The gods began by supporting Guo Jing to become emperor

Chapter 190 Snow Mountain Tantra, Chang'an Official Selection Examination
In the vast desert, in the distant sky, the sun is high in the sky.

Thousands of miles of raging sand reveal an endless desolation. As far as the eye can see, there is yellow sand everywhere, hot gravel, and dry and hot wind whistling in the air. This is a barren land with no life.

The strong wind whistled up, swirling and carrying countless grains of sand, covering the sky and the sun.

Su Ming looked at the endless sea of ​​sand under the blue sky, without a ripple in his eyes. He had finally arrived at the desert of the Western Regions. Since the Han Dynasty, the countries in the Western Regions had appeared on a corner of the historical stage and played an important role after the opening of the Silk Road.

It was not until the An-Shi Rebellion that the drums of Yuyang shook the earth and the glorious Tang Dynasty collapsed. The Silk Road was cut off and even the key throat of the Western Regions fell into the hands of foreign races. All parts of Central Asia were in turmoil. The glorious road that had lasted for hundreds of years finally ceased to exist.

Walking along the road, Su Ming saw traces left over from the former Western Regions countries. The dried-up rivers and dilapidated buildings told of their past glory.

Tubo, which once competed with the Tang Dynasty in the Western Regions, also retreated to the plateau and was no longer as prosperous as before. One day, a guest arrived on the plateau.

"Wow!"

As an eagle's cry resounded through the sky, the strong wind from the flapping wings swept across the fields, and slowly landed on the ground, a figure in a gray robe stepped into Tibet.

The grey wilderness was very quiet and monotonous. There was no one living here, not a trace of life. The sky was very blue, and the mountains in the distance seemed like a roof supporting the sky, stretching as far as the eye could see. The peaks were snow-white and very holy. That was the Great Snow Mountain, the holy land of the Western Regions.

Su Ming looked at the mountains in the distance, his mind agitated. He patted the eagle's wings and said, "You go first. Don't run too far."

The eagle blinked humanely, flapped its wings and soared into the sky.

For ordinary people, both Tibet and the Western Regions are shrouded in a veil of mystery, because the scope of their activities is not here. Even Ouyang Feng's White Camel Villa is just an oasis somewhere in the Gobi Desert, built with the help of the Silk Road. In fact, they do not have much communication with the various sects in the Western Regions, because the sects here are relatively closed and do not have much territorial attributes.

Gradually, Su Ming came to a small path and saw smoke rising in the distance. He walked over and saw the village. The village was very simple, with houses built with stones. The villagers were dressed very simply and were almost all skinny.

After interacting with the local people for a while, he learned the simple local language, and then asked about the location of the Tantric Buddhism gate. It turned out that the Tantric Buddhism was located in the Great Snow Mountain.

The poorer the place, the more it needs faith. Compared with the Central Plains, the faith in Tibet is undoubtedly much more pious and profound. On the way to the Great Snow Mountain, Su Ming saw many pilgrims.

This is a mark of the times. Even in later generations, there are still such people. He just watched quietly and never thought of interfering.

A few days later, he climbed the Great Snow Mountain.

The Great Snow Mountain has strange peaks and steep mountains. Su Ming easily found the Tantric Buddhist base. There were palaces and castles built on the mountain, which were majestic and there were several monks guarding the mountain gate.

His figure flashed, and he traveled a thousand miles in an instant. In the blink of an eye, he stepped into the mountain gate and entered the Tantric Buddhism.

As soon as he entered, he heard the sound of chanting. Under the towering stone pagodas, monks in different costumes were sitting cross-legged and chanting. Su Ming walked past these monks without them noticing at all.

Until he came to a Buddhist temple where a bronze Buddha statue was enshrined and the lights were on. As soon as he walked in, the figure sitting in front of the Buddha statue shook slightly and uttered a strange voice.

Apparently having discovered him, Su Ming revealed himself and looked at the monk, "There really is a master in the Esoteric Sect."

After the words fell, the monk slowly turned around, revealing an old face. His cheeks were thin and his body was withered, but his eyes were bright and firm, as if there was a flame burning in them. Then a hoarse voice sounded, "So you are a guest from the Central Plains."

Su Ming was slightly surprised that this person actually spoke the official language of the Great Song Dynasty. "Have you ever been to the Central Plains?"

The old monk twisted his Buddhist beads in his hands and said calmly, "When I was young, I traveled to the Central Plains. At that time, Jin and Song were at war. Too many people died in that war. After that, I returned to the mountains and never went out again."

A lot of people died?
Su Ming was even more surprised. This monk had participated in the Jingkang Campaign decades ago. That war lasted for more than ten years and many people died. That means he must be at least over a hundred years old.

Since the old monk was so old, Su Ming changed his words and said, "So you have seen the Jingkang Campaign."

