Chapter 171: Resetting the Four Commanderies

Western Jin, Ning Province, Qianqiu City.

Qianqiu City had been established for three thousand years. A thousand years ago, the Xu family rose to power, moved here, and renamed it Qianqiu City. A thousand years later, this place was already a large city of hundreds of thousands of people.

This was the location of the Xu family's mortal clan's main branch, and also the hub connecting the Xu family's immortals and mortals.

In the west of the city, there was an area kept exceptionally clean, with roads paved by blue stones of equal size, the road surface spotless, yet several handymen were still sweeping repeatedly.

In this area, there were three almost identical halls, and occasionally people could be seen entering and leaving, all in a hurry. All three halls exuded a stern murderous aura, and occasionally some faint screams could be heard. This was the location of the main branch's Heavenly Mechanism, Privy, and Su Ye halls; this might not be the place with the highest nominal authority, but it was definitely the place most feared in the entire city.

Inside the Privy Hall, over a dozen people were sitting around, staring at the sand table map in the center of the hall. This map included most of Ning Province and Ningxi, and was produced extremely finely.

The people in the hall sat high above, with the momentum of overlooking the world. It was just that most of the people in the hall had drooping corners of their eyes, and at a glance, one could tell that they were all gloomy and extremely difficult to get along with.

At this time, one person said: "I heard that the Ningxi branch has had a lot of trouble, and the things the Immortal Ancestor wanted were snatched away by someone?"

Among the people in the hall, the one sitting furthest to the side said: "As far as I know, that Immortal Stone has already recognized its master and is now considered to have initially stood firm. For this matter, the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall even lost two elders."

A middle-aged man with a face full of black energy snorted heavily and said: "Although the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall is full of trash who have no hope of advancement and only care about worldly pleasures, they have after all cultivated to the Dharma Form Realm; how could they be lost just like that? Why didn't they report it up and directly send troops to flatten that side?"

The one furthest to the side said: "There are some reasons for this. It is said that there are two children who are most favored by the younger generation of the Bao family and the Xiao family in the Immortal Stone Domain. The Miscellaneous Affairs Hall was afraid of harming the innocent and dared not take big actions, always wanting to secretly push the Shaman tribe to take action. It's just that I didn't expect the Shaman tribe to suffer consecutive crushing defeats, losing three Great Shamans in a row. It is said that those young people also have Immortal means."

The old man in the center slowly opened his eyes and said faintly: "Immortal means? Isn't the Immortal Lord of the Primordial Tai Tai Chu Gong fighting with the Immortal Ancestor in the heavens? The Immortals have all taken it, so what can Immortal means do? Those people in the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall are becoming less and less useful. It will soon be the clan meeting once every three years, and it is time to change people."

The middle-aged man with a face full of black energy said: "What is the strength of the Immortal Stone Domain?"

"According to the latest news, the Domain now has tens of thousands of mortals, about three thousand Body Forging cultivators, and over a hundred Dao Foundations."

"Just this little strength? Just send troops and wipe them out!"

The old man in the center slowly raised his hand, and the hall became quiet.

He said slowly: "The Primordial Tai Tai Chu Gong has been moving north on a large scale in recent years, and the Jin King is already quite dissatisfied. First, let our people in the imperial court submit a few memorials, letting the imperial court also contribute some effort. Then we will fully blockade the border and not let the Primordial Tai Tai Chu Gong easily support the Immortal Stone Domain. This time, don't intercept if you encounter the Primordial Tai Tai Chu Gong's cargo ships; just attack directly, letting at most one or two of the Primordial Tai Tai Chu Gong's ten cargo ships pass. Also, coordinate with the Shaman tribe; did they just let it go after losing three Great Shamans?"

"As for the Immortal Stone Domain itself, there is no rush to destroy it. Anyway, the Immortal Stone has already recognized its master, and its value will be greatly reduced if it is snatched back and cut. It is better to let them hold on there, forcing the Primordial Tai Tai Chu Gong to do its best to support them. If they want to support the west, the Primordial Tai Tai Chu Gong will have to pay a price four or five times that of the north. We will bleed the Primordial Tai Tai Chu Gong first, and then..."

