Chapter 340 Preparations

  Sima Yi, styled Zhongda, was fourteen years old this year according to the customs of that time.

  Whether in the world he used to live in or in this era, Sima Yi was still just a child. But unlike ordinary boys, not only did he handle things calmly, but his knowledge was also extremely rich, whether it was astronomy, geography, classics, history, poetry, or military strategy, whatever Liu Xie thought of, he could answer.

  Liu Xuan, who had been listening all day, was amazed at Sima Yi's knowledge at such a young age: "Indeed worthy of being a future prominent minister of Wei, truly not ordinary."

  After leaving Chang'an, Liu Xuan did not continue to ride on horseback, but instead sat in the carriage with Cai Yan. At first, his second brother Liu Bian was able to look around curiously due to the novelty, but after two days he also found it boring. Moreover, riding a horse is very tiring, so he also changed to taking a carriage, and took the opportunity to chat with his wife Tang Ji about private matters.

  Only Liu Xie's youthful nature, with Sima Yi by his side, continued to ride horses back and forth in the team, occasionally chatting with Liu Xuan and Liu Bian - The large carriage had windows, covered with two layers of cloth curtains and thin gauze, only needing to lift the curtain to see the outside situation, and also talk to the riders next to the carriage.

  Besides, Liu Xuan wasn't always cooped up in the car and wouldn't come out. Sometimes he would sit outside, feeling the spring breeze that still carried a hint of coolness, while gazing at the greenery that had already begun to sprout tender buds.

  Today he is sitting here, originally as the emperor should maintain the due dignity, but now it has gone far, plus there are no outsiders in this team, and Liu Xuan hasn't shouted loudly everywhere: "I am the Emperor!"

  So it's okay to relax a bit, and no one will mind. As for Huangmen Shilang Zhong Yi, who was attending on the side, he wanted to advise a few words, but the key is that the emperor didn't think so, and he couldn't spoil the emperor's mood at this time.

  This time, the officials who followed were only Minister of Revenue Xun Yu, Huangmen Shilang Zhong Yao, Yilang Wu Suo and Guo Jia. The generals had only Huang Zhong, and the bodyguards, about a hundred or so Yulin Lang, were led by Colonel Qin Yi Lu.

  The rest were soldiers and maidservants, eunuchs, not many in number; when they traveled, they all sat in the back rows of cars, and two cars could accommodate them all.

  It can be said that Liu Xuan's trip this time was not as high-profile as some large merchant groups, and was relatively low-key. Moreover, except for the local magistrates, lower-level officials did not know that the emperor would come to their area for inspection.

  It's not that Liu Xuan wants to make a secret visit, but telling those low-ranking officials about these things is meaningless. Nowadays, the power of each prefecture is in the hands of the governor, and just notifying them is enough.

  In addition, the team sends messengers to Chang'an every day to inform the imperial court of the emperor's daily movements and the current location of the team, so that in case of an emergency, the imperial court can find the emperor at the first time.

  Liu Xuan had actually made preparations earlier, and he gave Cao Cao and Xun Yi a jade token each. If there was an urgent matter, they would input the specific situation into the token, then activate the formation on it, and the token would automatically fly to Liu Xuan's hand. Even if Liu Xuan had already gone to Liangzhou, it wouldn't take a day's effort; at this point, the speed was quite fast.

  It was with these supports that Liu Xuan felt at ease and boldly ran outside to take a stroll.

  "It's a pity that it's not suitable to play the role of "dressing up as a pig and eating a tiger" or "incognito visit" at this time. I used to like watching plays about certain people making incognito visits when I was young..."

  Look, suddenly saw Shidao Ren don't know when he came to the side of the big car on horseback, Liu Xuan was stunned for a moment, and then asked with an air of nonchalance: "Master Dao, do you have something to say?"

  He didn't have any special feelings towards Shidao Ren. He couldn't say he disliked him, nor could he say he liked or admired him. However, Shidao Ren was indeed a man of substance, so Liu Xuan treated him with courtesy. Since following Shidao Ren and the team, he knew that this old Daoist had something to say to him.

  In order to wait for this person to speak up, Liu Xuanlian's originally planned series of guidance plans were not implemented. This time he came out, he specially brought Huang Zhong and tricked Sima Yi into coming along, aside from wanting to take a look around everywhere, also wanted to take the opportunity to cultivate these two people, unfortunately because of Shi Daoren's matter this delay, it was never implemented.

  Shi Daoren saw the emperor and asked: "Your Majesty, what is your view on the current situation in the world?"

  "Huh?"

  I never thought that this Shidao person would bring up such a topic with me, it seems like the kind of thing those literati and military leaders in the capital like to discuss. Could it be that monks during this time period are also interested in matters of national importance? Nan Hua is like this, and this Shidao person is also like this!

  "Dean, if you have anything to say, just say it!"

  Shi Daoren didn't expect the young emperor to speak so casually, so he spoke straightforwardly: "As for Nan Hua Lao Xian, I also have some understanding. Now that this person has come out and raised an army in rebellion, it must be because they have sufficient backing... Your Majesty also understands various mysterious methods..."

