Conferred God: Started from Swallowing the Heaven-Repairing Stone

Chapter 349 The Prince Was Kidnapped
"You have to agree even if you don't want to. The Chan Sect just broke with the Shang Dynasty, and now some princes are making peace with it. What does this mean?"

"It is obvious that they want to use the power of the Chan Sect to overthrow our Great Shang. Therefore, Your Majesty does not need to be polite to the princes who are on good terms with the Chan Sect. They can all be regarded as traitors and destroyed if possible."

Ao Bing said in a stern tone that the previous conflict between the Shang Dynasty and the Chan Sect had not yet been exposed, so it was not easy to deal with the princes who were on good terms with them.

But now it is different, the Shang Dynasty has already fallen out with the Chan Sect. Under such circumstances, it is not an exaggeration to say that the princes who continue to be friendly with the Chan Sect are worthy of death.

The Chan sect said that the Shang Dynasty was about to end. In order to turn this into reality, their next plan must be to find a prince to assist them in emulating King Cheng Tang's deeds, overthrow the Shang Dynasty, and establish a new dynasty.

How many of those who can become princes are fools? They can definitely figure this out.

Knowing that the Chan sect wanted to destroy the Shang Dynasty, they still made friends with it. It is obviously impossible to say that they had no intention of replacing the Shang Dynasty.

What is the difference between this and treason?
Do we have to wait until they enter Chaoge before we can call it treason?
"The Zhou Kingdom is determined to destroy us. Ji Chang deserves death!"

After Ao Bing explained the reason, Emperor Xin suddenly became furious and shouted with murderous intent. Among all the vassal states in the world, the one with the closest relationship with Chanjiao was none other than the Zhou State where Xibohou was located.

In fact, Chanism had been preaching in Zhou at least since Xibohou's grandfather. The reason why Zhou was so powerful and one of the most powerful vassals in Shang was due to Chanism's support.

You have to know that since the time of King Xibo, three or four generations ago, the Zhou Kingdom was nothing more than a group of stray dogs. Even its ancestral land was conquered by the Western Rong, and it had to flee to the vicinity of Mount Qishan.

In just three or four generations, the Zhou Kingdom developed from a stray dog ​​to one of the top three princes of the Shang Dynasty today. It can be said that the teaching of Chan Buddhism played an indispensable role in this.

It can even be said that without the Chan teaching, there would be no Zhou Dynasty today.

The Shang Dynasty and the Zhou Dynasty had the same ancestor but different clans. The ancestor of Shang, Qi, the ancestor of Zhou, Ji, and Emperor Yao were brothers and all sons of Emperor Ku.

Therefore, the Shang Dynasty has always paid close attention to the Zhou State and wanted to know how it made its fortune.

At first, Emperor Xin thought that the Zhou Kingdom was able to rely on the Chan Sect because of good luck. But now, after listening to Ao Bing's analysis, Emperor Xin realized it.

It turns out that the Chan Sect had already planned to overthrow the Shang Dynasty many years ago. The Zhou Kingdom was the key to their plan, the princes who would replace the Shang Dynasty in the future.

"Yes, it's very good!"

Emperor Xin's face turned red with anger. If he had not wanted to lose his composure in front of Ao Bing, he would have shouted angrily and ordered people to gather the army to attack the Zhou Kingdom.

"The relationship between Zhou and Chan is indeed extraordinary. Moreover, Zhou is a powerful country, posing a great threat to Shang."

"If there is any change in the world in the future, with the support of the Chan Sect, the Zhou Kingdom will most likely take advantage of the situation and attempt to usurp the throne."

Judging from Zhou's current performance, even without the memory of later generations, Ao Bing dared to say that he had rebellious intentions. It would be fine if he was on good terms with the Chan Sect, but he also stopped paying tribute from time to time to test the reaction of the Shang Dynasty and the princes.

It should be noted that when King Cheng Tang rebelled, he did the same thing and first stopped paying tribute to Daxia.

If the princes of the world were still willing to obey the orders of the Xiahou clan and come to attack him, he would immediately cede land and pay compensation and apologize to the Xiahou clan.

On the contrary, if the princes of the world no longer obey the orders of the Xia Dynasty, then the time is ripe and the opportunity to replace them is right in front of them.

Cheng Tang used this method to test the weakness of the Xia Dynasty, and successfully replaced it and established the Shang Dynasty.

Xibohou's father and grandfather followed suit and also used this method to test the Shang Dynasty. Unfortunately, they were unlucky and failed in their tests, and were killed by the Shang emperor one after another.

From this, we can see that at least since Xibohou's grandfather, the Zhou State had a rebellious heart towards the Shang Dynasty. Therefore, it is reasonable to say that the Zhou State would rebel, and it is not an unfounded speculation.

"Does the Prime Minister think so too? Then how does the Prime Minister think we should deal with the Zhou Kingdom? Should we send troops to attack and destroy their ancestral temples and the country?"

Seeing that Ao Bing also thought that Zhou was a threat, Emperor Xin couldn't help but ask excitedly.

