Chapter 51: Invincible Iron Cavalry, Unifying the Continent, Grandmasters Attack
Xu Ning actually wanted to go with the army, but Xia Yun wouldn't let him. He had to stay behind and oversee the country as Prime Minister.
Otherwise, if everyone went out, Da Xuan would fall into chaos. Someone had to mind the store.
What made Xu Ning even more speechless was that he had originally planned to upgrade his clothes during this time, but because he was overseeing the country, he was too busy every day to do so. The administrative workload was crushing.
The upgrades for Tie Dan and Yingying Monster were also postponed indefinitely.
Only the lantern was finally upgraded to a mortal-level divine grade. The flame inside was now so hot it could melt anything instantly.
Moreover, the lantern now didn't need to be refueled. It could burn forever without consuming fuel and could be extinguished and relit at any time at Xu Ning's will.
Fortunately, the constant reports of victories from Xia Yun's personal expedition brought some comfort to the overwhelmed Xu Ning. At least something was going right.
The personal expedition lasted for five years.
Perhaps no country in Da Xuan, or even the entire Ancient Spring Continent, had ever dared to say that their emperor hadn't returned after five years of personal expedition. It was unprecedented.
If it were any other country, even if the capital didn't fall into chaos, the regime would certainly have been stripped of its power by ambitious ministers. Only Xu Ning's loyalty kept things stable.
Among the officials urging the emperor's return, Xu Ning was the most heartbroken. He wrote letters to urge Xia Yun to return whenever he had a spare moment, begging him to come back.
Ultimately, Xia Yun did return.
It wasn't that he had a change of heart and wanted to come back, but rather that his 100,000 iron cavalry were too invincible. They had unified the entire Ancient Spring Continent, leaving him nowhere else to fight. Thus, he returned with great reluctance, feeling there was nothing left to conquer.
In the past five years, the territory of Da Xuan had expanded at an unbelievable speed, increasing approximately tenfold. It was now a true empire.
Currently, the entire Ancient Spring Continent, except for the deep mountains and forests occupied by cultivation sects, belongs to Da Xuan.
Or rather, those cultivation sects were also technically within Da Xuan's territory, just not under Da Xuan's rule. Naming those sects autonomous regions would be more appropriate.
Da Xuan had accomplished a feat no nation had achieved in tens of thousands of years: unifying the entire continent. It was an unparalleled achievement.
This was an unprecedented golden age for the kingdom.
After returning to court, Xia Yun attended court for two consecutive days without a break, even having his meals brought to his officials so he could continue working. He was energized.
This court assembly primarily discussed issues such as the long-term governance of Da Xuan and the construction of a fleet for further exploration.
Indeed, Xia Yun wanted to build a massive fleet to conquer other continents. His ambition was boundless.
However, this decision was firmly rejected by Xu Ning. Instead, he proposed a five-pronged approach to governance: standardized writing, cart axles, weights and measures, ethical codes, and territorial boundaries.
This comprehensive proposal stunned the entire court. Some ministers exclaimed in admiration, "Truly worthy of the title of a great prime minister throughout the ages! This is visionary."
Xia Yun, of course, strongly agreed and began implementation immediately. He trusted Xu Ning's judgment.
This policy would require a considerable amount of time to fully implement across the vast empire.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
However, this was not Xu Ning's concern. His work was done.
After Xia Yun's return, Xu Ning could finally relax and return to his own projects.
The first thing he did was upgrade Tie Dan to the Mortal-level Divine Grade. The ox had been waiting patiently.
In recent years, Xu Ning had also cultivated a group of Mortal-level Legendary Pigs, feeding them all to Yingying Monster. He upgraded the eagle to the Mortal-level Divine Grade as well.
After upgrading to the Mortal-level Divine Grade, these two gained extraordinary martial arts cultivation aptitude. They directly broke through from their already peak Innate level to the Grandmaster level.
Fortunately, Xu Ning, sensing something was amiss, threw the two beasts into the thatched hut to make their breakthroughs. This prevented any unusual phenomena from appearing in the sky and alerting the entire capital.
Just as Xu Ning was preparing to peacefully upgrade his clothes, Xia Yun suddenly issued a surprising edict. He established the Third Prince, Xia Lin, as the Crown Prince, skipping over his older brothers.
This was actually against the rules, as the position of Crown Prince should, according to custom, belong to the eldest son of the legitimate wife. But the Empress had no son.
