Chapter 208 Iron-Armored General

Accepting bribes from generals and commanders to provoke conflicts on the borders is one. Accepting gifts from various kings and secretly using them to gain advantage in every matter is two. He seized power in the Ministry of Personnel, extorting even minor officials from prefectures and counties, causing a serious breakdown in officialdom. Three. He demanded annual allowances from governors and magistrates, causing officials to hand over favors to one another, while the wealth of the common people was gradually reduced. Four. He secretly controlled censors, preventing them from speaking frankly. Five.

Being jealous of the virtuous and capable, and if one disobeys his will, he will surely die (sixth sign). Allowing his son to receive wealth will only lead to resentment throughout the world (seventh sign). Carrying wealth home every day of the month will cause disturbances along the roads (eighth sign). Staying in government for a long time will lead to abuse of favors and harm the government (nineth sign). Being unable to cooperate with the plan for Heaven's punishment will only cause worry to the emperor and his father (tenth sign).

On the street, a woman looked at the cucumbers being snatched not far away, curled her lips and said, "How can such a small cucumber have such miraculous effects? How can anyone believe such a rumor?"

A woman next to her, carrying a basket to buy groceries, touched her face and murmured, "But I think it really works..."

The woman sneered and said, "Several major rouge shops in the city have said that their claims of whitening, anti-wrinkle, and skin-beautifying are all fake. Cucumbers don't have those effects. Do you really think that a few dozen coins worth of cucumbers can be worth several taels of silver worth of powder and facial cream..."

Just as the woman's face showed hesitation, a young man beside her interrupted, "Of course those rouge shops would say that... A few dozen coins worth of cucumbers are worth tens of taels of silver worth of powder and facial cream. How can they sell their stuff?"

He casually pointed to a nearby pharmacy and said, "The doctors there all said cucumbers are good for detoxification and diuresis. They're not only good for dysentery, but they can also be used as a facial mask to tighten the skin, whiten and remove wrinkles. This is a recipe from the Thousand Golden Prescriptions. What the King of Medicine said, how could it be wrong?"

The dispute between the sweet and salty tofu pudding parties was a joke to Zhao Huan.

The "Continued Zizhi Tongjian" records that in the first month of 1056, the 46-year-old Zhao Zhen suddenly went insane while attending court. That same day, he also met with Liao envoys, spoke incoherently, and even ran from the palace, shouting that the Empress and Zhang Maoze were plotting treason. The Empress was Empress Cao, granddaughter of the famous founding general Cao Bin, and Zhang Maoze was a high-ranking eunuch in the palace. Song Renzong was essentially saying, "Empress Cao and Zhang Maoze are plotting to kill me."

Zhang Maoze's mental capacity was limited. When he saw the truth, he immediately wanted to hang himself, but he was saved. The leader of the civil service group, the then Prime Minister Wen Yanbo, arrived. Let's take a look at the emotional intelligence and political skills of the top civil servants. It's really wonderful. He rebuked him, saying: "The emperor is ill and delirious. Why are you so hasty? If you die, how can the Empress Dowager be so self-conscious?"

This morning, she had a bowl of sweet tofu pudding, a bowl of salty tofu pudding, and a tray of steamed buns. If Tang Ning hadn't stopped her, she would have wanted to try mixing the sweet and salty tofu puddings and adding some vinegar to taste.

The 13th and 14th days of the first lunar month, as well as the Lantern Festival on the 15th day, are the most lively days of the year in the capital. There is no curfew in the city during these three days, and people can enjoy the rich nightlife to their heart's content.

The Lantern Festival in the capital, in terms of liveliness and prosperity, naturally cannot be compared with those of modern metropolises in later generations. However, the lanterns with flickering candlelight hanging on the streets, the lotus lanterns floating in the river, and the passing pleasure boats are more charming than the colorful neon lights of later generations and the traffic jams on the streets during festivals.

