Ancient Martial Saint Emperor in Another World [Complete] - 4

Chapter Forty-One: Conspiracy.

Finally, and most importantly, Robben Xiu, the Dragon Knight, the youngest son of the current Duke of Tulip and the second in line to the throne, also died in the Great Qin Dynasty.

Take the Dragon Knight, for example. As mentioned earlier, dragons are level eight high-tier magical beasts, but possess strength equivalent to a high-tier Sword Emperor. Although dragons only have a small amount of dragon blood in their blood, that small amount is enough to make them stand out among other beasts. Dragons also inherit the arrogance of dragons; only by defeating them can one gain their recognition and become their knight!

Another method is to obtain dragon eggs, and after the baby dragons hatch, feed them with your own blood. This also allows them to become knights, and the dragons and knights fed in this way will cooperate even better. Robben became a Dragon Knight right after reaching the Sword Emperor realm using this second method.

But now, Robben, the Dragon Knight with a dragon mount, is dead in the Great Qin Dynasty. How can the emperor explain this to Robben's father, the Duke of Tulip? "Sword Saint, the Archmage's prized disciple, the only son of Duke Tulip—how is he, as emperor, supposed to explain this to these important figures?!

" Emperor Fatil descended the steps and helped the kneeling man in his magnificent robes to his feet. "Rossi, get up! How many times have I told you? You don't need to perform such grand gestures when no one's around! Look at you, you never listen!

" The man in the robes stood up, his long black robe embroidered with a beautiful tulip in gold thread. No other family on the entire continent, besides Fatil's Tulip family, could so openly display a tulip on their robes.

Of course, you could also embroider a tulip on your clothes, but be prepared to be challenged or hunted down by members of the Tulip family as punishment for challenging their dignity. And those hunting you down might mostly be fans of the Tulip family, so if you do that, you'd better wash your neck clean and wait for someone to chop it off!

On the continent, besides the Tulip Family, there are also the Phoenix Family of the Great Qin Dynasty, the Golden Dragon Family of the Izumo Empire, and the Medusa Family of the Mehes Empire. These four families are collectively known as the Four Golden Families. The history of these four Golden Families surpasses that of any other nation on the continent, reportedly dating back to the Third War of Gods and

Demons. After tens of thousands of years of accumulation, their power is secretly no less than that of the three great empires. Therefore, other nations tend to adopt a more conciliatory approach towards these four families, and the best method of conciliatory treatment is through intermarriage! Of course, these four families share a common weakness: a small, even sparse, population, with many generations passing down their lineage in a single line. However, this phenomenon has changed somewhat in this generation.

The Phoenix Family has two heirs in this generation: Catherine Phoenix, known as the "Blazing Phoenix," and her brother, Carter Phoenix; the Medusa Family has a maximum of four heirs in this generation, while the Tulip Family, like the Golden Dragon Family, only has two heirs.

It's easy to imagine how much these four great families value their descendants. But now, the youngest son of the Duke of Tulip has been killed, and the one who killed him was a prince of the Great Qin. What is the Emperor of the Fatil Empire supposed to do? Send troops to attack the Great Qin? Or try to comfort the Duke of Tulip, grieving the loss of his beloved son?

"Rossi, I know Robben's death has been a great blow to you. Your Tulip clan was already small, and now… Don't worry, I won't let Robben's sacrifice be in vain! I will definitely avenge this!" The Emperor of Fatil looked at the new gray hair at the Duke of Tulip's temples and felt a pang of emotion. He couldn't help but recall the young man who had commanded with such composure during the struggle for the throne, defeating thousands of guards in the blink of an eye. Now, more than thirty years later, that once handsome young man had become an elderly man with graying temples. Time truly flies!

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!" the Duke of Tulip bowed in gratitude.

"Rossie, I told you not to keep calling me 'Your Majesty' all the time. Now that no one's around, just call me Schnader!" Emperor Fatil said to Duke Tulip.

"Your Majesty, this is absolutely unacceptable! Propriety must not be disregarded. Although I know Your Majesty has shown me great favor, there is a distinction between ruler and subject! I beg Your Majesty not to put me in an unjust position!"

"Alright, alright, whatever you want. You always do this! Sigh, I know I can't argue with you. Fine." Emperor Fatil sighed slightly.

"Thank you, Your Majesty! Your Majesty, I have another request! I humbly beg Your Majesty's permission!" Duke Tulip said, kneeling on the ground again to plead with Emperor Fatil.

"Oh dear, what's wrong with you? Just say what you want. Why are you kneeling like this? If word gets out, people will think Duke Tulip is someone who always kneels! Get up, get up quickly, I promise you!" Emperor Fatil said hastily when he saw Duke Tulip kneeling again.

"Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty!" Duke Tulip stood up and bowed to Emperor Fatil, saying, "Your Majesty, although I haven't expanded the territory like my ancestors, I have diligently managed the affairs of Fatil for thirty years, and I can say that I have no regrets before Heaven and Earth! Robben was my youngest son. He was intelligent and studious from a young age, and although he was mischievous, he reached the level of Sword Emperor at the age of thirty, a speed that ranks among the top in the entire continent.

But now... Your Majesty, I am a white-haired man burying a black-haired man! I..." Thinking of his youngest son's tragic death in a foreign land, Duke Tulip was filled with grief and indignation.

"Yes, at such a young age, he was already the vice-commander of the Royal Knights, the ace army of Fatil. Even Olek, the closed-door disciple of Sword Saint Gurod, was envious of this speed. What a pity... Alas!"

"Therefore, I beseech Your Majesty to send troops to Qin and demand an explanation!" A cold glint flashed in Duke Tulip's eyes.

“This… Rossi, I know you are heartbroken over the loss of your son, but this war with Qin is a matter of vital importance to the livelihood of the people of Fatil. We cannot make this decision lightly!” Emperor Fatil hesitated.

"Your Majesty, the Qin Dynasty's killing of three of my Fatil's most outstanding young masters has caused immeasurable damage to Fatil's reputation and strength. Moreover, the Qin Dynasty, a mere kingdom, dares to oppose my Fatil Empire. If we don't teach them a lesson, the entire continent will think Fatil is easy to bully!

Besides, we only need to station troops on the border, force them to hand over the murderers of my son, and demand 10 cities as compensation. I believe that if the King of Qin is wise, he will know how to do it!"

"That's a good idea, but we need a pretext to send troops, even though everyone knows it's just a pretext! And although the Qin Dynasty killed Robben and the other two, it was done in front of everyone in the martial arts arena, even though we don't believe it! So, Rossi, we lack a pretext, you understand?" Emperor Fatil solemnly said to Duke Tulip.

"Your Majesty, it's actually very simple!" Duke Tulip stepped forward and said softly.

"Oh? Tell me about it!"

"Your Majesty, think about it, what would happen if the envoy of my Fatil Kingdom died in the Great Qin?" A sinister glint flashed in Duke Tulip's eyes.

Chapter 42

If that were the case, it would be a good excuse, but Seguna has served the Empire for over twenty years, always loyal to the Empire..."

"Your Majesty, you can't catch a wolf without risking your cub. If Seguna knew that his death could bring greater value to the Empire, I believe he would definitely do it!"

"But I always feel that such a thing is a bit...!"

"Your Majesty! My youngest son died for the country, and I have no complaints. Orik and Morrigan died in battle in a foreign land, and I think the Sword Saint Glude and the Grand Tutor Vlad would also have no complaints. However, the children's bodies are not yet cold, and Your Majesty is already hesitating. I'm afraid it will chill the hearts of the men of Fatil! Your Majesty!" Duke Tulip finished speaking and knelt on the ground for the third time.

"Oh dear, Rossi, you, the Duke of Tulip, the head of one of the four great golden families of the continent, will have to be renamed the Duke of Kneeling! Fine, I promise you, I will station troops on the border to deter Great Qin!" Emperor Fatil reluctantly compromised with the Duke of Tulip.

"Thank you, Your Majesty! Your Majesty, this old minister has another request, and I humbly beg Your Majesty's permission!"

"Rosie, what's wrong with you today? Speak, speak, tell me everything, and we'll settle this once and for all!"

"Your Majesty, this minister wishes to personally go to the border to apprehend the murderer who killed my son. I

beg Your Majesty's permission!" "What? Rosie, I understand your feelings. The pain of losing a son is indeed extraordinary, but you must not act impulsively. You are not a child anymore. Let others handle the matter of leading troops into battle. You should stay obediently in the capital with me!"

"Your Majesty! Please let this old minister go! Since receiving the news of my young son's death in Qin, every day has felt like a year. Every time I think of him, my heart breaks! Your Majesty, I beg you, have pity on this father! This old minister is not only your minister, but also a father! Your Majesty!" Duke Tulip, thinking of his young son, could not help but shed tears.

"Alright, alright, I agree, but you must go completely and return perfectly. I've already lost three young masters, and I don't want to lose you too! Fatil can't lose you either! My old friend!" Seeing Duke Tulip's tearful state, Emperor Fatil couldn't help but soften.

"Thank you, Your Majesty! This old minister will definitely go completely and return perfectly! Your Majesty, please await my good news! However, the pretext for sending troops..."

"Don't worry, I will send a message to Seguna, telling him that I will take good care of his family!" A cold glint flashed in Emperor Fatil's eyes. Sometimes, for emperors, exchanging a small price for a greater benefit is in their nature. Even if it's a minister who has been loyal for decades, if his life can be exchanged for a greater value, then emperors will never hesitate.

