Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 419 You've Waited for the Wrong Person
What does it mean to save the country?

Xu Xuan naturally wouldn't agree easily, but instead carefully inquired about the standards for completing the task.

If someone in Chaoge City were to wish for good deeds to be rewarded and evil deeds to be punished, then he would have to log into his ultimate form, a combination of saint and demon.

If the other party shamelessly wants Wei to become the hegemon of the Spring and Autumn Period, then there is nothing that can be done but take your leave. As soon as you leave, you will see King Benbo seize the sword and abandon the city.

This all depends on the other party's expectations.

He cannot afford to invest a great deal of effort and time in the shadows of the past.

What's past is past, and obsession is just that—obsession; both are illusions.

Kong Zhou sighed and put down the faintly visible string of silk in his hand.

"Mr. Xu has traveled to many countries and has extensive knowledge. I imagine he has already seen the state of people's livelihood as soon as he arrived in Wei."

"If there wasn't absolutely no other way..."

Okay, now let's explain the background of this matter.

On the day of Gui Chou in the fifth month of the thirty-first year of Duke Hui of Wei, Duke Hui of Wei passed away, and his son, Prince Chi, succeeded him as Duke Yi of Wei.

No sooner had this monarch ascended the throne than Duke Huan of Qi led his army to attack the State of Wei.

After the Qi army defeated the Wei army, Duke Huan of Qi, in the name of the Zhou emperor, rebuked the State of Wei, seized Wei's wealth, and then withdrew his troops back to Qi.

Duke Huan of Qi was the famous Prince Xiaobai, a hegemon of the Spring and Autumn Period, and the most brilliant protagonist of that era.

Therefore, Duke Yi of Wei was shrouded in a shadow from the moment he ascended to the throne.

Furthermore, he inherited the pure blood essence of the rulers of the State of Wei throughout the ages, adding all the talents of his ancestors to his absurdity.

"The state of Wei is corrupt in three ways."

"Firstly, he indulged in extravagance and debauchery, and abused the Wanwu dance."

Simple and elegant, the dance is about to begin. The dignified man, graceful and imposing, will perform the dance in the public court.

Wanwu was originally a dance performed during rainmaking rituals. It is also a kind of "invisible dance," that is, a nude dance without clothes.

Witches and priestesses used female nudity to seduce masculine deities, hoping for their descent and the bringing of dew to the people of Wei.

The Wei people believed that the union of heaven and earth would bring rain to nourish all things; and that the intercourse between men and women would also give birth to all things, and that the two could influence each other.

Duke Yi of Wei discarded the essence and kept the dross.

They promoted sacrificial dances to the common people, encouraging more and more beautiful women to learn the dances, and then forcibly incorporated them into the palace for rehearsals.

When the ruler has a certain preference, those below will follow suit. The nobles also followed suit.

As a result, the number of young women in Wei became increasingly scarce, and the population of the small country also declined year by year.

This is too good.

The great affairs of the country lie in sacrifice and military affairs.

I've seen lewd things, but it's quite rare to see sacrificial dances used for sexual purposes.

Even the decadent Jin Dynasty hadn't reached this point. Xu Xuan could only marvel at the great talent of the King of Wei.

Kong Zhou abhorred this, perhaps believing that it was the king's incompetence that caused the gods to no longer protect this land, plunging the State of Wei into poverty.

"Secondly, they engaged in large-scale construction projects and mobilized laborers day and night."

“Expand the capital, rebuild the palace, and construct a high platform, ten zhang high and fifteen zhang wide at the base.”

"They take the grandeur of earth and wood, and the beauty of intricate carvings, as well as the magnificence of metal, stone, gourd, and bamboo, and the clamor of commoners as their pleasure; they take the sight of the grand, the extravagant, and the licentious as their wisdom, and the ability to discern the pure from the impure as their intelligence."

"The people were exhausted, the treasury was depleted, the harvest was ruined, the officials were overwhelmed, and the whole country was forced to stay, which took several years to complete."

“The purpose of building pavilions and terraces is to educate the people and benefit them, but they do not realize that it will lead to their depletion.”

Excessive construction projects have always been a sign of an emperor's incompetence. Many renowned kings had their palaces renovated and were reported to the emperor by censors and recorded by historians.

