Chapter 881
Four Prefectures and Counties, Centralization of Power in Prefectures and Counties
Wang Qianqian sat at the forefront of the Lingzhou faction. Her former innocence and smile had long since vanished from her face. Now, she was no longer the young clan leader under the protection of her elders, but the helmsman of the Wutong Wang Clan, bearing all the pressure of the family's rise.
This is the most glorious time for the Wang family in hundreds of years, but it is also the time of greatest pressure. The growing pains of transitioning from a Foundation Establishment family to a Purple Mansion family are continuously ravaging her mind, and the pressure is no less than that of Song Xianming back then.
Today's grand clan meeting was her first time attending. Looking around, she was surrounded by powerful cultivators from the Purple Mansion, and the gazes from behind, whether open or hidden, felt like thorns in her back.
All eyes seemed to be telling her one thing: "You are not worthy of your position."
His face was calm, but his palms were already sweating.
Lingzhou is the birthplace of the Song family. The Wang family was able to take the leading position entirely because of the Song family's trust in them, as they stood firmly by the Song family's side during the Song family's lowest point.
This is something the Wang family is most proud of.
The Song family indeed rewarded them handsomely, showering them with immense honor.
When Wang Wanzhou passed away, Song Changsheng personally visited to offer his condolences, and when Wang Qingquan died, Song Xianming was also present in person.
Such treatment is unique among all four states.
However, as the older generation of cultivators gradually passed away, the Wang family members gradually realized that the Wang family and the Song family seemed to be drifting further and further apart.
Their original positions were gradually replaced by the Akashi clan.
This discovery filled them with dread. If they lost the trust of the Song family, could the Wang family still maintain its current status? Could they still fulfill the grand vision expressed in Wang Qingquan's last words—to join the ranks of the Zifu families and govern a region for the Song family?
The answer is undoubtedly no.
Without the support of the Song family, they are nothing.
It was at this moment that they suddenly realized that the affection they had for each other would eventually be exhausted.
The successive deaths of Wang Wanzhou and Wang Qingquan further accelerated this phenomenon.
If they cannot produce results that satisfy Ms. Song, perhaps one day, someone else will take her place in the chair.
It could be the Liuyun Sect, or it could be the Qi and Zhang families who have been striving to catch up in recent years.
This unprecedented clan council may well be the moment that decides the ultimate fate of the Wang family.
All of this pressure must be borne by Wang Qianqian, the clan leader.
She wasn't unprepared and confident to shoulder this pressure, but what she lacked most right now was time. She didn't know what Song's attitude towards Wang would be after this clan meeting.
This position is the root of her confusion.
Just as she was thinking about how to prevent the Song family from losing faith in them so quickly, she suddenly felt the gazes directed at her change.
She looked up and found that Song Changsheng had somehow walked up to her.
"We haven't seen each other for many years, and my cousin has actually broken through to the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment. If my uncle were alive, he would surely be very gratified." (See Chapter 178 of Volume 3 for details)
Song Changsheng's gentle tone, tinged with a hint of nostalgia for his deceased friend, immediately calmed Wang Qianqian's previously anxious and uneasy heart.
She subconsciously stood up, but swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue. She bowed her head respectfully and said, "It was my oversight. I have not come to pay my respects in person since I ascended the throne. Please forgive me, Master."
The person before her looked exactly the same as he had back then, still full of vigor, but she no longer dared to address him as "cousin," as their statuses had changed so drastically over the years.
However, hearing that title from him again after more than a hundred years brought her unprecedented peace of mind. Song Changsheng still held some old feelings for her, and there might still be a chance for things to turn around today.
Song Changsheng smiled slightly and said, "It has been quite a while since we last met, and we've become a bit unfamiliar with each other's way of addressing each other."
It's my fault, too. I've been busy cultivating all these years and haven't even been able to attend such a big event as your succession. It's my fault as your elder brother.
Now that the world is at peace and travel is convenient, we should visit each other more often in the future.
Upon hearing this, the way everyone in the hall looked at Wang Qianqian immediately changed, especially the affiliated forces of Lingzhou, who were somewhat taken aback.
