Mythical Three Kingdoms

"This is an Inner Qi Manifestation of a Dingling person, who also possesses a Legion Talent, but refuses to surrender no matter what. We plan to use him as a ceremonial offering, so we’ll lend him to you first," Yu Jin pointed at Mii Lohe and said.

Mii Lohe, this unfortunate fellow, had his Inner Qi bound by three or four Breakthrough Level individuals, and his meridians sealed by over ten Inner Qi Manifestations, and was injected with a drug that rendered him utterly powerless. Typically, this drug would be ineffective against Inner Qi Manifestation, but with his Inner Qi sealed, the drug was enough to turn Mii Lohe into a living dead.

"All of them are Inner Qi Manifestations," Ji Xiang exclaimed, admiringly.

"Hengheng, I captured him alive," Yu Jin said proudly. This was his greatest achievement in Northern Frontier; while others usually killed the enemy Chief General, he captured one alive.

At his words, Mii Lohe’s vacant eyes inexplicably flickered for a moment, but then seemed to die with fear again, unaware that Ji Xiang had been observing him with a sidelong gaze.

"General Yu is indeed formidable," Ji Xiang unreservedly praised, "It’s okay to lend him to me, right? I won’t use him for those extreme experiments."

"Ha, go ahead, use him. He won’t surrender anyway, and I only need a head for the ceremony," Yu Jin said indifferently. Mii Lohe’s refusal to surrender didn’t pique his interest; using a military general with a Legion Talent as a ceremonial offering was intriguing no matter how you looked at it.

Over the next three months, Ji Xiang remained in the military camp, conducting various brainwashing research. After extended research, she discovered that for the Miscellaneous Hun around the Han Empire, brainwashing them with thoughts centered on the Empire’s strength, unity, supremacy of the strong, and obedience had significant effects.

By combining concept swapping, repetitive reinforcement, suggestion by others, self-suggestion, goal establishment, group pressure, de-personalization, and then vigorously twisting rationale, Ji Xiang finally succeeded in altering the mindset of the entire camp of captives.

In short, Ji Xiang successfully brainwashed these captives into believing everything she had previously told them, successfully restructuring their worldview.

These captives sincerely recognized how they had initially doomed themselves, how they were wrong, and how vile they were. So, to atone for their past mistakes, they needed diligent work, enduring hardships without complaint, promising a new beginning several decades later.

This entire process left Zhang Chunhua, who had been following Ji Xiang, completely terrified. Although she didn’t initially understand what Ji Xiang was teaching and transmitting, by the end, when Ji Xiang had forcefully brainwashed Mii Lohe into idiocy, led him into self-denial, and even purged his Legion Talent, Zhang Chunhua was truly frightened.

Ji Xiang, on the other hand, was tirelessly enthusiastic, even after cultivating fanatical believers, she arrested a Qi Refining to Gang individual and began instilling the idea that he had the potential to achieve Inner Qi Manifestation.

The brainwashed Miscellaneous Hun fanatics were ardently devoted to Ji Xiang. Although their fervent belief imparted rapidly advancing abilities under Ji Xiang’s indoctrination, escalating beyond Zhang Du and Fann Zhe, they couldn’t ascend to the level of Inner Qi Manifestation.

As research failed, Ji Xiang began researching whether Legion Talent could be artificially created, capturing 3,000 people this time, including 300 from Ji Xiang’s previous lower levels, highly skilled in their tasks, relying on self-suggestion and fanatical faith in Ji Xiang. Though their wills showed high convergence, the attempt failed again.

Desperate, Ji Xiang began studying Mii Lohe, who had since been brainwashed into her subordinate, possessing fanatical faith in her. However, in the previous round, Ji Xiang had brainwashed Mii Lohe into self-denial, erasing his Legion Talent.

Therefore, in the next round, Ji Xiang explored how Mii Lohe might again acquire Legion Talent. This research also failed profoundly, leading Ji Xiang to even dismiss Mii Lohe’s combat power of Inner Qi Manifestation. Though his capabilities remained, they were no longer exerted.

All three experiments failed. Ji Xiang was obsessed with the question of why, repeating batch after batch of experiments, with none successful. At this point, the materials in the camp were nearly exhausted by Ji Xiang.

In simple terms, during the first phase, Ji Xiang lacked familiarity and took ten days to develop over twenty subordinates from fifty Qi Refining to Gang individuals, as well as thirty who had been emotionally tainted by her and could be transformed into General Believers with more effort.

Subsequently, these twenty Qi Refining to Gang individuals were released to begin brainwashing their respective tribes. Their identities and standings assured within the Hu People, coupled with the ten-day curriculum Ji Xiang had organized and verified, and without considerations for human rights, each of the twenty subordinates brainwashed forty to fifty more subordinates.

Ji Xiang then gathered this thousand people, provided collective training and brainwashing, allowing them to continue developing subordinates, quickly snowballing. When the snowball grew larger, even the Hu People already ensnared by the shadow of defeat couldn’t resist being brainwashed, let alone ordinary individuals caught within.

Tens of thousands of subordinates began to mutually infect and brainwash each other, moving in circles they thought they escaped, yet still within one. Ultimately, the entire camp became subordinates. Despite reaching this stage, peace was absent; these subordinates began mutual brainwashing among themselves, putting the camp into a limitless phase of self-suggestion and suggestion by others.

Ji Xiang didn’t perceive an issue, as the brainwashing content mutual among these captives was devised by herself, intended to render them positively optimistic in their laborious 30-year future as slaves, even amidst mutual infection, with loyalty central to the Han Empire.

The core content developed by Ji Xiang couldn’t be altered by her subordinates. Indeed, the reason for using such content at the core was Ji Xiang’s discovery of the Hu People’s apparent inclination toward such thoughts. Although they may verbally contest, internally, they hold these beliefs.

Thus, the whole camp of captives became fanatical slaves, without Ji Xiang perceiving any substantial problem. As for Yu Jin and Chen Dao, their concerns lay solely on the daily count of deceased captives, disregarding other aspects.

Regarding the captives’ thoughts and mindset — issues psychological experts didn’t attend to until the late 19th century — Ji Xiang had free rein to her pursuits with no oversight.

The people of this era hadn’t even considered ideological education for military forces, let alone for captives. The period’s concern for captives merely distinguished between usefulness and uselessness.

"Total failure..." Ji Xiang remarked helplessly, gazing at Mii Lohe, whom she had nearly turned into a fool.

Ji Xiang, through concept swapping and repetitive reinforcement, ultimately led Mii Lohe to self-denial that wavered his will, eradicating his Legion Talent. Then, through de-personalization, making Mii Lohe aware that his ability of Inner Qi Manifestation was unreasonable, dropping his exerted capabilities straight to Qi Refining to Gang.

Now, Ji Xiang sought ways to restore Mii Lohe, yet to no avail. He sincerely believed Hu People couldn’t possess Legion Talent, nor captives Inner Qi Manifestation. Though this realization allowed Ji Xiang to speculate some truths, it further convoluted her thoughts — if true, half her theories would collapse.

Faced with regret, Ji Xiang resorted to consulting several generals possessing Legion Talent.

"Just as I suspected, inherently twisted wills, even if fully aligned, can’t generate Legion Talent," Ji Xiang spoke with a hint of frustration, "Only if their original will genuinely acknowledges this, correct?"

"Indeed that is the case. General Hua had informed us that if one strives for Military Spirit Legion ascension, then abandon futile tactics. Similarly, although Legion Talent isn’t as demanding, it’s not easily obtained either," Chen Dao elaborated to Ji Xiang.