Even emperors have it tough, so don't be too picky about the entries.

A powerful warlord who commanded 100,000 elite troops perished.

Tens of thousands of soldiers from Hedong knelt on the riverbank, banging their heads on the ground.

"General..."

Looking at the scene opposite him, Chen Shao felt a mix of emotions.

Wang Yuanji was a very good commander and was very popular with his troops.

Unfortunately, he ran into himself, and unfortunately, he was like a stubborn, arrogant person.

Once such a person has formed their own preconceived notions, not even a few donkeys could pull them back.

He still looked down on himself deep down, believing that everyone in the Chen family was like Chen Yuan...

"Unable to be of use to me, what a pity..."

Of course, it's a pity, but we still have to get back to business.

Chen Shao shouted loudly towards the opposite side:

"The dead cannot be brought back to life."

"I will order people to build rafts to ferry you across the river. Those who are willing to work with me will have meat to eat, and those who are willing to return home will have travel expenses. I will not make things difficult for you."

In the past three days, the army has also begun to build rafts.

The quantity was small, but it was enough to help them cross the river.

Those soldiers from Hedong who still had the strength simply took off their belts and hung themselves on the broken ropes of the original iron chain bridge, gritting their teeth and climbing towards the other side little by little.

Liao Hua had already ordered his men to set up dozens of large pots, the meat broth bubbling and emitting a fragrant aroma.

He also made full use of his characteristic of being able to serve as a general when there were no other suitable candidates.

The methods employed should combine both firmness and leniency, kindness and severity.

The cleanup work for nearly 100,000 troops can be handled by one person.

After a few bowls of hot soup and a few heartwarming words,

Many soldiers squatted there and wept bitterly, while many others bid farewell silently.

It took all night before the opposite bank gradually became empty.

When Liao Hua came to report with the roster, his voice was hoarse.

The original 60,000 Iron Fist Army troops that went to war... doubled in number after one battle.

"Your Majesty is truly a hero, this...the more you fight, the fatter you get..."

Chen Shao kicked Liao Hua, "What's so fat about you? You're just someone who eats and chews like a horse."

"For the next while, you'll stay in Hedong and gather the local scattered troops, how about that?"

Liao Hua was overjoyed, for this was equivalent to the status of a regional governor.

He hurriedly kowtowed to express his gratitude and then reported it to the media:

"Your Majesty, the Prince of Hedong is insisting on seeing you."

"What 'King of Hedong'?"

Chen Shao was taken aback, then slapped his forehead.

Oh, it's Chen Jing.

When Chen Jing was brought over, he immediately knelt down in front of Chen Shao.

"Sixth brother...spare me..."

Chen Shao looked down at him for a while, which made Chen Jing's scalp tingle, before he personally helped him up.

He said gently:

"What are you saying, Your Highness? Between brothers, there is never any grudge that lasts overnight. It's alright if you wrong me, but how could I possibly wrong you?"

"I'll say it again: you will always be the person I value most."

Chen Jing looked up at him in disbelief.

"Brother, you have the countenance of a ruler!"

"what?"

Chen Jing knelt down again, sweat pouring down his face.

"Sixth brother...it was my fault...if you want to kill me..."

Chen Shao really wanted to chop him up with a knife. He had only been there a few days and had already been tricked into rebelling.

What's with this "Fengtian Jingnan" nonsense? Are you even cut out for it?

I wanted to give you a stable and wealthy life, but you couldn't hold onto it.

But the situation in Hedong is unstable now, and they still need him... to lure out those with ulterior motives.

"Stop talking nonsense. My brothers are all my own flesh and blood. How could I cut off my own flesh and blood? From today onwards, you will continue to guard Hedong, and Liao Hua will assist you."

"Once things are settled in Hedong, I will bring you to the capital."

"Brother, we are family. This country is ultimately ours. We must not be used by others again."

Chen Jing's eyes reddened and his whole body trembled as he listened.

"Sixth...Sixth Brother..."

"How old is Your Majesty this year?" Chen Shao suddenly asked out of the blue.

Chen Jing, unaware of the meaning, sighed and remarked on the wasted years.

"Sigh, I'll be thirty after the New Year."

Thirty? The 30th.

