Summer is coming to the South, with sultry temperatures and thunderstorms arriving at the same time.
The wind is blowing like a mountain, and the rain is like a river pouring down. A land as fertile as Ruzhou is even more plagued by water damage. The people of the southern country, who have suffered from years of war, are living in even more hardship.
Thousands of people died of starvation, and the entire southern country was like a purgatory on earth.
There have been years of wars and natural and man-made disasters.
Ruzhou, Bozhou City, the prosperous city of Ruzhou in the past, is now like an empty city, with a lonely and dead silence floating around.
On top of the city walls and tall buildings, a tall figure stood in the heavy rain.
He was wearing a bamboo hat, and the rainwater fell drop by drop along the edge of the bamboo hat, and fell onto the bluestone in the city.
"When it prospers, the people suffer; when it dies, the people suffer."
The voice of compassion sounded, and the figure stared at the empty Bozhou City with heartache.
Next to him, a figure soon appeared. He was slightly shorter than him. He also looked down at the empty city and said in a hoarse voice: "There is news from the north."
"On the first day of the sixth lunar month, Cao Su was proclaimed King of Yan and granted the title of Youzhou."
The voice was floating, but the tone was quite solemn.
The tall figure before him remained silent for a long time in the rain.
After a while, the man wearing a bamboo hat laughed sadly, shook his head and said: "I never thought that through our design, Cao Su would get the greatest benefit in the end. Now it seems that even the Dao Palace has compromised with Cao Su. In the future, Cao Su will be on the throne."
It is only a matter of time before he becomes the Yuan Emperor."
"hey-hey."
The man with a hoarse voice spoke in an unpleasant voice, like the sound of two bones rubbing together. It was very evil and sinister: "Cao Su is your biological brother. Now many people in the sect say that the leader abandoned the sect for personal reasons. The leader now says
If this is the case, I’m afraid it will be difficult to convince the public.”
"presumptuous!"
In the rain curtain, the man in the bamboo hat was furious. He suddenly turned around and revealed a jade mask. His terrifying aura erupted violently, and the heavy rain falling across the sky and earth seemed to be shaken away by him.
The thinner man was rushed by this aura, and he immediately groaned and couldn't help but reveal a look of horror.
The man in the bamboo hat said solemnly: "Master, the great cause is determined by heaven. How can it be changed because of personal affairs?"
The thin man's face turned pale, and then he laughed sinisterly and did not answer the leader's words.
As one of the few people who knew the secrets of the religion, he admired the two Cao brothers very much.
Let's forget about Cao Xing. After all, he is destined to be the master of Dragon Jade. He has been appreciated by his master and inherits the leadership of the sect. But this Cao Su, I heard, is just an ordinary warrior.
He got there step by step by fighting in the army with swords and spears. Now he has taken a step further and is expected to become the emperor of the secular dynasty. It is said that his own strength has reached the first-level realm.
In a small Pingcheng and a small Cao family, two such powerful figures can appear at the same time.
The thin man's eyes flashed, and then he smiled and said: "Leader, these words are not what I said, but now, the world is not good, and last time in the capital of the gods, after all, we failed to break through the Tao Palace, so the brothers in the sect
There are some criticisms, and these are human nature."
Cao Xing, who was wearing a mask, snorted coldly: "Is there any news from Tianji Pavilion?"
"No, Zuo Mingqing, the master of Tianji Pavilion, said that Cao Su has conquered the secret realm of Taiyin, and the dragon energy in the imperial city is gradually condensing. I would also like to ask Long Yu what his intuitive reaction is?"
After the voice finished speaking, its eyes stared at Cao Xing's body.
Cao Xing is the body of dragon jade, so he should be the most sensitive to changes in dragon energy in the world.
Cao Xing put down his bamboo hat and said coldly: "Long Yu has become one with me now. In order to assist me in my cultivation over the years, I have consumed too much spiritual energy. Now my perception of the outside world is very shallow, let alone
It’s the change of dragon energy in the divine capital city thousands of miles away. Even in this small Bozhou, Long Yu rarely gives direct feedback now.”
When he said this, the thin man didn't believe it. Cao Xing was not a good person. After he inherited the position of great sage and mentor, he eliminated too many opponents who were unfavorable to him in the sect. He was even very good at killing people with borrowed knives. Now the whole Wanping
The overall strength of the sect is far less than it was at its peak during the uprising a few years ago, but there are more elites in the sect, and more and more forces are directly controlled by Cao Xing.
Cao Xing was in power, and countless people wanted his life. Thanks to Long Yu's rescue, Cao Xing was able to survive several times. Who in the religion doesn't know the magic of Long Yu?
