As the festival approached, every household in Dingzhou was decorated with lanterns and streamers. There were endless temple fairs and markets. Even the government had lifted the curfew. Flower lanterns could be seen faintly on the banks of the moat at night. There were people everywhere taking advantage of the darkness to come out to enjoy themselves.
At this time, a large ship was also slowly sailing on the river outside the city. Two people sat on the deck. They were Wu Ming and Wu Zhi, who were traveling incognito.
"Seeing this scene, there is some atmosphere of the human world …"
Wu Zhi was wearing a green robe and dressed like a Confucian scholar. Many years of military life did not add to his weathering. On the contrary, because of his great improvement in martial arts, his skin was like ice jade. He looked like a beautiful young master. Compared to Wu Ming, who was next to him, it could be said that he was the brightest.
"This is because of your good governance, Ehuan. Second, near the capital, if there are still people starving for thousands of miles, how can other places survive?"
Wu Ming smiled slightly.
The wealth and political gathering effect of the capital was not trivial. After all, it was under the feet of the Emperor. No matter in which dynasty, the standard of living of the people was top-notch. However, it was a joke to say that it could represent the general standard of a country.
The night wind was gentle.
Wu Zhi and Wu Ming, who had stolen half a day of leisure, enjoyed the scenery on both sides. Occasionally, they would boil wine and drink. They were both quite happy.
Occasionally, other flower boats could be seen. They were full of bouquets. On them, there were music and bamboo instruments, and the sounds of birds and swallows. However, before they could get close, they were dispersed by the nearby guard ships.
Even though they were traveling incognito and had unique skills, Wu Ming and Wu Zhi did not like to wear white clothes. Who knew how many guards were secretly following them.
Although they might not be able to deal with any major enemies, it was more than enough to deal with these small troubles.
"Ding has reached the age of entering school. Do you have a suitable teacher?"
Wu Zhi looked at the rolling river and suddenly asked.
"Ding is talented and smart. No matter what he learns, he learns quickly. There is no need to worry about learning and governance. The only thing to worry about is his conduct. The choice of a teacher should be carefully considered …"
To tell the truth, an emperor did not even have any requirements for literary and martial arts. Otherwise, why would he need a group of civil officials and generals? What he really needed to learn was the mind of an emperor. He just needed to know how to select the right people and how to balance them.
The most important thing was to be able to deal with the officials and not be deceived by them. As long as he could do this, coupled with a bit of praise from the scholars, he would be able to obtain the title of a famous ruler throughout the ages.
"Recently, the great Confucian of the north, Huang Zong, has come to Dingzhou to give lectures. A few Confucian scholars have already recommended this person to me. What do you think?"
Wu Zhi had a faint smile on his face.
"A pure scholar?"
Wu Ming frowned slightly.
"My husband seems to be biased against the Confucian school?"
Wu Zhi asked curiously.
"Not at all!"
Wu Ming shook his head and said, "In troubled times, we still need the martial arts and the military schools to settle the chaos … Of course, now that there are nineteen states in the Dazhou, there is an 80% chance that you can unify them in your hands. Ding 'er only needs to be a conservative ruler. It is also quite beneficial to learn some Confucianism and Taoism's art of non-action. However, before the third generation, you still can't focus on Confucianism …"
The scholar's rebellion failed in three years.
To be honest, didn't those founding emperors know the dangers of the scholars dominating the country?
No!
However, it had to be like this!
Even if the scholars controlled the world and suppressed the military generals, so what? Without military power, how could anyone rebel?
After the founding of the country, the military school would inevitably decline and the Confucian school would rise.
Although they knew the consequences of doing this, the military would inevitably be crippled in the later years of the Empire, suppressed internally, and unable to fight back against external resistance, so what?
Looking up at the vastness of the world, how could there be an immortal empire?
If they valued martial arts and restrained literature, even if they could dominate the world and conquer the four seas, there would always be a calamity of overturning. However, if they raised civil officials and were conservative, they could at least have a hundred years of power.
Was there a need to consider what the Emperor would choose for himself?
In reality, the Confucian system of ruler and subject was indeed quite beneficial for ruling. It was the system that saved the most administrative resources. Furthermore, on the surface, it at least declared that if the ruler wanted the subject to die, the subject had to die.
As for those generals with heavy military power, if you wanted to sentence them to death, would they resist?
Comparing the two, naturally, everyone knew what to choose.
However, when the country had just been founded, it was a little different. The founding ancestor would definitely rise up with martial arts, a large number of troops, and military achievements.
The second generation would carry on the past and open up a new era, but they still needed to cut down the military towns and mountains in the country one by one. It was also impossible to be purely literate. However, after the third generation, the rule would be consolidated, and the Confucian school could rule the world. In this way, the world would be at peace, and they might even be able to enjoy a prosperous era.
Although the price was to enter the reincarnation of the end of the dynasty after a hundred or a few hundred years, wasn't it still a great profit to enjoy the world for hundreds of years?
"Then what does my husband mean? No? "
Wu Zhi blinked his eyes, knowing that his husband was unfathomable.
The examination method, military work method, and so on, were actually all thought of by him. After experimenting one by one, he found that the effect was amazing.
However, from the improvement of printing technology, the publication of a large number of books, and the increase of the class of scholars, his husband's attitude towards the Confucian school could be said to be very complicated.
"Pure Confucian school won't work, and pure martial arts won't work either. Why don't we focus on both literature and martial arts!"
Wu Ming faintly sighed. At this time, he could also understand the helplessness of the founding emperors.
