CHAPTER 962: 417, DONGYUAN BATTLE SITUATION, NEWS CAME

Before the Great Yu Dynasty fell, Zhongzhou had a total of nine paths.

During the chaos of the world, one path was ceded away, leaving only the eight paths of Gyeonggi, Shuofeng, Lin Cang, Dongyuan, Nanjiang, Jiuhua, Wangchuan, and Linjiang.

Later, the last three paths were instigated by the Great Sacred Lands and subsequently separated from Zhongzhou.

Thus, by the time of the Holy Dynasty, only five paths remained under the control of Great Yu in Zhongzhou.

Ten years ago, Emperor Wanyan Cheng of Yuliang led his army across Cangyuan Mountain from west to east into Zhongzhou, successively capturing the Lin Cang and Shuofeng paths; the Second Villa Master Li Tingzong and Third Villa Master Qin Fan from the Jizhou Qinjian Villa led their troops from east to west into Zhongzhou, capturing Dongyuan and Nanjiang paths.

Under the pincer attack, Great Yu retreated steadily. Despite Emperor Yu Jiang Bufan’s desperate maneuvering, it was ultimately the end for the Holy Dynasty. Seven years ago, after Great Jin reached a consensus with the Great Sacred Lands of the world, the Great Yu was completely wiped out, the descendants of the Great Yu Royal Family were slaughtered, and the entire Gyeonggi Path fell, with the divine capital also falling into the hands of Great Jin.

On October 16, Emperor Wanyan Cheng of Yuliang received the Emperor of Jin’s decree and led 8 million Yuzhou troops under his command, combined with 1.2 million elite Sacred Army soldiers led by four kings from Yuzhao, Xikang, Lingyun, and Pingcheng, to march toward the Dongyuan Path, officially beginning the attack on Qinjian Villa.

The decree from the Emperor of Jin had already spread, and Emperor Wanyan Cheng must capture Jizhou held by Qinjian Villa within five years.

This statement, if spoken by someone else, would indeed be laughed at.

Yet, coming from the mouth of the Emperor of Jin, no one dared to take it as a joke.

With 1.2 million elite Sacred Army troops, it’s absurd to think Qinjian Villa alone could stop them, and for a time, the people of the northern regions were in a state of panic.

Though the Great Jin Holy Dynasty had already captured the Lin Cang, Shuofeng, and Gyeonggi paths seven years ago, the more than 300 million people of these three paths still didn’t consider themselves citizens of Great Jin. Escaping or even rebellion hadn’t ceased in these seven years. If not for Great Jin’s iron-fisted suppression, who knows how chaotic these paths would have been.

This can be understood. After all, Zhongzhou is securely at the heart of Shenzhou and was the absolute core during the previous Divine Dynasty. The occupants of this land, whether common people or martial artists, carry a distinct sense of pride. Even though the Divine Dynasty has been wiped out for so long, their sense of superiority over other states in the world has never disappeared.

There are those loyal to Great Yu, always yearning to restore the glory of the Divine Dynasty, present in every state, but in terms of proportion, Zhongzhou is undoubtedly first. After all, restoring the shine of the Divine Dynasty was a notion ingrained in them for millennia, directly affecting their greatest interests.

It’s no exaggeration to say that at least 90% of Zhongzhou’s people regard the Great Sacred Lands and all martial artist forces as rebellious traitors, viewing them as insurgents arrogantly wielding military power.

Suddenly, being ruled by the Great Jin Holy Dynasty, whom they previously viewed as rebels and traitors, one can imagine the mindset of the over 300 million people in Zhongzhou’s three paths.

Of course, usually, the people are powerless and have no way of opposing the Great Jin Holy Dynasty. Even martial artists find it hard to stir up trouble under Great Jin’s iron heel. When the Great Jin Holy Dynasty first captured the three paths, despite the over 300 million inhabitants’ deep dissatisfaction, open rebellion was rare, almost nonexistent.

The issue is, Great Jin not only captured the three paths; they also sought to govern them. They abolished the original governance system of Great Yu and replaced it with Jin Laws, implementing new regulations for the three paths, which immediately touched upon the sore points of the people of the three paths.

In today’s world, while each state’s governance has its emphasis, they all generally apply three tenets of Confucianism: Zhuge Yuan’s rule of law, Meng Qu’s loyalty to the monarch, and Xun Mu’s focusing on the people.

Among the three, Meng Qu’s loyalty to the monarch Confucianism is most revered, previously adopted by the eight states of Zhong, Yang, Ji, Qing, Jiao, Yong, Liang, and Bing, and the Eight Great Sacred Lands.

Of course, Meng Qu’s loyalty in Yangzhou was loyalty to Great Yu, but in other states, it was loyalty to the master of the Sacred Land;

The second most revered is Xun Mu’s people-centered Confucianism, adopted by Yanzhou and Xuzhou.

The least revered and despised by the two is Zhuge Yuan’s rule of law Confucianism, recognized only by the Great Jin Holy Dynasty, specifically used in the three states of You, Fen, and Yu.

The lack of reverence is well-founded.

Zhuge Yuan’s rule of law Confucianism focuses on punishment, with extremely stringent rules and restrictions. The people of the Three Northern Provinces are fierce, and conflicts among martial artists are common. Heavy punishments and rules indeed have a marked effect. However, Great Jin forgot that the people of Zhongzhou’s three paths are different from those of the Three Northern Provinces.

When Jin Laws arrived, the people of the three paths immediately began to strongly resist.

Great Jin’s repression and killing only intensified the resistance, deepening the people’s hatred for Great Jin.

Can Jin Laws be changed?

Of course they can be changed; adapting to local conditions is something any normal person would think of.

But the issue is, others may change, but Great Jin cannot!

Zhuge Yuan’s rule of law demands uniformity; the laws and restraints for all people and martial artists across states must be consistent, with no room for leniency.

If changes can be made to Zhongzhou’s three paths, can changes also be made to Yuzhou, Fenzhou, and even Youzhou, where the Holy Dynasty is located?

The people of Zhongzhou’s three paths aren’t the same, so is it the case that the people of the Three Northern Provinces are all the same? Surely there must be some differences...

Under such circumstances, quite a few within the Great Jin Holy Dynasty knew that the Jin Laws prevalent in the Three Northern Provinces were not suitable for Zhongzhou’s three paths, but no one dared to propose changing the laws, initiating a vicious cycle.