Chapter 443: Only a myriad miles of rivers and mountains can serve as its backdrop

Obviously Meng Meng handles it well and is very shrewd; a note popped up under the side‑construction mission:

【Detected that the lord's new territory, Blue Jade Commandery, has inhabitants but no basic infrastructure, so a one‑time grant of multiple supporting infrastructures for the new city was issued. The lord may also choose to upgrade any single item to high spec.】

You can exchange four low‑spec items for one high‑spec item, after all the rewards are just these.

"In other words, either four low‑spec items, or just build one high‑spec item? Meng Meng, your math is really good!"

Bai Ze raised his head and looked, "That's pretty good; building something of Youzhou's scale in this kind of place is unnecessary and wasteful. Those nomadic peoples didn't even have houses before, and the system's low‑spec offering could amaze them for a hundred years."

The Great King was just shouting slogans, not really demanding high standards—this already amounts to wages and rations for five thousand people. He's already gained the big profit he wanted, and he said happily, "Well, this time the Great King will be magnanimous and not quibble with Meng Meng~"

Bai Ze: ……

You're playing this trick with a system?!

The Great King changed into his most splendid outfit for this outing—a robe with a silver base and gold‑thread embroidered sun, moon, and stars; the exposed inner collar was snow‑white and crisp, fastened with a tiny hook and topped with a premium mutton‑fat jade crown, while the gold‑inlaid jade pendant set hung from his waist, tinkling as he moved, exuding boundless nobility.

At a glance, only a vast expanse of river and mountain could match it.

Bai Ze wanted to mutter in his heart, "This guy's appearance is top‑notch."

The Great King, dressed in boundless wealth, led Bai Ze and Zhe Tian out of the king's tent to the flat valley where the people had gathered.

Here there were no bells or drums; they could only stand silently in attendance to welcome the Great King's arrival.

Wei Ke personally took the field, and by morning he had roughly taught these scattered nomadic peoples the basic etiquette with his fists—at least they knew they couldn't speak when the Great King arrived and that they should lower their heads and not look around.

The guards chanted: "Kneel~"

Aside from the Great King's cavalry tasked with keeping order, everyone fell to their knees in a chaotic rush.

The Great King twitched the corner of his mouth; it was nothing like the early days of Youzhou—those poses were truly bizarre, and the front row wasn't even aligned.

Fortunately the Great King didn't mind much; he simply raised his hand and let them rise.

As the Great King raised his hand, a delicate shark‑pearl bracelet appeared on his wrist; together with that outfit, the jade belt and precious gems, his nobility was awe‑inspiring.

Every Qiang person who got a clear view had the same thought flash through his mind: "Is this the imperial family of the Central Plains dynasty?"

One wondered how splendid a realm must be to nurture such a demeanor.

No wonder the whole Western Qiang constantly longs for an eastern invasion; alas, from now on Shao Dang has no hope, utterly no hope.

Almost all of Shao Dang's fighting men were slaughtered clean‑swept; the survivors also became prisoners, and this time they're likely to be made slaves of the Jin people.

Tang Qian, serving as Inspector of Cool Prefecture, spoke first, notifying everyone that from now on this place would be called 'Blue Jade Commandery', the Blue Jade Commandery under the Cool Prefecture of the Northern Border. The Shao Dang Qiang tribe thus became history; it perished.

It perished at the hands of the Northern Border King, who was only eleven years old.

The Northern Border King's four hundred cavalry destroyed Shao Dang, warning everyone present to henceforth honestly be subjects of Blue Jade Commandery; from now on there is no distinction between Jin or Qiang peoples—all are merely the Northern Border King's subjects.

The Great King muttered on the side, "Twelve, I'm twelve!"

Wei Shen interjected, "According to your favorite rounding‑up, you're only ten—how could you be twelve?!"

The Great King arrogantly retorted, "You dare to make a fuss in this setting?!"

Wei Shen wanted to say his tone wasn't disruptive, but as soon as he lifted his head he saw his family's elder staring at him expressionlessly; this guy wilted and fell silent at once. He didn't understand why Wei Ke's aura had become so overwhelming lately, making him unapproachable.

Inspector Tang finished his harsh words, and now it was the Great King's turn.

"The Great King has always treated the Northern Border impartially; even a remote place like Gold Radiance, he won't allow anyone to encroach or bully. If the Shao Dang magnates dare to plunder Gold Radiance's people and seize its land, the Great King dares to slaughter Great Permission Valley. He doesn't even need to deploy the world‑renowned Youzhou Mystic Armor Cavalry—just four hundred horsemen, merely passing by on the way.

"When the Great King was young, he heard that the Western Qiang's altitude differs from the Central Plains, so would Central Plains cavalry suffer breathing difficulties and lose combat effectiveness when they arrive in Western Qiang?

"Here the Great King wishes to formally notify the Western Qiang Alliance that this difficulty has already been overcome by him.

"Gold Radiance and Youzhou are the Great King's lands, and from now on Blue Jade Commandery will be as well.

"However, the Great King's teacher once taught him a saying: 'Those not of our kind must have different hearts.'

The Qiang people below exhaled in relief—what does that mean? Are we going to gather them all together and kill them?