Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 21: Liquor
Less than an hour after Liu Daogui and his group left Huanghuan Valley, a group of Taoist priests arrived.

The leader was wearing a brown robe, a jade crown on his head, a long face with a slight beard, and bright eyes. He was dressed meticulously and looked handsome, which made him stand out from the surrounding Taoists.

He stopped only when he reached Liu Xinzhi's head, looking up at the mountains to the east.

"The people of Jingkou are unruly and unwilling to be used by us. Why didn't Xu Jijiu take action just now?" Fan Chongmin was full of confusion.

During the fighting last night, the Tianshi Dao had been watching the fight from the sidelines, but did not come out to reap the benefits.

"What do you know? Among these dozen people, there are two brave generals. Are you sure you can defeat them?" Xu Jijiu glanced at the more than a hundred Taoist priests around him.

Among these people there were also many refugees from the north, but compared with the people of Jingkou, they lacked the bravery.

Moreover, the fight last night was completely one-sided, and the Diao family was vulnerable.

Even if the Taoist priests want to be the jackal, they have to consider their own qualities.

If these hundred or so people come out, they might be dealt with by the morale-boosted warriors of Jingkou.

"Subordinates..." Fan Chongmin hesitated. In fact, he had dealt with the other party before. He was completely suppressed by the other party's momentum and retreated in disgrace.

"I originally thought that the only heroes of Jingkou were Liu Yu and Meng Longfu, but I didn't expect another Liu Daogui to appear. The Pengcheng Liu family is indeed worthy of its reputation."

Liu Daogui's every move last night was actually under the watchful eyes of this Xu Jijiu.

"Since you can't be used by me, I might as well cut the weeds and eradicate them completely!" Fan Chongmin's face was full of hatred.

After all, he was a leader in the Tianshi Dao, and he had tried so hard to win over the Liu family. Not only was he rejected, but he was also insulted and threatened...

Xu Jijiu looked down at him with disdain on his face. "Do you know why you're still a ghost soldier? Move your things more. The Pengcheng Liu family is the military ancestor of the Northern Army, and Jingkou is the God of Life of Jiangzuo. If we can get our hands on them, we can control the Jin Dynasty. Don't fight and kill all day long. If the Taoist sect was like this, it would have been destroyed by the court long ago!"

The Tianshi Dao has not dared to be exposed in broad daylight so far and has been developing in secret.

This is both their strength and their weakness.

Once exposed, he would inevitably become the target of public criticism from the Jiangzuo aristocratic families.

Seventeen years ago, Lu Song, the chief priest of Tianshi Dao, led more than 800 people to sneak into Jiankang and break into the palace, trying to take control of the Jin Dynasty in one fell swoop, making the reputation of Tianshi Dao, a rat crossing the street, ruined.

Although the power of Tianshi Dao is growing secretly, it has not overthrown the strength of the Jin Dynasty.

However, if the Northern Palace Army is won over, even if only a part of its power is separated, the strength of the Tianshi Dao will expand unprecedentedly.

In the Battle of Feishui, the Northern Army was undoubtedly the strongest army in the world.

Xie Xuan led his army to the north and easily recovered the area south of the Yellow River with the Jingzhou Xifu Army, and at one point he had his sights on Hebei.

Unfortunately, the Sima family and the other aristocratic families were only interested in their own power and were unwilling to see the Xie family regain their territory. Thus, a generation of famous generals died, and even the Northern Army was abandoned...

Therefore, the Tianshi Dao is not willing to offend the families in Jingkou at the moment.

The strength of Tianshi Dao is not in frontal fighting, but in bewitching people.

Xu Jijiu was very clear about this.

"I'm a fool. Thank you for your guidance, Master." Fan Chongmin's face was filled with shame, and he didn't dare to show any dissatisfaction. "There's a long way to go. The Sima family's perverse actions have caused widespread resentment in Jiangzuo, and the noble families are engaged in endless infighting. We don't need to rush!" Master Xu kicked Liu Xinzhi's head off, and it landed on a tree branch.

The Taoists around also cheered.

Since its founding, the Jin Dynasty has been plagued by internal strife, including the Luoshui Oath, the Three Rebellions in Huainan, the assassination of the king in the street, the Rebellion of the Eight Princes, and the Yongjia Disaster, which led to the sinking of China.

After the migration south, his character remained unchanged. Wang Dun's rebellion, Su Jun's rebellion, and the victory at Feishui, Sima Daozi and Wang Guobao squeezed out Xie An, and the famous general Xie Xuan died in an unclear manner...

Now, a new round of internal strife has begun, and the power of Tianshi Dao has infiltrated into the Jiankang court.

What is most abundant these days is opportunities. Since the Sima family moved south, they have been repeatedly manipulated by powerful officials and treated like puppets.

The Jin Dynasty's half of the country was extremely weak from the beginning. If it were not for the huge threat from the northern barbarians, which attracted conflicts among people all over the world, it would have collapsed on its own long ago.

When Sima Daozi and Wang Guobao were in power, all the new policies left by Huan Wen were abolished, the laws were relaxed and became meaningless.

The noble families are becoming more and more greedy. The upright and talented people in the court are either suppressed and excluded, or retire into seclusion. Sooner or later, Jiangzuo will fall into chaos.

Under their noses, the Tianshi Dao grew stronger in Kuaiji County, but the imperial court turned a blind eye...

"This guy is really a waste. In order to win him over, I even offered my two favorite concubines, but I didn't expect that I couldn't win anyone back!" Fan Chongmin was still not satisfied, and drew his sword to chop Liu Xinzhi's headless body.

Xu Jijiu said, "Men who indulge in alcohol and women are never fit for great tasks. However, this Liu Daogui kills people while chatting and laughing. He is ruthless and merciless. You are no match for him."

Fan Chongmin coughed awkwardly and changed the subject, "According to the chief priest, can Liu Yu survive this time?"

Liu Yu fell into Diao's trap, and the instigator was the Tianshi Dao.

The Tianshi Dao was omnipresent, and there were many of its followers among the laborers and gamblers. It was they who secretly informed Diao, who won the money and threatened the Liu family. Liu Yu, considering his family, did not resist and was captured.

"Liu Yu possesses the spirit of a hero, while the Diao family are mere insects. This is merely a dispute of personal pride. The imperial court is about to reactivate the Northern Army, and the Diao family has joined the ranks of Wang Gong and Yin Zhongkan. They will surely not dare to offend the Liu family of Pengcheng. Their lives are not in danger, but they will inevitably be punished, and perhaps even crippled. What a pity, such a hero as Liu Yu is being destroyed by a bunch of insects."

Xu Jijiu sighed deeply, and two tears squeezed out of the corners of his eyes...

Fan Chongmin was disgusted by his "famous scholar style", but he still flattered him: "Xu Jijiu, that's a good idea!"

But Xu Jijiu was not grateful. "I will personally handle the affairs of Jingkou from now on. Jingkou has more than one Liu family from Pengcheng. You are so reckless and will ruin our plans."

Fan Chongmin frowned. The reason why he worked so hard was that he even gave his favorite concubine to share, losing both his wife and his army. He originally wanted to develop power in Jingkou and become a "chief priest".

But now, Xu Jijiu shattered his hopes with just one sentence and insulted him to his face.

Even the other Taoists looked at him with contempt.

The Tianshi Dao is internally loose and relies entirely on personal reputation to accumulate believers. Without reputation, there will be no believers, and no status within the sect.

"Hmm?" Xu Jijiu looked at him coldly.

"Subordinate... obey your command!" When you are under someone's roof, you have to bow your head...

(End of this chapter)