As an official, what's wrong with raising a few monsters?

Chapter 423 Unification of the World, That's Good

"Sister, you're wrong."

"You have to eat one bite at a time, and do things one step at a time. Don't give up on the things that are easy to do in front of you just because there are too many or too complicated problems."

Even if I were rolling in money, I would bend down and pick up a single coin from the ground in front of me.

Ling Yu: ……

Mingchen's words, taken out of context, seem to make a lot of sense.

But what he was talking about was the bloody killing of those who were ruthless and determined to eliminate all traces of their victims.

No matter how you listen to it, it has a strange feeling to it.

Ling Yu shook her head, not wanting to continue the topic, and turned to look at the setting sun, saying to Ming Chen, "It seems that our military strength is still insufficient..."

Having been fighting on Qian Yuan's home turf all along, she overlooked one problem.

The costs of conquering a city and the costs of occupying a city are vastly different.

The families who just shouted "Bei Lie will never surrender" are not a minority in this country.

The people of Beilie have a strong sense of belonging to the country and are united as one. It will not be an easy task for Qian Yuan to unify the world.

Mingchen shrugged, condensing the war for which countless people had fought and died into a casual remark: "So we still have to fight the main force of Qinlou, and if we win, we can slowly take over the land."

This is the tacit understanding between Bei Lie and Qian Yuan.

People always divide themselves into camps, identify their affiliations, and then fight each other, thus establishing hierarchical classes.

Struggle is forever etched into the marrow of human beings.

Even if the world is unified, whether Qian Yuan wins or Bei Lie wins, the road ahead will be difficult.

Neither Xiao Xinyue nor Qin Lou could gain recognition from the other country. The hatred of national subjugation was deeply ingrained in their hearts. The people of the victorious country naturally held a sense of superiority over the people of the defeated country, treating them as servants, which inevitably led to continuous chaos.

Perhaps the new unified empire will collapse again within a few years.

Qin conquered the six states and unified the world; how powerful it was! Yet it still perished after only two generations.

The easiest path to take is actually the one Liu Da Ye took: first, a unified empire emerges to end the fragmentation, attracting everyone's hatred and causing chaos and strife; then, when the conflict erupts, victory is achieved in the new war, and the world is unified.

All the old conflicts disappeared with the demise of the first unified empire, the world was unified, and the people lived in peace and prosperity.

The people of the six states may not be willing to admit that they are subjects of the Qin Dynasty, but they are willing to admit that they are subjects of the Han Dynasty.

The people will resent the power that destroyed their country, but they will not resent the power that defeated their country.

Unfortunately, Mingchen is already in the game. He chose Qianyuan and has come this far, so there are no better options left for him.

This question isn't without an answer, but it's very difficult.

It requires overwhelming force, exceptional talent, and profound benevolence; it requires perseverance, diligence, and prudence; and it requires a lifespan long enough for the people to forget their hatred.

The pressure will now fall on Xiao Xinyue or Qin Lou.

"What if Qian Yuan loses?"

"If you lose, you lose."

Ling Yu looked at the indifferent Ming Chen and couldn't help but laugh and scold him: "You are the Duke of Qian Yuan, how can you be so frivolous?"

"I've done my best, what more do you want?"

"The world will eventually be unified. If Qin Lou can beat us, it means he's really capable and impressive."

Mingchen put his arm around Lingyu's waist and laughed, "What, if Qianyuan loses, do you expect me to take my whole family to die for our country?"

"Five hundred years ago, Beilie and Qianyuan were originally one family, but they were separated by the feudal rulers for their own selfish reasons."

"A unified world is a good thing."

……

Winter has arrived, and the cold wind is biting.

The Beilie army flag fluttered in the north wind.

A mighty army marched south, its black armor impeccable, its order perfect, its presence commanding respect.

A single glance from afar is enough to send shivers down one's spine.

These warriors are the most elite force of Beilie, the foundation of Beilie.

Led by Emperor Qin Lou himself, the army was united in purpose and shared a common hatred of the enemy; success meant certain death.

After a month of marching and deployment, the Beilie army arrived at the front lines in batches, confronting the Qian Yuan army head-on.

Qin Lou personally led the expedition, and the Northern Fierce Army, with its magnificent momentum and valiant fighting, finally halted Ling Yu's further northward expansion.

The two armies faced each other, with the Yi River, a tributary of the Lie River, serving as the boundary.

After this period of Northern Expeditionary Warfare, Ling Yu occupied one and a half prefectures of Bei Lie.

"Your Majesty, Ling Yu has led the Qian Yuan Army in a large-scale invasion. They have already occupied Yue Zhe in Xinzhou and are advancing on Linjiang City in Zhangzhou. The city's defender, Bian Ran, requests that we send troops to support them as soon as possible."

