Chapter Fifty-One: With Soldiers Comes the World

Xiao Fei became increasingly convinced that his decision not to kill Yang the Fourth yesterday had been the right move. In less than a day, the tough Yang the Fourth could no longer bear the torment of the military prison and had no choice but to submit to Xiao Fei. Indeed, using him to capture Hu Millionaire was the very first task he carried out for Xiao Fei.

Yes, within Xiao Fei’s military prison, no one could withstand such torture.

“Well done. You may go now. You’ve performed admirably this time. Now I’m assigning you a new task: go to the military base I’ve established and teach those men your unique skills. Remember, you are to hold nothing back—teach them everything you know. Should you retain even a shred of your knowledge, you know full well how I’ll deal with you!” Xiao Fei commanded.

“Yes, yes, I wouldn’t dare. I will certainly accomplish the task you’ve given me, Master,” Yang the Fourth hurriedly replied and set off toward the military base.

As for Hu Millionaire, Xiao Fei had him thrown into the military prison.

The unfortunate Hu Millionaire was still in a stupor when a wave of agony jolted him awake. He found himself tightly bound, a mechanical arm methodically slicing flesh from his thigh, while another mechanical hand released countless black ants across his body.

Such terror, such brutality—it drove Hu Millionaire into unconsciousness again and again, only for the pain to wrench him back to wakefulness.

All the while, Xiao Fei sat nearby, sipping wine and humming a tune. Over the years, Hu Millionaire had committed countless atrocities, utterly devoid of conscience; a little suffering was only his just deserts.

No one knew how long the torment lasted, or how many times Hu Millionaire fainted from the pain. At last, struggling to open his eyes, he thought he glimpsed a familiar face through the haze.

“Who…who are you? Why…why are you torturing me?” Hu Millionaire groaned.

“Why? That’s a question you ought to ask yourself, Hu Millionaire, you beast. Look closely—do you recognize who I am?” Xiao Fei snapped.

Hu Millionaire forced his eyes open wide at last, and realized it was Xiao Fei.

“It’s you…you…”

“Hu Millionaire, didn’t you pay handsomely to hire assassins to take my life? Yet here I am, alive and well. But you, you won’t be so lucky.” Xiao Fei took another sip of wine.

“Master Xiao…please, I was wrong! Spare me…I beg you…” Hu Millionaire pleaded desperately.

Xiao Fei told him everything: that he was the true master of Green Dragon Mountain, that he had in recent days slain the Japanese officer Yoshihiko Noda in Jiangning City, subdued Fujiwara Ichiro, killed Li Tiande, recruited Yang the Fourth, and so on.

Hu Millionaire was utterly shocked; he never could have imagined that this youth before him possessed such unfathomable power.

“Hu Millionaire, the reason I’ve spared your life is simple: I want you to start anew, and serve me. I will be your master from now on, and you will be my dog. Do you accept?” Xiao Fei asked coldly.

“I accept, I do…I am willing to be your dog, Master,” Hu Millionaire stammered, knowing firsthand the horrors of Xiao Fei’s methods and seeing no other choice.

“Very good. Tonight, enjoy your stay here; let this be a lesson to you. Later, I’ll release you and assign you new tasks.” With that, Xiao Fei vanished into thin air.

Only now did Hu Millionaire realize that Xiao Fei was no ordinary man—no mere mortal could possess such uncanny abilities.

And so, Hu Millionaire endured the torment for an unknown length of time, until Xiao Fei returned and took him out.

It all felt like a dream—Hu Millionaire had no idea how he survived the previous night or where he had been held. Now he found himself back in his own room, where his master Xiao Fei was already briefing him on his new mission.

After this ordeal, Hu Millionaire dared not cross the line again. Xiao Fei was his master, and he was willing to be Xiao Fei’s loyal dog.

Xiao Fei had everything planned out: the troops in Jiangning City would still be under the command of Hu Millionaire, who would also continue to liaise with the Beiyang Government—that is, with Yuan Shikai. In truth, however, Xiao Fei was the real power behind the scenes.

