Chapter 268: Taoism is ranked 9th, all the martial arts in the world are within Xu Gongming's f
Chapter 268: Taoism is divided into nine levels, and all the martial arts in the world are within Xu Gongming's fence
Jiangnan, a land that has always been warm and fertile, is now shrouded in an unprecedented drought.
The blazing sun hangs high in the sky, scorching the earth mercilessly, as if to drain all life out of the world. In the fields, the crops that were once lush and green have now become shriveled by the sun, with leaves curled up and withered, drooping weakly towards the cracked land. The cracks are like the dry lips of the earth, silently telling of despair.
The pond was empty, and the fish struggled hard in the mud, making a dying struggle. The people looked at this lifeless scene, their hearts filled with fear and helplessness. They could only pray for rain under the scorching sun every day, and the light of hope in their eyes became increasingly dim.
Just when the people were almost in despair, the imperial court finally took action. Steam and water wheels began to operate.
The huge wheel slowly turned, making a dull and powerful sound, like an ancient war drum, announcing the fight against the drought. At the same time, Fang Xiandao and Longhushan opened an altar and finally turned it into a torrential rain.
People rushed out of their homes, cheering and shouting in the rain, enjoying the long-awaited rain. Children laughed and ran in the rain, while adults knelt toward the sky with tears in their eyes, thanking the court for saving their lives.
However, this seemingly happy scene made the wealthy and powerful people in the south feel uneasy, and their hearts were filled with fear and anxiety.
They knew very well that the imperial center that could control the celestial phenomena already possessed a power beyond their imagination, and that one day it might become like the heaven in mythology.
This will undoubtedly pose a huge threat to the privileges and interests they have long enjoyed in the local area. The power and wealth they have worked so hard to build seem to be on the verge of crumbling in this storm.
But the common people didn't care about the thoughts of the gentry and nobles. In their hearts, the imperial court was their savior. The drought was resolved, and in the future, the land of fish and rice in the south of the Yangtze River would be even richer than before.
The imperial court also seized the opportunity to publicize the disaster relief operation in official reports and newspapers. Every post station posted eye-catching official reports, which vividly described the achievements of the imperial court. Postmasters were required to hold carefully written scripts and vividly tell every passerby the thrilling story of disaster relief.
Although the details of the story were inevitably exaggerated and distorted during the process of dissemination, this did not affect the effect that the court wanted to achieve - stabilizing the people's hearts.
In fact, people from the Ministry of Works, Fangxiandao and Longhushan all knew that the imperial court had put almost all its efforts into the operation to alleviate the drought in Yingtian Prefecture, and it could even be said that it had emptied its coffers.
It is simply a fantasy to want to extend such means to the entire Nanzhili, let alone cover the entire country.
But the bigwigs in the court understood that the political significance of this action far exceeded the actual disaster relief effect. It was like a shot in the arm, stabilizing the people's hearts shaken by the drought.
Originally everyone thought that once people's hearts were scattered, it would be difficult to gather them again. However, Xu Gongming achieved this seemingly impossible goal with his advanced planning and amazing wisdom.
For a moment, everyone was secretly amazed in their hearts: Is there anything in this world that Xu Gongming can't accomplish?
However, it turns out that it really exists!
Although Xu Qing successfully solved the White Bone Lotus Cult, the Snowland Living Buddha behind the cult always hid in the depths of darkness like a ghost.
During the thrilling battle on the canal, Xu Qing clearly felt that the evil Buddha was nearby. The evil and powerful aura made every nerve in his body tense.
He searched everywhere on the battlefield, leaving no corner untouched, and went all out in every battle, hoping to find the black hand hiding behind the scenes. But until the end, when all the evildoers of the White Bone Lotus Cult were eliminated, he still failed to find the real body of the Snowland Living Buddha.
It was obvious that the other party used an extremely mysterious secret method to control everything in secret.
Xu Qing had no choice but to respond to Tianfu first because the King Kong Demon King he summoned had a time limit, and once the time limit was up, he would lose this powerful help.
He knew clearly that as long as the disaster was not completely resolved, refugees would continue to emerge in large numbers. As long as there were refugees, new cults would grow like weeds. The demise of the previous dynasty was a lesson for him.
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"Master, we have successfully blocked the salt merchants' private port. However, they are all very stubborn and would never admit to any collusion with the cult. They also spoke with one voice, insisting that the grain ships going to Yuhang were for buying grain to help the court with disaster relief." Yan Shan hurried over, looking anxious and helpless, and reported the situation to Xu Qing.
They invested a lot of manpower and material resources in this operation, thinking that they could uncover the truth about the collusion between the salt merchants and the cult in one fell swoop and strike a severe blow to this force. However, they did not expect to encounter stubborn resistance from the salt merchants.
