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In a battle outside Rome, the allied forces, numbering 500,000, suffered more than half casualties.

After the artillery fire stopped, the battlefield was eerily quiet.

Corpses lay scattered about, blood flowed like a river, soaking the ground beneath their feet.

Wounded warhorses neighed, dying soldiers groaned, and the air was thick with the stench of blood and gunpowder.

The remaining remnants of the army scattered and fled.

King Charles II of the Franks fled back to Paris with his defeated army, not daring to look back.

The Roman emperor fled back to Vienna, the Italian dukes fled back to their respective territories, and the English went straight back to their islands by ship.

Those troops from small countries like Spain, Burgundy, Hungary, and Poland ran even faster than rabbits, and some didn't even make it back home, scattering halfway there.

The news sent shockwaves through the entire continent of Europe.

Five hundred thousand people—that's the limit that Europe could muster.

The Frankish Empire, the Roman Empire, Italy, England, and countless kingdoms and duchies, all exerted their utmost efforts to gather such a large number of people.

After that battle, no one was able to organize any decent resistance anymore.

Guo Wen stood atop the city walls of Rome, gazing westward.

Rome has changed hands.

Those ancient buildings, those magnificent churches, those cobblestone streets, are now all adorned with the flags of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The city's residents hid in their houses, peeking out through the cracks in their windows to watch the soldiers in black uniforms patrolling the streets, not daring to breathe.

Standing behind Guo Wen were five brothers: Guo Zhi, the Prince of Jin; Guo Wu, the Prince of Zhao; Guo Gong, the Prince of Yan; Guo Qian, the Prince of Chu; and Guo Qiu, the Prince of Qi.

“Five hundred thousand,” Guo Wen said, “that’s probably the limit for Europe.”

Guo Wu said, "Brother, we should press our advantage. Give me 50,000 men, and I can wipe out the Franks in three months."

Guo Wen shook his head. "No rush."

"Aren't you in a hurry?" Guo Wu said anxiously. "Brother, haven't we been waiting for this battle for so long?"

Guo Wen glanced at him and said, "Fighting a war isn't just about swords and guns. Sometimes, this is more effective."

Instead, he pointed to his own head.

As expected, Guo Wu fell silent.

Guo Wendao said, "It's time to get the Imperial City Guards moving."

"Imperial City Guard?"

"That's right! The Imperial City Guard's actions can subdue the enemy without a fight."

……

By this time, the Imperial City Guard's spies had already infiltrated various European countries.

Some of them were old women who sold bread, had run their shops on street corners in Paris for twenty years, and knew half the city.

Some were shoemakers who set up stalls on the side of squares in Vienna, listening to all sorts of news.

Some were postmen who delivered mail, traveling through the streets and alleys of Rome every day, knowing which families had feuds with which ones.

Some were horse feeders, working in the Frankish cavalry camp, where no secrets could be kept.

They had been lying in wait for this day for years.

Secret contacts began.

The first person to approach them was a duke from Italy.

His name was Lorenzo, he was in his forties, and his territory was small. He happened to be blocking the Zhou army's westward advance.

Lorenzo's territory was north of Rome and a crucial passage to the Franks.

We definitely can't win if we fight.

They wanted to run away, but they couldn't bear to leave behind their ancestral territory.

After much deliberation, Lorenzo secretly sent someone to find the Imperial City Guard's contact person.

The contact was a cheese merchant who had been doing business on Lorenzo's territory for ten years and was very familiar with the Duke's cook.

Upon receiving the message, the liaison quietly entered the Duke's mansion and said, "Royal City Lord Lorenzo greets His Majesty the Duke."

"What are the conditions of the Great Zhou?" Lorenzo asked, his voice trembling with nervousness.

"Surrender, and you'll retain your territory," the cheese merchant said slowly. "Pay tribute annually, obey the laws of the Great Zhou, pay taxes according to the law, accept the rule of the Great Zhou, and not break a single rule. Otherwise..."

"Otherwise what?"

"Otherwise, we will be making enemies of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and we will inevitably be wiped out by the army."

Lorenzo's face turned pale. He hadn't expected the Great Zhou to be so domineering. "I surrender."

The second person to come to them was a count from Burgundy.

