The divine manifestations began at the Gongwei Division.

The sun rose as usual.

When the sunlight shines on Chengdu, the city has already quietly changed hands.

Ding Daoqing, the governor of Shu Prefecture, is still alive.

But at this moment, he stood helplessly below the hall like a minor official.

All the officials, big and small, in Shuzhou stood there obediently.

They secretly glanced at the young, somewhat excessive man in the hall.

The newly appointed Commander of the Imperial Guard in Shu Prefecture is Zhou Heng.

This man turned Chengdu upside down overnight, beheading a fourth-rank demon in the street and confiscating the property of more than ten wealthy families in the city.

Even the governor's mansion was razed to the ground.

The sight of the golden seal falling was like a miracle in everyone's eyes.

Overnight, the sun and moon changed and the sky was transformed.

Now that even the governor is acting this way, how could other officials dare to voice any opposition?

Zhou Heng chose to seize Chengdu with overwhelming force and seized Ding Daoqing's weakness, all for the sake of immediate results.

Now that the Demon Court is eyeing him covetously, he has no time to take things slowly.

As the saying goes, "How can one tolerate another snoring beside one's own bed?"

Shuzhou is located near the stronghold of the Demon Court, and it is separated from the Central Plains by mountains, with only the Shu Road connecting the two regions. It is naturally a place that is easy to defend and difficult to attack.

With the Demon Court newly established, taking over Shu Prefecture is imperative, both from the perspective of establishing authority and from the perspective of development.

As the Commander of the Guardian Division of Shu Prefecture, it was Zhou Heng's responsibility to fight against demons.

If Shu Prefecture is lost under his watch, he will be held accountable.

Although Zhou Heng was already a fourth-rank official, he still found it difficult to contend with the imperial court.

Besides, he's been paid to do what's right. He's received so many benefits from the Guard Bureau, so when it's his turn to step up, he can't just be a coward.

He couldn't do that kind of thing.

Even if it's just for his own improvement, he still has to stay in Shuzhou to fight against the Demon Court.

To fight against the Demon Court, he must first completely control Shu Province.

He certainly didn't want Shu Prefecture to hinder him or even betray him when he was fighting against the Demon Court.

"Gentlemen, there are hundreds of monsters hiding in just one city, Chengdu."

Zhou Heng's gaze swept over the officials of Shu Prefecture, and he said coldly, "According to my previous temper, none of you would have been able to keep your official positions."

However, the court is currently in dire need of talent, and I, Zhou, will give you a chance to redeem yourselves through meritorious service.

"Thank you very much, Lord Zhou!"

Ding Daoqing shouted loudly, without feeling embarrassed at all.

Everyone secretly admired him, thinking, "No wonder he's a governor."

A true hero is one who can bend and stretch.

"Thank you, Lord Zhou. We will certainly make amends for our mistakes."

The crowd bowed and said.

"You must have already heard about what happened in the Demon Court."

Zhou Heng slowly asked, "What are your views on the situation in Shu Prefecture?"

"Master Zhou, Shuzhou is in danger!"

An official from Shu Prefecture stepped forward and said, "I had long suggested that the governor build a city wall between Shu Prefecture and the Ten Thousand Mountains, but the governor thought I was exaggerating and did not listen."

Now the mountain demons have indeed established a demon kingdom!

"It's not that I'm unwilling, it's that Shu Prefecture doesn't have the financial resources."

Ding Daoqing quickly protested, "How much manpower and resources would it take to build a city wall that stretches for hundreds of miles?"

If that were to happen, the people of Shu Prefecture would likely suffer greatly.

"Compared to life and death, what does it matter to tighten our belts for several years?"

The official from Shu Prefecture said, "Besides, Shu Prefecture has many wealthy merchants; we can increase taxes on them!"

The two started arguing back and forth on the spot.

Zhou Heng frowned as he listened.

