146: With calm tides and wide banks, we can proceed slowly and methodically.

Chapter Nine: Calm Waters and Broad Shores, A Gradual Strategy

The waves of the South Sea lapped against the embankments of Revitalization Island with a gentle sound. Even the mechanical hum of the Deep-Sea Shipbuilding Base had lowered its power consumption. The entire island had shed its wartime tension, enveloped in a peaceful aura of composed colonization. Lin Zhou abandoned the notion of sudden conquest and rapid territorial expansion, resolving instead to unfold his grand blueprint through three words: stability, patience, and substance. Like a hidden dragon in the depths, he would accumulate strength and nurture momentum, neither coveting momentary success nor flaunting temporary might. He would only strike deep and firm roots, waiting for the right moment to settle the fate of the world when success came naturally.

On the holographic sand table of the Intercontinental Command Center, red dots of engagement and assault commands no longer flickered. In their place were colonization blocks of varying shades of green, blue resource pipelines, and golden livelihood settlement zones. The sphere of influence in the West Pacific was now as solid as a fortress, with the eight major sub-bases in the South Seas each performing their duties: Luzon Island primarily produced ship-grade steel and rare metals; Borneo Island delved deep into combustible ice and fuel refining; the Srivijaya Archipelago served as the granary for the entire region; Sulu Island established a hub for deep-sea vessel maintenance; and the scattered small islands served as radar outposts and material transit points. Like precision gears, they were interconnected and operating smoothly.

Lin Zhou paced toward the viewing platform. Lu Xiufu approached slowly, holding the newly drafted "South Sea Governance Strategy." The official's emotions remained vivid and full; his brow reflected the relaxation of a peaceful reign, without a hint of anxiety. He bowed and handed the scroll before the energy barrier, his voice warm and thick: "Your Majesty, the refugees on the various islands of the South Sea have been properly settled. Reclamation, weaving, dyeing, fishing, and hunting have all moved onto the right track. Household registers, grain ledgers, and village schools have all been established. The han chinese people and the natives do not disturb each other, each living their lives in peace. Furthermore, the carrier strike group has patrolled the West Pacific for half a month, and no enemy has dared to violate our borders. The maritime trade routes are unobstructed, and foreign merchant ships have proactively reported for passage, paying taxes and offering tribute without fail."

These subordinates, bound by soul imprints yet retaining their emotions and desires, now managed civil governance, civil affairs, and education, keeping this paradise in a chaotic world in perfect order. They would rejoice over the settling of a refugee household, be moved by the opening of a village school, and feel gratified by the harmonious coexistence of the natives and the han chinese people. Occasionally, they would gaze toward the Central Plains and sigh softly over their unreturned homeland, but all their emotions and ambitions ultimately resolved into absolute obedience to Lin Zhou. There was never a thought of overstepping, nor a heart of rebellion.

Lin Zhou scanned the entries in the governance scroll and tapped lightly on the sand table. The commands he issued were devoid of slaughter, consisting entirely of details for strengthening the foundation and nurturing the source:

[Ding—Receiving the host's long-term management directive. Initiating the 'Three-Year South Sea Foundation Consolidation Plan.' The entire region is entering steady-state development mode.]

[Livelihood Module: Expand Han Chinese settlement areas; increase the construction of clinics, schools, and granaries; improve red alert high-yield crops; implement free medical care and education to ensure refugees can recuperate and thrive.]

[Technology Module: Suspend mass production of heavy military equipment; shift focus to deep-sea exploration, agricultural technology, material refining, and clean energy research; invest all technology points into civilian use and combat reserves.]

[Maritime Rights Module: Carrier strike groups will patrol in batches to maintain deterrence in the West Pacific; open legal trade routes from the South Sea to Ryukyu, Japan, and Champa; collect fixed commercial taxes to maintain the fleet through trade.]

[Monitoring Module: Global satellites will keep a close watch on the Yuan Court's dynamics in the Central Plains; monitor only, do not intervene; record the Yuan Court's internal political changes and the livelihoods of the han chinese people; do not deploy a single soldier, do not fire a single shell.]

