Three days later, the Star Luo Empire's declaration of war was delivered into Xu Nian'an's hands.
The envoys from the Star Luo Empire and the Heaven Dou Empire had come again.
"Emperor Ming, we meet again."
Seeing Xu Nian'an, the Heaven Dou Empire's envoy couldn't help the corners of his mouth from curling up.
"Didn't expect this, did you?"
"Didn't expect my Heaven Dou Empire to set aside its grievances and deal with you first, even while facing the Star Luo Empire?"
"Aren't you strong? Aren't you impressive?"
"Aren't you so damn mighty?"
As he spoke, the Heaven Dou envoy suddenly lifted his head.
"I, your envoy, would like to see just how mighty you are when the Star Luo Empire's eight hundred thousand troops reach your gates, when their blades are at your throat, when all of Great Ming has fallen... Can you still be... so... mighty!!!"
"Hand over the Heaven Dou army. Once all of Great Ming has fallen and you've become a prisoner, perhaps we'll even leave you with your whole corpse."
The Heaven Dou Empire thought Xu Nian'an had merely hidden the truth about its army.
In reality, the Heaven Dou army had simply been captured.
Thinking about it, they weren't entirely wrong. There were five hundred thousand men—so much labor. If that many people had been captured, they'd make perfect miners and forced laborers.
Who could have imagined that someone like Xu Nian'an would be such a madman?
Tap~!
Xu Nian'an took a step forward.
His crisp footfall rang through the hall.
Tap, tap, tap~!!!
Two steps, three steps, four... In an instant, Xu Nian'an appeared before the Heaven Dou envoy.
"Are you... ordering me?"
His five quiet words rang out, and the Heaven Dou envoy stiffened.
Before he could react, Xu Nian'an's right hand flashed. A long sword appeared in it.
"What are you trying to do? What are you trying to do!!!"
"Do you know that envoys must not be killed during a war between two nations?"
At that, the corners of Xu Nian'an's mouth curled up.
"There's no problem with not killing envoys during a war between two nations, but no one said they couldn't be hurt..."
Shing~
A cold gleam flashed. The Heaven Dou envoy felt a numbness in his ear.
The next moment, blood poured out.
"Pick up your ear. Don't dirty my hall."
With that, Xu Nian'an looked toward the Star Luo Empire's envoy.
"I don't want to hear this declaration of war, but you have to read it. I'll give you a chance: read it to those who want to hear it."
Great Ming Square.
After the congestion incident last time, the square had been expanded countless times. It stretched as far as the eye could see, over a dozen kilometers across.
By now, Great Ming's soldiers had filled it to the brim.
Even more people from Great Ming had gathered to watch from all around, more than ten kilometers away.
There was a microphone and loudspeakers on the high platform.
When Xu Nian'an arrived, Xu Yi and a great general clad in white dragon armor slowly stepped forward from below the platform.
"Fifteen thousand Dragon Guards and a hundred thousand elite soldiers."
"Three hundred thousand Great Snow Dragon Cavalry, in position!"
After the great battle, the ranks of the Dragon Guard and the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry had been replenished first.
Before the two great empires now stood an army of well over five hundred thousand.
The Star Luo Empire's envoy's pupils contracted sharply.
"F-Five hundred thousand!!"
"How is this possible!"
According to the information they had secretly obtained, Great Ming had stationed a full two hundred and fifty thousand troops in the Galloping Wolf Kingdom.
That meant Great Ming's openly known forces alone were close to eight hundred thousand.
Th-This was still a kingdom?!
"You may begin."
Xu Nian'an's face was expressionless.
"Emperor Ming... is tyrannical and bloodthirsty...
This is the deed of a tyrant. Today, the Star Luo Empire follows Heaven's mandate and rises to eliminate Tyrannical Ming!..."
After the Star Luo envoy finished reading the declaration of war, the Heaven Dou envoy whose ear Xu Nian'an had cut off curled his mouth into a smile.
He shot a meaningful glance toward the crowd of Great Ming's people.
"Tyrant!!!"
"How many families have you destroyed? Have you ever thought about it!!!"
A furious young man suddenly leaped out from the crowd.
"Three hundred years of war in the Warring States era claimed fewer lives than your first three months in power! Don't you feel any shame!!!"
Xu Nian'an's brow furrowed at once, and his fists clenched tight.
To be honest, Xu Nian'an didn't care if the empires accused him or if anyone on the continent called him a tyrant. At most, it would make him angry.
But... when the people he protected, his own people, pointed at him and cursed him, he couldn't take it.
He... was starting to crack.
Seeing Xu Nian'an's clenched fists and the baby fat on his face twitching, the commander of the Brocade Guard spoke up.
"Where did this unruly commoner come from? Seize him!"
In an instant, the man railing at Xu Nian'an was pinned to the ground.
"What, are you ashamed?"
"Do we not even have the right to freedom of speech?"
As he spoke, the young man swept his gaze over the crowd glaring at him.
A smug smile curled his lips.
"How tragic. Living in the empire he rules, I can't feel even the slightest bit of happiness. All I feel is deep shame!"
"Invading other kingdoms would be bad enough, but he massacres their people too. He's the most deserving of death in the history of the Warring States!"
The commander of the Brocade Guard frowned.
"Take him away."
Hearing the commander's words, the young man smiled.
"What, are you afraid? Afraid I'll keep talking? You're just—"
Before he could continue,
Xu Nian'an's voice rang out, tinged with anger.
"Wait."
"'Tyrant' is a name the defeated nations deliberately gave me."
"Everyone in the world, everyone on this continent, can call me that, but... you can't!"
"Because you are the people of Great Ming. I... was the one who pulled you out of danger."
As he spoke, Xu Nian'an grew angrier and angrier!
"Now that Great Ming is powerful, you've begun showing concern for the weak. But don't forget: where did this strength come from? Where did you get the means to care for the weak?"
"From me. From your sovereign. From me, the Emperor, who fought for it step by step."
"Without me, the kingdom would have fallen months ago!"
"And you would all have been slaves of a fallen nation. Your parents would have to endure forced labor; you would have endless work to do; your wives would be toyed with by anyone; your children would be forced into slavery!"
The scene fell utterly silent.
Xu Nian'an looked coldly at the young man.
"Do you think you've awakened? That you've seen through the world?"
"I think you've lost your mind."
"Don't you despise Great Ming?"
"Fine. You want freedom? I'll give it to you!"
"I hereby strip this man of his citizenship, expel him from Great Ming, and bar him from public service for life!"
At a glance from Xu Nian'an, the Brocade Guard swiftly dragged the man away.
"As for Tyrannical Ming..."
Xu Nian'an turned to face the envoys from the two great empires.
"Which of your emperors dares claim to be a virtuous ruler and a wise sovereign?"
"If I were to die,"
"people like you would drag Great Ming into endless strife like wolves and tigers!"
"But what I intend to give Great Ming is a vast empire whose boundless mountains and rivers stretch for thousands of miles, where every place the eye can see is Ming soil—and peace for ten thousand generations!!!"
As he spoke, Xu Nian'an swept his hand through the air.
"It was I who made the four corners of the world submit and expanded Great Ming!"
"It was I who ensured the people of Great Ming had food in the morning and shelter at night!"
"It was I who forged the true Great Ming!"
Xu Nian'an took a deep breath.
"Those people have never stood at my height. How could they understand the scenery I see? How dare they judge my achievements!"