Chapter 1736: Preparing for the Offensive

Wherever there were people, there would be oppression, and there would be divisions of rank and class.

The reason these villagers had banded together and fortified their settlements for self-protection was that they could no longer endure the oppression and exploitation of the Commander’s Office.

More than half a year passed. The Taiping Religion developed rapidly, expanding from the territory of several counties to encompass an entire prefecture. Its believers were no longer confined to the lower classes either. Some nobles were likewise influenced and began joining the Taiping Religion.

There was no shortage of opportunists among them. They did not believe in any so-called World of Great Peace, nor did they believe that the Great Teacher and the General of Heaven were emissaries sent by Heaven to save all living beings. They did not even believe in the existence of the Primordial Daoist Ancestor or the Yellow Heaven. They simply saw promise in the Taiping Religion’s future. Or rather, this was the wisdom of certain average families by placing their bets in advance.

Being one of the top families was dangerous. Once the ruling order began to falter, death and the extermination of the entire clan could follow immediately, leaving no room for maneuver. But the average families were relatively safe. They had room to hedge their bets and could switch their allegiance when necessary. These nobles secretly joined the Taiping Religion so that, if the Taiping Religion defeated the Commander’s Office and became the master of this world, they could claim the merit of having backed the rising ruler. Not only would their families be preserved, they might even rise to greater heights.

After all, the nobles came from families with long traditions of learning, which meant access to better educational resources. They also possessed the foundations and resources of their clans, effectively allowing them to buy in with capital already in hand. Naturally, they held advantages over believers of commoner origin and found it much easier to rise into the upper ranks of the Taiping Religion.

However, the nobles’ motives were impure. They were primarily concerned with protecting their own interests, which compromised the purity of the movement and made the situation increasingly complicated.

As a result, the Taiping Religion ran the risk of becoming corrupt before its time, growing detached from the common people and making its ranks increasingly difficult to lead.

Zhou Mengyao did not care about this. As long as they could provide incense power, that was enough. She had no intention of living here for long, so what did it matter to her whether the Taiping Religion became corrupt? Once she had accomplished her mission, it would make little difference even if the Taiping Religion eventually perished.

Moreover, Zhou Mengyao did not believe the nobles posed such a grave danger. After all, she herself came from a great aristocratic clan and was, in a certain sense, a member of the Daoist Order’s nobility.

However, Qi Xuansu took the opposite view. He believed that since they had begun this endeavor well, they should also see it through to a proper end. Since they had borrowed the power of the common people, they naturally owed the people of this world a relatively satisfactory conclusion.

Believers of commoner origin still formed the bulk of the Yellow Turban Army under Qi Xuansu’s command.

In truth, this also reflected the differences in outlook between Qi Xuansu and Zhou Mengyao arising from their different backgrounds.

Some of the Taiping Religion’s senior figures keenly sensed the disagreement between its two central figures. The upper-ranking members of noble birth promptly aligned themselves with the Great Teacher, Zhou Mengyao. They eagerly anticipated Zhou Mengyao launching a thunderous strike and eliminating the commoner faction led by Qi Xuansu. They could then seize the opportunity to extend their influence into the Yellow Turban Army and obtain what they lacked most—military power.

To this end, they repeatedly sounded Zhou Mengyao out with indirect suggestions, and some even went so far as to speak bluntly to their superior.

Some proposed inviting Qi Xuansu to a banquet while concealing armed men on either side, then using the smashing of a cup as the signal to strike.

But Zhou Mengyao thought very little of it.

Many were bitterly disappointed by this, believing that the Great Teacher was showing a woman’s softheartedness and being indecisive and hesitant. Thus, she was unworthy of being consulted on great affairs.

But what they did not know was that the Taiping Religion was merely a tool for Zhou Mengyao and Qi Xuansu to escape this “deep well.” Why would Zhou Mengyao fall out with Qi Xuansu over the affairs of the Taiping Religion? Even if they were going to turn against each other and struggle for power, that would be something to settle after leaving this hellhole.

