Could it be that we've really been exposed?!
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Chapter Twenty-Six: You, with your overflowing bromance, refuse to submit to me; I will not let you down!
"The Hermit of Lakes and Seas was probably a Taoist priest who was not very skilled in his arts, but also a guy with a lot of artistic talent. So, after having a nightmare, he hurriedly wrote it down as a story."
"Furthermore, this person's original intention in writing the book was to warn the world, but the result is not ideal. However, since the Taiping Dao has actually risen up, it shows that this person does indeed have some talent in foresight. This book, 'The Story of Da Er's Ambition,' may indeed have some reference value," Lin Yang said expressionlessly.
It's really tough to evaluate yourself in front of others without revealing any flaws, and you can't freely praise or criticize them.
However, upon hearing Lin Yang's words, the Spirit Emperor maintained his aloof, half-smiling demeanor, standing there quietly without offering any comment or speaking, which made Lin Yang feel somewhat uneasy.
"So, Feipeng, what do you think of the Han Dynasty?" Emperor Ling continued.
"The Han Dynasty? The Han Dynasty is great. It's good in every aspect," Lin Yang said with a smile.
This time, it was finally a heartfelt statement, sincere and truthful. Regardless of what others thought, Lin Yang, as the Duke of Wu, genuinely believed it.
"Ah, if only that guy could think like you."
After making a remark, Emperor Ling suddenly became serious.
"Duke of Wu, heed my command!"
"The imperial edict reads: Now that the Taiping Dao has rebelled and the foreign world has invaded, Wu Guogong Yang is hereby appointed as the Military Governor of Jiangdong, in charge of all military and political affairs of the six prefectures of Jiangdong. While protecting Jiangdong, he shall, to the greatest extent possible, launch a counterattack against the foreign world. So be it!"
As soon as he finished speaking, streams of dragon energy detached from the Spirit Emperor's body, and even the Spirit Emperor's own figure gradually dissipated.
Then, this dragon energy transformed into an imperial edict. This edict was filled with a sacred aura and contained a large amount of dragon energy.
"This imperial edict is the control hub for the dragon energy of the entire Jiangdong region. With the help of this, and given your status as the Duke of Wu, you can directly control the dragon energy of the entire Jiangdong region when needed. At that time, with the dragon energy surrounding you, you can possess strength no weaker than a fifth-order Earth Immortal."
"However, this item has its limits. It can only be used a maximum of three times before the imperial edict automatically loses its effect. Therefore, you must use it wisely. Do not use it lightly unless absolutely necessary! Also, before I leave, I will give you a piece of advice: If you do not submit to me, I will not fail you!"
After speaking, the Spirit Emperor's figure vanished completely, and the imperial edict materialized. It automatically appeared before Lin Yang, gently extending its hands and taking the edict into its grasp.
At the same time, he was pondering the whole story.
At first, the extraterrestrial world invaded and merged with the main world. Then, the Spirit Emperor suddenly appeared and asked him questions.
Three questions were asked in total. The first question was: "Feipeng, what do you think of 'The Story of Da Er's Ambition'?"
How can you interpret it? This book was written by Lin Yang himself!
The second question is: "So, let me ask you another question: what do you think of the author of 'The Story of Da Er's Ambition,' namely, Hu Hai San Ren?"
As I said before, no matter how you look at it, "Lake and Sea Hermit" is just a pen name that Lin Yang gave himself!
The third question: "So, Feipeng, what do you think of the Han Dynasty?"
To be honest, after hearing these three questions in a row, Lin Yang's first thought was that the experienced driver had crashed!
If nothing unexpected happens, Emperor Ling definitely knows that he is the so-called Hermit of Lakes and Seas! There is at least an 80% chance that he really knows.
When Lin Yang heard the passionate line, "If you don't submit to me, I will not betray you," he became even more certain that the Spirit Emperor truly knew this secret.
Despite Lin Yang's extreme caution, the printing took place within the Tang Dynasty world, and was done by someone else. Even the souls of the artisans were sent by Lin Yang to other worlds for reincarnation.
As for the later distribution, it was controlled by puppet artifacts, just like computer programming, with the relevant spells pre-programmed in another world.
Therefore, no matter how much others tried to divine the secrets of heaven, they could only discover these puppets. But the problem was that these puppets had already self-destructed after the books were distributed.
After thinking it over and over, Lin Yang still couldn't figure out which part of the process had gone wrong, that the Spirit Emperor had actually discovered it!
However, these are not the main points. The main point is that Lin Yang's official position and power have undergone tremendous changes!
The military governor of the six prefectures of Jiangdong holds supreme power over all military and political affairs in those six prefectures—a truly considerable position. Furthermore, with the Dragon Qi Imperial Edict usable up to three times, his strength in combat is comparable to that of those in the outer realms.
However, since the Spirit Emperor has given so many things, doesn't that also demonstrate the power of the outer world?
However, more importantly, apart from that, there was no support from a single elite soldier, and not a single tael of silver was distributed. What a greedy man!
Apart from a title, there's nothing there. That really fits Emperor Ling's style all along!
However, to be fair, Emperor Ling treated Lin Yang quite well. Being the military governor of the six commanderies of Jiangdong, with control over both military and political affairs, was practically the treatment of a local tyrant.
There was no military supervisor constantly checking on him, nor a civil official hindering him; Lin Yang was completely in control. In the classical feudal era, such trust was truly rare.
Soon, Lin Yang took the imperial edict and found Guo Jia. Guo Jia was currently handling various government affairs; after all, the earthquake had damaged many houses!
Some unlucky individuals, disobedient as ever, were even accidentally killed by falling rocks triggered by the earthquake. These were all matters he had to handle. Although they weren't major incidents, they still involved human lives, and at the very least, he needed to sign off on them and get his approval.
"Fengxiao, I have a surprise for you." With that, Lin Yang took out the imperial edict.
Upon seeing this, Guo Jia's eyes immediately flashed with light, which then disappeared. He then accepted the imperial edict and began to examine it.
"Oh, my lord, this is truly astonishing! They only have a title, but no troops. They're planning to make you use the resources of Wu to fight them head-on!"
"You must understand, the powerful families of Jiangdong were separated from the Central Plains for a long time because of Xiang Yu, so their foundations were not deep and their strength was not strong. Later, after your purge, my lord, their strength was weakened even further. Therefore, they really can't be of much help! They have been outmaneuvered by His Majesty!" Guo Jia said, somewhat speechless.
Upon hearing this, Lin Yang also realized what was happening. Indeed, before he could even react, he was completely stumped by the Spirit Emperor's three questions. And then, in a daze, he accepted the imperial edict.
Looking back now, it was all a scheme, a complete and utter scheme! What's wrong with this world? Can't there be less scheming and more sincerity?
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Chapter Twenty-Seven: A Huge Deal Worth Tens of Millions of Taels of Silver, a Steel Production Line
Wu County, a plain, was now teeming with people. These people included the old and the young, men and women, totaling approximately six thousand.