155: The nine regions shine together, and all nations pay homage.

Chapter Eighteen: Radiant Across Nine Realms, Ten Thousand Nations Pay Homage

The first day of the first lunar month, the first year of eternal unity.

The old city of Dadu had been completely reshaped by red alert engineering units. Palaces loomed majestic, and celestial streets stretched wide, encircled by nine imperial rivers like ribbons, with twelve white jade rainbow bridges spanning the sky. From the Imperial City to Yongding Gate, the ten-li long street was paved entirely with tempered white jade, polished as smooth as a mirror. Arrays of magnificent lamps lined both sides as fragrant mist swirled, a ten-thousand-li tapestry of splendor stretching as far as the eye could see.

On this day, the sky was clear and the air crisp, with auspicious mists floating in the void. The most grand, solemn, and magnificent coronation ceremony in global history commenced, witnessed together by the lands of the Central Plains, the vassals of the four seas, and the oceans of the five continents.

Lin Zhou, dressed in a black imperial robe with twelve patterns, a Sea Pearl pendant at his waist and a Heaven-Reaching Crown on his head, sat atop a Nine-Dragon Sky-Patrolling Jade Carriage supported by red alert anti-gravity modules. The carriage shimmered with flowing light and vibrant colors as nine dragons raised their heads to exhale mist, floating without wind and exuding silent majesty. Wherever it passed, divine light paved the way on the ground, and ten thousand people knelt in worship, not daring to look up.

Both sides of the ten-li celestial street were already packed with a sea of people.

The people of the Central Plains, supporting the elderly and leading the young, knelt and burned incense, their cries and cheers intertwining to shake the heavens.

Scholars who had moved south, local gentry and elders, and students of the Imperial Academy knelt in orderly rows, their voices of praise rising like a tide.

Controlled personal guards and elite soldiers clad in golden armor and holding long halberds stood solemnly along the celestial street. Their armor glinted in the sun, their momentum like mountains, their emotions burning hot with unparalleled loyalty, waiting only for the Emperor's command to go through fire and water.

What shocked the world even more were the vassals and envoys who had come from all four corners of the globe to pay homage—

The kings of the Southern Seas tribes, Champa, Khmer, and Srivijaya arrived in person.

Monarchs from Persia, Tazi, and various Arab states prostrated themselves by the roadside, carrying heavy treasures.

The last Emperor of Byzantium, the Doge of Venice, the Podestà of Genoa, Princes of France, Earls of England, and the Kings of Portugal and Castile—all had traveled ten thousand miles to attend in person. Following the rites of vassals, they respectfully welcomed the Co-Lord of Huaxia.

They brought their most precious tributes:

Jewelry from the Western Seas, coral from the Mediterranean Sea, ivory from Africa, amber from the Atlantic Ocean, fine horses from the Western Regions, marten furs from the grasslands, spices from the Southern Seas, and exotic beasts from foreign lands... piled like mountains and stretching for miles, all just to catch a glimpse of the Heavenly Emperor's majesty and submit to Huaxia.

But what truly caused the world to change color and struck terror into the ten thousand nations was the red alert heavenly might suspended high in the nine heavens.

A formation of three giant strategic bombers slowly pressed over the Imperial City from the clouds, their fuselages like dark clouds blotting out the sun, their engines roaring like thunder from the nine heavens. Yet they fired not a single shot and harmed not a single thing, present only to manifest the "Heavenly Emperor's Court, Guarded by Heavenly Troops."

The four great fleets of the Western Pacific, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Atlantic Ocean simultaneously held a global cannon salute in their respective waters—not for slaughter, but for the majesty of the grand ceremony. Twenty-four rounds of ceremonial gunfire spanned mountains and seas, echoing simultaneously across the five continents and oceans, their sound waves merging to pierce the vault of heaven.

Global satellites projected the ceremony's footage in real-time onto a giant holographic sky-screen above Dadu:

The three aircraft carrier battle groups—aircraft carrier, Huaxia, and revitalization—patrolled the four seas.

The Central Plains' fertile fields stretched for ten thousand hectares, with granaries piled high as mountains.

The islands of the Southern Seas were stable and prosperous.

The trade routes of the Western Seas were clear, with ten thousand ships converging.

Every submitted city-state across the globe flew the Huaxia dragon flag.

Between heaven and earth, there was only one flag—

The Huaxia dragon flag, shining with the sun and moon, unifying the four seas.

At the three-quarters mark of the Si hour, bells and drums sounded together, and ritual music swelled.

Lin Zhou stepped down from the Sky-Patrolling Jade Carriage and ascended the Circular Mound of the Temple of Heaven to perform the rites of sacrificing to Heaven and announcing to the Ancestral Temple.

Lu Xiufu, dressed in the court robes of the Prime Minister, held the golden scroll and jade seal. Leading the civil and military officials, the vassals of the four seas, and the global envoys, he knelt in worship and read the "Ascension Edict" aloud, his voice shaking the nine heavens:

“In the first year of eternal unity, on the first day of the first lunar month, the Son of Heaven, Lin Zhou, sacrifices and announces to Sovereign Heaven and Empress Earth, and the ancestors of Huaxia:

After Yamen, Huaxia sank into ruin, the common people suffered, and the four seas broke apart. I rose from the South Sea, wielded divine weapons, settled the chaotic world, pacified the Central Plains, subdued the Southern Seas, extended my majesty to the Western Seas, and sailed across the four seas. Without bloodlust, without indiscriminate punishment, without colonization, and without tyranny, I soothe the ten thousand people with benevolence and virtue, stabilize the eight reaches with technology, and cleanse the world with sea power.

