Whale Falls and Becomes a God

Chapter 44: Becoming King in One Go

In the magnificent and solemn hall of Qiling Temple, the atmosphere is solemn.

Empress Xiao sat in the main seat, with Xiao Ying, Dugu Sheng, Master Lingzhen and others on both sides. There were more than a hundred people in the group, some of them were celebrities, some were leaders of forces, or some were representatives of the people.

"Everyone..."

Empress Xiao sat at the main seat, her beauty unrivalled, as dazzling as a concentrated beam of light. She looked around at everyone and spoke slowly:
"The traitors are ruthless and plotting to usurp the throne. Now that Your Majesty has passed away, Jiangdu is in turmoil, blood has flown through the city, tens of millions of citizens have suffered, and millions of refugees have been displaced. As citizens of the Great Sui Dynasty, how can we sit idly by? You all know the strength of our forces, and we are no less powerful than the rebels. Whether it's self-preservation or loyalty, as long as we unite as one, we will be able to fight back and put down the rebellion! What do you think?"

"What? His Majesty has passed away?"

"Damn it! How dare a rebel do this!!!"

"The Yuwen and Yuan clans are indeed ambitious and wicked, and they deserve the death penalty!"

"Amitabha! What guilt have the people committed!"

"The rebellion broke out suddenly, catching us off guard! Now that we have gathered together, we must fight back, destroy the rebels, and dismember the traitors!"

……

One stone caused a thousand waves!

What Empress Xiao said was just an opening remark, which instantly caused an uproar in the entire audience. Most people's faces changed drastically, and many people stood up in shock.

The most important point is that Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty passed away!

Most of the people present did not know this, but since Empress Xiao said it herself, no one doubted it.

"..."

Empress Xiao's face became solemn, and she raised her hand to gently suppress the situation. The violent atmosphere suddenly stopped, and then quickly calmed down, and everyone collected their emotions.

This is power, fame, and aura!
"Everyone, please be at ease! Rebellion without moral principles will not succeed. Fortunately, with the protection of heaven and the favor of Buddha, Commander Xiao has been blessed with divine magic. I believe you have all witnessed it. This divine magic is sufficient to help us counterattack and quell the rebellion. Therefore, I hereby appoint Commander Xiao as Prince Jing, with a rank of ten thousand stones, and a fief of Jiangdu. He is also appointed as the General of the Auxiliary Army, and is temporarily granted the Imperial Sword and the Imperial Seal of the Great Sui Dynasty, so that he can act prudently during this special period. What do you think?"

Everyone was in a stable mood. Empress Xiao spoke again in a shocking manner, but her face was solemn and her tone was firm and unquestionable.

"What? Directly confer the title of Prince Jing?"

"This is the highest rank among the ministers, the One-Character King. Only members of the royal family can be given this title. Is it appropriate?"

"This... from being the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards, to being crowned a king in one fell swoop, and even the highest rank, the One-Character King, is against etiquette and will be difficult to convince the public!"

"General of the Auxiliary Army... With Commander Xiao's ability, he can do it!"

"Commander Xiao has indeed made great contributions to the Jiangdu Rebellion!"

"Yes! If it weren't for Commander Xiao, we wouldn't have been able to get here, let alone gather so many people..."

"Directly enfeoff Jiangdu? This is the immortal capital of the Great Sui Dynasty. Can it be considered a fiefdom?"

……

Everyone was talking and marveling.

There were some doubts, but no one directly opposed it. After all, Xiao Ying's contributions and abilities were there. Everyone who could participate in this meeting knew about it, and had even witnessed it, so they didn't have a strong desire to resist.

Having said that, those who are die-hard fans of the Sui Dynasty would not escape to Qiling Temple and participate in this meeting!

"This……"

Not only the others, but even Xiao Ying himself was deeply shocked by Empress Xiao's actions. On the way to the temple, Empress Xiao had secretly communicated with him, giving him instructions on many matters, including refugee arrangements, military training, Buddhist responses, and the situation in Jiangdu. However, she hadn't mentioned granting him such a high honor!

