Northern Expedition to the Mongol Steppes

Wei Zhongxian looked on with gratification.

This door latch was really useful.

When the grand wedding ceremony was completed, an anomaly suddenly appeared in heaven and earth.

Over the capital, miles of golden clouds gathered, and dragons and phoenixes sang together. The black dragon of national destiny coiled upward, merging with a crimson-gold phoenix shadow formed by the aura of rites and music. In the direction of the Ancestral Temple, the memorial tablets of past generations all shone brightly. In the seven provinces of the Western Regions, the borders of the Northern Barbarians, and the Nine Provinces of the Central Plains, countless commoners looked up at the same time and saw golden light flowing in the sky.

On this day, the national destiny of the Great Zhou surged again.

Wang Hao held Ren Mingyue's hand, accepting the worship of a hundred officials.

"We subjects congratulate Your Majesty!"

"Congratulations to Her Majesty the Empress!"

"Congratulations to the two Imperial Noble Consorts!"

Amidst the waves of sound, Ren Mingyue's eyes reddened slightly.

Wang Hao asked in a low voice, "Nervous?"

Ren Mingyue replied softly, "A little."

Wang Hao said, "Don't be afraid."

Ren Mingyue looked at him.

Wang Hao said seriously, "From now on, you are the Empress. Whoever displeases you, make them even more displeased."

Ren Mingyue couldn't help but laugh.

"Who teaches an Empress like this?"

"The Empress of the Wang family should be like this."

Shen Xue stood aside, the corners of her lips slightly raised.

Yun Meng laughed softly, "Your Majesty, rest assured. If it's inconvenient for Her Majesty the Empress to act, we can help."

Wang Hao looked at the three of them and suddenly felt that the future harem might be more dangerous than the Kunlun Assembly.

After the ceremony, the night banquet began.

A hundred officials, generals, sect families, and envoys from foreign regions gathered together. Wanyan Gu drank until he was in high spirits and insisted on performing the Northern Barbarian War Dance, only to kick over the jade lamp that the Ministry of Rites had prepared for three days. The Minister of Rites almost fainted, but Wang Hao waved his hand: "Forget it, it's festive."

Wanyan Gu was so moved that his eyes filled with tears: "Your Majesty understands me!"

Xiao Chen complained from the side: "Your Majesty is just too lazy to kill you today."

The Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Sword Pavilion rarely drank two cups of wine. Looking at the bustling imperial palace, he suddenly said softly, "The Eastern Wasteland hasn't been this lively for a long time."

Ye Guyun nodded.

Qin Hongye sat in the corner holding her saber, looking at the lights in the hall, her eyes softening a bit.

The blood of Duantian Ridge had not completely dried.

The wind of Kunlun had already blown over.

But at least tonight, the Great Zhou was warm, bright, and alive.

Late at night, Wang Hao stood at the highest point of the palace city. Behind him were the lights of ten thousand homes, and before him was the endless night sky.

Wei Zhongxian delivered a secret report.

"Imperial Lord, there is movement from the Central Province. The Kunlun Law Enforcement Hall has issued a decree stating that Your Majesty destroyed the token and humiliated the envoy, and must give an account to the Eighteen Holy Lands at the Kunlun Assembly."

Wang Hao took the secret report, glanced at it, and smiled.

"An account?"

A flash of white lightning appeared in his palm, burning the secret report to ashes.

"Alright."

"I'll give them an account."

He looked up toward the west, his gaze seemingly piercing through miles of mountains and rivers, seeing that legendary Kunlun Divine Mountain, seeing the Holy Lands hanging high, seeing the Martial God sleeping, seeing an invisible hand meddling with the dial of fate, trying to place the Eastern Wasteland, the Great Zhou, Xie Wujiu, and even him, Wang Hao, on the chessboard.

The corners of Wang Hao's mouth curled up.

"Just let them not complain that I'm giving too heavily when the time comes."

The night wind blew his imperial robe.

Over the imperial city of the Great Zhou, the black dragon of national destiny silently opened its eyes.

Three months later.

The Kunlun Assembly.

This time, the Eastern Wasteland was not going to bow its head.

It was going to flip the table.

After the Emperor's grand wedding, the red silk in the capital had not been completely taken down before a bloody smell of iron and blood had already appeared in the imperial court.

