Chapter 58: Second County
As dawn was about to break, Zhang Xuanning walked out of the room and looked up at the starry sky. The stars were still twinkling in the sky.
The girl came out of the room, fetched water, washed him, and brought him a towel. Well, it was not until last night when he pulled her to bed that he knew her name was Shen Youlan. After he washed her face, Shen Youlan turned her head, revealing her snow-white face, and asked shyly, "Does this new dress look good? Is the color bright? Does it fit me?"
It turned out that she had taken off her Taoist robes and put on a brand new silk dress with a golden hairpin on her head. She was naturally beautiful, and after being dressed up, she looked like a fairy from another world, with a beauty that was as graceful as the wind and snow, and one could not look directly at it.
"You are so beautiful, won't you come with me to my harem?"
"No, there will always be countless women in the future. One more or one less of me, it doesn't matter." Shen Youlan put on the belt for him, then raised her eyes, smiling: "I practice Taoism, and my fate with you is only a day and a night, so why should I spend my whole life with you?"
When Zhang Xuanning first entered this Taoist temple, he just thought that Shen Youlan was extremely beautiful. When their eyes met, he felt that her eyes were clear and deep, and wherever her eyes went, it seemed that she saw through his heart, and he couldn't help laughing.
Although I know that this woman is very special, but, as this saying goes, there are many women in the world, no matter how beautiful they are, they can be forgotten in the world.
Everyone has his own way. The emperor's way is to have the power of life and death. If he really wants her, she will have no way to resist unless she dies. However, if he gets her body, it doesn't necessarily mean that he has to add her to the harem. If she doesn't want to, then so be it.
"If you don't want to, that's fine. However, I am really attracted by your beauty. This feeling is really hard to describe. It makes me feel a mixture of sweet and sour emotions." Zhang Xuanning touched her face. Her skin was shining with a warm luster, which made her look even more beautiful.
Mood is like ripples on the lake surface caused by wind. Although there will be no trace left after the ripples, it must be true at this moment.
Shen Youlan's eyes flickered as she replied, "It's a bit of a pleasure to be greedy for a while. If you have some spare time in the future, you can come here and visit Wushan with me again. However, I think your spare time may become less and less!"
"That's true. The current emperor's virtue has declined, and many good people have emerged in the world. A great country is right in front of us. What interests me most now is how to dominate the world. Although there is no turning back on the road to domination, this is my wish, so I will do it naturally. Then, I can get more beauties and enjoy myself to the fullest, without any regrets in my life. I'm just afraid that I may not have much time to come to you, haha." When he said this, Zhang Xuanning laughed.
He said whatever he wanted to say, not caring at all about what the woman in front of him was thinking.
A man with the world in his heart is a hero, a man who lives up to his heart is a Taoist. Zhang Xuanning is indeed extraordinary, but there are so many heroes in the world. After all, no matter how strong a man is, he dare not guarantee victory.
Zhang Xuanning yawned. He had fallen on her body three times in one night yesterday, which consumed a lot of energy. However, he could still bear it. After leaving the Taoist temple, the guards had already woken up and were ready. It didn't take much time. A group of hundreds of people went down in the early morning.
When Shen Youlan returned to the Taoist temple, she saw Kong Daomao.
"Brother, why didn't you sleep all night? What are you writing?"
"Li Chunfeng was ordered to discuss with me. He simply wanted to start with the land god to consolidate the foundation. In practice, this method is simple to say, but if it can really be widely built on the ground, it can also unify most of the underworld. The other underworld hells will be vacant. Whether they exist or not will not affect the overall situation. It is a method of removing the firewood from the cauldron."
Shen Youlan took the document, read it, and then smiled: "You and Li Bo first each get a county? Well, in this way, the children of the two families do have a foundation for cultivation. In fact, one county is only one piece of land, which is still not enough. You know, there are thousands of households in a county, and there may be tens of thousands of households in the future. According to this authority, births, weddings, and funerals are all in charge. How can this number of people be satisfied? In the future, it may be enough to expand tenfold. In this case, it is really enough for now."
There are four counties in one prefecture, ten families in one county, forty land temples and three hundred officials. This is indeed enough for now. Even if all the sons of these families or sects are sent up, they can barely fill the positions.
"The qualification certification is in the hands of the government, and the issuance of Dao discs seems to be very strict. Well, there is also the intention of training masters to serve as servants. I think we will be dragged into their car sooner or later. I don't know how many people will be killed or injured in the future." Kong Daomao said with a sigh.
This is actually to train martial arts masters for Zhang Xuanning's use. The real foundation of Hujiao is not Cihang Jingzhai, but thousands of temples and hundreds of thousands of monks. These monks not only directly get incense and connect with believers, but also can not do production, concentrate on martial arts training, so there are a lot of masters among them who can be called upon, with extremely well-informed information and abundant materials. The successors of Cihang Jingzhai have this energy, which is nothing more than built on this foundation.
Otherwise, no matter how high your martial arts skills are, it will be difficult to control the martial arts world, let alone influence the world.
