Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

"I'll let you eat it, so eat it. This is good stuff, and ordinary people can't easily get it."

Everyone looked at each other, but since Shangluo said so, they still lined up one by one and each took a boiled egg, a total of 7.

“How come it tastes exactly like boiled eggs.”

“And Huang.”

"Why is this egg so round?"

[Hmm, I scanned it and they absorbed it pretty well. That's it. Jinyiwei's elixir still needs some power to activate. It's not very effective for mortals to eat. It's much more convenient to have boiled eggs as a base.]

"Okay." Shangluo clapped his hands. "Since you have decided to follow me live, I will briefly explain the next steps to you."

He reached into his bag, and Victoria immediately handed him a map.

"Shangluo, why are there so many things in the bag on your chest?"

They finally realized that the huge pile of things Shangluo had just taken out like magic now contained a map that he had casually taken out. This was truly no ordinary package.

"Want it? You can practice with it. It's not impossible—although it's not this big, it's still enough to put a map. Take a look."

Shangluo turned the map over, which was a layout map of the old Edo Railway.

Although the entire Edo Castle has been burned down, the layout of the railway is still there - it is easy to see that there is a loop line built there in Edo Castle, and Shangluo has also pointed out seven points, arranged in the shape of the Big Dipper.

The first one is Torigoe Shrine, followed by Kabuto Shrine, Masakadozuka, and finally Kai Shrine.

"This is?"

"Let me explain what this is. This is the national defense formation of the Edo region, established by Tokugawa Ieyasu. The center of the formation is an ancient military commander named Taira no Masakado."

"What has this person done?"

"He rebelled - he was an extremely rare person in Japanese history who rebelled against the King of Wa. Let's not worry about whether he was usurping the throne by calling himself the 'new emperor'. Let's just say that the nature of this kind of worship is essentially a 'dead general worship'."

The worship of dead generals flourished in China during the Six Dynasties. It is a kind of fierce god worship and a continuation of the belief in ghosts and spirits. People believe that those defeated dead generals have great resentment and therefore have powerful divine power. Yes. There are such powerful "ghost armies" as 490,000 powerful warriors and 900 million iron-faced cavalry officers.

Commemorating generals who died with hatred is a fairly common phenomenon. For example, when Fu Jian just died, there were people saying that he appeared in various places. After all, the hatred of the Battle of Feishui was too great.

When it comes to Taira no Masakado, there is also worship of the dead general. Although these imperial censors do not know how he died, they can immediately understand the nature of the matter.

"Then here comes the question." The leading censor asked, "How do we worship Tokugawa Ieyasu? Are we asking him to protect the country and the people?"

"It is not used to suppress the dragon vein. Because everyone probably knows that the so-called 'King of Japan' is called 'Shogun' in his country. The Edo Shogunate, which pretends to obey but secretly disobeys, is actually a vassal of both sides, a general inside and a king outside. The arrangement of the Big Dipper Formation is to strengthen, not suppress, Taira Masakado's strength - this is mainly for internal use. Because in history, Taira Masakado was killed because he raised the banner of rebellion."

"Wow!" Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. After all, it was a bit shocking to openly worship a "traitor" next to him. But considering that Tokugawa Ieyasu was also a traitor leader, this was not so surprising.

"So, what is the way to worship?"

"To put it simply, Tokugawa Ieyasu accepted the secrets of Esoteric Buddhism at that time, and under the guidance of a monk named Tenkai, he invited the Bodhisattva Myoken, who protects the country, to bless Taira Masakado. In Esoteric Buddhism, the Bodhisattva Myoken symbolizes the Big Dipper, so in addition to the first star enshrining the Bodhisattva Myoken himself, the other six temples are used to enshrine the six parts of Taira Masakado's body, including his head, helmet, armor, etc."

Everyone nodded - although this happened overseas, they could fully understand the logic behind it. After all, Wang Mang's head was also a treasure and had been collected for a long time.

"So are we going to defeat this Japanese Wang Mang?"

"In fact, it has been broken by Xu Fu"

Shangluo drew a circle: "On the map, Xu Fu built a circular rail transit line, which cut off the Bodhisattva Miaojian among the seven stars and enclosed the six parts of Taira no Masakado's body in the circle. I think Xu Fu did this for his own purpose - to destroy the already submissive earth veins here, stimulate Taira no Masakado's resentment, and make him collide with the royal aura."

"Although it's inexplicable, it's completely understandable logically." Everyone nodded - after all, this art is the same as logic and Feng Shui, and they all know something about Feng Shui. Maybe they don't know how to arrange Feng Shui specifically, but guiding certain qi to collide with other qi is indeed a common Feng Shui spell. When each family builds a house or opens a store, they usually ask someone to calculate it.

