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When news of Japan reached the capital, Su Ning was reviewing memorials in the imperial study.

There was a thick stack of documents on the table, including military reports from the Western Regions, tax bills from Jiangnan, and memorials of greeting from the grasslands and Southeast Asia.

He looked at each document one by one, wrote comments on each one, dipped his red brush again and again, and wrote and wrote.

Grand Secretary Li Fang pushed open the door and entered, holding a secret report delivered by express messenger. "Your Majesty, it's from Japan."

Suning took the confidential report and unfolded it.

Guo Jing's handwriting was neat and concise, and he recounted the whole story from beginning to end...

How arrogant and rude Fujiwara no Sumitomo was, how he oppressed the people, how he was captured overnight, how he was beheaded and displayed to the public, and how he led his troops to Kyoto and forced the Japanese emperor to hand over his accomplices.

The last sentence reads: "Your subject has followed Your Majesty's instructions: those who obeyed were spared, and those who disobeyed were killed. Japan is now pacified; Your Majesty can rest assured."

After reading it, Su Ning's lips curled up slightly. "Ninth and Tenth Brothers, well done."

Li Fang laughed and said, "The Ninth Prince is decisive and ruthless, while the Tenth Prince is steady and methodical. The two brothers work together seamlessly. I heard that on the day Fujiwara no Sumitomo was beheaded, the people of Kyushu cheered loudly, and many people cried on the spot. There shouldn't be any more trouble in Japan from now on."

Suning nodded.

He then put down the secret report and focused his gaze on the map.

The map stretched from the wall to the ground, covered with red lines and markings.

Starting from the capital and heading west, crossing the Hexi Corridor and the Western Regions, the line stretches all the way to the Mediterranean coast.

On that vast land, familiar place names are marked one by one...

Baghdad, Damascus, Jerusalem, Cairo, Mecca.

And further west lies the place—Constantinople.

Japan got off to a flying start, but the real drama is unfolding in the Middle East.

When the news reached the Arab world, Guo Wen was on a ship.

The fleet sailed slowly across the Bosphorus Strait, the roar of steam engines echoing across the sea.

Ten of the most advanced "Dragon Might" class steam warships were lined up in a row, each equipped with four 300mm main guns and a dozen or so secondary guns on each side.

Those cannons, their dark muzzles pointed at the Byzantine outposts on both sides of the river.

In the distance, the outline of that ancient city with a history of thousands of years became clearer and clearer.

Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire, a holy site of the Eastern Orthodox Church, and a crossroads of Eurasia.

The city walls are high, and the churches are numerous, their golden domes gleaming in the sunlight.

King Guo Wen of Qin stood at the bow of the ship, gazing at the city, pondering how to take it down.

Behind him stood his five younger brothers: the second son, Prince Guo Zhi of Jin; the third son, Prince Guo Wu of Zhao; the fourth son, Prince Guo Gong of Yan; the fifth son, Prince Guo Qian of Chu; and the sixth son, Prince Guo Qiu of Qi.

Six people, six fiefdoms.

Guo Wen's fiefdom was the most unique; it was Constantinople.

At that time, the city was still the capital of the Byzantine Empire, but the emperor said that it would be his territory in the future.

The fiefdom of King Guo Zhi of Jin was Baghdad, that of King Guo Wu of Zhao was Mecca, that of King Guo Gong of Yan was Cairo, that of King Guo Qian of Chu was Jerusalem, and that of King Guo Qiu of Qi was Damascus.

Six locations completely surround the entire Middle East and the Arab world.

“Brother,” said Prince Guo Wu of Jin, his voice filled with excitement, “when shall we make our move? My men are getting impatient. Those new ‘Sea Dragon’ class destroyers are fast and have accurate guns; they’ll come in handy.”

Guo Wen didn't turn around. "What's the rush? Let them panic first. The more panicked they are, the easier it will be to defeat them."

Guo Zhi stood to the side, holding a piece of intelligence. "Brother, we've got the situation in Byzantium figured out. The emperor is Basil II, over sixty years old, has reigned for over thirty years, and has fought many battles. But his army is scattered in various places and can't be assembled in time. There are about 50,000 garrison troops in Constantinople. On our side, we have 100,000 on land and 50,000 at sea, a total of 150,000. That's enough."

Guo Gong asked, "Where are their ships?"

