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

Chapter 426 The World Must Be Unified

"Your Majesty, is Chen not late?"

Winter has arrived, the cold wind howls, the decaying trees creak in the wind, and withered yellow leaves flutter in the air.

It's getting cold, and the lakes and marshes are already covered with ice.

Birds have vanished from the mountains, and human tracks have disappeared from the paths; in this place where wars have clashed, there are naturally few inhabitants.

Today, amidst the swirling mist and the aroma of plum wine, the pavilion by the lake is filled with elegant people enjoying the scenery.

The majestic king, draped in a cloak, sat imposingly in his chair, surrounded by servants on both sides.

He held a wine glass, gazing silently at the frozen lake, his tiger-like eyes gleaming with golden light; no one knew what he was truly thinking.

There aren't many people in this world who can make this Tiger King wait.

Just then, a figure flashed by.

Before he knew it, someone had appeared in front of him.

A handsome young man, dressed in white, his appearance even more striking than snow.

After a long time, Mingchen is still Mingchen, seemingly unchanged.

The guard outside the pavilion trembled and instinctively placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

However, seeing that the king's attitude remained unchanged, they relaxed.

Qin Lou glanced at him and said only, "It's too late. You should punish yourself with three cups first!"

The wine glass was warm, with a few wisps of white steam swirling around its rim, and the aroma of the wine was irresistible.

Mingchen smiled, and without any pretense, immediately downed three cups in a row, then showed Qin Lou the empty wine cup: "How was it?"

Qin Lou couldn't help but laugh: "That's great!"

As he spoke, he gestured for the waiter to leave and personally poured Mingchen a glass of wine.

"Your Majesty, this... how can Chen accept this!"

Qin Lou glanced at the affected person.

You'd better be genuinely sorry.

It's truly rare to find someone in this world who can sit and drink with Qin Lou like this.

The gazes he encountered were mostly filled with fear and tension, but also with respect and admiration, and with extreme caution...

Only this guy treated him like a friend.

This is indeed a great luxury for a monarch.

Mingchen, holding his wine glass, glanced around and sighed, "Your Majesty really knows how to choose a place. This is truly beautiful..."

This is a pavilion by a lake, with a beautiful view.

Even in the desolation of winter, there is a unique charm to it, which is much better than the so-called scenic spots of the past. I imagine that the talented poets of ancient times would not have been able to come up with any poems that would be passed down through the ages if they saw the crowded scenic spots of the future and the over-commercialized scenery.

Unfortunately, Mingchen is a politician reeking of scheming. If he were a free-spirited and romantic poet or a chivalrous wanderer, his appreciation of the scenery would probably be more genuine.

"Ah!"

Hearing Mingchen's praise, Qin Lou downed his wine in one gulp and said matter-of-factly, "Of course, there are countless beautiful sights like this in Beilie!"

Mingchen smiled and readily agreed, "Yes, yes, yes~"

Qin Lou glanced at Ming Chen's shoulder: "You really tricked this fox away."

The mischievous little fox continued to strain against the fox fur that Mingchen was wearing.

Finally, they managed to pull it off.

Mingchen brought Hua Rong and Fuyao with him to this meeting.

The birds soared freely in the mountains and forests, while Hua Rong followed Ming Chen around.

According to her, she is the future emperor of the Demon Kingdom, and now she needs to learn from the magnanimity and conduct of a monarch.

She hadn't taken it seriously before, but now she was going to take it seriously.

She will surely work hard to develop and expand her country, which has dozens of people and a territory the size of a Ming Dynasty prefecture.

Qin Lou recognized the clever fox.

He knew very well that Mingchen didn't want his daughter but instead wanted this fox when they last met.

After Mingchen left, the fox disappeared without a trace.

I thought it was like throwing good money after bad, but seeing it now has finally put my mind at ease.

I was really tricked by this guy.

"Your Majesty, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want."

"When did I lie to her? She clearly came with me willingly!"

Mingchen tapped the mischievous little fox on the head, then turned to Qin Lou with a grin and said, "Besides, we made a bet to settle the score. Is Your Majesty going to renege on your promise?"

"Your Majesty is surrounded by many extraordinary people who can help you, so why are you fixated on my appearance?"

"Humph!"

Qin Lou knew that this guy was sharp-tongued and could argue even when he was wrong, let alone when he was in the right. He could not win the argument, so he just glared at him.

Qin Lou didn't want to discuss these strange people and demons any further.