The most important affairs of a country are sacrifices and wars. Religion is necessary to control the people. Coupled with the factor of martial arts, in this world, if you want to truly eradicate the Hu religion, you must also have thousands of Taoist temples with the closest and most solid foundation. There is no point in building a high-level plan.
"He wants to be the emperor, so he naturally has his own overall plan. We can influence him, but we can't influence him, let alone control him."
"Oh, Junior Sister, how could you give yourself to him so easily? What did you see?" Kong Daomao said sourly, "Even if you want to give yourself to him, don't do it so easily."
"Nothing, I just like him. He is just a white python now, without even horns and claws. But don't you find it strange? He has the gold virtue. Although the five virtues are passed down, in reality, it is only the water, fire and earth virtues that are fighting for power. The gold virtue and the wood virtue are almost impossible to become a force to be recuperated. But I see that his actions and aura do not seem to be signs of premature death, do they?" Shen Youlan said in confusion, but in the blink of an eye, she burst into laughter: "Never mind, Senior Brother, I'm tired, I'll go and meditate and recuperate, just don't disturb me."
After saying that, she ignored Kong Daomao and went into her room to rest, which made Kong Daomao smile bitterly.
Those who have achieved success in cultivation have a different world in their hearts and their morals are different from those of ordinary people. Now it seems that this is the way it is. Even if we are on the same path, it is difficult to distinguish them one by one and to identify them one by one!
Zhang Xuanning rode his horse back. At this time, the sun was just rising. He saw towering cliffs and clear water flowing between the two mountains. It was already the end of May. The river was covered with lush aquatic plants. The thick green aquatic plants made the river water dark dark. Time seemed to have stopped at this moment.
Last night, after several rounds of lovemaking, he tasted the real flavor. It was an unprecedented feeling, and his heart was filled with love for her.
But in the blink of an eye, he woke up from the intoxicating passion, and he was surprised at how quickly he got out of it. His heart was filled with a sense of tranquility and loftiness, which infected him. The inner energy in his body surged, and the fatigue from spending too much time on the woman's body was almost swept away.
The desire to fight for the world was unprecedentedly fierce, and the group of people were immersed in the jungles of the mountains.
But after walking a little further, Zhang Xuanning suddenly called a stop.
There is a village at the foot of the mountain. Such villages can be found everywhere and are not uncommon, but it feels inappropriate.
"My Lord, I also feel something is wrong." Li Chunfeng said in a deep voice: "I just saw a flash of light, it must be the reflection of the knife, there is no doubt about it."
Zhang Xuanning sneered: "Who could it be? However, no matter who it is, it doesn't matter. I am a cavalryman. As long as the enemy's number is less than 3,000, do you think they can really threaten me? Especially when we haven't entered the village."
After saying this, he laughed and led the way down the hill. After going down the hill, he slowed down, and then hundreds of riders stopped at the entrance of the village in a leisurely stroll.
There are wooden fences in the village , but everyone is hiding inside the houses, which seems normal, because no matter whether it is bandits or government soldiers, these ordinary villagers are afraid to avoid them.
Zhang Xuanning stepped forward and said, "Who in the village is setting up an ambush? Come out, everyone, so I can see which family the heroes are from."
While he was speaking, three hundred personal cavalrymen stood behind him.
The village was quiet, and there was no sound. Zhang Xuanning sneered and drew his sword. The blade reflected the rising sun, shining brightly. He said, "Prepare torches and throw them in the village."
Everyone responded immediately and stood up. Hundreds of people took out torches, lit them, and were ready to throw them into the village.
At this moment, a hoarse voice inside said: "I have heard that the general manager loves the people like his own children, but I didn't expect him to act so overbearingly."
Speaking of which, although the farmhouses in the village at that time were not connected, by throwing hundreds of torches, most of the people inside could still be forced out. It was not just one or two people, so this could not be concealed.
After the hoarse voice, a sturdy man finally showed up. He was about thirty years old, with loose hair and a very thick beard. He was very strong, with a broad back and strong arms, and held a long sword in his hand. He was indeed quite intimidating.
"Miao Haichao?"
"It's me." Behind him, a large number of soldiers emerged. It was estimated that there were about a thousand of them. But looking at their clothes and weapons, it was obvious that they were the rebels because they were disorganized.
"Brother Miao, you have no more than 10,000 soldiers, but half of them are women, the elderly and children. Among the 5,000, there are only a thousand truly elite soldiers who have experienced many battles. Now you are coming out in full force. Do you want to go all out? I wonder if there is any news that is bad for you but good for me? Let me think, have you heard the news that Kuacang, Songyang and Linhai counties have surrendered to me?" Zhang Xuanning said with a smile again.
Suddenly, everyone fell silent. Everyone knew that once all the counties in the prefecture surrendered, with nearly 7,000 elite troops, it would be quite certain to wipe out the Miao Haichao tribe.
Miao Haichao sneered: "What a delusion! Do you think the imperial court and the counties will surrender to you so easily?"
