A hundred flavors of life

Chapter 908 Become an emperor first! (Please subscribe!)

After Hua Shier saw the alloy palm sent back from Liaodong, he was stunned for a long time. Is this all that was left of the T800?

"I sent a human being, and you brought me a hand? Tell me, what's going on?"

Wu Baihu, the Jinyiwei of Shanhaiguan who was in charge of delivering T800's remains to Beijing, knelt down and did not dare to raise his head. He began to report what had happened in a trembling voice.

After the T800 arrived in Liaodong, it showed its might, killing over enemies with its Gatling gun and repelling several attacks by the Tartars in a row.

But just a month ago, the Tartars attacked again, and the T800 was using the Vulcan cannon to suppress the Tartar's offensive, when a ray of light came and crushed the Gatling gun into pieces in an instant.

Then a young monk suddenly appeared on the city gate tower. The young monk looked about fourteen or fifteen years old. After appearing, he shouted at T800:

"Hey, what a foreign devil, to commit such a murderous sin!"

Then the monk was suddenly startled: "Hey, it's actually a dead thing. Let me see what you are!"

After saying that, he made a sword gesture with his hand, and saw a white streak flash by, and the T800 had been cut into pieces.

Captain Wu recalled carefully:

"When Master Xinliga was dismembered, what was exposed was not flesh and blood, but metal mechanisms, and sparks were emitted. The monk said it was a mechanical man of the Mohist school, and said that we used this to kill ordinary people, no wonder our fate is about to end."

"fart!"

Hua Twelve slammed the table in anger, and with a bang, the imperial desk in front of him broke into pieces in an instant.

  Everyone around was shocked. The eunuchs and guards all knelt on the ground, trembling. Only Long Longjiu whispered:

"Your Highness, this red sandalwood imperial desk is worth a lot of money!"

Hua Twelve glared at him unhappily: "Is this the point?"

  He was too lazy to pay attention to this nonsensical guy and asked Captain Wu:

"The monk said and acted like this, and you did nothing?"

  Captain Wu immediately said:

"The commander in charge of guarding the city wall was Captain Liu. Hearing what the monk said, he was also filled with righteous indignation. He asked the monk, 'The Tartars invaded our border, robbed our Han people of their money and food, and treated our Han people like cattle and horses. You only saw us killing the Tartars, why didn't you see that it was the Tartars who came to attack us?'"

"What's wrong with us defending our country? On the contrary, you, a monk, look like a Han Chinese and have a lot of skills. Not only do you not defend your country, but you even come to disrupt the court. You are worse than an animal!"

"Well done!"

Hua Twelve clapped his hands in approval, then asked, "What did the monk say?"

Captain Wu burst into tears: "The monk was so angry after being scolded that he swung his sword and killed Captain Liu. The brothers shot arrows at him, but his sword instantly swept down more than a hundred feather arrows. Then he said that mortals do not know destiny, and the Ming Dynasty will soon end. Captain Liu was also destined to have a disaster, so he cannot be blamed."

"When the monk left, he took away Master Xinliga's body, leaving only this hand. I asked him if he dared to leave his name, and he said he was the Laughing Monk of Emei."

"Son of a bitch!"

Hua Twelve's teeth were grinding. When he heard the name 'Laughing Monk' before, he had doubted it in his heart. Now he was finally sure that there really was a Shushan Sword Immortal in this world.

The 'Laughing Monk' should be the disciple of the ascetic monk of the Emei Sect in "The Legend of Sword and Fairy".

What Hua Shier didn't expect was that these self-proclaimed upright sword masters would actually help the Tartars and kill a captain of the Jinyi Guards who was guarding the border.

  Of course he knew what the laughing monk meant. According to the course of history, the Ming Dynasty had indeed reached the end of its days. But you from the Emei Sect are the sword masters of China. Do you still have any sense of family and country?

You help the Tartars to fight their own people, doing things that make your enemies happy and your loved ones sad. You are such beasts, how can you still become immortals?

Suppress your anger and deal with the matter at hand first.

