Crown Prince of the Empire, I quit!

During the Lantern Festival the following year, envoys from an overseas island nation suddenly presented a three-meter-long coral tree with a letter of credence tied to its top, requesting the establishment of formal trade. Qin Ming stroked the oriental pearls dangling from the coral branches and said to the Minister of Revenue, "Tell the Ministry of Ships and Boats that it's time to launch the new ship."

In late spring, five massive warships sailed out of Minzhou Harbor. Their hulls were clad in iron, their sails painted with black dragons, and thunderbolts fired from their crossbows drew crimson arcs across the clear sky. Qin Ming stood atop the highest watchtower, gazing at the gradually dissipating trail of smoke where the sea met the sky. He said to the Crown Prince beside him, "Do you understand? Sometimes, a single sail can carry you further than a thousand troops."

The summer night in Lingnan was sweltering, yet Qin Ming had his men pile up icebergs at the four corners of the Taiji Hall. Dressed in a single layer of clothing, he traced three enormous maps—the deserts of the Western Regions, the forests of the Northeast, and the waves of the South. Cast on the folding screen by candlelight, they resembled three dormant beasts.

"Your Majesty," the eunuch whispered, "General Meng Zhi hastened eight hundred miles. The remnants of the Turkic army and the Tibetan coalition launched a surprise attack on Shule. They were repelled by the divine crossbow, but the grain transport route to Hexi has been cut off..."

"General Lin Polu secretly reports that after envoys from an overseas island nation brought coral as tribute, an unidentified fleet suddenly appeared off the coast of Minzhou. They are suspected to be Japanese pirates..."

"The Liaodong City Trade Office urgently reports that the eight Khitan tribes have convened for a meeting, and the eldest son of the Yaoyan clan has proclaimed himself Khan..."

Urgent reports poured in like snowflakes, but Qin Ming's fingertips suddenly stopped at an unnamed valley on the northeastern map. "Tell Meng Zhi that the grain supply is limited; they can transfer grain from the old warehouse in Qiuci. Tell Lin Polu to let the Japanese pirate fleet in to fight. I want to see the quality of their fire arrows." He suddenly circled the valley with a red pen. "As for the Khitan—have Wang Zhongsi lead 300 black-armored soldiers to perform a military demonstration here."

The ministers were stunned. That valley was a full hundred miles from the Khitan alliance site and a Mohe hunting ground. But half a month later, at the Khitan alliance ceremony, the new Khan was raising his ox-horn cup when he suddenly saw a black dragon flag rising in the southern sky—Wang Zhongsi's three hundred cavalry, guided by Mohe hunters, appeared three miles from the alliance altar like a divine descendant! Iron armor shone in the sun, swords clanged like thunder, and the tribal chieftains, who had just cheered, turned pale.

"It's...it's the Black Armor Army..." A chieftain trembled and knelt. The new Khan's wine glass fell to the ground and shattered into eight pieces.

Meanwhile, off the coast of Minzhou, Lin Polu deliberately gave way to the Japanese pirate fleet, allowing it to enter the bay. As the enemy fleet advanced deeper, hundreds of modified "Fire Dragons" suddenly emerged from behind the hills, their arrows trailing crimson flames as they descended upon the enemy ships. Even more terrifying, small iron-clad boats suddenly emerged from the sea—these were none other than the newly constructed "Water Ghost Boats" of the Boat and Ship Administration, their underwater crossbows aimed directly at the hulls!

When the Japanese pirates' flagship caught fire, Qin Ming was on the Star-Picking Terrace in the Chang'an Imperial City, observing the stars with a newly made telescope from the Tiangong Academy. The telescope suddenly turned southeast, as if piercing through thousands of mountains and rivers, revealing the blazing flames on the sea.

"Tell Lin Polu," he said to the Crown Prince behind him, "Select the captured Japanese pirates who understand Chinese characters and send them to the Tiangong Academy for translation. As for the rest... have them build a highway from Minzhou to Guangzhou."

On the day of the Autumnal Equinox, the new Khitan Khan personally traveled to Chang'an to apologize and presented nine Ferghana horses. A Japanese envoy knelt outside the Suzaku Gate, their letter containing a map of sulfur veins. Outside the city of Shule in the Western Regions, Meng Zhi built a Jingguan with the heads of captured Turks. A monument dedicated to the range of the Shenji crossbow stood on the Silk Road, inscribed in three languages: "Whoever offends the mighty Han will be punished, no matter how far away."

