319: Those who steal a country become feudal lords; divine authority reigns supreme.

In the broadcasting room.

Gong Juren, looking as if he were constipated, finished translating the script Xu Le had meticulously prepared. After setting it to play on a loop, he panicked.

"Brother Le, if the Japanese take this seriously, what kind of sentence will we get?"

"A sentence? Why would we be sentenced?"

"For this! We won't be shot immediately, will we?" Gong Juren pointed at the people around them, his heart racing the more he thought about it.

Xu Le patted his shoulder. "What's there to fear? Our ancestor said it's fine. It's in the bag."

"Even the ancestors are involved? Wait, which ancestor?"

"Zhuangzi said: he who steals a hook is executed; he who steals a state becomes a lord."

Gong Juren nearly fell apart. What use was what Zhuangzi said? If his words were useless in Japan, could he jump out and help?

Wait, he who steals a hook is executed, so... He stared at Xu Le in shock.

Xu Le rubbed his stomach. "Let's go eat."

"We won't be arrested as soon as we step out, will we?"

Gong Juren was very nervous, but he had no choice but to go out. After all, he had never heard of the police being stopped by a door.

When he timidly looked downstairs, he found that there was no one on the street. He could vaguely smell the scent of rust, but it wasn't distinct.

Most of the shops on both sides of the street were closed. It didn't look like the bustling Edo, but more like a post-war scene where everyone was hiding from the chaos.

Was the Lighthouse Nation going to hold another mass barbecue?

The fourth floor was the cafeteria. Many staff members had already started eating. When they saw Xu Le, they all looked over with reverence.

"We're eating here?"

Gong Juren felt a bit disappointed, yet also relieved. He felt as if stepping out the door would be a disaster.

Of course, Xu Le wouldn't eat here. He took out the food prepared by Xiao Meng from the Zhiwei Tower and began to enjoy it.

Unfortunately, Gong Juren was lost in thought and under too much mental pressure. He didn't notice the source of the food, nor did he savor its deliciousness... It was afternoon.

A black car with a white flag attached drove over.

This was already the third car on the road. The previous two had been shredded by Heavenly Soldiers in white armor shortly after leaving.

Yokota Masaru folded his hands, praying for God's protection.

The previous two had prayed to Amaterasu before their departure. Since that hadn't worked, he decided to change things up. After all, foreign monks are better at chanting sutras.

Under the protection of God and the white flag, he proceeded without hindrance and finally arrived at the television station building.

Just as he was about to get out of the car, he suddenly remembered he hadn't taken the small white flag. He quickly held it in his hand before daring to step out.

"Mr. Xu Le..."

Xu Le raised his hand to signal the other to stop. Yokota Masaru sensibly shut his mouth and bowed to show he was listening intently.

"You should call me God."

"Very well, Venerable God!" Yokota Masaru agreed immediately.

Gong Juren's eyes widened. This felt surreal, even magical; he felt as if he were still dreaming.

Yokota Masaru continued in fluent Great Xia language, "Your Excellency Venerable God, may I ask what your intentions are?"

Xu Le spoke with a straight face, talking eloquently. "I come for peace, seeking to build a prosperous, strong, and democratic Japan..."

Gong Juren didn't know what Yokota Masaru was thinking, but seeing him so serious, even taking notes on the key points, he felt his worldview collapsing.

Xu Le continued for over five minutes until he ran out of words and stopped.

Yokota Masaru immediately bowed ninety degrees. "Arigato. Thank you for your generosity, Xu... Your Excellency Venerable God. I will surely convey your thoughts truthfully to every citizen of Japan, so they may provide better offerings to you."

Seeing how sensible the other was, Xu Le began to state his requirements.

First, the suppression of rebellion.

Although those who dared to rebel were mostly dead, that was only physical death. Xu Le required the authorities to give them a 'correct' classification.

Second, the clearing of the field.

As the only True God of Japan, all other shrines and temples dedicated to wild or false gods needed to be completely remodeled and rebuilt. From then on, only Xu Le the Great God could be worshipped.

Third, the establishment of the cult.

A unified cult for worshipping Xu Le needed to be established, tentatively named the Zhenyi Cult, meaning to worship only Xu Le as the sole True God. The first Pope would be Gong Juren, responsible for proclaiming divine miracles.

