"To think they still won't surrender… so stubborn. I have to admit, Song Jiang does have some skills."
Watching as the men of Liangshan fell one after another under the bombardment of the Heavenly Thunder Five Cannons and Fire Bombs, yet still refused to surrender, Daniel Davis shook his head quietly. Song Jiang had indeed transformed what had once been a mere gang of mountain bandits into an organized group with discipline that rivaled or even surpassed regular military forces. Unfortunately, they had run into Daniel—any hope of imperial pardon was now completely crushed.
"In this dynasty, murderers and arsonists are granted amnesty just for wanting official rank." This, Daniel knew, was one of the core problems of the Song Dynasty. It explained much of the rot within the military—every time a peasant revolt couldn't be suppressed, the court would resort to appeasement, absorbing rebels into the army. Over time, this led to a bloated, undisciplined, and ineffective fighting force.
Many claimed the Song Dynasty was the wealthiest in history—Daniel didn't dispute that. Based on the staggering amounts of wealth he had seized in a short time, it was clear the nation had the resources to become a world power. The issue was that all of this wealth was concentrated in the hands of the scholar-official class. The common people were destitute, which was why so many revolted.
Rather than spend money to improve life within the country, the Song would pay massive tributes to neighboring states—except Dali, perhaps. After Daniel arrived, of course, all tribute payments were immediately canceled.
"I've failed my brothers… We surrender."
Unbeknownst to Daniel, the so-called "Timely Rain" Song Jiang had been unconscious during most of the final battle—he'd collapsed after coughing up blood. The continued resistance wasn't from him but from others acting in his name. For the Liangshan heroes, bound by loyalty and brotherhood, surrender was never an option—especially after so many of their comrades had fallen. The weight of grief and vengeance only hardened their resolve.
But once Song Jiang awoke and realized the situation, he was filled with regret. Whether it was regret for his fallen brothers or regret that a weakened Liangshan would earn no favor from the court—only he knew.
"They've surrendered? Then we accept."
Once Daniel received the surrender, he immediately ordered a ceasefire. Enough blood had been shed.
"Die, you filthy official!"
At the gates of Liangshan's so-called Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness, just as Daniel prepared to accept Song Jiang's surrender, a large, dark-skinned man charged forward with two axes.
"Iron Ox, stop!"
The sudden attack made Song Jiang and the others pale. No one had expected such a disaster at such a critical moment.
"Black Whirlwind, huh? Guess you really hate me."
Daniel, of course, knew all about Black Whirlwind Li Kui. He could see the hatred in the man's eyes but merely sighed and didn't lift a finger. Behind him, four swordsmen moved instantly. From four different angles, four blades pierced Li Kui's body.
Daniel had originally wanted to create a "Six-Sword Slave" unit, but had only managed four so far. These elite guards, trained with Realman Pills and Gathered Immortal Elixirs, were highly loyal and lethal. Emotionless also had four similar female guards by her side. After all, not everyone would surrender willingly—Daniel didn't care about attacks on himself, but Emotionless was another matter entirely.
"Filthy official…"
Even as the blades pierced his vitals and his body was immobilized, Li Kui roared in rage—his last cry before death.
"Don't worry about that little mishap. Let's continue."
"This place has potential. I could turn it into a tourist site someday."
After accepting Liangshan's surrender, Daniel left the rest of the paperwork to others and wandered around the marsh. It wasn't often he got to visit historic places like this. He also met some of the more famous figures—Lin Chong, the Flower Monk Lu Zhishen, Wu Song—all of whom had survived the final assault, having taken no part in the fighting due to their conflict with Song Jiang.
For them, joining Liangshan was simply about finding a safe haven. They had no ambitions of rising up or conquering. In fact, the earlier, more relaxed days of Liangshan were what they truly longed for. Under Song Jiang's command, with strict rules and constant expansion, many of them had grown discontent.
Back when Liangshan was just a bandit hideout, it didn't attract much attention. Even the local authorities didn't see them as a threat. But as they grew more powerful, official crackdowns began. It was just like the pirate world of One Piece—no admiral would bother with ordinary pirates. This era was full of outlaws; not even Daniel could wipe them all out. And frankly, he had bigger things to worry about.
Daniel had no plans to heavily promote any of these heroes. What he lacked were skilled administrators, not martial artists. With the widespread adoption of the Heavenly Thunder Five Cannons, even top-tier martial artists would struggle against the army.
"This so-called 'Divine Weapon Technique' isn't entirely useless. It uses needles and drugs to mimic parasite techniques. Paired with Fire Bombs, it's practically a low-budget version of Edo Tensei."
Now that Liangshan was subdued, Daniel left the remaining peasant uprisings to his subordinates. The Song Dynasty saw more peasant revolts than any other period—ten or more were happening simultaneously, no doubt inspired by the successes of Fang La and Liangshan.
These revolts were best handled with food and smart policies. With grain and reform, they'd quickly fall apart. Only organized forces like Liangshan were truly dangerous.
Daniel continued his research into this world's martial techniques and mechanical engineering, intending to mass-produce practical devices to improve everyday life.
"Jin, Liao, even Western Xia and Tibet want a piece of this? Fine, let's make sure none of you leave alive."
