From Forgotten Soldier To Lord Of The Entire North

A young general named Zhuing rises to become Champion Earl, the highest military title in Ming Dynasty history, amid war, loyalty, and political intrigue.

Key Takeaways

The title 'Champion' represents the highest military honor and responsibility in Ming Dynasty China.
Loyalty and bravery are critical traits that elevate individuals in times of war.
Political intrigue and factional rivalry are significant challenges even for the most honored generals.
Military success can rapidly change one’s status and influence within the dynasty.
Holding a prestigious title binds one to the dynasty’s fate, with no room for failure.

What the video covers

Zhuing receives urgent news that his family members, Lin Fu and Shinu, are safe in Daining despite threats from the Shun family.
A loyal gate guard, Shiao Han, delivers the message and requests to serve under Zhuing, who accepts him as a personal bodyguard.
Zhuing reflects on the dangers from the Shun family assassins and prepares for further military campaigns.
The Supreme Commander Fong Shan arrives with Imperial guards to present Zhuing with a decree elevating him to hereditary Earl with the noble epithet 'Champion'.
The title 'Champion' is the highest military honor in Chinese history, symbolizing the peak of military achievement and immense responsibility.
Zhuing embraces the weight of this title, knowing failure is not an option and that he now represents the Ming Dynasty military standard.
The army and Zhuing’s close allies celebrate his new status, while rival generals plot to petition the emperor to revoke the title.
Political tensions rise as the Hashi faction resents Zhuing’s rapid rise and imperial favor, threatening his survival.
Zhuing’s elevation binds him to the dynasty with honor and loyalty, making betrayal impossible and marking him as a key figure in the ongoing northern campaign.
The video ends with Zhuing standing in a conquered city, holding the prestigious title and preparing for the challenges ahead.

Chapters

What is the significance of the title 'Champion' in the video?

The title 'Champion' is the highest military honor in Chinese history, symbolizing the peak of military achievement and carrying immense responsibility and expectations.

Who is Shiao Han and what role does he play?

Shiao Han is a loyal gate guard who delivers urgent news about Zhuing's family and requests to serve as his personal bodyguard, demonstrating bravery and loyalty.

How do other generals react to Zhuing receiving the Champion title?

Many rival generals are enraged and petition the emperor to revoke Zhuing's title, feeling he is unworthy and that the honor should not be given to someone so young.

Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown

Speaker A

Says he has urgent personal information. Huh? I rack my brain. Can't think of anything. A young soldier named Shiao Han walks in, looking at me like I'm a celebrity. Sir, a man named Lin Fu and a young woman named Shinu arrived at Huhou City looking for someone named Zuing. I recognized your name and kept them safe at the government. In my heart, it stops.

Speaker A

Uncle Lynn, you are there. They're alive. They're in Daining. They came looking for me. There, they're okay. Yes, sir.

Speaker A

Safe and sound at the inn. I feel something loosen in my chest that I didn't even know was tight. For months, I've been worried sick that the Shun family did something to Uncle Lynn. I've been carrying that fear through every battle, every campaign, every sleepless night. And now they're safe. They're here. Shiaoan, what's your name and rank? Shiao Han, sir. Gate guard, small flag, Hujo Garrison. You took care of my family. That's a debt I take very seriously. What can I do for you? The

Speaker A

kid drops to his knees instantly. Please let me serve under you, General. Following you would be the greatest honor of my life. I look at him. This gate guard who saw an opportunity, recognized my name, protected two strangers on the chance they might be connected to me, traveled across a war zone to deliver the message personally, and then asked for nothing more than a spot in my guard unit. Smart, brave, loyal instincts. This kid has potential.

Speaker A

You understand that being my personal guard means being in more danger, not less. I fight at the front always. Even if I die on the battlefield, I'd have no regrets. General. I turn to my military registrar. Transfer his papers. He's mine now. Shiaoan's face lights up like a sunrise. He just went from anonymous gate guard to personal bodyguard of the champion Earl in one conversation.

Speaker A

Biggest career upgrade in Ming Dynasty history. Now, Uncle Lynn and you are safe. But those Shin family assassins are still out there, lurking near Huhou, waiting for an opening. They have no idea that the target they're hunting is under the protection of a general whose kill count exceeds 3,000. And they have no idea that the dead teenager they dismissed is about to find out they sent hitmen after his family. When I'm done with the Liaong campaign, the Shun family and I are going to have a very long conversation. And by conversation, I mean their entire bloodline is going to learn what happens when you mess with champion Earl Zhu Ying's family. But first, Taling awaits. More cities to break, more stats to farm, more treasure chests to earn. And now I've got one more reason to finish this work quickly.

Speaker A

My family is waiting for me. Before Shiao Han leaves, I tell him, "Go back to Huhou. Tell Uncle Lynn and you I'm alive and doing great. Keep them safe. I'll come find them as soon as this war's over." He salutes and turns to go. But then, because the universe has incredible comedic timing, another guard bursts in. Sir, Imperial guards from the capital. And General Fong Shan is here too. When the Supreme Commander of the entire northern expedition personally shows up at your conquered city to watch you receive a decree, you know it's something big. I rush outside. A hundred Imperial guards in black armor with crimson capes are standing in formation looking terrifying. Fong Shan is there with a strange expression like he already knows what's coming and can't quite believe it. The guard captain unrolls the scroll and starts reading and every word hits harder than the last. For donating the miraculous hemostatic powder without seeking reward for saving countless future soldiers' lives, Zhuing is elevated to hereditary Earl. Okay. Earl, that's huge. But I was expecting dot and is granted the noble epithet. Champion. My brain stops.

Speaker A

Champion. Guan Jin. Champion. The single most prestigious military title in Chinese history. Named after Huatubing, the teenage cavalry genius who conquered the northern steps for the Han dynasty.

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For 2,000 years, every warrior in China has dreamed of carrying that name. It represents the absolute peak of what a military officer can achieve. The word literally means crowning the entire army and they just put it on me. I'm standing there holding a scroll that says champion Earl Xuing and my hands are actually shaking. Not from fear, from the sheer weight of what this means.

Speaker A

This isn't just a title. This is a promise carved into history. From this moment forward, I am the standard bearer of the Ming Dynasty military. The name that future generals will be measured against. I can't lose ever. That's the price of this title. Champion doesn't get to fail. Fong Shan walks over. Feel the weight of Imperial grace yet? It's heavy, sir. Very heavy. It should be, but from what I've seen, you can carry it. Just be careful. The higher you climb, the more people want to pull you down. He leaves with his guards, and then the reaction hits. My entire army explodes. The general is champion Earl.

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Champion. Our general carries the champion title. We serve under the champion Earl. Chun Hung Bose. Jeang Wu Bose. Lule, my ride or die bodyguard who gave up his centurion position to follow me when I was a nobody, has tears in his eyes and the biggest grin on his face. I was right. He's muttering to himself. I picked the right horse. I gave up my rank to follow a substitute commander and now he's champion Earl. Best career decision in history. And little Shiao Han, the gate guard who's been here for all of 30 minutes, is standing in the corner with his eyes the size of dinner plates, thinking, "I came here to deliver a message and ended up witnessing a coronation. What is my life right now?" The cheering echoes through the blood-soaked streets of a conquered city. My soldiers are screaming champion Earl over and over, standing among corpses and rubble. And it's somehow the most beautiful sound I've ever heard.

Speaker A

Meanwhile, the news spreads like wildfire through the entire army. Lyu's camp. His aide walks in looking like he'd rather be anywhere else. Sir, the court has granted Zhu in the title of Earl with the epithet Champion. The silence that follows could freeze a volcano. Then Lan Yu erupts. Champion. He gets champion. That title represents the highest honor a Chinese warrior can receive. And they gave it to a child. My father-in-law died for this dynasty.

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I've fought for 20 years. None of us founding generals got that title, and this kid gets it. Chong Mao is vibrating with rage. We have to petition the emperor. All of us. Every Hishi general writes a memorial demanding they revoke it. He doesn't deserve it. He's not worthy. Champion means war god. He's had a few lucky battles and suddenly he's the war god of the Ming dynasty.

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Ridiculous. They start frantically planning a mass petition. Get Xiao Yong on board. Get Wong Bai. Get every Hishi officer to flood the emperor with complaints. If we all protest, surely the emperor will listen. Adorable. They think they can out petition the crown prince. The man whose decisions the emperor has never overruled. The man who is literally one of three people in existence who can stop Zhu Yuan Jang from executing people. Good luck with that petition, boys. Over in Baying, Zhu Di reads the news and his face goes through every emotion known to mankind. Champion Earl, father and brother just gave him the one title that makes betraying the dynasty impossible. A man who carries the champion name is bound by honor, by history, by the very meaning of the word to be loyal unto death. They've chained him to the Ming dynasty with a golden leash that no amount of money or power can break. Yao Guang Xiao nods. Brilliant move. But every action has a reaction. The Hashi faction will try to destroy him now. The higher the Imperial favor, the deeper the resentment. This boy might not survive long enough to use that title.

Speaker A

Zu D stares into the distance. Then we wait and watch. And here I am standing in a conquered city holding the most powerful military title in Chinese h

Speaker A

too. When the Supreme Commander of the entire northern expedition personally shows up at your conquered city to watch you receive a decree, you know it's something big. I rush outside. A hundred Imperial guards in black armor with crimson capes are standing in formation

Speaker A

looking terrifying. Fong Shan is there with a strange expression like he already knows what's coming and can't quite believe it. The guard captain unrolls the scroll and starts reading and every word hits harder than the last. For donating the miraculous

Speaker A

hemistatic powder without seeking reward for saving countless future soldiers lives. Zhuing is elevated to hereditary Earl. Okay. Earl, that's huge. But I was expecting dot and is granted the noble epithet. Champion. My brain stops.

Speaker A

Champion. Guan Jin. Champion. The single most prestigious military title in Chinese history. Named after Huatubing, the teenage cavalry genius who conquered the northern steps for the Han dynasty.

Speaker A

For 2,000 years, every warrior in China has dreamed of carrying that name. It represents the absolute peak of what a military officer can achieve. The word literally means crowning the entire army and they just put it on me. I'm standing

Speaker A

there holding a scroll that says champion Earl Xuing and my hands are actually shaking. Not from fear, from the sheer weight of what this means.

Speaker A

This isn't just a title. This is a promise carved into history. From this moment forward, I am the standard bearer of the Ming Dynasty military. The name that future generals will be measured against. I can't lose ever. That's the

Speaker A

price of this title. Champion doesn't get to fail. Fong Shan walks over. Feel the weight of Imperial grace yet. It's heavy, sir. Very heavy. It should be, but from what I've seen, you can carry it. Just be careful. The higher you

Speaker A

climb, the more people want to pull you down. He leaves with his guards, and then the reaction hits. My entire army explodes. The general is champion Earl.

Speaker A

Champion. Our general carries the champion title. We serve under the champion Earl. Chun Hung Bose. Jeang Wu Bose. Lule, my ride or die bodyguard who gave up his centuran position to follow me when I was a nobody. Has tears in his

Speaker A

eyes and the biggest grin on his face. I was right. He's muttering to himself. I picked the right horse. I gave up my rank to follow a substitute commander and now he's champion Earl. best career decision in history. And little Shiao

Speaker A

Han, the gate guard who's been here for all of 30 minutes, is standing in the corner with his eyes the size of dinner plates, thinking, "I came here to deliver a message and ended up witnessing a coronation. What is my life

Speaker A

right now?" The cheering echoes through the blood soaked streets of a conquered city. My soldiers are screaming champion Earl over and over, standing among corpses and rubble. And it's somehow the most beautiful sound I've ever heard.

Speaker A

Meanwhile, the news spreads like wildfire through the entire army. Lyu's camp. His aid walks in looking like he'd rather be anywhere else. Sir, the court has granted Zhu in the title of Earl with the epithet. Champion. The silence

Speaker A

that follows could freeze a volcano. Then Lan Yu erupts. Champion. He gets champion. That title represents the highest honor a Chinese warrior can receive. And they gave it to a child. My father-in-law died for this dynasty.

Speaker A

I've fought for 20 years. None of us founding generals got that title, and this kid gets it. Chong Mao is vibrating with rage. We have to petition the emperor. All of us. Every Hishi general writes a memorial demanding they revoke

Speaker A

it. He doesn't deserve it. He's not worthy. Champion means war god. He's had a few lucky battles and suddenly he's the war god of the Ming dynasty.

Speaker A

Ridiculous. They start frantically planning a mass petition. Get Xiao Yong on board. Get Wong Bai. Get every Hishi officer to flood the emperor with complaints. If we all protest, surely the emperor will listen. Adorable. They think they can out petition the crown

Speaker A

prince. The man whose decisions the emperor has never overruled. The man who is literally one of three people in existence who can stop Zhu Yuan Jang from executing people. Good luck with that petition, boys. Over in Baying, Zhu

Speaker A

Di reads the news and his face goes through every emotion known to mankind. Champion Earl, father and brother just gave him the one title that makes betraying the dynasty impossible. A man who carries the champion name is bound

Speaker A

by honor, by history, by the very meaning of the word to be loyal unto death. They've chained him to the Ming dynasty with a golden leash that no amount of money or power can break. Yao Guang Xiao nods. Brilliant move. But

Speaker A

every action has a reaction. The Hashi faction will try to destroy him now. The higher the Imperial favor, the deeper the resentment. This boy might not survive long enough to use that title.

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Zu D stares into the distance. Then we wait and watch. And here I am standing in a conquered city holding the most powerful military title in Chinese history with 3,000 personal kills. Stats over. 30,000. A legendary warhorse. A

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pocket dimension full of treasure. The emperor's personal backing, a future mansion, and an entire border army chanting my new name. Champion Earl Zhuing, 14 years old. 7 months ago, the Shin family paid to have me conscripted and forgotten. Today, my name will be

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remembered for a thousand years. How's that for a return on investment? So, while I'm out here conquering cities and collecting titles like Pokémon cards, the big picture is getting intense on every front. Over in Liao Yang, Nachu is

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having his darkest hour. The man just found out that the Yuan Empire's central court has basically abandoned him. No reinforcements coming. The nobles back home decided, "Eh, we're fine up north.

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Let Liong figure itself out." Nahhatu is standing in front of his war map. Realizing he's fighting the most powerful dynasty on Earth with whatever he's got left, and that's it. But this man is not going quietly. He pulls

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together his last 10,000 elite troops and cooks up a trap. Use Tealing City as bait. Let Lon use army march right in then spring the ambush and wipe them out. His top general Azili gets command of the strike force. If we pull this

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off, we save Lioo. If we fail, the great Yuan is finished forever. Heavy stuff. I almost feel bad for the guy. Almost.

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Then I remember his empire enslaved my people for a century and the sympathy evaporates. Meanwhile, and this is the part that makes my blood boil, even though I don't find out until later, the Shin family's assassins just tried to

Speaker A

murder Uncle Lynn and you were for hitmen disguised as inservants. Knives drawn. No hesitation. They burst into the room at the Houé Inn and went straight for the kill. Uncle Lynn barely dodged the first stab and started screaming for help while Uer grabbed a

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chair to defend herself. If Shiao Han had arrived 5 minutes later, they'd both be dead. But Shiao Han, my beautiful, brilliant, perfectly timed new recruit, came back with a squad of soldiers right at that moment. They stormed in and

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killed three assassins on the spot. The fourth one bit down on poison and died before they could interrogate him. Dead soldiers, professional killers with suicide pills. The Shin family sent death squads after an old man and a teenage girl. These aren't hired thugs.

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These are trained assassins willing to die rather than talk. The Shin family. I am going to destroy them. But that's for later. Right now, the important thing is my people are safe. Shiao Han delivers my message and my imperial decrees.

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every single scroll the emperor and crown prince have sent me from my very first promotion to the latest champion Earl title. I sent them to Uncle Lynn for safekeeping because honestly carrying priceless Imperial documents in a battle is just asking to lose them.

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Uncle Lynn can't read so you were opens them one by one and reads aloud. Zuing promoted to centurion. Zhuing promoted to commander. Zuing granted hereditary noble title. Zhuing promoted to regional commissioner commands 10,000. Zhuing promoted to vice commander. Zhuing

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elevated to earl epithet champion. With each scroll, their eyes get wider. Uncle Lynn came here expecting to find my grave. Instead, he's holding a stack of imperial decrees that read like a speedrun of the entire Ming dynasty military hierarchy. He's alive. He's a

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general. He's a nobleman. He's champion Earl. Uncle Lynn starts crying, not from sadness, but from pure overwhelming joy.

Speaker A

Old madam, your boy is alive. He's not just alive. He's become something incredible. This man raised me, wiped my nose, taught me to walk, protected me when the Shin family tried to erase me.

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And now he's standing in a government and holding proof that the kid he raised is the most decorated young soldier in the empire. Uer is shaking. Zuing Gage Champion Earl Champion. She knows what that word means. Every Chinese person

Speaker A

does. It's Hotubing. It's the teenage war god who conquered the northern steps. And they just gave that name to the boy she grew up with. Then Shiao Han adds the cherry on top. Oh, and the emperor gave him a mansion in Daning

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with servants. You're being escorted there immediately for your safety. The local military commander shows up personally, bowing to Uncle Lynn like he's visiting royalty. Sir, you are the family of champion Earl Zhuing. In Daning, your safety is our highest

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priority. We're moving you to the capital city right now. He glances at the four dead assassins on the floor and his face goes hard. And we need to find out who sent those. The soldiers assume it's Yuan spies because who else would

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try to assassinate a Ming hero's family during wartime? Oh, buddy. It wasn't the Yuan. It was a merchant family from Baying who thinks I'm dead and is trying to clean up loose ends. And when I find out they sent professional killers after

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a 50-year-old butler and a teenage girl, well, let's just say the shun family's entry on my revenge list just got upgraded from ruined financially to extinction level event. But Uncle Lynn doesn't know any of that right now. He's

Speaker A

just happy. His boy is alive. His boy is a hero. His boy has a mansion. And somewhere on a battlefield in Liao Dong, covered in enemy blood, riding a legendary waror, holding the most prestigious military title in Chinese

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history. I have no idea that assassins just tried to kill the only family I have left. When I find out the Shin family is going to learn why my enemies call me, the killing god. Three months have passed since Caillouan fell. Three

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months of non-stop conquering and my daning border army has been on an absolute tier across Loa. 17 cities captured. 17. That's three more than Lanu's force. And he has twice my manpower. Speed beat size baby. But something's been bugging me. And today

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it finally clicks. I'm standing on the walls of our latest conquest, staring toward Tealing in the distance when it hits me like a bucket of ice water.

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Something's wrong. Shinhung looks confused. wrong. We've been crushing it. 17 cities. The boys are thrilled. That's the problem. Think about it. After the first few cities, every garrison we've fought has been garbage. Green recruits, half equipped. Barely enough supplies

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for a few days. Where are all the real soldiers? Where's the heavy equipment? Where's the stockpiled food? Jeang Wu shrugs. They're losing. Running out of men. No. Nahu had 20,000 troops. You don't burn through that many soldiers defending tiny border towns with

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skeleton crews. He's been pulling his veterans out, concentrating them somewhere. The color drains from Chunhangs face as he gets it. He's building a strike force. Exactly. And where would he use it? I point at the map. Two Ming armies advancing on two

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routes. Nachu can't stop both. But if he destroys one, Taling, I say, it's the bait. But sir, Taling is supposed to be their supply hub, which makes it the perfect trap. Lan Yu is racing to take it because whoever captures the enemy's

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logistics center gets the campaign's biggest achievement. He'll charge in head first. And when his army pours through the gates, I pause. Everyone's staring at me. Imagine the city packed with oil, alcohol, anything flammable.

