If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1445 Is Liu Ji Grand Tutor Yu?

"Why did the Qin Dynasty perish after only two generations? Because the Qin Dynasty lost its Mandate of Heaven! What makes you, the hidden talents, capable of rising to prominence, with the Mandate of Heaven upon you!"
Why would you great immortals abandon your carefree and leisurely life as gods and come to the mortal realm to guide a great calamity?

Of course, their fundamental purpose is humanitarianism and good fortune.

But by what right do they receive the blessings of humanity? By obeying Heaven's will and protecting the established destiny to ensure its fulfillment.

Why has the so-called "southeast imperial aura" been praised for so many years? No one knows who the owner of the "southeast imperial aura" is, but everyone says that he is the true emperor!

Why is this?

"Heaven's mandate is supreme!"

Li Zhong watched Chen Sheng speak eloquently, “Why was the Tian family of Qi able to restore the state? Because the governors of Linzi and Jiaozhou were both surnamed Tian and belonged to the Tian clan.”

The Tian family kept eight thousand elite warriors, and their wealth was comparable to that of the Dragon Palace.

With such resources, to put it bluntly, even a pig, sitting in the position of head of the Tian family, could have restored the Great Qi while King Chen Sheng was holding back the main force of the Qin army.

How was King Jiu of Wei able to restore his kingdom?

The direct cause was the assistance of King Chen Sheng, but wasn't the fundamental reason that he was a descendant of the royal family of the former Wei state? Establishing him as a figurehead could win over the people of Wei and attract heroes from all directions to come and join him.

Only you, King Chen Sheng, were able to become the King of Chu purely through divine mandate and your own talent.

You have the greatest destiny!
You should publicize the fact that you rose from humble beginnings to prove how great your destiny is.

Others rely on the reputation and wealth left by their ancestors, but you rely on God.

Your biological father only gave you flesh and blood; God is your true father!

As the Son of Heaven, he should rightfully be the 'Son of Heaven'!

"Good, well said!" Chen Sheng was overjoyed. He pulled out a handful of rare treasures from his robes and stuffed them into Li Zhong's arms. "Commander Li, you are truly wasting your talents as a demon. You have extraordinary abilities and can assist the king in achieving great things!"

Li Zhong seemed to have gotten carried away as well, his cheeks flushed. Holding the treasure, he said, "Your Majesty flatters me! I have another immature idea."

Recently, the Qin Dynasty issued a new proclamation to the people, clearly stating that King Chen Sheng has the divine mandate to initiate an uprising.

For this destiny, the quasi-Great Luo was even willing to sacrifice the reincarnation of Yan Dan.

In other words, your founding destiny is acknowledged by the Great Luo and the Qin Dynasty, and even Grand Tutor Yu.

In that case, why doesn't Your Majesty proactively seek the right to interpret the 'Mandate of Heaven for the First Uprising'?

Chen Sheng pulled him into the main hall and had him sit at the head of the table, while he himself sat below. He asked humbly and respectfully, "I am indeed very troubled by the 'destiny of the first uprising.' I wonder what you mean by the 'right of interpretation' that you mentioned, Commander?"

Li Zhongdao said, "Why is Your Majesty troubled? Isn't it because some people think that you only have the 'destiny to lead the uprising,' and that after the uprising, the destiny will be lost, and your Great Chu will soon decline, right?"
On what basis do they interpret the 'destiny of the first uprising' in this way?
Why isn't it said that "everyone who rebels dies, but Chen Sheng's rebellion led to his meteoric rise and the overthrow of the tyrannical Qin Dynasty"?

"That's the truth!" Chen Sheng clapped his hands excitedly, "Indeed, only I could lead the uprising!"

“Alas, the uprising has ended. Your Majesty need not emphasize ‘initiating the uprising,’ as if Your Majesty’s mandate ends here.”

Li Zhong said meaningfully, "Your Majesty should explain to the world that only I can overthrow the tyrannical Qin Dynasty, no one else can, and everyone else can only rely on me."

Has the Qin Dynasty fallen? No.

Since the Qin Dynasty has not fallen, Your Majesty's mandate of heaven has not ended.

Chen Sheng seemed to understand something, "Does the leader mean to replace 'the mandate of heaven for the first uprising' with 'the mandate of heaven for the destruction of Qin'?"

Li Zhongdao said, “It’s not about replacing a concept. ‘The Mandate of Heaven for the First Uprising’ originally meant the same thing. In the past, others have misunderstood it, which is why Your Majesty needs to reinterpret it.”

