Dragon Ball, simultaneously traversing countless worlds

This shows that he also understands military affairs.

The only problem is that his opponent is Luo Yan, an existence that cannot be dealt with from a mortal's perspective or by common sense.

It's a real pity that such a virtuous, prestigious, decisive, and business-savvy talent was directly dismissed and not put to use.

By having Xu Churen govern Daming Prefecture, he can train a group of young officials and also cultivate talent for Luo Yan.

Knowledge is easy to impart, but experience in handling matters still requires the tempering of reality. With Xu Churen's guidance, those young officials can avoid many detours.

The second advantage of having Xu Churen govern Daming Prefecture was that it sent a signal to the Song court officials that he was not a person who enjoyed indiscriminate killing.

This will reduce a lot of resistance when he conquers other cities in the future.

The officials thought that since they wouldn't die if they surrendered and would even have a chance to be reinstated, their resistance to surrendering was much less.

With officials no longer needing to worry about being defeated or killed, the defense of the city would naturally be lax, making it much easier to capture.

Since the city has not suffered the ravages of war, the people's resistance to Luo Yan and his group will decrease, allowing them to win the hearts of the people more quickly and gather the emperor's favor.

With so many benefits to appointing just one person, why would Luo Yan abandon Xu Churen?

However, Luo Yan wanted Xu Churen to work for him.

However, Xu Churen declined, saying, "I am a subject of the Song Dynasty. How can I switch allegiance to Your Majesty? Please find someone more capable!"

Luo Yan invited him again, but Xu Churen still refused.

Later, Xu Churen turned his back to Luo Yan and faced the direction of Kaifeng Prefecture, ignoring whatever Luo Yan said.

Luo Yan smiled and didn't try to persuade him further.

He knew that Xu Churen would not agree to his persuasion today.

For the sake of his own reputation, Xu Churen would not immediately betray his cause after the city was lost, as such an act would be condemned by scholars throughout the land.

Luo Yan knew that recruiting Xu Churen immediately after the city fell would not succeed, but he still insisted on recruiting him.

It's just sending a signal to the outside world that he's eager to recruit talent and treats capable people with respect, so that talented individuals won't hesitate and will quickly join him in starting a business.

Xu Churen did not agree, and Luo Yan did not make things difficult for him. He ordered his men to send Xu Churen back to his official residence in Daming Prefecture and to take good care of him. He also instructed them not to stop anyone who came to see Xu Churen.

Luo Yan's subordinate, Chuan Ying, was quite puzzled by his order: "Your Majesty, since this old official is unwilling to serve you, why should we still take care of him?"

“He will serve me,” Luo Yan said confidently.

It's easy to understand if you think about it. When Luo Yan's young officials implemented the strategy of confiscating land from the wealthy and distributing it to the rich, they confiscated the homes of the local tyrants and gentry in Daming Prefecture.

What will those gentry who are unable to resist Luo Yan militarily do?

Of course, we should unite and ask Xu Churen to take charge of Daming Prefecture!

At that point, it won't be Luo Yan inviting Xu Churen, but rather the people petitioning.

If he then becomes the prefect of Daming Prefecture, it will not be considered a defection or surrender, and the literati will not slander him; on the contrary, they will praise him for speaking up for the people.

That's just how things are sometimes; take a different turn, change your perspective, and everything will be different.

Chapter 209 Dragon Does Not Serve Python

—Dragon Ball: Simultaneously Traveling Through Countless Worlds, Chapter 209: The Dragon Does Not Submit to the Python

After capturing Daming Prefecture, Luo Yan followed the plan from Junzhou, promoting talented young people in Daming Prefecture, overseeing land distribution, and recruiting soldiers.

Daming Prefecture has a large population and a more complex social environment, so Luo Yan stayed here for a few more days.

Soon after, a soldier who had been assigned land reported that they had encountered a monster in 'Weisu Village'.

A large black python was spotted in farmland along the Weisuli River.

The giant python stretched for dozens of meters, was as thick as a water bucket, had horns on its head, and looked ferocious and menacing. It almost scared the farmers who encountered it to death.

Luo Yan became interested. In this world of the Heavenly Book, he had not encountered a single monster yet, and this was the first time he had heard news about monsters.

"Where is this Weisuli?"

Luo Yan asked a question, and immediately a young local official from Daming Prefecture whom he had promoted replied, "Your Majesty, Weisu Village is the hometown of Wang Mang."

"Wasn't Wang Mang's ancestral home in Shandong?" Luo Yan, having some historical knowledge, wasn't fooled.

"Your Majesty, Wang Mang's ancestral home is indeed Shandong. However, his great-grandfather, Wang He, came to Shalu Mountain to arrest thieves for the court. He discovered that these so-called thieves were actually starving people. He took pity on them and stopped pursuing them. The local people were very grateful to him and let him live in Weisu Village on Shalu Mountain. This place became Wang Mang's hometown."

"Oh, Weisuli is a historical city, but after all you've said, is this giant python monster related to Wang Mang?"

The official countered, "I wonder if Your Majesty has heard the story of the dragon not serving the python?"

No, tell me.

"Legend has it that Wang Mang poisoned Emperor Ping of Han with medicated wine and then usurped the throne. Heaven punished him by withholding rain from Wang Mang's hometown for three years, causing the villagers to resent him."

Without rain, crops cannot grow. Wang Mang said, "If Heaven doesn't cooperate, the python will."

As a divine creature on earth, the python is also very powerful. Although it cannot summon wind and rain, it can summon water vapor and magical mist.

