Yama Rising

The president raised two fingers and declared, "The first condition relates to progress; we must see progress before we decide to transport the same quota as we have in the past. Also, we won't be doing everything in one go. Instead, we'll allocate different quotas according to the extent to which Yin energy has diminished in each major city or province. Everything will still be transported to Martial City, and I'll issue an order for Martial City to construct the largest warehouse they're currently capable of."

Qin Ye nodded in response. This was the correct way to do things.

However... you've far underestimated the power of Hell! 

"My second condition is for Hell to immediately set up a Yin Yang Communication Center in each city that is conquered. This would make it very convenient for our two realms to communicate with one another in case there are some from the mortal realm who slip through the cracks and don't make it to Hell, or some other special circumstances arise."

"Those are very reasonable conditions." Qin Ye was doing his best to maintain his composure, but in reality, his heart was beating like a frenzied drum, so much so that he wondered whether his heart would fly straight up into the sky if it weren't bound by his chest!

He agreed! I can't believe he actually agreed! 

The arrival of Master Chan Ming and Sword Master Xuanyuan was only a slight driving; what truly influenced the president's decision was all of the preparations that Qin Ye had made in advance, as well as all of his probing and displays of power, and the peace that he had brought to the nine provinces.

He was already asking for more than he expected, and in reality, he only dared to dream of 10%.

However, life was full of surprises, and one could never know for sure whether there was tragedy or fortune waiting up ahead.

Countless fireworks were going off in Qin Ye's mind as he clenched his fists tightly.

The mortal realm was most likely unaware of just how significant their assistance was going to be to Hell!

This would propel Hell all the way to the top and grant it a dominant position!

The president stood up from his seat and smiled as he said in a joking manner, "There have been three presidents since the emergence of the supernatural disaster. If the supernatural disaster could end during my term, my name would surely go down in the history books."

He made his way toward Qin Ye as he continued, "Having said that, I know that in order to gain something, sacrifices must be made; that's something that I've always been well aware of."

The president was very tall, standing at roughly 182cm[1]. He stood in front of Qin Ye, and this scenario, where the leaders of the two realms were standing before one another, had never taken place in thousands of years.

This was the first time, and it would perhaps also be the very last time.

"Alright..." the president extended a hand forward and said, "I wish the Yin Soldiers of Hell the best of luck, and I genuinely look forward to an era of true peace."

A younger hand gripped onto his hand and shook it firmly.

There were no cameras around.

This scene was not something that could be recorded or displayed in any way, shape, or form, and it was imperative that the existence of Hell remained a secret.

However, this was the first handshake between the two realms!

Countless high-ranking officials gulped as they stared intently at the historic handshake with complex emotions in their eyes.

Qin Ye looked into the president's dignified and determined eyes, and replied with a serious expression, "You can count on me."

This was Hell's promise to the mortal realm.

…………………………………………………

"A nationwide conscription order has been issued! The war to unify Hell is imminent; what are you waiting for?"

"This will be a historic war of unification! Hell is going to be united! Troops will be deployed to all 34 provinces!"

"The time is now! Awaken the scorching blood in your veins! Now conscripting Yin Soldiers from all over the nation; this time next year, Hell will make its move!"

All of the newspapers began to propagate the war of unification.

Whenever the government wanted to promote something, that thing would be sure to gain widespread renown, and this time was no exception.

Currently, everyone was discussing the imminent war of unification.

Perhaps they weren't very familiar with Hell and weren't aware of just how extensive Hell's history was, but everyone wished for a powerful and united nation.

30th May. 200,000 troops had been conscripted!

12th June. 220,000 troops had been conscripted!

21st July. 250,000 troops had been conscripted!

18th August, at the conclusion of the half-year conscription season, 320,000 troops have been conscripted, equating to a percentage far higher than that of the mortal realm!

Cathay had a population of 1.5 billion with two million soldiers, amounting to a proportion of 1/750. In contrast, Hell had a population of twenty million, which meant that the army of 320,000 amounted to a proportion of 1/63. If it weren't for the fact that this could be the only war of unification and the alluring benefits being offered, Hell would've been lucky to even gather an army of 30,000.

