Chapter 760: Three Nascent States

Autumn passed, winter came, another year.

Outside Ying Tian City, the Yangtze's flow gradually eased, and a chill began to settle.

But the temperature inside Wuying Hall seemed a few degrees higher than in previous years.

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) wore only a thin common robe, bent over his desk and writing swiftly.

His brush moved like dragons and snakes, his vermilion annotations like blood.

The memorials piled on his desk were dwindling at an astonishing speed.

The eunuch standing nearby had to break into a trot to keep up with his speed of swapping memorials.

The charcoal in the brazier at the corner of the hall burned brightly, yet no one felt stuffy; they only sensed the emperor's vigor, which seemed to outweigh every living thing in the hall.

"Your Majesty, General Xu Da has sent a secret memorial from Beiping."

Liu Ji entered the hall silently and presented a sealed wax letter.

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) did not lift his head.

"Read."

Liu Ji tore it open, skimmed it quickly, and a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.

General Xu reports: recently, multiple small units on the northern frontier have encountered the enemy, and their tactics have changed.

First, the frequency of deployments of Qing's black-armored troops has decreased; in their place are mostly herds of aberrant beasts driven by them, or small numbers of beings deeply controlled as 'slave soldiers'.

Second, their harassment is no longer limited to border passes; they have begun to infiltrate villages, water sources, and mineral points deep behind our lines, moving more covertly, their aim seeming to be destruction and pollution rather than direct confrontation.

Third, within the bodies of captured low‑grade aberrant beasts, undigested azure‑blue crystal residue was found, suggesting…… that Qing has begun large‑scale 'feeding' and 'breeding' of such monsters.

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) stopped his brush and lifted his head.

His eyes held no surprise, only icy realization.

They are digesting Liaodong, consolidating their base, while at low cost continuously draining and probing us.

Aberrant beasts can be produced endlessly, and 'slave soldiers' could likewise be manufactured without cease.

For every one of our soldiers we lose, we have one fewer; for every water source we lose, our hardship grows.

This is…… a blatant scheme.

Liu Ji's face grew solemn.

Exactly. Moreover, our newly formed Purifying Dust Battalion, though initially combat‑ready, is few in number and lacks full equipment, making it hard to cope with such widespread infiltration and harassment.

What's more worrying is that, if long‑term pollution is not checked, the border lands will lose their vitality, people will grow panicked, and they may collapse without battle.

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) rose and walked to the map of the northern frontier.

On the map, the color showing the Great Ming's controlled territory and the deep blue indicating Qing's Yuneng‑polluted zone interlock like teeth along the long border.

That blue is creeping southward at an extremely slow but steady pace.

Tell Xu Da to adjust the strategy.

In the border villages, implement the 'Combined Forts' policy: merge small hamlets into larger strongholds, clear the fields, and concentrate defenses.

Form rapid cavalry units, issue them simple strange‑iron talismans and fire bottles, tasked with patrolling and exterminating small bands of aberrant beasts.

At water sources and mineral points, station additional Purifying Dust Battalion troops and erect the Investigation of Things Institute's newly trial‑produced 'Miasma‑Dispelling Lamp' (a crude purification device based on strange‑iron resonance).

Furthermore, how goes the production of the Hongwu Model 2 Field Cannon under Tang He's supervision?

Liu Ji hurriedly replied.

Three prototypes have been tested; the barrels are reinforced with strange‑iron alloy, able to withstand higher powder charges, giving increased range and power, and greater destructive effect against Qing black‑armor, yet still insufficient to pierce it lethally.

Moreover, consumption of strange iron is enormous, making mass production difficult.

Any improvement is welcome.

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang)'s eyes were sharp.

Build! Build as many as you can!

Assign one to each important frontier garrison first, to serve as a deterrent.

Tell the Investigation of Things Institute that the research on lightweight, rapid‑fire strange‑electric guns is top priority; I want to see tangible progress!

Funds, artisans, and materials—all take precedence!

Yes!

Liu Ji accepted the order resolutely.

After the emperor obtained 'Youth', his swift, almost burning governance made the whole imperial court operate at high speed, yet also feel greater pressure.

There is one more matter.

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) pointed to the vast expanse of grassland that, in name, still belongs to the remnants of the Yuan court.

Send envoys to make contact with the Tatar and Oirat tribes.

No need to demand their submission; only speak of trade and of jointly confronting the Northern Demonic Miasma.

They border Qing, and the pain they feel will be only deeper than ours.

Liu Ji suddenly understood.

Is Your Majesty intending to…… draw trouble northward? Or at least, to keep them too occupied to turn south fully?

If we can sow discord, all the better; if not, we must at least set them against each other to buy us time.

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the dark northern sky beyond the hall.

Three states……

He murmured softly.

My Great Ming holds the Mandate of the Central Plains, possesses popular support and technology, yet is still nascent and weak, surrounded by powerful foes.

Qing relies on Yuneng evil forces, walks the path of aberrant mutation, expands rapidly, yet its foundations are twisted and harbor hidden dangers.

And beyond that light curtain lies the Chen dynasty……

He paused.

Whether allies or lessons from others, now even our own side likely bears a heavy price, making direct aid difficult.

This situation is remarkably like the ancient Three Kingdoms.

But this Three Kingdoms is not about fighting for a piece of land or a city; it's about contending for the orthodoxy of civilization, for the survival of the peoples!

