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Li Shimin suddenly looked up and stared directly at Qin Qiong: "Then why now? Why these things? Martial arts manuals, even the basic ones, are a major taboo of the court! And those agricultural, industrial, and medical books... Are you suggesting we settle here permanently, multiply, and grow stronger? Your Majesty... will you allow it?"

Qin Qiong shook his head slightly, his gaze becoming somewhat distant: "Your Majesty's heart encompasses the world, and your ambition extends to the ages. The few hundred members of the Li family in this corner of Lingnan are no longer in Your Majesty's eyes. To spare your lives may simply be because Your Majesty deems them insignificant, or perhaps, in Your Majesty's eyes, there is a much broader chessboard."

He paused, seemingly considering his words, then took out a neatly folded, soft silk scroll from his bosom and slowly unfurled it on the simple wooden table.

Li Shimin's gaze was instantly drawn to it.

It was a map, a map he had never seen before, a map so grand it was breathtaking!
On the silk, boundless mountains, rivers, lakes, seas, continents, and oceans were outlined with extremely fine ink lines. Different regions were marked with different colors, and the brushstrokes were meticulous, with densely packed names, some familiar and some unfamiliar.

Most striking was a vast area rendered in vibrant vermilion, occupying almost the entire center and eastern half of the scroll. Li Shimin immediately recognized familiar outlines—the Central Plains, Jiangnan, the northern frontier, the Western Regions, the Tibetan Plateau, Lingnan… even further south, Lin-yi and Zhenla, the islands to the east, the vast grasslands and forests to the north, and the distant mountains and kingdoms to the west—all were encompassed within, and most were marked "Hua" or were clearly vassal states or tributary territories of the Hua Empire. This was precisely the territory of the unprecedentedly powerful Hua Empire!

Beyond this red expanse, the world stretched far beyond Li Shimin's imagination. To the west, beyond the Pamir Mountains, lay vast lands known as "Persia," "Arabia," and "Fulin," and further west, it seemed, lay continents. To the south, across the sea, lay enormous, strangely shaped landmasses. To the east, across the boundless ocean, lay even more expansive continents!

Li Shimin's heart pounded. As an outstanding military strategist and a ruler who once had the world in his heart, he was instantly awestruck by this "Complete Map of the World." The world was so vast! Even the mighty Chinese Empire was but a part of this boundless expanse!

Qin Qiong's finger slowly moved to the far right of the map, across the vast blue area known as the "Pacific Ocean," and landed on a vertical, extremely vast, unfamiliar continent.

"Here, Your Majesty calls it 'Southern Yin Continent' or 'South America.' It is a vast and sparsely populated land with fertile plains, diverse climates, and abundant resources. Today, it is inhabited only by a few indigenous tribes with a low level of civilization."

Li Shimin stared intently at that continent, his throat dry, and an unbelievable thought surged into his mind.

Seeing his sudden change in expression, Qin Qiong continued, "Your Majesty's intention is to give the Li family a chance—to leave the Central Plains and go here."

"Wha...what?"

Li Shimin's voice was hoarse, his body swayed, and he grabbed the edge of the table for support.

"Not now."

Qin Qiong calmly said, “His Majesty has given you three years to prepare. Within these three years, you can use what you have been given today to recuperate and thrive here, learn medicine, agricultural techniques, and martial arts, strengthen your bodies, and increase your population. After three years, the court will dispatch ships to send you, along with five thousand prisoners of war and slaves from the Western Regions, Tuyuhun, Tibet, and the Turks, to a suitable place on the east coast of Nan Yinzhou.”

"Food, crop seeds, livestock, craftsmen's tools, and even sufficient cold weapons and armor will be provided for you. The court will even send guides and officials skilled in navigation and agriculture to assist with the initial settlement."

