The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

Boats from all four seas converge on the vast expanse of the sky, and spring colors fill the land of China.

A new calendar is set for mountains and rivers, sun and moon; songs and laughter fill the air in the Jade Pavilion.

On the first day of the first month of the ninth year of the Weiyao era.

The Great Chen Empire, its capital city, Wuhan.

Nanjing is enchanted, Beijing is dilapidated.

Due to geographical issues and the future direction of expansion, it is no longer suitable as the capital of the empire.

As a strategically important location, a thoroughfare connecting nine provinces, situated in the center of the country, controlling the balance between north and south, and bridging rivers and lakes to lock down the four directions, it was undoubtedly an excellent choice to be the capital at that time.

The snow on the jade steps has not yet melted, reflecting the palace lanterns and the stars and moon.

This central hub of the world is laid out like a painting interwoven with silver and gold.

Chen Wang sat alone on the dragon throne atop the Meridian Gate, the twelve symbols on his black imperial robes fluttering slightly in the night breeze.

Twelve white jade tassels hung silently, their warm yet majestic luster shimmering in the sunlight and lamplight.
Beneath the city tower, the lights of thousands of homes shone like an inverted Milky Way, and the sounds of music and laughter rose with the fireworks, soaring straight to the heavens.

This is precisely the most tangible pulse of a glorious and prosperous era.

The heart of the empire beats powerfully on this New Year's Eve.

This was the first day of the ninth year of the Weiyao era, a night when the empire was at its zenith.

A vast silence enveloped the emperor beneath his crown.

This silence is not stillness.

The elegant music of the palace banquet, the distant cheers, and the rustling of the wind through the eaves can all be faintly heard.

This silence is a unique kind of vastness that comes with standing at the pinnacle of power and history after ruling the world and controlling the six directions.

The land beneath his feet, which he had rebuilt with his own hands, was too vast, and the burden on his shoulders was the heaviest since the time of Yao, Shun, Yu, and Tang.

And the road he personally pushed open, extending into the unknown universe.

Against the backdrop of this extreme noise, all of it solidifies into a solitude as deep as an ice-covered sea.

Chen Wang's eyes dimmed, the bright light and shadow obscured by the crown in front of him.

Eighteen years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Nine years have passed since he ascended the throne.

He has ushered in a golden age that far surpasses the Han and Tang dynasties, a truly prosperous era.

According to the Ministry of Revenue's report, a nationwide census revealed that the population had reached 147 million.

Good news kept pouring in from all directions.

north.

It was the "Beihai Protectorate" that was named five years ago.

That frigid land, once occupied by Tsarist Russia, is now covered with the red flags of the Great Chen Empire.

The entire Northern Plains is now under the illumination of the Great Chen Empire.

The Protectorate's official gazette arrived in Beijing before March. After a series of defeats, Russia retreated, and the envoys sent by the Russian rulers humbly requested peace talks.

The cabinet has already stamped the treaty with its red seal, temporarily defining the borders.

but.

Tsarist Russia will ultimately be disappointed.

How could the Great Chen Empire stop at the barren Siberia?

This is merely a temporary peace treaty, a treaty that allows the Great Chen Empire to temporarily slow down its pace of consolidating its territory.

Migrants and soldiers from the Central Plains are building brick and stone castles on that snowy plain, using the mountains and rivers as a bridgehead for the empire's westward expansion.

The army of the Northern Protectorate is training. Countless young officers trained by the Great Chen Empire Army Academy are standing tall and looking out beyond the empire's borders.

They vowed to achieve great feats, just like the generals and officers who followed Chen Wang through countless battles to reach the pinnacle, to establish outstanding merits and enter the towering Qianqiu Pavilion.

The west.

In the seventh year of the Weiyao era, the Western Regions had already been conquered by Hu Zhiyi's army.

The weakened Yarkand Khanate was utterly powerless to resist the westward advance of the fierce and powerful army.

The Protectorate of the Western Regions was reopened, and Hu Zhiyi became the first Protector-General of the Western Regions of the Great Chen Empire.

The Protectorate of the Western Regions was located in Yilibali, which is the Yili of later times.

