Demoness, where are you Fleeing to?
Chapter 972 - 802: Li Xuan and Emperor Xuanhuang (Please Subscribe and Vote for Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 972: Chapter 802: Li Xuan and Emperor Xuanhuang (Please Subscribe and Vote for Monthly Tickets)

Li Xuan shook his head, thinking that only if his head had been kicked by a donkey would he be foolish enough to implement land equality in Fusou.

He was not here to be a savior to let these Fusou people live the good life, nor did he intend to set them on the path to becoming a powerful nation.

One of the conditions agreed upon with the Fusou Emperor was that Jin must not annex Fusou, even going so far as to promise to find for Li Xuan within ten days, two straight blades containing the "Jiguang" Rule.

This fell right into Li Xuan’s hands, as he had no intention of annexing the territory.

Emperor Tai of Jin said, "Expanding territory is not a plan for long-standing security; taxing the people leads to chaos," which Li Xuan deeply agreed with.

The borders of a country should not simply be as big as possible.

For places like Fusou and Annan, the cost of direct governance is extremely high.

Li Xuan had already planned to introduce compulsory education in Jin in a few years; should he allow the people of these two lands to also enjoy the blessings of Jin People?

Li Xuan considered that if Jin was in need of land, then at this time, Liaodong, as well as many fertile lands, were still undeveloped.

And if the information he had gotten from those Western missionaries was correct, at this time, Nanyang and to the east across the vast ocean, there were plenty of undeveloped virgin lands that only lacked people.

If it were about coveting Fusou’s wealth, then Jin’s cotton fabric, leather clothes, and all kinds of industrial products could easily take Fusou’s wealth into its pocket.

Why then should Fusou be directly included in governance? Why squander money and grains here?

The United States of America of later ages had demonstrated to Li Xuan an effective model of governance.

Countless vassal states were severely exploited, yet their people were very grateful and praised their overlords.

"To take from those who lack to give to those who have in excess, there is nothing more than this—"

"Xueshi Shang jests, Fusou is designated by the Great Ancestor as a ’kingdom that does not levy taxes’, how could it be so easily extinguished and its lineage ended?"

Li Xuan looked Xueshi Shang up and down: "I never expected Xueshi Shang to appear so refined and cultured, speaking of benevolence and righteousness, yet harboring the intention of a tiger and wolf in your chest."

Xueshi Shang couldn’t help but be speechless, thinking that the words left by the Great Ancestor could be used as justification either way in your mouth.

However, he dared not say this out loud: "Then, according to Your Highness, how should Fusou be dealt with?"

Li Xuan was confident: "The Fusou royal family will relinquish the title of Mikado, bearing only the responsibility for rituals and not dealing with political affairs. The position of Shogunate General, which oversees Fusou’s military and political affairs, must be conferred by the Jin Dynasty for one to rightfully hold this office.

In addition, capable and obedient individuals must be selected from within Fusou to be conferred by the Court as rulers of the sixty-six divided countries of Fusou. These rulers will inherit their positions without replacement. Fusou Shogunate shall not attack them without a crime, nor replace them arbitrarily, nor should they attack each other. Furthermore—"

Li Xuan paused and then continued, "In the future, the trade rights of Fusou shall be monopolized by the Great Jin Dynasty. Moreover, Fusou must compensate the Jin Army with forty million silver yuan, to be repaid over sixty years. Considering Fusou’s inability to repay the debt, the Fusou Court may use tariffs as security, and impose an additional ten percent tax on all divided countries, designated for repayment."

This will certainly plunge many Fusou people into dire straits; there might even be peasants raising the banner of rebellion, perhaps even a large-scale revolt.

But this has nothing to do with him, as the ruler of Jin, why show mercy for the people of other states?

He would rather these peasants rise up and kill more samurai and Fusou nobles.

Why did Li Xuan compromise with the Fusou Emperor? Why didn’t he use the "Tianji Dihe Yin-Yang Knife" to slay Tensho and the others?