Hua Shier had Captain Wu taken down to rest, and then ordered a grand funeral for Captain Liu, and granted him a thousand taels of silver, five hundred acres of land, and provided relief to his family. At the same time, if his son wanted to take over, he could be transferred to the Jinyi Yamen in the capital.

After finishing his work, Hua Twelve asked Long Longjiu, "What do you think about this matter?"

Long Longjiu frowned a little: "From what Captain Wu said, the Laughing Monk didn't use ordinary swordsmanship, but rather the legendary sword-controlling with Qi."

Hua Twelve reminded: "Have you ever thought of being a sword immortal?"

Long Longjiu was incredulous. "Is there really a sword immortal? That's impossible. Although my Qinggong is not as good as yours, my Fengwu Jiutian and Lingxi Weibu are unrivaled in the world. I have been to many famous mountains and rivers. Let alone a sword immortal, I have never even seen a hair of a sword immortal!"

  Hua Twelve said with great certainty:

"I can tell you responsibly that there are really sword immortals in this world. You should go to Chengdu later. Forget it, after I take care of some things, we will go together. I want to see what those sword immortals want to do!"

Hua Shier was originally a little worried about the Emei Sect, because with his current strength, he had basically no advantage against the Emei Sect except for the Eye of Erlang Shen.

Although Erlang Shen's Eye is quite powerful, the Emei sword immortals all have flying swords and magic weapons to protect their bodies, and there is also a Liangyi Microdust Formation at the mountain gate. It is still unclear whether his divine light can be effective against the Emei Sect, so he began to plan to let Long Longjiu go and test the waters.

Halfway through his words, Hua Twelve denied it himself. He was afraid of the consequences, so the worst that could happen was to just do it.

However, before going to ask for an explanation, Hua Shier still had some things to deal with. For example, the issue of the throne had to be resolved. If he ascended the throne and became emperor, with the protection of dragon energy, even if the Ming Dynasty only had a few decades left, those sword immortals would not dare to touch him.

Didn’t you see that after Li Shimin went to the underworld, even the Ten Kings of Hell had to be polite to the emperor on earth?

Hua Shier decided to speed up his process of becoming emperor and get the amulet of "Nine Five Supreme" first.

In addition, Hua Shier feels that fate is not static. It seems that the Ming Dynasty still has a few decades of fate, but that is because the Ming Dynasty is now rotten to the core.

But if he built the Ming Dynasty into a country with strong soldiers and horses and people living and working in peace and contentment, who would dare to say that the Ming Dynasty could perish within a few decades?

The luck will naturally increase, and as the luck of the Ming Dynasty increases, he will have less worries about his safety when he sits on the throne.

Thinking of this, Hua Twelve began to take action. All the plans that he had originally intended to implement slowly were put on his agenda.

The next day, Hua Shier called Cao Zhengchun and the three secret agents from Hulong Villa.

Hua Twelve asked Cao Zhengchun, "I asked you to collect the Book of Impermanence and sort it into a book to identify the officials. How is it going?"

Cao Zhengchun bowed and said, "Reporting to the prince, the officials above the fourth rank have been screened. Whether they are good or bad, corrupt or honest, and capable or not, everything has been recorded!"

"Above the fourth rank? Show it to me!"

Hua Shier was quite satisfied with Cao Zhengchun's abilities. These powerful eunuchs were indeed greedy, but they were all capable of doing things. They could even be called outstanding. As long as they were used in the right place, they would be of great use.

Cao Zhengchun knew that Hua Shier would ask about it, so he carried a copied list of officials in his arms and updated the progress every day, ready for it.

Hua Shier took it and looked at it, and saw how much money the civil and military officials above the fourth rank in the court, starting from the cabinet, had embezzled, whether they had complained about the emperor or the court behind his back, what good or bad deeds they had done, what political achievements they had made, or what punishments they had received, as well as their test scores over the years after becoming officials.

It can be said that the records written down in the Book of Impermanence are extremely detailed, covering every detail.

Hua Shier glanced at Cao Zhengchun calmly and said, "Did you show favoritism in this thing?"

