Chapter 233 - 123: Under Lord Lu’s Leadership, Our Yun Port City Will Be Great Again

Chapter 233: Chapter 123: Under Lord Lu’s Leadership, Our Yun Port City Will Be Great Again

After a moment, he spoke slowly, "Oh? Is there something else, Mr. Mei? Please, speak freely."

Hearing Lu Yun’s question, Mr. Mei finally got straight to the point and stated his true purpose.

"Elder Lu, I was orphaned at a young age, alone and helpless. It was a time of war and chaos, with the dead from starvation littering the countryside. A child like me should have died in some forgotten corner."

"Fortunately, I met an old troupe master who took me in. He taught me how to sing opera, how to read, and even passed on the Dramatic Thought Divine Illumination Technique to me."

"For over fifty years, day after day, year after year, I never dared to slack off for a moment. As they say, one minute on stage takes ten years of practice offstage!"

"Finally, I was fortunate enough to break through to the Grandmaster of Divine Intent Realm—a realm my master could never reach, even at his death."

Lu Yun listened quietly without a word.

Mr. Mei continued, "Over all these years, from the Yin Dynasty to the Daxia New Country, I have seen so much." ℯℯ𝑙.

"I’ve seen those who shout about saving the nation and its people end up as the new parasites. I’ve seen the common folk suffer, generation after generation."

He paused, a touch of emotion in his voice. "It wasn’t until the moment I broke through to become a Grandmaster of Divine Intent that I finally understood."

"Understood what?" Lu Yun asked.

Mr. Mei looked at him and said, enunciating each word, "I cannot go on like this."

"The characters in the opera are ultimately illusions, fleeting phantoms. No matter how well I sing, it’s all fake. It can’t save anyone, nor can it save the world."

He stood up, straightened his clothes, and then gave Lu Yun a deep bow.

"Elder Lu, please accept me. I wish to make a small contribution for the sake of the people!"

Lu Yun was stunned. He stared at the man bowing before him, his heart in turmoil.

As a Grandmaster of Divine Intent, Mr. Mei was a peerless expert who could dominate a region wherever he went.

If he wished, he could establish his own sect at any time, rule over a territory, and enjoy a life of splendor and riches.

’But this very same Mr. Mei came to my door, asking to work for me? And to be at my complete disposal, no less?’

Lu Yun was shocked for a moment, then asked in confusion, "Mr. Mei, what is the meaning of this? With the power of a Grandmaster of Divine Intent, you could rescue suffering people anywhere, anytime. Why are you so determined to come here to Yun Port City?"

Mr. Mei straightened up. "Elder Lu, everyone knows what happened yesterday. You are the savior of our Daxia New Country."

"Those Westerners have run rampant for decades, and no one dared to touch them. Those people from the Wa Country oppressed the common folk, and no one dared to resist. Those concessions were like nails driven into this land, and no one dared to pull them out."

"But you dared. Not only did you dare, you succeeded."

"In six days, after I perform my final opera for Shopkeeper Chen, I will disband my troupe. Then, I will throw myself into the great struggle."

"Elder Lu, your actions have given me hope. I will do everything in my power to support you!"

"..." Lu Yun fell silent. He looked at the man before him, at a loss for words.

Lu Yun actually wanted to refuse, but the man hadn’t given him any chance to do so.

After all, his words had been so sincere and heartfelt, so righteous and confident, that Lu Yun had no grounds for rebuttal.

In the end, watching Mr. Mei’s departing figure, Lu Yun was left completely speechless.

’A Grandmaster of Divine Intent shows up out of the blue looking for work, and I don’t even get a chance to refuse. What is this nonsense?’

After thinking it over, Lu Yun made a decision. He wasn’t comfortable keeping a Grandmaster of Divine Intent he’d just met at home.

’You can never truly know what’s in a person’s heart. Who knows what his real intentions are?’

Although Mr. Mei had spoken with great sincerity, Lu Yun had lived long enough to have met too many people with daggers hidden behind their smiles.

One must always be wary of others. He decided to send Mr. Mei directly to the military to assist Jing Jun.

It was perfect, really. That kid Jing Jun definitely needed someone to help him manage the massive Yun Port City garrison.

’This world is getting more and more interesting.’

「One month later.」

Yun Port City had changed. Not just a little—it had transformed completely.

Following Lu Yun’s highest directives, the city began a massive overhaul.

Several new schools were established in the city. These weren’t private academies for the children of the wealthy, but schools specifically for the children of the poor.

Tuition was free, and they even provided a meal. The orphans who could only wander the streets and the poor children doomed to illiteracy finally had a chance to change their fate.

At the same time, Yun Port City’s arsenal, which had been decaying for over a decade, roared back to life.