"That's right, that's exactly it. In the past, villains caused trouble and misled the people."

Thanks to Commander Li's understanding of destiny and fate, the true nature of my divine mandate has been revealed.

Chen Sheng was overjoyed and wished he could immediately issue an edict appointing Li Zhong as "General of the East Sea." This would allow him to recruit troops in the East Sea, just like other generals such as Zhou Shi and Wu Guang, to fight for him across the land.

Li Zhong waved his hand and said, "I'm just a little devil with a bit of cleverness. If you say I understand destiny and know the will of Heaven, everyone in the world will laugh their heads off."

It needs to be reinterpreted by a true sage who understands the will of Heaven.

Chen Sheng asked expectantly, "What brilliant plan does the commander have to get the immortal to vouch for me?"

Li Zhong's expression was strange. "The Great Qin Dynasty wrote a proclamation to the people, which contains the names of many great immortals and some of their deeds."

After the announcement was released, they did not publicly deny it.

Why can't the Great Chu write a proclamation to its people, borrowing the names of those great immortals, and simply stating that the King believes the immortals hold this view?

"How dare you!" Commander Yuan roared.

"What a brilliant plan!" Chen Sheng exclaimed in delight.

"The anti-Qin banner flutters in the wind, the allied forces of the six states surrender. Other states shed blood and fight to the death, but only Qi will bend its knees."

When the Qin army arrived with their surrender document, their knees buckled like noodles. They claimed 'protecting the borders and ensuring the people's safety' was the righteous path, but in reality, they were just cowards clinging to life.

When Liu Ji visited Ying Bu, a powerful figure in Jiujiang, he heard this folk song coming from outside.

However, he was now numb, no longer filled with shock and anger, nor with mixed feelings of joy and doubt.

This is the seventh ballad; it started as his slogan and then became a mockery of Chen Sheng.

There are several poems that mock Chen Sheng!

Then came Chen Sheng's self-aggrandizement, boasting that he was the true Son of Heaven, possessing the divine mandate to destroy the Qin Dynasty.

Then came the mockery of the State of Qi.
Liu Laosan asked blankly, "Brother, which courtyard do you think this came from?"

Yingbu peeked out of the house and saw seven or eight shrimp soldiers and crab generals outside the courtyard.

They were quite well-behaved; there was no arguing or fighting, they just stood face to face. You sing your song, mocking the honored guest I serve; then it's my turn, and I'll sing my song, mocking the honored guest you serve.

"It's probably Chen Sheng mocking the King of Jiaozhou. Brothers, you guys keep drinking, I'm going to drink too." Ying Bu couldn't help but say.

"What are you doing?" Liu Laosan was taken aback.

"You all praise yourselves and belittle the enemy; I have that need too!"

Ying Bu called out to the side hall, "Commander Ma, come here for a moment."

Immediately, a military officer with a seahorse head and a human body walked over and said, "Ying Dahao, my brothers and I have been ready for a long time and are waiting for your instructions."

Qingbu's original surname was "Ying". He was tattooed on the face and that's why he was called "Qingbu".

"You guys are all prepared? But how did you know what I was going to do?" Ying Bu asked curiously.

"You've been at the Dragon Palace for over half a month, and you've cursed Deng Zong and Chen Sheng countless times."

Everyone's doing it now, can you resist? But even if you're doing it, you can't skimp on the money.

Commander Ma said solemnly, “We have two hundred brothers, each of us will receive ten gold coins, I will receive two hundred gold coins, and the tribute to the thirteen chief stewards will also be two hundred gold coins.”

Give another hundred gold coins to have the scribe write the manuscript.

You can choose any genre—folk songs, poems, rhymes—and you decide the subject matter.

Two thousand five hundred gold coins in total, that's not much, is it?

"Not much, not much." Ying Bu took out a bag of gold beans from his pocket. "There are eight thousand gold coins here. You and your brothers can divide them among yourselves."

—Damn it, this tattooed man is so extravagant!

Liu Ji was both surprised and envious, and felt somewhat embarrassed that he had only given Li Zhong a little over three hundred taels of silver.

"Thank you so much for your generous reward, Commander Ma!" Commander Ma was overjoyed.

Ying Bu counted on his fingers and said, "First, write an article criticizing Chen Sheng for being greedy and insatiable, attempting to conquer the world, wanting to become the second Qin Shi Huang, and not giving us ordinary rebel kings a way to survive."

