The gods began by supporting Guo Jing to become emperor

Chapter 342: Luoshui's Qi-gazing, Cultivation Improvement

After a long silence, Li Shimin let out a long breath, "When I was in Hanzhong, I traveled with Master Fairy. At that time, we agreed to build a powerful country together in the future, and all the barbarians would submit to us and all nations would come to pay tribute."

"I didn't expect that before Jiange, it would be the last time I would see her in this life. Although she is gone, I have always remembered our agreement. This world has been in chaos for too long."

Zhao Rumeng stood beside him and said softly, "Mr. Li, I believe in you and my senior sister's vision. You can definitely do it."

Can you do it yourself?

Li Shimin asked himself, the Song clan unified the south, while the Li clan could only rule Hedong, and even surrendered to the Turks in order to protect themselves. To be fair, he would rather die in battle and be defeated by the Song clan than associate with a foreign race, not to mention that this was no different from recognizing an enemy as his father. But now the leader of the Li clan is not him, but his father Li Yuan, and he can do nothing about it.

Not only the Li clan, but also the Yuwen clan in Guanzhong, Dou Jiande, Liang Shidu, Liu Wuzhou and others surrendered to the Turks. If the Li clan did not express their surrender, these northern princes would definitely take the lead in uniting to deal with the Li clan. By then, the Li clan would have been divided up before the Wu Kingdom was defeated.

Thinking of all this led by Jingnian Zen Temple, a layer of gloom emerged in Li Shimin's heart. He was inexplicably pessimistic about this coalition. Each party had its own ulterior motives and was a mixed bag of good and bad. The Turks were ambitious and superior to the other princes. Although their military force was strong, the consequences would be unpredictable if they could not cooperate wholeheartedly.

He shook his head in self-mockery and said nothing more.

……

On the banks of the Luo River.

Su Ming, Song Que and other high-ranking generals of the Wu State came here. The gurgling water rushed to the distance, nourishing the fields on both sides. This is one of the origins of the Central Plains civilization. Ever since Fuxi obtained the River Map and Luoshu from the Luo River and created the Eight Trigrams, and then the Zhou emperor moved the capital to Luoyang, this place has become the center of the world.

However, when it comes to Luoshui, in addition to the legend of the River Map and Luoshu, people's first impression is the Luoshui Oath. There were two Luoshui Oaths in history. One was in the late Western Han Dynasty, when Liu Xiu failed to besiege Luoyang. He swore at Luoshui to forgive his brother's murderer, which enabled him to successfully capture Luoyang and establish the Eastern Han Dynasty.

However, the other Luoshui Oath was infamous, and Luoshui was also implicated, and its status plummeted. However, Sima Yi broke his oath and killed Cao Shuang's entire family, so the Sima family eventually suffered retribution. They went from being a long-lived family to a short-lived family, and they also gave birth to an emperor like Sima Yan who was as saintly as before. This in a way led to the Rebellion of the Eight Kings and the subsequent Southern and Northern Dynasties. During this period, the Sima royal family had no status at all. The emperor could be killed at will, promises made could be easily revoked, and it was common to take human lives. Despite this, the Sima clan still did not receive the sympathy of the world.

So much so that even after being killed by Liu Yu, people at that time did not think there was anything wrong with it. Sima Yi's usurpatory behavior caused the Sima family to disappear from the long river of history.

Song Que looked at him with a long gaze, and suddenly smiled, "After many years, we, the southern Han people, have finally returned to the banks of the Luo River. The Hu people are gone, and the Han Dynasty is prosperous. The last wish of our ancestors has finally been fulfilled."

"After taking Luoyang, I will announce it to the mountains, rivers, sun, moon, and ancestors." After saying that, he asked, "Kou Zhong, where are the Turks?"

"Your Majesty, according to reports, the Turks have arrived in Hebei and should be joining forces with Dou Jiande and his men now."

"Li Jing, how is the morale of our troops?"

Li Jing stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, since you presided over the land division, the army has quickly completed its reorganization and the morale is high. As long as Your Majesty gives the order, our army is willing to die for Your Majesty."

Song Que nodded, looked at him with satisfaction, walked forward and stood shoulder to shoulder with Su Ming, "Sir, what do you think of this government soldier system?"

Su Ming looked at Luo Shui and replied calmly, "It can be used for a while, but not for a lifetime."

Song Que was also well aware of the flaws of the Fubing system. "This method can enhance the combat effectiveness of the army. Even if it is only used temporarily, it is good. As long as these foreign tribes can be driven out of the Central Plains, everything will be worth it."

After all, the top priority now is to win this war, take back the Han people's base, and restore the great unity. There are definitely areas that can be improved in the military system, but the Wu State does not have the time and energy for this now, so it can only do it first.