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The Yuan army lets us eye in then lights it up. 10,000 soldiers trapped inside a burning city. Then their hidden army hits from outside. Even a 100,000 troops can't survive that dead silence. Every officer on this wall just went pale.

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That's That would be a massacre, Jang Wu whispers. That's exactly what Nahatcha would do. He's not stupid. He knows defending every city is hopeless. But one decisive ambush that wipes out half the Ming force, that changes everything.

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They could counterattack, retake lost territory, maybe even push into Daning itself. Chun Hung swallows hard. Do we warn Lan Yu? And here's where I wrestle with the devil on my shoulder for approximately half a second. Those generals have done nothing but sabotage

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me, mock me, try to steal my credit, delay my supplies, and literally punch me in the face. Lan Yu walked into a room and looked at me like I was something he scraped off his boot. Chong Mau tried to fight me. They've been

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plotting against me since day one. If Lan Yu marches into a trap and gets his army roasted, that's one less political enemy, one less obstacle between me and total military dominance. I could just not say anything, watch it happen,

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shrug, and say, "Gee, too bad." For exactly one heartbeat, some dark corner of my brain considers it. Then I squash that thought like a Bug. Those ha officers are jerks. But their soldiers didn't do anything wrong. Those are Ming

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Dynasty troops. our countrymen, our brothers in arms. I will not let tens of thousands of good men die in a fire because their commanders are idiots and I have a grudge. Send a message to Lanu immediately. Tell him Tealing is likely

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a trap. Do not charge in. But General, will they even believe us? They'll think we're trying to slow them down so we can take first. Probably, but I have to try.

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And if they don't listen, I turn to face my officers. Then we prepare to save them ourselves. full battle readiness.

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If Lon Yu is dumb enough to walk into that city, I'm taking our cavalry and smashing whatever Yuan ambush force is waiting outside. We rescue our people whether they want to be rescued or not.

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I grab paper and ink, write a detailed warning letter explaining everything. The suspiciously weak garrisons, the missing elite troops, the likelihood of a fire trap at Tealing, and hand it to 50 of my best riders. ride. Get this to

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Lan Yu. Now they gallop off into the dust. Meanwhile, at Lan Yu<unk>s advance camp, Chong Mao is celebrating like he already won. He's sitting in his command tent, boasting to his officers, including Jeang Yu from the Baying Garrison about how they'll take Tealing

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tomorrow and claim the war's biggest prize. Zhu Ying<unk>s border army is behind us this time. We got here first.

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The glory is Our Rs. His officers are cheering. The mood is festive. Everyone's already mentally spinning their promotion bonuses. And then my messengers arrive at the gate. Urgent military intelligence from champion Earl Zhuing must see the marquee of Yong

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Chong immediately. The gate guards here, Zhuing and Daining Border Army, and their faces go sour. 3 months of their commanders badmouthing me has trickled down to every soldier in their camp.

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They look at my messengers the way you'd look at a telemarketer knocking on your door during dinner. Wait here, the gate officer says with zero enthusiasm and trudges off to find Chong Mau. So now my warning is in the hands of people who

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hate me being delivered to a man who tried to punch me who will present it to a commander who considers me his mortal enemy. Will they listen? Will they even read it? Shuning already knows the answer. They're not going to believe us.

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Probably not. Then what? I look toward Tealing, invisible in the distance. Somewhere out there, Nahhatu's trap is set and baited. A 100,000 Yuan elite soldiers are hiding, waiting with enough fire to turn a city into an oven. And Lu

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is about to walk his entire army straight into it. Then we save them anyway because that's what the champion does. I'm going to rescue the man who hates me most in the world. This job is exhausting. So my messengers deliver my

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warning to Chong Mao and the response is exactly what I predicted. Chong Mao reads my letter. Tealing is likely a trap. Proceed with caution. Looks at it for about 3 seconds and laughs. Did I hear that right? Zu Yeng is warning us

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about danger. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. He doesn't just dismiss it. He mocks it, tells his officers, I'm obviously trying to slow them down so I can steal the glory of taking tealing. Then he rips up my letter, literally tears it to pieces.

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To his credit, one officer, Jeang Yu from the Baying Garrison, actually speaks up. Maybe we should at least send scouts to check. Chong Mao reluctantly agrees to let Jean Yu handle some scouting, but makes it crystal clear.

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Tomorrow's attack goes ahead and no matter what, my messenger Chow comes back and reports. They didn't believe us, sir. Expected. We've done our part.

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Buan looks concerned. What if you're wrong about the trap? Then Lu takes tealing, gets the credit, and I look paranoid. But if I'm right, I check my forces. 2,000 cavalry ready. 20,000 infantry on standby. Everything prepped for tomorrow. And then, because I always

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squeeze in treasure chest time before bed, I open my stockpiled boxes. Seven total, three tier, one for normal.

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Normal chests give me some useful stuff. Laxative powder, useful for poisoning enemy supplies. Worked great on the Gurchants. Snow lotus herbs, steel sabers for my guards, and armor-piercing arrows that might carry my internal energy better than regular ones. But the

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tier one chests, oh boy. First, 5,000 gold. Fine. Added to Mount Zu Ying<unk>s golden treasury. Second, steam engine blueprints. Full schematics. I now have gunpowder, flint lock musketss, divine cannons, fire arrow war chariots, and a steam engine in my collection. I'm

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basically carrying the entire industrial revolution in my pocket dimension. Give me 10 years in a workshop and I'll build a civilization that's five centuries ahead of everyone else. Third, a treasure map to the Imperial Jade Seal.

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I stare at this one for a very long time. The Imperial Jade Seal. The jade seal, the one Chin Shir Huang made after unifying China. The artifact that says commanded by heaven, may the emperor live forever, carved into it. For 2,000

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years, possessing this seal meant you were the legitimate ruler of all China. It's been lost since the chaos of the five barbarians period, and nobody has found it. And I just got a map to it.

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The location appears to be deep in the northern step yuan territory, which makes historical sense. When the barbarian invasions shattered China, the seal could easily have been carried north. Am I going to go get it?

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Absolutely. Not now. I'm kind of busy conquering Loaong, but eventually. Because when I'm ready to build my own empire, and let's be honest, we all know that's where this is heading. Having the legendary seal that says heaven chose me

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is basically the ultimate cheat code for legitimacy. My stats check. Strength 3,645. Speed 3,522.

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All attributes approaching 4,000. Lifespan 271 years. I have literally killed my way into a lifespan that will let me outlive multiple dynasties. I'll be alive for the Yongwa emperor, the Schwanda Emperor. And if history repeats itself, I'll be around when that idiot

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gets half a million soldiers killed at Tuma Fortress. And when that happens, I am not sitting on the sidelines. But first, tomorrow inside tealing, the trap is even worse than I imagined. Nahu's top general, Azili has 15,000 elite

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troops hidden in and around the city. The streets are soaked with oil, alcohol, and every flammable substance they could find. 5,000 conscripts, mostly forcibly recruited Honchinese civilians, are positioned as bait, ordered to fight and die to make the

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defense look real. Once Lanu's army pushes inside and commits to the street fighting, they light everything on fire and the 10,000 hidden elites slam the door shut from outside. It's a crematorium disguised as a city. And to make absolutely sure nobody talks.

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Nahachu is holding every single officer's family hostage back in Lioang. Leak the plan. Your wife and kids die.

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Every officer in the city has Nachu's personal bodyguards protecting them which really means watching their every move. Their own personal guards have been reassigned. Their prisoners commanding an army. This plan succeeds or your families burn is basically as a

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shill's pitch. Motivational speaking. Yuan dynasty style. The next morning, Lan Yu rolls up to Teing with nearly a 100,000 troops. He's standing on his war chariot looking at the city like it's a Christmas present with his name on it.

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Chong Mao reports, "Five scouting parties sent. No ambush forces found outside the city. All clear. Of course, there's nothing outside. The trap is inside, you walnut." The scouts checked for armies hiding in the fields and forests. They didn't check whether the

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city itself is a giant incendiary bomb. Lanu nods satisfied. Take this city. And Liaoong falls. He's about to order the charge. A 100,000 Ming soldiers are lined up, ready to storm the gates. And 20 m away, I'm sitting on woofing with

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my cavalry force, staring at the horizon, waiting for the smoke. Because when that city lights up, and it will light up, I'm the only thing standing between Lan Yu's army and total annihilation. The man who hates me most

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in the world is about to need me more than he's ever needed anyone. Irony is delicious. So, picture this. I'm chilling with my 50,000 troops and my buddy Lanu is out there about to walk into the biggest trap since someone

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invented the free candy van. I literally told this man, I said, "Hey, Lan Yu, maybe don't rush into Tealing City.

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Smells like a trap." And what does he do? He looks at his generals. They all nod like bobbleheads. And one of them actually says, "I'm fear-mongering and that I don't have good intentions." Cool, cool, cool, cool. Love being the

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smart guy nobody listens to. So Lanu sends Chong Mau in with the full works.

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300 cannons blasting, soldiers screaming, charge, the whole dramatic movie scene. And honestly, it's working.

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The Yuan soldiers are fighting back hard, which, and here's the genius evil part, is exactly what Nachu wanted. See, Nahhatu is playing 4D chess while everyone else is playing checkers. He stuffed that city with soldiers and civilians specifically, so it would look

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like a real last stand. He literally sacrificed tens of thousands of his own people like they were expired coupons.

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Chong Mau fights his way to the city headquarters. He screaming victory speeches, probably already mentally spinning his bonus money. And then boom, well, more like WH. The entire city catches fire everywhere all at once.

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Nahu had death squads hiding underground with matches and they just torched everything. The whole city becomes a giant barbecue and the main course is the Ming army. Meanwhile, behind Lon Yu<unk>s army, 20,000 Yuan cavalry comes screaming out of nowhere like angry

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wasps. His rear guard gets absolutely shredded. The guy who was calling me a liar 5 minutes ago is now going, "Oh no, Zuing was right." Yeah, no kidding.

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Genius. Lan Yu's completely surrounded. Yuan infantry closing in from every direction. His soldiers are dying left and right. The man actually pulls out his sword and gives a whole I'll die with you brothers speech. Very noble, very dramatic, very much about to be

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very dead. And that's when yours truly shows up. me zuing riding my beautiful black stallion woofing like I'm the main character of this entire dynasty which let's be honest I am. I pull out my bow seven arrows at once because why shoot

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one when you can shoot seven. I let them fly and each arrow punches through five or six yuan soldiers like they're made of wet paper. My system is going absolutely nuts. Picked up 10 strength points. Picked up 15 days of lifespan.

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It's like black. Friday for stat boosts. My 20,000 cavalry behind me unleash a wall of arrows that turns the yuan rear guard into pin cushions. Then I switch to my big beautiful tiger head blade and just start chopping. The text literally

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compares me to Xang Yu, the ancient god of war, and then says I'm actually scarier than him. I'm not bragging, that's just what happened. I carve through the Yuan army like a hot knife through butter. My boys follow right

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behind me, splitting their formation into pieces. The enemy general Yixxi Ambua sees me coming and his face goes white. He throws every bodyguard he has at me. They last about 3 seconds. And Lyu, the guy who ignored my warning, he

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looks up, sees my flags, sees me absolutely demolishing the enemy. And his face does this beautiful complicated thing where gratitude and embarrassment are having a fist fight. It's It's Juing. He says, "Yeah, buddy. It's me, the guy you didn't listen to. You're

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welcome. He snaps out of it and starts fighting back, too. Clearing Yuan troops from the city gates so his burning soldiers can escape. Good. At least he's useful now. The Yuan commander, Alicia, starts panicking, screaming, "Close the circle. Close the circle." But it's too

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late. I already tore their circle a new hole. Several new holes, actually. And I'm not stopping. I spot Yixie Ambua by his command flag, screaming orders, and I think, "You know what would really shut him up?" So, I ride straight at

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him, blood dripping off my blade, bodies falling behind me like leaves in autumn. He sees me coming and his eyes go wide.

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Zu Xuing. He stammers. Last words aren't usually someone else's name, but I respect the fan recognition. I raise my blade. End scene. You're welcome, Lu.

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Maybe next time. Listen to me. So, where were we? All right. I was about to rearrange Yixxi and Buua's face. The guy actually tries to block my strike. Bless his heart. Our blades meet, and for one tiny moment, he probably thinks, "Hey,

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I'm alive." And then, "Nope." The force from my swing basically explodes through his arms, shatters his bones, and launches him like a human cannonball about 15 steps away. He hits the ground and just stops existing. My system goes,

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"Ding!" killed you on General Yixie Ambua. Here's 50 points and everything and a treasure chest. Thanks. I'll take that. But I don't even pause. I see the guy holding their battle flag and think, you know what? That flag's ugly. One

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swing, dude, and flag chopped in half. Their entire cavalry instantly panics. Nothing says we're losing like watching your flag get cut in half along with the guy holding it. I killed your general, I announce, because I believe in

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transparency. Now it's your turn. My system is basically having a party at this point. Every swing of my blade.

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Ding ding ding. Strength points, lifespan days, internal energy. I'm collecting stats like a kid at Halloween collecting candy. Oh, and my attributes just crossed 4,000 total, which apparently triggers a bonus chest. Nice.

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Love a good milestone reward in the middle of a blood bath. Meanwhile, Lan Yu is watching me carve through the enemy army, and his face is doing this thing where he's simultaneously grateful embarrassed impressed and slightly annoyed. It's like watching

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someone eat a lemon while being told they won the lottery. The man literally just had his life saved by the one guy he's been trash talkinging for months, and he knows it. Does he say thank you?

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Of course not. He just watches me ride past, and I give him exactly one glance.

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the kind of glance you give. Someone who didn't listen to your directions and ended up in a ditch. And keep moving.

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I'm not here for you, buddy. I'm here for the soldiers. You almost got killed.

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Now, here's where my big brain really shines. See, I didn't just show up with cavalry and wing it. While my riders are tearing through the Yuan front lines, my infantry commander, Chun-Hung, comes marching in from the west with 30,000

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foot soldiers. Arrows start raining down on the Yuan from behind. The enemy general Alicia, the guy running this whole ambush, suddenly realizes he's the one who's surrounded. His face goes from we're winning to we're dying so fast you

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could get whiplash watching it. How? He screams. The plan was perfect. Lu was trapped. Yeah, about that. Your plan was perfect against Lu. Unfortunately for you, I exist. His officers figure it out before he does. Sir, the Daning Border

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Army wasn't part of the trap. They weren't inside the city. They planned this counterattack in advance, which means And then Aliculi gets it. Nobody leaked the plan. Nobody betrayed anyone.

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I just straight up read Nahhatu's entire strategy like it was a children's book. Every city I conquered had nothing but rookies in it. Where were all the veterans? Either guarding the capital or being saved for something big. And

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there's only one something big that makes strategic sense. Use tealing as bait. It wasn't hard to figure out. It was just hard for everyone else to figure out. Alicia orders a retreat. His army tries to run east. Cute. I chase

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them for 20 m. By sunset, I've got what's left of them. Maybe a thousand guys completely surrounded in an open field. Alicia is standing under his battle flag looking like a man who just realized he forgot to turn off the

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stove. Except the stove is his entire military career. Who are you? I call out riding forward. I mean, I already know, but let's do this properly. I am Alicia, Grand General under the Yuan Commander Nachu. Respect. The man introduces

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himself with his full resume even while surrounded. Surrender or not? I ask. Honestly, I'm kind of hoping he says no because I want that treasure chest. He laughs. Actually laughs. Then he says, I'm Yuan nobility. I don't surrender.

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And then he asks me the question that's been eating him alive. Did you actually see through Nachu's entire plan or did someone leak it? So I explain casually like I'm reviewing a restaurant. Yeah.

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Every city I took had zero veterans. Obviously Nachu was stockpiling troops. He's too smart to just sit and defend, so he had to be planning a counterattack. Tealing was the only bait that made sense. Alicia stares at me for

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a long moment, nods slowly, and says, "And I'm not making this up. Ming Dynasty's national luck must be incredible to produce someone like you.

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I don't regret losing." Then he charges at me. One final warrior's charge. Very cinematic. It lasts about half a second.

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One swing. Head off. Ding. 150 attribute points and a tier one chest. After mopping up the last thousand, my general Jeang Wu rides up all excited. Do we keep going? And this is where I do something genius. I tell Jeang Wu and Lu

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Jan to grab all the dead Yuan soldiers armor and flags. Dress up as retreating Yuan troops and walts into the cities east of Teing pretending to be fleeing survivors. Then take those cities from the inside. Take as many cities as you

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can, I tell them. Every city you grab, I'll write you up for the credit. Their eyes light up like kids on Christmas morning. They grab the disguises and take off east like they're late for a sale. So, let's recap my evening. Saved

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100,000 soldiers from being barbecued, killed two enemy generals, broken encirclement, reversed a catastrophic defeat into a massive victory, hit 4,000 total stats, collected multiple treasure chests, and launched a covert operation to steal more cities while the enemy is

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still confused. And Lu, he's standing somewhere behind me. alive because of me, knowing I was right about everything and trying to figure out how to write a battle report that doesn't make him look like a complete fool. Good luck with

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that, buddy. All right, so the battle's over. The fires are still burning and tealing, and the whole place looks like someone tried to barbecue a city.

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Spoiler, someone did. Let me give you the scoreboard. Lu marched in with about 90,000 soldiers. Nearly 40,000 of them are now either dead or injured. Half his army gone, burned, stabbed, trampled.

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The full buffet of battlefield misery. His generals, half of them are dead, too. Chong Mao, the guy who was screaming victory speeches an hour ago.

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Critical condition. The whole command tent looks like a hospital waiting room where everyone also lost a bet. And then there's my side. My Daning boys rolled in, wrecked the Yuan cavalry, broke the encirclement, chased the enemy for 20 m,

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killed their supreme commander, and set up a counter siege so clean it could be in a textbook. Losses minimal vibes immaculate. So naturally, Grand General Fong Shan summons me to Lanu's command tent for the afteraction meeting. I walk

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in with Chun Hung and Way Kuan behind me, and we are glowing. Winter's energy radiating off us like we're the sun.

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Meanwhile, the tent is full of beaten, bandaged, limping generals who can barely look at me. You know that feeling when you warned your friend not to touch the hot stove. They touched it anyway, and now you're visiting them in the burn

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ward. That's this. Except multiply it by 30 generals and add swords. Nobody says a word. The silence is so thick you could spread it on toast. And then, oh, and then Huhai opens his mouth. This man, this man who called me a

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fear-mongerer, who said I didn't have good intentions, who helped ignore my warning and almost got 100,000 people killed? This guy looks at me and goes, "What are you doing here? Come to laugh at us." I stare at him for exactly one

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second. Soldiers are dying in the medical tents right now, I say. Ice cold. I don't have time to laugh at you, but if you think this defeat is a joke instead of a leadership failure that got thousands of your own men killed, well

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then I've got nothing more to say to you." His face goes white. Lu's face goes white. The whole tint goes white. I basically just told 30 generals they got their own soldiers killed, but I said you singular so they could all pretend I

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was only talking about Huh Hai. You're welcome for the face saving, gentlemen. But Huh Hai still tries to clap back. If you're so righteous, why are you even here? Shut up. Grand General Fong Shan walks in. Oh man, the timing. He storms

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through that tent flap like an angry dad coming home to find the house on fire. I called him here. Fong Shung snaps. He was busy in the medical camp actually saving people, which is more than I can say for you. Then Fong Shan proceeds to

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roast them in front of everyone. Zhuing saved your lives. He saved your soldiers lives. 50,000 of them. And instead of being grateful, you're giving him attitude. I'm just standing there with my arms crossed, trying not to smile. My

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guy next to me is practically vibrating with joy. Shunhang is mentally taking notes for the things I'll brag about later file. And then the moment I genuinely did not expect. Lan Yu walks down from his commander's seat, walks

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right up to me, and bows. Lanu thanks General Zu for the rescue. He says, "Lan Yu, the Lanu, the most arrogant general in the entire Ming dynasty, the man whose ego has its own postal code.