It was, of course, partly due to the dread of the Fusou Emperor, and also because killing them was useless.

The bloodlines of Izanagi, Izanami, Tensho, Tsukuyomi, and Susa run deep among the tens of thousands of samurai and priests in Fusou.

All these samurai are the descendants of the Minamoto, Hei, and Fujiwara clans.

And the leaders of sects such as Dharma Phase, Discipline, and Esoteric Buddhism are all descendants of the past Mikados.

As long as they are alive, these so-called Three Noble Gods could hope to reunite their True Spirits.

Xueshi Shang thought deeply for a moment, then with a trace of admiration, he saluted: "In the past, King Wu of Zhou destroyed the Shang Dynasty but did not terminate their worship. Your Highness’s benevolence today is truly comparable to that of King Wu."

How utterly venomous—

Li Xuan watched him with a smiling gaze: "Speaking of which, all these post-war matters of Fusou will trouble Daxueshi Shang in the future. I am already prepared to petition the Princess Jianguo to appoint Daxueshi Shang as the ’Fusou Shanhou Daijin’."

Upon hearing this, Xueshi Shang felt a blockage in his chest, thinking that this day had finally come.

The Prince of Fenyang was finally ready to kick him out of the central government.

Xueshi Shang had just not anticipated that this person would be so ruthless as to send him to Fusou.

Xueshi Shang did not argue or plead. He knew this would only invite ridicule from Li Xuan.

Even if he wanted to prevent it, he could only put in effort with the regent ministers and the Princess Jianguo.

At this moment, Xueshi Shang showed a hesitant look, and after a long while, he bowed again: "Your Highness, recently there has been a rumor in the Central Plains and within the Jin Army that Your Highness is the reincarnation of the Xuanhuang. What is the truth of this?"

Xueshi Shang originally did not take this matter to heart, but he recently noticed clues.

The Divine Generals and heavenly soldiers who served under Xuanhuang on the expedition to Fusou all treated Li Xuan with profound respect; and the various Fusou Gods he had encountered all regarded Li Xuan as an Emperor.

"How do you expect me to explain this kind of thing?"

Li Xuan laughed dismissively, waving his hand noncommittally: "I have two esteemed guests about to arrive. If Daxueshi Shang has no further business, please take your leave."

He really couldn’t explain this matter; indeed, it was at his command that Lord Tushan had been widely spreading this rumor throughout the lands of Jin.

Li Xuan had to link the two entities together, shaping the source of his own faith.

This would not only greatly increase his Divine Power, but also avoid many potential troubles in the future.

However, while he could do such a thing, he could never acknowledge it openly and unequivocally.

Shang Hong’s pupils shrank slightly; he realized that Li Xuan hadn’t denied it.

Shang Hong wanted to press further, but Li Xuan’s Liuli Haoqi lifted him up and sent him straight out of the room.

Indeed, Li Xuan had distinguished guests to receive. About twenty breaths later, a monk dressed in plain robes, spotlessly clean from head to toe, entered the room accompanied by the Jinping Dharma King of Tubo.

The monk gazed steadily at Li Xuan, then brought his palms together in a salute: "Little monk Lianhuasheng, at your service, Prince Fenyang!"

Li Xuan looked at the man, unable to hide his joy: "Great Master Lianhuasheng, there is no need for such formalities. It is beyond my expectation and a great joy that the Master has accepted my invitation."

The fact that Lianhuasheng was able to come here with his True Spirit Law Body indicated that the founder of Tibetan Buddhism was highly interested in Fusou.

If the Fusou Emperor wished to continue his hold over Fusou, Li Xuan would sever it at its root.

Li Xuan was well aware that to achieve great things, one must unite all forces.

He knew that not everyone within Buddhism was an enemy and was pleased to see Buddhism’s expansion overseas.

※※※※

In the end, Shang Hong could not escape his fate of being exiled to ’Fusou’. Despite his efforts to gain the support of the regent minister,

seven days later, the Court appointed him as the ’Fusou Shanhou Daijin’ for a period of three years, and the imperial decree was delivered to Fusou.

