When your strength reached a certain level, you could change the other party's options entirely.
Xu Nian'an now commanded an army of three hundred thousand. Was that a lot?
In some underdeveloped western military regions, it was a huge force—enough to wipe out a kingdom with ease.
But that was only because Xu Nian'an's Great Ming Kingdom was in the eastern theater, a den of monsters where every kingdom had at least a hundred and fifty thousand elite troops.
And that was only by the standards of kingdoms.
Of the two great empires on the continent, which one couldn't casually muster three times that number—an army of a million?
But that didn't mean wars came free.
Why did the Heaven Dou Empire wage war and seize territory?
Wasn't it because they wanted more land?
Even if they conquered the Great Ming Kingdom, wouldn't they have to divide it up and grant it to others in the end?
There was no benefit in that at all.
Now that they knew the current king of the Great Ming Kingdom was a distant relative of their imperial family, why not bring the kingdom's territory under the Heaven Dou Empire's banner without going to war?
Not a single soldier would have to be lost.
To defeat the enemy without fighting!
What was more, Xue Xing had told the Heaven Dou Emperor and his ministers that the Great Ming Kingdom had a Title Douluo guarding it, as well as twenty-four Soul Douluo.
If so many high-level Soul Masters went berserk, what if they tried an assassination plan like the one against the Gulei Kingdom?
In the Douluo calendar year 2625, the Heaven Dou Empire had yet to appoint a Crown Prince.
But factions and parties had already formed within the imperial family.
In such circumstances, winning over a powerful kingdom while abroad would undoubtedly give an imperial prince a natural advantage.
After all, an imperial prince supported by a kingdom was a very different matter from one who had no kingdom behind him and relied only on being favored.
And Xue Qinghe, the Heaven Dou Empire's eldest prince, had clearly noticed the problem.
So, after discovering first that he was distantly related to the king of the Great Ming Kingdom, he was the first to step forward and resolve the issue, all to add more chips to his own hand.
"Father, I beg you to grant me permission, for the prosperity of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family and the expansion of our empire's borders!"
During the imperial court assembly, a young man in white-and-gold finery, with a head of golden hair, bowed slowly to the middle-aged man seated on the throne.
The palace fell silent.
No one dared speak.
This mission was fraught with danger. After all, the Heaven Dou Empire had wanted to use the Gulei Kingdom to annex the Great Ming Kingdom.
Now, the Great Ming Kingdom had a formidable army and numerous high-level Soul Masters at its disposal. From the envoys' report, it was clear that the Great Ming Kingdom didn't care about the Heaven Dou Empire's threats.
So the Heaven Dou Empire's eldest prince might not return from this journey.
But if he succeeded, it would be an unprecedented achievement, both for the Heaven Dou Imperial Family and for the empire's territory.
No one would likely be able to surpass it.
"Hahaha... Good!"
"Just as expected of my son. You have courage!"
Moments later, hearty laughter rang through the hall.
"I approve. But Haagen-Dazs, you must guarantee the Grand Prince's safety. If even the slightest mishap occurs, I'll hold you responsible!"
The Gulei Kingdom bordered both the Haagen-Dazs Kingdom and the Heaven Dou Empire.
But the Gulei Kingdom was now completely occupied, so Xue Ye wanted the Haagen-Dazs Kingdom to apply pressure in its western regions.
That way, nothing would happen to the Heaven Dou Empire's eldest prince.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
The king of the Haagen-Dazs Kingdom bowed.
"Thank you, Father, for granting my request!"
After the court session ended, at the Grand Prince's Palace.
"Xiao Xue, Xiao Xue, you have no idea. Today really is my lucky day."
"Remember how I told you I had an aunt who married far away?"
"The one who sends us local specialties from abroad every year."
"She was my mother's cousin, the one who was granted the title of Princess Tianxing by the late emperor on the day she married."
"You'd never believe it, but her son seems to have become the next king of the Starry Sky Kingdom. And with outdated courage and daring, he drowned two hundred thousand enemy troops and successfully annexed the Gulei Kingdom!"
At this moment, Xue Qinghe had none of the calm, mature bearing he'd shown at court.
His little face flushed with excitement. He held both hands of a pretty-faced palace maid with soft, youthful features and a gentle expression, chattering away.
The palace maid simply watched him in silence, without answering.
Xue Qinghe didn't need anyone to answer. He just needed someone to talk to.
"Xiao Xue, how about coming with me to the Great Ming Kingdom tomorrow to meet my distant cousin?"
At Xue Qinghe's sudden question, the palace maid named Xiao Xue clearly froze.
Not long ago, Xue Qinghe had found her in the Soul Hunting Forest and brought her back as a palace maid.
"All right. If it pleases you, Your Highness, I'll go."
Late that night.
In the Tiandou Imperial Study.
Xue Ye Emperor rubbed his brow.
The pen in his hand never stopped, as he furiously wrote something down.
The names Great Ming Kingdom and Gulei Kingdom appeared repeatedly in the letter. At the end, he signed it with the name Xue Ye.
"Someone!"
"Make sure this letter reaches the king of the Great Ming Kingdom before the Grand Prince arrives."
Power could change a person. Xue Ye Emperor didn't know if his distant nephew would still acknowledge the Heaven Dou Imperial Family after becoming king.
To prevent needless misunderstandings—and to prepare for the future contest over the Heaven Dou Empire's heir, the Crown Prince—Xue Ye Emperor could only send a letter.
If Xu Nian'an acknowledged their relationship and formed an alliance with the Heaven Dou Empire, then no one would be able to shake Xue Qinghe's claim to the Crown Prince's position!
That very night, the letter was dispatched to the Gulei Kingdom in Xue Ye Emperor's name.
Before dawn, the Imperial Guard sent it on to the palace of the Great Ming Kingdom.
And so—
The next morning, as soon as Xu Nian'an opened his eyes, he saw the letter that had crossed a hundred miles.
"The Heaven Dou Imperial Family?"
"Unbelievable! I actually have Heaven Dou Imperial blood, and the Heaven Dou Empire's eldest prince, Xue Qinghe, is coming to claim me as kin?"
To be honest, Xu Nian'an was a little confused.
But he urgently needed to know whether this relationship was real, because it would affect his plans for the future.
"Old eunuch!"
At Xu Nian'an's shout, the door was immediately pushed open.
An old man with a head of silver hair, combed meticulously, hurried over.
"Here... here, Your Majesty. Ah Fu is here."
The head eunuch, Xu Fu, came running in at once, stumbling as he went.
"Your Majesty, did you have a nightmare?"
Thud—
Xu Nian'an kicked him away from the side of the bed.
"I'm asking you: where is the queen from?"
Xu Nian'an's question left Xu Fu completely dumbfounded.
"Forget it. Go fetch the kingdom's records."
Before long, Xu Nian'an had the records. In the section on his previous generation, Xu Xingyun—his nominal father—he found the name Xue Mei.
(Many years ago, Xu Xingyun had followed the old king north to Heaven Dou. At a banquet in the empire, he fell in love at first sight with a woman, won her hand, and returned to the Starry Sky Kingdom with his new bride.)
Well, I never. Who would've thought there was a connection like this?
But... was this Xue Qinghe really Xue Qinghe, or was he actually Qian Renxue...?
Anyone online? This is urgent.