Durin's Diary

Chapter 1001 was revised several times.

Looking at the joint petition signed by his key ministers, the emperor silently glanced at the assembled wise men in the hall and said, "Isn't the Four Islands a bit too shabby?"

The old man meant nothing by it, he just felt that the four islands were really not worthy of Mr. Dulin—his eldest grandson wrote back to tell the old man that there was hardly any good land on the four islands, that the old ruins were everywhere, that there was not a single living creature, and that even the rats were mechanical.

The army advanced extremely slowly in order to avoid being surrounded by various mechanical creatures.

Therefore, in his view, Shishima really shouldn't be given to Dulin as a reward for the child.

"Your Majesty, this is the only option at present," replied Grand Tutor Pang from below the stage.

"What about the North? I remember the North is very vast, much bigger than that bathtub of the Four Islands, isn't it?" the old emperor asked.

"Your Majesty, we believe that the northern border is too cold and harsh, and the chaos in the north has not yet been eradicated. Such a bitter and harsh place is really not worthy of being considered as a reward," said Prime Minister Luo.

Upon hearing this, the emperor realized he was right—the four islands were still a problem, and the extermination of the northern border had not yet been arranged. From this perspective, it was indeed unsuitable. Moreover, he was right; the northern border was too cold and harsh. When his son went to the northern border, he caught a severe cold and his rheumatism had not improved since.

If such land were truly given to the Du Lin family, how would future generations judge the Chang Tang royal family? And which minister would dare to serve Chang Tang?

Thinking of this, the emperor looked at everyone and said, "If that's the case, the same principle applies outside Yumen Pass."

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Zhang Mengping stepped forward at this moment. As a senior member of the Zhulong system, he was second only to Grand Tutor Pang. He had affairs in both the Celestial Master’s Mansion and the Zhulong Pavilion, and he was the one who mediated conflicts between the two sides in many cases.

He stepped forward and looked at his colleagues: "Although the evil god is dead outside the Jade Gate, the alien race has formed a kingdom. From now on, we must make it our priority in military operations. Keeping the Du Lin clan in the Western Regions is not a solution, Your Majesty." Several Zhulongs, led by Lady Qi, stepped forward.

Most of them are legendary healers. Although they don't care much about worldly affairs, no one would take their words lightly.

Humans are born, grow old, get sick, and die. Who would dare offend a doctor? They must be tired of living.

Thinking of this, the emperor looked at everyone and said, "Then why not choose the archipelago? With the strength of the Dulin family, it would not be a problem for them to reclaim the archipelago with our help. And with them guarding the archipelago, we would be much safer in the East."

"Your Majesty, the archipelago has too many minerals and raw materials. You haven't forgotten, have you?" Grand Tutor Pang sighed. "We've discussed it all. The conclusion is that there's no vacant land in Changtang itself. The south is our important core asset that we need to reclaim, while the northern and western regions are mostly harsh and cold lands. There are only four islands left. With Dulin's reputation, acquiring Zhen Island can be considered a reward. As for the ruins, they can hire adventurers to obtain various materials from them and then resell them to us to generate wealth. Once the ruins are cleared, they can be used as a site for rebuilding a new city. If the local population becomes too large, we can also allow some immigration."

The emperor sat in his chair listening to the endless analyses of his wise ministers. Their meaning was simple: compared to other places, the four islands were neither as harsh as the northern border and the western regions, nor did they have abundant mineral resources waiting to be developed like the archipelago. As the southern peninsula was part of the old territory of Changtang and the continental shelf system, and as the land of a king from another family, he feared that something unbearable might happen to it a hundred years from now.

The four islands, while not particularly large or small, are of interest to the Zhulong people. Their focus is on the numerous ruins on the islands that can be used as excavation sites for the Old Era to generate wealth, ensuring the Dulin clan doesn't suffer initially. As for later, with money, they can develop the land and build cities. Given their intelligence, they certainly won't disappoint Dulin and their elders.

The court officials believed that the four islands' mineral resources had likely been completely exploited by the puppets, so developing industry was out of the question. Therefore, they didn't need to worry about any rebellion from the four islands—even if they did, how could a king without industry rebel? That was indeed a problem.

In the eyes of the prime ministers, since there is no industry, the future development of the four islands can only rely on marine fishing or marine resource exploitation, or be developed as tourist areas. Such a flawed kingdom of a different surname could never endanger the security of the mainland. Even hundreds of years later, the four islands would have to rely on the mainland for development.

The Celestial Masters, who spoke last, felt that placing the Dulin clan on the Four Islands was indeed the best choice. They had analyzed Dulin's wives and found that they were not subordinate to each other. It seemed that achieving legendary status was a foregone conclusion. Since they were all legendary, if the only legitimate son born to the eldest wife, Lady Anta, was to be the sole heir, then Chang Tang would naturally have no objections.

However, if multiple heirs emerge on the four islands and the ladies disagree on the succession, that would be the best opportunity for the Changtang royal family to obtain Dulin's offspring. The Celestial Masters do not believe that Lady Anta will be unable to control the situation. This lady's abilities are far beyond those of a legend, her power is extremely strong, and several ladies are certain that they will stand firmly on her side.

So since she can't lose, the lady who stands up to cause trouble will definitely lose miserably, and then she and her child will be driven out of the four islands, and Chang Tang can then take them in.

Moreover, Chang Tang had something to say about accepting the situation—a simple statement of reluctance to see the Du Lin bloodline dispersed would likely leave that lady speechless.

Since everyone had thought of this, the emperor finally made the decision: "Then we will use the four islands as compensation. We can provide more money and food subsidies. After all, the four islands are not exactly a good place to make a living these days, and we cannot discourage our meritorious officials."

………………

Dulin quickly received news from the Golden Palace.

Dulin was indifferent to the news that he had been granted the title of ruler of four islands. Although it did sound strange to go from being the ruler of a country to the ruler of an island, it was, after all, four large islands. Dulin still had some time. If things really didn't work out, he could ask Luo Houtu and the others to help him build a city and supporting towns, fields, roads, and the like in the four countries.

In short, use any connections you have first.

We'll ask Daju and Shiyi for their suggestions then.

Dulin really didn't understand how to develop it, but he knew that Eleven definitely would. Although Daju was a medical AI, he was still more useful than a human, so getting him to help Eleven come up with ideas would definitely not be a problem.

Then, it's just a matter of gradual immigration. Whether Dulin can intervene in these matters or not is irrelevant.

However, I'm sure there won't be any problems.

(End of this chapter)