Grand Elder, this report comes as requested. To be disseminated among the various Elders as the latest intelligence we possess on the Jingshen Clan's core territories.
Here is a map.
The Jingshen Clan are, of course, our perennial rivals, providing much of our income as we levy tariffs on the trade running along the Scorpion Road. Their territories are unimaginably rich, and it is not at all unrealistic to say that the income of the Jingshen Clan's core lands is perhaps between two-thirds and three-quarters of the entire wealth of the Desert. If we were unable to extract a large and substantial portion of their income through tariffs, we would be no match for them at all.
We must begin by discussing the unusual geography of the Jingshen. The blackened areas on the map are extensions of the Qi-Draining Desert, though not entirely. Rather than simply draining Qi, these pieces of desert appear to drain Qi
into the local Spirit Stone veins. These veins are rich and nearly inexhaustible, and the wealth that proceeds from them is immense. It is possible to raid through this desert with sufficiently quick forces, as I did a few decades ago. However, moving standard Legions through them to besiege the Jingshen is another story entirely.
However, there is a corollary. The Jingshen core lands in their entirety (excluding the mines) are not merely poor, they are beyond poor. Spirit Beasts almost never arise, Spirit Herbs
cannot be grown, and even alchemy tends to fail due to the peculiarity of the Qi flows. It is rare for a pill above Qi Condensation to be forged in Jingshen lands. Likewise, this phenomena makes it virtually impossible to forge powerful weapons enhanced by Qi, and most mortals cannot even eke out an existence here.
The Jingshen perhaps could have more properly colonised lands to the south and used them to mitigate some of their weaknesses, but the perennial existence of the Battle Blood Cannibal Sect destroyed several of their attempts. Jingshen Junjie, the Clan's Grand Elder, lost an arm during the last attempt of the Jingshen to establish a colony-city in the south to be used to grow herbs and forge pills. Since then, there has been precious little interest in the idea. His recent regrowth of the arm perhaps might see him look south, but this is doubtful while the Optimatoi remain a threat. Their new lands have been virtually left untouched, and with what we know about their recent attempts to raise Nascent Souls this has likely been put aside while they focus on that core aim.
So, looking at the Jingshen lands, there are two sets of interesting things. Firstly, I will discuss their social makeup.
The Jingshen have five sub-families, in truth, each of which have their own families and the like within them.
Firstly are the
Core Family, or the
True Jingshen as they name themselves. These are the descendents of Jingshen Junjie, as well as descendants from his father and his grandfather. Lineal descendants of Junjie's grandfather are Jingshen of the Third Rank, lineal descendents of his father are Jingshen of the Second Rank, and those who are descended from him directly are Jingshen of the First Rank, otherwise known as Noble Children. All three Ranks are however Core Jingshen, and reside in two places.
True Son Peak is a massive Spirit Stone mine, the only one to not be surrounded by Qi-Draining Desert. It is a rich mine, yielding some excellent Spirit Stones. Here live all the True Jingshen who have begun cultivating. On reaching the Fifth Heavenstage of Qi Condensation they are permitted to live here, using it as a base as they aim to increase their cultivation.
Heavenly Beauty Palace is a place of concubinage. Old Jingshen possesses perhaps thirty or forty thousand concubines, and possesses some art that makes him far more fertile. His children lack the natural potential of a true Nascent Soul child, however, but it is not uncommon for him to have three or four hundred children in a year. There was a single year where he had almost two thousand children, a figure that defies belief. I suspect it is related to his art, but I cannot say how.
Any mortal children of his are raised here, and live out their lives here unless they are able to cultivate. It is a fortress, one more concerned with infiltration than with conquest, and is the avenue of attack I personally think is most productive.
There are then the four sub-families. Each descends from Junjie's great-grandfather, who had four sons who managed to reach Core Formation, and one who reached Nascent Soul. The Nascent Soul was granted dominance over the Jingshen Clan in its entirety, and the other four were given new names, and sent to occupy the four next greatest Spirit Stone mines. The four families of the Outer Clan are descended from those four Core Formation sons. Any powerful cultivators of the Outer Clan are married into the Core Jingshen without fail, tying the Outer Clan to the True Jingshen by blood with every generation.
