In October of the 20th year of Kaiyuan, Xuanzong went on a patrol and ordered local officials to recommend talents in the area directly to the court. In December, it was returned to Luoyang. In that year, the number of households in the country was more than 7.86 million, and the population was 45.43 million.
This is the highest ever recorded.
It was the golden age of the Tang Dynasty.
In March of the following year, eight imperial masters calculated the vision and immediately reported to Xuanzong, saying: There is a natural phenomenon, a demonic energy has invaded our Tang Dynasty, and I am afraid that the Tang Dynasty will be catastrophic in the near future. Xuanzong was shocked and ordered all the national masters to come up with a plan
Countermeasures.
In April, the demon spirit surged into the sky, and the demon Dao Yuan De Minghao appeared. He held the divine weapon Chasing the Wind Crescent Shovel in his hand and fought with eight national masters for nine days and nine nights in Tianshan. In the end, he was outnumbered and was injured by all the national masters.
The demonic energy was driven out of the Tang Dynasty and disappeared without a trace. And the magic weapons used by the national masters were all destroyed by the Zhuifeng Crescent Shovel.
Although the demons were gone, they left behind 20,000 demons in the Tang Dynasty. The demons infiltrated into the people of the Tang Dynasty, constantly killing court officials and shaking the foundation of the Tang Dynasty. Xuanzong issued an edict: Tang Mingge led the martial arts people to assist the court in hunting
Kill the monster.
Demons practice demonic energy, which is stronger than true energy and is comparable to spiritual energy. However, due to the spells cast by the masters, very few people in the martial arts world have cultivated spiritual energy. Therefore, in the fight with the demonic people, the martial arts people are at a disadvantage.
The eight national masters originally wanted to dispel the spell and allow people in the martial arts to cultivate spiritual energy. However, the magic weapon used to dispel the spell was destroyed and could not break the spell. The one-time consecrated magical weapon could no longer be used because it was contaminated by the evil spirit.
It takes five years to recover from injuries caused by demonic energy. The eight national masters predict that Yuan Deminghao will make a comeback in five years, and will bring more demons at that time. Therefore, the spell that seals the spiritual energy of the Tang Dynasty must be broken as soon as possible. In order to break the spell,
You must rely on divine weapons and artifacts, and to deal with Yuan De Minghao, you need divine weapons descending from the sky.
In view of this, eight imperial advisors asked Xuanzong to issue an order: Tang Ming Pavilion was ordered to produce a weapon, a ranking list of magical weapons, called the "Weapon List"! The weapon list will be open to the whole country from now on for weapons competitions, and there will be eight arenas.
The country is divided according to the Bagua directions, and the eight national preceptors each guard one side, namely:
The great master Tianjuxing represents the Kan hexagram and is located in the true north;
Yu Ren, the Master of the Second Kingdom, represents the Kun hexagram and is located in the southwest;
Zhen Gua, the representative of Wuliang Taoist masters of the Three Kingdoms, is located in the east;
De Mingxing, the master of the Four Kingdoms, represents the Xun Gua and is located in the southeast;
Qingyue Wanghui, the master of the Five Kingdoms, represents the Qian hexagram and is located in the northwest;
The Six Kingdoms Master Tongmu Zhouchao represents Dui Gua and is located in the west;
Xuandu Qingcheng, the master of the Seven Kingdoms, represents the Gen hexagram and is located in the northeast;
Eight Kingdom Master Zhao Xushanhai represents Li Gua and is located in the south.
Each of the eight national masters has a weapon-testing sacred stone. The sacred stone is made from an alien stone and has been blessed by tens of thousands of magicians. Those who beat the weapons with weapons can know the power of the weapon by hitting the sacred stone with a magic weapon.
, and can distinguish
Each one is superior, and the ranking of the weapon spectrum is based on this. Divine stones have both similarities and differences. The same weapon and magic weapon will have different results when struck on different sacred stones. Similarly, the strength of the weapon holder will also affect the weapon ranking.
.
Each of the eight arenas has a weapon spectrum section, which represents the ranking of weapons in their respective locations. The eight sections are combined to form the overall ranking of the weapon spectrum.
The weapons catalog lasts for four years. After four years, the person ranked first in the weapons catalog will be the king of weapons, and will be conferred as a general to protect the country, with an official rank of 3.