"Ships?" Guo Wu, who was standing to the side, suddenly couldn't help but laugh. "Fourth brother, you haven't seen our ships. Those Byzantine ships are still rowed, slow and clumsy. Our 'Dragon Might-class' warships are powered by gas turbines, and one shot can hit a target five miles away. Their ships can't even get close."

Guo Qian said, "Third brother, don't just talk about ships. The Academy of Sciences has come up with something new for our land combat equipment."

He pulled a blueprint from his pocket and handed it to Guo Wen. "Brother, look, this is the 'Vulcan Cannon' newly developed by the Academy of Sciences. It has six barrels that fire in a circular motion, capable of firing dozens of shells in the blink of an eye. Even mounted on a wagon, it can keep up with the cavalry. Not to mention that it can now be mounted on a truck, making it extremely mobile. When attacking a city, a single sweep of it across the city walls will leave the people on the walls unable to even raise their heads."

Guo Wen took the blueprints, looked them over, and said, "Good stuff. How many did you bring?"

"We brought fifty guns. We also brought two hundred 'Thunder Chariots,' which are heavily armored, fast, and can overwhelm any cavalry when charging head-on."

Guo Qiu asked, "Fifth brother, how's your 'gas turbine' research going? I heard from people at the Academy of Sciences that it's much more powerful than the steam engine."

Guo Qian's eyes lit up. "It's already done. The newly launched 'Hailong-class' destroyers use gas turbines. They run twice as fast as steamships and are more fuel-efficient. Once we take Constantinople, I'll have someone build a shipyard on the Bosphorus Strait specifically to build these kinds of ships."

Guo Wen nodded. “Alright. Fifth brother, you’re in charge of logistics and equipment. Sixth brother, you’re in charge of intelligence and diplomacy. Second brother, you stay in Baghdad and stabilize the rear. Third and fourth brothers, fight with me.”

Guo Zhi was unhappy again. "Brother, why are you all going to fight while I have to stay behind? I want to fight too."

Guo Wen glanced at him and said, "You think staying behind is easy? If things get chaotic in Baghdad, we're all doomed. The Arabs were just wiped out, and there are plenty of people who are still resentful. Your presence there is more important than fighting the war."

Guo Zhi pursed his lips and remained silent.

……

The Byzantine Empire was indeed panicked.

In recent years, they have watched helplessly as the Black-Clad Arabs, the Green-Clad Arabs, and the Seljuk Turks were destroyed by the Great Zhou, as the Zhou army advanced westward step by step, and as those once powerful neighbors fell one by one.

Cities of the Arabs were captured one after another, and their armies were wiped out wave after wave.

Now, Zhou Jun has finally reached our doorstep.

Basil II stood on a high point in the palace, gazing at the Bosphorus Strait in the distance.

On the sea, there was a dark mass of Zhou's warships.

Steamships billowing black smoke lined up one after another, completely blocking the strait.

He had lived for over sixty years and had never seen a ship like this before…

It can move on its own without sails or oars, and it runs so fast.

"What kind of ship is that?" Basil II asked the people around him.

The person beside him shook his head. "I don't know either. But I've heard that in the Great Zhou, there's something called a 'steam engine' that can make ships move on their own."

Basil II's face turned pale. "Hold on...hold on!"

Can we hold it?
The Byzantine army numbered at most 200,000.

They were scattered in various places and could not be gathered together in a short period of time.

There were only 50,000 defenders in Constantinople.

Outside the city, Zhou's army numbered 150,000.

So he sent envoys to sue for peace.

……

The envoy traveled by small boat, passing through the Zhou army's warships, and arrived at the Zhou army camp.

Those enormous warships sailed past him like moving iron mountains.

The messenger looked up, and his neck got sore.

The envoy was led into the main tent and knelt before Guo Wen. "Your Highness, Prince Qin of the Great Zhou Dynasty, His Majesty the Emperor of our dynasty is willing to negotiate peace, submit to the Zhou Dynasty, and pay tribute. As long as the Great Zhou withdraws its troops, any conditions are negotiable."

Guo Wen looked at him. "Peace talks? Submission of allegiance? Tribute?"

He smiled and said, "It's too late."

"Your Highness..."

Then, the Byzantine envoys were sent back.

Basil II, undeterred, sent another group of envoys.

This time the terms were even more favorable—the cession of Thrace and Macedonia, a reparation of ten million gold coins, and the sending of the crown prince to the capital as a hostage.