Thus, the army entered a period of rigorous training, and yells and commands could be constantly heard every day all over the city walls. Furthermore, red-star flags could be seen fluttering atop every single tower lining the city walls. 

1st September, Oda Nobunaga and Oda Nobutada arrived at Ashmound to train the new soldiers with Zhao Yun, bringing with them hundreds of thousands of armaments forged from the carapace of blight vermin from Everburn.

The tension in the air was so potent that one could virtually taste it, and aside from what was displayed to the netherworldly citizens, there were additional conferences held at Reflection Palace, as well as new departments being set up virtually every month in order to recruit Hellguards on a widespread basis.

A statistics department was officially founded, and it was comprised of 10,000 Hellguards who were responsible for accompanying the army, gathering data on all Yin beasts, plants, minerals, and geology along the way.

An army headquarters was also officially founded with Yanma Qin Ye as its eternal director. Zhao Yun was appointed as minister, while Oda Nobunaga and several other old generals were assigned leadership roles, making them responsible for planning the line of march and devising strategies to deal with unforeseen circumstances. Most importantly, they had to account for the forces that the army could encounter along the way.

1st October, the fourth official document of Hell was released, announcing the establishment of the West Vanquishing Army and the East Conquering Army. Each army was comprised of several hundred thousand troops, including logistical personnel, split up into 10 divisions, 200 corps, 1,000 battalions, and innumerable platoons and squads.

All available power had been drawn upon, and messengers and scouts had been deployed along with the monarch beasts that had been temporarily recruited. A sense of tension and excitement had filled the entire city, and in the blink of an eye, an entire year had passed by.

1st May the following year, Ashmound City.

Atop the city walls, flags were flapping violently as Yin winds howled with fury. Following a year of harsh training, all the Yin Soldiers were standing on the city walls as straight as poplar trees. There were 50,000 Yin Soldiers on the city walls alone, while outside the city, 270,000 Yin Soldiers were standing in a menacing black formation. 

The light of netherfire was reflecting off their carapace of blight vermin armor, producing an inky-black glow. At the very center of the army stood hundreds of mechanical weapons of all descriptions, including Soul-Launching Coffins, Sun Vanquishing Crossbow, Dark Doves, Lone Cranes... all of the mechanical weapons from the treasure trove of the Zhu Clan had been brought out, and lastly, there were three 30-meter-tall mechanical beasts.

At the forefront of the army stood Oda Nobunaga, Oda Nobutada, Zhao Zilong, and Arthis, all of whom were wearing suits of inky-black armor and scarlet capes. The Yin winds continued to howl and screech, yet the entire scene was completely silent. 

Countless netherworldly citizens were gathered outside the city, looking on with excitement in their eyes.

Right as the 10 tolls of the bell rang out in the city, a tower that was manifested from Yin energy appeared, and Qin Ye emerged atop the tower.

Just like all of the Yin Soldiers, he was also wearing a suit of black armor and a bright red cape. Even though he had quite a youthful appearance, there was an air of regal majesty about him, and his determination was plain for all to see.

He was going to be leading this army in person.

This was a historic war, and he had to travel to the front lines in person; he wanted to witness the unification of the land no matter what.

"Greetings, Yanma!" Oda Nobunaga, Oda Nobutada, Arthis, and Zhao Yun knelt down on one knee in unison as they yelled, "Long live Hell!"

"Long live Hell!" The army behind them roared, and the combined voices of the hundreds of thousands of troops were enough to shake heaven and earth.

Unbridled passion and excitement gushed forth like a volcanic eruption, surging through the chests of all of the Yin Soldiers present, causing netherflames to dance wildly around them. Their faces had turned bright red, and some of them were clenching their fists tightly, while others were pursing their lips in anticipation as everyone waited with bated breath.

Their lofty aspirations and the prospect of going to war sent excitement surging like adrenalin into the heads of all of the Yin Soldiers.

For them, there was no greater honor than to be a part of this historic crusade.