The result is really disappointing.
"Where are those 300,000 dan of Jiangnan japonica rice?" Xu Qing glanced at Yan Shan casually.
"They insisted that there was nothing. As for the millet mixed with bones in the private port, they claimed that it was secretly harmed by a cult. They pretended to be innocent and said that if the court had not sent people in time, they would not have discovered it yet." Yan Shan said as he nervously wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
He knew better than anyone that this mission was not done well. The leader single-handedly solved the White Bone Cult with extraordinary courage and wisdom, and cleverly used mechanisms and Taoist magic to alleviate the drought and stabilize the people's hearts.
However, when they went out to carry out the mission, they were fooled around by the salt merchants. They were like a group of headless flies and ran into obstacles everywhere. This made him feel extremely guilty and self-blaming.
Yan Shan thought about it carefully, and it was obvious that the salt merchants' actions this time were carefully planned and prepared. As soon as the court's actions began, they immediately responded, chose to admit defeat without hesitation, and responded to the court's investigation with a very low profile, not giving the court any chance to escalate the situation.
They were like a group of cunning foxes. When danger came, they quickly hid in their caves, making the court's heavy punches hit cotton again and again without any point of force.
Xu Qing frowned slightly and fell into deep thought.
After a moment, he slowly spoke: "These salt merchants undertake the transportation and sales of salt in various places and control a huge business network. When I reformed the salt law last time, I did not touch them because of the complexity involved. Things in the world cannot be rushed. Sometimes, the more you do, the more mistakes you make.
The core of all my reforms has always been to expand overall interests. The key is to seize the initiative by redistributing interests.
If we think of the salt merchants as a cohesive whole, it's going to be very difficult to break through their defenses, you know what I mean?"
Yan Shan seemed to be thinking about something, carefully choosing his words, and said, "Master, how about we spread the word that whoever can produce 300,000 shi of polished rice will be the chief merchant of this session of the Salt Association. In this way, maybe we can take advantage of their internal conflicts and make them voluntarily hand over the polished rice."
"Wei Zhong, your idea makes sense and is also a strategy. But this trick may have worked in the past, allowing the salt merchants to fight each other for their interests, so that we can reap the benefits. But now, the situation is different." Xu Qing shook his head gently, "Today's salt merchants have become extremely shrewd after so many games with the court. They know my style and strategy very well. I'm afraid it's difficult to impress them with such a simple temptation."
After hearing this, Yan Shan fell silent. He secretly sighed in his heart that the nobles in Jiangnan today are no longer the short-sighted people who only knew how to enjoy themselves.
They studied Xu Qing's lectures and private conversations at Fushe over and over again, like a group of diligent students, trying to learn how to deal with the court's policies and methods. In the repeated confrontations with the court, they continued to grow and became more and more difficult to deal with.
But in Xu Qing's view, this is not all bad.
As time went by, many gentry and nobles gradually changed their thinking towards business owners. They gradually realized that governing the local areas according to Xu Qing's ideas would not only improve efficiency, but also reduce resistance from the lower-class people.
Because the people are also human beings, they also need to enjoy life, and need to be respected and cared for. If we give them some sweet treats and allow them to live a relatively affluent life, they will work harder and create greater value.
It must be said that it was precisely because of Xu Qing's vigorous development of maritime trade and industry and commerce that the living standards of the Jiangnan nobles were significantly improved. Now, if they were asked to return to the days before Xu Qing's reform, they would definitely be unwilling to do so, because there was a world of difference between the two in terms of material enjoyment and quality of life.
In fact, Xu Qing's ideas and thoughts have already been deeply rooted in people's hearts without them realizing it, and have become a new trend.
As a witness and participant of all these reforms, Yan Shan had the most profound understanding of the changes. He knew better than anyone that the nobles had a love-hate relationship with the sitting governor.
What they love is that the policies implemented by the bosses have brought them tangible benefits, further consolidated and enhanced their wealth and status, and made their lives more luxurious and comfortable; what they hate is that the bosses are always trying to gain more rights and interests for the grassroots people and break their original privileges and interest structure, which makes them feel that their interests are threatened.
Yan Shan even often suspected that if the leader really took the initiative to collude with the gentry and nobles one day and agreed to restore the tax-farming system of the previous dynasty, these guys might immediately jump up with excitement and put a yellow robe on the leader without hesitation and support him as emperor.
In fact, from a certain perspective, the implementation of the tax farming system may increase the court's income in the short term. Xu Qing proposed never to increase taxes and labor service, which also had similar considerations. However, the premise of his policy was to clear the land. Through this measure, the court regained control of some grassroots power, allowing the imperial power to reach the village level again since Taizu.
