Deposed Crown Prince: After three years of service on the frontier, the entire court knelt and begge

After a pause, Xiao Ce said, "That mad Taoist priest must be referring to someone else..."

Da Lei nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

One night without words, the next day.

Early in the morning, before dawn, that mad Taoist was already sitting in meditation at Xiao Ce's door.

He didn't bother Xiao Ce.

After Xiao Ce got up, the mad Taoist followed him.

Xiao Ce wanted to tease him, so he deliberately ran five kilometers. After arriving here, he also gave up his usual daily training habits.

He deliberately ran a bit, and the mad Taoist followed with ease.

Xiao Ce hadn't exercised in a long time, and running five kilometers wasn't easy for him.

The mad Taoist priest remained completely unaffected.

Xiao Ce said to Da Lei, "Da Lei, you said...you said this kind of person...this kind of person shows no signs of training..."

Da Lei was also somewhat bewildered, and said to Xiao Ce, "Judging from his body, there are indeed no signs of training... I..."

Before Da Lei could finish speaking, the Mad Taoist, while doing stretching exercises, said to Da Lei, "You practice external cultivation, we Taoists practice internal cultivation, of course it's different..."

Da Lei was somewhat surprised: "You can hear me from so far away."

Although Da Lei was talking, the Mad Taoist ignored him again.

Xiao Ce asked Da Lei, "Internal cultivation? What is internal cultivation?"

Da Lei shook his head and said, "Maybe it's about cultivating the mind. I'm not really sure..."

Xiao Ce glanced again at the mad Taoist priest who seemed to be in a meditative state: "Anyway, he's a weirdo!"

After running a lap, Xiao Ce and the others were stretching.

Xiao Yang ran over excitedly.

Looking at Xiao Yang's expression, if there hadn't been a lottery in ancient times, Xiao Ce would have really suspected that he had won the lottery.

"What's wrong with Xiao Yang? He seems so happy!"

Xiao Yang said excitedly, "Brother, I guessed it... I guessed it..."

Xiao Ce, increasingly confused, asked Xiao Yang, "You guessed it? You guessed what?"

Xiao Yang said to Xiao Ce with certainty, "Brother, yesterday that mad Taoist wasn't looking at me... he was looking in my direction. He said the person who betrayed you was in the direction I was yesterday..."

Seeing that Xiao Yang had been talking about this for a while, Xiao Ce looked slightly exasperated: "Alright, why are you still dwelling on this? Didn't I tell you not to worry about it anymore..."

Xiao Yang gave a wry smile and said, "I didn't want to... but my mind just naturally started thinking about it..."

Looking at Xiao Yang, Xiao Ce replied, "Do you know why?"

Xiao Yang looked at Xiao Ce with a serious expression.

Xiao Ce said, "I'm just bored!"

Xiao Yang said, "Well, there's nothing I can do..."

Xiao Ce said to Xiao Yang, "Now that you're here... do you remember what I told you yesterday?"

Xiao Yang asked in confusion, "Which sentence?"

Xiao Ce said, "It's that old saying: 'True feelings win hearts, not just empty promises.' Didn't you say yesterday that putting it into practice might not be easy..."

Xiao Yang nodded: "That's right... You mean you want me to give it a try..."

Xiao Ce said to Xiao Yang, "That's right, didn't you keep saying you were bored? If you do a good job, I'll give you the Fusang Kingdom, okay?"

Xiao Yang's eyes widened as he listened, and he stood there stunned.

Even Da Lei, who was standing to the side, looked at Xiao Ce with a surprised expression.

As Xiao Ce spoke, he subconsciously glanced at the mad Taoist.

The mad Taoist priest didn't respond. Actually, Xiao Ce was deliberately testing the mad Taoist priest.

Because this mad Taoist priest seemed to be in a daze, yet he seemed to know everything.

If it's something he wants to stop or refute, he'll refute it no matter how far away it is.

If he had said yesterday that Xiao Yang was the one who betrayed him, the Mad Taoist would probably have spoken up immediately if he said this now.

It's now quite obvious that it isn't.

Because the mad Taoist didn't react at all, he was just immersed in his own world.

