dkrc Chapter 116 The Imperial Palace
Chapter 116 The Imperial Palace
Chapter 116 The Imperial Palace
Xia Jie naturally had no particular concern about the fact that two-tenths of the population of Kyushu Island had been lost.
After all, the development of the Ghost Cultivation Extraordinary System always requires someone to sacrifice their life. It's still worthwhile for around two million people from Kyushu, Japan, to promote the development of an extraordinary system.
The only regret is that the souls of these two million Japanese were absorbed by the ghost soldiers and could not be transformed into Yin soldiers.
But who can be blamed for this? The commander was a descendant of Tokugawa Ieyasu from Japan, and the ghost soldiers who actually carried out the operation were Japanese people from before.
Su Fan even mercifully helped by passing down divine talismans to aid in the resistance. Besides, this was a national war, so wouldn't it be better to just not resist?
Since they resisted, it's reasonable that they were killed. It's not that most of the people of Kyushu didn't resist; otherwise, why would there still be eight million slaves in Kyushu under the Xia Kingdom?
"The Nine Provinces are now settled, and the Four Kingdoms form the foundation." Xia Jie's voice was icy, echoing in the hall like an inviolable law proclaiming, "Yet, my Xia dynasty, with its power extending throughout the land, how can it be without a palace befitting my great achievements?"
His gaze fell upon the Tsukushi Plain in northern Kyushu and the Kochi Basin in central Shikoku.
"At these two locations," he pointed, and two places on the map immediately lit up with a dim red light, "I will build two palaces. Not for pleasure, but as the key to suppressing the earth's veins, gathering yin energy, and displaying the might of heaven."
"From this day forward, a period of one hundred days shall be observed. After one hundred days, I shall visit the new palace, host a banquet for my ministers, and inspect the imperial troops."
As he spoke, two extremely magnificent, complex, and strangely beautiful 3D images of architectural complexes appeared on the map.
A hundred days? Even if all the living people in Kyushu and Shikoku, including the elderly, women and children, were driven to the front, the population would only be a little over ten million. Perhaps they could complete the task by working themselves to the bone, but the death toll would likely reach an astronomical number, and it might even shake the already unstable foundation of rule on the two islands.
Cold sweat silently soaked through Tokugawa Koji's inner shirt. He knew the consequences of failing to complete the king's order. The king's "severe punishment" was no empty threat.
An extremely audacious idea, one that could even be said to risk offending the emperor, began to grow wildly in his mind.
He bowed deeply once more, his forehead pressed against the cold ground, his voice carrying unprecedented caution and a barely perceptible tremor: "Your Majesty's divine might and meticulous planning are truly admirable. Once these two palaces are completed, they will surely become the unshakeable foundation of our Xia Dynasty for ten thousand generations, a symbol of our might that shakes all directions! I prostrate myself in utter admiration!"
He first showered the audience with praise to establish the tone, then very carefully shifted his focus: "However, I dare to offer a humble opinion, though I am unsure whether I should speak it."
The shadow on the throne rippled slightly. Xia Jie's dark red eyes fell on him. There was no sound, but the invisible pressure made Tokugawa Koji almost suffocate. He dared not pause and continued to speak quickly in the most humble and loyal tone: "Your Majesty is wise. Kyushu and Shikoku have recently submitted. Although there are many slave soldiers, most of them are like frightened birds, weak and feeble. If we force them to build such a massive project, it will take a long time, and the casualties will be huge. Moreover, it will not be able to meet Your Majesty's expectations and will instead damage the majesty of the emperor."
He paused, sensing that the pressure hadn't suddenly increased, before mustering his courage to deliver his core proposal: "In my opinion, our Xia army is currently at its peak, the Japanese puppet regime is in a state of panic, Hokkaido's defenses are weak, and morale is low. This is a golden opportunity!"
His voice rose slightly, taking on a sharp edge: "If Your Majesty grants permission, I am willing to personally lead my elite troops across the sea to conquer Hokkaido! With thunderous force, I will sweep away their remaining troops and capture their able-bodied men!"
Hokkaido has a dense population, far surpassing Kyushu and Shikoku, and has not suffered the ravages of war. It must contain a large number of strong, skilled soldiers and craftsmen! At that time, riding the wave of a great victory, we can mobilize the newly recruited troops and gather the strength of the three islands to rebuild the royal palace. Materials will be readily available, manpower sufficient, and the construction period can be greatly shortened. The palace can then be built even more perfectly and magnificently, truly living up to even a fraction of the King's divine might!
A long silence fell over the hall. Only shadows flowed silently, and the faint outlines of the two palaces flickered on the map.
After a long silence, Xia Jie's icy voice finally broke the stillness, revealing neither joy nor anger: "Hao Er, are you trying to teach me how to do things?"
Tokugawa Koji trembled and almost collapsed: "I dare not! I dare not! It's just that I'm worried that if the project goes wrong, it might tarnish Your Majesty's holy name. So I racked my brains and came up with a foolish plan. Please forgive me, Your Majesty!" He almost buried his head in the ground.
"Hmph." A soft hum made Tokugawa Koji feel as if he had been granted a pardon, because this usually meant that the king was not truly angry.
"Do you think I am a tyrant who built palaces for pleasure?" Xia Jie said.
This question could not be answered under any circumstances, even if Xia Jie was truly an unparalleled tyrant.
After all, completing the project within the allotted timeframe would be difficult even for a combined workforce of tens of millions in Kyushu and Shikoku. Are over ten million people a lot? Of course, they are! However, Japan has a severe aging population, and a significant proportion of these ten million people are elderly.
To complete the project, a number of people will die. Xia Jie tyrannically occupies two territories and has little popular support. He only relies on his overwhelming strength to dominate, and there are quite a few people who are dissatisfied!
To act in this way under such circumstances would inevitably incite a popular uprising. Wouldn't this be treating slaves like dirt and not considering people as human beings?
Calling Xia Jie a tyrant is absolutely fair, but would Tokugawa Koji dare to say that? Even if the king really was a tyrant, he couldn't admit it.
So Tokugawa Koji knelt on the ground, meekly daring not to speak. Just as his heart was about to leap out of his chest, Xia Jie's icy voice rang out again, asking a seemingly unrelated question: "Koji, you're in charge of conquering Kyushu Island. How's your cultivation progressing?"
Tokugawa Koji was taken aback, not understanding why his king had suddenly changed the subject, but immediately answered honestly, "Your Majesty, I—I feel that on the battlefield, in the midst of the fighting, especially when our army wins a great victory and the enemy is routed and wailing,
When the malevolent energy and deathly aura are at their strongest, the yin energy within the body circulates most smoothly, and the body-tempering effect is most pronounced.
This was based on his own experience. During his conquest of Kyushu, every kill and victory made him feel his power growing.
"Hmm." Xia Jie didn't seem surprised. "On the battlefield, where life and death hang in the balance, resentment boils and murderous aura soars to the sky, it is indeed an excellent place for cultivation."
Xia Jie paused, a chilling undertone creeping into his voice: "However, the battlefield is not the only option, nor is it always attainable. The foundation of this technique lies in absorbing and refining all negative energies of heaven and earth, such as yin energy, resentment, pain, and despair. The battlefield is merely a violent outburst of these emotions within a short period, mixed with the life-and-death energies."