The Yellow Emperor's Passing

Chiyou returned home at his usual leisurely pace. Once he shut the gates, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

The towering mansion was about to fall.

"Yellow Emperor, I lost to you, and I accept that. But my son will win justice for me." Chiyou clenched his fists, then strode toward his room.

A little while later, several eagles flew off into the distance.

Though he had not touched alcohol in recent years, today he drank himself into a stupor.

During the Battle of the Plains, he had been defeated by the combined forces of the Yellow Emperor and the Yan Emperor, then chosen to join the Xuanyuan Tribe and establish the Xia Dynasty.

The three tribes had united to resist invasions by the Foreign Tribes. He had also been appointed Grand Marshal, commanding all the armies under heaven.

After the Star War ended, the title of Grand Marshal still belonged to him, yet he could no longer move a single soldier.

At least the Yan Emperor had his fief in Qing Province, where he lived as freely as a king. Chiyou, however, had no fief at all.

Of the Yellow Emperor's twenty-five sons, even the most incompetent possessed a capital's worth of territory, yet he, the Grand Marshal, had no fief.

The so-called title of Grand Marshal was nothing more than a shackle keeping him confined to Yu Province.

He had eleven sons. Even the one with the highest position commanded only three thousand troops, far away in Liang Province.

Every last bit of this filled him with resentment.

＞_＜!

When the Xia Dynasty was established, a third of its population had belonged to his Chiyou Tribe. He had also led the grueling training in the early days of the Star War. Now that peace reigned under heaven, this was what he had been reduced to.

Why the hell should he accept that?

Watching the equipment being replaced with newer generations, he had given up and resigned himself to his fate.

But today, atop Mount Tai, something had happened.

The Yellow Emperor had passed the throne to his grandson Zhuanxu and offered worship to Father God, yet received no response.

Perhaps there was nothing wrong with that in itself. But to those with an agenda, it meant Zhuanxu had not received Father God's approval, and his claim to the throne was not recognized.

Now they had a pretext.

The eagles flying away carried secret messages tied to their legs: a map and a list of names.

A third of the Xia Dynasty's people belonged to his Chiyou Tribe. When he commanded all the armies under heaven, he had naturally promoted a number of his subordinates, and over the years they had climbed to high positions.

As long as his sons followed the map's strategy and worked toward their goal gradually, their forces would rapidly grow like a rolling snowball, allowing them to control four provinces.

Over the past few years, he had also been making arrangements in secret, dispersing some of his subordinates and sons throughout the Nine Provinces before slowly transferring them to those four provinces. Their positions were not high, but they were crucial.

In the end, Chiyou could control four of the Nine Provinces: Liang Province, Yong Province, Yang Province, and Xu Province.

Qing Province was under the Yan Emperor's command and would very likely hold its troops back. That would leave the Yellow Emperor with the forces of only four provinces.

Once the four provinces successfully joined forces and declared their independence, they could eventually raise an army and seize the imperial palace in Yu Province. The Chiyou clan would once again contend for dominion over all under heaven!

But to succeed, they had to wait for one particular moment: the Yellow Emperor's passing, when the realm would descend into chaos.

The key to a successful uprising was speed! Speed! And more speed!

The Flying Messages sent out were perfectly clear: preparations were to begin immediately. The day the Yellow Emperor died would be the day they rose in arms. First, they would seize control of the four provinces, then work gradually toward the rest.

Over the next few months, Chiyou staggered to and from work as usual, showing nothing out of the ordinary.

The Yellow Emperor was already over 124 years old, and Chiyou himself was 107. Neither was young anymore.

Years of training had left him somewhat sturdier than others his age.

After taking the throne, Zhuanxu was full of vigor and began making sweeping changes.

During the final dozen or so years of Xuanyuan Huangdi's reign, he had largely governed through noninterference. He guided the development of the Nine Provinces only in broad terms, without meddling in their specific local affairs, and merely assessed their officials. The provinces had grown accustomed to their freedom.

Zhuanxu had long disliked this. Beneath all heaven, no land was not the king's; to the farthest shores, no man was not the king's subject.

The entire Xia Dynasty belonged to his family. How could the Nine Provinces each govern themselves?

They had to obey his unified command. He would reclaim their authority and begin centralizing power.

His first measure was a thorough overhaul of officialdom. The capable would rise, and the rewards and punishments tied to performance assessments would be strengthened.

Before abdicating, Xuanyuan Huangdi had dismissed some of his sons with the worst reputations and summoned them back to Yu Province, clearing away a few obstacles for Zhuanxu.

But that was only a cup of water against a blazing cartload of firewood. Many mediocre men still held important posts throughout the Nine Provinces, collecting hefty remuneration without accomplishing anything. Some even amassed wealth by oppressing the common people.

All would be subject to assessment. Anyone unfit would step down and make room for someone capable.

His second measure was to draw up laws anew according to conditions across the Nine Provinces, unifying their laws and regulations the following year. One provision stood out in particular: "If the Son of Heaven breaks the law, he shall be punished the same as a commoner."

His third measure was to establish a series of social welfare institutions throughout the Nine Provinces starting the following year, including the Xia Dynasty's first Orphanage, Nursing Home, Public Hospital, and Compulsory Education Academy.

Once these policies were announced, the common people across the Nine Provinces erupted with excitement!

The new king was wonderful! They had to support him! He cared so much for the people!

