Chapter 7: To Kill or Not to Kill

  After an awkward silence, Xiao Yao shook his head and said: "Big brother is indeed ambitious and has great aspirations! However, unifying the grasslands is not something that can be accomplished overnight. Firstly, there are already people within the Xianbei tribe who oppose big brother, and the grasslands are also home to many powerful tribes. Even if you could defeat all your opponents on the grasslands, would countries like Da Ruo, Yin Yue, and Dalu Gongguo just sit back and watch the grasslands become powerful? How do you plan to handle relations with Sheng Long? Are you going to expand the battlefield to the entire world?"

  Ti Ding threw his head back and laughed loudly: "Conquering the world is about strength. The Xianbei tribe is now in the hands of a coward, as long as the opportunity arises, I will quietly sneak back to the tribe, kill these bastards, let my father Khan step down honestly, and there won't be any internal problems. I believe all the brave warriors of the entire tribe will stand on my side without hesitation, because I can bring them honor and wealth, give them status and women!

  As for the powerful tribes on the grasslands, they are not to be feared. First, I will marry my sister to the Yelü tribe, and then unite the Xianbei and Yelü tribes' strength to attack the Hélían tribe with all our might. The only one who has the power to save the Hélían tribe is the Hūlán tribe, but unfortunately, the chief of the Hūlán tribe is on his deathbed, and their internal strife hasn't even subsided yet, so they don't have time to intervene in this matter. After we defeat the Hélían tribe, the Hūlán tribe will also be left standing alone. The three strongest tribes on the entire grasslands will be eliminated, who else would dare to oppose me?

  As for those powerful countries, it's even more unnecessary to mention them. These countries are just pretending to be strong and would love to see the grassland people fight each other endlessly. Of course, they wouldn't bother to send troops on a long expedition. Once I unify the grasslands, it won't be a question of whether they will attack me or not, but rather whether I will attack them or not. These countries are used to being pampered and arrogant in peacetime, but when it comes to real fighting with swords and guns, how can they possibly be a match for our brave warriors from the grasslands?

  "Brother, when the time comes, we will join forces and turn all the land into our hunting ground, until the end of the sky, the edge of the sea, the limit of the earth..."

  The more I listen, the more shocked I am. I realize that I really underestimated this guy. At first, I thought Ding was just a reckless and arrogant guy, but then I found him to be silly and lovable. It wasn't until I discovered his true identity that I realized he was actually an outstanding military commander who had risen to prominence in the north in recent years.

  Now, as the conversation deepens, it is only then that one feels that Di Ting is not only ambitious but also good at plotting and ruthless, wanting to force his own father to abdicate and conquer other countries.

  Although Xiaoyao also grew up in the atmosphere of power struggle, he was equally ruthless in consolidating his own position and mercilessly beating down those who had fallen. However, when faced with an opponent who posed a serious threat to his country and nation, Xiaoyao did not have any feelings of sympathy or pity.

  "Big brother's kindness is too much for little brother to accept! As a Holy Dragon person, I dare not defect to another country!"

  He sipped his wine to cover up the shock in his heart and said calmly.

  "Brother, this sentence is completely wrong!"

  Tiding didn't notice the change in Xiangyao's tone and continued to speak boldly, "Didn't your Saint Taizong also say 'all heroes under heaven will enter my net'? Among the famous generals and wise ministers of the Sacred Dragon Empire, aren't there many people from other countries? In fact, only those nobles care about who sits on the throne, ordinary people don't care, they just want to have enough food and clothing, and live in peace! Look at the Sacred Dragon now, those officials don't care about the lives of ordinary people, talented people can't get promoted. When I came, I heard that one of your great poets wrote a poem saying 'the smell of wine and meat wafts from the vermilion gates, while frozen corpses lie on the roads'. Such a court is not as good as letting us brothers take it down and sit on it ourselves! I believe we would definitely do better than this dog emperor!"

  Excited Tiding was gesticulating wildly.

  Kill?

  Don't kill?

  He is hesitating in his heart. Without a doubt, this guy will absolutely be Saint Dragon's greatest threat after this, and the best solution would be to take advantage of him being drunk and completely off guard right now to get rid of him once and for all。 However, doing so would make himself feel somewhat guilty; moreover, killing two birds with one stone, if he could let this chaotic evil king cause a limited commotion, taking this opportunity to purge Saint Dragon's corrupt forces and wake up the self-indulgent people of Saint Dragon, it wouldn't be a bad idea either。 The problem is, can this chaotic evil king be controlled?

