Chapter 1252: The Founding of the Great Tang EmpireTranslator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
Tang Yunde nodded and said in a deep voice, “Blood brothers are those who can rely on when fighting a tiger; while father and son must unite when fighting in the war. I won’t be your burden no matter who the enemies are. I’ll fight alongside you.”
“I’m looking forward to the day when you and I fight side-by-side, Dad,” replied Tang Xiu with a smile.
Tang Yunde was well aware of his own strength and how fearsomely powerful his son was. He had made up his mind inwardly that he must go all out in cultivation in the future. Regardless of whether he could catch up with his son in a short time, he swore not to be left behind too far. He smoked the cigarette, tilted up his head and said, “By the way, I’ll contact your two uncles immediately to tell them about this matter. They have waited for nearly 3 decades for revenge. I’ll tell them to get prepped quickly.”
“No, no rus.h.i.+ng, Dad,” said Tang Xiu hurriedly.
“Why?” Tang Yunde stared blankly and was bewildered.
“I fully trust the two uncles, but I can’t guarantee the rest around them not serving the interest of outsiders.” Tang Xiu said, “If you were to tell them situation now and their men leak it out, we can expect trouble.”
“You’re right.” Tang Yunde nodded. “Then I’ll wait for a while before telling them.”
The cold breeze lingered on the vast sea, while the Nine Dragons Island was covered in warm, spring-like weather. On the third day of the secret discussion between Tang Xiu and his father, a bright moon hung in the night sky and sprayed its light to illuminate some parts of the world.
At the center of the island.
In a hall large enough to accommodate tens of thousands of people, all Tang Sect disciples had been summoned back, even disciples who carrying out important missions around the world had rushed back at this time.
The meeting hall was deadly silent, and hundreds of high-ranking disciples of Tang Sect were watching Tang Xiu, who sat on the podium silently, waiting for the important announcement that was about to made by him.
Strictly speaking, it was not at all mistaken. They were all people with brains. Such a summon meant that Sect Master Tang Xiu had something important to announce since there had been no precedent of such a meeting ever since the founding of Tang Sect.
“Everyone has arrived, Grand Master.”
Gu Xiaoxue, who stood by the podium, placed her right fist on her left chest and reported respectfully.
Tang Xiu slowly nodded. He then stood straight and slowly swept across everyone’s faces in the hall before his eyes finally landed on Gu Yan’er’s face, who then slightly nodded at him in response. Afterward, Tang Xiu took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, “There are few things I’ll announce this time, and one of them is that I declare the complete disappearance of Tang Sect from now onwards!”
“What?”
The hundreds of high-ranking disciples of Tang Sect wore disbelieving faces.
“I’ve discussed this decision with Gu Yan’er and thus, decided to dissolve Tang Sect in order to establish a new force. From now henceforth, we will be known as the Great Tang Empire!” Tang Xiu went on in a deep voice.
“The Great Tang Empire?”
Everyone’s hearts shook as their eyes fixedly stared at Tang Xiu, wanting to know what other shocking news Tang Xiu would say next.
“Further, I’ve decided to set a 2-year time deadline before we leave Earth for the Immortal World.” Tang Xiu continued, “Therefore, it will be the flag of the Great Tang Empire that will enter the Immortal World—the place we’re going to live two years later.”
“Could you elaborate about the founding of the Great Tang Empire, Grand Master?” asked Gu Xiaoxue respectfully.
Tang Xiu nodded in response and said, “For now, I’ll inform you about the structure of the Great Tang Empire. The empire will be divided into 6 bodies of authorities. They are, respectively: the Ministry of Military Affairs, the Ministry of Political Affairs, the Ministry of Intelligence, the Ministry of Execution, the Ministry of Finance, and lastly, the Celestial Monster Pavilion.
“Next is the personnel appointment.
“The Ministry of Military Affairs consists of four major army groups, namely: Dragon, Tiger, Sparrow, and Martial Corps. Tang Guang will a.s.sume command of the Dragon Army, Mo Awu will lead the Tiger Army, Hao Lei will be the commander of the Sparrow Army, and Chen Shaohua will command the Martial Army. These four major armies will be responsible to guard the territory occupied by the Great Tang Empire in the Immortal World in the future, and they are to be stationed in the four regions in the East, South, West, and North of the territory, respectively.
“The Ministry of Political Affairs will be headed by Tang Yunpeng as the Head and Mo Awen as his Deputy. You both are responsible to manage the imperial government affairs and lead the subjects of the Great Empire into prosperity and thriving lives.
“The Ministry of Intelligence will be managed by Jin s.h.i.+ and Ye s.h.i.+san, where Ye s.h.i.+san will act as a Deputy to a.s.sist Jin s.h.i.+ in establis.h.i.+ng an intelligence network. The network must be centered on the territory of the Great Tang Empire and then to be expanded in all directions. I hope that the intelligence of the Ministry of Intelligence enters all levels of society all over the Immortal World.
“Tang An will a.s.sume command of the Ministry of Execution, along with Feng Yang and Shui Gui as Deputies. Keep in mind that I need a batch of killing machines who can disappear without a trace and stay invisible. I hope that the enemies we’re going to face in the future will all be neutralized by you silently.
“As for the Head of the Ministry of Finance, it will be a.s.sumed by Gu Xiaoxue, and Tang Min will act as her Deputy. You’re in control of the finance and treasury of the Great Tang Empire. The empire will never develop without the a.s.sistance of enormous financial resources and treasury, so I hope that you both can manage the affairs well. You must strive not to let the Great Tang Empire lack the supply of cultivation resources.