"Your Majesty is wise! Then this old minister takes his leave!" Duke Tulip bowed and withdrew from the hall...

to a quiet courtyard in the Fatil Palace.

A woman in white, about sixteen or seventeen, stood by the window. Her long golden hair cascaded over her shoulders. She had delicate eyebrows, phoenix eyes, a fine nose, and full lips. At this moment, however, she seemed troubled by something, her delicate brows slightly furrowed.

"Princess! Princess! Princess..." A childish voice interrupted the young woman's thoughts. A cute little girl, as lovely as a porcelain doll, ran in, panting.

"Alice, what's wrong? Catch your breath first. Don't rush, tell me slowly!" The young woman gently patted the little girl's back and whispered.

"Princess... I... I just heard rumors in the palace that the Emperor is going to send troops to Qin." The little girl said crisply to the young woman.

"Father is going to send troops to Qin? Could something have happened to the envoy? Otherwise, Father has no reason to send troops..." The young woman frowned, pondering.

"Princess, I also heard that it seems all three experts who accompanied the envoy to Qin have died." The little girl looked around and whispered to the princess.

"They're all dead... This..." The princess shuddered upon hearing this. These three young masters were among the best of the younger generation on the continent, the future pillars of the Fatil Empire, yet they had all perished in the Qin Kingdom. The loss was far too great!

"And Princess, I heard that the one who killed our three Fatil masters was Qin Feng, the ninth prince of the Great Qin!" the little girl continued.

"One person killed all my masters? The ninth prince of the Great Qin? Qin Feng?" The girl murmured these words, then lowered her head in silence.

"It seems war is about to break out." After a long while, the girl raised her head and murmured, while the little girl looked at her with a face full of confusion...

In a dark secret chamber in the capital of Fatil.

In the center of a high platform, a huge crystal ball seemed to be boiling, with wisps of milky white gas constantly spewing from its interior, shrouding the entire secret chamber in a hazy mist.

Below the platform, a person dressed in black finery knelt solemnly.

Finally, the crystal ball stopped boiling, and a soft, warm halo appeared on it, almost too bright to look at directly. Within the halo, a blurry figure appeared and disappeared.

"Decarras, how is it going?" A voice, indistinguishable in gender and age, came from within the halo.

"Envoy, everything is proceeding according to plan. I, the master's loyal servant, will personally go and bring him back!" the black-clad man below the platform replied respectfully.

"Hmm, you even sacrificed a son to capture 'him' this time, very good! The master is very pleased with your spirit of dedication! You will be rewarded handsomely afterward!" "

Please tell the master, envoy, sacrificing a son is nothing. For the sake of the master's great cause, I, Decarras, am willing to give my all!"

"Hmm, very good, as you wish. I will relay your words to the master. You must hurry with this matter; there must be no mistakes, or you should know the consequences!" The voice within the halo suddenly filled with murderous intent, causing the black-clad man below the platform to break out in a cold sweat.

"Yes, I will do my best and will never disappoint my master!"

"Good, then hurry up. Report anything that happens immediately. I'm going back." As soon as the words were spoken, the milky white halo gradually faded and finally disappeared, and the secret room returned to darkness, leaving only a pair of eyes gleaming coldly in the darkness.

Chapter 43 The Death of Seguna

In a spacious bedroom of the Qin Dynasty Royal City Post Station.

The envoy from Fatil looked at the magical letter that had come from his homeland in his hand, his heart turning cold. Although he had long known that he would not live much longer, when he actually received this letter from his homeland,

"My dear minister, you have worked hard for the country for more than twenty years. I know your loyalty, but the affairs of the country are more important... I will take care of your elderly mother and raise your young son... Do not worry about me, take care on your journey."

Your Majesty, is this the result of my twenty years of hard work and dedication for the country, my sincere heart, being discarded like a cunning rabbit after the hunt?

Back then, before I was even twenty, I was sent as an envoy to Izumo, where I debated with the Izumo courtiers and ultimately won the favor of the Izumo emperor, forging an alliance with me, Fatil, and consolidating the empire's borders, which were on the verge of collapse due to the "Three Kings' Rebellion." Twenty years ago, I went alone to Mehes, debating for ten days and finally persuading the Mehes emperor to hand over the "Three Kings," who had fled to Mehes for over a decade and were preparing for a comeback, thus eliminating a potential civil war for Fatil…

Recalling all that had happened, recalling the countless times I had risked my life for the empire, yet now I was being discarded like trash… Fatil's Grand Tutor, Seguna, was overcome with sorrow.

"No, absolutely not! How can I, Seguna, die such a pathetic death! I must go back! I promised my five-year-old son I would bring him a gift, and my elderly mother, over seventy years old, cannot live without me!" Seguna suddenly roared like a madman.

"Your elderly mother, I will care for her; your young son, I will raise him..." The contents of the magical letter flashed clearly through his mind again. Seguna, who had been in a frenzy, suddenly snapped back to reality. Thinking of his elderly mother, young son, and beloved wife in the capital... a wave of helplessness washed over him. It seemed His Majesty had even cut off his own escape route. If he didn't die, his wife, children, and elderly parents in the capital would likely die because of him. Only if he died would his family have a chance to survive.

"Hahahaha, Your Majesty, I, Seguna, will be loyal to you one last time. I hope you will not break your promise and

will take good care of my family. I kowtow to you here!" Seguna suddenly knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly towards Fatil until blood streamed from his forehead. "Mother, your unfilial son cannot care for you in your old age and see you off in your final moments. Please take good care of yourself! Your son kowtows to you here!"

A series of thuds echoed from the room, the sounds of bodies hitting the floor mingling with muffled wails.

Finally, with a sharp crack as a weapon sliced through flesh, all was silent.

…

Day finally broke…

At the Great Qin Royal City Post Station.

“Bang bang bang!”

“Lord Seguna, it’s time to get up. It’s already light. I’ve brought you water to wash up!” A servant in blue knocked on Seguna’s door.

“Lord Seguna? Lord Seguna, it’s time to get up!”

“Lord Seguna!” …“Good heavens, Lord Seguna usually gets up very early, why today…” The servant muttered to himself, then turned to find the steward.

…

“Ah~~” “Ah~~~” Two screams rang out at the Great Qin Post Station. In Seguna’s room, a servant in blue collapsed to the floor, trembling, pointing at the blood-stained corpse before him, speechless.

"Don't be afraid, it's just a corpse, just Lord Seguna's corpse, just the corpse of the envoy from Fatil. Don't be afraid, don't be afraid..." A plump middle-aged man patted the servant's shoulder beside him, but when the servant turned to look at him, he found that the middle-aged man had already fainted.

The Qin Palace.

The King of Qin sat high on his throne, his face ashen. Below the steps, the important ministers of Qin stood silently on both sides, the entire court meeting extremely quiet.

"Speak! Speak up! Why are you all mute now? Didn't you all usually whisper in my ear how loyal and capable you were? Why are you all silent now?!" The King of Qin's roar came from the steps, frightening the ministers into not daring to breathe.

Today was Qin Feng's first time attending court. Normally, all adult princes were entitled to attend, but unfortunately, the King of Qin had too many sons—at least ten of them were adults—making the hall too crowded. Furthermore, most princes found court tedious and stifling; they had been accustomed to a carefree lifestyle since childhood and found it uninteresting. Therefore, only the eldest and third princes, who coveted the throne, attended punctually every day.

Qin Feng attended today primarily because he had defeated the expert Fatil three times the day before yesterday and was thus granted the title of First-Class Divine Martial Duke, and was summoned by the King of Qin to attend court.

The civil and military officials of the Great Qin stood in rows, civil officials on the left and military officials on the right, with the left and right prime ministers leading the civil officials and Kane leading the military generals. Qin Feng, the eldest prince, and the third prince stood side-by-side before the officials, below the steps.

"Your Majesty! I have something to say." After a long pause, a voice finally broke the heavy atmosphere in the hall. A tall, thin official stepped forward from the crowd, knelt below the steps, and reported to the King of Qin.

"Oh, stand up and speak." King Qin, seeing someone finally speak, quickly urged him to rise.

The tall, thin official stood up and said, "Your Majesty! I believe that although the orcs are brave, they are, after all, from barbaric lands and lack worldly wisdom. If we simply give them a more prosperous region, along with some grain and crops, we can exchange it for temporary peace.

Of course, to avoid emptying the treasury, we can appropriately raise taxes. This way, we can avoid war, and our lives will remain unaffected." Seeing King Qin listening calmly, the tall, thin official assumed King Qin agreed with his point of view and became increasingly enthusiastic.

"Is this your idea?"

"Yes." Still in a state of excitement, the tall, thin official failed to notice that King Qin was on the verge of exploding in anger and answered casually.

"Excellent! Very good! This is the kind of good official that my millions of Qin people have nurtured! This is the pillar of my Qin! I—you, since the founding of the dynasty by our ancestors, my Qin state has worked diligently and strived to strengthen itself, developing from a small principality with less than a thousand li of land and less than a million people into a great nation with more than five thousand li of land and more than thirty million people!

