143: The imperial edict from the heavens and the seas establishes the authority of the Mongol Yuan dynasty.

Chapter Six: Proclamation from the Heavens and Seas, Awe-Inspiring Subjugation of the Mongol Yuan

The morning mist of the South Sea drifted over the Intercontinental Command Center of Fuxing Island. The pale golden morning sun spilled over continuous stretches of automated farmland and deep-sea drilling platforms. Resource data streams from the Main Base and three Nanyang branch bases pulsed steadily. Fresh water, food, steel, and fuel were entirely self-sufficient. The red alert naval battle formations maintained their defensive patrols, neither attacking nor invading; the entire sea area was immersed in the tranquility of steady colonization.

Lin Zhou stood before the panoramic observation deck of the command center. In the holographic image projected from his wristband, one side showed the mechanical colonization landscape of the Nanyang island branch bases. Unmanned mining units methodically collected ore, drilled for combustible ice, and cultivated high-yield crops, their sphere of influence extending outward at a speed visible to the naked eye. On the other side were livelihood images of the Central Plains, transmitted through global satellite scans and high-altitude unmanned reconnaissance drones. Under the rule of the Yuan Court, the han chinese people were classified as a lower-tier group, burdened with heavy taxes and endless forced labor. Villages were desolate, and refugees were everywhere. Within the prefectures and counties, Mongol Yuan nobles arbitrarily oppressed the Han people. Images of slaughter, enslavement, and forced conscription flashed by, making one's heart feel heavy.

Lu Xiufu stood in attendance by his side. This Chancellor of the Southern Song Dynasty, who retained all his character and emotions, watched the images of the Central Plains people being displaced. His eyes grew red, and his fingertips gripped his sleeves tightly. His sorrow and indignation were palpable, yet he deeply understood His Majesty's painstaking efforts to cease hostilities and was unwilling to lightly speak of war and increase casualties. He bowed, his voice carrying suppressed pain, loyalty and compassion intertwined: "Your Majesty, the han chinese people of the Central Plains are all the flesh and blood of our Huaxia. The Yuan people are tyrannical, treating the common people like weeds. Every time I think of it, my heart feels like it is being pierced by a knife. Since Your Majesty has temporarily ceased military operations, could you use force as a deterrent to make the Yuan Court restrain its atrocities and preserve the lives of the people?"

The surrounding soldiers and guards also lowered their heads, their eyes full of pity for their compatriots in their homeland. They still possessed the most simple patriotic sentiments, grieving for the suffering of their compatriots and feeling indignant over the broken rivers and mountains. However, the brand of loyalty deep in their souls made them only obey the Emperor's orders and never speak rashly of war. All their emotions turned into expectations for His Majesty, hoping that this Emperor, who wielded divine weapons, could protect the han chinese people of the world.

Lin Zhou nodded slightly, his gaze always fixed on the satellite images of the Central Plains. He had paused the war against the Yuan precisely to avoid the destruction of Huaxia's living beings, but the tyrannical rule of the Yuan Court was relentless, and the han chinese people were barely surviving under the iron hooves. This was a bottom line he could never tolerate. Military force was not the only means; deterrence was the method with the lowest cost and fewest casualties—no need to land and fight, no need to destroy cities. He only needed to use red alert's cross-era military power as a backbone to issue an ultimatum to the Yuan Court's center, using the threat of a devastating strike as a warning to force them to treat the han chinese people well, abolish harsh policies, and stop the slaughter.

This was the benevolence of an Emperor and the prestige of a powerhouse.

"Pass down my decree: initiate the global deterrence program. Deliver the Emperor's Proclamation and a military warning to the Yuan Court's center in Dadu." Lin Zhou's voice was calm but carried an unquestionable majesty. His fingertips tapped lightly on the holographic screen, issuing a series of precise commands. "The red alert High-altitude stealth reconnaissance aircraft formation shall take off and fly over Dadu, circling at low altitude to demonstrate military power. The global broadcast system shall be activated to broadcast my decree in both Han and Mongolian languages across the entire Central Plains. Simultaneously, conduct live-fire deterrence exercises in the outer seas of the dilapidated coastal ports of the Yuan Court. Use missile airbursts and naval gun fire—demonstrate power only, do not harm people, and do not destroy cities."

[Ding—Command received. Initiating the Yuan Court deterrence plan. Consuming Energy Core ×1. Activating High-altitude stealth reconnaissance aircraft ×4, Global Sonic Broadcast Tower ×8, Live-fire deterrence formation ×1.]

