Chapter 264 The world is a chessboard and all living beings are chess pieces!
“I am afraid that if the battle line is stretched too long, the subsequent transportation of grain and grass for the imperial court may become difficult…”

“Annan is mountainous. During the reign of Emperor Taizong, we sent troops to conquer Annan and set up the Jiaozhi Provincial Administration Office. Those barbarians couldn’t defeat us head-on, so they simply fled to the wild mountains and ridges and came out to harass us every three to five days.”

“The army was unable to maintain the occupation and finally withdrew after occupying the city for just over three years.”

The commander who spoke lowered his head and expressed his concerns carefully.

Annan
It is located in the South China Sea and has a long and narrow territory.

In the past, during the reign of Emperor Taizong of Daqian, troops were sent to conquer.

The Annan Provincial Administration was established.

There are fifteen prefectures, thirty-six states, and one hundred and eighty-one counties.

There are five prefectures, namely Taiyuan, Xuanhua, Jiaxing, Guihua and Guangwei, which are directly under the provincial administration and have jurisdiction over 29 counties.

Officials and educational officials were sent to carry out education.

He even included Annan into Daqian’s imperial examination system.

So that its students can also read and write, and take the imperial examinations to become officials.

It’s a pity that Annan has been independent for a long time and the people have difficulty in winning its support, and there have been constant rebellions and unrest in various places.

Huge amounts of military expenditure were invested every year, but the tax revenue was less than one million silver dollars.

Finally, they had no choice but to withdraw their troops.

“For this battle, the entire army will only have two months’ worth of rations, and the rest will be collected locally!”

Jia Cong’s voice was cold and clear, but as soon as he finished speaking, everyone in the tent’s expression changed.

The entire army only had two months’ worth of rations. A rough estimate showed that even if the war went smoothly, it would only be enough to sustain the army until it could gain a foothold in Annan.

Grain is collected locally, so it goes without saying where to collect it from.

The innate gods have never been kind-hearted people.

In Daqian, the means of promoting Shintoism were gentle, and the people in Jiangnan and Shandong all praised Jia Cong for his kindness.

Not only did he gain a large number of believers, but he also accumulated a huge amount of merit.

Now the merits of the Shinto Dharma image have already condensed into clouds.

The so-called people who are not of my race must have different minds.

If you want to develop Shinto quickly after leaving Daqian, there are too many means you can use.

In times of peace and prosperity, three ounces of gold cannot buy people’s hearts.

In times of turbulence and famine, three kilograms of food are enough to make a family of three feel grateful.

……

When a large army is dispatched, there are many complicated matters to deal with, and it is not as simple as just giving an order.

Food rationing, weapons rationing.

The order of departure, the targets to be attacked, everything had to be discussed in detail.

The navy was headed by Song Kaijiang and the army was commanded by Sui Maoxiang.

All senior generals formed a staff group to provide assistance, with Baochai as the head of the staff group.

The pre-war meeting lasted a whole day.

It was not until dark that everyone had sorted out all the military affairs.

Take your leave and prepare for battle.

……

“Cong’er!”

After everyone left, Baochai gently massaged Jia Cong’s shoulders.

“Should we share the benefits of this southern expedition with the imperial court?”

“Sister Bao wants to ask why we don’t do it ourselves given our current strength?”

Upon hearing this, Jia Cong immediately guessed what Baochai was thinking.

Not to mention now, even a year ago, the forces under Jia Cong were enough to establish a country overseas.

“Whether it’s plundering resources or establishing a theocracy, in the final analysis, it’s all for the purpose of collecting incense.”

“It’s easy to build. It’s nothing more than conquering a piece of land.”

“It’s just that we don’t have enough people to manage it.”

“We can’t let the ghosts and gods under our command govern a region personally.”

“The gods need to be close to their believers, but not too close, otherwise they will lose their dignity and the gain will outweigh the loss.”

“It will also take up too much of our energy.”

Jia Cong took Baochai’s hand, held the Dragon Girl in his arms and explained slowly.

