Tread, tread, tread!
In an elegant study, Qu Xiangfeng was full of anxiety, sweating profusely, pacing back and forth.
Xu Tianchuan held a jade slip in his hand, but it kept trembling. After contemplating for a while, he slammed it on the table. Worry filled his face, and his forehead creased into a knot, "What do you think, how should I respond to this jade slip?"
"Respond to what?"
Wu Qianqiu's face twitched, almost on the verge of tears, "Just three months into office, the elders from the Holy Mountain are already sending letters inquiring about the situation. How are we supposed to answer? Everyone is fleeing, and we can't stop them. Many families engaged in mining and harvesting herbs have all retired as a whole. The resources that were supposed to be sent to the Holy Mountain not only decreased but practically came to a complete halt. If this continues, how can we justify ourselves to the masters and senior brothers from the Holy Mountain?"
"Why wait? Come up with a solution quickly!"
"I've already thought about it. We've used every method available, coercion, temptation, done everything, but nothing works. Now, we don't even have enough manpower. Everyone is quitting. No matter how hard we've worked to manage these regions, why is it getting worse? It must be a conspiracy from those Eight Emperors, deliberately undermining us. Otherwise, why, despite our efforts to find the missing population for those people, are they also leaving us now? It must have been premeditated!"
"That's right, these ungrateful commoners actually dare to treat our good intentions this way. It's unforgivable!"
A hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes, and Qu Xiangfeng said with hatred, "I've never worked so hard from childhood to adulthood. I've put in so much effort for them wholeheartedly, and they still don't appreciate it? Hmph, big brother, I suggest increasing the punishment. In the future, anyone who leaves the homeland without authorization, who doesn't focus on collecting resources to support the Holy Mountain, execute their entire family, don't spare the neighbors. If one person dares to run away, slaughter the entire town, implement a collective punishment. I don't believe anyone would dare to run, and who would dare to let others run? Hmph, hmph!"
Bang!
Slamming the table hard, Xu Tianchuan glared and scolded, "Kill, kill, kill. Is that all you know? If killing worked, so many people wouldn't have left!"
"Then, big brother, what should we do?"
With a slight squint of his eyes, Xu Tianchuan said in a low voice, "By the way, after they left our territory, where did they go?"
"A small number went into hiding, but the majority went to the Demon Emperor's domain!"
"Demon Emperor?"
Frowning, Xu Tianchuan muttered, "The Demon Emperor is already dead, with no one in charge, yet he can still attract people to migrate and serve him? It seems that the chief steward, Zhou Fan, is quite capable, just as rumored. Otherwise, the Demon Emperor's domain should be in chaos now, with various forces fighting for dominance. Although we made a mistake here, we're still relatively unified and won't face internal strife. They can't run towards that chaos, can they?"
"Big brother is right!"
The other two nodded repeatedly.
However, they made a mistake in one aspect; even if the Demon Emperor's domain had no Zhou Fan, with chaos and autonomy among the various clans, it would still be better than their situation.
Snap!
Clapping his hands, Xu Tianchuan waved, "Let's go, let's visit that Zhou Fan again!"
"Big brother, why are we going to him again?"
"Let him assist us in managing this chaos!"
"No!"
Shaking his head vigorously, Qu Xiangfeng looked displeased, "If he manages this chaos, it will prove that we are really as incompetent as the Eight Emperors think. I can't afford to lose face like that!"
Helpless, Xu Tianchuan sneered, "What kind of loss of face is this? Zhou Fan is just a steward, a subordinate, not one of the Eight Emperors. If the Demon Emperor can ask for his assistance, so can we. In the end, the credit will still be ours. If we continue to do nothing, unable to deliver the supplies to the Holy Mountain this year, and the senior uncles come down to investigate, finding this mess, they might invite the Eight Emperors back again. By then, the Holy Mountain won't have an excuse to replace the Eighth Emperor, and we'll be truly embarrassed, fulfilling the wishes of those old guys!"
Pursing his lips, Qu Xiangfeng reluctantly nodded.
Then, the three of them took a step and flew towards the direction of Tianmo Mountain.
A month later, in the hall of Tianmo Mountain, the three men swaggered in, while Zhou fan smiled and bowed, "The three young masters honor me with your presence, truly making Zhou fan shine!"
"Cut the nonsense, we have something to discuss with you!"
Impatiently waving his hand, Xu Tianchuan didn't even look at him, directly passing by him, sitting on the main seat. The other two also casually sat in the seats next to him, giving him a sidelong glance.
What kind of place did they think this was?
His face twitched, Zhou Fan felt inward anger, but on the surface, he continued to smile, "Hehehe... I wonder what the three young masters would like to instruct Zhou fan ."