He was a bit more assertive than Lorenzo and tried to bargain, "Could you pay less tax? My land is poor, and the harvest isn't good."

The Imperial City Guard didn't waste any words with him. "Three days. If you don't reply within three days, the Zhou army will be at your city walls. At that point, it won't just be a matter of paying taxes."

The count's face changed. "Three days?"

"Three days."

"Yes! The Great Zhou is a celestial empire, and not even the Roman Empire could withstand it, let alone a mere count like you."

"..."

Three days later, the count also surrendered.

The third, the fourth, the fifth...

One after another, those small countries and states sent people to us.

Some genuinely surrendered, some tested the waters, and some tried to bargain.

The Imperial City Guards welcome all who come.

Those who surrendered were registered and given a document stamped with the official seal, which served as a life-saving measure.

It's a test; I'll give you a deadline, and if you don't, you won't get another chance.

Anyone trying to bargain should be kicked out; take it or leave it.

A month later, the list already had more than twenty names.

Those names represent lands, castles, and families.

They surrendered, and the Great Zhou conquered half of Europe without losing a single soldier.

The Frankish and Roman Empires were still holding on.

But how long can they hold out?
……

In the autumn of the thirtieth year of the prosperous era, Guo Wen finally ordered another attack.

"Set off."

Two hundred thousand troops marched westward in a mighty force.

The railway has long been built to the Danube River.

Those railway tracks stretched all the way from Constantinople, through the Balkans, across the mountains, and all the way to the river.

The army was transported westward by train, one trainload after another.

The wagons were filled with soldiers, warhorses, cannons, and ammunition.

Black smoke billowed from the locomotive's chimney, and the train's whistle echoed across the open fields.

Upon arrival, they disembarked and lined up.

Cannons were set up and aimed at the cities that were still putting up a stubborn resistance.

The garrison soldiers of those cities stood on the city walls, looking at the dark muzzles of the cannons, their legs trembling.

Frankfurt was the first to suffer.

Three thousand cannons were set up outside Paris for three days.

Paris is the capital of the Frankish Empire, with the Seine River flowing through it, and the city is filled with churches and magnificent palaces.

But at this moment, the people in the city hid in their houses, not daring to breathe.

Those cannons outside the city could blast the city walls down at any time.

Three days later, the city gates opened.

Charles II was brought before Crown Prince Gowen, his head bowed, his face pale, and his body trembling.

Crown Prince Gowen looked at Charles II expressionlessly and asked, "Surrender?"

Charles II knelt on the ground, trembling all over, "No... I'd rather die than surrender!"

"Good! You have guts!" Guo Wen nodded. "Take him away. Castrate him."

Charles II's face turned pale instantly. "No...no..."

However, no one paid any attention to him.

Two soldiers lifted him up and dragged him away.

The screams echoed through the sky.

……

Next came the Roman Empire.

Cannons were set up outside Vienna for two days.

Vienna was the capital of the Roman Empire, with the Danube River flowing through it. The city boasts magnificent palaces and solemn churches.

The Roman emperor stood on the city wall, looking at the dark muzzles of the cannons, and his legs went weak.

He remembered the fate of the Frankish king and shuddered. "Open the gates! Open the gates!"

The gates of Vienna were wide open.

The Roman emperor knelt outside the city, not daring to raise his head.

"Surrender?"

"Surrender! Surrender!"

Guo Wen nodded. "Take him away. Castrate him."

"Ah! Your Highness, I have already surrendered, why must I still be castrated?"

"Hmph! From now on, there will only be one form of punishment in Europe: castration."

The same screams, the same fate.

Those small countries that were still observing were terrified.

Letters of surrender came in like snowflakes.

……

In the winter of the thirtieth year of the golden age, the entire continent of Europe was pacified.

From Paris to Vienna, from Rome to London, from Madrid to Berlin, from Warsaw to Copenhagen, city after city flew the flag of the Great Zhou.

Those once glorious kingdoms, those once proud nations, have now all become subjects of the Great Zhou.

Next, it was time to deal with the prisoners.

Captured on the battlefield, captured in the city, or those dealt with after surrender...

Hundreds of thousands of people were all gathered together.

The prisoner-of-war camp was set up on a plain outside Paris, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Hundreds of thousands of people were crammed together, their cries, groans, and curses mingling together.