But there may have been some thoughts before, but now Cao Xing can speak for the entire Wanping Sect. Cao Xing himself has also been taught by great teachers, and his strength is far beyond that of ordinary martial artists.
Thinking of this, the thin man smiled sinisterly and said: "So the condensation of dragon energy in Shendu can only mean that the entire Qianyuan Empire has the appearance of a bright master. Lord Zuo predicts that after Cao Su ascends the throne, the speed of this condensation of dragon energy will be even faster.
Soon, maybe it won't be long before the Qi Luck Canglong will appear again in the sky above the city of God. If the Taoist Palace wants to practice Taoism stably this time, it must also share part of the Qi Luck Canglong's luck, so Wuchenzi...
..."
"I can't defeat Wuchenzi. If it weren't for the 'Blue Sky Bronze Bull' left behind by Master, the Dao Palace would never have been breached."
"Even so, the sect has suffered heavy losses. It will no longer have the power to deal with the Dao Palace in a few years. Now even if the fate of the Canglong has condensed again, what have we done?"
When Cao Xing said this, the man with a sinister tone beside him sneered in his heart, knowing that this was the answer.
As long as Cao Xing mentioned something related to Cao Su, he would veto it with one vote. He who is dedicated to teaching glory must still be lying.
It's a pity that when Cao Su was weak in the early years, he didn't kill him directly. Now it seems that there is no way to deal with this person. On the contrary, they have to be more careful. Then Cao Su is not weak against Wanping Sect, Wanping
The key factor in the transformation of religion from prosperity to decline may be Cao Su.
The rain curtain continued continuously, covering the entire Bozhou City.
Cao Xing, who was under the mask, ordered in a deep voice: "Don't disturb the city of God for the time being. Next, all the power will be placed in the world of cultivation. The myth of the Dao Palace has been broken by us. Next, in the world of cultivation, there will be a situation where heroes compete for hegemony.
It is difficult for the Dao Palace to form an absolute advantage, and if we join forces with Tianji Pavilion, we may not be able to defeat the Dao Palace within a few years or even decades, but what about another hundred years?"
"Your vision is too narrow. You always think about the one-third of an acre of land in front of you. You think of complex problems too simply, and you make simple problems too complicated."
Cao Xing said what Cao Su had said to him before. After saying this, he couldn't help but feel disappointed.
And although the people under his command are all very capable, almost all of them are thorns in the side. If it weren't for the dual status of a collaborator of Tianji Pavilion and a closed disciple of the former headmaster, he would have difficulty suppressing these monsters.
In a blink of an eye, it has been ten years...
Cao Xing was silent. He still remembered the days when he and Cao Su were huddled in a dilapidated bungalow.
At that time, the house had only four walls, and perhaps the warmest place was the haystack in the house.
I heard that the Cao family became more and more prominent and prosperous, and Cao Su became King of Yan, married many women, and gave birth to many descendants.
His eyes flashed with pity, it was a pity that Aluan could not be with him...
------------------
The capital of God, Prince Yan’s Mansion.
The New Yan Palace was the original General's Palace. Cao Su became the king and his official position in the imperial court still held the title of General.
Many courtiers in the court suggested to Cao Su to expand and repair the new Yan Palace to demonstrate Cao Su's achievements in establishing the world.
This advice was rejected by Cao Su, because Cao Su believed that before the world was truly peaceful, if he enjoyed himself first, he would bring disaster.
Cao Su also reprimanded the courtiers who wrote to repair Prince Yan's palace. After that, no one among the courtiers dared to flatter him.
Prince Yan's Mansion was the original General's Mansion. In fact, Rongzheng had built the General's Mansion very luxuriously.
Now that Cao Su has entered the king's palace, the specifications of the general's palace have also reached the palace's specifications. However, on the original basis, some ceremonial guards, colors, etc. that were not originally available have been slightly adjusted to make it possible for the king's palace.
point of use.
This matter was specifically handed over to Princess Yan Liu Yiqi to resolve.
Cao Su became King of Yan, and his power became more and more powerful day by day, making it even more difficult for ordinary people to see him.
In July, Su Chao's troops returned to the DPRK.
Cao Su led the civil and military officials to welcome the returning Su Dynasty, as well as Ma Chao, Shi Yong, Luo Yushu, Miao Hongji and other young generals outside Xuande Gate.
After experiencing the hardships in Xizhou, all the young players have become obviously more calm.
The Su Dynasty brought out more than 100,000 forbidden troops, but in the end only 50,000 forbidden troops returned.
Fully 50,000 elite soldiers fell forever on the land of Xizhou, unable to return to their homeland.
