The final negotiated outcome was that they would also dispatch a hundred thousand troops to the plateau to attack the barbarian royal court, and Ding Yun would accompany the army, both to represent the emperor and to oversee the troops, and also to be there as a safeguard.
This was the result of mutual compromise.
It was also a result that everyone grudgingly accepted.
The main reason officials accepted it was that some of them feared Ding Yun might retaliate if she remained in the capital. Leaving at least provided them with temporary safety.
If any unforeseen circumstances occurred during the march.
And they died outside, that would make them even safer.
The main reason Ding Yun accepted was her concern that if she didn't go, those opposing officials might tamper with the food and supplies.
War is fought by soldiers and logistics, and logistics, to some extent, are even more important than soldiers. If the campaign failed due to logistics, those officials would surely have something to say.
Threats could be made once.
But they couldn't be made every time.
This time, she was successful because she had the merit of a great victory, but if the attack on the barbarian royal court failed, she would be at a disadvantage.
At least in terms of public reputation, she would be at a disadvantage.
Then, verbal threats would not be as effective.
Therefore, Ding Yun had to ensure a hundred percent victory this time. She could not provide much help in other areas, but in terms of provisions, as long as she was there.
She could guarantee with absolute certainty that there would be no shortage.
With the matter formally decided, the hundred thousand troops were quickly mobilized and, carrying very light provisions and supplies, they swiftly passed through the passes and headed for the plateau.
Along the way, without the burden of provisions.
Their marching speed was very fast.
At the same time, the food was excellent, with three meals a day, and every meal was hearty with meat. Many even felt that the food was better than what they had at home.
They were reluctant to return after finishing the war early.
Of course, this was impossible. No matter how much the soldiers liked the food provided by Ding Yun, they still reached the plateau in less than half a month.
After a period of acclimatization to the environment and sending back those who truly couldn't adapt.
They officially began their attack on the plateau barbarians.
Since the majority of the strong youths of the barbarian royal court had already been eliminated by Ding Yun, the remaining ones, even if not all old, weak, or disabled, clearly lacked much fighting capability.
Even if they occupied a certain geographical advantage.
They could not withstand the attack of the large army, and soon they were in full retreat. Facing their rout, even Ding Yun had no solution, as the plateau was vast, and hundreds or thousands of people scattered and fled, making them impossible to catch.
So they could only abandon the pursuit.
Instead, they focused on attacking barbarian settlements.
And concentrated their forces to prepare for the main attack on the barbarian royal court at a later date, to find the whereabouts of the Left and Right Allied Kings.
As for other matters, they could only catch the big fish and let the small ones go.
After advancing for another half a month, when they were not far from the barbarian royal court, they finally obtained some information about the two Allied Kings from some newly captured barbarians. However, the translation provided by the merchant made Ding Yun somewhat worried.
"He said everyone dared not slack off in their reverence for the two great gods. Currently, both great gods are in their temples enjoying worship. Fewer people are sacrificing to the original Sky Wolf God!"
"It sounds quite good.
I imagine the two Allied Kings should not have suffered much!"
After translating what the captive said, the merchant, based on his own understanding, sighed with emotion.
He felt that the two Allied Kings should be fine.
"Enjoying worship, that sounds a bit strange..."
"How are they worshiped?
Are they given food and drink, anything they want?"
"Or perhaps it's like establishing a living shrine?"
If Ding Yun was worried, the other generals were confused. The merchant, hearing them ask, quickly went to question the captive again.
Then, a moment later, he completely collapsed in fear.
His face turned extremely pale, as if he would die of fright at any moment.
"What's wrong? Is there a problem? Or is the situation of the two Allied Kings not very good?"
His change in demeanor did not escape Ding Yun and the others' notice, so they immediately became flustered. It was clear from his reaction that there was no good news.
Otherwise, why would he be so terrified?
It was likely a matter of life and death!
"Quickly, tell me what he said. No matter what he said, or whether the two Allied Kings are alive or dead.