Only two months remained until the Kunlun Assembly.

The Holy Lands of the Central Province thought the Great Zhou would be busy preparing gifts, apologizing, and writing letters of surrender, while conveniently washing the Tianque Province clean and sending it over.

The first news they waited for was—

The Emperor of the Great Zhou, Wang Hao, was heading north to hunt in Mobei.

Not in disguise.

Not to inspect the borders.

It was a northern hunt.

The four guards of the Imperial Army cavalry and the four guards of the Royal Forest Army heavy cavalry, totaling nearly a hundred thousand elite cavalry, donned their armor and left the capital.

The black dragon flags paved the way from the imperial city all the way to the north gate, the flags fluttering, the armor shining like a sea.

Wang Hao wore profound black imperial armor, with the New Emperor Sword hanging at his waist. The Thunder Abyss Demon Suppressing Tower shrank to three inches high and hung at his shoulder, the thunder patterns on the tower flickering like a fierce beast ready to spew thunder at any moment.

Wang Wudi traveled with them.

The old master of the Ren family traveled with them.

The old master of the Li family traveled with them.

A total of forty Sky-soaring Realm mighty figures representing the major families and sects of the Eastern Wasteland accompanied the carriage.

The Heavenly Sword Pavilion, the Ice and Snow Divine Palace, the Phantom Sea Immortal Sect, the Ren family, the Li family, the Xiao family, the Qin family...

Almost every notable force in the Eastern Wasteland sent someone.

The commoners of the capital filled the long streets, looking at that unprecedentedly massive cavalry force heading north, so shocked that they couldn't speak.

Someone asked in a low voice, "Is His Majesty going to Mobei to participate in the autumn hunt?"

An old soldier next to him glanced at him.

"Does your autumn hunt bring a hundred thousand cavalry and forty Sky-soaring mighty figures?"

The person was silent for a moment: "Then is it to fight a war?"

The old soldier shook his head: "Not that either."

"Then what is it for?"

The old soldier looked at the receding black dragon flags and said faintly, "His Majesty is probably going to tell the various tribes of Mobei what the reasoning of the Great Zhou is."

The person suddenly realized.

"Does reasoning require so many people?"

The old soldier said seriously, "His Majesty's reasoning has always been relatively heavy."

On the city wall of the capital, Ren Mingyue, still in her phoenix robe, stood looking north.

Shen Xue and Yun Meng stood beside her.

Ren Mingyue said in a low voice, "He just got married a few days ago, and he's going on an expedition again."

Yun Meng said with a smile, "If this person could stay honestly in the palace, that would be scary."

Shen Xue lightly stroked her abdomen, her eyes cold: "He is not going to Mobei; he is going to gather the momentum of the world before going to Kunlun."

Ren Mingyue looked at her.

Shen Xue said calmly, "The Holy Lands of the Central Province are looking at the single land of the Eastern Wasteland, but what Wang Hao wants to bring is not the Eastern Wasteland."

Yun Meng picked up the conversation: "What he wants to bring are all the people in the Eastern Wasteland who are looked down upon by the Holy Lands."

Ren Mingyue was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

"Then the Holy Lands should be very unhappy."

Yun Meng blinked: "Rest assured, he is best at making others unhappy."

...

The great army headed north.

A hundred thousand cavalry like a black tide passed through the Central Plains, crossed the Changfeng Pass, and entered the Mobei grasslands.

The grasslands in May were vast and boundless, the end of heaven and earth a line of green, the wind blowing the grass low, cattle and sheep like clouds.

But today, this grassland no longer had only pastoral songs.

Iron hooves trampled the ground, sounding like rolling thunder.

Where the black dragon flags passed, the grass waves parted, like a great black river traversing Mobei.

Wanyan Gu rode a tall red-maned warhorse, as excited as a wolf cub returning to the wolf den.

He introduced the various tribes to Wang Hao along the way.

"Your Majesty, over there is the Red Wolf Tribe. They have a foul temper and stiff bones. They used to beat me the hardest."

Wang Hao asked, "And now?"

Wanyan Gu thought for a moment: "Now they probably still want to beat me when they see me, but when they see Your Majesty, it's not certain."

"Why?"

"Because they are not stupid."

Wang Hao was very gratified: "You have grown."

