The next day, early morning.

Inside the villa in Donghai City.

Zhou Huai leaned back on the soft leather sofa, holding a steaming cup of black tea in his hand.

Staring at the huge holographic projection screen on the wall in front of me.

On the screen is the momentous event that has shaken the entire planet today—the surrender ceremony of the Sakura Kingdom!

This once-prosperous international metropolis is now nothing but ruins, with charred traces of sacrificial rituals and horrific battles still visible on the ground. The autumn wind whips up the ashes, carrying a sense of desolate melancholy as the sun sets.

However, in the central square of these ruins, a solemn and majestic platform has risen from the ground.

The Great Xia army flag fluttered in the autumn ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) wind, like a burning flame illuminating this desolate land.

Around the high platform, fully armed elite soldiers of the Great Xia stood in formation like an iron wall, their chilling aura reaching the sky. In the sky, hundreds of special drones hovered, transmitting images of the scene simultaneously to every corner of the globe via satellite signals.

Today marks the formal surrender ceremony of the Sakura Kingdom to Great Xia.

Live stream across the entire internet!

Within the Great Xia Dynasty, countless people put down their work, students stopped their morning reading, and crowds of pedestrians stopped to watch in front of the large screens in shopping malls.

The barrage of comments in the live stream was like a tidal wave, densely covering the entire screen.

"How magnificent is my Great Xia!!"

"The day has finally come! I can't stop crying, brothers, I'm crying like an idiot!"

"Grandpa, did you see that? We won! The Sakura Country that bullied us back then has completely bowed down today!"

Long live the Great Xia! The spirit of the army is immortal!

Amidst the cheers and excitement filling the screen, the live stream suddenly zoomed in.

Behind the platform, accompanied by the steady and powerful sound of military boots hitting the ground, a tall figure slowly walked into the frame.

He wore a crisp, tailored Great Xia Marshal's uniform, the gold stars on his epaulets gleaming in the sunlight. His posture was like a pine tree, his every step exuding an invincible aura forged in the crucible of countless battles.

However, when the camera focused entirely on his face, the barrage of comments, which was refreshing at a rate of tens of thousands per second, strangely froze for a moment.

Then came an even more insane explosion!

"Holy crap?! Who...who is this handsome guy?!"

"He's so handsome! My god, that look, that aura, he's like a war god straight out of a novel!"

"I'm in love! When did the Great Xia military discover such an outstanding young general? His looks alone could easily surpass those of any celebrity!"

"I need all of this man's information within one minute!"

Just as countless netizens were frantically typing on their keyboards, completely bewildered, the host's slightly trembling voice, tinged with excitement, came from the live stream:

"Fellow countrymen, the one approaching us now is none other than the supreme commander of this Eastern Expedition—the supreme marshal of our Great Xia Kingdom, Lord Zhao Qingcang!"

This sentence was like a depth charge, triggering a tsunami across the entire internet.

The screen was instantly replaced by a uniform number of question marks.

"??????"

"Host, say it again? Who is he?!"

"What's going on? Isn't Marshal Zhao an old man in his seventies with a full head of white hair? I grew up watching the news about him!"

"What kind of international joke is this? This guy looks like he's only in his early twenties! You're calling him a seventy-something-year-old man?!"

"Am I getting younger? Or have I traveled through time? What on earth is going on?!"

Countless exclamations, doubts, and incomprehensions filled the entire internet.

But Zhao Qingcang, who was present at the scene, was completely unconcerned about the storm on the internet. His face, which had returned to its peak condition of twenty years old and was still dashing and heroic, exuded a solemn and dignified aura.

He walked to the microphone, his deep gaze sweeping over the ashen-faced high-ranking officials of the Japanese Empire who had been escorted to the stage.

Zhao Qingcang took a deep breath and spoke into the microphone in a low voice.

"Fellow countrymen of Great Xia, and witnesses from all over the world—"

"Today, we stand here, atop the imperial capital of the Land of Cherry Blossoms!"

Zhao Qingcang's voice, amplified by the loudspeaker, resonated throughout the entire city of Tokyo, passionate and inspiring.

"Kujo Hiroharu of the Sakura Country is a wolf in sheep's clothing, disregarding all human ethics! For his own selfish desires, he attempted to resurrect his ancestors and did not hesitate to launch a sacrificial ceremony covering the entire city, treating millions of innocent people as worthless ants!"

"The Kujo family's crimes are countless and too numerous to recount! Our Great Xia is a land of benevolence and righteousness, a teacher of the virtuous! We will never tolerate such inhumane and monstrous acts happening right under our noses!"

"Therefore, our Great Xia swears an oath to march east! To act on behalf of Heaven! To thwart the conspiracy of the Kujo family and save the people of Sakura Country from their suffering!"

"Today, evil has come to an end, and justice shall prevail!"

The resounding declaration stirred the blood of netizens across the country.

"Well said! A righteous army! Acting on behalf of Heaven!"

"The Kujo family is a bunch of beasts. They even kill people from their own country. They deserve to be wiped out!"

As Zhao Qingcang finished speaking...

A middle-aged man in a black suit, looking haggard, walked shakily onto the surrender platform, escorted by two soldiers from the Great Xia Dynasty.

It was none other than Shinichiro Nakamura, the representative of the "Divine Dynasty," the current highest authority in the Sakura Kingdom.

At this moment, Shinichiro Nakamura had his head down, his forehead covered in a fine layer of cold sweat.

Only he himself knows that he is by no means a representative of any country.

He was nothing more than a puppet put out by that terrifying lord for show.

Shinichiro Nakamura swallowed hard, walked up to Zhao Qingcang, his legs went weak, and he almost knelt down.

He held the heavy surrender document in both hands, and with a trembling voice, read out the line he had rehearsed countless times in broken Daxia language:

“I...Shinichiro Nakamura, representing the Sakura Kingdom, acknowledge defeat...accept all conditions of the Great Xia Kingdom, and unconditionally...surrender.”

After saying this, he signed his name on the surrender document, then bowed deeply, held the document high, and respectfully handed it to Zhao Qingcang.

Zhao Qingcang glanced at him coldly, then extended his right hand, which was covered by a white glove, and took the surrender document.

This moment.

The live stream chat went wild!

"We won! Long live the Great Xia!"

"The arrogant Japan of cherry blossoms has finally knelt down before us!"

"Long live my Great Xia! Great Xia is awesome! (voice cracks)!!!" 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Countless fireworks burst across the land, and countless people raised their glasses in celebration.

Everyone thought that this historic surrender ceremony had come to a successful conclusion.

However, the live stream was not cut off.

Zhao Qingcang handed the letter of surrender to his adjutant, turned around, and faced the microphone again.

His expression was a hundred times more solemn and dignified than when the victory was announced.

"Fellow countrymen, the surrender ceremony has concluded."

"But today's live broadcast is not over yet. Because next, in addition to the surrender ceremony, I will also hold a special awarding ceremony here for a true hero."