Chapter 858

The Great Song has already fallen and is no longer the orthodox dynasty.

The South has naturally changed the reign title, personally drafted by the Prime Minister, and it is now the first year of Kaiping!

Xuzhou.

A temple.

"Greetings, Master Xuxin!"

The great Confucian Zhang Haoran pressed his palms together to greet an old monk.

Beside them was a Daoist, who was brewing tea under a plum tree, appearing quite content.

"Amitabha... The benefactor went to the South to lobby; this old monk recited scriptures and prayed for the benefactor day and night. Fortunately, the Brahma God protected you, and you returned safely!"

"Xulingzi still underestimates us too much. If he were to humbly accept advice, we would naturally bring food and drink to welcome the royal army... But as for now, it is time to let Xulingzi witness the backbone of us scholars."

At this moment, his face was without sorrow or joy, and he was reciting scriptures.

The County Magistrate said through gritted teeth.

Bang!

A Six Jia Divine Soldier was struck squarely in the head by a falling rock, blood splattering everywhere.

If not for the Monk Soldiers acting as a supervising force, this battle would be in peril!

Yet at this moment, even the Monk Soldiers who firmly believed in the Brahma God felt their hands and feet trembling in secret upon seeing this scene.

Xiaoyu also jumped off the boat and scratched at the water with its claws by the riverbank, seemingly wanting to catch fish for fun.

The names of the Taishang Dao Soldiers and the Supreme Divine Thunder were already enough to stop children from crying at night in the religious circles of the South!

"Originally, the fall of the Great Song and the Great Liang inheriting the Heavenly Mandate was the trend of the times... But human effort can change things... With the Prince of Liang and Xulingzi acting so perversely, the ownership of the Nine Tripods of the world still has variables!"

The County Magistrate could not help but break out in a sweat like paste.

Zhang Haoran said indifferently: "Although Xuzhou is small, it has six prefectures. If we have to take it city by city, how many people will die?"

Aaron watched as waves of Six Jia Divine Soldiers carried shields and raised Cloud Ladders, charging toward the city walls.

"The Prince of Liang is truly unwilling to settle for a corner; has he already begun preparing for the Northern Expedition?" Meihua Jushi muttered to himself.

"Since that is the case, our side can also join in..." Meihua Daoren broke off a plum branch and suddenly smiled: "If they defend every city, how much time and how many soldiers will it cost the Prince of Liang? If this is delayed for four or five years and a hundred thousand people die, the Dragon Qi will be broken... By then, the North will be unified, and the South's chances will be slim. Since ancient times, it has been easy to conquer the South from the North, but difficult to conquer the North from the South!"

Although he had long been prepared to die, looking at this awe-inspiring military force, he still could not help but feel his spirit waver.

"Master... supervising the city defense depends on you all."

The Daoist beside him suddenly laughed loudly.

"Amitabha... My Brahma sect is also unwilling to see the Demon King gain power; we can call upon the faithful and the warrior monks to assist..."

Aaron shrugged his shoulders and smiled indifferently: "But scholars rebelling will never succeed in three years... To think they can block my army in such a rush is truly a dream! Pass on my military order: mobilize ten thousand Six Jia Divine Soldiers to follow me and attack the city!"

One could see the Liang soldiers surging up in waves, fighting to the death without retreating; the ordinary soldiers atop the city gates were so frightened their legs were shaking.

There was also boiling Golden Juice, giant rocks, and rolling logs...

"Amitabha, we will surely let the Prince of Liang know that the Buddha also has the angry eyes of a Vajra... After this battle, we shall be reborn in the Pure Land, and the Liang soldiers will fall into the Avici Hell forever."

"With our three teachings joining forces, we will cause the Liang Dragon Qi to break; it can be considered his own doing!"

A naval fleet slowly approached the shore, and squads of soldiers disembarked.

Bailong Ferry.

Zhang Haoran said.

Seeing the Liang Army's great power, even with the Zhang Family and the Buddhist and Daoist sects inciting them, it was not certain that anyone was truly willing to throw their lives away.

This unit of Monk Soldiers was very critical.

"Prime Minister, we have entered the territory of Xuzhou, which is now the land of Shuanghua Prefecture. Ahead is Hemen County... The Prefect of Shuanghua already knew of our arrival; it is said he set up a banquet, claiming he wanted to surrender, then suddenly changed his face and killed those who had intentions to surrender. This is a determination to resist to the end."

