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Rebellion is actually a very, very troublesome matter.
Heaven’s timing, geographical advantage, human harmony, military, domestic affairs, diplomacy, great trends, and minor details...
To verbalize it takes but a grand flourishment of three to five sentences, and even an old shepherd can articulate the branches of the earthly cycle.
But once it’s put on paper, even the best strategic scholars meticulously crafting millions of words in grand volumes, may still fear falling short of expressing their meanings fully.
Yang Ge had never led a rebellion, but he could imagine just how deep the waters were.
Yet, when he was slaying serpents in Dongying... he had none of these worries.
Because he never intended to be an emperor in Dongying.
He just wanted to be a conqueror.
So, how the Dongying inhabitants lived after the war ravaged their lands, or which direction Dongying’s future development would take... was none of his concern!
All he cared about was leading his servant army, pushing forward as he toppled yet another village headman in name only, breaching one so-called city after another, then closing the doors and releasing the dogs, waiting until his servant army finished their deeds before continuing on, laden with the wealth of the cities, to press onward... an approach so simple it could endlessly recurse, so pure it was worry-free.
As for what followed him, whether it was cities set ablaze or mountains of corpses and seas of blood...
While he did not personally order the killings, nor the cities burned, if all sins were truly to be heaped upon Yang Ge’s head.
Yang Ge would own up to it!
If he dared to do it, he was not afraid of it.
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Only, whether the High Plains of Heaven in Dongying could cross realms to accuse him, Yang Ge, in the underworld of Wei, was a question.
Whether the underworld of Wei had jurisdiction over his soul from the Republic, was an even bigger question!
Well, in any case, it’s a messy situation, tough as nails, deal with it however you want!
In a sense, this pure and resolute mindset of his was very much like his situation in Wei: without attachments, he had no vulnerabilities; without desires, he held no leverage.
All power was his own; he could directly confront anyone he wished to deal with cleanly and efficiently, and anyone wishing to deal with him could only do so helplessly by confronting him directly.
The only thing in this world that could slow his blade was the Shopkeeper alone.
Beyond that, even his own life could not slow his sword...
And the more he relied on his own strength to slay generals, capture banners, and break armies, the more he was convinced that all great power should reside within himself.
Conversely, the firmer his belief that all great power resided within himself, the faster his sword became, and destroying cities, extinguishing nations, and submerging continents were within reach.
His practice of "I am my own deity" had progressed to this step, smoothly landing and perfectly closing the loop.
No longer was it a castle in the air.
Of course, Yang Ge’s actions in Dongying were not without outside obstacles.
For instance, right now, in mid-November, days of heavy snow in the Kinai region had blocked the already rugged and narrow roads, making the marching of a large army particularly difficult.
Fortunately...
Heian-kyō was now within sight!
...
On November 15th, Yang Ge, leading the servant army, camped overnight in Danma Province of the Kinai region (part of today’s northern Hyogo Prefecture). If they marched southeast for another sixty-odd miles, it would be Heian-kyō.
A month and a half ago, after Yang Ge split up with Yang Tiansheng, Li Jincheng, and Xiang Wudi, he and Zhou Fu led 6,500 of the servant army across the sea to land in Dongying’s Honshu. They broke through the Mouri and Amako, two great guardian lords who dominated Honshu, capturing over twenty cities. As a result, his servant army swelled from the initial 6,500 to over 84,000!
They say thieves comb through like a comb, soldiers sieve through like a riddle; marching eastward, they took down stockades when they encountered them and destroyed cities when they met them. Wherever they passed was akin to a locust plague, and the native settlements of Dongying with a population over a thousand were burnt to the ground under the slaughter of the servant army. Of the able-bodied men of Honshu, aside from those who had perished under the servant army’s blade, eighty percent were conscripted into his ranks...
The future population of Honshu in Dongying would be 99 percent foreigners.
Night fell.
Outside the tent, snowflakes danced, and the cold wind howled.
Inside the tent was quiet and at ease, warm as spring,
Yang Ge was in front of an exquisitely crafted Tang Dynasty gilt beast-patterned charcoal stove, holding a rare ancient book annotated by a Tang Dynasty master and reading quietly under the lone lamp.
The Cold Moon Blade was displayed just as silently on the weapon rack directly above the tent, breathing out wisps of crimson Evil Qi almost as if it were alive.
"Hu hu..."
The tent flap lifted, and Zhou Fu entered, shaking off the snow before bowing respectfully:, "Second Master, the Great General of the Ashikaga Shogunate, Ashikaga Yoshiaki, has sent an envoy with gifts seeking an audience outside the camp gate."
Yang Ge flipped through the book pages, and without raising his head, softly responded:, "Accept the gifts, send back the heads."
"Ah?"
Zhou Fu was taken aback for a couple of seconds before realizing he meant to accept the gifts and execute the envoys.
He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it, finally bowing again:, "Understood, Second Master."
Turning, he lifted the tent flap to leave.
"Zhou."
Zhou Fu turned around to see a water container flying toward him.
Hurriedly catching it with both hands, his gaze shifted toward Yang Ge.
Yang Ge continued flipping the book pages leisurely, speaking softly:, "Relax a bit, don’t overthink it."
Zhou cast a subconscious glance towards the Cold Moon Blade above and after clearly seeing the wisps of crimson Qi swirling around the blade, quickly lowered his gaze:, "My... I understand, don’t worry yourself too much."
With a gentle "Hmm," Yang Ge lifted the steaming cup from the stove:, "After it’s done, take a look at the supplies, see how much we have left."
Zhou Fu:, "Yes."
Turning away, he lifted the tent flap and stepped out. Only when the thick flap fell did he open his mouth and exhale a long, cloudy breath silently.
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