You became an emperor by letting me AFK.

The priests then took the initiative to gather the fanatics and maintain order.

Although it might seem like the Great Qian Dynasty is dealing with chaotic outputs and then taking matters into its own hands to manage and control things... that seems to be the case.

They just need to follow the rules and regulations.

Believers are naturally more willing to talk to priests. In everyone's eyes, priests trained by High Priest Feng Tianyin are an extension of the spokesperson of the Heavenly Way, symbolizing the most sacred power in the world, and are surrounded by many halos, so they are happy to communicate with them.

Under Dai Qingshuang's purification, the madness hidden in the power of faith gradually subsided, and all was quiet.

Peace is restored.

She was very familiar with this and had a complete set of experience and procedures.

Soon, Dai Qingshuang and Song Jingyun contacted local officials, who warmly welcomed them, saying, "We will definitely cooperate with your work."

"No need, we should be going now."

"Huh? Why? Aren't you here to receive them?"

“No, His Majesty has no interest in this place.” She firmly refused and declared, “You should not make arbitrary assumptions about the Great Qian’s position. We are only here to maintain peace for the sake of regional stability.”

"Then why not establish a branch church? After all, I see that everyone is quite enthusiastic, and there are so many believers here."

"Let's do it this way."

The city lord was a shrewd man who longed to join the Great Qian Dynasty. Seeing that his plans had fallen through, he immediately proposed the church plan. It would indeed be politically complicated, but it would allow him to establish his region as a parish, thus securing some protection.

The city-state under Hismo, neither too large nor too small, occupied an island and could not possibly go unnoticed.

It is dangerous to remain in a heretical state.

It's not that Daqian will punish you, but many merchants will be wary, thinking there is a business risk. What if you smash up my shop?

I'd rather not come.

A large amount of commercial resources will bypass them and they will be unable to participate in the market.

If they can't access the intercontinental sea market, they'll only get poorer and poorer, and poverty will lead to unforeseen changes, making their position as city lord unstable. So after much thought, he simply took the initiative to propose: "Not only will we convert to the Heavenly Dao Sect, but we will also promote it to other city-states."

"Then I'll leave it to you."

"Please rest assured, I understand the general trend, and I have also seen the signs of the will of Heaven... Humanity will ultimately need guidance and protection."

Dai Qingshuang nodded knowingly; communicating with smart people is indeed efficient.

The empire has vassaled the entire intercontinental seas. Chapter 171: Rapid Progress in Ocean Expansion (6K)

Temple headquarters.

In the two weeks following the Heavenly Dao Ritual, Feng Tianyin received telegrams from Dai Qingshuang from the front lines.

She and Song Xuyun established many new parishes through various means, which was more about receiving converts than proselytizing. Her writings are quite humble, attributing some of the credit to her predecessors while stating that the foundation was laid by the grand vision of Heaven.

The child is as talkative as ever.

Being able to communicate smoothly with various regions and quell pirates in a timely manner requires genuine skill.

Leveraging existing resources is one aspect, but personal strength is also crucial.

Feng Tianyin wouldn't assign a simple task like "even a pig can take off in the wind." This kind of thing isn't for the temple's elite; it doesn't train politicians who can cooperate with the high priest.

Anyway, it's all sorted out.

She circulated the report around, and everyone praised it highly.

"My two apprentices actually took a trip on the side, which was done well. Now the religion between the mainland and the sea is basically unified."

“Why not go a step further and allow for complete market circulation, such as zero tariffs within the region?” Fang Shu suggested.

"That's about it."

Jiang Bai is cautious about the current expansion and still believes that it is necessary to consolidate the foundation. For example, Zhuang Qing has to frequently return to Poluo to oversee the situation, as the people there are more accustomed to cooperating with the Great Sage, and it will take time to fully integrate with the administrative system of Daqian.

That won't do.

As the head of the local bureaucratic system, it's hard not to mind the South Shore.

If you reach out too slowly, you should be wary, just like she did back then because she was from the South and had to wait a long time to get promoted.

From her perspective, the Brahma has not yet been fully digested.

So even when her apprentice Fang Shu made a suggestion, she immediately added, "At most, it will lead to market unification."

We must be cautious in political matters.

Feng Tianyin saw this but did not intend to stop it. Just as the inner palace system and the academy system have long been in competition and opposition, it is normal for the officials of the north bank, led by Jiang Bai, to be wary of the south bank. Geographical barriers need time to be resolved.

She bluntly stated, "Before colonization, we must solidify our control over the inland seas. To what extent do you think we should solidify it?"

The high priest certainly has the answer, but this question is crucial.

Seeking advice.

Seeing this, everyone stopped what they were doing.

Lu Wen was the first to answer: "Government garrisons. Every port should be able to serve as a supply relay line for the Great Qian Navy and have a branch office established there, ensuring the smooth flow of military influence."

"Only by keeping our troops under our control at all times can we ensure loyalty."

