Da Zaojun

When Song Wuji heard Xu Jia's words, he immediately realized that it made sense. He was just doing menial tasks and earning a living off others. Why should he think so loftily? Saving the world? What world could he be saving?

Ignoring all that, I focused solely on developing the human realm, increasing my cultivation, and finding more treasures. I would deal with whatever came my way.

As things stand, Song Wuji doesn't think things are too bad. The resurrection mechanism is out, so the advantage is in his favor no matter what.

Next, they began to deal with the accumulated government affairs. Although the officials in Hongzhou Prefecture were now in place, there were still some miscellaneous matters that needed to be decided.

For example, if thirteen prominent clans apply to build villages and clan lands outside the area, this must be approved by Song Wuji.

Upon closer inspection, Song Wuji noticed that some people had applied for lands that were already developed, claiming they had been their clan's territory in the past. Others had chosen to expand outwards, applying for strategically important passes—places where taxes could be collected simply by closing the gates.

Only two families expressed their willingness to explore the area towards Gannan Prefecture and Jiujiang Prefecture.

Song Wuji then approved the granting of the two families' grants, providing them with some grain, weapons, and supplies. He also granted each family a militia unit of fifty men, allowing them to choose their own location to establish their clan's territory. After establishing their territory, they were to return and contact him. At that time, he would regularly organize caravans to deliver supplies to their territory.

As for the other families, their requests were also approved, but the enclosed areas were all along the water, around the Gan River. They were to be responsible for building docks and clearing the waterways... These tasks required long-term investment and maintenance. The families could also profit from this, but once the waterways were cleared, the government, represented by Song Wuji, would benefit from the increased water traffic to the north and south.

After all, only Song Wuji's place can build large ships.

Next is the issue of Huodeji coins. Because the new coins are too valuable, they don't circulate much in the market. The old coins are still in circulation more often. Therefore, minting coins now would be a complete loss.

This is a common fiscal problem in history: new money doesn't reach ordinary people; it's all hoarded by landlords.

Song Wuji didn't have any good solutions, so he could only say that he would mint new coins even at a loss and continue to buy back the old ones. He then opened up a second way to exchange homesteads and fields, which was to exchange them for new coins at double the merit points.

However, this portion of farmland and residential land is nominally still government land, but it is granted to individuals for cultivation and generates taxes every year. Farmland accounts for 1/20 and residential land accounts for 1/50.

As a result, the landlords who had previously hoarded new land with large amounts of old money would be unable to resist the urge to acquire land and real estate.

The three major money shops started lending business, so people who didn't have money to buy land or homesteads could also get loans to buy land or homesteads.

After finishing these tasks, Song Wuji looked at the next category.

This time it involves various personnel appointments, which are entirely within Song Wuji's control.

Because the cities that have been destroyed by demons need to be rebuilt and some converted populations need to be added, these desolate counties and towns are basically empty and need to be rebuilt. Therefore, it is necessary to appoint corresponding officials to first establish government offices and then build city walls.

Only in this way can a region be effectively governed and continue to be interconnected.

Of the prefecture and seven counties, five were completely emptied of their population. Of the original 400,000 people, only 60,000 remained after the massacre.

Although the cycle of human reincarnation has been re-established, there is a price to pay for each person resurrected. It requires luck, the power of rituals to kill demons and intercept their flow, and the wonders of creation.

This cyclical system can only increase the population by about a hundred people per day, three thousand people per month, and thirty-six thousand people per year. However, the food, housing, and livelihoods of these people all need to be addressed; otherwise, they are just numbers, or ineffective populations.

Song Wuji had his own method for personnel appointments: he would use his supernatural powers to deduce the candidates, sending those who were suitable and reconsidering those who were not, eventually replacing them. After appointing personnel, the next step was allocating funds to various places: funds were needed for shipbuilding, training troops, and rebuilding cities.

Song Wuji's solution was to create money, spend it as it was being created, and then have these projects take out loans to finance them. The point was to get things off the ground first.

These matters gave Song Wuji a headache, so he couldn't help but call on Tian Chenghuang: "There are some things that you can handle and decide."

Tian Chenghuang shook his head: "As the head of all ghosts and gods, I should set an example and not interfere in the affairs of the mortal world."

He then said, "There is a group of powerful ghosts in the underworld who are being appeased. They are unwilling to be reincarnated and want to wait another eighteen years. They want to be resurrected directly and are willing to take a position here so they can go out and start their own businesses."

"Who are they?"

“Chen Sheng, Wu Guang, and the like were all like grass-snakes who failed in their uprisings.”

Song Wuji thought for a moment and said, "Let's take them in. They are historical figures after all. Their success may have been accidental, and their failures are still worth studying. We can send them to Fujian, a land of eight mountains, one river, and one field, to start their own businesses and become naval kings. That way, they won't have to learn to howl like foxes. They can sing 'Love is the only way to be yang'."

Tian Chenghuang said, "There are quite a few of these rebel kings, a full two hundred. They were all brought along by those famous historical officials and generals, so that they wouldn't rebel every day in the underworld and cause trouble for the Wheel King while he was suppressing evil spirits."

"Chen Sheng and Wu Guang are just representative examples. Although they failed, they still had the ability to rally a large following. Aren't you afraid they will rebel against you?"

"Go ahead and build them, what am I afraid of? I can kill these rebel kings with one punch right now. Even if they really become grass pythons and dragons, I can just throw them out, build cities in the land of demons, and become a lord of a region. Wouldn't that be part of the human path? I can deal with them one by one later."

"Alright!" said Tian Chenghuang, "Then I will arrange for them to be resurrected."

"Let them come in batches, discuss the terms first, don't be too quick, hold off on some and let them go in others, let them get anxious first."

"No matter what you do, first gather 100,000 in contributions, then let people go out and start their own businesses."

"They want to be emperors, and we are the emperor's fathers, the Heavenly Emperors."

Tian Chenghuang nodded and said with emotion, "It seems that going to heaven really makes a difference. Remember to take me up there next time."

"Don't worry, I'll definitely give you an official position."

Song Wuji didn't care about that: "Let's become a local deity first."

Song Wuji pointed directly at the sun and moon in the sky and said, "Do you see them? The area illuminated by the sun and moon is our human realm. The golden crow on it is my son, and the jade rabbit is my daughter."

"You little rascal!" Tian said, "You're starting to look like a king, you could be called a king."

"Once I have conquered Gannan Prefecture and Jiujiang Prefecture, I will declare myself king."

(End of this chapter)