Chapter 857: A Great Confucian Comes to Surrender

Jinshi City.

The city gates were wide open.

Two rows of officials knelt by the roadside, the leader holding the great seal, kneeling and crawling forward: "Sinful official Lin Ping, respectfully welcomes the King's army into the city!"

Aaron stepped forward, accepted the seal on behalf of the Liang King, and then ordered the great army to enter the city.

"Prime Minister?"

Tang Xun offered a reminder; in ancient times, surrendering a city often involved trickery, such as luring the army inside before closing the gates to trap them.

"No need, I believe the officials of this city are very sensible."

Amidst the chaos, the year still had to be passed.

"Throughout history, supporting the Dragon Court, the old Daoist is surely the best... The flight of a mayfly is no more than five steps, yet once it catches the wind, it can soar ten thousand miles... This is the power of a favorable wind!"

Sima Zhong, one of the three who received the late emperor's final instructions, wore a large red-and-white crane robe and a black-winged cap, walking as if on the wind.

The Zhang Family is the leader of the Confucian school and has even produced a Confucian sage! Having endured for a thousand years without decline, they are known as a thousand-year noble family! Unrivaled in the world!

It can be said that every move they make concerns where the hearts of the world's scholars lie!

That they could take the initiative to head south clearly shows that the orthodoxy of the Great Song has been severed, and the hearts of the world's scholars have turned to Southern Liang!

It was the depths of winter; the Hu people stripped the official emperor of his dragon robe, demoted him to a commoner, and when a minister protested in a memorial, he was executed by the Jin King and his corpse fed to dogs!

……

Excluding those, Aaron's choice for a leading general actually left no room for selection at all...

"Then you must ask me, why not take it?" Seeing Cao Man's confusion, Aaron laughed: "A three-hundred-year-old Imperial Court, is that what I seek? I want to govern the world with the Taishang Science, to let the Confucian school see that they are not the only learning for governing the world!"

Countless scholars blamed the Liang King and the Prime Minister for acting against the natural order!

Once this order was issued, Jiangnan was filled with complaints!

"Not so... This city has King Qi because of the Liang King; first there are people, then there is Qi, otherwise everything is empty talk!"

Cao Man said helplessly.

"A thousand-year noble family?"

'Qi Points credited? It was worth casting a divination specifically for the city surrender.'

Behind him, a middle-aged Civil Official hurried out after them: "Prime Minister, mentor..."

Such as Si Yunming, Zheng Fang, and others, though they are more skilled in water warfare and are talents for the navy.

His whole body trembled, knowing that the Liang King's entry into Jinshi had caused a change in the Heavenly Secret, and he could not help but narrow his eyes in secret, circulating his Daoist arts.

Yu Zhan was stunned on the spot.

A black-backed carp obtained this, grew two golden dragon whiskers, and then... there was no then.

"Isn't that a bit much?" A trace of cold sweat appeared on Cao Man's forehead.

As for the wailing of the defeated dogs, he was too lazy to step in and kill them himself, waiting only for the implementation of major policies, letting the ruined families and local magistrates teach them how to behave again.

He had originally planned to just show off his might near Jingshi and then plunder on a large scale, which would have been enough...

Yet Aaron treated it only as a dog barking!

"Now that the Liang King has entered Jinshi and Tang Xun has swept through everything, half the country is already won; even the Xuanwu Lake Dragon Qi that the Chongming Daoist obsessed over has been obtained by our side, how delightful, how delightful..."

Jingshi.

Yu Zhan bowed again and said: "The Hu people are cunning by nature and cannot be trusted... They were able to tear up alliances before..."

Zhang Zifeng said.

Such a tragic sight made even Zhang Zifeng, who had a grudge against the Imperial Court, feel unbearable.

The world suddenly darkened, and the next moment, he saw a crimson pillar shoot into the sky.

The large number of commoners kneeling by the roadside, no matter how ignorant, had heard of the Tiger-Riding Daoist and the great Tiger-Power Immortal; at this moment, they secretly looked up, feeling that an immortal had arrived, and could not help but become even more devout.

Thinking of the tragic state of Jingshi in the north, even Zhang Zifeng could not help but feel a sense of sorrow.

