Chapter 1 We Don't Need to Say More

"We don't need to say more about these things..." Ye Tao said with a slight smile, a hint of reassurance in his tone. In a more metaphysical sense, Tan Weiran was too fixated. Whether as a military leader with a certain status or as a prince of the most powerful nation on this continent, these words shouldn't be spoken lightly. That determination, that subtle anger, that almost imperceptible sense of authority wanting to bring things under his control, that dignity befitting a prince and a patriot, could be expressed in other ways entirely.

"What did Wei Ming say?" Ye Tao asked. He had never interfered much in the interactions between the brothers. Compared to the almost irreconcilable situation between the two princes of Chunnan, the heartfelt conversations and joint planning of state affairs between the two princes of Dongping were particularly poignant.

"Eldest brother said that if conditions permit, the throne... or the imperial seat, he doesn't necessarily have to hold it. At least, not in the beginning. But he will never let go of actual power," Tan Weiran said after a moment's hesitation.

Ye Tao nodded. That was the attitude a firstborn son of an imperial family should have. Towards Tan Weizai, the little boy, although his own brother, was after all not born of the same mother, and there was already a layer of separation. Moreover, by the time Tan Weizai was born, Tan Weiming and Tan Weiran had already begun handling various practical political and military affairs. Although they had always wanted to fulfill their brotherly duties and take their little brother out to play, Consort Lian, Chang Ling, had consistently obstructed them. Perhaps it was out of worry. In any case, it was too difficult, too incredible, for a woman born in the court of Chunnan, filled with strife and entanglement, to believe that brothers in the royal family could also have genuine affection for each other. And this experience of being obstructed had also influenced Tan Weiming and Tan Weiran's perception of their little brother, Tan Weizai, to some extent. Under these circumstances, when it came to issues that were too big and far-reaching, it was only natural, after careful consideration, to decide to sacrifice this little brother. Ye Tao didn't feel much antipathy towards this. In fact, without the consideration of blood ties, Ye Tao's attitude towards Tan Weizai and Chang Ling was even harsher than Tan Weiming and Tan Weiran's. In Ye Tao's mind, Chang Ling was an annoying old woman, and Tan Weizai was a very irritating child... And when he was in Chunnan, he had even learned how annoying and scheming Chang Ling was. Now, growing up in the royal court of Chunnan, in such a family environment, it was becoming increasingly impossible for Tan Weizai to be a likeable child.

"You're right, Chunnan's making this gesture must also be a compromise. It is true that merging the two countries will inevitably lead to a significant increase in the country's overall strength, and the highest levels of government will see a surge in the power and command at their disposal. But no matter which side is merged, it will inevitably face various shocks in other areas. Let's not even discuss how two different systems can be combined. What should be done about the rise or fall in status of the powerful families in both countries? Dongping values artisans and merchants, while Chunnan values scholars, and this is also a difficult contradiction to reconcile... It's hard to imagine that Chunnan would propose this without any obstacles. There is only one premise for proposing such a thing: they feel that by avoiding war, they will gain more benefits. I think you're right, Chunnan is just afraid of war," Ye Tao said. "I don't know how long His Majesty plans to keep me in Yunzhou, but... His Majesty has now enfeoffed Yepu Castle to me, settling my old home in Yunzhou. With Dai Yun and the Dai family here, it's even a little troublesome for me to go back to my old home in Yicheng. I'm afraid it will be a long time before I can stop being this Northern Frontier Pacification Envoy. Frankly speaking, I don't have any good feelings towards Chunnan, Chang Ling, or Tan Weizai. I will always stand on your side in this matter. And as long as I'm in the Northern Frontier, I can at least guarantee that there will always be 100,000 elite troops standing on our side."

Ye Tao's words were a very clear statement of his position. And it was a very powerful statement. Ye Tao was being modest. The current Ye Tao was not the Ye Tao of a few years ago. He could now mobilize all the forces of Yunzhou, Zhenzhou, and Benlang Plains, and even the forces of the entire Northern grasslands soon after. In the South, with Ye Tao's relationships with Grandpa Qi, the Seven Seas Trading Company, and Min Yue, as long as Ye Tao made a statement, almost Yazhou and the entire naval force would be affected. Over the years, Ye Tao's Ye Family Workshop had transferred many technologies to the Gao family, who used to be their rivals, allowing the Gao family to regain its position as the number one manufacturer of ordinary military equipment in Dongping. The old family Shi family in Nanyang, although they were tricked by Ye Lao Geng at the beginning and suffered a considerable loss, had since followed closely in the footsteps of the Ye family's technological changes and had now developed into a state where agriculture and manufacturing went hand in hand. They also had many connections inside and outside the court. In fact, since the Shi family had been merely following the Ye family's technological changes, although they actually had no cooperation with the Ye Family Workshop in other aspects, they probably couldn't clear themselves even if they wanted to. Moreover, with Ye Tao wielding more and more power, was there any need to clear themselves? The number one army in the world, the Blood Kirin Army, was founded by Ye Tao. Tan Weiming, Tan Weiran, and the generals of the Yunzhou system had all served in the Blood Kirin Army. The current backbone officers were all soldiers and officers who had grown up from the ranks. The Blood Kirin Army now had a total of twenty-seven battalions, eleven of which were veterans who had fought alongside Ye Tao in the Battle of Baishi City. It would be a blatant lie to say that Ye Tao had no influence in the Blood Kirin Army. And then there was Qiu Haohui of the Tianxuan Army... This legendary general, who had entered the military system from the marching chess competition held by the Yizhan Tower and the establishment of the Blood Kirin Army as an internship, had a deep affection for the entire system established by Ye Tao and had a relationship with Ye Tao that was half-teacher, half-friend...