Write another one specifically to criticize Deng Zong, that scoundrel stole his own daughter-in-law and had homosexual tendencies. I can't think of anything else, you can ask Judge Gui to help you come up with 'eighteen serious crimes'.

Finally, let me write something to make a name for myself. Thirty years ago, a fortune teller told me, "You will become king after being punished."

Fifteen years ago, I gladly accepted the punishment of being branded. Later, while serving hard labor in Xianyang, I led eight hundred brothers to kill the overseer and directly rebelled.

Is this not destiny?
I was ten years earlier than Chen Sheng! I am the true hero of the uprising, and you must make the whole world understand this.

Oh, and I also need to write a poem to praise my father-in-law, Wu Rui.

Not only did Commander Ma's expression stiffen, but even Liu Ji couldn't hold back anymore.

"Brother, why are you even making your father-in-law famous? We're holding an anti-Qin alliance meeting!"

"Brother Liu, you don't know this. My father-in-law, Wu Rui, also rebelled against the king all the way. He just didn't come this time."

Although Chen Sheng had arrived, his general Deng Zong was still attacking the southern cities of Jiujiang.

Having traveled thousands of miles to get here, of course I must leave someone to look after the family business.

So my father-in-law took command of the troops from the two towns and continued the standoff with Deng Zong at Juchao.

After explaining, Ying Bu said to Commander Ma, "My father-in-law, Wu Rui, is a direct descendant of King Fuchai of Wu, one of the 'Five Hegemons of the Central Plains' (PS), and has true royal blood."

He was no different from King Jiu of Wei, Ying Xie of Zhao, and Tian Rong of Qi.

If he had come too, I wouldn't have been assigned to the lower courtyard.

"It's the VIP lounge," Commander Ma corrected.

"Bullshit!" Ying Bu spat and continued, "My father-in-law is not only a proper royal, but also the 'King of the Baiyue' and the 'First Sage of Jiangxi Throughout History'."

I'm not bragging, but if my father-in-law were in the Central Plains, there would be no such thing as "Tian Dan in the North and Xiang Liang in the South".

The two Baiyue chieftains, Zou Wuzhu and Zou Yao, have both traveled thousands of miles to voluntarily submit to my father-in-law!

Commander Ma reminded them: "Zou Wuzhu and Zou Yao are descendants of King Goujian of Yue."

Even now, they are still the 'rulers' of the Qin Dynasty (equivalent to the later 'Tusi').

They now live in a VIP suite and seem to have a grudge against you.

If you write songs directly about them, they will be displeased and will surely retaliate.

Ying Bu cursed, "Those two bastards had already sworn allegiance to my father-in-law."

Once they arrived at the Dragon Palace and met the kings of the Central Plains, they began to curry favor with the powerful. How despicable and hateful!
"You must write it, write it at length, so that all the heroes of China will know they are my people."

Commander Ma accepted the order and left. Half an hour later, he began to sing a ballad for Ying Bu.

Half an hour later, several more "posters" appeared outside Qingbu's courtyard, cursing him as a lowly person punished with tattooing and calling his father-in-law cowardly and incompetent.

More accurately, it's "replying to posts".

"Damn it, Wuzhu and Yao actually dare to curse me. When I return to Jiujiang Kingdom, I will definitely lead troops to wipe out these two old traitors!" Ying Bu roared angrily.

Liu Ji frowned. "The reason why the immortals organized this anti-Qin alliance is to unite us and gather our strength to change the situation in the Central Plains that is gradually violating the established destiny."

Arranging our courtyards in one place facilitates communication and also helps us get to know each other and cultivate our relationship.

It's turned out this way, completely having the opposite effect!

Ying Bu glanced at him. "Didn't Brother Liu do it first?"

"This was not my intention," Liu Ji said helplessly. "I had our commander, Li, secretly spread the news."

Standing at the door and shouting like that is too rude and will only make people resentful.

—Those shrimp soldiers and crab generals worked so hard, and they only got eight and seven qian of silver. How dare you complain that they didn't do a good enough job? Why don't you just give the order to go ashore, kill Grand Tutor Yu, and capture Xingyang City?

In a cramped, underwater palace, one must spread rumors without arousing suspicion, and complete the task in an extremely short time.

This is no less difficult than capturing Xingyang City.

