Prologue

The Gruuman on the ground looked up in terror at the young man in a black robe, adorned with the insignia of a high-level sorcerer. Just as he was about to let out a scream of fear, a dozen long spears simultaneously pierced through from behind him, the immense force tearing him into pieces

Records of the historians of later generations

His words were not yet finished when the lookout on the city wall shouted loudly: "Chief, a large caravan is approaching, you should come and take a look. They are coming from the direction of the Smart Empire, haha, so many vehicles and people! This time we can collect a good amount of taxes from them, perhaps we can complete this year's tax quota today."

Wearing a lightweight silver steel armor, the squadron leader approached with a huff, wielding a two-handed sword. He grabbed Grumman by the chest and whispered harshly, "Shut up, you rascal. Just be a good soldier and stop dreaming of becoming the founding emperor. If this were the imperial capital, no, even in any lord's provincial territory, your words and actions would be enough to make your entire family disappear. That's enough, Grumman. From now on, I will no longer allow those bards into my war fortress."

When the first squad of heavy cavalry charged through the open city gates, it was also the moment when the first batch of magical projectiles struck the castle. The immense magical energy caused this small fortress to collapse by half in an instant, while the soldiers gathered at the sides of the gate, eager to welcome the merchant convoy, were lifted high by the thick pikes. Without any significant resistance, the fortress, which served as the foremost defensive stronghold of the Vant Empire on the border, integrating functions of defense, boundary maintenance, local law enforcement, and taxation, was thus obliterated

Upon hearing this, the squad leader immediately broke into a smile, forgetting to put down the Grumman, and rushed up the nearly five-meter-high city wall, gazing southward. A group of soldiers and junior officers also rushed over upon hearing the news, pointing and discussing towards the horizon.

A white dove flapped its wings and soared into the sky from the fortress, but a delicate, fair hand was already waiting in the air, mercilessly crushing it into a mass of meat paste and throwing it down.

The enchanting sound of singing was abruptly interrupted by a loud crash as a somewhat battered hard helmet whizzed by, striking the shouting soldier on the back of his head. Following this, a harsh voice bellowed: "Damn it, Grumman, you are daydreaming again. Having a noble's name does not make you a noble. Go, the horses are your responsibility today. Take them to the river to drink and graze. If you do not clean their coats properly, do not bother coming back."

A soldier murmured, "Chief, it seems our fortress cannot accommodate them yet; their ranks are quite large... Our city can hold a maximum of 1,000 people, but currently, there are 1,200 soldiers stationed here, and it is already overcrowded."

The soldiers who were slightly farther away were momentarily stunned; they were about to cry out in terror when the canopies of the carts were suddenly lifted. One by one, heavily armored soldiers scrambled out of the carts at their fastest speed, mounted the nearby horses, raised their long spears, and charged toward the wide-open city gates. Meanwhile, those on foot slowly ascended into the sky, and in their outstretched hands appeared orbs of light in various colors.

Lu Man squeezed out a smile: "Captain, I am merely composing a great epic; I have no thoughts of becoming an emperor, I..."

The queue has been slightly organized, and the army of the Smart Empire is now, oh, once again a merchant convoy. The merchant convoy of the Smart Empire is traveling towards the second plain defense line of the Vant Empire at a speed three times faster than that of ordinary merchant convoys. Ahead of them lies the so-called second strongest city on the continent, the "Iron Blood War City"

The soldier, Grumman, dressed in a gray cloth outfit and wearing a poor-quality leather armor on his upper body, hurriedly nodded and bowed with a smile: "Yes, yes, dear squad leader, I will go right away. You see, I haven't done anything wrong; you almost knocked me out. I am truly wronged."

The squad leader pretended to be stern as he stroked his slightly bearded chin, slowly nodding: "Very well, there should be good wine in the caravan. Let them use twenty barrels of fine wine to replace a portion of the tax, hahahaha." The soldiers around him cheered and immediately dispersed to prepare water and open the city gates.

The squad leader had just turned around, intending to assert his authority and reprimand those soldiers who were "seeking comfort." Suddenly, a massive bolt of lightning struck from the sky, hitting the squad leader on the head. The powerful current coursed through his steel armor, knocking down several soldiers nearby. As for the squad leader himself, his flesh had already been cooked in an instant.

The Smart Empire has dispatched three merchant fleets to conduct a friendly visit to the Vant Empire, with which it signed a treaty only six months ago

In a distant place, a large group of people slowly appeared. Ah, many heavily laden carts were moving at such a slow pace, and the guards were also dismounted and walking, which was the proper etiquette when approaching the border of another country. The squad leader laughed heartily: "Alright, brothers, get ready to drink, the tax collectors are coming... Grumman, I've got a good job for you, go wake up the tax officer, ha, he drank too much last night, if we don't get him up, we won't know how much tax is due on a pound of goods." The squad leader laughed heartily: "Alright, brothers, get ready to drink, the tax collectors are coming... Grumman, I've got a good job for you, go wake up the tax officer, ha, he drank too much last night, if we don't get him up, we won't know how much tax is due on a pound of goods."

Grumman chuckled, "Boss, why don't you let me go? If today's revenue from m.hetushu.com is good, you should let us have a drink tonight. Hehe, we just signed a friendly alliance with the Smart Empire, so there's no need for serious vigilance."

In the year 175,945 of the Divine Calendar, the year 153,057 of the Peaceful Calendar of the Continent, and the year 3,750 of the Vante Empire Calendar, the great Emperor Gruman encountered several key ministers who would later help establish the nation on the Qingfeng Plain, winning their loyalty. It was under the leadership of these great commanders that Emperor Gruman... It was under the leadership of these great commanders that Emperor Gruman...

The caravan gradually approached and suddenly stopped a short distance away. The squad leader and several other soldiers still on the city wall were taken aback: "Fools, isn't it better to rest in the city? Why stop on the open plain outside?"

On a wonderfully beautiful morning, a light mist gently drifts over the fields, creating a very leisurely and pleasant atmosphere. Two early-rising larks chirp and chatter, flapping their small wings as they laboriously fly past, their plump bodies brushing against the grass. In the distant eastern horizon, a line of red light can be seen, with a golden point in the center slowly expanding, as the sun is about to shake off its slumber and rise.