242: Chapter 243 I have always been a part of the Great Han Kingdom

Over an hour later. As the final agenda item was passed by vote, the presiding official tidied the documents before him and reached out to turn off the microphone. "This Congress of Kings and Dukes is now adjourned."

Heavy mahogany chairs were pushed back one after another. The agents around the round table stood up, nodding to one another in greeting. Some were still whispering about the resolutions just passed, while others, after packing away their documents, let their gazes drift, intentionally or not, toward Zhou Yun.

What happened at today's Congress was far more than they had anticipated.

The King of the South's agent was inexplicably absent. The news of Wang Shuai's death was made public for the first time. The newly seated Duke Zhou vowed that if the King of the South insisted on obstructing him, he would level the King of the South's territory. Immediately after, Duke Mingyue, who was far away in the City Lord World, joined remotely via WeChat to announce that she would march on Flower City in seven days.

If one were to add up all the previous sessions of the Congress of Kings and Dukes, they likely wouldn't be as lively as today.

Zhou Yun closed the meeting documents in front of him and rose from his seat. When he walked out of the Congress hall, the sky outside was still bright. On both sides of the long corridor, soldiers stood guard with guns every few steps, and the vermilion pillars cast long, narrow shadows in the afternoon sun.

Zhou Yun hadn't gone far along the corridor when a series of hurried footsteps sounded behind him. "Duke Zhou, please wait."

Zhou Yun stopped and looked back. An elderly man with gray hair, wearing a dark administrative jacket, caught up quickly. Two staff members followed behind him, one of whom was holding a thick stack of documents.

The old man approached and extended his hand to Zhou Yun with a solemn expression. "Duke Zhou, my surname is Chen. A few leaders would like to ask you to step aside for a private conversation, if you are available now?"

Zhou Yun shook his hand. "You are too polite, Elder Chen. Please lead the way."

Meanwhile, other agents of the kings and dukes were also filing out of the Congress hall. Some saw this scene and slowed their pace slightly. But soon, they chuckled and continued walking out. The expressions of the other agents were mostly indifferent, as they had clearly anticipated this. After all, Zhou Yun was a duke in person. The Great Han Nation and a duke in person had many things to discuss privately. If the nation hadn't asked anything today and just let Zhou Yun leave, that would have been strange.

...

Zhou Yun followed Elder Chen through two corridors and finally entered a heavily guarded side hall. The interior of the side hall had been converted into a meeting room. There was no huge round table symbolizing the seats of kings and dukes here, only several rows of simple long tables. The Great Han Nation's flag and emblem hung on the walls, and tea and stacks of unopened documents were placed on the tables.

There were twenty or thirty people sitting in the meeting room. Most of these people were not young, and Zhou Yun had even seen a few of them frequently on television news. The official who had presided over the Congress of Kings and Dukes was also sitting among them. Seeing Zhou Yun walk in, the people who had been whispering to each other all stood up. "Duke Zhou." "Duke Zhou, please sit." Greetings rang out in the meeting room. Zhou Yun nodded to everyone and then sat down in the chair pulled out by a staff member. Elder Chen also took a seat on the side. The door of the meeting room slowly closed.

At the head of the table, an old man did not speak immediately, just looking at Zhou Yun for a moment. Beside his hand lay a record of the Congress, with several places on the pages circled in red pen. In the brief silence, the presiding official picked up his teacup and took a sip, while someone on the other side placed a palm on the cover of a document, their fingertips tapping gently and unconsciously. Finally, the old man at the head of the table spoke first.

"Duke Zhou, we asked you to come over because there is something we would like to confirm with you." His speech was not fast, and his wording showed a degree of deliberation. "You mentioned in the third agenda item of the meeting that if any City Lord of the Great Han Nation is in trouble, you are willing to provide some help as long as it is within your power." He paused slightly at this point. "We would like to ask, is this statement... truly sincere?"

No one in the meeting room made a sound for a moment. Gazes fell upon Zhou Yun. Some subconsciously straightened their backs, while others set down their half-lifted teacups. Even the official who had remained calm while presiding over the Congress was now staring intently at Zhou Yun's expression. Seeing this, the old man at the head added: "Duke Zhou, you need not have any concerns."