His shortcomings were his love of grandeur and warmongering. When he heard about the war, he would immediately become excited, regardless of whether the country could afford it or whether the timing was right.

"As the saying goes, if the name is not right, then the words will not flow. Everything must be justified. Even if you want to attack the Zhou Kingdom, you must have a reasonable reason."

"This is the only way to convince the other princes and not give them an excuse to rescue Zhou."

Ao Bing patiently explained that it would be a waste of time to send troops to attack the Zhou Kingdom before finding any evidence of the latter's rebellion, not to mention whether it would be successful.

Just this action gave the other princes a reason to help Zhou. If Emperor Xin could attack Zhou for no reason today, he could attack them for no reason tomorrow.

Thinking of this, who among the princes of the world would not panic? Therefore, even if it was just to save themselves, they had to send troops to help Zhou.

"If the name is not right, the words will not flow..."

"Is it justified? Prime Minister, I appreciate your advice."

Emperor Xin was stunned for a moment, and pondered Ao Bing's words over and over again. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense to him, and he couldn't help but bow down in admiration.

Then he continued to ask: "What reason should be used to punish the Duke of Xibo in order to silence the people of the world?"

"Hou Xibo is a wise man, he must be loyal to the emperor and patriotic. Your Majesty can send a decree to him and explain the plan of Chanjiao to him."

"I think that with the virtue of Xibo Hou, after knowing the evil intentions of the Chan Sect, he will not go along with them, but choose to draw a clear line between them."

Ao Bing did not answer Emperor Xin's question, but instead praised King Xibo.

Emperor Xin was a smart man and he quickly understood what Ao Bing meant. If Xibohou was really a loyal and patriotic person, he would definitely draw a clear line with the Chan Sect immediately after receiving his order.

On the contrary, after receiving the order, he did not distance himself from the Chan sect and continued to do as he pleased, which shows that he did have the intention of treason.

At this time, Emperor Xin could use this as an excuse to attack the Zhou Kingdom. After knowing this reason, the other princes could not send troops to help unless they also planned to rebel with Xibo Hou.

The emperor is sweeping away the disobedient, who dares to stop him?
"This is a brilliant plan, Prime Minister!"

With a smile on his face, Emperor Xin was about to send someone to Xiqi to deliver a message to test the reaction of Xibo Hou. But before he could open his mouth, he heard someone outside the palace report:

"Your Majesty, Marquis Huang has something important to discuss with you!"

Hearing this, before Emperor Xin could react, Ao Bing exclaimed, "Not good, I'm afraid something happened to the two princes."

"what?"

"Jiaoer and Honger had an accident?"

"Quick, summon Marquis Huang to the throne."

Emperor Xin was also anxious. He only had two sons. If something happened to both of them, he was afraid that he would have no descendants.

Not long after, Huang Feihu, dressed in golden armor, ran in with an anxious look on his face.

"I am guilty. I have failed the king's expectations and failed to bring back the two princes. They were kidnapped by the evil Taoist priests." As soon as he entered the hall, Huang Feihu knelt on the ground and apologized to Emperor Xin.

Ao Bing asked him to chase the two princes back, and he went and caught up with them. But before he could say anything, a gust of wind blew by, and the two princes disappeared.

Obviously, someone had taken the initiative and kidnapped the two princes before him. Moreover, the opponent's strength was far superior to his, so he couldn't stop it even if he wanted to, and could only hurriedly return to Chaoge to report the news.

"who is it?"

"Who is that demon?"

"Who on earth has the guts to kidnap the crown prince of our Great Shang?"

Emperor Xin roared in anger, a violent aura emanated from him, sweeping across the entire Kyushu in an instant.

For a moment, the princes and strong men of Jiuzhou, no matter what they were doing, stopped what they were doing and looked at Chaoge in astonishment.

There, a huge black divine bird emerged, spread its wings, flapped its wings continuously, and made a sharp cry.

A violent aura emanated from it, continuously spreading outward. The heaven and earth were resonating with it, and the entire Kyushu was in turmoil.

At this moment, a huge haze appeared in the hearts of all the powerful people in Jiuzhou, as if the end of the world was approaching, and the atmosphere was depressing and suffocating.

They all knew that the Shang Emperor was furious, furious as never before, so much so that the aura of the King of Men was rampant, indiscriminately oppressing all the strong men in the Nine Provinces.

I just don't know who could have angered the Shang Emperor to this extent. But no matter who it is, I'm afraid the end will not be good.

You must know that in Jiuzhou, Emperor Shang is nearly invincible. If he attacks with all his strength, even those with great supernatural powers will be defeated.

This man who angered the Shang Emperor is in trouble.

"It's Guangchengzi and Chijingzi!"

"Although I did not see their appearance clearly, I can recognize from their aura that the one who kidnapped the two princes is Guangchengzi and Chijingzi, the golden immortals of the Chan Sect."

Huang Feihu, who had never seen Emperor Xin so angry, was shocked and spoke quickly.

"Don't worry, my king. Although the two princes were kidnapped by Guangchengzi and Chijingzi, they are of noble status and will be fine. The Chan Sect will not dare to do anything to them."