They originally thought that after Wang Qingquan passed away, the bridge of communication between the Wang family and the Song family would be broken. They never expected that Wang Qianqian would also be so favored by Song Changsheng. The Wang family's good fortune was too profound.
The fleeting thought that had arisen in my mind was instantly extinguished.
Seeing this, Song Changsheng was very satisfied. He had specifically supported the Wang family for this very effect.
While the Wang family may be somewhat disappointing, they have been diligent and conscientious over the years. Most importantly, they are loyal and disciplined, and have not taken advantage of the Song family's favor to encroach on the interests of other forces, which is extremely rare. Therefore, they do not currently have any intention of letting other forces replace them.
Furthermore, the current head of the Wang clan is Wang Qianqian. Even if it's just for the sake of her grandfather Wang Wanzhou, he, as her cousin, has to give her a hand.
Back when he was still struggling to make a living, Wang Wanzhou saved him from danger several times without expecting anything in return, and he has always kept these kindnesses in his heart.
Unfortunately, before he could repay her, Wang Wanzhou passed away after his lifespan had run out.
This has always been a great regret in his heart.
Before his death, Wang Wanzhou had always intended to match him with Wang Qianqian, but as his fame grew, the matter was dropped.
Therefore, as long as Wang Qianqian doesn't do anything that violates his principles, he will do his best to help her, as a way of repaying the kindness Wang Wanzhou showed him.
"This is not the right occasion for idle chatter. Let's talk after the clan meeting. I also brought you a gift when I returned from the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty."
Song Changsheng dropped another bombshell, then gave Wang Qianqian a reassuring look before turning back to sit in the main seat.
At this moment, Song Qingxi stood up and said, "All attendees are present. The clan council is now officially beginning. Seal the mountain gate!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the doors of the main hall closed, and the entire Cangmang Peak was placed under martial law. The Law Enforcement Hall took over all the family's important territories, a scale comparable to the Song family's grand clan council held once every sixty years.
Song Changsheng cleared his throat and looked at everyone, saying, "This clan meeting is much larger in scale than in the past, and many new faces have appeared."
I am very pleased to see this, as it shows that Mr. Song's efforts over the years have not been in vain.
Since my return, I have taken the time to tour the area. The once desolate Jiangzhou is now thriving and full of life. All of this is thanks to the efforts of everyone present. You are all meritorious officials of the Song family.
Since they have made contributions, they should naturally be rewarded.
Following this clan meeting, the Foreign Affairs Department will calculate contribution points based on the performance and development of various regions over the years, as a form of encouragement.
Of course, the standards may vary slightly in different places, and the specific details will be compiled into a booklet and distributed to everyone afterward.
Moreover, this is not the only time; every sixty years thereafter, the family will conduct an audit and create a ranking list, awarding different tiers of rewards accordingly.
"Gentlemen, please do not slack off!"
These words stunned all the cultivators present, who feared they had misheard.
Although they all knew that something good might be waiting for them at this clan meeting, they never imagined it would unfold in this way.
The relationship between the suzerain and the subordinate forces has always been one of mutual exploitation and mutual distrust.
Under such circumstances, let alone support, even slightly rapid development would arouse the sect leader's vigilance, and any signs of threatening his position would be met with ruthless suppression.
During major battles, the sect leader would massively draw upon the strength of affiliated forces to participate in the fighting. This was a consistent tactic of the sect leader to weaken affiliated forces, and everyone present was already used to it.
This is also the main reason why there are so few Purple Mansion forces in the cultivation world of the Great Qi. It's not that small forces and rogue cultivators can't produce Purple Mansion cultivators. These people are either recruited by the major Golden Core forces or continue to live a carefree life. Only a very small number of them establish a lineage or family.
Because the suppression from above was too severe.
Song Changsheng's actions completely baffled them. Shouldn't good development be met with suppression and warnings? Instead, he was rewarding them and even setting up an audit system. The faster the development, the more generous the reward. It was hard to believe their ears.
