Daily Intelligence: From Water Snake to Jinghe Dragon King

Chapter 201 River Demon Enters Tribulation to Aid Human Ruler, Imitating Shang and Zhou Dynasties to Investiture Gods

At that time, Chang'an was called Daxing City.

After Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, established the Sui Dynasty, he made this place his capital, which was later renamed Chang'an.

Emperor Wen of Sui chose Chang'an as the capital primarily based on its geographical advantages; Chang'an is located on the Guanzhong Plain.

Surrounded by Tongguan, Xiaoguan, Dasanguan, Wuguan, and the Qinling Mountains, forming a natural barrier, the terrain was easy to defend and difficult to attack, providing the Sui Dynasty with a solid defensive foundation.

In addition, the Guanzhong Plain at this time had fertile land, a suitable climate, and abundant food supplies, which could support a large population and warhorses.

Furthermore, this place boasts a commanding position, backed by powerful families from the Guanzhong Plain, with substantial financial and logistical support. If unrest were to occur, one could charge down on horseback and swiftly quell the rebellion with unparalleled force.

However, in order to strengthen control over the increasingly developed east and the south, and to distance himself from the increasingly unfriendly Guanlong aristocratic families, the second emperor of the Sui Dynasty, Yang Guang, abandoned Chang'an and moved the capital to Luoyang.

Although Chang'an was relegated to a secondary capital, its geographical advantages and historical heritage still make it an irreplaceable and magnificent city.

Now Liu Qing has devised a plan to make Li Shimin seize Chang'an. Although Li Shimin knows that Liu Qing has the intention to bewitch him, how can he remain calm when faced with such a huge temptation?
Since forming an alliance with Liu Qing and acquiring salt to sell throughout the land, Li Shimin had secretly amassed wealth over the years, including countless quantities of grain, cloth, gold, silver, and armor.

If they hadn't been planning to reap the benefits without lifting a finger, they probably would have already rebelled against the Sui Dynasty.

Now, it's about time.

Taking this opportunity, he lured Sun Hua, a rebel leader from Qin, to come, firstly to help him destroy the City God Temple and rescue Li Hu, the ancestor of the Li family.
Secondly, by using Sun Hua to eliminate the Sui Dynasty's forces in Chang'an, and then when they are both exhausted, he can send troops to quell the rebellion and surely seize Chang'an in one fell swoop.

Chang'an City has great symbolic significance. Once Chang'an is captured, who in the world can match my prestige, Li Shimin?
Thinking of this, Li Shimin's breathing became more rapid, and excitement flashed in his eyes.

But he was merely a future great ruler; his strong will suppressed his excitement, and he carefully considered the situation.

If we capture Chang'an, we will surely announce to the world that I, Li Shimin, have also rebelled.

By then, it will be impossible to accumulate strength again and reap the benefits.

But if we don't try to seize Chang'an, will we just give up like this? There won't be another good opportunity like this next time.

Much later, Li Shimin finally made up his mind.

"If it's done, then so be it. Hesitation and indecisiveness are not my style. Whether it's wealth and glory or death and extermination of my clan, let's do it first and think about the consequences later!"

Liu Qing breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Li Shimin had finally been persuaded.

"Brother Liu, if this succeeds, Shimin will never forget your great kindness!"

After making up his mind, Li Shimin didn't hesitate and decisively returned to Li Family Fortress. He then dispatched his trusted confidant, Changsun Wuji, to Sun Hua's army camp to lure Sun Hua there.

He himself gathered the private soldiers, servants, and tenants of the Li and Changsun families, and after discussing with Li Xiuning, disguised himself and infiltrated Chang'an City, secretly distributing weapons. He was ready to open the city gates at night as agreed, once Changsun Wuji's side was on good terms.

March 30th.

night.

As expected, Sun Hua was greedy and was persuaded by Changsun Wuji to lead tens of thousands of rebel soldiers and hundreds of thousands of refugees to the east gate of Chang'an.

Meanwhile, Liu Qing, whose injuries had recovered several days earlier, got up from the quiet room, lit three incense sticks toward the statue of the sect leader behind him, and murmured, "Teacher, please bless your disciple with everything going smoothly."