Qin Qiong raised his head and looked intently at Li Shimin: "From now on, the Li family must pay tribute to the Hua Empire, but they can be autonomous and independent thousands of miles away, opening up new territories and continuing their ancestral temples. Your Majesty has decreed: as long as the Li family no longer sets foot in the Central Plains and no longer opposes the Hua Dynasty, the court will not interfere with their overseas bases, nor will it send troops to conquer them."

Li Shimin was struck dumb, frozen on the spot, his mind buzzing.

Exile? This is crueler than exile; it's true banishment, severing all ties with one's homeland and throwing oneself into a completely unknown, desolate wilderness! But... is this still a glimmer of hope compared to the predicament of barely surviving in this "Ghost Cry Cave" of Lingnan, with no hope of advancement and the constant threat of being wiped out? Perhaps even a... faint but real "future"?
Self-governance? Opening up new territory? On a wild continent thousands of miles away?

Shock, bewilderment, a faint elation, deep doubt, and immense fear of the unknown... countless emotions clashed within him. Li Shimin's face was pale, fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead, and his fingers unconsciously gripped the rough tabletop so tightly that his nails almost dug into the wood.

"Why...why?"

Li Shimin almost gritted his teeth as he asked, "Why did Your Majesty give us this opportunity? And why... such a remote and desolate place? Are those five thousand prisoners of war and slaves... meant to help, or... to monitor us?"

His mind raced, and countless possibilities flashed through his mind—was it a case of using someone else to kill, letting the Li clan and the barbarian slaves fight each other on a strange continent? Was it to deplete potential destabilizing factors? Or was it really as Qin Qiong said, that their "ambition was for a thousand years," to spread the seeds of Chinese civilization to more distant places, and that the Li clan was just an insignificant branch that happened to be chosen?
Qin Qiong shook his head: "His Majesty's heart is as deep as the sea, beyond the comprehension of a subject. Perhaps, His Majesty simply feels that rather than letting you decay and perish here, it's better to cast you to a more distant land, to let you live and die as you please. Perhaps you might unexpectedly flourish, which would be a kind of karma. As for those slaves... they are both labor and soldiers. How to manage them depends on the abilities of Lord Li and his clan. The court will only ensure your arrival. After the initial survival, you will have to rely on yourselves. This is a dead end, but it is also... a path to survival, perhaps even the only way for the Li family to 'turn the tide'."

"Turn over..."

Li Shimin pondered these two words, his gaze returning to the distant Southern Yin Continent on the map. There was no Holy Emperor there, no pervasive shadow of the Hua Empire, no sword of Damocles constantly hanging over his head. What he found there was endless land, unknown risks, and… the possibility of a destiny entirely in his own hands.

This temptation was too great and too terrifying for him, who had been imprisoned for twenty-one years and whose will had been almost destroyed.

"The imperial edict only mentions rewards. I will inform you of the specific arrangements. How to choose, how to inform the clansmen, and when to inform them are all up to Lord Li. The three-year period begins today."

Qin Qiong stood up, carefully folded the silk map, and pushed it in front of Li Shimin: "This copy of the map is given to you, Lord Li. I hope you will make good use of it and make plans as soon as possible."

He paused at the door, without turning around, his voice low but clear: "His Majesty asked me to convey a message: 'The world is vast, Li Erlang.'"

Li Erlang... This ancient, almost forgotten, yet somewhat intimate and casual nickname sent a jolt through Li Shimin. He looked up abruptly, only to see Qin Qiong's back as he lifted the curtain to leave.

The bamboo curtain fell, separating the inside from the outside.

Li Shimin stood alone in the dimly lit room, clutching the silk map, which felt light yet weighed a ton. Outside, the suppressed, tearful cries of his clansmen, overwhelmed by their reward, drifted in. But within him, a hurricane seemed to rage.

He slowly walked to the door, opened it a crack, and looked outside.

On the open ground, Bai Qing'er remained standing quietly on her horse, her black robes and blue cloak a stark contrast to the surrounding desolation. Seemingly sensing something, her cool gaze suddenly shifted towards Li Shimin's bamboo hut, meeting his probing gaze from afar. That gaze was calm and unfathomable, as if she had already seen through everything, yet also as if she cared nothing at all.