I will never blame you!"
To be honest, Ding Yun was also anxious, so she immediately reassured the merchant and told him to speak freely.
However, even so, the merchant took a while to recover before continuing, his face still pale, his voice trembling and intermittent as he said, "The Allied Kings are dead!
He... he just said that not long after they managed to control the two great gods, their faces turned purple and they gradually lost their breath. They were likely cursed by their Sky Wolf God, which led to their deaths.
But they also felt that the two great gods had enormous bodies.
They must have divine bloodlines.
So... so... they turned the two great gods into mummified statues and placed them in the temple.
To be worshipped by the giant gods!
The two Allied Kings are long gone..."
At this point, not only Ding Yun's complexion turned grim, but the faces of the other generals present were no better. Funeral customs varied in different regions, and in some places, treating people as gods might be considered a form of high respect.
However, in the Central Plains, a complete corpse and a peaceful burial were the best outcomes for the deceased. Any other actions were considered desecration, insult, and would prevent the deceased from resting in peace even after death. How could the actions of these barbarians at this moment allow Ding Yun and the others to remain calm?
"How dare they..."
"National Preceptor, please accept our condolences!"
Some immediately shouted in anger, while others rushed to Ding Yun's side to comfort her, as one of the two Allied Kings was Ding Yun's biological father.
However, Ding Yun did not seem overly grief-stricken.
In fact, she had a feeling of "as expected," because she had long felt that the two giants running to the plateau would not end well. Without leaving the plateau in time, the possibility of death far outweighed the possibility of survival. Moreover, even with a slim chance of survival, Ding Yun felt that her biological father's chance of survival was lower than that of the Right Allied King.
Because her father was fifty meters taller than the Right Allied King.
This height was enough to widen the difference in survival rates.
So, upon hearing this news, apart from the part about being made into mummified statues, which surprised her, everything else was within acceptable limits.
However, it was not good that her father died without pain, so Ding Yun still followed the flow, cried for a while, shed some tears, and then gritted her teeth, vowing to completely annihilate the barbarian royal court, both to avenge her father and to retrieve her father's remains.
To be buried with honor, interred in the ancestral grave, and so on.
Then, everyone attacked with even more decisiveness and resolve. Previously, everyone was still worried whether the two Allied Kings were alive in the hands of the barbarians. If they were still alive, would the barbarians use them to threaten them? Now that they knew both had passed away, there was no longer any need for hesitation.
How to inflict the most damage!
How to annihilate the enemy at the fastest speed!
That's how they would do it!
Not long after, they had thoroughly swept through the barbarian royal court and found the corpses of the Left and Right Allied Kings.
Naturally, they then transported the corpses back.
And instructed the imperial court to take over the plateau.
To implement the virtues of civilization and assimilation.
Ding Yun, leaving a portion of her men behind to maintain order, then hurried back with the remaining forces.
To mourn her father.
At the same time, she took this opportunity to declare that she would observe a three-year period of mourning and return to the National Preceptor's mansion for seclusion.
However, regardless of anything else, Ding Yun's achievements were undeniable. Coupled with her repeated insistence that she did not want any rewards, Emperor Zi Long could only comply with her implied meaning, repeatedly bestowing favors upon the Xiao family, promoting her elder and younger brothers and other relatives, and even granting their family the privilege of hereditary enfeoffment for three consecutive generations without demotion.
This could be considered Ding Yun indirectly compensating her family.
Although, theoretically speaking, her father's death could not be blamed on her. If it weren't for her actions, their entire family would have been raided more than a year ago. Moreover, if her father had stayed put and not caused trouble, he would not have died.
But, as the saying goes.
The dead are respected.
As if the dead are always right.
Or that even the greatest wrongs can be forgiven.
There were no rumors circulating among the common people, but there were still some whispers in the court, saying that if Ding Yun had not magnified her father so much, and he could not shrink, and was bored and lonely, the Left Allied King would not have gone to the plateau and died.