Wang Mang then issued an edict to a black python: during the day, the river water would soak for ten li; at night, the well water would soak for five li; and at dawn, the dew would be four fingers deep.

The black python did as Wang Mang instructed, using its magic to summon clouds and mist to nourish the crops. Thanks to Wang Mang's words, despite the lack of rain, Daming Prefecture enjoyed abundant harvests year after year for those eighteen years.

Luo Yan listened with great interest: "There's such a story? Could it be that the giant python in the mountain was a monster that obeyed Wang Mang's orders and brought a bountiful harvest to the people?"

The young official nodded. "The farmer reported seeing a black python, which must be the monster that helped Wang Mang."

"What could be the reason for the re-emergence of a monster from over a thousand years ago?" Luo Yan asked subconsciously.

The official said cautiously, yet with some excitement, "The reappearance of the divine python may foreshadow that Your Majesty will replace the Song Dynasty..."

Upon hearing this, Luo Yan frowned.

He demanded, "Is this giant python real, or is it a rumor you've fabricated?"

In ancient times, when people rose up in rebellion, they always fabricated strange phenomena, such as Emperor Gaozu slaying a white snake or a stone man with one eye, to incite rebellion across the Yellow River.

Is someone trying to flatter him by deliberately spreading these rumors?

"Your Majesty, I dare not spread rumors. I was unaware of the matter of the divine python before. I was merely speaking out of curiosity just now. Please punish me, Your Majesty."

Luo Yan closed his eyes and remained silent, spreading his spiritual energy to search along the Daming Prefecture to see if there were any monsters.

If there really is a monster, then it's not that his subordinates are deceiving him; if not, then he will punish these subordinates severely.

We've instilled modern ideas into them, so why are they still resorting to these crooked and evil practices?

His spiritual power was like tentacles, scanning every inch of the area surrounding Daming Prefecture, leaving no stone unturned, whether in the sky, on the ground, or in the water.

Suddenly, his spiritual power sensed an unusually powerful life force. It was neither the aura of a cultivator nor that of a city god, but rather an aura similar to that of a wild beast.

They are incredibly powerful, many times more powerful than ordinary people.

"There really are monsters!"

Luo Yan was startled and immediately tried to pinpoint the source of the energy.

But the monster seemed to have sensed Luo Yan's mental scan; its aura flashed by and then disappeared.

In the world of Heavenly Book, the gods and monsters use their divine sense far more skillfully than in the world of Swallowed Star. They have plenty of ways to evade Luo Yan's crude mental scan.

However, Luo Yan's sudden scan had already roughly located the monster's hiding place, and by then it was too late for the monster to hide.

"There really are monsters. It seems I misunderstood you."

Luo Yan told the young official to stand up: "Let's go and take a look at Weisu Village."

The official stopped him, saying, "Your Majesty, you mustn't! The demon is ferocious; how can we allow Your Majesty to put yourself in such danger?"

"Heh, are you underestimating my strength?" Luo Yan sneered.

"I dare not, I dare not, but Your Majesty governs Daming Prefecture and all matters require your decision. I believe Your Majesty should prioritize political affairs. As for dealing with monsters, Your Majesty only needs to send a few armored soldiers."

Luo Yan snorted coldly: "If I need to worry about governing a prefecture, what use are you? Step back. I've decided to go to Weisu Village. Let Leng Ying and Wu Ying in."

After being reprimanded, the young official quietly took his leave.

Luo Yan then led Leng Ying and Wu Ying to Wei Suli.

Not far to the east of Daming Prefecture, Luo Yan and his group flew directly over from the sky and quickly arrived at the location where they had previously detected the aura of the demon.

Unexpectedly, the monster's presence was felt in the local village.

The area around Daming Prefecture is a vast plain, with not a single mountain range to hide in. It's a bit too arrogant for a monster to hide in a village!

Unlike big cities, everyone in the village knows each other well. If a monster wants to hide his identity and stay in the village, he probably won't be able to hide for long.

However, it's not impossible that this monster is very cunning and could keep it hidden from the villagers for decades.

Luo Yan scanned the villagers with his mental and spiritual power, and even used magic to open his third eye to observe traces of demonic energy, but he found nothing.

All the villagers are human; none of them are monsters in disguise.

Luo Yan then looked at a river in the distance from the village and, after some thought, concluded that the giant python might be hiding in an underground water vein.

Because the village was built right on a water vein, he was able to sense that the giant python's location overlapped with the village.

Luo Yan captured a villager and had him lead the way to the village's well.

Upon arriving at the well, Luo Yan discovered that the well in this village was quite peculiar.

In ancient times, wells were simply dug into the ground and the walls were built with bricks and stones.

The inner wall of this well is half made of glazed bricks and the other half is made of stone bricks.

The well opening was deep, and looking up from above, one could not see the bottom at all. The dark well contained not only water but also a faint eerie aura.

Sensing the demonic aura, Luo Yan was fairly certain that the demon was hiding in the well.

Even with mental scanning, one can only sense a faint demonic aura and cannot detect the existence of any demonic creature.

The space underground is very small, only a few square meters, so it's quite unlikely that a python tens of meters long could hide there.

"Old man, what's the story behind this well?" Luo Yan asked the villager he had casually grabbed.

The old man replied tremblingly, "This well was built during the Han Dynasty. Legend has it that it was built by Wang Mang for his hometown..."

Then the old man began to tell a story.

The story is similar to what the young official said earlier: when it didn't rain in his hometown, Wang Mang used a python to create fog.

Wang Mang issued an edict to allow the well water to spread for five li (approximately 2.5 kilometers).