Cao Zhengchun was so frightened that he immediately knelt on the ground: "Your Highness, please be wise. I didn't even let the eunuchs go." When he said this, the three spies of the Huolong Villa and Long Longjiu couldn't help laughing.

Cao Zhengchun pointed at them and cursed:

"What are you laughing at? I'm telling the truth. Even the evil deeds of my godsons are recorded in it. I dare not lie to the prince. If I tell even a single lie, I will be struck by lightning!"

Hua Twelve smiled and waved his hand, telling him to get up: "Alright, Lao Cao, I believe in you. Keep working hard and don't let me find a reason to kill you!"

Cao Zhengchun wiped the sweat from his forehead and climbed up with a smile on his face: "Thank you, Your Majesty, Your Majesty is wise!"

Hua Shier continued to read the records in the list. After reading it all, he already knew who were loyal and who were treacherous, who were capable and who were mediocre among the officials above the fourth rank in the court.

He picked up a red pen and picked out a few people who had done many evil things and brought disaster to the people, and crossed them out with the red pen. He then picked out a few extremely corrupt people and crossed them out as well.

There were more than a thousand people on the list, and Hua Shier certainly couldn't deal with all the corrupt officials and bad guys on the list. He picked out more than thirty civil and military officials from those who held real power and marked them with a cross with a red pen.

Among these officials, there were the remnants of Zhu Wusi, the Donglin Party, the Zhejiang Party, and the eunuch party of Cao Huachun. If we took action against them in this way, we would not alarm any force and would not cause any turmoil.

  Hua Shier handed the crossed-out list to Duan Tianya:

"You are responsible for executing these officials who have been marked by me in red ink. However, there is one thing you should pay attention to. It doesn't matter if it was an accident or an illness, just don't let anyone know that they were executed by the court!"

"This"

Duan Tianya, Shangguan Haitang, and Gui Hai Yidao looked at each other.

Shangguan Haitang was the first to lose her temper: "Your Majesty, we are all spies investigating cases for the court, not assassins!"

Hua Shier glanced at Shangguan Haitang and said, "Then let me ask you, are these people bad people? Are they treacherous officials who bring disaster to the country and the people?"

Shangguan Haitang took the list from Duan Tianya, read it one by one, and then nodded seriously:

"Yes, they are all treacherous officials who bring disaster to the country and the people, and they are all evil people who have committed many evil deeds!"

"Yes, if these people were to be publicly executed by the court, it would inevitably arouse the vigilance and opposition of their accomplices, which would be detrimental to the court, so I have decided to execute them secretly!"

"The late emperor bestowed upon Hulong Villa the Imperial Sword. If you execute them, it means beheading first and reporting later. This is a special permission granted by the emperor. Do you understand?"

The three secret agents of Hulong Villa all turned around upon hearing this and clasped their fists, saying, "We understand!"

Hua Twelve nodded: "Remember my request, let them die from accidents and diseases, and try to make people feel that their deaths are reasonable. If you are not sure, let the East Factory do it!"

Cao Zhengchun quickly expressed his loyalty: "Your Highness, we in the East Factory are the best at these things. If you want me to do it, I will definitely do it beautifully for you!"

Hua Shier did not say anything, but looked at the three spies. He certainly knew that the East Factory was good at doing dirty work, but in the East Factory, apart from Cao Zhengchun who was controlled by him, how many people could he trust?

Therefore, the three from Huolong Villa are more reliable because they know us well.

Duan Tianya clasped his fists and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. I have learned Ninjutsu in Fuso and am particularly good at all kinds of assassinations. I originally thought that I would never need it in this lifetime, but now the court needs it. For the sake of Ming, I will definitely live up to Your Majesty's trust!"

Hua Twelve praised: "Okay, do it now, I will commend you when you are done!"

The three spies took the order and left. After they left, Hua Shier said to Cao Zhengchun:

"Hulong Villa is responsible for killing people, but we can't let go of the wealth of those corrupt officials after their death. This matter will be handed over to your East Factory. The same request still applies. No one can know that it is the court that wants to take action against these people!"

