Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 644 Don’t say you didn’t predict what you said

Chapter 644 Don’t say you didn’t predict what you said

"I really don't know where you got such a scripture. Now that you've given away half a chapter, it's already caused quite a stir throughout the Buddhist community in Wei. Interesting..."

Yunhe walked beside Lu Zheng, looking on with amusement.

Yunhe also helped out a little with the matter of the Buddhist scriptures appearing in the world, mainly by going to watch the play.

In a short period of time, the incomplete Buddhist scriptures had already had a great impact on Buddhism.

Many eminent monks are studying the contents of the scriptures, trying to find the complete scriptures in order to comprehend the supreme Dharma.

After all this commotion, for a long time to come, the focus of attention of the Buddhist community in Wei, along with some high-ranking officials in the court, will likely be on these manifest scriptures.

Yunhe asked curiously, "When are you going to release the rest of the content? Or is there never going to be a sequel?"

Yunhe had already read the complete scripture. Even though he did not practice Buddhism, he could see that it contained the essential teachings of Buddhism and was an extraordinary scripture.

The publication of the complete scriptures will surely cause an even greater stir in Buddhism.

However, judging from Lu Zheng's attitude towards Buddhism, Yunhe probably won't help Buddhism flourish.

Lu Zheng said slowly, "It will happen. But it's not the right time yet. Let them make a fuss first."

Lu Zheng was dissatisfied with the current state of Buddhism, but had no prejudice against the Buddha's teachings.

He had his own plans for taking out that half of the Heart Sutra; it wasn't just a simple matter of diverting some people's attention.

Two figures approached from a distance and landed in front of Lu Zheng.

It was Ku Xin and Hu Qing who came from elsewhere.

The two are currently unaware of what has happened in Wei, but it will be soon.

Lu Zheng did not mention this matter for the time being, and it would not be too late to explain it after the two of them learned of the news.

Upon seeing the two approach, Lu Zheng took out a stack of letters and handed them to them.

"I'd like to trouble each of you to make a trip and deliver a message to the forces in the vicinity..."

Looking at how thick each letter was, Hu Qing couldn't help but ask curiously, "You even wrote to them? What did you write about?"

Lu Zhengdao said, "You can open it and take a look."

Upon hearing this, Hu Qing didn't hesitate at all and immediately took out a letter to read it.

The letter contained a lot of information, but it was written in a simple and straightforward manner.

The gist of it is that Lu Zheng is inviting major forces in the vicinity to jointly create a better place, and he has detailed various rules and regulations, as well as a series of planning ideas.

At the end of the letter, Lu Zheng also made it clear that he would not accept any negotiations and would give a reply within seven days; failure to reply would be considered a refusal.

But there is only one consequence for refusing: war.

Hu Qing's eyes flickered as she looked at them, and she whispered, "They probably won't accept these conditions."

She knew very well the nature of the forces in the vicinity, and few powerful figures would be willing to comply with the various demands Lu Zheng had made.

Those powerful figures who dominate their regions consider themselves superior and would never relinquish their power to create a bright future with Lu Zheng.

To some extent, those people were already above all others, enjoying the benefits of enslaving the masses.

Lu Zheng said calmly, "The Northern Region is very large, so vast that even in this small area nearby, there are tens of millions of humans and demons living a life worse than cattle and horses, enslaved, and their lives are as worthless as grass."

"Some people are very powerful, with the ability to move mountains and fill lakes, but their thoughts and conduct are like those of wild beasts, which is truly laughable, pathetic, and shameful."

"Is this the right way to live? We could all create a more civilized world..."

“We, the living beings, have been moving forward from the ancient times of ignorance and uncivilization until now. The new era cannot accommodate the old people with stubborn and backward ideas.”

“If they don’t want to change and are unwilling to take the right path, then the only thing to do is let them die.”

Lu Zheng's gaze was resolute; his mind would not change because of the obstacles in reality.

He came here to break free from the shackles of backwardness.

Seeing that Lu Zheng had made up his mind, the others did not dare to offer any further advice.

Hu Qing couldn't help but ask, "It seems a major battle is inevitable. Are you confident you can handle so many people? Should we make a move?"

Lu Zhengdao: "You don't need to risk your lives. Just send the letter over first. I'll adapt to the situation later..."

Hu Qing and Ku Xin then quickly left.

Yunhe clicked his tongue and said, "Now, the forces in the vicinity will probably unite."

Lu Zheng said leisurely, "No matter how well they unite, given the character of those people, they're nothing more than a disorganized mess. Besides, they value their lives too..."

Before long, letters were delivered to the major powers in the vicinity.

At the same time, the brief contents of the letters also spread to various places.

Many people learned about the incident immediately.

A stone stirred up a thousand waves.

……

"It's just too much!"

"What do you mean by 'cooperating with him for mutual benefit'? Agreeing to his conditions only absolves us of some of our sins. Who does he really think he is, that he can punish us?"

