The gods began by supporting Guo Jing to become emperor

Chapter 201: Diplomatic Mission to Song Dynasty, Meeting Hong Qigong Again
Qiu Chuji adjusted the Taoist hat on his head, and his ruddy face smiled even more, "Your Majesty, you are joking. I came here not only for you, but also for the millions of people in the north."

"Oh? What do you mean by this?"

"My Lord, let's be frank. You must be short of food now. Last year, there was a war and a plague. Either of these would be enough to cause a headache. But you were able to keep the situation stable. I really admire you."

Guo Jing's expression suddenly became serious. He clasped his fists towards Qiu Chuji and said, "Master, please give me some advice."

"There is no food in the north, so we can only ask the south for help. The south of the Yangtze River is occupied by the Jin people, so it is difficult to get food. We can only buy food from the Song Dynasty. However, the Song Dynasty court is not enterprising, but instead hopes that Mongolia and the Jin Dynasty will fight each other so that they can watch the fire from the other side of the river and avoid repeating the mistakes of the previous dynasty." When he said this, Qiu Chuji's expression was not good. What the Song Dynasty did was really not decent and despicable.

"I hope that the Marquis can send me as an envoy to the Song Dynasty. Then, I will surely help the Marquis achieve his wish."

Guo Jing was surprised and asked, "Really? Are you sure you can convince the Song Kingdom?"

"I dare not say that I am 100% sure, but I am 70% sure."

Guo Jing had made up his mind and agreed immediately, "Okay, I promise you."

……

After Qiu Chuji left, Guo Jing thought for a long time, but he couldn't figure out where Qiu Chuji got the confidence to persuade Song to sell grain, so he went to the backyard to ask Su Ming, "Teacher, why did Taoist Qiu dare to say that he could persuade Song?"

Su Ming sat by the pond, holding a fishing rod, looking relaxed and at ease, "It's very simple. The Emperor of the Song Dynasty believed in Taoism, and they were afraid of the Jin Kingdom."

"But why didn't they sell grain to the Song Dynasty when I sent people to contact them before?"

He glanced at him calmly and said, "Have you forgotten your identity? The envoys were sent in the name of Mu Huali. How can the two be the same?"

Guo Jing suddenly realized, and a trace of shame appeared on his face, "Disciple, I will learn from you."

At this time, the fish bladder floated in the water, creating ripples. "This is a different time. You have occupied Guanzhong and the Three Jins. The situation is set. You should accumulate strength and wait for the right time to sweep the world and destroy the Jin Kingdom. Even if you can't buy food, you can survive. It's just a matter of some people dying."

"As a king, you must make choices. The death of one person is a number. The death of ten people is also a number. The death of ten thousand people is also a number. Human power is sometimes limited, but we should do our best."

Guo Jing smiled bitterly and said, "Teacher, you are right. Since I conquered Guanzhong, I have been thinking more and more, and I have more concerns. I always want to do everything perfectly. The battle of Guanzhong has not yet ended, but Uncle Mu Huali invited me to go out to fight. I should have declined. If I had waited a year before going out, perhaps the outcome would have been very different."

"Warming is not a good thing, especially when your foundation is not stable. There are still many places in Guanzhong that have not been brought under your rule. The enemy you have to face is not just the Jin Kingdom."

"Disciple, don't worry."

……

A few days later, the Mongolian envoys set out from Guanzhong, passed through Hanzhong and Bashu, then entered the Jiangnan West Road, and finally arrived at Nanchang Prefecture.

When Emperor Zhao Kuo heard that the Quanzhen Taoist priest Qiu Chuji was among the envoys, he quickly sent a servant to invite him to the palace to preach. After recuperating for half a year, Zhao Kuo finally recovered from his illness. It is worth mentioning that, just at that time, the prince who served him fell ill. Under such circumstances, the reputation of the prince's filial piety gradually spread in the court and the country and in the south, which saved some of the reputation of the Song royal family.

On the second night after entering Nanchang Prefecture, Qiu Chuji went to the palace to meet the Emperor of Song.

In the exquisite palace, he met Zhao Kuo. What he saw was a fair-skinned, slightly fat old man sitting on a cushion. He was wearing a Taoist robe and his brows were full of peace.

Seeing Qiu Chuji, Zhao Kuo smiled and said, "I have heard of the great name of Quanzhen Sect for a long time, but I have never had the chance to meet it. Now I have finally fulfilled my wish."

Qiu Chuji was wearing a purple Taoist robe and a white jade eight-diagram crown on his head, looking like an immortal. "You are joking, my reputation is not worth mentioning. It is not even one tenth of my master's."

Then, the two began to talk about Taoism. Qiu Chuji told him about the doctrines and scriptures of Quanzhen Sect. The southern and northern sects of Taoism have different inheritances. In addition, Wang Chongyang advocated the unity of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. The purpose of "the three religions are harmonious, the mind is known, and the nature is seen, and the truth is preserved alone" broadened Zhao Kuo's horizons.

