Chapter 2181: Wind and Wave Settle

The remaining ten riots were organized and premeditated. Not only were their slogans, divine signs, and operational routes meticulously planned, but even the sources of their weapons and armor had been secured. Several of these groups first seized strongholds to declare themselves kings, while others even attempted to besiege and capture cities.

Lü Qiowei had already discovered that all ten incidents were instigated and funded by external parties.

Most egregiously, they had also assassinated five officials. Three of these attempts were successful, while the other two officials sustained injuries of varying degrees.

However, they failed to incite public sentiment; the common people simply ignored them. One group attempted to burn down a Dragon God statue at night, but they were apprehended by local residents, severely beaten, and the incident even resulted in a fatality.

Lü Qiowei specifically sought an audience with the Emperor to request instructions on how to deal with these rioters, setting a precedent for future cases.

Without lifting his head, He Lingchuan responded, "Lingchi at the marketplace entrance."

Such trends must not be allowed to grow; exemplary punishment is necessary.

Whether in Beijia, Mou, or Cang'an, public executions were a significant form of entertainment for the populace.

Education through entertainment was crucial.

In a single morning, he made thirty-seven or thirty-eight official decisions, both large and small.

By the time it was almost noon, He Lingchuan finally stood up and stretched, his bones cracking audibly.

"Time to eat, time to eat."

At least during the half hour he spent eating, he could rest and relax.

Just as he stood up, a palace attendant reported, "An envoy from Mount Ling requests an audience!"

He Lingchuan strode out immediately, saying without looking back, "Have Du Shan meet with them!"

The current envoy from Mount Ling stationed in Ju City was Wang Changyue, the Vice-Headmaster of Jun Sect, a major Taoist sect.

However, after requesting an audience twice, Wang Changyue was met by Prime Minister Du Shan.

The two parties conversed for an entire afternoon.

The next morning, Du Shan reported to the Nine Nether Emperor that Mount Ling was willing to provide substantial aid to Cang'an.

Cang'an was a newly established nation, facing financial strain, inexperienced officials, weak educational infrastructure, and a lack of high-level cultivation techniques. Mount Ling could provide strong support in all these areas, helping Cang'an overcome its difficulties quickly.

So, what would Cang'an's repayment be?

Mount Ling did not elaborate, only stating that both parties were resisting the Sky Demons, were allies on the same front, and hoped for deep cooperation and mutual benefit in the future.

He Lingchuan yawned repeatedly. He hadn't slept well the previous night, having had a minor disagreement with Master Sun in the Coiling Dragon World.

He asked Du Shan:

"What do you think?"

"There's no such thing as a free lunch," Du Shan replied. "Mount Ling is so generous, I fear they'll demand a tenfold repayment later." Du Shan did not know Mount Ling's true intentions, but he was instinctively wary.

He held no goodwill towards either the Sky Demons or the immortals.

"Within the domain of the Black Flood Dragon Totem," He Lingchuan explained, "spirit-gathering formations cannot extract spirit energy, nor can the Heaven-Net Star absorb nightmare energy."

Du Shan nodded, acknowledging he already knew this.

"The only exception is me," He Lingchuan said, pointing to himself. "As long as I personally set up the core of the great spirit-gathering formation in Ju City, the formation can draw spirit energy, and its efficacy will far surpass what it was before!"

Du Shan was moved, but immediately understood. "You are the Dragon God, naturally possessing immunity within the totem barrier," he said. "Ah, if Mount Ling's intention is this, then it goes against your original purpose, and we absolutely cannot agree."

All beings in this world are burdened by two great mountains: one being the Sky Demons, and the other the immortals.

What sense would it make for Cang'an to reject one and embrace the other?

Du Shan then had another thought and smiled. "Since the spirit energy within our nation's borders will not be siphoned away by immortals or demons," he said, "it is highly likely that this place will become a fertile ground for cultivators and monsters in the future."

Nightmare energy is also a form of spirit energy. The existence of the Black Flood Dragon Totem allows spirit energy to remain within Cang'an, accumulating day by day until its concentration surpasses that of most other nations and regions.

For all beings within the nation, this is a tremendous benefit, an invisible boon.

Outside of Cang'an, most regions in this world cannot escape the siphoning by immortals and demons. Even in Mou, only a few major immortal sects and True Immortals—the so-called apex of the pyramid—can enjoy the spirit energy blessings of great spirit-gathering formations. This "rain and dew" simply does not reach the vast majority of cultivators.

It is not scarcity but inequality that causes worry. With equitable spirit energy in Cang'an, it can naturally attract more cultivators and monsters to settle.

After this discussion between the monarch and his minister, Cang'an expressed its desire for self-reliance and politely declined Mount Ling's well-intentioned aid.

Of course, if Mount Ling wished to cooperate on political and economic levels, Cang'an would be more than welcoming.

From this point on, Cang'an's interactions with Mou became closer and more pragmatic, while its dealings with Mount Ling became fewer and more flexible.

With external disturbances settled, He Lingchuan could finally devote himself entirely to domestic affairs.

After Cang'an's establishment, the Nine Nether Emperor rewarded merits, assigning positions to both civil and military officials.

The new nation comprised thirty-six states and one hundred forty-eight commanderies, with three lower administrative levels: prefectures, counties, and townships. One can imagine the immense scale of such widespread official appointments and removals, which took half a year to complete.

In its early days, Cang'an's policies were largely similar to those of the Shen Kingdom. They particularly refined the methods used during the Dragon God War for rewarding agriculture, reducing taxes and corvée, and constructing water conservancy projects. The difference was that during the war, these were wartime policies aimed at stabilizing public sentiment, but now they had become fundamental national policies for a long period after the nation's founding.

During the Dragon God War, extensive official roads were built in the rear. While this certainly provided a livelihood for all able-bodied men, ensuring their peace and preventing unrest, it also paved the way for the subsequent development of Blazing Gold. The official roads crisscrossed everywhere, not even bypassing small towns. With improved roads, the large-scale movement of agricultural products, commercial goods, and people was guaranteed.

In the past, due to prolonged warfare, the Blazing Gold Plains were vast and populous but under-cultivated. Now, the task of reclaiming wasteland was delegated to the grassroots level. Townships developed reclamation plans, provided various production materials at low rents, and hired young laborers to clear "township fields." These newly reclaimed township fields were sold to villagers at a standardized "fair price." Each household had a limit, private sales were prohibited for five years, and no land tax was collected during these five years.

Those who couldn't afford township fields immediately could first join reclamation teams or work for merchant caravans, saving enough to purchase land later. In the Blazing Gold Plains at this time, one could earn money through hard work, without having to risk their life.

This was because it was extremely difficult for individual farmers to reclaim wasteland themselves. The barren land was either as hard as iron or as soft as mud. Buying farming tools, seeds, obtaining mature fertilizer, and cultivating soil fertility meant that a family of four or five strong laborers across two generations might only be able to cultivate ten *mu* of good land after more than ten years of strenuous effort.

With the world's spirit energy now in a period of resurgence, Cang'an was seizing every moment; how could it tolerate such slow efficiency? Moreover, the abundant spirit energy also rapidly made the land fertile, eliminating the need for barren land to be cultivated for many years before becoming fertile. Therefore, the main force for land reclamation became the townships and counties. The performance evaluations for grassroots officials were thus primarily based on land reclamation, land management, public order, promotion of new crop cultivation, and educational development.

Cang'an actively pursued land reclamation, on one hand to ensure abundant food production, and on the other to vigorously ensure that the people of Blazing Gold could support themselves.

"To support oneself" meant that those who worked diligently could eat their fill and no longer suffer from constant hunger.