After the display of power, Gu Hongchen's icy voice rang out in the hall.
"Esteemed envoys, since you have come here, you should understand that the Yanhuang Empire does not actually need these peace talks. However, the Emperor is merciful and cannot bear to cause more boundless slaughter, which is why he agreed to these talks..."
Hearing Gu Hongchen's words, everyone inwardly sneered. To actually call Ye Chen merciful—they could only laugh at that.
After all, who didn't know by now that Ye Chen had started this war?
Although they were deeply disdainful inside, none of them dared show it in the slightest. Instead, they had to express their gratitude and approval.
They had no choice. The several countries that had just been driven out were the best examples.
They had merely expressed the slightest dissatisfaction at the Yanhuang Empire sending a woman, yet Gu Hongchen the devil had remembered it and issued a notice of annihilation without the slightest hesitation.
Looking at the people below, whose expressions seemed to say, "You're absolutely right. The Emperor is truly a great and benevolent man," Gu Hongchen's expression did not change in the slightest. Her entire person was as cold as ice.
After Gu Hongchen finished speaking, she gestured for the people below to express their views.
After all, these were "peace talks." They naturally had to discuss things, or else wouldn't her trip have been pointless?
However, whether Gu Hongchen agreed with the ideas and opinions they expressed was another matter entirely.
Moreover, just as Gu Hongchen had said, the Yanhuang Empire did not actually need these "peace talks." It was merely that Ye Chen did not want to cause more boundless slaughter. If expansion could be completed peacefully, Ye Chen did not mind.
Therefore, whether they peacefully submitted and integrated into Yanhuang, or had their cities slaughtered and countries destroyed before their territories were incorporated into Yanhuang, the Yanhuang Empire did not care which choice they made.
After an hour, the meeting temporarily came to an end, as the envoys needed to report the results of these "discussions" to their respective rulers.
Three days later.
The Russian Dynasty, Mughal Empire, Safavid Dynasty, Dzungar Khanate, and numerous other countries submitted formal documents pledging allegiance to the rule of the Yanhuang Empire.
At the same time, the New Ming Empire, established by Zhu Cilang, Chongzhen's son, together with the surviving Ming imperial clan, had its New Ming Emperor Zhu Cilang abdicate and become a commoner. He also represented the legitimate succession of Huaxia and welcomed the Yanhuang Emperor to rule the ancestral land.
Yanhuang Empire, Xuanhuang City.
Looking at the formal document submitted by Zhu Cilang, Ye Chen shook his head and laughed. "This little fellow Zhu Cilang is probably only around ten years old—a mere child. There's no way he could have come up with such an idea.
"It seems Du Kao and the others put in no small amount of effort in this matter. I just wonder who came up with this idea. Was it Du Kao or Lian Feng?
"It probably wasn't that clueless old fool Du Kao. It seems this idea was most likely Lian Feng's.
"But this is fine too. It has solved quite a troublesome problem for me. Otherwise, I would have had to put in considerable effort."
The people of Huaxia thought differently from those of other countries. Without the name of legitimate succession, all that supposed submission was useless, because the people of Huaxia would not acknowledge it at all.
And now, with the collapse of the Ming Dynasty, the land of Huaxia was in a state of chaos and disorder, with no one stepping forward to take charge.
The only one to attend these peace talks had been the Qing Empire, but the Qing Empire was not the legitimate successor of Huaxia and could not represent it.
Originally, Ye Chen's plan had been to find himself an ancestor of Huaxia, then use that ancestor's name to quell the internal wars in Huaxia and take control of it.
But now, with Zhu Cilang—the Ming Emperor and the most legitimate representative of Huaxia—providing assistance, he could take over Huaxia without any further complications.
One day later.
New Ming Empire, Jinling City.
After receiving Ye Chen's reply, the pressure in New Ming Emperor Zhu Cilang's heart immediately eased.
Ever since the collapse of the Ming Dynasty, his father, Chongzhen Emperor, had sent him and his two other brothers out of the imperial palace. As the eldest prince and legitimate heir of the Ming Dynasty, he had naturally attracted the most attention.
He had originally been captured by Li Zicheng, but in the end, several mysterious people rescued him and sent him to live in a valley. He had spent several years there in constant fear and trepidation.
Only recently had he learned that the people who had rescued him were former Ming officials—Du Kao among them. Du Kao had also gathered a group of officials loyal to the Ming Dynasty, enthroned him as emperor, and established the New Ming Empire.
However, he had only ascended the throne and proclaimed it to the world less than two days ago when that bastard Du Kao had ordered him to proclaim to the world that he was abdicating and becoming a commoner.
At the same time, under the name of Huaxia's legitimate succession, he had been ordered to submit a formal document to some Yanhuang Empire, inviting the Yanhuang Emperor to settle in the ancestral land.
This entire series of maneuvers had completely dumbfounded him. He could not understand what Du Kao was trying to do at all.
On this matter, Du Kao could only say that he was innocent too. He had not come up with this idea—he was merely a tool.
Half a month later.
Several aircraft descended outside Jinling City, and Ye Chen stepped out.
A large group of people followed behind him in grand procession.
At that moment, outside Jinling City's gates, New Ming Emperor Zhu Cilang was waiting with a group of people to welcome Ye Chen's arrival.
Countless citizens in the city had also arranged themselves neatly along both sides, whispering among themselves.
Du Kao, Lian Feng, and the others were conspicuously among the crowd.
Seeing Ye Chen and the others in the distance, Zhu Cilang hurried forward and bowed. "Zhu Cilang pays his respects to the Emperor. May the Emperor live ten thousand years."
Seeing this, the people behind him—the original civil and military officials, along with countless citizens—bowed and said in unison, "We pay our respects to the Emperor. May the Emperor live ten thousand years."
The surging cry pierced the heavens and spread far into the surroundings.
"Rise!!"
"Thank you, Emperor!!"
"You're Zhu Cilang? Very good. A brilliant and gifted young man, intelligent beyond your years, worthy of the Ming Dynasty's..."
Looking at Zhu Cilang, Ye Chen knew that he had not come up with this plan himself, but none of that mattered. What mattered was Zhu Cilang's legitimate status as the nominal ruler of Huaxia.
Hearing Ye Chen's praise, Zhu Cilang felt extremely awkward inside. After all, he had been confused from beginning to end. How could he be called intelligent beyond his years? He could not be associated with the phrase "brilliant and gifted young man" in the slightest.
Moreover, if the successive emperors of the Ming Dynasty learned about what he was doing now, they would probably crawl out of their graves just to give him two hard slaps.
But regarding this, he could only say: What else could he do? When he was ten, Chongzhen had committed suicide for the country, and he, a mere child, had been captured by rebel troops. If Du Kao had not rescued him, he would probably have been doomed.
Now, although he had handed the land of Huaxia over to someone else, he had not handed it to an outsider. In the end, the meat was still rotting in the same pot.
Looking at Zhu Cilang in front of him, Ye Chen did not know what Zhu Cilang was thinking, but none of that mattered.
Ye Chen then continued, "Yuan Lan."
Hearing this, Yuan Lan immediately stepped forward, unfurled the imperial edict that had long been prepared, and announced loudly, "Zhu Cilang is hereby granted the title of Great Ming Marquis, along with one bottle of Longevity Elixir, ten million Yanhuang Coins, and a residence in the Tianchen Domain..."
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