Chapter 353 Heavenly Sacrifice Ceremony
The first year of Shengwu, late June.

The ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven was held grandly in front of the Qingdu Hall in the imperial city.

The Xin Dynasty was founded on military power, and the sacrificial sacrifices were two heads each of the masters of the barbarians, demons, and rebellious forces. When they were ignited in public, black smoke rose into the sky, which was a good sign.

The Grand Commander of Anbei, Jiang Ada, led the Yizhou Army out of the border. In the absence of a grandmaster opponent, the army swept thousands of miles and captured and killed more than 300,000 barbarians.

All the young and middle-aged men were convicted and executed, the old and the young were settled locally and became slaves of the aristocratic families, the barbarian women were sent to the various music schools in Yizhou, and the congratulatory letter had been sent to the front of the Qingdu Palace and burned in the furnace to comfort the heaven.

At the same time, Jiang Er, the commander of the imperial guards and the Minister of War, who was then the General of the Eastern Expedition, had led his troops to capture the capital of Yangzhou and was now sweeping through various counties to suppress rebellion.

Of the nine provinces in the world, the imperial court already occupies four.

The emperor conferred titles on the two men as Marquis of Zhenbei and Marquis of Jingdong.

At the ceremony of offering sacrifice to heaven, the ministers stood on both sides.

Yue continued to serve as the Minister of War, but everyone in the court knew that the Ministry of War had lost the power to command the troops. The left and right assistant ministers Changsun Jie and Shanzhu were eyeing the position covetously.

The Minister of Personnel was held by King Andong. The Ministry of Personnel was in charge of personnel appointments and dismissals and was the head of the Six Ministries. Its Minister was also known as the “Heavenly Official” and held great power. However, since the Marquis of Pingluan suppressed Daming Prefecture, this powerful prince of the former dynasty has aged by a dozen years.

The eldest son of the Zhu family, the Minister of Revenue, was appointed as the Minister of Rites by the Left Vice Minister. He once served as the prefect of the capital. Several years ago, he asked the emperor, who was still an earl at the time, for advice on how to appease the refugees. This matter has now become a beautiful story of the harmonious relationship between the monarch and his subject.

Wuhe, the Minister of Punishments, was also appointed as the Grand Secretary of the Qingdu Palace. In the actual sense, he was the head of the civil officials. People in and out of the court secretly called him the Internal Prime Minister. It was rumored that he was born in a demon tribe, but less than one or two people had seen him so far. The emperor said that this matter was just hearsay.

boom!
A black beam of light that could be seen throughout the capital city shot up into the sky, and a thunderous sound echoed in the air.

In front of the Qingdu Palace, all the ministers felt the scorching heat so close to them and the unfathomable state of mind of the emperor.

This burst of thunder and fire has the destructive power of a supreme spell, and is enhanced by the perfect skill, Extraordinary Burst, increasing its power by 206%. The effect is extraordinary.

The clouds cleared and the day began to dawn.

Zhuang Ya held the imperial edict in both hands. As soon as she lowered her head, she saw a large number of pinyin. Her delicate and beautiful face immediately wrinkled. She gritted her teeth lightly and began to read the final sacrificial text.

“…The majestic heavens shine down upon the earth. Gathering the spirits of the earth, bringing wind and rain. All living things find their proper place…”

“…Now I respectfully offer jade, silk, sacrifices, offerings, and other goods to prepare for this sacrifice, to protect the country and its people, to bring eternal peace and prosperity, to bring health and prosperity to the people, and to bring peace and tranquility to the world…”

“…Enjoy your meal.”

The reading is complete.

Although a certain person had already moved into the Qingdu Palace, from the perspective of the etiquette of Heaven, Earth, the Emperor, Parents and Teachers, it was only at this moment that he was officially considered the Emperor.

Jiang He stood with his hands behind his back at the forefront of the ministers. The luxurious jade seal on his waist seemed to have spirituality. With the help of the golden will, one could see the dim reflection of the four states on it. This was the coalescence of the new dynasty’s national destiny.

At the same time, a reminder sound rang in his ears.

