It's so hard for him.
If he didn't say these words, and his own monarch missed important information, who knows what the consequences would be.
If he were to say it, it would be like this now... The monarch's face is as black as coal, and it's unknown whether he will kill him to vent his anger.
Fortunately, the monarch managed to control his bad mood.
"Alright, you may leave now," the monarch said wearily.
Now, the news that the Lord of Hidden City is His Majesty of the Southern Kingdom has been announced.
Their second plan would then become unnecessary.
"Prepare gifts and send tribute to the Southern Kingdom every year." As he said this, the monarch unconsciously put on a fawning smile, a stark contrast to when he was preparing to seek the help of the Hidden City Lord to assassinate Gu Mu with other countries.
Even as he was having the tributes prepared, he added with a touch of unease, "By the way, remember to make the tributes generous; we absolutely cannot lose to other countries."
"But Your Majesty, we don't know what tributes other countries have prepared..." The minister in charge of this matter looked troubled.
After all, the emperor's heart is hard to fathom.
If we prepare too much, and His Majesty feels distressed, the national treasury might not be able to support it.
If we don't prepare enough, His Majesty might be dissatisfied.
Unexpectedly, His Majesty was so generous for the first time: "If you are unsure, the more the better. Within the limits of the national treasury, offer the maximum possible tribute."
The monarch gritted his teeth and said.
His heart was bleeding as he said these things.
But at this point, he had no choice but to compete internally.
Only the gifts offered as tribute were ranked in the middle to upper positions, and their country's geographical location was also some distance from the southern country.
As long as they don't stand out, don't lag behind, don't make a sound, and quietly have no presence.
Therefore, even if His Majesty of the Southern Kingdom has a bloodthirsty heart, he would not choose their country first, even if he were to choose blindly.
Compared to the destruction of a nation, what are those treasures worth?
However, at this moment, this monarch was not the only one caught in the involution.
Monarchs in other countries held the same ideas as this monarch.
"The more the better!" another monarch roared in the hall.
...
After conquering the Qi Kingdom, Gu Mu returned to the Southern Kingdom with Shen Ling.
Someone was reporting to him on the activities of various countries.
The Southern Kingdom had already sent out many spies to various countries.
They might be dancers, unknown street vendors in the capital, or even concubines from some household...
Their sources are diverse, but they are often more accurate and reliable than those available to ordinary people.
"Your Majesty, other countries have already received news that you are the Lord of Hidden City." The person reporting said respectfully, "They have decided to pay tribute to Your Majesty... About a month later, the Southern Kingdom will welcome envoys from various countries, who will bring tribute to the Southern Kingdom to show their sincerity."
"Of course, not all countries have chosen to pay tribute to His Majesty. Those countries that have not yet responded are probably still harboring the idea of joining forces to destroy the Southern Kingdom. Should we... continue to fight a few more battles?"
The person reporting didn't dare say the remaining few words aloud; they only dared to think about them in their mind.
After all, every war represents countless lives lost.
His Majesty had promised to ensure that the soldiers who followed him would live a peaceful life.
Now, those soldiers are all preparing to lay down their arms and return to their hometowns to see their families and live peaceful and happy lives.
Sending them to their deaths at this point... is too cruel.
However, those countries that are unwilling to submit remain an unpredictable variable.
“I know what you’re worried about.” Gu Mu smiled gently. “I promised the soldiers that once we conquer Qi, we can live a peaceful life. I will not go back on my word.”
He pulled a pistol from his sleeve.
The man looked closely and saw that it was very similar to the weapon His Majesty had used to kill the Emperor of Qi, but much smaller... Presumably, its power was not much different.
The man couldn't help but recall how, despite the vast distance between them, His Majesty had easily assassinated the Qi Emperor, who was being protected by his guards. He felt a lingering fear in his heart.
"This is……"
His Majesty took it out, which naturally implied an intention to introduce it, so the man dared to ask a question.
“This is called a pistol,” Gu Mu said with a slight smile.
He originally didn't have a pistol. He gave one to Chen Ling for self-defense and the other to Lu Xiaoyao, asking her to make one.
Gu Mu didn't actually have high hopes.
Unexpectedly, with the help of ancient books, Lu Xiaoyao was actually able to create an almost identical weapon in such a short time.
Even in terms of function and power, there is not much difference.
With Lu Xiaoyao's method, the South could mass-produce this type of firearm.
The first country to master firearms technology during the era of cold weapons.
Therefore, it can be said that it would be overwhelming for any country.
He still remembered the excited expression on Lu Xiaoyao's face when she handed him the pistol. She looked at Gu Mu expectantly and asked, "Are there any other weapons like this? I've found that the success rate of making something from an existing item is much higher! It seems I've been going down the wrong path all this time. I didn't have a suitable weapon design in my mind, which is why I couldn't make it for so long. But if there's an item in front of me, I think I can definitely make it!"
Lu Xiaoyao's tone was full of confidence.
So Gu Mu gave the grenade he had drawn from the system to Lu Xiaoyao.
Once hand grenades are mass-produced... I'm afraid... it wouldn't be a dream for him to conquer all countries.
But there's no need.
Throughout history, he has never seen a country unify the entire world.
Unifying the world is also an unlikely thing to achieve. After all, conflicts can break out in various places at any time. To achieve global unification, humanity would have to face an unexpected enemy on Earth.
Then this wish might actually come true.
It is unrealistic to expect everyone to become a unified entity with shared interests when there is no common enemy.
Gu Mu explained the power of the pistol, and he saw that the man's face showed disbelief, followed by surprise, and then ecstasy.
"With this thing... I'm afraid that other countries, even if they still have a little bit of interest, will have to nip those sparks in the bud by now."
The man squinted and smiled.
"Let the soldiers lay down their arms and return to their fields. The Southern Kingdom will remember their contributions and will give them even more benefits."
"As for these pistols, I will provide a batch later, and you can have each of the soldiers guarding the frontier carry one."
With this thing, anyone who's blind and tries to challenge the bottom line of the South will probably be riddled with bullets before they even get close.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" What else could that person say?
All I can do is shout "666" in my heart.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