Li Shimin abruptly pulled down the bamboo curtain, leaned against the cold mud wall, and gasped for breath.

The world is vast, Li Erlang.

Yes, the world is vast. So vast that even with his boundless imagination, he could hardly grasp its boundaries.

He and his family were about to be exiled to the most remote and wildest corner of that vast unknown.

To be annihilated or to be reborn?

His hands were pressed tightly against his chest, his heart pounding like thunder, filled with a palpitation he had never felt in twenty-one years, a mixture of extreme fear and a hint of mad ambition.

The rain, seemingly from nowhere, began to fall again, pattering against the thatched roof like the drumbeats of fate, dull and persistent. The sound of the Zuojiang River mingled with the rain, flowing endlessly, as if telling a story, or perhaps simply rushing relentlessly towards the ocean it was meant to reach.

...............

After reading the imperial edict and supervising the distribution of the first batch of rewards, Bai Qing'er prepared to leave with the staff of the Imperial City Bureau.

Before leaving, Qin Qiong asked her if he could stay a few more days in order to appease Li, explain the purpose of the reward, and observe her reaction.

Bai Qing'er, mounted on her horse, merely glanced at him indifferently upon hearing this. Her overly pale face remained expressionless, and her voice was still cold: "The duties of the General of Zhennan are his own responsibility. He may make his own decisions. His Majesty's decree is clear. The rest is up to the General. There is no need to report to me."

Having said that, he flicked the reins, and his figure in black disappeared into the misty rain and forest path, like a shadowy figure that came suddenly and left just as abruptly.

Her words seemed to leave room for interpretation, yet also seemed to make no promises. But Qin Qiong understood the tacit agreement in her words and keenly sensed that Bai Qing'er's early departure might itself be a statement. The Imperial City Guard was only responsible for conveying and monitoring the initial reactions; deeper contact and "arrangements" were left to him, the General Who Guards the South. The nuances of this situation are intriguing.

With Bai Qing'er gone, the suffocating, icy pressure hanging over the settlement seemed to ease, but the presence of Qin Qiong and his hundred elite armored soldiers still served as a constant reminder of the Li family's status as prisoners and their vastly different social standing.

After the initial shock and fear, driven by the instinct for survival and a sliver of hope for the future, the Li clan members, especially those who still had the ability to take charge and the desire for knowledge, began to cautiously approach Qin Qiong.

The physicians and craftsmen were surrounded. The elderly inquired about which pills were effective for chronic coughs and asthma, while women asked how to mix the water-purifying powder. The young people, their eyes shining, gathered around the blueprints for new farm tools and weapons, yet dared not touch them easily. Qin Qiong ordered his soldiers to assist with the explanations, and he himself was often present, his expression calm, answering every question but never saying more.

As the person with the most contact with the outside world, Li Chengqian first asked about the usage of a batch of drugs, and then casually asked, "General Qin, can the 'new composting method' and 'crop rotation and intercropping' mentioned in 'A Preliminary Exploration of Crop Improvement in the South' really increase the harvest by 30% in the hot and humid Lingnan region? Has the military settlement in Yongzhou tried it?" His tone was respectful, but there was a deep consideration in his eyes.

Qin Qiong glanced at him and said, "The military settlements have been implemented for two years and have proven effective. The soil in Lingnan is depleted quickly, and the old methods are indeed difficult to sustain. The methods in this book were compiled by the Ministry of Agriculture from old farmers in Jiangnan and Lingnan, as well as those who spread the teachings in Persia and India. They are adapted to local conditions. You can refer to the book for guidance. If you have any questions, you can ask the craftsmen stationed here."

Li Tai's son, Li Xun, a thin and pale boy with a stubborn look in his eyes, mustered his courage and pointed to the book "Basic Sword Techniques Manual" and asked, "General, the moves shown in this manual seem to be similar to... to the military combat techniques that I vaguely heard my elders mention when I was young. They seem to be simpler and more direct. I wonder if, if I practice them to perfection, I can... defend myself?"

