……

At the same time Wang Yingxuan and Zhao Tingjian were speaking, another dazzling rainbow streaked across the sky.

This rainbow was slightly slower than Wang Yingxuan's and lacked a bit of the aggressive momentum.

Yet, it resembled a sweeping ribbon, trailing a long fiery tail like a giant broom, making it extremely eye-catching and spectacular from afar.

Even with Wang Yingxuan's impressive entrance earlier, this ribbon was enough to astonish everyone.

As it slowed down, people finally saw the figure within the ribbon.

It was a young woman with slightly chubby cheeks, dressed in a light purple outfit, looking charmingly cute.

Under her feet was a massive crescent blade.

The blade was cold, heavy, and dark greenish-black, with luxurious golden patterns winding up its back, resembling a golden-armored war god, exuding an invincible aura.

"This... this..." Zhao Tingjian was dumbfounded.

Was this another semi-immortal artifact?

What kind of families did these two belong to?

Visiting home and returning with semi-immortal artifacts, wasn't this a bit too extravagant?

However, Wang Lici wasn't interested in meetings. After reporting to Old Zhao, she stepped on the crescent blade again and headed straight for her Tenth Corps.

Only the Tenth Corps, responsible for the entire army's logistics and supplies, affectionately known as the "cook army," was her most reassuring place.

There, she had the demon pigs she had painstakingly captured and raised, along with the big rat and Lan Wan'er waiting for her.

The Tenth Corps never needed to face the enemy directly on the battlefield, so attending combat meetings was optional.

"Old Zhao, stop staring." Wang Yingxuan said with an air of authority, hands behind her back, "Before the other corps leaders arrive, let's have an internal high-level meeting to align our thoughts."

Zhao Tingjian raised an eyebrow, about to get angry out of habit, but then thought of something, and instead chuckled, rubbing his hands together, "Yingxuan, why don't we talk about the gifts first?"

It's said that in the Shenwu Royal Dynasty, the head of an army was called a corps leader. Back then, even slightly senior corps leaders could each have a semi-immortal artifact.

But now, resources were scarce, nowhere near the glory of the Shenwu period.

Most army marshals could only have a Dao artifact to show off, and as for semi-immortal artifacts, what great merits would one need to exchange for them from the military treasury?

"Why are you so anxious? It's just a semi-immortal artifact." Wang Yingxuan said, taking out a long sword filled with immortal aura from her storage ring and tossing it to Zhao Tingjian, "Here, you can borrow this sword for now, just remember to return it after you retire."

It was a very elegant long sword.

The blade was as white as jade, emitting a gentle white glow, like the bright moonlight, making one feel at ease.

On the hilt, fine silver threads formed a complex and mysterious inscription, seemingly capable of influencing laws.

"Good sword! Good sword~"

Zhao Tingjian received it like a treasure, excitedly caressing the jade-like blade.

However, as he caressed it, he suddenly found the sword increasingly familiar: "Hey, isn't this the Inviting Moon Sword, the semi-immortal artifact from our Immortal Base No. 2's military treasury?"

The so-called treasury "mountain-guarding" treasures were naturally those top-grade treasures used to showcase the dynasty's heritage and entice people.

Typically, they had two distinct features: firstly, they were extremely powerful and rare; secondly, they required an extraordinarily high amount of merit points to exchange.

Just like those super rewards in the officer training academy, in most cases, they were just pies in the sky to motivate soldiers to strive.

"That's right, I saw it lying in the treasury for too long, so I exchanged it to lend to you. Anyway, my family has equipped me with the semi-immortal artifact 'Zhuri'." Wang Yingxuan said, "But half the credit goes to my aunt Lici, she also contributed half of the military merit points."

She originally wanted to use a massive amount of military merit to exchange for a semi-immortal artifact, but unfortunately, the only semi-immortal artifact in the Immortal Base No. 2's treasury was this Inviting Moon Sword.

Listen! Listen to this tone!

Zhao Tingjian couldn't help but feel a bit sour inside.

Her family equipped her with a semi-immortal artifact!! Why didn't he have such a family? The world of the wealthy is truly enviable.

"This Inviting Moon Sword is indeed a semi-immortal artifact, and I am skilled in swordsmanship." Zhao Tingjian said with a slight regret, "But it seems more suitable for women, it's too beautiful."

"If you don't want it, I can lend it to... um, Yan... no, Liao Yingjun." Wang Yingxuan glanced around, realizing that her "little brothers" from the Seventh Corps were also present.

The deputy leader of the Seventh Corps, Liao Yingjun, immediately perked up, hurriedly scampering over, reaching out to take the semi-immortal sword from Zhao Tingjian's hands: "Thank you, Boss Yingxuan, for the gift."

