A man from the Big Dipper, starting his charlatanship at Mount Tai.

Then, the golden battle banner was taken out. Besides its imperial might, the golden battle banner also contained immense divine power; however, no one had ever used it before.

At this moment, Lin Xiu planted the battle flag in the center of the camp, drawing upon its divine power, absorbing and refining it, and then transforming it into the purest essence, which he then dispersed into the surrounding air, land, and water.

Lin Xiu did not allow the Golden Battle Banner to absorb the spiritual energy of the entire world; he merely allowed it to dissipate the essence brought from the Shrouding the Heavens Universe.

Lin Xiu, who has always been giving back to the world of Shrouding the Heavens, has surprisingly committed this act of betrayal.

but.

Lin Xiu did not know how to restrain himself; instead, he intensified his actions, returning to the Shrouding the Heavens universe multiple times to recharge the Golden Battle Flag before returning to the small world to spread his essence.

.......

Under Lin Xiu's leadership, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's forces grew exponentially.

Lin Xiu organized the refugees into battalions and selected able-bodied men for training. He didn't understand military formations, but with slight modifications, he transformed the cultivation methods from the world of "Covering the Sky" into "body-strengthening techniques" for improving physical fitness.

After months of training, these originally emaciated refugees had developed the appearance of elite soldiers.

At the same time, Lin Xiu did something else.

He copied the simplified formation of the "Spirit Gathering Array" into a book and sent messengers to various prefectures and counties throughout the land, handing it over to the governors and prefects.

The Spirit Gathering Array can gather the sparse spiritual energy from deep mountains and forests, channeling it into farmland to stimulate the growth of more spirit rice. In his letter, he wrote that if the Spirit Gathering Array were used to increase the production of spirit rice and provide relief to disaster victims, it could save the lives of millions of people.

The messengers brought back responses from the governors of each state.

Some governors scoffed at the idea and shelved the formation.

Some governors saw this as a treasure, but instead of using it for disaster relief, they secretly recruited artisans to set up camps on their own estates and military camps, hoping to produce more spiritual rice and raise private armies.

Liu Yu, the governor of Youzhou, attempted to promote the practice under his jurisdiction, but it was met with united resistance from local powerful clans. This was because increased production of the spirit rice would inevitably lead to a drop in grain prices, harming the interests of these powerful clans, and ultimately the plan was abandoned.

None of the feudal lords in the land cared about Lin Xiu, nor did they care about the world.

Lin Xiu was standing on a high platform in the camp when he received the last reply.

Below the stage stood tens of thousands of Taiping soldiers, each with a fire burning in their eyes... a wildfire that would consume the entire land.

Chapter 113 Establishing a Celestial Dynasty, Retiring After Success (First Update)

Lin Xiu crumpled the letter into a ball, tossed it into the wind, and said softly:

"Pass on the order."

"Break camp tomorrow!"

"Target: Luoyang!"

The news of the Taiping Rebellion shocked the imperial court.

Emperor Ling was furious and ordered a coalition of troops from various states to quell the rebellion.

The governors of Bingzhou, Gongsun Zan, Tao Qian, and Liu Biao, among others, responded one after another, leading their own "spirit armies" built with spirit rice to serve the emperor.

The so-called Spirit Army consists of elite soldiers who have long consumed spirit rice and possess physical strength far exceeding that of ordinary people. They are strong enough to lift a cauldron, run like a horse, and move freely even when wearing triple armor. Furthermore, contemporary fierce generals such as Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Yan Liang, Wen Chou, and Xiahou Dun have all broken through the limits of ordinary people by using the power of spirit rice, possessing the courage of ten thousand men.

The two armies met in the wilderness of Julu.

The imperial army, a coalition of 300,000, had banners that blotted out the sun.

The Taiping army numbered 150,000, their clothes were in disarray, but every man's eyes shone with light.

The war drums sounded.

The vanguard cavalry of the allied forces surged towards the Taiping army's main force like an iron torrent.

The sound of horses' hooves pounding the ground was like muffled thunder.

Before the Taiping army's ranks, three thousand strong and valiant warriors stepped forward. They were bare-chested, with bronze skin, bulging muscles, and gleaming eyes. These were the "Yellow Turban Warriors" secretly trained by Lin Xiu using a simplified version of the "Body Tempering Technique" combined with the essence of "Holy Water".

"Yellow Turban Warriors, charge!"

Three thousand to ten thousand.

The Yellow Turban warriors were like tigers among sheep.

The knife struck his body, but only left white marks.

The gun pierced his chest, but the shaft broke off instead.

The Yellow Turban warriors tore open the horse's belly with their bare hands, dragged the rider off, and smashed both man and horse to pieces with a single punch.

The vanguard of the allied forces crumbled at the first contact!

On the high platform, Huangfu Song's face was ashen, Gongsun Zan gripped his spear tightly, and Liu Biao was horrified.

"Sorcery! This is sorcery!"

"Archers! Fire!"