You are so good that you have not established any achievements in expanding the territory, but instead asked me to cede land and pay reparations! Let me tell you, although I cannot be compared with my ancestor Emperor Taizong, I will never be a cowardly king who sells land and pays reparations! Guards, take this scoundrel out and execute him!" The King of Qin angrily jumped down from his throne and kicked the tall, thin official hard, shouting at the guards outside the hall.

Chapter Forty-Four: Palace Debate

"Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty!" Upon hearing that he was to be beheaded, the tall, thin official collapsed to the ground, begging for mercy from the King of Qin. A foul stench emanated from between his legs, filling the hall with a stench.

"Drag him out immediately!"

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, I will never dare to do it again! Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty!"

Finally, the hall returned to silence, but everyone lowered their heads, not daring to meet the King of Qin's gaze.

"Ahem, gentlemen," the King of Qin said, "In the past three years, our Great Qin has suffered continuous natural disasters. First came floods, then plagues. The people of Great Qin have suffered unprecedented devastation. The beastmen in the west constantly invade, the Fatil in the north are eyeing us covetously, and although Fenglan and Kavana fought a battle in the east, no one can guarantee they won't unite and attack our Great Qin. You are all pillars of our Great Qin. Tell me, what good solutions do you have?" The King of Qin looked at the crowd below the steps, seemingly waiting for their opinions.

The eldest prince spoke first: "Father, our Great Qin has a large and powerful army. How could we fear these petty villains? With just a command from Father, we are willing to lead our troops to conquer these wolves and tigers."

The third prince said: "Father has already said that our Great Qin has recently suffered from natural disasters and man-made calamities. Therefore, the most urgent task is to recuperate and rebuild. Starting a war now will not benefit our country in any way." He was adept at understanding the King of Qin's thoughts and had already subtly gained the upper hand.

The King of Qin nodded appreciatively: "Ling'er, your words are very much to my liking!"

The eldest prince retreated, his face flushed.

The King of Qin turned to the third prince and said: "Ling'er, since you have such a statement, you must have already made up your mind. Why don't you tell everyone?"

The third prince was stunned, obviously unprepared, and stammered: "This... I think..."

Just as the third prince was blushing with embarrassment, a sound that seemed like celestial music suddenly came to him.

"Report! Report!" A plump middle-aged man stumbled into the hall, sweating profusely and looking terrified.

"What's with the panic? What kind of behavior is this!" King Qin finally turned his attention to the fat man who had barged in, which made the Third Prince breathe a huge sigh of relief. He really wanted to run up and give the fat man a big kiss.

"Your...Your Majesty...the...Fatir...envoy...is...dead!" the fat man stammered.

"What? Say it again, explain clearly what happened!" King Qin stood up from his throne with a "whoosh" and asked loudly.

"Reporting...Your Majesty, the...Fatir...envoy...committed suicide!"

Silence. The hall suddenly fell into a deathly silence, with only gasps of shock audible. The officials present were all seasoned veterans of the bureaucracy, and naturally knew what the death of the Fatir envoy meant in Qin. They all remained silent.

"You said, the Fatir envoy is dead?" After a long while, King Qin finally came to his senses and confirmed it.

"Yes, this morning when I was helping Lord Seguna wash up, I found him dead in his bedroom..."

"Enough! You idiot! I told you all to take good care of the envoy from Fatil and not to let anything go wrong. Now you're telling me he's dead! What use is an official like you to me! Guards, drag him out and behead him!" The poor fat man became the scapegoat of the enraged King Qin and was dragged away by the guards.

The King of Qin, visibly exhausted from killing two men, returned to his throne and addressed his ministers, "What do you think of the current situation?"

To his surprise, everyone stood silently, afraid the King would ask them questions.

Finally, the Third Prince, who had been suppressed by the Eldest Prince, stepped forward and said, "Father, now that the envoy from Fatil has died in our Great Qin, Fatil will surely take action to regain face! Furthermore, our western borders are under attack by orcs, so we must act cautiously."

The King nodded repeatedly and asked the Third Prince, "Do you have a good plan to alleviate the current crisis in Great Qin?"

The Third Prince, feeling triumphant before the Eldest Prince, took a few steps towards him and asked, "Father, have you heard of the practice of sending hostages in previous dynasties?"

The King nodded and said, "I have heard of this. A party seeking peace would send its crown prince to the enemy as a hostage to show sincerity. There was indeed such a precedent in previous dynasties."

"Father, the orcs are reckless and unreasonable, so we should resist them with all our might and drive them out of our Great Qin! Fatil is one of the three great empires, and its national strength is already above that of our Great Qin. If we rashly start a war with them, it will be extremely disadvantageous to our Great Qin! Therefore, Father, you only need to send an envoy to Fatil to explain, and in addition, to show sincerity, you can send a hostage to Fatil, which will resolve the war between the two countries!"

Immediately, everyone understood the Third Prince's true intention. Among all the princes, the most qualified to be the crown prince was the eldest prince, Qin Shou, because Qin Shou was born to the Queen, and the Left Prime Minister was his maternal grandfather, so he had the upper hand in the struggle for the crown prince position. If the Third Prince's hostage plan really succeeded, then the eldest prince would be sent to Fatil as a hostage, and the third prince, who remained in the country, would naturally become the best candidate for crown prince. This plan was indeed ruthless and could achieve two goals with one move.

The eldest prince said, "Third brother's plan is brilliant, but if any of us brothers are sent to Qin, wouldn't we all be doomed if war breaks out between the two countries?"

The third prince retorted passionately, "As sons, filial piety should come first; as subjects, the nation should be our priority. In times of crisis, we should relieve our father's worries and help the nation overcome difficulties. How can we be so concerned with personal gains and losses!"

The eldest prince sneered, "Third brother's words have enlightened me. If I'm not mistaken, third brother should take the initiative to go to Fatil!" He had finally seized the opportunity to counterattack, striking a decisive blow at the crucial moment.

The third prince was speechless. He had schemed and plotted to send the eldest prince to Fatil, but he never expected that the eldest prince would seize the opportunity and turn it against him.

The scene suddenly became deadlocked. Ministers from the eldest prince's and third prince's factions began to attack each other, and the hall became as noisy as a marketplace.

"Enough! What kind of behavior is this? Look at yourselves! You're all marquises and earls, yet you have no aristocratic manners whatsoever!" King Qin roared at the noisy ministers below from his throne.

The noisy hall fell silent instantly.

"Left Prime Minister, what do you think?" King Qin turned to the Left Prime Minister and asked.

"Your Majesty! This old minister believes that the First Prince and the Third Prince are both right. Your Majesty might as well ask the Right Prime Minister!" As a seasoned official with decades of experience, the Left Prime Minister skillfully passed the buck to the Right Prime Minister.

"Your Majesty! This minister also agrees with the First Prince and the Third Prince! His Highness the Ninth Prince, oh, it is the Divine Martial Duke who bravely defeated the three masters of Fatil, upholding the glory of our Great Qin. I'm sure he has a good opinion on this matter!" The Right Prime Minister was no pushover either; with a few words, he passed the buck to Qin Feng.

In an instant, all eyes in the hall were focused on Qin Feng.

Chapter 45 The Proposal

Qin Feng, under the spotlight of everyone in the hall, acted as if nothing had happened.

He glanced at the crowd, then bowed to the King of Qin and said, “Father, I believe the reason the orcs invaded our Great Qin is mainly because they may have suffered from disasters and lack food. Therefore, we can trade with the orcs for grain and crops, exchanging them for their specialties, such as magic cores, animal hides, and minerals. We should send a debater to discuss trade with the orcs instead of sending a large army to resist them.

As for the death of the Fatil envoy in our Great Qin, Fatil is a nation of tigers and wolves, always eyeing our Great Qin covetously. A few years ago, while our Great Qin was resisting the orcs, they used a scheme to conquer five duchies, already posing a real threat to our Great Qin. Moreover, the envoy they sent this time was clearly provocative, and those three Fatil experts even killed many of our Great Qin's brave men! Therefore, I believe we should take a tough stance against Fatil, deploying heavy troops to the border to guard against a Fatil sneak attack!”

"Nonsense! The orcs are clearly a bunch of uncivilized barbarians. You actually want to negotiate and trade with them? Hah, Ninth Prince, you're really naive!" The Third Prince stepped forward to criticize Qin Feng before he could finish speaking.

"That's right! Fatil is one of the three great empires, known as a benevolent and righteous nation. How could they invade our Great Qin? I think Ninth Prince is just being presumptuous!" Seeing that Qin Feng had overshadowed him and the Third Prince, the Eldest Prince temporarily set aside his grudge against the Third Prince and joined in attacking Qin Feng.

The ministers of the Eldest Prince's faction and the ministers of the Third Prince's faction, seeing their respective masters unite, also joined in attacking Qin Feng.

Qin Feng didn't refute, but simply stood there quietly, a smile on his face.

"Shut up! Feng'er, can you explain your reasons for thinking this way?" The King of Qin roared at the ministers attacking Qin Feng, then turned to Qin Feng and asked him softly.

"Father, the orcs live west of the Hundred Thousand Mountains. They are simple-minded and their land is barren and plagued by disasters. Coupled with their large appetites, they lack food, which is why they attack us to plunder! Therefore, if we establish a trade zone with them, they will surely welcome it, as they too are forced to resort to war to obtain food! Moreover, the orcs' territory is rich in magic cores, animal hides, and various rare minerals, which are precisely what we lack. Therefore, I believe that establishing trade on the border will be entirely beneficial to our Great Qin!" Qin Feng carefully analyzed for the King of Qin.

