Simulates history, but Chongzhen is the Divine Emperor at the beginning

Chapter 156: Going to the West! (This is barely a two-in-one chapter, I’ll update it tomorrow!)

[From this day on, the most chaotic shamanic monster in Ming history was born! ]

On the twenty-sixth day of the first lunar month in the forty-third year of the Chongzhen reign, Jesus was born in Zhumadian... Ugh! It was Cthulhu who was born in Mizhi County!

In order to establish your own mythical image, and also to facilitate the promotion of the feudal superstitions characteristic of Prime Minister Zhou, you directly and unabashedly displayed your divine power and divinity before the public, showcasing your divine power and divinity in the most intuitive way.

[And you've also deeply absorbed the brainwashing knowledge that the Divine Emperor used in the past regarding the imperial examinations, thus gaining the wonderful ability to patchwork from it: in that brainwashing knowledge, the Divine Emperor plagiarized various allusions and myths from ancient and modern times, both Chinese and foreign, including but not limited to "Emperor Gaozu of Han had a prominent nose and a dragon-like face, and 72 black spots on his left thigh", "God was resurrected three days after his death", "When the Buddha was born, he pointed to the sky and the earth, and he was the only one in heaven and on earth", "Emperor Chengzu of Ming had a saintly grandson who brought prosperity to three generations", and so on and so forth...]

The Divine Emperor has woven all of these myths into his own body. Whether others believe them or not is another matter, but the main point is that this stuff is truly brainwashing, and it has an even more powerful special attack effect on the people of the Ming Dynasty, who are filled with feudal superstitions!

[Now, since you want to brainwash the people of the Ming Dynasty, you must definitely start with feudal superstition. In this case, the story of the Divine Emperor is extremely useful.]

[However, you should always remember that adaptation is not random fabrication, and parody is not nonsense, so you didn't completely plagiarize the Divine Emperor's ideas, but instead carefully considered them.]

Adhering to the principle of "taking the essence and discarding the dross," you made some compromises in the selection of materials for stitching, thus coming up with your current "theory of God"...

“I am the reincarnation of the Buddha and the Holy Son. The White Lotus Mother and Yuanshi Tianzun are also my incarnations!”

[Hanging in the air with telekinesis, you used a special "air voice method" to fabricate your identity with a sanctimonious expression in front of your mother and the midwife's shocked and terrified gaze. Although it was a bit unpleasant, you couldn't care less at the moment...]

Soon, your fame spread. After the midwife and others excitedly spread the news that the Zhou family had given birth to a reincarnated god, it spread throughout the nearby streets and alleys: This couple gave birth to a strange baby!

【…】

When everyone heard this, they initially refused to believe it, thinking it was just a rumor spread by fools... But then some idlers came to see the strangeness. With the curiosity of ordinary people, they came to your house in groups of three or four, wanting to see the child and verify the rumor.

[And facing the curiosity of the crowd, your parents are very worried: Although their son is truly extraordinary, if he shows up in public like this, there's no guarantee that he'll get into trouble in the future...]

[But you're different from your parents. You're not afraid of trouble, you're just afraid there won't be enough people watching!]

[So whenever someone comes to see you, you'll float right up to them, and then, in front of their horrified and frightened gaze, you'll repeat your identity as a stitched monster!]

[As a result, your reputation spreads further and further, and every onlooker who comes to watch you quickly accept your divine status after witnessing your divine presence, and then can't help but spread the word to others.]

[As more people spread the word, some people will be tempted to believe in you...]

However, the people of Daming have always been more concerned with practical benefits. As the saying goes, China doesn't keep idle gods. If you want them to believe in you, you must give them benefits. After all, simply generating energy for love will definitely not get you far!

Then someone cautiously asks you, "Tianzun...if we take refuge in you, will you grant us your grace?"

"Right, right! You're so powerful, it's bound to rain, right?"

"Or, can you bless us with longevity, many children, and abundant wealth?"

Once the conversation started, everyone forgot about the "divine power as high as a prison" and eagerly asked you about the benefits of belief.

These days, what religion doesn't offer its followers some benefits? Taoism promises blessings and relief from disasters, Buddhism promises a good next life, and Islam promises a blissful heaven... As for typical heretical sects like the White Lotus, the conditions are even more exorbitant, promising a successful career, becoming a god, or even immortality...

[Nowadays, you have to offer some benefits, right?]

[Our requirements aren't high. We don't ask you to pray for a child or rain, but at least you should give us a promise of "being born into a wealthy family," right?]

Facing everyone's eager anticipation, you smiled inwardly: "Hooked!"

[As for what benefits you should promise to your followers, you've naturally already prepared: since your goal is to eliminate all rebels from the world, the benefits should definitely be directed in this direction.]

Why did the people rebel?

