Chapter 74: An imperial edict? An imperial edict of peace
"Brother, am I really wrong?"

Lu Zhishen looked up at the sky and saw only a crescent moon hanging high in the sky and the stars were dim.

Cao Jie sighed slightly, acted as a psychiatrist, and comforted him: "Brother Zhishen, it's not you who is wrong, it's the world that is wrong."

Lu Zhishen looked away dejectedly: "I am in the northwest. The opening of the Hehuang border has made the people of Lizhou Road live in misery. If we really have to fight with Xixia again, and heavy taxes and levies will be imposed again, how can the people bear it?

Shandong, which has not suffered from war, is suffering more than the northwest. Jiangnan, a land of plenty, has no worries about food and drink, but it has also suffered from the flower and stone gang. Is this world really inhospitable? Will it force everyone to become bandits in the mountains before it stops? "

This chaotic world was caused by the emperor himself. Don't talk about the treacherous ministers in power. The main culprit is Zhao Ji.

Song Huizong, an artist and calligrapher who was delayed by the throne.

The Flower and Stone Gang alone was a political chaos that lasted for more than 20 years. The extravagant lifestyle brought about by it exhausted the national treasury, leaving the finances stretched to the limit. The emptiness of the national treasury led to the decline of the national economy and military.

Moreover, in order to ensure the transportation of the flowers and stones, a large number of grain transport ships were pushed aside to make way for these ships. If there were not enough ships to transport the flowers and stones, these grain transport ships and merchant ships would be forcibly requisitioned to transport the flowers and stones.

This led to food and salt shortages across the country, and countless people starved to death.

Since the people can no longer survive, they naturally have to go up the mountain to do business without any capital.

Dasong had a strong foundation and could have survived for many more years, but who could have imagined that the Jurchens would rise up and seize half of the Zhao Song territory.

"The world is in chaos, and the people can't survive, so they have to rebel." Cao Jie said in a deep voice.

"Can you survive by living in the mountains?"

"Zhishen, becoming a bandit is becoming a bandit, and rebelling is rebelling."

Lu Zhishen was startled.

In feudal dynasties, rebellion by the people was a serious crime, and the officials who forced the people to rebel would definitely not have a good end.

Before the army put down the people's rebellion, the first to be convicted were the local officials.

Therefore, exploiting the people has always been a double-edged sword. Officials will strike a balance and will never risk taking the last grain of food in the people's bowls.

Therefore, since ancient times, great changes have only occurred in the face of great disasters.

There are bandits everywhere in the world, but very few of them raise the flag of rebellion.

Liangshan is now nothing more than a group of bandits, and the banner they raise is just "doing justice on behalf of heaven."

But since the day Cao Jie was reborn, he had already begun to have rebellious thoughts.

If you travel through Water Margin and don't rebel, wouldn't it be a waste of time?

"Brother, do you mean rebellion?" Lu Zhishen asked.

Ruan Xiaoqi smiled and said, "If rebellion is not rebellion, then what is it?"

"Brother Zhishen, what riddle are you talking about? I don't understand." Jiao Ting asked, scratching his head.

In fact, even Wu Song did not have a clear goal of rebellion. He only knew that he wanted to have more brothers and make Liangshan strong. Whoever came to attack us would be beaten back, and no one would be able to bully us again.

But what happens after it becomes bigger and stronger?

Is it a recruitment?
Or continue to gather together and live freely?

Is it still possible to dethrone the emperor?

They didn't think that far ahead.

But Cao Jie had to think long-term.

Since Lu Zhishen asked about it today, Cao Jie should also talk about his ambitions and set his goals and directions.

With a goal, everyone knows in which direction to work towards.

"For the sake of sacrifice, we have great ambitions, and we dare to change the sun and the moon into a new sky. In this world, many people go to the mountains and become bandits, killing and setting fires just to be recruited and become the superior. From the oppressed to the oppressor, the dragon-slaying warrior becomes the evil dragon. I, Cao Jie, want to rebel against the Zhao Song Dynasty, but not just for myself. I see the endless darkness ahead, and the chaotic era of the Five Barbarians' Invasion of China is about to come. Every time I wake up from a dream at midnight, I break out in a cold sweat.

To rebel is to create a bright and clear world... To rebel is to change the filthy and chaotic world...

Zhishen, brothers, I, Cao Jie, have been walking on thin ice all my life. Do you think I can make it to the other side?"

Everyone was talking about rebellion, but the rebellion they were talking about and the rebellion that Cao Jie practiced were actually very different.

Just talking about the rebellions recorded in history books, there were a lot during the reign of Emperor Huizong.

In the first year of Emperor Huizong's reign, Henan Prefecture rebelled; in the second year, Hedong Road and the capital rebelled; in the seventh year, Suzhou rebelled; in the eighth year, Hebei West Road and Taiyuan rebelled; in the ninth year, Yangzhou and Jiangning rebelled...The above were just the beginning, and the rebellion had not yet entered its peak period.

The rebels near Kaifeng Prefecture actually persisted for eight years, and the court had to resort to amnesty to deal with them. Even if Chongzhen was the emperor, he would not be so ridiculous!

These rebels are actually bandits who rule the mountains.

The court naturally did not take it seriously.

However, Fang La sat in the southeast and invaded, calling himself "Saint Duke" and the reign title "Yongle". He appointed officials and generals and established a political power.

The imperial court immediately dispatched elite troops from the Western Army to suppress the rebellion.

Lu Zhishen was born in the Western Army and knew how powerful the Northwestern Iron Army was. He frowned and said, "Brother, if we rebel, are you really not going to recruit us?"

"Surrender? Surrender the fucking peace!"

"Recruiting an official to extort money from the people? If you want silver, how much silver can't I earn? If you want an official position, just buy it with money."

"I really can't bear to see the day when the world will be destroyed!"

Cao Jie looked up at the sky, leaving everyone with a lonely but unusually tall figure. His clear voice reached everyone's ears clearly: "Even if there are tens of thousands of people against me, I will go! Even if I die nine times, I will not regret it!"

"it is good!"

Lu Zhishen clapped his hands fiercely: "Even if his head is lost, it will only leave a scar the size of a bowl. In 18 years, he will be a brave man again. I will risk my life to send my brother to the other side, even if I die nine times, I will never regret it!"

"elder brother!"

Wu Song clasped his fists and said, "Wu Song is willing to accompany my brother. Even if the road ahead is full of swords and fire, I will never regret it!"

"It's the same for me, Ruan Xiaoqi..."

"I am Cao Zheng..."

"No regrets even if you die!"

"Me too!"

"it is good!"

With hands folded together, Cao Jie said with emotion: "With my brothers by my side, even if there is an abyss under my feet, what do I, Cao Jie, have to fear! With the brothers and I working together, we will surely be able to fight our way out of this dark night and see the dawn. Recruitment? What the hell is peace!"

"Recruitment? Reveal the damn peace!"

"Ha ha!"

Lu Xun said that the book Water Margin made the word "knight" gradually disappear, and the great man said that it was good because it made people see the consequences of capitulationism.

As everyone laughed, a shooting star streaked across the sky.

At the same time, the Sitianjian in far away Tokyo recorded nine words: An evil star appeared, invading Ziwei and attacking Beidou!
Therefore, chaos is coming!
Cao Jie suddenly looked up at the sky. Dark clouds obscured the crescent moon. The vast universe was twinkling with stars. A faint ray of starlight fell, and it seemed to be connected to himself.

'finally……'

“…A new soul has appeared…”

(End of this chapter)