Chapter 941

“The Hwayeon Kingdom already intended to be incorporated into the Great Yu Empire. As long as Your Majesty can save the remaining Great Yu Empire people on Cebu Island, you may then deal with it as you wish.”

In recent years, Xiao Qi, by virtue of his noble status, quickly gained a respected position in the Hwayeon Kingdom. During this period, he deeply understood the fear of the Hwayeon Kingdom people. For them, they lived a life without security. They naturally would not oppose being incorporated into the Great Yu Empire.

“This matter brooks no delay. If that is the case, I will order the Great Yu Empire navy to march south and drive the Spanish out of Cebu, Bohol, Luzon, and other islands.”

Xiao Ming said loudly.

In fact, even without Xiao Qi’s appearance, he had already considered marching south. In the Great Yu Empire, Nanyang meant contemporary Southeast Asia.

And for Xiao Ming, this was the backyard of the Great Yu Empire. When was it the turn of Western powers to interfere? Furthermore, the Great Yu Empire’s goods urgently needed to open up overseas markets, which made the status of Nanyang even more important.

Of course, this was only one aspect. The most important issue was to achieve the strategy of controlling the Malacca Strait. Once the Malacca Strait was in his grasp, it would be tantamount to completely blocking the Westerners’ access to the East Pacific.

Therefore, this time, he was mentally prepared to fight a naval battle with Western powers. Only by gaining a say at sea could he then gradually encroach upon British, French, and Spanish colonies in Asia.

“Long live, long live, long live our Emperor!”

Xiao Qi was so excited by Xiao Ming’s words that tears streamed down his face. Only after leaving the Great Yu Empire did he deeply realize how much he needed this country.

Only when the nation was strong could they live with dignity overseas. Otherwise, in the eyes of Westerners, they were merely fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered.

The reason for the Spanish massacre of the Chinese this time, while certainly due to concerns about their rule being threatened, also had another reason: the prosperity of the Hwayeon Kingdom.

The wealth obtained from years of commerce allowed the people of the Hwayeon Kingdom to live comfortable lives. This prosperous life was greatly envied by both the Spanish and the Moros living in the homeland.

Although this massacre was instigated by the Spanish, the local indigenous Moros also participated extensively.

So he reminded, “Your Majesty, the Moros on the Sulu Archipelago also participated in our massacre this time. They are by no means friendly people. I hope Your Majesty can inform the naval soldiers, lest they be deceived by them.”

“Moros?” Xiao Ming frowned. These Moros were actually the general term the Spanish used for the indigenous people living in various areas of the Philippines, and this term carried a lot of contempt.

However, the Spanish were very clever. Although they looked down on these indigenous people, they were always very good at exploiting them. For these indigenous people, the Spanish only needed to claim that the Great Yu Empire people stole their wealth to create conflict. This was a common trick of politicians.

“If Your Majesty decides to drive out the Spanish, and rules Bohol and its surrounding islands, you must not let the Moros gain power, otherwise, one day they will show their fangs.” Xiao Qi’s eyes still held fear. These indigenous people multiplied very quickly, and they could not catch up. If the Spanish were driven out and replaced by Moros, their fate would be even more tragic.

“Do you think I am not as clever as the Spanish? After driving out the Spanish, the Great Yu Empire will be their ruler.” Xiao Ming’s lips curled into a faint smile.

After a pause, he said, “As for you, I will spare your life for now. You will go south with the navy this time, and we will decide what to do later.”

Xiao Qi looked as if he was sacrificing himself for a just cause. He said, “As long as Your Majesty can save the common people from dire straits, what does my life matter?”

With that, he knelt and deeply kowtowed to Xiao Ming.

Fei Ji sighed slightly upon seeing this. Xiao Ming glanced at him and then said to Xiao Qi, “You may leave. Someone will naturally arrange for you to go to Dengzhou military port.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Xiao Qi kowtowed again, then rose and left.

Watching Xiao Qi disappear, Fei Ji said, “Your Majesty, although the Prince of Ning’s death was an injustice, Xiao Qi’s father after all died at the hands of the late Emperor. It’s hard to guarantee that this Xiao Qi will not resent Your Majesty.”

“Since it’s an injustice, then it must be overturned. How can we bury our heads in the sand just because the late Emperor made a mistake? If the imperial family doesn’t even dare to bear its own mistakes, how can it rule this country? After you return, begin reinvestigating the Prince of Ning’s case from back then. Provide me with a detailed account of the events. If it is true, publish it in the newspaper.”

Xiao Ming said seriously. He did not want to commit another mistake because of a past one.

Fei Ji was dumbfounded, but then he realized. Xiao Ming was now rejecting Xiao Wenxuan and the former systems of the Great Yu Empire, precisely to establish a new nation and become a different kind of emperor.

After a moment of contemplation, he said, “I, your old servant, obey.”

After seeing off the two, Xiao Ming immediately drafted an imperial edict for the southern expedition. Now that the Great Yu Empire’s national strength was growing day by day, it was time to exert its power and obtain what it desired.

After all, the Western powers’ forces in Asia were relatively weak and easier to break through.

Having settled on the strategy to conquer Nanyang, Xiao Ming had someone deliver the imperial edict to the steam locomotive bound for Dengzhou.

That evening, the imperial edict arrived at Yue Yun’s official residence in the military port.

“Excellent! Our navy finally has something to do again!” Upon hearing of the imperial edict’s arrival, all the naval generals came to Yue Yun’s official residence.

A broad smile also appeared on Yue Yun’s face. The situation in Goryeo was now stable, and their navy was no longer needed for garrison duties.

As for Japan, after signing the instrument of surrender, there were indeed some dissenting voices domestically, but due to the presence of the garrison, there were no major issues.

Moreover, to strengthen governance over Japan, Yun Changfeng, who had previously been stationed in Goryeo, was dispatched to Japan to serve as Governor-General.

They all knew Yun Changfeng well. Not only was he young and promising, but he was also the current Empress Dowager’s nephew and the Emperor’s cousin. His dispatch to Japan clearly showed the Great Yu Empire’s strict supervision over Japan.

“The twelve warships stationed in Busan harbor are enough to deal with Goryeo and Japan. This southern expedition, His Majesty intends to control Nanyang in one fell swoop. So, there will certainly be naval battles with Western powers. You must be mentally prepared. This is not like fighting Japan or the Goryeo navy. According to intelligence provided by the secret guards, the current British and French have very likely already deciphered our navy’s shells, so the war will not be easy.”

The generals all looked serious. They were not afraid, but began to take their opponents seriously.

“General, we are not afraid of those Westerners! As His Majesty said, ‘when two brave men meet on a narrow road, the braver one wins!’ What’s there to be afraid of?” Liu Chen said bluntly.

Yue Yun nodded in satisfaction. He said, “Good. Your marines prepare. The rest of you, go back and inspect the warships. We depart in three days!”