The answer is simple: they couldn't stand the abuse of the God-Emperor, the class oppression, or even the natural and man-made disasters. The pressures of life pushed them to the brink of despair, and so they had to rebel!

Then, you must let them accept these heavy oppressions from the bottom of their hearts, and find "beauty" in this oppression, so that the despair of real life will no longer be true despair for them, and they will be calm and peaceful, and everyone will face suffering with a smile...

[It sounds amazing, and has a kind of Indian beauty.]

[But you have to do this. For the final victory, all the hardships are worth it...]

How can we make them no longer feel hopeless about the hopeless reality?

【Buddhism has already given the answer to this question: the afterlife! 】

Since this life is hopeless, wouldn't it be better to have a better afterlife? As long as we adhere to the Buddhist teachings of reincarnation and make people believe that this life is not the end of life, that there is an afterlife after death, and that the afterlife will be better than this one, then people will not only not feel despair about life, but will instead feel a longing for the afterlife...

[So...Shakyamuni, I'm sorry!]

【（Buddha: Child, I have no objection.）】

You calmly said, "Since I am the reincarnation of the Buddha, my mission is naturally to save all sentient beings. Therefore, anyone who believes in me will be liberated from the cycle of reincarnation and enter the Western Paradise to enjoy eternal bliss!"

[Elysium?]

Everyone became very interested: "What is the Pure Land like? What is there?"

You said, "The Pure Land is covered in gold. Marco Polo, a Western mortal, once visited it and praised it highly!"

“Not only gold, but also milk and honey flow freely in the rivers, for anyone to drink freely… There is also the Fountain of Youth, which grants immortality to those who drink from it… There are also immortal arts and Taoist magic, which can enable one to fly and hide in the ground, and be able to do anything…”

[“In short, this place is filled with all the good things. It is truly the promised land I have chosen for all living beings!”]

[As soon as the words were spoken, everyone was fascinated...]

Someone immediately cried, "If Heaven is so beautiful, then what's the point of us still living? Calamities and disasters abounded throughout the Ming Dynasty, and my wife, children, and elders all starved to death... I might as well die now!"

[As he cried, everyone felt the same way: reality was so hopeless, why not ascend to heaven and enjoy happiness sooner rather than later?]

Seeing a wave of pessimism creeping in, you can't help but think: Oh no! Everyone's going emo!

This is not true. Your "paradise theory" is simply to make people less afraid of death, not to encourage everyone to commit suicide. Otherwise, how is you different from a true heretic?

So you think quickly and patch it up...

[“Don’t commit suicide!”]

You rebuke him in a deep voice, "Not everyone can enter my paradise!"

“To enter the Pure Land, you not only need to believe in me, but also have immeasurable merits…”

You said seriously, "Merit doesn't require doing many good deeds. Simply surviving is merit. The longer you live, the more merit you gain. If you can live to the ripe old age of death, then your merit is immeasurable!"

“Thus, only those who die of old age can ascend to the Western Paradise! Those who die suddenly or commit suicide have little merit and virtue, and have no chance of ascending to the Western Paradise…”

[After the patch was applied, everyone finally gave up their thoughts of suicide...]

But some people still look at you eagerly: "Tianzun, is it true that if we don't live to the end of our lifespan, we really can't enter the Pure Land?"

"Yes, the world is so chaotic. Who can still say they can live a peaceful life until they die? If they accidentally die in the future, wouldn't that be a missed opportunity?"

"Heavenly Lord! Please show us a clear path!" Everyone begged, their faces filled with sadness: If the world wasn't hopeless, who would want to entrust their lives to the illusory afterlife? If one really had to live to old age and die before entering the paradise, then it would be even more hopeless...

[Okay, keep patching! ]

You sighed helplessly, then a thought flashed through your mind, gradually forming a plan: Isn't revenge the only way the Divine Emperor can gain divine power? Why not make sure He has no revenge to avenge?

If everyone is not afraid of death, but instead happily begs Him to kill them, then...

【When you think of something wonderful, you won’t hesitate any more! 】

"That's wrong!"

You laughed and said, "There are still shortcuts in this world!"

[Everyone hurriedly asked: "What shortcut?"]

“It is Your Majesty!”

[Everyone:?]

In front of everyone's bewildered expressions, you said seriously, "You don't know, His Majesty is not a bad person!"

"Your Majesty has always been a holy emperor. How could He bring disaster to the people of the world for no reason? His slaughter is actually well-intentioned. As the saying goes, killing is to protect life. Your Majesty is not killing you, but saving you..."

“Your Majesty, like me, is the reincarnation of various Celestial Lords and Immortals. We both came to save all living beings, but our methods of salvation are different.”

