Chapter 101 - Projection of power matters

While the epidemic was ravaging Zhejiang and also in Huangshan to some extent, the situation was the opposite in Anhui. Due to the very high spread rate early in the epidemic, the number of potential targets for the pathogen diminished, naturally halting the progress of the disease. Since the city was kept closed, the prevailing strain won over the others and became dominant. 
Bai Chongye was happy with the overall results, as the number of new cases has dropped over 80%, even though the death rate was still over the threshold. The Health Bureau suggested that a new component added to the medicines may have helped in the caseload reduction too, but the results were unclear. 

In the evening, the emperor was walking in the street, a rare sign. Bai Chongye never leaves the palace, mostly because his prince, Yu Qing, advises him that walking in the street alone could be dangerous. Bai Chongye was hated by most people, but since he changed his mind a bit about the epidemic, people were looking towards him differently. He is still unpopular, but not nearly as hated as he was.

He enters a small shop. The owner, who also serves the customers, didn't realize his client was the emperor, in fact, he had never seen Bai Chongye before:

-May I order some buns and maybe some liquor, please?

-Welcome, please, take a seat. Which liquor do you want? How many buns?

-I'll order four buns and a cup of the best liquor you have.

-Right.

The owner quickly brings what Bai Chongye asked. He was sitting close to him, as he finishes, he asks a question:

-May I ask where did you come from? I have never seen you here.

Bai Chongye raises an eyebrow:

-What are you talking about? I am the emperor! How come you don't know me?

-Oh, sorry, your majesty, please, have mercy!!!

The man immediately prostrates to Bai Chongye. He rolls his eyes, and gets up:

-Please, rise... No need to apologize, but do not forget that I am the emperor again. 

 -Your majesty is a blessing!!!

Bai Chongye leaves the shop. A while later, he meets with Yu Qing in the street. Yu Qing bows to him:

-Please, rise.

-Your Majesty, what are you doing walking alone outside? I advised you that it may be dangerous!

-Yu Qing, seriously? I am a grown-up, I can protect myself. Yes, I can understand your concerns, but this is no longer a problem. No one cursed at me yet, which proves that my leadership remains rock-solid. Furthermore, we are reaching my plan to contain the epidemic. 

-Your Majesty, we suffered a heavy loss... I think your reputation may be damaged if we don't reopen the city.

-We are going to open it back on time, but we must reach the threshold of fewer than 50 cases. We cannot have effective control if there are more than 50 new infections reported.

 

They into a small gazebo, close to the lake, sitting down beside each other. A gentle wind blows from the lake:

-Majesty, what about your plans after all this epidemic is over? I think Huangshan should be brought back to our empire and lose their status of semi-independence. 

-I think this is never going to end. Some empires may get their own epidemics under control, others will lose control, and maybe new pathogens will keep coming. About Huangshan, this is tricky. I think Anhui is not going to grow much more, maybe we can take some smaller empires like Jiangsu or Jiangxi, but Zhejiang and Hebei are a problem. I signed a treaty with Ding Qi using my own blood, of course, he must be loyal to me at all times, if he fails to do so, the treaty is worthless.

-Hebei I can understand being a problem, but Zhejiang? 

-Zhejiang has a leader that is different from the others. Even though their population is so small, they have much more knowledge than us, and the terrain to get there is difficult. You must live there for a lifetime to learn how to walk around. 

-But... but their entire population is only a fraction of the number of our soldiers alone, we could crunch them in a blink of an eye!

Bai Chongye laughs:

-Yu Qing, please! War is not about the number of soldiers... Having a large army is important, but does mean nothing. Hebei has an army that is almost as big as ours, and Zhejiang has had decades to booby-trap the mountains and rivers. The population is very concentrated in a single city, the others are very small and not worth conquering. And there is another important factor: the palace is strongly bonded together. The emperor has a level of relationship with his prince that no one has, maybe Jiangsu is a similar case, even though they are poor and also not worth conquering. 

-Don't you think Zhejiang would strike back if we take Huangshan?

-They certainly would, but at what price? Huangshan is part of our territory, it is a straight line and plain to get there. Ding Qi has only a concession to rule that tiny territory. They could hypothetically team up with Jiangsu and Jiangxi, but again, the terrain is hard to cross. I'd rather keep the situation as it is now. 

-Your Majesty does not have the conquering mind I used to see...

-It is not about conquering, it is about having control. Having a large territory where I cannot project my power is worthless... Anyone could simply get inside the palace and throw a sword towards my chest. That's all that is needed. And the more enemies I make, the closer such a moment is. I think Feng Long, that leader from Zhejiang, is harvesting good results from being so soft-hearted. No one, maybe except the emperor of Hebei, hates him. Our relationship was not very good historically, but he never claimed anything or said that I was despicable. But his way of ruling is going to be a disaster in the long run. You have to project your power and make it clear to everyone.

The sun finally sets. Bai Chongye and Yu Qing return to the palace, and the gatekeepers shut the heavy doors after they pass. 

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