"Hmm, hmm, good idea! Continue with Fatil!" The King of Qin greatly praised Qin Feng's analysis, which made the eldest and third princes extremely jealous. They glared at Qin Feng with red eyes, but Qin Feng ignored them, making them furious.

"Although Fatil claims to be a benevolent nation, that's just a facade he put on when he wasn't prepared. Since conquering the five small duchies three years ago, Fatil has acquired the wealth accumulated over generations, greatly increasing his power and showing signs of becoming one of the three great empires. Now, he has stationed troops on the border, posing a constant threat to the safety of our Great Qin. Furthermore, the mysterious death of the Fatil envoy has given Fatil a pretext to attack us. Therefore, we should immediately reinforce our border troops to guard against a sudden attack from Fatil!" Qin Feng said leisurely.

"Then, what do you think we should do?" King Qin couldn't help but ask, seeing Qin Feng's insightful analysis.

"Father, regarding the above situation, I believe that we should send a skilled negotiator to negotiate with the orcs, discussing trade and commerce. As for the Fatil, we should quickly prepare and reinforce the border to guard against a potential Fatil attack!"

"Haha, negotiating with orcs? Negotiating with a bunch of naturally dull barbarians? By the God of Light, that's the funniest joke I've ever heard!" The Third Prince deliberately contradicted Qin Feng, immediately refuting him after he finished speaking.

"I think Ninth Prince harbors prejudice against the Fatil. Why do you always tell us to be wary of them? We are friendly neighbors!" Facing a common enemy, the Eldest Prince also stepped forward to join the Third Prince in attacking Qin Feng.

Although the King of Qin felt Qin Feng's words made sense, the Eldest and Third Princes' statements were also true, so he hesitated, finally turning his gaze to the ministers.

"My dear ministers, what do you think?"

"Your Majesty! I believe the Third Prince is right. Those beastmen are inherently cruel, stupid, and clumsy. They only know how to use violence to obtain things. How could they possibly negotiate with us? Therefore, I think the Ninth Prince's words are a bit far-fetched!" The first to step forward was naturally the Third Prince's staunch supporter, the Right Chancellor of Qin, Yu Tianyang.

Seeing the King of Qin turn his gaze to him, the Left Chancellor, Solitu, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I believe the Ninth Prince is right."

Ignoring the First Prince's changed expression, the Left Chancellor continued, "However, what the First and Third Princes said is also reasonable. Both possibilities exist. Therefore, I believe that we can do as the Ninth Prince says, and also prepare as the First and Third Princes say. With two preparations, we can naturally be worry-free!" As expected of an old fox in the officialdom, his words offended no one, from the First Prince to Qin Feng, and he gave the King of Qin practical advice, clearly superior to the Right Chancellor's statement.

"Kane, my Grand Marshal, what are your thoughts?" King Qin turned his gaze to the Sword Saint, who had remained silent all along.

"Your Majesty, I believe the Left Chancellor's words are reasonable. As the saying goes, 'Better safe than sorry'!" Kane replied calmly.

King Qin descended the steps to his throne and sat down. His gaze swept over the crowd below, noticing their expectant stares. He pondered for a moment and said,

“For a long time, our Great Qin has adopted a policy of ‘fighting’ against the orcs. Every three to five years, the orcs invade our Great Qin, and every three to five years, a large number of our brave men sacrifice their lives for the country. Whenever I think of this, I am filled with grief and indignation! Therefore, if we can resolve this threat without firing a single shot, it would truly be a blessing for our Great Qin!

Of course, we must also be prepared for the possibility of negotiations breaking down! Although Fatil is known as a benevolent nation, their invasion of the five minor duchies a few years ago revealed their wolfish ambitions to the world! Coupled with the rudeness of their envoy this time, we must be on guard, but we cannot allow them to sense our Great Qin's hostility and deepen the conflict between our two countries. Therefore, the reinforcement of troops must be done covertly!”

Chapter 46: Confirming the Selection

“Your Majesty is wise!” the crowd below the steps exclaimed in unison.

"Then, we must send a skilled and eloquent person to the Beastmen to negotiate trade with them. We also need to send a capable general to the border bordering Fatil to prepare for any potential attacks!" King Qin concluded.

"My lords, which of you is willing to go to the Beastmen for negotiations?" Finally, the matter was settled on personnel. King Qin inquired about those willing to go, but unfortunately—

no one stepped forward for a long time. This was understandable; after all, the millennia-old perception of the Beastmen was that they were inferior races with animal heads and human bodies, who never bathed, spewed foul odors, and were savage, violent, and bloodthirsty. Why would these pampered ministers willingly send themselves there? Forget about national righteousness and the greater good of the country! Their own lives mattered!

"Then who is willing to go to the border to prepare?" Seeing that no one was willing to go to the Beastmen, King Qin had to change the subject.

"Your Majesty! I am willing to go in Your Majesty's place!" An old minister with white hair and beard stepped forward. His frail body looked as if a gust of wind could blow him over!

"Your Majesty, Lord Claude is too old to travel far. He should go in my stead. Look how strong I am! Look at this, look at this, tsk tsk, how strong!" A minister of about forty years old even performed some aerobics in the hall.

"Your Majesty, although I am old, my loyalty remains undiminished. Although my physique cannot compare to these young men, my reliability in handling affairs is second to none!" The white-bearded Claude stepped forward to pledge his loyalty to the King of Qin, then bowed to the middle-aged minister and said softly, "What's there to argue about? At most, I'll give you a share of what I've earned after I go!"

"A share? I want my share for going myself!" the middle-aged minister scoffed.

"You...how can you not respect the elderly!" Krodo angrily flicked his sleeve.

"Heh heh, since you admit you're old, then don't go. At most, I'll come back and claim my share!"

"You! Your Majesty. This old minister..."

"Your Majesty..." The third minister stepped forward to ask the King of Qin for a task.

"Your Majesty..." The fourth.

"Your Majesty..." The fifth.

...

In the end, the entire hall was in chaos. One claimed to be loyal, another to be capable. This puzzled Qin Feng. Why hadn't anyone volunteered to go to the beastmen earlier, but now everyone was scrambling to go to the border?

So, Qin Feng focused his attention on his ears and understood. It turned out that these people were terrified of dying, afraid of being slaughtered by those unreasonable beastmen during negotiations. Therefore, they all pretended not to hear the King of Qin's words and remained hidden.

As for Fatil, they all believed that Fatil wouldn't actually go to war with Qin. This trip to the border was under the Qin King's banner, and the city lords and princesses along the way would surely offer tribute! Besides, the trip was nominally for preparations, but who knew if Fatil would attack? If not, what was the use of the new weapons? So, the money for preparations would be better off going straight into their own pockets. "

Sigh, they're hopeless," Qin Feng shook his head after hearing this.

"Quiet!" Seeing the ministers vying for the border preparations assignment, the Qin King shouted, silencing the crowd.

"I've decided," he continued, "the First Prince will lead the delegation to negotiate with the Beastmen. And Kane will be in charge of the border preparations, assisted by the Third Prince!" At this moment, the Qin King truly possessed the domineering presence of a monarch, decisively selecting the leaders.

"Father, no! Father, I still want to serve you and Mother in the capital! Father!" The King of Qin's decision startled the eldest prince, who knelt on the ground and pleaded with the King.

The third prince, who had just received this incredible news, was clearly overjoyed. Although he was only an assistant, and given Kane's meticulousness, his share of the expenses was likely small, the tributes he would receive along the way would be substantial! Looking at the eldest prince kneeling on the ground, the third prince's feelings could only be described with one word—satisfaction!

"Thank you, Father! Your son will certainly live up to your expectations and will work diligently with Marshal Kane to firmly defend the border, preventing Fatir from occupying an inch of Qin's territory!" the third prince declared to the King.

Insidious, truly insidious! The third prince's actions contrasted sharply with the eldest prince's plea. Without saying a bad word about the eldest prince, this would subtly leave the King with the impression that the eldest prince was cowardly and timid.

"Your Majesty! The Third Prince is indeed loyal and filial, worthy of being the Third Prince of our Great Qin." The Third Prince, who had already been certain of victory, suddenly felt a pang of unease upon hearing this praise. This was the Left Prime Minister, his mortal enemy! Why would he praise him so readily?

Sure enough, the Left Prime Minister changed the subject, saying, "The First Prince is a magician, physically weak, and unsuitable for long journeys. The Third Prince, on the other hand, is a great swordsman, highly skilled in martial arts, and exceptionally loyal and filial. Therefore, this old minister believes it would be better to switch the tasks of the First and Third Princes. I think that with their abilities, they can definitely accomplish these two tasks well!" The Left Prime Minister first belittled and then praised, turning the tide of the battle.

"This, this..." This time, it was the Third Prince's turn to be speechless.

"Your Majesty has already clearly assigned tasks. Does the Left Prime Minister think you are more capable than His Majesty?" Seeing that the Third Prince had been completely suppressed, the Right Prime Minister had no choice but to use the King of Qin to further pressure him.

"This subject dares not!" The Left Prime Minister bowed to the King of Qin.

The scene became unusually quiet.

Finally, a majestic voice broke the silence, "Your Majesty, I believe that because His Highness the Ninth Prince is both brave and intelligent, and this suggestion was also made by His Highness, we should send His Highness. I think His Highness will certainly live up to the trust placed in him!"