"Let Chang Pengtao lead his troops to provide support."

"Yes!"

"Your Majesty, this humble general believes that our rear army should be stationed at Shengling. This place is a hub where three routes converge, backed by a great river, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. Even if we don't station here, we still need to heavily guard it. Once this place falls, Qianyuan will threaten our dynasty's two cities, Eru and Junpeng..."

"can."

Inside the military tent, the tall and robust king stood before the sand table, watching quietly.

Military reports came in a continuous stream, and several generals went in and out, constantly issuing requests and receiving orders.

Contrary to many people's expectations, this king, who loved martial arts and had long awaited a personal campaign, went to the battlefield, unlike the righteous heroes in the south who led from the front and fought valiantly across the battlefield.

Instead, he resides in the rear of the army, strategizing and commanding troops, possessing both fierce courage and gentle sensitivity.

This would be perfectly normal for a great general, just what a commander-in-chief should do. But when it happened to this warlike and domineering monarch, it felt out of place, almost abnormally so.

Everyone thought he was going to go to the battlefield and fight alongside the soldiers, dominating the battlefield with his domineering power. Some generals even prepared words of dissuasion.

However, he did nothing.

He calmly arranged for the general to lead troops to guard various passes and towns, diligently sent out spies to collect intelligence, and convened a meeting of his generals to brainstorm ideas... In a way, the generals saw the shadow of the deceased general in him.

From beginning to end, Qin Lou was very clear about his position and the purpose of his expedition.

He would never be cowardly when he was needed on the battlefield.

However, he will not sacrifice the greater good for trivial matters or act recklessly, even if it does not require his personal involvement.

He gazed quietly at the sand table and asked one of his lieutenants, "How many men are there in the Qian Yuan Army in Xinzhou now?"

The deputy general, with a solemn expression, replied succinctly, "170,000."

If you look closely, you'll see he only has one hand.

It was none other than Cheng Xinqing, who had followed Tian Hong south to launch a sneak attack but had his hand severed by Xiao Xinyue.

He was Tian Hong's disciple, loyal to Bei Lie, and would naturally follow the general's legacy to continue helping the king complete the unification.

Qin Lou trusted him and did not punish him for the southward surprise attack strategy and the death of the general. Instead, he promoted him to his trusted deputy general. The southward surprise attack and Tian Hong's death in a foreign land was a major blow to Cheng Xinqing.

However, it also helped him grow and mature a lot.

With a calm expression, he reported to Qin Lou: "The internal strife in Qian Yuan has ended, and troops stationed in various places are heading north to provide continuous support to the northern border."

"Qian Yuan will provide further support."

Qin Lou nodded slightly upon hearing this: "Mm..."

We should never underestimate anyone in the world!
He never imagined that the princess who was sent to the north as a political pawn, the woman who dared to openly confront him in court, would become his greatest enemy.

Mingchen was indeed a powerful and formidable opponent, a talent whom he both loved and hated, yet could not obtain.

However, while people are always amazed by Mingchen's eye-catching legends, they forget some problems hidden behind the scenes that are easily overlooked.

Xiao Xinyue's talent is terrifying.

In just a few years, she went from a rebellious princess living in seclusion in the southwest to the current emperor who unified the Qian Yuan dynasty.

Not only did they end the chaos of the Qian Yuan era, they also amassed such a large fortune that they could continuously supply the Northern Territory.

Money, food, and soldiers.

Behind the ability of talented individuals like Ling Yu, Ming Chen, and Xiao Ling to act with impunity lies the powerful support of Qian Yuan.

Xiao Xinyue and her team possess an almost terrifying capacity for growth and accumulation.

As the monarch, no one else felt this more deeply than Qin Lou.

On this point, Qin Lou was unwilling to admit it, but he knew that even if Bei Lie completed the irrigation canal, in terms of physical development alone, he would not be as developed as Xiao Xinyue. If they continued to develop peacefully together, Bei Lie would have no advantage.

Ji Yuting's defeat and the loss of the three passes were also an unexpected blow.

Therefore, he needs to personally lead the expedition to go all in and determine the victor in the battle against Qian Yuan.

"Your Majesty! That brat Ling Yu is going too far!"

"It's one thing to reclaim the three passes, but they even dare to invade our southern border!"

"Your Majesty, please grant me five thousand cavalry. This humble general will immediately go to the battlefield and slaughter them until not a single one of them is left!"

After a while, another burly man with a fierce-looking face entered the camp and kept shouting at Qin Lou.