“In this world, strength is the basis after all!” “I have never personally managed the Andong and North and South Protectorates of Korea, but the profits in the past two years have been reduced by half.”

“Sister Bao, when the divine way breaks through to the second level, what is the difference between the imperial court and ours?”

Don’t forget your original intention!

It sounds simple, but most people are blinded by fame, wealth and power and forget the most fundamental things.

Apart from anything else, there was Lord He, a cabinet member who had previously intended to serve Jia Cong.

Born under the tutelage of the great Legalist scholar Li Gui, one can imagine his talent for Confucianism and Taoism.

In the past, he was also a first-rate genius in Confucianism and Taoism, and had the potential to break through to the fourth level of great scholar.

However, when he entered the officialdom, he was blinded by power.

Although the literary spirit has not been tarnished, it has lost its momentum and there is no hope of a breakthrough in this life.

A theocracy is fine too!

Overseas resources too!

Establish academies, build new ships, and conquer Southeast Asian countries!

Jia Cong seems to be intervening in worldly disputes, but in the final analysis.

Everything is planned for the advancement of Shinto.

When the layout was completed, many talented people emerged in Daqian, which served as the Shinto base camp.

Dongli Academy flourished and Jia Cong’s prestige was at its peak.

There is an endless stream of talents from all walks of life. They work for Jia Cong during their lifetime, and turn into ghosts and gods after their death, adding to the Shintoism!
Externally, the vast amounts of land, resources and population in the Southeast Asian countries can all be transformed into nutrients for Shintoism.

After operating for a hundred years, not to mention the fifth rank of Shinto, even the fourth or third rank would be promising.

At that time, there would be no need for Jia Cong to speak, or even to break off relations with the royal family. With the unstoppable trend of the times, the divine right of kings would be inevitable.

The one who benefited the most in the end was Jia Cong!
……

When Baochai heard Jia Cong’s explanation, she understood what he was saying and quickly figured out his plan.

There was an obsessive look on his face.

When they first met at the end of the fourth year of Shunde, Jia Cong was conferred the title of the third-class Purple Robe Marquis.

He went to the south of the Yangtze River alone to fight with the Bailu Academy.

Although he has gained a great reputation through various means, he is still weak in the eyes of the world.

Failure is possible at any time.

Now, in less than two years, he has already used the world as his chessboard and all living beings as chess pieces.

Become the chess player who is high above and looks down on the world!
“Sister Bao, how many souls of merit that have not yet been conferred have you collected?”

After explaining the layout, Jia Cong began to ask Baochai about her specific preparations.

“After the Jiangnan and Shandong sacred roads were laid out, Sister Miaoyu instructed the city gods and local gods in various places to pay special attention to the good people in their jurisdiction who were about to die.”

“The efficiency has been greatly improved compared to before.”

“There are now more than 400 souls of merit, all in Sister Miaoyu’s divine seal.”

“And there is also the food that Cong’er asked the ghosts and gods from all over the country to prepare last year.”

“Three million stones have been reserved!”

“enough!”

Jia Cong nodded slightly.

The total population of Annan is only over four million!

Three million shi of grain, if boiled into porridge, would be enough to sustain for more than half a year!
“After the army arrives, order Zhuxie to coordinate the establishment of the Nanyang Shinto system.”

“The ghosts and gods of Jiangnan cooperated with the evil-killing army to transport food and provide relief to the victims. They provided porridge twice a day until the autumn harvest next year.”

Under Jia Cong’s command, the first demon-slaying army is now fully organized.

The second evil-killing army is directly under the jurisdiction of the General of the Military Ghost Department.

Previously, more than 2,000 ghost soldiers were captured and enfeoffed in the Mobei grassland!

A fierce battle took place outside Quanzhou City, and more than a thousand statues were captured!
There are also eight third-level ghost generals serving under his command.

It is enough to open up the Shinto situation in Annan.

“I understand, Cong’er.”

After they finished discussing their business, they stayed together for a long time until late at night before they separated.

……

(End of this chapter)