The Last Sentinel

"Scholar Ye, take care!"

"Please wait, Eunuch Huang."

Ye Feng slowed his pace, hoping to hear a voice from behind him, "Scholar Ye, please wait."

Based on Ye Feng's understanding of Zhu Houcong, Zhu Houcong's style of doing things was always to discuss the core content himself, while his trusted confidants would handle the specific matters.

Therefore, Huang Jin was probably a backup plan that Jiajing had prepared for himself.

But even though I'm walking so slowly, Huang Jin doesn't seem to have any intention of keeping me on my to do anything.

Something's not right!

Based on the intelligence he had previously obtained, it was not difficult to deduce that the warp storm tide was coming, and a new round of battles for territory that would sweep across the four major powers was about to begin. Under such circumstances, the Empire only had himself as its main DPS, and the Empire should give him an explanation.

Why did Huang Jin just watch me leave without saying anything?

Does this mean Zhu Houcong didn't make any arrangements?

impossible!

Ye Feng would rather believe that Pan Jinlian had a chastity arch than believe that the old fox Jiajing had no schemes against him!

Just as Ye Feng was about to step out the door with great hesitation, he suddenly heard a lively commotion outside, and a deep, resonant male voice echoed, "Abandon those self-righteous purists' daydreams of harmonious coexistence between the Empire and the three major powers! Everyone, look up at our surroundings, look at this desolate universe!"

"The 'pure stream' thinks that because the three major forces appear in the form of carbon-based life forms, they themselves are carbon-based life forms!"

"This is an incredibly foolish notion!"

"To determine whether they are of the same kind, besides looking at gene sequences and the periodic table, we must also consider whether they share the same civilization and ancestor as us!"

"They come from three great natural disasters, and we are the natives of this universe!"

"No matter how they change, it doesn't change the fact that they are invaders! We are natives! We are naturally on the opposite side! We are naturally mortal enemies! Therefore, there is no room for compromise between us and the three major powers, and between the Empire and the three major powers, only war!"

At this moment, Ye Feng stepped out of the palace gates. The Zhenwu Hall square was packed with tens of thousands of people. On a platform at the very top of the crowd stood a burly, arrogant-looking civil official in red robes. This official, with an air of authority, addressed the reporters in the front row, saying, "Look up and see the state of the empire, everyone!"

"The desolate universe is not a haven for harmonious coexistence; it is an arena for the competition among civilizations!"

"This is not a lonely journey; this is the coronation of the carbon-based human race!"

"When the Ming Dynasty chose to stay at its origin and cut itself off from its original planet forever, we were no longer the natives trapped on the blue planet, but a new race competing in the galaxy."

"The universe is never a safe haven, but a hunting ground for the fittest!"

"We set sail from our home planet, relentlessly expanding our territory with the tenacity of carbon-based genes. Five thousand years have passed, from the first cataclysm, the chaotic void, to the second, the entropy-suppressed insectoids, to the third, the omnic frenzy. We secured our defenses at wormhole nodes, we drew upon the advantages of the cataclysms, we tamed our starships, we harnessed energy, making every war fortress an extension of the Empire's will, and every war a testament to the brilliance of civilization!"

"Those aliens who covet our territory, those races that underestimate our potential, those bastards who try to deceive us into becoming like us—they all have one name: heretics!"

"There is only one choice for heretics: war, purges, extermination!"

"The universe never pities the weak, and civilization has always been the exclusive domain of the strong. In the visible universe, the ancestral star shines on the Milky Way. In the invisible universe, the empire conquers natural disasters as pioneers, writing a new legend."

"Two universes, one faith; the glory of Great Xia shall illuminate the entire universe!"

"Expand the Imperial Fleet, select a vast number of geniuses, let the light of starships pierce the darkness shrouded by natural disasters, and let the battles of the chosen ones traverse the galaxy!"

"We fight in the chaotic void, we fight in the entropy-dead Zerg nests, we fight on the battlefield of the Omnic Zentradi, we fight in every place where the Great Xia civilization has ever existed."

"Citizens of the Empire, remember this: the stars are our land, humanity our spearhead. Those who are not of our kind are sure to have different hearts. There is no turning back, only moving forward; no compromise, only conquest!"

"From this moment forward, sever all ties with the weak and sanctimonious conservative faction and join the Imperial Military Department. I, Yan Donglou, on behalf of the Imperial Military Department, welcome all passionate young men to enlist and contribute their strength to the Empire!"

A burst of applause erupted from below.

Even Ye Feng, who was standing in the corner, couldn't help but applaud the speaker.

This speech perfectly aligned with Ye Feng's values. Always be vigilant. Even if the other side replicates a carbon-based life form with the same elemental sequence as us, they are nothing but a fake. A fake is a heretic. Heretics need no tolerance or compromise, only war and purges!

However, he said his name was Yan Donglou, a name that sounded very familiar!

Ye Feng suddenly realized: Yan Shifan, courtesy name Donglou!

The Young Grand Secretary of the Ming Dynasty!

Is this the young Grand Secretary? This man, so full of vigor and imposing, a powerful figure comparable to a fusion of Qiao Feng and Guo Jing, is completely out of place with that historical Yan Shifan who only knows how to make money!

But then Ye Feng thought again, it's already the 5050th year of Jiajing's reign, and Jiajing even calls himself a comrade, so it's normal for the young Grand Secretary to have some changes.

"Scholar Ye!" A laugh rang out. "I've long admired your name. Donglou is honored to meet you."

The sound of the East Tower, heard without a trace, demonstrates that Yan Shifan's realm is superior to his own.

Ye Feng returned the greeting, saying, "This humble one, Ye Feng, pays respects to the young Grand Secretary!"

Yan Shifan was very tall, at least 2.5 meters, maybe even 2.7 meters. Even though Ye Feng was 2 meters tall, he was still two heads shorter than Yan Shifan.

Yan Shifan spoke leisurely, "Now I am the Minister of War and the Assistant Chancellor of the Hanlin Academy, while you are a Hanlin Academy Academician. We are in reality teacher and student, so you can just call me 'Master.' Let's skip the formal 'Young Grand Secretary'!"

The moment he meets you, he tries to establish a relationship with you, addressing you as teacher and student. This is not just giving you face, but a huge compliment.

Given Yan Shifan's temperament as a spoiled second-generation emperor who looked down on everyone except his father and the Jiajing Emperor, this was already considered a level of favor.

Ye Feng said, "That brat has the audacity to call me 'sir.' May I ask if you have something important to discuss with me here?"

"Smart!" Yan Shifan said, hands behind his back. "Come on, it's too noisy here."

"yes!"

Yan Shifan walked in front, with Ye Feng following behind, heading straight towards a bustling street outside the Zhenwu Hall.

At this moment, Ye Feng felt relieved.

It wasn't that Jiajing hadn't made arrangements for Huang Jin to contact him; it was because Yan Shifan was waiting for him outside!

Compared to Huang Jin, Yan Shifan was no pushover; he was an extremely sophisticated egoist.

For Ye Feng, a true villain is more popular than a hypocrite.