Chapter 358

Yan Liqiang was in a bad mood for the next two days . What he learned in the Heavenly Realm, especially the things Liu Guiyuan told him, weighed heavily on his mind .

In four years time, the Great Han Empire would descend into total chaos . The enemies around this vast empire would seize the opportunity to bare their fangs against the Great Han Empire when it was at its weakest and conquer it .

Survival of the fittest — that was the natural law of Silver Continent . History had proven time and time again that all nations or tribes rose and fell through wars . Yan Liqiang wasn’t surprised by that . His real concerns were the clues that pointed toward Lin Qingtian’s awareness of the impending catastrophe . Many of the things he did were preparations for when he would take over the Great Han Empire after the catastrophe .

The Storm Army was the strongest force the Great Han Empire possessed, and Lin Qingtian would crush that force by using the catastrophe and the Chaman people as his power .

Once the catastrophe struck, the empire would fall into disarray . Lin Qingtian would take this opportunity to create a massive army with terrifying strength and prepare to take over the empire .

Yan Liqiang did some research on his own in the Divine Sword Sect by digging up all the news and court bulletins throughout the years . Indeed, he found out that pirates had existed along the southeastern coast for a long time . However, they were never a serious threat, in fact, they were like pests who would show up and rob some civilians or break into houses; but they would often be chased off by the navy like some miserable dogs . Things only started to change in recent years . Around three to four years ago, these pirates suddenly went out of control and started stirring up bigger troubles . Lin Qingtian took this opportunity to set forth his campaign . Not only did he propose for militias to be formed in every province and prefecture along the southeastern coast, but he even started a new tax to fund it .

Where was the navy that the pirates once feared before they became so bold in their actions?

On the 14th day of the second lunar month in the 14th year of the Yuanping reign, which would be the second lunar month in reality, Navy General Zheng Huaian who led the navy along the Great Han Empire’s southeastern coast was prosecuted for ’embezzlement’ . He was accused of misappropriating military funds, bribing shipmakers, and colluding with the pirates . This infuriated Lin Qingtian, who ordered for immediate investigations .

In that event, Navy General Zheng Huaian, along with more than thirty other navy commanders, were imprisoned . Nearly all high-ranking officers were removed from their posts, and Lin Qingtian appointed a new navy general for the southeastern coast . The new navy general made huge adjustments to the navy upon taking over and started a campaign against those who supported Zheng Huaian . This ultimately led to the crumble of the Great Han Empire’s Southeastern Navy which used to be the great force against the pirates .

Two months after Zheng Huaian and his company were imprisoned, the pirates banded together to form a few groups of parties, then started stirring up trouble . In response to this, Lin Qingtian proposed all provinces and prefectures to establish militias to combat the pirates .

Similarly, that Anbei General Shi Tao who nearly destroyed the Storm Army was also Lin Qingtian’s ally .

Lin Qintian lured Long Feicheng and Storm Army’s key personnel into the Imperial Capital, and they all passed away in the catastrophe . Ironically, Lin Qingtian, who deserved to die the most in this catastrophe, miraculously cheated death as he left the capital for work just in time . That was a little too much of a coincidence…

It was as though there was an invisible force behind all this, conspiring for all this to happen .

That was exactly why Liu Guiyuan suspected that there was a mastermind behind the rise of the pirates .

The bandits were causing trouble because of the rules he created when he proposed to form militias in every province and prefecture along the southeastern coast .

The Great Han Empire invested a large amount of its wealth in these militias for two to three years before they all donned their uniforms and were taken in as part of the regular army, thus becoming Lin Qingtian’s trump card in his conquest .

There was one possible reason behind Anbei General Shi Tao’s betrayal against the Great Han Empire while seeking refuge from the Chaman people . Shi Tao probably realized that only death awaited him after he denied the Storm Army of their resources, because he would be made into a scapegoat . Hence, seeking protection from the Chaman people was the only way to ensure his survival and wealth . There was only one explanation as to why Shi Tao went ahead and did all those things despite knowing how it would consign him to damnation . That was because he might lose his life on the spot if he refused .

Viewing the future events deciphered from another perspective, it could instantly send a chill down anyone’s spine .

One occurrence might be mere coincidence . However, when a series of events occurred and followed a specific pattern, they were premeditated rather than coincidences .

A few months ago when Yan Liqiang knew the catastrophe was going to happen in four years time, he raked his brain to think up of a way to survive and rescue as many people as he could . However, he only realized now that there were so many complications behind that catastrophe .

There was a high chance that he would need to go up against someone who was much more powerful than himself right now, and that person could possibly possess the knowledge about the catastrophe in advance just like him . Not only that, he was going to use that event to walk over countless dead bodies beneath his feet and put himself on to the throne of this great nation .

Yan Liqiang’s mind was spinning .

Anxiety and depression kicked in, yet he wasn’t able to share this with another soul . All he could do was focus his mind on his cultivation to momentarily distract himself from these events .

One would often find themselves in trouble even if they weren’t looking for it .

In the evening of the 25th day of the seventh lunar month, just one week after the Emperor left Deer Villa, Yan Liqiang was stopped by Little Li when he making his way back from his training . He was informed that Eunuch Liu was looking for him urgently, so Yan Liqiang dragged his exhausted body and followed Little Li to Eunuch Liu’s courtyard .

When Yan Liqiang saw Eunuch Liu and realized that the latter was frowning with an angry expression, he took the initiative to speak first, “Eunuch Liu, you were looking for me?”

Eunuch Liu took a deep breath and asked, “Liqiang, you remember His Majesty wishes for you to be the Crown Prince’s mentor in archery, yes?”

“Ah, yes I do . Did you not mention that I can meet the Crown Prince on the first day of the eighth lunar month before I officially begin my duty?”

“There are some changes in regards to this matter!”

“What changes?”

“Over the past few days, countless ministers brought up the fact that the Crown Prince’s mentor is not His Majesty’s royal family affairs, but the nation’s affair . They said that you are far too inexperienced for such a heavy responsibility and feared that you might impart the wrong knowledge on the Crown Prince . Not only that, they even recommended another potential candidate as the Crown Prince’s mentor…”

Damn it . Yan Liqiang cursed under his breath as he patiently continued, “What are His Majesty’s thoughts on this?”

“Of course, His Majesty is furious and he disagrees with them . Just when this matter was at an impasse, Grand Chancellor Lin Qingtian suggested to pit you in a contest against the other candidate recommended by the ministers in the imperial court today . The winner of the contest will earn the rights to become the Crown Prince’s mentor . His Majesty only mentioned that he would consider it instead of agreeing to it . So now, he would like to get your opinions on this . Do you dare to accept a challenge from the other candidate recommended by the ministers in the imperial court?”

Yan Liqiang immediately squinted his eyes skeptically . “What contest? Which kind?”