Chapter 523 Panhu Wins, the Way to Immortality
Li Shengxian was forty years old. The emperor he supported 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 was not Li Shengxian's fault alone, but rather the destruction of society caused 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 the result of the Saint Master who faced him across the river.
It is precisely because of his existence that the world's aristocratic families are willing to give land to the people and cooperate with the court's work-for-relief and farm-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 really knows how to 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 this was his own bloodline.
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 where Li Shengxian is 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 earning 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 that the throne of the Son of Heaven is called the throne of the Son of Heaven. For the common rule, one bows to the throne and imparts holy virtues, and does not pass it on privately to descendants. This means abolishing Zhu and Jun and replacing them with Shun and Yu."
Shun and Yu were compared to saints whose positions were not passed on to future generations.
The civilian officer position 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 rational terms, there are never ifs.
The little emperor was 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 person whom Li Shengxian met in person was the third in command of the Commoner Army and the general of the Commoner Army who guarded the mouth of 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 those founding heroes in the past, there are 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 be granted the title of king with a different surname and the title of Marquis of ten thousand households.
"A king with a different surname and ten thousand princes can give it to you, but how do I know that you are not using your own tricks to lure snakes into their holes?"
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 a commoner, most likely one of the victims fleeing 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. I am like a pig or a dog!"
There was a hint of resentment in the general's voice.
"Military merit cannot be hereditary, nor can it be pursued for personal gain. A young man has been through life and death just to stand out. How can he be embarrassed now that he is sitting on an equal footing with ordinary people over there?"
"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 upon hearing this title.
"What a great thief."
The soldiers and horses of the imperial court were once again on the move. In just one month, 200,000 soldiers 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.
Then one day, the imperial court's 50,000 heavily armored elite soldiers crossed the river without warning at night, and then rode their horses to break through three river entrances, successfully controlling the natural dangers of the river.
Almost overnight, the balance completely tipped towards the court.
The civilian army was in chaos, and the imperial army pursued the victory 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 when going south, 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 missing.
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 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 descends from Wuquxing, how can he win when he has lost all the right people at the right time and place?
A messenger sent from the court.
"When the Holy Master returns and surrenders, he will be able to obtain a free prince."
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."
Nowadays, the general trend of the civilian army is over, and 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, a sharp knife that was always on the neck of the imperial court.
This was something that everyone in the court did not want to foresee.
Also, Xu He was so powerful that he and the current prime minister were called two saints. If the prime minister dies first, then it's not certain who will win.
"The world is unified." Xu He said without hesitation, "All industries are equal, people are unscrupulous and humble, people have a place to live, work has income, children have education, and old people have support."
"Can the court give it to me?"
Boom, boom, boom!
The sound was like thunder, and the court envoy stepped back again and again, looking at him in disbelief.
Is this hysteria?
Xu He said with a smile: "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.
Tieniu 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."
"What if I can't get out in 10 years? Now Li Thief asked the young emperor to abdicate and establish a new dynasty. You said that the prime minister of the current 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, "You damn landlord, I will kill them all one day."
A refugee 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.
"Is he out yet?"
These words were 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 was a good harvest.
In the fourth year, there was a good harvest.
In the fifth year, there is 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 disappeared.
The peasants who own land and food will no longer cause trouble with the civilian army, and the sage master who has been eyeing the world in 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 eunuch hurriedly woke him up.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, rebel, rebel! The thief 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, regardless of putting on his clothes.
When the minister heard the word Xu thief, he was frightened and his sleepiness disappeared.
Later, news came that there was a rebellion in the country in the mountains, and the civil and military officials of the civilian army colluded with the intention of usurping the throne.
"Then how do you say Xu He came 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 former Iron Ox, who surrounded him.
He asked: "Child, is it wrong to save people?"
No one answered, and everyone bowed their heads. Then approached.
After a burst of sword flashes, there were ten more corpses on the ground.
Xu He captured his opponent alive and fought his way out of the siege. He was riding a horse, wearing silver armor and a white head, looking back at the civilian army behind him.
Holding the big gun high, he looked up to the sky and roared: "I'm leaving."
Only a silhouette of a horse galloping down the mountain was 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 time there is only one person in the army!
After traveling a hundred miles, he came out of the mountain and was greeted by thousands of people on horseback.
"kill!!!"
The news reached the court, and the whole hall cheered.
"Won. Won."
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 going to lose to him.
He was too radical. If the other party's demands were not too unreasonable, then he might not be sitting in this position now.
"How did he die?"
"Return to your majesty and ask the thief to fight alone with thousands of horses and die from exhaustion."
"Du? Where are his millions of followers?"
"The general of the country in the mountain said that the thief broke out of the encirclement alone and went down the mountain alone without gathering any soldiers."
"Go down the mountain by yourself."
Li Shengxian was in a trance for a moment, then sat back down, all the energy and spirit in his body was completely discharged at this moment.
"How could it be like this? How could it be so overwhelming?"
The end of the chessboard.
Panhu won, but nothing came with joy, only silence.
How dare a mortal dare to go against heaven and do what the mighty are unable to do. Pebbles and pebbles hitting stones are just appearances. Doing things 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 risk of his own life.
This may be Li Changsheng's way, and his whole life will be retrograde.
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."