A month and a half later, the situation in the south remained unchanged.

The Southern Barbarians lost half of their territory from all four directions, and relied on their last remaining forces to put up a stubborn resistance.

They captured a large number of slaves' families and coerced them into going to the front lines to fight in place of the soldiers, thus managing to withstand the encirclement and annihilation.

With the help of the terrain, the Southern Barbarians were able to stabilize their crumbling rule.

As for the Nanfan, the north and northwest were occupied by Huo Baijun and Xue Jiajun, who in turn occupied some of the Nanyi's territory. As a result, the Nanyi gained less land than they lost, and it's unclear whether this deal was worthwhile.

Anyway, I heard that Wei Zhang was so angry that he killed many officials to vent his anger.

At Abaguan, Xiao Zhixing analyzed the current situation, saying, "It has temporarily entered a stalemate."

Dasheng couldn't wipe them out in one fell swoop, so they could only proceed steadily, absorb and digest the territory they occupied, and completely win over the hearts of the local people.

Only then could they annihilate both countries.

Da Sheng was on the verge of collapse after a series of wars. She, who had boasted of being richer than a country, had all her wealth emptied.

Not to mention the imperial court, from the emperor to the ministers, everyone became penniless.

This was only because they were supplying the Xue family army and the Jianan army with military pay. If the Xiao family army were included, the imperial court would have already called for peace.

Not only money, but also the training and replenishment of new recruits also require time.

As long as they don't provoke her, she does need to take a break and temporarily cease hostilities.

Xiong Chumo looked regretful. "It's a pity we can't destroy their country."

Xiao Zhixing smiled, "It will happen sooner or later."

Another month passed, and things in the south were basically stable. After making arrangements, Xiao Zhixing and the other two headed north.

They met up with the gentlemen from the Gentlemen's Academy in Xizhou and headed north to continue their inspection.

After they reunited, they had just finished reading about Zhang Zhong's successful campaign in Xizhou and then went to Dongzhou.

Passing through Shengjing in Zhongzhou, they didn't go into their homes, hurrying on their way.

Xiao Zhixing and his two companions chased after them to Dongzhou.

The group exchanged smiles, and Lin Rushu recounted to them what they had seen and heard in Yangzhou, Yunzhou, Qingzhou, and Xizhou.

Others added to the information, which was basically the same as what she knew.

Having seen different scenery, they also gained many new insights.

“Let’s take a quick look around Dongzhou. Right now, I really want to go to Beizhou,” Feng Zhen’er said directly. “There’s nothing interesting to see here.”

She used to be proud, but after seeing the splendor of the previous states, her pride has vanished.

Suzhou's silk weaving industry, Haizhou's mushroom cultivation and terraced fields, Qingzhou's fertile plains, and even the unassuming Zhangzhongxi Prefecture have deeply cultivated the paper industry, forming a major paper-producing prefecture second only to Beizhou.

They did no worse than I did.

Now she wants to see if the Miracle of the Northern Continent is stronger than everyone else.

She herself said so, so naturally no one else objected. In fact, they also wanted to go and see Beizhou.

After spending three days in Feixian Port and quickly looking around, the group couldn't wait to head to Beizhou.

"Alright, now that you're in my territory, you may move around freely. There are no secrets in our Northern State that cannot be revealed to others."

This is the day she's been waiting for. If she doesn't completely subdue these privileged individuals, things will be difficult for her later.

Upon entering Beizhou, Xiao Zhixing said, "Wenxiu and I won't accompany you. You can wander around on your own and go wherever you want."

So that they won't feel uncomfortable with her here, and won't find fault with her.

"Perfect timing! You can help me go deep into the local areas and find faults. I will reward you handsomely if you discover any problems."

Li Jun cupped his hands in greeting, "Since Your Highness is so frank, then we will not stand on ceremony."

Xiao Zhixing waved his hand generously, "Go ahead, and also help me tighten the skin on those officials who have loosened their skin."

What a wonderful free inspection team! It even saves her the trouble of sending people down to supervise and conduct spot checks.

After Ji Bai left, Qi Danhe took over the reins of power; hopefully, nothing went wrong.

Zhao Xianyin enthusiastically suggested that everyone split up and go on an incognito visit.

Xiao Zhixing nodded with a smile, "This method is excellent. I will be waiting for your good news in Beiyuan Prefecture."

So, after only two days of meeting, they went their separate ways again.

Li Wenxiu pouted, "I want to go too!"

She has never gone out on her own before.

Xiao Zhixing patted her head and said, "If you go down there, many officials will know you. What else is there to investigate?"

Li Wenxiu sighed repeatedly.

The two were not in a hurry and slowly walked towards Beiyuan County.

She was accompanied by eight people, including Shi Jiaowu, who were walking advertisements. With her portraits widely circulated, it wasn't long before everyone in Beizhou knew that Xiao Zhixing had returned.

Suddenly, there was no time for leisure.

"Fine, I'll just treat this as an inspection tour of the counties." Xiao Zhixing sighed as he looked at the officials kneeling by the roadside waiting.

She arrived in Kitahara two weeks later, while the others were still wandering around.

The novelty of the northern state captivated the young people.

A completely different and prosperous new world.

Some saw peace and prosperity, some saw good governance, some saw abundant wealth and people, and some saw the power of various skills.

After being repeatedly shocked, they were deeply inspired, as if they had found their way in life.

"Your Highness!" Qi Danhe greeted her cheerfully, "You've finally deigned to come back and see us."

Xiao Zhixing laughed and scolded, "I'm destined to be a hard-working king, but you're doing well, planning to learn from Liu Yufeng by being carefree and plump?"

Qi Danhe awkwardly touched his increasingly large belly and chuckled, "With the prince protecting me, I can naturally be carefree and plump."

Everything in Beizhou was on track, and the various orders that Xiao Zhixing had personally created were running smoothly, making his job as the prefect very easy.

After listening to his and other officials' detailed reports, Xiao Zhixing praised them where appropriate and criticized them where necessary.

While the others were filled with anxiety, Qi Danhe was not afraid at all.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!