sovbooks Chapter 47 The 5th day of the first lunar month, the Heavenly Official bestows blessings.
Chapter 47 The 5th day of the first lunar month, the Heavenly Official bestows blessings.
"Protect the Emperor! Protect the Emperor!"
When Chief Secretary Liu arrived with five hundred warriors from the Shu King's mansion, armed with swords and shields, they looked quite imposing. But what could they protect? They couldn't protect anything; they could probably only help collect the corpses.
Prince Zhu Zhishu of Shu and General Liu Jiayin stood side by side, exchanging a glance.
Even past grudges have become somewhat tasteless.
"You handle the disaster victims outside the city, and I'll gather the wealthy families in the city. Whether they choose to go to sea or up the mountain, it's up to them to decide."
Liu Jiayin touched the still-healing wound on his chest. "That's fine then."
Who could have imagined that Sichuan would end in such a way?
To take something in advance, one must first give something in return.
Si Chen offered the masses here an irresistible bargaining chip—immortality.
The two men summoned the city's wealthy families and selected several representatives from among the refugees who had suddenly lost everything, and convened a meeting at the Shu King's Palace.
Amidst the expectant gazes of the crowd, the King of Shu revealed the whole story.
"Gentlemen, that's the situation."
One of the warriors, his clothes soaked through, was filled with resentment. "Is this how it is? We are expected to kneel and be humiliated, bowing and submitting to them?"
What's most infuriating is that after Si Chen did all this, ruining their family business, they still had to thank him in the end.
Where the hell can I get justice from this?
The expressions on the faces of everyone in the hall were almost contorted into a pretzel.
"This is an opportunity!"
"Isn't it good that we can avoid war and preserve our clan through this?"
"In northern Sichuan, Li Zicheng's army is eyeing us covetously, and in eastern Sichuan, Zhang Xianzhong is ambitious. If we let those people invade, you should all think carefully about the consequences."
Several refugees stood up, cupped their hands in greeting to Prince Zhu Zhishu of Shu, and asked, "May I ask, Your Highness, is this true?"
"What you have said about the Astronomical Bureau is truly appalling."
"We dare not hope for immortality, let alone the descendants of dragons."
Prince Zhu Zhishu of Shu rose, cupped his hands towards the horizon, and said, "The destruction of the stone statue of Yu the Great and the opening of the sea eye at Kuimen are all true and verifiable. From now on, there is no need to call me a prince. I am merely a commoner, acting as the Great Teacher of Virtue to govern the people. Tomorrow, the great flood will submerge Chengdu, and I will go with you all."
There was much discussion among the people.
Before the gentry and wealthy merchants could even come up with a solution, the representatives of the displaced people had already voted: "For the sake of our descendants, for the long term, we are willing to wait in the city with the Prince. To be transformed into descendants of the dragon would be an immense blessing!"
"I'd like to too!"
"So are we."
Hands were raised high, as if afraid of being left out. Most of the gentry agreed to the plan, while only a few wealthy merchants planned to sail south to seek a way to survive.
They're the kind of people who say one thing but mean another.
The land of Shu was turned into a vast swamp, and the ancient Tea Horse Road could no longer continue.
Even Yunnan will face a new problem.
The neighbor's house has turned into a huge freshwater lake. What will happen to it in the future?
Mu Tianbo, the Yunnan General Commander and Duke of Qian, has something to say.
The Mu clan's 250-year autonomy has just ended, but this cannot change their desperate need for support from Sichuan.
As a result, they all disappeared at once.
The news spread throughout the areas surrounding Chengdu.
Some people were surprised and suspicious.
Some people were filled with fear and unease.
Some people are even eager to try.
News came from Jiaozhou that, before the flood, the statue of Yu the Great at the Jiaozhou ferry crossing was indeed destroyed by a sword light that fell from the sky.
Some even witnessed a sword light departing from the Shu King's mansion.
The cause of Chen Shiqi's death was also brought to light.
Everything corroborated the news from the Shu King's Palace.
Some people deliberately jumped into the river to verify the truth.
Before everyone's eyes, the man grew scales, then waved to the crowd before being swept away by the floodwaters and disappearing into the depths of the river.
Strangely, even simply transferring the azure lake water to a container caused it to lose all its effects.
The people who had been fleeing were now rushing back into the river.
They would not hesitate to abandon their families and businesses.
There was a Dragon King of the East Sea in ancient times, so what's so strange about having a Dragon King of the Shu Sea now?
In the evening, the King of Shu released another message.
