Chapter 5

Heir apparent, the Prince requests you to go to the study.

Just as Su Ye was immersed in the system, a maid's soft voice sounded outside the door.

Huh?

Okay, I'll be right there.

Hearing the guard's words, Su Ye startled, but quickly came to his senses and replied warmly to the outside.

As soon as he left the courtyard, he saw a maid standing bowed outside the door; he nodded at her and led the way.

In his own Prince's Mansion, where he had run about since childhood, what need was there for a maid to lead the way?

Passing through the Prince's Mansion's wide, ancient corridor, upon entering the courtyard, a blue-gray stone path in the center led straight to the main hall. The gate consisted of four dark-red folding doors, the middle two slightly ajar. The lattice-patterned wooden windows of the side corridors were open, clean and bright. Before the corridor stood rattan chairs and a rattan table, three feet from the table, flowers and plants lush.

Su Ye's father, the Chief Commander of the Nine Heavens Army and Cloud Prince Su Kai, sat behind a sandalwood desk, one hand holding a book, the other holding tea.

You've come?

You've been out so long, you brat, it's time to settle down.

Seeing Su Ye's figure enter the door, Su Kai set down his white porcelain tea cup and smiled.

I, your subject, indeed have this intention; this is my duty and my mission!

Su Ye pushed the door open, plopped down opposite Su Kai, picked up the teapot on the table and poured himself a cup of tea, then spoke.

As the eldest son of one of the Three Great Surname-Less Kings of Great Qian, he is likewise the future Cloud Prince, Chief Commander of the Nine Heavens Army, and future clan head of the Su clan of Yunzhou.

This honor is not merely glory and privilege, but a weighty responsibility!

This means his shoulders bear the trust and expectations of millions of Yunzhou's people and the 300,000 of the Nine Heavens Army, as well as their very survival.

Therefore, even without the system, given his status, when the coming world-shaking chaos arrives, he is destined to embark on the path to contend for supremacy.

This is also why the system detected that he bears the fate of an imperial star.

Any plans?

Or will you follow my arrangement and enter the Nine Heavens Army to prepare to take over?

Su Kai gave a satisfied smile, looked at Su Ye with relief, and asked.

Since the Cloud Prince's heir is preparing to enter the world, the natural first choice is the Nine Heavens Army.

The Three Great Surname-Less Kings differ from ordinary powerless princes; their reliance has always been the military power firmly grasped in their own hands!

What Su Ye is about to inherit is naturally the military authority of the Nine Heavens Army.

Once he holds the military authority, he naturally holds everything; the Cloud Prince's title and Yunzhou will come easily.

In the impending chaos, this is all the more true: to hold the military authority is to hold everything!

Ding! Main quest activated—Seize Power! The slumbering dragon has been startled awake; a single roar moves a thousand mountains!

As the bearer of the Heaven-Mandated Imperial Star, the system's chosen host, how can you go a single day without power as the chaos approaches?

Please, host, establish a force directly under your command!

Reward: 100 summon points, one force summon card, and one unlimited random summon card.

During Su Ye's contemplation, the system's notification tone suddenly sounded in his ear.

Upon hearing the system's notification, Su Ye, who had originally intended to join the Nine Heavens Army to seek a position, instantly had a different plan.

Nowadays his father is still lively and vigorous; even if he joined the Nine Heavens Army, he could only be a mascot, at most a junior officer.

In the Nine Heavens Army, the current power holders are all from his father's generation's direct line; there's no chance for him to speak.

One radish, one hole; he hasn't even taken office yet, and it's impossible to replace all of his father's direct line with his own.

So rather than now entering the Nine Heavens Army as a good boy, it's better for him to come out and take charge himself!

This does not conflict with his taking over the Nine Heavens Army's authority.

Even if Su Ye establishes a new army, frankly it's still a part of the Nine Heavens Army.

Only in name would it belong to Su Ye's personal troops.

Although the number of these personal troops might be a bit more than a hundred million.

But I, Su Ye, as the Cloud Prince's heir, am the future head of Yunzhou.

Being a bit afraid of death, having a personal force a bit more than a hundred million—what's the problem?

No problem!

As for the claim that not being in the Nine Heavens Army would hinder future inheritance of its command—

Regarding this, Su Ye can only say, 'How naïve!'

The Nine Heavens Army, having been operated for five hundred years by the Cloud Prince's Mansion, has long borne the imprint of the Cloud Prince Su clan and possesses a mature operating system; as long as Su Ye someday inherits the Cloud Prince's throne, the Nine Heavens Army's command will naturally encounter no surprise!

Moreover, to put it bluntly, after so long under the Cloud Prince's Mansion's control, whether or not Su Ye is in the army makes no difference.

The Cloud Prince's Mansion already firmly controls the Nine Heavens Army in every aspect, not to mention logistics, provisions, and mid-level officers.

Even just the Nine Heavens Army's 300,000 soldiers are all selected from various places in Yunzhou; their families and hometowns ultimately fall under the control of Yunzhou's Cloud Prince's Mansion.

The Nine Heavens Army has no means to rebel against the Cloud Prince's Mansion!

Just like when ancient feudal princes rebelled, do their soldiers not know that this is the grave crime of exterminating nine clans?

They do know!

But they have no right or means to choose; everything is under the feudal lord's control, and they can only go with the flow.

Like the rumors among the people about a chief commander refusing to obey and the throne being unstable—

Whoever believes that is a fool!

Something that even common folk know—would the Cloud Prince's Mansion's many generals and advisors fail to consider it?

The Cloud Prince's Mansion has controlled the Nine Heavens Army and Yunzhou for five hundred years—what situation has it not encountered? And what situation has it not considered preventing?

Even if there were, it would merely be others deliberately releasing news to train the heir, fooling the simple-minded!

If anyone truly believes it, they can only say they deserve to be trapped!

The Nine Heavens Army in Lin Field and Battle Martial Second Camp has 100,000 reserve conscripts, right? I want to pick 30,000 from them to get some practice.

Yes, for the great and mighty Cloud Prince's Mansion, a force of 30,000 troops that a grassroots heroic lord would have toiled bitterly to build is merely for practice.

Originally, Su Ye also planned to directly join the Nine Heavens Army and begin preparing to take over it.

But looking at the luxurious panel attributes of the just-summoned Four Heavenly Spirits, and Qinglong, this Commander-in-Chief rated 104, a top-tier divine commander.

Su Ye suddenly felt that not building an army wholly marked with his own imprint from start to finish was simply intolerable by heavenly principle!

Moreover, Baihu also needs an exclusive cavalry unit that can perfectly match his troop disposition and fighting style.

Moreover, wasn't there a person from the Confucian Meng lineage who came to the Nine Heavens Army recently? I want to transfer him over.

Su Ye thought, since we're planning to build another army, we naturally need to hurry and fish Qinglong out of the Nine Heavens Army.

Hmm, that's fine; just consider it gaining experience.

Hearing his own Qilin child's plan, Su Kai thought it over and had no objections.

The Cloud Prince's Mansion and the Nine Heavens Army have the confidence to let Su Ye act recklessly.

Put bluntly, thanks to the Nine Heavens Army's foundation, even if Su Ye finishes building all thirty thousand reserve conscripts, it's fine.

As long as it lets Su Ye grow, losing those thirty thousand reserve conscripts is no loss.

It's harsh, but also realistic.

A casual word from those in power can sway the lives of countless people.

(End of chapter)