Chapter 140

The rebel army led by Wang Tianhai, after capturing the entire Xiguo region, did not halt its advance.

They swept up hundreds of thousands of peasants ignited by famine and hatred, like an unstoppable torrent, sweeping toward the political center of Wa—Kyoto.

Along the way, the regional daimyo either surrendered at the first sign or were crushed to powder by this torrent.

The slogan "How can kings and marquises, generals and ministers, be born of a special kind?" no longer suffices to describe the scale and intensity of this rebellion. It has evolved from a mere peasant uprising into a massive revolution aimed at overturning the entire national order.

Zhen Dong City, the lord's manor.

Wang Meng gazed at the sand table, where the black arrow representing Wang Tianhai's army pointed straight at Kyoto, and a satisfied smile spread across his face.

"The timing is about right," he murmured, staring thoughtfully at the flames leaping in the stove, "but it's still not fierce enough."

Wang Tianhai's army, though numerous and mighty, was too heterogeneous in composition, lacking a unified faith that could ignite fervor in everyone.

The saying "How can kings and marquises, generals and ministers, be born of a special kind?" can spark people's resentment and rebellion. But once they overthrow the old "kings and marquises, generals and ministers," they themselves will become the new "kings and marquises, generals and ministers." At that point, this army will quickly collapse from internal strife and division.

This clearly runs counter to the Wang Family's long-term interests! As a family with a long history and deep foundations, the Wang Family's decisions and actions should be based on and aimed at its long-term interests.

What the Wang Family hoped for was not merely an ordinary change of regime, but a thorough overturning, from the roots up, of Wa's original social structure and belief system.

This means they must not only overthrow the existing regime but also comprehensively reshape and remake Wa's social system, cultural traditions, and people's values and beliefs—a transformation that will be profound and extensive, affecting every stratum of Wa society.

"To destroy without building is not feasible," Wang Meng recalled the old Head of Family once teaching him, "To demolish an old world, you must first draw a picture of a new world for people. This pie may not exist, but it must look tempting."

He struck the copper bell on the table again.

This time, the person who entered was a middle-aged man wearing the senior instructional robes of the Wang Family's Education Bureau. His name was Chen Gongbo, of course, a Han surname granted by the Wang Family. He had originally been a monk at an obscure temple in Wa, but because he held unique insights on Buddhist sutras and was eloquent, he was discovered by Wang Family agents and recruited into the Education Bureau.

In the Wang Family academy, he encountered texts such as the Taiping Jing and the Dao De Jing from Zhongyuan, various classic teachings that greatly inspired him, and he combined them with Wa's native Shinto and Buddhist thought to create a wholly new, highly incendiary theory.

Chen Gongbo.

Your subordinate is present.

How are the preparations for your Taiping Dao going? Wang Meng asked.

Chen Gongbo's eyes flashed with fervent light: "Reporting to my lord! The doctrine is complete, and followers have secretly numbered in the thousands across the lands. Awaiting only your command, we may act on Heaven's behalf!"

"Very good." Wang Meng nodded and took out a handwritten order from the drawer.

"Now the opportunity has come. Immediately take your people and pursue Wang Tianhai's army. From today on, your mission is to seize control of that army's thinking."

"I want you to replace that slogan 'How can kings and marquises, generals and ministers, be born of a special kind?'" His voice was icy and resolute, as if this were an irrevocable command.

Upon hearing this, Chen Gongbo started, inwardly pondering: He knew much of Zhongyuan culture and understood that this was a time-honored saying; why change it? Yet, facing the other's stern gaze, he cautiously asked, "What should we change it to?"

Wang Meng's mouth slowly curled into a cold arc, his eyes like icy stars, exuding a chilling aura. After a moment of silence, he finally uttered those words: "The azure heavens have perished, the yellow heavens shall rise. In the year of Jiazi, all under heaven shall prosper greatly!"

These words struck like a thunderclap in Chen Gongbo's ears. He widened his eyes, stared at Wang Meng with utter astonishment, as if he could not believe what he had heard.

Upon hearing this prophecy from distant Zhongyuan that had once stirred colossal waves, the fervor in Chen Gongbo's eyes intensified by a third.

"Azure heavens... Yellow heavens..." he repeatedly chewed on these words, feeling they contained a tremendous power capable of destroying heaven and earth.

"Exactly," Wang Meng continued, "The azure heavens refer to the present corrupt world ruled by the emperor and nobility. The yellow heavens denote a brand-new world free of oppression, where everyone is equal and every family has land to till—a utopia on earth guided by the Taiping Dao!"

"You must tell those soldiers and peasants that they are not fighting for Wang Tianhai personally, nor to seize gold and silver treasures. They are waging a holy war! They are welcoming the arrival of the Yellow Heavens! All who die in battle for the Yellow Heavens will have their souls ascend to the eternal Ultimate Bliss Pure Land!"