"This is the most direct and final step in management."

He knew very well that it would not be difficult for the Daqian army to sweep across the Inner Sea. The key was to achieve a balance of income and expenditure, and to lay a foundation for future administration. The wisdom they displayed today would be passed down.

"My diplomatic mission and foreign intelligence cooperation are sufficient."

Gao Xingzhou then made a suggestion to Hou Yun.

The latter, in particular, had only recently entered the council and was considered a permanent advisory group, so the senior made the suggestion. However, no one underestimated the power of the intelligence system.

For many years, the temple has used them as a tool to infiltrate various parties.

very useful.

Upon hearing this, Lü Wen fell into deep thought. If a competition were to be held, the more violent method of stationing troops would indeed be more difficult.

“I think doing business is enough, such as the tariffs I just mentioned, plus some enterprise distribution, chamber of commerce cooperation, and so on…” Fang Shu listed them and added: “The binding of economic interests is enough to support our control.”

In fact, this trend is already emerging.

Looking across the mainland and the seas, who isn't closely related to the Great Qian Enterprises? Their extended networks of interests involve both the legitimate and illegitimate worlds, gradually growing into a tool for the priestly power second only to the inner temple.

The business is under the Chancellor of the Exchequer's jurisdiction, and she naturally takes it upon herself to learn about the situation.

To cultivate compradors.

The core idea is this one point, and everyone can summarize it after hearing it. There are no slow-witted people in the Imperial Study.

“Directly stationing troops is a bit too radical, and General Lü Wen’s plan would contradict our diplomacy.”

"Gao Xingzhou, you changed your tune too quickly."

"Anyway, it's all under discussion; the key is His Majesty's opinion."

There are others who have not yet expressed their opinions, such as Lu Zhengshu, the head of research and engineering, and some academic advisors, but they have never been interested in decision-making and have always focused on specific scientific and technological projects.

Let your management team fight it out.

In a short time, the ministers all had different proposals, and some even put forward some regulations on the spot, which shows that they were quick-witted and well-prepared.

The unification of the Inland Seas is an inevitable trend; the only question is what method will be used. Today, the High Priest finally asked this question.

Each held their own opinion.

Their proposed methods take into account various factors such as exclusivity and difficulty...

Feng Tianyin listened carefully to the different plans while simultaneously performing calculations. A glint gradually appeared in her eyes as a large amount of computing power was mobilized, causing even her current body to feel its temperature rapidly rising. Then, a series of rustling sounds interrupted the debate. Looking in the direction of the sound, she saw a girl with long black and white hair tilting her head and widening her purple eyes.

As expected, smoke and mist rose from His Majesty's head once again.

Amidst the ministers' silence, she washed her face and successfully cooled down with the water, instantly feeling refreshed.

"We'll mainly follow Fang Shu's method."

Upon hearing this, she clenched her fist in delight and secretly cheered. Now the relevant implementation would definitely fall into her hands and expand her influence. However, such a large project could not be undertaken by one department alone.

"It requires cooperation between the academy and the intelligence community. They could select the best of their intellectuals for further training."

"Ensure these people become staunch supporters of the Great Qian Dynasty and solidify the decision to protect the empire."

Feng Tianyin spoke with absolute certainty.

She decided to open up some of the college's enrollment quotas to students from outside the local area, which would be a good opportunity to cultivate outstanding talents.

He exchanged a glance with Lu Zhengshu, who nodded in understanding:

"Let's open the business school and law school first, which coincides with Lady Fang Shu's plan, starting with social sciences and trade. As for more demanding technologies, they can't learn them, and they don't have the brains for them."

He also had a bit of academic arrogance and looked down on idiots.

"Forget about stationing troops. Our fleet can reach any time within the inland sea area without spending extra money. Besides, you'll be busy opening up new shipping routes in the future."

Yes, sir.

Despite Jiang Chaosheng's successful round-the-world trip, his route was mostly slow and inefficient, involving travel along the coast.

We must find a balance between deep ocean and navigating to shore.

That would require the navy to open up and maintain it.

Lu Wen understood that His Majesty's decision to no longer focus on control of the inland seas was unnecessary; the future target was the deep blue sea. Moreover, the current rectification of the inland seas was paving the way for this.

Some of their new talents have just gone through a strategic shift, and now new tasks have come their way.

Sailing towards a more distant shore.

Feng Tianyin sat and watched the clouds rise.

She ultimately approved the decree for the "Comprehensive Support and Construction Plan for the Intercontinental Sea".

Of course, the best-sounding part is in the title. The temple's higher-ups all know that it should actually be called the "Infiltration and Control Plan," as it involves economic, educational, and intelligence aspects.

Nominally, a portion of the industry's profits were distributed to the vassal regions.

Actually it is not.

Feng Tianyin would never allow the real economy to leave. All she could give them were some plantations and textile factories, enough to make a living and barely function as a market.

Even so, I need to check it again before I feel at ease.