Everyone looked and saw it was none other than Grand Marshal Kane, standing at the forefront of the military generals! Qin Feng was puzzled. He didn't seem to have any connection with Kane, so why would he recommend him? He looked at Kane but found him expressionless, unable to discern anything.

Kane's words provided a balance between the First Prince's faction and the Third Prince's faction, and so—

"Your Majesty! I believe that His Highness the Ninth Prince is the best candidate to go on this mission to the Beast Clan!" The Right Chancellor was the first to step forward, and at the end, he gave the Left Chancellor a wink.

The Left Chancellor hesitated slightly, then also stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty! I agree with the Right Chancellor's opinion. His Highness the Ninth Prince is the best candidate for this mission to the Beast Clan!"

The senior officials from the two factions saw that the elders of both factions had stepped forward.

"Your Majesty! We second that!"

"We second that!"

"We second that!"

Chapter 47: Upon Arriving at the Military Camp

. Immediately, the entire hall of ministers began praising Qin Feng, extolling his divine martial prowess, his intelligence and studiousness, and his perfect loyalty and filial piety—blowing him to the heavens, making him seem unparalleled. Even Qin Feng couldn't help but secretly doubt, "Am I really that good?"

However, from the slight mockery in the ministers' slightly open eyes, it was clear they were merely looking for a scapegoat, and he himself was nothing more than a sacrifice in the power struggle between the First Prince's faction and the Third Prince's faction!

Finally, the King of Qin turned his gaze to Qin Feng. "Feng'er, what do you think?"

Looking at the pairs of eyes staring at him in the hall, Qin Feng felt a wave of nausea.

"Father, I am willing to go!"

"Good, good, good! It is truly a blessing for our Great Qin to have such a fine young man as Feng'er!" Seeing Qin Feng agree so readily without hesitation, the King of Qin was overjoyed and said, "Very well, then Feng'er will be sent as an envoy to the Beastmen, and ten thousand elite troops will be assigned to protect him! He will depart in three days!"

"Your Majesty is wise!" A chorus of praise erupted from below the steps…

Descending from the main hall, Qin Feng headed towards the Ministry of War. The King of Qin had promised him ten thousand guards. Although he had great confidence in his own judgment, he couldn't guarantee that if they had a moment of madness, he wouldn't have to rely on these ten thousand to escape.

Leaving the Ministry of War, Qin Feng learned that the ten thousand elite troops assigned to him were at the Western Camp, so he hurried there.

Looking at the scenery before him, Qin Feng couldn't help but wonder if he had entered the wrong place.

The training equipment on the drill ground, though arranged relatively neatly, was all dilapidated. Rusty weapons and tattered armor lay scattered about. In the distance, a group of almost naked men were huddled in a circle, seemingly engaged in some activity, their laughter occasionally escaping their ears.

Several boys, around eleven or twelve years old, wore leather armor that dragged on the ground, playing in the mud. A one-eyed old man gnawed on a moldy flatbread with his only remaining tooth. A large group of people were gathered on the drill ground, playing something else entirely. Qin Feng finally understood the strange smile on the face of the official from the Ministry of War when he handed him the troop deployment token. It seemed he had been outmaneuvered by the Right and Left Prime Ministers.

Qin Feng approached the one-eyed old man and asked, "Old man, where is your garrison commander?"

The old man gave Qin Feng a blank look and continued gnawing on his moldy flatbread.

"Excuse me, where is your garrison commander?" Qin Feng repeated. Finally, after numerous attempts, Qin Feng confirmed that the old man was deaf.

Left with no other option, Qin Feng approached the children playing in the mud and asked, "Little brother, do you know where your village chief is? Tell big brother, and this is yours!" As he spoke, a roast duck magically appeared in his hand, its fragrant aroma making the young children's mouths water.

One of them, quite boldly, pointed to a dilapidated tent not far away, then stared expectantly at the roast duck in Qin Feng's hand, swallowing hard.

"Here you go!" Qin Feng handed the roast duck to the little boy and walked towards the dilapidated tent. From afar, a shout could be heard.

"Hurry, hurry, bet on big or small, place your bets! Wang Wu, what are you dawdling for, acting like a woman? Look at Xu Lao Er, how generous he is!" A deep, booming voice rang out.

"If Mom doesn't open the pot, I'll go all in, bet on big! Losing isn't a big deal, I only have one worthless life!" A hoarse voice followed.

"Open, open, open! He's a damn bastard, how can he be small?! Who did I offend? Losing forty games in one afternoon!" The hoarse voice was filled with indescribable dejection.

"Haha, Wang Wu, just give up, go wash my underwear! Haha..." The gruff voice rang out again, but suddenly seemed to be cut off.

The tent flap was lifted, and a young man stood in the doorway, golden sunlight cascading over him, his brilliant blond hair shining dazzlingly in the sunlight. Although his face was partially obscured by his long hair, the sharp glint in his star-like eyes shone through the gaps in his hair.

A spotless white robe enveloped his slender body, but the explosive muscles beneath the robe were clearly visible to everyone. This scene could perhaps only be described with one word—beautiful, even though the person in the picture was a man.

Years later, Lei Men, now a five-star marshal of the empire, described it in his autobiography as follows: "His Majesty the Holy Emperor entered my tent that day bathed in golden sunlight, like a god. His radiant image is deeply etched in my heart. From then on, throughout my life, whether in good times or bad, whether conquering the continent or fighting against the Angels, my faith in him has never wavered!

" "Let me introduce myself first. I am Qin Feng, the Ninth Prince of the Great Qin, First-Class Divine Martial Duke," Qin Feng said, raising the jade token symbolizing his status to the people watching him in the tent.

His eyes swept across the tent; there were five people standing before him. The one in the lead had leopard-like eyes and a thick beard, his bare upper body over two meters tall, and the rock-like muscles bulging on his body would surely intimidate any timid person.

The first one on the left was also shirtless, with a muscular physique, though he was somewhat inferior to the first one in terms of both height and muscle. He had his eyes downcast and looked utterly dejected. The first one on the right, a tall, thin man, stood with his arms crossed, his small eyes scanning Qin Feng up and down. The two on the far left also looked at Qin Feng with wary expressions.

"What, don't you recognize this token?" Qin Feng noticed their slight hesitation upon seeing his jade token, so he took out a brown troop mobilization token from his spatial bag and said, "This is a troop mobilization token from the Ministry of War. You should recognize it, right?"

"Yes, yes, we've seen it before. It's a troop mobilization order from the Ministry of War," said the burly man at the head, his thunderous voice making the pots and pans inside the tent rattle.

"You must be the garrison commander here. You have a very imposing presence. What's your name?" Qin Feng asked with interest.

"Yes, my name is Lei Men, this is Wang Wu, this is Xu Er, this is Liu Qi, and this is Kong Long." The loud-voiced man pointed to the first one on the left, the first one on the right, the second one on the right, and the second one on the left, introducing them to Qin Feng in turn.

"Then how did you become the platoon leader? Look at this, is this still a military camp? It looks more like a refugee camp!" Qin Feng's smile vanished, and he angrily rebuked him.

Upon hearing this, Lei Men hesitated, wanting to say something, but ultimately remained silent, lowering his head like a child who had done something wrong.

Chapter Forty-Eight "The Angry Lion" Lei Men

Instantly, the camp fell into an unusual silence.

Finally, Xu Er broke the silence.

"Your Highness, although I, Xu Er, respect you, you cannot wrongly blame Boss Lei like this. If it weren't for Boss Lei, our West Camp would be a mass grave!"

Qin Feng was somewhat surprised by Xu Er's words. It seemed that Lei Men still held some status in the hearts of these men.

"Oh, then tell me, how did I wrong him? If it wasn't his fault, I'm willing to apologize for what I said!" Qin Feng casually found a place to sit in the tent, watching Xu Er, who was pleading for Lei Men, with amusement.

Seeing Qin Feng sitting nonchalantly in the filthy tent, his expensive clothes contrasting sharply with the surrounding environment, a hint of surprise flashed across the faces of the five men.

"Your Highness, perhaps in your mind, our Western Camp, as a military force guarding the capital with over 20,000 soldiers, should be magnificent, and our soldiers should be proud and spirited. But, Your Highness, do you know, we are also human beings; we also need to live, and living requires money!"

"Oh, doesn't the Ministry of War allocate funds to you every year? How come..." Qin Feng didn't finish speaking, only glancing around, the meaning of which was self-evident.

"Hmph, it's better not to mention those parasites; mentioning them really makes one furious!" This time, it wasn't Xu Er who took the lead, but Lei Men, whose voice was like thunder. At this moment, his tall and imposing body trembled slightly with excitement.

Qin Feng didn't speak, only quietly looking at the tall man in the excited state before him. His bare upper body was covered with shocking scars, even a long, centipede-like scar that stretched from his left chest to his right waist. What kind of horrific tragedy could have caused this!

"Your Highness, you may not know, but Boss Lei used to be the vice-commander of our Great Qin's elite cavalry—the Golden Lion Knights, known as 'The Wrathful Lion,' a Golden Knight, and a second-class viscount. He was also the first person in the history of the Golden Knights to rise from a commoner to vice-commander!" The tall, thin man standing to Lei's right couldn't help but speak up.