"Scram!"

Zhao Tingjian slapped Liao Yingjun away, then hugged the Inviting Moon Sword tightly, firmly saying, "Who said I didn't want it? Of course I want it."

Though it was just a temporary loan and somewhat feminine, it was still a semi-immortal artifact~ Once this opportunity passed, where would he find another semi-immortal artifact?

"Let's go, let's have the high-level meeting." Zhao Tingjian, afraid that Wang Yingxuan might change her mind, pulled her along to the meeting, ready to fulfill the young lady's wish to dominate the battlefield.

Young people, when they get a treasure, inevitably feel invincible, their confidence soaring, wanting to do something to prove themselves, he could understand.

However.

The high-level meeting had only been going on for a short while when veins started popping on his forehead.

After another short while, he couldn't hold back anymore and slammed the table, roaring: "No way, I absolutely disagree with your strategic plan! What do you mean I should withstand the joint attack of two Great Demon Kings? Do you think I'm a reincarnated war god?!"

"Old Zhao, as a person, you need to have some ambition, otherwise, what's the difference between you and a salted fish?" Wang Yingxuan slammed the table back, shouting, "It's just two Great Demon Kings, if you don't take some risks, how can you achieve great merits?"

"Bah! I have two hundred years left until retirement. I'm just looking to retire quietly~ At my age, with my old arms and legs, how can I withstand the turmoil and take risks?"

"If you don't want to advance, then return the semi-immortal artifact to me..."

"I won't return it... Yingxuan, listen to my advice, better safe than sorry."

"If you don't experience wind and rain, how can you see a rainbow?"

The old and the young were slamming the table at each other in the high-level meeting, neither willing to back down.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the entire meeting room became tense.

The corps leaders who came upon hearing the commotion were instantly silent. For a moment, they all had a vague thought in their hearts, feeling as if the Eastern Line Defense Army of Immortal Base No. 2 was about to change.

Meanwhile.

Wang Lici also arrived at her Tenth Corps, and the long-separated big rat and Lan Wan'er were very happy, circling around Wang Lici.

Wang Lici didn't treat them poorly either, bringing them many family specialties.

Then, Wang Lici began to complete the unfinished business from before, which was to lead the Tenth Corps in another "training exercise," organizing multiple hunting squads to capture edible demonic beasts, expanding the variety and scale of the demonic beast farm.

For a time, her culinary business was booming, lively and bustling.

……

While Lici and Yingxuan were back at the corps engaging in grand construction.

The "Spring Thunder Operation" in Eastern Gan was also being meticulously prepared.

North of Guilong City, east of Lingyun Holy Land, a massive canal stretched across this fertile land like an ancient dragon.

In the canal, the vast waters flowed endlessly, nourishing tens of millions, even hundreds of millions of people along its banks.

This canal was one of the grand canal projects in the Great Gan's century-long engineering plan, named the Xida Grand Canal.

The Grand Canal started from the Western Sea, winding its way through Dala Commandery, with a branch "Guilong Canal" heading south, passing through Lingyun Holy Land, and finally reaching Guilong City, connecting the entire northwest region.

With the completion of the canal, not only was the water source problem of the Dala Great Desert solved, but also the transportation of large quantities of goods.

This was a truly beneficial project for the country and its people.

The construction of this Grand Canal alone took fifty years.

After it was officially put into operation, it took decades to develop, and now, it has formed a prosperous economic belt centered around the canal. The economy of Dala Commandery has thus soared.

The large ships that travel daily in the Guilong Canal, busily transporting various materials, are witnesses to all this.

The massive investment of funds and manpower for this project has long since paid off. The families who received shares in the White Cloud Tower back then have now made a fortune, only regretting not having taken more shares at the time.

Those who hesitated and watched without participating back then now regret it immensely, wishing they could go back and slap themselves hard. That moment of hesitation cost them not just a house or an estate, but a golden mountain of wealth!

And Prince An, having tasted the benefits of this grand project, began to invest heavily in expanding the canal. Now, the entire Great Gan is gradually being interconnected by canals, making the transportation of large goods easier and cheaper.

These canals spread across the land of Great Gan like blood vessels, and now, they have become one of the lifelines of the Great Gan economy.

At this moment.

On the bustling Guilong Canal, numerous transport ships bearing various merchant flags were shuttling back and forth, creating a lively and busy scene.

Among the countless transport ships, a fleet of large transport ships was mixed in.

At the bow of one of the large transport ships, a young man with a calm and extraordinary demeanor was leading a group of family guards on a routine patrol, observing the route with a telescope.

