The Dao Sovereign of Shennong

When Ling Yuan heard the numbers Zhao Xing gave, he surprisingly calmed down.

It was simply impossible to achieve.

The figures Zhao Xing had provided not only exceeded Yuncheng's historical standards but even surpassed those outlined for a county-level jurisdiction.

No matter how capable a person is, they cannot create something out of nothing. It couldn't be done—at worst, Ling Yuan figured, they couldn't kill him over it.

Zhao Xing continued, "Given Yuncheng's current circumstances, I understand that meeting these numbers is difficult."

"However, the past is the past, and now is now."

"I can guarantee that the Tiangong Workshop will receive adequate materials from here on. This is a major initiative from the imperial court, and anyone who tries to obstruct it is like an insect trying to stop a chariot."

"In addition, the workforce will also be adjusted. In the past, being assigned here was akin to being exiled. But now, it's different. Ambitious individuals will vie for the chance to serve here!"

"If, with sufficient materials and manpower, you still can't meet my expectations, it won't be as simple as just losing your position."

Zhao Xing slowly descended from the main seat, walking down the steps. "I've said all I need to say. You officials, go inquire about what you need to inquire, and do what needs to be done. There's no need to see me off."

The officials present were deep in thought, but Ling Yuan, after thinking it over for a moment, hurried to catch up with Zhao Xing.

Though Zhao Xing had said not to see him off, that didn't mean they truly couldn't.

Moreover, Ling Yuan had something to say.

"Lord Ling, I said there was no need to see me off," Zhao Xing remarked, though he stopped walking.

"Your Excellency, should the materials and manpower be provided, I swear I will meet the required figures, even if it means throwing myself into the furnace! Not only will I fulfill the needs of the Shennong Office for military preparations, but I'll also ensure surplus equipment is stored in the Shennong warehouse!"

"Oh?" Zhao Xing raised an eyebrow, impressed by Ling Yuan's quick thinking. "Weren't you struggling just moments ago?"

Ling Yuan lowered his voice, "Your Excellency, I must report something."

"Speak."

Ling Yuan said, "Yuncheng has indeed experienced constant warfare, but as Your Excellency said, we haven't faced a large-scale barbarian invasion in the past ten years."

"Since the seventh year of Jingxin, despite frequent official rotations and many seeking ways to leave, the Tiangong Workshop has often maintained close to full staffing, and materials were generally allocated in full."

"But..."

"But what?"

Ling Yuan gritted his teeth. "But over the past ten years, only one-third of the materials allocated ever reached Yuncheng!"

"The officials who were supposed to meet Your Excellency today? There should have been forty-nine of us. Yet, including myself, only fourteen have shown up. The rest? They've been sent to mine in the Fengming Mountains, and I can't get them back."

"I see," Zhao Xing waved his hand. "I'll give you seven days to audit the warehouse accounts. Anything before your term, I won't pursue. But anything during your tenure? You had better investigate thoroughly."

"You should already have an idea of who is useful and who isn't. Start producing equipment according to military regulations immediately—not just for agriculture, but also for defensive and offensive weaponry. Use whatever materials you have, and get things moving. Seven days later, present me with the accounts."

Ling Yuan nodded in agreement. "Yes, Your Excellency. Even if it costs me my life, I will carry it out! I just hope that my life and the lives of my colleagues are enough to get it done."

Zhao Xing laughed. Ling Yuan was still trying to get a solid promise out of him.

He stepped back onto the Swordfish Airship and entered the small materials depot on board.

Ling Yuan, not understanding, waited quietly when he noticed the Airship hadn't taken off.

A quarter of an hour later, seven straw puppets emerged from the boat.

Then, more and more straw puppets followed.

Soon, fifty straw puppets stood around Ling Yuan.

"This... Is this the Straw Puppet Technique?"

Ling Yuan was startled.

Zhao Xing was using high-quality materials for these puppets—at least from third-rank plants, with some parts even from fourth-rank sources.

Zhao Xing hopped down and nodded to Long Xiao.

Long Xiao understood immediately.

He placed his hand on the back of each puppet, stopping at each one for at least half the time it takes to burn a stick of incense.

Since the day they met at Huailiu Courtyard until now, twenty days had passed.

