Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

"Okay, okay." Shangluo gave the order, "Gelani, drive to Futenma."

The Futenma base is located on the plateau in the center of Naha Island. It is the second highest point on the island after the Ryukyu Royal Palace. Compared with the Royal Palace, this piece of land is much larger, accounting for 20% of the entire Naha Island. If the "effective area" is calculated, the proportion will be even higher. Together with the military port on the seaside, this huge military base can occupy almost one-third of the area of ​​Naha Island.

In the past, this was the military base of Ryukyu - and of course it is still here now. The Royal Army does not have the habit of stationing troops everywhere in other countries, but there are exceptions in a few places, such as Futenma. Futenma is one of the few places where the Royal Army has overseas garrisons, mainly naval ship units, aviation units and marines.

As the core node of the first island chain that protects the capital, this is the sea gate of the capital, and of course it needs to be heavily guarded. There are three such island chains, which are stacked up to protect the capital, and are part of the "Great Wall Defense Line" extending from the land.

It is precisely because the royal army is stationed here that Futenma is much larger than the needs of the Ryukyu Kingdom - even if the entire Ryukyu Air Force is ten times larger, it will not be able to fill this base.

The daily supplies for the base were purchased in Ryukyu. There were also informal acropolises surrounding the base, and the standards were similar to those of other garrisons. However, based on the principle of "non-interference in internal affairs", in theory this place was still Ryukyu's territory, except that the royal army did not pay rent.

"So the king's master doesn't pay rent?" Shangluo asked Zheng Shijie, "I thought this place belonged to Ryukyu, and the king's master had to pay rent."

"Hey, the king's master wants to pay Ryukyu but he doesn't dare to accept it. With such a big Buddha next to him, the king of Ryukyu himself can't have any second thoughts, he can't wait to be happy. What's more, rent is not necessary at all. The tribute system provides not only general benefits, but also the most precious "order". Ryukyu has obtained benefits far beyond its size in the entire tribute system. Compared with these, providing a base is too cost-effective.

"And the reputation of the Royal Army is also very good. Our soldiers follow the 'Qi's Military Discipline' in principle. They don't do anything illegal, and they don't bother to do it. They spend money locally. Such a good base, in fact, I also want to ask for one to be placed in Pontianak, but the court is unwilling - well, this is tribute. It's vulgar to ask for money, but the money will come naturally even if you don't ask for it. As long as you are obedient, the court will not treat every loyal person unfairly."

Chapter 1111 Etiquette

"Huh? Shangluo, how did you die?" Lu Huaiyang realized something was wrong when he saw Shangluo. He looked at "Yi Ji" behind "Shangluo" and said, "Hey! Aren't you in the imperial prison? How did you get out?"

The information from both sides passed through my mind——

"Ah! So Shangluo, you wanted the dragon ball to transform. Who is this person who transformed into Shangluo?"

"???" Shang Luo was stunned for a moment, "Hey, Captain Lu, how did you sort out so many things in just one second?"

"I am a professional after all. If it were a stranger, I might not be able to tell, but I have seen both of you - you are not Otohime. This person is not Shangluo. Considering that you had someone take the dragon ball away from the imperial prison before, it makes sense that you turned into Otohime. But this person next to you..."

He looked Victoria up and down. He was sure that he didn't know this person. After all, if Shangluo could make someone look like him, it must be someone Shangluo trusted, but this person was not one of the people Lu Huaiyang knew - from the eyes, the demeanor, and all angles, this person was not familiar to him. Although he was a little familiar, as if he had met her once, he would definitely not recognize her if he didn't see her in person.

Lu Huaiyang thought for 2 seconds with the professional qualities of a professional detective, and asked Shangluo: "Is this something I can ask?"

"Okay, okay, this is my friend. I asked him to help me. Aren't we going to meet the King of Ryukyu later? I was afraid that I would lose my composure, so I found a professional to replace me."

"It's the same thing Cao Cao did, right? Tsk, my Lord Shang Tian, ​​don't tell the emperor about this. If he knew there was such a method, who knows who would ask to run errands for him."

"That's right, I know that. So before we start, I want to ask you, Lu Qianhu, is this in accordance with etiquette?"

"There's no mention of Transfiguration in the etiquette. But if it's convenient for you, could you please keep your voice down and tell me who this is?"