Guo Wen reiterated, "It's too late."

When the third group of envoys arrived, Guo Wen did not meet them at all.

He stood before the map, discussing the attack route with his five brothers. "Third brother, you attack by land, heading straight for the north gate of Constantinople. Fourth brother, you take the navy and block their retreat. Fifth and sixth brothers, you go around to the west to prevent them from escaping by land. Second brother, you go back to Baghdad and stabilize the rear."

"promise!"

……

In May of the twenty-seventh year of the prosperous era, the Zhou army launched a general offensive.

On the land route, Guo Wu led 50,000 men and pressed in from the north.

He rode a tall black horse at the head of the procession.

Behind him were five hundred cannons, two hundred Thunder Chariots, five thousand cavalry, and thirty thousand infantry.

Smoke billowed, obscuring the sky and the sun. From above, the winding procession looked like a giant dragon, slowly approaching Constantinople.

The Byzantine garrison lined up outside the city, intending to engage the Zhou army in a field battle.

The commander was a famous Byzantine general named John Courcus, who was over sixty years old and had fought his entire life without ever losing.

He stood at the front of the formation, frowning as he watched the approaching Zhou army.

The formation of Zhou Jun's troops was too neat.

Column by column, row by row, as if measured with a ruler.

When they walk, they move in unison, their footsteps making a deafening sound.

"What kind of army is this?" John Kurkuas asked the man next to him.

"This..." No one could answer.

Guo Wu reined in his horse, looked at the Byzantine formation, and smiled.

"Order the artillery to prepare."

Five hundred cannons were lined up in a row.

The cannons, their dark muzzles pointed directly at the Byzantine formation.

"put!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!
The cannonballs whistled through the air and crashed into the Byzantine formation.

One shot landed, and men and horses fell, blood and flesh flew everywhere.

Those shells would explode after landing, scattering shrapnel everywhere; getting near them would kill you, and touching them would injure you.

The Byzantines' formation was disrupted.

John Culkouas, mounted on his horse, shouted, "Hold on! Hold on!"

But it's impossible to stabilize it.

Shells rained down wave after wave, each wave claiming hundreds of lives. The soldiers had never seen such weapons before, and their legs went weak with fear.

Some people dropped their weapons and ran, some knelt on the ground praying to the gods, and some simply fainted.

Guo Wu waved his hand, "Thunder Chariot, go!"

Two hundred Thunder Chariots charged out.

The chariots were covered with thick iron armor, and several soldiers sat inside, with a cannon barrel protruding from the front.

They made a thunderous roar when they ran, faster than cavalry.

The Byzantine formation completely collapsed.

The tanks charged into the crowd, their cannons spewing fire and mowing down hordes of people.

The cavalry followed behind, brandishing their swords and hacking down the fleeing soldiers.

John Culcus, protected by his personal guards, ran desperately backward.

However, his horse was hit by a stray bullet and fell to the ground.

John Culcus was helped onto another horse by his personal guards and continued running.

After running for an hour, he looked back and saw that there were only a few hundred people left behind.

After an hour of fighting, more than 20,000 Byzantines died.

Guo Wu withdrew his troops and returned to camp, standing on a high point and gazing at the city.

"Tomorrow, we will attack the city."

……

On the other side of the waterway, Guo Gong led his navy to block Constantinople's retreat.

Ten Dragon Might-class warships lined up in a row, their cannons aimed at the Byzantine ships attempting to escape by sea.

Those Byzantine ships, still ancient oar-powered boats, were small and slow, like lambs to the slaughter in the face of steam warships.

One ship runs, one ship is bombed.

Run two ships, bomb one pair.

The main guns on those warships could blast a ship in two with a single shot.

Those secondary guns, when they swept across, created a sea of ​​fire.

Before the Byzantine fleet even left the port, more than twenty ships were sunk.

The rest were so frightened that they turned and ran away, never daring to come out again.

Guo Gong stood on the flagship, gazing at the city that was completely surrounded.

"Issue the order to blockade the strait. Not even a fly is allowed to escape."

"promise!"

……

The siege began the next day.

Guo Wu's artillery battalion bombarded the north gate.

Five hundred cannons bombarded the area day and night for a full day and night.

Those ancient city walls, under the bombardment of artillery shells, peeled away piece by piece and collapsed section by section.

On the third day, a large hole was blasted open in the north gate.