Zhao Xing had used the journey to help Long Xiao train in the Guardian Straw Puppet technique, and now Long Xiao had reached mid-stage at the seventh transformation.

"These are my Flying Guardian Straw Puppets."

"They combine two techniques and are crafted from top-tier materials. Along with the sword techniques of Commander Long Xiao, these puppets can protect you. Against anyone below the Seventh Rank, no one can harm you."

"Even a Seventh Rank cultivator, unless they surpass his level, will find it hard to escape death if struck by the sword qi."

Zhao Xing's Flying Guardian Straw Puppets were at the highest level of mastery. The power of the guardian puppet was tied to the level of the one storing the energy. At the seventh transformation, Zhao Xing could just barely store two sword qi techniques from Long Xiao.

Who was Long Xiao? A rare sword cultivator among millions, one of the top martial artists! He had gained a fragment of an ancient sword technique from a tomb and had spent years refining and perfecting it. That technique later became the famous Divine Thunder Sword, a top-tier martial skill coveted by countless martial artists.

Using fourth-rank materials to craft these puppets, Zhao Xing had reached the seventh transformation and could store only two of Long Xiao's Gengjin Sword Qi within them!

And the Flying Guardian Straw Puppets could both fight and flee.

"What? Even a Seventh Rank cultivator would die?" Ling Yuan's eyes were filled with shock.

This was beyond his comprehension. After all, he had no understanding of what true geniuses were capable of.

To infuse sword qi into a straw puppet—this alone had broadened his horizons. After all, he had never even heard of a Guardian Straw Puppet.

Weren't straw puppets just for scaring away wild beasts? And now, these guardian puppets could supposedly kill Seventh Rank cultivators?

But seeing the look on Zhao Xing and Long Xiao's faces, it was clear they weren't joking.

After infusing fifty straw puppets with sword qi, Long Xiao visibly weakened.

"Hah! If you need more, Lord Zhao and I could always make a few more!" Long Xiao laughed, but his trembling hands told a different story.

"No, no! This is more than enough," Ling Yuan quickly bowed in gratitude. "I will not fail in my duties!"

"Let's go," Zhao Xing ordered the flying puppets, then departed on the Airship.

Mid-level Straw Puppet Techniques, especially guardian puppets, were not limited by distance like lower-level techniques. Even in "disconnected mode," they could still function.

Chen Shijie had once given Zhao Xing a guardian puppet that followed him even on rural assignments. Later, it was passed on to Gui Niang for use.

Of course, if they traveled too far, Zhao Xing wouldn't be able to sense the guardian puppets. Whether they were destroyed or still intact could only be determined within a certain distance.

"Damn, that took everything out of me," Long Xiao groaned as he quickly pulled some fruit from the Wenzhu Box to replenish his energy. "You sure like to put on a show in front of others, but I'm the one who suffers! Creating fifty guardian puppets nearly drained me dry!"

Zhao Xing, noticing Long Xiao's trembling hands, couldn't help but laugh. "Weren't you the one boasting earlier, asking if we should make more?"

Long Xiao, after eating some fruit, let out a satisfied sigh and leaned back against the box. "You already said it—I couldn't very well say no in front of everyone, could I?"

"Even if it kills me, I have to keep going."

"Damn, you're worse than Chen Shijie. At least he treated me like a person, but you—you're working me like an ox or horse!"

Long Xiao grumbled incessantly.

He had thought leaving Chen Shijie's service and becoming Zhao Xing's protector would be easier.

But no, there was no break at all.

"Relax, I'm doing this because I believe in your strength. Even Chen Shijie said that this is also a kind of training for you."

"Humph, of course, I'm strong and wise," Long Xiao said with pride. "Do you think just anyone can earn the title of Commander?"

"As for the training… well, I guess it is. Just a little too tiring." Long Xiao sighed. Why wasn't there a way to become stronger without working so hard?

"Rest up. Tomorrow, we need to pay a visit to the county office," Zhao Xing said.

"What for?" Long Xiao asked.

"The only person who can reassign the workers under Ling Yuan's command, without him being able to resist, is the County Magistrate and County Warden. But here, the magistrate holds both positions."

