Ming Dynasty and New Rome and Infinite Magic Machine

Chapter 1538 Ao Zang's List

The world is changing dramatically. While Shangluo was planning the next phase of its operation, Aozang had already finalized the previous plan and submitted the list of names.

Compared to his usual swift and decisive actions, he took a particularly long time to consider this time, spending several weeks to finalize the list.

He personally came to pay homage to His Majesty the Holy Emperor and the Ruler of the World, and then handed over the list of those he requested to be approved for the expansion of the territory to Zhu Xianxi.

Zhu Xianxi glanced at it and handed it to Shang Luo.

"what do you think?"

The list wasn't long, and Shangluo could easily recognize it at a glance.

Although the final plan differed somewhat from the initial one, many of the candidates were acquaintances.

Princess Otohime, who had been reflecting on her actions in the imperial prison, was brought out. She was given a crucial responsibility—to serve as the lord of Chiba Ryugu Castle, which meant she was in charge of the former Wa region.

"I remember it was originally said that it would be split into two?" Shangluo asked.

"Yes. The final plan differs somewhat from the initial expectations. After evaluation, we reduced the number of castle lords to be granted fiefdoms, and it will be enough to retain only one castle lord in the Wa region. This one castle lord will be sufficient to maintain control over the entire Wa country. The first term will be three years, after which a reshuffle will take place."

"So, where do you plan to transfer them?"

"Land-based jobs are all temporary assignments for dragons. The right path is to become the Dragon King of rivers, lakes, and seas."

Ao Zang wasn't unloving towards his daughter. He was keeping Yi Ji in the imperial prison to let her see the light—persuasion was useless at this point. Ao Zang was absolutely rational in this regard; he would never gamble the future of the Dragon Palace on whether his daughter was reliable, especially when she was showing clear signs of "clan-based tendencies."

Hesitation leads to chaos. Therefore, Ao Zang chose to place his daughter under house arrest, thus extricating her from the previous turmoil.

Moreover, to ensure absolute safety, he didn't place her under house arrest in the Dragon Palace. Instead, he orchestrated a scheme, arresting her directly in Yingtian and having the Imperial Guards use the Dragon-Binding Rope to lock her in the Imperial Prison. After all, the Dragon Palace was full of her people, and there was no guarantee that someone wouldn't release her. Only the Imperial Prison could completely confine her, since the people inside weren't aquatic creatures and wouldn't let her out.

Under Aozang's arrangement, Princess Otohime successfully weathered the turbulent war against the Japanese pirates—a war in which even the royal army did not participate, but was fought entirely inside the Dragon Palace after the lights were turned off and the doors were locked. The war lasted for nearly a year, from the middle of last year to the early summer of this year.

Ao Zang also completed the general cleanup work today and officially began discussing the post-war disposal plan with the imperial court.

It seems that Otohime has been confined for quite some time now.

“She should be released soon,” Zhu Xianxi said. “I never advised you to keep your daughter locked up for so long. She could have been released around the New Year.”

“The more difficult the situation, the more careful I must be, lest all my efforts be in vain. Now, thanks to the grace of the Heavenly Court, the most troublesome time has passed, and I can now safely bring her out.”

According to the original plan, Ryugu Castle would indiscriminately release mirage energy across a vast area, completely covering everything within its reach. Within this mirage-covered region, the entire environment would undergo a transformation—the soil would become fertile, the clouds harmonious, and the sunlight gentler. As long as one was close enough to Ryugu Castle, everything would improve. This area could even possess its own physical laws; reality itself could be shaped by the mirage energy as if it were a dream.

But who can enter these areas is something only the Dragon Palace can decide.

To some extent, this was also a stepping stone for Japan—after all, a considerable area of ​​Japan would indeed evolve under the protection of Ryugu Castle, becoming more habitable and like paradise. But Ryugu didn't care about the environment on the ground. In other words, the area covered by Ryugu Castle was a circle, and this circle, in an absolute sense, wasn't very large, roughly covering Edo and its surrounding areas.

Outside the area shrouded by the mirage, its influence gradually weakens until it disappears completely.

So, who can enter the Dragon Palace to live, who can live beneath the walls of the Dragon Palace city, and who must leave far away—this is what the Dragon Palace must decide. And the Dragon Palace intends to use this disparity, this scarcity, to achieve its own goals.

"So, King Aozang, you cut down both Dragon Palaces, leaving only one, to reduce supplies?"

"Our calculations show that, in terms of expected returns, investing in an additional Dragon Palace would double the costs. However, because the scarcity of the Mirage environment would also decrease, the overall efficiency of the Dragon Palace would decline, and the revenue would not increase proportionally. Moreover, in the long run, the extra Dragon Palace could potentially pose unforeseen risks."

"Political risks?"

"No, it's a geographical risk. If one Ryugu Castle is in Chiba, then the other Ryugu Castle would be located to the north or south of Osaka. And there is a huge natural disaster that Japan calls the 'Nankai Trough Earthquake' at any time, which would cause devastating damage to the entire region and an unpredictable and huge blow to the Ryugu mirage environment. So, from the assessment, it is possible that the two Ryugu Castles would lose money in the medium to long term."

"I see."

This makes perfect sense for the Dragon Palace. There's probably no place in the world more calm and rational in its decision-making than the Dragon Palace, because dragons aren't human; they don't have lovers, they only care about making money.

"Shangluo, what are your thoughts on this?"

"I do have some opinions, but I don't think it's necessary to say them. This is good, fair, and overall it is indeed progress. After all, mirage is a real evolution, that's for sure. As for whether the Japanese will thank the Dragon Palace, I don't know, and that's not something I can control."

“Then I have no objection.” Zhu Xianxi nodded in confirmation.

Generally speaking, Shangluo and Zhuxianxi share the same bottom line here—as long as a humanitarian crisis involving the abuse of humans is avoided.

As for this practice of creating disparities through a paradise-like environment, then accumulating public support like a dam, and turning it into a driving force, Shangluo has no right to interfere, nor does it need to. Anyway, as long as half the population doesn't starve to death, that's fine.

"However, I'm very interested in another candidate." Shangluo noticed a striking name on the list—

The Dragon King of Taiye, also known as Xiao Hong, was actually appointed as the lord of the Dragon Palace of Ryukyu. Ao Zang directly granted her his own capital, which was equivalent to bestowing upon her the title of Duke of Eastern Zhou.

(End of this chapter)