"Are all young people these days so arrogant?"

"I heard that the Di Kingdom also received this planning document, which is clearly a challenge..." After receiving the letter, some powerful individuals quickly gathered together to discuss countermeasures.

When they first received the thick letter from Lu Zheng, they thought he was going to make some kind of compromise.

After saying so much, there's still no possibility of negotiating terms; they're basically being pressured.

It should be noted that some of them had even cooperated with the Wei Kingdom.

Some people had even secretly submitted to the State of Wei.

The Wei state government didn't impose many harsh conditions; in fact, they offered them numerous benefits.

Lu Zheng, however, made various demands, such as no longer eating or enslaving people, which were minor matters.

Asking certain people to give up their unorthodox practices is tantamount to cutting off their path of cultivation.

Although the letter mentioned that they would be provided with good training methods, it was conditional.

Furthermore, restarting one's cultivation method means giving up one's current strength and realm.

These things alone were enough to make them unable to accept it.

Someone gritted their teeth and said, "It seems this kid is determined to deal with us! We've spent so much money on Wei, haven't they made a move yet?"

Few people knew about Mingxin's visit to Lu Zheng a few days ago.

They still believe that the Wei Kingdom has not reacted at all.

Someone said, "It's useless to say these things now. I'm afraid Wei is just looking forward to seeing us fight each other. If we get rid of Lu Zheng, wouldn't that also be eliminating an enemy for Wei?"

Everyone fell silent upon hearing this; if that's the case, then it really is true.

Lu Zheng was from Anguo and was also a genius scholar.

At such a young age, he already possesses the strength to slay a powerful demon, and achieving the status of a great Confucian scholar in the future will likely be a piece of cake for him.

If such a person were to return to Anguo, his status would rise even higher.

The current relationship between Wei and An is not exactly bad, but it's not exactly good either.

The ban on Buddhism alone is a case in point.

Now that we can use others to eliminate a prodigy from Anguo, other major powers will definitely be happy to see it.

One of them said in a deep voice, "We only have seven days to consider whether to fight or make peace. We need to prepare in advance."

When Lu Zheng challenged Huai Jun, he caught Huai Jun completely off guard.

They didn't want to end up like Huai Jun, having someone break into their door out of nowhere; they needed to be on guard.

"To fight or to make peace, what will you all choose?"

"How do you choose? Do you really want to become prisoners and go to do some kind of construction? I heard that many of Huai Jun's former subordinates have been convicted of serious crimes and have to do hard labor for life! You gentlemen are probably still deeply sinful even if you are spared some of your sins."

"Do you have a way to deal with him? We don't even know how many tricks and weapons he still has... He has a treasure that could easily kill even Lord Huai!"

Immediately, everyone started arguing.

Lu Zheng's letter can be considered an ultimatum; they had no other choice but to come up with some countermeasures.

"Ahem, I have a plan..."

Someone coughed lightly and spoke slowly.

Everyone fell silent upon hearing this and turned to look.

The man said unhurriedly, "He wants to build in this area, right? Then we'll send people to sabotage it! We'll prevent him from building it and destroy his hard work."

“He has power and connections, so confronting him directly is not a good idea. Even if we could kill him, it might backfire. So it’s better to play along and make it impossible for him to stay here.”

"He's making a lot of monsters do manual labor, right? We can send people to turn them against us. We can also sabotage those farms, workshops, roads, and irrigation systems..."

“Floods, fires, insect plagues, poisonings... we can use all sorts of methods instead of confronting him head-on.”

"Once he reaches a certain point, he will realize that everything he envisioned is nothing but a mirage, and he will naturally slink away from the Northern Region in disgrace."

"Moreover, doing this will buy us time. We can slowly wear him down, seek support from other forces, and then devise a more comprehensive plan..."

The other powerful figures were greatly surprised when they heard these words.

These methods actually sound quite feasible!

"Hmm, these methods sound feasible. Fellow Daoist, these are excellent ideas!"

"Hehe, I've recently read some strategies and military tactics, hence this thought. Of course, these strategies require detailed planning and cannot be easily implemented with just a few words."

"Absolutely, absolutely. We still need to discuss this carefully. We can't handle these matters ourselves, lest he finds out and defeats us one by one..."

"With less than seven days, we probably won't be able to make full preparations. We should come up with some suitable methods to arrange for people to act as soon as possible."

In the past, when they encountered opponents, they would think of suppressing and resisting them with force and magic. Now, it seems that they can also deal with the enemy by changing their approach.

Some strong individuals couldn't help but think that they should read more miscellaneous books in the future, because they might be able to use them someday.

They were now facing a scholar, and a scholar with high martial arts skills at that.

Someone suddenly realized this: could they really win against that young man by using their cunning?

For a moment, he felt that their many schemes would probably not be so easily realized.

But given the current situation, he couldn't very well say something that would undermine everyone's confidence.

(End of this chapter)