Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 280 Huang Chao's Sword, A Weak Alliance

Cheng Gong, who suddenly appeared, was a senior eunuch in the palace, and also a fourth-rank official in the Divine Path [eunuch].

Although he was a close minister of the emperor and held a high position in the bureaucratic system, he was not worthy of the Heavenly Rank and was merely a lowly official in the Earthly Rank of the Outer Eight Gates.

The third pentad of the Grain Rain solar term is "The hoopoe descends upon the mulberry tree." The hoopoe is a bird that weaves nets. It is also called the hoopoe. It stands in formation on the mulberry tree to show the silkworm women. Therefore, it is said that when women's work is in progress, the hoopoe sings.

In addition, most eunuchs were castrated in the spring and summer, which facilitated postoperative recovery and reduced mortality. Therefore, the combined meaning of the promotion ceremony is: "If you want to take this position, castrate yourself with a knife."

The obtained spiritual energy should be characterized by "yin dominance".

Judging from his appearance, it was clear that, nourished by yin energy, his voice was slightly high-pitched, his skin was fair, and he possessed a handsome appearance that was difficult to distinguish between genders.

"Cheng Gong, how are you doing with the task I assigned you?"

Upon hearing the emperor's question, the chief eunuch knelt on the ground and said in an extremely humble manner:

"Your Majesty, the entire You clan, young and old, possesses extraordinary skills that will last until the end of this month, enough to intimidate all the villains."

To avoid being implicated, one must first refrain from seeking personal gain. Being born into the heinous You family means even an unborn child is guilty!
During the period before they set off, the male members of the family would never leave behind any descendants.

You know how skilled I am; I'd stake my life on it—it's absolutely foolproof.

Emperor Shaozhi now bestows upon himself the title of "Supreme Great Luo Heavenly Immortal, Purple Extreme Longevity Saintly Wisdom Illuminating Spirit, Unifying the Three Elements, Proving Response, Jade Void, Supreme Master of the Five Thunders, Great True Man of the Mysterious Capital Realm, Emperor of Ten Thousand Years of Longevity".

Ministers with even a modicum of integrity would never actually address him that way, and even among eunuchs, only the most shameless sycophants would use this title that the emperor so favored.

It's easy to imagine how much this chief eunuch wanted to advance his career.

Hahahaha

Upon hearing Cheng Gong's reply, Emperor Shaozhi, rarely seen in such a state, burst into laughter and even found himself joking:

"good.

The You family probably never imagined they would encounter such a freakish individual who defies the natural order, being a eunuch while also holding the civilian official position of "knife maker" in one of the Eight Outer Gates.

They deserved to die and their clan to be wiped out, their bloodline exterminated!
"You did a great job!"

Upon hearing the emperor's expression of favor and high regard, Cheng Gong was overjoyed and lowered his head even further.
"It is all thanks to the Emperor's divine power that the villains were deterred; this servant dares not take credit for it."

Everyone in official circles knows that the amount of power an official wields is not determined by his rank, but by his distance from the center of power.

Especially for eunuchs, who were internal officials, as long as they gained the emperor's favor, they could rise rapidly in rank with just a thought.

Cheng Gong felt incredibly grateful to his father, Cheng Yidao, for the family's traditional craftsmanship.

Those artisans who specialized in castrating palace eunuchs were known among the common people as "knife makers".

This profession is considered a highly skilled trade, which requires exceptional skill from the castrator. The quality of the castration technique directly affects the eunuchs' mortality rate.

If the incision is too deep, it will affect the patient's life after the surgery. If it is too shallow, it will not meet the requirements of the uterus and may even have to be done again. It could be fatal if not done carefully.

Therefore, most unique crafts are passed down from father to son, with very few apprentices. If you do it well, you can become very wealthy.

It is said that there are tens of thousands of eunuchs in the capital, and even getting into the palace to become a eunuch is highly competitive, so the demand for "knife craftsmen" is naturally far from meeting.