In addition, Chaoge has a history of such incidents.

This time, King Wei not only inherited the desires of the monarch of Wei, but also resonated with Emperor Xin across time and space.

While expanding the capital, they even wanted to build a Crane Terrace.

The craftsmen were conscripted and worked day and night, and countless people died from exhaustion.

Several riots have already occurred and have been suppressed by the army, but it is uncertain whether the next one can be suppressed as well.

Kong Zhou was very worried, knowing that the former Duke of Wei had done the same thing and was killed. "Indeed, spectacles ruin a country!"

This is the thing we fear most in the progress of Civilization VI, Xu Xuan deeply agrees.

The people of Wei are suffering.

In the end, the beloved crane lost its followers.

Kong Zhou was already filled with shame and indignation at this point.

"The cranes kept by Duke Yi all had ranks and salaries: the highest-ranking ones received the salary of a high-ranking official, and the next highest-ranking ones received the salary of a low-ranking official. When Duke Yi went on a trip, his cranes would also follow him in order, and he would be carried in a large carriage, placed in front of the carriage, and called 'Crane Generals'. The people who raised the cranes also received regular salaries. He levied heavy taxes on the people to feed the cranes, and he did not provide any relief to the people who were hungry or cold."

To indulge in frivolous pursuits to this extent is truly bizarre; neglecting the people and soldiers, he squandered money to support cranes.

This person has lost all face among the northern kingdoms, and even the Di people are mocking this descendant of the Ji family.

Perhaps only Emperor Xuanzong of Ming's love of crickets could rival it in later generations.

Xu Xuan suddenly realized something.

It's no wonder that the Spring and Autumn Period needed many wise men to emerge to catalyze the progress of civilization.

Such people are not unique among the many.

Even a great man like Confucius developed a muscular physique; seeing someone like that really makes you want to punch him.

"So you mean to let Wanwu return to the ritual, let the artisans rest, and let King Wei stop favoring cranes, right?"

"Yes."

Xu Xuan nearly slapped this old man to death. If it were a conventional method, who knows how long it would take to complete? Did he really think I was some kind of Kinnara?!
Through this middle-aged Kong Zhou, he seemed to see another Kong Zhou lying on his sickbed, his voice filled with resentment before his death.

There were many righteous people in the Spring and Autumn Period, and you should be considered one of them.

Xu Xuan picked up Han Guang.

"Light is invisible because time flies by faster than lightning, and can reach heaven and earth in an instant, making people unaware of it."

Then he picked up Chengying again.

"The shadow only preserves the form, which is the random movement of Qi. It contains the form and the shadow is seemingly there yet not there."

Finally, I picked up the night-time exercise.

"If there is residual wind, cold, heat, wind and dampness will enter the body and affect the body, and all of them will cause symptoms."

"The highest grade, 'Holding Light,' is the state of entering the Dao and uniting with the body. The middle grade, 'Received Shadow,' is the state of encountering the Dao and being guided by it. The lowest grade, 'Night Practice,' is the state of adhering to the Dao and cultivating oneself."

Time, energy, and wind have grasped the secrets of heaven, and nature has grasped the principles of nature.

Kong Zhou was puzzled. "I was issuing a task, why did you suddenly start appreciating swords again?"
Xu Xuan glanced at him and continued:

"The three swords can be combined into one, and can even capture images of the past for the sword master. How amazing is that?"

"But is it really worth it?"

This person was extremely loyal, but unfortunately, he was blinded by his own limited perspective.

To place one's hopes on three swords is truly futile and utterly foolish.

All three of your questions are actually the same thing.

"I'll ask one last time, you can give me the sword as long as the problem is solved, right?"

Xu Xuan was very serious; he was prepared to complete this task in his own way.

"Yes."

Kong Zhou was unaware of the significance of this statement; he had been waiting here, hoping for a great talent.

Just like Guan Zhong and Yan Ying of the State of Qi, they were great talents who made the country prosperous.

Unfortunately, he waited for the wrong person today.

Hungry and angry laborers, sorrowful and resentful dancers, and inhuman nobles.

With so many conditions combined, Xu Xuan felt the task was far too simple.

Since that's the case, let's just speed it up.

It's just a royal city from the Spring and Autumn Period, so it's not very difficult.

(End of this chapter)