Chapter 1233: A Behemoth

Two hundred years later, the Taoist Sect has already developed into a behemoth, a giant-level force centered in Jizhou that is constantly expanding into the surrounding areas.

If not for a lack of talent, the development of the Taoist Sect would likely have been even more rapid, and it would not just be these twelve provinces.

Once the Taoist Sect rose up, it was like an invincible general, peerless and charging forward, with no one able to resist it.

The top aristocratic families, led by those in Jizhou, united with the families of several surrounding provinces to form a coalition army, launching a massive force of ten million.

Yet they were only able to hold out for three years before being crushed by the Taoist Sect, and then Jizhou and the surrounding provinces, due to the previous decline of the aristocratic families, naturally could not stop them.

They became the base of the Taoist Sect.

The Taoist Sect's army is powerful, and it is full of talent with clouds of martial generals; its momentum of development is the most terrifying in all of Jiuzhou.

If not for the fact that the aristocratic families of the world do not tolerate the Taoist Sect, its development would likely have been even more rapid; after all, the local areas are mostly controlled by the gentry, and if the aristocratic families were willing to defect to the Taoist Sect, then the Taoist Sect could absorb the various regions even faster.

Unfortunately, those aristocratic clans do not identify with the philosophy of the Taoist Sect at all.

After all, the Taoist Sect brings no good to those aristocratic clans; the special privileges of the aristocratic clans no longer exist under the Taoist Sect.

During this process, the Yuan Princely Mansion in Beidi, the Liu Han Imperial Court, and several major warlords in the south also saw their power skyrocket.

In the Taoist Sect, that knowledge can be learned, at most for a certain price, and this price, in the eyes of those aristocratic clans, is simply not worth mentioning.

Regarding the control of local areas, the Taoist Sect is many times stronger than the original Liu Han.

At that time, the Yuan Princely Mansion was in high spirits, while the Taoist Sect was busy defeating the Jizhou aristocratic families and sweeping through the surrounding provinces and counties.

The administrative personnel dispatched by the Taoist Sect quickly took control of counties and districts, and even the townships below the county level had grassroots personnel dispatched by the Taoist Sect.

Moreover, within the Taoist Sect, there is no obstruction to the dissemination of knowledge; anyone can learn.

Furthermore, the recognition these soldiers have for the Taoist Sect can be said to be extremely strong.

Those gentry could not resist at all; as for using force, the Taoist Sect found it even simpler, as the power of the Taoist Sect was far beyond what they could deal with.

Although the Taoist Sect did not stand out to fight other warlords in the previous hundred years, it does not mean that the Taoist Sect's army is not strong.

Nowadays, various aristocratic families are frantically investing in various warlords, wanting to use their power to suppress the Taoist Sect and wanting to wipe it out.

Fifty years ago, the two sides once had a great battle; at that time, the Yuan Princely Mansion defeated the Youzhou Provincial Governor, suddenly possessing several provinces in Beidi and becoming the number one warlord in the north.

The methods for cultivating Taoist techniques are very important, but knowledge in other areas is also extremely important.

Especially with the previous sweeping of various places, the power of those aristocratic clans was cleared away; in the local areas, only those small families remained, who could not oppose the Taoist Sect at all, nor did they dare to.

Some who have stayed for ten, twenty, or thirty years and cannot reach the Transcendent realm will also slowly retire.

The largest in the north is the Yuan Princely Mansion; Jizhou and Youzhou, although not connected, are separated by one province, which had previously been a temporary ceasefire zone between the two.

Therefore, the aristocratic families of the world are frantically smearing the Taoist Sect, and those without ambitions to dominate the world have all joined other warlords, wanting to ruthlessly suppress the Taoist Sect and wipe it out.

And these retired soldiers are actually also a treasure.

Although this point might cost the Taoist Sect more manpower, having lurked for so many years, especially with basic education, the Taoist Sect has a very large number of grassroots personnel.

This is very terrifying; not to mention the cultivation, many pieces of knowledge alone are digging at the roots of the aristocratic families.

Under all these circumstances, the aristocratic families are naturally unwilling.

However, unfortunately, the former hit a wall; the former's Steel Cavalry slammed hard into the copper walls and iron bastions of the Taoist Sect, crashing until they were battered and bloody.

That time was considered a painful blow to the Yuan Princely Mansion, so for the next few decades, the former did not dare to easily cross into the Taoist Sect's sphere of influence.

Moreover, a portion of them also transferred from the army; after all, many in the Taoist Sect's army cannot stay in the military for their whole lives.

They are the most loyal followers of the Taoist Sect, standing firmly on the side of the Taoist Sect.

In terms of combat experience, the Taoist Sect's army is not inferior in the slightest.

Later, in the great battle against the Jizhou aristocratic coalition, those three years allowed the Taoist Sect's army to grow even faster.

Therefore, as long as the Taoist Sect occupies a place, within a few years, it will quickly absorb it and firmly control the local power.

Especially with the universal education recently promoted by the Taoist Sect, those mud-legged peasants can actually continue their education; how can those high and mighty aristocratic disciples tolerate this? Wouldn't that make them the same as the mud-legged peasants?

Previously, all parts of Jiuzhou were fighting for supremacy; the Taoist Sect was consolidating its own strength, but at the same time, it did not forget to dispatch small-scale troops to protect the common people everywhere, and at that time, it also fought with the armies of many warlords.

The Taoist Sect's Cannon troops, forming a copper wall and iron bastion, caused great injury to the Yuan Princely Mansion's iron cavalry, suddenly losing nearly one hundred thousand iron cavalry, and the remaining one hundred thousand iron cavalry did not dare to move easily.

The Taoist Sect takes Jizhou as its main base, with the surrounding area of the Taihang Shanmai and over ten provinces as its foundation, while all four sides are surrounded by enemies.

Although reading is only the simplest knowledge, for ordinary people, it is also a rare opportunity.

Therefore, when facing the elite Border Army of the Yuan Princely Mansion, they did not suffer, and even with the help of powerful firearms and Cannons, they instead severely damaged the Yuan Princely Mansion's two hundred thousand elite iron cavalry.

After a three-year standoff at the border between the two sides, they withdrew because of Dong Zhuo's army.

The Yuan Princely Mansion's army marched south, invading Jizhou, wanting to swallow the Taoist Sect in one fell swoop.

In the army, they not only learn various combat skills, but the army also teaches these soldiers to read and write.

But unfortunately, the Taoist Sect has already succeeded; now occupying the Zhongyuan region and many large provinces, because of the Taoist Sect's policies, it has quickly taken control of various places.

These ordinary soldiers, after retiring, are arranged in local areas, and governing dozens or hundreds of households in a village is no problem at all.

They are even unable to control the local common people.

The Taoist Sect has its own channels of dissemination; if the local people are illiterate, it doesn't matter, as there will be specialized people to spread various things about the Taoist Sect and major events in the world.

In fact, many of the grassroots common people do not care about these things at all.

What they care about is always whether their families can be full and warm, and this is something the Taoist Sect can absolutely provide.