Time flies, and another five years have passed.
Under Lin Feng's "breeding poison" inheritance rule, the Star Empire not only did not fall into internal strife, but instead burst forth with unprecedented vitality.
Every citizen of the empire, from the highest-ranking officials to the lowest commoners, understood one thing: the future of the empire would be inherited by the strongest. And the birth of the strong requires the most fertile soil and the most abundant nutrients.
This nourishment comes from war, plunder, and expansion.
Five years is enough time for an infant to grow into a child who can run and play.
For Lin Feng's princes who possessed divine blood, their growth rate over five years was even more astonishing.
The eldest prince, Lin Tianyou, is only nine years old, yet he is already able to fully explain his views on the newly promulgated "Interstellar Trade Act" in front of the Imperial Tutors.
His thinking was meticulous, he quoted extensively from classical texts, and his speech and demeanor exuded an innate nobility and dignity.
Imperial Noble Consort Su Qinghe poured all her heart and soul into him, shaping him into the most perfect "Crown Prince" in the eyes of the civil official group.
Tianxuan Palace also became the de facto "Eastern Palace" of the empire. Countless civil officials who longed to "serve the emperor" gathered here, forming a political force that could not be underestimated.
The second prince, Lin Tianwu, went to the other extreme.
At eight years old, he was already nearly as tall as an adult and as robust as a calf.
Murong Yan practically raised him as a humanoid beast.
His daily "homework" consisted of engaging in live-fire drills with the Empire's most elite special forces in the gravity chamber, or commanding thousands of troops in a virtual battlefield.
His hands were stained with real blood—in a border "cleansing" operation arranged by the Murong family, he personally beheaded a leader.
The young and promising generals in the military almost all regarded him as the future "King of War," and the Chengwu Hall was filled with the atmosphere of iron and blood all day long.
The third prince, Lin Tianxin, remained as quiet as ever. Under the tutelage of Queen Su Wanqing, he did not display his talents prematurely like his elder brothers.
He spent most of his time in the huge library of Fengyi Palace, reading extensively.
He read a wide variety of books, from imperial laws and military history to the poetry and art of conquered civilizations.
He was like a sponge, silently absorbing all knowledge, his eyes as calm as an abyss, making it impossible for anyone to see what he was thinking.
Su Wanqing never forced him to compete, but simply told him: "Look, look carefully. Only when you understand how power operates and how people's hearts change can you become the master of the chessboard, instead of a pawn being manipulated."
The other princes, under the guidance of their respective mothers, also embarked on different paths.
The entire harem, and indeed the entire empire, became a grand reality show revolving around the succession to the throne.
Lin Feng is the sole, high-ranking audience member and judge in this reality show.
He enjoyed the feeling of having everyone under his thumb, and he enjoyed watching his sons desperately try to get his attention.
These five years were also a period in which the empire digested the fruits of victory and its national strength expanded to an unprecedented level.
The technology from the "Eagle Federation" was perfectly integrated with the Empire's original technological system, giving rise to a large number of more powerful and efficient killing machines and civilian products.
Meanwhile, slaves from places like the "United Kingdom of North" served as an inexhaustible source of fuel, driving the empire's industrial machinery to operate at breakneck speed.
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The empire's population also experienced explosive growth during this ongoing "bloodline fusion" movement.
Today, the total population under the name of the Star Empire is approaching 500 million.
The capital of the heavens, the most dazzling pearl on this planet, has become even more prosperous and crowded.
Countless outsiders flocked to this city of dreams, hoping to get a share of the spoils from the empire's expansion.
Li Xiang was promoted from lieutenant to major.
He moved into a larger penthouse in the heart of the city.
His "first lady," Samantha, bore him a son and a daughter.
Because his son was found to have a C-level mental talent when he was three years old, Li Xiang received extra merit points, which made him eligible to choose a tall, blonde, blue-eyed woman from the Kingdom of North as his "second wife" from the new batch of spoils.
His life is a true reflection of the lives of countless mid-level officers in the empire.
