bookbashuk Chapter 292 The Emperors Express Their Stances, Su Ji's Ideals
Chapter 292 The Emperors Express Their Stances, Su Ji's Ideals
"Report!"
"General Li decisively defeated the army of the Barbarian Gods, killing more than 3,700 Barbarian God soldiers, capturing more than 12,000 Barbarian Gods, and rescuing more than 36,000 people from the Central Plains!"
"General Li marched to the northern border of the Gobi Desert and faced off against the barbarian warriors of the northern desert for a night. Afterwards, the two sides reached an agreement and erected a boundary marker, inscribed with the words 'The barbarian tribe shall not be allowed to enter the Gobi Desert for a hundred years...'"
As the news traveled back from the desert, everyone in the land, including the Marquis of Zhenbei, knew that Li Hui had won the battle. Even the court officials who had previously wanted to label Li Hui as a rebellious minister suddenly fell silent about the matter.
Indeed, the Barbarian God Clan's greatest strength lies in their mobility. They can take advantage of the terrain of the desert and Gobi to constantly move around and have been raiding the northern frontier for many years.
Since the Barbarian God Clan occupied a large area of the Northern Frontier, conquering the Northern Frontier became the late emperor's greatest wish, and the burden fell on the shoulders of the Marquis of Zhenbei.
In reality, if the Marquis of Zhenbei had the intention to fight to the last soldier, he could have reclaimed the northern frontier from the barbarian gods. However, this would not only be contrary to human nature, but would also leave behind great troubles in the future.
An ordinary army is likely to collapse if it suffers more than 20% casualties. An army that does not collapse even after losing half of its troops can be called an elite force.
Even if the Marquis of Zhenbei wanted to fight to the last man, he had to consider the actual situation and could not possibly go against human nature and send people to their deaths.
Not to mention, the barbarian gods who occupied the northern frontier also had their own tribes in the northern desert and even the giant island of the North Sea as their backers. Even if the northern frontier was recovered, it would only be a temporary expulsion of the barbarian gods' soldiers. In the future, they would still be plundered by the barbarian gods and even besiege the city.
Li Hui's signing of the treaty and erection of the boundary marker with the Barbarian God Clan was tantamount to promising a century of peace in the northern frontier. This act not only surpassed the merit of Zhenbei Marquis in conquering the new capital and killing the false emperor, but was even comparable to the merit of serving the emperor.
Even many common people exclaimed, "If the late emperor hadn't died on his way to Nanshan, he would have been overjoyed to hear this news and would have forgiven General Li for disobeying the imperial decree..."
The late emperor's greatest wish was to unify the country, which could even be described as militarism. Otherwise, when he destroyed the Brahman, he should have given most of the money to the people instead of using it to make up for the losses on the northern frontier.
Duke Yuan of Zhenguo pondered for a long time, then shook his head and smiled:
"General Li has rendered such great service that I'm afraid the Marquis of Zhenbei will not be able to tolerate him!"
Li Hui and the Marquis of Zhenbei formed an alliance to deal with the Barbarian God Clan. Now that the Barbarian God Clan and the False Emperor have been eliminated, the alliance is null and void.
Both are strong contenders for the Dragon's Throne, and from this moment on, they are rivals.
Even if the Marquis of Zhenbei, for the sake of his reputation, had no intention of sending troops to attack and kill Li Hui's tribe on the southern border of the desert, he would still try his best to exclude Li Hui's tribe.
Even before Li Hui returned to the northern frontier, the Marquis of Zhenbei was able to bribe Li Hui's generals and soldiers stationed in various cities through various means, thus fundamentally weakening Li Hui's power.
The Crown Prince Yuan Puyue, standing to the side, looked thoughtful and said:
“Li Hui’s reputation is at its zenith. The Marquis of Zhenbei cannot openly oppose him, but he can treat Li Hui as a guest because he is not from the Northern Frontier. If Li Hui’s attitude is not firm enough, he will have no choice but to return to the Western Frontier!”