Jiangning was the second largest city in Jiangsu Province; the largest was Nanjing. While Nanjing’s military forces also reported to Yuan Shikai, many of its commanders were heroes of the 1911 Revolution and former subordinates of Sun Yat-sen. Thus, although they were nominally under central authority, they were not as loyal to Yuan Shikai as Hu Millionaire was.

In fact, Hu Millionaire’s forces were specifically stationed by Yuan Shikai around the outskirts of Nanjing, allegedly to suppress banditry, but in reality to keep a watchful eye on Sun Yat-sen’s faction. Now that these troops belonged to Xiao Fei, he had no desire to break with Yuan Shikai just yet, nor did he wish to create friction with Sun Yat-sen’s forces. After all, Sun Yat-sen was the Father of the Nation; there was no need for good men to fight good men. Maintaining the status quo was therefore the wisest course.

Nevertheless, Xiao Fei’s long-term ambition was to use Jiangning as his base, radiate his influence throughout the country, and gradually build his own domain—with a single purpose: to ensure peace and security for the people of China, and to see the Chinese nation stand proud in the East. When that day came, whoever dared block his path, be it god or Buddha, would be struck down.

Having successfully incorporated Hu Millionaire’s forces, Xiao Fei not only defused the military crisis at Green Dragon Mountain but also multiplied his own strength several times over. With power comes soldiers, and with soldiers comes the world.

By now, the military organization under Xiao Fei had taken shape. He commanded not only an army of half a million, but also possessed specialized units unseen elsewhere in the world. Utilizing talents like Fujiwara Ichiro and Yang the Fourth, he had assembled a corps of special agents, a suicide squad, an assassination organization, as well as dedicated units for demolition, mine detection, explosives disposal, and cavalry—all destined to become an invincible force.

With the matter of Hu Millionaire settled, Xiao Fei turned his full attention to investigating the whereabouts of Hideki Tojo. Strangely, the little Japanese devil had vanished from Jiangning City.

“Strange—could that beast have escaped?” Xiao Fei muttered in puzzlement.

Still unwilling to give up, he dispatched his spies to search for Tojo across the region, determined to eliminate this villain.

-------------------A stark dividing line-------------------

In a cave on the outskirts of Jiangning City.

Hideki Tojo was channeling his energy to heal another man—none other than Tamaki Seichi, who had been expelled from his master’s school by Yamamoto Taro.

After being cast out, Tamaki Seichi had been arrested by the police, but Tojo, through bribery and the influence of the Japanese ambassador to China, managed to secure his release. It was not out of charity—Tamaki Seichi possessed considerable value.

Seeing that Tamaki Seichi had mostly recovered, Tojo slowly withdrew his hands.

“Tamaki, are you all right now?” Tojo asked.

With a thud, Tamaki Seichi knelt before Tojo. “Thank you, Honored Adviser, for saving my life. From now on, my worthless existence is yours. Command me, and I shall obey without question.”

“Ah, don’t say that. Both our lives belong to His Majesty the Emperor. We do not even have the right to decide our own fates. Listen to me—from now on, we live and die for the Emperor.”

“Yes, to live and die for His Majesty the Emperor!” Tamaki Seichi swore with fervor.

Hideki Tojo was a rabid militarist, steeped in the ideology of war. He now intended to bring Tamaki Seichi into his circle.

“Tamaki, the time has come for you to sacrifice yourself for the Emperor. Are you ready?” Tojo asked.

“Sir!” Tamaki replied resolutely.

“Very good—swallow this!” Tojo produced a small box from his sleeve, opened it, and inside was a spider, gleaming with iridescent colors.

Tamaki Seichi took it without hesitation and swallowed the spider whole. Instantly, he began howling in agony—a pain so excruciating it defied description.

After a while, the pain subsided slightly. “Honored Adviser, I’m ready. Let’s proceed.”

Tojo nodded, drew a dagger, and with a swift motion sliced open Tamaki Seichi’s wrist. Producing a small vial, he collected the dripping blood within.

“Haha! Hahaha! Xiao Fei, let’s see if you can escape my grasp this time!” Tojo cried out in mad triumph.