I, the Emperor, Shall Take You to See the World

Bang!

A man in black, along with his horse, was sent flying thirty feet away.

The New Son of Heaven Sword also dashed out, its black-and-gold sword qi sweeping across the night.

"A fight! Finally, a fight!"

It was as excited as a child on a three-month vacation rushing into a slaughterhouse.

Qing Heng's face turned ugly.

The Fate Plate Sub-Talisman actually failed?

No, it didn't fail.

It was because these people were too simple-minded and their obsessions too straightforward. Before the Fate Plate Sub-Talisman could weave an illusion, it was shattered by their even more brutal desires.

Especially Wanyan Gu.

This man's brain contained nothing but fighting and eating meat, occasionally mixed with "Your Majesty, please don't hit me."

Even the Fate Plate Sub-Talisman didn't know where to start.

Qing Heng turned around and left.

He was a shadow envoy, not a suicide soldier.

But just as he took to the air, an elderly figure blocked his way above.

Wang Wudi stood with his hands behind his back, his white hair flying in the wind.

"Since you're already here, aren't you going to leave something behind?"

Qing Heng's pupils shrank abruptly: "Wang Wudi!"

On the other side, Old Master Ren and Old Master Li appeared at the same time.

On the surrounding grassland, torches lit up one after another.

The Red Wolf Marquis, Tiemu Shan, slowly rode out on his horse, his face gloomy.

"A shadow envoy of the Holy Land?"

Qing Heng's heart sank.

This was a trap.

A trap from beginning to end.

Wang Hao knew all along that the Kunlun Law Enforcement Hall would come!

From the direction of the Golden Tent, Wang Hao came riding a black horse under the moonlight.

Behind him was only Wei Zhongxian, yet this made Qing Heng feel colder than facing thousands of troops and horses.

Wang Hao looked at the black jade plate in Qing Heng's hand and smiled, "Fate Plate Sub-Talisman?"

Qing Heng stared at him fixedly: "How do you know?"

Wang Hao sighed.

"The biggest problem with your Holy Land is that you always think everyone else is blind."

He raised his hand.

The first palm of the Heaven Imprisoning Earth Overturning Palm, Suppressing Mountains and Rivers.

A golden palm print descended.

Qing Heng roared. The Fate Plate Sub-Talisman shone brightly with a dark light, and the aura of the Sky Soaring Realm erupted as he tried to forcefully tear open space and escape.

However, within Wang Hao's palm print, white lightning intertwined, and the destiny of the nation pressed down.

Boom!

Qing Heng was smashed whole into the ground.

The Fate Plate Sub-Talisman flew out of his hand and was grabbed by Wang Hao.

The sub-talisman struggled, its dark light turning into countless thin threads, attempting to drill into Wang Hao's palm.

The Thunder Abyss Demon Suppressing Pagoda trembled slightly.

White lightning flickered.

The dark threads instantly retracted as if screaming in agony.

Wang Hao looked down at Qing Heng.

"Go back and tell the Kunlun Law Enforcement Hall."

Qing Heng coughed up blood and sneered, "Do you think I will pass on a message for you?"

Wang Hao thought about it seriously.

"True."

He looked at Wei Zhongxian.

"Old Wei, have the Royal Heavenly Secrets Academy make a rubbing of his soul remnant, and then hang him on the Golden Tent's troop-inspecting platform. Tomorrow, during the military parade of the various tribes, let everyone see what a Holy Land shadow envoy looks like."

Wei Zhongxian bowed, "This old servant understands."

Qing Heng's face finally changed.

"Wang Hao, you dare humiliate a shadow envoy of the Holy Land?"

Wang Hao leaned over, his smile gentle.

"You sent people to mess up my Mobei, and you still demand my respect?"

He patted Qing Heng's face.

"Does your Holy Land have a disease where you want to save face while robbing, and demand dignity while being beaten?"

Qing Heng trembled all over with anger.

The New Son of Heaven Sword nodded nearby: "A brilliant summary."

Wanyan Gu asked, "Your Majesty, can I beat this guy?"

Wang Hao said, "Yes, but don't beat him to death."

Wanyan Gu was overjoyed.

"I'm good at that!"

Qing Heng: "..."

That night, miserable screams from the Wulan River Valley carried very far.

Many prairie wolves silently changed their direction upon hearing them.

Even wolves are afraid of psychopaths.

...

The seventh day.

Troop inspection at the Golden Tent.

Six hundred thousand elite Mobei cavalry formed ranks on the grassland.

The military flags of the fifty guards unfurled in the wind. Heavenly wolf patterns and black dragon patterns intertwined, like a forest of steel.

Wang Hao ascended the commanding platform.

Qing Heng was hung on a pillar below the platform, his face bruised and swollen. A sign next to him read:

"Shadow envoy of the Kunlun Law Enforcement Hall. Infiltrated Mobei to sow discord among the tribes. Now captured. Sightseeing is allowed; to spit, please line up."