"So," Shangluo concluded, "we just need to remove the root of the disease here - just kill this Pingjiangmen. All the land under heaven belongs to the emperor, and rebelling against the emperor is also against the emperor. I will use the emperor's sword to kill this evil spirit and completely suppress the earth veins here. It doesn't matter that we can't get into Xu Fu's place. He fights his battles and we fight ours."

Chapter 1205 Tactics

Looking at the thunder rumbling across the Edo Bay across the sea, Shangluo shook his head: "It is said in Chapter 56 of the Tao Te Ching - Those who know do not speak, and those who speak do not know. Block its openings, close its doors; blunt its sharpness, resolve its conflicts, harmonize its light, and be one with its dust. This is called mysterious unity."

[Why did you start reciting the Tao Te Ching like Daozu? ]

"It's not that I want to read it. It's just that I'm trying to put myself in the thoughts of those old guys."

Shangluo was not going to be led by Xu Fu again. Dealing with this old alchemist, it seemed like he was winning, winning, winning, but he would probably lose everything in the end. Because he was really "blunting its sharpness, resolving its disputes, harmonizing its light, and making it one with its dust". It seemed like he had killed everything, but Xu Fu had been avoiding the core issue. Even if he caught someone who looked like Xu Fu, that was just a bait he threw out, and the ultimate goal was to lead Shangluo to his pre-set goal.

Although Shangluo was not frustrated, he always felt a little unhappy because he was suppressed by the old man in terms of information. He was always in the open, and the sinister Xu Fu might have been hiding somewhere watching.

Now, Shangluo decided to jump out of the circle he had set up and directly remove the firewood from the fire - the alchemist needed to take advantage of the situation before he could practice his magic. Instead of fighting his magic head-on, it would be better to solve his momentum first.

[So how do you know this is not Xu Fu's next goal?]

"Then what else can I think? If anything I do could be arranged by Xu Fu, then there is no way to avoid it. Since there is no way to avoid it, then I might as well just shave off all these worries - we start from the origin of the alchemist, go to his rescue, and resolve his situation. I want to see how far he can retreat."

Xu Fu did not control this land for long. After all, Xu Fu controlled the mountainous area of ​​Kumano, where there was a temple dedicated to Xu Fu. This was originally a secular territory, and Xu Fu did not intervene.

Shangluo had seen the territory that Xu Fu had been running for a long time. That place was indeed outrageous: the dogs were easy to defeat, the maze was easy to defeat, the process didn't look difficult, and the elixir could be obtained as long as the process was completed - but all of these were strung together and there was no way to solve it.

Shangluo had no way to complete the task and get the elixir Xu Fu mentioned without using weapons of mass destruction, following Xu Fu's instructions step by step, and protecting himself from being surrounded and killed by the Tengu - and the function of the elixir was even unknown. This series of troubles were linked together, and the difficulty of passing the level directly spiraled up.

Rather than compete with Xu Fu in patience, Shangluo decided to come here first to find a solution, because Xu Fu's business in Edo was still shallow.

Although it is relatively "shallow", fortunately, what Xu Fu did here and what layout he had can be seen in the end, unlike in Xiongye where there is no clue to solve the case. Here, Shangluo can clearly see the rail transit line planned by Xu Fu——

Because this route is clearly displayed on the sign at the tram station. As for the worship of the dead general, Shangluo also knew about it.

"Come to think of it." After listening to Shangluo's plan, Lu Huaiyang remembered something, "About 8 years ago, there was a strange thing here."

"Oh? What's the matter?"

"There was an earthquake in Edo, a big earthquake." Lu Huaiyang replied, "The big earthquake in Edo at that time caused 57% of the area of ​​Edo city to be damaged. This seems to be an important opportunity for the later abandonment of Edo, which prompted Xu Fu to make the decision to completely abandon Edo and move the ruling center to Chiba City, which was already under construction at that time."

"Aren't earthquakes common here in Japan?"

"Earthquakes are common, but earthquakes we can't predict are less common."

"So we can predict earthquakes?" Shangluo asked in confusion.

"It's not us. It's you." Lu Huaiyang shook his head. "The auspicious sign of Qilinzi is first manifested here - since you came, we can actually know the exact time when all earthquakes will occur. Because geological changes will not be affected by human intervention, earthquakes will occur when they are supposed to."

"Ah! I suddenly feel that my merits are increasing. So I evacuated people a few days before the earthquake?"

"No, not a short time before the earthquake - we directly cleared the places where the earthquake might occur. After all, if it is only a few days in advance, although lives can be saved, there will still be property losses. So our choice is not to clear it a few days in advance, but a few years in advance."

“Is this how it’s solved?!”

"Well, we will settle the accounts. If the investment income during this period exceeds the losses from the earthquake, then we will continue to invest. After all, the place is so big that construction is not the same as construction anywhere. After the safety of human lives is completely guaranteed, of course we will settle the accounts - but."

