Chapter 101: New Master

When Wang Xiu's consciousness descended again, he was no longer that old man Wang Zong, who in his twilight years sat in a wheelchair gazing at the world.

He became a young man in his early thirties, his body full of strength, muscles solid, vigor exuberant, every cell shouting with vitality.

He was Wang Po.

As the fifth-generation head of the Wang Family, after Wang Zong's passing, Wang Jing's energy had waned, so they settled on Wang Po as the head of the family.

When Wang Xiu slowly opened his eyes, what came into view was not the palace of Chang'an, nor the gardens of Jiangnan, but a spacious, solemn great hall filled with iron-blooded aura.

On the wall hung a huge map of Jiangnan terrain made of tanned cowhide. The map was densely marked with various symbols representing mountains, rivers, cities, and the enemy's troop deployments.

This is the highest command center of the Wang Family Fort, and also the brain of the entire Wang Family.

"Father." Wang Po (Wang Xiu) spoke, his voice calm and powerful. He had fully inherited Wang Po's memories.

Born in the fort, raised in the military camp. His childhood had no poetry or song, only swords and spears, but that did not mean he was poorly educated.

His playmates were not aristocratic youths, but the garrison soldiers who rolled in the mud with him; his teacher was that legendary great-uncle Wang Zong.

"Po'er, you're awake." an old voice came.

Wang Po's father, Wang Jing, the fourth-generation head of the Wang Family, rose from the chair beside him. He was over sixty, his hair white, but his spirit was keen.

During the Huang Chao Rebellion, it was he who upheld Wang Zong's will, as a most resolute executor, single-handedly building the Wang Family into the colossus it is today.

Now he has passed the headship to his finest son.

"Father, why are you still here?" Wang Po stepped forward, supporting his father, "It's late; you should go rest."

"I can't sleep." Wang Jing sighed, walking to the huge map, his gaze falling on the north, his eyes full of worry: "Zhu Wen controls the court, his ambition known to all under heaven. This realm is likely to fall into utter chaos. Our Wang Family, though sheltered in Jiangnan, how long can we remain stable?"

Wang Po (Wang Xiu) followed his father's gaze.

Zhu Wen.

That name, in Wang Xiu's mind, represented a bloody, cruel, decadent era. He knew the wheel of history had already rolled into that darkest period, the "Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms".

"Father, you need not worry." Wang Po (Wang Xiu) said calmly, "Our great-uncle, on his deathbed, already pointed out our direction: build high walls, stockpile grain, do not claim kingship."

"That's how it's said..." Wang Jing shook his head, "But I always feel uneasy. Zhu Wen is wolf-hearted, fickle. Now that he has seized the realm, sooner or later he will turn his gaze to our prosperous Jiangnan. Our position as Jiangnan Pacification Commissioner, in his eyes, probably isn't worth a fart."

Wang Po (Wang Xiu) naturally knew his father's concern was correct.

The historical knowledge in his mind told him that Zhu Wen was not only brutal but also extremely lustful. He even did not spare his own daughters-in-law, deciding who would be crown prince based on their beauty and how often they shared his bed. Such a beast devoid of any moral bottom line—what reason could you expect him to talk about?

"Father, you're right." Wang Po (Wang Xiu) nodded, "So we cannot merely guard that little plot of land in Yangzhou."

"Huh?" Wang Jing turned his head, looking at his son with some confusion, "Po'er, what do you mean by that? Your great-uncle had instructed us before his death to..."

"Great-uncle said, do not claim kingship, do not claim kingship." Wang Po (Wang Xiu) interrupted his father's words, his eyes flashing in the candlelight with a light Wang Jing had never seen, "But he never said we cannot expand."

When Wang Xiu's consciousness, residing in Wang Po's body, spoke those words, he clearly felt excitement emanating from Wang Po's body.

He had controlled the cautious Wang You, he had controlled the crisis-averting Wang Zong. But those were all in defense.

But now he controls a Wang Po whose very bones are filled with aggression!

He can no longer merely defend!

The Tang Dynasty has fallen; the collapse of that colossus has turned the world into a no-man's land where anyone can seize what they want, and on this land there is no reason to speak of.