They worked hard, fought in wars, earned merit, and then used their merit to acquire more land, wealth, and women.
This system has penetrated deep into the very marrow of the empire.
However, when an empire expands to its limit, its thirst for resources and slaves also becomes increasingly insatiable.
The existing mines can no longer meet the needs of the empire's new industrial revolution. The existing slave population, under intense exploitation, suffers from a high mortality rate, and a shortage is beginning to emerge.
The empire, a behemoth that Lin Feng had personally raised, felt hungry once again after a brief period of satiation.
It needs new prey.
On this day, at the Nine Heavens Moon-Embracing Palace.
Qin Lan was dressed in a black military uniform, standing straight with her expression as serious as ever.
Before her was a brand new, more expansive holographic star map.
"Your Majesty, based on our final deciphering of the deep space exploration data captured from the 'Eagle Federation' and cross-verification with the 'Sky Eye' No. 9 system, we have discovered several new, large-scale civilization clusters further south of the Southern Continent, after crossing a vast sea area we call the 'Ocean of Storms'."
Lin Feng was reclining on his new throne, which was made of a mixture of Leviathan spine and starwood. Two sisters, both of white bear blood and selected from the "Duchy of Valangia", were kneeling at his feet, massaging his calves.
They were exceptionally tall and voluptuous, with snow-white skin, yet as docile as kittens.
"Oh?" Lin Feng opened his eyes, a hint of interest flashing in his golden pupils. "What's different about this prey?"
“It’s very different, Your Majesty.” Qin Lan’s tone became serious: “This time, we may no longer be facing a single, isolated civilization, but a loosely structured alliance of multiple civilizations.”
She waved her hand, and a vast area consisting of countless islands of various sizes and a huge peninsula was highlighted on the holographic map.
This area, covered by the ocean and lush tropical rainforest, presents a vibrant, verdant green.
"We collectively refer to this region as the 'Southeast Asian Kingdoms.' Based on our preliminary signal decoding and image analysis transmitted by unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, there are two main civilizations here."
"They are all nations on Earth, alliances formed after the Great Migration."
Qin Lan pointed to the area comprised of thousands of islands: "This is what we call the 'Hundred Islands Alliance.' Its social structure is very primitive, similar to a tribal federation. Each island is ruled by a different tribe and chief, constantly fighting against each other, but they all worship a totem called the 'Sea God.' Their people have healthy bronze skin, are physically strong, and are extremely skilled in seafaring and jungle warfare."
"Their technological level is extremely backward, with most tribes still using cold weapons and primitive gunpowder weapons. However, their population base is extremely large. According to incomplete estimates, the total population of the 'Hundred Islands Alliance' may exceed 200 million."
A cruel smile curled at the corner of Lin Feng's lips: "Two hundred million? A very good source of slaves."
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Qin Lan offered no comment and continued, “And another region, on this vast delta peninsula, we call the ‘Red River Kingdom’.”
On the map, a winding red river nourishes a fertile plain.
"The 'Red River Kingdom' is completely different from the 'Hundred Islands Alliance.' They are a highly unified, centralized feudal state. Their people are relatively short in stature, but exceptionally resilient, cunning, and possess extremely strong national cohesion. They have a long history of resistance and have defeated enemies far stronger than themselves several times in the old days."
"Their technological level is somewhat higher than that of the 'Hundred Islands Alliance,' having entered the early stages of steam and internal combustion engines. They possess some rudimentary ironclad ships and early propeller aircraft. But the most troublesome thing is their combat methods."
Qin Lan pulled up a blurry video taken by a drone at an altitude of 10,000 meters. The video showed that the dense rainforest was filled with countless undetectable traps, tunnels, and camouflaged firing positions.
"They are skilled in guerrilla warfare, jungle warfare, and tunnel warfare. They will turn the entire country into a huge quagmire, dragging down any enemy that tries to conquer them. Moreover, according to our intelligence, there is some kind of defensive alliance between the 'Red River Kingdom' and the 'Hundred Islands Alliance'. If we launch an attack on one of them, the other will likely provide support."