Lu Huaiyang looked in front of him:

"In fact, we also help the tributary states make predictions, mainly to report major earthquakes. Although the entire country of Japan is built on an earthquake belt, there are also earthquake belts in order. The two biggest threats to Japan are mainly the subduction zone of the Pacific plate just below Edo, and the other is the trough fault zone south of Shikoku Island. These two places will cause devastating damage to Edo and Osaka. In order to prevent them from collapsing and causing security problems for the court, we will report earthquakes that exceed a certain threshold."

"But are there any more earthquakes in Edo?"

"Yes." Lu Huaiyang nodded, "In the summer eight years ago, an unexpected earthquake occurred in Edo. This earthquake was not included in the information you brought, Shangluo, and it did not conform to the cyclical laws of geology itself. It was an occasional earthquake.

"We didn't pay much attention to it at first, but if we connect it with the 'Tai-Jiang-mon cult' you mentioned just now, it seems to point to a critical time point - the day of the earthquake was the day when the loop track was sealed. Because of the earthquake, it seems that the sealing project was delayed for 3 months, but it was finally completed."

"Speaking of which, this also brought unexpected effects." Fu Yuanshan added, "The work of predicting earthquakes through the information you brought to us, Shangluo, was no longer effective after that. After all, the movement of the earth's strata is originally a chaotic system, and it is easy for a single move to affect the entire system. That major earthquake completely disrupted the rules of earthquake prediction, causing all recorded earthquakes to occur at an unexpected time."

"Then I'm at a huge loss! I could have earned a lot of merit, right?"

Chapter 1206 Preparing to Catch the Monster

"You're right," Fu Yuanshan nodded. "If we take shelter according to the information you brought and avoid every major earthquake, then Shangluo, you can be said to have done a great deed. After all, you have saved countless priceless lives and recovered astronomical losses. But because Xu Fu's project disturbed the earth veins, these predictions could not be fulfilled, and the merits cannot be attributed to you."

"What did I say?" Ao Zang slammed his hand on the railing. "I said that old Xu Fu was full of bad intentions! Lord Shang Tian, ​​he owes you karma now, right? You have to collect interest from him too!"

"If the good guys knew in advance, they would never let him get away."

[Eh? Shangluo, your blood pressure is high again. Your blood pressure is not high? Aren't you angry? ]

"Angry? This actually makes me happy - I didn't know where to redeem my merits before. Now Xu Fu has wiped out my merits, so I can just go to Xu Fu to redeem them. How can I be angry? This is a huge profit!"

[Well, you can always find blind spots that others can't. Now, you really have a reason to settle accounts with Xu Fu.]

"This is actually quite crucial - you can see that although Xu Fu was not afraid of anything, he was still afraid of the First Emperor, because he did owe the First Emperor karma. He owed karma to the Dragon Palace, and he has always remembered it. Now, he owes me. I will not let him escape without exposing himself to death."

Xu Fu was always in a state of being particular and not particular. But as long as he owed a debt, Xu Fu was locked in the state of "escaping from debt", which could help Shangluo to grasp Xu Fu's motives and lifeblood.

Ao Zang was so excited that he couldn't express it in words - because now there was one more creditor in the same situation as him. Also, if Shangluo didn't take it, he would be embarrassed to take too much.

"Then, Lord Shang Tian! Let's go find that old man and get our debt back!"

"I don't know if he can afford to pay both of us back at the same time."

"Oh, you're talking about that." Ao Zang spread his hands and said, "It doesn't matter. When the time comes, let Xu Fu repay the debt to you, the Heavenly Monarch, first."

"You're so generous?"

"Public interests come before private ones. The merits you have done are of course more important than the financial debt owed to Dragon Palace. Besides, this is the duty of a subject. If you take it, then we in Dragon Palace can get some."

"You are not shy about it at all. However, you should be prepared that Xu Fu cannot pay it back. The difference may be huge."

"That's easy, easy." Ao Zang had a confident smile on his face, "It doesn't matter if he can't pay it back. I will lend him money to pay it back."

"???"

"Why are you looking at me? Xu Fu is a high-quality asset. I would love to make him go into debt. Hehehe, it would be best if he couldn't pay back a single cent, and then owed us an astronomical sum with compound interest. Hehehehe~~"

[Commissioner Ao can no longer hide his smile. He is not holding back at all. If you take, he can actually take more - so the less he takes, the more he will get.]

"Okay, okay." Shangluo shook his head. "I care about the part that can be cashed right now, because I need assets that can be obtained immediately."

He looked at Ao Zang and said, "Then, let's split up. You guys continue to go to Qianye to contain Xu Fu's army, and the king's division is coming to catch the monster!"

