149: The opportune moment is approaching; the warships are heading towards the Central Plains.

Chapter Twelve: The Time Draws Near, Ships Point Toward the Central Plains

The dry season in the South Seas arrived as scheduled. The sky was high and the air crisp, with the sea as smooth as a mirror. The holographic sand table at the Intercontinental Command Center on Revitalization Island had already brought half of the world's maritime territories under surveillance. After a full year of steady management, the accumulation of the red alert forces had reached a critical point, and the chaos in the Central Plains had finally rolled to the edge of settling. The long period of gradual preparation had finally met the opportune moment for a breakthrough.

On the holographic screen, real-time footage of the Central Plains theater scrolled and refreshed: Kublai Khan had been dead for over half a year, and the Yuan Court was completely fragmented. The iron cavalry of the northwestern princes was slaughtering each other in Guanzhong. Crown Prince Zhenjin in Dadu was trapped in a lone city, his troops exhausted and food supplies gone. The Yuan Army and Han Army Myriarchs in Jiangnan had all defected, each occupying prefectures and counties but unable to unify. Refugees were everywhere along the Yellow River, and local militias sought only self-preservation; no single force could control Huaxia anymore. Dozens of envoys from the Jiangnan gentry and Han officials had crossed the sea, kneeling on the beaches of Revitalization Island, weeping blood and pleading for Lin Zhou to dispatch troops to stabilize the Central Plains and pacify the people, their words earnest and tearful.

In the livelihood images sent back by the global reconnaissance aircraft, the people of the Central Plains had reached a point of enduring hunger and cold but dared not cause trouble—everyone knew there was an emperor in the South Sea who protected the Han, with divine soldiers who did not massacre cities or harm the people. They were all waiting for the royal army to head north, preferring to endure hunger and cold rather than attach themselves to any separatist forces. The hearts of the han chinese people were entirely gathered upon Lin Zhou alone, with none left elsewhere.

As for the red alert side, all preliminary preparations were complete:

Pre-research for electromagnetic naval guns, high-altitude strategic bombers, and amphibious armored clusters had all been finalized, and the production lines were ready for full-speed mass production at any time;

The revitalization carrier strike group was expanded into two, with the addition of the Huaxia carrier, doubling the deep-sea air and sea control capabilities;

The two strategic outposts of Ryukyu and Malacca were completed, locking down the shipping lanes of the East Sea, South Sea, and eastern Indian Ocean, completely cutting off the possibility of external forces interfering with the Central Plains;

Over 120,000 han chinese people had settled in the South Seas, and reserves of grain, ordnance, and resources were overflowing the warehouses, enough to support a full-scale conquest and post-war pacification;

Pure red alert combat units were all on standby, the AI combat system was calibrated, and a steel torrent of zero casualties, zero errors, and absolute loyalty awaited only the order.

Outside the barrier, Lu Xiufu led the southward-bound Scholars, han chinese people elders, and all controlled subjects in a line before the energy barrier. Everyone's expression was solemn, their eyes filled with long-awaited heat and sincerity. This Chancellor, who still retained a complete sense of patriotism, held the Petition of the People and a map of the Central Plains. His voice was sonorous as he bowed, his emotion and loyalty blending into one:

"Your Majesty, the people of Huaxia are waiting with bated breath. The Yuan Court is falling apart; the time, the place, and the people are all with Your Majesty! I lead the tens of thousands of people in the South Seas to implore Your Majesty to ascend and begin the Northern Expedition, to stabilize the Central Plains and restore our Han family's mountains and rivers!"

The soldiers, refugees, and Scholars behind him all knelt and bowed, shouting "Long live the Emperor," their voices shaking the coast. They were moved to tears by the impending recovery of their homeland and filled with joy at the coming end of the chaotic times. Their emotions were vivid and hot, but their loyalty to Lin Zhou never wavered in the slightest.

Lin Zhou rose from the metal chair in the command center. His youthful body had already cultivated the aura of a ruler of the world during the year of preparation. He did not delay any further; his fingertip fell heavily on the heart of the Central Plains on the holographic sand table as he issued the ultimate command prepared for a year, still strictly adhering to the bottom line of not massacring cities, not harming the people, only annihilating stubborn enemies, and pacifying the populace.

[Ding—host command received: Initiating the "Stabilizing the Central Plains" operational plan. All red alert forces are entering wartime status.]

[Combat Organization: Dual carrier strike groups, strategic bomber squadrons, amphibious landing armored brigades, drone attack wings, and all-AI naval and land combat units.]

[Iron Rules of Engagement: 1. Prohibit attacks on civilian cities, villages, and farmland; 2. Only annihilate the iron cavalry of the Yuan-Mongol princes who resist to the end; all defecting Yuan Army troops are to be disarmed and incorporated as labor units; 3. Open granaries to distribute food and pacify the people's livelihood immediately after landing; post-war reconstruction will start simultaneously; 4. Pure red alert units will conduct all combat operations; controlled subjects will remain in the South Seas to manage civil affairs.]

[Infrastructure Synchronization Command: Central Plains post-war settlement modules, grain and fodder supply pods, and medical shelters will depart with the fleet, settling and pacifying the people upon landing.]