Qin Ye didn't say anything as he swept his gaze over the entire army. He could even clearly see the expressions on the faces of each and every Yin Soldier. Casting his gaze into the distance, where the earth met the sky, and he couldn't help but think back to three years ago, when he had nothing and had been all on his own. Never did he think that he would be able to stand at the pinnacle of the world like this someday.

"Everyone," he cupped his fist as he declared, "Prior to standing here, I thought that there would be no need for me to say anything. Our plight is one that abides by the natural order and one that can't be stopped. In Everburn, we obtained the Book of Life and Death. In Ashmound, we welcomed the return of one of the Sixfold Ghost Kings, Zhao Yun, and the divine beast of Hell, the Harken. There is no better time to strike than now, but as I stand here and look at all of you, I still can't help but want to say this... 3,000 years ago, Hell collapsed, and that was a complete surprise. However, throughout the history of Cathay, countless dynasties have risen in the flames of war just like Hell has."

His voice grew louder as he continued, and heaven and earth tremored as he spoke. "We are creating history! We are establishing the third order of Hell's reincarnation, and all of you..."

He raised a hand before slamming it against his own chest, "and I will receive eternal glory for our participation in this war!"

There was no impassioned brainwashing, nor any cliched attempt to evoke an emotional response.

He merely said what he wanted to say here and now, and just as he had declared, their crusade followed the natural order.

"Now..." he took a deep breath and didn't delay any further as a burst of golden light surfaced over his hand. 

He swept his glowing hand decisively through the air, and declared, "We march!!"

As that order was issued, a scroll unfurled in the sky.

It was the military formation, Wumu; the highest caliber superior military formation kept in Longxing Temple of the Zhu Clan's treasure trove!

Countless black characters appeared in the sky, then fell like a meteor shower, landing at the feet of every single Yin Soldier. All of a sudden, the netherfire of all of the Yin Soldiers took on a golden hue, and their Yin energy began to elevate in a frenzy.

This was a comprehensive process of enhancement that did more than just elevate one or two Yin soldiers to Infernal Judges; it elevated all of the Yin Soldiers by a single rank, raising them to the rank of Netherworld Operative!

If an army with a military formation were to go up against an army without one, the outcome could only be a crushing defeat for the latter.

Oooooooo! A long horn sounded alongside the banging of a series of war drums on the city walls, and the army slowly adjusted its direction before advancing toward the unknown lands outside Ashmound.

The sound was very monotonous, but it was truly a stunning sight to behold.

The hundreds of thousands of troops moving in unison and the sacred sense of ceremony finally roused the netherworldly citizens present, and someone suddenly yelled, "Long live Hell!!"

Immediately thereafter came a tsunami wave of thunderous cheers!

"Long live Hell!!!"

"You must unite the land!!"

"We're all counting on you! You are the heroes of Hell!!"

"Hell is invincible!"

Arthis departed, and Oda Nobunaga and Oda Nobutada led the way with their Umamawari. However, Zhao Yun didn't leave. Instead, he stood up straight and looked intently at Qin Ye before cupping his fist and extending a deep bow. After that, he turned around while his cape billowed majestically behind him, then whistled to conjure up a heavily-armored skeletal war horse constructed from Yin energy. He leaped onto the horse, and like a flash of lightning, he rushed straight to the front of the army.

He took a deep breath as he appraised the enormous army before him, then thrust his spears up toward the heavens as he declared in a thunderous voice, "You may have never heard of, nor ever thought about, just how distinguished the past Hellguards of Cathay were. I'm going to tell you about it now, so listen up! By Hell's Dictum, all rabble shall disperse!!"

Third Era of Hell, Year 4, 320,000 Yin Soldiers marched west out of Ashmound, led by Zhao Zilong, Arakshasa, Oda Nobunaga, and Oda Nobutada. Arakshasa headed toward the northwest, while Zhao Zilong advanced along the river, and Oda Nobunaga and Oda Nobutada directed their swords toward the southwest. Thus commenced Hell's first war of unification, spanning over a period of three years.

[1] [Around 5'11.5" for American readers]