He hadn't been back in the capital long when the frontiers reported invasions. The surrounding nations, sensing weakness, had launched a multi-front assault. Many within the court pointed fingers at Daniel, blaming him for canceling the tribute payments.
"Your Majesty, the court is in the hands of traitors!"
"Well said, Lord Jia. Truly inspiring. Now, does anyone care to name who these 'traitors' are?"
The room fell silent.
"In that case, allow me. Just so happens I've arrested two spies from Jin—and wouldn't you know it, they both recently met with Lord Jia. How curious."
"Your Majesty, I've been framed! I'm innocent!"
"Take him away."
When the frontlines couldn't win, they resorted to political games. But the Song Dynasty was no longer the weakling it once was—not with Daniel in charge. Still… he didn't like the name. "Song." It left a bad taste in his mouth.
Under his leadership, the dynasty would flourish. But why let it keep the glory? These cowardly scholars didn't deserve it.
"Traitor! Kill the traitor!"
In the streets, Lord Jia's prison cart rolled slowly past jeering crowds. Rotten eggs and leaves pelted him as civilians cursed his name.
"They really did go out of their way to gather this many rotten eggs, huh?"
"And now even the monks are crawling out of the woodwork. What, do you think I'll let you lot interfere too?"
Daniel's supplies, superior weaponry, and frontline commander Di Qing made victory all but certain. Even without the Five Cannons and Fire Bombs, Song's armies could've won—so long as the court didn't sabotage them.
Why else had they lost to even the likes of Western Xia? The army wasn't entirely useless. Look at Yue Fei—or now, Di Qing. The real enemy was behind the scenes. Longping, for example, was a perfectly competent general—but the court switched him out before battle and questioned his strategies from afar.
Daniel trusted Di Qing completely. They were already launching counteroffensives. As for the "three-nation invasion"? They were falling apart under modern firepower.
Cavalry couldn't even function under Five Cannon barrages. They were just target practice now.
And still, some dared to object—claiming the weapons were too cruel, too excessive. This time, it wasn't the Confucians. It was the Buddhist temples, led by Prime Temple.
"Oh? You said General Di Qing was slaughtering people at the front?"
Daniel looked calmly at the fat monk before him.
"A—"
Before the monk could speak, his face twisted with pain. He flipped through the air three and a half times before slamming into the floor.
"You—!"
The bleeding monk stared in disbelief. He hadn't even opened his mouth, and Daniel had already struck him with a green bamboo staff.
"Guards! Assassin! He's a Jin spy trying to kill the emperor!"
Daniel shouted as Imperial Guards rushed in.
"You—!"
The monk turned pale. He understood the trap—but understanding was useless now. Daniel had already made his move.
"Brother, how'd it go?"
Back at the temple, his fellow monks greeted him. He was covered in blood.
"It's over. Everything's over."
Boom.
Just then, the temple gates exploded. Imperial Guards poured in.
"How dare you shelter an assassin? Arrest them all. Resist, and die."
"We're innocent!"
"You're despicable!"
Some cried injustice. Some saw the setup—but it didn't matter. Daniel was done playing nice.
Where were these monks when the Jin soldiers were burning and pillaging? Now they wanted to lecture him on morality?
"Thank you, really. If you hadn't shown up, I'd have had to stage a whole assassination plot. Now things are much simpler."
"You…"
The fat monk spat a mouthful of blood. He realized now that he had never stood a chance. Daniel had planned this from the start.
Falsely accused of regicide, the Buddhist orders were now marked as traitors. Their fate was sealed.
"To think he died from rage. Pity—I had so much more to show him."
Daniel had learned a lot about handling Buddhist factions during his time in Tang. First step: publish their finances. Knowing they were rich was one thing—seeing the actual treasures was another.
"Surrender? Rejected."
At the front, the Jin army had finally realized the truth and tried to surrender. But Daniel wouldn't accept it. Their fate was extinction.
"The grandeur of Han and Tang… Let's rename the dynasty to Tang."
That was the plan, anyway. It would take decades—educating the masses, reforming society. But Daniel had time. With Emotionless watching over the capital, he only needed to check in occasionally.
In their time together, their bond had deepened.
"I'm in a good mood today… too bad for you."
Near the Wano coast, on a pirate ship, W tossed several potato bombs and blew the whole thing sky-high.
Even with her Explode-Explode Fruit, W still preferred her trusty potato grenades. They were her invention—back when potatoes were her only food, she'd learned to cook dozens of ways with them… and hide bombs inside.
And it worked. She'd blown up plenty of people this way.
"Shouldn't you say, 'I'm in a bad mood—too bad for you'?"
Good mood or bad, anyone who crossed her was doomed.
"You're back."
"Just patrolling?"
Now that Wano had opened its borders, many outsiders had arrived—pirates among them. Even Kaido's presence didn't stop the foolish. Most were weaklings.
"Nothing better to do. Oh, and I need a favor."
"Name? Let Theresia give you one."
"W" wasn't her real name—just a codename inherited from her mercenary captain. She'd found his weapon and taken up the role.
As for her real name—she didn't have one. Orphaned young, she had wandered the world to survive. Not until she met Theresia did she ever care about names.
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