Alliance

Mount Yuhuang Villa. Ji Pingtian and Jishi Society President Hong Chuan—who had previously fled and had now been gathered once more by Ji Pingtian—along with numerous Martial Saints including Kong Fang, Zong Yan, and Ren Ziliu, all stood at the villa entrance, craning their necks in eager anticipation. When they spotted the car driving up from the foot of the mountain and the motorcade escorting it, every Martial Saint and Spirit Intent Martial Saint grew thrilled. "He's here! He's here!" "Speaker Yaoguang has arrived!" "To think he truly returned safe and sound. Storming the Chixing Imperial Palace and retreating unscathed—such a feat is truly unbelievable!" These figures, each a local hegemon in their own right, displayed not a shred of the arrogance expected of prominent personages at this moment; their conduct was hardly any different from that of ordinary folk. In particular, the moment the vehicle came to a stop, Zong Yan was the very first to step forward and open the door. The others were a few paces slower, but as Yaoguang stepped out of the vehicle, they immediately gathered around him as well. "Speaker Yaoguang..." The group chimed in with greetings one after another. Yaoguang nodded to them. "Greetings." Immediately afterward, he glanced at Hong Chuan, as well as several Martial Saints who had accompanied him or had been summoned by Ji Pingtian. "A few new friends have joined us." "This is Divine Realm Martial Saint Zhou Changfeng of Hailang, and Divine Realm Martial Saint Ye Longxing of Baihua..." Ji Pingtian made quick introductions before continuing, "Hailang and Baihua have suffered greatly from Chixing's bullying over the years, to the point where they have already proactively raised the banner of resistance. After hearing of your deeds, President Yaoguang, they immediately reached out to us on their own initiative..." Zhou Changfeng and Ye Longxing stepped forward at once, speaking solemnly, "From this day forth, Hailang will follow President Yaoguang's commands without question." "If war is to be waged against Chixing, Baihua is willing to fight to the last man for President Yaoguang." "There is no need to speak so gravely," Yaoguang said. These two... They were likely the other two Spirit Intents that the nations of the Central and East Continents could scrape together. Perhaps there were one or two Spirit Intents in hiding, but even including them, six or seven Spirit Intents were vastly inferior compared to Chixing. Their numbers did not even reach thirty percent of Chixing's, and each Spirit Intent Martial Saint had their own conflicting interests. No wonder they had never been able to make any dent in Chixing's rule over the two continents. "Over the past few days, your thunderous counterattack against Chixing, President Yaoguang, has caused massive reverberations throughout the Central and East Continents," Ji Pingtian and Hong Chuan said in deep voices. "Everyone has seen hope in defying Chixing's tyranny. All it takes is a call to arms from Your Excellency Yaoguang, and all the nations of the Central and East will unite to thoroughly drive out the invaders of the Crimson Star Empire." "The time is not yet ripe," Yaoguang replied calmly. "As an ancient hegemon of the world, Chixing has ruled this land for centuries. Its foundation and power far exceed imagination. Openly confronting Chixing right now would be unwise." He wished to forge a relatively safe environment to ensure his own security, but he had no intention of engaging in a fight to the death with Chixing at this stage. After all... "Lord Yaoguang speaks prudently," Kong Fang chimed in from the side. "Under the Great Sun True Fire, no one can stand." These words also cooled down the hopeful crowd slightly. Ji Pingtian added, "We know that confronting Chixing while they wield the Great Sun True Fire is unrealistic right now, but we believe that under President Yaoguang's leadership, it won't be long before we are qualified to confront Chixing directly..." "Now is already enough," Yaoguang said. "We can already issue an ultimatum demanding that Chixing recognize the independence and autonomy of the nations across the Central and East Continents. As the next step, we can demand that Chixing withdraw its troops from every nation." He glanced at Ji Pingtian. "My strike has undoubtedly proven to the Chixing upper echelon that we now possess the capability of mutual destruction. As such, we naturally qualify for equal dialogue." Mutual destruction! This was the foundation of all peace talks and dialogue. Ji Pingtian, Hong Chuan, and the others nodded heavily in profound agreement. Whether it was the previous Jishi Society or the various nations of the Central and East, neither could inflict any damage whatsoever on Chixing's ruling class. If you could not harm them, while they could effortlessly topple your regimes, what equality could there be between the two sides? Now, however, with Yaoguang having assassinated the Chixing Emperor and calmly departed under the obstruction of Lei Ting and the others... The situation had changed. "Regarding the unification of the Central and East Continents..." Yaoguang paused, looking at Ji Pingtian, Hong Chuan, and the others. "I do not want the Jishi Society's situation to repeat itself. Therefore, we absolutely cannot proceed under the Jishi Society's old ways. Draft a charter. Once the charter is suitable, promote it to the nations across the Central and East. If a nation agrees, they may choose to join and abide by the system; if they disagree, we will not force them." "Not force them?" Ji Pingtian was startled. "In that case, many people will likely choose to sit on the fence and sway back and forth..." Hong Chuan also nodded. "The tragedy of the Jishi Society's collapse indeed cannot be allowed to recur. Why not force the nations to choose between Chixing and us? Either Chixing, or..." "No matter." Yaoguang waved his hand. He did not have the time or energy to micromanage nations with divergent motives across the Central