Each Harboring Their Own Designs, Arriving in Droves

"How should we evaluate Yang Sheng and the Great Xia?"

Qu Heng was looking through a document because he had received an invitation to attend the founding ceremony of the Great Xia Dynasty.

Whether it was to ensure he wouldn't be impolite during the founding ceremony or to devise strategies related to this new neighbor, he needed to gain a thorough understanding of the future ruler of the Great Xia Kingdom.

Yang Sheng's original name Yang Guo, but because the character "Guo" was too common and it would be too troublesome for people to avoid using it, he changed his name to Yang Sheng.

Yang Sheng lost his father at the age of three and his mother at the age of six. He was raised by his future father-in-law's family, with whom he was betrothed since childhood.

However, his good fortune did not last long. When he was 15, Southern Forest was destroyed by Hengming. After that, Taiheng purged Southern Forest, and then the Great Peace Way Dao Uprising broke out, with various righteous armies responding one after another.

The city where Yang Sheng's father-in-law's family lived was captured by the rebel army. The rebel army then purged the aristocratic Aristocratic Clan and plundered the wealthy households in the city. Although his father-in-law's family was not a wealthy family, they still had some assets, so they were all killed. Yang Sheng and his wife Dragon Clan, hid in the outhouse and escaped the calamity.

Afterwards, Yang Sheng and Dragon Clan left their hometown with some travel money. On the way, they rescued a maid Mochou. The three of them stayed together and traveled to various places before finally settling down in Qingyun Town.

Perhaps because he had endured hunger and hardship during his escape, Yang Sheng became particularly obsessed with farming. He not only cultivated the land himself, but also studied how to grow more food with limited arable land.

During his four years in Qingyun Town, he not only introduced the Curved Shaft Plow and waterwheel from the Northern Plains, but also invented the composting method and the wood ash disinfection method.

Moreover, Yang Sheng did not keep his discovery to himself and generously shared it with the townspeople, which led to the people not only cultivating more land but also significantly increasing the yield per mu.

In addition, he cultivated a lot of land but ate little, so he distributed the surplus grain to help disaster victims and refugees.

Naturally, he enjoyed considerable popularity among the people.

However, the wasteland was left uncultivated, and once cultivated, it became a target for competition. Since the newly reclaimed wasteland had no land deeds, it naturally attracted the attention of the wealthy and powerful.

The rebel army looked down on a small place like Qingyun Town, so the wealthy families in the town naturally survived. The common people's land was seized, but the government wouldn't help them, so they turned to Yang Sheng.

Yang Sheng led the people to the town's landlord to demand an explanation, but the landlord and his servants drove them out of the house.

Enraged, the people stormed into the landlord's house, killed him, and divided up his land.

The people were unable to bear the consequences of this, so they swore allegiance to Yang Sheng. Yang Sheng, having gone this far, simply killed the town mayor and took over Qingyun Town.

He had expected to be suppressed by the government, but the scouts he sent out told Yang Sheng that the outside world was in complete chaos, with countless rebel armies of all sizes and no government power at all!

Yang Sheng was an unambitious man, but he couldn't resist the burning enthusiasm of the people, so he waged wars everywhere and conquered surrounding cities. This was the initial form of Xia Hua.

After Xia Hua settled down, Yang Sheng continued farming, and Little Dragon Girl handled most of the political affairs. She formulated many policies that Qu Heng found strange and also established many departments that Qu Heng considered brainless. However, with the support of the people, Xia Hua did not collapse so easily.

Then the Huijia Family defected and instigated Xia Hua to attack Shu Han. As a result, the Huijia Family branch was wiped out, and Xia Hua and Shu Han clashed.

The entire battle between the two sides was broadcast live on a streaming platform; a simple search will show it.

The fact that Xia Hua developed from a Qingyun Town into a small country is nothing special. It was simply located in the northwest, had no strong leaders, and Yang Sheng happened to have the support of the people. That's all.

Xia Hua's victory over Shu Han was largely due to luck, because Wei Yan was not a fool; he was a famous general of Shu Han with extensive experience in campaigns.

Yet this very man, in a moment of madness, attacked a strategic pass that Shu Han had failed to conquer for years, leading to the fall of Linyang City and ultimately forcing the internally weakened Shu Han to surrender.

At this point, Xia Hua had acquired a large number of famous generals, a super-powerful strategist named Zhuge Liang, and a large number of well-organized troops.

If they had been lucky enough to conquer the Song Dynasty, they would have been even luckier. Zhuge Liang was the one who planned Yue Fei's defection, and the executors were the civil officials of Shu Han. Xia Hua basically won without lifting a finger.

