151: Defeat Kyushu without any bloodshed

Chapter Thirteen: Subjugating the Nine Provinces with a Proclamation, A Bloodless Victory

The morning bell of the Southern Song Capital pierced through the thin mist, waking the sleeping ancient lands of Huaxia. red alert amphibious armored clusters lined up on the Imperial Street, their silver-gray armor reflecting the morning sun without a hint of murderous intent. Grain stores and medical clinics along the street were all wide open. red alert engineering units were working alongside returning citizens to repair houses and clear the streets. The desolation under the former Yuan Court's rule was replaced by the bustle of everyday life in just a few days.

Lin Zhou resided within the former Song Imperial Palace, yet he did not ascend the throne. He merely set up a temporary command post in a side hall, where a holographic sand table spread the situation of the entire Central Plains before his eyes. Since the landing at the Southern Song Capital, the deterrent force of red alert had surged like a rushing river, sweeping through the Nine Provinces. Formations of unmanned strategic bombers patrolled the skies over various prefectures, and dual-carrier battle groups split their forces to guard the three major sea areas: the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea, and the East Sea. Amphibious armored brigades moved steadily north along canals and official roads. Wherever they passed, the remnants of the Yuan Army surrendered at the first sign of them. Gentry and local braves welcomed them with food and drink, and the common people burned incense and knelt in worship. Not a single person dared to take up arms in resistance.

This was the prestige accumulated over a year, the crushing weight of a technological generation gap, and the inevitable return of the people's hearts. After the Yuan Court collapsed, no power in the world could contend with red alert. The so-called Northern Expedition was merely a journey of reception settled by a proclamation. A bloodless victory was the most appropriate way to protect the rivers and mountains of Huaxia.

[Ding—host command received: Activate the "Nine Provinces Proclamation" plan. In the name of the Han orthodoxy, issue a proclamation to pacify the people to all prefectures in the Central Plains, and simultaneously carry out regional reception and post-war reconstruction.]

[Combat Directive: Implement precision strikes only against the remaining Mongol royal family members who resist stubbornly. All other Yuan Army and local forces are to be disarmed and incorporated, transformed into post-war labor units. Harming civilians is strictly prohibited.]

[Reconstruction Directive: red alert livelihood modules are to be implemented across all regions. Relief granaries and mobile medical clinics are to be opened in all prefectures. Engineering units will repair cities, dredge rivers, and restore farmland. All supplies will be continuously replenished by the South Seas base.]

[Maritime Sovereignty Directive: Construction of the Bohai Sub-base is to begin immediately, deploying radar watchtowers and offshore patrol formations to completely blockade the sea routes for the remnants of the Yuan Mongol forces fleeing north.]

The proclamation was drafted by Lu Xiufu leading the Scholars who had fled south and was personally approved by Lin Zhou. It was spread throughout the Nine Provinces via the red alert regional broadcast system: "I inherit the Huaxia orthodoxy, guarding a corner of the South Sea, accumulating strength to wait for the right time, only to protect my people and restore my land. Now that the Yuan Court has fallen into chaos and the Nine Provinces are without a master, I lead my divine troops north, only to punish the stubborn bandits and not to disturb the common people. Officials, gentry, and commoners of all prefectures, remain at your posts. Those who surrender shall be pardoned, those who join shall be rewarded, and those who dare to defy heaven's will shall find that where the divine troops arrive, not a blade of grass shall remain. All han chinese people are my children; those who till shall have their land, those who live shall have their homes, those who are hungry shall have their food, and those who are cold shall have their clothes. Huaxia shall be unified, and there shall be peace for ten thousand generations."

As the broadcast ended, the hearts of the people across the Central Plains were completely won over.

The various prefectures of Jiangnan had long been settled by the proclamation, and the red alert troops encountered no resistance. They only disarmed a few small units of Mongol cavalry in Suzhou and Changzhou that refused to surrender; after precision strikes, the rest all surrendered. In the Lianghuai region, the Han army commanders of the Yuan Army opened their gates and surrendered, proactively leading their troops to assist red alert forces in maintaining order and dredging canals. In the Yellow River basin, refugees seeing relief granaries everywhere returned to their homes to resume farming. Large agricultural machinery towed by engineering units moved through the fields. These cross-era farming tools led the people to cry out that the "Heavenly Gods are helping the farmers."

Only around Dadu did two iron cavalries of Mongol princes still resist—one led by Kublai Khan's grandson, Temür, with twenty thousand troops entrenched at Juyong Pass, attempting to hold out using the natural fortress. The other was led by the northwestern prince, Anaq, with fifteen thousand remnants stationed in Baoding, intending to flee north to the grasslands to plot a comeback. Both viewed the han chinese people as mere grass, threatening that if Lin Zhou moved north, they would slaughter the surrounding people and burn the cities and fields.

Upon receiving the news, a cold light flashed in Lin Zhou's eyes, yet he still adhered to the bottom line of not harming civilians. He issued a precision strike command: "Strategic bomber squadrons, sortie. Conduct pinpoint elimination of the Mongol cavalry command centers and armories in Juyong Pass and Baoding. Leave them a way out and do not kill surrendered soldiers. If they still dare to resist, then proceed with total annihilation."

