Book 05: Blood Staining the Qian Nation’s Sky
Gu Hai waited for five days in a mountain forest a distance from Major Metropolitan City.
Five days later, a flying ship sped over.
This flying ship had many people on it. Chang Ming and Mo Yike stood at the bow.
Mo Yike appeared haggard. When Gu Hai saw Mo Yike arrive, he immediately went to welcome him.
“Mister Mo, we have been waiting for you for a long time,” Gu Hai said as he stepped forward.
Mo Yike looked at Gu Hai with a complicated expression.
“Your Majesty, Qin Zibai got captured,” Chang Ming said with a bitter smile.
“Oh?” Gu Hai raised his eyebrows.
“Qin Zibai refused to come with us and left alone. Unfortunately, he ran into Long Aotian’s jiangchen zombie. In the end…,” Chang Ming said bitterly.
Gu Hai frowned slightly and sighed.
“Mister Gu, you have been waiting here for me? Did you already expect this day to come long ago? Hah! You used one letter to trap me in the imperial prison. Mister Gu, excellent plan!” Mo Yike said with a hostile expression.
“Mister Mo, that was just an interim step. This humble one knows of Mister Mo’s capabilities. If Mister Mo were not trapped, our army would have been wiped out. Mister Mo is simply too incredible. I had to keep my guard up against you,” Gu Hai said apologetically.
“Did you come here just to take revenge for the Han Nation citizens? Only to kill Imperial Emperor Xi Yu?” Mo Yike stared at Gu Hai.
Mo Yike seemed to be blaming Gu Hai.
Chang Ming raised his eyebrows slightly as though feeling upset.
However, Gu Hai’s eyes suddenly lit up.
“Mister Mo, you agree?” Gu Hai said with some excitement.
Agree? Agree to what? Chang Ming appeared confused.
Mo Yike showed a complicated expression as he said, “Answer me first. Did you do that only to avenge your Han Nation’s citizens?”
“Yes!” Gu Hai immediately said with confidence.
“Did you never think about obtaining the Yuan Nation’s territory?” Mo Yike asked seriously.
“I did!” Gu Hai did not deny that.
“You did?” Mo Yike showed an unsightly expression.
“Mister Mo, did you ever target my Han Nation’s territory when you served the Yuan Nation?” Gu Hai countered.
Mo Yike raised his eyebrows before showing a faint, bitter smile. Gu Hai made it very clear. Even without the Han Nation citizens dying, how could a nation’s sovereign not think about expanding his territory?
“Mister Mo, although the Han Royal Dynasty is still weak, it teems with life like a freshly sprouted sapling. However, it will grow into a towering tree one day. This towering tree requires Mister Mo to nurture it together with me. Mister Mo, you were willing to follow Chang Ming here. Just from that, we understand Mister Mo’s intentions. Hence, I once again invite Mister Mo to join my Han Nation, to create a new world together with us!” Gu Hai suddenly bowed gravely.
When Gu Hai bowed, the surrounding officials and soldiers bowed to Mo Yike as well.
Chang Ming appeared slightly shocked. He did not expect Gu Hai to bow to Mo Yike.
Mo Yike looked at Gu Hai with a slightly complicated expression and said, “Indeed, I already made up my mind when I followed Chang Ming here. The Han Royal Dynasty is weak? No. As long as you are around, it cannot be weak. On this trip, Mister Gu killed not only Imperial Emperor Xi Yu’s pride but also mine. I thought that I could guard against all your plans. Unexpectedly, you rendered me useless with a piece of paper. Hahaha! The Yuan Imperial Dynasty is already eliminated. I no longer need to honor my promise to my father. I will join the Han Royal Dynasty, but you have to promise me two things.”
“Oh? Mister Mo, please speak!” Gu Hai’s eyes lit up.
“First, you are not to send soldiers to attack the territory of the Yuan Imperial Dynasty. Consider it the final fulfillment of my promise to my father. At the very least, I should not attack the Yuan Nation after its elimination,” Mo Yike said seriously.
At the side, Chang Ming’s expression changed. “How can this be possible? The Yuan Nation is already gone. Rather than let the Qian Nation swallow it up, we might as well capture a portion of it.”
“Alright. I agree!” Gu Hai immediately smiled.
“Huh?” Mo Yike looked at Gu Hai.