As for the subsequent destruction of the Qin and Tang dynasties, what did Yang Sheng do?

Nothing was done!

It was all Zhuge Liang's doing in the C position!

He was the one who feinted, tying down the main force of the Ming Dynasty at the Chao River; he was the one who launched a surprise attack on the Great Qin Dynasty, gaining millions of surrendered soldiers; he was the one who took advantage of the Qin Dynasty 'Great Qin internal weakness to force its Great Qin; and he was the one who discovered Li Shimin's character weaknesses and set a trap.

Overall, Qu Heng didn't feel that Yang Sheng had any particularly great character traits; he just felt that this person was incredibly lucky!

He only produced some grain and gained some fame in the early stages, but then, with the help of a powerful figure, he rose all the way to become the emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty?

As for ability, Yang Sheng certainly has it.

For example, he was really good at farming. Whether it was the million-strong army in the early stages or the millions of troops in the later stages, the Great Xia Dynasty never lagged behind in terms of logistics.

But it seems that's all there is to it.

In terms of benevolence and virtue, he is no match for Liu Bei.

In terms of strategic vision, he was no match for Ying Zheng.

In military strategy, he was no match for Li Shimin or Zhu Yuanzhang.

In governing the country, he seems to be inferior to all four.

In the end, he was the one who won. Where can you go to complain about that?

And

Qu Heng flipped through Zhuge Liang's information and felt that this person seemed more worthy of attention.

Like Yang Sheng, this man was also from a farming background, but he read some books in his spare time. After Zhang Jiao preached, he began to cultivate himself. After Liu Bei raised his army, he followed Liu Bei and was in charge of internal affairs.

During this period, Zhuge Liang possessed strong governance skills, was also quite talented in literature, and was capable of making inventions, but that was about it.

However, after arriving in the Great Xia, it was as if his Ren and Du meridians had been opened, and he became a completely different person. He had never led troops before, but he used his military skills like a god and directly crushed two countries!

Were you throwing the game when you were in Shu Han? If you had acted this good all along, wouldn't Shu Han have taken over Shu Han long ago?

Qu Heng flipped through the documents again and, through some details, understood why.

Since Zhuge Liang had always been in charge of internal affairs and had never fought a war, perhaps Liu Bei was unaware of his military capabilities?

Of course, it's also possible that they didn't consider the Great Xia as a major opponent.

After all, the strength of the Great Xia was not considered strong among its many opponents, and with Lin Yang present, the Great Xia could not break through.

Moreover, the Great Xia Dynasty guards the Linyang Valley, a place where only sheer force can prevail. Perhaps even Zhuge Liang has no solution?

As for Wei Yan, he was ambitious and arrogant, and perhaps he didn't consider his opponents as human beings at all, which is why he came up with a plan to launch a sneak attack.

"Do you know that your sneak attack directly brought forth the Emperor of the Great Xia?" Qu Heng shook his head. He felt that if Wei Yan hadn't done this, the Great Xia wouldn't have gotten Zhuge Liang. Without Zhuge Liang, the Great Ming wouldn't have been able to unify the country so quickly. It would have taken another three to five years, or even thirty to fifty years!

As a result, the war ended in less than a year, leaving many people who wanted to make a move in the war feeling like it was over before it even began.

"Actually, it's not so bad. It's better for Yang Sheng to be emperor than for Ying Zheng, Li Shimin, or Zhu Yuanzhang to be emperor." Given the personalities of these three, they would never tolerate another person snoring beside their bed, so they would inevitably clash with Taiheng.

But if it were Yang Sheng instead, perhaps there would still be a possibility of peace.

Thinking of this, Qu Heng sighed. How could he allow others to sleep soundly beside his bed? Those three thought so too, and so did he, Qu Heng.

But peace is unacceptable. These scions of the Aristocratic Clan are good at enjoying themselves, but when it comes to war, they all flee as quickly as possible.

They initially thought they were going to get some cheap loot, so they were quite enthusiastic about it. But now that they hear they're going to fight in the Ming Dynasty, they all want to avoid it like the plague.

Should we send someone from a non- Aristocratic Clan?

These disciples aren't stupid. Even if they were, they should know what the situation is like on the front lines if they just checked their phones a bit more.

Thinking about things made his head ache. Qu Heng shook his head, picked up his phone, and opened Deep Blue Knows.

There are so many smart people online, and they all speak so nicely. He doesn't want to think about many things that require a lot of brainpower, so he likes to ask questions online and then see everyone's answers.

