Yinshan Record

Chapter 433 The Source of Chaos in a Era of Eternal Order (Part 1)

The emperor is still the same emperor.

The crown prince looked at his father; this was the true face of Emperor Liang.

Perched high atop the Chenhan Palace, he coldly and calmly surveyed the world, his plans and arrangements forming a net, ready to catch any potential enemies. And once an enemy appeared, the emperor would inevitably launch a fierce and relentless counterattack.

When they first cooperated with Bailudong, they probably already planned how they would turn their backs on Bailudong today.

The crown prince recalled the emperor's arrangements.

It was only natural to send four generals to Cizhou, but now Cizhou is without soldiers and is full of rebels, so it is necessary to send troops from outside.

Du Ling, the General Who Conquers the East and Governor of Xuzhou, and Feng Yun, the General Who Guards the South and Governor of Jiaozhou, are both renowned fifth-rank masters, each commanding strong armies. Jiaozhou, located in the southernmost part of Daliang, overlooks the southern wilderness and has never been without military conflicts. Xuzhou, on the other hand, is on the front line against the Northern Dynasty, filled with elite troops, far superior to the weak forces in inland areas like Cizhou.

General Wu Sheng, the Strong Crossbowman, and General Li Liang, the Cloud Banner General, were both experienced veterans who fought against the Northern Dynasty army on the northern front many times. Although they failed to achieve the rank of Huan Dan, they were still famous generals.

With these three groups moving together, how many of the hastily gathered people in Bailudong were capable fighters? And how long could the disciples trained in Bailudong's own academy hold out?
Such an arrangement was certainly grand in scale. It wasn't that the Crown Prince didn't want to use overwhelming force to eliminate the hidden dangers in Cizhou, nor were the senior officials in the Ministry of Personnel lacking in vision. The main problem was that they were not yet in charge and couldn't make such a decision.

Such a move by the emperor is tantamount to transferring away the elite troops on the eastern and southern fronts of Daliang. No one but the emperor himself has the determination and authority to do so.

As for gathering disciples from the Bailudong School in Jiankang to purge the court, the Crown Prince felt that this was merely a necessary measure and there was nothing to say about it.

Previously, the emperor used the White Deer Cave incident to strike at the Su family, which made the crown prince slightly dissatisfied. This was because the Su family of Duling, like Wei Huaiwen, were not only important officials of the Liang Dynasty, but also the crown prince's biggest supporters in the court.

The emperor's subtle and overt warnings to the Su family made the crown prince instinctively sense some danger.

However, it's just dangerous.

The Crown Prince may have also had the idea of ​​having his father offend the Su family first, so that he could play the good guy after he came to power.

He simply sought out virtuous men from across the land and selected a national advisor...

The Crown Prince couldn't quite see the significance of this arrangement, and felt that now wasn't the best time. However, if it was to use the Xuanmen and Buddhist sects to suppress the arrogance of the Confucian scholars of Bailudong, the Crown Prince didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

However, it might be counterproductive. If it causes more controversy, Yuwen Rui in the north would probably be laughing in his sleep.

of course.

The crown prince still sensed something amiss in the emperor's arrangements.

That is, the front line still lacks a capable leader.

Just like the Northern Expedition of the Great Liang, it certainly needed a commander like General Wei to coordinate the various armies, but it also needed a figure like Duke Su to rival Yuwen Rui.

Cizhou can be said to have a strong army now, but such a strong army is no match for a master of the Void Steps or even a possible immortal being...

The rule of Xuandu Palace is indeed that powers beyond immortality must not manifest in the Central Plains.

But what if a person with immortality were to emerge from Bailudong and take charge of Cizhou? What use would it be to send thousands of troops?
The crown prince was thinking this, while the emperor seemed to have noticed his hidden worries.

"Prince."

"Father."

"You have your heart set on the four seas and the country, that's good, but you haven't reached my position yet. The reason why my Great Liang can subdue the Wang and Xie families who live a life of wandering and eating in the east and west, and make the people in Bailudong and Yuyang Mountain give up all kinds of thoughts, is naturally because of other means."

The emperor's words were light and casual, yet they made the crown prince fall into even deeper thought.

"There are some things I won't tell you until the time is right, but don't worry, I will make the arrangements."

The Crown Prince nodded. He was aware that the Emperor had another force at his disposal, and he even knew that the Wang and Xie families had connections to immortal beings, as did the royal family, perhaps even more powerfully.

But these things were always vague and unclear to the crown prince. He always told himself that it was just not the right time yet, so his father had not told him.

However, he also had a vague idea in his mind that perhaps his father had never intended to tell him.

However, the Crown Prince had no choice but to suppress these thoughts.

He was the crown prince publicly announced to the world, the heir apparent of the Great Liang Dynasty, and the future emperor.

He doesn't need to do anything; he just needs to do his current role well.

The emperor looked at the crown prince and said.

"Tell me, what exactly is Bailudong seeking?"

This problem was beyond the Crown Prince's expectations.

Indeed, as one of the four great Confucian academies that stood apart from the rest, Bailudong Academy had a relatively harmonious relationship with not only the Great Liang Dynasty but also with the northern barbarians.

Why did Bailudong, a sacred site of Confucianism, choose to get involved in the chaotic world instead of staying there?

The crown prince didn't have time to think about it carefully, and he couldn't figure it out either.

I don't know why this former collaborator has become the way he is now.

"The life-sustaining technique of Bailudong is becoming increasingly sophisticated."

The emperor said, seemingly having been keeping a close eye on the movements at White Deer Cave.

"Confucian scholars believed that the heavens were round and the earth was square, and that all things were within the bounds of social order. They believed that the world should be unified and that the sage emperor should rule by doing nothing."

"Whether it's us or those guys in the north, we all hope that the Holy Emperor they recognize is themselves, so that we can use their power to reunify the world."

The emperor's voice was cold and desolate, seemingly carrying an inexplicable weariness.

"But why is it that the world has never been so difficult to unify?"

The crown prince remained silent. The question posed by the emperor was far too grand, leaving him at a loss for words. There were many possible answers, such as the deep-seated internal divisions within both the North and South, making it difficult to unite their forces, and that eliminating internal dissidents was more important than reunifying the country.

Perhaps compared to the power of powerful clans and Confucian sects, the royal family was still too weak, able to maintain basic rule but unable to go any further.

To be more specific, it might be that a fierce battle was lost, or some heroes died tragically...

Various subtle reasons intertwined and eventually led to the current situation.

There were many answers, a myriad of possibilities, and even the Crown Prince couldn't immediately determine which statement was the best.

"Perhaps the people in heaven don't want us to unify the world."

The emperor said calmly, "People in the heavens, people in the mountains, people in the world—although they are all people, their thoughts are different. As for White Deer Cave? I can roughly guess what they are thinking."

"A reign that will last for ten thousand generations." The emperor's eyes looked south, and he seemed to be able to see the undulating mountains in the south, and the majestic Xuan Mountain within Cizhou.

"This is perhaps what the Confucian school wants."

(End of this chapter)