[Hint: You get the title: The First Emperor]
[Name: First Emperor]
[Category: Title]
[Quality: Ultimate]
[Effect ①: Emperor——When the war begins, the four basic attributes of the members of the group are temporarily increased by five points]
[Effect 1: Divine Punishment – The target who kills a large group of members will be hated by the heavens, and each curse of heaven will cause 100 points of true damage (standard – ordinary bronze health value: 3000/ordinary silver health value: 10000/ordinary gold health value: )]
[Effect ③: King’s Land (All under Heaven Belongs to the King) – When activated, you can return to the place you have been to or passed by, consuming 1000 points of silver energy each time (within the same world)]
[Effect ④: Wang Chen (The Land of the Kings)——The holder can obtain the five senses of a large group of members. When the spiritual will is not lower than gold, the will of the same world can be descended.]
[Note: This title is the highest honor in the world at present (the group it belongs to is: Evil/Dawn)]
“All the ministers have completed their ceremony and would like to thank Your Majesty.” Zhuang Ya shouted loudly.

“Wait a minute.”

Suddenly, a middle-aged censor with thin features walked out from the line of civil officials.

“The Marquis of Suppressing Rebellion has no father or mother, and has no regard for the monarch or the country. How can he be called the Emperor? He is just a tyrant who lives a life of despicable behavior. He enriches himself while weakening the world. I am ashamed of him, and I am disgraced by all the people!”

“He drove Wuzong on his horse and trampled through the rivers and lakes, killing tens of thousands of people unjustly. He wantonly slaughtered noble families and destroyed the rules of human ethics and morality. How dare such a person without moral integrity covet the great rule of the country!”

“He favored female officials, causing the decline of his backyard. He was close to treacherous and corrupt officials, and allowed the demons to dominate the court and the country. He sent the Taoist Grand Master to kill the previous emperor, and secretly commanded soldiers and bandits to plunder the capital. He was lustful, stupid, cruel, and greedy. How could such a despicable, tyrannical and lawless person rule the world?”

“Today I offer my blood to the heavens, and ask Lord Anle to restore his throne!”

The middle-aged civil servant had a resolute look in his eyes. He had been patient until now because the new monarch had not yet convened a court meeting. Without a grand scene, his sacrifice would be meaningless and would not awaken the loyal and virtuous ministers.

Seven or eight censors stepped forward and kowtowed and knocked the ground together.

“Today I offer my blood to the heavens, and ask Lord Anle to restore his throne!”

In a short moment, another twenty-three people came out, ranging from the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel to the editor of the Academy, and everyone was ready to die.

In the shadow of Qingdu Palace, Wuhe’s face was not looking good. He had been busy handling cases recently and had failed to supervise the capital city. If tens of thousands of birds were deployed internally, such a problem would never occur and these people would be strangled in the bud.

Zhuang Ya stared at the middle-aged censor, murderous intent flashing in her eyes.

Lao Hei closed his eyes. It was difficult and unwilling for him to stop the blood flow this time.

Among the ministers, the eldest son of the Zhu family sighed, Prince Anbei remained silent, Prime Minister Yue seemed to want to speak but stopped himself, and the most terrified one was the “Duke Anle” who was about to be restored to the throne as the censors said. Even though he was young, he understood that he was in imminent danger. These guys were simply putting him on the fire.

The scene fell into an eerie silence.

Everyone knew that the emperor could not make concessions, otherwise it would mean admitting all kinds of crimes.

Jiang He turned his head calmly and said indifferently: “It seems that you don’t want the Nine Clans anymore.”

There are four clans from the father’s side, three clans from the mother’s side, and two clans from the wife’s side, which together make nine clans. Sometimes it refers to all the relevant people. When the officials heard this term, they all shuddered. If all the nine clans of the people who gave advice were executed, at least tens of thousands of people would be implicated.

The middle-aged censor remained steadfast and unyielding. He looked up and said, “What if you kill my entire clan?”

Many of the censors who had made suggestions looked up in confusion. This was different from what had been discussed beforehand. It was naturally inappropriate to kill people on the day of the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven. In theory, it would be sufficient to kill the “ringleaders” and exile the “accomplices”. Most people had not yet reached the point of disowning their parents and their own children.