The old man pointed, and a piece of territory in the north of Ning Province on the sand table lit up; that piece of land was also several thousand li in radius, and at this moment, it was marked with the Primordial Tai Tai Chu Gong. Following the old man's movement, the Primordial Tai Tai Chu Gong mark was erased and replaced with the Xu family's mark.

The old man continued: "If the Primordial Tai Tai Chu Gong wants that piece of land in the west, then give it to them, but they must exchange it with the one in the north."

The black-energy cultivator said: "To bleed the Primordial Tai Tai Chu Gong, we cannot let the little guys in the Immortal Stone have an easy time. How about this: draw one thousand elites from the clan troops, and add some auxiliary troops to make five thousand, disguised as bandits to operate in the west, giving the little guys a good lesson, letting them know that people die in the Western Domain."

The old man said: "Agreed."

Someone asked: "However, what about the two children of the Bao family and the Xiao family?"

The old man said: "They must have life-saving means given by their families; fight freely, they won't die. As for the clan troops, let them die if they die. If those two children kill too many of our people, the Bao family and the Xiao family will lose face, and they will inevitably summon them back."

The one furthest to the side said: "I will go and arrange it. However, there is one more thing."

The old man frowned slightly, already showing displeasure.

That person appeared somewhat fearful, but still said: "We have had no news from the people sent to the Shattered Grotto-Heaven so far; none of the three teams of ninety people have come out. I suspect that thing may have already awakened. Under normal circumstances, it should not escape from the Grotto-Heaven, but what if..."

A middle-aged woman with a gloomy face and a somewhat sharp voice said: "What if it runs out from inside? Which cities are nearby?"

"The nearest large city is Quliu Town, which is also very close to the Immortal Stone Domain."

The woman sneered: "Isn't that just right? It would be best if they were all killed, and it would have nothing to do with us."

The old man said at this time: "Let's stop here for the matters in the west, and let's discuss matters in other areas."

——

Western Jin.

Before the sky was fully bright, the civil and military officials entered the main hall one after another. Jin Xian Wang had been on the throne for twenty years and was a model in diligence.

The Jin King sat high on the throne, and after the ministers shouted "Long Live" three times, he ordered them to rise. At this time, an old minister walked out from the front row of civil officials and reported: "This old minister heard that the Shaman people retreated from the border of the Western Domain, giving up several thousand li of territory. That place was originally our Western Jin territory; this is a heaven-sent opportunity and should be recovered. This old minister requests His Majesty to issue an edict to reset the four Ningxi commanderies and set up a Governor to guard them."

The old minister presented the memorial, which was written in great detail, even including a recommended list of candidates for Governor and Prefect.

The Jin King looked at the list and knew what was going on, so he asked: "The Ningxi commanderies were originally the foundation of our ancestors; now that the Shaman people have retreated, they naturally should be recovered. However, is there enough Boundary Stone in the treasury?"

The Minister of Revenue reported: "There are only two Boundary Stones left in the treasury, which were reserved for the north. At this moment, there are indeed no extra Boundary Stones."

Another official came out and said: "Without Boundary Stones, how can we settle the borders and guard the territory? The list submitted by the Right Prime Minister is sinister; most of the people on it are those he is usually at odds with. He is using a borrowed knife to kill, eliminating dissidents! Please, Your Majesty, investigate clearly!"

The Right Prime Minister sneered and said: "This old minister is wholeheartedly recommending the virtuous for the country, yet you describe me so unbearably! Censor Liu, you only know that there are no Boundary Stones in the national treasury, but you don't know that someone has already planted Boundary Stones in the west and opened up a Domain. The recommendations I made this time are all great opportunities to perform meritorious service! Although those people have gaps with me, how could I be someone who puts private interests above public duty!"

Censor Liu obviously didn't know about this and was speechless for a moment.

The Jin King became interested and asked: "How can one Boundary Stone be enough for four commanderies? Since the Minister submitted this memorial, there must be a reason."

The Right Prime Minister said: "This old minister's little thoughts really couldn't be hidden from Your Majesty! As far as this old minister knows, that Boundary Stone is top-quality, perhaps even supreme-quality! This one Boundary Stone can cover more than two commanderies, and one or two more Boundary Stones will be enough to recover the four Ningxi commanderies later."

A fiery heat flashed in the Jin King's eyes, and he asked: "Supreme-quality Boundary Stone, is this true? Who brought this Boundary Stone, and why was it planted there?"

