Chapter 526
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Chapter 526: It’s Finally Different
Polite people are liked by everyone. Shizheng is also polite. Even though Lin Jiang was abrupt today, Shizheng still explained the history of Xia Kingdom as Lin Jiang requested.
In the Xia calendar of one hundred years, Lin Jiang abdicated to Yao. Yao ruled for sixty years, worked hard to govern, and continued to strengthen Xia Kingdom, expanding its territory further. In Yao’s later years, he abdicated the throne to someone else instead of his son.
The throne of Xia Kingdom was abdicated twice, but the third generation monarch passed it to his son, making Xia Kingdom a hereditary monarchy. However, the monarchs of the following generations were very wise, so there were not many who opposed them.
It was not until the five hundred and twentieth year in the Xia calendar when a Xia Emperor named Jie ascended to the throne. He began a life of extravagance and indulgence, which made the people of Xia Kingdom very discontented, leading to the first rebellion.
At that time, Xia Kingdom was still very powerful, with warriors emerging from the Xia Martial Arts Academy. Even though there was a rebellion, it was quickly suppressed.
Xia Emperor Jie ruled arrogantly for forty years. In the five hundred and sixtieth year of the Xia calendar, Xia Kingdom experienced three consecutive months of heavy rain, causing flooding that destroyed Xia Capital. Xia Emperor Jie died in this disaster, but it is unknown whether he died from the flood or was killed during the chaos.
The loss suffered by Xia Kingdom in that incident was extremely severe. The new eight-year-old Xia Emperor had all political power controlled by the Prime Minister, who abused authority as much as Xia Emperor Jie did. Eventually, in the five hundred and eighty-fifth year of the Xia calendar, Xia Kingdom experienced another large-scale rebellion.
At this time, Xia Kingdom was already too weak to suppress it alone, so they sought help from their vassal states and the regional governors. However, these governors were also leaders of various tribes who took advantage of the situation to expand their power, disobeying Xia Emperor. Xia Kingdom descended into chaos.
In the six hundredth year of the Xia calendar, the corrupt Prime Minister died, and Xia Emperor, who had been dormant for decades, regained power. However, the governors and vassal states had grown in strength by then. Realizing the situation, Xia Emperor balanced the internal power by granting autonomy to the remaining tribes, allowing them to collect taxes and raise armies. This led to over a hundred tributary states in Xia Kingdom.
For hundreds of years after that, over a hundred different kingdoms fought against each other non-stop, merging and swallowing each other. Now, only thirteen kingdoms remain. The power of the Xia Emperor has completely declined. Even the Xia Emperor’s own territory has been continuously lost over hundreds of years. Now, they only have a small area of about a thousand square miles, with less than ten thousand soldiers. They don’t even have a Martial Saint or a Grand Master of Martial Arts. No one follows the Xia Emperor’s orders anymore.
"What year is it tonight?"
"It’s the year one thousand and eight in the Xia calendar."
"How many generations has Xia Emperor passed down?"
"Forty-six generations."
"Among the sealed kingdoms of Xia Kingdom, who is the strongest?"
"The strongest among the Xia Kingdom’s sealed kingdoms are Qin to the west, Yan to the northeast, Zhao of Cloud Mountain, Wei to the south of Cloud Mountain, Chu of South River, Qi of Distant Mountain, these six kingdoms are the strongest. The other seven kingdoms are small, with borders of no more than ten thousand miles, and less than a million soldiers, also without a Martial Saint."
"Even small kingdoms have territories spanning thousands of miles. Xia Kingdom only has a border of about a thousand miles. Huh, does the official historian have a map of all of Xia?"
Lin Jiang sighed, wondering how Xia Kingdom had sunk to such a state, not much different from the Zhou Dynasty.
Shi Zheng pulled on the wall and a huge map fell down. Lin Jiang stared at the map and realized that the territory of Xia Kingdom had expanded more than ten times during his reign. It not only included most of the former Yun State, but also incorporated most of the former He State. Even the Yunzhong Mountain Range had become the inland mountains of Xia Kingdom, now called Cloud Mountain.
"What does ‘Northern Land countries’ mean?"
"Do you think Xia Kingdom rules over all the other countries?"
"Of course not, I just haven’t been to the Northern Land countries you mentioned on your map."
Lin Jiang pointed at the map and said. The map shows Northern Land countries, but only this one is filled in, the rest are blank.
"To the north of Xia Kingdom, there are territories several times larger than Xia Kingdom. No one knows the exact size, only that to the north of Xia Kingdom, there are several powerful forces. One is called Wu Sect, another is called Immortal Sect, and there is also a coalition of several tribal clans. The rest is not very clear. These forces are extremely powerful, comparable to Xia Kingdom. Additionally, their language and writing are different from ours in Xia Kingdom, and they claim to be descendants of immortals."
"If Xia Kingdom is in chaos, won’t these forces invade from the north?"
"They have invaded a few times before, but back then Xia Kingdom was still strong. Although the vassal states were often in internal conflict, they would unite against external enemies. When invaders attacked, they were willing to set aside their differences and defend together against the enemy.
