However, facing Lord Nie, who has managed Zhaonan Prefecture for decades, the three did not act rashly.

They rescued Li Shu and others and left in a hurry.

The current situation.

The Three Sages Manor in Jinzhou Prefecture dominates alone, while in Zhaonan Prefecture, the Nie Family and Li Yingxuan, who commands tens of thousands of troops, are entrenched.

The three forces are mutually antagonistic.

Due to the death of Celestial Spider Ascendant, even the Martial Sect and Masters are now becoming cautious.

"The Commandery Princess will not give up easily."

Shangguan Duo analyzed:

"The Three Sages Manor has absorbed many forces from Jinzhou Prefecture, with numerous people under their command and ample money and food. However, internally, there are various factions, with none submitting to the other; even Baili Zhan has to cater to the emotions of the people below."

"Currently, before resolving internal conflicts, the Three Sages Manor is capable of self-preservation but lacks the drive for advancement."

"The Nie Family has been entrenched in Zhaonan Prefecture for decades, with Prefecture City almost entirely under their command, and no one dares to intrude."

"But Princess Qingyuan..."

He said solemnly:

"The daily consumption of food and drink for tens of thousands is a terrifying number; they can manage in the short term, but if they don’t have a stable foundation in the long run, unrest is likely to arise."

"Therefore..."

"My humble opinion is that the Commandery Princess will definitely strike first!"

"However, she probably won’t initially target the Three Sages Manor or the Nie Family, but will instead cut down on small forces everywhere."

"Once her strength is sufficient, she will tackle the tougher bones."

"Of course!"

Shangguan Duo raised his head, saying:

"During this period, the Three Sages Manor and the Nie Family will not remain idle and certainly won’t allow Princess Qingyuan to thrive."

"It’s likely that they will also start absorbing scattered forces everywhere."

Fang Zheng nodded.

It’s like playing a game of snake, except the two prefectures harbor three large enough snakes.

Other small snakes are the food for the three large snakes to devour and grow stronger.

When they are full and strong enough, they will start to attack the other two large snakes.

"Master."

Yang Meng cupped his hands:

"Square Porcelain is difficult to export, and the sales of Cloud Weaving Cloth are also limited, while the grains in our warehouse are running low."

"How long can we hold out?" Fang Zheng asked.

"Half a year!" Yang Meng replied:

"If we count the nearby harvest, we should be able to manage for a year."

"That’s enough."

Fang Zheng lowered his head:

"We can afford to wait a year, but they might not be able to."

Wars are fought not only with people but with grain and materials, and Jizhou has suffered from years of war and natural disasters, leading to a severe shortage of stored grain.

Every household lacks food!

Especially now, with industries in ruins, food is even more coveted.

"Only when the war starts will people realize the importance of food. No matter how good the porcelain and cloth are, they can’t stave off hunger."

"Cloth..."

Fang Zheng’s mind moved, recalling the beast hide he obtained from Leaping Stream Jiao Cao Zhong.

Good fortune lies here!

After much research, he finally confirmed that the hide came from the Ancient Strange Beast Su.

Su is buried east of Shun, south of Xiangjiang.

Its form resembles a bull, dusky black, with one horn.

According to ancient texts, this beast has immense strength, and its hide is an excellent material for crafting Spirit Talismans.

Spirit Talisman!

Ever since Fang Zheng advanced to Martial Sect, he’s been troubled by his lack of powerful methods to counter equally skilled opponents.

Now, he has an idea.

"I possess three Shenxiao Thunder Skills. If I can refine them into Spirit Talismans, I can easily eliminate Masters."

As for crafting talismans...

Fang Zheng’s initial contact with Magic began with talismans, and combined with the legacy from Master Jiuyuan’s memory, he is fairly proficient.

But it’s easier said than done; even with suitable materials, turning Divine Thunder into a Divine Talisman is no simple task.

Half a month.

Using up most of the Su hide and effort, he only crafted three Divine Talismans.

And all of the same Thunder Skill.

Upper Qing Great Cave Thunder!

Meanwhile.

Princess Qingyuan Li Yingxuan visited, inviting Fang Zheng to discuss the conquest of Zhaonan Prefecture.