Guo Wen sat in his command tent, a list laid out in front of him. "Issue the order: anyone who has resisted shall be castrated."

"Those who didn't survive were buried. Those who did were sent to work on railways or in mines."

"promise!"

The order was given, and cries of despair filled the air.

But it's no use.

The soldiers of the Great Zhou Dynasty never show mercy.

One by one, the prisoners were dragged into the tent. When they were dragged out, their faces were pale, they were covering their genitals, and they could not even stand up.

Some died on the spot and were taken away to be buried.

Some survived and were put on trains to work on the railway.

From Paris to Vienna, from Rome to Berlin, the railway lines have been extended and extended.

Those castrated slaves worked day and night on the construction site.

The overseer's whip lashed at them, and their screams echoed across the wilderness.

Someone tried to escape.

They were caught and beaten to death on the spot.

Some people tried to resist.

They were suppressed and all executed.

Gradually, no one dared to make a move.

The railway was completed, the mines were started, and large state-owned farms were built.

Those castrated slaves were the best labor force.

They will not resist, will not run away, and will not cause trouble.

All you have to do is work, work, and work.

The natives of Europe have become completely obedient.

They watched the eunuchs working on the construction site, the slaves toiling on the farm, and the laborers digging in the mine, all huddled in their rooms, not daring to breathe.

The soldiers of the Great Zhou Dynasty patrolled the streets, and anyone who dared to look at them for too long would be whipped.

In the Great Zhou Dynasty, officials issued orders, and anyone who dared to utter a single word of dissent would be punished with a beating.

Those nobles who once flaunted their power now stay obediently at home, not daring to step out of their doors.

Those once arrogant knights are now covered in dust and dirt, doing menial work, not daring to even lift their heads.

Ordinary people, on the other hand, remained silent in fear.

They discovered that their lives had changed.

In the past, they farmed, hunted, and herded sheep, and they fed and fed themselves.

Now, they have to hand over the grain they grow, the game they hunt, and the sheep they raise. The officials of the Great Zhou told them that this was called unified allocation.

In the past, they could go to the town market and exchange their own things for other people's things.

Currently, only one type of currency circulates in the market—the Dragon Yuan.

Without Dragon Coins, you can't buy anything.

Want to earn Dragon Yuan? You need to work in mines, farms, and construction sites.

You work a day and get a few dragon coins.

In the past, their children could go to church to study, learn Latin, and study the Bible.

Now, the church is closed, but the school is open.

The school only taught two things—Chinese characters and Confucian classics.

Every day, the children recite the Analects, Mencius, and the Classic of Filial Piety with swaying heads. After reciting, they have to memorize them, and after memorizing them, they have to write them down from memory.

Confucius said: "To learn something and at due times to practice it, is that not also a pleasure?"

Those blond-haired, blue-eyed children spoke broken Chinese, their tongues tied in knots.

But they dared not not read it.

If you don't study, you won't have food to eat.

……

The capital city of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

In the winter of the 30th year of the prosperous era, the capital city was exceptionally bustling.

Gold and silver brought from Europe were transported to the national treasury by the cartload.

The gold and silver were packed in iron boxes, sealed, unloaded from the train, and transported by horse-drawn carriage to the Ministry of Revenue's large warehouse.

At the warehouse entrance, officials held account books, checking each box one by one, and signing and affixing their seals.

Spices from Southeast Asia were unloaded at the dock, boatload after boatload.

Pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves—bags piled high like mountains.

On the dock, workers carried sacks and chanted work songs as they went back and forth.

The aroma of those spices mingled together and filled the entire city.

The oil, transported from the Arab world, was carried into the factory barrel by barrel.

Black crude oil, stored in iron drums, is unloaded from trains and piped into huge storage tanks.

The oil storage tanks stand side by side, like small mountains.

Inside the factory, the oil refining towers operate day and night, refining crude oil into gasoline, kerosene, and diesel.

The silver transported from Japan was sent to the Ministry of Revenue, ingot by ingot.

The silver was cast into standard silver ingots, each weighing ten taels, and neatly stacked in the box.

The officials from the Ministry of Revenue beamed with joy as they meticulously recorded the accounts, one entry at a time.

The streets of Beijing are bustling with traffic and people.