"Your Majesty only needs one order to make them hand over the person obediently."

When Ao Bing heard this, he knew what was going on. It was obvious that Guangchengzi and Chijingzi regarded Yin Jiao and Yin Hong as scapegoats.

Although Guangchengzi was protected by Emperor Xuanyuan and his name was erased from the Conferred God List, he escaped early. However, karma was like a net that wrapped him up, so he couldn't get out just because he wanted to.

Just to give you an example, all his eleven fellow apprentice brothers were in danger. As the eldest brother, could he really stay out of it and hide aside to watch his fellow apprentice brothers struggle in the disaster?

Obviously, it was impossible. His junior brothers hadn't escaped the calamity, so he, as the eldest brother, couldn't even think about escaping it. Even if he could escape it temporarily, he would be dragged into it again in no time.

Since the outcome was already determined, instead of passively waiting to be dragged into the calamity by his fellow apprentices, it would be better for him to take the initiative to get involved again and earn a favor.

It was with this idea in mind that Guangchengzi, who had already escaped the calamity, fell into the calamity again and chose Yin Jiao, the eldest son of Emperor Xin, to be his substitute.

To be honest, given Yin Jiao's identity as the crown prince of the Shang Dynasty and the future King of Men, no one else is qualified to accept him as a disciple.

But Guangchengzi was different. He was the teacher of the Human Emperor. Not to mention Yin Jiao, even Emperor Xin, if he was willing, he could accept them as his disciples.

This is the arrangement of the imperial teacher. Guangchengzi accepted Yin Jiao as his disciple. At least in the eyes of outsiders, it was a blessing for Yin Jiao and a true match for his status.

Similarly, only a person of such importance as Yin Jiao could become Guang Chengzi's substitute. If it were someone else, their fate would not be able to bear it.

"What the Prime Minister said is true. I will immediately announce it to the world and make Jiao'er the crown prince. I believe that after the Chan Sect gets the news, they will definitely send Jiao'er back as soon as possible."

"If not, I will go to Huoyun Cave and file a complaint against them. The Chan Sect is really too much of a bully. They openly kidnapped the future ruler of the Nine Provinces and don't take the human race seriously at all!"

Emperor Xin came back to his senses, temporarily calmed down his rage, and gave a cold order.

He would now announce to the world that Yin Jiao would be crowned the crown prince. Kidnapping a prince and kidnapping a crown prince were two completely different concepts. The former was a slap in the face of the Shang Dynasty, while the latter was a slap in the face of the human race.

If the matter really gets out of hand, even the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors will be alarmed and will have to go to Kunlun Mountain in person to demand an explanation.

"In fact, it's a good thing that the eldest prince was kidnapped by Guangchengzi. Guangchengzi is the emperor's teacher. If the eldest prince can worship him as his teacher, doesn't it mean that our Great Shang is destined by heaven?"

"At the same time, this move can also dispel the previous rumors that the Chan Sect wanted to destroy the Shang Dynasty."

After a brief analysis, Ao Bing felt that this was a good thing. Although both the Shang Dynasty and the Chan Sect knew that the two sides were fighting to the death, outsiders did not know.

So, just as Yun Zhongzi made a ruthless statement about wanting to destroy the Shang Dynasty, the eldest brother of the Chan Sect, Guang Chengzi, accepted the prince of the Shang Dynasty as his disciple. To outsiders, this matter was as strange as it could be.

It inevitably gives people the illusion that there is discord within the Chan sect and that there are many conflicts between outer disciples and true disciples.

Once people have this impression, they will have to think carefully before trying to curry favor with the Chan sect and join them in resisting the power of the Shang Dynasty.

It's okay to stand up for the Chan Sect, but it's not okay to get involved in the internal fighting of the Chan Sect. It's okay for fellow disciples to fight in any way they want, but if an outsider intervenes, he might die without knowing how.

Without the help of these forces, the pressure that Dashang would face would undoubtedly be much smaller.

"If what the Prime Minister said is true, should our Great Shang first ease relations with the Chan Sect to confirm the rumors?"

Emperor Xin thought about it and realized that it was indeed the case, so he couldn't help but ask.

"No rush, let's see if the eldest prince can accept Guangchengzi as his master first. Before that, our plan remains unchanged. First, we will strictly order Xibohou to sever ties with the Chan Sect."

"In addition, in the order to Xibohou, the fact that the Jinxian of the Chan Sect kidnapped the two princes should also be mentioned, emphasizing the Chan Sect's audacity."

"If this is the case, and the Xibo King is still unwilling to make a clear break with the Chan Sect, Your Majesty can prepare to mobilize troops against the Zhou Kingdom."

Ao Bing keenly realized that this was an opportunity. He could still find excuses to justify why he had asked Duke Xibo to draw a clear line between himself and the Chan sect.

But as the two princes were kidnapped by the Chan sect, their crimes became serious and could not be washed away at all. Even if the King of Xibo had a lot of mouths, he would not be able to explain himself.

"Okay, let's do it!"

Emperor Xin made the decision immediately and issued two edicts in succession.

(End of this chapter)