“Your Majesty, I’ll wait…”

“it is good.”

Jiang He waved his hand, and the sleeves of his dragon robe swayed slightly. He didn’t care about it at all. He just wanted to die.

“I have also helped others. The 32 people present will be executed along with their entire clans. The case of the palace purge and the case of the palace spying will be investigated together. The execution will be carried out in front of the Qingdu Palace. The Ministry of Justice and the Imperial Horse Administration will be responsible for this matter.”

“Your Majesty, I am wronged!”

“This fellow is just trying to attract attention. Your Majesty, please understand!”

“Your Majesty, I have an old mother and young children. I was confused for a moment. I hope Your Majesty will show mercy!”

“Hahaha, how wonderful! How wonderful!”

The middle-aged censor sat cross-legged and laughed heartily.

Three hundred evil knights came forward to arrest everyone, and all the officials bowed their heads in silence. This time, no one could figure out the emperor’s mood. Maybe they would be punished for the same crime. No one had a second nine clans, so they had to take it slow. “Prime Minister Yue.”

“The minister is here.”

Old Man Yue stepped forward and looked at the young man in front of him with complicated eyes. Even though he had seen countless people, he had to praise him with a look of dragon and phoenix, and a person of heaven and earth. A few years ago, the other party was just a small general on the border of Yizhou, but in the blink of an eye, he ascended to the throne.

“Jingzhou is trying to transform rice into medicine, and this requires your full dedication,” Jiang He said.

Old Man Yue hesitated for a while and sighed, “Your Majesty, please kill me.”

Low and suppressed exclamations came one after another. He dared to speak like that at this time. All the officials once again witnessed the toughness of this old man. It was no accident that he fired at Prime Minister Yan, who was once in power.

Jiang He raised his eyebrows. The guy who was executed before was useless and could be killed, but Yue Shoufu was indeed extremely talented. This was the reason why he had not replaced him. When the Nine Provinces of Daqian were divided and heroes emerged everywhere, the central government was able to organize two field battles with 100,000 elite troops. The other party made an indispensable contribution.

“what for?”

Old Man Yue brushed off his official robe, knelt slowly, and said sincerely: “If Your Majesty doesn’t kill me today, everyone in the world will kill me tomorrow. If one state changes its rice production, hundreds of thousands of people will starve to death. In my opinion, giving up halfway may endanger the country.”

Jiang He thought for a moment and asked, “What if there is sufficient food and grass in Yangzhou?”

Old Man Yue replied: “30%.”

“One hundred thousand loyal young and strong men are at your disposal.” Jiang He said.

Old Man Yue closed his eyes and thought for a long time, then replied: “Seventy percent. Your Majesty must seal off the three passes and order people in Jingzhou not to leave the state. Those who violate the order will be killed. Only then will there be a ninety percent chance. In addition, Your Majesty must be consistent from beginning to end, only then will there be hope of complete success.”

“Appoint Yue Shoufu as Grand Secretary of Qingdu Palace.”

Jiang He mobilized thirty Dawnmen and five hundred Evil Knights to cooperate with the other side. In addition to providing some protection, these personnel were mainly responsible for preventing the Evil Army from being driven and consumed at will.

Next, the decree that had been prepared in advance was issued.

“Jiang Danglu is promoted to the Governor-General of the Nine Provinces and the Commander-in-Chief of the Four Seas, commanding all the troops in the world.”

“Wuhe, promoted to the position of Grand Tutor of Qingdu, concurrently Grand Tutor of the Saint, in charge of all internal and external affairs, and making decisions on all matters of the court and the public.”

The entire Qingdu Palace was in complete silence.

Simply put, the emperor enthroned the second emperor and the third emperor, and the latter two together were no different from the emperor. There was really nothing more to be enthroned, and there was no other way to go except to usurp the throne and proclaim himself emperor.

Old Man Yue really couldn’t stand it this time, but he was much smarter than the previous censors, and he immediately said: “I request that the female official in charge of the seal, Zhuang Ya, be promoted to queen and the mother of the country.”