As for Yuzhou, it is a prefecture adjacent to Yunzhou. Unless Li Hui is willing to submit to the new emperor and the court, if he intends to return to Yuzhou, he will be suspected by the court and will eventually have no choice but to raise the banner of rebellion and fight against the court's army.
Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. The court may seem to have abandoned the capital and fled south, but in reality, the combined forces of various armies number as many as a million. Apart from General Yuan, the Duke of Zhenguo, who openly raised the banner of rebellion, the rest are nominally under the control of the court.
Moreover, the various troops are stationed in different locations, making large-scale mobilization difficult.
Furthermore, some officials in the court wanted to seize power amidst the chaos, which led to the death of the late emperor. Now, they have installed a six-year-old puppet emperor to control the government...
"Now that Li Hui is famous throughout the land, it would be a great blessing for the imperial court if he could die in the northern frontier!"
The current regent holds absolute power and harbors ambitions to usurp the throne, naturally hoping that Li Hui will die in the northern frontier after making great contributions.
On the city wall of the new capital in the northern frontier, the Marquis of Zhenbei gazed northwards, his expression unwavering.
"My lord, the people of the northern frontier were originally uneasy, but after hearing that General Li and the Barbarian God Clan had erected a boundary marker on the northern border of the desert, they were all overjoyed, several times more excited than when we killed the false emperor."
The speaker was none other than Liu, the military advisor of the Zhenbei Army. He was a master strategist, but he was by no means a commoner; rather, he came from a local powerful and influential family.
"If General Li were to seize the opportunity to rebel, the people of the northern frontier would all bow down in submission. Once General Li recruits soldiers in the northern frontier, he could easily double his military strength..."
Besides the twenty-seven cities occupied by the Barbarian Gods, there are still many people in the northern border who have suffered under the Barbarian Gods for a long time. Now that Li Hui has not yet returned, many people have flocked to the cities occupied by Li Hui's subordinates, vying to apply for enlistment.
"Li Hui was ordered to kill the demons of Donghai County, joined forces with the Duke of Zhenguo, Yuan Shizi, to break through the important town of Fanbing, and together with the Marquis of Jinchuan, he stormed into the capital of the Qiang tribe and beheaded the Qiang king. He also drove out the army of the barbarian gods with me... He is truly the greatest military talent in the world!"
A look of mutual appreciation gradually appeared on the face of the Marquis of Zhenbei. He couldn't wait to bring a talented general like Li Hui under his command.
"Unfortunately, we each serve our own masters, and for our own ambitions of conquering the dragon, we can only become rivals..."
Regardless of the outcome of this dragon contest, the Marquis of Zhenbei will leave the mortal world to cultivate at the Black Emperor's Dojo in the north. In order to strive for a higher "seat" in the Imperial Court, the Marquis of Zhenbei will inevitably have to clash with Li Hui in the future.
Upon seeing that the Marquis of Zhenbei had expressed his stance, Liu, the military advisor, breathed a sigh of relief and then offered a suggestion: "At this time, it is not easy for us to deal with General Li, but we also cannot leave him in the northern border. I have three strategies, superior, medium and inferior, for your consideration, Marquis."
"Now that the barbarian gods have left, Lord Marquis, you can immediately raise the banner of rebellion. If General Li still considers himself a general of the imperial court, you can directly drive Li Hui's troops out of the northern border."
"Your Excellency can immediately petition the court to grant Li Hui a noble title and send General Li to Yuzhou with courtesy."
"Your Excellency can also continue to ally with Li Hui's forces, clear away all obstacles, and then settle the score with Li Hui's forces!"
The three strategies corresponded to three different attitudes towards Li Hui. Although the Marquis of Zhenbei had cultivated for over a hundred years, he still found it difficult to make a decision in a short time, because the matter was too important.
