LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 320
“As expected of the holy beasts of heaven and earth, they’re actually terrifying!” Lin Beifan muttered to himself.
Just now, he had sneaked a peek, and it was a very cautious one at that, but he was still discovered by the Azure Dragon.
He might have been exposed if he hadn’t retracted his gaze in time.
Although it was just a brief glance, he managed to get a general idea of the four holy beasts.
“They all possess the strength of a peak Supreme Grandmaster, but due to their innate physical constitution, they are even more powerful than a Supreme Grandmaster. They could be considered as half-step Earthly Immortals!”
“Moreover, it is said that they can manipulate the forces of heaven and earth, which could increase their strength several times over, so their power must be infinitely close to that of an Earthly Immortal!”
“But they haven’t reached that level otherwise why would it be so laborious to kill the great leader of the Green Garment Tower? There would be no need for all four holy beasts to act together, just one of them could have finished him off with a single move!”
After reaching this conclusion, Lin Beifan let out a slight sigh of relief.
Although he was still no match for any one of the holy beasts with his current strength, the gap between them wasn’t as vast as it seemed.
They were essentially in the same realm. It’s just that they were at the very top of this realm, while he was in the middle or lower tier.They had superior physical talents and could control the forces of heaven and earth.
However, he had the Empire Sandbox, and within his domain, he could also control these forces and stand his ground against them.
So, as long as he reached the peak of a Supreme Grandmaster, even if he faced the four holy beasts, he could stand on invincible ground!
If he advanced further and attained the realm of an Earthly Immortal, then the situation would immediately reverse.
Whether the four holy beasts would be braised or steamed would be entirely up to him.
“So for now, the focus is to continue developing Great Xia and enhancing national power! Once the nation is strong, everything else will fall into place!”
……
It had been a week since the great leader of the Green Garment Tower had made his breakthrough.
During this week, he seemed to have vanished without a trace, with no news of him at all. However, everyone was still terrified and dared not show themselves.
After another half a month without any news, without any retribution against the Taoist Sect, Buddhist Sect, and other forces, everyone finally began to believe that the demon might have been dealt with by the Four Holy Beasts of Heaven and Earth.
Otherwise, given his vengeful nature, he would have already angrily stormed into Great Xia.
……
“This calamity has finally passed!”
“Ever since he appeared, I haven’t had a good night’s sleep, fearing that the demon would target me!”
“Thankfully, a villain met his match! He’s finally been dealt with!”
“The existence of the Four Holy Beasts of Heaven and Earth seems to be not entirely a bad thing after all!”
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, returned to their homes, and sought comfort from their families. However, the matter was far from over.
Although the demon was dead, the mess he left behind still needed cleaning up.
The headquarters of the Buddhist Sect, Taoist Sect, and Demon Sect had all been destroyed and required considerable effort to rebuild.
The four top-tier Empires suffered the most, with their capital cities destroyed, leaving the nations paralyzed for over a month.
The negative impact was immense, and it would take three to four years to fully recover.
Other sects and countries also suffered losses and impacts to varying degrees.
In this disaster, only Great Xia stood out, becoming the only place in the world that remained untouched and unharmed.
Moreover, they turned the crisis into an opportunity, significantly increasing their national power, surpassing the other four top-tier Empires, and earning the title of the number one Empire in the world.
And as the Emperor who built the world’s number one Empire, Lin Beifan became renowned throughout the land and revered by all.
“Little foolish emperor, even the Heavenly Khan from 3000 years ago pales in comparison to your achievements now!”
Supporting her cheek with one hand, Yaoyao said with a hint of admiration, “3000 years ago, the prodigious Heavenly Khan personally led his troops to conquer lands far and wide, but it took him decades to build the number one empire in the world! Yet you, you’ve built the world’s foremost empire in just a few years. You’re much stronger than him!”
Lin Beifan was somewhat proud: “Of course!”
“You really aren’t humble at all, are you?” Yaoyao exclaimed in surprise.
Lin Beifan confidently retorted, “As the saying goes, ‘in literature, there is no first place, and in martial arts, no second place’. We’re all emperors, why should I yield to him? Well, if we were born in the same era, who would win and who would lose is still hard to say!”
(TLN: in literature, no author can be ranked as the best (subjective), while in martial arts, only being the best counts.)
Yaoyao couldn’t stand Lin Beifan’s smugness and challenged him, “The Heavenly Khan was not only a great emperor of his time but also the number one master. How could you possibly outdo him?”
Lin Beifan scoffed, “If being strong is all it takes to be impressive, then how did he end up dead by others?”
“That’s true! The Heavenly Khan offended too many people in his quest to establish the Celestial Empire, and ultimately, it backfired, causing the nation to collapse instantly! You’ve also offended many people now. You must not repeat the same mistakes!” Yaoyao advised.
