"The second is the invasion of foreign faith!"
"Among the fifty-two temples, seven feature beast figures, so with wings, others with scales."
"The carvings of Yin Gods in Great Zhou, even though they include auspicious beast totems, are purely decorative. Only the Southern Barbarian Tribes adopt such styles."
"Over ti, if the barbarians really crossed the Canglan River, it would undoubtedly weaken the resolve of our military and civilians to resist."
Wei Xuancheng slightly nodded. Those seven temples were destined to be demolished in this operation.
Why address it now, then? First, it had not beco significant; second, it had been overlooked, as they stood in remote mountainous and aquatic regions.
In the past, Emperor Wen did not address it, so no one saw an issue. Now, Emperor Jing intended to rectify things, and discrepancies naturally surfaced.
"Thirdly, with a major war imminent, to ensure internal stability, private shrines among the populace must be thoroughly eradicated. Leniency won’t showcase the thunderous might, allowing those with ill intentions to hold onto hope, waiting for the situation to calm down to resurrect the Wild Gods."
"Thus, in my humble opinion, all fifty-two temples should be eradicated!"
Zhao Xing cupped his hands, indicating he had finished speaking.
Wei Xuancheng returned the gesture and replied, "I shall recount your words verbatim to Lord Gong. Please wait here, Mr. Zhao."
With that, Wei Xuancheng exited the elegant room.
Seeing Wei Xuancheng leave, Long Xiao imdiately gave Zhao Xing a thumbs up, "Kid, I didn’t expect you to speak so well, you left him stunned."
Zhao Xing smiled slightly, "Keyboard warrior, who can’t be one?"
Historically, Emperor Jing also wielded his knife on the Yin God during the Jingxin Era, handling both military and divine pathways together.
However, the intensity was not as strong, and the impact was not significant.
As a jury mber, as long as what he said was on the right track and aligned with the court’s direction, he didn’t see a problem in getting a high assessnt.
In Great Zhou, speech was free, and there had been officials who even answered "Cutting Off Heaven and Earth Communication" during exams without consequence, which was quite telling.
.....
Outside the tower ship, a middle-aged man in a long robe stood on the deck. His robe was interwoven with black, white, and gold stripes, and he held a Ming King statue.
He gazed at the splendid temple below.
The temple stood thirteen zhang high, covering five hundred mu, clearly against regulations.
In the past, it was unchecked because no one wanted to check, and others shielded it.
Today, however, Gong Ming was ready to demolish this two-hundred-year-old temple.
Just as he was about to issue a command, he saw Wei Xuancheng coming up from below.
Gong Ming hesitated.
Wei Xuancheng was the younger brother of Wei Hong, and his talent and intelligence had earned him Gong Ming’s favor.
"Lord Gong, Military Minister of Agriculture Zhao Xing has given his opinion."
"To keep or demolish? Any specific comnts?" Gong Ming casually asked, not taking the matter to heart.
A military genius did not necessarily understand the ways of priests.
Of course, in the way of officialdom, everyone gets along. As long as the genius’s answer wasn’t too far-fetched, even if he just recited a few lines from the "Great Zhou Ritual Laws", he’d give a good review.
If he turned out to be incompetent and made a ss of things, it would be his own fault.
"Zhao Xing said..."
Wei Xuancheng recounted Zhao Xing’s words verbatim.
Gong Ming was slightly surprised.
He had not expected Zhao Xing to give a uniform answer for all fifty-two temples.
Nor had he expected Zhao Xing to say anything substantial.
Especially the first point.
After hearing it, Gong Ming sighed, "As expected of the Minister of Agriculture; his calculations are truly impressive, truly..."
It was incredibly impactful, quantifying the harm of Wild Gods with data!
As for the second and third points, while not exceptional, they were in accordance with ritual laws, bolstering his argunt’s credibility.
"Lord Gong, how should we respond?" Wei Xuancheng asked.
After pondering, Gong Ming said, "I will report this to the Military Realm, rating it tops."
He was not the sole decision-maker, but given Zhao Xing’s excellent response and no conflict of interest, he was inclined to give a high rating.
"Understood." Wei Xuancheng prepared to leave.
"No need to rush, Xuancheng, you lead the team down for action." Gong Ming ordered,
"Understood."
.....
"Boom~"
The sky changed dramatically, and dark clouds enveloped Yanguang Temple.
Wei Xuancheng led a team of priests into the temple.
Gong Ming silently observed from above.
The dispatched personnel were of relatively low rank, a deliberate choice.
"I want to see who dares to interfere."
...
Below, Yanguang Temple.
When the priests sealed the temple and sent n into the main hall, they were indeed intercepted.
A middle-aged man in Chinese clothing stepped out.
His na was Yan Kuan. He was a cousin of the Yan Family’s current head and one of its powerholders.
"I am Yan Kuan. Sirs, why have you suddenly sealed the temple?" Yan Kuan asked, hands cupped in confusion.
"Unaffiliated with the court, how do you call this a temple?" Wei Xuancheng glared at Yan Kuan, his deanor now severe, unlike his earlier affable manner aboard the tower ship. "We are here to raze this illicit shrine today!"
After hearing Zhao Xing’s statents, Wei Xuancheng’s gaze at Yan Kuan was as if seeing a cluster of figures.
He saw countless ignorant faces being bled dry, unaware.
Yan Kuan, though well-known in the prefectural city, now appeared in Wei Xuancheng’s eyes as a human-shaped leech!
Yan Kuan’s expression changed slightly: "Sirs, Yanguang Temple has stood for centuries, built voluntarily by the common folk. For two hundred years, it has been revered by the populace, frequently manifesting divine signs. It may not have done great deeds but does not warrant being labeled illicit."
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