"Ling Yuan didn't fully explain, but the meaning was clear—the county magistrate sent the Tiangong Workshop's people to work on private mining ventures. And any materials entering or leaving Yuncheng must be approved by this magistrate, which means he's likely embezzling."

Long Xiao added, "It's absurd. Yuncheng, a county that often faces war, has no proper warden, and the magistrate holds both roles. Who knows how much he's stolen to maintain his dominance?"

Zhao Xing thought aloud, "We haven't met him yet, so we can't be sure. Let's head back to the Shennong Office and pay a visit to this County Magistrate tomorrow."

"His name is Shao Wanjie, and he's a Seventh Rank Upper official," Zhao Xing explained.

"He was originally a martial officer but later transitioned to civil administration."

"He was appointed as Yuncheng's magistrate twelve years ago, and at the time, the warden's position wasn't vacant. He started as a Seventh Rank Lower official but was promoted every three years, now reaching Seventh Rank Upper."

Returning to the office, Zhao Xing sought out Bao Wenshan for a chat.

As the saying goes, "An elder in the family is like a treasure," and Bao Wenshan, who had served in Yuncheng for over a century, knew the city like the back of his hand.

Upon hearing about Shao Wanjie, Zhao Xing couldn't help but ask, "Given Yuncheng's situation, how has he managed to keep rising in rank? Advancing three levels in ten years while also holding the position of warden? That's quite rare. Has he made any significant contributions to Yuncheng?"

Bao Wenshan snorted, "Contributions? Oh, he's made plenty, but all of them for those above him."

"When Shao Wanjie took office, he immediately began lining his pockets. Apart from the Temple of the Gods, there's not a single office he hasn't extended his reach into."

"Whether it's quotas sent from above or taxes collected locally, he takes a cut from everything."

"At first, he skimmed only a little, but later on, he started taking huge amounts—practically half of everything!"

"He frequently pulls personnel from various offices to work on his private ventures, treating every official like his own private army."

Zhao Xing flipped through the accounts that Zhang Zhong had submitted and shook his head.

Many entries in Zhang Zhong's notes were dubious. One page would show full tax payments, while the next would suddenly list shortfalls.

Why?

After the Shennong Office collected taxes, the goods were sent to the county's warehouse for storage, verification, and final review. At year-end, they were transported to the prefectural city.

Yet, every year, the county warehouses experienced fires, earthquakes, or flooding.

Given Yuncheng's treacherous geography, this was somewhat plausible. After all, the city frequently fell to invaders—warehouse fires weren't all that surprising.

Then, there was the issue of transporting the goods from Yuncheng to the prefectural city. The shipments were almost always sent via river, and Shao Wanjie's men always seemed to experience accidents.

No need to ask—the answer was always the same: the boats capsized in the Canglan River, and the losses were heavy. All blamed on natural disasters, with no human error involved.

Officially, this absolved everyone of responsibility. Yet, secretly, it placed blame on the Shennong Office and the Tiangong Workshop.

As a result, Tiangong's head, Ling Yuan, who should have held a Seventh Rank position, remained stuck at Eighth Rank Upper. The Shennong Office had also been run by Eighth Rank officials for several years.

Didn't the previous Shennong officials and Tiangong heads report the issue?

Of course, they did. But it was futile. Shao Wanjie's backers were too powerful.

Can't solve the problem? Then solve the person who raised it.

So, they were either reassigned or demoted, leaving Shao Wanjie in complete control.

After ensuring that his superiors were well fed, not only did Shao Wanjie rise through the ranks, but he also took over the warden's duties, effectively controlling everything but the Temple of the Gods.

Now that Yuncheng had little left to exploit, Shao Wanjie had turned his sights elsewhere, using Tiangong workers to mine in Fengming Mountain.

The real question was: just how powerful were his connections?

Bao Wenshan pondered aloud, "I've heard him brag before. He claims to be a protégé of Prince Liang, and his immediate superior is Liu Junliang, the Senior Prefect of Fifth Rank Upper. It's said that Liu Junliang has recommended him for promotion several times."

"Additionally, Shao Wanjie used to serve in Prince Liang's private army, the Black Dragon Guard. He even boasted about being a vice-commander, though I'm not sure how true that is."

Zhao Xing was taken aback. "Prince Liang? You mean Prince Ji Mingxian of Luliang Prefecture?"