Now the nine realms are radiant, ten thousand nations come to pay homage, heaven and man are in resonance, and the Mandate of Heaven has returned. I ascend the throne as Emperor, establish the national title as Huaxia, change the era name to eternal unity, and announce to the world:

Where the sun and moon shine, and where the rivers reach, all is Huaxia territory;

All who have blood and breath, who possess spirit and wisdom, are my beloved children.

Those who follow our path shall trade and coexist, living and working in peace;

Those who defy our path, wherever the divine weapons reach, not a blade of grass shall remain.

May Heaven and Earth protect my Huaxia, unify the four seas forever, and bring about Great Unity under Heaven!”

When the edict was finished, a silence fell over heaven and earth, followed by an explosion of worshiping shouts like a mountain collapse or a tsunami:

“Long live my Emperor! Long live! Long, long live!”

“May Huaxia prosper forever! Great Unity under Heaven!”

Officials knelt, vassals prostrated, envoys kowtowed, and the people chanted together. The sound waves pierced the clouds, echoing endlessly even through the Taihang and Yan Mountains outside the city.

Lin Zhou stood atop the Temple of Heaven, looking down upon the world:

Beneath his feet were the ten thousand miles of the Central Plains, before his eyes were the ten thousand nations paying homage, above his head were the heavenly troops patrolling, and across the four seas were the fleets arrayed with flags.

He raised his hand, lightly pressing the jade seal at his waist, and issued the First Imperial Decree of the Huaxia Empire to the globe. His voice, transmitted through the global broadcast system, echoed simultaneously across the five continents and four seas, the sky and the land, and the deep oceans:

“I ascend to the Imperial Throne, reigning over the world and leading all directions.

From this day forth:

First, there shall be no civil wars, no pirates, no looting, and no tyrannical governance under heaven. Huaxia shall protect the ten thousand people;

Second, there shall be freedom of navigation on global sea routes. None shall dare offend those flying the Huaxia dragon flag;

Third, all vassals shall enjoy autonomy. There shall be no slaughtering of cities, no seizing of land, no forced migration, and no ending of ancestral sacrifices;

Fourth, technology shall be shared, seeds exchanged, and medicine and education shall go hand in hand, so that the world may be free from hunger, cold, ignorance, and war;

Fifth, should any rebellious subjects, regional warlords, pirates, or thugs dare to destroy the Great Unity of the world, once the red alert heavenly troops are deployed, they shall face total annihilation. No leniency shall be shown.”

The voice fell.

In every submitted city-state, port, island, and military camp across the globe, the Huaxia dragon flag was raised simultaneously;

The fleets of the four oceans simultaneously sounded their whistles in salute;

The bomber formations overhead dispersed, scattering billions of golden petals like snow falling from the nine heavens;

Within the city of Dadu, fireworks soared into the sky, a sea of light and flame illuminating the entire North China Plain.

Lu Xiufu led the officials in another bow, his voice choked with tears:

“From the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, through the Xia, Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han, Tang, Song, and Ming, there has never been a prosperity like today! Huaxia is restored, ten thousand nations pay homage, and the world is unified—an event unprecedented in all of history!”

The armor of the controlled soldiers reflected the sun as they shouted in unison, their voices shaking heaven and earth:

“We swear our lives in loyalty to Your Majesty! Defend Huaxia! Great Unity under Heaven!”

The vassals from all directions and the kings of the Western Seas all touched their heads to the ground, not daring to look up. In their hearts, only awe and submission remained—they finally understood that they were not submitting to a mere dynasty, but to an ultimate order that governed the four seas, transcended heaven and earth, and crushed the entire old world with a technological gap.

Lin Zhou stood atop the Temple of Heaven, his gaze sweeping over the ten thousand miles of territory, beyond the Nine Provinces, beyond the four seas, toward the even more distant and unexplored New Continent, the Antarctic ice fields, the mysteries of the deep sea, and even the starry sky and the vault of heaven.

Great Unity under Heaven was only the starting point.

He slowly raised his hand, pointing toward the firmament. His voice was majestic, calm, and vast, setting the foundation for thousands of generations to come:

“Huaxia is established, and the world is unified.

Today, the nine realms are radiant, and ten thousand nations pay homage.

Tomorrow, I shall lead the Huaxia heavenly troops to sail the four seas and expand across the eight reaches, so that the dragon flag may be planted on every inch of land on the globe, and the light of civilization may shine upon the entire world.”

“The era of eternal unity begins now.”

“May Huaxia prosper forever.”

The wind stirred the imperial robe, the sun emerged from the clouds, the dragon flag fluttered, and ten thousand ships paid homage.

Between heaven and earth, only one voice echoed eternally:

Long live my Emperor, may Huaxia prosper forever, Great Unity under Heaven.