“Mister Mo is more valuable than the two hundred cities of the Yuan Nation. I guarantee that I will not send soldiers to any of the Yuan Nation cities.”
At the side, Chang Ming gaped. Right now, the Yuan Nation citizens hated the Qian Nation. As long as the Han Nation made a move, it would obtain dozens of cities. Yet, Gu Hai gave up on them?
Mo Yike looked at Gu Hai and bowed gratefully. “Thank you, Your Majesty!”
“What else?” Gu Hai asked, pressing on.
Mo Yike replied seriously, “The other thing is to help me save Qin Zibai!”
“Mister Mo, don’t worry. I will definitely rescue Qin Zibai,” Gu Hai said happily.
Gu Hai quickly agreed to Mo Yike’s two conditions. Mo Yike smiled bitterly. Clearly, he had forgotten Gu Hai’s boldness.
“This humble citizen, Mo Yike, salutes Your Majesty!” Mo Yike suddenly bowed to Gu Hai.
“Mister Mo, there is no need for that…” Gu Hai stepped forward and tried to help Mo Yike up.
“Etiquette cannot be done away with. Salutations, Your Majesty!” Mo Yike pushed Gu Hai back and bowed again.
Seeing Mo Yike’s extremely solemn expression, Gu Hai took a deep breath and nodded. “Alright. Mister Mo, we install you as the Han Royal Dynasty’s Fourth Corps commander. We will deal with bestowing the other things when we return to the Han Nation.”
“This official—Mo Yike—salutes and thanks Your Majesty!” Mo Yike bowed slightly.
“Congratulations, Fourth Corps commander!” the officials immediately congratulated enviously.
A corps commander was not a noble. However, corps commanders held even more authority than nobles in the Han Royal Dynasty. They could even have their own private army.
——
Two days later:
Gu Hai and Mo Yike played Go. However, the Go board that they used had thirty line pairs.
Gu Hai played with black Go stones while Mo Yike played with white Go stones. The two continuously made their moves.
“The Thirty Line-Pair World Go Puzzle? It is indeed extraordinary,” Mo Yike sighed.
“Mister Mo is the extraordinary one. Only so much time has passed since I gave this puzzle to you, and you already managed to solve it?” Gu Hai said with praise in his tone.
“Solve? I am still far from fully comprehending it. Your Majesty, many thanks for the pointers. This official will need to study it further,” Mo Yike said with a forced smile.
“That’s good.” Gu Hai nodded.
Then, Gu Hai left, leaving the Go board to Mo Yike.
When Gu Hai went out, he found Chang Ming waiting for him.
“Has everything been dealt with over the past few days?” Gu Hai looked at Chang Ming.
“Your Majesty, rest assured. I have done everything that I should. However, will the loyal Yuan Nation officials that we released cause problems for my Han Nation?” Chang Ming asked worriedly.
“The matter is already over. Their words no longer matter; no one will listen to them.” Gu Hai shook his head.
“Your Majesty. This time, I took in a group of vampires, but…,” Chang Ming said with a frown.
Gu Hai led Chang Ming to the front of the deck.
Gu Hai carefully examined Chang Ming. “Chang Ming, this trip to Major Metropolitan City is also our test for you. You have done well.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty!” Chang Ming smiled.
“We discovered that you still have plenty of potential to unearth. Your intelligence is no weaker than anyone else’s. Furthermore, you are a heaven’s favored. Your future accomplishments will be higher than anyone else’s. We have an appointment for you. See if you are willing to take it,” Gu Hai said seriously.
“Oh? Your Majesty just needs to give the order. I will definitely do it,” Chang Ming immediately said seriously.
Gu Hai shook his head and said, “No, you are different from others. Your goal should not be as simple as being a court official. Do you still remember the oath you made in Chaoge City?”
Chang Ming suddenly raised his head and said gravely, “Yes. This official wants to bring back my father. Even if my father has reincarnated, I will find him!”
Gu Hai nodded. “Find his earthly soul? Mere words are not enough. We still need to do it. The Han Royal Dynasty has not been established for long; many posts remain empty. It is not that we do not understand the importance of these posts, but there have not been any suitable candidates yet. Do you know of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?”
“Yes, the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s envoy commander is Meng Tai. The Embroidered Uniform Guards monitor the Han Nation and obtain information. They answer only to the emperor and have great authority.” Chang Ming nodded.
