Chapter Fifteen: The Four Lords of the Various Regions

  It turned out that Zhang Zixing's guess was correct, and as the days went by, with the strengthening of the dual Xiu power, the super brain appeared more frequently. Occasionally, when energy was sufficient, it could also transmit some valuable information to his mind. Currently, he and the super brain seem to have a special connection. When he needs certain information, the super brain only needs to transmit corresponding images or information into his mind, and it can form fixed memories and physiological reflexes in his brain. To put it simply, if he wants to learn how to fly a plane, he just needs to let the super brain input the "flight driving" program into his mind, and after about one or two minutes, Zhang Zixing can drive an airplane soaring in the sky. This kind of miracle is beyond what 24th-century technology can achieve, it's like science fiction. Unfortunately, due to insufficient energy, only a very small part of the data can be activated.

  What made Zhang Zixing even more curious was that when the super brain absorbed his dual xiuzi's power and converted it into its own biological energy, a corresponding special energy would also be transmitted to complement Zhang Zixing. This energy did not conflict with the Zhansheng Jue and Huangdi Su Nu Jing, but instead had a neutralizing effect on both, causing the powers of the two to "coexist peacefully" under its regulation. The three energies circulated and complemented each other, accelerating their refinement speed, and the greatest beneficiary was naturally Zhang Zixing himself.

  Zhang Zixing was delighted by his own rapid growth in power, but he was more concerned about the recovery of Chao Nao's energy, because only its database, which almost encompassed all the wisdom crystallized by humanity over thousands of years, was his only hope for changing the fate of this world of gods and demons.

  After two months of intense preparation, the preparations for the grand ceremony of the prince's enthronement were finally completed, and all the vassals from various regions rushed to pay their respects. The leaders were naturally the four great vassals - East Duke Jiang Huan Chu, South Duke E Chong Yu, West Duke Ji Chang and North Duke Chong Hou Hu.

  Zhang Zixing finally met the greatest "enemy" among the vassals, Zhou Wenwang Ji Chang. He had a particularly deep impression of Ji Chang as depicted in historical records, and remembered that to describe this sage, the words "chest with four breasts" were even used (what a monster!). It's really unknown what those exaggerated historians were thinking. In "Fengshen Yanyi", it is also written that "Wenwang has four breasts, twenty-four concubines, and ninety-nine sons". Even if these four "breasts" refer to wet nurses, Ji Chang had at least twenty-four formal wives; in comparison, Zhou's Jiang Hou, Yang Fei, Huang Fei, plus the three female demons later on, only had a total of six, it's really unknown who was more decadent. As for the number of sons, there's no comparison.

  Ji Chang was not tall, unlike the "ten feet long" in historical records. His age wasn't as old as imagined, looking around sixty years old. He had a kind face and humble speech, making him look easy to get along with. Even towards Zhang Zixing, the crown prince, he showed great respect, having an harmless appearance of a good gentleman. However, Zhang Zixing knew that Ji Chang was not simple at all. Emperor Di Xin, who was strong-willed and had his own ideas, also had reservations about this seemingly kind old man, showing that there was more to him than met the eye.

  At that time, Ji Chang had been killed by his father and was determined to avenge him. He gathered a large army and prepared to attack the Shang Dynasty. The vassals in the east also began to rebel, making it difficult for Emperor Yi to cope with the situation. What's more, other vassals pretended not to know about Zhou's plan to attack the Shang Dynasty, on the one hand because they were afraid of the powerful Western Zhou, and on the other hand because they thought that justice was on the side of the Shang Dynasty, and they wanted to watch the fun. Emperor Yi had no choice but to marry his beloved younger sister to Ji Chang as a peace offering, calming down the storm of war, which he considered a great humiliation.

  Zhang Zixing, although mentally eager to let this Western Marquis evaporate as soon as possible, was still very polite on the surface. He also knew that even if he could get rid of Jichang now, he would still be unable to eliminate the threat of Zhou to Daxia. Jichang's son, especially his second son Jifa, had an even greater ambition than his father. If he rashly took action against Jichang, he feared it would only give Western Zhou a reason to rise up in revolt, which would be a loss.

  Beihou Duke Chonghoutiger is one of the four major dukes in the original work who "assists Zhou for tyranny". In his territory, he has been oppressing the people with heavy taxes and violence, losing all his prestige. The surrounding small dukes have been rebelling constantly, and he has always been despised by the other three dukes. This time, upon hearing the news of the crown prince's enthronement, he rushed over on horseback, being the first to arrive, and presented Zhang Zixing with heavy gifts. The gifts included not only a large amount of wealth but also a batch of beautiful dancing girls who were good at singing and dancing, showing his sincerity. After contacting Chonghoutiger several times, Zhang Zixing found that he was indeed greedy for money and women, fawning on those above him while bullying those below him, a typical "corrupt official" type of person. However, his ambition was small, and in his heart, he had a strong fear of the imperial power and a concept of subjugation. For an emperor, this kind of person, although with many villainies, is easier to control than those famous "sages". Therefore, Chonghoutiger turned out to be the one among the four major dukes who posed the least threat.

  Nan Bo Hou E Chong Yu appears rough and uninhibited on the surface but is actually profound and hard to deal with.

  Due to the distance of Eastern Lu, Zhang Zixing's father-in-law, Duke Dongbo Jiang Huanchu, was the last to arrive in Mo County. He was a man of dignified appearance and upright character, with both wisdom and bravery, and was the only one among the four dukes who could be compared to Ji Chang in terms of actual power. From Jiang Wencan, Zhang Zixing learned that throughout history, the Jiang clan had always placed great emphasis on their family ties, sometimes even more so than their loyalty to the ruler. Therefore, if Zhang Zixing wanted to unify the world and change the feudal system to a centralized monarchy, the Jiang clan would likely be one of the toughest nuts to crack.

