[National Power Ranking – Rank 7]
[Sui Dynasty]
[Territory: Four Stars]
[Population: Three Stars]
[Military: Three Stars]
[Expert: Four Stars]
[Economy: Three Stars]
[Public Sentiment: Two Stars]
[Overall National Index: Three Stars]
[Reward: Forty years added to the Emperor's lifespan, eight million taels of silver, eight million bushels of grain, forty thousand fine horses]
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"Impossible!"
"How could my Sui Dynasty only be ranked 7th?"
"Why?"
"Is heaven deliberately working against me?"
Inside the Sui Imperial Palace, Yang Guang's eyes widened in fury, his whole body exuding a terrifying killing aura.
In his mind, he never even took the likes of Ying Zheng, Li Shimin, Temujin, or Zhu Houzhao seriously.
Yet now, the Golden Ranking had pushed his Sui Dynasty down to Rank 7.
He could not even surpass Liu Hong of the Han Dynasty.
How could he accept such humiliation?
"Supreme Master Yuwen, do you also believe that my Sui Dynasty is inferior to the Han Dynasty or Tang Dynasty?"
"That Liu Hong from the Han Dynasty is nothing more than a puppet of some woman."
"Am I really worse than him? Ridiculous, laughable!"
Yang Guang's eyes were filled with disdain.
"This is all just temporary. As long as the Sui Dynasty grows stronger, our ranking will rise sooner or later."
"Besides, this time heaven granted His Majesty several decades of life. You should take this chance to strengthen the dynasty. Perhaps the Sui Dynasty can truly rise again."
Yuwen Tuo was also puzzled.
Why did the Sui Dynasty rank so low?
It should at least be above the Han Dynasty.
That could only mean one thing.
The Han Dynasty was far from as simple as it looked.
It must be hiding a powerful foundation beneath the surface.
Just like Bai Qi of Qin Dynasty, who was thought to be long dead, yet reappeared in the Nine Provinces.
If the Qin Dynasty had hidden aces, then the Han Dynasty likely had them as well.
In terms of heritage and hidden strength, few dynasties in the Nine Provinces could compare to the Han Dynasty.
It seemed the Han Dynasty, which had been underestimated by many, deserved closer attention from now on.
Even Emperor Liu Hong might not be as weak as he appeared.
==========
Imperial Harem, Empress Palace.
Xiao Meiniang looked at the ranking, a flicker of surprise in her eyes.
Did the Sui Dynasty's rank this low?
Was it that the Sui Dynasty was too weak, or were the other dynasties simply too strong?
"Someone, come!"
"At your command, Your Majesty!"
A trusted scout appeared and bowed respectfully.
"No need for formalities. I summoned you because I have a task for you."
"Send your trusted agents immediately to the Han Dynasty."
"Closely monitor the Han Emperor, and uncover any forces within the Han Dynasty that have not yet revealed themselves."
"This Han Dynasty has hidden itself too well."
"Even I was nearly deceived. We must grasp their movements clearly."
"Otherwise, we may be caught off guard in the future."
"As you command, Your Majesty!"
"I will depart immediately."
==========
Tang Imperial Palace.
Upon seeing the Sui Dynasty's low ranking, Li Shimin, who had been in a foul mood, burst out in laughter.
It seemed that the Sui Dynasty was even weaker than he had thought.
This significantly increased the Tang Dynasty's chances of annexing the Sui Dynasty.
"Master Yuan, quickly send the Bad People to the Sui Dynasty and monitor their every move."
"We must not allow them to recover."
"Even better, secretly incite the rebel forces in the Sui Dynasty to fight the Imperial Court to the death."
"Also, Yang Guang gaining a few decades of life from Heaven Dao Reward is actually a huge boon to the Tang Dynasty."
"With such a foolish Emperor dragging things down, the Tang Dynasty is certain to win."
"The Sui Dynasty's defeat will be even more miserable than it originally was."
A glint of cunning flashed in Li Shimin's eyes.
To him, the decline of the Sui Dynasty's national power was cause for celebration.
"Your Majesty, the top priority now is to deal with the internal rebellion of the Tang Dynasty's vassal kings."
