"First, spirit stones and provisions."
He looked at Xu Jiuling and Xin Bairen. "Jiuling, cooperate with Xin Bairen. Immediately, under the pretext of [military reorganization],
"require every registered member of the Qiongzhou Merchant Alliance, lineage, and sect across Qiongzhou's seven prefectures to submit a [Special Military Aid Fund] contribution within one month, according to the scale of their respective holdings.
"Set the amount at twenty percent of their total earnings over the past ten years. Have Ye Wushang accompany you to suppress any resistance.
"At the same time, levy varying amounts of Spiritual Energy Tax and Demon-Suppression Tax on all cultivators on the immortal register, as well as unaffiliated cultivators, to support the Southwestern Circuit in resisting the demon kingdom."
Xu Jiuling's and Xin Bairen's hearts jolted. Military aid contributions, Spiritual Energy Tax, Demon-Suppression Tax-their lord was practically preparing to scrape the very earth bare.
Yet neither showed anything unusual on his face. They answered in unison, "As you command, my lord."
"Second, outfitting the elites."
Qing Chen looked at Lin Changsheng. "Changsheng, handle this personally. For the sixty thousand true elites under my command, allocate spirit armor, magic weapons, talismans, medicinal pills, Fortune Talismans, and battle formation supplies at the highest standard. Draw the spirit stones from Qiongzhou's treasury!"
"Yes, Master!" Lin Changsheng firmly cupped his fists.
These sixty thousand elites were Qing Chen's true personal troops, expanded from the three thousand core members of the Demon Lotus Sect in the Gouwu Sea back then. They were also the century-old foundation of the original Miao-Conquest Army;
Their cultivation was formidable, and their treatment far surpassed that of ordinary prefectural troops. The spirit stones they consumed could only be described as a vast sea, and they were Qing Chen's sharpest blade.
Although Qing Chen commanded over three hundred thousand Qiongzhou