportunity to promote the use of tokens, so that the South, which has little contact with clans, will know our importance.”

"What do you want?" Feng Tianyin asked, getting straight to the point.

"More tokens, more funding, more personnel quotas."

"Approved."

Their communication was efficient and direct, without any beating around the bush, which made the other clerks extremely envious.

Although the high priests are enlightened monarchs who do not adhere to hierarchical concepts, they dare not actually speak like that. This efficiency is something that only those who have been promoted can demonstrate when dealing with the affairs of the Heavenly Dao Sect, all for the sake of the Heavenly Dao.

They quickly returned to work.

The authoritative aura calmed the clerks down; there was no need to overthink or worry. They should wait for news.

We've done everything we can in the rear; now it's all up to the front lines to see how they perform.

---

In reality, Feng Tianyin was still checking relevant information in the south, ready to react at any time.

The city-state of Nanyuan.

The southernmost bridgehead of the Great Qian Dynasty has always maintained a large garrison, and all of them are elite troops. At this moment, their command was transferred within the City Lord's Mansion. Cheng Feng bowed and formally handed over the military tally, seal, and other documents to Shen Xingyao.

A general carrying the high priest's orders naturally has a higher command priority.

In addition, a squad of high priests arrived, elites transferred from city-states along the way, skilled in purification. Clearly, this army was well-armed and a carefully selected elite force.

"I feel at ease with you all here."

Cheng Feng breathed a sigh of relief, relieved that he would still be in charge of logistics, but things were not so difficult anymore.

"Speaking of which, this is the first large-scale war in which the High Priest did not personally go to the front lines."

Shen Xingyao sighed.

"Oh? Even someone as brave as you, sir, has worries?"

"No, what I mean is that I can finally achieve a more substantial military merit. Otherwise, everyone will always think that I'm just riding on His Majesty's coattails."

"Hahaha, that's true. I wish Your Excellency great military success."

The two exchanged a smile. They had met before when reporting to the temple, and today, their first time working together in war, they were both filled with excitement. This man was someone they could entrust their backs to; the high priest had indeed sent someone reliable.

They affirmed each other without prior agreement and quickly got into the discussion.

Their target was the forest where the clan was hiding.

late at night.

Within the forest where the clans lurked, countless monsters, unable to sleep, stared wide-eyed and gnashed their teeth.

"Damn, you guys are so noisy."

The agitated leader of the [Tanuki] tribe stood up from his lying position and looked around at his kin lying haphazardly. Each of them craved flesh and blood and was impatient, on the verge of losing control.

He could barely command them, but as their numbers increased and their psionic abilities improved, they became increasingly disobedient.

It wasn't to the point of resistance, but rather a failure to properly execute orders.

For example, saying "I want you to go north" can make you "go," but it doesn't necessarily mean which direction.

A bunch of idiots.

How could such a free and undisciplined organization compete with a large-scale army? So he wisely avoided it, never wandering around during the day and giving the enemy an opportunity. But now it's not so certain; this is a good opportunity.

The leader shrugged, making a cracking sound as his bones popped.

This body is incredibly healthy; the hidden injuries accumulated over the years of hunting and fighting have been completely wiped out. The body is light, incredibly strong, and impervious to blades and spears.

Ordinary weapons can't even hurt him; he's unaffected by being chopped or hacked at.

My power seems to be closely related to them. As long as these guys devour more of their kind and increase their numbers, it will definitely give back to them. Perhaps it can be considered a kind of weak faith.

"It's late at night."

He stared at the crescent moon overhead with a smile on his lips, motionless, until a dark shadow swept by and obscured the moonlight.

The day was already gloomy, and when the moon covered it, it became so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

The monsters of the Familia don't need to worry about night vision.

To be precise, they are a group of monsters that fight on instinct and are extremely sensitive to the presence of life.

enough.

