Three years passed. While the Human Alliance Council's research into Ding Yun's bloodline and genes yielded nothing, Ding Yun herself had made considerable progress.
She had not only successfully run for governor of Jinghua Province, but also officially joined the Beastmen Alliance Council, becoming one of its seventy-two permanent upper councilors.
Her own strength had also grown significantly.
Firstly, agricultural development. By reclaiming wasteland and cultivating crops, fruit trees, and medicinal herbs on non-agricultural land such as mountains, she had greatly boosted the economic development and improved the livelihoods of her administrative region. Every household now possessed some assets, barely reaching the ancient saying of having a stable livelihood leads to a stable mind.
Secondly, industrial development. Through years of effort, many factories had been established and were now in production. Not only had many low to mid-range products achieved self-production, but many light industry and food products were now being exported to the Imperial Star and the Psionic Planet. Although they were competing in the market with their superior quality and low prices, it was still far better than selling raw agricultural products before.
For instance, Liangshu cakes, no matter how cheaply they were sold, still generated more profit than selling raw Liangshu directly, right? One could not expect to reach the top overnight without any foundation, aiming for the high-end market. It had to be a gradual process; being behind was the only option.
Thirdly, the development of culture and education. Currently, Ding Yun could basically ensure that over eighty percent of the beastmen in her domain were no longer illiterate, and over fifty percent possessed basic literacy skills. Some had even passed the elementary education diploma assessments through the Imperial Star's online education system.
As for why it was the Imperial Star's online education assessment: the Beastmen Planet had no complete educational system, hence no diplomas. They were too lazy to create their own, so they directly adopted the Imperial Star's entire educational system and recognized its diplomas.
It had to be said, the more Ding Yun understood the situation on the Beastmen Planet, the more it felt like a colony, outwardly autonomous but actually constrained in every aspect. There was so much that needed to be changed.
Of course, these were just superficial changes. Ding Yun had also made many hidden changes.
For example, weapon production factories could now produce most conventional weapons, and they were also working on advanced weaponry. Although building weapons like star-annihilators was still a distant goal, Ding Yun already possessed the relevant technology and did not need to research and invent it herself. She just needed more time to replicate and manufacture them.
Then there were her disciples. Under her tutelage, all one hundred and eight disciples had reached the level of Rank 1 beastmen over a year ago. Thirty-two of them had now broken through to become Venerables. The rest were expected to break through smoothly in the next one or two years. By then, she would have a total of one hundred and eight Venerables. However, having all these Venerables remain on the Beastmen Planet would not exert their maximum deterrence. Therefore, Ding Yun's next plan was to divide them into four teams once they all reached the Venerable level. One team would stay on the Beastmen Planet to assist her, while the other three would be stationed on the Imperial Star, the Psionic Planet, and the Immigration Planet respectively.
Conventional weapons were useless against Venerables. Destructive weapons could be effective, but most Venerables could still escape unless ultimate destructive weapons like star-annihilators were used. If all the Venerables remained on the Beastmen Planet, she might have to worry about the Imperial Star using star-annihilators at all costs to eliminate them all and prevent future trouble.
However, by dispersing the Venerables across four planets, they couldn't possibly destroy their own homes, could they? And as long as they couldn't be annihilated, it would be easy for dozens of Venerables to stir up trouble, eliminate a few major families, assassinate some councilors, and so on. This was deterrence, the way of balance, and Ding Yun's ultimate strategy to buy herself time for development.
Of course, all this was still premature. So, there was no need to rush. It was still a matter of taking things slowly.
...
Beastmen Alliance Council, Council Hall.
However, this was not a full council meeting, but a private consultation convened by the Council Speaker specifically for all councilors outside the neutral factions. The main topic of discussion was clearly the issue of Ding Yun.
"Esteemed councilors, the situation is very clear. That panda beastman named Cang Yun does not merely wish to be a provincial governor. She is also coveting my position as Council Speaker. In nine years, it will be the election for the next Council Speaker. Given her current prestige, my position as Speaker may be in jeopardy. I am not greedy for this status or power, but I fear that if this young individual ascends to leadership without understanding the complexities, acting on her own assumptions, she will ultimately lead the entire Beastmen Planet into abyss! She is young, impetuous, and overconfident. She has already clearly shown dissatisfaction with the Imperial Star, and her actions are all aimed at uniting the ordinary beastmen. But she has no idea of the Imperial Star's true might, nor does she understand the compromises we have made over the years out of necessity. If such a young person becomes Speaker, I need say no more about the future. If she refuses to turn back until she hits a brick wall, it would be one thing if only she suffered the consequences. But when the Imperial Star's wrath descends, it will not be just her, but all of us present, and indeed all the citizens of the Beastmen Planet, who will bear the brunt. Therefore, I hope everyone here will state their position."
Council Speaker Dukamon, true to his ancestral saber-toothed tiger bloodline, directly stated his intentions from the outset and requested the other councilors present to declare their stance, whether they supported his idea or had other thoughts. A significant portion of the councilors present represented the interests of the Imperial Star and the Psionic Planet, the interests of the elites who rode on the heads of all beastmen citizens. Therefore, they naturally could not object.
Everyone quickly nodded in agreement and began to complain about the detrimental effects of Ding Yun's actions. For example, increasing wages and benefits had caused dissatisfaction among the employees of some of their corporate groups, leading to resignations. Agricultural and industrial development also made them appear lazy and negligent. In short, in their words, Ding Yun was almost a wicked person.
Thus, after their consultation, various smear campaigns against Ding Yun began, from her background to her actions. For instance, she was said to have eaten her parents at birth, which was why she was so powerful and became an orphan, adopted by a pair of hamster beastmen. Another rumor was that she practiced evil arts, specifically consuming beastmen and stealing their bloodlines for herself. She was accused of mistreating her adoptive parents' children, forcing them to work despite her own wealth. In essence, existing facts were exaggerated and presented one-sidedly, while non-existent situations were fabricated and imagined, desperately throwing mud at her.