Wanyan Gu grinned: "It's mainly because I've been with Your Majesty for a long time and know who can be provoked and who, if provoked, will have grass growing quickly on their graves."

The New Emperor Sword at his waist said faintly, "Your words are suspected of flattery."

Wanyan Gu glared: "What do you know? This is the sincerity of the grassland people!"

The New Emperor Sword was disdainful: "Sincerity is making fear sound so fresh and refined?"

Wanyan Gu was furious: "What does a sword like you know?"

The New Emperor Sword sneered: "I can transform now, so theoretically, I am more human than you."

Wanyan Gu was silent for a long time, then looked at Wang Hao: "Your Majesty, can I beat it up?"

Wang Hao said indifferently, "You can."

The New Emperor Sword was immediately excited: "Come on!"

Wang Hao added, "If you break it, you pay for it."

Wanyan Gu immediately looked into the distance. "Your Majesty, the scenery of the grassland is truly beautiful."

New Emperor Sword cursed, "Coward!"

Wanyan Gu pretended not to hear.

Wang Wudi rode beside them, looking at the massive procession with a trace of emotion in his eyes.

"I also marched north into Mobei back in the day, but the Great Zhou's national strength was unstable then. We could only subjugate one tribe and deter them for a short time. The grassland tribes are like wildfires; extinguish one patch, and it burns again a few years later."

Wang Hao said, "That is why we are not just extinguishing fires this time."

Wang Wudi looked at him. "Then what are you going to do?"

Wang Hao gazed at the boundless grassland with a gentle smile.

"I am going to turn the grassland into a furnace."

"A furnace?"

"Wildfires burn out of control because no one manages them. Put them all into a furnace, and they will burn where they are supposed to burn, and warm whoever they are supposed to warm. As for the disobedient flames..."

Wang Hao raised his hand, and a white lightning bolt flashed at his fingertips.

"Stomp them out."

Wang Wudi laughed.

"Your mouth is sounding more and more like an emperor's, kid."

Wang Hao said seriously, "Great-grandfather, an emperor doesn't rely on his mouth."

Wang Wudi asked, "Then what does he rely on?"

Wang Hao patted the Thunder Abyss Demon Suppression Tower.

Thunder roared from within the tower.

"On this."

Wang Wudi: "..."

It made sense, but it was a bit too direct.

...

The former site of the Mobei Royal Court, the Golden Tent Plains.

This was once the gathering place for the various tribes of the grassland.

The Great Khan of the Northern Barbarians, Wanyan Lie, was the first to welcome the emperor.

He led the chiefs of the Northern Barbarian tribes, kneeling prostrate on the grassland.

"Your subject, Wanyan Lie, respectfully welcomes His Majesty, the Emperor of the Great Zhou!"

The chiefs of the other grassland tribes followed suit and knelt.

Some were sincere.

Some were afraid.

And some simply had very sensible knees after seeing Wang Wudi, Old Master Ren, Old Master Li, and forty Sky Realm mighty experts.

After all, the people of Mobei revered the strong.

And the lineup before them could no longer be just called "the strong."

This was a team-building exercise of ancestors.

Wang Hao did not immediately tell them to rise.

He sat on his horse on high ground, overlooking the grassland tribes.

The Black Dragon Flag fluttered behind him, and one hundred thousand iron cavalry formed an ocean of formations.

Every heavy cavalryman of the Royal Forest Army wore dark armor, and their warhorses were covered in iron scales. From afar, they looked like one hundred thousand steel beasts crawling out of hell.

The chiefs of the grassland tribes kept their heads down, their foreheads pressed against the blades of grass, feeling a chill in their hearts.

They had heard of Wang Hao.

Destroying the Heavenly Secret Pavilion.

Slaying the Nightmares.

Slapping the Holy Envoy of Kunlun.

When these deeds reached the grassland, many people didn't believe them.

They felt the people of the Central Plains liked to exaggerate. Striking down a Quasi-Martial God with one palm? Slaying Nightmares with white lightning? It all sounded like tall tales told in taverns to scam a bowl of mutton soup.

Until today, when they saw Wang Hao with their own eyes.

The man sat on his horse, not deliberately releasing any oppressive aura.

Yet the Black Dragon of National Destiny behind him swam slowly through the clouds. Its dragon eyes looked down, as if it could swallow the entire grassland in a single bite.

