Chapter 467: Setting Off

"?"

Qi Jiguang had anticipated many kinds of answers, but Li Miao's words clearly exceeded his comprehension. He was stunned for a moment, then closed his eyes, carefully recalling in his heart what he had just heard.

Go to Japan... kill the Emperor, burn the shrines, destroy Kyoto?

Alone!?

The absurdity of this statement was no less than the heavens turning upside down or the sun and moon reversing. Japan was not some small Western Region country that could be conquered by a few hundred cavalry. Having dealt with the Japanese pirates for years, he knew better than anyone that this was a vast nation—though not unified—with a territory nearly one-seventh the size of Great Shu!

One person, going to wage war against a country?

Thinking of how Wu Mingxiao had mentioned that Li Miao had a humorous nature and loved to joke, he suspected for a moment that Li Miao was teasing him. But the next moment, several voices behind him overturned his guess.

"Commander, you're not going home again?"

Wang Hai looked bitter.

"Before we came, the old Commander and His Majesty instructed us to bring you back, and even made me sign a military pledge... If you leave like this, His Majesty might just have my head."

Xiao Si, however, did not follow his line of thought; she just pouted, widened her eyes, and tears welled up in the corners of her eyes as she lifted her sleeve to wipe them away.

"You're certainly carefree, just focused on playing outside, not caring about me guarding our empty house. Our wedding had no witnesses, and when I was wronged by my in-laws, no one stood up for me. People who don't know might think I'm an orphan, suffering gossip for no reason..."

Li Miao waved a hand.

"Enough, enough, enough. Have you been watching too many plays?"

"You've had Hai'er under your spell since he was eighteen. If you really wanted to finish him off, it would just be a matter of rubbing your hands together. Do you still need me to stand up for you? We've been together for so many years; save this act for Hai'er."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Si wiped her face with her sleeve, put her hands on her hips, and her expression changed.

"I don't care! You're running off again, and who knows for how many years. Maybe you'll just settle down in Japan to avoid the trouble. Who knows when we'll see you next! You are not allowed to leave!"

Beside her, Ge Anyu also joined in the clamor.

"That's right! Not allowed to leave!"

An Ziyang smiled and fanned himself, Mei Qinghe closed her eyes and said nothing, Cao Hanyan rubbed the back of his head and laughed foolishly; none of them spoke.

They paid no heed to the dumbfounded Qi Jiguang beside them.

Wait... are you all focusing on the wrong thing!

Destroying a country! Assassinating a king and killing a sovereign!

Can you lords be serious? We're talking about official business here. Why is everyone acting like parents who are unreliable and going out to visit, saying they won't be home for dinner tonight? Did I kill until I lost my mind, or are you lords not awake yet?

Or is it that the Embroidered Uniform Guard kills people outside during the day, and at night, once the doors are closed, they practice crosstalk and comedy in the office? Are you planning to incite your own superior to go to his death and then seize power?

The atmosphere in the shed was as relaxed as a picnic, making it hard for Qi Jiguang to take what Li Miao had just said seriously.

But the next moment, Li Miao suddenly withdrew his smile.

"Alright, my mind is made up."

"Let's stop the jokes here—Embroidered Uniform Guard, take orders!"

Clatter—

The sound of armor hitting the ground rang out in unison. The moment Li Miao's voice fell, the few who had just been laughing and chatting all knelt on one knee, cupping their fists and bowing their heads.

"Yes—!"

Qi Jiguang, standing to the side, suddenly reacted and hurriedly knelt on one knee, cupping his hands and bowing his head, hearing Li Miao's calm voice from above.

"I shouldn't be gone for too long this time. There are a few things you must do before I return. As for who does them, what methods are used, and how many people die, you decide for yourselves."

"First, send a message to the Manichaeism in the Western Regions. Allow them to enter the Central Plains, but every person of importance who comes must be implanted with a Gu. The Ming Cult never truly dies because no one has taken the positions they vacated. Rather than weeding them out wave by wave, it is better to hold them in our own hands first."

"The Gu worms must be planted firmly. Once Ji Tianrui dies, the Manichaeism will be our treasury for governing the world."

"Second, in two years, the Jianghu should have recovered some vitality, and there are many more Heaven-men. It has been four years since the Imperial Mausoleum affair; if that Old Man by the River is still alive, he should be starting to make moves."

"Collect all oddities and clues, and send people to verify them one by one. When I return to Shuntian Prefecture, I want to know where to go and who to kill."

"Third, you have killed many people ahead of me on this journey. Although your intentions were good, it has exposed how many rats have surfaced in the Jianghu that has been without rules for these two years."

"Kill them off generally, and have the Shaolin and Wudang cooperate."

Everyone responded in unison.

"Yes!"