The warriors of the various prairie tribes formed a very long line.

Qing Heng was already numb.

He never thought that, as a Holy Land shadow envoy, he would one day be pointed at by a prairie child asking:

"Mother, is this the bad guy from the Central State? He doesn't look very smart."

He really wanted to die.

But Wei Zhongxian had fed him an elixir.

He couldn't die even if he wanted to.

On the commanding platform, Wang Hao drew the New Son of Heaven Sword.

The sword light shot into the sky.

Six hundred thousand cavalry raised their sabers simultaneously.

"Holy Khan!"

"Holy Khan!"

"Holy Khan!"

The voices shattered the sea of clouds.

Wang Hao raised his hand, suppressing the sound waves.

"From today onwards, the fifty guards of the Mobei Corps are officially formed."

"I give you salt and iron, I give you elixirs, I give you spirit stones, I give you military pay, I give you noble titles, I give you military merits."

"But I also give you rules."

"Those who rob the commoners of the Great Zhou, beheaded."

"Those who engage in private warfare among the tribes, beheaded."

"Those who retreat in battle, beheaded."

"Those who betray the military flag, their clan will be stripped of titles, and the principal offenders beheaded."

The grassland was utterly silent.

Wang Hao's tone shifted.

"But if you perform meritorious deeds for the Great Zhou, I will not be stingy with rewards."

"Beheading enemies can earn you a noble title."

"Capturing cities can earn you granted lands."

"Those who protect the flag, their descendants will enter the military registry and enjoy the Great Zhou's salt and iron."

"Those who die in battle, their tribe will receive pensions, and their parents, wives, and children will be supported by the imperial court."

As these words fell, the eyes of many prairie warriors turned red.

Prairie people were not afraid of death.

They were afraid that after they died, their wives and children would be snatched away, their cattle and sheep seized, and their tribe swallowed up.

What Wang Hao gave them was not just military rations.

It was order after death.

Tiemu Shan stood beneath the Red Wolf flag, looking at Wang Hao on the commanding platform, and the last trace of reluctance in his heart slowly subsided.

He suddenly understood that his defeat was not unjust.

This emperor could do more than just blow up mountains.

He knew what the prairie people lacked the most.

He also knew what the prairie people feared the most.

Having such a person as an enemy was a nightmare.

Having him as a common lord was perhaps the only way out for the prairie.

After the troop inspection ended, Wang Hao publicly issued an order.

"The fifty guards of the Mobei Corps will drill and reorganize for ten days."

"In ten days, head south to Changfeng Pass."

"Merge with the twenty guards of cavalry from the Great Zhou's northern border army."

"At the same time, transmit my decree to the seven provinces of the Western Regions."

"The various tribes are to draft two hundred and forty thousand elite cavalry based on their population, to be organized into a twenty-guard Western Region Corps."

"I am going to attend the Kunlun Assembly."

"Of course."

Wang Hao smiled.

"It's perfectly reasonable to have a few more people along the way."

Below the commanding platform, Wang Wudi's mouth twitched.

Old Master Ren whispered, "His Majesty calls this attending an assembly?"

Old Master Li said quietly, "Those who know understand he's attending the Kunlun Assembly. Those who don't might think he's going to annihilate the Central State."

Wang Wudi looked at Wang Hao and suddenly smiled very happily.

"Doesn't the Central State Holy Land like to talk about rules?"

"This time, we'll bring a million cavalry to listen to them talk."

The Great Zhou Emperor toured Mobei in the north, enfeoffed the tribes in seven days, and formed fifty guards in ten days.

When the news spread throughout the world, many people's first reaction was disbelief.

The Mobei prairie had been untamed for a thousand years.

It wasn't that the successive central plains dynasties of the Eastern Wasteland hadn't fought them, nor was it that they hadn't won.

But winning a battle was easy; subduing them was hard.

The prairie tribes were like scattered wolf packs. If hit hard, they would run away; if starved, they would come back to take a bite.

But Wang Hao was different this time.

He wasn't driving out the wolves.

He was putting armor on the wolves, organizing them into formations, issuing them military pay, and then pointing to the west, saying:

"There's a lot of meat over there."

Thus, the wolf packs very happily became the regular army of the Great Zhou.

When news of this operation reached the capital, the Minister of Rites, Zhao De, remained silent for a long time.

Finally, he only said one sentence:

"His Majesty is truly a master of etiquette and law."

The Vice Minister next to him was shocked: "Lord Minister, does this have anything to do with etiquette and law?"

Zhao De said expressionlessly, "If His Majesty says it does, then it does. If you are not convinced, you can go to Mobei and debate with six hundred thousand cavalry."

The Vice Minister immediately felt a profound sense of respect.

"His Majesty is indeed a master of etiquette and law."

...

Changfeng Pass.

The twenty guards of the Northern Border Army had long since formed their ranks and were waiting.

These border troops had fought with Mobei for years; they could not be more familiar with the prairie cavalry.

In the past, their first reaction upon seeing the prairie cavalry was to draw their swords.

