Time flowed like water.
In the blink of an eye, two years had passed since the fall of Great Qing.
Over those two years, Ming had brought Great Qing's territory fully under its control. Its lands had nearly doubled, and its population had grown by more than ten million.
In national strength alone, it was no weaker than the other three great dynasties of the Central Lands, and might even have surpassed them!
The two nations' Jianghu had merged into one, becoming extraordinarily lively.
The original Ming Jianghu had changed little. In both north and south, the Supreme Alliance, the Divine Saber Sect, and the Wudang Sect still reigned supreme.
The former Great Qing, however, was rather more chaotic.
The Sword Sect, the Banner Sect, the Divine Water Palace, the Great Escort Agency, the White Lotus Sect, the Divine Dragon Sect, the Iron Sword Sect, and many other factions vied for supremacy.
Even the Green Dragon Society, previously battered and crippled, showed faint signs of rising again.
The Beggar Gang's influence, meanwhile, had expanded further. Previously confined to Great Qing, it had now begun spreading into Ming, showing signs of becoming Ming's largest gang.
In the shadows, the two underground powers, the Heavenly Sect and the Heavenly Venerable, also held all quarters in awe.
Yet however chaotic the Jianghu became, however fiercely its factions fought openly and schemed in secret, the Imperial Court still held supreme authority.
No faction dared challenge the Imperial Court's dignity.
As a result, the lives of Ming's ordinary people visibly improved with each passing day.
Everything was moving in the best possible direction...
The Capital, the West Depot.
The West Depot now held a position of tremendous importance, not only at court but throughout Ming.
Everyone in Ming knew that the nation's strength had