N-A-A Chapter 1162 The chess pieces should all be playing their part!
Chapter 1162 The chess pieces should all be playing their part!
But what if the person who leashed the dog is no longer there?
Gao Yao's fingers tapped lightly on the window frame. Once Emperor Qing passed away, the thin veil between the eldest and second princes would be completely torn apart. At that time, Southern Qing would inevitably descend into internal strife. And what does a nation in the midst of internal strife need most? Money, military equipment, and external support—all of which Gao Yao could provide.
More importantly, internal strife exposes weaknesses and creates opportunities. When everyone's attention is focused on the two princes, who will pay attention to the guild president who has always kept a low profile?
“However, Emperor Qing is not so easy to deal with.” Gao Yao turned and walked to his desk, on which lay a meticulously drawn diagram of the power structure of Southern Qing. Emperor Qing was not only protected by the Imperial Guards and the ever-present eyes and ears of Chen Pingping from the Overwatch Council, but also by two Grandmaster-level experts—Ye Liuyun and Emperor Qing himself.
Furthermore, Ye Liuyun is nominally in the open, while Hong Siyang is in the shadows. These two grandmasters, one in the open and one in the shadows, are Emperor Qing's greatest guarantee of safety. To deal with Emperor Qing, these two must be dealt with first.
But this is precisely Gao Yao's greatest advantage—the asymmetry of information. He knows that Ye Liuyun will eventually "betray" him, he knows Hong Siyang's true strength and identity, and he knows all of Emperor Qing's trump cards. But no one knows his own trump cards.
One of their most crucial trump cards was gunpowder.
The world's environment was altered by nuclear explosions, giving rise to a system for cultivating internal energy, but gunpowder technology never developed. However, Gao Yao not only possessed the black powder formula, but also a complete gunpowder manufacturing system researched and improved over many years in the Chinese world. While Nanqing still relied on swords, bows, and crossbows, Gao Yao's workshops had already completed the casting of cannon molds, were setting up musket production lines, and even were producing fireworks on a small scale.
"Firearms might not be enough to deal with Grandmasters, but they're sufficient against Ninth-Rank martial artists." Gao Yao recalled a secret test not long ago. Thirty well-trained musketeers fired simultaneously from a hundred paces away, and even an Eighth-Rank expert would find it difficult to escape unscathed. If it were cannons, even a Ninth-Rank martial artist would be doomed.
Of course, firearms are not a panacea. The grandmasters of this world can form protective auras with their true qi, making them extremely fast and possessing astonishing perception. But Gao Yao has other plans—he himself is the ace of acees.
His thoughts drifted back to his recent sparring match with Si Gu Jian. On the surface, it was a draw, but in reality, both had probed each other's strengths. What Si Gu Jian didn't know was that Gao Yao hadn't gone all out.
"A Grandmaster of External Strength..." Gao Yao touched the healed wound on his chest, a smile playing on his lips. The reason external strength training was not valued in this world was because it violated the fundamental principles of true qi cultivation—true qi nourishes the body and prolongs life; external strength training overdraws the body and accelerates aging. But Gao Yao was different. The mysterious reward he received from the mythical Qin Dynasty world had fundamentally changed his body.
That wasn't just simple physical training; it was an evolution of the body's very essence. His muscle density, bone strength, and recovery ability far surpassed those of ordinary people. Combined with a special method of circulating true qi, he formed a unique path of "dual cultivation of body and qi." This path was unprecedented and will likely remain so.
In his battle against Si Gu Jian, Gao Yao used only seven-tenths of his strength, yet he still managed to force the guardian of Dongyi City to cough up blood and sustain injuries. In a life-or-death struggle, Gao Yao was eighty percent confident he could kill Si Gu Jian. And this was only his strength at the initial stage of entering the Grandmaster realm.
“However, the plan still needs to be implemented step by step.” Gao Yao composed himself and sat back down at his desk. Besides the power structure diagram, there were several newly compiled cultivation manuals on the desk—the *Supreme Saint Technique*, the *Righteous Heart Technique*, the *Dragon Tiger True Qi*, and the *Five Elements True Qi*. These were rewards given by the system after killing Yan Xiaoyi and Shangshan Hu.
Yan Xiaoyi, commander of the Southern Qing Imperial Guards, a ninth-rank archery master; Shang Shanhu, a general of the Northern Qi, a fierce warrior on the battlefield. The sheer weight these two carry in this world is evident from the generous rewards the system provides. Four cultivation techniques directly leading to the Grandmaster realm—treasures capable of igniting bloodshed in any faction.
Gao Yao gently stroked the covers of these martial arts manuals. He wouldn't be stingy with this knowledge; on the contrary, he would choose suitable individuals to pass on these techniques. Xue Rengui, Zhao Yun, Fan Kuai... each of these generals he brought had the potential to become a Grandmaster. When they broke through, that would be the day Gao Yao's power truly emerged.
"Your Majesty," came Xue Rengui's voice from outside the door.
"Come in."
Xue Rengui pushed open the door and entered, dressed simply as a caravan guard, yet his military bearing was undeniable. He was one of the first generals to follow Gao Yao to this world, and also one of the people summoned as a system reward.
"What's the reaction from Si Gu Jian's side?" Gao Yao asked.
"Wang Xi has left Jianlu and headed to Taiping Money Exchange. As you predicted, Si Gu Jian has ordered that we not antagonize the Gao Clan Chamber of Commerce," Xue Rengui reported succinctly. "In addition, Yun Zhilan has begun investigating us, but only as a routine business background check."
Gao Yao nodded: "Si Gu Jian is a smart man. He knows when to advance and when to retreat. Dongyi City is independent between Nanqing and Beiqi, and what it needs most is balance. And we are that new balance point."
"What about the Qing Kingdom?"
“Continue according to plan.” A glint flashed in Gao Yao’s eyes. “Emperor Qing’s birthday is still three months away, which is our best opportunity. Before that, we need to do three things.”
He stood up, walked to the wall, and pulled back a curtain to reveal a huge map behind it.
"First, open up trade routes from Dongyi City to the capital of Nanqing, especially several secret routes. Second, establish three secret training bases near the capital; the training of the firearms troops must not be stopped. Third..." Gao Yao's finger landed on a point on the border of Northern Qi, "...and make contact with Shang Shanhu's former subordinates. The emperor of Northern Qi is very suspicious; after Shang Shanhu's death, his subordinates will not have an easy time. These people may be useful in the future."
Xue Rengui carefully noted it down: "Yes. In addition, Chen Pingping's Censorate has recently increased its attention to our Chamber of Commerce. We have found Censorate spies in all three warehouses in Kyoto."
Gao Yao smiled slightly: "If Chen Pingping couldn't notice us, then he wouldn't be Chen Pingping. There's no need to deliberately hide from us; just operate normally. Sometimes, letting them see what we want them to see is better than completely hiding."
After Xue Rengui left to carry out his orders, Gao Yao sat back down at his desk, spread out a sheet of paper, and began to write. This was no ordinary letter, but a complex code that only a specific person could decipher.
The letter was addressed to several key figures: a steward in the household of Fan Jian, the Vice Minister of Revenue in Nanqing; a staff member in the Second Prince's household; a maidservant to Princess Li Yunrui... These people, seemingly insignificant, all had access to core information. Some had been caught red-handed by Gao Yao, some had been bribed with large sums of money, and others genuinely agreed with Gao Yao's ideals—to build a more just and powerful nation.