This is not the most exaggerated.

It is said that the Southern Han regime during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period had a peculiar system for selecting officials.

It's not the recommendation system, not the Nine-Rank System, and not the Imperial Examination System, but a castration system that can solve the biggest problem facing the Great Zhao Dynasty once and for all:
For every person who achieved a significant ranking in the imperial examinations, the first requirement for entering officialdom was to undergo castration.

"Ascending the Dragon Gate" means "entering the eunuch's gate"!
From high-ranking officials like prime ministers and ministers to lowly county magistrates and constables, anyone who wanted to become a paid official in the Southern Han Dynasty had to be castrated and become a eunuch; no one could escape this fate.

That was the golden age of the knife maker!
Holding the lifeblood of the entire court, his status rose rapidly. It is said that at that time, several legendary swordsmiths of the third rank emerged, practically unheard of.

It became a popular story in the industry, because the old men who had not been castrated enough and could not make progress all missed that "golden age of castration".

As for Cheng Gong's father, Cheng Yidao, he was not only skilled at stabbing people, but also had a knack for castrating pigs. He could stab people and castrate pigs, and was a well-known wealthy man in the suburbs of Beijing.

Unfortunately, their business was so good that their competitors got jealous and ganged up on them, getting the father and son drunk and then using their best tricks to completely kill them!

Unable to overcome this hurdle, Cheng Yidao committed suicide by jumping into the water and later became the infamous evil spirit, "Knife Craftsman."

Wandering freely inside and outside the pass, encountering him will not endanger your life, but you will definitely have your bell taken away, whether you are a person, cat, dog, pig, sheep, cow or horse.

Cheng Gongze entered the palace and received a government salary thanks to the help of his former clients who had castrated him.

With his unparalleled skills in the imperial palace, he became a guide for many eunuchs when they took office, handling everything from opening the altar to presenting memorials to swift and decisive execution.

He is now the Grand Eunuch of the Imperial Horse Administration, in charge of the Tengxiang Four Guards Camp, and the Director of the Western Depot. He can share power with the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs and is also the godfather and ancestor of many eunuchs.

"Sigh, if only the Great Zhao could also implement the official selection system of the Southern Han court."

"From now on, I can rest easy!"

Emperor Shaozhi had already read Lu Yunchen's memorial, in which he advocated replacing the unambitious land gentry group with another group that controlled other means of production besides land and maintained vitality through full competition.

However, it takes a long time and is difficult to see results in a short period of time. Countless times I have thought about using the "eunuch selection system" for officials, which is simple and direct.

But he also knew in his heart that if he dared to give the order, then regardless of whether it was Guishan Bookstore or not, everyone in the world would rebel against him, so it was simply not feasible.

They had to accept the reality that the "enemies of imperial power" were now impossible to eradicate completely.

"It's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark."

I am not afraid of them sending out the highest-ranking living ghosts and gods to besiege me; I am only afraid of that unknown talismanic object.

It is imperative to find absolutely reliable people to protect the palace and guard against any hidden threats.

Once I have cultivated my life force using this [Five Organs Returning to Truth Pill], I will no longer be a fragile mortal, and I will be able to calmly clean up the mess.

So what if the Han family's destiny is nearing its end? I will simply rebuild the world and transform the Great Zhao into an immortal dynasty that will last for ten thousand years!

Once the decision was made, an imperial edict was immediately issued to the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs who was attending to him:
"Summon Lu Yunchen back to the capital immediately!"
Having gained experience as the commander of Zhenhai Guard, he now holds a third-rank military position and has a record of defeating a fourth-rank official in a direct confrontation. He is ordered to return to Bailin Guard to lead troops to protect Xiyuan.

He is further bestowed the title of captain of the "Heavenly Crafted Treasure Ship - Nine-Bend Turbid River Ship," and given command of the nation's treasure, the "One-Eyed Stone Man"!
By the way, the officials in charge of Minzhou played a significant role in this recent Japanese pirate raid in the southeast.