"Oh?" Qin Feng was surprised. When he saw the crisscrossing scars on Lei's body, he knew that this seemingly rugged man must have a background, but he never expected that he was once the vice-commander of the Golden Lion Knights, the ace of the Great Qin!

Although Qin Feng had been detached from worldly affairs and focused on cultivation in recent years, he still knew the Golden Lion Knights very well, because this ace of the Great Qin was extremely famous.

The Golden Lion Knights had 30,000 members, but you should never underestimate these 30,000 people. You should know that these 30,000 people were the most elite troops in the entire Great Qin. Even the lowest-ranking members of the Golden Lion Knights were at least at the level of Black Iron Knights.

On the Starry Continent, professions are mainly divided into two categories: warriors and mages. Knights evolved from warriors, and their ranks are: Apprentice Knight – Junior Knight – Intermediate Knight – Senior Knight – Black Iron Knight – Bronze Knight – Silver Knight – Gold Knight – Holy Knight – Divine Knight.

The Golden Lion Knights do not participate in the Qin Dynasty's usual defense work, only deploying in the most critical moments. Every time the Golden Lion Knights appear, they achieve victory against overwhelming odds. Their most famous feat, their battle for fame, was the great war between the Qin Dynasty and Fenglan fifty years ago. At that

time, the Qin Dynasty had sent 70% of its army to the front lines to resist the orcs' invasion, even the imperial guards protecting the royal city were dispatched to fight the orcs. The King of Fenglan, in alliance with Kavanagh, led an army of 500,000 to attack the Qin Dynasty, advancing rapidly towards the Qin capital.

Just as the allied marshal thought victory was in sight, a mysterious cavalry unit suddenly appeared. The riders were clad in heavy golden armor, their faces concealed by golden masks, and even their horses wore golden armor. As the allied forces were dazzled by the golden halo before them, the nightmare began. This mysterious cavalry unit, like a sharp blade, plunged into the ranks of the allied troops, who were still unformed.

On the open ground, crimson blood and golden light painted a hellish scene. The clanging of weapons, the grinding of teeth as sharp blades cut flesh, the desperate cries of soldiers before their deaths, and the neighing of warhorses all intertwined to create a hymn of death.

By the time the allied marshal realized what was happening and tried to regroup for a counterattack, the 500,000-strong allied army had already been scattered. The marshal hastily gathered his remaining troops for a retreat, but was relentlessly pursued by the Golden Lion Knights. They were only able to escape when they finally reached Fenglan territory and encountered reinforcements sent by the Fenglan King – the Flying Dragon Knights. In this battle, less than 1/3 of the 500,000 troops from both countries escaped, and of those who did, 2/3 were forced to demobilize due to "war phobia." From then on, both Fenglan and Kavana were severely weakened.

Qin Feng, after hearing Wang Wu's words, was puzzled. If Lei Men had once been the deputy commander of this elite Qin army unit, why had he fallen to such a state?

As if anticipating Qin Feng's confusion, Wang Wu continued, "Brother Lei joined the army at fifteen, experiencing over a thousand battles, rising from a commoner to the vice-commander of the Golden Lion Knights. Because of his humble origins, he clashed with the high-ranking nobles, especially with those corrupt Ministry of War officials who embezzled military pay.

Initially, both sides restrained each other, but as time passed, coupled with Brother Lei's fiery temper, a serious dispute erupted over the distribution of military pay. Because the Ministry of War official deliberately made things difficult and spoke harshly, and because of the official's poor reputation, Brother Lei, in a fit of rage, accidentally killed him..."

The consequences were similar to many cliché stories: Lei was arrested. Because he had accidentally killed a nobleman, he was originally sentenced to death. However, the previous Qin King, considering Lei's significant contributions, only stripped him of his position in the Golden Lion Knights and his title of second-class viscount, and demoted him to the Western Camp.

Chapter Forty-Nine: The Earth-Shattering Technique

After listening to Xu Er and Wang Wu's words, Qin Feng gained a new understanding of Lei Men, this rugged-looking man. His rise from a lowly soldier to the vice-commander of the prestigious Golden Lion Knights, known as the ace of Qin, was astonishing enough.

The Golden Lion Knights were also known as the Noble Knights, and all their members were nobles, the lowest rank being a third-class baron. This showed how arduous Lei Men's journey from soldier to vice-commander had been; the scars covering his body spoke volumes. If not for his incredible luck, he might have died hundreds of times over.

"So," Qin Feng pointed around and asked, "what's going on here?"

"Your Highness, you might not know who's in charge of distributing military pay to the Ministry of War now, right? He's the nephew of the man Lei Laoda killed. Since he took over the Ministry of War, our West Camp has become a refugee camp.

First, some of the original elite soldiers were transferred away, and then many wounded brothers were sent here. Normally, this wouldn't be unreasonable, after all, we're all brothers, and we can help each other out. But then the problem arose. The West Camp's pay was inexplicably stopped. Lei Laoda went to argue with him many times, but he couldn't get a meeting.

Later, he went to other departments to complain, but no one in charge was willing to see him. The dignified vice-commander of the Golden Lion Knights, a second-class viscount, had to resort to being a mercenary to support a whole bunch of people..."

"Xu Er, stop!" Lei Men's gruff voice interrupted Xu Er.

"Boss..."

"Your Highness, it's all my fault, I..." Lei Men said to Qin Feng, his eyes bloodshot.

“It’s not your fault! You’ve done a great job feeding all these wounded without pay!” Qin Feng said, looking into Lei Men’s eyes.

“But I don’t understand why there are children and elderly people in the camp. Could it be…” Qin Feng continued, voicing his question.

“They’re not from our camp. Boss Lei picked them up on the street,” Xu Er replied from the side.

"You picked them up?" Qin Feng asked, puzzled.

"Um... I saw them on the street, so young and old, starving and pitiful, so I took them in. Even though our camp is poor, at least we have something to eat."

Qin Feng looked at the tall yet sincere man before him and couldn't help but feel a deep respect. It seemed the Ministry of War officials thought leaving him in this western camp would hinder his journey, but they hadn't expected to find him a treasure.

As a newly appointed prince, a rising star in the kingdom, he desperately needed his own power to protect him. One important reason Qin Feng readily agreed to negotiate with the orcs was that he could use this opportunity to build his own power base; a dragon must return to the sea to unleash its full potential.

On the surface, the Great Qin Dynasty appears calm, but beneath the surface, undercurrents are turbulent. The sheer power of the First and Third Princes, which Qin Feng has encountered, already gives him a sense of crisis. Although the two factions are locked in a life-or-death struggle, they have both joined forces without hesitation to deal with him, a common threat. And then

there's the Seventh Prince's faction lurking in the shadows. All of this makes Qin Feng feel like he has a thorn in his side. Now, encountering a valiant general like Lei Men, this feeling is like throwing a pillow to someone who wants to sleep. At this moment, Lei Men is a treasure in Qin Feng's eyes, and Qin Feng is determined to make him his first subordinate.

"Have you considered that if you rely solely on mercenaries, although you can support them now, what will happen to them when you get old?" Qin Feng asked calmly.

"This…" Lei Men was stunned. Indeed, he hadn't thought about this at all. His daily focus was only on taking on more missions and completing more tasks to feed the wounded, the homeless elderly, and the children.

Now, reminded by Qin Feng, Lei Men suddenly panicked. What would happen to him and his brothers when they grew old and could no longer do missions? He glanced at the other four, seeing their identical expressions, and Lei Men felt a pang of distress.

Seeing Lei Men's sweaty appearance, Qin Feng's lips curled slightly upward. If you looked at him from the side, you would find that Qin Feng's expression resembled that of a fox!

Finally, Lei Men gave up on thinking about the problem and turned his gaze to Qin Feng.

"Your Highness, I think you must have a way to help us!"

"Yes, of course!" Qin Feng looked at the five men's anxious faces and continued, "But why should I tell you?!"

The five men's excited expressions froze on their faces. They realized they had been tricked, and the feeling was as unpleasant as swallowing a fly! Who was Lei Men? He was the vice-captain of the Golden Lion Knights, known as the "Raging Lion"!

But just as he was about to give the man who had tricked him a good beating, his eyes red with rage, he saw a pair of eyes—eyes devoid of any emotion, shooting out a cold gaze that felt like a bucket of cold water poured over Lei Men's head, sending a chill down his spine.

"Your Highness!" Lei Men quickly lowered his head, not daring to look at Qin Feng. The four men behind him, already aware of Lei Men's stubborn temper, were quite frightened; they knew the man opposite them was no ordinary person.

Leaving aside his prestigious status as the Ninth Prince of Great Qin, his feats—such as defeating the Third Prince at age 10, shattering a Great Swordsman with his fist, freezing a Grand Magus, and shooting down a dragon knight with his bow—clearly demonstrated his unfathomable strength.

But their fears were unfounded. The usually fiery Lei Men had calmed down during his rage, which was utterly unbelievable! In reality, they had been so focused on Lei Men that they hadn't noticed the fleeting glint in Qin Feng's eyes.

Qin Feng had just used the "Heaven and Earth Strike" technique from ancient Chinese martial arts. This technique is a method for cultivating the spirit for mental attacks, which Qin Feng usually used for magic cultivation, a bit of a waste. Today, he tried it out as a mental attack, and the effect was quite good.