Dulongzi grumbled to himself, but he dared not ask, nor did he dare to speak.

After all, Xuzhou is the Zhang Family's base, where Confucian thought is deeply rooted.

"Why can't it be? Actually, under the rule of the Hu people, they can still live quite well, even better than before... Because the Hu people don't take the Zhongyuan seriously at all, ruling by grassland customs, dividing tax-farming zones, and so on... This is small-scale feudalism; under this system, as long as the landlords lick the Hu people comfortably and pay enough taxes, they are masters of their own territory, running rampant and even raising private armies!"

"Jinshi City truly has King Qi!"

Jinshi City.

Along the way, countless ministers, members of the imperial clan, and women of the inner palace had died.

He could only sigh to himself: "The Jin King in the north is a flood dragon, only one step away from becoming a True Dragon; how deep is this heavenly favor!"

The Book of Physiognomy says—the King Qi of Jinshi is a sign from previous generations, yellow flags and purple canopies, originating in the southeast, to rule over ten thousand nations!

"Are you confused about the court meeting?"

"And this Prime Minister has to admit that my Taishang Science still has some flaws, and once provoked by the Confucian school, it is inevitable that people's hearts will be anxious..."

Boom!

The fifth year of Taiping.

The streets and alleys of Jinshi City were decorated with lanterns, and there was some snow on the roadside.

……

"The fake Liang has risen in the south, the Jin people are causing chaos in the north, the country is about to fall, and they are still engaging in factional strife?"

Yu Zhan had these words stuck in his throat, but he could only force himself to endure it, watching his mentor leave, and smiled bitterly in his heart: 'Not only that... even if the Hu people win the world, don't they still need us civil officials? That is the main point, right?'

Aaron said: "Since the fall of the Great Song and the trampling of the bones of the nobility on the Heavenly Street, Xuzhou has long been in chaos; taking it will not take the slightest effort, but the subsequent governance will inevitably face resistance from all sides, and incidents of tax resistance will likely emerge one after another!"

"Haoran Xiansheng is right."

Cao Man suddenly shuddered, sensing a trace of killing intent from the Prime Minister, and could not help but say: "Prime Minister... Haoran Xiansheng has not held office, he has spent his whole life teaching and writing, and his students are all over the world; he cannot be easily touched!"

Although Aaron had secretly checked the physiognomy and Qi Number during this surrender, he had discovered quite a few talents.

Carriages and horses were like a dragon, surrounded by guards like scales.

Just at this moment, a strange change suddenly occurred!

The firmament suddenly darkened; that strand of Xuanwu Lake Dragon Qi was grazed by something unknown, suddenly losing ninety-nine percent of its Dragon Qi, leaving only two strands of Golden Qi that submerged into the carp.

"To obtain half the empire, yet still have the appearance of a carp—since ancient times, such a thing has never happened in the world!"

Having been an official for so many years, he had seen through and let go of many things.

"So?" Cao Man's heart tightened.

"This Prime Minister cannot solve the problem, but I can solve the person who raises the problem; that is enough."

The North.

Haoran Xiansheng, however, did not have much joy on his face: "I entered the Liang state and saw everything along the way... The governance of the Liang King comes mostly from the Prime Minister. Xulingzi is a Daoist master, yet he does not practice governance through non-action; instead, he emphasizes Imperial Authority entering the villages, his heart is unfathomable... In summary, it is nothing more than suppressing the Confucian school, restraining the powerful and wealthy families, and allowing petty people to rise to power! As time goes on, the country will cease to be a country! I must submit a memorial, requesting the Liang King and the Prime Minister to open the Civil Service Examination to win the hearts of the scholars, reduce taxes, and not compete with the people for profit. If so... then the hearts of the world will return, and the four seas will submit!"

"At this time, the North is full of the stench of the Hu people. Haoran Xiansheng bears the expectations of the realm and has indignantly traveled south; you will surely be able to assist the wise Liang King, expel the barbarians, and set things right!"

The Jin King demanded five million taels of gold and fifty million Silver Coins, along with demands for ceding territory, and the Imperial Court actually agreed to it all at once.

Aaron scratched his head and casually threw the article in his hand into the furnace to burn: "The pre-previous dynasty had powerful clans, claiming to have had high officials for four generations, yet they only lasted a few hundred years... Cao Man, do you know why?"