The old monk's expression did not change at all. "My friend, you are a master of martial arts. Did you come to my Tantric sect to see the master?"

Su Ming smiled slightly, "Master, I have already met you in the desert grassland. Didn't you send people to Genghis Khan's side a long time ago?"

A trace of emotion appeared in the old monk's eyes, "So my friend has seen the Mongolian Khan."

The bets on Tantric Buddhism started very early. King Jinlun served as the national teacher during the reign of Mongke, and later Phags-pa became the Mongolian imperial teacher. This is a clear example. The Quanzhen Sect is not bad either. In comparison, the native Buddhism in the Central Plains is far worse.

The old monk did not beat around the bush and asked directly, "May I ask if you are following the order of the Khan?"

Su Ming looked up at the tall Buddha statue in front of him, and then looked directly into his eyes. "Genghis Khan is conquering the Western Regions, so he has no time to care about your Tantric affairs. I came here just because I am curious about your Tantric martial arts. It is said that your Tantric Buddhism has two unique skills, one is the Dragon Elephant Prajna Kung Fu, and the other is the Yoga Tantra. I really want to see them. I wonder if you can give them to me, senior."

How does he know?

The old monk's eyes narrowed, and he finally became restless, "How did you know about my secret teachings?"

Su Ming had already prepared his speech. "More than a hundred years ago, a Tubo national teacher came to the Central Plains. He had many friends. When he left, his martial arts skills had vanished into thin air, but he had gained great enlightenment and got rid of all his ruts. He left a secret record of his experiences in the Central Plains. I wonder if you know this person?"

"The abbot of Dalun Temple, Jiumozhi."

The old monk lived for more than a hundred years. Jiumozhi was the Tubo national teacher and a monk. He naturally knew this man's experience. Although it was a bit far-fetched, the reason made sense. He lowered his eyelids and was silent for a moment. "My friend, you should know that the true scriptures cannot be taught lightly. Even if you have a predestined relationship with Master Jiumozhi and have a history with the Mongolian Khan, I cannot easily offer my martial arts to you."

However, Su Ming's next words made him uneasy.

"I wonder if you have heard of the Nine Yin Manual?" Since Huang Shang, the Nine Yin Manual has caused a lot of ups and downs in the martial arts world. Almost everyone in the martial arts world knows about it. The old monk of the Tantric sect has naturally heard of it. "What do you mean?"

"I'll trade you the martial arts in the Nine Yin Scriptures, two for four. You definitely won't lose out." The most valuable parts of the Nine Yin Scriptures are the general outline, the chapters on strengthening muscles and bones, and the chapter on healing injuries. The rest are not that powerful and are about the same level as the martial arts of the Five Great Masters.

Exchanging it for the martial arts in the second part of the Nine Yin Scriptures would be a huge win for him, and it would also be a good deal for the Tantric Buddhism. As the saying goes, one should use courtesy before force, so it would be good if they could exchange it, but if they couldn't get it, they could just look for other ways.

The Buddhist beads twirling in the old monk's hand suddenly stopped. Even though he lived for more than a hundred years, he was still tempted by such a supreme treasure as the Nine Yin Scriptures. No one would think that the unique martial arts were too little.

He thought about it and his eyes fell on Su Ming. This man's appearance and demeanor were rare in the world. He was able to enter this place without alerting the monks inside. His martial arts must be good. It would probably not be easy to forcibly take the Nine Yin Scriptures from him.

That's right, the old monk's first thought when he heard about the Nine Yin Scriptures was to steal it. Even a figure like Wang Chongyang would be tempted by the Nine Yin Scriptures. Although the old monk had lived for a long time, he was still tempted by the Nine Yin Scriptures after all.

However, after thinking for a while, the old monk still shook his head and said, "My friend, although the Nine Yin Manual is good, it may not be suitable for my Tantric sect. Please forgive me for not agreeing to it."

In the final analysis, he still suspected that this person was just talking big and trying to fool him with fake secrets.

"Are you worried that I might lie to you?"

The old monk remained silent without saying a word.

This outcome was just as he had expected. A robber should use robber methods. The strategy of using courtesy before force did not suit him.

Su Ming stood with his hands behind his back and said calmly, "Senior, let's put it this way. Find three people with the strongest martial arts from all over the Secret Sect to compete with me. If I win, I will take two secret martial arts from the Secret Sect. If you lose, I will give you the martial arts, but I don't want any of the secret martial arts."

As soon as he finished speaking, a powerful true energy burst out, and a wave of air swept through the hall with Su Ming as the center. The old monk's clothes fluttered, and the candles in the hall were extinguished in an instant, and the hall fell into darkness.

Such deep inner strength!
The old monk was extremely shocked. He had thought that this man was a master, but he did not expect that he was even more powerful than he expected. If he had known this, he should have agreed just now. Now, he was in a difficult situation and this matter could not be resolved peacefully.