Immediately, upon exiting the quiet room, they saw Hong Gu, Shui'er, Bai She'er, Xiao Ya, Xia Ke Xing, Xiao You Long, Shan Gong, Si Duan Xiao Ren, Qing Hua Jiang Jun, Hu Zi Nian, and other powerful demons from various factions stationed outside, patrolling and guarding the area.
They all stood solemnly outside the mansion, their eyes sweeping around before they nodded in agreement.

"Gentlemen, today I will help Li Shimin seize Chang'an!"

"You must have heard of Li Shimin. He has the appearance of a ruler. As demons, we find it difficult to achieve immortality as gods. If we help Li Shimin eventually become a human ruler, we can share in the fortune of humanity and take the opportunity to be deified."

"Although this action will inevitably involve bloodshed, how can the divine path to immortality rely on the Heavenly Court's charity? Moreover, with the bloodshed now underway, the Heavenly Court can no longer bestow titles upon the mortal realm."

"We are in the lower realm, a land of calamity. The only way to obtain immortality and the divine path is to emulate the Shang and Zhou dynasties, enter the calamity to assist the ruler, and achieve merit to be enshrined as gods!" Liu Qing's voice suddenly rose as he said this: "I ask you all, do you dare to enter the calamity, achieve merit, and be enshrined as gods?"

The eel and the shrimp rider instantly turned red-eyed and roared in unison, "Dare! Dare! Dare!"

Now, these eels may possess either a yang spirit or a yin spirit; their path as demons has come to an end. If they wish to achieve immortality, their only option is to be deified through the divine path.

I had previously heard that the Vice Minister of the Lake Prefecture had failed in his prayers for a title and that his body and soul had perished. I thought that his path to immortality was now blocked.

Now that the Lord of the Manor has pointed out another way, how could one not be envious and excited?

Following the example of the Shang and Zhou dynasties, they entered the realm of calamity to assist the ruler, and were enshrined as gods based on their merits.
If our predecessors have done it, why can't we? As for the possibility of being killed and dying?

Immortality through divine means is not something that can be easily obtained. If one seeks immortality, one must be prepared to die at any moment. When all demons vie for the Dao, how can there be a struggle without bloodshed?

If one is concerned about their life and doesn't go, then they can only wait until their lifespan runs out and they die of old age. Spirits don't change their lifespan; refining essence into qi takes no more than a hundred years, refining qi into spirit takes two hundred years, refining spirit into emptiness takes three hundred years, and refining emptiness into the Dao takes four or five hundred years.
When their lifespan runs out, and they see others, demons, gods, and immortals, how can they not feel envious and regret their past cowardice?
"Lord of the Manor, lead us into this calamity, we will face death without regret!"

"Yes, Lord Lord, you have shown us a clear path. As for whether we can achieve immortality and become gods, that is up to our own destiny. We have no reason to blame you, Lord Lord."

The eels and shrimp all shouted loudly, their spirits high, their eyes filled with fear and excitement, showing no sign of weakness or retreat.

"Very well, since that's the case, then I, your master, will accompany you through this tribulation. Whether you achieve immortality and become a god or perish and your cultivation dissipates, it all depends on your own destiny!"

"However, before you enter the tribulation, I have prepared some magical artifacts and pills for you, so that you won't call me master for nothing."

A few days after Liu Qing recovered from his injuries, he began refining weapons. The scales and teeth he had obtained from slaying the Wei River Evil Dragon, along with the many spiritual materials from the underworld given to him by Judge Li Hu within the City God's realm, were valuable.
These were all excellent materials for crafting magical artifacts, so Liu Qing took advantage of his free time over the past few days to craft them one by one.

The weapon-refining method, passed down from the East Sea, had been mastered by his inner spirit, and the materials used for refining were of extremely high quality.
Therefore, after several failed attempts, Liu Qing quickly mastered the basics of crafting, refining armor, swords, spears, clubs, and other magical artifacts into low- or mid-grade items.

