The Three Kingdoms: My Wife is a Great and Good Teacher

Chapter 33 I'll Ask the Heaven

"Sister Xuande, don't worry too much. Just leave the rest to Zhaoqing." Liu Zhaoqing nodded and said.

Liu Bei nodded slightly and breathed a sigh of relief: "Okay."

Things have come to this point, so Liu Bei would naturally not doubt Liu Zhaoqing.

After discussing the specific measures for the first two steps with Liu Zhaoqing, it was already time for dinner before we knew it.

Liu Bei had no appetite at first, but at Liu Zhaoqing's persuasion, he went downstairs with him and ate a few bites of the food brought by Liu Zhaoqing's maid.

While eating, Liu Bei discovered that the appearance of the Baixi Tower had changed a lot compared to the morning. The tables, chairs and servants were gone, and even the precious porcelain and calligraphy and paintings had been put away.

When asked about the reason, Liu Zhaoqing said that he was going to sell those things to get money to offset the expenses of conscription and recruiting British soldiers. Items such as tables and chairs would also be sent to places where they were needed, such as temporary resettlement sites in the future.

Because the Baixi Building is located on a high ground, Liu Zhaoqing plans to use it as a temporary warehouse and store food on the third and fourth floors to prepare for possible flooding in the county.

Hearing how much Liu Zhaoqing had contributed to Pingyuan, Liu Bei was deeply moved.

Later in the afternoon, Zhang Fei, with a muddy face, found the theater from outside. When he saw Liu Zhaoqing and Liu Bei, he immediately smiled.

"General Fei is laughing so happily. Could it be that the canal digging has been completed ahead of schedule?" Liu Zhaoqing asked when he saw Zhang Fei laughing like this.

Zhang Fei groaned, pretending to be displeased: "You are boring now. I was thinking of giving you a surprise."

"Have you really finished digging?" Liu Bei was a little skeptical.

Zhang Fei immediately laughed: "Hahaha, of course, big sister and Zhao Qing, you don't know how easy it is to dig that canal. We dug a whole canal with just a few hoes."

Liu Zhaoqing nodded, that's right.

There were many such gifted talents at the end of the Han Dynasty. If they had been used to engage in production, the social economy would have definitely taken off. However, due to the inaction of officials, the people had no land, and the powerful aristocrats controlled the means of production, it was just a pipe dream.

However, having Zhang Fei hoe the fields was a bit like asking her to eat bean sprouts. It was really a waste of talent, unless it was a special situation like the current one.

"Wow, you guys are eating. It's just perfect. I'm hungry too. You actually left so much for me." Zhang Fei said as he touched his stomach.

Liu Zhaoqing immediately ordered the servant to go home and bring back more rice and vegetables.

Soon after, Guan Yu also came here. She was not in a hurry to eat, but instead noticed the emptiness of the Baixi Tower. After asking about it, Liu Bei explained the reason for Liu Zhaoqing.

Guan Yu nodded after hearing this: "Zhao Qing's kindness is indeed in line with his heart."

Even Zhang Fei, who was eating, rolled up his sleeves and praised with chopsticks: "Not bad, Zhao Qing has the same charm as when I met my elder sister and second sister. Money is meant to be spent, right? If we had met you earlier, Zhao Qing, I would have taken you to her room even at the risk of being punished by my elder sister..."

"Eat your meal well." Liu Bei glared at her.

Zhang Fei immediately shut his mouth, and Guan Yu stroked his long hair with a smile.

This was a rare moment of rest for the three of them, but it didn't last long.

Before Zhang Fei finished his meal, a soldier came running in from outside.

"Report!"

"Report to the county magistrate!" The soldier knelt on the ground and bowed his head to report to Liu Bei, "The sentry post on the city wall has reported that the water level of the Yellow River is rising! A large number of fish are riding the waves down from the upper reaches!"

"Is the river bank dangerous?" Liu Zhaoqing asked immediately.

"There is no sign of the riverbank being breached yet," the soldier replied.

Liu Zhaoqing breathed a sigh of relief, and then said to Liu Bei, "The appearance of a large number of fish may mean that the ferocious beasts upstream are driving us away again. Sister Xuande, we have to start heading to the riverbank now and be on guard against any accidents."