The gates of the vast complex were thrown open. Inside, machines thundered and smokestacks billowed smoke.

Lu Yun hired numerous talented individuals from all over the Daxia New Country, offering high salaries.

Machinists who had studied abroad, chemists skilled in gunpowder, old masters of metallurgy, and veteran workers from various arsenals were all invited back to train new recruits and teach their skills.

They earned wages several times higher than what was offered elsewhere, and they worked with fiery enthusiasm.

One month later, under Lu Yun’s guidance, the first batch of brand-new firearms went into mass production.

Anti-aircraft guns, heavy machine guns, and even prototypes of the Desert Eagle and AK-47, modified from the blueprints in Lu Yun’s memory.

While these guns and cannons had yet to reach the level of their counterparts from his previous life, they were already a significant improvement over the foreign weapons available on the market.

Lu Yun stood in the arsenal’s workshop, a slight smile playing on his lips as he gazed at the new weapons.

This hardware was what he had prepared for those Westerners, especially the anti-aircraft guns, which were specifically for dealing with their bomber planes.

He knew the Western armies would be back sooner or later. They had warships, cannons, and planes. They were used to using this hardware to bully people, used to forcing the Daxia People to bow their heads.

But this time would be different. As long as they dared to come, Lu Yun guaranteed he would shoot down every last plane they sent.

Meanwhile, the Daxia New Country had finally reached its end. The Yuan Family of Yanjing could no longer hold on.

A greater chaos had begun. Because Yun Port City had completely eliminated the concessions, the Western Countries all issued severe condemnations.

And yet, the Wa Country, which had suffered the greatest loss, remained completely silent, as if nothing had happened at all.

When Lu Yun heard this news, his brow furrowed even deeper. He knew the people of the Wa Country better than anyone.

’The more silent those beasts are, the bigger the move they’re planning. They won’t let this go.’

Sure enough, trouble followed. The Eastern Province and several northern provinces supported a remnant of the Yin Court in establishing a new nation.

The long-missing last Emperor had actually resurfaced.

Then, with an imperial edict and a new national title, the Yinwang Empire was founded, proclaiming its loyalty to the Emperor of the Wa Country.

Next, in a dozen provinces in the heartland of the Daxia New Country, a Zulong Empire emerged.

Its Emperor was said to be a descendant of Emperor Zulong, vowing to restore the glory of the Zulong Dynasty.

He wore a replica Dragon Robe, sat on a replica dragon throne, and issued orders to the various warlords.

His slogans rang to the heavens: "Restore the ancestral system!" "Revive our national prestige!"

The south was even more chaotic. The Yellow Heaven Empire was cooked up by a group of charlatans, spouting nonsense like "The Yellow Heaven shall arise," and duping a bunch of simpletons into seizing several provinces.

The Lifeless Lotus Sect were charlatans of the same ilk, tricking their numerous followers into spreading out and establishing branches everywhere.

Of course, a Dongxi Federation was also established in the south.

As for the major provinces in the far west, a murderous star had risen, calling himself the King of the Western Regions.

It was said that the man was a demon who killed without batting an eye. He led a band of desperados on a bloody rampage, leaving a trail of rolling heads and rivers of blood in his wake.

In an instant, the entire Daxia New Country was torn asunder. Warlords everywhere fought amongst themselves, declaring themselves kings.

You attack me, I attack you. Today you take my territory, tomorrow I seize your city.

Lu Yun sat in his living room. When his gaze fell upon the words "Dongxi Federation," a faint, gratified smile touched his lips.

’Good. Someone has finally taken the lead. Everything will head toward the light.’

But what Lu Yun didn’t know was that inside the Great Britain Consulate in Yanjing...

In a secret conference room, heavy curtains were drawn tight. A few people sat around a long table.

No one spoke. Only the wall clock ticked away. "TICK-TOCK, TICK-TOCK."

At the head of the table was a middle-aged man with blond hair and blue eyes, dressed in an elegant tailcoat.

Joseph Croft, a Duke of Great Britain and a representative of the Empress.

His gaze swept over the others at the table. "Gentlemen, there’s a human in Yun Port City who’s getting too big for his britches. We need to find an opportunity to kill him."

No one at the table spoke, merely nodding slightly in agreement.

Duke Joseph continued, "I didn’t expect those damned humans of Emperor Zulong to make a comeback."

"And all those other messy empires and federations, popping up one after another. Do they really think this world is still theirs?"

"These fellows’ Martial Dao Will has only just reawakened. After we deal with this arrogant fool in Yun Port City, our main forces will be arriving."

"The weapons of mass destruction created by the humans under our control will be perfect for dealing with these Grandmasters of Divine Intent from Emperor Zulong’s side."