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Bowing to me, I think somewhere in the universe, a pig just flew. After him, Jang Yu steps forward and bows. Then another general, then another, one by one, like dominoes made of pride falling over. Even Huhai, the absolute clown,

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has to bow. You can literally see his soul leaving his body as he does it. I accept their thanks graciously because I'm a professional. No need for all that. I say, "We're all Ming soldiers.

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Protecting each other is the job. See, classy, that's what separates me from them. I don't need to gloat. The situation gloatess for me." Then comes the real good stuff. Fong Sean publicly announces he's going to personally write the battle report to the emperor and

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request a commendation for me. Personally, the Grand General writing my recommendation letter. That's like getting a LinkedIn endorsement from the CEO of the entire company. After the other generals limp out of the tent, some literally limping, Fong Shan drops

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the act and gets real with me. He actually gives me a military salute. A national duke is saluting me. If you hadn't come, he says, dead serious.

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Those 100,000 soldiers would be gone and my career with them. I owe you a favor from the most powerful military commander in the dynasty. That's worth more than any treasure chest my system could give me. That's political capital,

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baby. The kind you can't grind for. Buan is standing behind me looking like a proud dad at graduation. He's already planning to petition the emperor to make me the official commander of the Daning army. My officers are looking at each

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other thinking, "We hitched our wagon to the right horse." And the best part, my two generals, Jeang Wu and Lu Jan, are currently out there right now dressed as Yuan soldiers, sneaking into enemy cities and stealing them from the

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inside. By morning, I'll probably have three more cities to add to my victory report. Meanwhile, back in Lanu's private tent, Huh Hai is whining about how I was too arrogant and how they'll never be able to hold their heads up

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around me again. Yeah. Oh, hi. That's kind of what happens when someone saves your life after you called them a liar.

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It's awkward. Maybe next time. And I cannot stress this enough. Listen to me. 17 years old by the way. I'm 17 and I just saved the entire northern campaign.

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Earned a personal IOU from a Duke made the most powerful generals in China bow to me. And I'm not even old enough to grow a proper beard. This dynasty isn't ready for me. Okay, so the battle's done. The fires are dying. And now it's

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time for my favorite part of any war. The drama. First, let me tell you what's happening in Lan Yu<unk>s private tent because I have sources everywhere. Huh?

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Hi. My biggest hater is still whining. That Zhuing was so arrogant. We can never hold our heads up again. And you know what Lanu says? The great, proud, unbreakable Lan Yu. He goes, "What do you want me to do about it? He saved our

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lives. If we go after him now, everyone will call us ungrateful then. And this is the part that nearly made me spit out my tea when I heard about it later. Wan Yu actually says, "To be honest, I kind

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of admire him." Huhai's face. I wish I could have seen it. The man looked like someone told him his dog learned to talk and its first words were, "You're adopted." Lanu even drops this wisdom bomb. If we were in his position and he

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was the one trapped, would we have rushed in to save him that fast? And who high to his credit is honest? We'd save him. But not that quickly. Exactly.

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Because I'm built different, gentlemen. Write it down. Meanwhile, back in my camp, Buan, my beautiful, wonderful, perfect boss, is practically glowing.

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You're getting that promotion to daining commander for sure, he says. I'm writing to the emperor myself. I love this man.

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You know why? Because he knows his lane. He can't lead armies and he knows it.

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So, he just lets me do my thing and handles all the boring supply chain stuff. That's not weakness. That's the smartest leadership move possible. Every boss in history should take notes from Buan. Give your talented people room to

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work and just keep the snacks coming. We chat strategy for a bit. I explained that Nahhatu just burned his last card.

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15,000 elite troops gone. He's got maybe 80,000 left defending Gaiou. And those are a mix of veterans and rookies. I give it two months before we're kicking down the door of Lio Yang, his capital.

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Then I casually drop some future predictions about how after Liaoong, the emperor will definitely launch a campaign against the Yuan court itself.

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Buan looks at me like, "How do you know all this?" And I'm thinking, "Buddy, if I told you I literally know the future because I'm from 600 years later, you'd have me committed." Then Jang Yu shows up with a bunch of Baying generals.

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These guys came back just to thank me again privately without the Hi generals watching. Jeang Yu's like, "If you ever come to Baying, every single one of us will fight for you. We owe you our lives. And here's where I drop a casual

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bomb." "Oh, I'm actually from Baying. That's my hometown." Jean Yu's jaw hits the floor. "What? You're from Baping?

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How did we lose you to the Daning Army?" I just smile mysteriously and say life is complicated because the real answer involves reincarnation and a magical system panel and that's a bit much for casual conversation. What Jang Yu

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doesn't know, what nobody knows is that I'm looking at him thinking in another timeline. You'd be Zu's most trusted general during the Jing Nin Rebellion.

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You die fighting for him. History is weird when you're living inside it. After everyone leaves, I finally get some alone time. Bath time. And you know what that means? Loot box time, baby.

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I've got eight treasure chests for normal ones for tier one. Christmas came early. I cracked them all open at once because I'm not a coward. Normal chest give me 10 bottles of fasting pills.

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Never need to eat. Convenient. 10,000 silver tails, chaching, 20 steel sabers, and a combat technique called/ strike.

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Decent. Not spectacular. Tier one chests give me a recipe for bone forging powder plus 20 bottles of the stuff.

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Strengthens your skeleton metal, two skill points, and a pet. A golden eagle. What am I supposed to do with a bird? I think slightly disappointed. It comes as an egg the size of my head. I touch it.

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It pricks my finger for a blood contract. Very dramatic, very fantasy novel. And then it hatches. Out comes this gorgeous golden eagle with a wingspan already over a meter and it immediately lands on my shoulder like we've been best friends for years. Then

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I read the ability description. Share vision with contracted spirit pet. I stare at those words for a solid 10 seconds. Share vision. Do you understand what this means? I can see through this eagle's eyes. When it flies, I can see

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everything below. Every army, every ambush, every hidden camp. This bird is basically a satellite, a medieval spy drone, a feathered predator drone without the missiles. Every general in history would kill for aerial reconnaissance. And I just pulled it out

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of a loot box. You, I say to my new eagle, feeding it a chunk of lamb from my magical inventory are the most overpowered thing I own. And I once shot seven arrows through 30 people simultaneously. I check my stats before

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bed. Everything's over 4,000 now. I've got 271 years of lifespan saved up. My storage space is 49 cubic meters. I know six combat techniques. I have a magic eagle. I'm 15 years old. 15. Meanwhile, over in Leia Yang, Nachu, the mastermind

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who spent months planning the perfect trap just got the news. He kicked over his desk. He's screaming, "What do you mean we lost?" 15,000 troops. Lost.

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Yeah, buddy. Lost. to a teenager with a magic bird and a really big knife. Sweet dreams, Naachu. I'll be at your front door in about two months. So, while I'm out here sleeping like a baby, after the greatest military comeback in Chinese

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history, the entire world is losing its mind over what I just did. Let me take you on a tour. Stop one, Nachu's office, meltdown city over in Liyong. Nahu just got the news. His general, Guan Tong, walks in looking like a man delivering a

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pizza to a funeral. So, we lost. How? Nah, screams. 15,000 troops. A perfect plan. How? Well, sir, there was this army we forgot about. Which army? The Daning Border Army. And their general, Zhuing. You could probably hear Nachu<unk>s blood pressure spike from

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three provinces away. The man spent months on this trap. He sacrificed an entire city. He had everything calculated. Every angle, every escape route, every variable except me. He literally forgot I existed. I'm like that one group project member everyone

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ignores until deadline night when they show up with the entire presentation done. Nahu does the math. Started with 150,000, got back maybe 30,000 or 40,000. The rest dead, captured, or running through the woods pretending to be farmers. his entire elite fighting

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force. The veterans he pulled from every corner of Liaoing gone. His adviser, Guantanong, tries to hype him up. We can still fight. We'll defend Liaoyang.

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We'll drag them into a war of attrition. And Naachu, to his credit, just goes, "Fine. If we're going down, we're going down swinging. Call everyone back, even the Gaiou army. We'll make our last stand. Respect. Honestly, terrible strategy at this point, but respect."

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Then he says my name one more time. Zuing like he's adding me to a personal grudge list. Buddy, you should have added me to your battle plan, not your grudge list. Little late now. Stop too.

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Zu's living room. The biggest what if in history now? This is the part that kills me. Over in Bing, Prince Zu D. Yes, the Zhu Di, future Yongla Emperor, the guy who will literally overthrow his own nephew and move the capital to Beijing,

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is reading intelligence reports about me, and he is not happy, but not for the reason you'd think. See, Jang Yu, the Baping general who came to thank me, sent a secret report back to Zhu. And in that report, he mentioned one tiny

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little detail I casually dropped, that my hometown is Baping. Zudi reads this and basically has an existential crisis.

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He was supposed to Obi mine, he shouts. I imagine him pacing around his study, waving the report like a parking ticket he didn't deserve. His adviser, the legendary Yao Guang Xiao, the blackroed monk, the most terrifying strategist of

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the era, is sitting there with his creepy calm smile going. Interesting. Why would a Baying native enlist in Daning instead of your army? and they start piecing it together. Because here's the thing about Ming Dynasty military law. You enlist where your

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hometown is. Period. A baping kid joins the Baping army. That's the rule. The only way I'd end up in Daining is if someone with power deliberately sent me there. And why would someone send a teenager to the most dangerous military

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post in northern China? Someone wanted him dead. Zu realizes. Ding, ding, ding. Give the prince a prize. Someone back in my previous life before I got reincarnated into this body pulled strings to ship original flavor Zhuing off to Daning where bandits and border

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raids would quietly solve their problem. No murder charges, no evidence, just, "Oh, what a shame. Another soldier died on the frontier." Except I showed up instead. Surprise! Yao Guang Xiao<unk>s eyes light up like a calculator that just found an exploit. Your highness, if

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we investigate this, find out who tried to kill him, and deliver that information to Zhuing as a gift, we could earn his loyalty, maybe even get him transferred back to Being Zu practically starts drooling. If I had Zuing in my army, yeah, buddy, if the

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biggest if in Chinese military history, the future emperor of China is sitting in his study right now fantasizing about recruiting a 15-year-old. And honestly, I'm flattered. Also slightly concerned, also aware that if history plays out the way I remember it, things are about to

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get very complicated. Stop three, the imperial court chaos mode. Meanwhile, in the capital city of Nanjing, "Sorry in an urgent military dispatch arrives. A rider comes screaming through the city gates, yelling, "Laoong! Emergency report!" And every civilian on the

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street stops to stare. The regular folks are all optimistic. Probably good news. Our army's been winning for 6 months.

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Oh, sweet summer peasants. You have no idea. The report lands on Emperor Zhu Yuan Jang<unk>s desk. He reads it. His face goes through about 17 different shades of angry. Then he slams the report on the table so hard every

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official in the room flinches simultaneously. "Lanu," he growls, "has deeply disappointed me." Crown Prince Zuao picks up the report, reads it, and immediately goes into damage control mode. Father, to be fair, Nachu's trap was incredibly sophisticated. He literally burned an entire city. Nobody

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could have predicted, but the sharks smell blood. The court officials who've been waiting for a chance to take shots at the arrogant ha generals start circling. One sensor steps forward. Your majesty lu must be held accountable.

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Then five more. We agree. Then half the court punish him. He was reckless. He got soldiers killed. These guys have been holding grudges against Lan Yu and his haiki crew for years. And this is their Black Friday sale on political

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revenge. They're practically trampling each other to file complaints. Zu Yuan Jang nods slowly. Lanu shall be punished. But Zhuao, smart, careful, diplomatic Zu Bao steps in. Father, punish him, yes, but lightly. If we destroy a general for one loss, no

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commander will ever take risks again. And we still need to finish taking Liaoong. Now, here's what I love about this whole scene. Nobody in that court is talking about punishing me because I'm the one who fixed everything. I'm

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the reason the report says near disaster turned into victory instead of 100 soldiers dead. Please send more. My name is in that report as the hero. The emperor read it. The crown prince read it. Every official in that court heard

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it. Zhuing the 15-year-old from Daning. Save the entire northern campaign. And somewhere in the back of that court, the minister of war is probably thinking who I as this kid. Get used to hearing my name. Gentlemen, there's a lot more

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where that came from. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a golden eagle to feed and about six more cities to conquer before breakfast. Okay, so a lot happened while I was just vibing and feeding lamb to my new spy eagle. Let me

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break it all down. The imperial court. Lan Yu gets grounded back in the capital. Emperor Xu Yuan Jang reads the battle report and his reaction is basically every dad who just got a call from the principal's office. Lan Wu has

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deeply disappointed me. The court officials who hate Lu the way cats hate baths immediately pile on. A dozen sensors jump up like, "Punish him. He's reckless. He got people killed. They've been waiting for this moment." Some of these guys probably had their complaint

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speeches pre-written and just needed to fill in the date. But Crown Prince Zu Bao steps in with the save. Dad, if we destroy every general who loses one battle, nobody will ever volunteer to lead an army again. Smart guy, that

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Zuba. Shame about his future health situation, but we don't talk about that yet. Final verdict. Lanu gets his paid dock for one year. That's it. A slap on the wrist. The man almost lost 100,000 soldiers and he gets the military

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equivalent of no allowance for a month. Meanwhile, I save those same soldiers and I get, well, we'll get to that. Then my name comes up in court and suddenly the mood changes completely. The emperor starts glowing about me. This Juing, he

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figured out Nahhatu's entire plan just by noticing the troop deployments. He even warned Lan Yu. The crown prince was right to call him a champion. This kid is the real deal. Zua's like, "Father, he deserves a major reward." And the

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emperor goes, "Absolutely. But let's wait until Liao Dong is fully conquered. Then we'll reward everything at once." Translation: I'm going to make you wait because bureaucracy. But trust me, it's going to be good. In the meantime, he sends out three imperial edicts. One

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gives Ban 100 gold pieces and official recognition. One orders all dating soldiers to get promoted based on their kill counts. And one is specifically for me, a personal encouragement letter from the emperor himself. Also, and this is important, the emperor says about Nachu,

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"This time, I don't need him alive." Cold. Apparently, years ago, Zhu Yuan Jang actually caught Nachu and let him go as a goodwill gesture. Nahu then went and built an entire army in Lioong. So yeah, the emperor basically tried the

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catch and release approach and got burned. No more Mr. Nice Emperor. Me versus Nachu, the trash talk. So I ride up to Liaong, Nahachu's capital, with my 20,000 cavalry. We stop about 200 steps from the city walls. Nachu is standing

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up there watching me, and I can practically feel his stress from down here. My general Jeang Wu is like, "Uh, sir, there's 100,000 soldiers in that city and we have 20,000. Maybe we should not attack." I stare at him. You think

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I'm stupid enough to charge a fortress with a quarter of their troops? Well, you do have a habit of just charging at things. Fair point, honestly. Instead, I do something way more fun. I write a little note on a piece of cloth, tie it

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to an arrow, pull out my legendary bow, and I shoot that arrow all the way up to the city wall where it embeds 3 in in a solid stone right next to Nachu's head.

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His bodyguard literally tackles him to the ground. Beautiful. They pull the arrow out, read the note. It says, "Nahachu, wait for me, Zhuing, to take your head. That's it. That's the whole message. Short, sweet, terrifying." Nahu reads it and does this thing where he's

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mad but also kind of impressed. This Zhuing such arrogance. His general Hong Bao Bao immediately goes, "Let me go out there and kill him." And Nahhatu proving why he's actually a good strategist even when losing goes, "Are you stupid?" He

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wants us to come out. There are probably more troops hiding behind him. That's exactly what he did at Tealing. But he only has 20,000 men. And how do you know there aren't more behind the hill? This kid is extremely sneaky. High praise

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from your enemy. Honestly, I'll put extremely sneaky on my resume right under God of War. Nahu orders a total lockdown. Nobody in, nobody out. No matter how much I taunt them.

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Disappointing, but expected. The old fox is too smart for basic bait. The big war council time skip. All the Ming armies converge on Lia. We're talking nearly 200,000 troops. The final battle for Liaoong. Grand General Fong Shang holds

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the war council and every general in the tent is scrambling for the attack assignment. The Haishi generals are practically climbing over each other.

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I'll be the vanguard. And oh me, pick me. Buan leans over and whispers. These guys are at it again. I just smile. Let them fight over it. We've already earned our glory. Besides, Nachu is going to make this a nightmare for whoever

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attacks. Let them enjoy that. Classic me letting other people compete for the hard job. While I already have the most impressive resume in the room, Fong Shan assigns the attacks. Fuy gets the west and south gates. Lana gets the east

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gate. And guess who gets the north gate? Us. The daining army. No complaints from me. A gate is a gate. And whoever catches Naachu gets the biggest prize.

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Speaking of which, the emperor's latest order says, "Nahachu, dead or alive?" I don't care anymore. Oh ho ho. Dead or alive. My system gives treasure chests based on how important the kill is. Nahu is the supreme commander of all yuan

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forces in Lo. A literal national level military leader. If I'm the one who gets him, I'm already mentally calculating.

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Regular soldiers give me normal chests. Generals give tier one chests. This guy has to be worth a tier 2 chest at minimum. Maybe even something I've never seen before. the edict ceremony. Then Fong Shan reads out the imperial edicts.

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Buan gets his first accommodation and 100 gold pieces. The man is so happy he's practically vibrating. He turns to me with tears in his eyes. This is the first Imperial edict I've ever received.

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Without you, this would never have happened. I'm genuinely touched. Banan is a good man, the best boss I could ask for. Then my edict gets read. The emperor basically says, "Jhuing, you're amazing. You saved everyone. Big reward coming after the war. Keep being

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awesome." The crown prince added some nice words, too. Cool. Cool. But here's the real reward. My system goes ding.

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Received imperial edict. Reward. One normal treasure chest. I look at the scroll in my hands and think, "If only the emperor would send me like 10 of these things. That would be 10 treasure chests. Somebody teach this man about

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bulk ordering. And then comes Lan Yu's edict. Oh man, the room goes silent. Lan Yu has to stand there while Fong Shan reads out in front of everyone. You messed up. You didn't scout properly.

