Chapter 419: Chapter 361: The 9 River Dragon Lord, Usurping the Magpie’s Nest
Before long, an unassuming middle-aged man walked over.
Zao Fu originally tended horses for the royal family. He possessed a unique talent: the innate ability to communicate with horses. Beyond this, he excelled in carpentry, construction, sculpting, chariot driving, and more.
Indeed, he was a versatile figure—no wonder Jun Ya had recommended him.
Song Lin imparted to Zao Fu all his knowledge on metallurgy, forging, and the production of plows, spinning wheels, iron pots, and the mining of coal.
In addition, methods for discovering and cultivating crops like wheat and rice were not withheld.
Pointing a finger, a golden light entered Zao Fu’s forehead.
This act by Song Lin didn’t surprise or amaze the crowd. In this era, where every nobleman possessed unique abilities, an emperor without any extraordinary skills could hardly command their respect.
"By the way, I’m still short of some fine horses. I’ve heard you excel at horse rearing—go find me eight magnificent steeds. Once the task is complete, Zhao City will be bestowed upon you."
Zao Fu, ancestor of the Zhao Clan, was historically known for venturing into the Snake Coil River and the Tiger Pit Valley to find prized horses for King Mu.
Elated, Zao Fu accepted the mission. Though the task was heavy, the emperor’s rewards were abundantly enticing.
Zhao City was merely a reward for finding horses. Should he manage to implement all the emperor’s techniques, the emperor promised to grant him a fiefdom and the title of Duke. From then on, he would be known as Duke Zhao.
The fourth year of King Mu’s reign.
Under imperial decree, Zao Fu worked on metallurgy, extracting evil gold from Red Mountain, coal from volcanoes, and essence from the Luo River. He sought Shao Fu, an abnormal soldier skilled in fire control at Chijing Mountain, to forge the "Dragon Abyss" Eight-faced Sword and create a thousand weapons such as Evil Gold Swords and Evil Gold Spears.
The emperor granted Shao Fu the hereditary minister title and the position of Minor Minister of Works, officially naming the new evil gold substance "mystic iron."
Mystic iron was not steel. The materials in this world far surpassed those in ordinary worlds.
Mystic iron’s properties were three thousand times better than those of standard steel.
Even more astonishing was that these weapons could be mass-produced.
The sixth year of King Mu’s reign.
The Winter Official crafted items that the emperor was the first to use. Vassals fervently imitated him, swiftly influencing all aspects of society and transforming lives.
Various artisan products were exported to the vassal states, gradually seizing control of their economic lifelines.
Taking advantage of this momentum, Earth Official Bo Tong introduced square-hole coins, unifying currency and measurements.
In the Longevity Palace, Song Lin discussed strategies face-to-face with the six officials.
After the officials departed, Song Lin strolled over to a nearby small room, gazing wordlessly at a historian carving texts.
He wondered if he was perhaps too advanced for his time.
As an emperor, even his casual remarks could become maxims, recorded in the annals of history.
If this continued, future generations might invent over a thousand idioms inspired solely by him.
The Taishi historian set down his carving knife and bowed slightly.
"It’s too labor-intensive. I possess the methods for papermaking and brush crafting. Coordinate with the Winter Official on another day."
Looking at the crooked bell and tripod script carved on bamboo slips, Song Lin felt a sense of discomfort.
It was time to enforce small seal script. The written language of the era was far from conducive to widespread knowledge dissemination, with high barriers to understanding.
As for the supposed origins? He decided to fabricate an ancient trace: claiming it was derived from the Yellow Emperor’s old residence. After all, this land had hundreds of scripts—adding one more would hardly raise eyebrows.
Anyone skeptical could instead meet the Yellow Emperor in the underworld.
The eighth year of King Mu’s reign.
Three consecutive years of bountiful harvests, coupled with the unification of currency, significantly strengthened the Great Zhou’s national power.
The ninth year of King Mu’s reign.
The emperor expanded the military, forming the East Eight Divisions, West Eight Divisions, South Eight Divisions, and North Eight Divisions.
The Hu Ben Army increased to five thousand troops.