"At the same time, you must stage auspicious portents within the army—for instance, inscribing characters on stones, hiding yellow turbans in fish bellies—using various miracles to prove that you are the mandate of Heaven!"

Chen Gongbo's blood boiled hearing this; he bowed deeply before Wang Meng, knocking his forehead to the ground.

"My lord, your talent is immense! I understand! I will not fail my mission, and I will plant the banner of the Yellow Heavens in every corner of Wa!"

……

After the Era Name Deadline, the rebel army that had already reached the outskirts of Kyoto began to undergo some strange changes in its camp.

Many soldiers tied a yellow cloth around their heads or arms.

Suddenly, a startling rumor spread through the ranks: General Wang Tianhai was no mere mortal but the "Son of the Yellow Heavens" descended to the mortal world! This news quickly disseminated, filling people with reverence and anticipation for the general.

It was said that General Wang Tianhai possessed extraordinary ability and wisdom, and his appearance was meant to save humanity from suffering. This notion caused an uproar in the army, with soldiers endlessly discussing the "heaven-sent miracle" tale, which grew ever more miraculous with each retelling.

One day, the supply corps caught a huge fish in the river. Upon cutting open its belly, they discovered a scroll of yellow silk. Written in blood were eight large characters: "The azure heavens have perished, the yellow heavens shall rise!"

The entire army was shaken!

Immediately afterward, Chen Gongbo, who styled himself the "Grand Virtuous Master of the Taiping Dao," appeared in the camp with hundreds of his disciples.

He claimed that he had received a revelation from the "Yellow Heaven God" and had come to assist General Wang Tianhai in establishing the "Yellow Heaven Golden Age."

Wang Tianhai, too, was quite "cooperative," and before the entire army he performed a grand kowtow to Chen Gongbo, honoring him as the state preceptor.

From then on, the rebel army was renamed the "Yellow Turban Army."

Their slogan also changed from "How can kings and marquises, generals and ministers, be born of a special kind?" to the more fervent and incendiary "The azure heavens have perished, the yellow heavens shall rise!"

The nature of this army was completely transformed.

They were no longer a band of peasants rebelling to fill their stomachs, but a group of fervent believers fighting to establish a divine kingdom on earth. Their combat effectiveness and cohesion underwent an unprecedented increase.

Within Kyoto, the court officials gazed upon the yellow sea outside the city and the enormous banner emblazoned with "Acting on Heaven's Behalf," each of them terrified out of their wits.

"Good heavens! These lowly commoners are simply mad!" a official shouted, his face pale with fear, his voice betraying uncontrollable dread and anger.

"They not only dare to seize our wealth and land, but even more horrifying, they seek to invent an entirely new deity! This is nothing short of desecrating our faith!" his voice trembled, as if the whole world were collapsing before his eyes.

"Has the Imperial Edict for loyalist troops even reached Kyushu? When will the Matsura clan's reinforcements arrive?" he wailed to his fellow officials, his eyes brimming with despair and helplessness.

The messengers had already set out long ago.

But what they sent was not a plea-for-help Imperial Edict.

Rather, it was an invitation inviting a pack of wolves to attend the final feast.

In Zhen Dong City, under Wang Meng's direction, Matsura Takahisa, who had already become the King of Kyushu, had also finished assembling his ten-thousand-strong army, armed to the teeth with Wang Family weapons.

At the same time, he issued a proclamation in the name of "loyalist troops" to all daimyo throughout Wa whose lands had not yet been touched by war.

"... Now the Yellow Turban rebels riot in the Kinai region, intending to overturn the state. I, Matsura Takahisa, having long received imperial grace, cannot stand idly by. Now, obeying the Imperial Edict, I raise arms for the loyalist cause! May all loyal and righteous souls join me in facing the nation's peril, exterminating the rebels and restoring order to Heaven!"

In an instant, the whole realm gathered in response.

Those daimyo frightened out of their wits by the war and the Yellow Turban Army heeded Matsura Takahisa's call and marched out as loyalist troops.

Oda, Tokugawa, Uesugi, Takeda... these historically renowned daimyo each dispatched their own forces, which converged under Matsura Takahisa's command.

A force claiming fifty thousand, the Loyalist Allied Army, with a mighty aura, marched toward the capital.

On one side are fervent believers shouting, "Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall rise," aiming to overturn everything.

On the other side is an alliance of old forces, each with hidden agendas, flying the banner of "Loyalist".

No one noticed that, within these two seemingly opposed forces, the strategist revered as the "core strategist" would, in the dead of night, bow deeply toward the same direction.

All the overt confrontations and secret schemes cannot avoid that name hidden behind the clouds and mist—the Wang Family.