Enlisting in the army only reveals the situation of the world, but not the affairs of the Heavenly Court. Other emperors may be able to join forces to deal with the Heavenly Emperor's power in the human world, but it is not advisable to join forces with the Heavenly Emperor's power, otherwise it would be an open declaration of supporting this Heavenly Emperor to undergo another tribulation.
Therefore, after much deliberation, the Marquis of Zhenbei finally turned the question to the Black Emperor of the North behind him.
Soon, the Marquis of Zhenbei received an unexpected reply:
"In this tribulation, the Great Sage Golden Toad, with the help of the East-West Chamber of Commerce, assisted the Yellow Emperor in regaining the throne of the Heavenly Emperor. The other emperors no longer have the desire to contend for supremacy, but they cannot openly help him either. You should consider how to act on your own!"
If there were only one Golden Toad Great Sage, it would be fine, but Su Ji's East-West Merchant Guild has brought out technological creations far beyond this world. Even if the emperors could let their troops join forces to fight Li Hui's forces before engaging in the Dragon Contest, they should still consider the development of this world.
Therefore, the fate of the world has long since fallen into the hands of the East-West Chamber of Commerce, followed by the current Heavenly Emperor's re-election supported by the Golden Toad Great Sage. Perhaps the matter of the rotation of the Heavenly Emperor's throne can be discussed again once the world has reached a stable stage.
"I will obey the Emperor's decree!"
After seeing off the Emperor's envoy, the Marquis of Zhenbei stood there stunned.
After a long while, the Marquis of Zhenbei finally showed a relieved expression:
"Very well, since I was born at the wrong time, I will devote myself to cultivating the path of the God of Strength!"
For many years, Zhenbei Hou had not detached himself from worldly affairs. He originally wanted to help the Black Emperor of the North win the opportunity to take over the Heavenly Emperor's throne, but he did not expect to encounter the Golden Toad Great Sage from outside the heavens.
Therefore, the Marquis of Zhenbei quickly made a decision:
"General Li has returned victorious, and we should welcome him back with a feast, acknowledge the legitimacy of his troops' occupation of the city, and use this as a boundary to jointly guard the northern frontier!"
Upon hearing this, Military Advisor Liu was struck dumb. If Marquis Zhenbei did this, it would be tantamount to handing over half of the northern frontier. Once Li Hui's troops grew stronger, no one would be able to stop them!
"My lord..."
Military Advisor Liu was about to offer further advice, but was stopped by the resolute look in the eyes of the Marquis of Zhenbei:
"I hereby relinquish my claim to the throne. If General Li is able to ascend to the throne, I will submit and continue to guard the northern frontier!"
……
"Finally, we're out of this damn desert!"
"The Gobi Desert ahead is also difficult to traverse. Fortunately, our lord has divine assistance, otherwise half of these prisoners would have died on the way!"
"An army is approaching from afar; could it be specifically there to intercept us..."
Many soldiers were on high alert until messengers carrying brightly colored banners arrived. They then realized that these men were reinforcements sent by their colleagues who had stayed behind to guard the various cities. Several days later, Li Hui shared a banquet with the Marquis of Zhenbei and received twenty fine steel cannons in return from the Marquis.
After seeing off the Marquis of Zhenbei, Li Hui couldn't help but look at the vast land and feel a surge of emotions:
"We finally have our own territory!"
The twelve cities west of the northern border all belong to Li Hui. Further west is not the territory of the Marquis of Jinchuan, but a force that calls itself the Western King Army.
Many of Li Hui's soldiers thought there would be another tough battle ahead, but they were surprised when the leader of the Western King's army actually came to surrender.
Ordinary people only thought that the Western King Army admired Li Hui's character, but they did not know that behind the Western King Army was the Phoenix Clan who voluntarily migrated to the Northwest. Su Ji had done a lot for the Phoenix Clan in the Dragon-Phoenix War, and the Phoenix Clan reciprocated in this Dragon War.
"The incorporation of the Western King's army into our forces is truly a wonderful thing!"
