Am I the old man who's always by my apprentices' side?

Chapter 302 Internal Strife in the Kingdom of Daichowa

The reason why Tangjiabao was able to firmly control Jiannan Road for over a thousand years was because the Tang family truly cared for the people of Jiannan Road.

The saying "People are like water; water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it" applies to any world.

When the Northern Xiao Kingdom and the Southern Chu Kingdom were fighting tooth and nail for the territory of the Zhou Kingdom, the Southern Chu Kingdom actually attacked as far as the Bazhou area.

The Southern Chu Kingdom considered the people of the Bashu region to be barbarians, so it attacked and massacred cities one by one, and then tried to relocate people from the Central Plains to populate the area. This angered the people of Bashu, who elected the Tang Clan Patriarch and, with just one sect, led the people of the entire Bashu region to drive out the Southern Chu Kingdom—at the cost of hundreds of thousands of deaths and injuries.

After this battle, the Tang Clan was severely weakened, but the Southern Chu Kingdom was not faring well either. It was already vying with the Northern Xiao Kingdom for control of the Henan and Jiangbei regions. Because of the losses suffered in Bashu, it suffered repeated defeats on the main battlefield. In the end, considering that there was no real need to conquer Bashu, the Southern Chu Kingdom abandoned this territory.

As a result, the Tang Clan's patriarch was elected as the military governor. At that time, the former Zhou state had just been destroyed, and the Bashu region was isolated from news, with many institutions still retaining the model of the former Zhou state.

The Tang Clan patriarch was also very self-aware. Although the Sichuan-Chongqing region was not small, it was still unlikely to become an independent country.

With the Later Zhou Kingdom to the north, the Great Changhe Kingdom to the south, and the Southern Chu Kingdom to the east, it was truly a situation of being besieged on all sides.

After much deliberation, the Tang family unanimously decided to side with the newly established Great Changhe Kingdom.

The weakness of the Great Changhe Kingdom also allowed the Tang family to continue to control the Bashu region.

Of course, the most important thing is that the de facto control of the Jiannan region means that the entire region does not have to pay taxes to the Da Changhe Kingdom. When asked, they would just complain about being poor, and not only that, they would also ask for this and that, saying that there were floods and earthquakes, and that there was never a good year. They would ask for relief money and disaster relief grain, and they could never give any money out of their pockets.

Since it was a tributary territory, the Great Changhe Kingdom was naturally unwilling to contribute money or effort, so they didn't mention taxes. They only asked for a small amount of "special products" to be paid as tribute each year, which nominally belonged to the Great Changhe Kingdom, and that was enough.

The consequence of not having to pay taxes was that the Tang Clan set a very low agricultural tax standard throughout Jiannan Road.

To put it bluntly, it was the lowest standard ever seen in any country or region throughout history. Apart from being used to pay the salaries of local officials, all of it was put into the Ever-Normal Granary to ensure people's livelihood. The Tang family themselves didn't take a single penny, which naturally earned them the deep love and respect of the local people.

Compared to the Tang Clan's own industries, the agricultural tax revenue from such a small area as Bashu was pitifully small and not even worth the Tang Clan's attention!
Therefore, throughout the entire Jiannan Road area, the people almost all only knew about the Tang Clan and not about the Great Changhe Kingdom!

In this situation, if the ancestor becomes a Core Formation cultivator and possesses such power, the Tang Sect... might not necessarily be unable to advance further.

Tang Chi's breathing became somewhat rapid.

Although he didn't have a clear concept of "Chengdan stage cultivators," he could glean some understanding from widely circulated books describing the path of immortality, such as "The White Stone Immortal Dao Book," and from various rumors circulating in the martial arts world.

Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator can easily injure a Grandmaster. This Core Formation cultivator is even more powerful than the Foundation Establishment cultivator. He must be equivalent to a Grandmaster, right?

Moreover, besides the patriarch, the sect also has an elder with the cultivation level of a grandmaster and four venerable ones...

With so many high-end combat forces, how could they possibly fail to protect a mere Jiannan Road?

If they were to latch onto the White Stone Immortal Sect's coattails and use its influence, neither the Southern Chu Kingdom nor the Great Changhe Kingdom would dare to take action against Jiannan Dao!

