Water Margin people

Qi State.

Liangshan City.

"Life is short, and the grass and trees are short in autumn! Another year has passed!"

Sun Lei looked at the imperial garden full of flowers and sighed while lying in the rocking chair.

"Your Majesty, now that the four seas have been united and the world is united, it is time to prepare for the sacrifice to the heavens."

An official saluted to Sun Lei.

"Sacrifice to the heaven? Sacrifice to what heaven?"

Sun Lei asked with a frown.

"Your Majesty has received the mandate of heaven. Your civil and military achievements are unrivaled in ancient and modern times. Now you rule the world and bring the four seas together. You have truly unified the country. There is no one before you and no one after you."

"In this prosperous era, we should offer sacrifices to the Emperor of Heaven and pray that our Great Qi will be forever stable, our country will prosper forever, our people will live in peace, and our goods and people will be prosperous. May the weather be favorable and the harvests be good. May the world be peaceful and wars will not break out. May the court be clear and bright, and the government be in harmony with the people."

"It shows that your majesty and all officials will always be sincere, respect the way of heaven, govern the people, and live up to the trust of heaven and the expectations of our ancestors."

An elderly official saluted Sun Lei.

Wen Huanzhang frowned slightly. This was an old Confucian scholar, a well-educated man. After surrendering to the State of Qi, he had been working diligently and had some ability in governing the country.

"Master Liu, what are you talking about? Everything that is happening now is the result of your majesty's wise and arbitrary decision, the unity of all officials, the dedication of the soldiers, and the unity of the people. What does it have to do with heaven?"

A young official spoke with dissatisfaction. He was very unhappy that the old scholar brought the Emperor of Heaven into this.

Many people also looked dissatisfied.

Sun Lei also had a look of displeasure on his face. It was as if everyone had worked hard and won the victory with difficulty, but in the end, an irrelevant person came in when the MVP was calculated.

"Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, and you have received the grace of Heaven. Now that the world is at peace, offering sacrifices to Heaven to show your merits and appease the people is the general trend!"

Liu Laoru was very persistent. He did it not for himself, but for the continuation of the prosperity of Qi State.

The young officials scoffed at this. They were officials who had just graduated from school and the education they received had made them not revere the heaven or the gods.

"Why must I be the Son of Heaven? I am not satisfied with the word 'Son'!"

Sun Lei looked at Liu Laoru curiously and said.

"This...this...the emperor is the Son of Heaven!"

Liu Laoru didn't know what to say. Since ancient times, emperors have called themselves the Son of Heaven.

"I didn't fall from the sky! How can I be his son?"

Sun Lei continued to ask.

"That...this..."

Liu Laoru was speechless. These things could not be explained.

"I've been reading myths and legends recently. According to the legends, the human race is independent of other races. The human race has only one emperor, and they only obey their ancestors and do not worship gods and ghosts."

"Ji Fa is a coward, wanting to be a son of man, and the people behind him are also cowards, doing nothing but kneeling and worshipping all day long. If you are not ashamed, then I am ashamed!"

Sun Lei looked at Liu Laoru and spoke. He knew that there were many people who had the same idea as Liu Laoru, and today he wanted to break this abnormal idea.

"The Human Emperor! Your Majesty is the Human Emperor!"

The young officials shouted that they were very satisfied with this statement. The Human Emperor was the master of the human race. The human race would not submit to any strong man because this race was the strongest.

"Human Emperor."

Liu Laoru's face changed drastically. This title hasn't appeared for two thousand years.

"Aren't you also a well-read scholar? Go and get ready."

Sun Lei looked at Liu Laoru and gave the order, saying that it would be most appropriate to entrust this kind of matter to this kind of person, as it would be a good opportunity to make use of his expertise.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Liu Laoru was sweating all over and was a little nervous. In Confucianism, the emperor was also the Son of Heaven, but now the emperor wanted to be the emperor of men.

After the officials dispersed, Wen Huanzhang and others stayed.

"Your Majesty, these people have a purpose!"

Li Zhu looked at Sun Lei and said.

"Tell me!"

Sun Lei nodded.

"The transition from the Human Emperor to the Son of Heaven is actually a conspiracy, a conspiracy by Confucianists and aristocrats. The Human Emperor is the supreme ruler of the world, on the same level as gods, Buddhas, ghosts and monsters."

"But since the demise of the Shang Dynasty and the establishment of the Zhou Dynasty, the emperor has become the Son of Heaven, the son of God, and is always subordinate to God. This has also restricted the imperial power. They can use the name of God to suppress the imperial power!"

Li Assistant spoke.

Wen Huanzhang also lowered his head when he heard this. He knew all this, but since ancient times, ministers have used this to restrain the emperor.

"I understand their thinking. Time will prove everything. For two thousand years, dynasties have come and gone in a cycle. This shows that the so-called constraints are meaningless!"