So why shouldn't the Wang Family seize it?

"Father, look." Wang Po (Wang Xiu) walked to the map, pointing south of the Yangtze at that vast expanse of land, "From Yangzhou to Xuanzhou, then to Hangzhou and Fuzhou... the entire Jiangnan East Circuit and Fujian Circuit nominally still recognize the Great Liang as the legitimate dynasty, but in reality the local prefects and generals have long been acting independently, not subordinate to one another."

"They are like a plate of loose sand, while we are the sole sharpened stone."

"We have fifty thousand troops, equipped with the finest plate armor and divine-strength crossbows of this age. Our workshops have even produced firearms that can spray iron sand."

"We have enough grain to feed tens of thousands for ten years."

"We have, through movable-type printing, cultivated thousands who understand mathematics and the investigation of things, their thoughts far surpassing the era's local officials and technical talents."

"We have the people's hearts! Over the past decade we have taken in hundreds of thousands of refugees, who regard the Wang Family as their reborn parents and see this fort as their homeland."

"As long as we give the order, among this million people we can at any time raise another army of tens of thousands."

With each sentence Wang Po (Wang Xiu) spoke, Wang Jing's eyes brightened a bit; he was deeply attracted by the blueprint his son drew.

"Po'er... what... what do you want to do?" Wang Jing's voice trembled.

Wang Po (Wang Xiu) turned to face his father, speaking word by word:

"Father, what I want to do is not be a regional military commissioner holding onto one territory."

"What I want to do is be the founder of a new order on this land!"

"I will turn all of Jiangnan into a true utopia where no one can bully the people and they can live in peace and prosperity!"

"Whether it's Zhu Wen or Li Ke Yong, let them fight to the death in the Central Plains; but whoever dares to stretch his claws into Jiangnan..."

In Wang Po's (Wang Xiu's) eyes flashed a trace of icy killing intent.

"I will chop off that claw!"

Wang Jing stared blankly at his son for a long while before finally letting out a long sigh.

He knew that the era of Wang Zong's conservative stewardship had passed.

"Never mind, never mind." Wang Jing waved his hand, "You've grown up; decide these matters yourself. I'm old; I can't manage them anymore."

He turned and walked toward the door; his back showed a hint of desolation, yet his steps carried a touch of relieved ease.

Wang Po (Wang Xiu) watched his father's retreating back, a myriad of feelings surging in his heart. He knew that his earlier words, to a man who had spent his life abiding by rules, were what a tremendous shock.

He had no other choice.

He was not Wang Po; he was Wang Xiu. He possessed a god's-eye view, knowing that in the warlord scramble of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms' "battle royale" game, playing it safe would not see him to the end.

You must constantly run from the toxic zone, constantly seize airdrops, constantly eliminate the enemies around you, becoming stronger, in order to survive to the final circle.

His gaze fell back onto the map.

His first target was Xuanzhou, the nearest to Yangzhou.

Xuanzhou Military Commissioner Tian Yi was a brave but reckless fool. Though he commanded tens of thousands of troops, his discipline was lax and his equipment backward, unable to withstand a single blow.

Most importantly, Xuanzhou is Jiangnan's major grain hub and transportation nexus; taking Xuanzhou would be equivalent to seizing the throat of all Jiangnan.

"Come." Wang Po (Wang Xiu) shouted toward the door, his voice low and stern.

A guard in black combat attire quickly appeared at the doorway, dropping to one knee.

"What are your orders, Head of Family?"

"Pass on my orders: gather all officers of rank colonel and above from the First, Second, and Third Legions; in one hour, come to the war council hall to meet."

"Also, have the intelligence department immediately send all the latest information about Xuanzhou Tianyi to the war council hall."

"Yes!" The guard accepted the order, his form flickered, and he vanished into the darkness.

Wang Po (Wang Xiu) walked to the window, pushed it open, and looked at the patches of lit areas inside the fortress.

There, there were armories working day and night, schools with the sound of reading aloud, and countless homes filled with vibrant life.

This is his, the Wang Family's, foundation built over generations with countless efforts.

"Zhu Wen..." he murmured, his eyes filled with icy cold.

"You'd better not come provoke me."