“Don’t worry, I’m different from him!” Lin Beifan said with a smile.
“How are you different?”
Lin Beifan smiled and said, “That Heavenly Khan was too ruthless, believing in ‘those who follow me prosper, those who oppose me perish,’ which is why he faced retribution. But I am different; I am a person who loves peace, taking the path of peaceful rise. The rise of Great Xia benefits the vast majority! When more people benefit, they will naturally uphold my rule, and the nation will be more stable.”
Yaoyao glanced at Lin Beifan disdainfully, “You? A person who loves peace? Look at all the things you’ve done over the years. Sometimes you’re even more ruthless than the Heavenly Khan. I’m too disgusted to even point it out!”
Lin Beifan earnestly replied, “But I’m truly a person who loves peace!”
If you don’t listen to me, I’ll have to ‘peacefully’ deal with you!
After chatting with Yaoyao, Lin Beifan went to the imperial study.
Heshen, Cao Cao, and several other ministers had been waiting for a long time.
“Long live Your Majesty!” they greeted.
“Ministers, please rise,” Lin Beifan said from his throne.
He first turned to Heshen and asked, “Minister Heshen, how is the spring plowing coming along?”
“Reporting to Your Majesty.”
Heshen bowed respectfully and said, “The spring plowing is progressing smoothly. All the rice seeds have been sown, covering an area of 8 million square li. We are sure to have another good harvest this year!”
“I believe so too! What about the spring plowing in other countries? Tell the truth, no concealment!”
“Reporting to Your Majesty, due to the previous ravages of the demon, the governments of other countries were paralyzed. It was only recently that they started organizing the spring plowing, which is more than half a month later than usual, slightly delaying the timing. However, the rice seeds they are planting come from our Great Xia! These are high-yield seeds, so their harvest this year may…”
Heshen glanced at Lin Beifan nervously and said, “It may surpass previous years!”
Lin Beifan, however, remained composed, his eyebrows slightly raised with a hint of a smile.
The trap he had set was ready to explode.
“Minister, it’s too early to draw conclusions! I have a feeling that in a month or two, there might be some surprises waiting for us!”
Not quite understanding, Heshen still responded, “Yes, Your Majesty!”
“Minister Cao Cao, how is the preparation of the armor and weapons?”
Cao Cao stepped forward and said, “Reporting to Your Majesty, since your command, our armory has been working overtime to produce various weapons! Currently, our storerooms are very well-stocked with all types of weapons!”
Lin Beifan nodded, “Well done, continue production, the more the better!”
Cao Cao was somewhat shocked, “Your Majesty, why? Our storerooms already have enough weapons to equip 10 million people. We can’t fit anymore!”
Lin Beifan laughed, “Of course it’s to continue expanding our territory. How can we do that without enough weapons?”
The other officials were shocked, “Continue to expand our territory?”
You should know that the territory of their Great Xia had already reached 25 million square li, comparable only to the other four top empires of the world.
They had maintained this vast territory for decades, even centuries!
Could it really be that they couldn’t expand any further?
Of course not!
They possess substantial national power, with strong soldiers and horses, and could continue to expand if they wished.
However, it’s easy to conquer territories, but hard to maintain them!
They need to manage this vast expanse of land, and the costs involved are simply too high to justify.
For instance, if they acquire new land, they need to establish corresponding government offices and a local military presence.
These personnel, numbering at least a few thousand, all need to be fed and paid.
If they can’t afford this, the land will inevitably be lost.
Therefore, the four top-tier Empires can only maintain their current territorial status. It’s not that they don’t want to expand! They simply can’t!
Everyone explained this logic to Lin Beifan.
Lin Beifan understood that continuing to expand his territory would significantly increase management costs, but his power will grow even faster!
Expanding territory is currently the fastest way for him to increase his strength, so naturally, he wouldn’t give it up!
As long as his power increased, he could solve many problems!
Besides, with the current chaos among nations and their declining national power, if not now, when would be a better time to expand his territory?
“Ministers, there’s no need for further discussion. My mind is made up. You may all go back and prepare. By the end of this year, we aim to expand our territory to 30 million square li!” Lin Beifan declared with a towering presence and an air of dominance.
“Yes, Your Majesty!” everyone responded.
After the officials left, they immediately started making arrangements.
……
At this time, the Great Xia Empire was ranked first among all Empires, so their every move attracted attention from all forces.
“What is Great Xia up to, mobilizing troops and gathering food supplies? Are they preparing for war?”
“But who would they go to war with? Which country would dare to offend Great Xia now?”
“Perhaps they’re planning to expand their territory again! Remember, since the establishment of Great Xia, there hasn’t been a year without war! Their territory of over 20 million square li was conquered this way!”
“Great Xia mobilizing its forces is no small matter. Send this information back quickly!”
***
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