Ying Bu thought to himself, but said aloud, "Perhaps this is exactly what the great immortals want to see."

Only by creating a scene and getting everyone to speak their minds can the conflicts be bridged and the contradictions resolved.

Liu Ji was taken aback, and began to look at this rough-looking tattooed man with new respect.

"Liu Ji, Liu Dahao!" At this moment, a hurried call came from outside the courtyard.

"Oh, my Dragon Palace attendant has finally returned." Liu Laosan's tone was tinged with sarcasm.

“Let him in and make things clear to him,” Ying Bu said.

"Commander Li, please come in."

After Li Zhong entered, he bowed to the heroes at the banquet and said directly, "Master Ying, and all the other gentlemen, I've come to see Liu Ji. It's important, and we need to discuss it privately."

Ying Bu shouted, "You are clearly Brother Liu's servant, why are you betraying your own brother and helping Chen Sheng devise strategies?"

Li Zhong was stunned for a moment, then said, "Because of Liu Ji's matter, King Chen Sheng wanted to kill me, and the Great Sage Water Ape also attacked me, almost killing me in front of King Chen Sheng. Did you know that?"

Liu Ji stood up apologetically and bowed deeply to him, "I've implicated Commander Li. Come, Brother Li, have a couple of drinks, and I'll apologize to you."

"Why are you still drinking? His Majesty the Dragon King has been alerted, and the immortals also suspect you and want to see you! Come with me quickly!" Li Zhong pulled him outside.

Liu Ji was both surprised and horrified. "What do you suspect me of? I... I've been drinking with you brothers the whole time!"

"Those who suspect you, or those around you, are actually Yu Fengxian in disguise."

"They deliberately spread rumors, inciting mutual suspicion among the heroes of China and undermining the 'Great Unity of the Anti-Qin Alliance of China'," Li Zhongdao said.

Liu Ji exclaimed excitedly, "The rumors are flying everywhere, and you're the one who started them! It has nothing to do with me!"

"Liu Ji, don't talk nonsense. You gave me money to help spread rumors." Li Zhong was also very agitated.

Lu Wan said angrily, "My elder brother told you to spread the rumors quietly and subtly, not to shout them at the door."

“What do you mean by ‘subtle and silent influence’? You want to imitate the proclamation to the people? Aren’t I imitating the proclamation to the people?” Li Zhong said.

"Doesn't your Dragon Palace have any spies spreading rumors? Even the instructors at the county martial arts academy teach us spies the 'Five Techniques'," Xiahou Ying said.

The Five Spy skills come from "The Art of War: The Use of Spies". The five spies are: natural spy, internal spy, double agent, dead spy, and living spy. The book provides a very detailed and systematic description of the use of spies.

The Daqin County garrison battalion frequently participates in internal and external operations and also receives specialized training in spies.

"I am a Yaksha, not a spy. Let's hurry, the Great Immortal has arrived," Li Zhong urged.

After they all left.

At the banquet, a hero named Zheng Bu sneered, "Liu Laosan is quite a character. He takes three hundred taels of silver and tries to make the Yaksha commander of the Dragon Palace, who is used to wealth and luxury, a spy."

And it wasn't just Commander Li; hundreds of soldiers under his command were all to be used as spies.

“Liu Ji is by no means a stingy person. He probably only had a little over three hundred taels left on him, and he took it all out,” Peng Yue said.

"With such a small amount of money, you think you can cause trouble at the Heroes' Alliance? You're being even more arrogant," said Ding Ji, another hero from Dongchu.

"He actually succeeded, even alarming the near-Great Luo Immortal." Ying Bu's eyes gleamed. "What do you think, shouldn't we have a drink with 'Grand Tutor Yu'?"

"No way? Liu Ji uses vulgar language, how could he possibly be Grand Tutor Yu?"

"It's not impossible. Grand Tutor Yu is ever-changing, omnipotent, and capable of anything. He's terrifying."

"Fortunately, she is different from those aspiring Grand Luo. She follows the rules, dealing with soldiers and generals alike, and doesn't deliberately target us."

　(PS: The selection of the Five Hegemons of the Central Plains is quite controversial. Remember Duke Xiang of Song? Some people think that King Helü of Wu was also one of the Five Hegemons. Ying Bu chose this view because his father-in-law was a descendant of the King of Wu.)

　　Xiao Yu praised Duke Xiang as one of the Five Hegemons, which greatly pleased Duke Xiang.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)