To Dou Jiande and the others, the An Lushan Rebellion was still something that would happen more than a century later.
But in Verdant Green Maiden's eyes, with the lessons of the past before them, they had no choice but to guard against it!
Although the An Lushan Rebellion had arisen from Emperor Xuanzong of Tang's absurdity and the power plays of Li Linfu, Yang Guozhong, and others, that was only one aspect of it.
The greater cause was the collapse of the Tang Court's policies on land, taxation, military service, and more, as well as the long-standing resentment between the Great Families of Hebei and those of Guanlong.
Between the two regions, it was nearly a struggle to the death.
This relationship could be traced back to the early days of Great Tang's founding, when the Tang Court broke faith, killed Xia King Dou Jiande, and suppressed Hebei!
Which was now!
This very situation!
If Dou Jiande died, the enmity between Hebei and Guanlong would spiral utterly out of control.
And in the An Lushan Rebellion, how could the dead and wounded have numbered only several hundred thousand?
If she could stop that future upheaval here, then perhaps all those common people could survive. After all, Verdant Green Maiden was accustomed to making choices, and Heaven had promised her that those who sacrificed themselves because of her would all be able to be reborn into good lives in the future.
She had wronged them.
Therefore, Verdant Green Maiden would gather the remains of every single one of them and lay them to rest in the earth.
That was what she had done when Yang Guang launched the Northern Expedition to Goguryeo.
After she spoke those words, Dou Jiande fell silent. Only after a long while did he take a