After analyzing the situation in his mind for a while, Tang Chi felt it was increasingly feasible and couldn't help but urge his great-great-grandfather uncle: "Great-great-grandfather uncle, why don't we go and talk to that kid Zhongfu tomorrow?"

"No hurries!"

Tang Xiaoyu certainly heard Tang Chi's words and understood their meaning.

She has no political ambitions, but that doesn't mean she doesn't want the Tang Clan to thrive.

Moreover, because she was in charge of the teleportation array, she traveled to many places under the rule of the White Stone Immortal Sect and gradually saw how her master, Zhang Chengdao, changed people's lives little by little, especially in Longxi, where the people's lives improved by more than just a little!
Honestly, she would also like her fellow villagers to live such a good life. However, it was impossible to hand over Jiannan Road to Baishi Immortal Sect, but it was possible to imitate Baishi Immortal Sect's governance model and curry favor with them.

Therefore, Tang Chi's idea hit the nail on the head for Tang Xiaoyu.

The governance of the Great Changhe Kingdom is very backward. If the Tang Sect hadn't painstakingly copied and adopted the various systems, laws, and decrees of the Former Zhou Kingdom and the Southern Chu Kingdom, Jiannan Road would probably still be in the era of slavery, just like other parts of the Great Changhe Kingdom!

Everyone desires development, even rulers. However, most mediocre and incompetent rulers stifle development because they fear the growing pains and the temporary relative loss of their own interests. But in essence, everyone yearns for advanced systems and a more stable and peaceful environment.

Of course, while she was tempted, Tang Xiaoyu wasn't as impatient as Tang Chi.

The last time she saw Tang Zhongfu was over ten years ago at the Tang Clan's disciple competition. Back then, Tang Zhongfu was very young, only in his early thirties, full of vigor and ambition. Ten years have passed; people always change. Who knows what Tang Zhongfu is really thinking?
Tang Chi acted rashly again, but the one who truly controlled Jiannan Road was still Tang Zhongfu, and it was Tang Zhongfu who made the final decisions.

Therefore, Tang Xiaoyu thought to herself that she should wait for Tang Zhongfu's reply before making a decision.

Tang Zhongfu replied quickly, but to Tang Xiaoyu's surprise, Tang Zhongfu himself rushed to Yuzhou that very night after receiving the reply.

"The Dragon King Festival in Yizhou was only a few days ago when I received your letter."

Tang Zhongfu was very polite to Tang Chi, but his face showed a strange look of joy.

Tang Chi stroked his beard and said with a smile, "We were planning to visit you in a couple of days, but you're so busy with official business, why bother making this trip for nothing!"

"Grandmaster, what are you saying? How could I possibly allow you to visit me!"

Tang Zhongfu was indeed Tang Chi's grand-disciple, so it was normal for him to be called his grandmaster.

However, given Tang Zhongfu's status and power, it is quite remarkable that he still treats Tang Chi with such respect.

While Tang Xiaoyu was still sizing up Tang Zhongfu, Tang Zhongfu dropped a bombshell—

Chaos has broken out in Daejo and the country!
The ruler of the Great Changhe Kingdom was a military governor appointed during the Former Zhou Dynasty. His surname was Dong. Taking advantage of the Zhou Dynasty's fragmentation and constant warfare in the Central Plains, he established the Great Changhe Kingdom together with nobles from several tribes, including the Kunmichuan Bai tribe, the Qilan tribe of Lishui, and the Simo tribe of Pudi.

There were several rebellions during this period, such as the Qilan tribe usurping the throne and the Simo tribe splitting, but the dynasty has continued intermittently, constantly splitting, merging, usurping power, and returning to the rightful ruler, and the royal surname remains "Dong" to this day.

Although the territory of the Great Changhe Kingdom was not small, even larger than that of the Later Zhou Kingdom, most of the area was inhabited by tribes, so many places, like Jiannan Road, were tributary territories, maintaining only a nominal subordinate relationship.

The Gao family were nobles of the Bai tribe of Kunmi River, and were the rulers. They held immense power and were initially subordinate to the Dong family because the military governor had military power and many warriors in his army, which the Bai tribe could not defeat.