Su Ming continued, "The prosperity of the Han Dynasty is an inevitable trend. Although our cavalry is not as good as theirs, our infantry and military equipment are far superior to theirs. What I am worried about now are those separatist forces who are willing to serve as dogs for foreign races."

"After this battle, the North will surely be in ruins, with countless lives lost. How can we be satisfied so easily by letting foreign races enter the country?"

After these words were spoken, Song Que fell silent. He also hated such traitors, but he had no way to deal with them now and could only take it step by step.

Su Ming looked at Luoyang in the distance with a long gaze. In the future, this place would also be the center of the world. The change in the power of the Hu and Han peoples would be the deciding factor in the change. Although the Turks were powerful, they were not as powerful as the Five Barbarians who invaded China hundreds of years ago.

The unprecedented turmoil had been a hidden danger since the Eastern Han Dynasty. The Hu people in Longyou and Xiliang continued to grow stronger. The Central Plains dynasty was strong enough to control them, but when the Central Plains became weak, these Hu people took advantage of the situation to cause chaos.

During the Three Kingdoms period, although the Cao Wei regime cracked down on ethnic minorities, it only suppressed them and failed to assimilate them. At this time, the power of the Hu and Han in the north had gradually become unbalanced. In the Western Jin Dynasty, the Rebellion of the Eight Kings finally triggered the Five Barbarians' Invasion of China. Various Hu tribes invaded the Central Plains, founded countries here, and used their own sons as soldiers to serve as the core force to defend the regime. In this way, they firmly suppressed the Han people. It is more accurate to say that they simply served as low-level serfs who provided money and food for the Hu soldiers and horses than to govern the Han people harshly.

At this time, the Han forces moved south, leaving a large gap, but the Hu forces were still the main force. Even if some Han people were valued by the Hu regime because of their outstanding talents, they would be given the Hu surname and forcibly assimilated, and would never be given the opportunity to lead the Han people to rise again.

But this happened over and over again. The Hu regimes changed, and the armies centered on the Hu people fought each other, resulting in an imbalance of power. A large number of Hu people either became sinicized or died in the process, and the strength of the Han people grew quietly.

This situation continued until the end of the Northern Wei Dynasty. After Erzhu Rong's death, the Six Garrisons split, Gao Huan and Yuwen Tai divided the north into two, establishing the Eastern Wei and Western Wei respectively, and they attacked each other for years. The Xianbei Hu people, who had always served as the main source of troops, suffered heavy losses, their population plummeted, and they could no longer provide enough high-quality soldiers.

The Western Wei in the Guanzhong area was not as strong as the Eastern Wei and suffered successive military defeats. Therefore, Yuwen Tai had to recruit soldiers from the Han people and accept the Han landlords and tyrants in the Guanzhong area. As a result, the Han people began to enter all levels of the Hu regime in large numbers, completing the class transition. With the frequent attacks between the Eastern Wei, Western Wei, and even the Northern Qi and Northern Zhou for decades, the proportion of Han soldiers in the Northern Zhou army increased day by day, and there was a silent blood exchange.

The fundamental reason is that the Han people not only have an advantage in numbers, but also have obvious superiority in economy and culture. More importantly, everyone has the attributes of a unified ethnic group. Even if they may be suppressed by foreign barbarians for a while due to internal strife, they will not be suppressed forever.

As long as there is enough time, the Han people will slowly recover their strength and be able to assimilate any invading foreign race. Once the Hu people's regime becomes corrupt or suffers a long-term internal strife and can no longer effectively suppress the Han people wholeheartedly, then the Han people will inevitably stand up again and suppress and completely absorb the Hu people.

The later Mongol Yuan regime was like this, and the Qing Dynasty almost ended its national destiny and was driven back to the border. Throughout history, no power or regime can last forever. Whenever the Han regime is corrupt or in civil strife, and the national power is declining, the northern Hu tribes will invade and suppress the Han people. Similarly, if the Hu tribes who entered the Central Plains are corrupt or in civil strife, the Han people with lofty ideals will take advantage of the situation and restore the Han rule. In the future, the Hu people who came to the Central Plains will be swallowed up without leaving any residue.

This cycle repeats itself over and over again. The history of China is precisely the history of the national integration of the Han and Hu peoples. The Han people may be silent for a while, but the reason why they can always stand firm is their strong population base and profound cultural heritage.

This is how history is, and it will be like this in future generations.

Now, the rise of the Han people has become a historical trend. In this battle, Su Ming does not think that Wu will lose. Even if Wu loses, it will still be the Eastern Jin Dynasty that controls the south.

But in the north, the Turks could not absolutely suppress the princes in the Central Plains, because the Han power in the Central Plains had not yet been overthrown and their military strength remained.

After walking along the Luo River for a long time, Su Ming's mind was infinitely rising in the dark. The changes in the breath of heaven and earth appeared before his eyes one by one. He felt that the vast heaven and earth were filled with endless flowing light and colors, and there were countless changes, but its circulation seemed to have its own eternal unchanging.

