After Long Ye left, Ye Chen stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the world map behind him, his eyes deep as an abyss.
"Ah, I was too impatient. But when I think of the upheaval the universe will face a few hundred years from now, I want to lead the empire in repelling our enemies beyond the stars. I also want to lead the Yanhuang Civilization to the pinnacle of the universe. I want too much, and the pressure is immense."
At that thought, Ye Chen couldn't help giving a bitter smile, silently cursing himself for being greedy.
When he thought of the original story, where the Huaxia Civilization was like a nobody in the face of civilizations such as the Denuo Civilization, the Styx Civilization, and the Lieyang Civilization, without even a voice in the matter, Ye Chen felt miserable.
Of course, it wasn't that he felt any particular attachment to the Huaxia of this world. After all, he wasn't from this world. What the hell did he care about the Huaxia here?
But he was on Blue Star now, and he had become an Emperor. The Huaxia region would eventually come under the Yanhuang Empire, so this matter concerned him.
After all, he already considered Blue Star his territory. That meant he would be the one facing all of this in the future.
With his temperament, how could he stand by while a bunch of aliens fought on his land, and he didn't even have a voice in the matter?
He would never allow that to happen.
Time passed little by little.
An hour later.
Yuan Lan came in to report that the civil and military officials had all arrived.
Hearing this, Ye Chen changed into his court attire and strode toward Star Hall.
Star Hall.
"Greetings, Your Majesty. May Your Majesty reign for ten thousand years."
"Rise, my esteemed officials!"
Looking at the civil and military officials below, many of them still drowsy, Ye Chen smiled. "You must all be wondering why I suddenly summoned you here.
"You all look exhausted, and a few of the older officials can't take this much exertion. So I'll get straight to the point."
At his words, the last few drowsy officials jolted in fright, instantly wide awake.
Seeing this, Ye Chen couldn't help smiling to himself.
If there was anything fun about court sessions, besides watching officials argue fiercely over certain matters and sometimes even come to blows, it was probably the occasional chance to scare them.
"Some of you have probably heard that the Kunpeng Project, overseen by the Imperial Academy of Sciences, was completed recently. The aircraft developed through the project can now be put into service.
"The first to receive these aircraft will be the military. Therefore, I intend to establish an Imperial Air Force to defend Yanhuang Airspace.
"Additionally, I intend to establish a navy to defend Yanhuang's territorial waters.
"Thirty years from now, the empire's three great military forces—the Army, navy, and air force—will point their swords at the globe and begin the empire's path to unification."
Ye Chen's words rang out like a thunderclap, leaving the civil and military officials' heads buzzing.
It was no secret that many countries existed beyond the empire. They had learned about them in their elementary school textbooks, so they were all well aware of the global situation.
They had long expected that Ye Chen would eventually go to war with other countries, but they hadn't expected it to happen so soon, or so suddenly.
But after their initial shock, they were filled with excitement.
Because once war began, it would be their chance to distinguish themselves and earn merit.
For the past two hundred years, the Yanhuang Empire had quietly focused on development and never clashed with other countries.
The only conflicts they'd had were probably with the natives, when the empire expanded into the surrounding territories and opened up new land.
So the other countries probably didn't even know the Yanhuang Empire existed.
Seeing the officials below him brimming with excitement, Ye Chen nodded to himself. Good. He wasn't afraid of them being excited; he was only afraid they wouldn't be.
The empire had been peaceful for too long, leaving its military officers restless. Their swords were practically rusting.
If they hadn't had the surrounding natives to fight, they'd probably have gone mad by now.
Now that they'd heard the empire was going to war with the world, they were the most excited of all.
Ye Chen didn't beat around the bush. He immediately assigned the tasks the empire needed to undertake to prepare for war.
He also announced a series of appointments.
Over the next thirty years, the empire had to build up its strength for war. Otherwise, if the fighting began and the logistics couldn't keep up, things would get ugly.
By the time the court session ended, dawn had broken.
The civil and military officials left Star Hall in high spirits, no longer feeling the slightest bit tired.
They gathered in small groups and discussed the matters raised at court that day.
"Congratulations, General Xiao, General Qin. His Majesty has entrusted you with such an important responsibility this time. From now on—"
Looking at the officials gathering around them, Xiao Feng and Qin Yu exchanged glances, their eyes brimming with amusement.
Among the officials who had crowded around them, a few old fellows had once looked down on them as mere military men. In the past, these men wouldn't even deign to speak with them.
Now they were all fawning over them. It was rather amusing.
Although Ye Chen hadn't favored civil officials over military ones—in fact, he leaned toward the military—the empire had been at peace for too long. As time passed, the military officials' position had become somewhat awkward.
After all, there had been so few wars that military officials had little chance to distinguish themselves. Even when they fought the surrounding natives, it was like kicking a puppy—hardly an achievement worth celebrating.
Now that a world war was about to begin, anyone with half a brain knew that the military officials were about to rise.
For a long time to come, it would be the era of military officials.
So these old foxes were all planning to cultivate ties with the military and ride the wave of their success.
It would be even better if they could arrange a marriage alliance. That would make their connections even closer.
"General Xiao, I have a granddaughter who's just turned sixteen. She's admired you ever since she was little. How about meeting her in a few days? Perhaps our families could—"
Xiao Feng: "..."
Good grief, what a shameless old man. We're the same generation, and you want to become my grandfather?
The few officials nearby saw this and their eyes lit up.
They immediately racked their brains, wondering whether they had any eligible girls in their families they could introduce to the military officials.
In no time, the military officials who had once been virtually invisible had become the most sought-after people around.
Faced with these old foxes' enthusiasm, they didn't know how to handle it.
In the end, unable to take any more of it, they could only turn and run.
Inside Star Hall, Ye Chen heard the commotion outside and couldn't help shaking his head with a smile.
"These old foxes are truly shameless."
Then Ye Chen turned and left the hall.
He'd have plenty to keep him busy over the next few decades. After all, starting a world war wasn't easy.
In particular, Blue Star still faced threats from the Denuo Remnants and Sky Scum Su Mali. Though he had the angels to deter them, he still needed a trump card of his own. He couldn't rely entirely on outside forces.
So he had to find a way to exchange for a powerful weapon from the system. That way, he'd be prepared if anything unexpected happened.
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