Qin Feng was determined to subdue Lei Men, but Lei Men's rough personality might lead him to make mistakes and delay important matters. Therefore, Qin Feng needed to instill fear in Lei Men deep in his heart, so that he would obey him and follow his orders.

Chapter 50: Using Money to Surrender You

is like taming a dog. In the beginning, you not only need to feed it well and let it know that you are good to it, but you also need to beat it up so that it fears you from the bottom of its heart. Only in this way can the dog be trained to be obedient.

Obviously, Qin Feng's method was effective. Lei Men now had a kind of inexplicable fear of Qin Feng deep in his heart, even if he himself was not aware of it, and the manifestation of this was that he found it difficult to have any thoughts of resisting Qin Feng.

Of course, some might ask, wouldn't it be much simpler for Qin Feng to just glance at those prime ministers and other high-ranking officials? However, firstly, the "Heaven and Earth Shattering" technique is extremely taxing on mental energy; Qin Feng's single glance just now consumed several days of his arduous mental training.

Secondly, this method only works on those with lower mental cultivation levels. If used against those with much higher mental cultivation, the user is likely to suffer a backlash. Given Qin Feng's personality, he would never act without thoroughly understanding his opponent.

“Lei Men, you should know that everything comes at a price!” Qin Feng said calmly. “What do you intend to use as the price to find a solution to your problem?”

Lei Men was stunned for a moment, then gritted his teeth, stood up, and took an old bag from the tent. Under the reluctant yet helpless gazes of Xu Er and the other three, he handed it to Qin Feng, saying, “Your Highness, I, Lei Men, know that everything requires a reward. This is some money I earned leading a mercenary mission. I'm giving it all to you; please, you must tell me the method.” He then looked at Qin Feng nervously with his leopard-like eyes.

Qin Feng was initially stunned. This big guy actually thought he was asking him for money?! Good heavens! Not to mention the items bestowed upon him by the Prince of Qin, the gifts from various ministers, and so on—even he, the master, didn't know exactly how much money he had—the more than one million purple crystal coins on his purple crystal card were enough to support everyone in the Western Camp for a lifetime!

1 amethyst coin = 100 gold coins = 10,000 silver coins = 1,000,000 copper coins. An average family of three's annual living expenses are only about 10 gold coins. The Western Camp, including the elderly, weak, and disabled, numbers 30,000 to 40,000, which amounts to 300,000 gold coins a year, equivalent to 3,000 amethyst coins. Even in a hundred years, that's only 300,000 amethyst coins.

Seeing Qin Feng staring blankly at the money pouch in his hand, Lei Men secretly wondered, "Does he think I gave him too little? But that's all I have!" "Well, he's the Ninth Prince. What hasn't he seen? Why would he care about my little bit of money?" "Never mind."

Just as Lei Men was about to take the money pouch back, he suddenly felt a blur before his eyes and his hand went empty. When he looked closely, he saw Qin Feng smiling at him. In his right hand was the old money pouch that had been in his hand just moments before. He was a Platinum Knight (he was already a Gold Knight in the Golden Lion Knights), yet the Ninth Prince had taken it from his hand so easily. Was he a Sword Saint? But he's too young! He's only 15!

Actually, Qin Feng's strength is comparable to Lei Men's, but the martial arts of the Starry Continent are far inferior to the ancient martial arts of China. For example, Qin Feng just used a very common technique: disarming an opponent with bare hands. This was practically insignificant in the Chinese martial arts world thousands of years ago, yet it stunned Lei Men, a master second only to the Holy Knight.

"Is this all the money you've earned as mercenaries over the years, after deducting your daily expenses?" Qin Feng ignored Lei Men's blank stare and asked directly.

"Ah... oh, yes, yes," Lei Men quickly replied, having been jolted awake by Xu Er beside him.

"There shouldn't be more than 500 gold coins here, right?" Qin Feng asked, weighing the money bag in his hand.

"No, no, only 472 gold coins."

"Then take a look at how much money is on this card of mine." After Qin Feng finished speaking, he took out his amethyst card from his spatial bag and handed it to Lei Men.

Lei Men looked at the rectangular card in his hand, which was flashing with a purple halo, and his hand couldn't help but tremble slightly. The money cards in the Starry Continent are divided into five levels: amethyst card, gold card, silver card, bronze card, and ordinary card. To get an amethyst card, one needs a fortune of 10,000 amethyst coins; otherwise, you can't get it.

Although Lei Men was already prepared that the Ninth Prince would be very rich, he still couldn't help but be surprised when he saw the amethyst card in his hand. After all, the requirements for the amethyst card were obvious.

He injected a little bit of battle qi into the card, and after a flash of purple light, a row of numbers appeared on the smooth card surface. Xu Er and the other three also came forward to take a look.

"1.72 million! Let's count again, one zero, two, three, four, it's 1.72 million! And it's in amethyst coins! My God!" Xu Er's hoarse voice rang out.

It's understandable; after all, they were busy earning a few copper coins a day. Suddenly encountering so much money, and having it in their hands! It felt like a migrant worker toiling away all day for a few dozen yuan, only to have Bill Gates suddenly hand them a tenth of his savings.

Qin Feng stared intently at Lei Men's every move. This was a test he had set up to examine Lei Men's attitude towards money. If Lei Men showed even the slightest sign of greed, Qin Feng wouldn't continue.

Finally, Lei Men didn't disappoint Qin Feng. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and, amidst Xu Er's and others' sighs of regret, handed the amethyst card to Qin Feng, afraid that another glance would tempt him to keep the card.

For a long while, Qin Feng didn't take the card back. Just as they were wondering what was going on, Qin Feng's next words startled them!

"Want it?"

"You...you mean...this...card for me?" Lei Men stammered, forgetting even basic manners. The four people behind him also forgot to breathe.

"You...you mean give me the 1.72 million amethyst coins on this card?" Lei Men raised the amethyst card in his hand, staring at Qin Feng, afraid he had misunderstood.

Seeing Qin Feng smiling and nodding silently, even Lei Men, an invincible general who could face tens of thousands of enemies without flinching, couldn't help but change his expression. The four people behind him simply collapsed in a spectacular fashion.

After a long pause, Lei Men finally came to his senses, took a few deep breaths, and said to Qin Feng, "Although I, Old Lei, am a rough man, I also know a principle: one should not accept undeserved rewards!"

He continued, "Although I really want this money and am willing to do things for Your Highness, if your request exceeds my bottom line, I will not agree!" He then looked at Qin Feng with his leopard-like eyes.

Indeed, he was shrewd despite his rough exterior, showing no greed even in the face of a fortune. Qin Feng thought to himself, "I don't want you to do anything that crosses your bottom line. You're a mercenary, right? Then I'll hire you to protect me while I negotiate with the orcs!"

"What? You're giving me 1.72 million amethyst coins just to have me protect you while you negotiate with the orcs? Why don't you go to the Golden Dragon Mercenary Group? They're the most famous mercenary group, and they wouldn't even need 1.72 million amethyst coins, at most 10,000!" Lei Men asked, puzzled.

"Why? Because I like you, is that not allowed?" Qin Feng retorted.

"Uh..." Lei Men was speechless.

Chapter 51 Military Review at the Training Ground

Looking at the muttering Lei Men before him, Qin Feng chuckled inwardly. He'd spend more time with Lei Men first, and things would naturally unfold...

"Alright, so, will you accept this mission or not, my great Commander Lei?" Qin Feng asked, looking at Lei Men with a mocking expression.

Lei Men gritted his teeth and said, "Accept it? Why wouldn't I? Do you think I'm easily scared? It's just protecting your safety! I'd rather die than risk it! Your Highness, according to mercenary rules, shouldn't you pay me 30% of the reward first?"

"I'll give you all the money. I hope you won't disappoint me! Now take me to see your soldiers. I want to see what kind of people are protecting me this time." Qin Feng finished speaking and left the tent first.

"Your Highness, the soldiers I, Lei Men, have trained will not disappoint you!" Lei Men shouted at Qin Feng as if he had been insulted, clearly taking Qin Feng's request as a provocation.

"What are you all standing there for? Go and get your brothers and get them to the drill ground. Anyone who dares to tarnish my reputation, I'll kill them! Go now!" Lei Men roared at his four brothers, then lifted the curtain and strode after Qin Feng…

West Camp Drill Ground. On the command

platform, Qin Feng stood first, his golden hair and white robes billowing in the wind. The tall and imposing Lei Men stood behind him, his rusty armor adding to his desolate air.

Below the drill ground stood a dense crowd of people, all pale and sickly. Except for a few in the front whose clothing was still somewhat identifiable, most were wearing shorts and were shirtless.

The crowd was divided into two groups: about 15,000 on the left and about 20,000 on the right. Although the 15,000 on the left were somewhat slender, Qin Feng sensed a murderous aura emanating from them. This aura wasn't specifically directed at him, but rather emanated intentionally or unintentionally.

Suppressing his doubts, Qin Feng continued to observe. The people on the left stood ramrod straight, all eyes fixed on Qin Feng on the platform, making him feel uneasy. Fortunately, Qin Feng inherited the essence of ancient Chinese martial arts and instantly regained his composure. A part of Qin Feng's soul belonged to the former SSS-level super pirate Qin Feng. Although he had killed countless people, those killings were done with particle weapons.