Several stealth strategic bombers took off from the aircraft carrier deck, streaking across the North China Plain at supersonic speeds and arriving over Juyong Pass and Baoding. Temür and Anaq were rallying their troops, clamoring for a fight to the death with the red alert forces, when they saw several silver shadows flash across the sky. Before they could react, precision-guided missiles had already struck—the command camp and armory at Juyong Pass were instantly leveled, and the cavalry stables and supply depots in Baoding went up in flames.

The explosions targeted only military objectives, leaving the surrounding villages and cities completely untouched. Seeing their command centers destroyed and their weapons and supplies gone, and looking up at the bombers circling in the sky, the Mongol cavalry's morale completely collapsed. They threw down their weapons and surrendered. Temür and Anaq tried to lead their personal guards to break through the encirclement, but they were surrounded by red alert armored units and captured without a fight.

[Ding—Precision strike complete. Over 300 members of the Mongol resistance leadership have been eliminated. 32,000 surrendered soldiers have been incorporated and transformed into post-war labor units.]

[Ding—Juyong Pass and Baoding reclaimed. No resistance forces remain in the Central Plains. The Nine Provinces have been settled by the proclamation.]

[Ding—The officials of Dadu have opened the gates and surrendered, welcoming the royal army into the city. The entire Central Plains region of Huaxia has been reclaimed.]

The gates of Dadu slowly opened, and the officials led the civil and military officers to kneel outside the gates. The people lined the streets to welcome them, holding grain and wine, tears streaming down their faces as they watched the red alert steel troops enter the city. This imperial capital, occupied by the Yuan Court for decades, finally returned to Han control. On the streets, all the flags of the Yuan Court were torn down and replaced by new flags embroidered with the red alert emblem and the word "Huaxia," snapping loudly in the wind.

Lin Zhou led the red alert personal guards into Dadu. He did not enter the Yuan Imperial Palace but instead set up a temporary center in the Central Secretariat, immediately issuing three decrees: first, seal the Yuan Court's treasuries, with all gold, silver, and wealth to be used as funds for post-war reconstruction; second, release the han chinese people, Scholars, and craftsmen imprisoned by the Yuan Court, restore their freedom, and employ them according to their talents; third, demolish the Mongol ancestral temples built by the Yuan Court in Dadu and rebuild the Huaxia Confucian Temple to continue the cultural lineage.

The Bohai Sub-base also began construction on the same day. red alert engineering robots and landing ships worked in coordination, and in just a few days, the core of a primary base was established in Bohai Bay. Radar watchtowers pierced the sky, and offshore patrol formations cruised the waters, completely sealing off the sea routes for the remnants of the Yuan Mongol forces to flee north. Seeing the overwhelming power of red alert, the Mongol tribes on the grasslands sent envoys to Dadu to submit, expressing their willingness to become Huaxia vassals and pay annual tribute.

At this time, the South Seas remained the solid backbone of Huaxia's unification. Lu Xiufu led the controlled subordinates and the Scholars who had fled south to continuously transport grain, fuel, and medicine from the South Seas to the Central Plains. Rare ancient books from the Hall of Cultural Heritage were also sent back in batches to ancient capitals like Dadu, the Southern Song Capital, and Luoyang. The cultural lineage of Huaxia was completely reconnected after the fires of war. Many of the 120,000 han chinese people in the South Seas voluntarily returned home, bringing improved seeds and farming tools from red alert to various prefectures to assist in reconstruction and farming.

Lin Zhou stood atop the watchtower of Dadu, overlooking this imperial capital that had returned to Han hands. On the holographic sand table, the Nine Provinces of the Central Plains were now entirely covered in deep green. The spheres of influence in the South Seas, the Western Pacific, and the eastern Indian Ocean were connected. The Bohai Sub-base was beginning to take shape, and post-war reconstruction was proceeding in an orderly fashion. The land of Huaxia had finally welcomed a long-awaited peace.

The commander of the personal guards beside him bowed and reported, his voice full of excitement: "Your Majesty, the Nine Provinces are settled, and the four seas have returned to our side. The grassland tribes have sent envoys to submit, and the Western nations have also sent merchant fleets to Dadu for trade. Peace prevails under heaven, and ten thousand generations of prosperity can be expected."

Lin Zhou nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping across the Nine Provinces of the Central Plains, toward the northern grasslands, the Western nations, and the even more distant global map. Unifying the Central Plains was only the first step of his grand ambition. The foundation in the South Seas was solid, and the prestige of his maritime power was evident. Next, he would reorganize internal affairs, allow the people to recuperate, and then, using Huaxia as a base, lead the red alert steel torrent toward the wider oceans to conquer more distant lands, letting the flag of Huaxia be planted on every inch of soil across the globe.

He raised his hand and looked toward the horizon. Formations of red alert strategic bombers were patrolling the skies above Dadu, carrier battle groups were cruising the four seas, and engineering units were working and building on the Central Plains. The smoke from the people's cooking fires rose gently, and the sounds of reading, farming, and machinery intertwined, forming a picture of the beginning of a golden age.

"The Central Plains are settled; Huaxia shall flourish."

"Next, we shall recuperate and strengthen our foundation. Then, our fleet shall point to the four seas, and the world shall be unified."