In my past life, when I read novels and watched TV dramas, the protagonists all seemed to have an aura of dominance after transmigrating, becoming emperors and rulers, and it all seemed so easy for them.

But once you actually sit in that position, you realize that managing the world is not as easy as you imagined.

Let alone the whole country, just in this one Shu province, there are countless things to deal with.

In his previous life, Zhou Heng had only ever worked as a middle manager in a company. Suddenly having to manage the entire Shu Prefecture, he really didn't know where to begin.

"Scholar".

Fortunately, Zhou Heng knew what he was good at.

Leave the things you're not good at to people who are.

Lu Zian understood and stepped forward to separate the two.

"Lord Liu, please submit a written plan for the construction of the city wall. It needs to include a detailed design and budget."

Lü Zian said.

Lord Liu nodded in agreement, glancing at Ding Daoqing like a victorious rooster.

"My lord, if we are to build a city wall, I would like to recommend someone to you."

Lord Liu bowed to Zhou Heng.

"This man's surname is Gao, his given name is Shaojun, and he comes from a family of craftsmen."

He was not only skilled in construction, but also proficient in forging and mechanisms.

I first noticed the threat posed by the monsters in the Ten Thousand Mountains thanks to Gao Shaojun's reminder.

"Your Excellency will undoubtedly need this person's help to fight against the demonic court."

"Proficient in forging and mechanisms?"

Zhou Heng asked thoughtfully, "Can he forge weapons?"

"nature."

Lord Liu said, "Forging weapons is a family craft passed down through generations."

"Let's go see him."

Zhou Heng got up and was about to walk outside.

"Sir—here—"

Lu Zian tried to stop him.

"You can continue your discussion, just come back and let me know the results."

Zhou Heng said, and pulled Lord Liu outside.

His Dragon Sparrow Blade broke during the battle against the Little Demon King, and he has been wanting to find a new one.

He did find quite a few weapons when he raided those monster houses last night, but none of them caught his eye.

Having grown accustomed to the Dragon Sparrow Blade, he really looked down on ordinary swords.

He didn't even care about the weapons collected by the Shu Prefecture Guard.

Coincidentally, he had a piece of hexagonal alloy, a material for forging divine weapons, and he had previously been thinking about how to use it to reforge a knife.

Now that Lord Liu has told him about this amazing craftsman in Shu Prefecture, he immediately became restless.

Lord Liu hadn't expected Zhou Heng to care so much, and he was overjoyed.

He had previously recommended Gao Shaojun to Governor Ding Daoqing, but Ding Daoqing looked down on a craftsman and disdained his suggestion to build the city wall.

Perhaps, I might be able to make something of myself under Lord Zhou's command.

Lord Liu was so excited that his steps became much lighter.

Before long, he led Zhou Heng into a shabby alley.

"Young Master is a man of great talent and wisdom, but he has never been appreciated."

Lord Liu explained, "He clearly has excellent forging skills, but he refuses to make a living by blacksmithing, so he lives a hard life."

"But don't worry, sir, the young lord is definitely a capable person."

Zhou Heng remained noncommittal, gesturing for him to knock on the door.

"Young Master, is the Young Master at home?"

Lord Liu knocked on the door and called out loudly, "A distinguished guest has arrived! Young Master, why don't you come out and greet him quickly?"

With a creak.

The dilapidated wooden door opened, revealing the face of a disheveled middle-aged man.

"Distinguished guest? More like an unwelcome guest."

The other person looked grumpy from just waking up and said irritably.

"How dare you be so rude! And who is this?"

Just as Lord Liu was about to introduce Zhou Heng, Zhou Heng interrupted him.

"I've heard that you are skilled in forging, so I've come here to ask you to forge a sword for me."

Zhou Heng cupped his hands in greeting.

The other person's expression showed no sign of surprise, clearly indicating that they did not recognize him.

"I won't fight."

Gao Shaojun refused without hesitation.