However, Yan Shan knew in his heart that these grassroots powers were facing a huge crisis beneath the seemingly calm surface.
Those petty officials who now exercise grass-roots power may very likely be won over and corrupted by local forces in the future and become part of the local tyrants and evil gentry. By then, the grass-roots power that the court has finally regained will probably fall back into the hands of local forces.
He was filled with emotion. He was the boss, and everything he did was a big thing that he knew was impossible. In this turbulent and complicated era, he was like a lone warrior, challenging the constraints of tradition and the obstruction of vested interests alone, and moving forward resolutely for the well-being of the people of the world.
This is a true hero and a leader worth following throughout your life.
Yan Shan himself does not have any firm stance, but since the master is willing to contribute to the people of the world, he is willing to follow without hesitation, hoping to leave his own mark in this magnificent picture of the times and go down in history.
In his opinion, such a life is far more meaningful than being a high-ranking official who only cares about pursuing wealth and fame.
"Master, how should we deal with these salt merchants?" Yan Shan raised his head and looked at Xu Qing firmly, waiting for his instructions.
"The court does not need them to donate the japonica rice and the grain bought from Yuhang. It just needs them to help transport them to the disaster-stricken areas. The court has no shortage of money and will pay it." Xu Qing's eyes were deep and his expression was calm, yet he revealed an unquestionable power.
He knew very well that if he took back the grain directly and then redistributed it, under the current official atmosphere in the dynasty, it would be a blessing if two out of ten stones of grain could actually reach the victims.
It was not that he was overly pessimistic, but rather a bad habit that had been formed among officials of the dynasty over a long period of time.
Although Chen Fu usually obeyed his orders and behaved very loyally, when it came to the critical moment of allocating grain involving huge interests, Chen Fu would withhold 10% for himself.
It's not that he doesn't want to be honest and incorruptible, but he has no choice in this official environment. If Chen Fu, the Minister of Revenue, doesn't take it, the people below will think it's abnormal and worry that their own interests will be affected. Who will be willing to work for him?
This is no longer a simple question of whether or not there is a lack of interest, but a default rule deeply rooted in people's hearts, an unspoken rule in officialdom that is difficult to break. Even if Xu Qing has a strong power and can punish some corrupt officials, he cannot fundamentally prevent such things from happening.
After hearing this, Yan Shan immediately understood Xu Qing's intention. Xu Qing continued, "Salt and iron production is the lifeblood of the country and must be firmly controlled by the court. However, the management rights can be relaxed appropriately, but not too much. We must grasp this degree. We need to use salt merchants this time, so we can't force them too much, otherwise they may jump off the wall and bring greater trouble to the court. But we can't let them always have a fluke and think they can get away with it. During this time, you should take the members of the Fushe to visit those stove owners and understand their living conditions and needs."
"Are you planning to use these salt merchants to seize their business rights?" Yan Shan's eyes lit up, as if he understood Xu Qing's plan in an instant.
"There were already sharp contradictions between the salt merchants and the stove owners. In the past, the stove owners were weak and had no one to back them up. They were like a pile of loose sand and could only allow the salt merchants and the gentry and nobles behind them to wantonly encroach on their interests.
They are filled with resentment, but have nowhere to vent it, so they can only blame the government, which is very disadvantageous to the court. Every grievance has its perpetrator, and we must stand up for the stove households and let them know that the court is on their side. "
Yan Shan suddenly realized what was going on, and his admiration for the chief minister increased. First, he temporarily appeased the salt merchants, asked them to help the court with disaster relief, and stabilize the current situation; then he slowly supported the stove owners, took advantage of the conflicts between them and the salt merchants, and used the stove owners as a soft knife to gradually weaken the power of the salt merchants.
In this way, the imperial court regained the initiative and became the referee of this game of interests. The conflict was cleverly transferred to the stove owners and salt merchants, and in the end, both sides would be grateful to the imperial court for its mediation and support.
This move was really brilliant, with each move linked to the next, but only a master of strategy like the master could do it. If it were someone else, these shrewd salt merchants would never agree to help transport grain for disaster relief.
After all, it was because the host first demonstrated his powerful strength and sent them to put the knife on the neck of the salt merchants, using force first and courtesy later, which made the salt merchants have to be cautious and reluctantly agree to cooperate.
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After Xu Qing and Yan Shan discussed these matters, they went to see Xiong Chan. He told Xiong Chan the details of the White Bone Cult without reservation.
"I feel Gongming's concerns. If the refugees are not dealt with, the evil cult will grow like weeds in the spring breeze. But the existence of the Living Buddha of the Snow Region is the source of all these disasters.
The problem of refugees must be solved, but the threat of the Snowland Living Buddha cannot be ignored. There are also Master Murong and the Black Mountain Old Demon. These are the swords hanging over Dayu's head and are a serious concern. "Xiong Chan said solemnly with his hands clasped together.