The Right Prime Minister reported: "That Boundary Stone was originally in Ningxi, belonging to an unknown ancient object, and then it was accidentally triggered by a junior of a sect and planted there."

!.

The Jin King was overjoyed and said: "Since it is an ancient object found in our Western Jin territory, this Boundary Stone naturally belongs to this King. The Right Prime Minister's memorial is approved!"

The Right Prime Minister immediately kowtowed to thank him.

The Jin King added: "However, I still don't understand this list of yours. The candidates for Governor and Prefect are acceptable, but who is this Sun Sun Chaoen, the Vice Prefect? Why was he promoted exceptionally this time?"

The Right Prime Minister said: "Sun Sun Chaoen was previously a County Magistrate in Bianning County. Not long ago, he fought bloody battles with the Northern Liao for several months, was seriously injured but did not retreat, beheaded the young master of the Agula tribe of the Liao barbarians, triggered internal strife in Agula, and performed meritorious service. This person is both civil and military, truly a pillar of talent that is hard to come by. This time, the Western Domain is waiting to be rebuilt, and it needs such capable people to sit in town."

The Jin King nodded and said: "Since the Minister strongly recommends him, then it is approved."

Near noon, the morning court was over, and the officials walked out of the palace one after another.

The Right Prime Minister paced slowly and walked out of the palace gate. At this time, another bigwig in the court walked over and said: "Borrowing the Right Prime Minister's carriage today, how about it?"

"You are most welcome."

A moment later, the carriage set off, and the two high-ranking officials sat opposite each other. That person asked: "This Sun Sun Chaoen is just a small County Magistrate, how did he enter your eyes?"

The two were originally from the same batch of Metropolitan Graduates, and they had always advanced and retreated together in the court, so the Right Prime Minister did not hide it and said: "This person performed meritorious service in guarding the territory and received many rewards. Then he found a way to me, actually offering all the rewards, wanting to seek a step for advancement. This person has talent, but what is even rarer is this filial piety."

That official said: "It's good to put him in the west to gain experience. A good dog should be raised in the wild; maybe it can turn into a wolf. But are you really letting those few people be Prefects? Wouldn't it be too cheap for them?"

The Right Prime Minister laughed: "How could this old man be so generous? You don't know, there is as much risk as there is merit there. The Xu family has already lost two Dharma Forms, otherwise why would they come to me? I know the temperaments of those four people; none of them are easy to deal with. But putting such personalities in the Western Domain, maybe they will encounter misfortune at some point. Let's watch; even if only one dies, it's good."

"Deep planning and far-reaching vision!" The official admired.

——

Azure Void Domain.

A caravan stopped at the edge of the Domain, and then they saw a dozen knights galloping over. The caravan leader looked very nervous, and it was not until the knights checked the goods and paid the Immortal Silver that he breathed a sigh of relief. He handed over the three cargo trucks to the knights and quickly left with his dozens of subordinates.

In the Shattered Domain, a caravan and a bandit were only a line apart, and their specific identity depended on the mood of the caravan leader at the time and the environment.

The caravan leader had already seen that the dozen knights who came to receive the goods were all Dao Foundation cultivators, and he was scared out of his wits. Fortunately, the other side didn't intend to turn his team into cargo, so he naturally didn't dare to stay long. However, the members of the caravan were all very excited; such a large Domain as the Azure Void, if they did business seriously, it would be a very good way out.

A moment later, the three cargo trucks stopped in front of Wei Yuan. Behind Wei Yuan stood fifty knights, all sixteen young masters and misses of Heavenly Merit were in the ranks, and Feng Feng Tingyu stood on the other side dragging a long saber. The other thirty-plus people were also carefully selected, all Dao Foundation cultivators.

Wei Yuan opened the cargo truck, and the truck was actually filled with masks.

Wei Yuan greeted: "Everyone come and pick one you like, and the other two trucks are clothes and cloaks; change into them all in a while. From now on, as long as you wear a mask, we are the number one horse bandits in the Western Domain: the Zhan Tian Gang! Oh, the name can be discussed again; anyway, whatever we do, it has nothing to do with the Primordial Tai Tai Chu Gong or the Domain."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 172 =====