"Once we unify all military power within the Tang Dynasty, our dynasty's ranking will rise even higher."
[National Power Ranking – Rank 6]
[Yuan Dynasty]
[Territory: Four Stars]
[Population: Three Stars]
[Military: Five Stars]
[Expert: Four Stars]
[Economy: Three Stars]
[Public Sentiment: Two Stars]
[Overall National Index: Four Stars]
[Reward: Fifty years added to the Emperor's lifespan, eight million taels of silver, eight million bushels of grain, fifty thousand fine horses]
==========
"What the hell, the Yuan Dynasty is only ranked 6th?"
"Yeah, unbelievable!"
"This is the dynasty that's about to destroy the Southern Song Dynasty!"
"Didn't you see? The Yuan Dynasty's public sentiment is only two stars. While their military is indeed powerful, the other areas dragged the score down badly!"
"True, the Heaven Dao Ranking assesses more than just military power or cultivator strength. It's an evaluation of all aspects combined."
"The Yuan Dynasty is nothing more than a savage tribe that only knows bloodshed."
"Look at the casualties among civilians in their territory. They've never cared about the lives of their people."
"They even divide people into rigid social classes."
"To them, the people of the Central Plains are nothing more than slaughter targets. It's outrageous!"
"Even the Martial World has been wiped out by the Yuan Dynasty several times over."
"No wonder their public sentiment is so low!"
"Such a shame. The innocent people of the Southern Song Dynasty are going to suffer."
"With Temujin's murderous nature, once he breaks into the Southern Song Dynasty, it will be a catastrophe of epic scale!"
Countless people across the Nine Provinces stared at the ranking in the sky, unable to believe what they were seeing.
In their minds, the Yuan Dynasty was an extremely terrifying dynasty.
Its military strength was overwhelming, far beyond what most could imagine.
And yet now, it was ranked only sixth. That was simply unimaginable.
Still, the people of the Nine Provinces were more than happy to see it.
No one had any affection for this bloodthirsty nation.
Rank 6 was already generous in their eyes.
If the Yuan Dynasty had dropped off the ranking entirely, it would have made them even happier.
==========
Yuan Imperial Tent.
Temujin's face was filled with fury as he suddenly slashed his table in two with a sword.
"National Master, answer me. Why did the Heaven Dao Ranking place my Yuan Dynasty at 6th?"
"Your Majesty, it may not be what we think."
"Among the many dynasties of the Nine Provinces, there may be none that can rival our military power."
"But in public sentiment and economics, the Yuan Dynasty has very few advantages."
"Especially because of the widespread slaughter, which has provoked the outrage of the entire Nine Provinces."
"The morale among our citizens continues to decline and may drop even further in the future."
"That might be the key factor affecting our overall ranking."
Phagpa, wise and astute, quickly identified the issue.
Even Temujin fell silent after hearing this.
He feared no one in war, but when it came to ruling a nation without relying on killing, he did feel at a loss.
It seemed he truly needed to study the art of governance.
Excessive killing would lower their evaluation in the Heaven Dao Ranking.
"National Master, set this matter aside for now."
"Our top priority is still to destroy the Southern Song Dynasty."
"Send the order. Keep up the pressure on Xiangyang City."
"I want Guo Jing's head. I want the entire city wiped out."
"Let everyone see the price of standing in the Yuan Dynasty's way."
Perhaps Temujin would care about the ranking in the future, but for now, conquering the Nine Provinces was the ultimate goal.
Once he unified the Realm, every reward would naturally be his.
As for Guo Jing, Temujin had no intention of sparing him.
Too many of Yuan Dynasty's cultivators had died at his hands.
Only his death could soothe their rage.
He even planned to use the lives of every citizen in Xiangyang City to honor his fallen soldiers.
==========
[National Power Ranking – Rank 5]
[Han Dynasty]
[Territory: Four Stars]
[Population: Four Stars]
[Military: Three Stars]
[Expert: Five Stars]
[Economy: Three Stars]
[Public Sentiment: Four Stars]
[Overall National Index: Four Stars]
[Reward: Sixty years added to the Emperor's lifespan, ten million taels of silver, ten million bushels of grain, sixty thousand fine horses]