The emperors of the Song Dynasty have always had a tradition of practicing Taoism. Zhao Kuo has practiced for many years and his vision and knowledge are not ordinary people. He saw at a glance Wang Chongyang's desire to unify the three religions and became more concerned about it.

Qiu Chuji stayed in the palace for seven days before being released.

There have been endless debates in the court of the Song Dynasty these days. Zhen Dexiu and Qiao Xingjian each hold different opinions. One side thinks that grain should be sold to Mongolia to maintain the alliance between Song and Mongolia. The other side thinks that friendship should be restored with the Jin Kingdom and annual tribute should be paid again to avoid war. They advocate an alliance with Jin to fight against Mongolia.

The two sides argued in the court for many days, neither of them convinced the other. It was not until the imperial edict of the Song Emperor Zhao Kuo came from the inner court that they gave up the argument, obeyed the emperor's will, and agreed to sell grain to Mongolia.

Afterwards, the delegation stayed in Nanchang Prefecture for half a month before leaving.

But Qiu Chuji did not leave. He went to the Tianshi Mansion in Longhu Mountain with Zhao Kuo.

If Quanzhen Sect is the largest sect in the world and the leader of Taoism in the north, then Tianshi Mansion is the undisputed leader of Taoism in the south. Quanzhen Sect has only been passed down for two generations, while Tianshi Mansion has been passed down for nearly a thousand years, which can be said to be deeply rooted.

The two great families, the Zhang family in the south and the Kong family in the north, have been passed down for thousands of years with continuous incense. In this era, they are a force that cannot be ignored.

……

Luoyang.

When Guo Jing got the news, he was overjoyed. As long as he could buy food, he could finally survive until next year.

However, although the Song Dynasty agreed to sell grain, due to the obstruction of the Jin people and the peace faction in the court, they sold the grain at a high price. On the one hand, it was to show goodwill to the Jin people, and on the other hand, it was to make up for the loss from Mongolia. Losing Jiangnan was not just a simple loss of a piece of land. It was the essence of the South and occupied nearly one-third of the financial resources of the Song Dynasty.

As a last resort, Guo Jing could only suffer this loss in silence.

"Seventh Brother, why are you free to look for me today?"

Hong Qigong was holding a bamboo stick, with a wine gourd tied around his waist, and his body was in tatters. "Hey, you are living a godly life. The old beggars haven't been able to find you for several years."

"What do you want from me?" Su Ming drank his tea nonchalantly, his eyes sweeping across his waist. "Hey, have you resigned as the leader of the Beggars' Sect?" Hong Qigong grabbed the wine jug on the table and filled a cup with it, laughing. "Haha, that's right, I'm no longer the leader of the Beggars' Sect."

Su Ming smiled and said, "Congratulations, Brother Seven. You are finally able to live the life you want. I thought you would never give up the Beggars' Sect, but you let it go so quickly."

Hong Qigong wiped the wine stains from the corners of his mouth and smacked his lips. "I have to let go. The Jin Kingdom has invaded Jiangnan, and my Beggars' Sect has suffered heavy losses. We need someone to lead them to a way out. An old beggar can't do that. It's better to let go."

"Your wine is too light, boring and not refreshing." He took out the wine gourd from his waist and took a big sip, then continued, "However, Guo's achievements over the years are really enviable to this old beggar. You really have a good disciple."

"It's his own good fortune that he can have what he has today. I just did my part." He looked at Hong Qigong's chest again, with a rather amused look on his face, "Doesn't it make you feel uncomfortable holding back your cough?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Hong Qigong started coughing, "cough cough cough..." as if he was going to cough out his lungs.

Su Ming asked curiously, "What happened? Your internal injuries will take several years to heal. Who did it? Could it be Ouyang Feng?"

"It's not the old poisoner. It has nothing to do with him." After finally waiting for the cough to stop, Hong Qigong answered with a pale face. After catching his breath, he continued, "At that time, the Jin Kingdom crossed the Yangtze River and massacred Nanning. The old beggar was so angry that he led a group of people to sneak into the Jin Kingdom camp to assassinate their emperor. It was almost done, but I don't know where this old eunuch appeared from."

"That guy was as fast as a ghost, and his cold energy was so piercing that it made us fail at the last moment. I was also injured because of him."

"Assassinate the king and kill his driver." Su Ming's expression was a little solemn. He didn't expect that these people were so bold.

It is extremely difficult to assassinate the emperor in the military camp, let alone a coup, let alone a group of gangsters.

Then he continued, "I wanted to ask you to help me, but my disciples couldn't find you after searching for half a year."

Su Ming thought for a long time and could only come up with this word to praise them, "You are full of passion and courage!"

He would never be able to do something knowing that it is impossible, but such a person is willing to sacrifice his life and blood for a wish. He is worthy of admiration. He understands the feeling of using all means to avenge the national hatred and family feuds.

"There was nothing we could do. The Jin people came. There were more than 300 people in the Iron Sword Sect, and except for a few children under the age of sixteen, all the others died on the battlefield. The Tiger Gang and the Golden Spear Village were almost all killed, but we still couldn't stop the Jin people." As he spoke, Hong Qigong's eyes became moist.