Liu Bei nodded and said, "Second sister, third sister, you all return to your posts immediately, hand over the remaining unfinished work to your subordinates, then take your weapons and go to the Yellow River immediately."

After Liu Bei finished speaking, another soldier came to report.

This time, the report was that the work that Jian Yong was responsible for had been completed. In other words, the thing that Liu Zhaoqing asked Liu Bei to do was also completed in advance last night.

After letting the two soldiers go back, Liu Bei said to Liu Zhaoqing: "Zhaoqing, it's up to you now..."

Liu Zhaoqing nodded slightly.

"Time is running out. Sister Xuande, please go to the altar outside the city first. I will ask the servants at home to publicize the sacrifice, and then I will go to your place to meet up with you."

At this time, Pingyuan County did not fall into silence because of the impending disaster. Instead, the streets were busier than usual.

Soldiers running back and forth, farmers and refugees carrying hoes and pickaxes, and ordinary heroes wearing yellow scarves on their shoulders.

Under the leadership of the new county magistrate, they all worked hard to defend their homes.

At this time, some people discovered that the first group of people wearing yellow scarves were mostly actors from the Baixi Theater.

"Iron Head" and "Liu Manzi", who usually performed tricks in the theater, changed into coarse clothes and became heroes who carried sandbags for the soldiers.

Even those "yellow orioles" and "kingfishers" who seemed only able to sing and play the piano and were powerless, followed the servants of the theater owner to serve meals and embroider clothes for the soldiers.

Such a scene also made many people who once wanted to run away or do nothing feel ashamed.

Gradually, many ordinary people began to join in the movement without seeking rewards, and began to wear the yellow scarves distributed by the theater owners.

Just at this time, a piece of news made the people in the city very confused.

"Today at 15:, the county magistrate and the Yellow Turbans will offer sacrifices to the heavens outside the city!"

"Sacrifice to the heavens? At this time?"

"Will offering sacrifices now... work? The Yellow River, the Yellow River is roaring like this..."

"Yes, I took a look from the city wall, and it was full of monsters... If the sacrifice was effective, why would those monsters come here..."

"This is the fate of Pingyuan. Sigh... My little boy has suffered so much. He has just been in this world for half a month and he will return to the earth because of the wrath of heaven... Woo..."

The people, who usually rely on God's favor, now begin to doubt the sacrifices.

After all, if "sacrifice" really worked, why would God bring such a disaster to the plains?

Even some rational people who still have the will to survive feel that it would be better to take this opportunity to build more flood control facilities so that they can have a chance to survive when the dam breaks.

Even though the county magistrate and the Yellow Turban were so appeasing, most people still did not feel that they could overcome the natural disaster.

Amidst the atmosphere of suspicion and uneasiness, only a few people left the county.

Then these people discovered that not far outside the city, there was indeed a simple wooden platform, and on this "altar" there was only a long table.

Besides a rotten pig's head, there were only some fruits and vegetables left on the table. If you looked closely from a closer distance, you could even find that even the fruits and vegetables were rotten.

How can such a perfunctory act be called a sacrifice?

If the county magistrate and her two sisters had not been standing on the altar, the people would have thought that this was some bored person's nonsense at such a critical moment.

"Sister...what should I do?" On the altar, Zhang Fei looked confused.

Guan Yu on the side was in a similar situation, and she looked at Liu Bei.

Liu Bei frowned slightly: "Zhao Qing just asked me to prepare like this, and also specifically told me not to waste food and use some inedible materials for sacrifice. As for what to do next..."

"Look, sister, Zhaoqing is here." Guan Yu saw Liu Zhaoqing at this time.

Not far away, Liu Zhaoqing drove a carriage to the outside of the city and then jumped off the carriage.

"Guorang, go and pick up Zhaoqing quickly." Liu Bei said immediately.

Upon hearing this, Tian Yu mounted his horse and quickly brought Liu Zhaoqing over.

"Sister Xuande, let's start." Liu Zhaoqing dismounted without any nonsense.

