The old emperor only desires immortality; you must not rebel.

The Holy Emperor crushed the head of the Northern Qi Princess with his bare hands!

Only then did a large army appear on the outskirts.

The Emperor's Personal Army!

This ever-expanding elite force numbered 30,000, all of them the cream of the crop.

Everyone's faces were filled with fervor!

Having witnessed the terrifying power of the Holy Emperor, everyone will submit to him.

Looking at the fields surrounding the mountains, the Holy Emperor smiled with satisfaction.

"Putuo Temple colluded with the Northern Qi; all its land and money have been confiscated and put to public use!"

"All the monks in the temple have returned to secular life and gone home!"

The dog emperor had long coveted the place called Putuo Temple.

Within the entire territory of Daqing, besides aristocratic families and powerful clans, the largest owners of farmland were temples.

All of this was thanks to a certain emperor of the Daqing Dynasty who was extremely devout Buddhist.

Many prime farmlands within Daqing were allocated to temples.

It's such a waste to leave such a large piece of land here.

The farmland owned by Putuo Temple was truly fertile land, enough to support more than 10,000 people.

The worst part is that these monks still won't pay him taxes!

Not only Putuo Temple, but all temples in the world do not pay taxes; they are treated the same as scholars who have passed the imperial examinations.

For each Putuo Temple, 100,000 taels of silver would be saved.

A pile of pure white silver!

It's all my money!

The emperor cannot bear to see the people suffer, but it is no problem for him to make his officials or monks suffer.

"His Majesty!!"

An urgent voice came from inside.

Huai Kong's voice came from the side as he hurriedly ran over, clasping his hands together in protest: "Your Majesty, my Putuo Temple has absolutely not colluded with the Northern Qi people!"

"Your Majesty, you mustn't!"

"These are all ancestral properties, bestowed upon us by His Majesty the Longqing Emperor!"

Confiscate the land!

How can this be allowed?

Leaving the temple and letting them go out to farm with those peasants—what is his status, and what is the status of those peasants?

How could he possibly go and farm like those peasants?

Huai Kong said anxiously, "Your Majesty, have you forgotten that you have come to Putuo Temple to pray for blessings many times before?"

"It is precisely because of Buddha's protection that my great Qing dynasty is able to maintain its stability!"

"Buddha has always been protecting you!"

"Your Majesty, you must not anger Buddha!"

In feudal times, from emperors to ordinary people, everyone believed in gods and Buddhas.

Only the emperor's corrupt and despicable officials were the least likely to believe it.

If chaos and disasters arise in the world, it is because the emperor is immoral, and the emperor has angered the gods, who have sent down divine punishment.

All of this will be borne by the Emperor!

"That makes sense!"

The Holy Emperor nodded in deep agreement, looked down at Huai Kong, and smiled, "In that case, please ask the Abbot to explain to the Buddha on my behalf."

"I have done all this for the sake of the people; I hope he can understand!"

"What...?" Huai Kong looked bewildered.

immediately,

The Holy Emperor seized Huai Kong and lifted him up.

Huai Kong's face paled with fright, and he cried out in terror, "Your Majesty, spare my life!"

"Your Majesty, I was wrong..."

"I'd be willing to go farming!"

The Holy Emperor smiled slightly, then unleashed his divine power, hurling Huai Kong violently towards the heavens.

The piercing screams quickly faded into the distance.

The Holy Emperor looked at the remaining monks of Putuo Temple and smiled, "Who among you still wishes to see the Buddha?"

Everyone trembled and immediately knelt down.

"Long live!"

"Long live!"

The monks shouted in unison and bowed in worship.

To see the Buddha?

Who would dare to accept such a thing—flying up to the heavens to see the Buddha?

Faced with the choice between farming and seeing Buddha, they decided to choose farming.

After all, farming serves the general public and also spreads the spirit of Buddha.

Feeling he had done a good deed, the Holy Emperor waved his hand generously and said, "Move all these Buddha statues back to the palace."

"These are all my achievements!"

……

capital,

The people of the city had already gathered in the open space outside the city at the emperor's decree.

Beneath the towering dragon banner, the Holy Emperor slowly ascended the high platform.

The surrounding people began to kneel and pay their respects.

"Long live Your Majesty!"

"Long live Your Majesty!"

The Holy Emperor stood atop the high platform, looking down at the people below. He cleared his throat, preparing to begin his speech in the tavern.

"People of Daqing!"

"Just now, I was assassinated!"

"Shameless! Those despicable people of Northern Qi launched an assassination attempt while I was praying to Heaven for peace and prosperity for my Great Qing Kingdom!"

"Tens of thousands of people surrounded Putuo Temple!"

"They colluded with the monks in the temple."

"They tried to kill me!"

"Kill the Emperor of Daqing!"

"Kill your emperor!"

As the words of the Holy Emperor slowly echoed through the open space, all the people instantly erupted in uproar.

Assassination?

The refugees who had gathered outside the city now showed expressions of anger when they heard that the Northern Qi people were trying to assassinate the Holy Emperor.

The Holy Emperor's voice rose again, like muffled thunder slowly rolling through the clouds.

"Please remember!"

"Please remember everything we lost twenty years ago!"

The Holy Emperor raised his hands and opened his arms.

The dragon's might spread!

With the blessing of his innate talent, the Holy Emperor at this moment was like the sun in the sky.

Under the sun's rays, people unconsciously kneel down and worship, their faces showing piety.

"Twenty years ago, in the Battle of Changfeng Pass, Daqing lost two hundred thousand men!"

"Some of them are fathers of your children, some are sons, some are husbands!"

A look of reminiscence crossed everyone's faces, but their expressions were quickly replaced by hatred.

Hatred may be buried temporarily, but it will never be forgotten.

They lost their husbands, their sons, and their fathers.

Daqing's current predicament is, in a way, related to an incident that occurred twenty years ago.

In that battle, 200,000 imperial guards died, every household was forced to hang themselves, and the emperor lost his army and his sword, becoming a target for everyone to slaughter.

The emperor's divine status has plummeted!

"I desire peace!"

"But the people of Northern Qi did not agree. They tried to kill me, plunge my Great Qing into chaos, and drag my people into war."

"Do you still want to see what happened twenty years ago?"

"so……"

"I will send troops to Northern Qi!"

The Holy Emperor's voice echoed in all directions like waves, like the morning bell and evening drum.

With just one sentence, he deeply moved the people below the stage.

At this moment, however, no one had any objections; instead, they were filled with a strong fighting spirit.

"I want the people of Northern Qi to know that my Great Qing is not to be trifled with!"

"Clang!"

The Holy Emperor drew his sword, pointing it into the distance, and whispered, "The Emperor guards the nation's gates; the monarch dies for the state!"

"People of Daqing!"

"Let's fight like men!"

"If I die in battle, wrap my body in the dragon banner and send it back to my homeland of Daqing!"

"Of course, I will not die!"

"I will seize the throne from the Northern Qi emperor! I'll make the Northern Qi emperor farm your land!"

"I will conquer a vast territory!"

The words of the succubus saint echoed all around.

After a brief silence, a deafening roar erupted.

"war!"

"war!"