Ch 110: The Terror of the New Emperor? Zhu Yuanzhang: Never Had Such a Wonderful Start

But soon, Chaghan Temur realized the true terror of the Great Emperor.

Compared to the Great Emperor’s terrifying strength, which was enough to suppress the entire imperial court, what was even more chilling was his almost innate keenness for power and his precise judgment of the demonic nature of humanity.

He possessed an almost mind-reading power, able to discern with a single glance whether a person was loyal or treacherous… According to Chaghan Temur’s speculation, this might be related to the Confucian doctrine of the heart-mind, which the Great Emperor had created.

He accomplished what even Emperor Shizu could not.

That was, even though he had slaughtered the local powerful families and the Demonic World families until blood flowed like a river, obtaining vast and unimaginable cultivation resources of all kinds, he somehow managed not to affect the stability of the region…

Because he was so good at judging people, after the bloody purge of the region, he could keenly seize upon those who were truly capable and directly promote them on the spot, entrusting them with important tasks. Reorganizing the grassroots and high-level organizations!

This series of combined moves directly transformed the regions that had once given the Yuan dynasty a headache into a continuous source of resources for the central Yuan court, and the local human populace actually lived more easily…

In just half a month, the Yuan, which had been on the verge of collapse, gradually stabilized and showed signs of reversing its decline.

Immense wealth, incorruptible and capable officials, and a Demonic Army that could be called the best in the world…

The originally rusty war machine of the Great Yuan dynasty finally began to operate again with the help of these lubricants!

Having followed the Great Emperor ever since catching up with him, and having watched everything unfold, Chaghan Temur’s blood surged, and he saw hope.

Above the imperial court.

Chaghan Temur, filled with high morale, knelt down before the Great Emperor and requested orders.

“With the stability of the nation and the hearts of the people turned toward the Yuan, Your Majesty only needs to restrain that Confucian Sage and give me 100,000 Demonic soldiers, and I am confident that I can pacify everything in the South!”

Chu Mo sat on the Dragon Throne, his eyes slightly lowered, his voice without the slightest fluctuation, “No need! According to the original plan, head north and west. Those Four Khanates that no longer obey because of the court’s weakness must be transformed back into the basic foundation of the Demonic… They are a more important foundation than the North!”

Chaghan Temur frowned slightly. Just as he was about to say something more, he sensed the Great Emperor’s cold gaze upon him, and his heart trembled. He quickly lowered his head, “Your subject understands!”

“Yes, I will also go on the expedition with you,” Chu Mo said hoarsely. Of course, the one actually going on the expedition would naturally be the Demonic Avatar.

“Your Majesty…” Chaghan Temur’s pupils constricted. He was not pleased, and his tone carried anxiety. “In the South, there is the Confucian Sage, as well as that True Person Zhang, and although the Southern peasant rebel army is weak… under the leadership of those powerful cultivators, they are enough to pose a threat to us.”

“If the Great Capital does not have you to oversee it…” Chaghan Temur swallowed hard, unable to continue.

With Chancellor Tokto’a dead and Chaghan Temur on a western expedition to the Four Khanates, if Chu Mo were to leave the capital as well, the only top expert left to guard the Great Capital would be the Yansheng Duke. Chaghan Temur had always looked down on this man.

He even suspected that if the Southern Sage personally descended, the Yansheng Duke would not hesitate to lead the Great Capital in surrender. Then his Great Yuan… would lose its home base!

“Don’t worry!” To this, Chu Mo only said softly, “I am very clear about the situation in the South. They need enough opportunities to develop, and we also need to obtain more supply points… From this perspective, we are the same!”

“There won’t be a war in the short term! Trust my judgment,” Chu Mo said no more.

After a long silence, Chaghan Temur could only nod. The Great Emperor had already said this much, so how could he dare to question him?

And at night.

Chu Mo spat out a mouthful of Demonic Qi, condensing it into a Demonic Avatar, letting it stay behind in the Great Capital, while he himself drifted away.

◈◈◈

Gaoyou City.

After more than half a month of recuperation, this city gradually regained its prosperity.

Inside the General’s Mansion.

Zhu Yuanzhang, with his arms crossed, gazed at the many officials under his command, his expression filled with joy and reminiscence—

His own direct subordinates, Tang He, Li Shanchang, Xu Da, and others… the civil and military officials under Zhang Shicheng, Lü Zhen, Shi Nai’an, Li Hangsu, Luo Guanzhong, and others… as well as Zhang Dingbian, Zou Pusheng, Zhang Bixian, who had come to join him from the West… He had never imagined such a wonderful start.