As Xia Kingdom’s strength declined, they seemed to face enemies as well, and even sought help from Xia Kingdom. However, I am not very knowledgeable about this matter. It concerns warriors and even those of innate talent."
"Enemies?"
Lin Jiang frowned. He knew that the Wu Sect, Immortal Sect, and others were once the four major tribes that had evolved. But further north, weren’t there just primitive tribes? Could it be that among the primitives, there was a genius who posed a threat to their power?
"The Zheng Kingdom is just a small country. If you want to know more, you can go to the Qin Kingdom in the west to find out. They might know more. Of course, you can also seek out some Grand Masters of Martial Arts; they might know as well."
"Thank you."
"I have tried my best to clarify things for you. Can you answer a few questions for me now?"
"Go ahead."
"May I ask who you are and where you come from?"
"Okay, look behind you, sir."
Lin Jiang nodded and urgently pointed behind Shi Zheng. Shi Zheng turned quickly but found nothing unusual. When he turned back, Lin Jiang was nowhere to be seen, leaving the living room empty.
"You thief, mocking an old man."
Sir Zheng was furious, he had shared all this information with Lin Jiang because it wasn’t a secret and even some ministers could know about it, and also to find out more about Lin Jiang, but who would have thought that the polite young man would play a joke on him.
······
When Lin Jiang returned to Shihao Village again, there were more soldiers and some officials outside the village discussing something. Lin Jiang didn’t want to disturb them, so he sneaked into Mo Zhai’s house.
"Big brother"
Mo Zhai was extremely surprised to see Lin Jiang suddenly appear.
"Zai, you must be respectful, this is a warrior elder."
Mo Zhai’s mother was shocked, and quickly scolded Mo Zhai. Over centuries, the warrior class became more and more esteemed due to the conquering of neighboring kingdoms, and almost all nobles were warriors.
"Auntie, no need for so much politeness. I am here to take Mo Zhai and his two friends with me."
"Sir warrior, you…"
"The world is chaotic, Mo Zhai and his two friends have good personalities, and I intend to help you all."
"Ah, Zai, why don’t you thank the gentleman quickly?"
When Mo Zhai’s mother heard this, she immediately showed a surprised expression. Their family has been artisans for generations. Although they are better off than commoners, they are still looked down upon by the nobles. Now that the warrior is willing to help them, it is a great opportunity.
"Mo Zhai, go ask your two brothers if they want to come with me. If they agree, we can leave together."
"Yes, sir."
Mo Zhai quickly went out. His two companions were his neighbors, just a few steps away.
Soon, the other two families arrived as well. Almost without any surprises, they all agreed to let their children follow Lin Jiang. It had nothing to do with their intelligence or foresight, but was related to the current situation.
Warriors have a high status, and if they don’t leave, they will inevitably be forced to serve as cannon fodder. Following Lin Jiang would be their best choice, allowing them to rise in social class.
Lin Jiang didn’t talk much, he asked them to pack two clothes and then took them away.
Shortly after leaving Shihao Village, they heard a sound behind them. Lin Jiang put down the three people and saw a person leaping towards them from a distance, showing impressive martial arts skills.
"Zheng Kingdom Martial Arts Academy, Zheng Xing greets the seniors."
The newcomer stood about ten meters away from Lin Jiang and saluted him like a warrior.
"Oh, the royal family of Zheng Kingdom."
Lin Jiang chuckled, explaining that Xia Kingdom Martial Arts Academy was washed away during a great flood. Since then, each sealed kingdom had established its own Martial Arts Academy. The Xia Kingdom Martial Arts Academy had lost its edge and declined significantly.
"Senior, I would like to invite you to Zheng Kingdom and appoint you as the General of National Protection…"
"No need, I’m not interested. Please leave."
Lin Jiang waved his hand, indicating that the strength between sealed kingdoms was determined by an important indicator – whether they had a Martial Saint. A nation with a Martial Saint was considered powerful, while one without was seen as weaker.
Because a Martial Saint can cause a big change, like leading a surprise attack and possibly defeating a whole army.
"Elder, the Zheng Kingdom sincerely invites you."
"Not agreeing would be disrespectful, right?"
"Yes."
"Alright, try to block my attack. If you can, you can stay."
Lin Jiang picked up a tree branch from the ground, attached internal strength to it, making it harder than steel, and threw it without waiting for his response.
"*Sound of impact*"
Zheng Xing tried his best, drew his sword, but upon contact, his sword shattered instantly, cutting his palm and causing him to scream in pain.
"*Laughter*"
Lin Jiang laughed and quickly left with Mo Zhai and three others, using light skills.
"It’s really a Martial Saint."
Zheng Xing dared not chase anymore as he couldn’t catch up. With just one move, he could see the gap. Despite being a skilled martial artist, he was no match for a Martial Saint.
However, he was still worried. A strange Martial Saint appeared in Zheng Kingdom but couldn’t be used for the kingdom’s benefit yet. This might increase the strength of another country.