There were also remarks that if Ding Yun had given a prior warning, telling them not to go to the plateau, this would not have happened.
When these words reached her mother and other relatives, even her mother vaguely harbored some resentment. It was because of this that Ding Yun became reluctant to see them again, voluntarily went into seclusion, and refused all rewards.
Yes, Ding Yun did not give them a prior warning.
Not to go to the plateau.
But who could have foreseen that they would venture so far to cause trouble and play the hero? Ding Yun, however, because she knew that the right and wrong of such matters were difficult to clarify and explain, was too lazy to argue and simply went into seclusion.
Fortunately, her soul could still travel to another world, and she had another pair of parents who were good to her, so good that they could be considered to be indulging her without limit, even compromising, so her dejected mood did not last long. She soon recovered and continued to develop her career.
Not just limited to selling fruits and fresh produce.
She began to move towards research.
After all, being idle was also being idle!
Doing something made her seem less useless and lazy.
As for the specific research direction, it was naturally that magnifying glass. After using that magnifying glass for a long time, Ding Yun sometimes pondered its operating principle.
And whether its magnification process involved an increase in the number of elements within an object or an increase in the volume of the elements within an object. When applied to magnifying humans, it meant whether the magnifying glass enlarged the size of the cells within the human body, or simply increased the number of cells.
Or bone density, and so on.
Regardless, the fact that the magnifying glass could enlarge a person a hundredfold and still allow them to walk normally meant that the so-called magnification of the magnifying glass was definitely not limited to the ordinary sense of magnification.
Cellular bone density, and even genetics, would likely be involved.
Research in this area might be difficult to delve into and master the specific principles.
But it was easy to get a general understanding.
Simply buying some instruments would easily achieve this.
And through the analysis and examination by these instruments, Ding Yun soon discovered that her magnifying glass was indeed very powerful, as the detection data clearly showed that things magnified by the magnifying glass were not simply an increase in constituent elements.
Nor were the cells enlarged.
Instead, both worked in conjunction.
When magnifying inanimate objects, the specific changes were relatively simple, involving a mere increase in constituent elements. Rather than magnifying, it was more akin to a replication.
Replication and proliferation on the basis of existing matter.
However, when magnifying living things, there were more involved changes. For example, with magnified strawberry particles, not only did the cells within the strawberry become larger, but the cell walls also thickened considerably. The cellular fluid, and so on, also experienced more or less changes. It was these simultaneous changes that allowed the strawberries to grow larger without collapsing or deforming.
As for whether there were genetic changes, Ding Yun did not have the funds to purchase corresponding testing equipment, so she chose a simple and straightforward verification method: she prepared some flower pots and took seeds from the magnified strawberries to attempt to plant them.
If the strawberries grown ultimately had a similar overall structure to the magnified strawberries, then this magnifying glass would be incredibly remarkable, as it would mean that the magnifying glass not only magnified the object but also altered its genes and genetic factors.
And if this were indeed the case, then Ding Yun's previous actions would definitely be considered a waste of natural resources.
The technology involved in this magnifying glass would definitely not be limited to the conversion of material elements; it might also involve profound knowledge at the genetic level.
If the energy supply problem could be solved.
This magnifying glass would be an absolute artifact of regulation.
Of course, these were still speculations. Whether they were true depended on what kind of fruit the strawberries Ding Yun was currently growing, which had just sprouted, would eventually bear?
To increase the number of samples.
After planting the strawberries, Ding Yun specifically magnified some quickly growing fruit and vegetable seeds and planted all of them on her own land.
For those that needed soil, she planted them directly in the soil. For those that did not, she used flower pots and similar containers.
Soon, the house and shop were filled with flower pots.
So many that there was barely any room to move.
Xiao Haizhe and his wife said nothing about this, and even asked Ding Yun if she wanted to rent a few acres of land in the countryside to plant, or if she wanted to open a flower shop.
They supported her completely; there were absolutely no problems.