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

Chapter 435 The victory in the martial arts competition is yours, but what about the vast world that belongs to me?

"Whoosh!"

In the ensuing clashes, the weapon ultimately proved no match for the user's immense strength.

A flash of light streaked past, and the spearhead pierced deeply into the city wall, causing dust to fly and stones to scatter.

The battlefield seemed to quiet down for a moment.

As the sunlight shone down, a smug and unrestrained smile appeared on the powerful and domineering man's face, his Overlord Spear pointing directly at Ming Chen's face: "Haha..."

Daylight broke, and the night's battle seemed to be drawing to a close.

"Mingchen, I have won this time!"

Last time, at the Tiger Palace gate in Qingcang City, Qin Lou narrowly lost to Ming Chen.

But this time, he won it back.

A cold glint was pointed directly at his nose. Mingchen looked at the broken spearhead and shaft in his hand, and shook his head with a smile.

There has to be a winner and a loser in a martial arts contest, right?

It must have been quite a feat for a weak scholar to fight against such a powerful ruler for so long.

Mingchen was not one to be a sore loser. He casually tossed aside the spear in his hand, smiled at Qin Lou, and said, "Your Majesty's martial arts are superb. I admire you."

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

Qin Lou likes people like that.

As dawn broke and sunlight shone on the earth, blood gushed forth and corpses littered the ground.

The world around us has completely changed.

However, the general trend is still clear.

The Qian Yuan Army was repeatedly defeated by the Bei Lie Army. Even in the battle between the elite legions, the Blood Fiend Army led by Ming Chen and the Tiger Might Army led by Qin Lou were outnumbered and were already at a disadvantage.

From a purely military perspective, if things continue like this, and neither Mingchen nor Qinlou pulls off any major cheat codes, it seems the outcome of this battle is already predetermined.

"Hahaha, Mingchen! I've won! You must help me govern this land!"

This was something Qin Lou and Ming Chen had agreed upon beforehand.

Although Mingchen's credit limit is not high for many people, Qin Lou still trusts him.

The power that Mingchen and Lingyu unleashed here exceeded Qin Lou's expectations.

However, for now, the outcome is still under control.

The combined military strength of Beilie and Qianyuan was much like the martial arts contest between Qinlou and Mingchen.

In the end, Qin Lou came out on top.

only……

Upon hearing this, Mingchen shook his head, looked at Qin Lou, and smiled as before: "Your Majesty, opening the champagne at the halfway point is a bit early."

Meeting Mingchen's gaze, Qin Lou's smile gradually faded: "What?!"

What do you mean?
Qin Lou didn't understand what "opening champagne at halftime" meant, but he knew that Ming Chen's current expression clearly indicated that he wasn't seriously admitting defeat.

Did Mingchen, that layered pancake, actually foresee this?

He even set up an ambush?

Where are the ambushers?
No matter how much Qian Yuan tries to hide, he can't possibly have this many soldiers!
The next moment, Qin Lou frowned slightly and turned to look eastward.

As the sun rose in the east, a series of booming sounds suddenly came from the direction where the bright sun was rising.

Dust billowed, and it seemed a group of people were rapidly approaching.

"Woooooo~"

The sound of the conch shell gradually spread.

"Then...what is that?!"

"Does Qian Yuan have reinforcements?"

"No, that's the flag of the Jinglan Alliance!"

"Damn it! What are those pirates doing here?"

"The Storm Alliance? What are they doing here?!"

The whale shark flag fluttered in the wind.

Gradually, the group of people who had stormed into the battlefield came into everyone's view.

The sudden change caught both the dominant Beilie Army and the nearly routed Qianyuan Army somewhat off guard.

As people look,
On a small hillside, the vast army that had been charging forward came to a stop.

These soldiers, dressed in uniform, had solemn expressions, robust physiques, and extraordinary bearing; they were clearly not ordinary soldiers.

At the very front of these fierce soldiers, a slender figure stood out conspicuously.

"Xu~"

She reined in the reins with one hand and put down the conch shell from her lips with the other.

Compared to horseback riding, she actually prefers riding dolphins to roam the sea.

The leader of this formidable army was actually a woman.

Wearing her favorite tricorn hat and cloak, she stood at the front of the crowd, looking down at the horrific battlefield that had endured a night of fighting.

Wild and flamboyant, it possesses a wild and unrestrained beauty that is incredibly invasive.

"Tsk tsk tsk~"

Entering the battlefield, the unpredictable and capricious leader of the alliance shook his head and clicked his tongue, his expression mirroring that of a certain wicked Duke Anguo.

At first glance, she spotted the most conspicuous person, the defeated man being pointed at by the Northern Emperor with his Overlord Spear.

