Great Ming, the Forbidden City.
The Emperor of Great Ming looked at Duan Yu kneeling before him and laughed heartily.
"No need for such ceremony, King of Dali. Give him a seat. Since Dali has suffered incursions from Great Song and Southern Yue and requested our help, I shall help you."
"From this day forth, the Duan Clan shall hold the hereditary title of King of Dali. You will continue to govern Dali, but two-thirds of its military authority will pass to my people. Any objections?"
Duan Yu bowed slightly. "I leave everything to Your Majesty. I only hope the tribute will not be too great. Dali cannot raise its taxes, or its people will have no means to live."
The emperor waved his hand. "For now, the tribute can match Goguryeo's, and this year's will be halved. If Dali lacks money or grain, I will allocate some from Great Ming."
Without expending a single soldier, he had taken another country and expanded his territory, with annual tribute to come. The Emperor of Great Ming was delighted.
With Dali setting an example, he believed Great Liao and Tubo should know what choice to make. Otherwise, once he destroyed Great Song, he would send troops to destroy those two countries as well!
What pleased him even more was how smoothly the invasion of Great Song was proceeding. It looked as though it would end within two months at most, without delaying his plan to wipe out Mongol Yuan completely this year.
The emperor also understood that all these achievements were thanks to Imperial Preceptor Lin Lang. Without Master Lin's help, how could Great Ming have expanded its territory?
Anyone else with such overwhelming power would have driven him from the throne long ago. How could he still have been the one