In the beginning, he was ranked alongside An Shigeng as a spoiled brat.

Moreover, if the army is defeated this time, Emperor Huizong will inevitably abdicate and shirk responsibility. The already precarious Song Dynasty will be further weakened by this ordeal…

Even Zhang Yuan was startled by Zhang Xiaoshan's speculation, not to mention Uncle Yang, whose hands were trembling as he poured tea.

"Shan'er, who told you all this? Are you plotting something?"

"Father is joking. Even if I act domineeringly, I would never joke about the lives of millions of people."

Besides, Fang La was a disciple of the Zoroastrianism. You also know that the Five Elements Banner, the Three Wanderers, the Golden-Haired Lion King Xie Xun, and the Purple-Robed Dragon King Dai Qisi of the Zoroastrianism all died directly or indirectly at the hands of the Zhang family. Even if I were to scheme against him, I would never help Fang La.”

Zhang Yuan, Juexin, and the others all nodded. Zhang Xiaoshan wasn't that ruthless, and the Zhang family had a deep-seated hatred for the Zoroastrianism, which went far beyond mere interests.

"I have these feelings because someone told me:"

When the righteous path declines, evil flourishes, and chaos is imminent.

After a thousand years of strife, the world will be completely unified this time, and undoubtedly, the Zhao family of the Song Dynasty will be the first to be eliminated!

Upon hearing this, everyone was even more shocked.

Zhang Yuan, in particular, looked at Zhang Xiaoshan with a suspicious expression.

Is he insane, or has his ambition suddenly swelled, and he wants to compete for the world?

"Father, do not doubt that I have been misled or bewitched, because I have never had any desire to conquer the world."

Moreover, that person definitely has the ability to predict the future of the world. Father, don't you know me well? When have I ever admired anyone, or even believed anyone's predictions?

"Who is that person?"

In an instant, everyone turned to look at Zhang Xiaoshan. In their eyes, there were very few people whom Zhang Xiaoshan truly admired.

Moreover, such a learned person, number 150, must be a Taoist. Could it be Zhang Sanfeng?

"I don't know either, I've only met him twice."

One time was at the bottom of Bottle Valley, where he suddenly attacked. His strength was above my peak Eight Cauldrons level at the time, and about the same as my current strength.

The second instance was at the Gates of Hell, where the prophecy foretold the decline of evil and the rise of demons, foretelling an era of chaos.

"It's him!"

Everyone was immediately taken aback, not expecting that the expert Zhang Xiaoshan spoke of was indeed an expert.

How capable is Zhang Xiaoshan?

Even if no one doubted it, Juexin, who had now mastered his divine skills, would probably be defeated in no more than three moves by Zhang Xiaoshan's Nine Cauldrons Power.

The opponent's strength is similar to Zhang Xiaoshan's, so you can imagine how terrifying they are.

"Alright, such distorted and nonsensical words must not be spoken."

"understood!"

Seeing Zhang Xiaoshan's nonchalant attitude, Zhang Yuan felt helpless.

Now that her son is grown up, the fairy no longer listens to her at all.

It might seem like filial impiety, but Zhang Yuan knew that Zhang Xiaoshan's beliefs were completely different from his own.

However, Zhang Yuan also had a vague sense of foreboding, fearing that Zhang Xiaoshan's prediction was about to come true, since he knew that Zhang Xiaoshan never spoke without reason.

Sure enough, just as the Zhang family's fleet arrived at the mouth of the Long River, they heard the news of the fall of Lin'an Prefecture.

Not to mention the shock on the Zhang family's fleet, the entire Kyushu region was incredulous.

The well-equipped and well-trained Eighty Imperial Guards were defeated by a rabble of two to three hundred thousand men.

Even though the Song Dynasty court repeatedly shirked responsibility, the clear responsibility for this battle lay with the commander's poor performance, which led to the Imperial Guards retreating without a fight.

Even the emperor was faster to escape than anyone else.