Bao Wenshan nodded, "That's right."

"No wonder he's so arrogant," Zhao Xing muttered, recalling what he knew about this Prince Liang.

Prince Ji Mingxian was one of the few First Rank imperial princes, the ninth son of Emperor Wen, and the younger brother of Emperor Jing by the same mother!

During the expansionist wars, Ji Mingxian had served as the supreme commander of the armies for a brief period before overseeing the establishment of the Nine Heavens Yingyuan Prefecture.

He was dearly beloved by Emperor Jing, so much so that even after the wars had nearly ended, Ji Mingxian was still put in charge of the armies and given the task of founding the Nine Heavens Yingyuan Prefecture—clear signs of favoritism.

However, despite his illustrious titles and outwardly humble demeanor, Prince Liang harbored great ambition. The demotion of Marquis Yang An was largely due to his opposition to Ji Mingxian's appointment as supreme commander.

Yang An had stood on the wrong side of the political battle, and the consequences were severe. Though originally set to be promoted to Marquis of First Rank, Yang An's opposition led to him being demoted to a Third Rank County Marquis, while his elite Shenwei Army was disbanded, its members scattered. Only the name remained.

Despite his achievements, Ji Mingxian had unexpectedly rebelled in the later years of Jingxin's reign, allying with southern barbarians and rogue cultivators.

"So, Shao Wanjie used to work under Prince Liang, but there's no way he could have been the vice-commander of the Black Dragon Guard. At most, he was a low-ranking soldier."

Bao Wenshan was puzzled. "How can you be so sure?"

Zhao Xing explained, "The Black Dragon Guard was one of Prince Liang's three elite forces. If Shao Wanjie had been a vice-commander, there's no way he would have ended up as a mere Seventh Rank civil servant in a place like Yuncheng."

Bao Wenshan bowed respectfully, "It seems Your Excellency knows far more than I."

Of course Zhao Xing knew more. In his previous life, he had actually joined Prince Liang's Black Dragon Guard and fought in the rebellion. At the time, he had been convinced that Prince Liang was a visionary ruler and had eagerly followed him, hoping to gain favor and rise in rank.

He had thought Prince Liang would be a figure like the "Yan King," but when the rebellion was crushed in just over two years, Zhao Xing realized he had misjudged. Prince Liang turned out to be more like the ill-fated Emperor Jianwen, and even the rogue cultivators and southern barbarians who had supported him derided him as incompetent.

In hindsight, it was clear that Emperor Jing had been fishing for traitors, setting up his younger brother to rebel. Despite Emperor Jing's apparent sorrow over his brother's betrayal, it had been a well-laid trap.

After that, Emperor Jing had turned his focus inward, dedicating himself to producing heirs, which marked the end of the Jingxin Era.

"What do you plan to do, Your Excellency? If Shao Wanjie remains in power, dealing with him will be like dancing in shackles," Bao Wenshan advised.

"What should I do? Of course, I'll report him," Zhao Xing said, picking up the ledger and heading out.

Shao Wanjie was just a disposable pawn. He wasn't closely tied to Prince Liang. As soon as he became a liability, those higher up would get rid of him without hesitation. Zhao Xing knew his position allowed him to file reports that others couldn't.

Initially, Zhao Xing had considered meeting with Shao Wanjie to gauge the situation, but now, there was no need.

However, just as Zhao Xing was preparing his report, Shao Wanjie sent someone to the Shennong Office.

"The magistrate was occupied with official duties yesterday, but upon hearing of Your Excellency's arrival today, he has arranged a banquet at his residence to welcome you, Your Excellency," said a middle-aged scholar, presenting an invitation.

"I'm quite busy with official duties myself. Please inform Magistrate Shao that I won't be able to attend," Zhao Xing replied without even looking up.

The scholar maintained a composed expression and said, "Lord Zhao, you've only just assumed office. You might not even know all the officials under you. How can you claim to be busy with official duties? My lord is most sincere in his invitation."

Finishing his report, Zhao Xing gently blew on the ink to dry it, then smiled sincerely at the scholar. "I'm really busy. I'm not lying."

"Look, I can't even fit all of your lord's crimes on this single page."

The middle-aged scholar: "…"