"But I will not surrender to a traitor like you. After all, I am a court official. What are you? A complete traitor. I can't think of any county that would surrender to you under such circumstances!" Zhang Xuanning smiled casually, "I can be sure that even if they don't surrender now, they will surrender in half a month at most. What do you think of what I say?"
"So your only chance is to concentrate your forces to kill me at this time, but do you think you still have a chance now? Your thousand men are indeed warriors who have fought a hundred battles, but my three hundred cavalrymen are also elite. The most important thing is that we are all cavalrymen. It will only take half an hour for us to ride back to the city. Can you intercept and besiege me?" At this point, Zhang Xuanning said sternly: "Miao Haichao, I didn't enter the village just now, and you have already lost your last chance. A man who knows the current situation is a hero. If you surrender to me, I will appoint you as the commander of a guard, a sixth-rank military officer, and I will pay for the salary and rice in the army. You can also arrange land for your old and weak. Moreover, in the future, when the world is in chaos and you attack cities and seize land, as long as you are really a talented general, it is natural for you to be granted a title of duke or marquis in the future. You surrendered to Du Fuwei back then, so why can't you surrender to me now?"
Du Fuwei once occupied Liyang and had an army of 50,000. However, because he accepted Li Zitong, he was ambushed by Li Zitong and was attacked by the Sui army. He fought hard to escape and fled to Liuhe County with only 2,000 soldiers. Although he is now recruiting soldiers and making a comeback, it is difficult for him to regain his former momentum.
Everyone knows this.
Upon hearing this condition, Miao Haichao was greatly excited. Although the establishment of 1,210 guards was a little small in number, in reality, these were the only soldiers he had capable of fighting. Moreover, they were already exhausted after fighting in four places. If they could recuperate, they would have the capital no matter what happened in the future.
He snorted coldly and said, "Back then, Lord Du impressed me with his martial arts. If you can defeat me in the same way, I will join you. How do you think?"
He and his subordinates were of humble origins and believed that the strong are kings. If Zhang Xuanning could not show his strength, even if he made grandiose speeches, it would be difficult to convince his subordinates.
"Okay, let's have a competition in front of everyone." Zhang Xuanning said. Although he didn't agree with this kind of childish behavior, in this world of martial arts, this is also a very popular method.
Miao Haichao snorted coldly, gripped the long sword, took a step forward, and suddenly, murderous aura filled the air.
Being able to fight for many years without being surrounded and attacked, Miao Haichao is indeed extraordinary. Judging from his momentum, he is also at the level of a second-rate master. If it were in the past, based on his experience of fighting for many years, I am afraid that Zhang Xuanning may win, but he will definitely be injured.
But at this moment, as soon as he raised his skill, the huge and pure true energy circulated freely according to his will. Suddenly, it was like steep and immeasurable mountains that penetrated the clouds, and like the vast ocean.
Miao Haichao's body suddenly froze, his eyes showed disbelief, and his confidence and momentum weakened a bit.
As the Qi flowed, the Tyrant Sword suddenly became blazing. Zhang Xuanning immediately rushed forward and swung out the Sword of Breaking the Army.
But Miao Haichao had been through hundreds of battles and had fought all over the world, so how could it be so easy? He roared, automatically made up for the flaws in his mind, swung out his long sword, and attacked himself.
There was an endless stream of "ding-dang" sounds from the clashing of weapons as both sides showed their best in fighting each other. Practically speaking, in terms of the effectiveness and ruthlessness of the swordsmanship, Miao Haichao was still better than him, but in terms of grasping the essence of the swordsmanship and the purity of internal energy, Zhang Xuanning, who had just been promoted to the first-class realm, naturally won.
Everyone was watching in amazement, seeing the two of them fighting each other with fierce and relentless attacks. Although there were only two of them, it gave the feeling of two armies facing off on the battlefield.
After slashing for dozens of times, Zhang Xuanning felt that his internal energy was endless. All the sword techniques he had learned in the past were put to full use. The more he fought, the more proficient he became. It was simply that his mind and the sword moved in sync.
With a "bang", Miao Haichao's internal energy was finally exhausted. He was shocked by the internal energy and fell out, spitting out blood.
Suddenly, the people on Zhang Xuanning's side cheered. Miao Haichao had fought all over the world. In the south, although he was not as famous as Du Fuwei, he was also very famous. Now he was defeated by Zhang Xuanning on the spot. At this time, Zhang Xuanning was truly establishing his position in the martial arts world, especially in the southern martial arts world.
In this world where martial arts are extremely important, this is undoubtedly a banner that can attract people to come and join.
Zhang Xuanning retracted his sword, looked down at him , and said calmly with his hands behind his back: "Miao Haichao, you are defeated now. Whether to fight or surrender is up to you."
Miao Haichao stood up. Seeing his people's morale plummeted because of his failure, he sighed inwardly, then stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, I am Miao Haichao. I pay my respects to you, my lord."
With just this one bow, Zhang Xuanning knew in his heart that the entire Yongjia County had fallen into his hands.
