Longzang

Chapter 1221 The End of Peace
The early years of the Zhaoning era passed by unnoticed. Nothing particularly significant happened that year. As usual, Wei Yuan wrote a memorial preparing to travel to the capital to meet the emperor. Although he figured no one would read it, he still sent it to the Tang court. This letter wasn't entirely without effect; at least it was submitted, and Emperor Tang would issue an edict of reassurance and send some money and provisions.

However, although there were no major events in the world, minor disturbances continued, and the situation became increasingly dire.

The several counties in Ganzhou that had been converted to Buddhism finally managed to complete their autumn harvest under Sun Yu's oppressive rule. But once winter arrived, heavy snow blocked their doors, leaving households with nothing to do and spending their days visiting each other and boasting. The people could visit each other's homes, or they could network and make connections.

In previous years, the snowy season in the rural towns of the north would pass like this: people would visit each other's homes, and it would be easy for uncles and aunts to end up together. But this year is different. Whenever a dozen or so people gather together, someone will start giving a sermon.

Although Sun Yu used tricks to capture the vast majority of the monks, within a few months, people began to emerge again, either through sudden enlightenment or by dreaming of high monks imparting teachings and scriptures.

When a Dharma master preaches, believers listen to the sermons. After the sermons are finished, the Dharma master is often treated to a big meal, and the believers accompany him.

But food is scarce in the north, and people usually survive the winter in a state of semi-starvation. Every year, many people die from freezing and starvation. With such a large-scale overeating, it's clear that the winter rations won't last more than two months.

So the believers listened to the sermons while sending representatives to the government to ask for grain for disaster relief, and they were firm in their attitude and made it seem like they were entitled to ask for grain.

The magistrate of a certain county had just arrived from Qingming to take office. He was stubborn and refused to distribute grain unless the believers and monks renounced Buddhism and carried out water conservancy projects in winter in exchange for labor.

Unexpectedly, the believers from the surrounding villages ate their stored grain and, at the call of the sorcerers, stormed into the county town! Most of the yamen runners and militiamen in the county town were also believers, and they watched as tens of thousands of believers poured into the town and surrounded the county government.

Relying on his late-stage Dao Foundation cultivation, the magistrate attempted to protect his family and break through the encirclement. However, several people suddenly appeared from the crowd, each wielding a magical weapon. Several powerful incantations were unleashed, instantly knocking the magistrate to the ground.

The believers then swarmed forward and beat the magistrate to death with a flurry of punches. As for his family, their fate was no different from falling into the hands of starving people; they suffered a fate worse than death.

The monks immediately opened the granaries to distribute the grain, but the county did not have much grain stored. After everyone ate and drank to their hearts' content, the granaries were empty in just a few days.

So some yamen runners and clerks volunteered to go to neighboring counties to borrow grain. When they refused, they attacked the county seat. Within a few days, two more counties fell. Most of the officials sent by Qingming were killed, and some were even hung on the city walls and burned alive.

By this time, Sun Yu had already returned to Qingming, and the prefect had just been transferred from Qingming.

The new prefect was quite decisive and capable. He immediately mobilized the garrison troops, occupied key roads, and separated the three unresting counties. At the same time, he transferred all the civilians and yamen runners in the counties that were not currently in turmoil to the outside of the city to build camps and live there, while the Qingming Army was stationed inside the city.

The believers from the three counties repeatedly stormed the enemy lines, but they were no match for the heavily armored Qingming army. Each time, they left behind hundreds of corpses and returned empty-handed.

After forcibly isolating the counties with an iron fist to prevent them from supporting each other, the prefect immediately petitioned Qingming to allocate grain and personnel to replace several county magistrates who showed signs of being converted.

Wei Yuan reacted swiftly to this matter, immediately dispatching a new county magistrate, accompanied by a Golden Core cultivator, to capture the corrupted magistrates and escort them back to Qingming.

Upon taking office, the new county magistrates immediately employed various methods. Some magistrates, under the guise of asceticism and preaching, gathered a large number of core believers together for a seven-day grand Dharma assembly, during which they were only given water and one steamed bun each day. After the assembly, the core believers were all too weak from hunger to cause any further trouble.

Inspired by this, another county magistrate not only held religious ceremonies but also secretly set up formations around them to drain the vital energy of believers. After each ceremony, everyone was as if they had been seriously ill, and half of them were bedridden.

There was also a county magistrate named Chen Dao who not only set up an array, but also took the opportunity to use the extracted essence and vitality to refine pills, thus greatly replenishing the county treasury.

After the prefect isolated the three counties affected by the unrest, he sent people to deliver some wine and liquor to them. The believers and monks accepted the wine and then got drunk for three days. After sobering up, they felt full of energy, but they got hungry quickly and needed to eat three days' worth of food in one day.

The county already had very little food, and now it was completely cut off, with hunger pangs raging. Under normal circumstances, chaos should have broken out at this point, but the many believers simply gathered in different places, sat quietly chanting scriptures, and miraculously endured the hunger.

The prefect was a man of composure; he kept watch daily, conducting reconnaissance but remaining inactive, waiting for the believers to succumb to internal strife. However, after several days, news arrived that some believers had killed non-believers, made them into meatballs, and were distributing them among the people!

The prefect instantly realized the gravity of the situation and immediately mobilized a large contingent of shield bearers. They launched a fierce attack, knocking out and capturing wave after wave, then knocking out and capturing more. In the blink of an eye, the several makeshift camps were completely filled. However, the three counties together had over 400,000 people, far too many to capture.

