Chapter 574 - 343: Securing the Central Plains, Sweeping Through the Six Kingdoms, the Celestial Mandate is Mine

Peaceful days always pass so quickly. In the blink of an eye, several months went by.

Fifteen years might seem like a long time, but in reality, they fly by in an instant.

Over the past few months, Lu Mingyuan had held multiple discussions with the Cabinet, ultimately formulating a policy to unify the Central Plains.

It could all be summarized in five words.

Befriend and divide; deter with might.

With the Great Yan Dynasty’s current national strength, it would be difficult to sustain another large-scale expedition. Besides maintaining the Northern Great Wall, they also had to defend against the covetous Western Border Demon Race.

Therefore, in the short term, they could only resort to a strategy of winning over and dividing their enemies.

The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.

Among the other nations, the Nanli Dynasty had already shown intentions of submitting to Great Yan, and the Golden Crow Country had even renewed its pledge of fealty.

As for the Great Sui Dynasty, the Great Wu Dynasty, the Silver Frost Empire, and the Song Dynasty—the Song were secretly weak, and the Great Wu were strong on the outside but hollow within. Both were potential targets for co-option.

The only ones that truly needed to be subjugated were the Great Sui and Silver Frost.

During this period, a coup occurred in the Nanli Dynasty. The Nanli Emperor, already advanced in years, died suddenly one night. This Emperor, who had ruled for sixty years and was the same age as Emperor Yong’an, ended his life at nearly one hundred years old.

Princess Li Muwan, who held immense prestige within the country, ascended the throne as the new Nanli Empress.

However, to everyone’s surprise, on the second day after her ascension, this new Nanli Empress submitted a formal declaration of vassalage to Great Yan.

This news undoubtedly sent shockwaves everywhere.

Multiple factions were utterly stunned.

The Nanli Dynasty was a rising power in recent years and was highly regarded among the various kingdoms.

Even losing a third of their territory to the Desolate Demons could not diminish Nanli’s status in the southwestern region of the Central Plains World.

No one could understand why Li Muwan would bow her head and pledge allegiance to the Great Yan Dynasty.

Some speculated that Lu Mingyuan had used some method to intimidate the Nanli Dynasty, leaving them too afraid to defy the Emperor of Great Yan and with no choice but to submit.

Others claimed that the Nanli Empress was merely a woman who had lost her nerve after being terrified by the Demon Race. Thus, she had no choice but to seek aid from the Great Yan Dynasty, sacrificing her nation’s dignity for the sake of survival.

To this, the Great Yan Dynasty naturally and gladly agreed.

At the same time, the Great Yan Monarch granted the Nanli Dynasty special permission to retain its name. While being a vassal, they were required to pay sufficient tax silver and Treasures annually as tribute to the Sovereign State, becoming a dependency of Great Yan.

These terms attracted the attention of many other nations.

In truth, many nations had no desire to be enemies with Great Yan.

Who in the world today could possibly stand against the current Great Yan?

The Master of Great Yan had broken through to the Martial Saint Realm, striking fear into the hearts of people everywhere, all of them afraid that war would one day descend upon their own nations.

If they could keep their nation’s name and remain its ruler, without having to worry about being attacked, it wouldn’t be such a bad thing after all.

「Second Year of Longyuan, the Awakening of Insects.」

The Song Dynasty became the Demon Race’s second target, and they requested aid from Great Yan.

The Great Yan Court used their Celestial Destiny and Fortune as leverage, demanding that the Song Dynasty hand over their Celestial Mandate and grant passage through their territory. Otherwise, they would not send troops.

Facing the sharp edge of the Demon Race’s army, the Song Dynasty had no choice but to agree.

In fact, the Song Dynasty had already submitted a letter of surrender a year prior, and now they were expected to present a formal declaration of vassalage as well.

Thus, with a single written order, Lu Mingyuan commanded Prince Zhenbei to dispatch his troops.

He would personally lead the main army north for a pincer attack.

Together with the westward-advancing Northern Garrison Cavalry, they would wipe out the invading Demon Race army in one fell swoop.

However, the Song Dynasty’s Emperor Shaoxing was utterly incompetent. He actually went back on his word, reneging midway and refusing to hand over the Celestial Mandate.

To teach him a lesson, Lu Mingyuan had no choice but to lead his grand army straight for the heart of the enemy, marching directly on the Song Dynasty’s capital, Hangjing.

Along the way, they were unstoppable and utterly dominant.

No army could withstand even a single clash with them.

Compared to the simple and majestic Imperial Capital, Hangjing could be called a colossal city of steel. Its walls, cast from refined steel, were dark and lustrous.

Lu Mingyuan adopted a strategy of surrounding the city without attacking.

He didn’t lay siege. Instead, he simply let time wear on, training his troops and making camp outside the walls in a show of force.

As time dragged on, anxiety naturally began to brew within Hangjing.

After half a month, some people in the city could no longer bear the pressure. Rumors began to spread, speaking ill of Emperor Shaoxing, and factions began to form.

Another seven days passed.

That night, someone took it upon themselves to open the city gates and welcome the Master of Great Yan.

Lu Mingyuan led his unstoppable iron cavalry charging into the city, heading straight for the Imperial Palace. As for the common people, his troops did not disturb them in the slightest.

He could, of course, have used his immense power to destroy the city walls and storm his way in, but doing so would never win the hearts of the people.

Only by using such tactics could Great Yan occupy the moral high ground and force the Song Dynasty’s Cultivators to turn on their own, unable to withstand the psychological pressure.

This way, popular sentiment would naturally be on his side.

「Midnight.」

Lu Mingyuan stood before the resplendent Song Royal Palace. He gazed at its golden rooftops and red gates. The antique, classical style inspired a sense of solemnity.

And what he was about to do today was destroy that very feeling.

"Enter the palace."

From beneath his seamless helmet came the faint command. The powerfully built Imperial Guards surrounding him gripped their great-bladed swords and charged directly into the Imperial Palace.

The Cultivators of the Three Great Yan Institutes shot out like streaks of light.

The Song Dynasty’s Tributors moved to intercept, but they were no match for the Great Yan Soldiers.

A towering Sword Tower, the Dragon-locking Well on the mountain behind the Imperial Palace, and a Puppet Giant built with the Mechanical Skills of the Mo Family all guarded the deepest sanctums of the palace.

However, everything was annihilated by a terrifying Martial Dao aura.

From atop the Sword Tower, streams of Sword Qi flew out one after another, claiming the lives of many Great Yan Soldiers, each one a fatal strike to the throat.