To achieve immortality, I cultivate using Qi Luck

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These leading figures, in an ordinary world, would be high-ranking officials and politicians.

In this world at the tail end of the cultivation of immortals, they are the Inborn Grandmasters who wield the ultimate power.

Therefore, it was fundamentally impossible for Lu Yuan to simply reject the Inborn of other factions.

Unless he directly slaughtered and purged the entire original class, pushing everything from the old empires to the ground to start anew and create a new society, there was no way he could do it.

But the cost of such an action would be too great.

The old forces that would be driven to absolute opposition, unable to survive under the pressure of Chu State, would definitely resist to the death.

At that time, without overturning heaven and earth, without the resolve to shatter the whole of Central State, and without the determination to massacre hundreds of millions, along with enduring the throes of upheaval for over a hundred years, it would be impossible to complete this task.

And what’s the point of that?

Accomplishing these things wouldn’t benefit Lu Yuan much either.

The old forces had already been defeated by him and were stripped of most of their interests.

Leaving some scraps for others to maintain a semblance of status in this newly-founded empire and then recruiting them for his own use, wouldn’t that be better?

As for the concern about not completely eliminating these old forces, that they might lie in wait and seize an opportunity to strike back in the future...

That is even more laughable.

With Lu Yuan, the immortal, present, he was curious to see how much more capable those descendants could be compared to their ancestors, who were, after all, losers, and what new tricks they could come up with.

The thought of the contemporary Inborn of the Nine Provinces being worn down to death by him was something to look forward to.

And then, after hundreds of years, when their descendants, who weren’t even Inborn or had forgotten what being an Inborn meant, remembered the grievances they had endured and rose in anger, only to be forcefully suppressed by the might of an Inborn Lu Yuan Avatar...

It was an exhilarating prospect.

What’s the fun in fighting strong enemies or outclassing them in combat?

Beating up those in a nursing home, kicking around a kindergarten, bullying the weak and old—that’s the joy of life.

Lu Yuan didn’t have the mindset of trying to prove his strength.

He enjoyed bullying those who were a whole level or even several levels below him.

Seeing them exhaust all methods and still not being able to harm even a single hair on him, how satisfying that must be.

This kind of malice is what’s really interesting.

Therefore, holding this philosophy, Lu Yuan didn’t harbor strong malice or rejection towards the enemies he had once defeated, who had now joined Chu State as losers.

Just like the early cases of Li Xiong, Li River, and others, who were quickly assimilated into the semi-core circle of Chu State.

After thirty years of scrutiny, the former Jiangdong Aristocratic Family, essentially the group headed by Shangguan Ming, was also starting to be drawn into the core circle of Chu State by Lu Yuan.

Especially Shangguan Ming, the man who once wanted to be his father-in-law, was entrusted with an important task, appointed as a Grand General in the Chu army, holding a high position within the Military Expedition, assisting him in managing major affairs and politics.

In the Coastal Aristocratic Family, there were still seven Inborn Grandmasters, and counting Song State Xie Ning, there were eight, all of whom were in their prime.

This force within Chu State could not be underestimated; it was an important political group in the imperial court.

With such a force, once it was confirmed that the opponent posed little threat anymore, Lu Yuan would naturally seek to ally with them.

Not only did he try to attract the Coastal Aristocratic Family, but he also targeted the Snow Plains Tribes submits and the Western Liang people, two major forces that each had several Inborn Grandmasters, as key objects of Chu State’s alliances.

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As for the Yi People to the southwest, after nearly forty years of management and with the demonstration by representatives such as Li Xiong and Li River, they were absorbed into Chu State’s fold early on.

With Chu State’s core forces leading and semi-core forces from the periphery assisting, a Jiangnan group representing Chu State’s core interests swiftly took shape.

This group, which kept growing and integrating through nurturing and pacification, now occupies more than ninety percent of the country’s political power.

This was not the limit; according to Lu Yuan’s plans, this group would subsequently expand further, gradually assimilating the forces of various countries north of Jiangnan.

Ultimately, it would form the structure with five concentric circles: the Emperor at the core—Inborn Jiangnan—Inborn Central State—Inborn North—external forces.

That is, the circles of confidants, semi-core, submissive subjects, assimilable elements, and non-assimilable elements, five layers of hierarchy.

In this way, layer by layer and step by step, Chu State’s foundation would expand, ultimately achieving a solidified class system that would be completely unshakable.

By then, as long as Lu Yuan, the Emperor, did not actively disrupt this order,

the reign of Chu State would be as secure as a fortress of iron, impervious to any adversaries.

"Now, the various forces in Jiangnan are basically already on the edge of my core circle, which means they can be trusted and used.

Following last year’s Northern Expedition, the Inborn representatives from Central State’s Liang and Wei who surrendered have been observed for a year, and after exchanging oaths of allegiance, have each made their positions clear.

Perhaps, it is time to attempt to further utilize them, to try and form a new layer that could absorb other Inborn from Central State."

Lu Yuan mused.

Although hierarchies, layers, and forces pose a considerable threat to national governance, if one sets aside those dangers, the importance of such classifications for the consolidation of the court cannot be ignored.

Without a circle to join, how can one know if you’re on their side?

And if you’re not one of us, how can we trust you?

Classmates are always closer than schoolmates.

Fellow townspeople are always dearer than people from the same province.

In a village, kin are always more familiar than other villagers.

Thus, sometimes, even if reluctantly, to survive in this world, one unconsciously chooses to band together, to instinctively form various circles.

This is, in fact, no mistake but merely an innate instinct.

What Lu Yuan was now doing was to take the initiative, to shape and standardize the range, to dictate which circles people would enter, using these circles to unite all the forces.

"Your Majesty, the messenger has gone to the foot of Daliang City to challenge them more than ten times, and it’s already been half a "timing" with no reaction from Liang."

At this moment, Shangguan Ming returned to report, "It seems that Liang is too afraid to engage in battle."

Lu Yuan glanced at the former Ning Country general, now entirely won over by the circle strategy, and on him, one could not see a trace of the hostility he once held for Chu; there was only loyalty and identification.

After more than thirty years of assimilation and profit distribution, those Coastal Aristocratic Families that once looked down on Chu had indeed obediently become Chu’s watchdogs.

He showed a slight smile, "I have long anticipated this. Since Liang dares not fight, then so be it.

Order the front-line armies to continue monitoring Liang for a while, and once the main camp at the rear is set up, withdraw back to the camp."

"Yes."

Shangguan Ming complied without any objection.