and East. Besides... Social classes in this world were inevitable. If some people enjoyed privileges, others would naturally take their place in toiling away without complaint. The same held true for the nations of the Central and East Continents. Wanting to enjoy all the benefits without taking any risks—how could such a good deal exist in this world? Hearing Yaoguang's words, Ji Pingtian and Hong Chuan gradually grasped his line of thinking. Only with contrast could the unity of their alliance be better maintained. With that realization, neither pressed the topic further. They had their own goals and convictions, but they were by no means pure idealists. True, pure idealists had long since died out; they could never have grown to such heights in the first place. "Speaker Yaoguang, it is no longer appropriate to use the name 'Jishi Society' for this newly established alliance. In the future, this alliance must have you as its core, Speaker Yaoguang. Please bestow a name upon it..." Hong Chuan spoke in a deferential, consultative tone. "Why not do it in one fell swoop? Form a unified nation—wouldn't that be far more efficient?" Yaoguang said, "Across the Central and East Continents, there are thirty-nine nations of some weight. If all of them were united, they would form a colossus covering over forty million square kilometers with a population of 3.6 billion. Only then would we truly possess the capital to contend with Chixing and Xuelong." As soon as these words left his mouth, Hong Chuan and Ji Pingtian, as well as the two Spirit Intent Martial Saints, Ye Longxing and Zhou Changfeng, froze on the spot. It took a long while before they began to ponder it. "Establishing a unified state..." Hong Chuan asked tentatively, "If we follow the route of a unified nation, what system of government do you intend to use, Speaker Yaoguang? A federal parliamentary system, a constitutional monarchy, or perhaps a centralized authoritarian system..." He did not mention an absolute monarchy. Evidently, they were not yet ready to accept such a system. As for Yaoguang... He personally leaned toward a centralized system. Such a system was exceedingly efficient at executing governmental decrees. However... Once such a system was implemented, he would undoubtedly have to be the first centralized monarch. And he could not possibly hand such authority over to someone else. Yet, he simply did not have the time to deal with mundane, trivial affairs. Under these circumstances, a constitutional monarchy was the obvious choice. In a world where supreme personal might reigned supreme, as long as he maintained sufficient strength, there was fundamentally no difference between a constitutional monarchy, a centralized system, or even an absolute monarchy. "A constitutional monarchy: form a Cabinet, have the monarch supervise government affairs, and establish a parliament for legislation." Yaoguang paused before continuing, "Use Dayu's general framework as a reference, and further refine the details." With that, he stated plainly, "This is my personal thought. If the other nations of the Central and East Continents cannot accept it... Dayu has a population of three hundred million. Relying on Dayu's potential alone, there is every chance it could develop into the world's third pole." Yaoguang's words left the group looking at one another in silence. Each of them pondered deeply, swiftly processing this information and the possibilities behind it. Only after quite a while did Hong Chuan say tentatively, "It might be best to take things one step at a time. Perhaps... we start by forming an alliance first?" After all, once they joined this newly formed empire, many lofty imperial and royal families would be reduced to aristocratic families dependent on others' pleasure; not every nation would necessarily accept such terms. "The Jishi Society can proceed to push for this, and you may even advertise my involvement as a member of the Jishi Society as a promotional point. However, on my end, I will push forward reforms in Dayu." Yaoguang spoke frankly. Hong Chuan nodded heavily. "I will contact the heads of state of the various nations to inquire about their attitudes." Ji Pingtian, on the other hand, quickly made a decision: "I will persuade the White Tower Federation to merge into Dayu." He hailed from the White Tower Federation and represented its interests within the Jishi Society. This decisiveness slightly startled Hong Chuan, Ye Longxing, Zhou Changfeng, and the others. At the same time, it also brought a sense of urgency: "We shall set out immediately to travel and rally the nations, pulling together an alliance across the Central and East Continents to confront Chixing." "Go," Yaoguang said, then added, "Additionally, I need certain resources. These will also... serve to increase their sunk costs, lest they scatter in all directions the moment pressure from Chixing arrives, just like last time." Hong Chuan promptly gave his assent: "Whatever resources Speaker Yaoguang requires, as long as we can obtain them, we will do everything in our power to secure them." Since experience gains from 'money' were no longer significant, and breaking the limit of his [Martial Path] level required an astronomical sum, Yaoguang stated plainly, "Divine weapons, sharp armaments, and cultivation resources are all acceptable." After saying this, he added ambiguously, "As for the exact amount, that depends on what each nation sees fit. It is time for them to demonstrate their attitude." "Attitude?" Hong Chuan felt a slight headache upon hearing that. What did 'attitude' even mean? Such vague demands were often the most troublesome... Still, considering that joining an alliance spearheaded by the Jishi Society was essentially equivalent to escaping the tyranny of the Crimson Star Empire, showing some sincerity was only reasonable. He nodded at once. "I understand. They truly should present an attitude that satisfies you." "The Jishi Society will do the same," he added. Yaoguang nodded and said nothing more.