Kingdom of Qin

Alexander Hayes played this move brilliantly—Lord Huainan and Emperor Leonard the Enlightened never saw it coming!

Dividing land among the nobles as feudal lords is perfectly legitimate, especially for a hero like Alexander Hayes, whose achievements are unmatched. No one dared to utter a word of protest—anyone who tried was crushed by Alexander Hayes himself. In this way, he avoided offending anyone, didn't become the target of public resentment, and still managed to carve out a huge chunk from Emperor Leonard the Enlightened.

Such a vast feudal domain—once developed, it will be unstoppable!

Don't be fooled by the fact that Alexander Hayes and Princess Jade Hayes picked only the poorest, most barren lands—when it comes to Princess Jade Hayes' business acumen, Emperor Leonard the Enlightened is in absolute awe.

Emperor Leonard the Enlightened believes that with Princess Jade Hayes around, even if you gave her a desert, she could turn it into an oasis overflowing with wealth!

Let alone such a large fief—if Princess Jade Hayes is in charge for a few years, she might just rival the imperial court itself!

This move—retreating to advance—was absolutely masterful!

The moment Lord Huainan and Emperor Leonard the Enlightened saw the map, they knew they'd been outmaneuvered.

Because Alexander Hayes had planned this all along—he was always one step ahead!

Lord Huainan and Emperor Leonard the Enlightened couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat, realizing they were slowly losing their advantage.

"Draft the imperial edict!" As soon as Alexander Hayes finished speaking, Alexander Yun tossed a blank edict right onto Emperor Leonard the Enlightened's face.

Emperor Leonard the Enlightened gritted his teeth. Given the situation, he could only go along with Alexander Hayes—otherwise, if things really got ugly, Alexander Hayes might survive, but he'd be a dead man for sure.

With no other choice, Emperor Leonard the Enlightened wrote the edict as Alexander Hayes demanded, naming him Lord of Qin, with his title unchanged.

All the land on Alexander Hayes' map was officially designated as the territory of the Lord of Qin, and the new principality was named Qin.

Alexander Hayes took the edict, looked it over, and clicked his tongue. "Darling, what do you think of the name 'Qin' for our country?"

Princess Jade Hayes took a look, smiled and nodded, "'Qin' is a fantastic name. Tsk tsk, I read a story in a folk picture book called 'Spring and Autumn Warring States.' Several lords battled it out, but the strongest was the King of Qin—history calls him 'Qin Shihuang.' So, 'Qin' is naturally the most powerful. I think it's perfect for us."

This new Lord of Qin is worlds apart from Alexander Hayes' former title as a non-royal prince—even though both are called 'Qin,' the difference is huge.

A non-royal prince is basically a noble within the imperial clan, but a Lord of Qin is a king in his own right—with land, an army, real power, and his own staff of civil and military officials. He can even appoint his own prime minister, ministers, and high-ranking officials. Regular imperial clan princes aren't allowed to have armies; at most, they can keep a few house guards.

But a Lord of Qin? He can have an army, fair and square. Now, Alexander Hayes' three thousand Divine Fire Battalion and two hundred thousand Hayes Family Troops won't have to worry about being split up or destroyed by the court—they'll all move to the principality as the Qin Army.

Oh, and from now on, they're not the Hayes Family Troops—they're the Qin Army.

As for Princess Jade Hayes, now she's the Lady of Qin, but once Alexander Hayes becomes a true king, she won't be called 'Lady' anymore—she'll be the Queen.

King Alexander Hayes and Queen Jade Hayes of Qin.

And their son, Alexander Chang'an, isn't just the heir anymore—he's now a prince.

This new principality ranks just below Jin, making it a vassal state that has to pay tribute to the Jin Dynasty every year.

But politically, militarily, and economically, it's completely independent.

In other words, they've just bitten off a huge chunk of land from Emperor Leonard the Enlightened—legally!

This is enough to make Lord Huainan and Emperor Leonard the Enlightened cough up blood in frustration.