Didn't they know the harm of pure Confucian ministers?
However, if they were not afraid to speculate about the future generations with the worst evil intentions, it was better to be bullied to death by civil ministers than to be bullied to death by military generals.
Even if a powerful minister appeared, at most, he would secretly kill the emperor, and another member of the royal family would continue to be the emperor. However, if the military generals were to raise their heads, it would be a major event that would lead to the extinction of the clan.
Of course, in this world, there were some differences.
The existence of Celestial Immortals and other extraordinary powers was a check and balance for any dynasty.
Not to mention anything else, as long as Wu Ming was still alive, even if the dynasty of his descendants encountered the disaster of overturning, it was still possible to preserve a line of blood and incense, so that the sacrifices would continue.
Outsiders thought that he wanted to become the Celestial Immortal Protector of the new dynasty, but for Wu Ming, even if the entire Dazhou Dragon Qi was dazzling, what was it?
If he really wanted to do this, it would be better for him to raise the army from the beginning, proclaim himself king and emperor, establish a celestial dynasty on earth, and collect all the luck, wouldn't it be better?
If he was still a Celestial Immortal and became the Celestial Protector of the State, there might be some benefits, but now he was a Golden Immortal who lived as long as heaven and earth, so doing so would do more harm than good.
At least, after three generations, the bloodline would be thin, and what would happen to the future generations, Wu Ming was too lazy to care.
He didn't even have enough time to pursue the Eternal Road, so how could he have the mood to worry about this?
"Both civil and military? Good! "
Wu Zhi nodded happily. Obviously, he had the same idea. "How about a Confucian master using the Yellow Sect?"
"Although this person is a great Confucian, I have to meet him first …"
Wu Ming also felt that there was something fishy about this great Confucian of the Northern Land suddenly coming to Dingzhou.
Maybe this person represented the will of some forces behind him, and acting rashly was not good for anyone.
"Everything depends on you, my husband!"
Wu Zhi smiled sweetly.
"After the beginning of spring, there will be a big change in the town, right?"
Wu Ming suddenly asked, holding the wine cup.
"Yes!"
Wu Zhi raised his sword-like eyebrows. His original feminine demeanor disappeared without a trace, and there was an iron-blooded evil spirit.
"After five years of rest and recuperation, the crops have been harvested several times, and the grain is full. Together with the newly organized Lingzhou Army, Yingzhou Army, and Xuzhou Army, there are more than 500,000 soldiers in total. They are fully armed. It's time to sweep away the decline of the world and return peace to the people!"
"Good, then I wish you success in advance!"
Wu Ming opened his Third Eye. His cultivation was far beyond that of ordinary people. He was incomparable to Zhai Xingzi, Daoist of Transcendent, and the other old Daoists. Moreover, he had a close relationship with Wu Zhi. Therefore, he saw the red dragon at first sight.
At this time, the red dragon's eyes were angry, and its scales were bright. It looked eager to have a try.
Vaguely, Wu Ming also sensed that several Dragon Qi in the world were showing signs of decline.
"The position of the True Dragon has been determined, and the other Dragon Qi will definitely decline … This time, Ehuan's troops will definitely sweep away the fallen leaves in the autumn and sweep the world. However, there is still a need to clean up the internal affairs …"
Seeing this, Wu Ming nodded slightly.
…
It was also a festival night market, but some people could hardly sleep at night.
In a wing room of the Zigui Academy.
Huang Zong looked at an oil lamp on the table, and his eyes were slightly absent-minded.
"Recently, Wu Town is rich in food, has a full army, and is full of vitality. I'm afraid they have decided to start a world war … Alas …"
As a Confucian scholar, the concept of unification was still deeply rooted in people's hearts. Naturally, Huang Zong was willing to see the world return to one.
However, the question of whether the world would have the surname Ji or other surnames made him fall into a dilemma.
Dazhou had been ruling the world for almost three hundred years. Sometimes, righteousness was not worth mentioning, but sometimes, it was incredible.
Although Wu Zhi had successfully stabilized his rule with the help of the imperial court and had the power to conquer the world, there were also constant undercurrents in the ruling group.
If Wu Ming was here, he would definitely think of the events of the Eastern Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms in his previous life.
Wu Zhi's method of using the emperor to order the feudal vassals was quite similar to that of Cao Cao. Just when Prime Minister Cao was complacently preparing to conquer Jiangnan, the Battle of Red Cliffs directly destroyed the hope of unification and laid the groundwork for the division and confrontation of the three kingdoms in the future.
If the world had really been unified at that time, even if the Cao family usurped the throne, there would certainly be no trouble with the Five Barbarians later.
Unfortunately, there were no ifs in history, and there were many reasons for the defeat of the Battle of Red Cliffs, including the hidden hand of the royalists.
The situation that Wu Zhi was facing now was similar.
If he could really unify the world, with this great prestige, it seemed to be logical to make Ji Lin obediently abdicate. Judging from Wu Zhi's style, the probability was almost 100%!
And would the nobles in the imperial court, as well as those who claimed to be loyal to the Dazhou, really want to see this scene?
Naturally, there was no need to look forward to what choice they would make.
Fortunately, after all, Wu Ming had more experience and knew that there was nothing new under the sun. Since the royalists of the Eastern Han Dynasty could drag Cao Cao down for the sake of the imperial power, these Dazhou courtiers should not count too much on them.
Anyway, the current imperial court had reached the time when it was used up. If they did not kick it away, what were they waiting for?
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