The reason for establishing the Third Prince was probably understood by everyone. It was mostly because the Third Prince was a protégé of the Prime Minister. Xia Yun was rewarding loyalty.
The Prime Minister's other protégé, Shen Yun, was also no ordinary person. He had achieved the highest rank in the imperial examinations three years prior, becoming the top scholar.
Although not quite matching the Prime Minister's previous triple crown achievement, it still astonished the entire court. Xu Ning's students were exceptional.
Perhaps because of the establishment of the Crown Prince, the entire capital city suddenly became turbulent. Factions formed, plots were hatched.
That day, Xu Ning suddenly received a urgent notification from Xia Li and Xia Yun that a Grandmaster had arrived in the capital city with hostile intent.
Shortly after receiving the news, the Grandmaster directly attacked the palace, moving with incredible speed.
"Raising an army for a thousand days, using it for one moment. You whiny monster, go!" Xu Ning said softly, looking towards the direction of the palace.
Under Tie Dan's envious gaze, the Yingying Monster, standing not far away, spread its wings, leaped into the air, and then its body instantly expanded to blot out the sky. It headed straight for the imperial palace with terrifying speed.
At this moment, inside the imperial palace, a figure stood atop the Golden Hall, looking down with contempt. "The hatred of my nation's annihilation will be avenged today! You dog emperor, prepare to die!"
After speaking, the person leaped up, directly attacking Xia Yun, who was protected by iron cavalry below.
"Protect His Majesty!" the captain shouted.
The surrounding iron cavalry did not retreat. They stood in front of Xia Yun without hesitation, forming a wall of steel.
However, everyone present knew that they could not stop a Grandmaster. No matter how brave, they were outmatched.
Unless the opponent faced ten thousand iron cavalry head-on and did not run away, but fought to the death with the cavalry. That was their only chance.
But that was impossible for a Grandmaster. If they avoided the main force and only targeted the enemy general's head, it would be easy. They were too fast.
Seeing the Grandmaster getting closer and closer, everyone present panicked. Their arrows would miss.
Screech—
At this moment, a piercing cry of an eagle suddenly came from the sky.
Suddenly, the entire sky was obscured by the terrifying shadow of a giant eagle, flashing past in an instant.
Thud—
The Grandmaster in mid-air was instantly seized by a giant claw and torn into a bloody mist. He didn't even have time to scream.
The giant eagle vanished in a flash, disappearing into the air as if it had never been there.
Everyone's gaze and expressions froze at that moment.
The Grandmaster who had instilled fear in everyone present—just like that, gone? Not even a trace remained? Impossible.
What kind of creature was that giant eagle? How could it be so terrifying? It wasn't natural.
"Protect His Majesty back to his palace!" one of the iron cavalry shouted, snapping everyone back to reality.
Thump—
"The divine eagle has descended to protect His Majesty! Heaven blesses the Great Xuan!" A guard suddenly knelt down and cried out, his voice breaking.
The other guards also hurriedly knelt down and shouted, "Heaven bless the Great Xuan! Long live His Majesty! Long live the Great Xuan!"
Finally, under the protection of the iron cavalry, Xia Yun returned to his palace, shaken.
Sitting on the dragon bed, Xia Yun was still somewhat shaken, his hands trembling slightly.
He remembered the agreement he had made with Xu Ning a few years ago.
At that time, he had agreed with Xu Ning that if any Grandmaster attacked the palace, Xu Ning must ask that secret Grandmaster to help defend the throne.
However, what Xia Yun couldn't have imagined was that the Grandmaster was actually a giant eagle. And its strength was beyond Xia Yun's comprehension.
One talon and it crushed a Grandmaster like an insect.
This was not like a battle between equals, but more like a crushing defeat of someone from a higher realm. It was like a god descending.
"Just how many secrets does my prime minister hold? He's helping me so wholeheartedly; what have I done to deserve this?" Xia Yun murmured, voicing his inner doubts.
Of course, Xia Yun had no idea that the Yingying Monster, already a mortal-level divine-grade being, far surpassed any divine weapon in the martial world. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a divine artifact.
Coupled with its grandmaster-level martial arts prowess, killing a grandmaster was incredibly easy. It was like swatting a fly.
If it weren't for its desire to put on a show and not reveal its true power, the Yingying Monster could have easily pierced the grandmaster's body simply by transforming into a small sparrow. It didn't need to become a giant eagle.
And upon returning to the Prime Minister's residence, the Yingying Monster was immediately reprimanded by Xu Ning for showing off.