Chapter 30 Who is in charge of destiny?
After leaving the royal court and returning to his mansion, Luo Cheng felt his uneasiness growing.
He had just arrived in Haojing and had not had time to make any arrangements. This sudden event was really beyond his ability to handle.
What Luo Cheng is best at is enriching the country, cleaning up the bureaucracy and reforming the finances.
No matter which dynasty he was placed in, he would always be praised as a capable minister who governed the country well, but his power struggles and control of people did not reach the level of a capable minister who governed the country well.
It's okay if you encounter a normal monarch and court.
However, when faced with a monarch like Jine who was at the level of a fallen nation and a court so corrupt, he was unable to properly coordinate the relationship between them.
He is not good at governing the country, and he is not the best at coordination and military strategy, which are most needed now.
This was his predicament; he could only watch helplessly as the entire situation slipped into the abyss.
He couldn't help but think of what his ancestors had said, that the destiny of Bang Zhou was burning fiercely and would soon flicker like a candle flame, but it would not go out.
Luo Cheng, who was at his wit's end, finally turned his attention to the Divine Artifact of Destiny. "The Divine Artifact of Destiny bestowed by our ancestors is the only way to save the situation."
As if sensing Luo Cheng's thoughts, Ji Zhao looked over. How could it be possible for Luo Cheng to go against the will of heaven with just the few Xuan-grade and Huang-grade items in his hands?
Luo Cheng was already deeply involved in the situation. As someone who was in a confused situation, he could not sit idly by and watch Haojing being conquered by the Rong people.
"Thousand Mile Talisman!"
Luo Cheng's eyes first fell on this artifact. As long as he could determine the location of Shen Hou and send out a powerful assassin, he might be able to kill him directly.
"no!"
Luo Cheng gave up the idea as soon as it came up, "Shen Hou is not worthy of using such a precious artifact."
In the years to come, the Luo family might encounter an enemy they cannot resist, and the Thousand Mile Talisman would be of great use.
He couldn't be so selfish as to waste precious props here.
Moreover, the current situation cannot be solved by killing Lord Shen.
The State of Shen has been tied to the Rong people, and they must capture Haojing, otherwise they will die.
"June snow!"
Luo Cheng's gaze finally fell on this prop. He remembered the records in the family classics that his ancestor Luo Wengong once used a bamboo stick to melt the ice and persuade Xiong Dun of the State of Chu to retreat.
"People half believe in the theory of destiny. If Lord Shen could really see such a miracle, he would be filled with fear and might even retreat his army."
If that fails, then just fight with the rebels. Anyway, the army to support the king will eventually arrive, and Bang Zhou will not perish.
Most of the ministers and nobles in the royal court knew in their hearts that they should not look down upon the aggressive approach of Lord Shen and the Rong people.
But the only one in real danger is Emperor Jine.
Even if the emperor Ji Nie died on the spot, Bang Zhou would not perish.
After more than 200 years of the Zhou Dynasty, the orthodox Mandate of Heaven had long been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. It was impossible for Lord Shen and the Rong people to be a match for the army that came to support the king.
As soon as Lord Shen and the Rong people left, the army came to support the king and established a new king, and a new Zhou Dynasty was established.
After these ministers and nobles left the royal court, they asked their officials to return to their fiefs and brought some of their private soldiers to Haojing.
The rest stayed in their fiefs and continued to guard against possible enemies.
They transferred their elite private soldiers to Haojing mainly to protect their own property.
Shen Hou was so decisive in raising an army and using his own country to fight against all the other states. In fact, many people had already guessed what he wanted to do.
It was nothing more than killing Emperor Ji Nie and Crown Prince Fu, and supporting Crown Prince Yi in his hands to ascend the throne.
Prince Yi has been the crown prince for so many years, so naturally there are a group of people supporting him. If a fait accompli can be created, the army that is supporting the king will have no choice but to accept it.
After all, Prince Yi will be the only heir to the throne at that time, so what else can be done?
After determining the purpose of Lord Shen, they knew that they, the nobles, were not in danger.
After all, the new king still needs the support of these great nobles, and they transferred their private soldiers mainly to prevent the mansion from being directly attacked in the chaos of the army.
What they feared was not nobles like Lord Shen, but those small soldiers who might not be able to tell their identities.
If he was stabbed with a knife, he would have died unjustly.
These thoughts cannot be told to outsiders, but they are all tacitly understood.
…
The armies led by Marquis Shen and King Rong were moving too fast.
The road was flat all the way from the upper reaches of the Jing River. There were many Rong soldiers and horses and chariots, so they arrived in a flash.
The vassal states that once protected the emperor here a hundred years ago had long since disappeared in the wars.
Some moved to the royal capital, some died and their countries were destroyed, and some of them went to other vassal states to serve as ministers after their countries were destroyed.
The coalition forces did not encounter any significant obstacles along the way and headed straight for the city of Haojing.
