Chapter 59: In the Fifth Year of Zhongping, Spring is Harmonious and the Scenery is Bright

Xiaolongnü and Su Xiaoxiao were out shopping crazily and eating crazily.

The current situation of Daxia is extremely critical.

But the country is still doing its best to protect all its citizens, blocking all Darkness outside the borders.

It is precisely because of this that a relative peace has been maintained within Daxia.

Of course, no one knows how much longer this peace and tranquility can be maintained.

After all, one deity after another is awakening abroad, while Daxia has no gods.

Currently, relying on the power of the state, all Darkness is blocked outside the national gates.

But with more and more fierce beasts emerging, and the covetousness of extraterritorial deities.

The situation in Daxia has become increasingly critical.

Of course, now that there is Su Xiaoxiao, this situation will naturally change.

She wants to lead the entire Daxia to join the Heavenly Court to resolve the current predicament.

Su Xiaoxiao is currently expanding her influence; her words carry little weight, so those above will naturally not listen to her easily.

But when she possesses enough influence, those above will consider her words.

Su Xiaoxiao took Xiaolongnü and fiercely satisfied her desire to dress up.

On the other side, Zhang Jiao plunged into the library; of course, he did not let go of the internet platform.

Zhang Jiao was absorbing knowledge from the modern era with such hunger.

And he felt increasingly clear about the path he was originally going to take.

In the era where Zhang Jiao is, history belongs to the rulers.

It is the history of the imperial family, the history of the noble clans, and the history of the powerful.

What are the commoners?

The commoners are the black-headed ones, they are cattle and sheep, they are ants.

No one pays attention to the joys and sorrows of those black-headed ones; as black-headed ones, they should not have any joys or sorrows.

"Wrong, all wrong."

Zhang Jiao said with a sense of heaviness, "This history is not the history of noble clans, nor is it the history of the powerful; the countless black-headed ones in this world, the countless commoners, they are the true creators of history."

After reading the books of that great man, Zhang Jiao felt his soul had been baptized.

He came from the wind and rain, as dazzling as the bright moon in the sky.

From now on, we do not need to yearn for the lighthouse of the West, because we have our own sun.

Zhang Jiao closed the book, his gaze filled with unprecedented firmness.

"This humble Daoist is untalented and does not even reach one-billionth of that gentleman, but this humble Daoist is willing to emulate him."

Zhang Jiao sighed deeply; if he could, he would want to stay in this era forever.

But he cannot; there are countless people waiting for him to save them.

After studying in the modern era for a period of time, Zhang Jiao returned to his own era with a lofty ideal.

He wants to light a lamp for that dark era; he wants to do something for those commoners and the people of the world.

The world of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Zhang Jiao led the Taiping Sect followers to continue farming while developing productivity.

"Productive forces determine the relations of production, and the economic base determines the superstructure."

Zhang Jiao knew deeply that in this era, wanting to step into such an era in one go.

Is something with a sense of advancement; one mistake, and everything is lost.

No matter how good a system is, if it cannot adapt to the times, it will eventually be eliminated.

Only when the relations of production adapt to the productive forces can the development of society be promoted.

Zhang Jiao read in history books about that person, the suspected transmigrator who usurped the Western Han and established the New Dynasty, Wang Mang.

Was Wang Mang's system good?

Looking at it from the perspective of later generations, it seems not bad.

It is just that he surpassed that era and it lacked feasibility.

The warning from the past is right before his eyes; Zhang Jiao must be cautious, cautious, and even more cautious.

The only thing Zhang Jiao is fortunate about is that he has countless group members behind him, and countless crystallizations of wisdom from various eras to use as reference.

At worst, there is also a way out: directly joining the Heavenly Court.

Heavenly Court Blessing, descending with great power.

It is just that now Zhang Jiao wants to reform the Taiping Sect and reform this era.

Although it is said that in the seventh year of Guanghe, Zhang Jiao did not lead the Way of Peace sect in an uprising.

But the inertia of history is still moving forward.

This year, Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong, in order to show that the world was at peace, changed the reign title to Zhongping.

And starting from the first year of Zhongping, Zhang Jiao led the Taiping Sect followers to establish countless bases in the countryside.

After five years of development, Zhang Jiao tried his best to apply the knowledge he learned in the modern era to the Taiping Sect followers.

In the third year of Zhongping, the Taiping Sect followers had almost penetrated into all the rural areas of the Thirteen Provinces of the Han.

Those farmers in the mud burst out with unprecedented power, and unknowingly, they had grown into a behemoth.

In the fourth year of Zhongping, the Taiping Sect followers gradually infiltrated the Thirteen Provinces of the Han.

By the fifth year of Zhongping, after five years of development, the Taiping Sect followers were long different from the past.

The root of all terror lies in the insufficiency of firepower.

The biggest reason for the failure of the Yellow Turban Army was that their weapons and equipment were not good enough.

Under the leadership of Zhang Jiao, and guided by the "three-piece set for rebellion," a production movement began, forging ironware far superior to this era.

It can be said that the current followers of the Taiping Sect are armed to the teeth.

In the fifth year of Zhongping, the Taiping Sect had almost infiltrated the county seats of the Thirteen Provinces of the world.

And the base of the Taiping Sect—Jizhou—was no longer just villages and county seats under the control of the Taiping Sect.

The provincial capital of Jizhou was likewise controlled by the Taiping Sect.

It can be said that the entire Jizhou, from top to bottom, had already become people of the Taiping Sect.

The Taiping Sect no longer acted as secretly as before, and the imperial court of the Great Han had already sensed the rebellious hearts of the Taiping Sect followers several years ago.

Over these years, the Great Han imperial court had not taken any action.

No, it is not to say that there was no action at all.

At the very beginning, Liu Hong did not take the rabble of the Taiping Sect seriously, continuing to live a life of dissipation in the imperial palace.

By the time Liu Hong wanted to do something, he no longer had the energy.

In the fifth year of Zhongping, this Emperor, who would be posthumously titled Emperor Ling, found his body growing increasingly frail.

Liu Hong had been living a life of dissipation in the imperial palace, directly ruining his own body.

This year, Liu Hong felt his life force slipping away at every moment, causing him unprecedented terror.

This Emperor, who appeared absurd in his conduct on the surface, had intimidated the aristocratic clans of the Great Han during his reign.

At the very least, during his reign, those aristocratic clans dared not openly defy his orders.

He held imperial power tightly in his own hands.

Without a doubt, this Emperor of the Great Han possessed his own political wisdom.

Liu Hong may not have failed to see that the Taiping Sect had already become a major force, but by this time, he no longer cared.

In his youth, this Emperor had also wanted to govern diligently and restore the Great Han.

He had four Zhongxing Swords cast to warn himself.

But the Great Han of today allows for a monarch who indulges in pleasure, yet does not allow for a monarch who governs diligently to emerge.

The most ideal state for the aristocratic clans has always been for the holy Son of Heaven to rule by doing nothing.

Even as the supreme ruler of the Great Han, as the Emperor, Liu Hong could not act without restraint.

In the end, the diligent Emperor was gone, replaced by a monarch who lived in dissipation and favored eunuchs.

Being an enlightened monarch is too difficult; being a muddled monarch is too easy.

This Emperor, who once made great vows, just fell into depravity day after day.

The fifth year of Zhongping, spring was bright and the scenery was beautiful.

This year, Liu Hong was thirty-two.

From the perspective of later generations, this Emperor was in his prime.

From the perspective of ancient emperors, this age was also very young.

But Liu Hong knew very well that he did not have long to live.

(End of this chapter)