"Let Lu Yunchen and General Yu Zhifu, the commander of the anti-Japanese forces, recommend candidates for the vacant position of commander of Zhenhai Guard. I grant all their requests."

After saying that, he subconsciously squeezed the sword hidden in his sleeve.

The scabbard was inscribed with a poem that exuded murderous intent:

"When autumn comes on September 8th, I will kill all the flowers after they have bloomed.

The incense formation soaring into the sky penetrates Chang'an, and the whole city is covered with golden armor. "

That was his greatest trump card for survival—the national treasure, the [Huang Chao's Equalization Sword]!
Huang Chao styled himself "Chongtian Taibao Junping Dajiangjun" (meaning "Great Protector of the Sky and General of Equal Peace").

"Soaring to the heavens" means to use force to overthrow the Tang Dynasty's rule; "Equalization" means to rob the rich and help the poor, breaking down the rigid class system.

The brutal massacres perpetrated by Huang Chao and the end of the Tang Dynasty, coupled with the radical reform of the imperial examination system, finally brought an end to the millennia-long rule of powerful clans, both physically and institutionally.

This is the most effective treasure in the Emperor's Treasury for countering the Nine-Rank Official System.

Emperor Shaozhi's face regained its composure:

"Now, let me see who will emerge victorious! Whose world truly belongs to this land?"

Inside the Pear Blossom Palace.

Wang Cheng asked Longweiye to arrange for the Britannian envoy to stay temporarily, while he himself read the letter from the "Virgin Queen" over and over again.

Needless to say, the greetings and admiration were abundant; the 28-year-old Queen seemed to be a true book lover, her letter brimming with praise.

There is also a dazzling list of gifts, which is simply a lavish reward that countless authors would love to receive.

This shows that the book "The Influence of Sea Power" truly resonated deeply with her.

Given that both were kings of the same country and had no historical entanglements or conflicts of interest, their interactions were characterized by equality and intimacy, a stark contrast to their interactions with others.

Most importantly, both East Sea Kingdom and Britannia are island nations with very similar external circumstances, both facing another landmass filled with other countries.

One is a fragmented continent that has been broken up over a thousand years, while the other faces the main island of Japan, where various powerful daimyo reside.

The Virgin Queen, who had been crowned just three years prior, had many questions she wanted to ask this maritime strategy expert.

Wang Cheng looked at her questions:

The conflict between old and new religions, their fragile finances, the centrifugal forces of the nobility supporting their rival Mary, and most importantly, the constant shrinking of their living space by the maritime superpower, the Franzian Empire—how can they break out of this predicament?
"Tsk tsk, this lady's family is facing even more internal and external troubles than my Donghai Kingdom."

This small archipelago is divided into three or four parts.

Why isn't it a real number?
Because sometimes it's three pieces, sometimes it's four pieces, and sometimes it looks like one piece, but you don't actually know how many pieces it is.

The nickname given to them, "Britannia and the Emerald Isle are not necessarily a United Kingdom," is truly fitting.

However, for the Donghai Kingdom, a country with limited strength yet yearning to rise up and become its own master was an excellent partner.

Summon four little monster pens: Zhongshu Jun; ink: Songzi Hou; paper: Chu Xiansheng; inkstone: Jimo Hou, and write a reply.

"I can no longer agree with Her Majesty the Queen."

The East Frankish Empire, which pursues hegemony and wantonly bullies the weak, is a scourge, a butcher, and a creator of instability in the world. People of insight from all over the world should unite to strike it down.

First, there was a lot of empathy and shared hatred, which maximized her emotional value.

Then he continued writing:

"Your Majesty, please do not worry. I secretly predict that Philip II will suffer three defeats, while Your Majesty will achieve three victories."

(End of this chapter)