The princes within the capital simply let Shen Rong's army go. Lord Shen and King Rong naturally knew that these people were probably planning to attack from both sides.
But the troops they brought were so large that as long as they directly captured Haojing, these people would not pose any threat to them at all.
The State of Shen was too close to Haojing, and the army that was sent to support the king was still on the road, so the Shen-Rong coalition forces marched straight to the city of Haojing.
On the city gate tower of Haojing, the ministers of the royal capital looked at the densely packed army approaching not far from the city, and they were all horrified.
Jinie asked in a panic: "Duke Guo, how many people are there?"
He had lived in the deep palace for a long time and had never witnessed the dangers of a battlefield. The coalition forces of Shen and Rong were so overwhelming that there was no end in sight.
All you can see are rows of weapons, majestic chariots, and huge banners fluttering in the wind.
Guo Shifu had no idea what was going on, so he could only answer vaguely: "Your Majesty, I'm afraid there are 100,000 troops. But our army has more chariots, so we can still fight the enemy army."
"Lord Luo!"
Jine's gaze fell on Luo Cheng. Luo Cheng didn't say anything, but just nodded slightly.
…
Marquis Shen and King Rong looked at the city of Haojing in front of them with pride in their eyes. They ordered the army to set up camp and rest before attacking the city.
They themselves did not expect that they could arrive at the city of Haojing so smoothly. According to the time when the beacon fire was lit, it was still too early for the army to arrive, and they had plenty of time to capture Haojing.
The top leaders of the State of Shen are studying the next siege and what to do after the city is captured.
A messenger walked into the tent, knelt on one knee and said, "My lord, there is a letter from Gaojing."
"What did the tyrant Jine say?"
"The letter must contain humiliating words!"
"Damn it! Let them run rampant for a while."
Upon hearing that it was another letter, the ministers of Shen State began to curse Ji Nie in Haojing City.
Shen Hou unfolded the letter and said, "It's from Luo Hou."
When they heard that it was a letter from Lord Luo, everyone stopped cursing and asked curiously, "A letter from Lord Luo? Is it asking us to surrender?"
Shen Hou quickly finished reading the letter and said in a somewhat mysterious tone: "Luo Hou wants to come to the camp to talk to me."
As soon as Lord Shen said this, there was laughter in the tent.
"Is there anything else to talk about now?"
"Lord Luo is not trying to imitate Lord Luo Wen's old story of repelling Xiong Dun, is he?"
The laughter in the big tent suddenly stopped. Back then, Duke Wen of Luo made Xiong Dun, who had the upper hand, suffer a great loss and retreat.
Xiong Dun also left behind the words "Respect Heaven and know your destiny".
To date, the State of Chu is one of the countries that believes most in the Mandate of Heaven, and this story is still widely circulated today.
"Isn't it God's disfavor towards Bang Zhou that a tyrant like Jinie ascended the throne?
My grandson is a virtuous gentleman; he is the king chosen by heaven.
We lead our troops to attack the tyrant and honor the true king as the Son of Heaven. This is what we are doing in accordance with the will of heaven."
After Shen Hou simply comforted his ministers, he smiled and looked at the letter in his hand and said, "Write back to Luo Hou. Since he wants to see me, he should come to the camp. I also want to hear what he has to say."
So, under the watchful eyes of everyone, Luo Cheng came to Shen Hou's camp.
In order to avoid suspicion, Marquis Shen not only invited all the ministers of the State of Shen to be present, but also invited King Rong.
Luo Cheng walked through the sea of swords and knives without changing his expression.
"Lord Luo is really very impressive. You came to my tent despite the danger. Are you here to persuade me to surrender?"
Luo Cheng had a solemn expression on his face, and said in a clear voice: "Lord Shen, I came here to give Bangzhou and Shen a glimmer of hope."
A hint of sneer appeared on King Rong's face.
The various countries in Xia always had a sense of awe towards the mysterious Luo family, but as one of the ruled people of Xia Junyi, he naturally had no good feelings towards the Luo family.
Luo Cheng didn’t care about these, but continued: “Shen Hou, the Jiang family is a descendant of Shennong.
The Shen family is one of the major branches of the Jiang family. Even among the various Xia peoples, this bloodline can be considered noble.
The Mandate of Heaven once shone upon the Shang Dynasty. At that time, Bang Zhou was just a small country in Mount Qishan. The ancestors of the Jiang surname lived together with the ancestors of the Ji surname in the land of Xiqi.
What a long-standing blood relationship this is!
More than a hundred years ago, my ancestor Duke Wen of Luo granted the Shen family the land of Jing River, which led to the current foundation of the State of Shen.
What a deep friendship there is between the Ji and Jiang families, and between the Luo and Shen families!
Do you want to destroy this relationship?
The emperor, Nie, was deceived by flatterers and committed such a wrong thing, which led you to lead your troops to Haojing.
This is the emperor's fault, and God will naturally punish him.