The remaining 50,000 elites have a deeper and calmer aura, like bloody blades hidden in scabbards, containing extremely lethal power.
Cao Su recruited an even more elite army of 50,000, and streamlined and reorganized the army originally brought from the north.
Subsequently, according to the establishment established early in the morning, the original forbidden army was changed into "Wudang", "Feiyu", "Euphorde" and many other arms.
Because of this military exploit, Su Chao had completely established himself as an upstart general in the court. There was no longer any opposition in the court, and Su Chao became one of the most powerful generals in the court.
In early August, Cao Su held a special celebration banquet at Prince Yan's Mansion and invited Su Chao and other generals to the banquet to discuss matters.
On this night, the lights in Prince Yan's Mansion were brightly lit. Among the hundreds of officials in the court, most of the second-rank and above officials in purple were invited by Cao Su to come to the more spacious Prince Yan's Mansion to have a banquet.
After drinking for three rounds, Cao Su sat on a high seat, accompanied by Liu Yiqi and Anyang.
The two principal concubines of Prince Yan's Palace are both nearly thirty years old, but they both look very young, as charming as twenty-eighth virgins. One has become more dignified and majestic after becoming Princess Yan, while the other has a quiet temperament.
Leng Gaogui, both are very tall and match well with Cao Su.
Among the courtiers invited by Cao Su, there were gradually several circles of people.
For example, military generals form their own faction and generally do not communicate with civil servants.
Among the civil servants, the old people of the Daozong Dynasty like Jiang Qi seemed to be one group, and then Feng Yuchan was another group. There were also officials like Zhongjin and Wu Ming who were former royal staff members, and they gradually became
One faction.
It’s not that one faction is simply a sworn enemy of another.
It's just that everyone may have gradually formed different circles due to "geographical differences", "political differences", "personality differences" and other differences. This is normal.
As long as there are many people in a place, there will always be several different circles. Cao Su did not want to stop this phenomenon. He also wanted to see some different voices in the court.
These different voices do not affect government affairs, do not secretly manipulate opponents, and do not violate laws and disciplines, so they are regarded by him as healthy competition.
After drinking for three rounds, Cao Su, who was sitting on the high seat, suddenly said: "Everyone."
The banquet suddenly became quiet. It was obviously very hot just now, but now because of Cao Su's "dark" words, no matter who was doing it, they stopped what they were doing and looked at Cao Su.
.
There was a moment of silence in the palace, and there was a silent silence.
Cao Su glanced at the ministers and asked in a deep voice: "Now, although the area north of Luoshui River has been pacified, the chaos in the south is rampant and there are many bandits. In the past few days, heavy rain has fallen on the South Kingdom, and the entire South Kingdom has turned into ashes.
The whole country has been destroyed, and I don’t know how many people have been displaced.”
"Those rogue gangs and bandits in the south may be very powerful in their evil deeds, but they are not good at running a country and saving people."
"In their eyes, they only think about how to increase their own strength and ignore the most fundamental interests of the common people. In the end, they will not get far."
Cao Su expressed his views and speech, and then half-spoken and half-asked everyone: "What do you think is feasible to pacify the many rebellious parties in the south?"
In the Military Machinery Pavilion, Cao Su had proposed several times the general policy and strategy of first establishing Jiannan Road, and then heading east from Jiannan Road to sweep the world.
But outside the Military Machinery Pavilion, Cao Su has never said anything about this matter. As long as Cao Su does not say anything about it, the ministers and veterans in the Military Machinery Pavilion do not dare to say more. Therefore, the outside world does not know about Cao Su's "confrontation in the cabinet."
”.
At this moment, the elders of the Junji Pavilion were definitely speechless. Seeing that Cao Su was interested in testing many ministers, they all drank and drank tea in silence, and also secretly observed.
However, the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty did not dare to speak easily at this time.
In this situation, it may seem like an informal meeting, but the more informal it is, the more likely it is that the wrong thing will be said and leave a bad impression on King Yan.
Therefore, anyone with a little bit of brains would not speak easily.
Cao Su looked at the civil and military officials from the Manchu Dynasty who had been invited, and saw that no one dared to speak, and he was immediately disappointed.
"What, no one can teach me?"
Cao Su put down his wine glass and frowned.
Suddenly, an invisible pressure came from him, and all the ministers at the banquet trembled. Some ministers lowered their heads even lower, for fear of being directly called out by Cao Su.
】
Cao Su relaxed his request: "Today is a banquet. It doesn't matter if you say it. No matter whether it is feasible or not, whether it can be accomplished or not, as long as you can make an argument when you open your mouth, it can be regarded as a small achievement."
When everyone heard that the conditions had been relaxed to this extent, they felt a little relieved.