But over a thousand years have passed, and they have been instigating other tribes to be restless, so as to distract the King of Dong. Now they have finally accumulated enough strength to rebel!
"I only just learned of this. The king is dead, and the second prince is the only one who has managed to gather the imperial guards. The eldest prince has also died for his country..."

Tang Zhongfu blurted out everything he knew, which was quite alarming: "The Queen and the seven princes and grandsons died the most tragically, their hearts and livers were ripped out... The Bai tribe said that the Dong family favored the Zhong family and our Tang family, and acted unfairly, so they wanted to kill the Dong family members and offer them to the Three Altars God so that the Three Altars God could choose a new ruler!"

Tang Chi found it absurd: "Isn't this a joke? There's no such thing as a Three Altars God in this world!"

The Three Altars Gods is the most important belief in the Yunnan-Guizhou region. There are three gods in total, so they are collectively known as the "Three Altars Gods".

The Three Altars Gods are essentially a local deity worship, meaning that these three gods are the ancestors (or common ancestors) of various tribes in the Yunnan-Yunnan region and southern Sichuan. Over a long period of time, this belief gradually developed into a faith, which is why the Qin King belief was able to spread in the Sichuan region—people had long been accustomed to their ancestors being gods.

However, unlike the Qin King belief, which objectively had a Qin King, the Three Altars God belief had no real god behind it; it was purely the local people's good wishes and enthusiasm for life, something Tang Chi understood very well.

Unexpectedly, Tang Zhongfu shook his head and said seriously, "No, this time is different. I heard that the Three Altars God in the Three Altars Cave has issued a 'divine decree,' and more than a dozen people, including the White Tribe and the Black Tribe, who believe in the Three Altars God, have declared that this is the 'Resurrection of the Three Altars God'!"
"Moreover, it is said that the revived 'Three Altars God' also taught those dozen or so tribes a strange technique called 'Divine Sorcery.' Practicing this technique is much more powerful than ordinary martial arts, and it can also command wild beasts and the dead, making it extremely difficult to deal with. The Second Prince and the Imperial Guards were defeated by this power. Otherwise, no matter what, the palace has hundreds of thousands of Imperial Guards, as well as so many Venerables and a Grandmaster. How could they have been driven back to the north by just a few tribes!"

"'Divine sorcery'?"

This was the first time Tang Chi had heard this name. He looked at his great-great-grandfather uncle with a puzzled expression, but the latter also shook his head, his eyes filled with no less confusion than Tang Chi's.

Tang Xiaoyu hesitated for a moment, then asked, "How much do you know about this 'divine sorcery'?"

Tang Zhongfu replied, "I have already sent people to inquire, but all those who went have mysteriously disappeared. So all the news we have now is coming in a vague and unclear way, and it is difficult to distinguish between true and false. All we know is that this kind of skill can control wild beasts and the dead, and those who practice this skill are all revered as 'divine sorcerers'."

"Furthermore, because the 'shamans' are elusive, it is difficult to find and kill them. If you can't find the 'shamans,' you can only face the endless stream of wild beasts and dead corpses they control. What is most terrifying is that these beasts and corpses are tireless and do not feel pain. Even if they lose an arm or a leg, it will not affect their ability to fight on the battlefield. Therefore, they are very troublesome."

Tang Chi stroked his beard and frowned: "Such a strange thing has happened in the world!"

If it were just internal strife in Da Changhe, it wouldn't matter. After all, the Tang family and Jiannan Road have experienced several internal conflicts in Da Changhe, and they have always emerged unscathed. This is because Jiannan Road is the largest tributary state in the entire Da Changhe, and the Tang Clan is very powerful. No matter who comes to power, they have to treat the Tang Clan with respect.

But this time, the so-called "Three Altars Divine Revival" and the "Divine Witchcraft" of the White Tribe are all strange in every way, especially the ability to control wild beasts and the dead, which is really terrifying. Tang Chi can't guarantee that the Tang Clan can deal with such bizarre methods!
As for Tang Xiaoyu, who was standing to the side, she had already fallen silent upon hearing this.

This "divine sorcery" sounds...

Does that sound familiar?
(End of this chapter)