  With such thoughts, Xīao Yáo's expression remained unchanged as he shook his head and said: "No, no, the Sacred Dragon has always been the Sacred Dragon of the people of the Sacred Dragon. If the emperor is not good, they can be overthrown; if the officials are not good, they can be killed. However, the Sacred Dragon will forever be decided by its own people. There's a common saying in the Sacred Dragon: 'A scholar can be killed but not humiliated.' No matter how incompetent the emperor of the Sacred Dragon is, no matter how useless their officials are, or how numb their subjects are, once an outsider tries to rule over the Sacred Dragon, the people will unite and would rather shatter like jade than remain intact as a tile."

  It was as if he had been stunned by the sudden words, and after a moment of daze, he blinked his eyes and said: "That's easy to handle. You help me conquer the grasslands first, and then I'll bring the heroes of the grasslands to help you seize the Sacred Dragon. When that time comes, brother, you can rule the Sacred Dragon, and I, big brother, will rule the great grasslands. We brothers will share the wealth and prosperity of the world, generation after generation, our children and grandchildren living in harmony, the grasslands and the Sacred Dragon as one family, forever united!

  Such unexpected words made Xiao Yao stunned, and he put down the prepared sneak attack. Although what Ti Ding said about sending troops to help Xiao Yao capture the Holy Dragon was somewhat ridiculous, it was the standard logic of the strong being king on the grasslands. However, when Ti Ding said that the Grassland Holy Dragon is like one family, forever as one body, it made Xiao Yao think deeply.

  Like one family, forever as one!

  Yes, Shenglong Grassland is like a family, forever as one, what a wonderful thing!

  If that's the case, Sheng Long will no longer need to spend a large amount of military expenses on national defense in the north, and a large number of elite troops can be freed up to deal with the pirates and Japanese in the southeast. With the vast grasslands as a natural barrier, Sheng Long is equivalent to having a solid rear, and it is no longer a place of war. The southern clowns will collapse without a fight, and the country of vagrants in the east will be directly attacked, and the Empire will have no external troubles.

  Unfortunately, the cruel reality is that over the years, Sheng Long and the Prairie have been mutually hostile, each wanting to overpower the other whenever one becomes stronger.

  When the grassland was strong, the warlike nomadic tribes set fires everywhere, killing and looting, forcibly seizing the sacred dragon's food, cattle, sheep, and women. They also forced the sacred dragon to submit, which was considered a great shame by the sacred dragon's clan, who were determined to take revenge with a heavy heart and tears of blood.

  When the Holy Dragon is powerful, the days of the grassland people are not good. The Holy Dragon warriors sweep across thousands of miles, killing countless enemies, forcing the grassland people to migrate and avoid war. Later, they implemented a strategy of using barbarians to control barbarians, causing the grasslands to be divided into four or five parts, with endless wars.

  Thus, Sheng Long became a paradise in the dreams of the prairie people, and the prairie became a thorn in Sheng Long's heart.

  Years of war have fostered generations of hatred; how easy can it be to dissolve such hatred?

  A wistful smile, although Ti Ding's words stirred his heart, but this was just a castle in the air, a fleeting illusion. Let alone whether it could be achieved as Ti Ding wished, after unifying the grasslands and defeating the Holy Dragon, even if he really defeated the Holy Dragon, would there be an eternal promise in the face of power? Moreover, no matter how bold and daring he was, he would never dare to play with fire by inviting wolves into his home, for personal honor and shame were trivial matters compared to the rise and fall of a nation.

  Let's take a step back and think, is it really in the best interest of Sheng Long to be at peace with the Prairie Generation? Xiao Yao recalled a famous saying: "Without internal discipline, without external threats, a country will perish!" Without the existence of external threats, it will only make the already numb people of Sheng Long even more numb. The world is so vast, who knows if there will be a powerful nation rising on the other side of the ocean or beyond the mountains? If in the future another powerful nation emerges and comes to attack, can Sheng Long still resist without a sense of crisis and indulging in peace and prosperity?

  For the Holy Dragon, the best approach is undoubtedly to let a divided and hostile prairie continue to exist, allowing it neither to pose a destructive threat to itself nor to constantly remind itself of the presence of strong enemies.

  Sorry, Tiding!

  Xiaoyao silently apologized to Tiding, and the scattered power gathered again. The idea of prioritizing the country took over once more, and his right hand rose, ready to strike towards Tiding, who was searching his mind for a way to persuade Xiaoyao.

  "Bang!"

  ……

  The heavy, muffled tolling of the bell, and the lingering echo that followed, broke the relative stillness of the holy city, and people who were accustomed to peace and quiet finally felt the pressure of something big happening.

  In contrast to Tiding, who was unfamiliar with the Holy Dragon and sat drinking wine in contemplation, Xiangyao "Huò", who was familiar with the Holy Dragon's etiquette, stood up and his first thought was: "The palace is changing!"