Particle weapons didn't require aiming; simply pressing the FIR button automatically scanned and locked onto life forms within a certain range, destroying the target with microparticles according to the user's will. Those hit by particle weapons didn't even have time to suffer before disappearing, with virtually no bloodshed.

In the cold weapon world of the Starry Continent, however, people still slashed and stabbed with swords and spears, blood splattering from the wounds. Therefore, Qin Feng was very unaccustomed to the bloody smell of those soldiers.

It wasn't that Qin Feng had killed few people; these soldiers in the training ground had killed anywhere from a few to hundreds, but certainly not more than ten thousand! However, in the 31st century, the total population of humanity exceeded tens of billions. A single ordinary spaceship could carry thousands or even tens of thousands of people. Qin Feng, the space pirate, directly destroyed no fewer than a hundred spaceships, meaning that no fewer than 100,000 people died at his hands! Otherwise, he wouldn't have been called an SSS-level pirate after only a few years in the industry!

Qin Feng looked at these soldiers exuding murderous intent and nodded secretly. What are soldiers for? Of course, they're there to kill enemies! Those used to maintain peace and order aren't called soldiers, they're called police! Although these soldiers looked somewhat thin, Qin Feng had no doubt that beneath their frail exterior lay a fierce nature, like wolves. The thinner the wolf, the fiercer it is when hunting its prey.

In stark contrast to the crowd on the left was the crowd on the right. The crowd on the right was divided into two parts. The people in the front part shared a common characteristic: their bodies were incomplete. Missing arms, legs, eyes, or ears were everywhere, making it feel like a hospital for the disabled.

I can't remember which expert said it, but scars are a soldier's most dazzling medals. These disabled soldiers before me made Qin Feng feel as if he were witnessing the brutal battles on the battlefield, filling him with awe and respect. They were, in a sense, defending the peace and prestige of Qin with their lives; they were the heroes of Qin!

But look at them now—their emaciated bodies, tattered clothes, and lifeless eyes! Good heavens, how could those bastards in the Ministry of War treat the heroes of our Great Qin like this!

Behind these wounded soldiers was a group of old people and children. Qin Feng guessed they were the orphaned elderly and homeless children taken in by Lei Men, as mentioned earlier. Among them, Qin Feng spotted the little boy who had shown him the way earlier, now staring at him with his large, clear eyes.

Lei Men, standing behind Qin Feng, addressed the crowd in the training ground after receiving his permission: "Brothers, today, our Ninth Prince of Great Qin has come to visit us at our Western Camp!"

Silence fell over the crowd. No one reacted. The soldiers on the left remained standing, staring blankly at Qin Feng. The wounded soldiers, the old people, and the children on the right were unchanged, as if they hadn't heard a thing.

This left Qin Feng incredibly embarrassed. He had expected them to at least address him as "Your Highness" or something, even if they didn't utter any obsequious words. But why didn't they react at all? Frustrated, Qin Feng looked at Lei Men, only to see him subtly exchanging glances with Xu Er and the others below.

Qin Feng understood immediately; they were trying to intimidate him. Too bad, he was prepared. He'd teach these bastards a lesson! Qin Feng thought bitterly. He'd given them over 1.7 million amethyst coins upon arrival—not gold, but purple crystals! That was an astronomical sum for them, yet they still tried to trip him up! Fine, let them see what this prince is capable of!

Actually, Lei Men and the others' actions weren't unreasonable. Before seeking allegiance, they often let the other party know their strength, ensuring the other wouldn't underestimate them—a common practice for anyone seeking allegiance.

For example, some strategists and generals in the Three Kingdoms period would often fight a battle with the lord they were going to serve before going to pledge allegiance. This was a way of subtly demonstrating their value and preventing their lord from taking them lightly.

Chapter 52 Sing a Song to Conquer You

Qin Feng stopped Lei Men, who was about to speak, and walked towards the giant drum on the command platform. The Qin Dynasty's royal guards were divided into four major camps: east, west, south, and north. Although the western camp was called the "refugee camp," it still had some military facilities, such as this huge drum.

Qin Feng arrived at the drum and, without saying a word, picked up the huge drumstick and struck the drumhead hard under the watchful eyes of everyone present. A loud "bang" was produced, and then a heroic and desolate song echoed throughout the training ground.

Smoke rises, the land stretches northward,

dragons surge, horses neigh, swords flash like frost,

hearts flow like the Yellow River.

For twenty years, amidst the chaos, who could stand against me

? Hate burns wildly, my long blade has pierced

countless hearts, countless loyal souls buried in foreign

lands. I would gladly die a hundred times to repay my country. I can only

sigh, speechless with sorrow , tears streaming down my face.

Horses gallop south, people look north,

people look north, the grass turns green, dust flies. I wish to defend our land, to reclaim our territory . A glorious China will be celebrated by all corners of the world. The song ends, the entire audience is silent, and Lei Men on the reviewing stand is in tears. Not only Lei Men, but also Xu Er, Wang Wu, and others below the stand, the soldiers on the left, the wounded on the right, are all weeping. Although they don't understand what Qin Feng is singing, the tone, the rhythm, the profound loneliness, and the yearning for glory can all be felt in the melody. It reminds these soldiers who have fought in wars of their own experiences. Qin Feng looks at the tearful crowd before him, a surge of smugness rising within him. "Little brat," he thinks, "you think you can fool me?" Back when the interstellar pirate Qin Feng roamed the galaxy, his favorite song was this masterpiece, supposedly by a famous ancient Chinese singer from over a thousand years ago. Even someone as clueless about cold weapon warfare as himself could clearly understand the meaning contained within it, let alone those of you who had personally experienced such warfare! After a long while, once Qin Feng and the others had vented their emotions, he stood on the command platform and began his first speech on the Starry Continent. This speech was later hailed as a classic by diplomats, a bible of governance by every emperor, and even the golden rule of negotiation by some business negotiators. Due to time constraints, the specific content of Qin Feng's speech will not be detailed here, but it can be summarized in eight words: reason with them, appeal to their emotions! Finally, when Qin Feng subtly expressed that he needed "a few" attendants for his upcoming negotiations with the orcs, the entire training ground erupted in a frenzy, with everyone clamoring to follow him. "Your Highness, you must let me go with you! The orcs are ferocious and unreasonable. You, a mage, will suffer if you go! Take me with you, I will protect you with my life!" a soldier as thin as a tree trunk said. "Tch, someone like you, skinny as a rake, a gust of wind could blow you over! Protect Your Highness! Your Highness, choose me! Look at my hands, look at my legs, my muscles, tsk tsk, really, with me here, those orc barbarians will never dare to ignore you!" a soldier just as skinny as the previous one rolled up his sleeves and trouser legs, revealing skin and bones on his arms and legs, and shouted to Qin Feng. "Who do you think you are? I..." "Stop arguing, I'm the most suitable, I..." "Go, go, go..." Looking at the soldiers below the stage vying to follow him, Qin Feng felt a surge of emotion. No matter what they had been treated before, when the country needed them, they all rushed forward without hesitation. They are the most lovable people! Looking at the soldiers below the stage eagerly signing up to participate, even the disabled soldiers from the wounded group stepped forward to request to join the orc expedition, Qin Feng felt a little ashamed of the methods he had used earlier, but he didn't regret it. In Qin Feng's mind, whether in the Galactic Federation of his memories or in the current Starry Continent, the strong were respected. Power, money, status, and even beautiful women were all in the hands of the strong. The so-called "equality for all" was just a slogan used by those in power to rule over those in power. "Brothers, please allow me to call you brothers!" Qin Feng, standing on the command platform, paused before continuing, "This negotiation with the orcs will be extremely dangerous. I know you are all good men of our Great Qin, but I really don't want you to sacrifice yourselves for me like this!" "Your Highness, we are not the kind of people who fear death!" "That's right, we've already died once, so what if we die again!" "Yes, ever since I joined the army, I never thought I'd come back alive!" "Your Highness, we're not afraid of death, we're afraid of being called cowards! Please take us with you!" ... The atmosphere was incredibly enthusiastic, with people on both the left and right sides eagerly requesting to go. Qin Feng was both happy and worried. He was happy that he had finally gained a foothold among these people, but worried that his personality seemed to have changed somewhat. It seemed he was starting to use tricks, like the strategy of feigning retreat just now. Over the years, his personality had always seemed a little strange, something he couldn't understand even afterward. This all stems from Qin Feng's current body. The soul of the space pirate Qin Feng traveled through time and space to this place, merging with the original Ninth Prince's soul to create this new soul. The fusion of two souls inevitably influenced each other to some extent. For example, Qin Feng's inexplicable indulgence towards the original little girl and his immense attachment to Yama were all influenced by the original Ninth Prince's personality. Furthermore, after reading "Cao Cao's Art of War," he learned some techniques of leadership. It can be said that Qin Feng's current personality is primarily that of the space pirate Qin Feng, while also incorporating elements of the original Ninth Prince's personality, and he also unconsciously utilizes some strategies from "Cao Cao's Art of War."

"Brothers, Qin Jiu knows that you are all devoted to the country and unafraid of death. However, you are all heroes of our Great Qin. I remember a philosopher named Drunken Tiger said, 'A scar is a soldier's highest medal, and dying on the battlefield is the final destination of every soldier and general.' But you have already sacrificed once for our Great Qin. You all have your own families. Qin Jiu really doesn't want you to face such a desperate situation again!"

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