[Execution Mode: Non-lethal display of force, global proclamation broadcast, delivery of ultimatum. Prohibited from attacking civilians, cities, or non-military facilities. Only to form a dual mental and military deterrence against the Yuan Court center.]

The moment the order was given, the hangar doors of the Fuxing Island Ocean-going shipbuilding base slowly opened. Four silver-gray stealth high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft autonomously taxied onto the runway, took off vertically, broke through the clouds, and sped toward Dadu at supersonic speeds. The planes remained stealthy throughout, undetectable by radar and difficult to spot with the naked eye, like invisible blades hanging over the heads of the Mongol Yuan.

At the same time, all eight sonic broadcast towers in the South Sea and Nanyang were activated. High-energy sound waves penetrated the clouds, covering the entire Central Plains territory. The majestic voices in both Han and Mongolian followed the wind, spreading to all cities under the rule of the Yuan Court, including Dadu, Yanjing, Quanzhou, Guangzhou, Kaifeng, and the Southern Song Capital. Whether in the imperial courts or the marketplaces, whether at the border fortresses or the Jiangnan region, everyone could hear clearly.

In the offshore waters, twelve red alert patrol boats and four frigates formed a deterrence formation and arrived in the outer seas of the dilapidated ports along the Mongol Yuan coast. They lined up in international waters far from land. Missile launch bays opened, and naval guns were raised. They performed only airburst deterrence, never harming a single bit of the shore. They displayed the power of steel while maintaining the benevolence of not killing.

Within the imperial palace of Dadu, the Yuan Progenitor Kublai Khan was sitting on the dragon throne, listening to reports from court officials about strange phenomena along the coast. Recently, rumors of sail-less ghost ships, thunder in the sky, and self-destructing ports had appeared one after another along the southeast coast, already causing panic among the Mongol Yuan monarch and ministers. Just then, a majestic and cold voice rang out without warning throughout the entire city of Dadu, penetrating the palace walls and falling into the ears of every Mongol Yuan noble, Han official, and commoner.

"I, the Song Emperor Lin Zhou, wield the divine weapons of the South Sea and command the fleets of the four seas. I now issue this proclamation to the world to inform the Yuan Court: The people of the Central Plains are all Huaxia han chinese people. They are my beloved subjects, not livestock to be enslaved and slaughtered by the Yuan people."

"From the day this proclamation is issued, the Yuan Court is given one month to abolish harsh policies against the han chinese people, stop forced labor and slaughter, reduce heavy taxes, and treat the people of Huaxia well. In any prefecture or county, if anyone dares to harm a single han chinese people or destroy a single village or settlement, I will pursue accountability to the end."

"I have temporarily ceased military operations not because I lack the strength, but because I cannot bear to see the rivers and mountains of Huaxia burned by the fires of war, nor can I bear to see the Han people affected by conflict. If the Yuan Court remains obstinate, continues its tyrannical and lawless ways, and allows its troops to harm the people, I will lead the ocean-going steel fleets and the divine weapons from the sky to strike Dadu directly. I will destroy the palaces, level the military towns, and shatter the foundations of the Yuan Court, ensuring that the Mongol Yuan forces suffer a devastating blow, leaving not a single blade of grass behind."

"The people of Huaxia, I shall protect. Those who harm my beloved subjects shall be punished, no matter how far away they are. This proclamation serves as a final ultimatum; there will be no second warning."

The global broadcast looped repeatedly, its voice grand and vast, spreading to every inch of the Central Plains. The Mongol Yuan nobles in Dadu were terrified, thinking that the heavenly gods were expressing their wrath, and they knelt on the ground one after another. When the Han officials and ordinary han chinese people heard it, they were first stunned and then moved to tears, kneeling toward the South Sea and kowtowing. The bitterness they had suppressed for many years finally had something to rely on. The Yuan Army soldiers in the local prefectures and counties were scared out of their wits, their scimitars quietly falling to the ground, no longer possessing the arrogance to oppress the han chinese people.

Above Dadu, four stealth reconnaissance aircraft circled at low altitude. Their fuselages swept over the tops of the imperial palace halls, the roar of the engines making the roof tiles tremble. Kublai Khan and his ministers rushed out of the hall and looked up, but they could only see an empty sky. They could not hear the engine sounds or see any traces; they only felt an invisible pressure enveloping the entire city, like the God of Death hanging overhead.