Shangluo and Victoria confirmed it with their eyes. After getting Victoria's permission, he took out his cell phone and sent Victoria's name to Lu Huaiyang in a private message.

"???" Lu Huaiyang was shocked at the moment - he knew exactly how important Victoria was. Once Victoria got into trouble here, or was captured by someone, Rome's bottom line would be exposed. Countless secrets would be leaked, and the whole of Rome might be physically blown up.

Lu Huaiyang didn't know about specific projects like "Shepherd Stephen" in Anatolia or "The Demon Who Can Perform Nuclear Fission without Exploding" in Chernobyl. These were all secrets of Rome.

But he knew that things in Rome could easily explode. If something really happened to Victoria, a big explosion would definitely happen.

He looked at Shangluo, then at Victoria, and finally focused his gaze on Shangluo again: "You know what you are doing, right?"

Shangluo nodded.

"Well. Actually, it's safest to be with you. After all, you are stronger than all of us. But there are more dangers around you, and we may not be able to deal with the dangers you face. So, Lord Shang Tian, ​​you really know about this, right?" Lu Huaiyang confirmed again and again.

"No problem, don't worry."

"Okay then. I'll pretend I didn't see anything about this. This is also part of my internal affairs. After all, I can't take care of everything. Otherwise, you'll be annoyed and it will affect your work. So, Your Excellency." He turned to Victoria:

"Take care of yourself too."

"Yeah, yeah." Victoria nodded vigorously. "Don't worry, I don't usually come out. I only come out when Shangluo needs to find me for something. So, don't worry, everything will be fine."

"Why is there a 'not coming out'? You usually hide somewhere, right? That's good." Lu Huaiyang glanced at his log. "Then the rest of the work will be simple. Just meet with the King of Ryukyu. That's the only thing we have to consider for face. You don't need to bother with the Imperial Guards; the Jinyiwei will handle the liaison. Only the Grand Commander of Beiting must be met by Shangluo himself - please evade this part for a moment."

Although everyone around him knew her, Lu Huaiyang still avoided mentioning Victoria's name directly under any circumstances, and only used "Your Excellency" as a substitute. This was the safest way.

"No problem." Victoria nodded.

"Who is that?" Shangluo asked, "Should I make any preparations?"

"No, he's one of us, just be casual. It's just that there are some confidential tasks that need to be handed over, and it's not good to let 'Your Excellency' know about it. But I can introduce this person first - Li Yinchang, a Jinshi in the 21st year of Taihe, the Grand Commander of Beiting and the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate. His previous post was the Minister of War of Shuntian. After that, he did not enter the cabinet but went to Beiting. He is at the same level as the cabinet ministers, and it will be a horizontal transfer when he returns to the cabinet. In the past two years, there has been an intention to let him go to Beiting as a cabinet minister. Going to Beiting as a cabinet minister is a 'supervisor of the army', which is also a very high military position in the past dynasties. To be unlucky, only Yuan Chonghuan's functions can be compared with his."

"That's really unlucky. Is this person easy to talk to?"

"Very easy to talk to. For someone in his position, being easy to talk to is the most basic thing. Even if he is not easy to talk to, he won't let you see it. But in fact, he is your schoolmate, the highest-ranking graduate of the Imperial College besides senior ministers like Wen Ge Lao."

"He is a censor, so he is from the history department?"

"Except for Lord Wen, the high-ranking Imperial College graduates you see are basically from the History Department. After all, the censors, provincial governors, ambassadors, etc., all follow the separate Metropolitan Censorate sequence, and their official titles are promoted very quickly. However, even if they hold high positions, it is difficult for them to enter the cabinet, after all, the Metropolitan Censorate's main job is supervision."

"Then how did this person get into the cabinet? Has he done anything remarkable?"

"He fought a battle with Rome over the Wall."

"???"

"???"

Shangluo and Victoria were both stunned.

"Yes, his military achievement was earned by fighting against Rome, which was a border conflict. A few years ago, we were fighting with Rome to seize a meteorite that fell on the border. He decisively attacked with the two regiments at hand and defeated an unknown number of Roman border guards, and took back the meteorite."

“So there is such a thing?”

"After all, we haven't signed any kind of alliance treaty with Rome, so it's possible that there will be border conflicts - of course, it's unlikely now, after all, Rome is about to be destroyed. So I'm afraid his military achievement will be out of print in the future."