As snow fell heavily on the old locust tree in front of the Taiji Hall, Qin Ming held a banquet beneath it. The Khitan Khan faltered, clutching his ceramic wine cup, while the Japanese envoy stared in amazement at the pepper in the hot pot.

"Next year," Qin Ming cut off a roasted leg of lamb and shared it with everyone, "I will build three roads: a road through the Tianshan Mountains in the Western Regions, a canal to the Liaoze River in the Northeast, and a trade route to Southeast Asia in Lingnan." He raised his glass, the wine reflecting the starry sky. "Gentlemen, are you willing to join us?"

Amidst the roar of applause from the officials and envoys below, he turned to the crown prince and whispered, "Look, winning people's hearts sometimes requires a smooth path."

Suddenly, a cracking sound could be heard from afar—the ice of Taiye Lake being broken by the newly built icebreaker. Qin Ming smiled faintly, and the three maps slowly overlapped in his eyes.

Further west, the eagle flag of the Roman Empire was flying in the Mediterranean; and on the warm Indian Ocean, Arab merchant ships were sailing eastwards carrying ivory and spices.

The chessboard is getting bigger and bigger.

The twelfth lunar month in Tingzhou was freezing cold, yet the newly appointed Anxi Protector General Zhao Huaijin stood knee-deep in snow, watching the laborers ramming the city walls with steamed earth. The cold wind from the Western Regions scraped across his face like a knife, and he suddenly remembered the words His Majesty had spoken before leaving Beijing: "Tingzhou will be the true 'Central Courtyard' of the Western Regions. It must be built with flesh and blood."

"Protector General!" The clerk came running, panting. "The remnants of the Turks joined forces with the Tibetan cavalry to launch a surprise attack on Shule. General Meng Zhi used the divine crossbow to force them back to the northern foothills of the Tianshan Mountains! But our grain transport route to Hexi has been intercepted..."

Zhao Huaijin grabbed a handful of snow and rubbed his face, feeling a bit more sober after the cold. "Grain route? There are still 30,000 dan of grain in the old warehouse in Kucha. We can transport it via the abandoned road at the southern foot of the Tianshan Mountains."

"But that road has been abandoned for decades, and there's quicksand—"

"Quicksand?" Zhao Huaijin sneered. "Tell the grain transport team to spread millet if they encounter quicksand. Millet is heavy and can pave the road." He turned and looked southeast. "Your Majesty, what you want to see is the ability to survive in desperate situations, isn't it?"

The same heavy snow also blanketed the Minzhou Shipyard. Lin Polu, rubbing the fresh scars on his face from the sea breeze, watched the sailors install thunderbolt rockets on the new ship, the Whale Slayer. The ship was half a head taller than a tower ship, and its sails were strange, rigid sails, supposedly modeled after designs from overseas island nations.

"General!" The scout boat rushed into the harbor. "The Japanese pirate fleet is mixed in with the merchant ships and heading towards Guangzhou Bay!"

Lin Polu grinned, revealing his smoke-blackened teeth. "Let them go. Tell the Coastal Artillery Battalion to wait until the Japanese pirates are in full force, then seal the bay exit with incendiary bombs." He patted the hull of the new ship. "It's time for us on the 'Whale Slayer' to start eating meat."

The most anxious person was Cui Hao, the Liaodong governor. Holding urgent news of the Khitan Eight Tribes' meeting, he paced along the newly built official road across the Liaoze River. The road had just been paved with rammed earth, and green sprouts were already visible beneath the frozen crust of the rice paddies on either side—Qin Ming's vision of a "Jiangnan on the Frontier" was finally taking shape.

"Governor! The new Khitan Khan has proclaimed himself Khan and is roaming the border with 30,000 cavalry!"

Cui Hao grabbed a handful of rice seeds from the roadside and rubbed them. "Where is General Wang Zhongsi?"

"Just passed Yanshan, with 300 black armored soldiers——"

"Three hundred?" the staff's voice trembled. "The Khitans have thirty thousand cavalry!"

Cui Hao suddenly laughed out loud and pointed at the newly established market exchange office beside the official road. "Do you see those Khitan herdsmen exchanging salt and iron? Guess who the Khan would strike first with his saber if he dared to take action?"

Three months later, three reports of victory arrived in Chang'an.