Merchants from Europe, dressed in thick robes, with blond hair and blue eyes, strolled through the streets.

They held onto the Dragon Coins and bought anything good they saw.

Silk, porcelain, tea, lacquerware, jade, medicinal herbs—they buy everything.

After buying them, they were loaded onto trucks, transported back to Europe, and sold to the people of Europe.

At this time, there were no longer any nobles in the land of Europe, and people achieved true fairness and justice under the laws of the Great Zhou.

Merchants from the Abbasid Caliphate, dressed in white robes and headscarves, were discussing business on the street.

They brought oil, spices, and gems, and bought back silk, porcelain, tea, and ironware.

After one deal, tens of thousands of dragon coins were earned.

The merchants from Southeast Asia, with their dark skin and brightly colored clothes, hawked their wares on the street.

They brought spices, ivory, and rhinoceros horns, and bought back cloth, ironware, and medicinal herbs.

The merchants from Japan wore kimonos, spoke respectfully, and bowed in the street.

They brought silver, lacquerware, and swords, and bought back silk, porcelain, and books.

The shops on the street are lined up one after another.

The shop selling silk had colorful silks hanging at its entrance, fluttering in the wind.

The porcelain vendor had exquisite bottles and jars displayed at the entrance, gleaming in the sunlight.

The tea vendor had tea caddies displayed at the entrance; once the lids were opened, the aroma of tea wafted out from afar.

The herbal medicine vendor had various herbs displayed at the entrance, including ginseng, deer antler, and lingzhi, all neatly stacked in boxes.

The teahouse was packed with people.

There were Han Chinese in long robes, Khitans in fur robes, Arabs with headscarves, Southeast Asians with bare chests, and Europeans with blond hair and blue eyes.

They sat together, gesturing as they spoke, none of them understanding each other, but all of them were smiling.

The tavern was even more lively.

Several men, their faces flushed and necks red from drinking, slammed their fists on the table and shouted, "Another pot, please!"

The innkeeper smiled and poured more wine, while the waiters ran around carrying plates.

Merchants from Europe, tasting real Chinese liquor for the first time, coughed from the spiciness, but still couldn't resist drinking it.

They said this wine was potent, much better than the wines they had back home.

And in those factories, it's non-stop, day and night.

To the east of the capital city lies the industrial zone.

There were factories everywhere, with chimneys like a forest.

The steel plant's chimneys billowed black smoke day and night, and the flames in the steelmaking furnaces illuminated half the sky.

In the workshop of the machine factory, the machines roared and the workers were busy processing various parts.

In the textile factory workshop, the looms clattered and clattered, and bolts of cloth were spitting out of the machines.

The workers, who came from all over the country, were dressed in shorts and hats and were busy in the factory.

Some of them came from rural areas, some from cities, and some were retired soldiers.

They work eight hours a day and receive far more dragon coins than when they were farming.

Next to the industrial area is the Academy of Sciences.

The Academy of Sciences covers several thousand acres, has dozens of buildings, and employs several thousand researchers.

They studied steam engines, internal combustion engines, generators, telegraphs, and various other machines.

The laboratory was filled with bottles and jars, and researchers in white lab coats were busy working inside.

The scholars from Europe were stunned when they first saw the Academy of Sciences.

They had never seen a place like this in Europe...

Thousands of people, dozens of buildings, countless machines, countless pieces of equipment—"What is this?"

"The Academy of Sciences. A place for researching new things."

"What are you researching?"

"They have everything. Steam engines, internal combustion engines, generators, telegraph machines, all kinds of machines."

The scholars stared wide-eyed.

In Europe, they don't have these things.

……

In places overseas, the situation is quite different.

The mines in Europe were operating day and night.

Iron ore, copper ore, coal ore, silver ore, gold ore—truckloads of them were being transported out.

The miners, dressed in tattered clothes, worked in the mine.

The foreman's whip lashed their bodies, but they could only grit their teeth and keep working.

Those mines used the most primitive tools and the most rudimentary equipment.

The mined ore was loaded onto trains, transported to the port, then loaded onto ships and transported back to Da Zhou.

The factories of Da Zhou smelted these ores into steel, made them into machines, and then sold them back to Europe.

The farms in Europe are planting day and night.