Hong Ling Shuang smiled gloatingly, seemingly quite pleased to see Ming Chen get his comeuppance.

Her voice was soft as she murmured, "Mingchen, how did you get into such a mess!"

"I'm starting to regret it!"

……

"The Jinglan Alliance?"

Qin Lou frowned as he looked at the swaying whale shark flag.

Since the war between Bei Lie and Qian Yuan began, the Jing Lan Alliance, an extraterrestrial force, has kept a very low profile.

They are focused on acquiring resources and doing business... and seem to have no interest in war whatsoever.

They ignored Bei Lie's surprise attack on Yueyang City from the south, and they also ignored Ming Chen's northward attack on Zhenling Pass.

I just want to live a peaceful and stable life.

This alliance leader is not someone to be trifled with; you won't gain any advantage by negotiating with her, and her ambitions are considerable.

She is ambitious and not a leader who will side with any particular faction.

Qin Lou had considered that this guy might cause trouble when the two countries were at war.

However, from beginning to end, Qin Lou believed that the Jinglan Alliance's ambitions were nothing but a pipe dream!
They simply didn't have the capacity to unify the world.

During this period of peace, he assumed that the other party had resigned themselves to their fate.

Unexpectedly, she appeared on the battlefield at such a crucial juncture.

This army looks formidable and could change the course of the battlefield.

Although the Jinglan Alliance does not have the power to unify the world, it has the power to change the world's格局 (geju, a concept encompassing overall situation, overall situation, and overall situation). It is the final bargaining chip; whoever it is placed on will win.

Mingchen glanced back and spotted the flamboyant and wild woman leading the group.

Every woman has her own unique beauty, and Hong Ling Shuang's confident demeanor as she stands before others, commanding all heroes, is also the most beautiful of them all.

The two looked into each other's eyes, as if they could convey a great deal of information.

Mingchen turned around, looked at the Overlord Spear in Qin Lou's hand, and smiled nonchalantly: "The victory in the martial arts competition is yours, and this vast world is mine, how about that?"

It's okay to lose the duel.

This was merely a private battle between him and Qin Lou; what truly mattered was the overall situation on the battlefield, the outcome of which would determine the future rulers of the continent.

He didn't cheat, he didn't use any cheat codes, he didn't make Ling Yu go crazy and smash the chessboard to pieces by herself, and he didn't use any force beyond what was allowed.

Everything boils down to the relative strength of the two sides' military.

Military planning and mobilizing other forces for assistance are also means of achieving victory.

Qin Lou and Bei Lie are indeed very strong; given Qian Yuan's current military strength, they are truly no match for them. Having reached this point, Ming Chen has already revealed its last card.

Qin Lou's eyes widened: "They're here to help you?!"

Suddenly, he remembered what the messenger had told him when he returned that day.

The leader of the Jinglan Alliance also invited Mingchen.

"You've convinced Hong Ling Shuang?!"

……

Time rewinds to the day after I met Qin Lou.

Birds flew across the sky, and in the cold wind, Mingchen once again came to the familiar seaside and the familiar beach.

The sea is not frozen due to the low temperature; wave after wave crashes on the beach, creating bursts of white foam.

Looking out at the boundless sea, one's mood seems to lighten as well.

Snowflakes drifted down with the biting north wind, sprinkling onto the boundless sea before vanishing without a trace.

"Woooooo~"

The wind whistled, carrying the wonderfully rhythmic sound of the conch shell to my ears.

Mingchen turned his head and saw a beautiful woman, blessed by the sea, holding a conch shell, walking gracefully towards him.

The two exchanged a glance, as if everything was understood without a word.

Standing side by side, they quietly watched the sea and listened to Hong Ling Shuang blowing the conch shell.

The melody and rhythm flowed through my heart, exquisitely beautiful.

We really need to think of a way to lure this free-spirited fish home and have it sing a song for us!
As the song ended, Mingchen smiled at her: "Long time no see, Ling Shuang is as charming as ever~"

"You're such a busy person, it's not easy to see you!"

Hong Ling Shuang glanced at him and said sarcastically, "I heard that someone even wants my envoy to fight someone else?!"

"slander!"

"That's pure slander!"

"Ling Shuang, you're the only one in my heart!"

Time management master Mingchen said eloquently, "When I heard you wanted to see me, I couldn't wait to come see you right away!"

Hong Ling Shuang: ...

She felt that she, as an opportunist and a person who puts profit first, had already become quite shameless.

Even she felt that Mingchen was being a bit too shameless.

She placed her cloak on the beach, sat down, patted her side, and gestured for Mingchen to sit down as well.

Mingchen took off his coat and draped it over her, then sat down next to her.

After a moment of silence, Hong Ling Shuang asked him, "You met with the Northern Emperor? What did you talk about?"