"I am a commoner, not an official, so I have no pressure from my status. I will ask the heavens for help."

Liu Zhaoqing said without waiting for them to ask, he turned to Tian Yu and said: "Brother Guorang, please lend me your sword."

Tian Yu, who didn't understand what Liu Zhaoqing was going to do, subconsciously drew the sword from his waist and handed it to Liu Zhaoqing.

Then, in front of the three sisters, Liu Zhaoqing came to the center of the altar with a sword in hand and closed his eyes towards the sky.

One minute, two minutes, five minutes.

More and more people who heard the news came didn't know what Liu Zhaoqing was doing, and many of them didn't even recognize him.

Even Liu, Guan and Zhang did not understand what Liu Zhaoqing was doing.

At this moment, Liu Zhaoqing suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze was as sharp as torches, and he raised his sword towards the sky.

"People of the plains!"

A loud shout echoed through heaven and earth.

Liu, Guan and Zhang were all extremely shocked.

Because at this moment, a loud thunder suddenly sounded in the sky.

The yellow scarf on the cuff of the man holding the sword was illuminated by the thunder and shone brightly.

Chapter 34: Victory over Heaven

A loud thunderclap suddenly sounded, causing the people of the plain to look at Liu Zhaoqing on the dilapidated platform in shock.

Under the thunder, he held the sword without fear.

The sharp gaze seemed to penetrate hundreds of miles of land and strike the hearts of every civilian.

"Heaven has sent down a great disaster that has devastated the people. We ask the heavens for help!"

When these words were spoken, the people gathered outside the county town were all stunned.

It's not that they haven't participated in sacrificial ceremonies. Whenever a natural disaster occurred, the county magistrate would lead the people to beg God for mercy.

As the priest who raised the sword to ask the heaven, Liu Zhaoqing should have been kneeling on the ground to beg the heaven. Why... why is he questioning the heaven now?

The huge thunder attracted more and more people outside Pingyuan County. While Liu Zhaoqing was holding the sword, many people had already run to the vicinity of the altar.

"Pingyuan would offer sacrifices to the heavens every year when there was a good harvest. Why did the heavens send down such a disaster..."

At this time, a strong man knelt on the ground and asked Liu Zhaoqing with confusion in his eyes.

"Your Excellency... God, how do you respond?"

Liu Zhaoqing looked at the people around him and said calmly: "I ask the heavens why they are killing me?"

"Heaven has granted my blessing... grass and insignificant things must die."

"what?!"

"boom!!!"

Another loud thunder sounded, and dark clouds began to gather above Liu Zhaoqing's head.

Seeing this, Guan Yu took a step closer to him and looked up at the sky in surprise.

Such a strange sight...even Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei had never seen it, let alone ordinary people.

The people knelt on the ground, too frightened by the wrath of heaven to speak a word.

"The people do not know how to repay what God said..." Liu Zhaoqing continued to say the answer he got from the heaven.

"The people do not know how to be reverent, so a great disaster will be brought to the plains, and the rivers and land will be restored to their original state as barbarians."

"Heaven said this disaster is like a huge rock crushing an ant, we cannot shake it even a little bit."

"Within one day, the river bank collapsed and the plain became a swamp. Within two days, most of the grass and weeds died and corpses were scattered all over the plain. Within three days, only insects and fish were left, and no one survived."

The prophetic words made the kneeling people pale.

If Liu Zhaoqing was talking nonsense, then the two thunders of heaven's wrath just now would not have occurred.

At this time, almost all the people believed that what Liu Zhaoqing said was a message from heaven.

“How could this be… We are just mortals. We have offered sacrifices to heaven before, hoping to preserve our lives. We have no intention of angering God.” The sturdy man kneeling on the ground muttered to himself.

This statement also resonated with a large number of people around.

"Yes... How could God be so cruel to mortals like us..."

"Your Excellency, please, please tell God! Our wish!"

"Please, please tell God!"

……

The people began to kowtow to Liu Zhaoqing, who could sense heaven.

Liu Zhaoqing was silent for a moment, then said, "Useless."

"What?" A nearby farmer looked up.

"Useless." Liu Zhaoqing repeated it again and sighed.