[center][h2]The Palace of Heaven, Diarjing City[/h2][/center]

	The afternoon was bright, with rays of sunlight trickling through breaks in the clouds. Assembled in the royal courtyard, of the Palace of Heaven, stood thousands of soldiers, servants, dignitaries, and reputable land-owners. As the Emperor stepped forward through the main gate, they all fell to their knees, with their heads resting on the cool ground. The Emperor stepped calmly, down a path through the middle of the subservient crowd, his massive golden robe flowing in the soft breeze. Behind him marched a line of one hundred armed guards. Each held a bayoneted musket to their chest, with the tip pointing to the sky. Slowly, the Emperor made his way to the royal staircase at the other end of the courtyard, where he began his climb. Once at the top, he spun around to face his subjects. A mighty drum sounded, alerting the crowd that it was time to turn around. They all rose, turned about on the spot, and took a new kneeling position, facing the Emperor. 

	Gazing down, at the endless sea of colours, Ji paused. A salty breeze drifted in from the ocean, and he took a moment to savour it. He then slid one manicured hand into his robe, extracting a tightly rolled piece of parchment. He handed it to his royal orator, a man known as "the Voice of Prosperity". This tall, imposing figure unraveled the document, and examined it. In a great, booming voice, he began to read it aloud.

	"Loyal subjects of the Emperor, his holiness, slayer of evil, spirit of the brave, protector of our nation, highest of high, greatest of great, strongest and wisest of all! Today is to be a day of victorious celebration! Your Emperor has returned from the Province of Prosperity, with tidings of hope! Our nation, wealthy and powerful, will soon receive wealth beyond imagination! Your Emperor has blessed the mines, blessed the factories, and blessed the farmers. He has declared that this shall be a year of prosperity, as was often seen before the Island Devils stole our capital! He has granted a blessing to mothers, that children born this year will be strong. Soon, the Emperor proclaims, in his infinite wisdom and foresight, we will observe the Islands of Evil, home of the thieving and murderous Island Devils, as it sinks into the sea!"

	At this, the crowd cheered with a great ferocity. Satisfied that his speech was having the desire effect, Ji raised a single hand, demanding the immediate silence of his subjects. When they immediately obeyed, he granted them a single nod of acknowledgement. They listened for more, readying their bodies and minds for the blessings and predictions of the Emperor.

	"Your Emperor, descendant of the immortal line of Jin, blessed by Heaven, has seen the future. Soon, the ancient kingdom of Han will be restored, greater than ever before. Your Emperor sees your hard labour, your devoutness, and he promises a paradise on Earth, for the subjects of Da Nanguo, for the subjects of Great Han. When the Island Devils drown, the dark energy they release into the world will die with them. Crops will grow better than ever before! The air will be fresh, as it has not been in generations! No longer, will the workers of this nation know hunger! No longer will we know pain! When the Devils no longer steal our money, steal our food, steal our spiritual energy, our bowls will overflow!"

	The speaker again paused, and the Emperor gave a mild gesture to his audience, giving them permission to cheer once again. Again, after a moment of roaring applause, he silenced them.

	"So says the Emperor himself, endless glory ringing through his name, that today is the day of work. Today is the day of toil. Today is the day of unrest! Today is the day we serve our nation, with all our body and spirit, so that tomorrow we may relax, and live in endless luxury. When you work, when you write, when you fight, do so with every strand of your being! Do so with the entirety of your spirit! Do so, because the harder you work now, the greater will be your reward, when the Emperor reclaims the stolen wealth of the Island Devils! Now go, and earn the Emperors blessing! Show your neighbours, show your friends, show your family that you will be the one to receive the greatest blessing!"

	One final time, the crowd cheered. On and on it went, till the sound rang in Ji's ears. Eventually, the cheering died down, and the people were dismissed. Ji made his way into the palace, up the steps to his throne, and slumped down for a rest. 

	No such luck, however, he was greeted by dignitary after dignitary. Some wanted money for an invention or a real estate development. Some wanted a ship for an exploratory voyage. Some came with their daughters, dolled up in excessive layers of makeup, hoping to become the Emperor's father-in-law. Some wanted a blessing for their village. Those were Ji's favourite, because it was quick, easy, and inspired a great deal of thanks and praise from the dignitary. It made him happy, to know the crown was still loved by so many of the people. 

	Time passed, and the sun began to set. All visitors were dismissed, and the Emperor's servants assembled to bathe him and change his clothes. As they began scrubbing and dousing him with warm water, his mind wandered. Surely, if Da Nanguo was to reach its fullest potential, it wouldn't be enough to overthrow the Islanders. What about their neighbour to the north? Bordering world powers never have healthy relationships. Besides, it would be a fine excuse to profit from the technological advancement of Lancia, the grandfather nation of blue-coal technology. That was it.

	"Scribe!", he summoned.


[hider=To Lancia]
Mighty Kaiser,

I am writing to you with regard to our mutual neighbour. My sources inform me that the nation of Muskva seeks expansion into the territories of the continental West. This would be at the loss of the nations around you, if not Lancia itself. I propose an economic and military pact between our two nations, so that together we may enforce the peace and prosperity of blue coal industry, and not be thrown into the primitive ages by the savage, jealous countries around us. To this end, I am willing to meet personally, at a neutral location, to discuss the potential implications of this union. I believe that, together, we can form a power greater than the world has ever known. Surely, this is an admirable goal.

To this end, I am willing to meet personally in Develt, or otherwise continue through convoys and diplomats. Either way, let us mobilize, to preserve and expand our great nations.

With the highest regards,
Supreme Emperor Jin Ji,
Ruler of the Celestial Empire of Da Nanguo
[/hider]