The destiny of Bangzhou is still as bright as the sun. If you insist on conquering Haojing, I am afraid that the heavens will soon send down natural disasters to punish you. "
Lord Shen was not angry, but asked with interest: "Did Duke Wen of Luo also use the doctrine of destiny to make Xiong Dun withdraw his troops in the past?
King Zhao was indeed a wise ruler, so it is normal that God blessed him.
However, since Jine ascended the throne, the three rivers have dried up, Mount Qishan has collapsed, the clan law has been trampled upon, and the legitimate heir has been abolished and the illegitimate heir has been enthroned.
It would take ten days and ten nights to list all his crimes.
Would God favor such a monarch?
I think this is incorrect!"
King Rong watched the show quietly from the side, but couldn't help but sneer: "The Zhou people are troublesome. Your destiny is probably fake. You might as well learn from us to worship the gods."
King Rong's words made everyone in the tent glare at him. In his heart, the minister Shen Guoqing was still proud of his status as a noble of the Xia Dynasty.
"God does not favor you. The Rong people's defeat is inevitable."
He said this calmly, not caring about King Rong's reaction, and looked at Lord Shen and said, "When I came to the capital, King Su's ancestor appeared in my dream and said that Ji Nie had no virtue, so the heaven sent down a natural disaster to punish his dynasty.
If Lord Shen is willing to withdraw his troops, Ji Nie will not be favored by heaven and will naturally not be able to sit on the throne again.
I am willing to lead the princes and support the prince to become the emperor."
"Lord Luo is joking!" Lord Shen said indifferently, "Luo is indeed an important official of Zhou, but how can other princes obey your call?"
Luo Cheng looked around and said with emotion: "It seems that Lord Shen doesn't distrust the reputation of the Luo family, but he doesn't believe in the destiny. How can this not lead to failure?"
Just as Lord Shen was about to speak, there was a sudden commotion outside the tent.
"Where did this stone tablet come from?"
"There's writing on it!"
Lord Shen hurriedly asked the minister to see what was going on. The minister quickly ran in in a panic, but just looked at Luo Cheng in horror and could not say a word.
Upon seeing this, everyone ran out of the tent and froze in shock, only to see a stone tablet standing in front of the tent.
The stone tablet was carved in a magnificent manner, full of a vast beauty, and engraved with sixteen large characters: "The rebels raised troops, cholera spread throughout the country, and frost flew in June to demonstrate the majesty of heaven."
"Surround this stone tablet immediately and don't let anyone spread it out!"
Shen Hou came to his senses and immediately gave the order. Luo Cheng's eyes flashed with a hint of darkness, and Shen Hou came over and asked, "Luo Hou, what is this?"
From Shen Hou's actions, Luo Cheng knew that he might return empty-handed, but he still tried his best and said, "The divine object appeared out of nowhere to warn the world. This is probably the last chance God has given Shen Hou."
Shen Hou glanced at King Rong and saw that even King Rong was stunned, but he knew that if he dared to mention withdrawing the troops, King Rong would start a fight with him on the spot.
"Destroy this stone tablet immediately!"
"Lord Luo, the Shen Kingdom migrated out of the royal capital and reached the current state. Do you know how much hardship it took?"
The Marquis of Shen looked at Luo Cheng and said, "Shen has made contributions to the state of Zhou. The King of Su said that the emperor and the princes should share the wealth and honor.
When Duke Wen of Luo asked my ancestors to move out of the royal capital, he also said that they would enjoy the mandate of heaven forever.
Can it be ignored now?"
Luo Cheng was silent for a moment, then looked towards the Rong camp and said, "Shen Hou, the righteousness of the Xia people is great, and the Xia monarch is the barbarian.
This is Zhu Xia's family affair. You shouldn't have brought the Rong people with you, otherwise I wouldn't be here."
Lord Shen understood that Luo Cheng didn't care about the life or death of Ji Nie, the tyrant.
If the Rong people were not there, Luo Cheng would sit back and watch him capture Haojing, and might even cover up the murder of Emperor Ji Nie for him.
After all, Ji Wan died in the chaos of war, and the Marquis of Luo did not hold anyone accountable at the time.
Shen Hou regretted for a moment, then laughed and said, "Luo Shi really leaves me speechless."
"I know what Lord Shen meant."
Lord Shen has already given his answer. Even if the Mandate of Heaven is really on Bang Zhou, it is not necessarily on Ji Nie. Ji Yi is also the legitimate heir to the throne.
Once something is started, it must be done without any room for regret.
He wanted to rush into Haojing, take off Ji Nie's head, and ask God where the destiny was!
…
Shen Rong led his troops and caused cholera in the royal capital. A divine stone fell from the sky, saying: The rebels have raised their troops and caused cholera in the state of Zhou. Frost will fall in June to demonstrate the power of Heaven.
Marquis Shen did not agree and died in Fenghao.
The power of heaven is unfathomable, like a mountain or an ocean. - Records of the Warring States of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty
(End of this chapter)
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