Li Shimin's expression kept changing as he stared at the ranking.
Although he had his suspicions, seeing the final result still left a bitter taste in his heart.
In his mind, he saw himself as equal to Ying Zheng and Zhu Houzhao.
But now?
If it had been earlier, he might have had a fighting chance.
Yet the recent rebellion and defection of the three great vassal kings was a disastrous blow.
It had severely weakened the Tang Dynasty's national strength by several degrees.
A surge of powerful energy flooded his body, and Li Shimin immediately felt revitalized.
With several more decades of lifespan, he had enough time to catch up, or even surpass Ying Zheng and Zhu Houzhao.
He was determined to usher in a true golden age for the Tang Dynasty.
"Master Yuan, consolidate the Heaven Dao Reward and distribute them among all Tang Dynasty soldiers."
"From now on, I will fully take control of the entire Tang Dynasty."
"Eliminating the power of the vassal kings is something I must accomplish. With the failure of Li Keyong and the others as an example, I will not make the same mistake again."
Li Shimin declared with firm resolve.
==========
[National Power Ranking – Rank 3]
[Qin Dynasty]
[Territory: Four Stars]
[Population: Four Stars]
[Military: Five Stars]
[Expert: Five Stars]
[Economy: Four Stars]
[Public Sentiment: Four Stars]
[Overall National Index: Four Stars]
[Reward: One hundred years added to the Emperor's lifespan, fifteen million taels of silver, fifteen million bushels of grain, one hundred thousand fine horses]
[Reward: Heaven-grade Ultimate-Tier Treasure – Nation Stabilizing Jade Seal, exclusive to the Emperor, power unfathomable]
==========
[National Power Ranking – Rank 2]
[The Ming Dynasty]
[Territory: Five Stars]
[Population: Five Stars]
[Military: Five Stars]
[Expert: Six Stars]
[Economy: Four Stars]
[Public Sentiment: Four Stars]
[Overall National Index: Five Stars]
[Reward: Two hundred years added to the Emperor's lifespan, thirty million taels of silver, thirty million bushels of grain, two hundred thousand fine horses]
[Reward: Immortal-Grade Treasure – God Sealing List, exclusive to the Emperor, power unfathomable]
==========
Soon, without making the people of the Nine Provinces wait long, the Rank 2 and Rank 3 were quickly revealed.
What shocked everyone was that the names ranked were the Ming Dynasty and Qin Dynasty.
Everyone looked on in disbelief.
How could this be?
Putting aside the debate over which was stronger between Qin Dynasty and Ming Dynasty, who was Rank 1?
Which nation still had the strength to surpass both Ming Dynasty and Qin Dynasty?
Liao Kingdom, Jin Kingdom, Western Xia Kingdom, Tibet Kingdom, or perhaps Xiongnu Kingdom or Turkic Kingdom?
One by one, names of nations came to mind, only to be dismissed just as quickly.
Some of those nations were indeed powerful, but compared to the likes of Ming Dynasty, Qin Dynasty, or Tang Dynasty, the gap was not small, it was enormous.
==========
Qin Imperial Palace.
Ying Zheng stared at the ranking, his face full of rage.
Rank 3?
Qin Dynasty was only ranked 3rd?
Impossible.
How could his Qin Dynasty be inferior to Zhu Houzhao's Ming Dynasty?
He admitted that in terms of personal strength, he might fall short of Zhu Houzhao.
But in terms of national power, the Qin Dynasty should never lose.
"Sir, analyze this for me. In what areas has the Qin Dynasty fallen behind?"
Ying Zheng struggled to suppress his anger and asked the middle-aged scholar beside him.
"Your Majesty, the biggest gap between the Qin Dynasty and Ming Dynasty lies in the number of Land Immortal Realm cultivators."
"Leaving aside the Ming Emperor's Great Perfection God Demon Realm cultivation."
"Just the number of Mythical Realm cultivators under his command is not small."
"Even with Monarch Wu'an on our side, the gap has only been partially bridged."
At this point, the scholar himself looked helpless.
Especially considering the terrifying combat power of the Ming Emperor, he was a major problem.
He alone created a massive gap between the two dynasties.
"It seems we must pay more attention to this aspect in the future."
Ying Zheng nodded solemnly.
He had to admit the scholar had a point.
"What else?" he asked.
"Territory." The scholar continued.
"The Ming Dynasty has existed for centuries. Its conquests and territories have long since been fully integrated into its dynasty. The size of its land is unimaginably vast."
"Even with occasional unrest, it never affects the overall situation."
"In contrast, the Qin Dynasty only recently unified the Six Kingdoms. Many territories have yet to be fully assimilated."
"This is a significant disadvantage.
Ying Zheng fell silent.
Although he hated to admit it, he nodded reluctantly.
"And lastly, the population."
"The Qin Dynasty suffered tremendous casualties during the wars to unify the Six Kingdoms."
"Meanwhile, the Ming Dynasty has had centuries of peaceful development. Though not entirely free of unrest, the general population remained stable."