After slightly filtering through the power that Ye Tao could control, or more or less influence, even Tan Weiran was a little surprised. But surprised as he was, Tan Weiran wasn't afraid at all. Neither afraid of not being able to control it, nor afraid that Ye Tao might have other ideas. They knew this brother-in-law of theirs too well. Although Ye Tao's power was so great, he had almost never wanted to turn any force into his own. The entire system of the Yunzhou Pacification Envoy's Office was open to anyone with ability. If it were in Chunnan... such a great system would have been eroded with holes by the various factions in the struggle. It was estimated that Ye Tao would have had no way to keep these enormous forces under his control. But here, Ye Tao was upright and honest, treating everyone with kindness and trust. He was able to influence everyone, guide everyone, and command everyone with a single word. Not to mention that the major tribes of Benlang Plains, such as the Golan tribe, had more trust in Ye Tao and Ye Tao's family than they had in the Dongping court. As the commander of the Jingyun Cavalry, Tan Weiran saw this very clearly.

"Brother-in-law, your words are more than enough," Tan Weiran said with a smile. "It will be another three to five years before this matter really begins to enter detailed negotiations and implementation. How about we take advantage of this time to pacify the Northern grasslands, conquer Northern Liao, and incidentally slap Xiling in the face? By then, let's see if Chunnan will still be embarrassed to talk to us about the merger on an equal footing." Tan Weiran seemed very confident. For him, for this man who had long ago resolved to become a powerful assistant to the state, this was the best way for him to guarantee his family's interests to the greatest extent and to ensure the non-achievement that Dongping had achieved from its founding to the present.

"Okay..." Ye Tao raised his eyebrows. It wasn't easy for him to say that word. Ye Tao knew that it wouldn't be possible to destroy Northern Liao in three to five years. The current Yunzhou probably didn't have that kind of military strength, and the Dongping court was now beginning to develop in a strange direction. He couldn't guarantee that he would get enough support either.

While Ye Tao and Tan Weiran were discussing issues that various signs and phenomena would only be visible in the years after, even a decade later, Chi Lei was worrying about how to deal with the enemy in front of him. After several counterattacks, bringing Golan's 20,000 elite cavalry into the Northern grasslands, Chi Lei was no longer worried about his flanks. The Gasa tribe and the Kyrgyz tribe had both submitted to Dongping and had sent envoys and hostages to his military camp. He had also unceremoniously asked the two tribes for 20,000 cavalry each to cooperate in the battle. The Korkar tribe had already lost two battles under the internal and external attacks and was now struggling with the question of whether to surrender unconditionally. But Chi Lei's big trouble now was that he had to deal with more than 90,000 sand bandits. The sand bandits weren't as scary as the tribesmen had said. Their equipment was crude, and their training and discipline were poor. But the number of sand bandits was simply too large. The troops Chi Lei controlled at the front, even with the Gasa tribe and the Kyrgyz tribe's troops who had come to help, troops he wouldn't even dare to use, were still less than 100,000. But behind the 90,000 sand bandits in front of him, according to the reconnaissance of the airship squadron, there were even more sand bandits approaching. The fertile grasslands were simply too tempting for these sand bandits who made a living in the vast lands filled with sandstorms.

"Defend... how am I supposed to defend..." Chi Lei wasn't questioning Ye Tao's original orders, but it was clear that Ye Tao and the others hadn't expected the sand bandits to be this crazy, to create an army of this size, hundreds of thousands strong, to carry out a bloody war of attrition. If they defended to the death with the current strength, once the supply of military equipment and fire oil bombs was cut off, once any aspect collapsed, it would probably be an irreversible situation. Chi Lei gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot, and a strong killing intent emanated from him.

"Damn it, I won't defend... Heavy Ordnance Battalion, Supply Battalion, one Light Infantry Battalion will stay to continue to carry out the original plan, and the assistance work will be handed over to the Gasa tribe and the Kyrgyz tribe. The rest of the troops, prepare immediately, we'll break camp overnight. I won't wait for others to attack, I want to see who's ruthless enough. Since the sand bandits aren't afraid of death, I want to see how unafraid of death they are." Chi Lei ordered fiercely. Although he had been in the army for so long, Chi Lei rarely spoke with "I" this way.