The soldiers were overjoyed. The Western King's tribe had a large number of horses that they desperately needed, and with the horses they obtained from driving out the barbarian gods, Li Hui's tribe was finally able to field a cavalry force of over ten thousand men!
As autumn turned to winter, countless people flocked to Li Hui's army, which grew to nearly 300,000 men.
As winter turned to spring, everyone assumed that Li Hui would continue to lie low for another year, not only to accumulate enough supplies but also to spend time training his soldiers.
Unexpectedly, as soon as the ice and snow melted, Li Hui immediately sent troops south, his target being Yuzhou!
Outsiders say that Li Hui is somewhat eager for quick success and instant benefits, but Li Hui has his own explanation:
"The longer the war lasts, the more suffering the people will endure. Only by unifying the world as quickly as possible can we bring peace and prosperity to the world as soon as possible!"
The news of Li Hui's southward advance caused the most alarm among the court officials in Yunzhou. The regent immediately used the young emperor's name to order a large number of troops to be deployed in northern Yuzhou.
Indeed, since Li Hui drove out the barbarian gods, Duke Yuan of Zhenguo suddenly withdrew his troops back to the south, which gave the court a great opportunity to breathe.
This allowed the imperial court to mobilize as many as 500,000 troops, which were then deployed in various units north of Yunzhou and Yuzhou.
Just when the world thought that a protracted war was about to begin, an army suddenly rose up in Yuzhou and marched towards Yunjing in Yunzhou by water and land.
In just one day and one night, the army opened up passages with steel cannons loaded on carts and ships, and soon tens of thousands of troops were heading straight for the outskirts of Yunjing City.
"It's like divine soldiers descending from the heavens!"
"It turns out that General Li did not fail to manage Yuzhou, but rather remained hidden among the people!"
"As expected of the East-West Chamber of Commerce, they were able to quickly help General Li gather such a large force!"
Some of these soldiers were citizens of blessed lands, some were members of the East-West Merchant Guild, and some were key members secretly recruited by Li Hui and sent to Yuzhou...
For a time, the imperial army was caught in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat, until the regent brought the young emperor back to Nanshan, at which point the imperial army received the order to return to the court.
"Sending our 200,000 soldiers to intercept Li Hui's 200,000 to 300,000 troops is just sending them to their deaths."
Although the imperial army was not incompetent, it had not fought for many years and was no match for Li Hui's forces of equal numbers.
"You expect us to resist the Yuzhou army? Even if we were made of iron, we couldn't withstand cannon fire!"
The Yuzhou army was better equipped, and if Nanshan hadn't been located in a mountain range, they might have stormed in all at once.
"General Li has earned a good reputation everywhere. If the court is truly doomed, General Li will undoubtedly be the best candidate to ascend the throne!"
If the two men could not reach a consensus, let alone hundreds of thousands of soldiers, many of them immediately rebelled against the court and joined Li Hui.
In the imperial court, some officials were still struggling to hold on, while others simply fled. Even the regent's confidants were somewhat distraught, fearing that Li Hui's forces might attack at any moment.
However, Li Hui did not directly attack Nanshan, but instead led his troops to Yuzhou Prefecture.
Everyone was waiting for Li Hui to purge the court of corrupt officials or even assassinate the emperor, but no one expected that Li Hui would directly eliminate the imperialist regime.
Not only the court officials, including the regent, but even the new emperor became a remnant of imperialism. This meant that there was no question of illegitimacy, but rather a fundamental change in the world.
For a time, not only various forces, but even the celestial gods and immortals of the Heavenly Court couldn't help but have all sorts of wild thoughts.
"Could it be that the Golden Toad Great Sage, under the guise of helping the Yellow Emperor succeed to the throne of the Heavenly Emperor, is actually preparing to seize control of the world from the bottom up and then usurp the throne of the Heavenly Emperor?"
"If the mortal court is called the remnant of imperialism, then aren't we, the gods of the heavens, the same?"
"Is this the idea of the Golden Toad Great Sage, or the will of the Nine Heavens Prime Minister, the Soul Spirit Emperor, behind him?"
Amidst the conflicting opinions, Su Ji arrived at the Heavenly Court and expressed his own ideas.
"The Heavenly Court has long since transcended the concept of one family and one country, and is now ruled by five emperors in rotation."
Su Ji possessed mature ideas and concepts about the Milky Way, and made appropriate modifications based on these ideas, ultimately forming what he described.
The celestial beings and gods of Heaven feared that the mortal realm would spiral out of control, and they were equally afraid that the Nine Heavens Prime Minister, the Soul Spirit Emperor, would interfere in this world. Now, having received Su Ji's explanation, they were finally at ease.
"Since the new era does not prohibit people from believing in gods and immortals, our faith will not be affected!"
"As technology advances, if all the people can achieve a level of basic needs beyond food and clothing, the society will inevitably prosper, and the greater the population, the stronger our faith will become..."
"What? If technology advances to a certain point, mortals can also leave this world and enter space. Doesn't that mean we can exploit all kinds of resources around us!"
While the immortals and gods were shocked, they all felt a greater longing for the future that Su Ji had described.
The emperors had no objections, not only because Su Ji's words made sense, but also because they controlled the strongest power in the world.
Soon, the Marquis of Jinchuan in the west, the Duke of Yuan in the south, and the Marquis of Zhenbei in the north successively responded to Li Hui, forming a general trend of popular support.
In the court of Nanshan, the regent watched as the court began to fall apart, but showed no intention of surrendering.
Li Hui did not send troops, but simply surrounded Nanshan and waited for the old imperial regime to collapse on its own.
In the summer, the regent died in a coup d'état. With the help of some officials, the young emperor escaped from Nanshan and issued an abdication edict in Yunzhou, handing over state power to Li Hui and others.
Thus, the old era ended, a new era was about to begin, and the great calamity of the mortal world came to a complete end.
The Five Emperors redefined the rules: every sixty years, the Emperors would take turns ruling the Heavenly Emperor position according to the order of East, West, South, North, and Center. After sixty years, the Azure Emperor of the East would become the Heavenly Emperor.
But as the affairs of the human world came to an end, Su Ji turned his attention to the moon.
As expected, the Jade Rabbit God soon arrived at Su Ji's Daoist temple on the Taiyin Star and read out the decree of the Taiyin Emperor, the Moon Queen.
Su Ji had already guessed what was going on, but there was no way he would hand over Zhang Xiaolian as the Moon Goddess had said.
Indeed, when Zhang Xiaolian entered the mortal calamity to help Li Hui, it was tantamount to voluntarily revealing her identity as the reincarnation of the Lesser Yin Divine Lord. The Moon Empress, fearing that the mortal calamity would make it difficult to act, waited until today.
“Jade Rabbit God, please tell the Moon Queen that the Lesser Yin God has already been reincarnated. Although there are some entanglements between the two lives, it is not enough to have to pay with one’s life.”
"The case of the Western Vajra Hell will be further investigated by the celestial gods and immortals. We only need to send someone to follow up after a month."
"And as you have seen, Zhang Xiaolian is now also the younger sister of the Sun Emperor. If the Moon Empress insists on being an enemy of Zhang Xiaolian, then she should be prepared to fight against multiple forces!"
Having cultivated relationships with the Phoenix Clan's Western King, the Sun Emperor, and the Five Directions Emperors for so many years, Su Ji had long since gained sufficient confidence to face the Moon Emperor.
Moreover, the reason why Su Ji's attitude was so firm was that he sincerely hoped that Yue Hou would completely give up the idea of consuming Zhang Xiaolian's Dao Fruit, so as to avoid losing his life here in the future.
"I will relay every word that the Golden Toad Great Sage said to the Moon Queen without missing a single detail..."
Things are different now. The Jade Rabbit God Lord didn't dare to lash out in front of Su Ji and could only suppress his anger and leave. (End of Chapter)