The reopened Protectorate of the Western Regions almost completely took over the territory of the Yarkand Khanate, not only regaining control of the Tarim Basin and the area north and south of the Tianshan Mountains, but also projecting its influence back to the west of the Pamir Plateau.

The Protectorate General governed six major prefectures, and its post road system extended directly to the Badakhshan Mountains and the Fergana Valley.

The plows of the soldiers and civilians who settled in the fields turned over the thousand-year-old desert, allowing the smoke from Han cooking fires to once again rise above the ancient cities of Shule and Yutian.

The troops guarding the passes were the Western Regions Legion, equipped with sophisticated firearms and adapted to high-altitude warfare.

The Khoshut Khanate has already submitted, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard is constantly infiltrating, just waiting for the right time.

The army in the Western Regions has expanded to a size of 150,000.

The camel bells of the Silk Road once again resounded along the trade route from Dunhuang to Samarkand, busier than ever before.

The Protectorate not only had a large number of troops stationed there, but also relocated millions of farmers, artisans, doctors, and Confucian scholars, and built numerous schools.

Having learned from the experience of the Liaodong expansion, when the newspapers announced that the imperial court had allowed the expansion into the Western Regions, large numbers of people flocked to local government offices to register, hoping to take advantage of the expansion.

east.

Liaodong is now stable, and with the influx of millions of immigrants, it is undergoing tremendous changes.

After the first year of Weiyao, the climate changed, becoming warmer year by year, natural disasters ceased to occur frequently, and all places were full of vitality.

The Joseon Kingdom was annexed by the Da Chen Empire in the second year of Wei Yao.

Under Gao Jie's arrangement, the King of Joseon submitted a petition requesting to become a vassal state of Korea, which was granted by Chen Wang.

Korea was divided into two provinces, each governed by a separate administrative office, and managed under a provincial system.

In the fourth year of the Weiyao era, Zheng Sen led his troops across the sea, assembling an army of 100,000. They first landed on Tsushima Island from Korea, and then crossed the sea southward to invade the islands of Kyushu and Honshu in Japan.

After years of peace, the Tokugawa shogunate hastily assembled its army to resist.

But this time, there was no help from the storm at sea.

With a generational gap in weaponry and training, the Tokugawa Shogunate's army was simply no match for the Great Chen Empire's army, which was launching an eastern expedition.

Zheng Sen advanced with unstoppable momentum, and in just two short years, he had already conquered Kyoto, Japan, and captured the Japanese Emperor.

The Tokugawa Shogunate also ushered in its darkest hour.

The establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate was made possible by the victory at the Battle of Sekigahara.

The collapse of the Tokugawa shogunate also occurred at Sekigahara.

Another great battle at Sekigahara completely destroyed the Tokugawa Shogunate's army.

Tokugawa Iemitsu, the third shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate, submitted a letter of surrender, announcing his submission.

Chen Wang deposed the Japanese emperor, dissolved the Tokugawa shogunate, and established a provincial system of governance.

However, this also sparked fierce resistance within Japan.

But resistance was of little use.

Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Wang ordered a ruthless crackdown, unleashing a series of bloody storms.

Gold and silver mines in Japan are being continuously exploited.

Ships laden with gold and silver are sailing back to the land of China along the newly opened sea routes.

south.

The rainforests and islands of Southeast Asia now belong to the territory of the Great Chen Empire.

Jade from Myanmar, rice from Siam, and spices from Annam were being continuously transported to the Central Plains via newly built official roads and regular shipping routes.

Vietnam, Siam, and Burma successively submitted to the guns and cannons of the Southern Expeditionary Army.

The Nanyang Fleet, with more than fifty sailing warships, was stationed between Malacca and Luzon, controlling the vital passage between the East and West Oceans.

March of the second year of Weiyao.

The Dutch ceded a great deal of profit, even allied with the Spanish, and bribed a large number of pirates. They assembled a total of 22 warships, converted from warships and armed merchant ships, and joined forces with more than 400 warships from the colonies to resolutely resist in Malacca.

A fierce battle broke out on the sea between them and the Nanyang Fleet led by Cao Dingjiao.

The final result, naturally, was that the Nanyang Fleet led by Cao Dingjiao achieved final victory.

