The victory in the southern campaign brought the empire an unimaginable amount of "dividends".

Two major civilizations, a total population of over 300 million, as well as vast and fertile lands and countless mineral deposits, all became the possessions of Lin Feng and his empire.

After crushing the resistance of the "Hundred Islands Alliance" and the "Red River Kingdom," the empire's war machine immediately switched to its most efficient "plunder mode."

A “Southern Development and Reconstruction Committee” consisting of as many as 100,000 economists, sociologists, demographers and engineers, led by Marshal Li Yuanchao, moved into this newly conquered land.

Their mission was not reconstruction, but to transform this land and its people into a resource that the empire could utilize, using the most scientific and ruthless methods.

Lin Feng's supreme instructions consisted of only three points:

"First, male labor force. All men between the ages of ten and fifty are registered and divided into different ranks according to their physical abilities and skills, and assigned to different levels of 'construction corps'. Their fate is to work to death in the empire's mines, farms, and factories."

"Second, the resource utilization of women. All women between the ages of twelve and forty will undergo standardized genetic testing, appearance assessment, and health evaluation. The top ten percent will be transported back to the empire as 'special tribute' to reward meritorious members of the royal family, high-ranking generals, and core scientists. The next thirty percent will be used as 'standard spoils' to supplement and expand the empire's 'bloodline fusion' program. The remaining sixty percent will remain locally as 'accessories' to the empire's garrisons and lower-level administrators, while also undertaking the task of procreating the next generation of slaves."

"Third, land assetization. All arable land, exploitable mines, and usable forests will be nationalized by the Empire. Then, they will be distributed to the Empire's meritorious class and major monopoly groups in the form of 'contracts.' I want every inch of new territory in the Empire to create the greatest value for the Empire in the shortest possible time."

Under these three cold, iron-fisted laws, the largest and most systematic enslavement and plunder in human history began.

On the homeland of the "Hundred Islands Alliance," massive "population screening and transfer centers" were established.

Thousands upon thousands of "islanders" were herded here by imperial soldiers like livestock.

The men had their heads shaved, were branded with numbers, and then were put into different "cages" according to their physical abilities.

Those who are strong and healthy are rated A and can fetch a good price; those who are weak and thin are rated C and can only do the lowest-level manual labor.

The women's plight was even more tragic.

They were stripped naked and subjected to the most detailed examination of their bodies by the Empire's "value assessors"—a group of expressionless men and women in white coats—using various instruments.

Bust circumference, waist circumference, hip circumference, skin smoothness, bone symmetry, genetic merit... every piece of data is precisely recorded and ultimately compiled into a comprehensive score.

Those with high scores were taken aside, where special maids washed their bodies, changed them into soft silk clothes, and waited to be loaded onto "tribute transport ships" bound for the empire's homeland. Their eyes were filled with confusion and fear.

Those with low ratings were roughly pushed to the other side and piled up like garbage.

Some of them would be immediately assigned to Imperial soldiers who had performed “heroic” acts in the war as a “temporary reward.”

An Imperial corporal, who had just burned a nest of "Resistants" to death with a flamethrower in the battle on "Lizard Island," was pacing back and forth in front of a group of "Hundred Islands" women, all rated D-class, with a wicked grin on his face.

He picked and chose like he was selecting pork at a market.

In the end, he chose a black-haired girl who looked only eighteen or nineteen years old and was trembling with fear.

“She’s the one!” he said to the registrar beside him.

"Number 734, Corporal. Merit Points: 120. Allowed to select one D-level loot. Procedure confirmed." The registrar operated the terminal without looking up.

The corporal grinned maliciously, hoisted the girl, who was nearly fainting from fright, onto his shoulder, and walked towards the temporary "rest area" deep inside the camp amidst the envious whistles of his comrades.

In the land of the "Red River Kingdom," plunder was carried out in a more covert and systematic way.

The empire did not arrest all the men of the "Red River," but spared a portion, allowing them to continue cultivating the rice paddies. However, ninety percent of the harvest had to be handed over to the empire as "royal grain." The remaining ten percent was barely enough for them to survive.

The women of "Red River" face an even crueler choice.

The Empire promulgated the "New Occupied Territories Bloodline Improvement and Civilization Advancement Act".

The bill stipulates that any "Red River" woman who is willing to "voluntarily" marry an Imperial citizen (including garrison soldiers, administrators, and merchants) and have offspring can obtain the status of a "cooperative family" for herself and her immediate family members.

Having this identity means that her father and brothers can be exempted from being conscripted to the most dangerous mines; it means that her family can hand over only 50 percent of the harvest; it means that her children, if they are found to have imperial blood after birth, will be eligible to receive the most basic imperial education.

This is a bloody, open conspiracy that cannot be refused.

It forced the women of the "Red River" to willingly offer their bodies and wombs to the conquerors.

Because it binds the entire family's hope for survival.

Countless women from the once fierce "Red River" region had to suppress their hatred and show obsequious, humble smiles to the imperial soldiers who had slaughtered their compatriots, all in order to ensure their families could survive and their brothers could have enough to eat.

...

The capital of Chengtian was once again engulfed in a grander celebration of victory than ever before.