“The Embroidered Uniform Guards act overtly. Now, we need someone we trust to act covertly,” Gu Hai said.
Chang Ming showed a startled expression. He knew that Gu Hai was talking about him.
“We want to establish a Blood Uniform Guard that answers only to us. Aside from sharing the same duties as the Embroidered Uniform Guard, it has an even more important duty: doing things we cannot do. In the Han Nation, you do not answer to anyone but us; even when the crown prince takes charge of the nation, you do not answer to him. At any given point in time, you answer only to us. We can provide all sorts of conveniences for the Blood Uniform Guard, and the Blood Uniform Guard would be our most trusted men. The only downside is that the Blood Uniform Guard cannot be exposed to anyone, unlike the Embroidered Uniform Guard,” Gu Hai said seriously.
Chang Ming took a deep breath and said, “Your Majesty, this official is willing to take charge of the Blood Uniform Guard!”
“Have you considered it properly?” Gu Hai asked while staring at Chang Ming.
“Yes!” Chang Ming answered.
“Excellent. We now install Chang Ming as the Blood Uniform Guard’s envoy commander. You shall be responsible for monitoring the Han Nation and spying for information. You answer only to us, and you shall be a duke. You shall establish the Blood Uniform Guard,” Gu Hai said seriously.
A duke? The Han Royal Dynasty was very stringent on who received noble titles. Now, a count was pretty much the best possible. There was still marquis above that. No one had contributed sufficiently to gain that title yet. As for duke, that was as good as a legend. However, Gu Hai immediately made Chang Ming a duke.
“This official, the Blood Uniform Guard’s envoy commander, Chang Ming, thanks Your Majesty!” Chang Ming said gravely.
Gu Hai nodded. “Also, vampires? Hah! Don’t call yourself a vampire anymore. You consumed the Bat Ancestor, so you are now the primogenitor. In the future, just go by what you told us in the past. Call yourselves the blood race. You are the ancestor of the blood race!”
“Yes!”
——
Great Sigh Palace Hall, Major Metropolitan City:
Long Shenwu stayed at the Great Sigh Palace Hall, listening to the reports from the surroundings.
“Supreme Commander, the officials of the Yuan Nation refuse to cooperate. This makes controlling the city extremely difficult,” one of the officials said bitterly.
“Supreme Commander, we cannot find any of the officials who previously betrayed Imperial Emperor Xi Yu in the Great Sigh Palace Hall’s plaza!” another official said with an unsightly expression.
“Supreme Commander, a group of officials showed up in the city. They are the officials who were absent from the Great Sigh Palace Hall’s plaza that day. They say that Supreme Commander locked them up and are talking about Supreme Commander everywhere. However, we have captured them.”
The reports from the various officials made Prince Shenwu extremely uncomfortable.
Long Aotian showed no concern as he said, “Third Uncle, there’s no need for you to worry. The Yuan Nation is already destroyed. You can take your time dealing with these difficult citizens. I have already captured that Qin Zibai and thrown him in prison for a few days. Even so, he refuses to submit to me. I think we should just kill him.”
“Wait for a while longer.” Long Shenwu shook his head.
“Qin Zibai? He is just an insignificant person who overestimated himself. Why does Third Uncle want to recruit him? He even dares to curse us. If it were me, I would have killed him long ago. Right now, the most important thing is to take advantage of this time. The Yuan Nation has just been destroyed, and we still have not captured several cities. Gu Hai is very crafty. He will definitely use this opportunity to capture cities. If that happens, we will lose out,” Long Aotian said gravely.
Long Shenwu frowned slightly. Indeed, his greatest concern was that the Han Royal Dynasty would mobilize its military at full force; the Han Nation would find capturing cities easier than the Qian Nation.
“Supreme Commander!” Sima Changkong rushed into the palace hall.
“Mister Sima? Why the rush?” Long Shenwu asked.
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“Gu Hai sent a letter!” Sima Changkong handed over a letter with a bitter smile.
Long Aotian curiously watched Long Shenwu tear open the letter.
After reading the contents of the letter, Long Shenwu raised his eyebrows. “Gu Hai guarantees that the Han Royal Dynasty will not send out a single soldier to capture the cities of the Yuan Nation in exchange for Qin Zibai and his clan?”
“What? Is Gu Hai stupid?” Long Aotian exclaimed.