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You almost got your whole army wiped out. You're losing a year's salary. Lu takes the edict with the expression of a man swallowing a live frog. I don't say a word. I don't need to. Everyone in that tent knows the score. I got

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praised. He got punished. The universe is balanced. Tomorrow we storm Liao Yang. 200,000 against 100,000. For gates, for armies, one Nahachu. And somewhere out there, my golden eagle is circling above the city, sharing its vision with me, showing me every single

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defensive position Nachu has set up. He doesn't know about the eagle. Nobody does. This is going to be fun. All right, the day has arrived. The final boss battle. Liao Yang. Nahhatu's last stand. Let's go. So, the night before,

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everyone's sharpening their swords, checking their armor, mentally rehearsing their victory dances. Every general in camp wants to be the one who catches Nachu because the emperor basically put a bounty on him. Dead or alive, doesn't matter. Just bring me his

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head or his body or both. And me, I'm thinking about treasure chests because Nahu isn't just some random general.

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He's the supreme commander of all yuan forces in Liaoong. A national level boss. If regular generals drop tier one chests, this guy has to drop something insane. I'm basically a video game player staring at a raid boss calculating the loot table. Morning

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comes. 200,000 Ming soldiers surrounding the city for gates for armies. Fong Shan draws his sword, points at the city, and yells, "Attack!" And then 800 cannons start firing simultaneously from all four directions. The ground literally shakes. Now here's my situation. Buan

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rides up next to me before the assault and goes, "Zhuing. If you can kill Nahhatu, our dating army will have the perfect record for this entire war. I'll do my best." I say, "That's all I ask. I love this man. No pressure, no

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micromanaging. Just go be awesome and I'll handle the paperwork." The cannons fire. The archers advance. Standard siege stuff. Arrows flying both ways.

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People dying. Very dramatic. And then I decide. Enough foreplay. Daning cavalry. Where are you? I scream. 20,000 voices scream back. Kill. Kill. Kill. Follow me. I slap Woofing's side and my beautiful black stallion launches forward like a missile with hoofs. We're

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charging straight at the city gate. Arrows are raining down on me like someone turned on a deadly sprinkler system. And I'm just swish swish swish knocking them out of the air with my blade like I'm playing the world's most

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violent game of tennis. We reach the gate. This massive reinforced supposedly impenetrable city gate. I grip my tiger head blade, channel all my internal energy into my right arm. Woofing lines me up perfectly. Power slash. One swing.

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One swing. The entire gate explodes. Splinters everywhere. Iron reinforcements bent like paper clips. Stone cracking. Yuan soldiers behind it get hit by the debris and just cease. My system goes ding ding ding before I even swing again. I ride through the smoking

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wreckage into the city. And the Yuan soldiers see me and immediately start having an existential crisis. It's the Ming death god. The one with the black horse. It's zhu y. We're all going to o die. See, I've been terrorizing these

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guys for eight months across three major battles. My reputation literally precedes me. Some of these soldiers survive Jinqing, Caillouan, and Ting.

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They've seen what I do up close. They know that getting in my way is basically volunteering for the afterlife. Their commander tries to rally them. Don't run. Anyone who retreats gets executed.

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Bold strategy. Unfortunately for him, the thing they're running from is scarier than the thing behind them. He charges at me with his guards. I kill his shield wall in one sweep, ride through it like it's not there, and take

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his head off. Ding. Killed you on commander. 30 all attributes. 30 days lifespan. Normal treasure chest. Yep, I think. Got to keep killing officers.

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They come with bonus loot. Now, here's where my secret weapon comes in. My golden eagle. My medieval spy satellite is circling high above Liao Yang. I activate vision sharing. Suddenly, I can see the entire city from above. Every

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street, every building, every troop position. It's like Google Maps, but powered by a magical bird. I spot the governor's palace, Nachu's HQ, dead center of the city. 6,000 elite guards surrounding it. His personal army trained for years, the best he's got.

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Without the eagle, I'd be wandering through streets, fighting through random resistance, maybe taking hours to find him. With the eagle, I know exactly where he is, which streets to take, and where the enemy concentrations are. It's literally cheating, and I feel zero

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guilt about it. I adjust my course and start cutting a straight line toward the palace. My troops follow, confused about how I know exactly where to go, but too pumped up to question it. Meanwhile, Buan is watching from the rear, and he's

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losing his mind with excitement. He broke the gate in less time than it takes to burn a stick of incense. One stick of incense. His officer Chun Hong is like, "The soldiers call him the reincarnation of Xiang Yu. He's better

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than Xang Yu." Buan laughs. Proud dad energy at maximum. They send a messenger to Fong Shan. Hey, just FYI, we broke through already. Fong Shan<unk>s face when he hears, "It hasn't even been half an hour." The messenger practically

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glowing with daining pride. "Actually, sir, it was less than the time it takes to burn one incense stick." Fong Shan looks at Fuyud. Fuy looks at Fong Shan.

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They both know no other army is even close to breaking through their gates yet. Fong Shang being smart decides not to announce this to the other armies because if the soldiers at the other three gates find out I'm already inside,

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they'll lose motivation. Why bother? Zu Ying's probably already drinking tea in Nachu's living room, which to be fair, I practically am. I carve through street after street, my system singing a non-stop symphony of ding-ding. Every swing of my blade, more attribute

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points, more lifespan days. This is the last big battle for a while, so I'm farming. Maximum efficiency. No enemy soldier left unh harvested. Finally, I arrive at the governor's palace. 6,000 elite guards. Nahhatu standing in front of his palace in full battle armor,

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looking like a man who's already written his will. I ride forward, blood still dripping from my blade, and look him dead in the eyes. Nahu, nowhere left to run. The emperor says you can surrender.

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He stares at me. This old warrior who's been my opponent for eight months. The man whose plans I've ruined three times.

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The most powerful yuan commander in the east. So you're the famous Juing, he says. I've heard your name many times and I've heard yours. I didn't lose to the Ming army, he says. And there's genuine pain in his voice. I lost to

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you. At Tealing, I was about to win. Everything was perfect. And then you appeared. I just point my blade at him.

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This land belongs to China. You've occupied it long enough. Fight or surrender. Your choice, he laughs. Not a crazy laugh, a tired one. The laugh of a man who fought as hard as he could and still lost. I am the grand marshall of

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the Yuan dynasty, he says. I have received the emperor's grace my entire life. His eyes go cold. How could I surrender? How dare I surrender? And he draws his sword. 6,000 guards behind him grip their weapons. This is it. The

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final fight. The last boss. The big loot piñata. I tighten my grip on my tiger head blade and smile. Come on then, old man. Let's finish this. So, Nahhatu screams, "Fight to the death." And his 6,000 elite guards charge at us like

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it's the last day on earth, which for them it absolutely is. I look at this wall of angry soldiers running at me and go, "Leave nobody standing." My archers open up. Arrows fall like rain at a really violent outdoor concert. Yuan

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soldiers are dropping everywhere, but the survivors keep charging because apparently dying with honor is more popular than living with common sense.

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Time to get personal. I jump off my horse. Yeah, you heard me. I dismount because for this fight, I want to be up close. I pull out my sevenstar shortblade, the fancy one with the constellation pattern that glows all

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creepy, and I charge straight into the crowd on foot. Why? Because sometimes you just want to feel the crunch. My system is going absolutely bananas.

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Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. Every swing, every slash, attribute points, lifespan days, the works. I'm harvesting stats like a farmer during peak season.

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Then Nachu himself comes charging at me. Full battle armor, big heavy sword, looking like an angry refrigerator on legs. He's screaming, "Fight me, Zu Y.

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Sure, I think. Let's dance, old man. He swings his massive sword down at my head with everything he's got. And honestly, it's like watching someone swing in slow motion. My stats are over 4,000 and everything now. This man is a regular

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human fighting a demagod and doesn't even know it. You're too slow, I tell him. To his face. Mid combat. I sidestep his strike like I'm dodging a toddler swinging a pool noodle. Then I'm behind him. He doesn't even have time to turn

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around. It's over. One slash clean. His head pops off like a champagne cork at New Year's. Flies up into the air in a beautiful arc. I actually jump and catch it with my left hand because why let a

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perfectly good trophy hit the ground. Ding. Killed Yuan Grand Marshall Nachu. 200 all attributes. 200 days lifespan.

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Nahu's treasure map. Tier 2 treasure chest. Tier 2 baby. I knew it. The big loot. The premium drop. I've never even seen a tier 2 chest before in a treasure map. Hold that thought. We'll come back to that. I hold Nachu's head up high for

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everyone to see. Nahu is dead. Surrender or join him. My soldiers erupt. General is godlike. Kill them all. Nahu's personal guards to their credit. Don't surrender. These are his ride or die loyalists trained for years. They grip their weapons and fight to the last man.

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Respect. stupid but respect. The victory lap news reaches Fong Shang at the west gate. The messenger, one of my guys naturally, rides up all proud. Sir, General Zhuing has broken through, stormed the governor's palace, and killed Nachu. Fong Shang already? It's

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been like an hour. Messenger practically glowing. Less than that, sir. Fong Shan turns to Fu Yud. They share a look that says, "This kid isn't human. The one whose name will truly be written in the history books, Fong Shan says quietly.

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Is Xuing. Thank you. Finally, someone gets it. The whole city falls within a day. A 100,000 defenders and we crack it open before dinner. The other three gates eventually break through, too. But by then, I've already killed the final

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boss, looted his palace, and practically redecorated. The trophy ceremony war council in Nahhatu's throne room. All the generals file in. Most of them have clean armor because they spent the battle commanding from the back. Then there's me and my guys absolutely

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drenched in blood. Scratches everywhere. Armor looking like we went through a car wash made of swords. The contrast is chef's kiss. Beautiful. Fong asks for Nachu's head. I unhook it from my belt and thunk. Toss it on the floor. It

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rolls a few times and stops face up. Eyes still wide open with that. I can't believe this is how I go out.

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expression. Every general in the room stares, some jealous, some envious, some trying very hard to pretend they're not both. For armies racing for the same prize, and my army got there first.

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Nothing to say. Skill gap. Gentlemen, Fong Shan gives out assignments. Lu gets to mop up the remaining small cities to the east. It's charity work. Basically, small easy wins to rebuild his trashed reputation. Fuyad handles the prisoners.

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And me? I'm done. Main quest complete. The treasure map situation. Here's the juicy part nobody else knows about. When Fu Yud reports that Nahhatu's palace is completely empty, no gold, no silver, nothing. Everyone's confused. The guy taxed the entire region for years. Where

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did all the money go? Fong Shan orders a full investigation. And me? I'm standing there trying very hard to keep a straight face because I have Nachu's personal treasure map sitting in my inventory. The man buried his fortune

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somewhere in Liaoong and I have the only directions to find it. Am I going to share this information? Am I going to hand over the map and say, "Hey guys, found this. Let's split it." Absolutely not. Listen, I like the Ming Dynasty.

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It's fine. Emperor Xu Yuan Jang is a solid boss, but let me be real with you.

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I have a system that gives me hundreds of years of lifespan. I'm 15 years old with the combat power of a mythological war god. This world is wide and the future is long. Am I going to spend the

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next 300 years saying yes sir to whoever sits on the throne? No offense to the current management, but a man's got to have ambitions. And ambitions need funding. That treasure stays with me.

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Consider it my retirement plan or my startup capital or my build my own empire someday fund the afterparty back at camp. Wuan is so happy he's practically floating. You did it for armies competing and you got the kill.

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The daning army will be famous forever. Then Jang Wu, my general who has zero filter, walks up grinning. So general, I heard there's a pretty girl from your hometown waiting for you back at base.

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Your childhood sweetheart. I think of you and can't help smiling. Yeah, she's real. Wedding wine. We're all getting wedding wine. Jang Wu starts celebrating like I just announced an open bar. First comes the housewarming party. Shinhang adds the emperor gave you a whole

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mansion. We need to properly celebrate that. Fine, fine. I laugh. War ends. We go home. I'll throw a feast for everyone. You promised. And oh, takebacks. These idiots. I love them.

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Buan gets philosophical. You know, I think the emperor left the daining commander position empty on purpose. He was waiting for someone like you to earn it. Everyone nods. It's basically a done deal at this point. After the battle

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reports reach the capital, I'll be promoted to full commander of the Daning army. 50,000 soldiers under my permanent command. A whole military region answering to me. 15 years old. Commander of a frontier army. Slayer of the Yuan Grand Marshall. Owner of a secret

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treasure map. wielder of a magical stat boosting system, rider of a legendary warhorse, master of a spy eagle with shared vision, and apparently about to throw the biggest housewarming party in northern China. Oh, and somewhere in the back of my mind, I'm also planning

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revenge on the Shin family. The people who tried to kill original me by shipping me off to the most dangerous border post in the country. They even sent assassins after my girl and my old caretaker. They think they're safe

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because they're powerful and connected. They have no idea who I've become. But that's a problem for peace time. Right now, I need to open that tier 2 treasure chest. The anticipation is killing me.

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All right, war's over. I'm soaking in a hot bath, and it's loot time. Nine treasure chests burning a hole in my inventory. Let's crack these bad boys open. Five normal chests give me 1,000 gold tails. Nice. A compass. Okay,

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useful. Won't get lost in the woods anymore. Like that embarrassing time in Gin territory. A blueprint for a crossbow tower defense system. Oh, hello. Future fortress planning. A martial art called eight extremes fist.

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Classified as a killing technique. My favorite classification. And some healing powder. Boring but practical.

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Three tier one chests. A technique called berserk that doubles my power temporarily but leaves me bettered in for 5 days after. So basically, hey, break glass in case of emergency move. A cement manufacturing recipe. Do you understand what cement means? In the

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14th century, I could build roads and fortresses that would make the Romans jealous. And smokeless coal mining technology. Not bad. Not bad at all. And then the moment I've been waiting for.

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The tier 2 chest. My first ever. The premium loot. The legendary drop. I close my eyes, hold my breath, and a map. A map, not a weapon, not an epic martial arts manual, not a divine artifact, a map of Asia, a very nice,

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very detailed map of the Ming dynasty and surrounding countries, but still just a map. Are you kidding me? I scream internally, splashing bath water everywhere. Last time I got a map from a chest, it was a map to the Imperial Jade

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Seal, the most sacred symbol of Chinese sovereignty. That was cool. That was tier 2 worthy. But this is just geography class homework. You couldn't have given me a map to the nine tripod cauldrons. I yell at my system. At least

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then I could have held the jade seal in one hand and pointed at the cauldrons with the other and said I am the legitimate ruler of China. But no, you give me Google maps medieval edition.

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The system as always says nothing. It has no customer service department. Deep breath. Fine. Fine. At least the cement recipe is genuinely incredible. And the Berserk technique could save my life someday. And the crossbow tower blueprints will be amazing when I

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eventually build my own base because yes, I am planning to build my own kingdom someday. Did I mention that I've got 328 years of lifespan? 328. I'm going to outlive every single person alive right now by a comfortable margin.

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the current emperor, the crown prince, every general, every noble. They'll all be dust while I'm still in my prime. So yeah, I'm serving the Ming dynasty for now. But let's call it what it is, an internship. A very violent, very

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profitable internship where I'm building my resume, collecting resources, and getting stronger every day. That treasure map from Nahhatu, that's my startup fund, the cement recipe, infrastructure for my future nation.

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Every skill, every weapon, every connection, investments in the Zhuing Empire coming eventually to a continent near you. My stats check before bed.

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Everything over 5,000 now. 5,000. When I started this journey, I was a scared teenager with double-digit stats getting shipped off to die at the border. Now I'm a walking natural disaster with a spy eagle and a storage space big enough

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to hide a small apartment in. Quick stat. Flex. Internal energy 5,068 strength 5,135 speed 5,022 everything else over 5,000 lifespan 328 years and counting age still 15 I am genuinely disgusting in the best way. Meanwhile in Baying Zui

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study prince Zhu gets the news about Nachu and immediately goes let me guess zuing killed him. Yao Guang Xiao, his creepy monk adviser. Was it? Of course it was. Zui is pacing around his study like a man who just found out his dream

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house was sold to someone else. This kid took every major achievement in the entire Liaoong campaign. He's going to be promoted to full commander of DN. And he was supposed to be my soldier. He's still obsessed with recruiting me. He's

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got his spy Jean Jong investigating my background trying to figure out why I ended up in Daning instead of his BPing army. And here's the scary part. Zhu D says very quietly. If I can't make him work for me, then he'll become my

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greatest enemy. The future emperor of China just put me on a list that has two columns, a lie or threat. There is no middle ground. Cool, cool, cool, cool.

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Not terrifying at all. And now the really interesting part. The Shin family. Remember the Shin family? The ultra- richch merchant clan that tried to kill me by pulling strings to get me transferred to the most dangerous military post in the country? The ones

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who also sent assassins after my girlfriend Uer and my old caretaker Linfu. Well, they finally figured out who I am. Shinron, the eldest son, comes running into their family meeting hall like a man who just saw a ghost. Father,

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the daming general Zhuing, it's him. It's the kid we tried to kill. He's the same person. We've made an enemy. Old man Shin Wansen. And yes, this is the legendary Shan Wansen. One of the richest men in Chinese history goes

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completely white. How? How is that possible? He was just a teenager. How does a teenager become a general in an erl? The answer, old man, is magic cheat codes. But you don't know that part. Now the Shin family is in full panic mode.

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They tried to quietly murder me and instead of dying, I became one of the most powerful military figures in the entire country. They sent assassins after my loved ones, which means I definitely know it was them and there's

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zero chance of reconciliation. Shin Wan, being a survival expert from two dynasties, immediately goes into contingency mode. Step one, move the entire family and 70% of their wealth to the capital Inion where I can't easily reach them. A commoner doesn't fight an

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official. That's been the rule since forever. Step two, lean on their political connections, especially their marriage alliance with the Lu family to get protection. Step three, and this is the coldest part, kill everyone in our family who knows about what we did to

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Zhuang. Destroy all evidence without proof. Even if he knows it was us, he can't touch us under Ming law. Murder their own people. Tio cover their tracks. These guys tried to kill me and now they're killing their own servants

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to hide the evidence. Classy. Real classy. Shin Wan sits there stroking his beard, looking all smug. Ming law is strict. Without evidence, if he tries anything, the law will punish him, not us. Oh, old man. Old foolish rich old

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man. You think you're playing chess. You think your money and connections and legal technicalities will protect you.

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You think running to the capital puts you out of my reach. But here's what you don't know. I have 328 years to be patient. I have stats that make me superhuman. I have the emperor's personal favor. I have a spy eagle that

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can watch your house from the sky. And I have a very, very long memory. You're not running from danger. You're running into the arms of a government that I'm increasingly becoming a favorite son of.

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Enjoy the move, Shin family. Get comfortable in your nice new capital mansion. Buy your fancy new salt mining rights. Throw your little parties with your political friends. Because when I come for you, and I will come for you,

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it won't be some clumsy assassination attempt in the middle of the night. It'll be a 15-year-old earl with the combat power of a demagod and the patience of an immortal knocking on your front door in broad daylight. And I'll

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be smiling, but that's future business. Right now, I need to sleep. Tomorrow, I calculate how to find Nachu's buried treasure with my secret treasure map while everyone else is running around looking for it with shovels and confusion. Life is good when you have

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cheat codes. So, while I'm out here cleaning blood off my armor and trying to figure out Nachu's treasure map, the entire Ming dynasty is throwing the biggest party since the country was founded. The streets of Nanjing, pure chaos. A rider comes blasting through

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the capital gates, screaming, "Laoong! Victory! Massive victory!" And the entire city loses its collective mind.