Not far away, Zhuang Ya fell into deep thought and couldn’t help but rub her belly. If she replaced the queen, she would probably have to serve the big snake like the queen. Based on her observations over the past few days, the process was just like slaughtering a pig, and begging for mercy was useless.

“I have made up my mind, no need to worry about anything else.”

Jiang He walked away from the front of the palace. Lao Hei and Wu He were able to obtain the title of excellent grade through this promotion, so there was no room for negotiation on this matter. Besides, the queen could not be deposed for the time being. After all, the Wu Dou Dan was indeed very important, and it would be enough to give them a warning occasionally.

It is worth mentioning that obtaining a title requires corresponding objective reality. Players can brush it, but the origin may not give it. Once they become violators, they will see the executor.

The ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven is over.

Since the censors were no longer ordinary censors, the Imperial Stables immediately took strong action and arrested all nine of their clans in the city.

As for Jiang He, he activated the reigning skill of the first emperor and returned to the Jianchi Mountains in Yizhou.

……

Since Zhuang Ya accompanied the emperor to the capital, the mining of gold and stone has encountered great resistance. Although each location has been marked in advance, digging deep into the ground in a relatively ancient way takes an astonishing amount of time.

A hundred miles east of Daming Prefecture, a Shuguang general suddenly walked out of the military tent and ordered all the laborers to evacuate.

Half a quarter of an hour later, a sphere with a diameter of one hundred meters fell from the sky. The ground was like ice and snow encountering the scorching sun, and a large area of ​​it melted in an instant.

Jiang He opened the wall of the domain, and the black sun behind him released a terrifying devouring power. Countless rock stones flew into it and turned into powder and annihilated, while the raw materials of gold and stone were preserved and finally fell into the portable holy temple Rock Town.

In just ten minutes, the large-scale gold mining was completed.

Jiang He activated the King’s Landing and arrived above the mineral location that had been surveyed before, and once again opened the Black Sun Domain.

This mining efficiency far exceeds that of the Zhuangya brand super shield machine. After half a day, 1800 tons of gold were refined.

Jiang He arrived at Dangguan City, and Ada summoned the Yizhou troops from all over the country to transport the bodies of the barbarians and prisoners.

Ten kilograms of gold, a complete corpse, and the mark of the Ouroboros, these three combined into one equal a freshly-made evil soldier.

A total of 180,000 newly-born evil soldiers were stationed in the city, filling several military camps to the brim.

“Ada, you lead one thousand evil knights and eighty thousand evil soldiers to attack Jizhou in the north from now on.”

“Understood.” Ah Da clasped his fists and accepted the order.

Jiang He ordered the 100,000 evil soldiers to hug each other and enter Rock Town through the Black Sun Domain. Otherwise, with the current size of the portable temple, it would be a bit difficult to carry.

In a beastly manner similar to cramming eight people into a coffin, one hundred thousand soldiers disappeared into the city.

Jiang He looked out at the northern frontier. Since he was already here, he certainly didn’t plan to go back. The Great Snow Mountain was one of the most famous martial arts holy places in the world. It was the territory of shamans and Tantric Buddhism.

“Sacred hunter.”

After seven steps, Jiang He was already out of the city.

The land outside the Great Wall is vast and boundless.

He saw familiar piles of rocks, one of which was the former “laboratory” of the Yan family, and the tunnel inside led directly to the Lan tribe.

A streak of light swept across the grassland quickly, and passed by a battlefield half a day later. The nine Jingguans had been weathered, and only the pale skulls were still standing.

Jiang He knew that this place was not far from Longcheng. When he broke into the barbarian ancestral home, he fought with the barbarian defenders here. Without grand masters and bronze powers, he naturally won.

Continuing forward, snow gradually appeared on the grass. The sky and the earth were the same color, and the sunlight was dazzling. Even in the hot summer, the temperature around was still so low that it was uncomfortable for ordinary people.

Half a day later, Jiang He saw a majestic snow-capped mountain.

(End of this chapter)