Su Ming stood up and walked outside the pavilion. He looked at the mountains covered with yellow leaves and the fallen leaves. He said calmly, "It is the court's responsibility to stop the Jin people. Brother Seven, you don't need to blame yourself. The Song Dynasty has hundreds of thousands of soldiers and the natural barrier of the Yangtze River, but it can't stop the Jin people. This is the court's dereliction of duty."

"Don't forget that the Jin Kingdom was defeated by Jing'er in the north. We are all human beings, so why did they return home in defeat in the north, but when they arrived in the south, they defeated the Song Dynasty and made it abandon its cities and land? I'm sure you have thought about this, Brother Seven."

Hearing this, Hong Qigong suddenly lost his temper. "You are right. Our Song Dynasty is incompetent. Their emperor can lead the army in person. Why can't our emperor do the same? As soon as the Jin people crossed the river, they were busy moving the capital."

"They did it a hundred years ago, and they are still doing it a hundred years later. This old beggar heard that the Song Dynasty is preparing to resume paying annual tribute to the Jin Dynasty. So what does it matter if so many people died?" At the end, he was almost in tears.

Su Ming didn't want to complain about the Song Dynasty's problems because there were too many.

He was silent for a moment, patted Hong Qigong on the shoulder, and a wisp of true energy entered his body, "Seventh Brother, you are drunk."

After a while, he burped and let out a long sigh, "Oh, you old beggar is being too pretentious today. Just wait, I'll treat you to beggar's chicken." Without waiting for Su Ming to speak, he rushed into the woods.

Seeing this, Su Ming just shook his head with a hint of pity in his expression. There were too many people like him in the Central Plains, and the Song Dynasty had disappointed too many people.

But it doesn’t matter. There will always be someone to shoulder the responsibility of the world again. Even if there was no Guo Jing, more than a hundred years later, that cowherd boy would have also whipped the world and expelled the Tatars.

After a while, Hong Qigong caught a few colorful pheasants from the woods. The back hills of Zhongnan Mountain are sparsely populated, and there are so many wild animals here.

He held the pheasant in his hand and said with a smile, "Hey, what a fat pheasant, perfect for making beggar's chicken."

Su Ming smiled and said, "Thank you, Brother Seven."

"Hehe, just wait." After saying that, Hong Qigong left again. After a few minutes, he came back with a beggar's chicken wrapped in yellow mud. He lit a big fire beside the pavilion and roasted the mud balls.

As Hong Qigong was making a fire, he said, "Before, among the Five Great Masters, I envied Huang Lao Xie the most. He lived alone on Peach Blossom Island, enjoying himself. Before becoming a monk, the Southern Emperor was the Emperor of Dali. Even after becoming a monk, he was still closely related to the Duan family. The Tianlong Temple is not as powerful as before, and the Duan family is having a harder time. He has rarely come to the Central Plains in recent years."

"The old poisonous creature is a paranoid person, but now he doesn't pursue the Nine Yin Manual anymore. He has been hiding in his White Camel Villa for the past few years, not caring about worldly affairs. I guess he is going to make a big move. I have been entangled in worldly things in the Beggars' Sect, but now I can finally have some peace and quiet."

Seeing that he looked dazed and no longer as bold as he had been when they met before, Su Ming felt a little sorry for him and comforted him, "Seventh Brother, why don't you look forward? The failure of the Song Dynasty does not mean that the Han people cannot do it. Just wait and see. Sooner or later, the Central Plains will return to our Han family."

The depression on Hong Qigong's face subsided a little. "This old beggar knows that Guo has great ambitions. This is what I envy you the most. This disciple is so worry-free. Hehe, my Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms is not in vain."

"Speaking of which, the Quanzhen Sect's noses are really sharp. They will lean towards Guo kid whenever they smell something. In the past two years, their influence has risen rapidly in the North."

Su Ming smiled faintly and said meaningfully, "There was the Jin Kingdom before and the Mongolia after. I hope the Quanzhen Sect will not repeat the same mistakes."

In The Return of the Condor Heroes, the Southern Song Dynasty faced a massive attack from the Mongols, which caused the Quanzhen Sect to suffer as well. Internal turmoil arose and the sect was forced to split up. The Quanzhen Sect’s lineage was destroyed and its inheritance was divided into several branches, but it no longer had the splendor of Mount Zhongnan.

Everything will be different in the future, who can say for sure?

Hong Qigong stayed in Mount Zhongnan for one day and then left. He wanted to continue traveling around the world and tasting delicious food.

However, Su Ming came to a small town at the foot of Mount Zhongnan. This place was protected by the Quanzhen Sect. Even though there had been wars before, they had never affected this place. There was a tavern in the town. The owner of the tavern was named Yang, and the people in the town called him Lao Yang.

As the sun sets, more and more customers come to the tavern. Three or two drinkers gather together to drink and chat. The shopkeeper, Lao Yang, sits on the counter, holding a piece of wood and a carving knife in his hand, carving bit by bit.

Su Ming came here at some point.

(End of this chapter)