This was the Liang King arriving!

He suddenly said again: "This article is Furnace Fire Pure Green, the calligraphy is also good, it can be called the work of a master of a generation... But look at this last sentence, 'The Dao does not prevail, I will ride a raft out to sea'—this faintly carries a sense of resentment. If the Imperial Court does not comply, I fear he does not intend to wander the four seas, but to defect to the Hu! He is even threatening the Imperial Court and this Prime Minister, but this Prime Minister never accepts threats!"

As for the imperial concubines, and even the Empress and princesses, they were all reduced to playthings.

Yet he had not expected that there might still be a turning point in Jingshi?

The Imperial Palace.

Aaron sneered, then suddenly sighed: "Actually, this person's heart can be considered sincere. If we really opened the Civil Service Examination and even announced that the academic honors of the previous dynasty would be recognized, then it would truly be the hearts of the four seas returning. The Hu people would not amount to anything and could be destroyed in an instant, and then we could start a new dynasty for three hundred years... Simple and smooth."

Then, upon arriving at the Jin King's Royal Capital, they ordered a prisoner-offering Ritual to be held, wrapping the heads of the Emperor and Empress in turbans, draping them in sheepskins, exposing their bodies, and taking them to the Jin King's ancestral temple to perform the "Sheep-Leading Ceremony."

"Exactly... Now that the Hu people are running rampant, we should favor war. Why does my teacher favor peace?"

Inside the carriage sat an old Confucian scholar with white hair and beard, but his eyes were warm and gentle, like those of an innocent child.

Aaron smiled: "However, I do not intend to kill this person..."

Furthermore, having just surrendered, it is not appropriate to employ them heavily.

The city walls of Jingshi are the best in the world, with five great armories, four great granaries, and it is said that the grain and weaponry piled within are countless, along with two hundred thousand Imperial Guard...

Taking advantage of this moment of change in the Heavenly Secret, he looked toward the North, suddenly felt a palpitation, his nose grew hot, and blood flowed out.

Suddenly, thunder struck on flat ground in the sky, and there seemed to be a dragon's roar, which gave Dulongzi a fright.

Sima Zhong spoke.

"I do not know..."

"Prime Minister, please stay!"

At this time, the Liang King entering the city was precisely to obtain this strand of Dragon Qi, to truly have his foundation and wings fully grown!

The sixth year of Taiping, January.

"You... do not be frightened by the chattering of a group of out-of-office factions. Among our core and wings, are there not Disciple of Confucianism? We are not in chaos, the army is not in chaos, so the public opinion of the literati is nothing more than the cawing of crows!"

"Please rest assured, Prime Minister, now the various prefectures in the South can surely be settled by a single proclamation!"

And with a population of one million, even if one able-bodied man is drafted from every five households, another two hundred thousand strong men can be raised!

Facing such high walls and a large city, even the Jin King only said he would fight to Jingshi, but did not say he would breach the city!

The weather was turning cold, and a massive convoy slowly drove into Jinshi City, prominently flying the Dragon Flag.

Dulongzi rode a small donkey, swaying and following behind the procession, stroking his beard, feeling very proud in his heart.

Zhang Zifeng sighed and said: "At the New Year, the Liang King reviewed the troops at Xuanwu Lake, reorganized the Song Dynasty navy, had five hundred tall ships, masts like a forest, and banners blocking the sun... The Prime Minister Xulingzi composed a poem on the spot—'Five hundred tall ships and one hundred thousand troops, climbing high to review the martial array as clouds form. Surely the warships will cross at Guabu, and the military teeth should guard the stone city. Silk and bamboo music play in the autumn sky over the lake, and the sound of drums and horns surges at the river head...' Now the Liang Army has both water and land forces, this is a sign of great King Qi! And the North, alas..."

This is the Jinshi King Qi!

The Jin King took the opportunity to use the Emperor to call for the gates to be opened, successfully breaking into Jingshi, capturing the Forbidden City, and taking the Emperor's Empress, the Empress Dowager, numerous clan princes, along with court concubines, noble relatives of the clan, and officials—about three thousand people in total—as captives! And he carried them off to the North!