Compared to the world he wanted to discuss, these demons and spirits seemed far too insignificant.

He took a sip of wine, thought for a moment, and asked Mingchen, "I heard that Ling Yu has rectified military discipline and severely punished some soldiers who oppressed the people of Beilie."
"Oh?"

Mingchen toyed with the wine cup, not hiding anything, and nodded with a smile, "That is indeed true."

"His Majesty's information network is quite extensive!"

Qin Lou simply leaned back in his chair and said calmly, "Do I know it's abnormal?"

"Normal, normal!"

Information warfare is also a form of warfare.

It's perfectly normal for both leaders to know that there are spies from the other side within their ranks and to constantly probe for information.

Qin Lou nodded, but did not continue the topic. Instead, he asked, "Mingchen, do you remember the agreement we made when we met last time?"

Which agreement?

Mingchen made far too many agreements.

Qin Lou smiled upon hearing this, looked steadily into his eyes, and asked again, "Do you know why I am so determined to develop military power and unify the world?"

Mingchen shrugged: "Any monarch with ideals and ambitions wants to expand their territory, wants all the land under heaven to belong to the king, and wants their empire to be everywhere they can see."

After downing glass after glass of wine, Qin Lou was slightly tipsy, and he felt his blood boiling.

"I do not deny my ambition. I want my name to be imprinted on this era. I want to become the monarch who unifies the world and be remembered by future generations. I want my Qin family to dominate the world."

"but……"

He moved closer to Mingchen and reached out to pinch him: "The me now is somewhat different from the me ten years ago."

"Oh?"

Qin Lou raised his head, his eyes filled with an arrogant confidence that looked down upon the world: "Ten years ago, I, Qin Lou, was confident that I was the most brilliant monarch, and I was confident that no one's talent and magnanimity could compare to mine!"

"That old monster Qian Yuan only knows how to figure out how to live two more years every day."

"Qian Yuan's crown prince was too weak, and he dragged himself down with him."

"The Qian Yuan dynasty was corrupt and decadent. A bunch of parasites had ravaged the country, the soldiers were cowardly, and talented people were not given important positions."

"The Xiongnu in the west are all barbarians, not worth mentioning."

"I can sweep through the three kingdoms of the south at will!"

"Why should we, the Northern Lie, be confined to the bitter, cold lands of the North, while the fertile plains of the South are left to be ravaged and plundered by insects?"

Qin Lou's eyes were filled with contempt and disdain, belittling the world of ten years ago to nothing. He raised his eyebrows, pointed to his chest, and declared matter-of-factly, "Besides me, there is no wise ruler in the world!"

"It is only right and proper that my Qin family lineage should unify the world!"

"Is that right?"

There is no hero in the world more brilliant than me, so it is only right that I should unify the world and become the supreme king.

Those mediocre and stupid people, if they were allowed to sit on equal footing with Qin Lou for even one more day, Qin Lou would be furious.

Mingchen toyed with his wine glass, but didn't deny it: "Yes!"

Qin Lou was delighted by Yu Mingchen's recognition of him and drank a glass of wine heartily.

She immediately changed the subject, staring intently at Mingchen: "But you showed up!"

"Did you create the Blood-Clad Army?"

Mingchen had only met Qinlou a handful of times, so he naturally wouldn't tell Qinlou about his relationship with Wang Huai.

But Qin Lou guessed it.

The world believed that the emergence of the Blood-Clad Army was a chaotic catastrophe that caused countless people to die and perish.

However, as an observer, Qin Lou clearly saw countless shining points in it.

The emergence of the Blood-Clad Army was a powerful remedy. Although it devastated the country and undeniably created huge problems, it also completely eradicated a long-standing problem that was difficult to control, left hope, and planted a seed of resistance in countless people.

In the long run, this cannot be considered a bad thing.

Wang Huai's talent was insufficient to support the vast awakening empire. Behind the Blood-Clad Army's perfect uprising, there seemed to be a hidden hand pushing things along. Qin Lou had a sense of familiarity; he felt it was related to Ming Chen.

Only Mingchen could pull off such a risky and insane move.

Mingchen was taken aback when he heard this, but he didn't hide anything and simply nodded and said, "Wang Huai is my elder brother, and I respect him very much."

Then, as if joking, he said to him, "Your Majesty, you mustn't say such things carelessly! Otherwise, Chen will become the target of public criticism among the people of Qian Yuan!"

The Duke of Anguo, who saved the country, and the Blood-Clad Army in the chaos of war had so many close connections.