  The four great vassals have dominated the four directions for many years, and their power is deeply rooted. To thoroughly dissolve them is not something that can be accomplished by simply killing a few people. In "Fengshen Yanyi", Fei Zhong once proposed an idea to King Zhou, suggesting that he lure the four great vassals into the capital and kill them all, in order to prevent them from rebelling. However, King Zhou was foolish enough to agree, and ultimately ended up with the entire world turning against him. It's really unimaginable how low the IQ of these two people is.

  Jiang Huan Chu brought his son Jiang Wen Huan this time. Zhang Zi Xing thought to himself, setting aside the influence of Duke Dong Bo, but from a personal perspective, he couldn't afford to be slow. Although the marriage between Shou Wang and Jiang Wen Ju was purely political, Jiang Huan Chu was after all his father-in-law, and recently had been deeply in love with the Jiang family, so he should show sincerity, making them feel valued and respected.

  In the face of Prince's personal welcome outside the city gate, Jiang Huan Chu was okay, but Jiang Wen Huan was overjoyed. He had a deep affection for his sister since childhood, and after Jiang Wen Qi married far away in Mo County, he always missed his sister. This time, seeing that his brother-in-law, who was now the Prince, attached great importance to him and his son, his good impression of Zhang Zi Xing suddenly increased. Taking advantage of the opportunity to chat with Jiang Wen Huan, Zhang Zi Xing invited the Jiang family father and son to visit the Prince's mansion as guests, and Jiang Huan Chu also wanted to see his daughter, so he agreed.

  Jiang saw her long-separated father and brother, and was naturally very happy. Jiang Huan Chu secretly observed that the affection between his daughter and the Crown Prince was not feigned, and his evaluation of this son-in-law rose a few more points.

  That night, Duke Dongbo and his son stayed at the Crown Prince's mansion, where they were warmly entertained.

  Zhang Zixing knew that his younger brother-in-law, Jiang Wenhuan, would become a top-notch general in the future. He intentionally got close to him, having heart-to-hearts at night and sleeping with their feet touching. Zhang was very familiar with him. He deliberately showed off, talking about everything under the sun, and much of what he said was new to Jiang's ears. Jiang listened with wide eyes and an open mouth, admiring his brother-in-law's eloquence and knowledge.

  To thoroughly convince Jiang Wenhuan, the next afternoon, Zhang Zixing proposed to have a wrestling match with Jiang Wenhuan. Jiang Wenhuan was young and vigorous, and had also heard of his brother-in-law's reputation for being able to lift nine cows with one hand, so he had long wanted to compete with him. Upon hearing this proposal, he immediately agreed.

  Although Jiang Wenhuan is exceptionally brave, he is currently too young and lacks experience in combat skills compared to Huang Feihu, a top-notch martial artist. Zhang Zixing, on the other hand, possesses the War Soul Technique and has also acquired a set of modern combat skills from Super Brain. What he lacks is actual combat experience. Jiang Wenhuan becomes his perfect target for practice. Initially, both have their moments of offense and defense, with Jiang Wenhuan slightly at a disadvantage. However, Zhang Zixing's strength increases significantly after each battle, and after several fights, his techniques become more refined, making him increasingly formidable in combat, leaving Jiang Wenhuan completely helpless to defend himself.

  After being knocked down several times in a row, Jiang Wenhuan finally realized that he and his brother-in-law were not on the same level, and his face couldn't help but reveal a look of despair. At this time, Zhang Zixing took advantage of the situation to come forward and help Jiang Wenhuan up, and pointed out his shortcomings and direction for improvement in a timely manner, making the young man admire him greatly.

  Jiang Wenhuan was originally a proud and arrogant person, who looked down on everyone except his father Jiang Hanchu. But now he is deeply impressed by this sister's husband, who excels in both literature and martial arts. Seeing her brother and husband getting along so well, Jiang couldn't help but feel delighted. Only Jiang Hanchu had a complex look in his eyes, as if he was thinking about something.

  A few days later, the ceremony of enfeoffment officially began. Although the culture and etiquette of the Shang Dynasty were still in a somewhat unhealthy state, the complexity was still enough to make Zhang Zixing feel annoyed. However, what shocked him the most was the scene of using live people as sacrifices during the ritual of worshiping heaven at the ceremony of enfeoffment. Five hundred living male and female slaves were beheaded by warriors, as offerings to heaven. Before their execution, Zhang Zixing clearly saw their eyes - a gaze that was a mixture of despair and numbness. A moment later, the blood-soaked altar witnessed a primitive, ignorant, and cruel act, which was the most common "human sacrifice" in the Shang Dynasty. Correspondingly, there was also the equally inhumane practice of using live people to bury with the dead, known as "human burial".

  Zhang Zixing asked himself that he was not a soft-hearted person, but when he saw this scene, he couldn't help but feel a strong shock from the depths of his soul. He knew that with his current status, he didn't have the ability to stop this kind of barbaric and ignorant "rite". In this era, there were too many bad habits that needed to be abandoned, and too many places that needed improvement. Even if he ascended to the throne in the future, he would still face a complex situation with powerful external forces and internal chaos waiting to be restored. To carry out a great reform that transcends the times, it was likely to be extremely difficult.

  What Zhang Zixing did not expect was that this "future" actually came much faster than he had imagined.

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