While Ding Yun was diligently developing, the Great Gan Dynasty was plagued by constant natural disasters and man-made calamities.
Nearly three centuries old, the Great Gan Dynasty had long reached a state where the wealthy owned vast tracts of land, while the poor had nowhere to stand. The social hierarchy was so solidified that the proverb truly held: the upper classes had no impoverished scholars, and the lower classes had no noble families.
If this were the only issue, it would at most result in a rather oppressive society, prone to occasional unrest.
However, as long as such calamities did not occur frequently, the nation could generally manage to persevere.
But in the past few decades, the world had been hit by incessant natural disasters. In recent years, these disasters had become even more frequent than before, inevitably exacerbating the survival pressures on the vast populace.
When people could no longer survive, rebellion became inevitable.
As for why the natural disasters became more frequent?
The common folk whispered that the emperor had lost his virtue and that corrupt officials were to blame.
In reality, a major problem was the cyclical climate shifts that occurred every few hundred years, and human activity damaging the environment was another significant factor in the erratic climate.
Do not assume that because technology was not advanced, human activities had no impact on the environment.
The lack of advanced technology only meant that the impact of human activities on the environment was relatively slower and smaller compared to times of advanced technology.
However, the impact was still present.
The greatest environmental impact from human activities at this time was deforestation, leading to soil erosion and other problems. Vast numbers of trees were felled for constructing palaces, manufacturing tools, and for winter heating. Without timely replanting, this inevitably resulted in drought and soil erosion in certain areas.
As the eroded soil entered the rivers, over years it caused riverbank collapses and course changes, leading to floods.
The superposition of human factors and natural climate factors meant that the frequent natural disasters were no longer difficult to understand.
Ordinary people, already struggling due to heavy taxes and land annexation, faced unbearable hardship. When natural disasters struck, death, displacement, or rebellion became inevitable.
Natural disasters required disaster relief. Man-made calamities like peasant uprisings required suppression.
However, after years of natural disasters and crop failures, the imperial court was already in deficit. The emperor was unwilling to dip into his personal treasury, making disaster relief a farcical notion.
Even if some silver and grain were managed to be scraped together, little would remain by the time it reached the local level.
Whether it would be distributed at all was a question.
If the court could not even fund disaster relief, how could it afford to maintain a large army to suppress the victims of disasters and refugees?
Soldiers could bring their own weapons.
But if soldiers were expected to bring their own food, then once assembled, they would likely prioritize mutiny over suppressing the rebels and refugees.
Thus, the imperial court, under duress, had to relax its control, allowing local prefectural and county officials, as well as aristocratic families and feudal lords, to organize their own forces to resist rebels and refugees.
Initially, this approach would have been effective.
However, the private and public treasuries of those aristocratic families and feudal lords had all been visited and emptied by Ding Yun. Their grain reserves had also been confiscated by Ding Yun, with some kept for herself and the rest distributed to the disaster victims. Consequently, these aristocratic families and feudal lords were truly in a state of being willing but unable to act.
What should have been a promising situation for regional powers to carve up the land was instead hampered by a lack of funds and food. They could only muster a meager fighting force to barely protect their existing assets and territories, leaving them powerless to fully suppress the rebels and refugees.
Without further changes, the peasant uprisings caused by this years-long drought might truly have swept across the land, spiraling out of control.
However, Ding Yun had also done something else.
She had brought in a vast amount of water, causing rainfall and filling rivers to create lakes, thereby alleviating the disaster in the affected areas.
Many refugees and rebels had joined the resistance out of desperation. Now that the disaster had eased, a significant portion of the populace quickly returned home, greatly reducing the numbers and strength of the various rebel forces.
It could be said that Ding Yun's previous actions had weakened both the aristocratic nobles, feudal lords, officials, and the rebelling populace, thereby creating a more balanced situation.
Balance implied an inability to achieve a decisive victory.
But as Ding Yun ceased her meddling and quietly went into hiding to cultivate disciples and develop her forces, the previously balanced situation was soon disrupted.
It was not that the peasant rebels had grown stronger, but rather that the aristocratic families and feudal lords quickly recovered their strength and counterattacked!
Unlike the peasant rebels, who lacked administrative talent and only destroyed what they occupied without building, and who were plagued by internal disputes over the distribution of spoils, their strength did not grow with time. Instead, it weakened slightly, even showing signs of complete division.
The aristocratic families and feudal lords, whose land and assets had not been significantly lost, had managed to accumulate some wealth after more than a year of recovery. While they could not recover the lost gold, silver, and grain, they had at least managed to rebuild some capital, which was enough to recruit more troops and develop.
As a result, the situation rapidly reversed.
The peasant rebels began to suffer continuous defeats and were soon completely suppressed and annihilated. The aristocratic nobles, and even local officials and feudal lords, consequently gained merit, territory, and the right to openly maintain private armies.
The overall political landscape of the nation was largely similar to the situation after the suppression of the Yellow Turban Rebellion.
The country appeared to have regained stability, but in reality, it was riddled with holes, its people's hearts were scattered, and many even harbored ambitions, believing they too could contend for power.
However, none of this concerned Ding Yun.
She continued to operate according to her plan, diligently developing her strength.
Secretly, she recruited artisans, cultivating them and encouraging them to climb the technological ladder, accumulating her own power.
Based on the historical records of countless past worlds, a situation where the two opposing forces had similar strengths was most likely to lead to a protracted stalemate and heavy casualties. Conversely, when one side had the overwhelming strength to crush the other, the overall casualties would be relatively lower. Ding Yun believed that fewer deaths would reduce the likelihood of the world consciousness targeting her.
Furthermore, Ding Yun was cultivating indigenous individuals.
This was not an invasion by an external enemy.
Upon realizing their inability to resist, there would likely not be too many who would choose to die with unyielding defiance.
Therefore, Ding Yun specifically seized the opportunity to cultivate artisans and advance technology. This would ensure that her disciples, when they eventually raised armies, would possess sufficient strength to overwhelm their enemies and achieve victory quickly. It would also ensure that after their success, they would have the technological prowess and achievements to lead the common people out of poverty and hardship.
This would facilitate her becoming a sage in that era sooner.
If the process dragged on too long, her disciples might develop other ideas, perceiving her as a threat or attempting to seek the secret to immortality from her. In short, human hearts are unpredictable. It was best to accomplish certain matters as soon as possible.
This would prevent long nights and unforeseen complications.
Yes, Ding Yun's planning was this thorough.
Before her disciples were even fully trained, she was already preparing for the possibility of them turning against her once they gained power.
It couldn't be helped. Given the countless unexpected events she had encountered over the years, coupled with the uncertain factor of the world consciousness targeting her, how could her plans be successfully achieved without considering the worst-case scenarios?
If the world consciousness could make animals detest her, why couldn't it make humans detest her, or incite her disciples to harbor greed and malevolence?
This was what Ding Yun truly worried about and sought to guard against.