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

Chapter 49: Reason, Joining the Gang? (Happy Winter Solstice!)

Huh? God-killing?!
Even though Zhou Liang had been tortured by this wantonly taking-off plot more than once, and his psychological endurance was no longer what it used to be, he was still stunned by Liu Yizhao's "God-killing Plan":
"No... Is this a lunatic or a fool?! And he wants to kill gods?!"

If Zhu Youjian could really be killed by a group of mortals, then what's the point of him being a God Emperor!
Back then, which of Li Chuang, Xian Zei, and Lao Aijia was a minor character? Weren't they all single-handedly defeated by the God Emperor?
One punch from him was like an atomic bomb, and he could kill tens of millions of unruly people. He was so strong that he seemed to be from a different dimension than us... No matter how much one hated the Divine Emperor, facing such a huge gap, one should act rationally.

For example, Zhou Liang himself, who had been involved in anti-Ming societies for his entire life, ultimately did not dare to point the finger directly at the Divine Emperor himself. At most, he assassinated a few corrupt officials in remote small towns...

But this Liu Yizhao is so good, he just opens his mouth and says that they have a plan to kill gods... Who gives them the confidence? Foreigners?

But it’s impossible for foreigners!
What level are the foreigners at now? Can they fight with just a few muskets and cannons?
I can’t fight, I don’t have the strength!
"1701 AD...it's only just the beginning of the th century. The Western bourgeois revolution hasn't even begun yet. The European continent is basically all feudal monarchies, and the Industrial Revolution has even barely begun..."

A group of Western feudal countries thousands of miles away are using their heads to attack the God-Emperor, a humanoid nuclear bomb!
Not to mention the Divine Emperor, even the Embroidered Uniform Guards are not something the foreigners can deal with!
Don't think that the three thousand Jinyiwei couldn't attack the Yangzhou City with artillery defenses, so they looked a little weak. In fact, the Jinyiwei had been killing like crazy:

The troops set out from the capital at the end of February and crossed the Yellow River and Huai River at the beginning of March, reaching the border of Yangzhou. It was equivalent to advancing thousands of kilometers on foot in less than ten days!

And judging from the description, this group of people did not come lightly, but were wearing heavy armor, equipped with heavy swords, and simply ran all the way with the heavy load.

They didn't even have time to rest after arriving. They reached the enemy-occupied area of ​​Yangzhou in early March, and then swept through all enemy strongholds in mid-March, recaptured dozens of counties in a row, and killed more than 100,000 enemies!
These 100,000 people are not pure fakes, but a considerable number of real troops who have received special military training. They have guns and cannons, and there are signs of supernatural powers!
After wiping out these 100,000 enemy troops, Yangzhou sent another 100,000 to meet the enemy, but the Jinyiwei quickly wiped out these 100,000 and reached the gates of Yangzhou by the end of March, causing panic in the city.

In about a month, they traveled thousands of miles from the capital to Yangzhou and annihilated more than 200,000 professional enemy troops... This record is simply not like that of a human!
"There's no doubt that these Jinyiwei are true monsters in human skin. While they can't compare to the cultivators in fairy tales, they're definitely an invincible iron army in the era of cold weapons. Even with proper control, they could still kill indiscriminately in the era of hot weapons..."

Zhou Liang couldn't help but feel shocked.

Until now, I have not had an accurate understanding of the strength of the Jinyiwei, but now I have a rough idea of ​​their level:

Cold weapons and small-power firearms can be completely ignored, but they really can't withstand high-powered artillery. However, as long as they are not covered by a large number of artillery, they are invincible.

If Yangzhou had not had high-ranking officials of the Ming court using their divine powers to help defend the city, and if the city walls were not high and the moats were deep, which allowed them to fully utilize the advantages of artillery fire, the Jinyiwei would definitely have been able to take down the city in one charge!
Even if Yangzhou can temporarily defend the city with its artillery advantage, as long as the Jinyiwei are willing to fight with them, they can still capture Yangzhou in a year or two.

After all, the advantages brought by supernatural powers are still too great, so great that the Jinyiwei who only mastered part of the divine power can sweep the world in the early eighteenth century!
Not to mention the God Emperor, the source of divine power...

Zhou Liang didn't understand:
"Could it be that everyone is really tired of living? Or is it that the reason they dared to formulate the so-called God-killing Plan is because they have some secret information that I don't know?"

After much thought, and ruling out the possibility that everyone is just crazy, the only possibility is that they came prepared...

……

"Are you crazy?!"

You were stunned: Killing a god? Just you guys?

Although you'd noticed from various clues early on that these rebels were unusual, and that their reason for rebellion wasn't simply your desire for reform, but rather something else, when you heard they were planning to kill the gods, you still couldn't help but gape in shock...