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Old grandpas are grabbing strangers by the shoulders. Did you hear that? Young guys are pumping their fists. We won. We won. Some scholar is giving an impromptu history lecture in the street. Liaoong has been lost for hundreds of years, and

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now it's back. The emperor is truly chosen by heaven. Everyone's chanting long live the Ming 10,000 years. And I'm pretty sure someone started a spontaneous parade. These people haven't been this excited since the dynasty was literally founded. And honestly, I get

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it. This isn't just a military victory. It's a whole identity thing. The Mongols conquered China, ruled it for almost a century, and the Ming dynasty kicked them out and rebuilt Chinese civilization from the ground up. Getting Liao Dong back is like finding the last

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missing puzzle piece of your national dignity. Every Chinese person alive right now is walking a little taller today because of me. You're welcome, citizens. The imperial court. Zhu Yuan Jang opens the report card. The messenger runs into the throne room,

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drops to his knees, and presents the battle report. Emperor Zhu Yuan Jang opens it, reads it, and his face goes from imperial seriousness to pure Grandpa Christmas joy. Good, good, good, he shouts, actually laughing on his throne. This is a man who used to be a

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beggar in a monk, and now he's sitting on the dragon throne, hearing that the last piece of lost Chinese territory is coming home. Say what you want about the guy, that's one heck of a character arc.

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Then he does something I wouldn't have expected. He hands the report to his unic and goes, "Read it loud. I want everyone to here." So the unic reads the entire battle report to the full court.

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And let me tell you, my name comes up a lot. Daning commander Zhuing was first to break through the north gate. Court officials murmuring. Zhuing charged into the governor's palace and engaged Nachu in personal combat. Court officials louder murmuring. Zuing personally

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beheaded grand marshal Nahachu and annihilated his 6,500 elite guards, court officials, absolute pandemonium. The reactions are golden. Let me give you a sampling. Nahu is dead. That guy was an actual legend. And Zhuing killed him. Of course. Who else? You know what?

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I'm not even surprised anymore at this point. If someone told me Zhuing killed a dragon, I'd just nod. Manier, Alicia, and now Nachu. Every single major Yuan commander is dead by his hand. The crown prince calling him champion wasn't

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flattery. It was prophecy. And my favorite comment from some anti-hi official who's clearly been waiting for this moment. Betterhuing gets the credit than those arrogant Ha generals. If they'd gotten all the glory, they'd be even more insufferable. Sir, whoever you

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are, I appreciate you. They also bring in Nachu's actual head in a wooden box.

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But Juu Yuan Jang just waves it off. Don't need to see it. He was a worthy opponent. Bury him somewhere decent.

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Cold, but classy. That's emperor energy right there. The father-son moment that makes me nervous. Then something really interesting happens. Zu Yuan Jang stands up and says, "The credit for retaking Liaoong isn't mine." Everyone freezes.

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It belongs to the crown prince. Oh, h I see what's happening. The emperor is giving his son Zhu Bao the political credit for the entire campaign. He's saying that Zhu Bao managed all the logistics, chose the generals, oversaw

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every decision, and therefore the historical glory belongs to him. The minister of war immediately jumps in.

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Absolutely. Crown Prince handled everything personally. The finance minister, the crown prince worked every single day reviewing documents and making decisions. then the entire court because they can all read the room. The crown prince deserves all the glory.

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Write it in the history books. Zu Yuan Jang looks at his son with the warmest expression I've ever heard described on this man's face. You hear that? This glory is yours. The people of this nation will know it. History will record

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it. Zu Bao gets emotional. Nearly tears up. Says, "Thank you, father. Now, from a purely tactical standpoint, I understand what's happening. Zhu Yuan Jang already has more than enough achievements for the history books. He literally went from homeless orphan to

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emperor of China. He doesn't need retook Liaoong on his resume. So, he's gifting that achievement to his son to strengthen Zhu Bao's political standing.

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It's sweet. It's strategic. And it makes me slightly nervous because I know something nobody in that room knows.

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Juao, the beloved crown prince, the man everyone is pinning the future on. In the history I remember, he doesn't live very long. And when he dies, everything goes sideways. His idiot son, Zhu Yunwin, takes the throne, makes terrible

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decisions, and Zu D, the prince currently trying to recruit me, launches a civil war. So, watching the emperor lovingly build up his son's legacy, knowing what I know, it's like watching someone carefully build a sand castle right before high tide. But that's

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future problems. Way way future problems. And maybe, just maybe, with me in this timeline, things might go differently. Who knows? I've got 328 years to figure it out. The rewards discussion. Then Zhu Bao pivots. Father, speaking of Liaoong, we need to discuss

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rewards, especially for Zhuing. Tealing Liao Yang killing Nahachu. He deserves major recognition. Zhu Yuan Jang nods immediately. Agreed. Zhuing and the entire dating army. They showed us what a border army can do. And just like that, my promotion is officially in the

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pipeline. Not just a pat on the back. The emperor and crown prince are personally sponsoring my reward package in the imperial court in front of every official in the country. Let me do a quick inventory of who currently wants

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to give me things. The emperor wants to promote and reward me. The crown prince personally advocating for my recognition. Grand General Fong Shang owes me a personal favor. Bwan writing recommendations for my promotion. The entire Daning army would follow me into

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a volcano. And let me check who currently has problems with me. Wan Yu and the Hashi generals humiliated but can't do anything about it. The Shin family running away to the capital in terror. Zudi can't decide if he wants to

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recruit me or eliminate me. Nahu dead, so his opinion doesn't count anymore. You know, for a 15-year-old kid who started this life as an orphan that a rich family tried to quietly murder, things are going pretty well. Pretty

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darn. Well, now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go find a buried treasure, open a cement factory, build some crossbow towers, and figure out how to play the most complicated political chess game in Chinese history without getting my head

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cut off. Just another Tuesday in the life of Zhuing, champion Earl, slayer of Grand Marshals, owner of a spy eagle, and future founder of Well, that part's still a secret. Okay, so I wasn't even I in the room for this one, but my

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intelligence network is top tier. And by intelligence network, I mean, people talk really loud in palaces. So, let me tell you what went down in the imperial court when they decided my future. the promotion discussion, aka how amazing is

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Zhuing. Emperor Zhu Yuan Jang turns to Crown Prince Zhu Bao and goes, "Since you ran this whole Loaong operation, what should we give Zuing and Zhu Bao, my number one fan, my biggest supporter, the president of the Zhuing Appreciation

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Society, steps forward and says, "The daining commander position. Nobody else, just him. Done." The emperor strokes his chin. You know, every commander in our empire is at least 30 or 40 years old.

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This kid is 17. Translation: I agree, but let me pretend to think about it for dramatic effect. Then Zhu Bao drops this line. Honestly, father, if he hadn't already been promoted three times this year, I want to give him another noble

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title upgrade, too. Three promotions in one year wasn't enough for this man. He wanted to give me more. The court officials are looking at each other like, "Does the crown prince have a poster of Zhuing in his bedroom or

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what?" Some official whispers to his neighbor. The crown prince really likes this kid. Huh? Another one. One year.

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From nobody to Earl and commander. Has this ever happened in Ming Dynasty history? Answer: And oh, no, it has not.

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I am literally speedrunning Chinese military career progression. The emperor finally makes it official. Promote Zhuing to commander of the Daning army.

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Give him the official commander seal. Also, give him a thousand gold tales and give him a mansion in the capital city with a plaque that says champion residence. A mansion in the capital with a custom name plaque. I now own two

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houses, one in DNI and one in the capital. I'm a 15-year-old real estate mogul who also happens to be a war god.

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Eat your heart out. Shin family. The prisoner debate. 180,000 problems. Then the court pivots to a genuinely interesting question. What do you do with 180,000 captured enemy soldiers?

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Finance Minister Xiaoan suggests, "Make them slaves. We've got roads to build and walls to fix." But then this smart old scholar named Shiao Xi steps up.

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That's a waste. These guys can fight. Why not integrate them into our military? Another official panics. But what if they betray us? Shiao Xi cool as ice. Their families are all in Loaong.

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If they rebel, their entire clans get executed. You think they're stupid? Then he drops a history lesson about how China has always absorbed conquered peoples. He even mentions how Kubla Khan, the Mongol conqueror who destroyed the Song Dynasty, eventually became so

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Chinesefied that he basically started calling himself a Chinese emperor. That's the real power of Chinese civilization. Shiao Xi says, "We don't just conquer, we absorb." The emperor agrees. He tells Zu Bao to work with Fong Shan on an integration plan. I grew

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up poor, he says. Wasting 180,000 soldiers would be criminal. A frugal emperor. Got to respect the hustle. They also discuss keeping the army in Liaoong for now instead of calling everyone home. Partly for security, partly because, well, the emperor has plans,

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big plans. But we'll get to that. The father-son scene that makes me feel things. After court dismisses, everyone leaves and it's just Xu Yuan Jang and Zu Bao alone in the throne room. And what happens next is honestly kind of

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beautiful. Zu Bao drops the formal act. Dad, thank you. You gave me too much.

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The emperor gets up from his dragon throne, walks down to his son, and just sits on the steps like a regular dad.

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Then Zhu Bao sits next to him. Two guys on some stairs, except one of them rules the largest empire on earth. Everything I'm doing, the emperor says, is so you can inherit a better country. I started as a beggar. My hands are covered in

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blood. I can never be remembered as a gentle ruler. He pauses. But you can. I want you to be like emperor one of Han.

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Kind, wise, loved by the people. That's my dream for you, Zuao. Standing straight. I won't let you down, Dad. The emperor laughs and slaps his son's shoulder. I believe you. Then they talk strategy. Zuao, sharp as always, figures

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out the real reason his dad is keeping the army in Liodong. You're not just securing Liaoong. You're preparing to invade the Yuan homeland. The emperor grins. Liaoong was the sword hanging over our heads. The Yuan Empire is the

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hand holding that sword. Until I cut off that hand, I can't sleep at night. And until I cut it off, I can't hand you a safe country. That's the endgame.

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Liaoong was step one. Step two is the total destruction of the Yuan Empire itself. And I happen to know because I literally know the future that this invasion will happen, the battle of Lake Beer, the final decisive strike that

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shatters the Yuan forever. In the original history, Lanu led that campaign and became a duke for it. But this time with me in the picture with my stats over 5,000, my spy eagle, my treasure map, my cement recipe, and my golden

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reputation, that campaign might look a little different this time around. Now, about that private father-son moment.

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It's genuinely touching, and it makes what I know about the future even more painful. Zu Yuan Jang loves Zhu Bao more than anything in this world. He's literally reshaping the entire empire just so his son can rule in peace. every

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political move, every military campaign, every execution of corrupt officials. It's all so Zhu Bao can sit on that throne and be the kind wise emperor his father never got to be. And in the history I know, Zhu Bao dies young and

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it destroys Zhu Yuan Jang, the man who conquered China falls apart because he loses his son. Could I change that?

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Should I change that? If Zuao lives, there's no succession crisis, no Zhu Yunwen, no Jing in rebellion, no Zhu Di becoming emperor. The entire future of China changes. But that's a problem for another day. Right now, what matters is

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this. I am officially the commander of the Daning army, 50,000 soldiers, an entire military region, the official seal, a mansion in the capital, a thousand gold tales, and a reputation that makes grown men whisper my name in court like I'm a legend. 15 years old,

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15. My parents, wherever they are in the afterlife, I hope they're watching. Your boy made it. from an orphan that a rich family tried to quietly murder to the youngest military commander in the history of the Ming dynasty. And I'm

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just getting started now. If you'll excuse me, I have a treasure map to decode, a cement factory to plan, a crossbow tower to design, a shun family to eventually destroy, and apparently a housewarming party to throw for my new

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champion mansion. Life is wild when you have cheat codes. Okay, so two things happened today. I became filthy rich and I stared down 10,000 Korean soldiers with 400 guys. Just a normal Tuesday part one, the treasure hunt. While

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everyone else is busy mopping up the last bits of Yuan resistance across Liao Dome. I told my officers I was going on a patrol to clear out enemy remnants.

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Very official. Very military. Very much a complete lie. What I'm actually doing is following Nhat's treasure map to his secret underground vault. The map leads me deep into this forest near the Korean border. So remote that literally nobody

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has been here since trees were invented. Perfect hiding spot. I tell my 400 bodyguards to wait outside. I need to check something alone. Nobody questions it. That's the beauty of being a legendary war hero. You say, "Wait here

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and people just wait." I find the spot marked on the map. Stomp the ground. It sounds hollow. Bingo. I jam my sword into the dirt. pry open a hidden trap door and find stairs going down into darkness. I pull out my glowing night

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pearl. Yeah, I got one of those from a loot box a while back and head down. 10 m of tunnel later, I walk into an underground room and my JW hits the floor. Gold, mountains of gold and silver and jewels and precious

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artifacts. We're talking over a 100,000 gold tails, five or 600,000 silver tails, plus boxes of gems and jade scattered around like party decorations at the world's most expensive birthday party. Oh my god, this makes the treasure I found in Mangier's mansion

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look like pocket change. Nahu spent years squeezing taxes out of Liodong's population, and he stashed it all down here. Enough money to fund a 100,000man army for years. Nahu buddy, I whispered to nobody. I really need to thank you.

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You worked your whole life collecting this and now it's all mine. Then I do what any responsible young military commander would do. I steal every last coin. My storage space is 59 cubic meters. I shove gold, silver, jewels,

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everything into my magical invisible inventory until the vault is completely absolutely 100% empty. If someone came down here now, they'd think it was just a weird underground room that someone built for no reason. Storage space full.

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Bank account astronomical. Moral compass. Look, Finders keepers is a legitimate legal principle. Okay? Am I going to report this to the government?

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Am I going to hand it over to the emperor? Let me think about that for exactly 0 seconds. No, this is my startup capital, my future empire fund.

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My I have 328 years of lifespan and big plans savings account. The Ming dynasty has plenty of tax revenue. They don't need Nachu's piggy bank. I do. I walk out of the forest looking exactly like a guy who definitely did not just commit

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the biggest heist in Chinese history. Everything okay, General? Lule asks. Perfect. I smile. Let's head back to Liao Yang part two for 100 versus 10,000. The Korean standoff were riding back when my scout Shiao Han comes galloping up in a panic. General,

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there's a foreign army approaching the border. Looks like Korea at least 10,000 cavalry. All right, I'd heard about this. Before Natcha died, he sent messages to Korea asking for military backup. The Korean king ordered his top general to bring troops. But that

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general, a very clever man named Lee Chinguay, deliberately dragged his feet for two months because he had his own agenda. Now here they come, fashionably late to a war that's already over. Let's go meet them, I say. Shiaoan stares at

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me. General, there are 10,000 of them. We have 400, and that's a ratio problem, sir. Your math is correct. Your courage needs work. Let's go. We ride to the border. I see their army approaching. a sea of cavalry under a flag with the

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character Lee, followed by what looks like 40,000 to 50,000 more troops behind them. Lee Chinguay himself is at the front looking all important in his fancy armor. I pull out my bow, knock an arrow, and fire a warning shot that

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lands about 3 ft in front of Leeching's horse. His face goes white. The horse rears up. His entire cavalry column screeches to a halt in the most chaotic way possible. Horses bumping into each other, soldiers cursing, total mess.

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Then I give my oneliner because what's the point of being a war hero if you can't deliver cool oneliners. This is Ming territory. One more step and you die. One more step and you die. My 400 guys echo behind me, raising their

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weapons. Now, let me paint this picture for you. We are 400 blood soaked veterans who've spent 8 months fighting and killing our way across Liongo. Every single one of my bodyguards has personally killed at least seven or eight enemy soldiers. We radiate death

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energy. We look like we just walked out of a horror movie. The kind where the monsters win. Lee Chingua's 10,000 cavalry. They're Korean soldiers who've never fought the Ming army. They spent two months slowly marching here specifically to avoid fighting. Their

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horses are literally getting spooked just by the vibe we're giving off. Lie Chungui tries to flex. Who are you? How dare you threaten the great general of Korea with a few hundred men? I don't even answer his question. I just stare

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at him and say, "Try me." The temperature drops about 10° metaphorically, maybe literally two. It is winter. Liingua is stuck. He can't retreat. His entire army is watching. If the great general of Korea runs from 400 guys, his reputation is toast. But he

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also really, really doesn't want to fight me. He saw what we did to Nahhatu's 300,000 troops. He knows the math, so he does the most hilarious thing possible. He starts a fake argument with his own officers. He draws

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his sword dramatically. Men, we charge into Liaoong and reclaim our ancestral lands. His deputy right on Q. Wait, General, we can't. The Yuan commander is dead. We have no reason to be here. If we enter Liao Dome, we're declaring war

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on Ming. Other officers playing along. He's right. We should withdraw. Think of the consequences. The general is too brave for his own good. Someone stop him. It's dinner theater. It's a performance. They're all giving Lee Chingua an excuse to retreat with his

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dignity intact, and everyone knows it. Lie Chungui pretends to reluctantly agree. Fine. Since my officers insist and the Yuan commander is dead, we have no reason to stay. We withdraw. Then he looks at me one last time with this

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expression that's supposed to be menacing, but honestly just looks constipated. Remember this, Ming General. I'm not retreating because I fear you. I'm retreating because there's no reason to fight. Sure, buddy. I think whatever helps you sleep tonight, he

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turns his horse and 10,000 cavalry follow him back toward Korea, disappearing into the distance like the world's largest walk of shame. Now, here's the thing about Lie Chungui that nobody else knows but me. This man is going to overthrow the Korean king

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within a few years and establish a new dynasty, the Josian dynasty. He's not here to help Nahhatu. He's here to build his military reputation so he can stage a coup. History is fun when you know the spoilers. Shame he didn't cross the

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border, I mutter, watching him leave. Would have been so convenient to just chop his head off right here. Save Korea a whole revolution. But no, he stayed on his side. No treasure chest for me today. Oh well, I already got a vault

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full of gold and the satisfaction of making 10,000 soldiers run away by glaring at them. Let's recap my day.

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Found Nachu's secret treasure vault, stole enough wealth to fund a small country, faced down an army 25 times my size with nothing but attitude, and made a future king run home to mommy. Not bad for a 15-year-old on a routine patrol.

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Now, let's go home. I've got a promotion ceremony, a housewarming party, and a revenge plot to plan. So, after scaring off 10,000 Korean soldiers with 400 guys, and a mean look, I had more important business. Nahu's second treasure stash. See, the treasure map

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had two locations marked. The first one was the gold and silver vault that I already cleaned out. The second one, weapons and armor. thousands of sets of military equipment that Nachu had been stockpiling for his grand retake China

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plan. Well, Nachu, your plan is canceled and your stuff is mine now. Thanks for the gear, buddy. Really appreciate you spending years collecting all this for me. Very thoughtful. I cleaned that vault out, too. Both locations completely emptied. My storage space is

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basically Costco at this point. Wall-to-wall gold, silver, weapons, and armor. enough to fund and equip a private army, which is, you know, hypothetically useful information for someone with 328 years of lifespan and ambitions that go slightly beyond loyal

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border commander. Time skip. Half a month later, first snow of winter hits. The whole region is covered in white like nature decided to throw a blanket over all the blood stains and go there.

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Nobody got murdered here. Everything's fine. I'm standing on the city wall of Liao Yang in my casual uniform. No armor today, just a black and red military outfit with a red cape because I have style. Looking out at the snow and

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getting philosophical. It's been over a year since I enlisted. I think I'm 15, almost 16. A year ago, I was a nobody that a rich family tried to secretly murder. Now I'm about to be officially named commander of a 50,000man army.