The deterrence formation in the outer seas simultaneously launched live-fire airbursts. Light anti-ship missiles exploded in the high altitude with pale blue flames, and the roar of naval guns echoed along the coast. The flames and thunderous sounds shook the sky. The Yuan Army garrisons on the shore crawled on the ground in fear, thinking divine soldiers had descended from the heavens. Yet, not a single shell or shrapnel fell onto the land, and the people and cities were not harmed in the slightest.

Only demonstrating power, not harming people; only deterring, not killing.

Benevolence and prestige were applied together, with clear boundaries.

Lin Zhou stood before the command platform on Fuxing Island, watching the satellite images sent back: the Mongol Yuan monarch and ministers in Dadu were anxious and uneasy, the han chinese people of the Central Plains were spreading the news and weeping with joy, the Yuan Army's oppression of the han chinese people in local prefectures and counties stopped abruptly, and harsh policies and forced labor were suspended one after another. The Yuan Court's center urgently convened an imperial meeting, no longer possessing the arrogance of the past.

Lu Xiufu and a group of subordinates stood outside the energy barrier. Listening to the Emperor's decree over the global broadcast and seeing the images of the Central Plains people regaining hope, every one of them was moved to tears. Their sorrow turned into ecstasy, and their indignation turned into awe. They still possessed complete emotions, rejoicing for the salvation of the people, being moved by the Emperor's benevolence and prestige, and weeping for the rekindled hope of Huaxia. At this moment, the loyalty carved into their souls reached its peak, and they all bowed and shouted "Long live," their voices echoing throughout Fuxing Island.

"Your Majesty's benevolence protects our people, and your prestige extends across the seas. You are truly an enlightened monarch of all ages!"

"Your Majesty's divine might has subdued the Yuan Court without a fight and pacified the people without killing. This is the pinnacle of the Kingly Way!"

Lin Zhou turned around and looked at this group of flesh-and-blood subordinates with vivid emotions and absolute loyalty. A subtle curve appeared at the corners of his mouth. What he wanted was never meaningless slaughter or a victory with broken rivers and mountains, but to protect the Huaxia people with the minimum cost, stabilize his power over the four seas, and when the time was right, settle the Central Plains without shedding blood.

The deterrence command continued. The broadcast looped, the reconnaissance aircraft circled on alert, and the naval formation maintained its line. Every decree of the Yuan Court and every action against the han chinese people were monitored in real-time by global satellites. Once any behavior violating the ultimatum occurred, a devastating blow would descend instantly.

Meanwhile, the colonization of Nanyang continued to advance steadily. The branch bases in Luzon, Borneo, and Srivijaya continued to expand. The construction queues for the fourth and fifth branch bases were initiated. Deep-sea resource extraction, automated food production, and material refining systems were constantly improved. The foundation of the red alert forces became increasingly stable, and the coverage of maritime power continued to expand, completely forming a global layout where one could attack or defend.

The wind of the South Sea remained gentle, and the mechanical sounds of Fuxing Island were steady and orderly. The han chinese people of the Central Plains were given a chance to breathe, and the atrocities of the Yuan Court were forced to be restrained. The sword hanging over the heads of the Mongol Yuan had never fallen, yet it constantly emitted a pressure that made them tremble with fear.

Lin Zhou raised his hand to terminate some of the broadcast loops, retaining only the targeted broadcasts for the coast and Dadu. He issued commands again to return to the rhythm of steady colonization.

"The deterrence continues. Monitor every move of the Yuan Court. If they dare to harm the han chinese people, execute a devastating strike immediately."

"The construction of the Nanyang branch bases must not stop. Resource reserves, armament expansion, and ecological self-sufficiency must continue to advance."

"Wait for the Yuan Court's response, and wait for our power to reach full maturity. What I want is the complete rivers and mountains of Huaxia, the peaceful life of the world's common people, and a prosperous age where the four seas are unified."

The morning sun rose to the middle of the sky, its golden light bathing the South Sea and the vast land of the Central Plains. Invisible pressure enveloped the Mongol Yuan center, and stable colonization spread across the Nanyang islands. The breathing of the han chinese people and the laughter of the common people intertwined with the mechanical sounds of the Red Alert Base, forming a Kingly Way landscape belonging to this era and belonging solely to Lin Zhou.