There is no need to say much about the titles of kings. The highest rank is the one-character king, followed by the two-character kings, the prince of a county, the duke of a state, the duke of a county, the duke of a county, and so on.

However, the title of "Yi Zi Wang" is basically given to the emperor's sons, usually second only to the emperor, and in some cases can be on equal footing with the emperor. It is also called the emperor candidate.

By doing this, Empress Xiao indirectly treated Xiao Ying as the emperor's son and the heir to the Sui Dynasty? This was what Xiao Ying and everyone else thought!
After all, Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty had passed away, and there was no royal son present. It was likely that all of them were destroyed. A man had to be pushed out, unless Empress Xiao wanted to be the empress!

Thinking this way, it’s not completely unacceptable to everyone!

As for official positions, the Sui Dynasty's official system was extremely complex and difficult, and Xiao Ying didn't know much about it.

There was no such position as the Grand Marshal of the Army in the Sui Dynasty. The highest position in the military system was the General of the Auxiliary Army, who was the highest strategic commander of the Sui Dynasty. He was responsible for the national military command and combat decision-making, etc., which was equivalent to the Grand Marshal of the Army!
Then there is the Jinwu General, the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Guard, who is responsible for the personal safety of the Sui Emperor and the organization and management of the Imperial Guard, and is in charge of the brave and capable Imperial Guard.

The Minister of War, the head of the Ministry of War, is responsible for the organization, establishment and management of the army, etc., like a military general.

The General of the Central Army, in charge of the Zhongyang Army, is now in charge of the most elite Xiaoguo Army of the Sui Dynasty.

Then there are the commander-in-chief of the army, the regional protector, the general who assists the country, etc. That’s about it. It’s quite complicated and difficult to understand!
"Everyone is well aware of Commander Xiao's abilities. I don't need to explain further. Anyone has any objections? Feel free to speak frankly!"

There was endless discussion, and Empress Xiao dominated the whole place. Her three thousand black hair and gorgeous palace clothes moved without wind. She looked around at everyone with her beautiful eyes, and asked in a calm tone.

"Is it really okay?"

Many people who wanted to protest grumbled to themselves but ultimately did not dare to speak out and denounce the protests directly!

quiet!
silence!

The atmosphere was frozen for a moment. Even Master Lingzhen and other monks did not chant the Buddha's name. They were still a little worried that Xiao Ying would be greedy for power and would not enter Buddhism!
"Your Majesty is wise! Young Master Xiao is a gifted master of divine power and a genius. He has turned the tide and his achievements are outstanding. We all know that he deserves to be crowned king and appointed general. This old man and all of you will absolutely support and approve of him..."

After a period of obscure communication, Dugu Sheng, the leader of the Dugu clan, finally stood up, bowed and saluted Empress Xiao and everyone present, and spoke repeatedly.

After a pause, he changed his tone and continued:
"However, I propose that you be temporarily conferred the title of Second-Character King. If you are able to turn the tide and quell the rebellion and support the Sui Dynasty, then you can be rewarded. This will avoid criticism, which would be disastrous. Your Majesty, please understand!"

"What do you think?"

Empress Xiao always appeared strong, but she was not stupid. She nodded slightly, looked at everyone and asked.

"I agree!"

"Can!"

"I support you!"

……

Taking a slight step back, given the special situation and Empress Xiao's strong authority and majesty, some people took the lead in expressing their approval and support, and more and more people expressed their opinions.

"..."

Xiao Ying was speechless, not knowing whether to be excited, sigh, or feel regretful. Instead, he felt a little bewildered, with complicated feelings in his heart.

To be honest, as the situation develops and the power of forces soars, Xiao Ying does have some ambitions, and they are growing bigger and bigger.

However, Xiao Ying really didn't think too much about it, let alone thinking about becoming a king in one fell swoop, or the highest king, or even the general of the Yijun Army. He knew very well that he needed time.

Xiao Ying had no loyalty to the Sui Dynasty, nor did he have any ill feelings towards it. His mentality was different from that of people in the feudal era, and he had no specific concept or understanding of the title.

(End of this chapter)