The
Jingshen Bei are the most martial of the Jingshen, and provide nearly half of the forces for the Three Forts. Their mine is the poorest, but they supply the sturdiest warriors. The one Outer Clan elder willing to shatter his core from our knowledge comes from here. They are considered the highest-ranking family of the Outer Clan.
The
Jingshen Dong are miners all, with the richest of the Outer Clan mines. They are more insular, and rarely leave their territory. Their wealth has them considered the second-highest ranking of the Outer Clan.
The
Jingshen Nan are raiders, tasked with the perpetual subjugation of the Heavenly Bandits and Grand Scorpion Sect. From the Jingshen Nan stem most of the worst of the Jingshen - imperial, sneering, and without consideration for the rights of others. They never slaughter mortals, but destroying a well or ruining a great many farms to prevent a city from growing is within their remit. They are looked down upon somewhat, but their willingness to poison and kill means they are considered the third-ranked Outer Clan family.
The
Jingshen Xi mine, but due to being considered the lowest-ranking of the Outer clans as they are traders. Any Jingshen seen heading into the Great Battlefield to trade Spirit Stones for goods are almost surely Jingshen Xi. They are looked down upon, and are the most conciliatory and diplomatic of the Jingshen Outer Clan families.
Cloudy Jade City is a minor city, but one of the largest not explicitly owned by one of the Clan branches. It has grown rapidly, and serves as a place where many Servant Elders live as they are able to play various Jingshen off against one another. Many Servant Elders and Servant Cultivators live here - Servants are those without sufficient Jingshen blood (those with only one-eighth Jingshen blood are largely considered to be non-Jingshen and beneath the true Jingshen). They are fewer in number than the Jingshen by far, and are usually ill-treated.
The
Three Forts are next.
Yangshen Fort is the first line of defense against us. It boasts a single Spirit Cannon, capable of firing at groups of cultivators and obliterating Foundation Establishment cultivators in a single hit. Even Core Formation elders can be badly wounded by it.
Haoshen Fort is the second line of defense, and hosts six long-range Spirit Cannons, each capable of burning Spirit Stones en masse to fire on enemies from afar. It would be incredibly difficult to besiege, and would either need to be taken by storm, or we would be unable to advance further into Jingshen lands.
Wangshen Fort is the former residence of Lady Jiao, who used to live there during her service as a Core Formation Elder. Wangshen Fort holds the Great Spirit Cannon, a powerful device capable of interfering in Nascent Soul level battles. If it is powered sufficiently it can strike with Early Nascent Soul power, an equal to our formation of Elders while it sustains its supplies.
Lastly is the
Underworld Spirit Palace. Perhaps half to two thirds of all Jingshen Spirit Stones come from here, and all True Jingshen who reach Foundation Establishment live here. It is a dangerous place, the fluctations of Qi enough to sometimes form into bizarre phenomena that kill Qi Condensation cultivators outright and cripple those in Foundation Establishment. Nine out of ten Nascent-grade (or Supreme-grade) Spirit Stones are mined here, and we do not know the true depths of its defenses. This is where the Jingshen nobility live, as well as Jingshen Junjie, playing games for power above as they send miners down below. Besieging it will be a true test of the Clan, and in truth, attempting to slay a Nascent Soul ensconced in its depths is a fight I do not think we care to pick.
For my own analysis, Grand Elder, I would think a strike on the Heavenly Beauty Palace is the likeliest to enrage Junjie to engage you. The True Son Peak is more fortified and would take concerted Nascent action - or a goodly number of Legions - to take. Likewise, the Four Families live within the Qi-Draining areas, and would be incredibly difficult to besiege. My personal aims for any war would be an siege on Yangshen, taking as many forts up the Scorpion Road as we can, with a second strike on the Heavenly Beauty Palace. Ultimately we should need to lure the enemy out, and the best way to do this in my opinion would be to take those areas outside of the Qi-Draining Desert, and depending on the results of any Nascent battles, negotiate with the Outer Clan as necessary.
- Sheng Yu, Elder of War