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Wild. Just absolutely wild. I also think about the Shin family and how they tried to kill me and how I'm going to make them pay for it someday. But that's a warm thought for a cold day. Revenge is

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best served with planning and patience. And I have centuries of both. Then Lule shows up. General, the Grand General wants you at a meeting. Looks like Liaoong is officially conquered. I smile. Tell the boys to pack up. We're

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going home. Home. Back to Daning. Back to you and Uncle Len. I've been fighting for nine straight months. I deserve a vacation and a bath that lasts longer than 10 minutes. The victory banquet, I walk into Nachu's old throne room, now

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repurposed as our party venue, and immediately notice two things. First, there are actual tables with wine set up. This isn't a war council. This is a celebration. Second, Wan Yu and Chong Mao are staring at me from across the

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room like I'm a math problem. They can't solve. I sit down next to Buan in the third seat on the left side, right behind Fuyud. That's a power seat. The seating arrangement alone tells everyone in the room exactly where I rank now.

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Third in the entire expeditions hierarchy. Not bad for the youngest person in the building by about 20 years. Buan leans over, grinning. The promotion decree from the capital has arrived. You're about to become commander Xuing. Couldn't have done it

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without you, sir, I say. and I genuinely mean it. This man gave me complete freedom to fight my way, handled all the boring logistics, and never once tried to steal credit. He's the best boss in the entire Ming dynasty, and I will

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fight anyone who disagrees. Meanwhile, across the room, I can feel the hate lasers from the Hi crew boring into the side of my head. Chong Mao, still wrapped in bandages from Tealing, mind you, is whispering furiously to Lan Yu.

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Uncle, look at this kid. He's about to be made commander. In one year, he went from nobody to Earl and commander. If we don't do something, he'll completely crush us. But here's where things get weird. Lanu isn't listening. He's just

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staring at me and not with his usual I want to punch this kid expression. No, this is something different. He looks almost haunted. Chong Mao nudges him.

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Uncle, uncle, are you even listening to me? Lan Yu snaps out of it and says something that nearly makes Chong Mao fall off his chair. Does he? Does Xuing look like Shonging to you? Chong Mao.

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What? His outburst is so loud that literally everyone in the room turns to look at him. Smooth. Chong Mao. Very subtle. Now, for those who don't know the backstory, and I only know this because I know history, Zhu Xionging was

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Emperor Zhu Yuan Jang<unk>s firstborn grandson, the crown prince's eldest son, the kid who was supposed to be the future emperor of China. But he died young, way too young, and it devastated the imperial family. And here's the thing that makes this even more

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complicated. Xyongy<unk>s mother was from the same family as Lan Yu. The Hashi generals had pinned all their political hopes on that boy. If he'd lived and become emperor, the Haishi faction would have been untouchable forever. His death was the biggest

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political disaster they ever suffered. So when Lan Yu says, "I look like Xianging," that's not a casual observation. That's an emotional bomb.

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Lu is sitting there murmuring to himself. When he was in armor, I couldn't tell. But now in casual clothes, sitting like that, the jawline, the face shape, he really does look a bit like Shiongying when he was small.

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Chong Mao thoroughly creeped out. Uncle, stop. Shying is dead. This kid has nothing to do with him. You're seeing things because you're emotional. Maybe you're right. Luize. Maybe I'm just an old man seeing ghosts. Now I don't know

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what they're whispering about. I just know they're staring at me and it's annoying. Buan notices, too. Those two are plotting something. Banan grumbles.

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Don't care. I shrug. We're heading home in a few days. Let them stare. But if I could hear what Lu just said, that would definitely make me pause because in all the memories I have from my past life,

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from history books, I never came across anything about what the original Zhuing looked like before I took over this body. And I definitely never considered that this body might have some facial resemblance to the Imperial family.

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That's a threat I might need to pull on someday. Or maybe not. Some mysteries are better left alone, especially when they involve the emperor's dead grandson and a group of paranoid, powerful generals who are already looking for reasons to either recruit me or destroy

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me. But that's future mi's problem. The big announcement fung walks in wearing a dramatic red cape. We're all wearing capes today. Apparently, it's cape weather. And the whole room stands to attention. He drops the news everyone's been waiting for. Liaoong is completely

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liberated. Every single city has been taken back. 9 months. That's how long it took. 9 months of blood, fire, strategy, betrayal, and me personally killing approximately 1 million Yuan soldiers.

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Slight exaggeration, but barely. Then Fong Shan goes full party mode. By imperial decree, the alcohol ban is lifted for all troops. Everyone eats and drinks as much as they want tonight. The room erupts. Soldiers who've been sneaking sips of wine for 9 months just

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got told they can drink openly. This is going to be the biggest military party since the dynasty was founded. Servants, bring the wine and meat. A parade of serving girls comes out carrying jugs of wine and platters of roasted meat. The

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smell fills the room and suddenly everyone forgets about politics, rivalries, and grudges. Even the ha guys look happy for exactly 5 seconds before they remember they hate me and go back to scowlling and somewhere out there a mysterious VIP guest is apparently on

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their way. Fong Shung mentioned a special guest was coming and based on the empty seat of honor. It's someone even he has to show respect to someone from the capital. Could be interesting.

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Could be dangerous. Could be both. But right now, right now, I'm going to eat this roasted meat, drink this wine, and enjoy being 15 years old with more military achievements than generals three times my age. Oh, and Lu thinks I

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look like the emperor's dead grandson. That's not going to cause any problems at all. I'm sure. Pours wine to victory, to going home, and to not getting assassinated at a banquet. Cheers. It's official, baby. I am now Commander

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Zhuing of the Daning Army. Let me set the scene. Fong kicks off the victory banquet by pouring wine for everyone. 9 months of fighting. No alcohol allowed the entire time. And now, finally, the ban is lifted. Every general in the room

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grabs their cup like a man who just crossed a desert and found a river.

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Taoong. Fong Shing shouts. Tolaong. 50 generals scream back and everyone chugs. Some of these guys haven't had a drink in 9 months. They're making sounds that should only come from large animals.

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Jean Yu immediately comes over with his cup. General Zu, let me drink with you.

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Of course, brother. He tells me the Baying Army will be passing through Daning on their way home so we can travel together. Translation: He wants to keep building our friendship. Smart man. I like him. And honestly, getting closer to the Baping military circle

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means getting closer to Zhu D, which is strategically interesting. Then everyone starts coming to my table. It's like I'm holding court. Generals lining up to toast me, grab my hand, tell me how grateful they are for tealing, how they

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admire me, how they'd love to stay in touch. My table is the hottest spot in the room. Meanwhile, the Hashi generals are huddled in their corner like the kids who didn't get invited to the cool table at lunch. Then the doors open and

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our VIP guest arrives. Liaoong Governor Tai has arrived. Taiishian. Now that's a name I recognize from history. This man will become legendary for one thing.

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Nearly killing Zhu during the Jing Nin Rebellion. He's one of the few officials who actually holds his ground against Zhu's army and almost ends the whole rebellion single-handedly. The man is loyal to the crown prince's line. Loyal to the death. He walks in wearing an

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officials robe. Looking like the most put together 30-something yearear-old in China. Clean, composed, radiating, I read books, and I'm better than you.

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Energy. Classic scholar official vibe. And the first thing he does, scans the entire room, and locks eyes on me. Which one of you is General Zuing? He asks, even though he's already staring directly at me. I'm the only person

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under 40 in the room. Not exactly hard to spot. That would be me. I stand up, bow properly. He walks over smiling. The crown prince speaks very highly of you.

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He hopes to meet you in person when you visit the capital someday. The crown prince wants to meet me personally.

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That's not just a compliment. That's a political golden ticket. Every official in this room just heard that and every single one of them is recalculating how nice they should be to me. Then Taien gets to the main event. He pulls out an

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imperial edict wrapped in bright yellow silk. Commander of the Daning Border Army, Champion Earl Zhuing. Hear the imperial decree. I walk to the center of the hall. Every single general stands and bows toward the south toward the capital. Because when a decree arrives,

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it's as if the emperor himself is in the room. Taiishian reads, "For outstanding military achievement in the liberation of Liaoong, for slaying the enemy's supreme commander, for saving tens of thousands of Ming soldiers. Zhuing is hereby promoted to commander of the

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Daning garrison. He shall receive the official commander seal, authority over all military forces in the Daning region, 1,000 gold tales, and a residence in the capital inscribed with the name Champion Residence." Boom! It's done. It's real. It's official. My

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system goes ding. Received imperial edict reward. Normal treasure chest. Then Taiishen pulls out a second edict, giving me authority to handle promotions for my soldiers when I get back to Daning. Ding. Another treasure chest.

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Two edicts. Two chests. Zua, you generous man. I think. Keep those edicts coming. Uan is beaming. He worked so hard for this moment. He gave me complete freedom. handled all the unglamorous supply work and lobbyed everyone he could. Without him, none of

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this happens. My officers, Chun Hong, Lu Jan, Jang Wu, are practically vibrating with excitement. They're my guys now, officially permanently. And the Hi crew, Chong Mao, literally hisses, a child.

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They made a child a commander who Hai and Wong Bi are shooting me looks that could curdle milk. Lan Yu is just sitting there with that weird haunted expression again, still thinking I look like the dead Imperial grandson. I guess

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man needs a therapist. Then Tai drops the second piece of news, and this one is for Fong Shang. The emperor wants to reorganize the 180,000 captured Yuan soldiers into three military garrisons.

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I nearly choke on my wine. Three garrisons. I know exactly what this becomes. This is the birth of the legendary Dian 3 guards, the most feared cavalry force on the northern frontier.

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In history, these three garrisons become so powerful that when Zhu D launches his rebellion, he specifically goes to borrow them from the prince of Ning.

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They're game changers. And right now, they're just a pile of prisoners that someone needs to sort through and organize. Oh, and one more thing. The emperor has ordered that all armies except the BPing and Daning border forces must stay in Liao Dong until

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further notice. The Hashi generals. They're stuck here in the frozen north in winter with nothing to do. The whining starts immediately. We have to stay. It's so cold here. 9 months wasn't enough. When can we go home? These are

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supposed to be the toughest warriors in China. And they sound like kids on a road trip asking, "Are we there yet?" Meanwhile, me, I get to go home to Daning, to my warm house, my girl Uer, my uncle Lynn, and my new commander's

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office. Bwan sigh as we walk back to camp. Uggh. There's going to be so much paperwork waiting for us in Danning. I grin. You know, sir, now that I'm officially the commander, you could head home tomorrow. I'll handle the military

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stuff here. His eyes light up like a kid on Christmas. Wait, you're right. You're the commander now. I can actually leave.

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That's the magic of delegation, folks. I just set my boss free. So, let's do a final inventory of where things stand.

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Official title, commander of the Daning garrison troops under command, 50,000. Noble rank champion Earl, hereditary properties, one mansion in Daning, one in the capital, gold on hand, enough to fund a small country. Thanks, Nahhatu.

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Hidden arsenal. Thousands of weapons and armor sets also. Thanks, Nachu. Stats. Everything over 5,000 lifespan. 328 years age. Still 15 treasure chests to open. At least two new ones. The Hi generals are stuck in frozen Liongo. The Shin family is fleeing to the capital.

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Zui is scheming to recruit me. Lana thinks I look like a dead prince. The emperor and crown prince love me. And I have enough secret wealth to start my own dynasty whenever I feel like it. Not bad for a kid that a rich family tried

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to quietly murder in a border posting. Not bad at all. Now, let's go home. I've got a girl to see, a mansion to furnish, and a revenge to plan. All right, so three things happened today. I got my

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official commander seal, open some loot boxes, and learn that the Hi generals are still whining about me behind my back. Let's go. Part one. Buan hands me the keys. I walk into Buan's tent and this man is practically sprinting toward

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me with a wooden box in his hands. Here, take it. The commander's seal. It's yours now. He's holding it out like someone handing off a ticking bomb. The relief on his face is unreal. This man has been carrying the weight of military

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and civilian leadership for the entire time he's been in daining and he just got parrolled. You look like you're getting rid of a cursed object. I say, "You have no idea." He laughs. Ever since I got to Daning, I've been

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juggling government paperwork and military command and supply logistics and everything else. I'm a scholar. I'm supposed to be drinking tea and writing poetry, not commanding 50,000 soldiers.

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He's so happy he's practically glowing. The man is already mentally planning his first day off in what has probably been years. I take the seal. It's heavy, not just physically. This thing represents command over the entire DNAing military

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region. 50,000 soldiers, one box, one seal, one very satisfied former boss. Part two, loot time. I rush back to my tent because priorities. Three treasure chests waiting for me. Plus, the system gives me a bonus for my promotion.

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First, the commander seal gets condensed into my system, and the stats are beautiful. Commander seal effect. All soldiers under my command get double combat power, double morale, and double endurance. Double everything doubled. My 50,000 soldiers now fight like 100,000.

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Every single daining soldier is basically worth two regular soldiers on the battlefield. This is insane. This means that even without me personally being a one-man apocalypse, my army is now the most terrifying force on the northern border just through passive

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buffs. I'm basically a walking aura of your troops are now twice as scary. Now, the chests, two normal chests, give me a martial art called tendonsplitting bone crushing hand, which is absolutely as horrifying as it sounds. It's basically

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a torture technique, perfect for interrogations, and an infinite use fire starter. Never need to worry about campfires again. Small win, but I'll take it. The tier one chest gives me high yield rice seeds. Now, most people would yawn at rice seeds. Boring.

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Where's the magic sword? But me, I understand what this means. In the 14th century, whoever controls food controls everything. Armies march on their stomachs. Empires rise and fall on harvests. And I just got rice that produces more food per acre than

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anything currently growing in China. Combined with the cement recipe I got earlier, I can build fortified cities with paved roads and feed massive populations and maintain a huge army, I'm basically speedr running civilization development with loot box technology. Let me check my resource

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inventory real quick. High yield rice seeds, food security, cement manufacturing infrastructure smokeless coal mining, energy, crossbow tower blueprints, defense, enough gold and silver to fund a country. Thanks, Dead Nachu. Thousands of weapons and armor sets, military, a compass, navigation.

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I'm one steam engine away from starting the industrial revolution 400. Years early, part three, the meeting I wasn't at, but heard about. Next morning, there's a highle meeting about organizing the 180,000 captured Yuan soldiers into three garrisons. Only

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commanders and above are invited, which now includes me. Thank you very much. Fuyud starts with the basics. Step one, remove the weak ones. Step two, put our officers in all command positions. No captured yuan soldier gets to be higher

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than a sergeant. Smart standard. Everyone agrees. Lan Yu adds his special brand of paranoia, and any Yuan officers we keep can only be assistants. No real power ever. This man trusts the Yuan prisoners about as much as a cat trusts

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a bathtub. Then Fong Shing asks for my opinion. Every eye in the room turns to me, the youngest person there by a solid 15 years. I stand up. Two points. First, don't put all three garrisons in the same place. Spread them out. If they're

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together, they could coordinate a rebellion. Apart, they're isolated and manageable. Everyone nods. Basic strategy, but important. Second, control their food supply. Each garrison should never have more than 5 days worth of food at any time. Deliver in small

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batches. If they ever rebel, you just stop the deliveries and they starve within a week. The room goes quiet for a second, then foam shung grins. That's brilliantly ruthless. Write that down.

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See, that's how you handle military logistics. Don't just think about how to fight rebels. Think about how to make rebellion impossible. take away the food and they can't do anything even if they wanted to. I know from history that

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these three garrisons become the famous duo yen three guards, the deadliest cavalry force on the frontier. Getting their foundation right now matters for decades to come. After the strategy discussion, I asked the important question, when can we go home? Fong Shan

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smiles. Tomorrow. You and the Baping army are cleared to leave. Tomorrow. I could kiss this man. Well, no. That would be weird and probably violate about 12 military protocols, but emotionally I could kiss him. Jeang Yu and I are going to travel together since

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the Baping army passes through DNI on their way home. Road trip with a future legendary general. Yes, please. Fong Shan gives us a proper goodbye. It's been an honor serving with you both. I hope we fight together again someday. We

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bow. We leave. It's oddly emotional for a room full of men who spent the last 9 months stabbing people. Part four, the Hawaii meltdown that I definitely heard about later after Jeang Yu and I leave.

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The Hashi generals apparently had a spectacular breakdown. My sources tell me it went something like this. Chong Mao still wrapped in bandages like a mummy with anger issues. What about my uncle's promotion to Duke? He deserves it. Fong Shang sighing deeply after the

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tealing disaster. Your uncle is lucky he's only losing a year's pay. He's not getting a promotion. He's getting lucky the crown prince saved his career. Chong Mao slams his hands on the table. That wasn't his fault. Nahatcha cheated. He

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burned down a whole city. Fong Shang, war is war. Results are results. Then Huh Hai, who apparently has a death wish, decides to stir the pot. Grand General, doesn't it bother you how much the emperor favors Zuing? Don't you have

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any thoughts about a 15year-old kid getting this much power? The room goes dead silent. Even the candles seem to stop flickering. Fong Shan stands up and his voice drops to absolute zero. Zuing earned his position through blood and

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combat. If any of you want the emperor's attention, go earn it on the battlefield instead of complaining in a meeting room like children. Boom. Dropped the mic.

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Picked it back up. Dropped it again. But Chong Mao, this absolute maniac, actually pushes further. You're from Hi, too. Don't you see what Zhu Ying<unk>s rise means for all of us? And that's where my intel cuts off. But I can

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imagine Fong Shan's face. This man survived decades of warfare and imperial politics. And now he's got to babysit a guy in bandages who's trying to start a faction war in a post victory meeting.

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Meanwhile, Fu Yud is sitting in the corner looking at the wall like a man who achieved enlightenment and no longer cares about earthly drama. Absolute Zen master energy. I respect it deeply.

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Here's what the Hi guys don't understand. The world changed and they didn't notice. They're still playing the old game. Our faction versus their faction. Protect our turf. But the emperor is playing a different game now.

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He wants loyal, capable commanders who answer directly to him, not to some faction. And I fit that profile perfectly. I'm not. I'm not any faction.

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I'm just me. A 15year-old with stats over 5,000. A spy eagle. Enough hidden gold to fund a revolution. and 300 years to figure out what I want to do with this world. Tomorrow I ride home to Danying to Y, to Uncle Lynn, to my new

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commander's office and my new life. The war is over. The real game is just beginning. Packs bags, feeds eagle, checks treasure map one more time. Let's go home. So, while I'm packing my bags, and feeding lamb to my eagle, the entire

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political world around me is having a collective nervous breakdown. Let me take you on the tour. Scene one. Fong Sean drops a nuclear truth bomb after Jeang Yu and I left the meeting.

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Apparently things got spicy with the Hi generals. Chong Mao Huan starting to think has a medical condition that prevents him from shutting up goes on a full rant about how my Rise is going to destroy the Hashi faction. He's pounding

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tables, waving his bandaged arms around, practically foaming at the mouth. And Foam Shunk just sits there listening, quiet, patient. Then when Chong Mao finally runs out of breath, Fong Shang says two names. Lie Shan Chong was also from Hishi. Pause. Hui Yong was also

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from Hishi. Longer pause. And then what happened? The room goes silent like cemetery at midnight. Silent. For those who don't know the history, Lie Shong was the most powerful chancellor in the early Ming dynasty. Hui Yong was his

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successor. Both were Hi faction leaders. Both thought they were untouchable. Both got executed along with their entire families. Tens of thousands of people died in the purges. Fong Shan just reminded a room full of arrogant generals that the last time why she

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people got too comfortable with their power. The emperor turned them into a cautionary tale that's still giving people nightmares years later. Every face in that room went white. Chong Mau looked like someone just showed him his own grave. Then Fong Shan really drives

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the knife in. We are subjects, not masters. The emperor of today is not the warlord of yesterday. If you lose your fear of imperial authority, there is only one outcome. Death. Beautiful.