Liu Ji bowed deeply.

Your Majesty sees things as clearly as observing fire. The current situation has indeed formed a tripartite stance. Yet this tripartite stance is not for balance; it is a temporary stalemate before a death struggle.

Whoever first completes internal integration and a leap in power will be able to break the stalemate and annex the rest.

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) nodded.

So, we cannot stop.

I, with this seized 'time', stake the fate of the Great Ming.

Issue orders to the six ministries: for next spring's imperial examinations, add the subjects of 'Investigation of Things', 'Mathematics', and 'Military Engineering', and widely recruit talents from across the realm!

Whoever possesses a talent that can serve the cause of resisting the North, regardless of background, shall be promoted beyond the usual ranks!

I want to ignite a fire in this Ying Tian City that burns fiercer than the sun!

To light the way ahead, and… to burn to ashes all demons and monsters!

At the same time.

Liaodong, Hetu Ala.

The pulsation of the Yuneng reactor is like the heart of a colossal beast—deep and powerful.

In the depths of the imperial palace (if that twisted structure can be called a palace), Nurhaci sits high upon a throne forged from dark-blue bone.

The blue light in his left eye is more solid than before, almost bursting from its socket.

The Ming people… are accelerating.

His voice is hoarse, like sand and stone grinding together.

Below, the core princes Hong Taiji, Daisan, Amin, and others stood solemnly.

The scouts report that Ming troops are building additional fortifications on the border, forming rapid cavalry units, and their equipment seems to have been updated.

Hong Taiji reported.

In their state, the civil service examinations have been reformed, artisans and technicians are widely recruited, and the trend of investigating things is flourishing.

More suspicious still, their lord Zhu Yuanzhang, since last winter, has grown ever more vigorous, governing with greater diligence than before, and… his appearance seems to show signs of reverse aging.

Nurhaci's eyes flashed with blue light.

The mice beyond the light curtain… indeed sent something over.

However, it's merely a drop in the bucket.

He gave a cold smile.

How could the power bestowed upon us by our lord be compared to a mere life‑prolonging trick?

Issue orders: all banners are to accelerate the cultivation of 'soldier nests' and stockpile 'blood food' (referring to captured humans or wild beasts).

After the spring thaw…

He rose to his feet, and his dark‑blue heavy armor emitted a grating sound that made the teeth ache.

The troops shall be divided into three routes.

One route will continue to infiltrate and harass Ming territory, wearing down the people and draining their strength.

The second route will head north, clear the remnants on the plains, gather blood food, and open the flank.

The third route…

He walked to the crude map hanging in the hall and stabbed his finger hard at a certain spot.

Concentrate our elite forces and, for me, knock out this nail that the Ming army has driven into Liaoxi—

Jinzhou!

Once this city falls, the gateway of the Liaoxi corridor will swing wide open; the Ming northern front will lie completely exposed beneath my iron hooves!

The princes' eyes blazed with blue fire as they let out a unified low roar.

Hei!

East of the light curtain, the Chen dynasty.

Inside the Hall of Nurturing the Mind, Chen Wen slowly exhaled a mouthful of turbid qi.

The excruciating pain in the sea of consciousness finally subsided to a tolerable level.

He opened his eyes; the golden data streams in his pupils had stabilized considerably.

Zhang Cheng waited quietly outside the door; sensing the change in his aura, he then softly reported.

Your Majesty, the latest observations.

The fortune of the Great Ming shows a weak but sustained upward trend; the halos of its 'technology' and 'organization' have grown brighter.

In the Qing realm, the Yuneng pollution zones are expanding a bit more slowly, yet their internal 'density' and 'integration' are rapidly increasing, as if brewing a greater explosion.

The average attenuation of the light curtain has reached 0.5 percent. At three locations in the northern frontier, imperceptible to the naked eye but detectable by instruments, extremely thin spots have appeared.

Chen Wen listened silently.

The rudimentary form of the three kingdoms has already taken shape.

Each is racing against time.

And what about us?

He asked.

The loss of national fortune has stabilized and is slowly recovering. The repair of the ancestral vein instrument track is thirty percent complete.

The Northward Aspiration army and the border troops are in good combat readiness.

The Heavenly Works Institute report already has new ideas for portable research on the Yuneng Pollution 'Neutralization Field'.

Zhang Cheng paused.

"Your Majesty, should we... do something more?"

Chen Wen shook his head.

"Now, stillness is better than movement."

"The price we paid needs time to be digested."

"Zhu Yuanzhang has obtained 'time'; now the stage is his."

"We only need to..."

He gazed westward, his eyes seemingly able to pierce the quiet room, pierce the light curtain, and see the three massive objects that are accelerating and will eventually collide head-on.

"Wait."

"And be ready..."

"On the day the light curtain shatters."

"Becoming the final weight that tips the scale."

The quiet room returned to silence.

Three worlds, three paths, amidst the vast timespace, form a fragile and dangerous triangle.

Balance creaks under pressure.

Who will collapse first?

Who can establish a new order upon the ruins of collapse?

The answer lies hidden in the howling north wind.

Hidden within the burning furnace.

Also hidden beneath the brush of the Hongwu Emperor, who sits enthroned in Heaven-responding, his gaze already turned toward a hundred years hence.

The Three Kingdoms era officially begins.

And the century-long race of blood and fire likewise lifts its curtain.