Cao Zhengchun laughed and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. As I said before, I will definitely do it beautifully. I will squeeze the bones and marrow out of them, and I will not let go of even a tael of silver!"

After sending Cao Zhengchun away, Hua Twelve said to Long Longjiu, "Go and ask Ximen Chuxue to come to the palace to see me!"

Long Longjiu went to look for someone, Hua Twelve asked the eunuch to stay outside and not let anyone in to disturb them, and then he said calmly: "Come out!"

Behind him, Yagyu Tajima-no-kami walked out from behind the dragon-shaped screen. Since the assassination of Zhu Youxi that day, this Fuso martial arts master has been hiding in the palace, responsible for secretly protecting Hua Twelve to prevent him from being assassinated or poisoned.

Although Hua Shier did not need it, he did not claim that he was immune to all poisons, so when he saw his cheap father-in-law showing his loyalty, he was happy to see it happen.

As soon as Yagyu Tajima Moriichi came out, Hua Twelve said, "Do you remember what I promised you? It's time to help you unify Fuso!"

When Ximen Chuxue arrived, Hua Twelve introduced him to everyone:

"This is the Fuso martial arts master Yagyu Tajima-no-kami!"

Ximen Chuixue immediately burst out with fighting intentions: "I heard that your God of Killing Sword Slash is very powerful, do you want to spar with me?"

Although he was asking, his tone was firm and fighting spirit was rising from him.

Yagyu Tajima-no-Kami hurriedly said, "I was also present at the sacred battle that day. Your swordsmanship is far beyond my reach. There is no need for us to compete. I admit defeat!"

Ximen Chuxue immediately lost interest and turned to Hua Twelve and asked calmly, "What do you want to talk to me about?"

Hua Twelve pointed at Yagyu Tajima-no-Kami and said, "I have decided to support Yagyu Grandmaster as the leader of Fuso. Xiaoxi, you can follow him to Fuso and kill tens of thousands of people at will!"

Ximen Chuixue's face twitched: "I won't kill ordinary people, but I can help him kill the generals and seize the flags, and deal with the Fuso masters. If he loses, I can also protect his safety!"

Hua Shier smiled and nodded: "Okay, then it's settled!" In fact, this was his purpose.

He took out the list just now, and among the military officers, he found the record in the Wuchang Book and found the one among the Shandong military generals who was the best at training soldiers and the most capable in fighting. He ordered to transfer 20,000 of his troops to follow Yagyu Tajima no Kami to the expedition to attack Fuso.

Hua Shier was not worried about this war. The Yagyu family was also a big family in Fuso with great strength and deep roots. If with the help of Ximen Chuxue and 20,000 elite soldiers, they could not even unify Fuso, then there would be no need for him to support the Yagyu family.

Ximen Chuxue and Yagyu Tajima no Kami left the capital with the imperial edict that day and went to Shandong to mobilize troops.

A month later, 20,000 troops set out to Fuso on a merchant ship, and more than 30 civil and military officials of Hua Twelve-Strike Forks died suddenly one after another. However, because the number of officials was large and the positions of these 30 officials were extremely scattered, including Beijing officials and local officials, it did not attract the attention of those who were interested.

When these officials died, they had to be replaced. Hua Shier would transfer capable officials who were close to him from the list in the Book of Impermanence to fill the vacancies. No one could find fault with such transfers, but they could help him further control the court.

Moreover, these officials are all capable officials. After they gain real power, both civil and military officials will do a better job than those officials who were just sitting in their positions doing nothing. The fortunes of the Ming Dynasty will also be restored as a result.

Hua Shier felt that if he continued to do this a few dozen times, he would be able to eliminate the chronic problems and make the entire country prosperous.

Three months later, Emperor Zhu Youxi finally went to court, but not to rule the country himself. Instead, he announced something: he was inspired by Buddhism and wanted to become a monk. Before doing so, he decided to pass the throne to his uncle Ye Gucheng.

Thanks to: 08a, Brother Xiao Xiaohu in the Demon World for the reward, and thanks to the brothers who voted for monthly votes and recommendation votes, thank you very much.