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Chef's kiss. Someone needed to say it, and the only person with enough authority to say it without getting punched was Fung. The Hashi generals sat there in complete silence, suddenly remembering that the emperor they serve literally went from homeless beggar to

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ruler of China by being the most ruthless person in any room he enters. This is not a man you want to test.

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Honestly, Funing might have just saved their lives. If they keep pushing their luck, keep acting entitled, keep treating the throne like it owes them something, they're going to end up exactly like Lee Shan Chong and Hui Yong. I know this because well, I know

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what happens in history and it's not pretty for several people in that room, but that's their problem, not mine.

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Scene two, Zhu D gets my full backstory over in Bing. Prince Xud has been running his own private investigation into me and the results just came in.

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His spy Jean Jong walks in with a full report. Your highness, I found everything. Here's what they uncovered.

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And honestly, I'm impressed by the detective work. The Shin family paid a military recruitment officer 100 gold pieces to change my enlistment records.

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Instead of joining the Baping Army, where I should have been assigned based on my hometown, I got sent to Daning, the most dangerous border post in northern China. They also burned my original registration documents and falsified my age to make me eligible for

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immediate deployment. The recruitment officer confessed everything. He's already been arrested. Juudi's reaction. He slams his fist on the table. That officer cost me a legendary general. He should be executed. And then he asks the obvious question. Why would the Shin

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family want to kill a teenager, Jin Jang? It was about a marriage contract. Your highness. Zhu Ying<unk>ing grandmother had arranged a betroal with the Shin family. But the Shuns didn't want to honor it. So they shipped Zhuing off to die in Daning and married their

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daughter to someone else instead. Who did they marry her to? the eldest son of Lu Ben, the Minister of Rights, Zhu Disarrow. He immediately sees the bigger picture. The Shin family isn't just a merchant clan trying to dodge a

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marriage. They're a political player building alliances through strategic marriages with powerful officials. They married into Hashi military families.

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They married into the Lou family who are connected to the crown prince's household. Merchants, Zui mutters with pure disgust, reaching too far above their station. This is peak. Apple doesn't fall far from the tree energy.

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His dad hates rich merchants, too. Like father, like son. But here's the smart part. Zui doesn't do anything rash. He doesn't go after the Shun family directly. Instead, he orders Gene Jang to send the arrested recruitment officer to me and Ding. Give me all the

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investigation results. Let me handle it. I want to send Zhuing a favor. Zu D says not give him a gift. Send him a favor.

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This man understands power dynamics at a molecular level. He's not just being nice. He's creating a debt. If he hands me the evidence and the guy who ruined my life, I'll owe him one. And a favor from the youngest commander in Ming

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Dynasty history, that's an investment that pays dividends for decades. Gene Jang asks, "Is a mere commander really worth this much attention from a prince?" Zhu D smiles that cold, calculating smile. He went from nobody to commander and Earl in one year.

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That's not a mere commander. That's a future power player. Then he adds, dripping with irony. The Shin family threw away a diamond to pick up a glass bead. I bet they're lying awake at night regretting everything. You know what,

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Zui? You're right. But also, you're terrifying and I need to be very, very careful around you. Scene three, the announcement. Then the local governor brings Xudi a notice from the Ministry of Rights. An official announcement to be posted throughout the empire. It's

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the decree crediting Crown Prince Zhu Bao with the glory of recapturing Liaoong. Zui reads it and his face does a thing. He approves it immediately. Of course, no objections, but you can feel the emotion underneath. After the governor leaves, Zhu retreats to his

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private chamber where Yao Guang Xiao is sitting on his meditation cushion like the creepiest therapist in history. Yao Guang Xiao reads the announcement and is genuinely amazed. The emperor is giving his own historical glory to the crown prince. Which emperor in all of Chinese

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history has ever done that? This goes beyond fatherly love. This is unprecedented. And then Zhu D says the quiet part out loud. The thing that's been eating him alive his entire life.

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Perhaps in father's eyes only my older brother is truly his son. The room goes dead silent. That one sentence contains everything. All the jealousy, all the pain, all the feeling of being second best. Zu is a brilliant military mind, a

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capable administrator, a man who could probably run the empire better than half the people in line for it. And his father treats him like a backup copy.

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The emperor gave away his own historical legacy just to make Zhu Bao look better.

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He'd never do that for Zui. He'd never do that for any of his other sons. Yao Guang Xiao doesn't say anything. He doesn't need to. This wound, this is the wound he's been carefully, patiently keeping open. Because someday, when the

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time is right, this pain will be the fuel that drives Zhu D to take the throne by force. I know this because I know the future. The Jing rebellion, the civil war, Zu marching on the capital with an army. All of it starts from this

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exact feeling. Father never loved me the way he loved my brother. History isn't driven by armies and strategies. It's driven by feelings. And right now in a candle lit room in Baying, a future emperor is sitting in the dark,

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wondering why he was never enough. Heavy stuff. Meanwhile, me, I'm in my tent, completely oblivious to all this drama, organizing my storage space, and calculating how many bags of high yield rice I can plant next spring. A prince

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is plotting to recruit me. A merchant family is fleeing from me. An emperor is reshaping history for his favorite son.

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A group of generals just got reminded that they're all one bad decision away from execution. And a creepy monk is manipulating a lonely prince's daddy issues. And I'm over here like, I wonder if my eagle would like beef instead of

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lamb tonight. Sometimes ignorance really is bliss. But not for long. Jud is sending me a recruitment package, a gift wrap trader, and a full dossier on the Shin family's crimes. When that arrives at my doorstep in Daning, things are

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going to get very interesting. The Shin family thinks they cleaned up their tracks. They killed their witnesses.

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They burned the evidence. They moved to the capital, but they forgot about the recruitment officer. And now Zu has him.

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And soon I'll have him. Tick tock. Shin family. Tick tock. Okay, so I'm riding home on Wuing, my magnificent black stallion, leading 700 cavalry through the countryside, minding my own business, thinking about treasure maps and high yield rice seeds. When I see

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something ahead, that makes me do a double take. People. Thousands of people. No, wait. Tens of thousands of people. The entire city of Daning has emptied out. Every man, woman, child, grandparent, dog, and probably several confused chickens are standing outside

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the city gates, waiting for me. Uh, Lule, what's happening? Lule rides up next to me, his face redder than a tomato at a sunburn convention. General, they're here for you. You're a hero to these people. You killed the guys who've

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been terrorizing their families for generations. I look out at this ocean of humanity. Vendors who abandon their shops. Mothers holding children on their shoulders. Old grandpas being carried by their families just to catch a glimpse.

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Young women blushing and whispering to each other. And for maybe the first time since I got reincarnated into this world, I'm genuinely speechless.

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Champion Earl, General Zhu, welcome home. Our hero is back. The cheering hits me like a physical wave. Kids are waving homemade daining army flags. Old men are crying. Women are throwing flowers. Okay, it's winter, so they're throwing dried flowers. The thought

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counts. Let me explain why this is happening. Ding is a border city. For years, these people lived in constant terror. The Yuan remnants, the Gurchin raiders, random bandits. Every year, people died. Fathers went to work the fields and never came home. Children

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were kidnapped. Villages were burned. These folks have been living in a horror movie their entire lives. And then I showed up and I killed the boogeyman.

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All the boogeymen. Manio dead. The Jin tribal chief dead. Nahachu dead. Every major threat that haunted these people's nightmares for years gone by my hand. To them, I'm not just a general who won some battles. I'm the guy who made it

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safe to sleep at night. That actually hits different. I spot familiar faces in the crowd. A merchant is screaming at another merchant. Dude, Zhuing is back.

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Leave your stall. Wait for me. I'm closing up. They literally abandoned their businesses. Some of these guys are losing money right now and they don't care. That's That's love, man. Weird, aggressive, financially irresponsible love, but love nonetheless. Then I see

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some young women in the crowd whispering to each other, faces bright red. He's so handsome, just like the rumors said. I wonder who's going to marry him. Her friend giggling. Whoever she is, she's the luckiest woman in the world. Yeah,

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about that. My childhood sweetheart is literally standing in this crowd somewhere, and I guarantee she can hear you. This might get awkward. Speaking of which, as I ride closer to the gate, I spot them. You and Uncle Lynn. They're

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standing near the front right next to Bwan and a bunch of city officials. Uer is wearing a light blue dress that makes her look like a flower in the middle of winter. Uncle Lynn is trying very hard not to cry and failing spectacularly.

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Buan, beautiful, wonderful Buan clearly arranged this. He spread the word that I was coming home, invited you and Uncle Lynn personally and organized the whole reception. The man is the greatest wingman in Chinese history. And he's not even trying. Your young master has truly

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made something of himself. Lyn Fu is telling someone. His voice cracking like a teenager going through puberty. If the old madam could see him now, he trails off because if he says one more word, he's going to ugly cry in front of the

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entire city. Buan walks over to them looking all official in his fancy governor's robes. Your young master and I are practically old friends. No need for formalities. Uncle Lynn bows so deeply he nearly touches the ground. The man went from being unable to even see a

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minor government clerk to being personally addressed by the governor. All because of me, his useless little orphan boy who got shipped off to die at the border. Plot twist. I didn't die. I became the border. Now, while all this

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is heartwarming and wonderful, let me give you a quick behind-the-scenes tour of what else happened today that I don't know about yet. in Baying. Zhu Di is staring at that announcement from the Ministry of Rights. The one crediting

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Crown Prince Zhu Bao with the Liaoong victory and having his annual dad never loved me crisis. He told Yao Guang Xiao, "Maybe in father's eyes only my older brother is truly his son. Heavy this man has daddy issues deeper than the Mariana

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Trench. And Yao Guang Xiao, the creepiest monk alive, is just sitting there going, "Time will tell. your highness, like a fortune cookie that wants to overthrow the government.

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They're also already plotting for the next war, the invasion of the Yuan homeland. Zui wants to lead it personally to prove he's worthy. This is the war that historically results in the battle of Lake Beer, which destroys the

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Yuan forever. In the capital, Crown Prince Zuao is being an absolute machine. In one morning, he set up tax exemptions for Lioong. One year no farm tax, two years half-pric business tax, ordered land redistribution to give every commoner their own farmland,

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dispatched a 100 legal officials to investigate and punish Yuan nobles who abused civilians and finalized the organization of the three new military garrisons. And guess what? One of those garrisons is being stationed in my territory in Huhou, part of Daning. Zuao

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specifically said, "With Zhu Ying<unk>s daning army, he can easily keep one garrison in check. The crown prince trusts me to babysit 50,000 recently captured enemy soldiers. That's either a massive compliment or the most passive aggressive assignment in history." He

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also read my suggestions about controlling the garrison's food supply and separating them geographically, and he was impressed. "Zhuing really is sharp," he said. Music to my ears, even if I wasn't there to hear it. Oh, and Juao is already thinking about who

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should lead the next campaign against the Yuan. He's considering giving Lan Yu a shot at redemption, which historically is exactly what happens. Lanu leads the campaign and it makes his entire career.

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But that's future business. Right now, I'm riding through a tunnel of cheering people, trying to keep a dignified expression on my face. While internally screaming, "This is the coolest thing that's ever happened to me." A big burly dude in the crowd yells, "That's our

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general." The emperor himself named him Champion. Look at that presence. That's no ordinary man. A little kid on his dad's shoulders is waving a tiny flag and screaming, "The hero is home. The hero is home. An old grandmother has her

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hands pressed together in prayer, thanking heaven for bringing me back alive. And somewhere in that crowd, you were is watching me ride in. And I can see from here that her eyes are shining, not with the worshipful awe of the

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crowd, but with something simpler and warmer. Relief, joy, the look of someone who's been counting the days until someone came home. I'm 15 years old. I have 5,000 in every stat. I have 328 years to live. I have a vault full of

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stolen gold. I have cement recipes and rice seeds and spy eagles and treasure maps. But right now, riding through this crowd of grateful people heading toward the two humans who waited for me and worried about me and prayed for me every

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single day I was gone. Right now, none of that other stuff matters. I'm home and it feels really, really good. Tries not to cry on horseback because war heroes don't cry. Fails slightly blames it on the cold wind. I'm home, baby. And

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the homecoming was a lot. First, I ride up to the city gates looking all cool and commanding on my black stallion. And I see the two people I've been missing most in this world. Uncle Lynn and you are. Uncle Lynn takes one look at me and

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completely loses it. Tears everywhere. You're alive. You're taller. You're a man now. He's sobbing like someone just told him his favorite dog came back from the dead, which technically is kind of what happened. He thought I was going to

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die in Daning. and instead I came back as the most decorated general in China.

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Then I see your light blue dress, beautiful, standing there with wet eyes and a trembling lip, trying so hard to be composed. You know what? Forget composure. I walk right up to her and hug her in front of everyone in front of

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tens of thousands of people. In front of Bwan and all the city officials in a society where public displays of affection are about as common as flying pigs. I'll take care of you forever, I whisper. Don't ever go back to Bing.

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You're staying with me. She buries her face in my chest and says, I'm just a concubine's daughter. I'm not good enough for you. Stop that. You ran a thousand miles to warn me. You survived assassins. You are the most ride or die

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woman in this entire dynasty, and I am keeping you. The crowd goes wild. Random people are cheering. Old ladies are crying. Some girl in the crowd goes, "Who's that?" and her friend says, "That's his childhood sweetheart." And then there's a collective, a www

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from approximately 50,000 people. A big dude yells, "Look at our general, war hero and romantic. What a man." Buan is standing there with the smugg smile because he arranged for you and uncle Lynn to be at the front of the crowd.

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The man is the greatest wingman in military history and he doesn't even drink. I thank the crowd, bowing to them properly with a military salute, and their cheering gets even louder.

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Apparently, humility is the one thing they didn't expect from a war hero, and it's blowing their minds. He's bowing to us. The champion Earl is bowing to commoners. This is what a real official looks like. Yeah. Yeah. I'm amazing. Can

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I go inside now? I have secret evil plans to work on. The mansion, my new home, is enormous. The emperor personally gifted this place and it's one of the biggest properties in the entire city. 50 servants are kneeling at

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the front gate. Welcome home, master. These servants were assigned by the Imperial Court, which means at least a few of them are definitely secret spies planted by the Emperor's Intelligence Service, the Genui. Do I care? Not really. I have a system that literally

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shows me people's loyalty scores. Any spy trying to get close to my secrets is going to hit a wall of carefully vetted, absolutely loyal bodyguards before they get anywhere near anything important.

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Nice try, Emperor. 700 personal guards file into the compound with military precision. Shiao Han takes a hundred to guard the exterior. 100 more secure the interior. The rest settle into the barracks. My house basically is a military base now. Uncle Lynn is

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practically glowing. Young master, the treasury already has 2,000 gold from Imperial Rewards. Good. You're going to need it. Here's a shopping list. I hand him a paper with a bunch of drug ingredients on it. This is the recipe

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for bone forging powder, the stuff I got from a loot box that strengthens muscles and bones. I'm going to mass-produce it and use it to turn my personal guards into super soldiers. Uncle Lynn takes the list without even asking what it's

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for. 30 years of loyal service means he doesn't question me. He just does. Then I sit down with him and you are in the main hall and we have the talk. Not that talk, the revenge talk. I know what

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happened in Houé. I say my face going cold. The Shun family tried to have you both killed. Uncle Lynn's face contorts with rage. Those animals. If anything had happened to you, nothing happened and nothing will happen because I'm

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going to make them pay for everything. Ura looks at me with those big eyes. I look right back. I will never let anyone hurt you again. Both of you, this is my home now and in this city I am the law.

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Uncle Lynn nods so hard I think his neck might snap. You are just quietly holds my hand. Then Uncle Lynn drops a dad bomb before leaving. Young master, you will treat you right, won't you? She gave up everything for you. I smile.

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Limbo, I told her years ago when I make something of myself, I'm marrying her.

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That wasn't a joke. That was a promise. He exhales with the relief of a man who's been holding that question in for months and shuffles out happy. The secret plans. This is where it gets spicy. Okay, now everyone's gone to bed

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and it's just me and my study. Time to put on my evil genius hat. Step one, I tell Uncle Lynn to go to the refugee camps tomorrow and recruit anyone under 15 who's willing to sign an indentured service contract. Orphans, homeless

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kids, anyone with nothing to lose. Officially, these are household servants unofficially. Step two, I call in Lule.

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I have a job for you. Tell N1 outside the guard unit. Lule straightens up. He can feel the temperature in the room change. Find a hidden location in the mountains outside the city, somewhere remote, somewhere nobody goes. Lu's eyes

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widen. He's not stupid. General, are you training assassins? You know about that kind of thing? My family has some traditions. But sir, raising a shadow force. If anyone finds out, that's treason. I look him dead in the eyes.

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Are you in or not? He drops to his knees without a millisecond of hesitation. My life is yours. I follow you to death.

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Good. Find the location. Then we start collecting recruits, kids from the streets, orphans, anyone nobody will miss. We train them to fight, to kill silently, and to be loyal to me and only me. Understood. General and Lule. The

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guards can be trusted. Every single one has been loyalty checked. But nobody outside our circle hears about this. Not Banan, not the court, nobody. He nods and leaves. I sit alone in the candle light thinking. Here's my plan. Two

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parallel tracks. Track one. Public Uncle Lynn recruits refugees openly through legal contracts. These become household staff, some of whom will eventually receive combat training using the horizontal body tempering technique and bone forging powder. They'll become my elite guard. Stronger, tougher, and more

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dangerous than regular soldiers. All perfectly legal. Track two. Shadow Lule recruits separately in secret. These kids go to a hidden mountain camp and get trained as proper assassins. My personal shadow force answerable only to me. Invisible to everyone else. First

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target when the shadow force is ready. The Shun family. You tried to kill me.

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You tried to kill the woman I love. You tried to kill the old man who raised me.

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And then you ran to the capital thinking money and connections would protect you. Here's what you don't understand, Shinuans. I'm not a 15year-old orphan anymore. I'm the commander of a 50,000man army, an earl of the empire, a personal favorite of the emperor and

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crown prince. And I have enough hidden gold to buy your entire family tree. And now I'm building an assassin squad specifically for you. You burned your evidence. I'll make new evidence. You killed your witnesses. I'll find new ones. You married your daughter to a

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minister's son for protection. Cute. See how much protection that buys when zu engage. Are you in there? Uer's voice floats through the door, sweet and gentle. I instantly switch from cold-blooded vengeance mastermind to loving boyfriend in 0.3 seconds. Coming.

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And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the duality of Zhuing. By day, beloved war hero, humble general, loyal subject of the Ming dynasty. By night, secretly building a private assassination network while also being a really good boyfriend. The game is just beginning.

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blows out candle, checks loyalty scores on all 50 servants one more time, goes to see you. Good night, Dan. Your hero is home and he has plans. Okay, so let me tell you about my first full day back

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in Daning because it was packed the night before PG13 version. So you were comes to my room wearing a deep red dress looking like she just walked out of a painting and says, and I quote, "I want to give you an air in case you die

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on the battlefield. romantic, morbid, both, doesn't matter. My brain immediately shut down. Every stat I have is over 5,000, but my resistance to pretty girls and red dresses is apparently zero. I'll spare you the details. Let's just say that with my

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superhuman physical stats, I had to exercise extreme restraint. Like, I could probably bench press a horse. So, yeah, gentle mode activated. Moving on.