The 11th to the 50th are all granted the title of Zhonglang General, and their official rank is the fourth rank;
The first person in the eight divisions of the weapon spectrum is awarded the title of General Protector of the Country, with an official rank of the third rank. Those ranked second to thirtieth are all awarded the title of General of Zhongling, with an official rank of lower than the fourth rank.
A total of 290 people were appointed officials in one weapon spectrum and eight sub-categories. When the time came, the 290 people stood in line according to the Bagua directions, gathering the strength of everyone to break the magic restrictions of the Tang Dynasty, revive the spiritual energy, and expel the demonic energy. After that
Under the leadership of the King of Weapons, these people will cooperate with the eight national masters to fight to the death against the demon Yuande Minghao in Tianshan to protect the stability of the country.
As soon as the weapons catalog came out, the whole country was shocked. People in the imperial court and martial arts circles all flocked to it and competed for the ranking of the weapons catalog.
…
That morning, not long after Li Bai got up, someone from the Yulin Army came to invite Li Bai to the memorial hall, saying that Yin General Xu Heshan had something important to discuss.
Li Bai hurried to the memorial hall with the visitor, where Xu Heshan was waiting alone in the study. After saluting, Li Bai asked, "Why did General Xu call Li Bai here in such a hurry?"
Xu Heshan asked Li Bai to take a seat, and then said very seriously: "Li Bai, do you still remember your ambition?"
Li Bai said sternly: "Define Wulin and stabilize the country! I will apply for Yan's talk, plan for emperors, and use his wisdom. I am willing to serve as an assistant to make the whole region settled and Hai County unified! If this ambition has not been realized, how can Li Bai dare to forget it?"
Xu Heshan nodded and said: "Okay! Just remember. Now you have been the leader of the martial arts alliance for five years. The martial arts faction is peaceful and stable, which means that your ambition to establish the martial arts world has been realized. Next, you have to fulfill the remaining ambitions!"
"General Xu means to secure Sheji?"
"Yes, the country is in peace. Now the country is facing disaster. The emperor is deeply disturbed by this. As subjects of the Tang Dynasty, we should share the worries of the monarch."
"General Xu is talking about the demon Yuan Deminghao's invasion of our Tang Dynasty?"
"That's right, but in fact, the demon Dao Yuande Minghao is just a superficial enemy, and there must be a greater harm behind it."
"Is there a greater scourge? Who is it?"
"I don't know. Maybe only by defeating Yuan De Minghao will the evil behind it appear. By the way, Li Bai, do you plan to compete for the ranking of the weapon spectrum?"
Li Bai nodded and said: "Of course there is. The demons are disrupting our Tang Dynasty. As the leader of the Wulin Alliance and the chief master of the Tangming Pavilion, how can I stand by and watch? I have never forgotten this ambition of An Sheji."
"Okay! This is why I invited you here today. I support you in competing for the weapons spectrum ranking!" Xu Heshan paused at this, and then said: "But you cannot represent the Yulin Army to compete for the weapons spectrum ranking."
"Representing the Yulin Army? How can I represent the Yulin Army?" Li Bai looked puzzled.
"Tangming Pavilion is a non-staff organization of the Yulin Army. As the head of Tangming Pavilion, of course you represent the Yulin Army!"
"I see." Li Bai understood, but he still said doubtfully: "But as people of the Tang Dynasty, do we need to distinguish who we represent?"
"Need it, very much need it!" Xu Heshan said with a serious look on his face, "Li Bai, you don't know something. On the surface, the court seems to be harmonious, but in fact, inside it is just fighting for power and life and death. So I often sigh with emotion.
:Sometimes what shakes the country is not necessarily external troubles, but internal troubles!"
Li Bai looked surprised when he heard this.
Xu Heshan continued: "Now the ranking of weapons will produce one general, seventeen generals, and two hundred and seventy-two lieutenant generals. Faced with so many official positions, all forces in the court are eyeing them and want to
Taking it as their own, their focus is no longer on dealing with Yuan Deming
We are more powerful than others, but put it above the interests of consolidating our own power. Therefore, if our Yulin Army competes for the weapons spectrum ranking under our own banner, we will definitely become a thorn in the eyes of some people in power. We must get rid of them as soon as possible! Yulin Army
The loss is small, but there is no room for loss in protecting the Tang Dynasty!"