Wheat, barley, oats, rye—truckloads of them were being transported out.

The serfs, dressed in tattered clothes, worked in the fields.

The foreman's whip lashed their bodies, and they could only continue working bent over.

Those farms used the most primitive farming tools and the most outdated technology.

The harvested grain was loaded onto trains, transported to the port, then loaded onto ships, and shipped back to the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The factories of the Great Zhou Dynasty brewed grain into wine, made food, and then sold it back to Europe.

The plantations in Europe produce day and night.

Cotton, tobacco, sugarcane, rubber—truckloads of goods were being transported out.

The slaves, dressed in tattered clothes, worked on the plantation.

The foreman's whip lashed at them, and they could only keep their heads down and continue working.

Those plantations used the most primitive tools and the most outdated technology.

The raw materials produced were loaded onto trains, transported to the port, then loaded onto ships and transported back to Da Zhou.

The factories of Da Zhou wove cotton into cloth, tobacco into cigarettes, sugarcane into sugar, and rubber into tires, which were then sold back to Europe.

And those factories, those academies of sciences, those places where real money is made, are all located in the Great Zhou territory.

Europa has no factories, only mines and farms.

There was no Academy of Sciences, only schools.

There was no technology, only raw materials.

Their children are studying the Analects of Confucius in school.

After finishing their studies, they went to work in the mines, on the farms, and on the plantations.

They will never know how those machines were made or how those technologies were developed.

All they knew was that things from the Great Zhou were good, money from the Great Zhou was useful, and they wanted to learn the language of the Great Zhou.

One generation, two generations, three generations.

Until they forget who they once were.

……

Beijing.

Su Ning sat in the imperial study, looking at the battle reports sent from Europe, and nodded.

The battle report was very thick, dozens of pages long, and detailed the entire process of the war in Europe.

From the Battle of the Danube to the surrender of Paris, to the opening of Vienna, to the pacification of various regions.

Each and every incident was written down clearly.

"Your Highness has done a good job," Su Ning said.

Li Fang chuckled from the side, “In these three years, His Highness the Crown Prince has conquered the entire continent of Europe and settled people down perfectly. Mines have been opened, farms have been built, and plantations have been established. The natives are all very well-behaved. In the schools, the children are reciting the Analects with great enthusiasm. Your Majesty can rest assured.”

Suning nodded.

He stood up and walked to the map.

The land of Europe is now entirely within the territory of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

But such a large area of ​​land needs to be managed, so "Issue the decree."

Li Fang bowed and listened to the imperial decree.

"The whole of Europe was divided among kings."

"King of Han, granted Paris. King Wei, the eighth prince, granted Germany. King of Zheng, granted Rome. King of Chen, granted Madrid. King of Cai, granted London. King of Xu, granted Vienna. King of Wu, granted Copenhagen. King of Yue, granted Kiev. King of Xu, granted Constantinople."

"The other kings each guarded their fiefdoms and governed their respective regions."

Li Fang noted them down one by one, saying, "Your Majesty is wise."

Su Ning looked at the map and remained silent for a moment.

All twenty-four sons have now been settled.

The eldest son is the crown prince, and with his enormous military achievements in destroying Europe, his position in the capital is completely secure.

The Zhou dynasty had vassal kings stationed in Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.

And he would have new princes born in the future, and his descendants would surely rule the whole world.

He turned around again and walked back to the imperial desk.

Outside the window, the sun is setting.

The streets of Beijing are bustling with traffic and people.

The gold and silver brought from Europe were sent to the national treasury by the cartload.

Spices brought from Southeast Asia were unloaded at the dock, boat after boat.

The oil, transported from the Arab world, was carried into the factory barrel by barrel.

Merchants from all over strolled the streets, buying things and discussing business.

The workers who came from all over the country worked in the factory, earned money, and made a living.

The children from all over the country studied in the school, recited the Analects, and learned the rules.

The Great Zhou Dynasty is becoming increasingly wealthy and powerful.

People's lives are getting better and better.

Outside the window, the afterglow of the setting sun spilled onto the streets and alleys of Beijing, onto the chimneys of the factories, and onto the crowds coming and going.

In the distance, a train roared past, its whistle echoing for a long time.

...(End of this chapter)