On the day the three armies returned to the city, the Ministry of Rites prepared a grand ceremony.
From the city gate, both sides of the avenue were cleaned up early in the morning, and there were red carpets that stretched into the distance.
Officials from various departments, dressed in solemn formal attire, lined up neatly on both sides of the road, each with a solemn expression. As the sound of horns drifted from afar, people's eyes turned toward the city gate.
Before long, the mighty soldiers of the three armies marched in with neat steps, heads held high and chests out, into the city gate.
The people on both sides of the street cheered and jumped for joy, waving flowers in their hands and throwing fruit into the streets. Countless people were overjoyed.
But as soon as Yao Zhijie came in, he realized something was wrong.
He went to war with the sixth prince, who had already ascended the throne before the war began.
Although there was no formal enthronement ceremony, the sixth prince was officially the ruler of the Great Jing Kingdom.
But none of the welcoming courtiers, nor the common people lining the streets, shouted "Long live Your Majesty!"
Furthermore, the celebration welcoming their return was also held at the princess's residence.
Moreover, Jiang Shuwan was seated in the main seat.
Starting with Jiang Shuwan, the seats for the officials were arranged to the left and right, and surprisingly, not a single official raised any objection to this seating arrangement.
Gripping the knife he hadn't yet removed from his hand, Yao Zhijie's palms were sweating nervously. He watched as his silly cousin cheerfully toasted Jiang Shuwan, praising the new weapon and complaining about how great it was. He also mentioned that his marksmanship was poor and he hadn't received one, hoping Jiang Shuwan would pull strings to get him one...
Yao Zhijie was immediately drenched in sweat.
Yao Zhijie's heart pounded even faster when he saw the military officers, led by Lu Shaogan and the three generals, staring at them menacingly.
The Yao family are relatives of the Sixth Prince. If these generals were to charge over, who knows how many rounds he could last.
It's tragic that he and Pei Shushu didn't have children yet. Is he dying young?
"General, something is wrong."
Not only Yao Zhijie, but the other military officers under the Sixth Prince also sensed something was wrong and all gripped their sword hilts.
They were all close confidants of the Sixth Prince. Judging from the usual patterns and past history, even if they immediately threw down their knives, they probably wouldn't survive...
Take a gamble and you might win big; if you succeed, you'll be rich...
Moreover, the troops who returned with them from the west were stationed outside the city...
Just as they were thinking this, Jiang Shuwan suddenly put down her wine cup and said to the Sixth Prince, "Want to play a game?"
"...What game?"
Soon, the court officials moved outside the city. Jiang Shuwan led 100 men, and the Sixth Prince led 10,000 men. The two sides divided into red and green camps to conduct military exercises.
“With such a huge difference in numbers and my new weapons, you’re doomed to lose.” The sixth prince, in high spirits, swung himself onto his horse.
Yao Zhijie immediately guessed what was about to happen and quickly mobilized all of the Sixth Prince's trusted men to join the campaign.
"Everyone here is a sensible person, so I won't say any more."
"Since the princess has given us a chance, if we want to give it a try, then let's give it a shot. If we fail, then don't blame me for being impolite if we end up in a fight again."
One of his confidants sneered, "Judging from Lord Yao's words, he has already surrendered to the princess?"
"If I had sided with the princess, would I still be standing here?" Yao Zhijie sneered.
Everyone immediately fell silent.
Indeed, although Yao Zhijie is the son-in-law of the Pei family, he is definitely closer to the Sixth Prince.
"Alright, if we can't even beat 10,000 against 100, then we'll accept it."
"Yes, the numbers are so vastly different, if we can't win, what's the point of playing dirty tricks..."
They were quickly defeated.
Seeing the new weapon that had just come out of the research institute, these confidants were speechless.
They used to think that the AK was a divine weapon, but they never expected that these iron lumps in the research institute were the real behemoths.
Moreover, judging from Jiang Shuwan's words, these giant beasts are just child's play; if they had more money, they could make even better ones.
And so.
After a moment of silence, everyone threw away their swords and knives.
After more than three years of training, the Sixth Prince was no longer a child, and he seemed to realize something.
He dismounted and walked to Jiang Shuwan's side.
He knelt on one knee, unfastened the sword from his waist, and presented it to Jiang Shuwan with both hands.
"Your subject is willing to pledge allegiance to the princess!"
"Your subjects are willing to serve the princess to the death!"
The voices of the crowd resounded like thunder, echoing in all directions.
At first, very few people said this, but gradually, thousands of soldiers everywhere shouted it in a booming voice.
"Your subjects are willing to serve the princess to the death!"
"We, your humble servants, are willing to serve the princess to the death!!"
"We, your humble servants, swear to serve the princess to the death!!!"
Infected by these sounds, Jiang Shuwan's fingers trembled involuntarily a few times.
She took the sword from the sixth prince's hand with trembling yet firm resolve, then focused her gaze on the huge crater created by the cannon fire.
The giant pit connected to a cliff, and the autumn wind was bleak, blowing her court robes into disarray.
Staring at the cliff that resembled an abyss, she gripped her sword, inlaid with rubies and sapphires, tightly.
"I am filled with trepidation and fear."
"As if standing on the edge of an abyss."
From then on, the sixth prince abdicated, the Great Jing changed its name to Yuan, and Jiang Shuwan became Emperor Yuan.
The whole country was shocked.
In September of the same year, the sixth prince was granted the title of Duke of Jing.
In September of the same year, Emperor Yuan married Pei Yanzhi, the General Who Conquers the West.
In October, Emperor Yuan rewarded those who had rendered meritorious service, appointing Pei Yanzhi as Grand Secretary and Yao Zhijie as a first-rank military marquis.
In November, Emperor Yuan established a new cabinet, headed by Pei Yanzhi, Duke Jing, and Yao Zhijie, forming a new central government with seven ministers under its jurisdiction to jointly manage domestic affairs.
In November of the same year, Yuanguo established four major academic research institutes: the Academy of Sciences, the Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the Academy of Social Sciences, and the Academy of Engineering.
Emperor Yuan served as the chief dean and chief engineer.
The following year, the first steam engine was invented, marking the beginning of the first technological revolution in Yuan Kingdom.
-The End-
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