As the anti-corruption campaign grew ever more intense, the entire Island Nation soon descended into economic collapse and chaos, with the flames of war rising everywhere.
An anti-corruption campaign should have been good for both the nation and its people, but this one was far too extreme.
Under the Emperor's decree, every corrupt official and unscrupulous merchant caught was to be executed along with their entire family, regardless of the amount involved, and all their property confiscated.
As the saying went, nine out of ten officials were corrupt, and nine out of ten merchants were crooked.
Seeing the corrupt officials and unscrupulous merchants of the Imperial City executed along with their entire families, those elsewhere naturally feared for their own lives.
Some of the bolder corrupt officials and unscrupulous merchants refused to surrender without a fight and let themselves be butchered. Instead, officials and merchants colluded, raising armies in rebellion and declaring themselves kings.
The more timid ones secretly gathered their families and money and fled to other countries overnight.
As large numbers of unscrupulous merchants fled, the entire Island Nation's market supply collapsed as well. Unable to buy what they needed, the common people filled the streets with complaints, and local rebellions swelled in scale.
While the Island Nation sank into chaos, Nalan Sheng secretly swept up all manner of resources and talented people, filling his coffers to the brim.
When fleeing, many unscrupulous merchants only had time to take some of their gold, silver, and valuables. They had no way to carry off immovable assets such as factories.
Thus, Nalan Sheng also secretly took away a considerable amount of factory machinery, along with the workers who could operate it and their families.
Besides gathering resources and talent, Nalan Sheng secretly collected the souls of many condemned prisoners and