“Japan is mine!” The youth roared and threw the cup far away in front of his mother.

“Japan belongs to the strong. Yunhai, you’re not strong enough yet! If you had thirty percent of that person’s strength, Japan would be yours. But you’re still very weak, so Japan doesn’t belong to you. Therefore, what your teacher said had not half a point of error.”

“This is a world where the strong possess everything and the weak have nothing. Today’s Great Tang is like a red sun—anything that approaches it will be roasted into charcoal. So, my child, leaving is our only choice.”

“Before this world is completely carved up by the Great Tang, we must find a new way out for Japan. Take away the most elite population, leave behind those without hope to be trampled by the Tang people at will. Mother doesn’t know how much longer I can deceive that person. Once he discovers Japan’s intentions, he will certainly mercilessly annihilate us on the great sea. That person’s ruthlessness—I can smell it even while staying on Honshu Island.”

The Empress lifted the veil from her face. Takayama Yoko’s features appeared before Prince Zanhua. To solve her empire’s sparse population problem, Takayama Yoko had not hesitated to bring her followers back to the Wa Kingdom. After assassinating Soga no Iruka, she controlled all the great power of the entire Wa Kingdom. The backward Wa Kingdom had almost no power to resist before her.

“You said Japan is the place where the sun rises. How can we abandon our ancestral land?”

Takayama Yoko smiled, stroking her son’s head and said: “You’re clearly twelve years old. Why do I tell everyone you’re only ten? Have you figured out the principle behind this?”

“You haven’t, right? Then let Mother tell you the reason. It’s because your body is already twelve years old, but your heart is only ten years old. In the end, you’re not of that person’s bloodline, so you can’t compare to his several children.”

“Lose people to preserve land, lose both people and land. Preserve people but lose land, preserve both people and land. The one who first proposed this war philosophy was that person. As the invincible commander of the mortal world, if his words aren’t correct, then whose words are correct?”

“Yunhai, you’re to become a king. How can you have such foolish notions as homeland and ancestral land? A king’s vision is unlimited, just like the phrase the Great Tang’s emperor follows: ‘Under all heaven, there is no land that is not the king’s; to the shores of the land, there are no subjects who are not the king’s.’ Remember this phrase. If you’re a true king, every inch of land under the sun is your homeland, and every person you see is your subject. Don’t keep your gaze fixed on the small four islands of Honshu. You are a kunpeng—this place is too small to contain you. The great sea is where you spray clouds and exhale mist.”

Prince Zanhua sat beside his mother, leaned his head against his mother’s chest listening to her strong heartbeat, then raised his head and said: “This world is destined to be mine.”

Takayama Yoko gently combed her son’s long hair, smiling and saying: “There’s no need to say such things before me. We mother and son have encountered the worst era. The Great Tang is so formidable it’s unreasonable. Your master told me not to fantasize about being able to catch up to the Great Tang’s pace within my lifetime, because it’s impossible. The words brought back by Japan’s envoys remaining in the Great Tang are also thus—the Great Tang is a nation so powerful it’s suffocating. Therefore, we need to leave Japan. While all the Japanese people haven’t been completely captured by the Tang people to be laborers, we’ll select the most elite people. We’ll go to the Red Sea and re-establish our own nation on the continent.”

“Meng Lu, leading his Turks, experienced hardships and difficulties and finally established his own Turkic Empire on the land of the declining Romans. Since they could succeed, we can likewise succeed. Mother is also reluctant to leave here. But if we don’t leave, Japan will lose its last hope. Once the Tang nation turns its gaze here, Japan will collapse and perish in an instant.”

Prince Zanhua looked at his wise mother, slowly sat up from his mother’s embrace, and asked his mother with hatred in his eyes: “Mother, before we leave, can I kill my teacher?”

Takayama Yoko was startled. Cold light flashed fiercely in her eyes. She raised her hand and slapped Yunhai heavily across the face. Seeing blood seep from the corner of Yunhai’s mouth, she said coldly to him: “I taught you for a full ten years. From when you could speak, I taught you benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness. To prevent you from being influenced by those barbarians’ thoughts, I didn’t even allow them to approach you.”

“Even so, your barbarian nature still controls your thinking. Part of this barbarian nature comes from me, another part comes from Zhang Zhongjian. The relationship between teacher and student is beautiful. Can’t these beautiful feelings make you have even a trace of respect for your own teacher? We all know he’s just an unlucky fellow, a sacrifice in the grinding of power. If killing him could benefit Japan, then naturally we must be resolute and decisive. Now, I see no benefit in killing him—it will only make you bear the evil reputation of killing your teacher. I’ve never killed anyone before you. Tell me, how did you learn about killing people?”

Under his mother’s sentence-by-sentence pressing questions, Prince Zanhua slowly retreated, helplessly looking left and right. The disappointment in Takayama Yoko’s eyes grew increasingly heavy. She grabbed her son and walked out of the large tent. With a single command, armored warriors immediately seized all of Prince Zanhua’s attendants, found a large pit, and pushed them down. In less than an incense stick’s burning time, that large pit was filled. About a hundred people vanished beneath the ground in an instant.