Doesn't the Song family worry at all that their rapid development might threaten their position?
How many years has it been since the Earth Fire Sect was destroyed?
Could this be a trap?
For a moment, everyone became extremely cautious.
If Song Changsheng could hear their thoughts, he would probably laugh helplessly; these people's ability to make connections is too strong.
Song Shi had not forgotten the lesson he learned from the Earth Fire Sect. He would not have made such a decision decades ago.
But times have changed. The Song family's foundation is now completely solid, and his cultivation level is enough to suppress most Golden Core cultivators.
The clan is thriving, with many talented individuals emerging. Song Qingxing, Zhuang Yuechan, and Song Xianming are all preparing to break through to the Golden Core stage.
The Song family and the forces present were no longer on the same level. Even if they all banded together, they would pose no threat whatsoever. A mere few Purple Mansion cultivators could be wiped out with a flick of the finger.
As time goes on, the gap between them will only widen.
If they don't receive some support, these affiliated forces will become almost useless in the future, which is something Song Changsheng doesn't want to see.
The Song family's power was ultimately limited, and its population size could not compare with all the forces in the four states.
When facing a large-scale battle like a beast tide, the Golden Core cultivators are strategic-level forces that cannot be used lightly; when they are used, it is a decisive battle.
At this time, cultivators at the Purple Mansion level and those at the Foundation Establishment level are the backbone of the battlefield, and their numbers will directly determine the course of the battle.
Although the Song family has developed rapidly, the time frame is still too short. The population base is too small, and the number of cultivators born each year is limited, with even fewer Foundation Establishment cultivators and Purple Mansion cultivators.
What situation are they facing now?
Resource surplus!
Decades ago, who could have imagined this would happen?
There are enough resources, but not enough people to fill them.
[Foundation Building Pill] can be refined in several batches at a time, and can be used for decades. However, the medicinal herbs can be harvested every once in a while, and all of them are piled up in the warehouse.
The subordinate forces have already benefited from this, opening channels for exchanging contribution points every year, and Qinghe Market and Wangyue Market also hold auctions from time to time.
Even so, there is still a large surplus. A century of peace has nearly depleted the contribution points held by the subordinate forces.
The only way to obtain it is by exchanging spirit stones.
Since the major powers couldn't afford it, their willingness to exchange for it was naturally low, thus slowing down their development. Song Changsheng's move was to provide them with a channel to acquire contribution points, rewarding them with contribution points for good development.
It can both win people's hearts and stimulate their desire for development, and also take the opportunity to control the development of various forces.
Most importantly, their overall strength has improved, which will help alleviate the pressure on the Song family when facing major battles.
He knows how to choose between shedding his own people's blood or someone else's blood.
As for whether it would threaten the Song family's position, Song Changsheng was not worried at all.
Even breaking through to the Purple Mansion stage requires support from the Song family, let alone the Golden Core stage. Just completing the Five Elements Dao Rhyme alone is a hurdle that ordinary forces cannot afford.
If breaking through to the Golden Core stage were so easy, the Great Qi wouldn't have only a few Golden Core cultivators.
Even if we assume there were some exceptionally talented individual, they wouldn't stand a chance against him. His absolute power would crush them; they would either submit or be destroyed. There was no chance of escape for him, who had reached the pinnacle of the [Spatial Laws].
Being fearless because of one's own strength is nothing more than this.
As long as the Song family continues its rapid growth, it will be impossible for them to catch up.
Once he breaks through to the Nascent Soul stage, he will suppress the entire cultivation world of the Great Qi, and these subordinate forces will have no chance to stir up any trouble.
Seeing that no one responded, Song Changsheng looked displeased and said, "What, do you all think my suggestion is inappropriate?"
"We will cooperate with all our might. You are truly wise!"
Red Fire Old Ghost was the first to step forward, and the others quickly followed suit, showering him with compliments.
"The second topic of this grand clan council is the territorial division of the four prefectures of Ling, Yang, Jiang, and Xiang."
