novelAbuy Chapter 245 Zhang Ying's Ambition
Chapter 245 Zhang Ying's Ambition
After Liu Weiqing finished saying what he needed to say, he plopped down on the throne, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and felt much better.
Xu Chuang told Yin Huasheng that although it was their first time meeting, they were people from the capital and were close to the emperor.
When the words came back to Liu Weiqing, he thought they were a hundred times better than if he had submitted a memorial himself.
"This system was taught to me by Zhang Ying; to put it bluntly, it's Emperor Wu of Han's policy of suppressing all other schools of thought and exclusively promoting Confucianism!"
"India has too many gods, too many religions, and too many scriptures. Hinduism alone has dozens of sects, and if you add Islam, Sikhism, and Jainism, no one can be unified!"
"I am very conflicted. I am afraid that His Majesty will not agree, because His Majesty's decree is for me to promote Hinduism. I am also afraid that His Majesty will misunderstand that I have ambitions. Therefore, I dare not be the first to submit a memorial. So I would like to ask you two to find an opportunity to mention it to His Majesty after you return to the capital and tell him about your experiences in India."
After listening, Xu Chuang nodded. He felt that Liu Weiqing had handled the matter with discretion—the matter could be done, but it couldn't be kept secret.
Not daring to speak first, they sent someone to relay the message, and the outcome of that message determined whether or not to proceed. This left the decision-making power to His Majesty, which was the most correct thing to do.
Zhang Ying sat to the side, not saying a word from the beginning, but his expression grew increasingly unpleasant. His knuckles were white as he held the wine glass, and the corners of his mouth turned down, clearly indicating that he was suppressing his anger.
He's been arguing with Liu Weiqing about this for a long time, and each time it's been fruitless. Liu Weiqing has a very good attitude, and he's managed to fool him several times, but he just won't budge.
Today, in front of Xu Chuang and Yin Huasheng, he made his point so clearly that if His Majesty disagreed, the matter would be dropped, effectively putting an end to the debate.
Zhang Ying was unwilling to accept this. He had served as a minister in the Han Dynasty for two years, experiencing the pinnacle of power. He had stood guard in the Chongde Hall, discussed important national affairs with the emperor, and handled all the memorials submitted by the emperor.
Has he already experienced power? What he wants now is no longer the position of prime minister. He wants to establish a school of thought, to be remembered for generations, and for future scholars to place him alongside Wang Yangming, or even alongside Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi.
Therefore, what he designed for Liu Weiqing was not just to suppress all other schools of thought and exclusively promote Confucianism; that was only the first step. In fact, what he wanted was for Liu Weiqing to unify India and for Liu Weiqing to become emperor.
Then, by building a great Qin dynasty like Qin Shi Huang's, combining the Brahmanical system with Confucian thought, it would certainly not perish after only two generations. In this way, he could be remembered for generations to come on this land.
As for the Han Dynasty?
Now, Liu Weiqing commands a massive army of 200,000 men, most of whom are elites who rose from commoners to become rebels and fought against the Mughal cavalry in battle after battle. With such a foundation, he is already capable of carving out his own territory and becoming emperor.
Not to mention that Bangladesh has plenty of food, and the soil in the Ganges Delta is even more fertile than that in the Jiangnan region, allowing for three harvests a year.
With soldiers, provisions, and money, and being far from the Central Plains, as long as the mountain passes of the Great Snow Mountain and the mountain roads of Myanmar are secured, the imperial army will be unable to fly over even if it had wings.
The mountains are high and the emperor is far away, so no one can control them.
Moreover, Zhang Ying had already planned to first accumulate strength, destroy the Mughal Dynasty within three to five years, and then establish a new dynasty in India, with Liu Weiqing as the first emperor of India, while he, Zhang Ying, would become Li Si.
He wanted to become a Confucian sage in India and the founder of Indian Confucianism; this was what he wanted, and this was his last chance in this life.
There was nowhere more suitable than India, but Liu Weiqing always said not to rush, to wait and see what His Majesty thought. Zhang Ying became angrier and angrier, and slammed his wine cup on the table.
"Your Majesty, I've been hearing your excuse of 'if His Majesty doesn't agree, we'll just give up' for the past six months. Today, in front of General Xu and General Yin, you still say the same thing. May I ask, what exactly are you afraid of?"
Liu Weiqing frowned, but before he could speak, Zhang Ying answered for him: "You are afraid that His Majesty will misunderstand that you have ambitions. I understand, but I can't understand it. You were originally appointed by His Majesty as the King of India, a king who was granted territory."
"That's enough." Liu Weiqing's voice turned cold.
Xu Chuang and Yin Huasheng were already sweating profusely with fright.
The two exchanged a glance under the table, neither speaking, but both were thinking the same thing—were Zhang Ying's words solely her own, or were they instructing Liu Weiqing to say them?
If it was Liu Weiqing's doing, then we're in trouble. The mountains are high and the emperor is far away. If he really wants to establish himself, the Han Dynasty can't do anything about it. The key issue is their lives; they might lose their lives here.
Just then, Zhang Ying clapped his hands, and a moment later, thirty armored soldiers rushed in from both sides of the palace gate. They were not Han Chinese guards, but local Indian soldiers, all clad in iron armor.
After they rushed in, they didn't go to Liu Weiqing's side, but instead spread out and all their attacks were directed at Xu Chuang and Yin Huasheng.
Xu Chuang almost instinctively reached for his waist, only to find nothing; his weapon had already been handed over before entering the palace.
Yin Huasheng reacted even faster, stepping in front of Xu Chuang and making a gesture as if drawing a sword with his right hand. He didn't actually have a sword, but he still made the gesture. Then he raised his head and looked directly at Liu Weiqing.
"What are you doing!"
"King of India, are you planning a rebellion?"
Liu Weiqing's expression changed. He stood up, glanced at the armored soldiers, and then at Zhang Ying. His brows were furrowed, but his voice was steady.
"All of you, step back."
Upon hearing the order, the armored soldiers almost immediately raised their spears and then all withdrew from the main hall.
Liu Weiqing then turned around and looked at Zhang Ying.
"Zhang Ying, I trusted you, which is why I gave you the opportunity to be the prime minister. From the first day you came to my court, I treated you with the respect due to a teacher. I listened to what you said and learned what you taught me. Is this how you harm me?"
Zhang Ying stood in the center of the hall, his face ashen and his body swaying. He grabbed onto the relief carving on a palace pillar to steady himself. He wasn't afraid; he knew this would happen.
He had spent more than half a year winning over those thirty armored soldiers, intending to force the emperor to abdicate at a crucial moment.
But compared to Liu Weiqing's prestige in the army, it's nothing. After all, their Kshatriya status was bestowed by Liu Weiqing, and their military pay was paid by Liu Weiqing.
"Why!!!"
Zhang Ying sighed deeply, looking as if she had aged twenty or thirty years in an instant, her face becoming unusually dry and brittle.
"Your Majesty, the land is ruled by those of virtue. You are His Majesty's own nephew. His Majesty sent you to India to prepare you for governance. In that case, why report everything? How are you any different from an ordinary subject?"
"Not to mention, you fought your way through the two provinces of Bangladesh with your own blood and sweat. Are you really willing to be subservient to others after all this?"