A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

The ministers were all utterly bewildered. What was this "Hundred Kingdoms Warriors Tournament"? Why did their emperor always come up with these novelties?

Since it was an event, it was naturally related to the Ministry of Rites.

Wang Shao, the Minister of Rites, stepped forward and asked, "Your Majesty, what is this 'Hundred Kingdoms Warriors Tournament'?"

Yang Guang chuckled and raised his eyebrows smugly.

"This is my latest idea to promote the prestige of our nation."

"The Sui Dynasty has been established for several decades, dominating the land and possessing a territory no less vast than that of the previous dynasties."

"However, the previous dynasty was a time when all nations paid tribute to it. Many countries from all directions regarded the previous dynasty as their suzerain state and considered our divine land as the Celestial Empire, with endless tributes and gifts."

"But the Great Sui has no land outside the empire, and foreign countries treat our Great Sui as equals without any respect. It is truly hateful."

"Therefore, I intend to hold a martial arts competition among warriors from a hundred countries within the territory of the Great Sui. Each country will select its own warriors to gather in Luoyang, compete against each other, and determine who is superior. In this way, we can demonstrate the power of the Great Sui and let those small countries outside the region see the might of the Great Sui."

To demonstrate the might of the Sui Dynasty's army?

Wang Shao nodded. Indeed, they should flex their muscles to intimidate the foreign powers, lest they think the Sui Dynasty was nothing special.

Since Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, seized power and established himself as emperor, all the former vassal states stopped paying tribute to the Central Plains, became independent, refused to recognize the status of the Sui Dynasty, and each of them coveted the imperial position.

Although nominally a king, many countries have created imperial carriages, crowns, banners, dragon robes, etc. that only the emperor of the empire can use, and some even refer to themselves as "朕" (Zhen, the imperial emperor) instead of "孤" (Gu, the lonely one).

This has greatly damaged the prestige of the central court. However, the Sui Dynasty's railways were not yet completed, so it was unable to expand outwards. Otherwise, it would have attacked long ago.

Now, Yang Guang's idea of ​​holding a martial arts competition among warriors from a hundred countries seems like a good idea. Winning in this competition would indirectly represent the strength of the army.

The high-ranking officials in the court exchanged glances and nodded to Wang Shao, indicating that the matter was feasible.

"I obey your decree."

"But which countries does Your Majesty intend to invite?"

Wang Shao, the Minister of Rites, asked again.

"What's the invitation?"

"It is a summons!"

Yang Guang said with some dissatisfaction.

Their Great Sui Dynasty is a celestial empire, why would they need to invite these small countries?

They should be available when called upon and dismissed when dismissed.

"It was an oversight on your part, Your Majesty. Which vassal states are you planning to summon to Luoyang to participate in this martial arts competition?"

"Everyone is called, everyone is called."

"Now all nations under heaven are descendants of the Chinese people. Summon them all to Luoyang for a martial arts contest, so they will know who is the true leader of the Chinese nation."

Yang Guang said excitedly, "This matter has affected all the descendants of the Chinese people throughout the world. It is of extraordinary significance and will surely be recorded in history. As the organizer and victor of this martial arts competition, he will surely leave a glorious mark in history."

"Your Majesty, the country farthest from the Sui Dynasty is tens of thousands of miles away. Just a round trip would take three years!"

Wang Shao's hand trembled; their emperor was far too outspoken.

Moreover, some countries can only be reached by sea, and if they are unlucky enough to encounter severe weather such as storms, the entire mission could perish there.

"Then it will be three years. Three years later, the martial arts competition will officially begin in Luoyang City."

"Let the Ministry of War select the men to lead the Sui Dynasty into battle."

"After selection, rigorous training will be conducted, and all supplies will be provided by the Ministry of Civil Affairs to ensure accuracy."

Minister of War Yuwen Shu stepped forward. As the Minister of War, he had an inescapable responsibility in this matter.

"Remember this: you can only win this battle, you cannot afford to lose."

"If you are defeated, bring me your head."

Yang Guang gave his instructions.

"Minister of Rites, this matter concerns the glory of our empire. Try to see if you can invite a descendant of the Prince of Yan or the Prince of Wu'an to participate in this grand event."

"Even just inviting them to observe the ceremony or act as referees is fine."

"Your subject will certainly do his utmost."

The Minister of Rites smiled wryly.

"Dismiss the court."

After Yang Guang finished speaking, he left first, like a fox that had stolen a chicken.

"Brother Yuwen, the Wei family has consistently refused to come to court, and His Majesty has ordered me to invite them to the capital. What should we do?"

Wang Shao pulled Yuwen Shu aside, and the two of them avoided the court officials and went to a secluded corner, where they spoke anxiously.

"Brother Yuwen, the Prince of Yan would never come to court. The only possibility is the Prince of Wu'an. Your military lineage has always been close to the Prince of Wu'an's lineage. Could you please put in a good word for me? I would be extremely grateful!"

Yuwen Shu, feeling a sense of shared misfortune, glanced at the unfortunate fellow and sighed, "Brother Wang, we are in the same boat. I will do my best."

"The selection process still requires the assistance and cooperation of the Ministry of Rites."

Before Yuwen Shu could finish speaking, Wang Shao patted his chest and assured him, "Brother Yuwen, don't worry, leave this to me. I will make sure my subordinates are well-informed and fully cooperate with the Ministry of War's selection process."

Having reached an agreement, the two discussed the specific details of the event before returning to their respective offices to hold meetings with their subordinates to discuss how to proceed.

The Ministry of Rites, in particular, needed to send missions all over the world. Even if one mission could visit several countries, dozens of missions would still be needed.

Furthermore, to prevent accidents from happening to the missions en route, some countries need to send several missions along different routes. Otherwise, if something happens to the missions en route and the message is not delivered, it would be a real problem.

"Your Excellency, it seems we need to consider something else."

A vice minister specifically responsible for exchanges with various foreign countries stepped forward and gave Wang Shao a reminder.

"What is it?"

"Not long ago, a country in the Fire State was destroyed."

"So what if it's destroyed? What does it have to do with my Great Sui Dynasty?"

Wang Shao asked, puzzled.

"Whether these countries perish or not is naturally irrelevant to our Great Sui Dynasty, but it is relevant to the mission of our Ministry of Rites this time."

"Your Majesty has requested that all nations send personnel to participate in the war. Is this based on the present situation or on the situation three years from now?"

"The world is not peaceful now. When the Great Qian Dynasty was alive, it was the nominal leader of the world. After the Great Qian Dynasty was destroyed, the Great Sui Dynasty inherited most of the political legacy of the Great Qian Dynasty, but it failed to inherit this part. Many places were plunged into war, and every few years a country was destroyed."

"If we use the current standard, what if a country perishes by then?"

"If we use countries three years from now as the standard, then some of those countries are definitely not in our plans. What if they don't come?"

"Although the matter is minor, if it is instigated by someone with ulterior motives, it could be considered a crime of deceiving the emperor."

The Vice Minister reminded him.

This matter can be considered a big deal or a small deal. On a small scale, it's not wrong at all, but on a large scale, it's deceiving the emperor.

Not long ago, the Minister and several other ministers had just refuted Yang Guang's request in court, and Yang Guang was now displeased with these old ministers.

Wang Shao: "..."

Is it too late for him to resign and go home now?