  "Then can't guarantee that the Han dynasty's rivers and mountains will be reunified again?"

  Having heard halfway through, Liu Xuan finally understood what Shi Dao Ren was trying to say. It turned out that he was doubting whether he could defeat the old ghost Nan Hua or not.

  Shi Daoren didn't think so, and shook his head: "It's not like that. After I left Luoyang, I traveled around and saw what the Yellow Turbans did. Although Nan Hua has enough ambition and ability, he is not a person who can be the master of the world."

  "It is rather Your Majesty who is more suited to sit on this throne!"

  "Hmm? What makes you say that?" Liu Xuan was very curious, what judgment did this Shi Dao person make based on what?

  Only heard Shi Daoren say: "Traveling all over the world, the Yellow Turban Army has eliminated bandits and never thought about how to make people's lives better. Wherever they pass, it is like a locust plague, with no grass or tiles left intact. Such behavior is the common enemy of the people of the world."

  "There's no foundation of the people, this regime they fought for can't even be sustained!" Unexpectedly, Shi Dao-ren had actually done quite some research in this aspect and immediately pointed out the most fatal weakness of the Yellow Turbans: "On the other hand, the areas under Your Majesty's governance, although also raising troops and heavily recruiting young men, are not solely focused on attacking all sides. Instead, they use these young men to open up wasteland for cultivation, encourage agriculture, and even distribute surplus grain from the imperial court to relieve the people, thereby widely gathering the hearts of the people..."

  "Moreover, Your Majesty has also applied the profound skills of the Xuanmen to governing the world. Whether it's the thought process or the subtlety of the techniques, they make me extremely admire! It seems that with this wonderful method, in the future, the people under your rule will no longer have to worry about having nothing to eat. When the people are full, they will naturally be at peace, and with sufficient grain, the army will also possess extremely strong combat power. At that time..."

  It goes without saying what happened next; in Shi Dao's eyes, the Yellow Turbans were doomed to destruction.

  Liu Xuan naturally understood, what he was curious about was why Shi Daoren found himself to say these things. He didn't take the initiative to ask, and he guessed that the real topic would be said next.

  As expected, Shi Daoren saw that Liu Xuan did not respond, and he also knew that the young emperor was waiting for his next words, which were the most crucial.

  "However, after observing for a while, I found that Your Majesty is practicing the Dragon Energy National Destiny Method. Although I'm not clear what kind of extraordinary skill or method can control the dragon energy of an entire country, it's also apparent that the strength and weakness of the national destiny determines Your Majesty's cultivation speed and power. Now that the national destiny is declining, the dragon energy is weak and almost disappearing, I'm afraid Your Majesty's cultivation will be difficult to make progress in a short period of time?"

  Unexpectedly, in the end, it all came back to his own cultivation. Liu Xuan couldn't help but take this matter seriously, and he himself was also frustrated with this problem. However, under the current circumstances, apart from relying on some unexpected encounters, there was no other way but to steadily improve the kingdom's strength and thereby enhance his own strength.

  But unexpectedly Shi Dao Ren's words shocked Liu Xuan.

  "I have been cultivating for over a hundred years, although my cultivation is not particularly strong. However, because I like to travel and explore the world, I know many secret things. Currently, there is an opportunity that can help Your Majesty's cultivation improve, but I don't know if Your Majesty has such intentions..."

  Shi Wei thought that his proposal would certainly be accepted by Liu Xuan.

  The reason is simple, as long as Liu Xuan wants to deal with Nan Hua, he must think of a way to make himself stronger. He doesn't know that Liu Xuan's current cultivation is already enough to deal with Nan Hua, he just thinks that although Liu Xuan has extraordinary skills and relies on dragon energy for cultivation, and can even control the dragon energy, but in a real fight, it's still uncertain whether he can be Nan Hua's opponent. Therefore, Tianzi must have an urgent need to enhance his own strength.

  In fact, although a bit biased, Liu Xuan is indeed very concerned about things that can improve his own strength. After all, he wants to restore the prosperity of the Han room, which is also to make his own strength stronger.

  However, he did not think that Shi Daoren's sudden kindness was because of his sympathy for the people, which made Shi Daoren have a good impression and help him wholeheartedly.

  Looking at this person's face, I estimate that it is that so-called 'opportunity', in which there is something he wants, but his own strength is not enough to get it, so he comes to find himself, wanting to borrow my hand to succeed.

  "What is it that you want to get?"

  Liu Xuan was indeed moved, and he had basically decided to go through this with Shi Daoren. But that didn't mean he was willing to be a complete idiot who knew nothing. If they were going to cooperate, then they should at least show some sincerity, and first explain what they meant by "fate".

  As soon as the words came out, Shi Dao understood Liu Xuan's meaning. Upon hearing this, a joyful expression involuntarily appeared on his face: "This matter is of great importance and is not suitable for detailed discussion here. It would be better to wait until we set up camp before explaining it in detail to Your Majesty."