Starting with a Wei Wu soldier

Chapter 315 System Notification

The 29th day of the twelfth lunar month in the fifth year of the Qiming era. The eve of the Lunar New Year.

The lights of Chang'an were brighter than ever before. New lanterns hung in front of every household, a sea of red stretching from the neighborhoods to the markets, from the palaces to the city walls. The sounds of firecrackers rose and fell, crackling and popping, mingling with the laughter of children, echoing in the night sky.

Inside the Taiji Palace, the palace servants had already taken turns going home for the New Year. The ladies of the various palaces had also retired to prepare for the grand feast on New Year's Eve the following day. The entire imperial city was unusually quiet.

The lights in the Wenhua Hall are still on.

Chen Xing sat alone at his desk, with a newly delivered secret report spread out in front of him—the year-end report of the Anbei Protectorate, which stated that all the tribes in the northern deserts were doing well; the first formal report from the Anxi Protectorate, which stated that the mission had arrived in Shazhou and would soon be heading west; and the total annual revenue of the Maritime Trade and Transport Commissioner's Office, which was 20% higher than last year.

He read through each document, picked up his pen, and wrote his comments on them one by one.

After finishing approving the last document, he put down his pen and rubbed his temples.

Another year.

five years.

Five years have passed since he ascended the throne. In these five years, he pacified the south, secured the north, opened up the western regions, and opened up the south sea. In these five years, he gained three sons, countless subjects, and this vast territory.

He should be satisfied.

But deep down, he felt there was something left undone.

He stood up, walked to the window, and opened it.

A cold wind blew in, carrying the smell of gunpowder from firecrackers and the crisp scent of snow. He took a deep breath and gazed out the window at the myriad lights of homes.

Behind each of those lights is a family. The lives of those families are the foundation of the empire he built.

But how long can he hold out?

How long can his sons hold out?

He suddenly remembered the system.

That being that had silently accompanied him since the first day he transmigrated. It had given him knowledge, rewards, and the power to transcend this era. Yet it never spoke, never explained, but simply gave him what it deemed necessary when he needed it.

It's been a long time since I've heard its voice.

He was about to close the window when suddenly—

A cold, discreet notification sounded in my mind.

The long-lost, familiar voice of the system, echoing through five years.

[Main quest updated.]

Chen Xing's finger stopped on the window frame.

[New Mission: The Flame of Civilization.]

[Mission Description: The host has successfully established a unified empire, 'Star,' with its foundations laid and the world initially at peace. However, conquering the world is easy, but maintaining it is difficult. How to ensure the orderly succession of the empire and the unbroken continuation of civilization is the ultimate challenge facing the host.]

[Mission Objective: To extend the Xingqi Empire's reign to over three hundred years.]

[Mission Deadline: None. This is the ultimate achievement mission, lasting for the remainder of the host's life and after their death.]

[Mission Reward: Unknown.]

Chen Xing stood there, motionless.

Three hundred years.

His hand slowly drooped down from the window frame.

Outside the window, the sound of firecrackers continued, and the lights of countless homes remained lit. But those sounds and those lights suddenly seemed distant and blurred.

Three hundred years.

He recalled the history books he had read. Of those once glorious dynasties, how many could last for three hundred years? The Han Dynasty lasted four hundred years, with an interruption in between; the Tang Dynasty lasted less than three hundred years, existing in name only after the An Lushan Rebellion; the Song Dynasty lasted more than three hundred years, but never truly unified the country.

Three hundred years.

What does that mean?

This means that after his death, his son must keep the tradition; after his son dies, his grandson must keep the tradition; after his grandson dies, his great-grandson must keep the tradition... and so on, passed down from generation to generation.

It has been passed down for three hundred years.

It has been passed down for ten generations.

It was transmitted to a future he could not see.

He suddenly laughed.

That smile contained bitterness, relief, and a hint of...excitement that was hard to define.

System, oh system, you really know how to give me a difficult problem.

He closed the window, walked back to his desk, and sat down again.

On the table lay the report from the Anbei Protectorate. Wang Zhong wrote at the end of the report:

"The tribes of the northern deserts all wish to serve as Your Majesty's bulwark for generations to come."

Generation after generation.

It will forever serve as a protective barrier.

Those people also think about generations to come.

Thinking of forever.

He picked up his pen and wrote a single word on the report:

"Can."

Then, he put down his pen and looked out the window.

Outside the window, the lights are still on.

He suddenly remembered that many years ago, in the era when he was still called "Star Lord", he stood on the city wall of the North for the first time, looking at that desolate land, and only thought about one thing: to survive.

Later, his thought was: win.

Later, he thought about unification.

Now, he's thinking: three hundred years.

He didn't know if he could do it.

But he knew that from this moment on, everything he did, every decree he wrote, and every rule he established would affect that distant, unseen future.

How will people three hundred years from now view him?

Will you remember him?

Will you be grateful to him?

Will you scold him?

he does not know.

All he knew was that he had to do it.

Keep going.

Keep doing it.

Until the day I can no longer do it.

Outside the window, the sound of firecrackers gradually subsided.

Late at night.

Chen Xing remained seated at his desk, gazing at the lights.