“My Dharma emphasizes others over oneself, so I cannot liberate sentient beings by myself and lead them to the Western Paradise. Only by accumulating merit on your own can you ascend to the Western Paradise. This is the Hinayana Dharma.”

“Your Majesty’s principles are different. Your Majesty’s principles are the Mahayana!”

"Your Majesty can liberate sentient beings. A single strike is enough to infuse the deceased with boundless merit, allowing them to ascend directly to the Western Paradise!"

"Your Majesty is using your own body as a tool to save all living beings, which is truly a great merit... You fail to understand the principle, and instead accuse Your Majesty of defying Heaven and abusing the people. How foolish!"

[As you say this, you sigh with deep emotion: "Your Majesty's kindness is not over yet!"]

[Everyone:?]

[So... is that so? ]

【Have we really wronged His Majesty? 】

The more everyone thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed. They had never heard of such a heaven-defying statement... According to you, even though the Divine Emperor oppressed the people, raised taxes, and killed countless people, he was actually a selfless and kind person, who only wanted to use his merits to liberate all living beings to the Western Paradise. And everyone else has been made into ignorant fools who don't know the truth and don't know how to be grateful...

【He really is! I'm crying my eyes out!】

[Who among my family members understands...]

[It’s too outrageous! ]

[To be honest, it's really hard for everyone to believe this abstract theory...but we have to believe it.]

[Because this statement, while abstract, comes from you after all, and you've already appeared before the public, and superstitious people have completely bought into your identity as the "reincarnation of the gods," so naturally, whatever you say is what it is.]

[So even if people don't believe it, once you clearly state that it's true, they'll have no choice but to believe it...]

[As a result, the Divine Emperor's reputation in Mizhi County quickly reversed following your words. He went from being a tyrant, a wicked ruler, to a selfless, yet misunderstood, savior of the world, the Holy Emperor!]

Everyone cried out words like "loyalty" and "gratitude," and Mizhi County was bustling with activity...

[And this miraculous theory, because of your continued divine manifestation, spread further and further, from the streets and alleys near your home to the entire county, and then to the rural villages, until it was known to everyone in Mizhi County.]

Thus, two righteous ways to ascend to the Western Paradise were presented to people: one was to live diligently until one achieved perfect merit and died of old age, and ascend to heaven; the other was to be struck dead by the Divine Emperor and ascend directly to heaven!

Which path should people choose?

The wealthy family thought about it. Although the theory of "Zhou Tianzun" ascending to heaven was very convincing and credible, they were still afraid of death. Rather than being killed by a single blow, it would be better to live comfortably until old age, and then ascend to heaven to continue enjoying bliss after death. After all, the lives of the wealthy on earth were not bad...

【But it’s different for the poor! 】

The poor people have already suffered from oppression and grievances. In reality, they don't have enough food or warm clothes, and they have to pay heavy taxes to the government and perform forced labor. They are also oppressed by landlords, gentry, corrupt officials, and profiteers... There are so many things to do!

If they hadn't truly dared to rebel, everyone would have already followed the example of Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong and killed their enemies mercilessly!

[In short, the world has become too hopeless. Even though we know that trying to survive will make things better, we no longer have the courage to live... And who can guarantee that they will live to old age?]

[Under such circumstances, the indifferent poor people, upon seeing the second shortcut to heaven, chose it almost without hesitation!]

Hundreds and thousands of people gathered in the city, marching through the city in a mighty procession. Under such momentum, more and more people enthusiastically joined in...

[Finally, this mighty procession marched all the way to the county government office!]

This scene frightened several guardsmen to the point of peeing. They hurriedly slipped into the county government office and reported the situation outside to the bewildered county magistrate...

"Oh no, sir! There are a lot of people outside! They're yelling and asking you to go out and answer them!"

The County Magistrate frowned: "How many people are there?"

"At least one or two thousand!"

[Huh?! Is this a rebellion?!]

The county magistrate was startled. "Although I possess some divine power, I certainly can't kill thousands of unruly people before my power runs out... This is the job of the Imperial Guards. How can I, the county magistrate, do it?"

In a split second, the timid county magistrate, his legs trembling with weakness, was about to pack up his belongings and sneak out of the city...

But before he opened the door, he suppressed his anxiety and asked, "What do they want me to do?"

He had already decided that no matter what wish these unruly people had for him, for the sake of his own safety, he would first agree to it and wait until the Imperial Guards arrived... The invincible Imperial Guards would bring all these unruly people to justice!

[But the yamen runner’s answer was…]

"They wish to ask you, Your Excellency, to submit a memorial to His Majesty, urging Him to come over and beat them all to death with one blow, so that they can ascend to the Western Paradise!"

"They're willing to do anything to reach the Western Paradise!"

【County Magistrate: ……】

【What a lunatic! 】

……

(End of this chapter)