Now that the family's territory is vast and has many affiliated forces, it is extremely inconvenient to manage. Therefore, I have decided to divide Lingzhou, Yangzhou, and Xiangzhou into prefectures according to the model of Jiangzhou and establish garrison prefectures.
All affiliated forces will be directly governed by the directly subordinate naval bases in the future.
The naval base is only responsible for maintaining stability and supervising development within its jurisdiction. It will not directly interfere in the internal affairs of various forces, so you can rest assured about that.
However, under special circumstances, the naval base has the right to issue conscription orders, and all forces must actively cooperate; those who violate this order will be severely punished.
After the establishment of the garrison, routine matters can be handled directly without having to report to Cangmang Peak and waste time.
Offerings for each period can be delivered directly to the garrison headquarters.
By the way, the review that was mentioned earlier, which takes place every sixty years, is also the responsibility of the local garrison offices, with the Inspection Bureau and the Enforcement Hall supervising it simultaneously.
"What do you all think?" Song Changsheng's gaze swept over everyone present. Although it was a question, his tone left no room for argument.
He had planned to divide the territory into prefectures and then have the garrison headquarters precisely control the local areas, thus turning the Song family's territory into an impregnable whole. This was a plan he had had many years ago.
Jiangzhou was one such pilot city, and the results proved to be very good.
Jiangzhou has the largest territory, the most affiliated forces, and is also the farthest away.
The three garrison commands were managed in an orderly manner, and their control reached an unprecedented level, greatly reducing the pressure on Cangmang Peak. Full implementation was inevitable, and any dissatisfaction should be kept to oneself.
The Golden Crow Sect and the Heavenly Vein Sect had already taken similar measures, with each state having a garrison or governor's office.
The system directly adopted from the Great Qi Dynasty, which divided a prefecture into three to five counties, but it was only superficial and did not truly play its role.
Song Changsheng drew on a lot of the management experience of the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty this time, and the relevant systems are already very complete. The main purpose of this conference is to promote the "prefecture and county system" and strengthen control over local areas and affiliated forces.
The Jiangzhou faction didn't react much to these words, since they had always done things this way.
Moreover, they didn't think there was anything wrong with this. They could directly seek help from the naval base if they needed anything, and the naval base played an indelible role in their development.
The Lingzhou faction didn't react much either, since it had always been directly managed by the Song family, so whether or not there was a garrison was irrelevant.
The most resistant groups were naturally the Yangzhou and Xiangzhou factions.
Yangzhou and Xiangzhou currently each only have one garrison, making it difficult to oversee everything. This gives them room to operate in private. If the prefectures are established and the major powers are separated, it will be much harder for them to engage in underhanded tactics and deceive their superiors.
Most importantly, this signifies that the Song family will end their "free-range" approach to them and will soon formally take control of them.
It's like a collar; it's loose at first, but it gradually tightens until it's completely impossible to break free.
Previously, they privately considered themselves Song's "allies," but with the establishment of the garrison, this fig leaf was no longer left.
But faced with Song Changsheng's decision, who would dare to voice any objections?
Song Changsheng's feat of winning first place in the Five Academies Grand Competition had already spread throughout the cultivation world of the Great Qi. His prestige had increased exponentially compared to the past, making it difficult to even face him, let alone oppose him.
"Your Excellency is truly wise. We have long admired our fellow practitioners in Jiangzhou. We should have done this long ago."
Old Ghost Chi Huo was still the first to respond. Over the years, he had been scheming and plotting against the various families in Yangzhou, which had left him physically and mentally exhausted. Fortunately, Chi Ming had grown up quickly and could share some of the burden with him.
However, the lack of available resources was a major drawback. Now that the Song family has officially taken over the administration of Yangzhou, his burden can be significantly reduced.
"Very good. It seems everyone supports my decision. Now, let's announce the division of the prefectures."
With a flick of his sleeve, Song Changsheng conjured a detailed map encompassing four states, with each green dot representing the base of a Foundation Establishment faction and purple representing a Purple Mansion faction.
Jiangzhou has the largest area and more Foundation Establishment forces than the other states combined, but they are all in the development stage and their overall strength is not as good as Yangzhou.