Local officials, however, were in a bind. Their jurisdictions' meager tax revenues were already stretched thin. The new king had barely taken the throne, and with one pronouncement from his golden mouth, nearly half their revenue was gone.

And then there were the laws and regulations. Conditions varied across the Nine Provinces, and each province's laws had been tailored to its circumstances and implemented for years. Was this sudden demand for unification not too hasty?

The old Yellow Emperor had been better. He never interfered with anything. This new king... sigh!

They all submitted memorials to the Xia court, explaining that funds truly were tight and requesting allocations.

Zhuanxu gave them all the same reply: no money! Find a solution yourselves, but the policies must be implemented.

The local officials were dumbfounded. Was this not sheer thuggery?

Find a solution themselves, was it? Fine, they would!

All the provinces simultaneously announced that taxes would be raised to fund the king's new policies.

The common people were dumbfounded!

What the hell? Did this not mean they were making them pay to build everything?

Protest!

The second-generation officials of the Xia Dynasty were unhappy too, especially the Yellow Emperor's sons. Was their dear nephew making them the first targets?

The whole realm belonged to their father. What was wrong with them enjoying a little of it?

"If the Son of Heaven breaks the law, he shall be punished the same as a commoner"-was that not clearly aimed at them?

Their father had never said anything when they made a little mistake, yet Zhuanxu wanted to punish them?

And those welfare institutions-was that not just making them take money out of their own pockets to build them?

Protest!

When Zhuanxu saw this, he was outraged. Well, well! When his father was on the throne, whatever he said went.

Yet he had issued three decrees, and they opposed all three. Were they not simply bullying him?

He ordered the officials of every province summoned to Yu Province for a meeting. They would discuss this face-to-face.

And so disputes continued throughout the Xia Dynasty, while officials began paying lip service to Zhuanxu's commands and defying them in secret.

This continued until July of Xia Era 53.

The Xia Palace, Yu Province.

Zhuanxu gazed at his grandfather lying on the bed, tears falling without end. Only after governing for two years had he learned how difficult it was to manage the Nine Provinces.

During those two years, he had been busy with affairs of state and had seldom come to keep his grandfather company.

His grandfather, already advanced in age, had suffered an accidental fall at the start of the year, followed by a serious illness in May. Zhuanxu had rarely visited him, claiming he was too busy.

Being busy was an excuse. His grandfather often nagged him, and he disliked hearing it, so his visits had grown fewer and fewer.

Then, during court that day, while he was arguing endlessly with the ministers, the sky outside suddenly darkened and blood rained down. Immediately afterward, a guard came to report the news.

Xuanyuan Huangdi had passed away.

Unable to believe it, Zhuanxu scrambled and stumbled his way toward the Xia Palace.

Looking at his grandfather's closed eyes and faintly smiling face, he could not believe it. How had he died so suddenly?

Only after questioning the servants did he learn that Xuanyuan Huangdi had been in terrible discomfort for the past month, tormented by illness, yet had forbidden the guards from telling him.

Just yesterday, he had suddenly seemed well again. He had sat alone in the courtyard all day, eaten a great deal that evening, and then gone to bed, astonishing the guards.

He had fallen asleep with a smile on his face, never to wake again, bringing his legendary life to an end.

Over the course of his life, he had reigned for more than seventy years, rising from the chief of a small tribe to establish the Xia Dynasty and become king of the entire Human Race.

None before him had matched him, and none after him would equal him.

At the moment of his death, a strange phenomenon appeared in the heavens, and blood rained down in torrents.

The Yellow Emperor had long since been driven into confusion by the torment of illness, yet the day before his death, he had met Father God. The two had talked for a very, very long time.

He had not asked about receiving no response atop Mount Tai. None of that mattered to him anymore.

Father God had affirmed the worth of his life. They had talked like friends about the development of the Human Race, until Xuanyuan Huangdi grew sleepy and said with a smile that he wanted to go to bed.

Zhang Yang had smiled and said, "All right."

Once he fell asleep, he never rose again.

In July of Xia Era 53, Xuanyuan Huangdi passed away. Strange colors appeared in the heavens, as though even the sky were weeping over his death.

The entire Xia Dynasty mourned for three days, bidding their king one final farewell.

Chiyou collapsed on the spot, crying until he fainted, moving countless officials.

Zhuanxu was even more deeply touched and told him to go home and rest well.

Three days later.

Liang Province, Yong Province, Yang Province, and Xu Province declared that they would no longer obey the Xia Dynasty and would establish their independence. Chiyou's son, Chi Long, proclaimed himself king.

The news shocked the realm. In Yu Province, Zhuanxu was so enraged that he spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed in the great hall.

Seven days later.

Qing Province declared that it would no longer obey the Xia Dynasty and would establish its independence. The Yan Emperor's son, Yan Hui, proclaimed himself king.

With five of the Nine Provinces lost, the Xia Dynasty controlled only four: Jing, Yan, Yu, and Ji.

These were all controlled by the fourteen sons to whom the Yellow Emperor had bestowed surnames and by trusted ministers of the Xuanyuan Tribe, and had not slipped from its grasp.

From that point on, Blue Star entered an era of rival kings ruling divided territories, no longer unified.

The Nine Provinces guarded against one another, conscripting troops and preparing for battle. War could erupt at the slightest spark.