Now, their first reaction upon seeing the prairie cavalry was still to draw their swords.

That was until the commanding general, Zhang Yuanshan, roared:

"Put your swords away! They are friendly forces now!"

An old veteran looked at the prairie cavalry covering the mountains and plains in the distance, his expression complex.

"General, my hand will not listen to me."

Zhang Yuanshan sighed.

"Neither will mine."

On the day the Mobei Army arrived at Changfeng Pass, the color of the world changed.

Six hundred thousand cavalrymen covered the edge of the prairie. The Black Dragon and Heavenly Wolf banners linked together, resembling an iron storm pressing down from the north.

Wanyan Gu led the vanguard into the pass, waving excitedly.

"General Zhang! We are comrades-in-arms from now on!"

Zhang Yuanshan looked at this Northern Barbarian prince who had previously led troops to charge Changfeng Pass three times, giving a forced smile.

"Yes, comrades."

After saying that, he whispered an order to his lieutenant: "Keep a close eye on him."

The lieutenant said, "General, His Majesty has already subdued Mobei."

Zhang Yuanshan glared at him. "His Majesty subduing them is His Majesty's capability; us keeping a close eye on them is our professional habit."

The lieutenant felt this made perfect sense.

Wanyan Gu remained completely oblivious, even enthusiastically distributing roast meat to the border troops.

Many border troops ate while keeping a vigilant watch.

The hardest part about enemies becoming comrades was not an imperial decree from the court.

It was that too many people had died under each other's blades in the past.

Wang Hao did not shy away from this fact.

That night, he erected a Monument of Heroic Souls outside Changfeng Pass.

The monument had two sides.

One side was engraved with the names of the fallen soldiers of the Great Zhou Border Army.

The other side was engraved with the tribes of the fallen from the various factions of Mobei.

Wang Hao publicly offered a libation of wine.

"In the past, each served their own master, and life and death were dictated by fate."

"Today, having jointly entered the Great Zhou, old grudges are not forgotten, but private revenge is forbidden."

"If you want revenge, you can have it."

The crowd was stunned.

Wang Hao raised his hand and pointed to the west.

"Go to Kunlun, go to the Central State, and swing your blades at the people who truly deserve it."

Outside Changfeng Pass, the border army and the Mobei cavalry fell silent at the same time.

Then, an old veteran picked up his wine bowl and walked up to a Red Wolf cavalryman.

"My son died at the hands of the Red Wolf tribe."

The Red Wolf cavalryman remained silent for a moment, then took off his helmet.

"My father died beneath Changfeng Pass."

The two stared at each other for a long time.

The old veteran poured his wine onto the ground.

"Then we will owe it for now."

The Red Wolf cavalryman also poured his wine out.

"We will owe it for now."

Similar scenes occurred all over the military camp.

Hatred would not disappear just because of a single sentence from the Emperor.

But Wang Hao had given it a new outlet.

Under the military banners, the old blood had yet to dry, but the new blades were already sharpened.

This was what an Emperor could do.

Not to smooth everything over.

But to make all the sharp edges point in the same direction.

...

At the same time, the Seven Provinces of the Western Regions also made their move.

After Wang Hao pacified the Western Regions, he did not completely destroy the various tribes there. Instead, he established provinces, prefectures, and military towns. He used Great Zhou officials to manage civil affairs, used the original tribal leaders to manage the herdsmen and cavalry, and then had the Brocade Guard and the Demon Suppression Division keep a close watch.

When the imperial decree arrived this time, the mindset of the Western Region tribes was very delicate.

Having just submitted not long ago, they were now required to draft two hundred and forty thousand elite cavalrymen to march west into the Central State.

Many leaders felt a chill in their hearts.

Some discussed in private, "Does His Majesty want to send us to be cannon fodder?"

As soon as the words were spoken, a nearby Great Zhou garrison general laughed.

"You are overthinking it."

That leader breathed a sigh of relief.

The general continued, "Why would cannon fodder be issued new armor, military pay, and talisman arrows? His Majesty wants to take you out to see the world."

The leader panicked even more.

"See what world?"

The general smiled amiably.

"The Holy Lands of the Central State."

The leader almost knelt down on the spot.

The various tribes of the Western Regions understood the principle of the strong oppressing the weak better than anyone.

In the past, they were caught in the crossfire and beaten by Western Region demons, the Heaven's Secret Pavilion, sand bandits, and various countries, living without any dignity.

Now that the Great Zhou was giving them military pay, official positions, salt and iron, and laws, their lives had just gotten a bit better, and suddenly they were being told to go to the Central State.

At first, many people were afraid.

That was until the Grand Protectorate of the West posted the military merit decree.

Behead one enemy: be rewarded with silver and horses.

Those who perform meritorious deeds: be granted land and noble titles.

The families of those who die in battle: be entered into the Great Zhou's pension registry.

For those who conquer the vassal cities of the Holy Lands: their tribe will receive special trading privileges.