Even now, Zhu Yuanzhang still felt a sense of unreality, as if he were dreaming.

The three peasant rebel armies merged together, directly transforming Zhu Yuanzhang, who had originally only occupied the small territory of Chuzhou, into the number one peasant rebel leader in the world, controlling half of the South. Famous generals and ministers under his command were as numerous as smoke and rain.

For example, Zhang Dingbian, who was too powerful. Even when suppressing his strength to the same level as Xu Da and Tang He, he could still beat them both violently.

Zhu Yuanzhang even felt that he might not be able to win in a one-on-one battle at the same level! He was the one chosen by the Red Emperor!

Zhang Dingbian had not yet grown to his peak. If he cultivated to the Transcendent Sixth Realm, he might truly be called the number one fierce general in the world! His battlefield dominance in the current era could surpass that of Prince of Runan in the North and rival that of the once invincible Lü Bu.

“True Person, True Person, absolutely not!” The clamorous voice coming from outside the door interrupted Zhu Yuanzhang’s thoughts, which were filled with ambition. His eyes twitched almost imperceptibly.

The door burst open.

Zhang Sanfeng, with his crane-white hair and youthful face, appeared beside Zhu Yuanzhang, bypassing the guards who tried to stop him.

“Little Zhu, has your father not returned yet?”

Zhu Yuanzhang’s heart twitched. No matter how many times he heard this address, he still felt speechless, but he had no way to refute it.

After all, the person in front of him was the real number one in the world before his father was born!

To be able to charge into the Great Capital as a human, and retreat unscathed under the watchful eyes of countless top experts and even the Demonic Iron Cavalry… Zhang Sanfeng was the only one in the world who could do that!

If Zhang Sanfeng had not repeatedly praised Chu Mo, admitting his inferiority, Zhu Yuanzhang would not have thought that his father was stronger than the person in front of him.

“True Person, I have said this many times,” Zhu Yuanzhang sighed, patiently explaining, “If my father returns, I will definitely inform you at the first moment!”

◈◈◈

“…That’s not right,” Zhang Sanfeng frowned, unable to understand. “If he’s not coming to see you, where else could he go? The North?”

Zhu Yuanzhang’s heart suddenly tightened, and he subconsciously looked at the summarized intelligence on the table, “Crap, True Person, if that’s really the case… then I’ll have to ask you to go to the North to meet the Sage! According to our latest news, the situation in the North has changed drastically…”

Zhu Yuanzhang pulled out several sheets of paper and handed them to Zhang Sanfeng. In fact, even after reading the information about the North many times, Zhu Yuanzhang was still somewhat confused and even suspected that the intelligence officers had been drinking fake alcohol?!

No, the position of the Great Emperor of the Northern Dynasty was seized by another demon, but why wasn’t there any chaos in the Northern Dynasty at all? It was as if all the demons and the ministers in the imperial court had accepted it so naturally! And were so loyal to him.

This greatly conflicted with Zhu Yuanzhang’s worldview. Not to mention a strange demon parachuting in without any blood ties, even if the Imperial Crown Prince inherited the throne, it wouldn’t be this peaceful, right?!

Damn it, fight! Why aren’t you fighting! You were almost fighting a civil war before the usurpation, but now that there’s been a usurpation, shouldn’t you be turning the North upside down, instead of letting him pick the peaches? Does this make sense?!

And judging from this, this national destiny is actually being continued by him?! Is that person in the North still human… or has he become a demon?! It’s not normal, no matter how you look at it, it’s not normal!

“…This, this poor Dao knows,” Zhang Sanfeng glanced at it, he had his own sources of information. More importantly, as the Great Emperor, he was quite proficient in the art of divination.

He had also tried to divine before coming to Zhu Yuanzhang… The problem was, he couldn’t divine Chu Mo at all. At best, he could only divine a Zhu Wusi who died young.

“That Great Emperor of the North is also a Sage!” Zhang Sanfeng pinched his brow, “If I hadn’t sensed it remotely, that heart-mind technique, moving with the heart, free and detached… I would have almost thought that your father had killed his way over there and become the real emperor.”

However… this new Great Emperor was indeed mysterious and unpredictable, the divination of him was the same as the divination of Chu Mo.