With each division comprising three thousand soldiers, the total amounted to ninety-six thousand. Combined with the Hu Ben Army, the force exceeded one hundred thousand—a nation wielding a thousand chariots.
The tenth year of King Mu’s reign.
The three armies had become as fierce as tigers and wolves. Banners billowed like clouds, while armor blanketed the heavens.
Marquis Jii Gong Mufu stood beside Song Lin.
Song Lin smiled and said, "Mufu, what do you think of the nation’s public assets?"
"Capable of crushing the vassals, though some difficulties may arise against the Four Barbarians."
"Are the public assets functional now?"
Song Lin asked again.
"Naturally."
Marquis Jii Gong Mufu’s objection wasn’t to warfare itself but rather to initiating conflict while the military strength remained insufficient.
Should the strength become sufficient, fear could be instilled across the lands.
"Let’s start with the smaller vassal states in the Central Plains. Which ones refuse to pay tribute?"
"Mao, Jiang, Fan, Yong, Cao..." Marquis Jii Gong Mufu listed sixteen names at once.
"Excellent. Spread word that the emperor plans to campaign against them in three days."
Granting them three days to atone, even if they don’t repent, would allow them time to unite.
Let them come jointly—it saves time.
Domestic issues still awaited resolution. After harnessing the momentum of this great battle, he planned to reform the slavery system.
Now that productivity had improved, slavery no longer fit the trajectory of development.
The Jingtian System had to be fully implemented. This system of field allocation was merely communal ownership by slaveholders, its essence still private. Only by liberating slaves could their potential be harnessed optimally.
In summary, Song Lin aimed to elevate national power to a level akin to that of the Han Dynasty.
"Marquis Lvu will lead the thirty-two divisions in combat; remember to report to me if anything arises."
This time, the strategic goal was to ignite a tripod—essentially reclaiming influence over the Central Plains.
Most targets consisted of minor vassal states, the strongest being at the Purple Mansion Stage—on par with Marquis Lvu and General Hu Ben Army Zhongshan.
The time ratio in this world was one month to one day.
As ten years had passed here, over a hundred days had elapsed in the outside world.
After relaying orders, Song Lin promptly returned to the real world.
...
Reality.
Song Lin sat cross-legged for a long time, unmoving, as flowers bloomed atop his head and five-colored light swirled behind him.
He was perceiving the flow of mana and the self-rotating and orbiting Cloud Seal inside his Dantian.
Sure enough, he felt stronger than last time—proving that cultivation in the story world could indeed feedback into reality.
Yet the Great Zhou presently lacked exceptional cultivation techniques. Otherwise, he would have tested whether recently learned spells could manifest in reality.
Should that be possible, it would validate the slightly higher risk of physical travel. Regardless, it was an incredibly promising option.
Exiting the secret chamber, he saw four Divine Dragons coiling in the sky.
"Ah, I almost forgot."
Suddenly, Song Lin recalled something and hurried back to the story world, handing the Emperor’s Four Treasures to Zao Fu.
"Gallop eight hundred miles at full speed and deliver these to Marquis Lvu at the frontlines."
The Emperor’s Four Treasures served as his reinforcement—the four dragons wielded power equivalent to the Purple Mansion Stage. With them, the armies could confront challenges without requiring his personal intervention.
"Yes, sire!"
Zao Fu mounted his Divine Horse, galloping three hundred miles in half an hour to deliver the treasures to the armies’ location at the frontlines.
From then on, the Four Treasures represented the totems of the four great armies, symbolizing the emperor’s authority.
In the meantime, Haojing Academy was founded, accessible to scholars across the realm.
Everyone had the right to enroll and gain knowledge.
The academy was centered around the Zhou Rites, supplemented by practical texts for governance and statecraft. Outstanding performers could become academy disciples and cultivate Taoist Skill.
The first school in this world was thus established.
Upon the academy’s completion, purple energy surged eastward for three thousand miles.
The emperor’s fame spread far and wide, his reputation unmatched and universally acknowledged.
...
Reality.
Donghua Jungle.
Song Lin listened to reports from his subordinates.
Shi Yinhua had recently teamed up with Evil Exorcism Altar forces in a sweep against the Six Heavenly Old Qi.
