Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

Jin Kingdom, Pantai City.

Inside the Royal Palace, Khan Uutu sat upright on the throne, his ministers lined up on both sides.

Below Uutu, on his left, was a bald monk with an exaggerated necklace around his neck, staring intently at the steps below. This man was none other than the National Preceptor, Pa Ba.

At this moment, a young man was kneeling on the steps, facing the crowd, his expression showing no fear.

Uutu's deep voice rang out: "You are Ning Hongyuan?"

"This humble one is indeed. Today, I am honored to behold the Khan's celestial countenance," Ning Hongyuan raised his head, revealing a flattering smile, though the smile was not very attractive, with several teeth missing. "I didn't expect the Khan to be so proficient in the language and culture of the Great Jing. I am truly impressed."

"Heh heh, you are the capable one, able to procure so much iron ore from Jing for Us. Grant him a seat."

"Why did you suddenly want to see Us in person today? Could it be that you have some big business to discuss?"

Ning Hongyuan secretly clicked his tongue in his heart.

In recent years, he had been helping the Northern Rong smuggle iron ore. He didn't expect the Northern Rong to have changed their ways and started learning from the Great Jing... Uutu actually referred to himself as 'Us'.

"I don't have any big business, but I have come to inform Your Majesty of a major event."

"What major event?" Uutu asked.

"The Jing Kingdom has obtained a divine artifact, a divine artifact that can control the sky! I heard that a new army camp has been established in the capital, called the Divine Machine Camp. I suspect that this Divine Machine Camp was established to control this sky-controlling artifact. In the future, the Great Jing's warfare may not be limited to the ground, but rather... the enemy will come from the sky. I learned of this news and rushed to pay my respects to Your Majesty, just to inform you to prepare early, so that in case of conflict between the two countries in the future, you can be prepared."

After Ning Hongyuan finished speaking, the whole place burst into laughter.

"Fly in the sky? Are you out of your mind? How can you prove that what you said is true?"

Ning Hongyuan said: "Everything I said is true. I have been in the capital for many years, so I am well-informed. This flying object only appeared briefly in the capital for two days, and then disappeared without a trace. This matter has caused quite a stir in the capital."

Listening to his confident explanation, everyone still shook their heads, expressing their inability to accept it.

There are many things that can fly in the sky. Kites can also fly in the sky. Can people fight while riding kites?

Ordinary people are no different from villagers in the mountains. They believe everything they hear and are not worth believing.

Only Uutu and Pa Ba's expressions remained unchanged. Uutu frowned: "We don't understand. If you were only smuggling iron ore for profit, We could understand, but what do you mean by betraying your country?"

Ning Hongyuan gritted his teeth: "I was not originally named Ning, but Shui, Shui An'ge. I am also not a citizen of the Jing Kingdom."

"Named Shui..." Uutu pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized: "You are a member of the Qian Kingdom's royal family?"

"That's right... I am the second son of the Prince of Ning."

Everyone was in an uproar. The Qian Kingdom had been destroyed for so long, yet there were still members of the royal family alive in the world, and they even dared to do smuggling business in the Jing Kingdom. They were really lucky.

Uutu laughed loudly: "Interesting, interesting! The Qian Kingdom has been destroyed for so long, and there are still members of the royal family active. They even ran to Us to sow discord. It's really interesting."

"My Great Jin and the Jing Kingdom have frequent exchanges in the border towns and are considered brotherly countries. How can you sow discord with just a few words?"

Shui An'ge's heart beat faster, but his expression remained calm: "Since they are brotherly countries, then why does Your Majesty keep smuggling iron ore from me?"

"If it weren't for forging armor and weapons for war, would it be for making agricultural tools?"

"My Great Jin has its own national conditions. How can you be so talkative?" Uutu said in a deep voice.

"I am telling the truth! That Li Che is also a warlike person. Although the Great Jin and the Jing Kingdom have good relations now, there have long been grudges. If the Jing Kingdom is fully prepared, I am afraid it will not be a blessing for our country!"

"Moreover, a new Dongjiao University has been established in the capital, widely recruiting talents from all over the world. The sky-controlling artifact also came from here. In the long run, more weapons to defend against the enemy will be developed. This advice comes from the bottom of my heart. Whether Your Majesty believes it or not, I have said all I have to say!" After Shui An'ge finished speaking, he lowered his head and remained silent.

Uutu snorted softly: "Then We must thank you for your kindness. Someone, take him down and entertain him well."

Afterwards, Shui An'ge was taken away. Uutu looked at Pa Ba and said, "National Preceptor, what do you think?"

Pa Ba said: "I didn't expect this person to be a member of the Qian Kingdom's royal family, but that doesn't matter. Your Majesty, I have placed a spy by his side. Whether there is a sky-controlling object, we will know the truth by summoning him and asking."

Uutu nodded. Before long, the spy arrived.

Pa Ba directly asked, and the spy replied: "Reporting to the National Preceptor, a sky-controlling object did appear in the capital, called a hot air balloon. However, it was only briefly displayed at Dongjiao University for two days, and there has been no news since. I have indeed heard of the Divine Machine Camp in the capital, but I am not sure if it has anything to do with the hot air balloon."

Uutu's expression changed slightly. He waved his hand to dismiss the spy and turned his gaze to Pa Ba.

Pa Ba was also somewhat lost in thought... He really didn't expect that the Great Jing had actually gone to the sky in just a few years!

After thinking for a while, Pa Ba sighed: "Your Majesty, I am afraid that this matter is inseparable from Fang Zheng's departure. This person is indeed a great talent."

"We don't want to hear you talk about him anymore. Last year's winter snow disaster killed countless cattle and sheep. Years of purchasing iron ore have left the national treasury unable to pay."

"We have been preparing for this battle for a long time, and now there are new variables. You tell Us, what should We do?" Uutu said helplessly.

Pa Ba shook his head: "Your Majesty still needs to be patient and send people to the capital to inquire about news. We have never heard of flying soldiers. We still know nothing about their tactics, so we need to be patient for another two years."

Uutu's face showed anger as he scanned the ministers below: "You told Us at the beginning that if you want to conquer the Great Jing, you must first learn its culture. We did as you said, and many below are dissatisfied."

"Although trade with the Jing Kingdom is mutually beneficial, the Jing Kingdom has abundant resources and cunning merchants, and we have been taken advantage of a lot."

"Now everyone below is resentful towards Us. Even if We don't want to fight, ask the people below if they agree?"

The crowd immediately became agitated.

"Your Majesty, we have been preparing for a long time, and now we have 60,000 heavy cavalry that are enough to sweep the world!"

"So what if they can fly? I don't believe they can stand firmly in the sky and shoot accurately at the people on the ground. They wouldn't use thunderstones and rolling logs to smash down, would they!"

"Your Majesty, this battle has to be fought, the consumption of these 60,000 heavy cavalry alone is not something we can afford to delay!"

Uutu looked at Pa Ba: "Did you hear that? We can't wait any longer. Now we can only find a suitable opportunity. National Preceptor, We have always trusted you. Now what you have to think about is not avoiding war."

Pa Ba looked at the pair of staring eyes below and sighed faintly: "Since Your Majesty has already made a decision, I will naturally obey."

"There are some things that Your Majesty doesn't want to hear, but I still have to say them. Since I returned from the Great Jing, I have been paying attention to the movements in the capital for so many years. The changes in these years have been many, but they are only related to one person."

"Fang Zheng Yi?"

"Yes, this person is truly a genius. If he can be used by my Great Jin, he will definitely be of great help. Moreover, he must understand the sky-controlling artifact, so we must first invite him here... and then discuss what to do next."

....