"If the ministers become strong, the imperial power will fall into the hands of others, which will lead to the rise of many heroes and chaos in the world!"

"When the imperial power is bowed to by the ministers, it will lead to the imperial power being unrestrained and becoming wanton and reckless."

"That's why I emphasize the law. I want a convention to constrain everyone!"

Sun Lei looked at everyone and said.

"Your Majesty has a far-sighted vision, and we admire you!"

Li Zhu and others saluted to Sun Lei.

"Your Majesty, there is a telegram. There is news about Advisor Xu's fleet!"

An official came over and handed over a telegram reporting the incident.

"Oh, the round-the-world voyage is finally coming to an end!"

Sun Lei looked at the telegram and said with a smile, Xu Guanzhong and Li Jun are back, so the round-the-world voyage is a complete success.

Everyone had a happy look on their faces. It had been a long time since Xu Guanzhong left Venice and had not sent any news back.

"Your Majesty, should this matter be made public?"

Zhu Wu looked at Sun Lei and asked.

"Of course we have to spread the word, and spread it widely. Tell them that the fleet sailed westward and finally returned from the east. The world is round, and there is no such thing as a round earth!"

Sun Lei nodded and said that this was very important. The success of the round-the-world voyage could break too many inherent ideas.

When the newspaper got the news, it immediately began preparing the front-page headline.

《Shock! The world is round! We live on a ball!》

"Around the world has been successfully completed, and the world is about to be turned upside down!"

"Two months later, the fleet returned to Hong Kong. Xu Guanzhong and Li Jun's round-the-world voyage!"

……

The world is round. This news shocked the world. From officials to people on the streets, everyone was discussing this matter. What people could not understand the most was that they were standing very straight and steadily, so why were they on a ball?

Various discussions and interesting conjectures were put forward, and many people began to wonder what the world is like.

At this time, the concept of gravity was proposed in schools, as well as theories such as magnetic field.

Scientific research in Qi entered a period of great explosion.

Sun Lei is very satisfied with all this. Curiosity is important, and correct guidance is also important.

"Your Majesty, the specific arrangements for the Human Emperor Palace!"

An official handed over a document.

Sun Lei took it, flipped over it, and nodded with satisfaction.

"That's right, the time will be arranged after the fleet returns!"

Sun Lei looked at the official and said, since he is the emperor of mankind, he should show the momentum of an emperor of mankind and prove that the world is round. This is shocking enough.

Two months later, the fleet returned from the round-the-world voyage to a grand welcome.

This welcome comes not only from the national level, but also from the private sector.

Those businessmen who make a living at sea are the most enthusiastic. They are eager to know whether all this is true, as it will affect the future direction of their business at sea.

Sun Lei did not stop these non-governmental organizations. It was impossible for him to take on all the tasks of exploring the world. Many things could be done better by non-governmental organizations.

"His Majesty!"

Xu Guanzhong and Li Jun knelt down and saluted Sun Lei.

Sun Lei almost couldn't recognize Xu Guanzhong. Li Jun was still okay, as he had been floating on the sea for many years and looked like a dark-skinned fisherman. But now Xu Guanzhong was also like that, and he was extremely thin. The middle-aged man of about 40 was almost like an old man.

"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Xu!"

Sun Lei helped Xu Guanzhong up and said, it seems that Xu Guanzhong has suffered a lot along the way.

"Your Majesty, the military advisor fell ill halfway through the voyage. Fortunately, there was a doctor and a lot of medicine accompanying us..."

Li Jun explained that it was not that he did not want to take care of Xu Guanzhong, but that he really had no choice and he was not a doctor.

"Your Majesty, it's alright! These are sea charts!"

Xu Guanzhong pointed to two boxes behind him, which contained nautical charts he had drawn. This was the evidence of his circumnavigation of the world.

"We'll see later. Let's go and welcome you!"

Sun Lei smiled and took Xu Guanzhong and Li Jun's hands and walked towards the side hall.

In Liangshan City, everyone was discussing the topic of the world being round. After the fleet returned, the topic reached its peak of popularity.

At the banquet, everyone was curious and asked for details.

Xu Guanzhong and Li Jun smiled and told everyone about what they had seen and heard along the way. Those new and interesting things shocked everyone.

Inside Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

The Zhao family members were staring at the people from the West. They were used to seeing each other, but Sun Lei locked them up together.

"time to eat!"

The kitchen staff shouted after hearing the gong sound.

Everyone stopped hesitating and went to eat with their rice bowls.

"Is the food today so good?"

Someone asked curiously, why are there six dishes and one soup today when usually there are four dishes and one soup?

"That day was bad? Today is the day of the successful circumnavigation of the world. His Majesty asked you to eat more. There will be the Human Emperor Ceremony in a few days. You are lucky to have several more dishes!"