This is called "one person's plan is short-sighted, two people's plan is long-sighted".

Of course, the reason this habit has been formed is indeed because there are many experts above who provide reliable answers.

Otherwise, if the entire website is just nonsense, only a lunatic would read it.

For example, regarding the unification of China by the Ming Dynasty, many people were optimistic about the success of the Great Xia Dynasty even before Shu Han joined it, and they had their reasons and evidence to support their claims.

Unsurprisingly, the top trending topic today is: The Great Xia Dynasty announced that it will hold its founding ceremony on December 1st of the 28th year of the Great Xia Dynasty. What are your thoughts on the Great Xia Dynasty?

Secondly, it is about how to view Emperor Yang Sheng of the Great Xia Dynasty, and where the Great Xia Dynasty will go under his leadership.

Third: How do you view Zhuge Liang, who single-handedly destroyed three kingdoms? He's now widely considered online to be the embodiment of wisdom. Do you agree with this assessment?

Fourth, Fifth, Sixth

It seems like nothing else is happening today; the whole internet is focused on Da Xia?

Qu Heng clicked directly on the second one, and then looked at the results from top to bottom according to the number of likes.

"Thanks for the invitation. I'm currently in Daxia, just got off the plane. By the way, let me give Daxia's airplanes a shout-out. It's a faster mode of transportation than Flying Boat, with speeds reaching 760 kilometers per hour. If you haven't reached the Qi Refining Stage, then airplanes will be your best travel option."

I think I have a lot to say about Yang Sheng, because as a businessman, I went to Qingyun Town to investigate the improved varieties developed by Yang Sheng as early as 2017. This is a photo of me and Yang Sheng at that time!

So, getting back to the main point, what kind of person is Yang Sheng?

I think I would describe him in two words: meticulous!

"Yang Sheng is a meticulous person. This meticulousness may stem from Yang Sheng research habits. In short, he demands the truth in everything. As a result, Xia Hua's affairs become incredibly clear, all kinds of data are incredibly precise, and even speeches, announcements, and legal provisions are described using unambiguous, simple, and straightforward language."

"When you do business in Xia Hua, you can get straight to the point without going through lengthy wrangling, banquets, or giving gifts. The officials in Da Xia have also inherited this trait from Yang Sheng, becoming rigorous and meticulous. Sometimes you might feel like they're nitpicking, but in reality, they're just doing their job."

"If you can abide by Xia Hua's rules, then you'll have a smooth journey wherever you go. But if you don't abide by Xia Hua's rules, then you'll feel like Xia Hua is targeting you wherever you go!"

"Therefore, I recommend that everyone remember to buy a copy of <Xia Hua Law> when you go to Xia Hua. Also, although Xia Hua has now become Da Xia, this characteristic should be preserved. The laws may be slightly modified due to the expansion of the territory, but they won't change too much. This <Xia Hua Law> is still of reference value."

"Seriously serious, huh?" Qu Heng nodded. It was indeed a trait I hadn't noticed. I made a note of it.

See other answers.

"I believe Yang Sheng is a man who knows how to recognize and appoint talent. You can see that whether they are locals of the Great Xia or outsiders, as long as they have talent, Yang Sheng will give them room to develop. For example, Zhuge Liang, a civil official, still managed to lead a million soldiers. Such courage is unimaginable for any monarch!"

"Therefore, anyone who believes they have talent can come to Great Xia. Great Xia is currently in dire need of talent, as everything is in ruins."

Indeed, if it were me, I wouldn't feel comfortable entrusting so many people to outsiders; at the very least, they should be someone surnamed Qu!

However, it's also possible that Yang Sheng came from a humble background, and the reason he delegated power was that he simply didn't know how alluring power was, nor how treacherous people could be.

After being betrayed a few times, maybe they'll remember it!

"Yes, betrayal," Qu Heng pondered. Since these so-called King Qin and King Tang are still alive, is it possible to incite them to rebel?

After all, a neighbor who shares the same property doesn't seem like a good neighbor.

Moreover, this good neighbor was once under the command of Taiheng.

But

Qu Heng thought for a moment, then shook his head.

No.

No matter how meticulous Yang Sheng was or how good he was at using people, he couldn't hide his shortcomings: poor skills, lack of military expertise, and mediocre governance.

The unification of the Great Xia Dynasty was won by luck. What if the Tang Emperor or someone else rebelled and won?

Wouldn't that mean Li Shimin, Zhu Yuanzhang, or Liu Bei Liu Bei?

