"Make sure you get some rest too."
"There's still plenty of work ahead."
Xuanyuan Tian Ji smiled.
"It's fine."
"If we can get the Alliance in order, a little exhaustion is worth it."
She paused, then added.
"Oh, there's one provision I left in the military merit system."
"Sects that join us as a whole can receive some basic contribution credit up front."
"Based on their size and the grade of their legacy, we'll award the entire sect an initial allotment of military merit."
"Then the sect can distribute it internally."
"That should soothe the larger sects a little, so they won't push back too hard."
Su Ming considered it briefly, then nodded.
"That works."
"A blend of firmness and flexibility. Good."
An unyielding approach would easily drive the newly arrived sects to band together in opposition.
Give them a little sweetness, then hem them in with rules.
That was the way to make things last.
Xuanyuan Tian Ji's talent for administration was truly beyond reproach.
The two discussed a few more details of the assessments.
Then Xuanyuan Tian Ji rose and took her leave to prepare for them.
Su Ming picked up the military merit regulations on the table and read through them again.
In troubled times, impose stern laws; in prosperous times, govern with benevolence.
They were in the most difficult period right now.
The military merit system was the best path for their present circumstances.
It would kindle everyone's fighting spirit to the fullest.
It would also truly bind the Alliance into a single rope.
That afternoon.
Notices detailing the military merit regulations went up throughout the base's streets and alleys.
A thick stack of parchment sheets hung on the most conspicuous stretch of the city wall.
The densely packed text laid everything out clearly.
People soon