Even if she defeated Qi Xuansu now, it would be meaningless if the price was being trapped here for the rest of her life. Besides, she had found Qi Xuansu rather agreeable lately. It almost felt as though they had returned to the way things had once been when they were master and disciple.

Ultimately, a frog at the bottom of a well could see only the tiny patch of sky above its head, knowing nothing of the vast world beyond. Naturally, such people could not understand why Zhou Mengyao regarded their schemes with such indifference.

Zhou Mengyao had never been softhearted, much less indecisive. It simply was not necessary at this moment.

Quite a few people on Qi Xuansu’s side also advised him to be wary of the Great Teacher’s faction. However, intimidated by the Great Teacher’s divine might, no one had suggested resolving the matter once and for all through a small-scale coup. Most of them merely advised him to remain on guard, with the most extreme suggestion being that Qi Xuansu should break away from the Taiping Religion and establish his own faction.

How could a true man resign himself to being oppressed by another for long?

This reminded Qi Xuansu of something. The founding emperors of successive dynasties had often built their original power bases from no more than one or two counties. Given sufficient experience and room to grow, these founding nobles were no worse than the so-called aristocratic clans and could even surpass them.

Looking at things now, the Taiping Religion controlled no more than a single prefecture, yet the schemes these people devised were already no less sophisticated than those of emperors and powerful ministers recorded in the history books. At their core, they were all the same. No matter how much political scheming, maneuvering, alliance-building, or coalition-forming took place, all of it was ultimately preparation for the killing that came at the end. Physically eliminating one’s opponents was still the most thorough solution.

Many members of the neutral faction watched all this with mounting anxiety. Some even began chanting, “If the Heavenly Mother kills the Heavenly Brother, the realm can never be won.”

However, Zhou Mengyao merely looked young. In truth, she was a veteran who had experienced much of the world. Although she held no official position within the Daoist Order, she was unquestionably the number-one figure in the Qingping Society and possessed a profound understanding of organizational structures and the workings of power. After this incident, she recognized the danger posed by the noble faction. She then changed her original stance, came around to Qi Xuansu’s view, and resolved to launch an internal purge to deal with those harboring treacherous designs.

At this moment, only Qi Xuansu and Zhou Mengyao were present inside the Taiping Religion’s main headquarters.

Countless candles burned throughout the great hall. Zhou Mengyao sat high upon the Sect Leader’s chair, illuminated by their flickering light. Behind her was the statue of the Yellow Heaven, roughly depicted as an elderly man dressed in yellow, though it also bore some resemblance to the Primordial Daoist Ancestor clad in apricot-yellow Daoist robes.

Even if they really did attract the Yellow Heaven, there was nothing to fear. They could simply let the two Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demons fight until both sides were gravely weakened.

Qi Xuansu stood below with his hands clasped behind his back.

Zhou Mengyao leaned back against the chair, so that only her chin could be seen. “The dynastic cycle is unavoidable. Doing this will merely delay its arrival, but what must come will still come in the end. There is no one in this world who can live forever without perishing, nor is there any dynasty that can remain unchanged for ten thousand generations.”

Qi Xuansu replied, “All we can do is fulfill our responsibilities and strive to keep a clear conscience. Besides, eliminating the opportunists is the same as removing impurities. The divisions within the Taiping Religion can no longer be avoided. We have to make a decisive choice—unite the people’s hearts, establish a single course, and consolidate the organization internally. That will allow us to unleash even greater strength. After all, we will soon be attacking the Commander’s Office. At a time like this, we can’t allow our own ranks to descend into chaos, and we must be especially vigilant against spies and the like.”

Zhou Mengyao said indifferently, “Then we’ll do it your way. Go on.”

Qi Xuansu raised his voice. “Guards!”

Two guards in full military attire strode quickly into the hall, hands resting on the hilts of their swords. They respectfully saluted the Great Teacher and the General of Heaven.

Qi Xuansu ordered, “In the name of the Great Teacher and in my name, proceed with the arrests according to the established plan. Anyone who resists arrest is to be killed without mercy.”

The two solemnly acknowledged the order. After saluting them once more, they turned and departed.

For Qi Xuansu and Zhou Mengyao, such minor struggles were hardly worth mentioning.