As the directives were implemented, the heavy military production lines on Revitalization Island slowly ground to a halt. Robotic arms turned to assembling deep-sea exploration drones, agricultural seeding robots, and medical shelter modules. Resource extraction at the various South Sea sub-bases was reduced by thirty percent to allow for ecological restoration and avoid over-exploitation. The "revitalization" carrier strike group was split into three small patrol fleets to take turns on duty, while other vessels entered port for maintenance, maintaining maritime deterrence without unnecessary energy consumption.

Maritime trade routes flourished as a result. Spices, rice, and minerals from the South Sea; sulfur and timber from Japan; rice seeds and cloth from Champa; and jewelry and spices from foreign merchants crisscrossed along the safe routes designated by red alert. Patrol boats only verified the credentials of merchant ships and never engaged in looting or harassment. The commercial taxes collected were used entirely for base expansion and livelihood security. This fair and orderly trade environment made these waters the safest commercial shipping lanes in the world during the 13th century. Even merchants as far away as the Mediterranean Sea heard of a "Golden Sea" in the East and did not hesitate to sail ten thousand miles to trade.

The Central Plains remained under the rule of the Yuan Court, yet it maintained a delicate peace due to the looming threat of red alert. Kublai Khan's illness fluctuated, and the infighting among the Mongol noble factions in the court grew heavier by the day. The influence of Han officials was quietly rising, and local officials no longer dared to mistreat the han chinese people. Taxes and corvée labor were reduced again and again. The number of refugees fleeing south gradually decreased, and many Han Chinese chose to stay in their ancestral lands, tending their fields and quietly waiting for a change in the times. In the images sent back by the global satellites, smoke from cooking fires gradually rose from Central Plains villages, farmland was being reclaimed, and marketplaces were reviving. Without the devastation of war, the ancestral land of Huaxia was slowly recovering its vitality.

Lin Zhou watched all this with a clear understanding. This was what it meant to plan gradually—not to proactively break the stability of the Central Plains, not to force an outbreak of war, but to let the people recuperate, let the Yuan Court rot from within, let the South Sea foundation become indestructible, and let the red alert technological gap widen further and further. When the Yuan Court finally collapsed, when the hearts of the han chinese people across the world turned toward him, and when the cross-era military reserves overflowed, reclaiming the Central Plains would be as natural as pushing a boat with the current, and unifying the globe would simply be a matter of course.

The controlled soldiers on the island no longer spent their days in constant readiness for battle. Besides assisting in maintaining camp order, they followed red alert mechanical units to learn basic infrastructure knowledge. They would chat with fellow villagers who had come south, teach martial arts to children in the schools, and rescue stranded fishing boats during coastal patrols. Their fighting spirit remained, but it was tempered with a sense of stable, everyday life. Only when Lin Zhou's edicts arrived would everyone instantly stand at attention and execute them unconditionally, loyalty etched into their very marrow, never wavering.

As the sun dipped in the west, painting the South Sea surface in warm gold, the "revitalization" carrier slowly sailed into the Revitalization Island docks. Carrier-based aircraft returned to their hangars in sequence, and ocean-going merchant fleets laden with goods moored at the piers. Wisps of cooking smoke rose from the Han Chinese settlement areas, the sounds of children reciting lessons drifted from the village schools, and the songs of native tribes echoed faintly through the woods. The mechanical hum of the Red Alert Base chirped softly, blending perfectly with this mundane human life.

Lu Xiufu stood on the embankment, gazing at this scene of peace and prosperity, then looked toward the youthful yet steady figure on the viewing platform, his eyes full of sincerity and reverence. He understood the Emperor's profound meaning—a hasty attack would only leave the mountains and rivers broken, while a gradual plan could ensure peace for ten thousand generations.

Lin Zhou leaned against the railing and looked into the distance. His gaze swept over the islands of the South Sea, across the vast blue waves of the West Pacific, and finally settled on the distant ancestral lands of the Central Plains before scanning the global map on the sand table. Beneath the calm waves lay a majestic power poised for action; within the stable colonization was a profound layout that would sweep across the world.

No haste, no anxiety, no greed, no recklessness.

Stabilize the maritime foundation, accumulate technological advantages, appease the people of the world, and quietly watch the enemies fall into chaos themselves.

This world, these four seas, would eventually return to his heart.

And all he had to do was follow this steady rhythm, step by step, and bring the entire world into the territory of red alert. The tide was calm and the shore was broad; the wind was fair and the sails were set. By planning gradually, the time for unification would eventually arrive.