"This is undeniable."
"Our only point of doubt is the Ming Dynasty's military strength."
"The Golden Ranking claims the Ming Dynasty's military is on par with the Qin Dynasty."
"That can only mean one thing, the Ming Emperor is hiding elite armies."
"Just like he concealed his own cultivation realm."
"If it weren't for the Golden Ranking, who would have guessed that such a young man had already reached the Great Perfection God Demon Realm?"
"If he can hide his cultivation, why not his military forces?"
"Your Majesty, Zhu Houzhao is no ordinary figure."
"Not only is he strong personally, he is also a terrifying rival in the art of ruling."
"In fact, he might be even harder to deal with than Li Shimin of Tang Dynasty or Temujin of Yuan Dynasty."
The scholar spoke with gravity.
He now saw the Ming Dynasty as the greatest threat to the Qin Dynasty.
His words finally stirred Ying Zheng's deepest vigilance.
All this time, despite respecting Zhu Houzhao, he had subconsciously underestimated him.
Now, with the scholar's reminder, that last shred of underestimation vanished completely.
From this point on, he would treat Zhu Houzhao with utmost seriousness.
Someone who could hide his power so deeply must be exceptionally cunning.
To take him lightly would lead to catastrophe.
"You're right. I did underestimate Zhu Houzhao. I won't make that mistake again."
"But what's truly surprising is that there's still a nation stronger than both Qin Dynasty and Ming Dynasty?"
"Do you know of any such nation within the Nine Provinces?"
Setting aside Zhu Houzhao and the Ming Dynasty for now, Ying Zheng was deeply curious about who ranked 1st.
==========
Tang Imperial Palace.
"This Zhu Houzhao hid himself so well!"
"I underestimated him before. He's not only powerful, but also capable of leading and governing a nation."
"Master Yuan, didn't you report that Zhu Houzhao ignored politics and spent his days indulging in pleasure?"
"Why such a drastic change?"
"Were you completely deceived by him?"
"Was everything he did just an act for our benefit?"
Li Shimin asked with deep suspicion.
Leaving everything else aside, Ming Dynasty's military strength being on par with Qin Dynasty, Tang Dynasty, and Yuan Dynasty meant that within its borders, there were one or even several terrifyingly powerful armies.
And yet, the Bad People had uncovered nothing.
They had even naively believed some of his generals might be planning rebellion.
How utterly ridiculous!
"Your Majesty, the intelligence I gathered is not wrong."
"But perhaps my judgment was."
"The Ming Emperor indeed indulges in pleasures, but he has one thing in common with all great Emperors, he knows how to use people well."
Yuan Tiangang's eyes gleamed.
Yes, using people well.
Who said someone who enjoyed life couldn't govern a nation?
All the officials in his court were chess pieces in his hand.
Even the Demonic Empress Wu Zhao, once suspected of disrupting the government, might actually be one of his pawns.
Someone like him, even if he indulged himself, had the capability and authority to suppress everything.
"Master Yuan, send the Bad People to infiltrate the Ming Dynasty at once."
"I want detailed reports on every aspect of their military strength."
"Ming Dynasty's army is anything but ordinary. If we ever go to war, I don't want the Tang Dynasty to be caught off guard."
"In terms of personal strength, I admit I lost to Zhu Houzhao. But in the contest of dynasties, I will not lose."
"So what if he has reached the Great Perfection God Demon Realm? I can still lead the Tang Army to destroy the Ming Dynasty!"
Li Shimin's eyes were filled with firm resolve.
Deep within, a fiery desire for conquest had begun to ignite.
This was a magnificent era.
Not only were there Emperors like Ying Zheng, Temujin, and Zhu Houzhao, There were also countless powerful figures hidden in the shadows, ready to strike at any moment.
One misstep could mean the fall of a nation.
The greater the danger, the more Li Shimin's spirit burned with passion.
"Your Majesty, I understand what must be done. This time, I will gather every bit of intelligence on the Ming Dynasty's military strength. There will be no mistakes."
"I look forward to the Bad People' performance."
Li Shimin replied calmly.
==========
Yuan Imperial Tent.
Temujin, who was leading his army in a fierce assault on Xiangyang City, felt a wave of irritation upon seeing the ranking in the sky.
Zhu Houzhao and the Ming Dynasty were far more troublesome than he had expected.
Not only was Zhu Houzhao personally overwhelming, even the strength of his armies exceeded all expectations.
That there could be forces rivaling those of Qin Dynasty, Tang Dynasty, and Yuan Dynasty within Ming Dynasty's borders, and they had known nothing of it, was truly terrifying.
If not for the Golden Ranking, a future war between Yuan Dynasty and Ming Dynasty might have ended in disastrous surprise.
"National Master, once we destroy the Southern Song Dynasty."
"Send all our operatives to infiltrate the Ming Dynasty."
"I want detailed intelligence on their military forces."
"I will not allow Zhu Houzhao to catch us off guard when we finally clash."