Wang Hao finally spoke.

"Wanyan Lie."

"Your subject is here!"

"I ask you, are the tribes of Mobei willing to join the territory of the Great Zhou?"

Wanyan Lie did not hesitate.

"We are willing!"

Of course he was willing.

Even if he wasn't, he had to be.

Ever since Wanyan Gu followed Wang Hao in his northern and southern campaigns, the Northern Barbarians had effectively been tied to the Great Zhou's war chariot.

Jump off the chariot now?

Let alone whether the Great Zhou would agree, that bastard son of his, Wanyan Gu, would be the first to lead men to tear down his tent.

Wang Hao then looked at the other tribes.

"What about the rest of you?"

The grassland went quiet for a moment.

Tiemu Shan, the chief of the Red Wolf Tribe, slowly raised his head.

He was one of the few strong tribal chiefs in Mobei who refused to submit to the Northern Barbarians. With his cultivation at the peak of the Astral Qi Realm and half a step into the Sky Realm, he had a robust physique like an iron tower, and a scar ran from his brow bone down to his jaw.

He said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, the Great Zhou is powerful, and we submit to you with respect. However, the people of the grassland have lived by following water and pastures since ancient times, and we are not accustomed to the etiquette and laws of the Central Plains. If we join the territory of the Great Zhou, will you abolish our tribes? Seize our cattle and sheep? Confiscate our swords and bows?"

The atmosphere instantly grew tense.

Many chiefs secretly glanced at Tiemu Shan, feeling both admiration and a desire to curse him.

They admired him for daring to ask.

They wanted to curse him for asking at this time, wondering if he thought he had lived too long.

Wanyan Gu looked shocked. "He's truly brave."

New Emperor Sword was excited. "Are we fighting? Are we fighting?"

Wang Hao raised his hand, stopping the restless generals behind him.

He looked at Tiemu Shan and smiled. "I will not abolish your tribes, seize your cattle and sheep, or confiscate your swords and bows."

Tiemu Shan was stunned.

Wang Hao continued, "On the contrary, I will give you new pastures, new titles, new military flags, and new markets for salt, iron, and tea."

The eyes of the grassland chiefs lit up slightly.

Markets for salt, iron, and tea.

These words were more effective than any threat.

The grassland did not lack horses, cattle, sheep, or warriors.

It lacked salt, iron, tea, and grain.

In the past, the grassland tribes had fought countless battles with the Great Zhou's border army for these very things.

Wang Hao said indifferently, "But I am giving you these things not so you can continue to be a pack of wild wolves who only know how to steal each other's sheep."

Tiemu Shan frowned. "Then what does Your Majesty want us to do?"

Wang Hao's smile grew even gentler.

"To be the wolves of the Great Zhou."

The grassland wind suddenly stilled.

Wang Hao's voice echoed across the Golden Tent Plains.

"The tribes of Mobei will retain their own customs of sacrifice, marriage, and herding. But from this day forth, the tribes are forbidden from engaging in private warfare. Any disputes between tribes shall be handed over to the Mobei Protectorate for judgment."

"The chiefs of the tribes will be enfeoffed as Kings, Marquises, or Counts based on population, military merit, and pasture size. Hereditary succession requires the conferment of the Imperial Court."

"The warriors of each tribe will be reorganized into the Mobei Legion."

"The cattle and sheep of the tribes will remain the property of the tribes as before, but the pastures will belong to the Great Zhou. The Imperial Court will distribute the grazing lands for the tribes to use."

As these words fell, the expressions of many chiefs changed.

The pastures belong to the Great Zhou.

This was the real blade.

Cattle and sheep could reproduce, and gold and silver could be plundered again, but the pastures were the foundation of the tribes.

Tiemu Shan's eyes darkened. "If Your Majesty wishes to confiscate the pastures, how is that any different from exterminating our tribes?"

Many warriors of the Red Wolf Tribe had already placed their hands on the hilts of their swords.

The cavalrymen of the Royal Forest Army simultaneously lowered their long spears.

Wanyan Lie's forehead broke out in sweat.

Wanyan Gu, however, was very excited. He whispered, "Are we going to fight?"

New Emperor Sword also whispered, "We should be fighting."