Great Cang

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Great Cang (大苍)
Alias(es)	Great Cang Kingdom; Great Cang Realm
Type	Human kingdom
Capital	Capital City
Founding Monarch	Ji Sheng 609 705
Ruler	Emperor Ji Guang, formerly King Chen 752 815
Political Rank	One of the Upper Three Kingdoms; formerly a middle-tier kingdom 1031 1052
Status	Active; expanded through the incorporation of Jin territory, Great Yu, the Southwest Demon Territory, and twenty-six central provinces of the Southeast Buddhist Kingdom 1015 1052
First Appearance	192

Background / History

Founding and the First Black Bone Calamity

Ji Sheng unified Great Cang and established its founding principles. During the Black Bone Demon Race’s first invasion, he relinquished the throne and entered the Sword Sect in an attempt to unite the cultivation world; he was ultimately killed through a demonic plot involving Moon Shadow. 705

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master Dugu Shi led three thousand warriors against the demons. The force was sealed within the Land of Conferred Gods beneath Great Cang Mountain, where its members remained as undead for a thousand years. 705 953

Decline under Ji Shang

Under Ji Shang’s rule, Great Cang suffered from an incompetent emperor and corrupt officials. Lin Su regarded the dynasty as incapable of preparing for external threats, particularly those beyond the Human-Sea Dividing Line. 640

Despite this political decline, Great Cang’s Literary Way achieved an unprecedented victory at the Azure Lotus Dao Discussion. The delegation earned 1,326 Azure Lotuses and ranked first over the competing nations and Sacred Families, with Lin Su contributing 1,300 of the total. 385

Change of Dynasty

The Great Cang News exposed Ji Shang’s treachery and affirmed King Chen’s legitimacy, helping stabilize the capital during the succession crisis. King Chen subsequently ascended as Emperor Ji Guang. 752

The transition avoided the mass purges and military violence common to previous changes of ruler: the populace, military, and capital were largely unaffected by the transfer of power. 756

Major Arcs

Arc	Developments
Azure Lotus Dao Discussion	Great Cang rose from a middle-tier contender to first place with 1,326 Azure Lotuses. The result later secured 1,560 Great Confucian examination quotas per imperial examination. 385 896
Northern Expedition	Ji Guang enfeoffed Li Qingquan as Prince Jin and granted him the former Great Jin territory to lead the Flying Dragon Legion’s northern campaign against Great Yu. 756 757
National Reforms	Ji Guang adopted Lin Su’s policies on water conservancy, taxation, and the streamlining of the army and government. 815
Second Black Bone Calamity	The Black Bone Demon Race occupied most of Great Cang after breaking its seal. The Sword Sect undead returned, Hei Youhuang was slain, and the surviving demon forces were cleared from the kingdom. 934 946 954 955
Southeast Buddhist Kingdom War	Great Cang joined the campaign against the Southeast Buddhist Kingdom and received its largest territorial share: twenty-six central provinces. 1052
Western Expedition	Great Cang committed 300,000 elite troops to the Human Race’s campaign against the Demon Race, captured Mo Xie Pass, and established a Confucian Temple there. 1083 1086
Great Calamity of Heartlessness	Great Cang is revealed to be a Great World; its collapse would draw every Supreme Manifestation in the world into the coming calamity. 1262

Territory and Strategic Locations

• Great Cang Mountain — A major southern defensive barrier and the home of the Cangshan Army. Ancient legend claims it is the manifestation of a fallen heavenly god. 342
• Cangshan front-line city — A fortified military city built among mountain peaks, guarding the route toward Ningzhou and the southern prefectures beyond the Pearl River. 343
• Qingpan River — The southern border contested with the Chi Kingdom; the Cangshan Army restored the border here after Lin Su’s counteroffensive. 901
• Pearl River — The principal northern battlefield during the Black Bone invasion, defended by Prince Nan and 100,000 elite troops. 950
• Helan City and the northern frontier — The central front during Great Yu’s attempted southern invasion and Great Cang’s subsequent northern expedition. 750 753 760
• Mo Xie Pass — The first demon-held city reclaimed during the Western Expedition; Lin Su founded a Confucian Temple beneath the pass. 1086

Government and Reform

Three National Policies

Policy	Measures
Agricultural water conservancy	Promote water-control projects to stabilize livelihoods. 815
Tax reform	Reform the tax system to address structural problems in governance. 815
Army and government streamlining	Retain roughly three million professional soldiers through selection from the six major legions; resettle the remaining soldiers with compensation. 815

Ji Guang committed to implementing all three reforms alongside Lin Su, framing them as the foundation of a new era for Great Cang. 815

Prince Wen

Lin Su was granted the title of Prince Wen, a one-character king side-by-side with the emperor. His title represented the pinnacle of both the Literary Way and official authority, and he was given the Prince Wen Mansion on the Liuxiang River. 815 852