Their mission was to escort a batch of "important materials."

This was a large transport ship, with a huge hull and strong carrying capacity, but the volume of the cargo seemed small.

However, the ship was heavily laden, indicating that the materials being transported were very heavy. Behind it, a series of transport ships followed, covered tightly with oilcloth, clearly carrying important materials.

"Fourth Young Master." The old captain in charge of driving the transport ship said, "The water ahead is called Hui Long Bay, and the current is a bit swift. But that's not the most troublesome part..."

"Captain, feel free to speak." The calm young man said indifferently.

The cargo being escorted this time was large, including a batch of "national treasures" that were extremely heavy. Wang's own fleet had limited experience in river transport, so they chose to cooperate with an experienced old captain who was familiar with canal transport.

Of course, this was also related to Wang's reluctance to heavily develop the river transport industry, as many families relied on it for their livelihood. Wang's development had reached a point where their mode of making money had changed significantly, and they were no longer keen on "competing with the people for profit."

Rather than making money from transport, it was more important to quickly develop the economic chain along the canal. Only by allowing middle and lower-tier families to earn money from the canal, and perfecting the industrial chain, could Wang and Great Gan, as the source and upper structure, reap more benefits.

Therefore, Wang was willing to let go of some basic industries as much as possible.

"Hui Long Bay is originally a swift water bay, requiring some experience to pass safely." The old captain said, "In recent years, a group of 'experienced' boatmen have emerged, charging escort fees under the guise of providing protection. If we don't pay, I'm afraid we won't be able to pass Hui Long Bay."

The calm young man raised an eyebrow: "River pirates and toll collectors? In this day and age, there are still people daring to set up tolls on the canal?"

"Fourth Young Master, you may not know, but there's a royal estate near Hui Long Bay, and the person in charge is... sigh~" The old captain said helplessly, "So I advise you not to act rashly, pay the money, and let's safely transport the goods to the destination."

As soon as the old captain finished speaking.

In the distance, several fast boats suddenly sped out from the backwater bay.

These boats were much smaller than the transport ships, but they were sleek and long, moving at an astonishing speed in the canal, and demonstrating great agility when turning.

On each fast boat stood five or six burly men with steady auras.

The fleet of fast boats charged aggressively, their sharp momentum instantly causing the old captain and other crew members on the ship to change color, with many crew members turning pale.

"The water ahead at Hui Long Bay is treacherous. Each large ship must pay three, no, five hundred Gan gold, and our brothers will ensure your safety."

In the blink of an eye, the fast boats had already sped to the front of the cargo ships, and the leading burly man rudely demanded money.

This fleet of a dozen large transport ships was about to be charged six to seven thousand Gan gold in one go.

The calm young man's face darkened: "What if we refuse?"

"If you refuse, don't blame the swift currents if something happens~" The leading burly man laughed, but his words sent chills down people's spines.

A series of mocking laughter erupted from the fast boats, as if the young man had asked a ridiculous question.

The calm young man's face darkened further, but he didn't waste any more words, directly waving his hand and ordering: "Take them all down."

"Yes, Fourth Young Master."

As soon as the words fell, a family guard behind the young man leaped up, shooting towards the fast boats.

His movements were as light as willow catkins, as fluid as water waves, and in the blink of an eye, he was already above the fast boats.

"You blind fools, daring to charge us a toll." The guard said with a mocking smile, and without hesitation, delivered a clean and swift palm strike.

In an instant.

A vast and majestic Celestial Realm pressure erupted from him.

The surging profound energy transformed into a giant hand covering the sky, crashing down with the force of a mighty river. With just one palm, it shattered a fast boat into pieces.

The residual force of the palm continued, creating a huge depression on the water surface with a "boom."

"Celestial Realm?"

The river pirates were slightly surprised, but not particularly panicked.

The leader of the river pirates was directly angered by this action, sneering and shouting: "How bold! Do you know who we are backed by? I'll scare you to death if I tell you."

"Oh, I'd like to hear who you're backed by." The calm young man's voice also rang out.

"My master is the royal relative, Commandery Prince Jia. He is a senior relative of the current Prince An's lineage, with merits from following the dragon." The river pirate leader said proudly.

In the past, they had hit hard targets, but as long as they mentioned the name of Commandery Prince Jia, who dared to challenge them?

The calm young man had heard of Commandery Prince Jia, indeed a senior relative of Prince An's lineage, but as for the merits from following the dragon... that was somewhat laughable.

He was merely a person who cheered from the sidelines, yet dared to claim "merits from following the dragon"?