If these rumors spread, Mingchen will probably collapse.

Qin Lou shook his head and sighed repeatedly, "It really was you..."

The world is his chessboard, his game.

Before meeting Mingchen, Qin Lou truly did not believe that anyone could reverse the entire world's situation.

But Mingchen managed to do it.

In just ten years, the empire had become rotten to the core and was beyond saving.

It was a story of destruction followed by reconstruction, a tale of chaos and war, that brought Mingchen and Xiao Xinyue back together.

Even now, the army is marching north, confronting the Northern Fierce forces head-on.

This is a miraculous reversal, even more tragic than the one eighty years ago when the ruler of Beilie was forced to death by the God of War, leaving the country in ruins.

"You showed up!"

He smiled and shook his head: "So, ten years from now, I won't be the only wise ruler in the world."

His words were not self-pity, nor did he feel inferior in skill; they were simply an acknowledgment of his opponent.

A confident and brilliant person will not belittle their opponent.

On the contrary, they have more respect for their opponents and are better able to see their strengths.

Heroes are destined to cherish each other.

Mingchen then asked, "So?"

"so……"

"The world belongs to one wise ruler. If there are two wise rulers, there will inevitably be a winner and a loser."

Qin Lou leaned back in his seat and smiled: "A hero cannot accept a world ruled by fools, nor can he accept being on equal footing with scoundrels. But after giving his all, he can accept being defeated by a hero."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Mingchen jokingly asked him, "Does His Majesty mean he wants to surrender to us?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Lou slammed his wine glass on the table and shouted, "You're talking nonsense!"

"I will not lose!"

He acknowledged his opponent, but that doesn't mean he gave up on himself.

His ambition will never stop.

He lowered his eyes and looked at Mingchen earnestly: "Mingchen, the world must be unified."

"Whether it's Beilie or Qianyuan, they were all subjects of the Great Xia Dynasty when it unified the world a thousand years ago."

"For over five hundred years, countless people have died in this division and chaos. War has bred endless hatred, and so much strength and wisdom have been wasted in endless internal strife. This situation must stop now."

The two countries have been fighting for a long time, with countless lives lost on both sides, and they are filled with hatred for each other.

However, Qin Lou didn't actually hate Qian Yuan; what he hated was the divided political landscape.

"The longer this goes on, the more our world will be completely divided."

"This is what I said earlier, another reason why I want to unify the world."

A divided world can never achieve the highest prosperity.

Why is it that Qin Lou, such a warmongering, arrogant, and domineering person, can be respected and admired by the entire nation's military and civilians in Beilie?
His talent is one aspect.

His magnanimity and his ambition also made him very attractive.

Mingchen paused, his hand holding the wine cup still.

Your Majesty, the fighting spirit of people will never cease.

Even if the world is unified, people will find new points of conflict and waste their lives and wisdom on pointless struggles.

A unified empire a thousand years ago, didn't it later split up?

Breakups and reunions are a trend.

However, he didn't say these words aloud. He simply raised his glass and said to Qin Lou, "I toast you."

Everyone understands these principles.

But there are always heroes who emerge in the times, concerned about the country and its people, and do something to drive change in the world.

"Dry!"

Qin Lou also raised his wine glass.

They meet very rarely, but they are close friends. They can understand each other's thoughts by exchanging glances.

"Mingchen, this battle will be the last battle between Qianyuan and Beilie."

"I suppose your Emperor Qian also shares the same tacit understanding with me."

"Whoever wins will unify the world."

"A thousand cups of wine are not enough when drinking with a bosom friend." After downing the wine in one gulp, Qin Lou's face flushed. He said to Ming Chen, "I have already spoken to Qin Qi."

"If I lose this battle, he..."

He looked at the steaming wine, lowered his eyes, and said in a low voice, "He will surrender to Qian Yuan. He will accept Qian Yuan's investiture as the monarch of the fallen Northern Lie Kingdom and help Qian Yuan unify the country."

"I hope Ling Yu can continue to restrain his subordinates as he does now, and not harm the people of Beilie. Let's stop here, and stop wasting lives and food. Let's end this war and unify the world."

In Qin Lou's case, unifying the world takes precedence over everything else.

Be confident when you win, and be open-minded when you lose.

This era is destined to have a great ruler who will unify the world. Losing is losing, and continuing to resist is just a waste of more lives and resources.

This was the agreement Qin Lou made with Ming Chen during their last meeting.

(End of this chapter)