Compared to the generals beside him, he appeared somewhat barbaric and rude.

Cheng Xinqing frowned repeatedly when he saw that he was rude.

His name is Qin Zhuang. He is a superhumanly strongman from Beilie, with immense strength and the courage to fight against ten thousand men. Ten years ago, he was spotted by Qin Lou on the street and given the surname 'Qin'. As Qin Lou's trusted bodyguard, Qin Lou would take him with him wherever he went and trusted him very much.

A few days ago, he was taught some magic and supernatural abilities by a cultivator. This guy isn't very bright, but he has good aptitude and has made great progress.

If we were to ask who in the world is most loyal to Qin Lou, even Tian Hong would have to rank behind him.

Qin Lou's orders were law to him. He would not hesitate for a moment if Qin Lou gave the order to kill his mother and son.

Although he was somewhat rough and uncouth, he was extremely loyal, and Qin Lou naturally tolerated him.

Qin Lou patted him on the shoulder and laughed, "Qin Zhuang, don't be in a hurry."

"Since I have entrusted you with the military campaign, I will certainly let you fight on the battlefield and show your skills."

Upon hearing this, Qin Zhuang abruptly flung his hand away, gritting his teeth and saying hatefully, "Your Majesty... that Ling Yu..."

"This is absolutely outrageous!"

For decades, Qian Yuan had always been suppressed by Bei Lie. Now, the battle lines had been pushed back, which was a great humiliation in the eyes of many generals, and Bei Lie was indignant from top to bottom.

Such is the inertia of thought.

The Qian Yuan dynasty was indeed powerful, with both a wise ruler and virtuous ministers, so it's not surprising that the battle lines were pushed back.

However, many people are still stuck in the era when they dominated Qian Yuan and cannot accept this.

Hearing Qin Zhuang's complaints, Qin Lou simply smiled and said, "Are we allowed to occupy others, but others aren't allowed to occupy us? What kind of logic is that?"

"His Majesty!!"

Qin Zhuang could hardly believe his ears, staring wide-eyed at Qin Lou: "How dare you speak up for the enemy?!"

Has His Majesty been switched?

How could His Majesty possibly say such a thing?

The fact that Qian Yuan occupied the land of Bei Lie was a disgrace to the vast majority of Bei Lie people.

However, Qin Lou took it all in stride and always remained rational.

Cities can be recaptured, but the key to national strength lies in the living forces.

On the contrary, if Ling Yu sticks to the three passes and does not continue to make progress, it will disappoint him.

This means that Xiao Xinyue has no ambition and only wants to defend the country and maintain the status quo between the two countries as before.

The three passes of Qian Yuan are too difficult to conquer. If Bei Lie wants to move south, it will have to pay a huge price for the war.

With a general like Ling Yu leading a steady stream of soldiers stationed in that tortoise shell, unless Bei Lie changes course and launches a southern expedition, it will probably take several years to break through.

Qin Lou wasn't stupid; he certainly wouldn't send a large army into such a bottomless pit, putting himself at a disadvantage against the enemy.

The next step for both sides will likely be to begin peace talks.

A protracted war and an arms race will be a major test for the national strength and the people of both sides.

In this way, Qin Lou may never fulfill his wish before he dies.

The unification of the world is uncertain, with no clear timeframe for when it will be achieved.

The longer time passes, the harder it becomes to unify. Eventually, both countries completely forget the unified world they once shared and remain forever independent nations. Their descendants will forever be divided, their immense power and wisdom wasted not on improving the lives of the people, but on mutual suspicion, scheming, and competition.

Ling Yu's northward advance was precisely sending a signal to Qin Lou that Xiao Xinyue was not a complacent ruler who wanted to maintain the status quo, but an ambitious monarch who wanted to unify the world.

In a sense, this was also a tacit understanding between the two rulers.

In this battle, we will judge heroes by success or failure; the victor takes all.

Don't drag this out for too long, and don't cause too much trouble for the people on both sides.

Of course he wanted to win, of course he wanted his Qin family to dominate the world, and he was confident that he could win.

The winner takes all, but there is no regret if you lose.

Just like the promise he made to Mingchen.

In any case, this situation of division that has lasted for hundreds of years should be unified.

This is Qin Lou's wish.

The world believed him to be a warmongering, ambitious ruler who sought conquest and domination, and whose heart was set on the trampling of everything by the iron heel of war…

But in reality, few people can enter the mind of this contradictory person and see through his true thoughts.

Qin Lou stepped out of his tent, gazing at the distant mountains and the setting sun. His eyes flickered, and no one could know the thoughts of this fierce tiger king. He sighed softly, "They are not enemies, but our opponents."

(End of this chapter)