He was helpless against this; many officials at the Court believed that Li Xuan’s recommendation was an act of integrity and elevated character.

Although Fusou was far overseas, it was indeed a land of wealth and abundance.

This position of ’Shanhou Daijin’ not only came with great power but was also very lucrative.

Regent Minister Wang Wen and others believed that since Shang Hong had been advocating against excessive military campaigns and the misuse of civilian resources, arguing that the Court should not be mired in the quagmire of Fusou and follow the precedent set by Annan, right?

Having Shang Hong deal with the aftermath in Fusou would assuredly put the minds of the officials at ease.

On the day Shang Hong received the imperial decree, the True Spirit of the Fusou Emperor once again appeared in Takamagahara.

He transformed two weapons into beams of light that fell in front of Li Xuan.

"These two sabers, one named ’Suiguang,’ the other ’Guanghen,’ are exactly what you need. You can now withdraw your forces from Takamagahara—"

Li Xuan didn’t agree right away. He reached out to closely examine the weapons and then, with a smile, gave a fist-and-palm salute to the Fusou Emperor opposite him: "Your effort is much appreciated, Emperor! On the day I achieve my great endeavor, I will owe much to the Emperor’s assistance."

Although these two sabers were not of the same quality as ’Gelong,’ which possessed dual Rules, they were more suitable for Li Xuan and for Yan.

For Li Xuan, their significance was extraordinary.

The Fusou Emperor, upon hearing this, smiled enigmatically: "I know your purpose in seeking these sabers; I don’t mind you using them to teach a lesson to a few of my Daoist friends. But as for your great endeavor? I hope you truly achieve it."

He didn’t say more to Li Xuan but then glared furiously, pressing down on Li Xuan with his overwhelming Divine Consciousness. The Fusang Tree seemed to come to life, its branches turning into his limbs and claws, reaching towards Li Xuan in the distance.

"Now that the sabers have arrived, it’s your turn to keep your promise."

Li Xuan certainly had no intention of breaking his word; the conditions he had negotiated with the Fusou Emperor were gradually being fulfilled, so his heavenly soldiers had no further need to stay in Takamagahara.

Li Xuan only felt a slight regret that Yue Qianqian had consistently refused to help with Body Refinement, causing him to wait in vain for these seven days.

Nevertheless, he had the right to use Tang Valley, and there would be other opportunities in the future.

Two hours later, the twenty thousand heavenly soldiers from Takamagahara and the two hundred thousand troops from the dragon clan began to withdraw in turn.

The former returned directly to the Heavenly Court of Xuanhuang, while the two hundred thousand aquatic clan soldiers returned to the ocean.

At this time, the Dragon King of the East Sea, Ao Shenghai, cordially invited Li Xuan to be a guest at the East Sea Dragon Palace.

In the recent great battle, the East Sea Dragon Palace had almost faced extinction and prepared to retreat to the North Sea, but the outcome turned out to be joyous.

The East Sea kept its cities and territories, and even seized several thousand waterways in the outer sea and on the islands of Fusou.

Thus, the dragon clan was overjoyed and eager to meet their daughter’s husband.

However, Li Xuan declined, postponing the visit until after the New Year.

He wasn’t disinclined to visit the Dragon Palace, but his mind was on Yu Hongchang.

And now it was the end of December, only a few days before the third anniversary of his arrival in this world, his birthday.

Moreover, New Year’s Eve was also Yu Hongchang’s birthday.

Li Xuan was a bit worried about Yu Youlong as well. Though Dasiming’s assassination attempt had failed, the little emperor seemed to have been frightened that night.

For some reason, Li Xuan felt deeply concerned for the child, not only because he was the foundation of his future governance.

At the same time, Li Xuan also noticed that Lv Qiluo had been in a daze with wandering attention for almost half a month.

But whenever he asked about it, Lv Qiluo remained silent and would not speak.