"Lingzhou is divided into Wutong County and Liuyun County by Lone Wolf Mountain, which is located between the Wutong Mountains and the Liuyun Mountains. The Song clan's territory is not included in this division."
Wutong Commandery governs the Wang and Zhang clans, while Liuyun Commandery governs the Liuyun Zong and Qi clans, as detailed below.
Song Changsheng drew two lines on the map, showing the specific boundary lines to everyone, which roughly covered one-third of the area of Lingzhou.
The people of Lingzhou had anticipated this outcome and immediately showered the others with compliments.
"Yangzhou will be divided into three prefectures: Qianyang Prefecture, Kunyue Prefecture, and Tianxing Prefecture."
Qianyang Commandery governed the Chi and Chu clans.
Kunyue County was under the jurisdiction of the Shangguan, Li, and Shen clans.
Tianxing County was under the jurisdiction of the Bai, Luo, and Gan clans.
The boundary line and the location of the naval base are defined as follows.
The people of Yangzhou forced smiles; with this division, their good days were over.
"Xiangzhou is temporarily divided into two prefectures, with the Xuan River as the boundary, namely Xuanyang Prefecture and Xuanyin Prefecture."
Xuanyang County was under the jurisdiction of Yufuzong, Baishan Chenshi, and Taishui Liushi.
Xuan Yin County is under the jurisdiction of the Qingyuan Wang Clan, the Bohu Zhou Clan, and the Ba Dao Sect.
As mentioned above, there are a total of four prefectures and ten counties.
Above the garrison headquarters, a governor's office will be established. For the time being, it will not be a separate office, but will only be responsible for the training and deployment of the garrison troops.
Jiangzhou Demon Suppressing Guard, Yangzhou Blazing Sun Guard, Xiangzhou Mutualless Guard.
The staff will be increased to 2,000, 5,000 and 3,000 respectively, totaling 10,000. Additional staff will be added as needed after the garrison commanders and governors are selected.
There are still many vacancies among the ten garrison commanders, and they will not all be appointed at once. All of you here have a chance.
However, the minimum requirement is a Purple Mansion cultivator. If you are interested, you must not slack off. Song Changsheng then offered everyone another lucrative offer.
Upon hearing this, everyone present was stunned once again. They had never expected that they would be involved in this matter.
As soon as they heard that the Purple Mansion stage was required, they all deflated. Although there were many people present, apart from the Song family, there were very few Purple Mansion cultivators. Moreover, these few were already garrison commanders, so they had no chance to compete with them.
However, some quick-thinking individuals vaguely guessed Song Changsheng's plan and couldn't help but secretly look forward to it.
These people were right. Since Song Changsheng said so, he naturally intended to support a few of these people. After all, there were still quite a few Breakthrough Pills left, and this was a good opportunity to harvest another wave of profits.
There is no other way.
Originally, according to his plan, all the garrison commanders should be elders of the Song family, and they should be highly respected.
However, given the current situation of the Song family, it is difficult to achieve this. Appointing cultivators from other clans is inevitable, and this is a necessary transitional period. We can only make it easier for them for now.
Song Changsheng coughed lightly and said, "I believe everyone has heard about the recent great battle in the East Sea. Our family has gained a lot from the battle, obtaining a large amount of cultivation resources and scriptures."
A portion of these will be placed in the Contribution Point Treasury. A detailed list will be provided to everyone after the meeting. If needed, you can redeem them using your Contribution Points.
Considering the large number of items available for exchange this time, if you don't have enough contribution points, you can use spirit stones to make up for it.
The resources in this contribution point treasury will far exceed those of the past, including but not limited to [Foundation Building Pill], [Foundation Building Fruit], [Dragon Blood Ginseng]...
With each word Song Changsheng uttered, the breathing of everyone present became heavier. As they waited for the answer they wanted, a sense of anxiety began to rise in their hearts.
"In addition, the family will also provide five [Barrier Breakthrough Pills]!"
……
P.S.: Today's chapter is 6,000 words long, still 8,000 words to go~~ (End of this chapter)