The campaign spanned two prefectures and six jungles.
A total of one thousand five hundred demons were slain, three hundred Taoists imprisoned, and six cultivator families destroyed.
The Black Prison Mansion was packed to capacity.
"What’s the situation with Guu Yuchan?"
"The two of them have successfully taken control of the Sanhe region and Qingyun Jungle. Some temple masters have already been replaced."
In conclusion, the Donghua Alliance’s infiltration into other jungles was almost complete.
A third of the Taoist School’s power was now under his command.
Recently, Zhonghuang Zi continued to be in seclusion, while others remained unchanged.
The Evil Exorcism Altar had recruited one thousand people overseas, now personally overseen and cultivated by Xiangling.
Currently entering a phase of growth, the faction no longer clashed with the Taoist School.
However, Song Lin was aware that Tianhe was undoubtedly gearing up for a major move.
Once he resolved the Ghost King issue and remedied foundational flaws, the great showdown would inevitably commence.
Of course, there would be skirmishes before the ultimate confrontation.
...
Yan King Mansion.
It was the residence of the Eighth Prince.
Adjacent to the mansion stood the Hongwen Academy, buzzing with activity today as numerous scholars came and went.
Today was Wu Yi’s lecture day, attracting many poor students who admired his teachings.
His Yinghua School’s theories on practical governance were particularly favored by these impoverished scholars.
On the podium, Wu Yi spoke eloquently.
He discussed matters ranging from global affairs to individual aspirations, from the Human Clan to the Demon Clan.
In the audience, a refined Taoist middle-aged man with dragon horns and jade-white skin watched Wu Yi’s lecture with a smile.
Nearby, some scholars seemed to recognize the Taoist and greeted him in hushed tones.
This was none other than Ao Qing, the mysterious master of the Jiuhe Origin Flow Prefecture within the Taoist Alliance.
The Heaven and Earth Xuanmen Taoist Alliance consisted of nine rivers, each controlled by Ao Qing.
Ao Qing placed great emphasis on scholarship, often hosting Dragon Palace gatherings to ensure top-ranking scholars soared to prominence.
Thus, countless legends circulated among the populace.
Beside Ao Qing was the young dragon Ao Jie, master of Yun River Prefecture in the Holy Might Taoist School.
They were accompanied by the Yin King and Taisu Taoist from the Holy Might School.
The Heaven and Earth Xuan Sect led by the Spirit Treasure Sect was organized around the Five Great Masters overseeing five palaces.
Beneath each palace were prefecture masters. Except for the Spirit Treasure Celestial Master’s General Record Palace, the other four palaces comprised three prefectures each.
A total of twelve prefectures.
Among them, six prefectures had deputy masters stationed in various Taoist Schools.
Chuu Yuying, Ao Jie, Earth Evil, Heavenly Slaughter, Taisu, and a figure overseeing springs were all deputy masters from the Holy Might Taoist School.
Ao Qing, as master of the Jiuhe Origin Flow Prefecture, reported only to the Spirit Treasure Celestial Master.
"My lord, do you think I could replace this man and become a leader in scholarship?"
"You?" Ao Qing glanced at him and chuckled. "As long as he remains, you won’t rise to the top."
Ao Jie himself was a renowned scholar, but he was conceited. While he had some prestige, his influence paled compared to Wu Yi.
Undeterred, Ao Jie exchanged glances with the others from the Holy Might Alliance.
"What if Wu Yi died?"
As Ao Jie understood it, Nan Jing, the imperial concubine, harbored deep resentment towards Wu Yi. His inclusion was owed to Song Lin and his irreplaceable skills.
The former didn’t intimidate them, thanks to backing from the Holy Might Heavenly Master, while the latter could be substituted. Though Ao Jie might fall short of Wu Yi, he was better than no alternative.
The concubine would likely welcome such a scenario.
"That I cannot say. Do as you please."
Ao Qing chuckled and didn’t stop them.
As the Jiuhe Dragon Lord, it was good for his kin to compete for power. Offering reputation without directly intervening was perfectly acceptable.
Thus commenced the game of usurping the rightful place.