Master Xuxin's face appeared as if it were radiating a light of compassion, and with a look of pity for the world, two lines of tears suddenly flowed down.

A Six Jia Divine Soldier nearby did not even wipe the blood from his face, simply grabbing the shield of a fallen comrade and continuing forward, forward!

"I have long heard that the Liang soldiers are fierce and do not fear death, and I thought it was an exaggeration... I did not expect that upon seeing it today, it is truly so!"

Immediately after, the sound of war drums was heard, shaking the wilderness!

"Attack the city!"

But atop the city walls, arrows fell like raindrops.

In ancient times, defending a city was far simpler than attacking one, and the requirements for the defending troops were lower.

Hemen County.

"Monk, why do you weep?"

Tang Xun heard the scout's report, his face full of worry: "Hemen County is now under martial law, and they have used giant rocks to block the city gates; it seems they are determined to defend to the death! The County Magistrate even killed his own wife and children, saying he wanted to be loyal to the Great Song Imperial Court... This has also been praised by the wealthy families and the Buddhist and Daoist sects in the city, who are all contributing money and men!"

He was a great general and knew the situation of the world even better: "If every city is like this afterward, how many of our people will die? It will also delay the golden opportunity to head north!"

Human hearts are easily changed!

The leader of the Monk Soldiers pressed his palms together and loudly chanted a Buddhist name.

The spring breeze blew gently, and the river water surged.

"The three teachings have joined forces? That is normal... Who told me to offend all three of them?"

"Shariputra, form is emptiness, emptiness is form..."

"Meihua Jushi, this old monk does not weep for one family or one surname, but for the world... With the Prince of Liang and Xuling Jushi acting so willfully, why must the common people of the world suffer? The great chaos will surely continue for many years, and the people will be plunged into misery... Amitabha..."

As long as the will to resist is sufficiently firm, it can completely inflict massive casualties on the attacking side!

The Zhang Family was a family of a thousand years; although they appeared to be a family of poetry and books, in reality, their connections in the officialdom were intricate, and with Xuzhou as their base, their Influence was deep-rooted in every aspect.

The Prince of Liang had begun levying a religious tax, which had already started as a pilot program in the South, and it was said to have incited quite a bit of resistance.

Conquering Xuzhou (12,000-word supplement)

The leader of the Monk Soldiers shouted angrily, roaring like a lion: "We Buddha Sons, form the Vajra Subduing Demon Formation!"

"Oh? What is your plan?" Meihua Jushi asked with a smile.

Yet Chancellor Xulingzi did not yield in the slightest on this point, directly revoking the privileges of temples and Taoist monasteries, and destroying mountains and breaking temples at the slightest sign of disobedience.

Beside him were several martial monks with bulging temples, shaved heads, and incense scars; practicing Wu requires nutritional supplements, and these martial monks looked like the sort who frequently drank alcohol and ate meat.

"Although the south is now pacified, there are still a few flood dragons in the north, such as Prince Kang of the Song Dynasty..." Zhang Haoran said: "When this old man left, I had already received news that after the beginning of spring, Xulingzi will lead a great army to attack Xuzhou!"

Master Xuxin pressed his palms together.

"Only when a Demon King descends upon the world can there be such power to bewitch people's hearts!"

Meihua Jushi also wore a grave expression: "The Great Liang uses the examination of officials to replace the Civil Service Examination, not reading the Four Books and Five Classics; this is digging up the foundation of the teachings of the sages... They have also started levying commercial taxes, hehe, you and I both know, how could the common people have the capital to do business? It is mostly the landlords... Finally, the religious tax is even more unimaginable; historically, only the sovereign has donated to our Buddha and Taoism, how could it be the other way around, collecting taxes? And they do not even grant tax exemption rights to monks and Taoists... This is deliberately suppressing both the Buddhist and Taoist houses!"

The county magistrate stood atop the city wall, gazing at the dense Army Formation below.

Suddenly, the first Liang soldier had climbed up along the Cloud Ladder, but was beaten back down after only a few moments.

But behind him, soldiers came in an endless stream, like ants...

(End of this chapter)