This Haoran Xiansheng is no ordinary person; he comes from the Zhang Family of Xuzhou.

This is the Censor Yu Zhan, who knows military affairs and was also a Presented Scholar personally selected by Sima Zhong, having the grace of a mentor.

"I have known this for a long time." Sima Zhong waved his hand dismissively: "But the Hu people are only good at cavalry battles on the plains; can they break this number one city in the world? Since they cannot break the city, it is merely a minor itch. If we insist on war and let the military generals rise to power, that is the real heart-trouble! What's more... Prime Minister Li favors war!"

The Liang King entered Jinshi, took the entire South, and with the new year came a new atmosphere. He immediately issued decrees—abolishing the Civil Service Examination, promoting the recruitment of officials, establishing government schools and military academies in various places, encouraging private teaching of the Dao of science, and imposing religious taxes, commercial taxes, Taxation on Land and Head, and Collect Grain Uniformly for officials and gentry alike...

Aaron looked at the walls of Jinshi City, seeing the original Great Song banners lowered and replaced with the brand-new Liang King banners. He could not help but smile and said to Tang Xun beside him: "Jiangzhou Fucheng is difficult to use as a hub; this Jinshi City is not bad. We can move the Liang King Palace and the government offices here... But you don't need to worry about this; I will give you fifty thousand men. Do you have the confidence to pacify the South?"

Thinking of the hatred from when his Daoist Lineage was almost wiped out, Dulongzi felt only joy.

And at this time, a carriage wrapped in thick blankets was slowly driving into the city.

Tang Xun was overjoyed; this was military merit served on a silver platter!

Aaron laughed heartily, riding the White Tiger and taking the lead, attracting many gazes.

The Jin King feigned a ceasefire, then, during the time of the alliance between the two monarchs, brazenly kidnapped the Emperor and demanded a double ransom!

The Imperial Court could not produce the money and could only use women to fill the quota. In the end, they even disregarded shame, sending the daughters of officials and even imperial concubines and princesses to pay the debt... causing public resentment in Jingshi to boil over.

To be like this today, one's heart's blood is still hard to cool!

Alas, under such an Imperial Court, the more one does, the more one does real work, the more desperate it becomes...

"The tongue survives, is it not because it is soft? The teeth are lost, is it not because they are hard?" Aaron smiled: "The powerful clans claim to span provinces, participate in the great trends of the Imperial Court, and fight for the world, but they suffer many losses; a few decades of prosperity is the limit... But the Zhang Family resides within the Confucian school, the gentleman associates without forming factions, and they are faintly in harmony with the Qi Number of Confucianism, thus they have lasted for a thousand years. This is the Dao of overcoming hardness with softness!"

The Great Song perished here!

"I have made up my mind; after the New Year, we will send troops to Xuzhou. This is a real, great battle!"

Last year, the Jin King threatened Jingshi, and the high officials of the Imperial Court discussed it until the end, only to actually negotiate for peace!

The carriage curtain opened, revealing a young Daoist, who was none other than Zhang Zifeng, the son of the Regional Commander!

A black-backed carp was swimming within it, appearing to have grown a bit larger.

Although most of the elite troops were lost in the south, causing almost every household in Jingshi to be in mourning, there were still two hundred thousand professional soldiers; no matter how cowardly they might be, they could still defend the city.

Dulongzi secretly wiped his eyes with his sleeve, only to discover that the carriage procession had already arrived at the Liang King Palace, and everything before seemed to have been just his hallucination.

Minister Li, the other Gu Ming Minister; if not for this person, his mentor would have long since held absolute power over the imperial court.

October.

And in the direction of Ziqing Mountain and Xuanwu Lake... wisps of cyan and purple Qi emanated from within the lake, taking the shape of a dragon-tortoise, coming toward Jinshi as if to merge with it.

Aaron said: "After the beginning of spring, I, the Prime Minister, will lead forty thousand infantry and ten thousand naval troops north... I will take Tang Xun with me, and Zhan Da, Hei Er, and Zhang Tie will each be promoted to General of Guerrilla to remain and guard their respective regions."

Cao Man felt a chill in his heart, knowing that the Prime Minister's arrangements meant he was about to embark on a great slaughter!

(End of this chapter)