"Crazy? Prime Minister, haven't we been crazy for a long time?"

[The elderly Liu Yizhao, who was tied up like a dumpling, grinned at this: "After being tortured by Zhu Youjian his entire life, how many people in the Ming officialdom would not go crazy?"]

"However, the reason we came up with the God-killing plan wasn't just because we were crazy... As the saying goes, even ants try to survive. If we truly felt there was no chance of winning, how could we have considered killing Him when we could have lived comfortably until death?"

Liu Yizhao smiled and continued, "If the Prime Minister is interested, please listen to my detailed explanation."

You have mixed feelings. Although you don't really believe he can kill the God Emperor, and you don't want him to die for the time being, you still can't help but be curious about what he said...

[How can a mortal kill a god?]

【“Speak!” You spat out a word coldly.】

Liu Yizhao's smile suddenly widened... But instead of directly answering your question, he asked you a strange question first.

"Prime Minister, how much do you know about divine power?"

[Hearing his sudden question, you can't help but be stunned: What do you mean? ]

Seeing that you didn't seem to understand, he thought for a moment and then changed his question: "What I mean is, do you think Zhu Youjian's supernatural power is infinite?"

【Um? 】

This question immediately makes you frown: Is there a limit to divine power? Who knows?

[At least as of now, when the Beijing Camp was defeated, the Divine Emperor once stated that he would personally march south to Yangzhou, crush all the rebels and destroy the city of Yangzhou as he had done before!]

Since He feels that He can still destroy Yangzhou, it means that He still has a lot of divine power... Anyway, you can't tell His depth from this.

You frowned and said, "Are you trying to say that Your Majesty no longer has enough divine power to kill people?"

"Of course not!"

Liu Yizhao laughed dumbly: "Of course He still has the power to kill us now. I just want to say that His divine power is not infinite. With the continuous consumption, He will eventually become extremely weak. At that time..."

【weak?】

Your heart skips a beat. If the Divine Emperor truly can weaken, then when He reaches His limit, He might actually be able to slaughter Gods... But you still don't quite believe this unproven idea: "What's the evidence?"

He smiled and said, "The evidence is... salary!"

“When a dynasty is about to fall, the most obvious sign isn’t military defeat, but delayed pay… If a dynasty has sufficient silver to pay salaries, it likely won’t deliberately delay them. But if a dynasty delays pay, it proves it has no money left!”

"Just like Li Zicheng back then, Li Zicheng was originally a minor clerk at a post station. However, due to the tight financial situation of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Youjian cut down on post stations in various places in an attempt to save money to support the war against Liaodong. As a result, Li Zicheng lost his job..."

After the post station was closed down, Li Chuang, in order to make ends meet, joined the army again. However, even the army was owed wages... With nowhere else to turn, Li Chuang had no choice but to start a rebellion...

Liu Yizhao sneered, "Certainly, the Ming Dynasty is not short of money these days, and they won't lay off postmen like Li Zicheng anymore. But when it comes to divine power, Zhu Youjian has started to withhold it again..." ["Prime Minister, do you know that when He reunified the empire, He bestowed nearly 100,000 Jinyiwei-level divine powers at once, distributing them annually as salaries?"]

"But after five years, He gradually cut salaries, from 100,000 per year to 90,000, 80,000, 70,000... Today, every three years, all officials and elite soldiers of the Ming Dynasty can only receive the equivalent of 20,000 Jinyiwei divine powers!"

"From 100,000 to 20,000, from once a year to once every three years, I think the reduction will continue in the future..."

Liu Yizhao grew increasingly agitated: "What does this mean? This means His divine power is no longer sufficient!"

[As soon as these words were spoken, you were stunned...]

[Divine power...is also becoming as scarce as silver was back then?!]

You immediately realize the seriousness of this situation: the reason the Ming Dynasty still exists today is entirely because the Divine Emperor is holding it together with absolute force. Otherwise, this zombie would have been reduced to ashes long ago!

If, as Liu Yizhao said, the Divine Emperor's divine power is clearly running low, then once his power is truly exhausted, the Ming Dynasty will undoubtedly be exposed. By then, no one knows how many lives will have to be lost before a powerful state apparatus can be rebuilt...

The key point is that, given the Ming Dynasty's current global fame and the mortals' thirst and greed for divine power, this war to rebuild a new dynasty will likely not be limited to internal affairs, but will also attract external interference from countries around the world!

If foreign invaders are attracted, coupled with the domestic chaos, the Ming Dynasty will likely suffer the same fate as the late Qing Dynasty, where it was divided up by foreign powers. It may even be worse than the late Qing Dynasty, becoming a complete colony of foreign powers, with no hope of recovery...

[When you think of this horrific outcome, your scalp suddenly tingles...]