When twenty-seven sailing warships, each carrying more than fifty cannons, lined up in a row and fired their cannons in unison, all the noise subsided.

More than two hundred years later, China has regained its dominance in the southeastern seas.

Furthermore, due to the submission of the southeastern kingdoms, the Great Chen Empire was able to possess numerous ports of entry into the Indian Ocean, now known as the Western Ocean.

These ports also became the bridgeheads for Da Chen's future westward expansion.

And in the far east.

On the other side of the vast ocean.

The Great Chen Empire's expeditionary fleet, with its advanced sailing battleships and rigorously trained marines, has established numerous outposts along the vast coastlines known as "Northern Yin Continent" and "Southern Yin Continent."

They drove the Spanish who occupied Yinzhou to even more distant places.

The latest battle report states that the Eastern Expeditionary Army has established a firm foothold in the "Gold Mountain" region and has made contact with many local indigenous tribes.

The Spanish army was suffering repeated defeats.

Just as they suffered a complete defeat in the European war in 1648, the fourth year of Werjois's reign.

The complete defeat in the Thirty Years' War led to the utter bankruptcy and decline of the Spanish monarchy, leaving it with no time to attend to the situation in the Americas.

Therefore, after the army of the Great Chen Empire landed, Spain could only keep retreating and making concessions.

They simply do not have the strength to start another war, not even a local one.

They have lost the ability to launch expeditions.

The abdicated Longwu Emperor was enfeoffed by Chen Wang in the northern part of Nanyinzhou, where he re-established the Ming Dynasty.

Of course, the country's name was no longer Great Ming, but merely Ming. Zhu Lüjian was no longer the emperor, but merely the king of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Lujian also sent a letter last month.

The letter contained no resentment, but instead described in detail the fertility of the land, the abundance of resources, and... the fragility of the Spanish colonial system.

At the end of the letter, the former emperor wrote in a complex and poignant tone:

"...This place is vast and beautiful. Wherever the royal army goes, the locals bring food and drink, and the western barbarian army is as fragile as a pile of eggs. This is truly a paradise bestowed by heaven."

Chen Wang slowly closed his eyes, and the music that had been lingering in his ears gradually began to fade into the distance.

What came to mind for King Chen were the blizzards of the North Sea, the desolate smoke of the Gobi Desert in the Western Regions, the raging waves of the Eastern Ocean, the damp miasma of the South Sea, and the completely unfamiliar, wild continent of Yinzhou, full of opportunities and challenges.

The Great Chen Empire today is like a giant beast that has been forced to mature prematurely, with strong bones and sharp claws, and an insatiable appetite...

With no formidable enemies left, both internally and externally, the inertia of expansion, along with his deep-seated ambition that "all land under heaven belongs to the king," is propelling this war chariot forward with a thunderous roar.

The expansion and wars in Liaodong, the Western Regions, Southeast Asia, Yinzhou, and Dongying gave rise to a large number of war nobles.

They rose through war, profited from expansion, prospered through trade, and became wealthy through territorial conquest.

More and more people are drawn to overseas destinations, and newspapers are fueling everyone's desires.

The army, along with the newly promoted nobles and pioneers, yearned for more land, merit, and wealth.

However, anti-war voices began to emerge domestically, but they were ultimately drowned out by the clamor of discussion.

Chen Wang remained calm; he was not blinded by the nation's prosperity.

After continuous research, the steam engine gradually began to be put into practice.

However, there are still many hurdles to overcome before it can be fully transformed into a powered transportation industry like trains and ships.

If we don't build trains, we won't build ships.

Ultimately, the territory that Da Chen could effectively control was still too small.

The empire's expansion will reach its limit in a few years.

The westward expansion route encountered powerful states such as Tsarist Russia, the Safavid Empire, and the Ottoman Empire.

now.

Chen Wang felt that he had reached the balance point of this historical turning point.

The stars are shining brightly, and the Milky Way is flowing.

The night breeze was cool and refreshing, and Chen Wang's mind was at peace.

After the nation was established, various problems began to emerge.

This is a normal phenomenon; no system is ever completely perfect.

They all need to be constantly changed and improved.

Chen Wang was well aware of all of this.

Chen Wang closed his eyes.