"Kings and Dukes are expanding their territories in the City Lord World, and every step relates to the life and death of countless citizens. If that statement was just a polite gesture at the meeting, the nation would understand, and would never force Duke Zhou to act on it." He spoke very candidly.

The third agenda item of the meeting was a recurring feature of every Congress of Kings and Dukes. Almost every newly promoted King or Duke would express at the meeting that they were willing to take care of their Great Han compatriots. Some did indeed help. Others never mentioned it again after leaving the Congress. Still others were willing to lend a hand at first, but as their territories expanded and wars increased, they gradually stopped responding. Every resource and every soldier of a King or Duke had their own use. No one had the right to demand that they unconditionally share their years of accumulation with strangers. Therefore, by inviting Zhou Yun over today, they just wanted to hear a definitive answer.

Zhou Yun looked at the people in the meeting room. On dozens of faces, there was more or less a hint of nervousness. He pondered for a moment, his tone calm. "If the leaders have any instructions, please feel free to give them."

The old man at the head was taken aback, then looked a bit ashamed. "I dare not call them instructions." He said, raising his hand to signal the staff member beside him to deliver a document to Zhou Yun. "It's just... if possible, there is indeed something we would like to trouble Duke Zhou with."

Zhou Yun opened the first page of the document. "Please speak freely." As these four words fell, the tense atmosphere in the meeting room relaxed a bit. Someone leaned back in their chair and quietly let out a breath. The presiding official's hand holding the teacup also relaxed, and the bottom of the cup touched the saucer with a soft click.

The old man at the head gathered his thoughts and then slowly began to describe the situation of the Great Han City Lords in the City Lord World. For example, surviving the novice trial was just the beginning of a City Lord's career. For example, many cities where Great Han City Lords arrived had meager resources, small populations, and were surrounded by powerful enemies. Guarding a small city, they lacked almost everything: food, weapons, Cultivation Techniques, and medicine.

Another example: some had developed for more than a decade and still only had one city. Yet another example: some had lost their territories in war and could only wander around with their remnant soldiers and civilians. Even more had already sent their final distress messages to the nation. But there was an uncrossable chasm between Blue Star and the City Lord World; no matter how many resources the nation had here, it couldn't send them to their hands.

However, while Blue Star couldn't help, the Kings and Dukes of the Great Han Nation could. But the City Lord World was vast and boundless, and the Four Kings and Sixteen Dukes each had their own territories and wars. Many of those calling for help were too far away from them; by the time the message was passed on and an army was dispatched, it was often too late.

Speaking of this, the old man at the head's voice lowered. "Some of them, right up until their cities were destroyed, were still asking the nation when reinforcements would arrive." "But we... cannot give them a definite time."

No one in the meeting room replied. Only the faint sound of the air conditioning continued to hum overhead.

The old man turned his gaze back to Zhou Yun. "Flower City is currently in the Xiaonan Region." "The nation hopes that in the future, if any Great Han City Lord located in the Xiaonan Region happens to be within Duke Zhou's reach, and has indeed reached a desperate situation, Duke Zhou can help them."

As if worried that this would put pressure on Zhou Yun, he quickly added: "Of course, everything should be based on the premise of not affecting the development of Flower City." "If Flower City has wars or difficulties, Duke Zhou should just handle your own affairs. The nation will never use today's conversation to constrain you, nor will it require you to put your own citizens in danger to save others."

Zhou Yun listened while looking down at the document in his hands. Strings of names were recorded on the pages. Each name corresponded to a city. The status of some cities was written as "Lost Contact," some as "Under Siege," and others only had the date of their last contact with Blue Star. Zhou Yun's fingers paused on the edge of the page for a moment, then he closed the document.

"Since they are all Great Han compatriots, I should do my part."

The meeting room was silent for a moment. Immediately afterward, the gazes that had been somewhat restrained clearly brightened. A smile finally appeared on the face of the old man sitting at the head, and he said repeatedly: "Good, good!"

The presiding official couldn't contain himself and leaned forward slightly. "Duke Zhou, if possible, may we invite you to join the Great Han Xiaonan Region Mutual Aid Group?" "Most of the people in the group are City Lords in difficult situations. They share news with each other daily. If Duke Zhou joins, they..." "Ahem!" A cough suddenly came from the head of the table. The presiding official's voice stopped abruptly.