Chapter 1112: Beiting Grand Commander

"Ah," Victoria thought for a moment, "it seems to be true. I remember my father was very angry."

"Is this matter very important?" Shangluo asked.

Victoria switched to private chat: "Yes, the meteorite is very important. It is said to be the key to controlling the nuclear test project in Chernobyl. But my father said that we should not mention it. We should swallow our pride. After all, the overall situation is more important. Although this has happened, we can only pretend it never happened. In fact, he doesn't think there is anything wrong with it. After all, he also tried to grab it, but he couldn't do anything about it if he didn't win. He has to accept the loss."

"I see." Shang Luo nodded and said to Lu Huaiyang, "It seems that Victoria is indeed not suitable to meet - but is this person a Qigong practitioner?"

"No." Lu Huaiyang shook his head. "You don't think he snatched the meteorite himself, do you? No, we don't have that many Qigong practitioners. But at his level, he can already receive longevity treatment in the palace. If nothing unexpected happens, he will have no problem living to over a hundred years old, and he can guarantee mental health before he is 90 years old, and he can guarantee full energy before he is 80 years old. He is over years old this year, but his hair is still not completely white, and he can run a few kilometers every morning."

[You look even healthier than you, Lord Shang Tian. If you don't use your heavenly body, you can't run so fast. ]

"Why shouldn't I use it? This is my own ability. Why should I tie my hands and feet to compete? Really, why do you want me to compete with an old man in physical strength?" Shang Luo shook his head. "Anyway, I roughly understand. Will he be the commander of the Royal Division from now on?"

Lu Huaiyang nodded and said, "Commander Li is very experienced in commanding this kind of 'supernormal events'. Although he himself is not a Qigong practitioner, he has seen a lot. Beiting is close to the North Pole, and there are many jobs there that involve dealing with various demons. He has never made a mistake in his eight years of service. The emperor meant to send him this time - in fact, he was the one who arranged for the emperor to go into seclusion, and he also helped the emperor choose the 'feng shui treasure land'."

"So the one coming here is a commander who is very experienced in combat in the supernatural realm?"

"That's right. If we talk about how to fight these 'unconventional' wars, who has the most experience, it's him - I think you can also refer to his experience. So I asked you to meet him, not only because it's inconvenient for 'Your Excellency' to meet, but also so that you can discuss with him how to attack Xu Fu. Having said that, it was he who took the initiative to ask to meet you."

"Huh? Is he interested in my affairs as well?"

"That's one thing, and more importantly - this is his first time going to war against a 'person' like Xu Fu. So, he also needs to listen to your advice." Lu Huaiyang went on to explain:

"Because in Beiting, most of the targets of the war are not humans, but monsters. His mission is not to directly lead the military action against monsters, but to call the Jinyiwei after discovering the situation and control the scene. After the Jinyiwei arrives at the scene, they report their work to him and start the action with his support. If nothing unexpected happens this time, we will do the same: you go up and fight, and leave the rest to him."

"Ah! That's so convenient!"

"It's very convenient to have a reliable old man here. But if you need any specific assistance, you still have to talk to him directly - and, most importantly." Lu Huaiyang looked up at the sky:

"If the current plan goes ahead, this will be the first war in which the 'Supernatural Realm' will be exposed. Although the curtain has not been completely lifted, the 'Dragon Palace' will indeed come to the fore in this operation. The impact brought about by this is immeasurable."

"Ah, indeed." Shangluo nodded. After the aurora fell, the world's landscape had been permanently changed, but that was only the landscape. The specific impact of this landscape on the world was still unknown.

"Then, Captain Lu, will this make the situation get out of control?"

"That won't happen - at least not in my opinion. Our people are surprisingly tough sometimes. Last time you summoned the 'Giant Spirit' in the capital, everyone just watched and nothing happened afterwards. It seems that everyone is mentally prepared."

"What about the Dragon Palace?"

"There is no problem with the Dragon Palace - underwater people are a common theme in science fiction novels, so when we talk about the seabed, it is natural to think of the Dragon Palace. Everyone generally believes that there may indeed be some advanced civilization in the sea, after all, humans know nothing about the depths of the ocean. Not to mention the seabed, there may also be civilizations in the sky and underground. They are all written about in science fiction novels and are also a popular theme in science fiction movies. However, the 'underwater people' are a tributary state of the court, which is beyond everyone's expectations, but it is also reasonable."

“But the impact is elsewhere.”