Arrows flew like locusts, striking the Yellow Turban warriors and clattering to the ground. The warriors roared and charged into the arrow barrage, sweeping through the enemy lines like a plowshare.

The allied forces were thrown into chaos.

Lin Xiu stood beneath the central army banner, took out the golden battle flag, and planted it in front of him. He formed hand seals, activating the remaining divine power of the battle flag.

"Om~"

Golden light shot into the sky, transforming into a golden curtain that enveloped the entire Taiping Army formation.

Within the light screen, the Taiping army's morale soared, their fatigue vanished, and their strength doubled. Meanwhile, the Allied soldiers, bathed in the golden light, felt a strange fear arise in their hearts, and their limbs went weak.

"Great and wise teacher! Protect my Taiping Heavenly Kingdom!"

The Taiping army shouted in unison and pushed back like a tide.

The allied forces were defeated.

Although Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and other fierce generals were brave and killed dozens of Yellow Turban warriors, they were powerless to reverse the tide. The defeat was swift and decisive; the 300,000-strong army collapsed in a single day.

Huangfu Song, Dong Zhuo, Gongsun Zan, and others rallied their remaining troops and retreated to Hulao Pass.

Lin Xiu pressed his advantage.

Wherever the golden battle flag pointed, the Taiping Army was invincible.

With Hulao Pass breached, Luoyang is within sight.

……

More than a month later, the Taiping army arrived at the gates of Luoyang.

Emperor Ling hanged himself in the palace before the city fell.

Eunuchs and imperial relatives either fled or died, and the imperial palace was in chaos.

Lin Xiu encountered no resistance when he entered the city.

The entire city's population knelt along the roadside, trembling with fear.

Lin Xiu did not enter the palace, but instead climbed the city wall of Luoyang and looked at this ancient capital with a history of thousands of years.

"Issue the order to open the granaries and distribute the grain. All the fine rice and old rice shall be distributed to the people."

"From this day forward, under the rule of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, only land tax will be collected, not poll tax. All land in the country will be exempt from tax for one year, and land in the border areas will be exempt from tax for three years."

"A temporary city military control committee will be established to temporarily take charge of the handover of government affairs and stabilize prices."

Orders were passed down one after another.

Some starving people received rice and wept bitterly. Others, old farmers, held the sacred rice and knelt at the city gate, kowtowing in the direction of Lin Xiu until their foreheads bled.

Lin Xiu turned around and looked at Chen Yanshi, Li Dakang, and the Taiping Army generals who had followed him all the way.

"The world is not yet at peace, and you all still need to work hard."

……

In the following year, the Taiping Army launched attacks on all sides, sweeping across the country.

They captured Chang'an and subjugated Xiliang.

They marched south to Jingzhou, where Liu Biao surrendered.

They marched eastward to Xuzhou, where Tao Qian died of illness, and his son surrendered.

Gongsun Zan of Youzhou resisted fiercely but was killed in battle by the Yellow Turban warriors. Han Fu of Jizhou surrendered without resistance.

Within a year, all thirteen prefectures fell to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

……

After the Han Dynasty ended and the world was unified, Lin Xiu declared himself emperor in Luoyang, establishing the state of "Taiping" and the reign title "Yong'an." He styled himself "Immortal Venerable," and did not address himself as "Your Majesty," but only by his Daoist title.

On the day of his coronation ceremony, Lin Xiu stood atop the altar, receiving the worship of all people.

The audience below was a sea of ​​black, filled with civil and military officials and ordinary people. Their eyes no longer showed hunger; their faces were fuller, and they were clothed. Children laughed in their parents' arms, while the elderly stood leaning on their canes, tears welling in their eyes.

Lin Xiu looked at these people and nodded slowly.

"Today I ascend to heaven, and I have three things to announce to the world."

Lin Xiu spoke, and his voice echoed throughout Luoyang.

"Firstly, the land under heaven shall never be taxed more than it is fully filled with spiritual energy."

"Secondly, abolish the positions of prefect and governor and establish provinces, with prefectures and counties under each province. Officials will be selected through the imperial examination system, and commoners from humble backgrounds can also enter officialdom."

"Thirdly, I will go into seclusion to seek enlightenment and attain immortality. State affairs will be handled by the Cabinet, and military and political affairs will be under the command of the Marshal's Office. The Cabinet and the Marshal's Office will not be subordinate to each other, but will both be responsible to me."

Next, Lin Xiu pioneered the "constitutional monarchy".

The emperor was a figurehead, the cabinet governed the country, and the military commanded the troops. Although crude, this was the most significant change that could be accepted in an era of relatively low productivity during the Three Kingdoms period.

After a moment of silence, the audience erupted in thunderous cheers.

"Long live the Immortal Venerable!"

Long live peace!

Lin Xiu took one last look at the world before turning and disappearing from the sacrificial altar.

……

Everyone says that the Immortal Venerable has gone into seclusion.

But only Lin Xiu himself knew that he had not gone into seclusion. He changed into plain clothes and traveled the world on foot.