Infinite Professions from a Pearl Collector

Chen Ye summoned Wang Xing and handed him the thick stack of surrender petitions.

"Take these petitions and lead men from the Ministry of Revenue to investigate each sect. Land, population, and hidden stashes of weapons and armor—I want every last bit inventoried and registered for Us. If any dare to conceal information or feign compliance while secretly defying my orders, you have the authority to act as you see fit."

"Don’t worry, Your Majesty. I’m an old hand at this!" Wang Xing grinned, his eyes filled with excitement.

"Also, tell them this: The Court will keep to its own affairs, and the Martial World to its own. We will not interfere with the internal succession of their sects. However, if any of their disciples break the law, they will be dealt with according to the laws of Great Chen. People from the Martial World are no exception."

"Yes!"

Acting with lightning speed was Chen Ye’s style. As a series of decrees issued forth from the Capital City, all the major sects of the Martial World quickly fell in line.

They voluntarily opened their gates, surrendered their land deeds, and registered all their members.

Some disciples who had grown accustomed to throwing their weight around and had blood on their hands were even personally bound by their own Sect Leaders and delivered to the local Government Office to face justice, all in the desperate hope of earning the new Emperor’s forgiveness.

At the same time, Chen Ye established the Martial World Department, solely responsible for affairs of the Martial World.

After a sweeping purge of the Martial World, Chen Ye ordered the complete merger of Great Yong’s and Great Liang’s territories. He abolished the old systems and named the new dynasty Chen.

He took the set of policies he had implemented in Great Liang and applied them without reservation to this even vaster land.

He cracked down on land annexation by powerful families, purged incompetent officials who merely occupied their posts, and promoted talented individuals from lower-class families.

These three simple, brutal measures each struck a vital point.

Naturally, this infringed upon the interests of countless established powers, and resistance flared up one after another.

But in the face of Chen Ye’s overwhelming prestige and his ferocious army, such resistance was as futile as a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

Anyone who dared to feign compliance while secretly causing trouble would find several hundred Black Armor Soldiers at their gates the very next day.

Kill!

Kill until no one dared to oppose him!

Under these iron-fisted policies, a brand-new empire began to flourish with astonishing speed and vitality.

Meanwhile, a sweeping military reform was also quietly underway.

Chen Ye abolished all anachronistic practices of nepotism within the army and established a new promotion system that was strict, yet fair.

Background didn’t matter—only military achievement!

Even a cook, so long as he fought bravely on the battlefield and earned merit, could win titles for his family and bring glory to his ancestors!

Military discipline was also redefined. Anyone who dared to harass civilians or skim from military pay would be summarily executed.

However, this strict discipline was matched by an unprecedented improvement in the soldiers’ welfare.

Their pay was issued in full, there was meat at every meal, and the families of fallen soldiers received a death benefit large enough to ensure they would live without worry for the rest of their lives.

In a short time, military service transformed from a hardship that sons of good families desperately avoided into an honored profession that every red-blooded man in the realm aspired to.

...

Three years passed in the blink of an eye.

The entire Great Chen Dynasty had been completely transformed.

The National Treasury was full and the people lived in peace, while the newly formed army had been honed into a peerless, deadly weapon, its killing edge now fully exposed.

「During morning court one day.」

A Civil Servant holding a ceremonial tablet stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, the tribes of the northern Grassland have jointly submitted a petition. They wish to declare themselves vassals of Great Chen, pay annual tribute, and present themselves at Court each year. I believe this is a sign that Your Majesty’s prestige has spread far and wide, compelling the submission of the outer peoples. We should proclaim this to the world to demonstrate the vastness of your imperial grace."

As soon as he spoke, many officials nodded in agreement.

In the eyes of these Civil Servants, making those Barbarians submit without bloodshed was naturally a wonderful thing.

But on the Throne, Chen Ye remained expressionless. He reached out and tossed a memorial down from his seat.

"Read it."

A eunuch hurried forward, picked it up, unrolled it, and read aloud.

The contents of the memorial were simple, recording several dozen raids on the northern border that had occurred since the founding of Great Chen.

Though small in scale, each incident was a litany of burning, killing, and pillaging. They stopped at nothing, and their crimes were too numerous to list.

"When they were strong, they came south to plunder, treating the people of Our Central Plains like pigs and dogs. Now that they see We have unified the realm and our army is strong, they suddenly become obedient vassals, wagging their tails and begging for mercy? Since when is anything in this world so easy?"

At his words, the entire Taihe Hall fell deathly silent.

The generals, however, were thrilled. They knew the Emperor was about to make his move on the Grassland.

As expected, Chen Ye’s voice was grim. "Refuse their surrender. We will personally lead the army to sweep the Grassland and eliminate this threat for good!"

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Wang Xing was the first to drop to one knee, his eyes blazing with fervor.

"I volunteer to lead the vanguard and crush the Hanhai Royal Court for Your Majesty!"

At Chen Ye’s command, the entire war machine of Great Chen kicked into high gear.

「Just half a month later.」

An army of one hundred thousand in Black Armor snaked out of the formidable pass like a long black dragon, its columns marching onto the vast, boundless Grassland.

Their banners blotted out the sun, their killing intent pierced the heavens.

When news reached the Grassland tribes, they were scared out of their wits. They had never expected this new Emperor from the Central Plains to so utterly disregard convention.

’Didn’t previous Emperors just accept a surrender petition or two and a few flattering words? We’d even get generous rewards out of it. Why didn’t it work this time?’

In their panic, the Grassland tribes began to scatter and flee.

Generations of experience told them that as long as they dispersed deep into the vast Grassland, the Central Plains army, no matter how large, would never be able to find them.

Inside the Central Army Tent, a general stared anxiously at the sand table, where enemy markers showed them scattering in all directions.

"Your Majesty, these Barbarians are as cunning as rats. Our army may be large, but this Grassland is so vast. Once they scatter, finding them again will be like finding a needle in a haystack!"

Chen Ye just smiled and tapped a finger on the sand table.

"Since they want to play hide-and-seek, We’ll be happy to play along."

He looked up, his eyes sweeping over the assembled generals.

"Relay Our order! The army will break into smaller units, one thousand men each, and attack along a hundred different routes. Cast them like a great net for Us over this Grassland!"

"No unit is to be more than fifty li from its neighbor. Upon encountering the enemy, use wolf smoke as a signal and be ready to provide support at a moment’s notice."

"We do not want prisoners. We only want heads. Every tribe annihilated will be recorded as a great merit. Of all the spoils, seventy percent will go to the soldiers!"

"As for logistics and supplies..." Chen Ye paused, the corner of his mouth curling into a cold smirk.

"We will let the war feed itself."

When this order was issued, all the generals were shocked.

This was exactly what the Grassland People themselves loved to do.

Before they could recover from their shock, Chen Ye’s next order arrived.

"Also, order our agents embedded within the tribes to spread word of how their chieftains live in decadent luxury while oppressing the common herdsmen. I want every last one of them to know!"

"Tell those poor herdsmen that for any who voluntarily surrender and come over to our side, We will grant them cattle, sheep, and pastures, and let them live a truly good life!"

Divide, entice, slaughter!

’Forget the Grassland tribes—no one could stand up to a combination like that.’

As Chen Ye’s military orders went out, the hundred-thousand-strong army instantly split into a hundred torrents, roaring as they charged deep into the Grassland.

And so, an unprecedented, bloody hunt began.