Judging by the time, everyone should be asleep. This place isn't far from the Southern Plains, so this is an excellent opportunity. In fact, the takin leader had already devised a simple tactic: a night raid. Climb as high as possible up the city walls, then open the gates from the inside.

"You, you, and the rest of you winged people are preparing to climb the city wall."

Nanyuan is a complex fortress with several layers of staggered barbicans and stacked walls. It must be taken in one fell swoop, otherwise it will become a protracted war.

He had absolutely no expectation of achieving anything through infection.

That is the territory of Heaven.

Therefore, the key is to break into the city and let the monster clans resupply, that would be ideal.

"Blame your research on psionic energy." He looked angrily to the north: "It caused all this by attracting warp contamination. It was all destined. I will be your punishment."

On one hand, it was revenge; on the other hand, it was to undermine the faith of the Heavenly Dao Sect.

The High Priest is definitely problematic; he's nothing but an empty shell—this is a revelation he received in the Warp. The Takin leader firmly believes this; that guy's power must be contained.

"Let's begin."

Large numbers of the clansmen set off in hushed tones, moving slowly and steadily through the dimly lit forest.

To save time, he tried his best to personally direct and coordinate the work.

I couldn't do it when we attacked Nanqiu City before, but now that my body has gradually adapted and become stronger, I can get these idiots to carry out more orders, so I dared to plan a night raid.

The group of monsters moved stealthily in the dark, quickly traversing the depths of the forest.

Through the gaps in the trees ahead, one can see

The city-states of the Southern Plains were still brightly lit, with both the defensive fires on the city walls and the glow of prosperity within. Truly a fortified city, once captured, it would greatly replenish our strength.

call!

Suddenly, a burst of flame shot into the air and landed at the edge of the forest. The instantaneous light illuminated the fallen leaves, which then burst into flames.

In late spring and early summer, the weather is dry and the air is filled with the smell of alcohol, both of which are accelerants.

The wind, blowing from north to south, whipped up the flames and carried them in.

"Release the arrows—"

Almost simultaneously, sparks of light rose in the night sky, and countless fiery arrows fell.

They pierced the forest in high-angle parabolic arcs, creating perfect curves as they landed, setting off raging flames that engulfed the monsters within moments. Even with their fearless bodies, the monsters couldn't help but cry out in pain.

At least for now, fire is still a useful attack method.

Caught off guard, the takin leader was stunned, wondering how the intelligence had been exposed.

"Scatter quickly and keep your distance."

The monsters stumbled along, their speed no match for the well-prepared Daqian army. Arrows accurately covered all directions.

"continue."

Shen Xingyao coldly gave the order, while closely observing the enemy's movements.

He dared to strike the enemy with precision in the wild because the priests had superior spiritual perception.

Their souls are protected by the Heavenly Dao and the High Priest, and will not be easily corrupted. They can confidently spread their senses over a wide area, and with the addition of some necessary runes and spells, locating enemies is not difficult.

And it is ready to purify any pollution at any time.

How could someone of barbarian origin possibly comprehend the military strength of the Great Qian Dynasty?

Even with the vast disparity in the quality of the rank-and-file soldiers, Shen Xingyao remained completely unfazed. On the contrary, his more cautious encirclement and suppression efforts were flawless, causing the entire forest in front of him to erupt in flames.

Fire attack!

Shen Xingyao's plan was simple and direct: since you're hiding in the forest, burn it all down; that would at least inflict some damage. Moreover, not only was it burning directly in front, but another wave of flames was sweeping in from the south, encircling you.

He had no intention of letting a single enemy escape.

"Maintain the suppression of arrows and gradually retreat into the city; that's where the final battle will take place."

"General, would they really risk attacking the Southern Plains?"

"Will do."

The takin leader, engulfed in flames, was disoriented, his seven orifices suffocated by smoke. He felt the intense heat all around him, his vision distorted and burning, and the world was dyed crimson without exception.

Surrounded by menacing clansmen, no matter how much she struggled, it was all in vain; she was gradually burned to ashes.