The soldier who was serving food said with a cold face.

"A successful circumnavigation of the world?"

"The Human Emperor Ceremony!"

The faces of the people on both sides changed drastically, and the food in front of them no longer tasted good.

The success of the circumnavigation of the world meant a complete defeat for the West, and Qi could now attack the West from two directions.

For those people in the Zhao family, Sun Lei's advancement to the Human Emperor means that Sun Lei will be the number one person in history.

This is not only true for the position of emperor, but also for the human race.

Xuanyuan, Yao, Shun and Yu lived too long ago. The last emperor was King Zhou of Shang.

In Liangshan City, the city was decorated with lights and lanterns, and preparations for the grand ceremony were underway in the huge square outside the city.

The common people had no opinion on this wasteful and costly behavior. The promotion of the Emperor was a major event for the human race. They no longer needed to pray to gods or Buddhas because they had their own gods and Buddhas.

People from all corners of the world began to rush to Liangshan City, they all wanted to witness this grand event of the human race with their own eyes.

Sun Lei is trying on the new crown.

"Just bring something light. I'll be too hot if I carry so many."

Sun Lei opened his arms and let his wives put on the crown and robes for him.

"No, this is the Human Emperor Ceremony! It is the most grand event in two thousand years!"

Li Qingzhao said with a straight face that she had always thought that Qin Shihuang's ascension to the throne was the most significant event in history, but now she felt that she was too young, and compared with the Human Emperor, Ying Zheng's emperorship was nothing.

“This dress is so pretty!”

Li Shishi said with a smile, not caring about the big deal.

Sun Lei pinched the girl on the face in annoyance.

"It hurts!"

Li Shishi called out deliberately.

"Humph, let's see if you dare!"

Sun Lei snorted and let go.

Everything was ready. Sun Lei left the palace surrounded by ministers and guards, boarded a dragon boat and came to Liangshan City. After getting ashore, he took a car across Liangshan City.

The people crowded the streets, all wanting to see the Human Emperor.

The carriage slowly drove to the square, where no less than a million people had gathered.

"The Emperor's coronation ceremony begins!"

In the square, the sounds from loudspeakers everywhere echoed.

As heavy and majestic music sounded, Sun Lei slowly climbed onto the platform holding the Human Emperor Sword.

Sun Lei walked very slowly. The crown and robes on his body were too heavy, and walking was very strenuous for him.

However, to the people watching the ceremony, there was a special sense of solemnity. Every step of the Human Emperor was like a period of history and was so heavy.

During the two thousand years that the Human Emperor was away, the human race has been lost for too long.

After he stepped onto the platform, officials and millions of common people kowtowed together.

"Human Emperor!"

"Human Emperor!"

"Human Emperor!"

It sounded above the mountains and the sea.

Sun Lei enjoyed these shouts. At this moment, he felt that he really was the Emperor of Man.

Sun Lei raised his hand, and the people stopped shouting.

Sun Lei began his speech.

My people! My fellow tribesmen!

Today, what I am stepping on is the corpse of a god!

What I hold in my hands is the sword of my ancestors!

What is burning in my eyes is the rage of the human race!

For thousands of years, we have knelt, we have prayed, we have trembled!

We offer everything to the heavens just for a drop of rain!

We kneel humbly before the gods and demons just to exchange for a grain of food!

We give up our dignity and self just to beg for a ray of false "protection"!

But no one responded!

How many generations of people’s bones are buried beneath the loess?

How many tears of humanity have flowed in the rivers, lakes and seas?

The grass that Shennong tasted, the mountain that Dayu split, the fire that Suiren lit...

Which of the things we humans have is given by gods?!

lie!

Those gods are nothing but parasites that feed on fear!

Those ghosts are nothing but shackles invented by cowards!

Today, I will continue the legacy of the human king and declare here—

from now on!

We no longer bow down to the void!

We will no longer bow to phantoms!

Our fate is determined only by blood and iron!

I want to say - kill!

Use the beacon fire of the Great Wall to burn away the shackles that imprison our thoughts!

Use all kinds of new machines to crush those old and corrupt habits!

Use new knowledge and theories to open up a new world for us!

My fellow tribesmen, the road ahead will not be easy, but we will not be afraid, nor will we be confused!

Yes! We will bleed! We will die!

But even if the last arrow is shot into the sky - the human race will never kneel!

We are born as human beings - we would rather die in battle than live in vain! We should strive to be strong in the world!

From today!

The torch of human race is the only light!

The sword of the human race is the only god!

Anyone who holds a weapon - follow me to conquer the three realms!

Human race will live forever!

Long live the human race!

……

Human race will live forever!

Long live the human race!

Ten thousand troops roared, hundreds of millions of people howled, the earth shook, and the thunder was dimmed. (End of this chapter)