"Not much, just some recent minor issues in our territories. Can you handle it?"
"Minor issues?"
Hmph, a bunch of idiots. Can the massive outflow of population from the domain be considered a minor issue? These young masters from the Holy Domain really have no idea how serious it is.
But any ruler should understand that population represents productivity, military power, and the probability of talent appearing. The Eight Emperors, apart from individual strength, looked at who was the strongest. On the surface, it seemed to be about the territories, but in reality, the territories included the population.
Whoever had the most people in their territory would be the strongest and hold the most authority among the Eight Emperors.
---
In the Eight Emperors' battle for territory, apart from seizing resources, it's essentially a competition for people, isn't it? The size of the territory determines how many people it can support.
In the past, even if the Eight Emperors were fierce, they would, at most, be harsh on their immediate subordinates and not dare to commit widespread atrocities. If there were a significant loss of population, it would jeopardize their status, lives, and heads.
However, these three little brats actually claim that population loss is a minor issue. Hmph, if it weren't for the Holy Mountain backing them, they would have been killed long ago. How could they ascend to the position of the Eight Emperors?
Of course, their strong backing is a fact. While Zhou Fan may scorn them in his heart, he can't change anything. The only thing that can change is... whatever their backing is, I can still make them serve as figureheads, puppet rulers. Hmph!
A sinister smile played on Zhou Fan's lips as he casually waved his hand. "It's not a big problem, very easy!"
"Oh?" Xu Tianchuan's eyes lit up, and he hastily asked, "So you mean you can bring back some of the lost population and appease them?"
Nodding, Zhou Fan neither confirmed nor denied, "It's simple; it's just about pacifying people's hearts. I'm quite skilled at that. Otherwise, with the recent massive influx of people into the Demon Emperor's domain, we wouldn't be so peaceful here!"
"Good, then we leave it to you! We're going!" Xu Tianchuan excitedly waved his hand, already preparing to leave, as if he were the shopkeeper ready to claim the fruits of victory.
However, before his backside could leave the seat, Zhou Fan urgently raised his hand again. "Wait!"
"How..." Xu Tianchuan began, but Zhou Fan interrupted him.
"The name must be proper for things to go smoothly. With the Demon Emperor not present, I can smoothly manage this Demon Emperor's domain because everyone is giving me face and listening to my words. It's because the Demon Emperor had already appointed me earlier. I am the steward here, overseeing everything. Now, the three young masters want me to intervene in the matters of your territories. Shouldn't there be a title to give me a proper status? Otherwise, why would people trust me and willingly return to their original places?"
"This is easy. The title you want, we'll give it to you!"
After a brief glance at each other, Xu Tianchuan finalized, "From now on, you are our right-hand man, the steward, overseeing the Eight Emperors' territories. What you say is what we say, and no matter what you do, we have our support behind you. Anyway, this matter is entrusted to you. If you handle it well, this young master will generously reward you. If you mess up, you'll have to come and see me with your head!"
Slightly nodding, Zhou Fan revealed a satisfied smile. "Understood!"
Then, the three of them left the place contentedly.
Zhou Fan beckoned with his finger, calling Li Jingtian over. Arching an eyebrow, he asked, "Now is the time for us to officially take over the Eight Emperors' territories. Do you know what to do?"
"Don't worry, Steward Zhou Fan. According to your instructions, we'll take care of the outsiders who surged into the Demon Emperor's domain this time. The reputation of the Luojia family's benevolence will be deeply rooted in people's hearts. Once we send them back, we'll quickly gain the real power of the Imperial domain. Hehehe..."
Nodding in satisfaction, Zhou Fan waved his hand. "Go!"
Thus, Zhou Fan officially used the indulgence of the three young masters from the Holy Mountain to extend his claws over the entire Imperial domain. The saying goes, "Winning people's hearts is winning the world." To win people's hearts, public opinion must lead the way.
Under the influence of the Luojia family, who had benefited from the kindness of the Luojia family, practitioners from various regions returned to their territories, spreading the reputation of the Luojia family's benevolence and regal demeanor. This immediately left a savior's impression in the hearts of those who had suffered.
Then, the experts from the Luojia family were dispatched to various regions for appeasement work, making it much easier. Moreover, to eliminate people's panic, Zhou Fan, in the name of the Luojia family, abolished the iron-fisted decrees of those three young nobles, replacing them with lenient measures. He also provided substantial funds to subsidize the return of those families who had gone far away.
Of course, when you do a good deed, you must leave your mark, and Zhou Fan naturally didn't forget to do so.
In this way, the image of the Luojia family soared in the hearts of people in various