Liu Yizhao didn't stop, excitedly recounting the evidence he had uncovered: "Besides the reduction in divine power salaries, there's another piece of evidence: He hasn't personally suppressed rebellion in years... This is unimaginable!"

[“When He first ascended to the throne, no matter where there was rebellion, He would rush over in a rage and personally slaughter them. When He got the hang of it, He would even implicate innocent people and slaughter several more cities…”]

"As time went on, although the number of rebellious people continued to increase, His intervention became less and less frequent, until the Jinyiwei and local officials were responsible for suppressing them..."

【"besides!"】

He excitedly stared at you, who was bewildered. "Don't you find it strange? Why has He been so unwilling to reform for the past fifty years, yet now He suddenly gives you full responsibility for the new policies, asking you to restore the corrupt Ming Dynasty to a peaceful and prosperous state?"

"It's obvious that He believes He can no longer rely solely on divine power to maintain the Ming Dynasty. So, He wants to use the remaining divine power to quickly support a Ming Dynasty that can continue to prosper without divine power!"

[“This way, he wouldn’t be exposed, and the Ming Dynasty could continue…”]

"This! Doesn't this prove that His divine power is limited?!"

【this……】

[Faced with so much logical evidence, you're tempted to say, "Maybe it's because His Majesty's temper has improved," but the more you look at it, the more it sounds like Crystal Powder is just trying to be stubborn.]

[Eventually, you have to admit: This evidence is indeed very reasonable. The Divine Emperor's series of abnormal behaviors are most likely the result of a shortage of divine power...]

But you still forced yourself to remain calm: "...Even if what you said is true, and His Majesty is truly short of divine power, He still possesses overwhelming power. Therefore, your rebellion will absolutely not succeed!"

You've clearly grasped the key to this matter: the future is the future, and the present is now. Even if the Divine Emperor falls into disgrace in the future, He's not doing anything bad right now. As long as He doesn't do anything bad, forget about the God-Slaying Plan! Anyone who offends Him must die!

After listening to this, Liu Yizhao nodded and said, "Your Excellency is right. It is indeed too early for us to rebel now. Let alone if Zhu Youjian comes in person, even if we are besieged by your Jinyiwei for a year or two, we will be completely wiped out..."

[“But, we have to resist!”]

His face was filled with bitterness. "Since we have been preparing for the God-killing plan, we have trained a large number of private soldiers and signed alliances with various foreign nations, agreeing to kill the gods together with them and share the secret of divine power after the success."

"The West sold us countless new guns and cannons at a low price. They were all the latest models. They waited for Zhu Youjian to show signs of fatigue before they started to attack..."

"But who could have imagined that you, Prime Minister, would suddenly appear, demanding not only reforms but also a thorough investigation of corruption... The evidence that we are colluding with foreign powers and plotting rebellion is overwhelming. How could we dare allow you to investigate?!"

[“I was forced into a desperate situation and had no choice but to launch the uprising in advance…”]

After he finished speaking bitterly, you finally understood why this group of people in Yangzhou had such a complicated background. They were foreigners, old bureaucrats, and even private soldiers... After all this time, it turned out they were just waiting for the perfect opportunity to kill the gods!

You have to admit, these people were extremely well prepared. If your reforms hadn't hit their weak spot, forcing them to start the rebellion early, by the time the Divine Emperor truly showed signs of fatigue, these people might have really made a big news...

[However, fate is often so unpredictable. They calculated almost everything, but they didn't expect you to suddenly appear and face a situation where there was no hope of survival.]

【But, fate is playing tricks on them, but isn’t it also playing tricks on you? 】

[In the past, you wished for the Divine Emperor and the Ming Dynasty to perish together, but now the Divine Emperor has promoted you to the position of Prime Minister. In this position, you see hope in saving the people of the world, but you also see the sharp contradictions within and outside the Ming Dynasty. If your reforms fail, and the Divine Emperor truly loses his divine power, the Ming Dynasty will be doomed!]

[Fate has chosen you to uphold the Ming Dynasty...]

Thinking of this, you couldn't help but sigh, and then asked, "So you came to me hoping I'd spare your lives? If so, you'll probably be disappointed. Now that I've come to Yangzhou, you're definitely going to die!"

【"No……"】

Unexpectedly, Liu Yizhao shook his head: "I have no intention of begging for mercy. I came here for only one purpose..."

【oh? 】

You are curious: "When death is imminent, what is your purpose?"

He smiled mysteriously, "I want to get the Prime Minister to join us!"

【you:……】

……

(Tears, today is the winter solstice, so I went out to drink mutton soup, but ended up wasting time... So there is only one chapter today, I will find a chance to make up for it later...)
(Also, happy winter solstice everyone! Heart! (灬灬))
(End of this chapter)