The world rests on his shoulders, and the future is on his back.

The immense pressure made him dare not relax most of the time, just like when he was fighting in the north and south.

He is too tired.

He is the emperor of the Great Chen Empire.

but.

He was just a mortal.

time.

It's been too long.

So much time has passed that his memories of past battles have begun to fade.

So much time passed that he began to forget many things from the past, many people and events.

He had almost forgotten how much Cao Wenzhao valued him.

They forgot the precarious situation they had faced in Shaanxi.

He forgot the high expectations Sun Chuanting had for him.

They have forgotten the blood and tears Lu Xiang-sheng shed in Jia Village.

The power of time.

Too scary.

Looking back, it feels like a lifetime ago.

However, the cabinet has been rebuilt and is becoming increasingly sophisticated.

The ministers who graduated from or retaken the academy have already helped him a great deal, giving him much time to rest.

An emperor who does everything personally is not actually a good emperor.

Chen Wang has also made many mistakes, and he needs someone to help him.

Future emperors will need it too.

Chen Wang sat quietly on the dragon throne, enjoying the rare tranquility in the cool night breeze.

But this peace could not last.

A soft footstep interrupted Chen Wang's closed eyes.

Chen Wang slowly opened his eyes and turned to look at the stairs.

Above the Meridian Gate, there were thousands of Imperial Guards protecting him, making it impossible for anyone to approach his location silently.

"The Crown Prince insisted on coming up and told us not to tell His Majesty about this."

A faint human voice sounded from the shadows behind him, dispelling Chen Wang's doubts.

Chen Wang frowned slightly, but the frown quickly disappeared.

A hint of helplessness appeared on his face, and then he unconsciously smiled.

Chen Wang closed his eyes again, pretending to be resting.

The faint footsteps drew ever closer.

Through the gap, Chen Wang saw Chen Lie's small figure.

"Wow!"

A child's innocent voice rang out.

Chen Wang slowly opened his eyes.

He actually wanted to play along and pretend to be frightened by Chen Lie.

However, his long-standing experience made it difficult for Chen Wang to do so.

He was already quite calm amidst the mountains of corpses and seas of blood, so why was he startled by this sudden shout?

"As expected, it still can't scare Father."

A hint of frustration appeared on Chen Lie's flushed face.

Chen Wang chuckled softly and leaned closer to the side of his seat.

Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Lie climbed onto the dragon throne where Chen Wang was sitting and sat down next to him.

"Why is Father not resting in his palace, but instead at the Meridian Gate?"

Chen Lie sat casually next to Chen Wang and asked with some confusion.

Chen Wang stared into Chen Lie's blinking eyes.

He did not answer Chen Lie's question.

"Lie'er".

"Look at these myriad lights, aren't they just like the Milky Way in the sky?"

Chen Lie glanced at the imperial city not far away, then looked up at the starry sky, and nodded blankly.

"Let me tell you a story..."

"Tell me a story, what if I didn't exist..."

Chen Wang's voice slowly echoed above the Meridian Gate.

Time passed quietly.

As dawn breaks, the sun is about to rise.

Chen Lie was already asleep on the dragon throne.

Two tear tracks were left on his small face, his brows were furrowed, and his hands were clenched into fists.

Chen Wang draped his cloak over Chen Lie.

The guards on either side picked up Chen Lie, bowed slightly, and slowly retreated.

Chen Wang stood before the railing of the city tower, looking down at the once-silent imperial city, and then slowly untied the reed pipe from his waist.

The mournful and sorrowful sound of the bili (a type of reed instrument) rang out once again.

Chen Wang looked up at the gradually brightening sky.

As the last lingering sound disappeared into the newly risen sun.

Chen Wang also put down the reed pipe in his hand and murmured softly:
"The lights of the nine streets are as bright as the stars, and the spring tides of the four seas celebrate the passing of the year."

"In times of peace and prosperity, there are many joyful things, and music and songs resound throughout the land of Yao year after year."

"The dust of war once obscured the moon over the Central Plains, and the waves of ten thousand ships tore apart the old eaves."

"Only a solitary traveler knows the rise and fall of dynasties, alone facing the mountains and rivers to record the years."

(The End.) (End of Chapter)