Fourth, the rectification of the foundation.

The great affairs of a state lie in sacrifice and war. From now on, any major matters concerning the foundation of the nation would not only require the Cabinet's approval but also the God's consent to take effect.

Fifth, the establishment of the source.

God is a supreme existence; no one may violate a divine decree.

The 1st and 15th of every month would be sacrificial days. On these days, everyone must pray before the God's divine statue for three minutes. Those who violate this will suffer divine punishment.

Yokota Masaru's expression became more solemn as he listened. By the end, he almost couldn't maintain his composure.

Fortunately, he kept chanting in his heart: his life belonged to himself, while power belonged to the big shots; it had nothing to do with him.

When Xu Le finished, he tactfully reminded him, "I can agree to the first three points on behalf of my superiors, but the last two..."

Xu Le's voice was cold. "Is there a problem?"

Yokota Masaru shook his head frantically. "No, no problem. However, it requires Cabinet discussion; my status is not high enough."

Xu Le nodded. "Fine! Go back and let them discuss it. Next time, send someone who can actually make decisions."

Yokota Masaru bowed ninety degrees again. "Hai! I shall follow the Venerable God's command."

Xu Le nodded with satisfaction. "You have a future. From now on, you are one of the twelve Cardinals of the Zhenyi Cult."

Yokota Masaru left overjoyed... to the Cabinet.

As soon as Yokota Masaru finished stating the five requirements, Koizumi Shilang slammed all the documents in his hand onto Yokota's head.

"Baka yaro! This is a national disgrace, a complete surrender! If we follow what he says, we might as well just dissolve the Cabinet and let the Zhenyi Cult take over. Why even bother with this extra layer?"

The others also joined in the angry rebukes. This was even worse than 'divine power above all'; at least when others practiced that, the god was just a symbol.

Now, they didn't even dare to speak these requirements aloud.

Yokota Masaru sneered inwardly: You old geezers, I'll remember you. How dare you treat a future Cardinal like this? I'll make sure you remember today.

After being scolded until his head spun, when Koizumi Shilang ordered Yokota Masaru to go back and renegotiate, Yokota humbly reminded him, "The Venerable God... er, Excellency Xu Le requested that the next negotiator be someone who can make decisions."

The meeting room suddenly fell silent, and no one even bothered to correct Yokota Masaru's slip of the tongue.

One by one, the powerful figures began to recommend each other.

They wanted to fight, but more than half of the Self-Defense Forces had been lost. They couldn't even leave their bases. If they hadn't knelt quickly, they probably would have been wiped out entirely.

Who dared to fight?

They couldn't possibly take the field themselves, could they?

Finally, Koizumi Shilang slammed the table. "Baka! The Empire of Japan is ashamed of you all! You can't even handle such a small matter! I will go personally and surely demand justice."

Koizumi Shilang hurried out, not forgetting to pluck the small white flag and stick it in his breast pocket.

Upon meeting Xu Le, his first words were spoken with neither arrogance nor humility: "Mr. Xu, I hear there is an old saying in Great Xia: better to be a broken piece of jade than a whole tile."

Xu Le nodded. "Understood. You choose to be broken jade. Men, drag him out."

Two Heavenly Soldiers walked over. Koizumi Shilang panicked. "Mr. Xu, are you not afraid of hydrogen bombs? Our Japan has secretly manufactured ten hydrogen bombs. If truly pushed, we will drop them all on Great Xia."

Xu Le sneered confidently. "Impossible! With the Zhenyi Cult here, not a single bullet from Japan will be fired at Great Xia. As for the hydrogen bombs you mentioned, there aren't ten, but thirty, and they are all under my control."

"No, you couldn't possibly know! You shouldn't know!"

Koizumi Shilang struggled desperately, but Xu Le had no intention of explaining. The two Heavenly Soldiers dragged him away to be used as fertilizer.

When the Cabinet heard the news, everyone was indignant. "Baka! When two countries are at war, one does not kill the envoy. He is not following the rules!"

Yokota Masaru, however, thought secretly of his good fortune. "Good thing I'm smart."