“Lastly, Teng Nu will hold the position of the Celestial Monster Pavilion’s Head along with Star Devourer Insect. The 35,680 Great Monsters will be under your command, all of whom are responsible to guard the holy land of our Great Tang Empire and to eradicate all the powerful enemies with all your power whenever we encounter a crisis.”
After Tang Xiu announced up to this point, his expression became stern and asked in a deep voice, “Tell me, are you all up for these responsibilities?”
Drap…
All the people whose names were mentioned got up from their chairs and shouted:
“Yes, Sir!”
Tang Xiu nodded with satisfaction and continued, “I’d like to emphasize on the four Corps next. In the following days, I want all the 200,000 children soldiers to be incorporated into the four Corps. Each Corp will consist of 50,000 of them. For the next 2 years, I’ll choose the enemies you’re going to face as a short trail and training to showcase all your capabilities and talents. The targets are the world’s top three organizations, as well as the Darkwind and House Dolan.
“I’ll also set up a Commander Hall for the next 2 years to train commanders-in-chief for the Minister of Military Affairs. The four of you don’t need to worry since I’ll preside over the training of these people personally, and they will definitely be able to display acceptable capabilities for you.”
“…”
The meeting lasted for four hours. At the end of the meeting, Gu Xiaoxue walked to the podium and respectfully said, “There are two questions I’d like to ask, Grand Master.”
“Do ask,” Tang Xiu nodded.
“Since we are going to establish the Great Tang Empire, we can’t be just a group of people without a leader, I suppose. You’ve already appointed the personnel in the ranks, but no one has taken over the Sovereign position of the Great Tang Empire,” Gu Xiaoxue said.
Mo Awu got up from his chair and said in a deep voice, “Gu Xiaoxue, I don’t think it’s necessary to ask about this issue, because Sect Master is the only person qualified to be the Sovereign of the Great Tang Empire.”
“That’s right!”
Hundreds of Tang Sect disciples stood up and shouted while staring at Tang Xiu enthusiastically.
Tang Xiu raised his hand and smilingly said, “We’re all very close, so I won’t hide it. I’ll become the first Sovereign of the Great Tang Empire.”
A smile appeared on Gu Xiaoxue’s mouth, then she said aloud smilingly, “Since our Great Tang Empire already has an Emperor, then should we also have the Emperor Harem Palace?”
The eyes of Su Lingyun, who was sitting on a chair in the conference hall, suddenly lit up. She looked at Gu Xiaoxue’s expression and a joyful look slowly appeared on her face. As she got up and went towards Gu Xiaoxue, she gently hugged her and seriously said, “We won’t interfere too much with your relations.h.i.+p affairs and whatnot, Xiu’er. But I’m still your mother, and I’ve been hoping to see you get married. An Emperor will need wives and concubines since we need a male offspring, to begin with.”
“This…”
Tang Xiu glared at Gu Xiaoxue angrily, but his expression quickly turned into a bitter one as he replied to his mother with a forced smile. “Mother, this is an issue we need to discuss privately in the future.”
“No. You also know what an empire means, don’t you?” Su Lingyun replied categorically, “An empire must have an emperor, a chamber of imperial wives and concubines, and male offspring who will inherit the empire in the future. Xiu’er, if you don’t have time to solve the harem problem, then leave it to Mom. Rest a.s.sured, Mom won’t find you women randomly, but those who are willing to follow you in life and death. You must give these women who have been with you a legal status and you must never abandon them!”
Tang Xiu fell into silence since he was well aware that his mother was right. These women had been with him over the years silently. They kept supporting him without any complaints or regrets, even regarding his life as higher than their own. Now that the empire had been founded, he would indeed cross the line if he didn’t give them legal status.
Tang Xiu slowly raised his head and said, “I’m willing to give this status, Mother. We’ll have a proper discussion about this issue later.”
“My daughter-in-law needs my approval.” Su Lingyun insisted. “Xiu’er, you’re a man who has accomplished and keeps doing big things, so I’m going to help you solve this issue. I’ll never give status to those who are not your woman, but I must give it to those who have become your soul mates.”
“…”
Tang Xiu was really unable to refute. He didn’t want to disobey his mother’s intentions, either. Although he didn’t want his mother to intervene in this matter, he was well aware of how bad he was in dealing with these relations.h.i.+p issues. Finally, he could only give his consent on this matter perfunctorily.
However, he secretly made up his mind that if his mother were to find some unfamiliar women besides those whom he was familiar with, he would never agree to accept them.
The meeting then ended and he left tons of trivial matters to Gu Yan’er and Gu Xiaoxue since he needed to take Mo Awu and the rest to organize the four major corps.
****
The moon sent its misted moonlight.
In the living room on the second floor of the palace, Su Lingyun held Gu Xiaoxue’s hand. A smile was hanging on her graceful face as she said, “Xiaoxue, you’re really my best child. Had you not finally stood up on this matter, I’m afraid that stupid boy would keep feeling reluctant to solve his problems with his women until now. Alas, it would have been great if you were also my daughter-in-law.”
Gu Xiaoxue’s smiling face suddenly froze, but an extraordinary splendor suddenly glittered in her eyes. Tang Xiu’s and Gu Yan’er’s faces kept appearing in her mind and triggered a struggle in her heart. Finally, after the continuous alternations in her feelings, she gritted her teeth and said, “In actuality, I’d love it if I can.”