The imperial army, having already landed, began to gather in the ruins of Edo Castle. The old Edo railway was still usable, but the vehicles operating on it were not normal trains, but rail-wrecking vehicles—high-powered locomotives with steel plows attached to their rear ends. They plowed through the railroad ties wherever they passed, leaving the rails bent like wool.

The commuter rails, built at great expense, would be destroyed by the war machine in a matter of hours. The imperial division's soldiers did not enter Edo, but waited at the Yokohama landing field. They were the reserve force for this operation, ready to be deployed to Shangluo when needed.

The location of Shangluo is the key node where the railway was later destroyed - Torigoe Shrine.

Although it is called a "shrine", the place is actually flattened. Unlike the surrounding steel and concrete ruins, the wooden buildings here are extremely damaged. From the outside, it looks like a wasteland.

"Indeed." Fu Yuanshan half-knelt on the ground, supporting himself with his hands. "The spiritual energy here is suppressed. When the railway is destroyed, the suppressed spiritual energy here should be released. But, what kind of formation is this? Can you explain it briefly?"

"Tokugawa Ieyasu arranged the Big Dipper, and this is the first star. As for why it is the Big Dipper, it is because that is the deity Myoken Bodhisattva worshipped by Taira no Masakado, the dead general sealed here. And here——

"This Torigoe Shrine is dedicated to the war god in Japanese folklore. It is a certain mythical king of Wa. His name is [Yatake no Mikoto]."

"What's the connection between these two?"

"There is a connection in Japan's Shinto-Buddhism system - they believe that local gods are incarnations of Bodhisattvas. Myoken Bodhisattva is a god of war, and Yamato Takenoko is also a god of war, so Yamato Takenoko is the incarnation of Myoken Bodhisattva who manifested in the local area to promote the Dharma. That's why this is the primary node in the entire formation. The other parts are buried with the body fragments of Taira no Masakado himself, and this place uses divine power to amplify his strength."

"I see." Fu Yuanshan nodded, "It's a very good plan - Xu Fu's plan is also good."

Xu Fu's orbit separated the temple that possessed the power of Myoken Bodhisattva from the fragments of Taira no Masakado, making Taira no Masakado a simple vengeful spirit, and he was not guided by the power of the god of war to protect the "samurai" - this was the purpose of Tokugawa Ieyasu himself in setting up this formation.

"And this railway." Fu Yuanshan looked at the ground. "This railway is also wonderful. Railways are popular, and the huge number of passengers coming and going every day can suppress the local spiritual energy. This is similar to using schools to suppress graves. And when it comes to crowds, nothing is more crowded than commuter railways. Even the monstrous power of curses can indeed be suppressed by the huge number of passengers coming and going every day. When Xu Fu is caught, if he is still alive after paying your debt, I would like to invite him over."

"You want to use his knowledge?"

"This is the most classic, lost pre-Qin magic. It is really wonderful, isn't it? If we can regain these long-lost powerful magics from Xu Fu, Da Nei may be able to make further progress - but then again, what is the name of our gang here? What is the name of that vengeful spirit?"

"Taira Masakado. He wanted to be the King of Wa, but he was killed because of rebellion."

"Will he listen to us when he wakes up?"

"He's probably in a bad mood when he wakes up - but he's just a dead general. If he dares to draw his sword against the king's army, let him die again. The battleship's cannon is pointed at this place. Even if we don't take action, using this cannonball to flatten his remains will be enough to scare him to death. What I'm planning is something else."

"Huh? What's the matter?"

"He wants to be the King of Japan, and I want to be crowned the King of Japan. You see, how can it be such a coincidence?"

Chapter 1207 Formation

The Ming Dynasty's engineering machinery demonstrated remarkable efficiency. The rail transit loop line that Edo Castle had spent a huge amount of money to build was demolished in two hours. All the sleepers were cut one by one by the steel plow.

Shangluo had seen the black smoke before he heard the roar of the high-power diesel engine from a distance. The front of the car was almost rectangular, and the diesel engine drove the generator, which in turn drove the high-power DC motor through the electric transmission system.

The huge torque of the electric motor drove the locomotive forward, and the sound of wood cracking mixed with the roar of the engine. As it drove forward, the broken wood and gravel behind it were shoveled all over the sky.

When a whole row of locomotives drove past Shangluo, the last section of the rails was also scraped away. The noose that cut off the Seven Star Formation was also loosened at this moment.

Shangluo looked at the temple, and there was no reaction there - but then, the ground began to shake.

[It’s coming. There’s an earthquake! It’s a magnitude 7 earthquake! ]

"As expected, the local elves are the best at chanting magic on the earth veins." Phaethon stood on the ground. "If we want to use external forces to detonate the earth veins, I don't know how much manpower and material resources will be consumed. But as long as we use the appropriate method to set up the formation, we can directly trigger the long-accumulated power in the earth veins for his use. Although we don't know how the power is transmitted, I haven't seen such classic magic for a long time."