Xiao Ce's words were merely a test to see what the Mad Taoist was thinking.

But after a moment of stunned silence, Xiao Yang looked at Xiao Ce with excitement and said, "Brother, is what you said true?"

Xiao Ce nodded: "Of course..."

The reason he said this so casually was that as long as Xiao Yang wasn't a traitor, he didn't care about the managers on his side.

Xiao Ce originally thought that Xiao Yang would disagree... but to his surprise, Xiao Yang not only agreed, but also seemed to be looking forward to it.

Xiao Yang said to Xiao Ce, "Then, Your Majesty, I'll give it a try..."

Xiao Ce was somewhat surprised and said to Xiao Yang, "Weren't you not very interested in power before? Why are you willing to manage Fusang now?"

Xiao Yang said, "Brother, it's mainly because I've been too idle lately. And it's not that I'm uninterested in power in Xiao Kingdom. It's just that people there have already taken care of it... Actually, there's very little I can do... But it's different here. Everything here needs rebuilding, and with your support, there will be some challenges, but not too difficult. Besides, if I build it up myself, it will all be with my trusted confidants..."

Then Xiao Yang realized something was amiss: "Brother, I didn't mean anything by it. I just meant that people who fight alongside us are more comfortable to rely on in the end... that way we won't have any worries or concerns, right? I won't betray you... I know..."

Seeing that Xiao Yang was about to launch into his usual ramblings, Xiao Ce raised his hand and said, "Enough! If I didn't trust you, why would I say these things? We've come a long way together, even though we were enemies at first... we've been through a lot. What I need you to do is first win the people's favor. You need to put aside your status and truly share in their joys. That will be enough..."

Xiao Yang nodded in agreement: "Brother, I'll give it a try..."

With that, Xiao Yang hurriedly left.

Da Lei said to Xiao Ce, "Your Highness, do you really trust him?"

Xiao Ce smiled slightly and then said, "Of course, let's give it a try. Although it's said that it's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change a person's nature, this Xiao Yang has been through a lot with me. I've practically broken him down and rebuilt him..."

When Da Lei heard Xiao Ce say this, he stopped talking. After all, Xiao Ce was better at recognizing and employing people.

A short while later, Hiroshi Murata came over and said that everything was ready.

They could set off at any time; a total of 100,000 people set off in a grand procession.

Xiao Ce realized that Xiao Yang really wanted to become the emperor of Fusang.

He really did mingle with the common people.

However, Xiao Ce discovered that sincerity truly requires talent.

Xiao Ce had seen Xiao Yang's feigned sincerity, and it just felt awkward no matter how he looked at it.

Not only was he awkward, but the people who followed him also felt the same way.

However, Xiao Ce did not stop him; he simply refused to lower his guard.

The journey was smooth, and as they arrived, a second group of Japanese people were also heading to the port, all beaming with joy.

With these ships arriving, it's just the right time to transport another 100,000 people over.

And so, when the two sides crossed paths, a very strange scene unfolded...

The people of Fusang looked pitifully at the people of Xiao who had come from elsewhere. They felt that these people from Xiao were not only leaving their homes, but also had to do hard labor for them and help develop Fusang.

The people of Xiao Kingdom did not pity them; they were simply grateful that they had Xiao Ce as their leader.

After all, these pitiful and hateful people are now leaving their homes and going to the most difficult places to grow potatoes.

They will likely face only endless hunger and cold.

As they looked at these Japanese people, they secretly wished Xiao Ce a long and healthy life.

Ideally, they should live a long and immortal life, so that their descendants can be blessed.

In their hearts, this vision was achievable because Xiao Ce was a god in their minds.

They went to a place called Nara Prefecture, which is not only located by the sea and near a port, but also has some of the most fertile land.

There are also some mines that Westerners helped develop, making it arguably the richest county there.

This prefecture was previously under the main jurisdiction of the Emperor.

This county town was carefully selected by Hiroshi Murata, and all the houses here were cleared out when they arrived.

Because this is the richest prefecture in Fusang, the buildings here are the best.

Xiao Ce then summoned Xiao Yang and proceeded to work on his draft proposal for allocating housing and land...