Although Emperor Huizong fled to the south, the foundation of the Song Dynasty remained, but its decline was already very evident.

As Zhang Xiaoshan had predicted, during his escape, Emperor Huizong abdicated the throne to his son, Crown Prince Zhao Heng, and became the Retired Emperor.

This bizarre move completely confirmed Zhang Xiaoshan's prediction: the Zhao family of the Song Dynasty was beyond saving.

Chapter 377 Taking Root in Zhuxian Town and Moving West to the Divine Capital Tokyo

Zhuxian Town!

This place used to be a dilapidated town.

Before the Longjiang and Longhe rivers were cleaned up, this place was completely unremarkable.

However, after the Longjiang and Longhe rivers were cleaned up, this area became a hub for north-south transportation and had great development potential.

After all, the four ancient towns from the Ming and Qing dynasties have absolute potential.

Previously, the Zhang family had invested a lot of manpower and resources here because of the destruction caused by the battle of Zhuxian Town.

In everyone's eyes, this was the Zhang family's compensation to Zhuxian Town.

But who could have imagined that Zhang Xiaoshan had already planned ahead, knowing that the Song Dynasty could not last long, and built a base for the Zhang family in Zhuxian Town, and moved there at will.

The saying "a cunning rabbit has three burrows" is just one of Zhang Xiaoshan's secret plans.

From the moment the Zhang family started their migration upstream along the Longjiang River, everyone knew the Zhang family's destination—

Zhuxian Town! Or the Imperial City of the Ming Dynasty!

Given the Zhang family's wealth and business scale, the Ming Dynasty capital was undoubtedly the most suitable place for them to relocate.

However, Zhuxian Town was a town invested in by the Zhang family. After many people discovered the potential of Zhuxian Town, they found that it had been completely developed by the Zhang family in just a few years.

Previously, the town was merely a potential area, but now that the Longjiang and Longhe rivers have been cleaned up, it has transformed into a dragon riding the clouds.

"Father, Rong'er, we've arrived at Zhuxian Town!"

Zhuxian Town is a town developed by the Zhang family, so most of the shops here are exquisite and practical.

Firstly, the Zhang family was very wealthy, and secondly, the geographical location here was extremely important.

"Will the Zhang family settle down here from now on?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiaoshan shook his head. Zhuxian Town had good potential, but it was ultimately a small place.

Moreover, with chaos looming, even if Zhang Xiaoshan transforms this place into a military fortress, it will be impossible to avoid the ravages of war.

The only places that can truly escape the chaos of war are large cities; even nearby Kaifeng is safer than here!

Even in a decisive battle where the victor becomes king and the vanquished is condemned, these merchants will be unharmed.

Unlike those rebel armies or foreign tribes that massacre and loot after capturing the capital, the imperial army generally spared no harm to law-abiding merchants.

On the contrary, Lin'an Prefecture, which was captured by the rebel army, had become a living hell.

Those ordinary families are alright; they have no money or power, so there's nothing for them to rob.

But those wealthy families, and even those living in comfort, were basically all wiped out, going straight from heaven to hell.

After all, the empire wanted the whole country, while the rebels rose up because of unfair treatment.

To put it bluntly, it's robbery!

This is an obsession at work: why should some people be born into wealth and luxury, living extravagantly?

But after they are born, they suffer from hunger and cold, and sometimes they are full and sometimes they are not. Under such oppression, they transform into hungry wolves, and naturally they are very tempted by fat meat.

However, having enjoyed a life of luxury, they also became a mob.

Moreover, it was against other races; that was a completely inhumane slaughter.

"This place is too small. My goal is the capital, Tokyo!"

Chang'an, the western capital, and Luoyi, the eastern capital, are two truly ancient capitals with a history of over a thousand years.

Luoyang, the capital of the Great Zhou Empire a thousand years ago, was replaced by Chang'an, the western capital, after the fall of the Great Zhou.