Mingchen paused for a moment, then didn't hide anything, saying only, "We made a somewhat childish agreement."

"Let's settle this with a decisive battle and stop wasting the strength of both nations."

"The loser surrenders to the winner, and the winner unifies the world and will never bully the people of the loser."

National affairs involve the fate of millions of people; how can we perish and surrender because of a mere agreement?
That sounds incredibly naive, ridiculously naive.

It was so naive that it completely overturned Hong Ling Shuang's understanding of Qin Lou.

But Hong Ling Shuang knew that Ming Chen wouldn't lie to her.

She frowned upon hearing this: "The Northern Emperor... can he let go?"

Hong Ling Shuang acknowledged that Ming Chen could let go, after all, he was a freak.

Sometimes it's excessively realistic, and sometimes it's excessively romantic.

However, based on her understanding of Qin Lou, this ambitious and domineering monarch, she did not believe that he was someone who would so easily admit defeat and relinquish power.

Mingchen chuckled softly: "Heh~"

"You still don't understand our Tiger King~"

"Just like he doesn't understand you either."

Hong Ling Shuang pursed her lips.

Mingchen brought her the worst news she ever wanted to hear.

If Qian Yuan and Bei Lie truly abide by the agreement made by Ming Chen and Qin Lou, Hong Ling Shuang's elusive dream of becoming a hegemon will be shattered completely.

A decisive battle between the two countries to determine the victor may seem like a brutal battlefield with countless deaths and injuries, but in reality, it would be the best outcome for unifying the world, with the least loss.

The national strength of both countries will not be greatly depleted, and the casualties among soldiers are still under control.

Regardless of who wins or loses between Qian Yuan and Bei Lie, they will both have a vast territory and unlimited resources.

Even the Jinglan Alliance, which has crossed oceans, could not possibly be their match.

After the great war between the two countries, the Jinglan Alliance must either withdraw from the continent or reconcile with them; otherwise, they will surely be kicked to death like a stray cat on the roadside.

Hong Lingshuang hoped that this war would last for several years, with both sides constantly fighting, clashing, and wearing each other down until the dynasty collapsed and the people lost their support.

Meanwhile, Hong Ling Shuang gradually gained a foothold, skillfully maneuvering between different sides and slowly eroding...

This is her only hope of success.

But now that the two countries have made such an agreement, deciding the winner with rock-paper-scissors, it's decisive and straightforward, and her already faint hope is completely gone.

It remains to be seen who will win between Qian Yuan and Bei Lie, but the Jing Lan Alliance is definitely out of the running.

Hong Ling Shuang felt somewhat helpless.

They drifted across the vast ocean, breaking a thousand-year-old agreement, and many people died.

They did indeed make a name for themselves on this continent, but... it wasn't as brilliant and dazzling as Hong Ling Shuang had imagined.

Although her elusive wish was utterly crushed, Hong Ling Shuang remained remarkably composed, showing no emotional fluctuation whatsoever. She simply raised an eyebrow at Ming Chen and asked, "What, do you even know me?"

It seems that it has not been affected at all.

Mingchen looked at the vast ocean in the distance and smiled: "I understand you just as well as you understand me."

Hong Ling Shuang is actually very similar to Ming Chen.

Very intelligent, imaginative, unconstrained by worldly conventions, with a flexible moral bottom line, a near-perfect eye for opportunity, and an unparalleled ability to seize it...

She was even bolder and more reckless than Mingchen.

Therefore, they can always seem to have a telepathic connection and guess what the other is thinking.

However, Mingchen only acknowledges that there are two most suitable rulers in the world to unify it, but does not consider Hong Ling Shuang to be one of them.

Hong Ling Shuang can at most be considered a ruthless and powerful figure.

She is exceptionally intelligent, talented, and ambitious.

However, she lacked magnanimity.

Both Qin Lou and Xiao Xinyue possess a strong sense of responsibility for the world.

But Mingchen didn't have one, and neither did Hong Ling Shuang.

She was capable enough to be a wise leader and a powerful emperor, but not a hero who could change the times and unify the world.

Hong Ling Shuang curled her lip: "A cunning answer."

Mingchen turned to look at her, as if he had remembered something: "I remember, we made a bet before, and you lost!"

"You still owe me one thing!"

Hong Ling Shuang snorted coldly: "Hmph! That's you cheating!"

The bet was that Emperor Qian could withstand that surprise attack.

Who knew that this guy would sneak back to help in the middle of the night?

However, she didn't deny it and asked, "What, do you want our Jinglan Alliance to send troops to help you fight Beilie?"

Mingchen shook his head: "No, no, no."

"As we agreed before, you only represent yourself, not the Jinglan Alliance."

“Mr. Ming still adheres to the spirit of the contract.”

(End of this chapter)