Zhou Jun swarmed in.

The Byzantine garrison in the city put up a desperate resistance.

They set up roadblocks in the streets, shot arrows from rooftops, and fought street battles with Zhou's army at every intersection.

But it was completely useless.

Zhou Jun's Vulcan cannon, with its six barrels rotating and firing, swept across the street, and a whole area felled.

The archers hiding on the rooftops were hit by the Vulcan cannon and fell down along with their arrows.

Guo Wu rode his horse and charged ahead.

His knife got chipped and dull, so he got a new one.

When his horse died, he replaced it with another.

He was covered in blood, but his eyes shone like stars.

……

Five days later, the resistance within Constantinople was largely suppressed.

Basil II stood in the palace, trembling as he listened to the increasingly loud shouts of battle outside.

"Your Majesty," a minister whispered, "how about... we surrender?"

Basil II remained silent for a long time before giving up.

The gates of Constantinople were wide open.

Basil II, dressed in imperial robes and holding the imperial seal, knelt outside the city.

Guo Wen rode up to him on horseback. "Basil II?"

"I am guilty...I am guilty."

Guo Wen looked at him and asked, "Do you know why I hit you?"

"..." Basil II lowered his head, not daring to speak.

“Because you are blocking the way,” Guo Wen said. “The road of the Great Zhou, the road to the west.”

Basil II kept his head down.

Guo Wen waved his hand. "Take him away. Send him to the capital."

Byzantium, destroyed.

……

The news sent shockwaves through the entire continent of Europe.

Those kingdoms, large and small, were terrified.

They sent envoys with generous gifts to express their willingness to submit.

Guo Wen accepts all comers.

Those who submit, stay.

Those who refuse to submit, attack them directly.

Six months later, Eastern Europe, the Balkans, and Asia Minor were all incorporated into the Great Zhou territory.

Currently, only Khwarazm and the Khazars Khanate remain unconquered, but it's only a matter of time before they are subdued.

The six princes each went to their respective fiefdoms.

Prince Guo Zhi of Jin went to Baghdad and took over the former territory of the Abbasid Caliphate.

Those former nobles, upon seeing their new master, all became very obedient.

He followed the methods outlined in "Colonial Strategy," winning over some, suppressing others, and dividing some.

A few months later, Baghdad stabilized.

King Guo Wu of Zhao went to Mecca.

The people in that holy city were initially somewhat resistant.

Guo Wu showed no mercy, killing those who deserved to be killed and arresting those who deserved to be arrested.

He brought the Vulcan cannon into the city and swept it over the troublemaking areas several times, and no one dared to utter a single word of dissent after that.

Then Guo Wu began to repair roads, build schools, and open clinics.

A few months later, the Meccans discovered that their new master was actually quite good.

Prince Guo Gong of Yan went to Cairo.

The people along the Nile River saw the prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty for the first time.

They discovered that although the prince was not talkative, he was fair in his dealings and did not bully others.

Guo Gong ordered a three-year tax exemption, opened granaries to distribute grain, and provided relief to the poor.

Gradually, I accepted it.

King Guo Qian of Chu went to Jerusalem.

That holy city of the three religions now has one more vassal king of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

He ordered the protection of all churches, mosques, and synagogues.

All parties were convinced.

He also had an academy of sciences built outside the city to study various local technologies and bring Middle Eastern vegetables and grains back to the Central Plains.

King Guo Qiu of Qi went to Damascus.

This ancient city became his fiefdom.

He managed Damascus very well, ensuring smooth trade routes and a peaceful life for the people.

He also discovered more oil in the desert outside the city, sent people to extract it, refine it into oil, and then transport it back to the Central Plains of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

King Guo Wen of Qin remained in Constantinople to oversee the overall situation.

He stood atop the city wall of that ancient city, gazing westward.

Further west, there's Rome, the Franks, and the British Isles.

One day, the flag of the Great Zhou will fly over those places as well.

Guo Wen smiled, turned around and walked down the city wall.

It's time to send a new telegram to my father. Suddenly, I feel that whether or not I am the emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty is no longer important.

Only by venturing out and seeing the world for oneself can one understand the Emperor's good intentions.

Throughout history, the central dynasties have always considered themselves the Celestial Empire and never truly looked at the vast world outside.

Only by controlling all trade routes and resources can the Central Plains Celestial Empire maintain its leading position.

...(End of this chapter)