For two consecutive days, Yan Liqiang was in a bad mood. The news he learned from the Tiandao Divine Realm, especially the words that Liu Guiyuan said to him, were like a stone pressing on Yan Liqiang's heart.
Four years later, the Han Empire was engulfed in flames. The jackals and wild beasts surrounding this vast empire chose to pounce on the empire when it was at its most chaotic and weakest, opening their bloody mouths, wanting to tear and devour this huge empire clean.
The strong prey on the weak - this is the law of survival in the Silver Continent. In the past history, many races and empires have been lost in the long flow of history and the smoke of war. Yan Liqiang does not feel strange about this. What really worries Yan Liqiang is that from all indications, Lin Qingtian may have known about the occurrence of the heavenly calamity a long time ago, and many of the things he did were subtle preparations for taking over the Han Empire after the heavenly calamity occurred.
The Fengyun Army was the strongest legion of the Han Empire, and Lin Qingtian used the power of the heavenly calamity and the Shaman people to completely crush and defeat this most powerful legion of the Han Empire.
After the catastrophe, the Han Empire was leaderless and chaos reigned everywhere. In the midst of this chaos, Lin Qingtian assembled a terrifying army in the blink of an eye and prepared to take over the entire empire.
Yan Liqiang checked the Han Empire's reports and various news in the Sword God Sect over the past few years and found that there had always been maritime riots on the southeastern coast of the Han Empire, but they were never serious. Those pirates had always been robbing ships on a small scale and were often chased like stray dogs by the Han Empire's navy. It was only in the last three or four years that those pirates suddenly became unscrupulous as if they had been injected with chicken blood, and their momentum was getting stronger and stronger. Later, Lin Qingtian went with the flow and proposed a method of forming militias in various states and counties on the southeastern coast to resist pirates, and also levied a militia tax.
When those pirates were running rampant, where was the navy of the Han Empire that had previously chased those pirates to death
In February of the 14th year of Yuanping in the Han Empire, which is February of next year in the real world, Zheng Huaian, the admiral of the Southeast Navy stationed on the southeast coast of the Han Empire, was involved in the so-called "empty pay case". Someone accused Admiral Zheng Huaian of embezzling soldiers' pay, accepting bribes from shipyards, and colluding with pirates. So Lin Qingtian was furious and ordered a thorough investigation and a major prison.
In this prison, Zheng Huaian, the admiral of the Southeast Navy of the Han Empire, and more than 30 naval officers were thrown into jail. The senior officials of the Southeast Navy of the entire Han Empire were almost purged. Later, Lin Qingtian appointed a new admiral of the Southeast Navy. After the new admiral took office, he made huge adjustments to the entire navy and launched a high-profile investigation of the remnants of Zheng Huaian. Under such circumstances, the Southeast Navy of the Han Empire, which had chased the pirates on the southeast coast like a stray dog, collapsed in an instant.
Then, only two months after Zheng Huaian and others were imprisoned, the pirates and bandits who were originally scattered suddenly gathered into several groups and began to make trouble. So Lin Qingtian proposed to set up militias in the southeastern states and counties to prevent pirates and collect militia fees...
And General Shi Tao of Anbei, who almost destroyed the Fengyun Army with his own hands, was also Lin Qingtian's man.
Lin Qingtian summoned the backbones of Longfei City and Fengyun Army to the Imperial Capital, and these people died in the catastrophe all of a sudden. However, Lin Qingtian himself, the person who should have died in the catastrophe the most, suddenly left the Imperial Capital to inspect the water conservancy of the Huai River before the catastrophe occurred, and escaped the catastrophe all of a sudden. If you want to say it's a coincidence, this is really too coincidental...
All of this seemed to be controlled by an invisible hand.
Liu Guiyuan suspected that the pirates on the southeast coast suddenly became troubled and there must be someone behind the scenes instructing and condoning them.
The pirates' disturbances created conditions for Lin Qingtian's solution of setting up militias in various states along the southeastern coast.
Those militias that had consumed a large amount of the Han Empire's people's blood and sweat and had been trained for two or three years, at this time, changed their clothes and became regular troops. They suddenly became a trump card in Lin Qingtian's hand that could sweep the world.
There is another possibility that General Anbei Shi Tao became a traitor and defected to the Shamans. That is because Shi Tao knew that after he did those things and cut off the retreat of the Fengyun Army, he would have no way out in the Han Empire and would become a scapegoat. Only by defecting to the Shamans could he survive and save his life and wealth. The reason why Shi Tao knew that the things he did would make him doomed but he still did them, there is only one explanation, if he didn't do those things, his life would be in danger...
These things that will happen in the future, once interpreted and observed from another perspective, can instantly make people tremble with fear.
One thing may be a coincidence, but when so many things happen according to the same logic, it can never be a coincidence, but a premeditated plan.
A few months ago, when Yan Liqiang knew that the catastrophe was going to happen, all he could think about was how to stay alive, save more people four years later, and avoid the disaster. But at this moment, Yan Liqiang suddenly realized that behind the catastrophe, there were so many complicated things and backgrounds, and he might have to face a person whom he was not able to fight at all at the moment. That person might have known about the catastrophe in advance just like him, and he would use the catastrophe to sit on the throne of this huge empire by stepping on the corpses of hundreds of millions of people.
For a moment, Yan Liqiang's head became several times bigger.
Unable to share the worries and depression in his heart with anyone, Yan Liqiang could only devote all his energy to spiritual practice to make himself forget about these things temporarily.
But many times, even if you don’t look for things, many things will find you on their own.
A week after the Emperor left the Deer Garden, that is, on the evening of July 25, Yan Liqiang, who had just finished his training, was stopped by Xiao Lizi on the way. He was told that Eunuch Liu had something important to discuss with him. Yan Liqiang dragged his tired body and followed Xiao Lizi to the courtyard where Eunuch Liu lived again, where he met Eunuch Liu.
"I don't know what you want to talk to me about, so urgently?" When Yan Liqiang saw Eunuch Liu, he found that Eunuch Liu had a frown and a hint of anger on his face, so he took the initiative to speak.
"Li Qiang, do you remember that the Emperor asked you to teach archery to the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace a few days ago?" Eunuch Liu took a deep breath and asked.
"Remember, didn't the father-in-law say last time that I could go to the palace to meet His Royal Highness the Crown Prince on August 1st, and then I could officially take up my duties?"
"Something has happened now!"
"What happened?"
"These past few days, numerous ministers in the court have written to the emperor, saying that the selection of the prince's archery instructor is not only a family matter for your majesty, but also a matter of state. Those ministers who wrote to the emperor said that you are too inexperienced and not highly respected to take on this important task, and they are afraid that you will lead the prince astray. They also recommended another person to be the prince's archery instructor..."
Damn it, Yan Liqiang cursed inwardly, but still patiently asked, "Then what does your majesty mean?"
"Your Majesty is of course very angry and disagrees. Now the matter is at a stalemate. Today, Prime Minister Lin Qingtian proposed a suggestion, saying that you should compete with the people recommended by the ministers in the court. The winner can become the archery instructor of the Crown Prince. But the emperor did not agree and said he would think about it. Now, Your Majesty wants to ask you what you think. Do you dare to compete with those people recommended by the ministers in the court?"
Yan Liqiang's eyes narrowed suddenly, "What are we competing for? How are we competing?"
…
(End of this chapter)