The water level will rise to Chongqing Prefecture at most. Qiongzhou, Yazhou, Weizhou, Maozhou, Long'an Prefecture, Jianzhou, Baoning Prefecture, and Bazhou will not be completely submerged. Only a small part of these areas will be affected.
In other words, these states can choose whether to live on land or underwater.
Zhu Zhishu had already made plans with his two wives and their children, and they were waiting for the final moment in the Shu Prince's Mansion.
Early the next morning.
It happened to be the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival.
At sunrise.
The water flows around Longquan Mountain and heads straight towards Chengdu.
"On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Heavenly Official bestows blessings~"
The people shouted loudly, linked arms, and immersed themselves in the water.
"On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Heavenly Official bestows blessings!"
"On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Heavenly Official bestows blessings!"
A child was sobbing softly in the crowd, but his elders were heard comforting him in low voices, "The Great Teacher and Qu Yuan are holding a huge banquet in the water. Would you like to go and see it?"
"real?"
"Of course, would Grandpa lie to you?"
Immediately, the flood swept past.
Prince Zhu Zhishu of Shu, along with his consorts, children, chief stewards, and close confidants, were all waiting at the Prince's residence. The azure water seeped into the palace gradually. Zhu Zhishu, holding one consort in each arm, slowly sank to the bottom.
In a daze.
They seemed to see Si Chen arriving on water.
New dragon scales covered their crimson scales, and their emerald horns shimmered in the water.
Si Chen witnessed firsthand the flood that inundated Dujiangyan, seeing countless people throw themselves into the water. He felt his own bloodline growing stronger, and driven by the dragon vein, they would become the most loyal warriors.
Their strength comes from this.
This is the absolute suppression that the ancestral dragon exerts over its descendants.
The population of the land covered by the marshland is nearly 1.5 million.
This is the Land of Abundance, but the number of hidden households in each village exceeds the publicly disclosed figures.
Many more people hid in the mountains to escape the war.
Unlike the Manchu Qing dynasty, which indiscriminately cut down trees and prohibited the burning of coal, the mountains are high and the forests are dense, which is conducive to hiding.
Si Chen glanced at the vast ocean one last time.
Looking down from the sky, it resembles a sapphire.
He successfully made his mark here.
This place serves as a hub connecting Yunnan, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Shaanxi, and Tibet.
This also interrupted Zhang Xianzhong's westward advance in his quest to become a dragon.
To prevent Li Zicheng from using Hanzhong as a retreat route southward.
Si Chen exchanged the opportunity of having a lineage that would last for ten thousand generations for the hearts of the people of Shu, and he felt that he had a clear conscience.
The blue sword light left an undisguised, mottled mark in the sky, drawing a straight line from Chengdu all the way to Tianjin, as if to openly tell the world.
Today is the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival, a day when the Heavenly Official bestows blessings and gives everyone a new life.
But the Lantern Festival is also held on the night of the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
The Aoshan Mountain, constructed from countless shadow lamps, is dazzling and exceptionally eye-catching.
People are making preparations in full swing. They want to build a pavilion with thirty rooms, 150 feet high, and hang gold, jade and silver ornaments on it. When the wind blows gently, the ornaments will ring out in a melodious rhythm.
There are also lanterns shaped like dragons, phoenixes, tigers, leopards, crabs, fish, shrimp, and birds.
Around the Palace of Saints, groups of children with braids were blowing glass bouncy toys, colorful medicine pouches tied around their waists, and patchwork clothes on their bodies.
The crowd is watching a warrior perform a sword dance, or transform into a fierce tiger.
Clearly, people have become accustomed to this kind of communal living.
Both banks of the Haihe River were decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations.
Merchants from other places came to Sanchahekou to hawk their wares.
The azure shooting star that Si Chen had transformed into first appeared on the horizon, immediately drawing cheers from countless people.
"Long live the great and virtuous teacher!"
The crowd cheered.
Si Chen landed on the nine-story altar in front of the Taiyi Temple and waved to the people.
Everywhere they went, they were greeted with warm smiles.
Where the lights are lush and vibrant.
Just then, the six Ding and six Jia greeted him, saying, "Your Excellency, you've finally returned."
These past few days, they've been living in fear, afraid that their secret will be discovered.
By day they hones their strength, practicing archery and horsemanship, and by night they rise to patrol.
I don't know how many invitations I've turned down.
It's almost impossible to keep it a secret any longer.
Cao Youyi took out a dragon lantern and presented it, saying, "May you rise to a high position and everything go smoothly."
Liu Ji used her wings to push him aside and came closer. "My lord, did your journey go smoothly?"
Si Chen waved his hand, smiling to conceal the weakness caused by the massive blood loss, "Let's drink and make merry together today."