"Then I can't help it." Lu Huaiyang shook his head. "It's true that our nerves are relatively 'tough', maybe because we have seen too much, in all aspects. After all, Qigong and radish have existed for a long time. But for 'other places' like Ryukyu, this is too scary."

"Wait, does Ryukyu know about this? I mean, does the King of Ryukyu know what's going to happen next?"

"No, he doesn't know." Ao Zang beside him answered, "I didn't tell the Ryukyu King about what happened here, and he knows nothing about the Dragon Palace. But the Dragon Palace will not pass by Ryukyu this time. He probably only realized the existence of the Dragon Palace from the news that Edo Castle was captured by the water tribe."

"What will Ryukyu do?"

"Probably ecstasy." Ao Zang thought for a while, "After all, the Dragon Palace that they have worshipped for so many years really exists, they will most likely be delighted - of course, it's also possible that Ye Gong loves dragons. But even if they know the existence of the Dragon Palace, it will still provide "services" to Ryukyu in a secret way, and I don't mind changing my identity. But the one who is completely shocked is our target."

"This, Governor Li will take care of it." Lu Huaiyang said, "Governor Li will make the necessary decisions. Whether to circle the action area, how many people to evacuate, and what methods to use to intimidate Edo to make him cooperate, all of these can be decided by them. I know that Shangluo, you have a kind heart."

"No, no, no, I'm not kind, just come casually, it's fine."

"Really? But Governor Li is quite principled. He will probably present a 'God descending to earth' play to the citizens of Edo in the fastest and most direct way, and then get everything done in the mental shock. If you are the lead actor in this matter, Shangluo, you have to rehearse the play with him as the director."

Chapter 1113: Demon-Subduing Marshal

"Your Majesty, King Shang Tai of the Ryukyu Kingdom, the Minister of the Middle Mountain Shang Cheng, the Minister of the North Mountain Shang Long, and the Minister of the South Mountain Shang Yimoto, together with all the officials of the Ryukyu Kingdom, wish the emperor good health."

The King of Ryukyu wore a nine-crown crown and a five-chapter crown with two dragons on the shoulders. He held a 9-inch 2-centimeter jade sceptre in his hand and bowed to the tablet with the words "His Majesty the Present Holy Emperor" on the throne. The doctors of the Ryukyu Kingdom followed behind him, and the ministers of the Ryukyu Kingdom followed in the square outside the palace. Everyone followed the King of Ryukyu and bowed a beat slower.

The press corps waiting nearby began to take pictures like machine guns, the spotlights lit up, and the entire main hall of Shuri Castle flashed white as if it had been hit by a flash grenade.

This is the glory of the Ryukyu Kingdom. Even the low-level employees of Iruka Department Store would feel extremely proud when they thought that the Ryukyu King could pay homage to the emperor directly. In the evening, the photo of the Ryukyu King would appear on the front page of major newspapers in the Ryukyu Kingdom. The "pious and resolute" eyes that the Ryukyu King had trained for a long time would also appear in the visual focus of the page.

Like Korea, the Ryukyu Kingdom enjoyed the courtesy treatment of a prince as a county king, and the robes of the Ryukyu King were also the robes of a prince. The Ryukyu Kingdom was also one of the few tributary states that could display the true "princely etiquette" like Korea. Not to mention the full set of clothes, many tributary states actually couldn't even put together "hundreds of officials". The court didn't have too high requirements. After all, whether to come to pay tribute was an internal affair, and the court generally didn't bother to care.

However, if the tributary states are fooling around, the court will not take it too seriously. On the contrary, the court will also pay corresponding attention to model tributary states like Ryukyu. The photos taken just now were not only taken by Ryukyu, but more by newspapers from Kinai. The existence of Ryukyu itself is a symbol of "harmony" in the tributary world, an echo of the power of the emperor outside of Shenzhou, and is mutually complementary with the peaceful world in Kinai directly ruled by His Majesty the Holy Son of Heaven.

The combination of the two constitutes the perfection of this world order, and all those who participate in the viewing can gain satisfaction from it. This is a ceremony that everyone can gain satisfaction from - the Ryukyu King obtained the legitimacy of his rule by paying homage to the emperor, because he was the person "closest to God"; the people of Ryukyu established a connection with the Celestial Empire through the ceremony, and they knew that they were part of the world. The people of the Celestial Empire were even happier, because everyone knew that they ruled the world.