After the two guards had gone, Zhou Mengyao rose to her feet. “Tian Yuan, this is only the Taiping Religion, so naturally it amounts to little. But if one day you become the Daoist Order’s Grand Master, would you also purge those who threaten the stability of the Daoist Order in this manner?”

Qi Xuansu smiled. “Perhaps I would, perhaps I wouldn’t. The situation within the Daoist Order is far too complicated to generalize.”

Zhou Mengyao’s interest was piqued. “Why can’t you generalize?”

Qi Xuansu said, “We dare to purge the Taiping Religion because we are certain that no one within the sect is capable of resisting us. Everything is built upon our absolute confidence in our own martial strength. But within the Daoist Order, would you dare possess the same confidence? You might want to purge others, but those same people might want to purge you. In the end, it would be difficult to say who would emerge victorious. That is why the two situations cannot be treated the same.”

Zhou Mengyao sighed. “What you say makes a great deal of sense. I’m afraid even a First-Tribulation Immortal would not be enough in the Daoist Order. It would take a Second-Tribulation Immortal to possess truly absolute martial power. It’s just like how you and I have now gathered incense power, giving us an absolute advantage over everyone else in the sect.”

Qi Xuansu suddenly asked, “You’ve already broken through the boundary of a Heavenly Being, haven’t you?”

Zhou Mengyao did not deny it. “Outside, we would never dare act this brazenly. Forget gathering the faith of an entire prefecture, the moment we gained the faith of a single county, the local Daoist Mansion would already come knocking at our door.”

Three days later, Qi Xuansu completed the purge, which had been confined to the upper ranks.

Zhou Mengyao gathered the sect’s senior members for a rally and oath-taking ceremony, declaring that the Taiping Religion would never be content to remain secure in one corner of the realm. Their goal was to overthrow the brutal rule of the Commander’s Office and establish a World of Great Peace.

The upper ranks of the Taiping Religion quickly reached a consensus.

After all, the opportunists who had been wavering between the two sides had already been purged. Their blood had not even dried yet. Who would dare voice opposition at a time like this?

Some even suspected that the entire affair had been a performance jointly orchestrated by the Great Teacher and the General of Heaven. Its purpose had been to bait those people into revealing themselves before sweeping them all up in one fell swoop.

This was also within Qi Xuansu and Zhou Mengyao’s expectations. Both of them were accustomed to occupying positions of great authority. Having them control a small organization like the Taiping Religion was akin to using great talents for a trivial task. How could anything possibly go seriously wrong?

Over the past half year, Qi Xuansu and Zhou Mengyao had gained a certain understanding of the Commander’s Office. The key issue was not its troops, which had already become thoroughly corrupt and decadent, thus their combat effectiveness was quite limited.

By contrast, the Yellow Turban Army had endured tremendous oppression and suffering. Now that they were fighting for themselves, they possessed far greater fighting spirit and courage.

Qi Xuansu reorganized and trained the army and led them through several small-scale battles. Zhou Mengyao also taught them some introductory cultivation methods for harnessing incense power. Thus, the army as a whole had already developed considerable combat effectiveness. On an ordinary battlefield, although the Taiping Religion controlled only a single prefecture, it would still hold the upper hand.

If not for the soldiers being bolstered by yin qi, the Yellow Turban Army might even have been able to subdue the realm merely by sending out proclamations.

The Yellow Turban Army had now expanded to more than 2,000 men, which was not a small number.

Unlike the village militias of the past, these were 2,000 professional soldiers who had withdrawn entirely from productive labor to focus solely on military training. That meant 2,000 fewer able-bodied laborers producing goods and 2,000 additional mouths consuming supplies. It was a net difference equivalent to 4,000 people.

Productivity in this world was quite backward, so supporting so many soldiers with the resources of a single prefecture placed an excessively heavy burden on the population, to the point that it exhausted resources. As such, they could not afford to delay any longer. From this perspective, eliminating those noble believers had also helped alleviate the pressure on military supplies.

This time, the entire Yellow Turban Army would march out in full force, and Zhou Mengyao, the Great Teacher herself, would also personally lead the charge.