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Morning. Operation Super Soldier. I wake up carefully sneak out of bed without waking you. She needs the rest. Trust me. And head straight to the training yard because I have plans. 700 of my personal guards are already assembled.

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These are my absolute best. Each one handpicked, loyalty verified through my system. Battle tested in the bloodiest fights of the Lodun campaign. No Imperial spies among them. I checked.

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Personally, first order. Nobody comes near this courtyard. Nobody. Anyone who tries gets executed. Shiao Han immediately takes a hundred guards and seals off every entrance. Any Ginui spy hiding among my household servants is going to have a very boring morning

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staring at a wall of armed men. Then I give my speech. You've all fought beside me. I know your loyalty. Now I'm going to give you something in return. I walk up to a massive stone lion statue, the

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kind that weighs several hundred lb and normal humans can't even budge. And I punch it. One punch. The lion goes flying across the courtyard, crashes into the ground, and shatters into rubble. 700 jaws hit the floor simultaneously. You could hear a pin

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drop. Then the whispering starts. Did he just punch a stone lion into pieces? That thing weighs more than a horse. If he hit a person like that, we'd need a mop, not a medic. I turn to face them.

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Casual as anything. Want to have this kind of strength? 600 men drop to their knees so fast they probably bruise themselves. Lule leads the charge. Yes, my family will serve yours forever. Will be your household vassels for generations. And just like that,

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everyone pledges eternal loyalty, not just for themselves, but for their children and grandchildren. They're going all in, which is exactly what I wanted. I pull out 700 copies of the horizontal body tempering technique redrawn as picture diagrams because most

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of these guys can't read. No judgment literacy rates in the 14th century are rough. This is the martial art that builds raw physical power. At full mastery, it can give someone thousands of pounds of striking force. You have 30

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minutes to memorize everything. Then we burn every copy. They study those diagrams like their lives depend on it.

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Which in a way they do. Half an hour later, everyone memorized. Yes, general. Burn it. Every single page goes into the fire. No evidence, no copies floating around. The technique exists only in their heads and mine. Then I sweeten the

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deal. From today, every guard gets five extra silver tales per month. On top of your military salary, their normal pay is two silver tales monthly. I just gave them a 250% raise. Eyes go wide. Some of these guys are doing mental math and

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realizing they're now earning more than minor officials. Money plus supernatural power training plus a charismatic leader who punches statues into dust. That's not loyalty. That's religion. The drug bath of pain. Now comes the fun part. I have 10 giant water barrels set up

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filled with hot water. Then I pull out my bone forging powder, the alchemical stuff I got from a loot box, and dump it in. The water turns gray black and starts bubbling ominously. It smells like medicine mixed with suffering. Get

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in. The longer you stay, the stronger you get. First 10 guys jump in for about 3 seconds. They look comfortable. Then a h it burns. Oh god, my bones are on fire. Stay in. I yell helpfully. Pain means it's working. Some guys last

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longer than others, but when they climb out, dripping, trembling, looking like they just survived a war crime. They can feel the difference. General, my strength, it doubled. Mine, too. I feel like I could punch through a wall. I

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want to go again. I rotate all 600 guards through the barrels and batches. By the time we're done, I have 700 personal bodyguards who are now roughly twice as strong as they were this morning. And this is just the first

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session. I've ordered Uncle Lynn to buy enough ingredients for regular treatments every 10 days. Do the math.

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Regular drug baths plus daily martial arts training plus my commander seal that already doubles their combat effectiveness. Within a few months, each of my guards will be worth 10 ordinary soldiers. My 700man personal force will be equivalent to a 7,000man army. That's

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not a bodyguard unit. That's a weapon. the shadow program. While the guards are still glowing from their power up, I pull Lu Llay aside the mountain hideout mission. Start today, he nods. No questions, no hesitation. He grabs a few

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trusted guards and heads out to find a hidden location for training my secret assassin force. Meanwhile, Uncle Lynn is heading to the refugee camps to openly recruit homeless teenagers as household servants legal documented above board. Some of those recruits will

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become servants. Some will become something else. Two pipelines, one public, one shadow. Both feeding into the same goal. Building a private power base that answers to nobody but me. The financial situation. Let me do a quick wealth check from Nahhatu's treasure

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vault. More gold and silver than I can count from Imperial Rewards. 2,000 gold in the household treasury. Monthly payroll for 700 guards at five extra tails each. 3,500 silver per month hidden weapons cash enough to arm 10,000 soldiers. I could fund a small army for

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years without anyone knowing. The cement recipe, the high yield rice, the crossbow tower blueprints, these are all sitting in my inventory waiting to be deployed at the right moment. I'm 15 years old and I'm already running a shadow operation with more capital than

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most noble families see in a lifetime. The surprise visitor. I'm walking back to the main hall. Feeling pretty good about my morning super soldier program.

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Launched assassination squad in progress. Girlfriend happy when uncle Lynn comes running up. Young master, there are people at the gate claiming to be from the Baying Prince's mansion. The Yin Wongs people and they brought a carriage with black curtains. I stop

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walking. Zudi, the future Yongla emperor. The man who's been investigating my background, who discovered the Shun family's plot against me, and who ordered a gift wrapped recruitment package delivered to my door. The mysterious covered carriage probably contains the corrupt

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recruitment officer who sold me to the Shin family. The man whose one signature changed the course of my life. This is Jud making his move, sending me evidence, sending me a prisoner, sending me a message. I did something for you.

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Now you owe me. Clever, dangerous, calculated. I should be nervous. A prince of the blood is actively trying to recruit me into his faction and the political implications could get me killed if the emperor finds out. But honestly, I'm kind of excited because

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here's what Jude D doesn't know. I already know his entire future. I know about the rebellion he'll launch. I know he'll become emperor. I know everything.

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He thinks he's playing me, but I've read the last page of the book. Let them in, I say, straightening my collar. Let's see what the prince of Yen has to say.

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Cracks Knuckles adjust sword puts on diplomatic face game time. So, today I killed a man before breakfast, got engaged before lunch, and started handling government paperwork before dinner. Just another day in the life of Commander Zhuing. The delivery from

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Prince Xu D. I'm minding my own business when Uncle Lynn comes running. Young master, people from Prince's mansion are here. I walk to the main hall and in walks this sharpl looking 18-year-old with perfect military posture and that

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unmistakable I could kill you with a chopstick energy. He introduces himself. Zhu Nang, thousandman captain of the Yan Prince Guard, Zhu Nang Zhu Ning, another name I recognize from my historical encyclopedia brain. This guy becomes one of Zhu D's top generals during the Jing

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Nin Rebellion. Between him and Jeang Yu, Judy's entire future war machine is basically introducing itself to me one person at a time. It's like attending a pre-reunion for a revolution that hasn't happened yet. Hi, I'm going to help

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overthrow the government in about 15 years. Nice to meet you. Xunang gets right to business. Prince Yen has investigated why you ended up in Daning instead of the Baying Army. He found the answer and he brought you a gift. He

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snaps his fingers. Several guards drag in a hooded man bound head to toe. They rip off the hood and I see the face of Litow, the recruitment officer who sold my life to the Shin family for a 100

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gold pieces. The man who forged my documents, falsified my age, burned my records, and shipped me off to die at the most dangerous border post in China.

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He takes one look at me and his soul visibly leaves his body. General Zu, please spare me. It was the Shun family.

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They made me do it. I'm sorry. Please. Yeah. No. Zhu Nong hands me an official execution document complete with the BPing judicial seal. Everything's legal and proper. Zhu D thought thought of everything. The prince hopes you'll accept this gift. Zhu Ning says with a

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polite smile. Tell the prince. I will absolutely remember this kindness. I reply putting on my most grateful diplomatic face. Xuning also hands me a full investigation dossier. I flip through it. Everything's there. How the Shun family paid Lee Tao, how they

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burned my original records, the timeline, the whole conspiracy. But, and this is the key part, there's in no direct evidence linking the Shin family because they already killed everyone who could testify against them. Shin family is pretty careful, Zhu Nang says

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apologetically. Of course, they are. I think that old fox Shin wants and didn't become the richest man in China by leaving fingerprints. No matter. I have other plans for the Shin family. Plans that don't require courtroom evidence.

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After Zhu Nong leaves, I look down at Li Tao, still graveling and crying on my floor. I draw my sword. One swing. Head off. Clean. Ding. Killed enemy. One strength. Only one point. This guy was basically a desk worker. Worst loot drop

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of my career. But the satisfaction, priceless. Uncle Lynn is standing behind me looking slightly traumatized. It's his first time seeing me kill someone up close. He's looking at me like, "My sweet little orphan boy just decapitated a man in the living room." Lule, clean

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this up. Dump the body at the mass grave. Yes, sir. Uncle Lynn swallows hard. Young master, was that really the man who just a pawn? Limbo. The real target is the Shin family. And when I'm ready, they'll get theirs. Uncle Lynn

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nods, looking slightly less horrified and slightly more vengeful. Good. We're on the same page. The wedding announcement. Then I completely 180 my emotional state because I'm versatile like that. Lynbo, go buy wedding supplies. Red dresses, Phoenix crowns, the whole setup. Uncle Lynn freezes. His

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brain needs a solid 3 seconds to reboot. Young master, you're you're marrying Wu. She crossed a thousand miles for me. She survived assassins for me. She deserves a name and a title. We're doing this. I swear the man deaged 15 years on the

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spot. He's practically skipping as he runs out to go shopping. I haven't seen him this happy since. Actually, I've never seen him this happy ever. I decide to hold the wedding at the military camp instead of some fancy official banquet.

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No stuffy politicians, no political networking, just me, my bride, my brothers in arms, good wine, and enough roasted meat to feed an army, which is literally what I'm doing. Buan gets an invite because he's family at this point. Everyone else can read about it

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in the morning paper. The Zhu analysis after the excitement dies down. I sit alone and think about what just happened. Ju sent me a gift wrapped enemy, a complete intelligence dossier, and a very clear message. I want to be

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your friend. Now, most people would be flattered. And I am grateful sincerely. That recruitment officer deserved exactly what he got. But I also know what Jud really wants. He's not being nice for no reason. This is an investment. He's building a network of

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loyal military contacts, one favor at a time, Jang Yu, Xun Nang. And now he's trying to add me to his collection. The question is, does he already have ambitions for the throne? Or is this just normal prince stuff? Then I

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remember Yao Xiao, the creepy monk. If he's whispering in Jud's ear, and I know he is, then this isn't innocent networking. This is early stage rebellion preparation. But honestly, not my problem right now is my official position. Zu Yuan Jang is alive and

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terrifying. Zu Bao is alive and competent. The succession is stable. Whatever Zu D is planning, it's at least a decade away. I'll accept the favor, say thank you, and go about my business.

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If the future unfolds the way I remember, I'll deal with it then. If it doesn't, well, that's the fun of living inside history instead of reading about it. I owe him one favor. I think just one, and I'll pay it back on my terms.

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Government paperwork, the true final boss. Then, Buan summons me to the governor's office for actual work. Turns out being a commander isn't all sword fights and loot boxes. I walk in and Buan greets me with I thought you'd

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still be in bed with your sweetheart. Hilarious, sir. What do you need? He introduces me to the six department heads of the Daning government. The one I'll be working with most is Huang Yao, the military affairs officer who handles

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weapon maintenance, troop recruitment, supply logistics, and salary distribution. Huang Yao immediately hits me with, "General, we need your seal on the casualty reports before they go to the Ministry of War. Also, we need to recruit replacement soldiers for the

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ones we lost. And just like that, I'm doing paperwork. The mightiest warrior in northern China. The man who punched a stone lion into gravel this morning is now reviewing personnel documents and stamping forms. War is exciting.

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Government administration is necessary. I tell Hong Yao to send everything to my mansion, and I'll review it personally.

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Because here's the thing about military paperwork. It's about people. Dead soldiers whose families need compensation money. Wounded veterans who need support. New recruits who need proper assignments. If I rubber stamp this stuff without reading it, some corrupt clerk schemes money and a widow

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doesn't get her husband's death benefit. Not on my watch. Daily recap. Let me tally up today's accomplishments.

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Morning. Gave 700 bodyguards superpowers through drug baths and secret martial arts training. Midm morning. received and executed the man who tried to have me killed. Very therapeutic. Late morning, accepted a political favor from a future emperor while mentally

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calculating how to not get pulled into a civil war. Noon, got engaged to the love of my life. Planning a military wedding.

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Afternoon, started handling actual government administration because someone has to make sure soldiers get paid. Evening, sent Lule to find a mountain hideout for my secret assassin training program. Budget status richer than some provinces. Super soldier program day one complete. Assassination

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squad recruiting phase. Wedding in progress. Revenge against Shin family. Loading. Favor owed to future rebel prince. Noted. I'm 15 years old. 15. And I'm juggling more schemes than a soap opera villain while also being genuinely in love and also secretly building a

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private army and also doing legitimate government work. If this were a video game, the difficulty setting would say, "Are you sure? Yes. Yes, I am. Now, let me go stamp some forms and then cuddle with my fiance because even future

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warlords need work life balance." All right, so this chapter covers a lot of ground. Military promotions, government bureaucracy, a secret bonus treasure chest, and oh yeah, I got married. Let's go. The surprise treasure chest. Buan hands me yet another imperial edict.

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This one about organizing the captured Yuan soldiers into a new garrison that'll be stationed in my territory.

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Standard stuff. But when I touch the scroll, my system goes ding. Normal treasure chest acquired. And then immediately, congratulations. You have received a total of 10 Imperial edicts.

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Bonus reward. Tier 1 treasure chest. 10 edicts. There was apparently a secret milestone bonus that nobody told me about. If id known this, I would have been begging the emperor to send me edicts about anything. Dear emperor, please send me an edict confirming that

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water is wet. I need the loot box. Thanks. I keep my poker face perfect though. Battlefield composure, baby.

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Inside, I'm doing back flips. Outside, I'm reading government documents like a responsible adult. The garrison situation. The edict says 50,000 captured yuan soldiers will be reorganized and stationed in Hujo within my dating territory. I'll control all the military appointments, meaning I get

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to promote my guys into officer positions within the new garrison. My first concern, who's paying to feed 50,000 extra mouths? Because my territory already supports 50,000 border troops and I am not cutting my boys rice portions to feed prisoners. Banan calms

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me down. The crown prince already thought of that. The central government covers the new garrison's costs. Thank you, Zubiao. I knew there was a reason you're my favorite royal. Then I realized the real gift here. This new garrison means promotion slots. Tons of

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them. Every officer position above squad leader goes to one of my border troops. That's dozens of my soldiers getting bumped up. Christmas came early for the daning army. Promotions day next day.

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All my top officers assemble at my mansion. Shinhong, Jang Wu, Wei Kuan, the whole crew. They're practically vibrating with anticipation. They know promotions are coming. I read out the list. Shin Hong promoted to vice commander. Jeang Wu promoted to vice

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commander. We Kuan promoted to battalion commander. And on down the line. Every name I call. Another face lights up like a lantern festival. These guys followed me when I was a nobody. Jang Wu was a deputy captain when we met. Now he's a

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vice commander. That's like going from assistant manager at a grocery store to regional director. Lu Jan is the only one who didn't get promoted, which is fair. He joined late and missed the early battles where everyone else racked

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up their kill counts. No hard feelings. The system is merit-based and everyone knows it. These are all going to the Ministry of War. I tell them once recorded, you'll get the corresponding pay raises. Understood, General. They all shout, grinning like kids who just

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found out school is canled. Then I drop the real bomb. Oh, by the way, I'm getting married in 5 days. The wedding's happening right here in the military camp. Unlimited wine and meat for everyone. The room explodes with

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excitement. You'd think I just announced we won another war in the camp. That's so you, General. I'm bringing my appetite. Who needs a fancy banquet hall when you've got 20,000 brothers to celebrate with? These guys. I love these

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guys. The wedding 5 days later, military training grounds. 20,000 soldiers sitting around bonfires in their dress uniforms. No armor, no weapons, just brothers celebrating. Buan personally officiates because he's the highest ranking civilian around. And honestly, he's basically my work dad at this

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point. He's wearing fancy clothes instead of his usual governor's robes, and he looks like he's having the time of his life. I'm standing on a raised platform in bright red wedding robes, hair down, wearing the ceremonial cap that marks me as a proper adult. And

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next to me, holding the other end of a red silk ball, is you are. She's in full bridal regalia, red phoenix crown, embroidered robes, red veil covering her face. Even without seeing her face, every single soldier in the audience

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knows she's stunning. 20,000 hardened veterans who've seen the worst of war. They're sitting there in perfect silence watching their general get married, and several of them are definitely crying.

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They deny it. They'd say it was campfire smoke, but they're crying. First bow to heaven and earth. You and I kneel together and bow. This one's for the universe. Thanks for not killing me in any of the 17 near-death situations I've

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been in this year. Second bow to the elders. We turn to face the high seat where family elders should sit. There's only one person there. Uncle Len. My parents are dead. My grandmother is dead. Lyn Fu is the only family I have

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left in this world. He's standing there in his simple clothes. Tears streaming down his face trying to smile. Old madam. He's thinking talking to my grandmother's spirit. Your grandson is getting married. I wish you could see this. I bow to him. You are both to him.

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And for a moment, despite 20,000 people watching, it feels like the most private moment in the world. Third bow. Husband and wife to each other. I turn to face you. She turns to face me. Even through the veil, I can feel her smiling. We

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bow. Done. We're married. The jade pendants. After the ceremony, we do the tea service. Lyn Fu takes his tea with shaking hands. then reaches behind him and pulls out a worn wooden box. Young master, you were his voice is trembling.

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When the old madam passed, she left me these. She said they belong to your parents. She told me to give them to you when you got married. He opens the box.

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Two jade pendants. Pure white, beautiful quality, obviously valuable, but more importantly, they're from my parents.

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The parents I never knew. The parents who died during the famine migration when I was too young to remember their faces. One pendant is carved with the character, "Hey, you." The other says, "Oh, why?" Lin Fu gives me the you

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pendant, and you are the why pendant. I hold it in my palm and just stare at it.

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This tiny piece of jade is the only physical connection I have to the people who gave me life. I don't know what they looked like. I don't know their voices.

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I don't know if they were tall or short, funny or serious, but they touched this jade. They chose these characters. They left these behind for a son they knew they might not live to see grow up. You and why? I don't know what these

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characters mean yet. Whether their names or a message or a clue to something bigger, but I'm going to find out. For now, though, I just close my hand around the pendant and hold it tight. Thanks, Mom and Dad. Wherever you are, your son

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turned out okay. better than okay. Actually, your son is a 15-year-old commander, champion Earl, war hero, husband, secret treasure hoarder, and future dynasty builder with 328 years of lifespan and stats that would make the gods jealous. You'd be proud, I think.

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Looks at pendant one more time. Definitely not crying. It's the campfire smoke. Definitely the smoke. Now, someone pass me the wine. I've got 20,000 brothers to drink with and a brand new wife to take home. Best day ever. Okay, but seriously, what do you

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and why mean?

Topics:Ming DynastyChampion Earlmilitary titleChinese historywarfareloyaltypolitical intriguenorthern campaignZhuinggeneral

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