Only Zhu Xianxun knew nothing. He didn't even know that he would be worshipped by hundreds of people today, and he was still fishing. After all, "worshipping the emperor" has nothing to do with the "emperor himself". What they worshipped was not Zhu Xianxun as an individual, but "His Majesty the Emperor, the Holy Son of Heaven".

However, the one who took the most advantage in the whole ceremony was the "angel" standing in front of the tablet. The flash lights also hit "Shangluo"'s face, but the demon-slaying marshal showed no fear under the flash lights and completed the whole ceremony calmly.

"Wow~~ It's so convenient to save face automatically." In a corner of the hall, the real Shangluo also took a mobile phone to take a picture of Victoria's profile. He could even drink water because there was no camera filming here.

Everyone in the hall was busy with their own business. The one who announced the decree was reciting the question, and the people listening stood up, bowed, stood up again, and bowed again. The face of the "Great Marshal of Demon Subjugation" was already sweating. With so many people crowded in here and the flash lights flashing non-stop, it was also a test of her physical strength. But looking at her cheerful face, it was obvious that she was in pain and happy.

Only Shangluo enjoyed pure happiness. He didn't have to do anything, but he got everything done.

The complicated ceremony lasted for more than an hour. The "Great Marshal of the Demon-Subduing Army" acted with the King of Ryukyu like an actor under the spotlight. However, the difference was that the cameras were all aimed at her instead of the King of Ryukyu. She also maintained her proper manners and responses throughout the whole process.

"He's a professional indeed." Lu Huaiyang, who was standing next to him, also held a teacup. "Shangluo, you really picked the right person. To be honest, the emperor can't do this job."

"is it?"

"The emperor didn't like this kind of occasion. He only worked like this during the first and fifteenth day of each month. He could do some of the procedures of the grand court meeting himself or ask the eunuchs to do it on his behalf. He was quite flexible when it came to execution. But he made no exception and almost always let others do it as long as he could. Throughout the whole process, he usually spoke less than 20 words."

"What about this one?"

"My goodness, this girl has been talking for more than an hour. She is so professional! This girl's mouth is as non-stop as an engine. Oh my, she has the meaning of the late emperor."

"So the late emperor was quite diligent in his work?"

"That's right. The late emperor was very diligent in other aspects besides liking to play ball. He just started to cultivate immortality when he was old. But, I don't know if he was bored or too tired. He actually abandoned the country to cultivate in seclusion. If you only look at his appearance when he was young, you would never have thought that. But even the late emperor had to drink water every hour. And the one in front of me, let me say, her energy is too abundant. She doesn't look tired at all. Does she have any magic weapon?"

"Indeed." Shangluo nodded, but did not elaborate further on the fact that "Victoria's heart has turned to stone."

But in theory, this stone heart does have such an effect. Although it will change Victoria's personality and make her unstable when it is in trouble, but when it is effective, it can make Victoria as steady as a stone man, without feeling tired. The surging power from the stone heart supports her mind and body, allowing her to finish all the words she planned to say without missing a word.

After the ceremony, even the Ryukyu King, who also participated in the full name, was surprised:

The rising star in front of him, who was rising rapidly in Kinai, was truly worthy of his reputation. It seemed that he was chosen by the emperor as the "Great Marshal of Demon Conqueror" and he lived up to his reputation. He stood in the front and saw the most clearly - in the whole ceremony, in fact, only the "Great Marshal of Demon Conqueror" was speaking throughout. Although he was also present as the King of Ryukyu, he actually took turns speaking with the other officials, and the three doctors behind him also took on a lot of work. And the work of acting with 200 people here was all done by the Great Marshal of Demon Conqueror alone.

"So this is the immortal? He is truly an immortal! So there are immortals at meetings too?"

Chapter 1114: Immortal Victoria

"Ah~ It feels so good." In the lounge, Victoria temporarily released her transformation, sat on the armchair and fanned herself with her hands. Although she was made of stone, she was not made of iron. Of course she would still feel tired, but she could bear it. Now that the matter was finally completed, she could relax.

"Boss, please drink." Shangluo opened a can of Coke and held it with both hands.

"Boss, is this wind speed okay?" Phaethon was fanning her with a fan.

"Ah~~ Sure, sure. Eh? Phaethon, you can actually fan me, too?"

"It's really amazing. This is something I can't do. I give in."