Don't underestimate these low- or mid-grade magical artifacts; they are incredibly precious to river demons. Furthermore, Liu Qing tailored each artifact to its specific characteristics, ensuring they unleash their full power after refinement.

These river demons before him were all his close confidants, and Liu Qing was generous, providing each of them with a mid-grade magic weapon armor and a low-grade magic weapon sword or spear.
The eel, the shrimp traveler, and the little alligator dragon were each given a set of magical artifacts, including mid-grade armor and low-grade weapons.
Such equipment is unique in the entire Jinghe River basin. Even the Weihe River, one of the eight major rivers, did not have such a grand scale as Liu Qing.

In addition, Liu Qing also provided each river demon who wanted to enter the tribulation with ten Water Essence Pills and three Soul Nourishing Pills.

Complete sets of magical artifacts, elixirs for healing physical and demonic soul injuries—it can be said that Liu Qing, the master of the Water Mansion, has done everything within his power to the fullest extent.
As for their eventual demise during the great calamity, that's not Liu Qing's fault; it's just that they lacked the fortune to face it.

Fortunately, Liu Qing is there to back them up. The cheat code can make someone a god. If anyone is killed, as long as their spirit is preserved like General Tuo's, Liu Qing can grant them a divine position.

It is said that the river demon entered the calamity to help Li Shimin seize the throne and was deified for his merits, but river demons and mountain demons are still different.
Most of the time, there's no need to actually go ashore and participate in the battle; instead, they eliminate monsters loyal to the Sui Dynasty or other forces in the water.
In the future, whenever Li Shimin was about to attack a place, the river monsters would travel by water to first take over the waters for Li Shimin. After Li Shimin conquered the area, they would quickly pacify the waters, bring rain and clouds, ensure favorable weather, and stabilize the hearts of the people in the rear.

The eel and shrimp were deeply moved by the Lord's gifts of magical artifacts and elixirs, and they all shouted that they would die for him.

Afterwards, Liu Qing gave a few more instructions, telling them that if their cultivation level did not reach the Refinement of Emptiness and Integration of Dao, they should not go ashore to participate in the battle, but should stay in the water to help Li Shimin. Even if they were to enter a tribulation, they should not stubbornly go ashore to participate in the battle and lose their advantage of terrain.

The eel, shrimp traveler, and little alligator dragon all obeyed the order and went down to prepare. After returning to the waterways, they summoned their demon soldiers and water troops.

Each waterway had approximately four to five hundred elite sailors. After the sailors were mustered, they proceeded according to the agreement between Liu Qing and Li Shimin.
Troops will be dispatched from three directions—Dawan Lake, Shilang Lake, and Fulong Lake—to attack other waterways along the Five Lakes and Four Rivers.

Most of the tributaries of the Jing River, including the Five Lakes and Four Rivers, surround the vicinity of Chang'an City. As agreed, Liu Qing ordered his river demons to launch an attack before Li Shimin, capturing these areas to prevent the news from leaking out.
With the world currently facing a great calamity, and no longer any way to offer sacrifices to heaven and beg for titles, almost all river and mountain demons, like Liu Qing, have set their sights on emulating the Shang and Zhou dynasties, helping their rulers seize power, and using their merits to gain favor with the rulers.

Once the river demons and mountain spirits have set their sights on someone, they naturally choose to assist those they approve of. Currently, almost every one of the dozens or hundreds of rebel armies of the Great Sui Dynasty has river demons or mountain spirits siding with them.

There were naturally some in Sun Hua's army as well.

As agreed, Li Shimin would focus his main efforts on Sun Hua's mortal army, while Liu Qing would lead his river demons to subdue the monsters assisting Sun Hua.
As the largest anti-Sui force in Qin, Sun Hua has gained the favor and allegiance of many demons, including mountain demons, river demons, and grass spirits, but the most numerous are river demons.

Among the river demons, those from the various tributaries under the jurisdiction of the Jing River were the most numerous due to geographical advantages. These river demons were already afraid of Liu Qing's Dawan Lake, and when they saw Sun Hua raise an army to rebel against the Sui Dynasty, they hurriedly went to join him.

(End of this chapter)