I'd rather be neighbors with Qu Heng than with Li Shimin Zhu Yuanzhang!

"Alright, let's have a meeting first!" Qu Heng had a general strategy in mind, but Taiheng wasn't a place where he could make decisions alone; whether or not to implement it still had to go through the Elder Council.

Meanwhile, the Tianyi Sect was also studying how to support the newly formed Great Xia Empire.

Support is a given; after all, we should support whatever the enemy opposes!

At this moment, Yuan Tianyi, the newly appointed leader of the Tianyi Sect, was excited and full of vigor. "We not only want to support them, we want to give them our full support!"

Yuan Tianyi wasn't actually called Tianyi, and he wasn't the head of the Tianyi Sect before. However, the previous head went into seclusion in the inner realm and never came out.

So he took office and also changed his name.

Yuan Tianyi was able to take office by giving up a lot of benefits, so he was eager to make a name for himself.

But Tianyi Sect is already the number one sect, so how can it possibly expand its business?

Naturally, the goal is to suppress the second-largest competitor and prevent it from surpassing itself.

"How can we provide support that qualifies as substantial support?" The Tianyi Sect also has Supreme Elder, but with a different name: Zhiyuan.

It is a title derived from the university governor or Dean.

The position of Zhiyuan (academy administrator) isn't simply one of great ability; one also needs an academic background. What right do outsiders have to become Zhiyuan?

Keep dreaming!

Unless you can become a true immortal, I'll give you a spot, but once you become a true immortal, who would care about this?

The Tianyi Sect has many academies, but few academy administrators; there are only thirty-five in total so far.

There were originally thirty-six, and Yuan Tianyi is now the sect leader.

"I've heard that Yang Sheng only came into contact with cultivation Cultivation Method at the age of 16, and he's only at the second level of Qi Refining. Perhaps he doesn't even have any Peerless Divine Abilities, let alone Supreme Dao Arts!" Yuan Tianyi, "I can take him as my disciple and teach him the Great Celestial Phenomenon Art!"

"Absolutely not!" The academy members immediately shook their heads. "The Great Celestial Phenomenon Art is the foundation of our Tianyi Sect; how could it possibly be passed on to outsiders?"

"That's why I want to take him as my disciple!" Yuan Tianyi spread his hands. "Besides, if he can't learn Peerless Divine Abilities, he won't be able to advance to the Supernatural Power Realm. Without Supreme Dao Arts, he will definitely be weaker than the disciples of Taiheng after the Golden Core Stage. How can an emperor who is weaker than the disciples of Taiheng fight against the Taiheng Sect?"

"That makes sense," the academy members finally understood. It was like taking in a disciple who wasn't practicing within the sect.

"Furthermore, we can also send out any unparalleled Peerless Divine Abilities that we don't need and that are unrelated to the Great Celestial Phenomenon Art!" Yuan Tianyi continued, "After all, the stronger Great Xia becomes, the weaker Taiheng becomes!"

The scholars all shook their heads. "Giving it away is out of the question, but trading it is possible!"

"How do we trade?" Yuan Tianyi asked.

"Isn't Great Xia supposed to be promoting universal education? Why are they still doing compulsory education? Tell me, besides us, where else in the world understands education better?" one of the scholars said. "We can make him pay for Peerless Divine Abilities, offer him an extremely high price, and then we won't take any of that money. We'll keep it all and use it to open schools in Great Xia!"

"Great!" The other faculty members nodded in agreement. "It's our school, so using our textbooks shouldn't be a problem, right? And sending some teachers shouldn't be a problem either!"

And so, the Tianyi Sect branch was opened in Taiheng!

Yuan Tianyi; that made sense.

Of course, their discussion was somewhat idealistic. After all, Hengming was behind Daxia, and if he disagreed, everything would be over.

But we should at least give it a try; what if it works?

Not only did Taiheng Heaven have its own plans, but other sects also began to have their own ideas about this new country.

After all, this country is like a blank sheet of paper, with no heritage and no faith.

In this situation, who wouldn't want to draw a stroke on it?

What's more, this used to be Taiheng's private property! Leaving traces on someone else's private property is more exciting than stealing someone else's wife!

Buddhist and other religious groups want to spread their teachings here.

The Demon Alliance and the Far North Myriad Saints Alliance want to cause some trouble here.

Li Han Palace wants to recruit some disciples here.

Even the Tianfei Palace wants to open a branch palace here.

With various motives in mind, the sect leaders, Lineage patriarchs, and religious leaders of various sects set off for Great Xia under the pretext of attending the founding ceremony of Great Xia!