When the first transport fleet, laden with millions of "high-quality female spoils" from "Southeast Asia," arrived at Tiandu Port, the entire city was in an uproar.

This time, the spoils of war were completely different from those of the white women from the "Eagle Federation" and the "Kingdom of North" before.

The women of the "Hundred Islands" have healthy wheat or bronze skin, hot figures, and are full of wild charm.

Their eyes, like those of untamed wildcats, can ignite a man's most primal desire to conquer.

The women of the "Red River" are petite and delicate, with smooth skin and a gentle yet resilient temperament in their eyes and brows, conforming to the imperial traditional aesthetic ideal of a "virtuous wife and loving mother".

The men of the empire were mad about it.

They spread the news, discussing the quality of the new batch of "goods" and calculating what kind of "new wife" they could exchange their merit points for.

"I heard the girls at 'Hundred Islands' this time are the hottest! They're all like little peppers, they'll definitely be amazing in bed!"

"I still prefer 'Red River'. She seems gentle and obedient, suitable to be my wife. Wouldn't it be wonderful to marry her and have her serve my blond-haired, blue-eyed 'Eagle' concubine?"

"Don't even think about it! The best batch has already been sent to the palace as 'special tribute' by the Imperial Household Department, and they've even been given as rewards to those legion commanders and great scientists! We'll be lucky to get even a B-grade one!"

A minor "incident" also occurred at Major Li Xiang's home.

He distinguished himself once again in the logistical arrangements for this southern expedition, and his meritorious service made him eligible to apply for a third "wife".

His first wife, Samantha, from the "Eagle Federation," had become submissive after years of "re-education." She simply held her two children and silently shed tears.

His second wife, Ingrid, a tall woman from the Kingdom of North, had a much more fiery temper. She confronted Li Xiang in the living room, accusing him of being a fickle and unfaithful scoundrel.

Li Xiang's response was simple and direct.

He activated the punishment collar around Ingrid's neck, which served as a "wedding token."

The intense electric current caused Ingrid to convulse instantly, foam at the mouth, and collapse to the ground.

"Look carefully, whose home is this?" Li Xiang looked down at her and said coldly, "In the Empire, I am your god. Your only value is to please me and bear my children. If there is a next time, I will transfer your family from the 'good' grade labor camp to the most dangerous 'inferior' grade mining area."

Ingrid's eyes were filled with fear and despair. She knew that this man meant what he said.

In the end, Li Xiang brought back his third wife—a petite woman named "Aruan" from the "Red River Kingdom".

He was very satisfied.

He now possessed women representing three different conquered civilizations: a blonde with blue eyes, a tall and athletic woman, and a gentle and charming one. This made him feel incredibly proud in front of his neighbors and colleagues.

His home was a small microcosm of the vast empire.

Meanwhile, the true imperial center, the Nine Heavens Moon-Embracing Palace, hosted an even more lavish feast.

Thousands of the finest "special tributes," carefully selected from the "Southeast Asian countries," were presented to Lin Feng like a dazzling array of goods.

There is a "Hundred Islands Alliance" with a saintly figure passed down through generations, who is said to have been born with the ability to communicate with the ocean.

There was a princess from the "Red River Kingdom" who was hailed as "the most beautiful woman in the country." She was proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and her dance was captivating.

There are also various dark-skinned, fit daughters of tribal chiefs, who possess a primal and deadly allure.

Lin Feng sat on his throne, which was decorated with the bones of giant beasts and countless gems, admiring these "spoils of war" with great interest.

His harem was already enormous. But he never minded having more new "collections".

He randomly pointed to a few of the most beautiful women and named them new "talented women" and "beauties" to fill the "Palace of Ten Thousand Phoenixes," which was already almost overflowing.

Then, his gaze fell on the last princess of the "Red River Kingdom," "A-Lian."

She was wearing a white, ethnically-styled silk dress, kneeling on the ground, her body trembling slightly, but her eyes held a subtle, unyielding stubbornness and hatred.

"Do you hate me?" Lin Feng stepped down from the throne and came to her, asking.

A-Lian's body trembled violently. She lowered her head even further and answered in a trembling voice, "This servant...this servant dares not."

"You dare not? Rather than you don't?" Lin Feng laughed. He pinched her chin, forcing her to raise her head and look directly into his eyes. "I destroyed your country and killed your father and brothers. You should hate me."

Tears welled up in A-Lian's eyes; she bit her lip and remained silent.

"Very good." Lin Feng released his hand, his smile becoming even more playful. "I love your eyes, which are filled with hatred. They are far more interesting than those eyes filled with desire and flattery."

"I hereby bestow upon you the title of 'Consort of a Fallen Kingdom.' From this day forward, you shall reside in a side hall of the Nine Heavens Moon-Embracing Palace. I will make you witness firsthand how I use the wealth plundered from your country to build my empire into an even more glorious one. I will make you understand that weakness is the original sin. Your hatred is utterly worthless before my absolute power."

Having said that, he stopped looking at her and turned back to his throne.

For Lin Feng, the pleasure of conquering a woman's body is far less lasting than the pleasure of conquering her soul.

What he wanted was not merely their submission. What he wanted was for them, in their endless despair, to completely distort their perceptions and ultimately, willingly, acknowledge his greatness.