Chapter 873: Jiuqu Province |
The next developments in the surrounding situation left Meng Zhang perplexed.
The Extraterritorial Invader in Cloudmist Great Lake remained motionless and did not launch an attack on the Dali Dynasty.
Even though their spatial channel was destroyed and their Fourth Rank experts were killed, they seemed to bear this grudge. Could it be that they were all descendants of the Turtle Clan?
The Extraterritorial Barbarian Clan, known for their aggressiveness and love of battle, surprisingly began to retreat after several unsuccessful attacks.
It was rare for the Extraterritorial Barbarian Clan to withdraw when not clearly at a disadvantage.
During their retreat, the Extraterritorial Barbarian Clan's army maintained its formation and suffered no significant losses.
Seeing no vulnerabilities to exploit, the Dali Dynasty allowed them to retreat.
The Extraterritorial Barbarian Clan's army retreated all the way back from Jiuqu League, taking every precaution until they reached Yuantu Great Prairie, where they finally ceased their retreat.
At the border between Yuantu Great Prairie and Jiuqu League, the Extraterritorial Barbarian Clan established a defensive line and showed no intention of launching any further attacks.
Meng Zhang finally received the long-awaited military order, but it was not to lead the Taiyi Sect's army into Yuantu Great Prairie. Instead, he was instructed to hold his position and not rashly enter the area.
The gathered cultivator army of Taiyi Sect began to disband, and the state of alert was lifted.
Even though Meng Zhang had ordered the dispersal of the Taiyi Sect's cultivator army, he still felt uneasy.
Since the spatial channel had been completely destroyed, there was no need to pay extra attention to Mirage Secret Realm.
Meng Zhang recalled the Gold Core cultivators who were originally stationed in Mirage Secret Realm and had them organize several elite patrol teams to closely monitor the border between Endless Sea of Sand and Yuantu Great Prairie.
If necessary, they could even send reconnaissance teams into Yuantu Great Prairie for investigation.
Of course, they had to be extremely cautious and avoid alerting the Extraterritorial Barbarian Clan.
Despite making these arrangements, Meng Zhang still felt uneasy.
He personally flew to the border and even ventured a considerable distance into Yuantu Great Prairie but found no trace of the Extraterritorial Barbarian Clan.
It seemed that the Extraterritorial Barbarian Clan was already reducing its strength.
No defensive arrangements were made in the direction of Endless Sea of Sand.
It appeared that Taiyi Sect could temporarily set aside worries about threats from Yuantu Great Prairie.Meng Zhang was not the kind of person who took the world as his responsibility.
Whether it was the Extraterritorial Barbarian Clan or the Yao race, there were naturally experts from the Cultivation World to deal with them, and it had little to do with cultivators like him.
Being able to avoid a large-scale war and prevent casualties among sect disciples was a great thing.
And so, Jiuqu League returned to peace once again, and the aftermath of the previous battle slowly dissipated. The entire Jiuqu League region began to calm down.
The Dali Dynasty had no intention of using military force externally; they now had more time and energy to rectify their internal affairs.
The Dali Dynasty government officially decreed to rename the entire Jiuqu League region as Jiuqu Province.
Jiuqu Province was not to be underestimated, as it had one of the largest territories among all the provinces of the Dali Dynasty.
Zhang Weineng was appointed as the first governor of Jiuqu Province.
The former North Sweeping Grand Army was renamed the Northern Garrison Army, and Zhang Weineng remained its commander.
Apart from redeploying some forces back to the core of the Dali Dynasty, the structure of the army also underwent significant adjustments.
In addition to retaining a part of the elite forces as a mobile unit, the army was divided into smaller squads and stationed at various strategic locations throughout Jiuqu Province.
Furthermore, Zhang Weineng also recruited cultivators from various major cultivation forces to form a new army of cultivators.
This cultivator army served as a defensive force and was similarly divided into smaller squads. They were stationed at various locations in Jiuqu Province and were responsible for daily defense and patrols, as well as maintaining local stability.
The provincial capital of Jiuqu Province remained in Jiuqu City.
The new Jiuqu Province Governor's Office clearly paid more attention to the southern region of Jiuqu League.
The territory of the Dali Dynasty in Jiuqu Province was divided into two categories.
One category was directly governed by the Dali Dynasty, with imperial officials sent to administer the regions.
The other category belonged to various major cultivation forces, nominally affiliated with the Dali Dynasty but maintaining a semi-independent status.
As long as they obeyed the laws of the Dali Dynasty and fulfilled their obligations such as paying taxes and responding to conscription, the Dali Dynasty had no further demands of them.
Originally, in order to quickly pacify Jiuqu League, the Dali Dynasty had offered very lenient terms to surrender and defection, which led to this situation.
Such a situation was rare within the Dali Dynasty's borders.The consistent policy of the Dali Dynasty's court has always been to suppress major cultivation forces and completely subdue them.
The unique situation in Jiuqu Province stands out prominently within the Dali Dynasty. Zhang Weineng's appointment as the Grand Marshal also drew many attacks.
Fortunately, the Dali Dynasty places great importance on its reputation, and everyone has made solemn vows and agreements.
If there are no special circumstances, there is no need to worry about the Dali Dynasty violating the agreements.
To a certain extent, the vast region of Jiuqu League coming under the rule of the Dali Dynasty is seen as a good thing for many cultivators.
Once the situation in Jiuqu Province stabilized, various exchanges, especially in trade, between Jiuqu Province and the core of the Dali Dynasty quickly recovered and even experienced rapid growth.
Caravans after caravans traveled across mountains and rivers, covering great distances, coming from the core of the Dali Dynasty to Jiuqu Province.
The richness of goods carried by these caravans was beyond imagination. This allowed the locals of Jiuqu Province to witness the grandeur that a top-tier power in the Cultivation World should possess.
The original Jiuqu League had a low level of alchemy, artifact refining, talisman-making, and low production capacity.
However, the high-quality goods from the Dali Dynasty quickly seized the market.
As a result, the market in Jiuqu Province suddenly became bustling and prosperous.
For example, when it comes to magic tools, besides Fourth Rank magic tools, there were a variety of Third Rank and lower-grade magic tools, among which some were high-quality products.
The situation was similar for talismans, pills, and other items.
Take the Foundation Building Pill, for example. In the past, it was considered a crucial strategic resource in Jiuqu League, and oftentimes it was difficult to find even with money.
The distribution of Foundation Building Pills was a crucial means for major cultivation forces to balance their internal interests and control their subordinates.
Even if a small quantity of Foundation Building Pills occasionally appeared on the market, the prices were exorbitant.
However, with the arrival of the Dali Dynasty's caravans, the Foundation Building Pills became more accessible, if not completely common.
Although they were still expensive, they now had a stable source and only required sufficient spirit stones to purchase, without any additional costs.
These caravans from the Dali Dynasty also engaged in extensive purchasing in Jiuqu Province.
Their acquisitions included spiritual herbs, minerals, Heaven and Earth Spiritual Objects, and more.
It was evident that these caravans were not merely seeking to profit and leave; they were planning to establish a foothold here.
They set up branches in the region and got involved in various market operations, quickly infiltrating all aspects of Jiuqu Province.
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