In a trance, he seemed to "see" countless large and small black, white, red, yellow and green colored auras in the Central Plains merging into several hornless dragons, each occupying one side, magnificent and misty.

One side stretches across Liangzhou, one divides Lingzhou, one is in Hedong, one is in Hebei, and one is Guanzhong. In Hebei there is a dragon-wolf of a completely different shape, grinning and looking majestic. There is a yellow dragon in Guanzhong that is much larger than the others.

With his mind racing, Su Ming turned his attention to the south and "saw" a majestic and gloomy green dragon entrenched in the sky. It was so huge that it blocked out the sun, but its scales were clearly visible. It was steady and long, as bright as the sun, with horns on its forehead, and it was almost turning into a dragon.

The energy flowing between heaven and earth is a single energy, and due to different forms, they give rise to a myriad of changes. However, if one traces its flow back to its source, it all returns to oneness.

At this moment, Song Que suddenly opened his eyes wide and stared at the other person. Just a moment ago, he seemed to be unable to sense Su Ming's existence, as if he had disappeared from this world.

But when he looked over, he could see Su Ming actually standing there.

He immediately stopped and stepped back, signaling everyone to stop and not affect Su Ming.

Su Ming stood by the river with his eyes closed naturally, his mind empty, his skills running naturally, and the destiny of humanity vaguely and hazy, originating from the gathering and rising of the spirits of all people. It was also a unique and strange phenomenon evolved from the vital energy of heaven and earth. Because it was rooted in the great trend of humanity, there were faint traces of it.

When presented in the "Dharma Eyes" of a master, the spirit of all people is like all kinds of colorful lights, flowing and gathering between the villages, towns and cities on the earth, and finally gathering from small streams into rivers, giving birth to dragons.

This dragon of luck not only symbolizes the strength of a country, but also reflects the will of the people, foreshadowing the rise and fall of the world and the cycle of the five virtues. Those dragons are easy to distinguish, but it is difficult for the grassroots to accomplish anything. The Great Zhou and the Turks are the strongest, so their luck is more prosperous.

If the Turks were on the grassland, their fortune would be even stronger, far more than what it is now.

Silently sensing himself, Su Ming felt that his essence, energy and spirit were becoming more and more blended and complete, and clear and spiritual. It was obvious that he had just benefited greatly from the harmony of his mind with the destiny of humanity, and his spiritual realm had been further improved.

Although he also gained great insights into the art of qi-gazing, he did not pay much attention to it, because all of this was ultimately a derivative change brought about by the Nether Sea Return to Origin Force.

The art of observing qi has existed since ancient times. It is said that it can reveal the changes of the three elements of heaven, earth and man.

However, in reality, when ordinary people observe qi, they can only see flowers in the fog. They may occasionally get a glimpse of a little bit of human destiny, but it is like taking things out of context and cannot be relied upon. It is only at the level of magic. It may be incredible to ordinary people, but in the eyes of Taoist masters, it is actually not worth mentioning.

A true practitioner never relies on strange skills to show off his prowess, but instead focuses on comprehending the mysteries of the universe and life. Once he reaches the supreme state of harmony between man and nature, he will naturally possess incredible supernatural powers. Even if he does not know the art of observing qi, any subtle changes in human destiny will be visible in his wise eyes.

Tao is the root of technique, and technique is the end of Tao.

After all, it is the realm that is the most important. He believes that as the ruler of a country, Song Que can see and feel no less than him. Even as the ruler of a region, he can better understand the state of mind and changes in the world brought about by power.

Song Que was able to mobilize the military forces for his own use and even took this opportunity to make rapid progress. As the imperial teacher of Wu, Su Ming had sufficient status and could make some progress by seeing the whole picture, but not as much as Song Que.

After a long time, Su Ming opened his eyes, and a hint of enlightenment flashed in his clear eyes. The aura around him became more mysterious, and the charm of Taoism grew.

Song Que showed a sincere smile on his face, "Congratulations."

Su Ming was the state teacher of Wu. If he became stronger, Wu would become stronger. How could he not be happy? Moreover, as a martial arts opponent and friend, he also hoped to have someone with whom he could discuss the Dao.

He was sincerely happy for the other party's progress.

Su Ming smiled faintly, "I have some insights."

The next moment, his expression changed slightly, and he looked up at the sky. Just after he came out of his comprehension, he actually felt a little pressure, not from unknown enemies, but from the sky above his head.

Long before, he had gradually perfected the realm of Grand Master and it was difficult to make any progress. But now, he felt the long-lost bottleneck. If he could break through the realm, perhaps he could break through this world.

This was not an illusion, but the answer given to him by his mysterious martial arts spiritual perception.

(End of this chapter)