"Okay, I promise you on behalf of the entire Tantric sect."

……

Guanzhong, Chang'an.

After Guo Jing captured Chang'an, he took in the wealthy families in Guanzhong, killed some and recruited some, and temporarily maintained the stability of Chang'an. Then, he sent 20,000 troops to sweep across the remaining counties in Guanzhong.

The main battles were over, and the rest could be left to the subordinates. The important thing was to be able to conquer the land and to defend it, and to transform the territory into resources and military strength. The Song Dynasty had a strong economy but its military strength was terrible because of the problem of "three redundancies".

Now that the whole world is in the midst of war, only a strong military force can cope with the upcoming changes. Therefore, in the coming year, Guo Jing will stay in Guanzhong until he has put Guanzhong in order and incorporated it into his own ruling system.

To this end, he decided to hold official selection examinations in Guanzhong and Sanjin.

The imperial examination was something that could only be conducted after a dynasty was established. Guo Jing was not that arrogant. If he conducted the imperial examination after taking over Guanzhong and the Three Jins, he would probably be laughed at if this news got out. If he established a new dynasty in the future and required the imperial examination, what would he do then?
It is enough to just keep it and change the name. It has the reality of the imperial examination but not the name of it. His purpose is on the one hand to select talented people to help him rule the local area, and on the other hand to unite the powerful and wealthy and pull them onto his chariot.

With the help of imperial examinations, poetry and books are passed down from generation to generation. These wealthy families have far more opportunities than the lower classes. During the Song Dynasty, not many scholars who passed the imperial examinations actually came from the lower classes. Instead, it was the Ming Dynasty that the imperial examinations became truly popular, and there are countless examples of lower-class farmers turning their lives around.

On the one hand, he used weapons to intimidate others, and on the other hand, he used official selection and recruitment. With a combination of big sticks and sweet treats, the powerful people in Guanzhong could only accept it with a pinch of their noses. In this era, winning the battle was enough. What's more, the Jin Dynasty was in decline, the Mongols were brutal, and the Western Xia was abolished. Only Guo Jing had a promising future.

People tend to chase rising prices rather than falling ones. It would be crazy to give up Guo Jing, who had a bright future, and run to join the Jin Kingdom instead.

In the spring of 1219, Guo Jing announced to both places and held an official selection examination in Chang'an.

The news spread like wildfire and soon spread throughout the north. The wealthy families in Shanxi, Guanzhong and even Hebei all sent their family members to take the exam. Whether to join the exam or not would be decided later. The most important thing was to secure a position first, so that if there were any accidents in the future, there would be a channel for information. It was common for the big families not to put all their eggs in one basket.

In addition, Guo Jing also moved the mansion from Taiyuan to Chang'an. From a military point of view, Taiyuan is safer, but from a political point of view, Chang'an is more advantageous. It has been the capital of several dynasties. It is no longer a simple geographical location, but has become a symbol of Han civilization.

The significance of moving the capital to Chang'an is self-evident. What's more, Guo Jing's title was a Han marquis, which was unique in the north. Guanzhong, which had been silent for more than two hundred years, rose again, and Chang'an once again became the political center of the north.

The ruins of the Chang'an Imperial Palace. Over hundreds of years, the Chang'an Imperial Palace has become a ruin. There are countless wealthy residences in the city of Chang'an, including old residences of kings and princes of previous dynasties. However, Guo Jing's status is no longer what it used to be. How could the lord of the Three Jins in Guanzhong live in an ordinary place?

Therefore, he built a new mansion on the site of the former Chang'an Imperial Palace. Although he did not want to waste money and manpower, there are some things that you cannot choose not to do just because you want to. In some ways, his mansion also represents the face of him and his power.

He could still manage if he only occupied the Three Jins, but it would be a completely different matter if he took over Guanzhong.

However, Guo Jing also thought of a solution. All building materials should be locally sourced. The luxurious royal mansions in Chang'an City could be moved here directly without having to transport them from the south.

In this way, the construction cost was greatly reduced, there was no waste of money and labor, and the construction speed was greatly accelerated. In less than a month, a towering marquisate rose from the ground.

After the mansion was built, Guo Jing formally held the official selection examination.

However, at this critical moment, he received a secret letter from Mu Huali, inviting him to Daming Prefecture to discuss the attack on the Jin Kingdom.

After receiving the letter, Guo Jing returned home to inquire about the war in Hebei Province.

It turned out that Mu Huali led an army of 50,000 to attack Henan when he saw that the Jin Kingdom was fighting with the Song Kingdom in the south. However, this was the old site of the confrontation between the Song and Liao Kingdoms. In addition, Mu Huali did not have many cavalry under his command. The Jin Kingdom relied on the strong city walls for defense and just held Mu Huali back. After fighting for two months, they only roughly captured a few cities, which was not worth the loss.

(End of this chapter)