Several young clansmen around immediately held their breath and stole glances at Qin Qiong.

Qin Qiong remained calm and said, "This is a basic self-defense and fitness technique compiled by the Ministry of War for border residents and patrolmen. It is practical and easy to learn. With diligent practice, it will strengthen your body and be able to deal with ordinary wild animals or petty thieves. However, you must remember that the most important thing in martial arts is morality. You must not be brave and violent, and you must not use your skills to break the law."

His words were calm, yet carried an air of authority. Li Xun nodded in agreement and hugged the book tightly.

That night, Li Jiancheng, wearing a straw raincoat, knocked on the door of Qin Qiong's makeshift military tent. After bowing, he remained silent for a long time before asking in a hoarse voice, "...General Qin, His Majesty... His Majesty the Holy Emperor, where exactly does he intend to place the Li family? This reward, this arrangement... I, Jiancheng, am old and senile, and truly cannot fathom it. Is it... a ploy to lure him in?"

Qin Qiong invited him to sit down, personally poured him a bowl of hot tea, and said slowly, "I, Qin, have been guarding Lingnan for many years, and have been under imperial orders to oversee... and have also been observing and reflecting on my conduct for a long time. If Your Majesty truly intended to settle scores, why would you need to do it today? This action is of considerable scale, and the rewards bestowed are all truly useful, not something that could be achieved through mere trickery. As for the deeper meaning..."

He paused for a moment, then said, "The world is vast, and it is not all confined to the Central Plains. Your Majesty is a man of great talent and vision, and your reach may extend far beyond the rise and fall of a single family or clan."

Li Jiancheng listened silently, his fingers stroking the rough earthenware bowl. Finally, he sighed deeply, asked no more questions, and his hunched figure disappeared into the night rain.

Li Shimin had several informal conversations with Qin Qiong, held in the fields or during breaks from repairing fortifications. They avoided sensitive topics and talked more about the soil and water of Lingnan, crop seasons, prevention of miasma and dampness, and even methods of raising livestock.

Qin Qiong recounted the practical and useful experiences accumulated by the General of Zhennan's office over many years in Lingnan, including dealing with the Li and Liao people and reclaiming wasteland. Li Shimin listened attentively, frequently asking questions about details, as if he had returned to the era of the Qin King, who humbly sought advice and readily accepted suggestions. A unique "teaching" relationship gradually formed between the two, based on past tacit understanding and current practical needs.

Li Shimin could sense that Qin Qiong was trying his best to give them practical knowledge on how to survive and even thrive on this land, which was undoubtedly a concrete preparation for the "three-year period" and the future migration.

Qin Qiong also carefully observed the Li clan members. He saw the excitement of the younger generation receiving new farming tools, the greedy look in their eyes when holding books, and their earnestness when practicing basic martial arts; he also saw the meticulousness and anticipation of the women distributing medicine; and he saw the numbness and fear of the older generation, like Li Yuan, who was chronically ill, and the lingering doubts of the middle-aged, like Li Jiancheng. The clan's cohesion was stronger than he had imagined; at least under the pressure of survival, most people still obeyed Li Shimin and Li Jiancheng's commands. But he was also keenly aware of the internal rifts and the undercurrent of restlessness among the younger generation.

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye. Qin Qiong's soldiers helped the Li clan reinforce several dilapidated houses, cleared the main drainage ditches, and even guided them in building more standardized latrines and garbage disposal points, greatly improving the sanitation of the settlement. The physician left behind detailed prescriptions and hygiene guidelines, while the craftsmen taught them basic ironware maintenance and carpentry skills. This tangible assistance, coupled with Qin Qiong's calm and composed demeanor—answering every question yet remaining respectful—subtly changed some of the Li clan members' initial impression of him as a "traitor," replacing it with a more complex and indescribable feeling. (End of Chapter)