He was a man who knew the current situation very well. Seeing that Xu Qing and the old emperor had joined forces, he no longer had any chance to establish his own regime in Dayu. What else could he do? He could only let go of his obsession and work with everyone to run the big family of Dayu.
After all, everyone is well, that is the real good.
To be honest, in Xiong Chan's opinion, if Dayu is regarded as home.
If it weren't for Xu Qing, this family would have fallen apart long ago.
The old emperor didn't know how many lifetimes he had accumulated to be blessed to have the assistance of a loyal minister like Xu Gongming. This was just like Emperor Gaozu of Tang giving birth to the wise and brave Li Erfeng. It was a blessing for Dayu!
It seems that Prince Yu is indeed a bit like the hidden Crown Prince. What's more, Prince Yu does not even have the official title of Crown Prince. In this power struggle, his situation becomes even more delicate.
Xiong Chan's mind was as fast as lightning, and these thoughts flashed through his mind quickly.
"Each of these three old monsters is not easy to deal with. Especially the Black Mountain Old Monster. Once he recovers to the peak strength of the Creator, I am afraid it will be another horrific disaster. Therefore, we must go all out now to help His Majesty improve the country's strength. Only in this way will we have a chance to compete with him in the future.
I think that although the Black Mountain Demon seems to be extremely powerful, he is actually not without flaws. After all, he has already begun to look for helpers everywhere, which is enough to show that he is not confident enough in his heart. "
After Xu Qing came back, he already knew about Old Fang's move. He had expected this, but after knowing the specific scene of Old Fang's move, he still couldn't help but twitch his lips slightly.
He really wanted to ask Lao Fang, can you deal with the Black Mountain Demon? Can you give me a definite answer? If you can, he would immediately call for help without saying anything.
He joins forces with Lao Fang to fight against the Black Mountain Demon. He will never retreat even if there are mountains of swords and seas of fire ahead!
However, he also knew that since Lao Fang had already made it clear that he would not get involved in the affairs of the Black Mountain Old Demon, he would definitely not break his promise. He just didn't know if Lao Fang would help if the Black Mountain Old Demon really assassinated the old emperor.
Xu Qing thought again and realized that the old emperor was also a shrewd man. He came to Yingtian Prefecture, saying that he was in charge of the overall reform and to support Xu Qing, but who could guarantee that he did not intend to rely on Lord Fang to deal with the Black Mountain Demon?
Speaking of fear of death, no one in the entire Dayu Dynasty could match Emperor Wanshou. The most fearless scoundrel in the Dayu Dynasty must be the old emperor!
"So what is Gongming's plan now?" Xiong Chan raised his head and looked at Xu Qing with sharp eyes.
"This time the steam water wheel and the Taoist magic worked. I plan to rank the Taoist magic in the world, and classify it according to power and effect, instead of just looking at the realm. In the future, both the Taoist magic and the martial arts will be divided into nine grades, each with its own uses."
Xiong Chan understood that the purpose of determining the rank was to gain the right to speak in the cultivation world. This was also his wish, and he also wanted to be the leader of the cultivation world.
Xu Qing continued, "I plan to run a Taoist temple, and leave professional matters to professionals. The Taoist temple will have a dean and a law enforcement elders group. Your Majesty, please be the dean."
The old emperor was a Taoist, and everyone in the world knew it. The previous emperor even called himself the Grand Marshal of the Army.
It is said that many emperors of Dayu were not serious about their jobs, but not all of them were incompetent, otherwise Dayu would not have lasted for more than two hundred years.
The most important thing for an emperor is to know himself. If he does too little, the country will at best be in trouble, but if he does too much, the country may be destroyed!
Therefore, Emperor Wanshou still has many advantages. He is willing to employ people and does not care about the process as long as the results are good.
"The Taoist temple has five law enforcement elders: me, you, the master of Chaotian Temple, Taoist Yuxuan of Longhu Mountain, and the master of Shangqing Palace of Laoshan Mountain."
Xiong Chan was surprised: "Why is there no Fang Xian Dao?"
"The Fangxian Dao is divided into two factions. The Homeland Faction is headed by Taoist Gu, and the Overseas Faction hates Dayu and is close to the Dongyi people and the Heshan Dao. The conflict between the two factions is getting bigger and bigger. Maybe one day I will have to mediate. So I won't consider it for now."
Xiong Chan didn't believe Xu Qing would mediate the fight, and would definitely take sides. However, the nine ranks of Taoism in the world were decided. Xiong Chan found that he was the only person besides Xu Qing who had a say in the Military Academy and the Taoist Academy. This temptation was too great to refuse.
(End of this chapter)