Military

Major Legions

Legion	Role and Record
Cangshan Army	Great Cang’s foremost legion. It defended Great Cang Mountain through the Black Bone invasion and contributed 80,000 elite troops to the Western Expedition. 950 1083
Flying Dragon Legion	Led the northern campaign under Prince Jin and reclaimed former Great Jin territory from Great Yu. 756 757
Blood Rain Legion	Rose to prominence through campaigns in the Southwest Demon Territory and Southeast Buddhist Kingdom; contributed 80,000 troops to the Western Expedition. 1048 1083
Integrated Great Cang Army	A 300,000-man expeditionary force composed of 80,000 troops each from the Cangshan, Flying Dragon, and Blood Rain Legions, plus 60,000 selected from three other legions. 1083

Cang Mountain’s Seventy-Two Tribes

The Cangshan Army draws on the specialized abilities of the seventy-two tribes of Great Cang Mountain. 342

• Hand Tribe — Adult men can kill wild bulls with one punch; they serve as exceptional warriors. 342
• Zu Tribe — Possess extraordinary speed and excel as hunters. 342
• Eye Tribe — Can see in darkness and detect enemies from up to a hundred li away; they serve as scouts. 342
• Ear Tribe — “Wind-listeners” who operate alongside the Eye Tribe in scouting units. 342

Way of Warfare

Lin Su transmitted a complete military doctrine to Great Cang’s generals so the kingdom would not depend solely on him. Its principles include guerrilla warfare for weaker forces, the use of terrain, weather, water, fire, and supplies as weapons, and the concepts of Integrated Warfare and Military Soul. 1083

Great Cang’s formations and military strategy enabled comparatively weaker troops to outperform stronger armies during the Western Expedition. 1048 1084

Literary Way

• Azure Lotus Dao Discussion victory — Great Cang finished first with 1,326 Azure Lotuses, surpassing the Nine Countries and participating Sacred Families. 385
• Examination privileges — The Azure Lotus result granted Great Cang 1,560 Great Confucian positions in each imperial examination: 360 Sacred Jinshi and 1,200 Bestowed Jinshi slots. 896
• War poetry — Lin Su’s Man Jiang Hong, a World-Passing Azure Ci, functions as a national weapon: Great Cang soldiers using it gain multiplied combat power, while enemy armies using it against Great Cang fall into the “Destroying the Master’s Path” trap. 193
• Confucian Temple authority — The return of Great Cang’s Night Watchman after Ji Guang’s enthronement signaled that the Sacred Hall recognized the new emperor and restored the relationship between sacred and imperial authority. 777

Foreign Relations

• Great Yu — Great Cang’s principal northern rival. Great Yu sought to exploit Ji Shang’s abdication to annex Great Cang, but the northern expedition reversed the conflict and reclaimed former Great Jin lands. 726 757 760
• Chi Kingdom — A southern adversary whose forces once crossed the Qingpan River and occupied fourteen cities on its northern bank before the Cangshan Army’s counteroffensive. 901
• Yelang Kingdom — Joined Great Yu and the Chi Kingdom in probing Great Cang during the succession crisis. 753
• East Sea Dragon Palace — An allied force. Crown Prince Long Shang answered Lin Su’s request to intercept invading forces supported by the North Sea Dragon Palace. 855
• Ancient Nanyang Kingdom and Western Heaven Immortal Kingdom — Partners in the campaign against the Southeast Buddhist Kingdom; Great Cang ultimately received the largest territorial settlement. 1052
• Demon Race — The central enemy of the Western Expedition. Great Cang’s forces captured Mo Xie Pass and established a permanent cultural foothold in demon-held territory. 1086

The Black Bone Calamity

The Black Bone Demon Race’s return placed Great Cang at a severe military disadvantage. Hei Youhuang was close to Saint level; his Eighteen Heavenly Kings were Origin Heaven Third Realm, his Special Envoys were Origin Heaven Second Realm, and even ordinary demon soldiers had Heavenly Phenomenon Manifestation cultivation. 951

Great Cang’s resistance held several critical positions:

• Capital City — Protected by Saint-level experts. 950
• Haining — Defended by the Lin family’s Saint Tree. 951
• Xizhou — Held by the Merfolk Tribe. 950
• Jin territory — Held by the Flying Dragon Legion. 950
• Ningzhou and Great Cang Mountain — Held by the Cangshan Army under Prince Nan, Qi Dong, and Qi Yao. 950

The crisis ended when Lin Su, possessing Dugu Shi’s body, and the three thousand Sword Sect undead destroyed Hei Youhuang, the Eighteen Heavenly Kings, and the demon Special Envoys. The undead then turned to dust after their final sacrifice. 953 954

Trivia

• Great Cang originally comprised forty provinces before its later expansions. 385
• The country’s first-place Azure Lotus victory was publicly framed as a national triumph, although the court deliberately avoided singling out Lin Su in its rewards. 385
• Great Cang’s new status among the Upper Three Kingdoms followed the acquisition of twenty-six Southeast Buddhist Kingdom provinces, a territory and population nearly equal to its former size. 1052