Xiao Yang nodded, then eagerly went to do it...

Hiroshi Murata was also busy running around, until that afternoon.

Xiao Ce was resting in a courtyard house, while the Mad Taoist was standing to the side in a daze.

Xiao Ce realized that unless the mad Taoist wanted to say something, whatever he said to this mad Taoist was irrelevant.

Even the mad Taoist priest wouldn't answer him.

He simply stopped caring and began preparing to restore the shipyard here.

"By the way, Da Lei, have any researchers come looking for us?"

Da Lei said, "Didn't Xiao Yang tell you yesterday that the people on those ships are all researchers?"

Xiao Ce was stunned: "Really? Did you tell me that?"

Da Lei nodded: "That's right. You were probably so captivated by that mad Taoist priest that you completely ignored the follow-up news. Those researchers are all crazy..."

"After they arrived, they went to find a place to conduct scientific research, so you didn't see them."

Xiao Ce listened and said, "I wonder who's leading the team?"

Da Lei said to Xiao Ce, "Your Highness, shall I go and go look for it?"

Xiao Ce waved his hand and said, "No need."

Just then, a soldier with a crew cut walked to the door and said to Xiao Ce, "Your Highness... Murata Hiroshi is outside, saying he has urgent business to discuss..."

"Urgent?"

Xiao Ce muttered to himself, "What urgent matter could be happening here?"

He then had the soldier with the crew cut bring the man in.

Hiroshi Murata has been much busier these past few days, as he has to deal with matters concerning Fusang while also serving the people from Xiao who have come to visit.

"Hiroshi Murata, what's gotten into such a hurry? What happened? Why are you so anxious?"

Murata Hiroshi said to Xiao Ce, "Your Highness...do you know...do you know...the Emperor is not dead."

Xiao Ce seemed slightly surprised: "I do know that some people escaped, but weren't the Emperor's fleet completely wiped out? Where did you get this information...?"

Hiroshi Murata nodded: "That's true. But my intelligence tells me... the Emperor is alive and well, and not only that, the Tojo and Tokugawa families are also alive and well... They are currently contacting the people in the West behind the Emperor... and then they will organize an attack!"

After listening to Murata Hiroshi's words, Xiao Ce understood why he was so nervous.

"Is your information accurate?" Xiao Ce asked.

Hiroshi Murata nodded: "Confirmed...confirmed. When the Tojo family sent members to the Sulu Kingdom, I was Tojo Koichi's advisor, so just to be on the safe side, I also sent a few of my family members. The person delivering this message to me is one of my family members...this information is definitely accurate..."

"It's said that their emperor is currently in the Sulu Kingdom, and many Westerners have come from there..."

After listening to Murata Hiroshi's words, Xiao Ce nodded, not too nervous.

After all, if he could win against those Western ships once, he could win a second time.

Even though their fleet had grown larger, he also discovered some new tactics.

The minefields they laid at sea, improved by Xiao Zhan, have become even more formidable.

Therefore, even if they were to attack, he would not feel any burden whatsoever.

Moreover, he still had a powerful weapon he hadn't used when he was about to attack Fusang.

"It's alright, if they dare to come, I'll make sure they don't leave alive..."

Looking at Xiao Ce's expression, Murata Hiroshi shook his head: "Your Highness, it seems you don't understand those people very well... Those Westerners are not ordinary Westerners; they are all very powerful people. Moreover, they are actually investing in Fusang."

"You've seen the damaged factories everywhere, and the resource extraction equipment is all destroyed... These were all investments by those foreigners. With such a huge failure and such enormous losses, they're bound to retaliate fiercely..."

Xiao Ce had already learned about the Illuminati from Brian Carter, but he had assumed that the Illuminati was very powerful.

However, based on what he has seen along the way, although they have invested, they do not seem to value this area much.

"I know, did your intelligence say how many troops and ships they will be sending this time?"

Hiroshi Murata shook his head and said, "The foreigners are furious this time. They might go all out to attack you!"

Before Xiao Ce could speak, the Mad Taoist suddenly said in a low voice, "Don't underestimate them, or you will die a terrible death!"