Master of Strange Dao

Chapter 1756: Chapter 475: Skills Stolen, Moon God Missing (5k)

People of the Dui Dynasty have an obsession with reclaiming lost land that other Divine Dynasties find difficult to imagine, and this is something Yu Ziqing has long known.

He even felt he had greatly underestimated this obsession.

He understands this notion well, and primarily it’s not because the Divine Dynasty can promote it, not even after he became the Emperor Dui did he actively promote such a thing.

It was during the time when the Dui Dynasty was sealed that the Dui was still at war with Daqian.

So many people held onto that unresolved sentiment, endlessly looping in the seal.

According to Yu Ziqing’s understanding and conjecture, memories can be reset, experiences recharged; almost everything can be reset within the seal.

Except for such sentiments, it’s very difficult to completely wipe them clean.

Over the years, with Jiachen City as a hub for foreign trade, contact with the outside world increased, and he worried about the influence on people from East Dui, that the wind of change might bring unfavorable transformations, but it never happened.

On the contrary, due to increased interaction with the outside, especially with West Qian, after seeing many people migrate from West Qian.

People in East Dui felt even more that the Dui Dynasty was better.

Some people born in the last twenty or thirty years learned from the migrating West Qians that it’s normal for mortals to experience hunger and fullness irregularly.

Whereas in Dui, not starving to death, as a criterion held against officials, Earth Deities, Riddlers, and others, who all held significant veto power, made it an alien species in this world.

One could say that this sense of happiness is easiest to derive from such comparisons...

But everything has its pros and cons, like now, the enthusiasm for reclaiming lost lands throughout the Dui Dynasty has reached a fever pitch.

Deploying a hundred thousand Dragon Elephant Army, all carefully selected, finally excluding most, leaving only the elite.

From power to military discipline, to willpower, these are already the best of this wave of people.

Having experienced real war, and after reclaiming part of the lost lands, they are just like the Fierce Battles in Yu Ziqing’s memory, possessing reason and able to seamlessly cooperate, fully obeying orders.

Honestly, even Yu Ziqing felt it far exceeded expectations.

Days ago, he never thought there was a problem.

But now listening to Zhang, he felt something was off.

He thought that no matter how well the Dui is doing now, it shouldn’t make people beyond East Dui so fervent.

Clearly, it’s not just about establishing military merit; seemingly, establishing military merit might not even be the main reason.

He personally brought back many people from East Qian before, personally interacted with them, and deeply understood them.

To them, Daqian was merely a very distant symbol, having no connection with their lives at all.

They had no concept of the Divine Dynasty whatsoever, even to the point of not blaming the Divine Dynasty in death.

This represents that they always considered themselves as people of the Divine Dynasty.

The situation in Dui was different; it appeared particularly much better by comparison.

But Yu Ziqing didn’t feel that the current Dui could make ordinary rural villagers sacrifice everything to reclaim lands lost from memory hundreds of years ago with such fervor.

The more realistic situation could be that people from West Dui, upon hearing some news on the Jade Tablet, gossiping with tea in hand, pointed their fingers distant to East Dui.

At most, they would say a few words, hoping the court could smoothly reclaim lost lands.

During this process, the person speaking might not even know where those lost lands were, or how distant, without a mental map for reference.

After the conversation over drinks, they would sleep soundly, wake up the next day to scold the children over breakfast, then begin their labor, entirely forgetting their talk from the night before.

Ordinary people no longer care about court affairs, focusing only on themselves and their surroundings, rarely contemplating grand schemes daily.

This is the true meaning of peaceful living.

Yet now, West Dui too is seeing an abundance of people craving to offer themselves for a distant land they have no concrete concept of.

This is still despite the lack of promotion over the Dui’s Jade Tablet network.

Yu Ziqing doesn’t believe that after he became Emperor Dui, the Dui court could inspire courtiers and people to such selfless devotion.

The vast majority of common folk have always sought only a good life for themselves.

Yu Ziqing simply doesn’t believe this development is a normal circumstance.

Yu Ziqing’s serious expression made Zhang also become solemn.

"Your Majesty, it’s not just the original citizens of the Dui Dynasty, those from West Qian too.

Even those subjects who just settled along the Southern Coast are requesting to join the battle.

The numbers are increasing, and after investigations.

It’s not just empty talk; some have already arranged for their families, leaving with the belief they might die.

Though temporarily stopped, the court cannot be overly harsh in handling such matters."

"Have the Riddler investigate closely and ensure all details are uncovered quickly."

Zhang hurried away, and before this, though speaking of worry, he secretly felt a slight sense of achievement.

The people’s inclination toward the court proved that the Cabinet has achieved progress in handling various affairs over the years.

But now, after being pointed out by Yu Ziqing, even if not explicitly stated, Zhang understood that something might indeed be amiss.