In fact, Ming Yuzhen was not as bad as Qixiazi described. She was the founder of the Great Xia regime in Shu and Long regions. Although she was nominally under the control of Xu Shouhui of the Red Turban Army, she was basically independent.
The two strongest forces under Xu Shouhui were Ming Yuzhen and Chen Youliang.
With the support of Emei, Ming Yuzhen has now conquered the Shu region. However, after conquering Shu, Ming Yuzhen has indeed become somewhat complacent and indulged in pleasure.
"Then, according to Sect Leader Qixiazi's wishes, who is capable of taking on this important task?"
The Emei Sect Leader, Abbess Wuyun, looked rather displeased. She had dared to suggest a candidate only to be humiliated, and no one would be happy about that.
"Chen Youliang of the Red Turban Army is both intelligent and brave, and is also exceptionally clever and capable of shouldering great responsibilities."
Just like Ming Yuzhen, who was supported by the Emei Sect, Chen Youliang, who was supported by the Kongtong Sect, was also under Xu Shouhui's command. However, his situation was similar to Ming Yuzhen's, as he was already in a semi-independent state.
Historically, the candidates for the Kongtong School were indeed far superior to those for the Emei School. Although Chen Youliang ultimately failed, his achievements far surpassed those of Ming Yuzhen.
Master Wuyun said disdainfully, "You just said that the person I chose was Xu Shouhui's subordinate. Does that mean Chen Youliang wasn't?"
Qixiazi smiled faintly and said, "It won't be like that for long."
Li Boyang, who was listening in from the side, showed a strange expression when he heard this. Chen Youliang had obviously planned to get rid of Xu Shouhui.
Historically, after Chen Youliang killed Xu Shouhui, he inherited everything from Xu Shouhui and eventually ascended the throne as emperor. Could all of this have been manipulated by the Kongtong Sect behind the scenes?
At this moment, the head of the Huashan Sect suddenly interjected, "You two should stop arguing. In my opinion, neither of your choices is very good. Why don't you listen to my opinion?"
"Old Yue, what are you saying? What do you mean my choice isn't good enough?"
"Exactly, our candidates aren't good enough, but yours are? Did you even ask Emei for their approval?"
The two who had been arguing just moments before instantly united and retorted to the Huashan Sect Leader.
At this moment, Qiu Chuji spoke up: "Quiet down, let's hear what Sect Leader Yue has in mind."
"Liu Futong of the Red Turbans was one of the first leaders of the uprising. He is both loyal and brave, and I think he is capable of taking on great responsibilities."
Among the various warlords at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Han Shantong and Liu Futong were the first to rise up in rebellion. It was the two of them who established the name Red Turban Army. Later, various warlords responded one after another and also used the name Red Turban Army.
Therefore, the Red Turban Army was not the name of an army, but rather represented the various forces that rose up against the Yuan dynasty.
Upon hearing the name of the candidate, Abbess Wuyun, the head of the Emei Sect, immediately retorted, "Old Yue, what nonsense are you spouting? Although Liu Futong is highly respected, he is already very old and frail. He'll probably be in his coffin before he even conquers the land."
The Kongtong Sect Leader, Qixiazi, said sarcastically, "That's right. Does your Huashan Sect hope that the great cause of resisting the Yuan Dynasty will fall apart halfway through because of Liu Futong's death? What are your intentions?"
"Qixiazi, you're talking nonsense. What do you mean by 'what are my intentions'? I'm just stating the facts. If you don't agree, we can suggest other candidates."
Huashan Sect Leader Yue Tianling quickly explained that such high praise should not be given lightly, as it would be difficult to remove once it was bestowed upon him.
Ignoring the three who were arguing again, Qiu Chuji turned to Jueyuan and asked, "Master Jueyuan, what is Shaolin Temple's stance?"
"Peng Yingyu, the Red Scarf, is compassionate and saves people from dire straits; she is a worthy ruler."
Peng Yingyu, nicknamed Monk Peng, was once a monk at Cihua Temple. Now he is one of the powerful figures in the land, backed by the Shaolin Temple.
However, Peng Yingyu is arguably the least like a figure vying for power among all the warlords in the land. His forces are actually developed in the form of a religious sect, which may be the reason why he was able to gain the support of Shaolin Temple.
“Peng Yingyu is no good master; Master Jueyuan must have misjudged her.”
“The nun was right this time. Even Ming Yuzhen is better than Peng Yingyu.”
"I agree with both of you. Compared to Liu Futong, Peng Yingyu is far inferior."
As soon as Jueyuan finished speaking, the leaders of Huashan, Emei, and Kongtong immediately objected. It can be said that apart from Shaolin Temple, none of the people present were optimistic about it. The reason was simple: Monk Peng had too much religious influence.
Qiu Chuji then turned to Bai Yujing, the leader of the Beggars' Sect, and asked, "What do you think, Leader Bai?"
With the world in chaos, there are more and more beggars, and the Beggars' Sect is becoming increasingly powerful. If we were to compare numbers, all the sects in the arena combined would be no match for the Beggars' Sect.
Bai Yujing said calmly, "Zhang Shicheng of the righteous army has the signs of being destined by Heaven."
Among the warlords at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, there was a saying: Youliang was the most ruthless, and Shicheng was the richest.
This means that among the warlords at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Chen Youliang was the most brutal and Zhang Shicheng was the richest. However, one cannot conquer the world with brutality alone. History has also proven that Zhang Shicheng's achievements were greater than Chen Youliang's, and he was truly only one step away from the throne.
"Zhang Shicheng is indeed a good candidate."
Before anyone could object, Shen Wansan, who was sitting at the very back, also spoke up.
Zhang Shicheng's sphere of influence was in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang area, and Shen Wansan's base was also there. It seems that Shen Wansan and Zhang Shicheng had been in contact for some time.
With the support of both the Beggars' Sect and Shen Wansan, it's no wonder that Zhang Shicheng's wealth and power became the most powerful among the warlords at the end of the Yuan Dynasty.
The Beggars' Sect had countless disciples, including many excellent soldiers, and Shen Wansan, as the governor of Jiangnan, was more than capable of providing financial support to Zhang Shicheng.
When Bai Yujing, the leader of the Beggars' Sect, proposed a candidate, the people in the hall were initially silent, but eventually they united to oppose him and expressed their different opinions.
Bai Yujing and Shen Wansan took turns responding to the questions posed by the crowd, and even retorted with sharp words, making the main hall of the Quanzhen Sect as lively as a vegetable market.
Li Boyang observed the situation in the main hall with perfect clarity. In the end, it was still a struggle for interests. Although these sects did not participate in the struggle for power, they had never remained aloof.
Analyzing the current global situation, supporting Zhang Shicheng would indeed be the fastest way to end this chaotic era. Qiu Chuji's starting point was good, but he oversimplified things. The struggle for interests is not so easy to reconcile.
These sects are vying for dominance. If all sects unite to support a single warlord, that warlord's power will naturally increase significantly. However, it will be difficult to coordinate the distribution of benefits among the sects, otherwise each sect would not support a different entity.
To put it simply, there's only so much of a pie. Who gets the bigger piece and who gets the smaller one—it's that simple. These sects all think they're no worse than anyone else, and everyone wants the bigger piece, which naturally leads to the way things are now.
Li Boyang sneered inwardly. He probably never imagined that no matter who was chosen in the end, it would all be a complete failure. The true chosen one had not even risen to power yet.
Just as the situation in the hall was nearing a stalemate, Qiu Chuji suddenly noticed Li Boyang, who was quietly sitting in the corner without saying a word, and suddenly asked: