Chapter 523: Panhu wins, the way to immortality
Li Shengxian was forty years old. The emperor he supported had died three years ago, and the last meager force that could oppose him also disappeared.
Overlooking half of the country, his authority far exceeds that of all emperors in the past century. Under his rule, the world gradually moved from chaos to stability. The power in the temples was transferred in an orderly manner, and the people's resentments in the city were subsided.
The continuous peasant uprisings and millions of victims disappeared, and the prairie fire has burned away the rotten roots.
This is not the work of Li Shengxian alone, but more of the destruction of society by the peasant uprisings, the massacre of the gentry by the civilian army, and the return of over-concentrated land to the people.
It was also due to the Saint Master who was across the river from him.
It is precisely because of his existence that the famous families in the world are willing to give land to the people, and are willing to cooperate with the court's work-for-relief and land-for-money policies. Instead of holding on to all the fertile land in their hands, they are unwilling to give it to the people even if it is overgrown with weeds or even if the grain is piled up and moldy.
Because the civilian army can really kill people.
“Father Zhong, what kind of person is the Holy Master?”
The little emperor hugged his thigh.
Li Shengxian glanced sideways slightly, his eyes cold, even if this was the emperor, even if he was of his own blood.
The old emperor he supported was already over 60 years old. He had three children who all died young, and he himself had basically lost the ability to have children. Due to political considerations, Li Shengxian found a woman with royal blood, and traded the civet cat for the prince.
The old emperor's knowledge gave him some comfort.
At least the descendants still have royal blood.
This is also what makes Li Shengxian stronger than Xu He. As a ruler and profit distributor, he can satisfy everyone. And Xu He can only satisfy the majority of people, but cannot satisfy the small number of people who control the resources.
If it were Xu He, he would definitely kill the emperor, wasting this great righteousness, and also bringing himself the reputation of regicide.
Li Shengxian replied: "A madman, a complete madman. Half of the chaos in the world is caused by him."
“He also wants to be emperor?”
“No, he wants to be a saint. Not an emperor or general to put gold on his face, nor build a few temples to announce to the world, but a saint who realizes the great unity of the world.”
Li Shengxian shook his head, and then muttered something that had been circulated for more than ten years on the other side of Jiang.
“The world is for the common good, which means the throne of the Son of Heaven. Being the common ruler means yielding and conferring holy virtues, and not passing it on to descendants privately. This means abolishing Zhu and Jun and using Shun and Yu instead.”
Shun and Yu are compared to saints whose positions are not passed down to future generations.
The rank of civilian officer is not hereditary. Even if there is too much inheritance after the death of the land, part of it must be handed over.
Li Shengxian saw the advancement at a glance and perfectly solved the problem of land annexation. If this system can be ensured to continue to be implemented, then theoretically there will be no peasant uprisings in the future.
But the human heart is made of flesh and has many emotions and desires.
In terms of rationality, there are never ifs.
The little emperor is ignorant.
Li Shengxian looked at the river in the distance and said:
“It’s only a matter of time before he loses.”
At night, a small boat escaped the continuous warning. The messenger from the other side asked to see Li Shengxian. He brought a letter and an opportunity to overcome the natural dangers of the river.
The opponent Li Shengxian met in person was the third in command of the Buyi Army and the general of the Buyi Army who guarded the entrance to the river. Like other senior officials of the civilian army, he was just a boatman at first, but later he rose to a high position following the rebellion of the Holy Master.
Just like the founding heroes of the past, there were always a group of people from humble backgrounds.
The leader of the Zhenjiang army agreed to defect to the imperial court on the condition that he would be granted the title of king with a different surname and the title of Marquis of ten thousand households.
“Kings with different surnames and thousands of princes can be given to you, but how do I know that you are not trying to lure a snake into a hole?”
Li Shengxian did not agree immediately. He looked at the rough face of the other party and said, "I heard that the holy master is wise and the people live and work in peace and contentment. And you should have received his favor, why did you defect?"
More than ten years ago, this person was just an ordinary citizen, and he was most likely one of the victims fleeing the famine.
"Returning to the Prime Minister, I have indeed been saved by the Holy Master, but I am too tired and uncomfortable around the Holy Master, and I am like a pig or a dog!"
There was a bit of resentment in the general's voice.
"Military merit cannot be hereditary, nor can it be pursued for personal gain. The young man has been through life and death just to stand out, but now he is sitting on an equal footing with the common people, how can he feel embarrassed?"
"Now it's not just me, many people have complaints against the Holy Master. As long as the Prime Minister gives the order, we will kill the big thief together."
“Big thief?”
Li Shengxian smiled sarcastically when he heard this title.
“What a great thief.”
The troops of the imperial court were once again on the move. In just one month, 200,000 troops and horses gathered. Naturally, such a large-scale deployment of troops could not be hidden from the civilian army.
Eight years later, the two armies once again stood across the river. It can be said that there were many military flags, war drums were beating in the sky, and both sides of the river were filled with warships.
One day later, the imperial court's 50,000 heavily armored elite soldiers crossed the river without warning at night, and then rode their war horses to break through three river entrances in a row, successfully controlling the natural dangers of the river.
Almost overnight, the balance completely tipped towards the court.
The commoner army was in chaos. The imperial army took advantage of the victory to pursue it and continued to attack the city and seize territory. The people in the city wanted to resist, but they couldn't resist the generals who kept opening their doors to surrender.
This time for the southward march, the biggest weapon prepared by the court was not the elite soldiers in armor, but a full 50,000 taels of gold.
Every time he went to a city, he invested gold, promised an official position, and made him a marquis.
Therefore, if you go up to the army to attack and plan, the world can gain it.
Approaching the mountain where the civilian army was rising, the imperial court was stopped in its tracks and was even pushed back hundreds of miles, barely being penetrated.
There is a white-haired veteran on the battlefield.
Xu He was not only a commander in chief, but also a fierce general. He commanded the civilian army like an arm. Use the great magic power of your body to the extreme to fill the heaven and earth, defeat the many with less, and defeat the strong with weak.
But when mortals eventually run out of energy.
There are millions of civilians, and now 70% of them have been reduced to generals. Either they drifted with the crowd, they had selfish desires, or they were simply timid. The entire civilian army collapsed just because of the sharp sword made of silver and gold.
Even if Xu He comes to earth as the star of Wuqu, how can he win when he has lost all the right people at the right time and place?
Messenger sent by the court.
“When the Holy Master returns and surrenders, he will be rewarded with a free life.”
Xu He shook his head and did not agree. The imperial envoy thought there was a glimmer of opportunity and quickly added: "If the Holy Master has any request, just ask for it. The Prime Minister has said that even a Marquis of Ten Thousand Houses can afford it."
Now that the commoner army is gone, there is no possibility of fighting for the world, but the foundation still exists. They have been cultivating the mountains for more than ten years, and now they can retreat to the mountains, use the mountains as city walls, show their talents, and look down on the world.
In the end, it became a country in the mountains, and it was always a sharp knife on the neck of the imperial court.
This is something that everyone in the court did not want to foresee.
"The world is unified." Xu He said without hesitation, "All industries are equal, all unscrupulous people are humble, the people have a place to live, their work is earned, the young are educated, and the old are supported." "Can the court provide it?"
Dong dong dong!
The sound was like thunder, and the court envoy stepped back repeatedly, looking at him in disbelief.
Is this hysteria?
Xu He smiled and said, "Look, the court can't give it to me, and no one in the world can give it to me, so I'll take it myself."
The negotiations were fruitless, and the imperial army launched an even more frenzied attack, while the civilian army retreated steadily towards the mountains.
Twenty years later, Xu He fled back to the mountains again, but this time he also failed.
Ti Niu had died in the battle eight years ago, and his eldest son asked the same thing.
“Holy Master, what should we do?”
“Come out again in ten years.”
“Why can’t I get out in 10 years? Now Li Thief has asked the young emperor to abdicate and establish a new dynasty. You said that the prime minister of the dynasty is an extraordinary person, I’m afraid.”
“Then twenty years, thirty years”
The old man looked back at the world, his eyes had not lost color with age, they were as fiery and persistent as ever.
He grinned and said: "Bloody landowners, I will kill them all one day."
A refugee who is still floating in every corner of the world.
Li Shengxian ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor at the age of 42. This ended 40 years of turmoil in the world, but a haze projected from the mountains always enveloped the temple.
“Has he come out?”
This is what Li Shengxian said the most after he became emperor. In order to stop the tigers in the mountains, he built three large cities along the mountain roads.
In the first year, the world lived in peace and the imperial court divided the fields.
In the second year, industry and commerce were revitalized.
In the third year, there will be a good harvest.
In the fourth year, there will be a good harvest.
In the fifth year, there will be a good harvest.
It seems that God is on the side of the new dynasty. With three consecutive years of good harvests and Li Shengxian's enlightened governance, the world has begun to take shape in a prosperous age, and the scars of the past have also disappeared.
Farmers who own land and food will no longer make trouble with the civilian army, and the sage master who has been watching the world from the mountains has become a big thief that will be punished by the whole world.
Li Shengxian finally had a peaceful sleep after many years.
At midnight, the **** hurriedly woke him up.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, rebel, rebel! The traitor is out!"
"What?!"
Li Shengxian, who was over fifty years old, quickly got up from the bed and went to the main hall to call the civil and military ministers of the court without even bothering to put on his clothes.
The minister was frightened and frightened when he heard the word Xu thief, and his sleepiness disappeared.
Later, news came that there was a rebellion in the country in the mountains. The civilian army, civil and military officials, colluded with each other to plot to usurp the throne.
“Then how do you say Xu He is out?” Li Shengxian asked.
"I don't know, but the spies in front reported again that Xu Thief came out alone. The commoner soldiers did not move, and those who tried to follow Xu Thief were killed. Now the surrender letter from the country in the mountains is on its way to the capital. "
“What about him? How dare he go out alone?”
Xu He looked at the soldiers around him who were pointing guns at him, led by the son of the iron ox, who surrounded him.
He asked: "Son, is it wrong to save people?"
No one answered, and everyone bowed their heads. Then approached.
After a flash of swords and shadows, there were ten more corpses on the ground.
Xu He captured his opponent alive and fought his way out of the siege with them hostage. He rode a horse with silver armor and a white head, looking back at the civilian army behind him.
Hold the big gun high, look up to the sky and roar: "I'm leaving."
Only a silhouette of a horse galloping down the mountain is left in the early morning sunshine.
Five years later, he went out again. After two major defeats, he decided to go out for the third time.
This army is one person!
After traveling a hundred miles, he came out of the mountain and was greeted by thousands of people on cavalry.
"kill!!"
The news reached the court, and the whole hall cheered.
“Win. Win”
Li Shengxian stood up from the dragon throne, his face couldn't help showing a look of joy. This old rival for many years was finally losing to him.
He is too radical. If the other party's demands were not too unreasonable, then the person sitting in this position may not be himself.
“How did he die?”
“Return to your majesty and ask the thief to fight alone with thousands of horses and die from exhaustion.”
“Alone? Where are his millions of followers?”
"The country in the mountain surrendered to the general, and the thief broke out of the encirclement alone. He did not gather any soldiers and went down the mountain alone."
“Go down the mountain by yourself.”
Li Shengxian was in a daze for a moment, and then sat back down. All the energy and energy in his body was completely discharged at this moment.
“How could it be like this? How could it be so confusing?”
The end of the chessboard.
Panhu won, but joy was not followed by anything, only silence.
A mortal dares to go against heaven and do things that are beyond the reach of mighty powers. Crackling pebbles against pebbles is just an appearance. Doing something when you know you can't do it is the inner meaning.
Xu He had countless opportunities for success, but he only chose the one that suited him best, even at the cost of his own life.
Perhaps this is the way of Li Changsheng, which is to go retrograde throughout his life.
Li Yi was not depressed by the defeat. Instead, he chuckled to the old tree spirit and said, "Look, why when I was young, I only saved the people in front of me. If I had saved the world, I might have died long ago."
(End of this chapter)