Of course, Zhang Sanfeng didn’t take this as evidence that Chu Mo was the Great Emperor. Impossible! Even if demons were mentally challenged, they wouldn’t let a human mix into the highest position, right? The Yuan dynasty hasn’t been overthrown yet…

The one on the opposite side was a Demonic Khan who had descended from beyond the heavens, which was almost a foregone conclusion… Since he wasn’t born and raised in this world, it was normal that he couldn’t be divined.

Back then, which of the World-Honored Emperor and the Grand Ancestor Emperor, who had immense power and dominated the world, wasn’t fiercely mighty? They had descended from beyond the realm, how many people in the Immortal Realm could see through their information?

“Beyond the Three Realms, transcending the Five Elements” was used to describe people like them.

“…You’re still here?” A voice filled with some speechlessness rang out. Chu Mo’s figure appeared in the room silently. He gazed at Zhang Sanfeng with a complex expression.

“Two, no, three variables in the world are here, how could I not be here!” Zhang Sanfeng’s expression paused, and he laughed, then his gaze became somewhat profound, “However, you should be happy that I’m here!”

“After all, if I weren’t here… I might be in the North!”

The atmosphere in the room became heavy for a moment, but soon relaxed.

However, people like Zhang Dingbian, Zhang Bixian, and Zou Pusheng… were still staring at Chu Mo, their eyes filled with complex emotions, resignation, pain, and struggle…

“Alright, there shouldn’t be any wars for the next five to ten years,” Chu Mo didn’t discuss this topic much. He looked at Zhu Yuanzhang, “What you need to do is to integrate the current foundation into one piece!”

“Oh, and the regions of Guangdong and Guangxi, Jiangxi, and Fujian… must also be taken down.”

“…How can there not be any wars?!” Li Shanchang’s expression changed slightly. He didn’t want to question Chu Mo, but these words were really too unimaginable. So unimaginable that if it wasn’t Chu Mo who said them, he would have felt that the person who said these words must be an undercover agent!

Demons were famous for being stubborn and brutal.

Before, when they were about to be destroyed, they could still gather a large army, with the chancellor personally leading the team south… It was clear that they had a violent appearance of “I can die, but you will die with me!”

Now, according to intelligence, the situation in the North has improved rapidly in the past half month. Shouldn’t they be mobilizing troops to kill over here at the first moment?!

“Because they can’t cross the Huai River!” Chu Mo said concisely. Of course, he couldn’t say that it was because he, as the Great Emperor, wouldn’t allow it—if he said that, what kind of war would this be!

There was a dead silence.

The expressions of everyone in the room changed. Many people looked at Zhang Sanfeng, recalling the terrifying battle above the Huai River that Zhang Sanfeng had described earlier. Their scalps went numb for a moment…

So confident… Could it be said that the final result of that battle was not an accident, but inevitable?!

This Confucian Sage, was he really invincible? One person against an army! With his own strength, he was enough to build an impregnable defense… even if it relied on the terrain!

Such a thing had never happened before in history! Even Zhang Sanfeng, who was once known as the number one in the world, could only guarantee his own safe retreat from the Great Capital… This was completely different from Chu Mo’s record.

“Alright, we’ll listen to the Sage,” Zhu Yuanzhang said readily.

After pondering for a moment, Chu Mo said, “Zhong Ba, first introduce the situation during this period!”

“Of course.”

After Chu Mo sorted out the situation, he directly said, “Since that’s the case, then let’s take Jiangning first, and then prepare to establish a nation.”

Everyone in the room: “???”

What the hell… This, this is starting to establish a nation?!

Zhu Yuanzhang’s scalp went numb. He was also frightened by his dear father’s leapfrogging thinking and subconsciously said, “Are… are you serious? Have you forgotten what you told me, ‘Build high walls, store abundant food, and postpone declaring kingship’?”

Li Shanchang was stunned, repeatedly chewing on these three sentences. His heart was shocked, it was truly an enlightenment, the way to unify the world was all in it. But…

“You, ah, haven’t completed the transformation from a local small lord to the number one lord in the world!” Chu Mo glanced at Zhu Yuanzhang, “That nine-character mantra is about how to rise slowly from a small local force!”

“You’re already the number one lord in the world, what are you still thinking about this for? You’re a giant elephant, are you still hoping to hide behind tigers and lions? Do you really think the eyes of the North are blind?!”

Zhu Yuanzhang was silent, forced to admit that Chu Mo was right. Of course, it wasn’t that his brain wasn’t working fast enough, but that the situation had changed too drastically and rapidly… to the point that he still hadn’t adapted to it.