"How many years has it been since peace reigned in this world? The outer region battlefield is even more urgent." The calm young man's voice was cold, filled with deep anger, "Commandery Prince Jia, as a royal relative, yet engaging in banditry, truly shameless! Take them all down!"

With his order, several other Celestial Realm family guards also took to the air, joining the previous guard, easily capturing the group of river pirates.

No matter how the river pirates shouted or threatened, it was all in vain.

Seeing this, the old captain and crew members on the ship were so shocked their eyes almost popped out.

They knew the young master on the ship, known as "Fourth Young Master," was quite powerful, and his family guards seemed strong, but royal relatives were not to be trifled with!

Knowing the background of these river pirates, how could this young master dare to act so boldly?

"Wang Xiaohu, go interrogate them." The calm young man ordered again.

"Yes, Fourth Young Master."

The family guard Wang Xiaohu immediately took the river pirates away for interrogation.

These river pirates were not particularly strong-willed, and in no time, they confessed.

It turned out they were indeed acting under the instructions of the steward Wu Yong from the Commandery Prince Jia's household, daring to collect "protection fees" on the canal.

The calm young man frowned slightly, and said to a middle-aged man with an ordinary appearance behind him: "Uncle Zong Jiu, I'll trouble you to go with Wang Xiaohu to the Commandery Prince Jia's household and arrest the steward Wu Yong. Anyone who dares to obstruct, arrest them all."

"Yes, Fourth Young Master." Wang Zong Jiu accepted the order and left.

The Wang's Clan had gained substantial rewards from the officer training academy, including four Void Realm puppets and a considerable number of Divine Realm puppets.

The combat power of Divine Realm puppets varied, with the nine most powerful ones named Wang Zong Yi to Wang Zong Jiu, and the slightly weaker ones named Wang Shi Yi to Wang Shi Jiu, and a few named Wang An Yi to Wang An Liu.

Some key decision-makers or important managers in the Wang's Clan Industries were assigned puppet guards.

The puppets produced by the Shenwu Royal Dynasty were known for their quality.

Wang Zong Jiu's combat power was quite formidable even compared to Divine Realm cultivators, let alone a mere Commandery Prince, even a Prince would likely be no match for him.

In less than half a day.

The steward Wu Yong from the Commandery Prince Jia's household was arrested, and those who dared to obstruct or resist were also captured.

Fortunately, Commandery Prince Jia had some sense, realizing he had hit a hard target, and personally came to the canal fleet to apologize, disregarding his face: "I didn't know Wu had offended which young master of the Wang's Clan? I hope the young master can be magnanimous and spare Wu this time~~"

As he spoke, he sent a whole box of purple gold notes.

"I am Wang Shi Chao, the fourth of the 'Shi' generation in the Wang's Clan, my father is Wang Zongchang." Wang Shi Chao's voice carried far, "I was entrusted by the family to transport a batch of strategic materials to Lingyun Holy Land, but didn't expect to encounter such a vile act."

Wang Shi Chao was a key figure in the family, responsible for the production of the Wang's Clan's new armor.

At just over a hundred and sixty years old, he was already in the later stages of the Celestial Realm, and was one of the family's fourth training sequence.

The "Shou" and "Zong" generations in the Wang's Clan were not many, yet the family industries were growing larger. In such a situation, those like him, ranking higher in the "Shi" generation, had long become the backbone of the Wang's Clan Industries, holding significant power.

Even within the Wang's Clan, Wang Shi Chao held a very high status.

Commandery Prince Jia felt a chill in his heart, instantly realizing that he had indeed hit a very hard target this time.

This was the fourth of the "Shi" generation in the Wang's Clan! And as far as he knew, the one known as "Little Cabinet Elder" in the court, Wang Shi Zhao, was the third of the "Shi" generation in the Wang's Clan!

The two were close in age, having grown up together, their relationship must be very good.

Commandery Prince Jia gritted his teeth, continuing to lower his stance and plead: "I hope Fourth Young Master can show some leniency for the sake of Princess Yiluo, and give this old man a little face."

"You should seek that face from His Highness Prince An, I can't give it to you." Wang Shi Chao sneered, "Wang Xiaohu, gather the criminals and confessions, and send them to Guilong City for His Highness to decide."

"Yes, Fourth Young Master."

Wang Xiaohu accepted the order and left, giving Commandery Prince Jia a cold glance, feeling quite disdainful.

For a senior royal relative to engage in such activities was simply disgraceful to the royal family.

Commandery Prince Jia's face turned extremely ugly, and his expression became utterly despondent, as if he had aged decades in an instant.

He knew he was finished this time~

If this matter wasn't exposed, it would be fine, but once exposed, Prince An would never let him go. Not only would he be finished, but even his entire lineage would be implicated.