The military order was as heavy as a mountain, and the Red Alert Base, which had been silent for a year, instantly went into full operation. The mechanical arms at the deep-sea shipbuilding base roared as they mass-produced, electromagnetic naval guns were hoisted onto ships, strategic bombers slid into carrier hangars, and amphibious landing ships loaded with armored personnel carriers sailed out of the docks. Two carrier strike groups formed northern and southern columns, with cruisers, destroyers, and frigates arrayed in escort, like two great walls of steel. They set sail simultaneously from Revitalization Island and the Luzon sub-base, heading majestically toward the East Sea.

Unmanned strategic bombers were the first to take off, sweeping over the South Seas at supersonic speeds and arriving in the airspace of various prefectures in the Central Plains. They only circled at low altitudes to display deterrence without dropping a single bomb. When the people of Bianliang, Southern Song Capital, Luoyang, and Jiankang looked up and saw the stealth fleets blotting out the sky, they were not afraid; instead, they flocked out of their homes to kneel and cheer, shouting "The Emperor's Divine Soldiers." The remnants of the Yuan Army in the separatist prefectures surrendered upon seeing them, not even daring to put on their armor properly before handing over their letters of surrender.

Lin Zhou sat in the command room of the revitalization carrier's island, the global sand table synchronizing the battlefield situation in real-time. As the northbound fleet passed through coastal prefectures, the Yuan Army's navy had long since vanished, and the coastal defenders all hung surrender flags. No armed force dared to block the path of the steel fleet. The dual carrier strike groups anchored steadily in the outer waters of Hangzhou Bay. This was the outlet to the sea for the Southern Song Capital, the former capital of the Song Dynasty, the core of the Han cultural lineage, and the first stop of the Northern Expedition's landing.

The amphibious landing ships opened their hatch doors, and the amphibious armored clusters drove smoothly onto the beach. red alert Conscripts and armored units landed in neat formations. There was no burning, killing, or looting, and no noisy disturbances. They immediately set up medical shelters, distributed grain, and repaired roads, handing out the relief grain and rice brought from the South Seas to the people of the Southern Song Capital.

The people of the Southern Song Capital poured out of the city gates, supporting the elderly and leading the young. Seeing the red alert troops with their strict discipline and absolute restraint, and seeing the mountains of grain, rice, and medical clinics, they wept loudly—this was not the sound of grief, but the relief of suffering coming to an end and the ecstasy of their homeland returning to the Han family.

The only ones resisting to the end were a force of Mongol prince iron cavalry entrenched on the west bank of Lake Tai, trying to resist with their cavalry. At Lin Zhou's command, two stealth attack aircraft took off immediately. Using only two precision-guided missiles, they destroyed the command camp and the main cavalry force. The remaining soldiers threw down their weapons and surrendered. The entire process took less than fifteen minutes, with zero civilian casualties and zero damage to the city.

[Ding—Landing at the Southern Song Capital successful. Recovered the former capital of the Song Dynasty with no civilian casualties and no city damage.]

[Ding—3,700 remnants of the Yuan Army surrendered and converted into post-war labor units; 1,200 resisting Mongol iron cavalry annihilated.]

[Ding—Central Plains popular support has exceeded 100%. Unlocked the "Great Unification of Huaxia" preliminary achievement. Technology points +1000.]

In the rear at the South Seas, Lu Xiufu led the controlled subjects and southward-bound Scholars to operate the civil administration in an orderly manner, continuously transporting grain and resources from the South Seas to the front lines in the Central Plains. While governing the islands of the South Seas, they also prepared the ceremonial music and documents for the Central Plains enthronement ceremony. They each performed their duties, their emotions and talents fully displayed. Every document and every grain transport was filled with loyalty to the emperor and sincerity for the revival of Huaxia.

Lin Zhou stepped onto the soil of the Southern Song Capital, walking on the bluestone slabs of the Song capital. The people crowded both sides of the street, kneeling and cheering, their voices shaking the clouds. He raised his hand to signal the people to rise, his gaze looking toward Dadu in the north and the vast mountains and rivers of the Central Plains. His voice was calm yet decisive:

"Pass down my order: The carrier formations are to split and head north. One route will recover Jiangnan and the Huai River region, while the other will head directly for Dadu to accept the surrender of the remaining Yuan Court forces."

"All units must still strictly adhere to the iron rules of pacifying the people. Destroy the enemy's weapons, settle my people, and stabilize the vast Central Plains with the prestige of not needing to fight."

"The chaotic era of the Yuan Court ends today; the unification of Huaxia begins now."

The carrier fleet in Hangzhou Bay was brightly lit, strategic bombers cruised the skies of the Central Plains, the cooking smoke of the people in the Southern Song Capital rose again, and the various prefectures of the Central Plains were settled by proclamation. The long period of gradual preparation finally reached its breakthrough today. There were no tragic battles of attrition, no catastrophe of broken mountains and rivers—only steel deterrence and benevolent governance running in parallel. The ancestral land of Huaxia was returning to the control of the Han family in its most complete and peaceful state.

The sea breeze blew from the East Sea into the Southern Song Capital, furling the new flags of Huaxia. Lin Zhou stood on the city tower of the Southern Song Capital, looking at the unified mountains and rivers. His gaze had already crossed the Central Plains, looking toward the Atlantic Ocean, the European continent, and the shores of the Americas that he had not yet set foot upon. Settling the Central Plains was only the new starting point for global hegemony. The steel flag of red alert would eventually be planted in every inch of the Earth.