After hearing this, Chen Shao's expression relaxed again.

"Your Majesty, I have no son yet, and I am currently engaged in numerous wars. I have no time to mass-produce children. The Great Yan cannot be without an heir for even a day."

"By both seniority and kinship, the position of Crown Prince is undoubtedly yours."

"That way you won't always feel like I'm harming you."

Without a formal title, Chen Jing did indeed have a persistent misconception: that some emperor was trying to harm him.

Chen Shao patted him on the shoulder and comforted him for a while after hearing his words.

"How can a crown prince remain for thirty years?" If this elder brother of the emperor has made no progress in the past year, then...

At that moment, a "ding" sounded in Chen Shao's mind, and the long-awaited system notification popped up.

[Ding! The situation in Hedong has been stabilized, and another wing of the regional military governors has been broken. Congratulations, host, on taking another step on the path to becoming a great emperor! You have been granted a ten-draw. Do you wish to draw a prize?]

Chen Shao's spirits lifted, but his expression remained unchanged.

Liao Hua waved his hand and said:

"Take His Highness the Crown Prince to freshen up and have a hot meal."

Then he silently uttered in his mind: Draw!

The first image lights up.

In a dimly lit palace room, a ceramic chamber pot about half a person's height was placed in the corner.

A middle-aged man dressed in the robes and hat of a feudal lord from the Spring and Autumn Period was squatting on a chamber pot, his face pale, his hands gripping a bamboo cane beside him, and he was swaying precariously.

"Damn it... Passed! Passed!"

Chen Shao was disgusted. Was he supposed to watch someone use the toilet?

This system is really insane.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have drawn the Emperor Card and obtained the entry: Toilet Escape.]

Toilet Escape: You will never die in the toilet; you will always escape danger.

Note: This can be triggered in places such as outhouses, dry toilets, chamber pots, and drains.

"Oh," Chen Shao suddenly realized.

So it was Duke Jing of Jin. I should have kept watching.

This is the first big shot in history to fall into a latrine and drown.

The Zuo Zhuan, in the tenth year of Duke Cheng, records:

"He was about to eat when he went to the toilet, where he fell in and died."

This entry... we really have to thank the system for being lenient.

If there's a chance of drowning while using the toilet, that would really be...

The second image.

On a dark and windy night, a man dressed in a dragon robe stood on a rooftop and sighed.

"Being an emperor is just a job; being a thief is my life's dream."

[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have drawn the Emperor Card and obtained the entry: Gentleman on the Thief.]

[The thief on the roof: Possessing this entry indicates a master of the art of theft, cunning and never leaving empty-handed.]

"..."

Chen Shao's lips twitched. Next, next.

The third image.

The opening screen is a bombshell, displaying three large characters: The Feast at Hongmen!

In the dim light, Liu Bang slowly walked in.

He was humble, yet a dragon shadow seemed to be coiled behind him, and his appearance was that of a dragon on the left and a serpent on the right, displaying the countenance of an emperor.

Although the dragon has not yet risen from the abyss, it already possesses the bearing of a true dragon.

The camera then shifts to Xiang Yu.

As he sat down, his overwhelming aura of dominance easily suppressed the dragon's shadow.

"Ah, it's the King of Guanzhong!"

[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have drawn a general card and obtained the entry: I have seen a dragon!]

[I have seen dragons: Even if you display the full majesty of a dragon, I am not afraid; no one can surpass you in terms of presence.]

Chen Shao was speechless. This was what they meant by "I've Seen a Dragon"?

You could even give me the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, damn it!

The fourth image.

The room was brightly lit by candlelight, and filled with the fragrance of ink.

In a magnificent library, elderly scholars with white hair sat on the floor, copying texts.

The table was piled high with rare and fragmentary scrolls collected from all over the world.

Proofreading, cataloging, reading aloud in a low voice, annotating with a pen—each step of the process was carried out in an orderly manner.

The scene shifts, and a magnificent book wrapped in gold and satin slowly closes, the four large characters on the cover faintly visible:

The Yongle Encyclopedia.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have drawn the Emperor Card and obtained the entry: Yongle Encyclopedia (Gold)]

................

(Thanks to Liang Guangyi, who loves peanut skins, for the inspiration capsule.)