He turned his head and met the old man's warning glance. The presiding official's heart sank! Oh no! He had been too eager just now! Zhou Yun agreeing to provide help within his power was already a rare gesture of goodwill. For him to immediately try to pull him into the mutual aid group was a bit like pushing his luck. Moreover, there were all kinds of distress messages in that group every day. Anyone who looked at them for a long time would feel heavy-hearted. His superfluous remark might have ruined everything! Thinking of this, his back was soaked with cold sweat. He sat back, his face full of panic, and apologized repeatedly: "I'm sorry, I was impatient, I spoke too much."

Zhou Yun didn't mind, just taking his phone out of his pocket. "Where is the group?" "I'll join now."

Huh? The presiding official was stunned. The old man at the head also stopped coughing and looked up. The others also looked surprised, seemingly not expecting Zhou Yun to agree so readily.

"What, is it inconvenient?" Zhou Yun asked.

"Convenient! Of course it's convenient!" The presiding official hurriedly unlocked his phone, tapped his fingers quickly on the screen a few times, and brought up the group QR code. "Duke Zhou, you can just scan this."

Zhou Yun picked up his phone and aimed it at the QR code. "Beep." A crisp notification sound rang out in the meeting room. A prompt immediately popped up on the screen. [You have joined the "Great Han Xiaonan Region Mutual Aid Group".]

Seeing this line of text, the gazes of everyone present toward Zhou Yun changed quietly. Whenever a newly promoted King or Duke attended the Congress, the nation would make similar requests. Many were willing to agree on the spot. Only about half actually joined the mutual aid group in the end. After joining, only one or two out of ten were willing to reach out to help their fellow compatriots in trouble. As for those who could persist year after year... there was not a single one. And now, Zhou Yun's promise at the Congress had taken its first step toward implementation today.

However, things had gone too smoothly. The people who had prepared many speeches were suddenly at a loss for what to say next. The meeting room went quiet for a short while.

Zhou Yun waited for a moment, and seeing no one speak, he stood up from his seat. "If there is nothing else, I will take my leave."

Everyone stood up accordingly. "Very well, Duke Zhou is busy with affairs, so we won't keep you any longer."

The old man at the head personally walked around the long table and accompanied Zhou Yun to the door of the meeting room. Just as the staff member opened the door, he seemed to remember something, a hint of apology appearing on his face. "Duke Zhou, there is one more thing."

Zhou Yun stopped. The old man said deliberatively: "Regarding Duke Mingyue and the King of the South, the nation will do its best to mediate between them." "We will also communicate with the relevant parties as soon as possible regarding what happened at today's Congress."

Zhou Yun smiled. "Thank you."

He didn't say much more and turned to walk out the door. One step. Two steps. Just as Zhou Yun was about to exit the meeting room, the old man's voice came from behind again. "Duke Zhou."

Zhou Yun turned back and saw the old man looking at him with a solemn expression. "For Duke Zhou's willingness to help the Great Han City Lords in distress, I, on behalf of the Great Han Nation, extend our most sincere gratitude to Duke Zhou."

As his voice fell, he slowly bowed. Behind him, the twenty or thirty top leaders of the Great Han Nation also bowed at the same moment.

Zhou Yun stood at the doorway, watching the figures bowing in the meeting room, his gaze pausing for a moment. Then, he earnestly returned the bow. "You all are too kind." "Whether it is a dukedom or a kingship, I am always a part of the Great Han Nation."

After saying this, Zhou Yun straightened up, turned, and walked out of the meeting room. The sound of his footsteps gradually faded along the corridor.

Until it was completely inaudible, the people in the meeting room returned to their seats one after another. The presiding official looked at the door that had not yet fully closed, and couldn't help but sigh: "This Duke Zhou is... indeed very different from the other Kings and Dukes."

Someone next to him picked up a teacup, "It seems so now." "But it's hard to say what will happen in the future."

Another person also sighed softly. "Yes, human hearts are easily changed." "In these years, haven't we seen enough people who were willing to help at the beginning?"

As these words fell, the joy that had just risen in the meeting room faded visibly. However, the old man at the head soon waved his hand. "Why be so pessimistic?"

He looked back at the thick list on the table. "Even if Duke Zhou is only willing to help one person, and only saves one city, we haven't worked in vain today."

Everyone was silent for a moment. Then, they nodded one after another.