Prince Zanhua’s legs continuously trembled. The attendants’ shrill pleas for mercy made him feel tremendous fear.

Takayama Yoko released her son, letting him fall sitting on the grassland. Pointing at the land where people were buried, she said: “Look—killing one person is so simple, killing a group of people is also so simple.”

“Yunhai, you disappoint me so much. If you can’t become a king, then you should steel your heart to become a hegemon king. The benevolent are invincible, the brave are fearless. Since you have no heart of mercy and lack the hegemon king’s courage, you only play small tricks, kill people who shouldn’t be killed, bully people with no power to resist. With such a temperament, how can I believe you’ll become a king of the great seas?”

“Just relying on your bit of wretched thinking? The mentality of a small nation with few people has invaded your heart in such a short time. Leave—we’ll leave Japan right now. This isn’t an environment suitable for your growth.”

“Small Japan can only produce worthless miscellaneous fish. It’s not a place to birth kunpeng!”

The melancholy He Ping once again came to the sea’s edge. At this time, the sea was full of soaring seagulls. Each cry seemed to urge him to return home early. Chang’an now was the time of brilliant peach blossoms. Whether going out with friends for spring outings or appreciating flowers and drinking wine in peach gardens, all was excellent. Sitting beside the small stream at Qujiang, the game of floating wine cups could never be played enough. Drum-passing flower games were even more intoxicating. He wondered if the beautiful courtesans at Yanlai Tower were still as stunningly beautiful as in the past?

This damned Wa Kingdom was simply a muddy swamp. Originally it was quite peaceful—Empress Kogyoku guarded the realm, the four seas were tranquil, and tributes to the Great Tang could always satisfy people. But this year, who should he ask for tribute?

Sixteen local military forces fought each other relentlessly. For a time, no victor could be seen. Unable to see money, he could only see countless Wa people surging to the silver mountain, hoping to enter and become mine slaves to fill their bellies.

Damn it, the Great Tang never lacked grain. Corn had long become horse feed. Potatoes also needed to be converted into noodles before they could be swallowed. Where did the Wa Kingdom’s grain go? These people seemed never to be fed enough. Empress Kogyoku didn’t know where she died. That student he casually took on also didn’t know where he died. Asuka Palace had already turned into scorched earth.

Just as He Ping was preparing to order those several lords to send enough grain over, he saw a five-clawed golden dragon flag by the seaside. When the warship gradually appeared from the horizon, he rubbed his eyes. Oh heavens! It wasn’t a five-clawed golden dragon flag—it was a four-clawed golden dragon flag. Prince Wei’s Highness had come to the Wa Kingdom?

He Ping shouted toward the sea with a crying tone, hoping the fleet could hear his call. The sailors on the high cliff also lit their stoves. Unable to find wolf smoke, such a smoke column was already enough for the fleet to see him clearly.

The excited sailors continuously operated the smoke doors on the stoves, turning the intermittent smoke columns into groups of signals, transmitting the news here to the fleet.

Sure enough, the fleet saw the signals and charged straight toward the bay. The large ships couldn’t dock. In no time, over a dozen small boats fully loaded with armed soldiers were about to reach the shore. He Ping cheered and jumped. Prince Wei’s consort was his teacher. At that time, he’d beg Prince Wei to take him away from this human hell. As long as Prince Wei spoke, Zhangsun Wuji wouldn’t dare refuse.

When those soldiers came ashore, He Ping was somewhat stunned. These weren’t the naval officers and soldiers who were most particular about appearance—they were a group of evil ghosts drilled out from hell. Although their features were still Tang people’s features, He Ping no longer dared confirm this was the mighty Great Tang navy. Trembling, he put on the official robes the Wa woman brought over. He saw those people had already waded through shallow water and come ashore. A sturdy old man in the lead, whose eyebrows and whiskers couldn’t be distinguished from each other, waved his hand. Immediately soldiers rapidly occupied the beach and the high points on the cliff.

After doing all this, the old man, showing yellow teeth, examined He Ping’s fifth-rank official robes with delight and laughed heartily: “His ancestors be damned! Finally seeing people from the Great Tang! Hey kid, where is this?”

He Ping felt increasingly fearful. How could the Great Tang navy not know where they were? Could this be a group of rebel bandits?

“The Wa Kingdom!” He Ping still answered quickly.

“Damn it, the heading was still too far east. No wonder I felt like I’d been to this place before. Years ago when following the Marquis in campaigns, I came to nearby seas.”

“Kid, Prince Wei’s consort is on the ship. You’d better quickly prepare supplies for me. We just came out from the gates of hell and now lack everything. I don’t care how you get it—without grain supply, human flesh will do.”

“You must arrange Prince Wei consort’s lodging and food well. This official intends to recuperate here for a while and repair the sails. Did you hear? Hurry up! Oh right, I’m Lai Chuanfeng. You’ve heard of me, right? Fourth rank official—two ranks above you…”