After listening, Lin Feng slowly sat up straight. The two polar bear sisters immediately stopped massaging him and stepped aside.
“A large tribal alliance, a stubborn kingdom skilled in guerrilla warfare…” he muttered to himself, his golden eyes gleaming with excitement and greed. “Interesting, very interesting. The military academy students of the Guzheng Chou Empire lack sufficiently realistic teaching materials on urban warfare and jungle warfare.”
"Qin Lan."
"Your subject is present."
"What do you think is the best way to deal with such an enemy?"
Qin Lan was taken aback; she hadn't expected His Majesty to ask her this question. After a moment of contemplation, she coldly replied, "Your Majesty, the best way to deal with weeds is not to trim them, but to uproot them and then sprinkle salt on them."
"Hahaha..." Lin Feng burst into a hearty laugh, "Well said! Well said! My Qin Lan has indeed won my heart!"
His laughter shook the entire Nine Heavens Moon-Embracing Palace.
"Since they like to hide in the jungle, then I will burn their jungle, along with them, to ashes!"
"Since they worship this bullshit 'sea god,' then I'll make their god kneel at my feet and kiss my battle boots!"
His eyes burned with a devilish flame.
"Relay my orders!"
The air in the entire hall instantly became heavy.
"In the name of 'spreading the glory of the empire and civilizing the southern barbarians,' we will form the eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh joint expeditionary fleets!"
"Order! Imperial Academy of Sciences, prioritize the allocation of the newly developed 'Skyfire' thermobaric bomb to the bomber squadrons deployed for this mission! I will make every inch of the 'Red River Delta' taste the flames!"
"Order! The 7th and 8th Special Operations Divisions of the Army, 'Nightmare' mech units, all mobilize! I want them to teach those monkeys in the jungle what true hunting is!"
"Order! Marines, form an 'Island Purification' task force! I authorize them to implement the 'Indiscriminate Purification' policy on all islands of the 'Hundred Islands Alliance.' In any village where men dare to take up arms in resistance, execute them on the spot. Women and children will be taken as spoils of war!"
Lin Feng stood up, walked to the huge holographic map, and stretched out his finger, scribbling across the emerald green area.
"This time, I don't want any hypocritical excuses, nor any high-sounding reasons! What I want is the purest, most bloody conquest!"
"I will make the entire planet know that wherever the eye can see, it is the land of the Empire! All enemies of the Empire will have only one fate—to become humble nourishment for the rise of the Empire!"
"Your subject obeys the decree!" Qin Lan knelt on one knee, his voice trembling with an almost imperceptible, fanatical intensity.
After five years of silence, the empire's war machine has once again roared into action, more terrifying than ever before.
This time, the empire's propaganda tone was no longer "finding relatives" or "purification," but rather the naked truth—"living space."
The empire's propaganda machine relentlessly publicized the explosive growth of the empire's population and the increasing scarcity of its resources.
"Five hundred million! Our great empire now possesses five hundred million noble children of God!"
"However, our per capita living space is being compressed! Our children will not have enough land to roam freely in the future!"
"And in our rich south, those uncivilized barbarians occupy vast, fertile lands and possess countless precious mineral deposits! This is a desecration of the bloodline of the gods!"
"Go! Go south! For the sake of our descendants, seize the living space that belongs to them! This is His Majesty's will! This is the most sacred power bestowed upon us by the gods!"
Under such inflammatory propaganda, the entire empire fell into an unprecedented, collective belligerent frenzy.
Countless young soldiers bid farewell to their families, boarding warships for the southern expedition with a sacred sense of mission to "expand the empire's territory." In their eyes, there was no longer any pity, only the most primal desire for land and spoils.
An unprecedented war of genocide and conquest against two civilizations with a combined population of over 300 million has officially begun in human history.
This time, Lin Feng wants more than just victory.
What he wanted was a bloody feast that would make the entire planet tremble.
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