Beside him, the old captain and crew members who had witnessed the entire event were deeply shocked, feeling as if they were dreaming.

Who would have thought that the river pirates and toll collectors who had dominated the canal for years would be dealt with so easily? Were these still the arrogant river pirates and toll collectors they remembered?

For a moment, they looked at Wang Shi Chao with eyes full of awe.

After dealing with this episode, Wang Shi Chao continued to lead the fleet.

Fortunately, nothing else happened along the way, and the fleet traveled low-key, soon reaching their destination.

It was a remote small port. Inside the port, experts from the Holy Land had already led troops to receive them. They unloaded the cargo from the large ships, transferring it from water to land transport, heading towards the towering mountains.

After spending considerable time, they finally reached the Boundary Rift defended by Great Gan.

This terrifying Boundary Rift had claimed countless lives of Great Gan's troops, and many heroes had perished for it.

In the fortress at the Boundary Rift, the overall commander Wang Liyao personally came out to greet them: "Shi Chao, thank you for escorting this batch of treasures all the way."

"Third Aunt." Wang Shi Chao hurriedly saluted, "It's just a small task, nothing difficult. But you bear too much burden on your shoulders, truly a model for us juniors."

"You and I just have different roles. Let's not chat for now, I'll first verify the cargo list, and if everything is in order, we'll proceed with the handover." Wang Liyao said, in a good mood seeing her nephew, "After the handover, I'll treat you to something delicious."

After some pleasantries, they began the formal handover.

Wang Shi Chao introduced: "This batch of treasures includes newly produced Celestial Realm black armor, totaling twelve hundred pieces, and Purple Mansion Realm black armor, ninety-five pieces."

"In addition, there are simplified new black armors produced according to our Great Gan's actual situation. This batch totals one hundred thousand sets, along with one hundred thousand sets of new handheld shotguns and corresponding ammunition. Production is ongoing, and another batch is expected to be delivered in a year."

Compared to the Celestial Realm armor, Wang Liyao was clearly more concerned about the simplified new black armor and handheld shotguns. Unlike the Immortal and Demon Dynasties, even in the outer region battlefield, Great Gan's army had a large number of Qi Refining Realm cultivators.

In real combat, it often took a battle formation of ten to twenty Qi Refining Realm soldiers to barely defeat an ordinary outer region demon. After a fierce battle, the casualty ratio often exceeded ten to one.

Great Gan's defense over the millennia was essentially built on human lives.

After inspecting the simplified new black armor and handheld shotguns, Wang Liyao breathed a long sigh of relief: "Good, good, with this batch of armor and shotguns, the casualty rate of our Qi Refining Realm soldiers will significantly decrease, and their efficiency in killing the enemy will improve."

In previous tests, Qi Refining Realm soldiers wearing this simplified new black armor made of black iron and fierce crocodile skin were no longer easily killed in one hit, able to withstand several more attacks.

This was a qualitative transformation.

The only minor issue was that the cost of this simplified black armor was also quite high, with a cost of nearly ten thousand Gan gold.

In the past, Great Gan simply couldn't afford to equip them.

How much was the pension for a Qi Refining Realm soldier?

In times of poverty, human life was truly cheap.

"Third Aunt, you should also take a look at the ten national treasures I brought this time." Wang Shi Chao said, unveiling a large oilcloth to reveal a giant cannon in front of Wang Liyao.

Its barrel was dark and thick, with a caliber of nearly three feet, and a barrel length of four to five zhang, the black muzzle exuding a strong sense of pressure, making one feel intimidated at first sight.

"Fourth Grandpa personally named it the Wang's Giant Cannon. The barrel is forged from black iron and high-grade spiritual material alloy, with key components made from even more advanced alloys, and the base weight is forged from our Wang's own steel alloy, with each giant cannon weighing hundreds of thousands of catties!"

"The most crucial part is its cost, each cannon costs one billion immortal crystals! Not Gan gold, but immortal crystals!"

One billion immortal crystals, equivalent to about ten billion Gan gold.

If Prince An saw this ten billion, he would probably faint from excitement.

But the Wang's Clan had quietly made ten of them.

Although this made the Wang's Clan's cash flow tight, so what?As the saying goes, "Truth only exists within the range of a cannon." Without strength, one can only be at the mercy of others. Money spent on enhancing power is never wasted.

This time, the ten Wang's Clan cannons are one of the key elements of the "Spring Thunder Operation."

Wang Shichao's heart surged with excitement, eager to witness the majestic scene of the Wang's Clan cannons dominating the battlefield.