Once the people were brought back, the prefect dropped his pretense and dissolved the ginseng and sesame seed pills—which were supposed to accelerate digestion and replenish vital energy—in water for everyone to drink. This pill was highly beneficial for body forging, but it would greatly increase appetite and make them less resistant to hunger. He wanted to see how long these people could endure extreme hunger. The rebels from the three counties were originally a disorganized mob; with elite elite troops and numerous Golden Core cultivators providing support, and the prefect, being a mid-stage Dharma Aspect cultivator, personally leading the suppression on the front lines, the eventual pacification of the rebellion was a foregone conclusion.

"...Although the rebellion has been quelled, their disloyalty remains. This has truly added 430,000 prisoners to the ranks. Once the army withdraws, the chaos will reignite. I am but a humble servant, lacking the ability to stabilize the situation, but not the power to reverse the tide. I urge Your Majesty to devise a grand plan as soon as possible to resolve this crisis..."

This is a memorial submitted by the prefect to Wei Yuan.

The northern prefectures were right under Wei Yuan's nose, and it must be said that the newly transferred officials were all very capable, each employing their own methods to firmly suppress the situation. In the north, where believers were everywhere and sorcerers were as common as hairs, it was quite remarkable that no major bloodshed had occurred.

The officials transferred to the North are all outstanding individuals who have risen from the ranks of the Qingming. They consider themselves Qingming people, know nothing of the Tang Emperor or the Nine Kingdoms, and have no regard for aristocratic families or immortal sects. They only have the Taichu Palace, which is ranked after the Realm Lord.

These officials were indeed capable, sufficient to suppress a region with a variety of methods. This pleased Wei Yuan and greatly saved him the trouble of worrying about the situation in the North, allowing him to focus on accumulating strength and preparing for the decisive battle against the Pure Land.

Putting down the memorial, Wei Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the northern prefectures were under control, it wouldn't matter; it would simply mean a lack of production and the need for garrison troops.

However, at this stage, even the five southern prefectures of the Western Jin Dynasty have only just begun their foundational work and are starting large-scale construction. The fifteen central prefectures are about to be connected to the Floating Road. It doesn't matter whether the northern prefectures are built sooner or later. If the situation is unstable, these funds can be invested in the south, where the results will be faster.

However, those believers are as if they are possessed, devoutly believing in the Pure Land while simultaneously abhorring and rejecting the Azure Netherworld, managing to do both without any conflict, and remaining as steadfast as steel.

The various cultivators sent by Qingming were all helpless. Only Baoyun's Heavenly Demonic Appearance could temporarily convert a group of people to come over, but it was only temporary. After a few months, they would gradually remember the past and yearn for the Pure Land again.

Moreover, this conversion leaves no trace; it's impossible to pinpoint where the change occurred. But these believers are like madmen; nothing they say matters. Those who have been converted cannot be turned back.

These are tens of millions of people, who in Wei Yuan's eyes were the foundation for his enlightenment, but someone knocked a large chunk of them off.

Sun Yu is conducting fundamental basic research, but progress is very slow. Several months have passed, and there has been no good news from him.

Meanwhile, in his ancestral home in the Lü clan's immortal abode, Wei Yuan ordered the construction of a chariot platform encompassing the various northern kingdoms. Whenever he had free time, he would stand beside the platform, deep in thought. He was currently contemplating a military route that would begin in the Western Jin Dynasty, break through the Eastern Jin, and reach the Northern Qi. This was a long expedition spanning hundreds of thousands of miles, and Wei Yuan's last resort.

If there is no other way, Wei Yuan is prepared to mobilize the entire Qingming Army to flatten the gates of the Great Treasure Flower Pure Land.

But this is a last resort, a desperate measure. The Pure Land must have already made arrangements to guard against Wei Yuan's actions. Moreover, sending troops on a long and arduous expedition is a major taboo in military strategy, and even unparalleled military geniuses have failed in this regard; there are numerous precedents.

The Qingming army is now formidable and possesses immense firepower, but the cost is that its military supplies are dozens of times greater than those of the traditional armies of the nine kingdoms. Moving 10,000 troops requires nearly a hundred floating boats if used.

At this moment, in Wei Yuan's field of vision, several marching routes traversed mountains and valleys, heading eastward. Each route had its advantages and disadvantages, and each could potentially encounter different situations, such as natural disasters, ambushes, surprise attacks, or even calamities.

With his myriad divine senses, Wei Yuan analyzed massive amounts of information, gradually guiding the army's march eastward. No matter how difficult or complex the military strategy, it was no challenge for Wei Yuan.

Wei Yuan had a vague feeling that the worst possibility wasn't failing to conquer Baohua Mountain, but rather paying a heavy price to raze it and gain nothing in return.

Wei Yuan has refrained from making any moves these past few days for another reason: the two monks, Jingru and Jingru, are actually a warning from the Pure Land. Next time, who knows how many monks will infiltrate the North, the South, or even Qingming or Yizhou. These monks won't simply pass away before Wei Yuan, their supernatural powers restricted by the great formation, only able to unleash three or four tenths of their abilities.

They would find a quiet place to pass away peacefully, and then enlighten the mortals within a thousand miles, a hundred miles, or even dozens of miles around. Don't underestimate the small scope of enlightenment of a minor cultivator; if they pass away peacefully in the center of a city, they will still affect millions, or even tens of millions of people.

This is what Wei Yuan is truly worried about. He is not afraid of the foundation of his path being shaken, but he really cannot bear to see millions of mortals become believers.

Wei Yuan did not oppose Buddhism or Taoism, nor did he oppose Confucianism, but he could not accept conversion. What Wei Yuan desired was to enable the people to make their own decisions.

(End of this chapter)