Later, the Tang Dynasty rose to power, first establishing its capital in Chang'an, the western capital, and then Emperor Wu ascended the throne and moved the capital to Tokyo, revealing its ambitions.

Compared to Beijing, the capital of the Ming Dynasty, the capital city of Shendu was more suitable for the Zhang family's development.

The Ming Dynasty valued scholars above all else. Given the Zhang family's past and status, once they settled in the Ming Dynasty, their social standing truly plummeted to the ranks of "scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants."

Furthermore, jumping from one cage to another similar cage is completely pointless.

The Wu Tang dynasty was different; it had very few restrictions from the Zhang family.

Because of the existence of powerful families!

If the Song Dynasty was a system where the emperor and scholar-officials jointly ruled the country, then the Wu Tang Dynasty was a system where the emperor and powerful families jointly ruled the country.

The Zhang family was already considered a prominent family, which immediately elevated their absolute status.

"Tokyo?"

Zhang Yuan also looked surprised when he heard Zhang Xiaoshan's target.

"why?"

He had previously believed that Zhang Xiaoshan's target was Zhuxian Town, given Zhang Xiaoshan's various confusing behaviors.

Moreover, he felt it was a good idea; true masters live in seclusion, and the Zhang family needed to keep a low profile.

But unexpectedly, Zhang Xiaoshan was going to Luoyi, a country ruled by an empress.

"The Later Zhou had Ba Qing, and the Ming Dynasty had Wan Sanqian, neither of whom are suitable for our Zhang family."

Although Wu Tang is controlled by powerful families, it is more advantageous for the Zhang family. No one has the ability to monopolize any industry; it's just a matter of who has the most power.

But the appearance of the Zhang family could change this situation.

"Are you trying to make enemies of the powerful families?"

"Why not a partnership?"

Zhang Xiaoshan smiled mysteriously, leaving Zhang Yuan puzzled.

However, at this moment, they observed the prosperity of Zhuxian Town, which could be said to have reached the pinnacle of the four ancient towns of later generations, all due to the influence of the Zhang family.

Although the Zhang family may seem to have fallen from grace, their strength remains undiminished.

Even the Hong Mansion and those shops that were cleared out could easily be expanded by the Zhang family as long as they had the money and time.

What the Zhang family truly values ​​is its talent; those who were taken away by the Zhang family are all exceptionally talented individuals.

"Master, young master!"

At the dock, as the small boat entered Zhuxian Town along the river, the county magistrate came out to greet them.

The magistrate of Zhuxian Town was bought by the Zhang family, and the government office was also built by the Zhang family.

It can be said that everything here is Zhang's "fiefdom". Even if the imperial court sends people here, they will at most be commanders without troops.

Because all the land here belongs to the Zhang family.

Those "outsiders" who wanted to rebel against the Zhang family didn't even have a place to stay, not even the county government office.

"Uncle Shen!"

Zhang Xiaoshan didn't stand on ceremony and nodded at the county magistrate.

Zhang Yuan was very approachable, and the three of them chatted about everyday things before heading to the government office for a meal!

At this moment, a large number of Zhang family members poured in, making the entire Zhuxian Town exceptionally lively. In particular, many people believed that the Zhang family was about to settle in Zhuxian Town, and they were surveying the town, preparing to look for suitable shops.

Over the course of three days, Zhang Xiaoshan gave some pointers on Zhuxian Town, but showed no intention of letting anyone disembark.

They were constantly resupplying, and their massive throughput meant they didn't take any spies seriously.

Those secret agents from the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guards knew perfectly well that the Zhang family had no intention of operating here at all, and that the much-anticipated Zhuxian Town was not the Zhang family's target.

Zhu Wushi and Cao Zhengchun both had different expressions upon receiving the news.

But no one made a move.

Given the strength displayed by the Zhang family, they have no reason to offend them.

"set sail!"

As the large ship sailed westward once more, everyone understood that the Zhang family's target was the capital city of Tokyo.

···

"The Zhang family's place of migration is actually the capital city?"