Although it was night, the surrounding lights were bright and the couplet could be seen clearly.

"It is a perfect place to talk about poetry, especially when the lotus dew is freshly cooked and the bamboo spring water is just beginning to warm."

"To relieve the melancholy in my heart, what can I drink with? I can savor the winter plum blossoms and feast on the autumn chrysanthemums."

Without pausing, he continued, "There's a couplet like this at the Hanjiang Restaurant in Chaozhou. The first line reads, 'Han Yu sends away poverty, Liu Ling gets drunk'; the second line reads, 'Jiang Yan writes fu, Wang Can ascends the tower.'"

The charming woman behind the little maid nodded and said, "This couplet uses four allusions and incorporates the name 'Hanjiang Restaurant'. Although the couplet itself is not outstanding, it is perfect for this restaurant."

Tang Ning continued, "There's also a couplet like this in front of the Tao Tao Residence in Jiangzhou. The first line reads, 'Tao Qian was good at drinking, Yi Ya was good at cooking, and both drank and cooked with moderation.' The second line reads, 'Tao Kan was thrifty, Xia Yu was thrifty, and both were meticulous.'"

I was bored and looked in the group. I saw you mentioned the Kojiki. The first volume of this book talks about the Age of the Gods, which everyone knows. Then we talked about Emperor Jimmu. Modern historians have many disputes about whether the two founding emperors, Emperor Jimmu and Emperor Sujin, really existed. There is not enough historical data and evidence to support it, but at the same time it is difficult to completely deny their existence.

Compared to Emperor Jimmu, the eight successive emperors pale in comparison. Aside from the Kojiki and Nihonshoki, there's no historical evidence to verify these eight generations (from the period of appeasement to enlightenment). Therefore, in historiography, these eight emperors are referred to as the "Eight Generations Without History." "Without history" means lack of historical verification. Current Japanese history textbooks rarely refer to these nine emperors as actual figures, referring to them only as legendary emperors.

There are very few historical materials about the emperors after these nine generations, except for the Kojiki and the Nihonshoki.

The charming woman thought for a moment and said, "Tao Qian loved wine, making him a romantic hermit. Yi Ya was a skilled cook, but he was a treacherous minister. Tao Kan once said, 'The sage Dayu cherished every moment of his life. As for us, we should cherish every second of our lives.'" This couplet not only emphasizes the need for moderation in drinking and entertainment, and emphasizes the importance of not wasting time by indulging in pleasure, but also incorporates the two characters "Tao Tao," making it a rare and beautiful one."

The Battle of Taiyuan failed to force Yan Xishan to surrender

The Battle of Xuzhou did not annihilate the main force of the Nationalist Army

The Battle of Shanghai and the Battle of Nanjing did not force the Kuomintang to surrender.

The Battle of Wuhan did not force the Nationalist government to surrender and end the war

The Sui-Zao Campaign failed to destroy the main force of the Fifth War Zone

The first Changsha Campaign failed to defeat the main force of the Nationalist Army. Guan Linzheng's 15th Army

During the Hongwu era, hundreds of thousands of Mongols were captured and taken to the interior to farm. There was no shortage of people like Alutai. What was important was Alutai and his descendants, not his few remaining followers.

Battle of Guangzhou: Achieved the goal of cutting off the nationalist army's sea supply lines

Battle of Kunlun Pass: Successfully cut off the supply route of the Nationalist Army to Guangxi, but failed to force the Guangxi clique to surrender

I have a question. If a large number of military backbones of a feudal country were killed in a war, and the outstanding political backbones were destroyed by the decadent political environment within the country, then what else can they do except wait for death?

For example, the 57th and 54th Divisions and other miscellaneous units that were transformed into the central government's direct troops had the most that the company commanders were replaced by Whampoa students. In fact, they just had a stronger fighting will. If they were really asked to attack, they would not be able to attack effectively because they had insufficient live-fire training, no correct ideological guidance, and lacked basic food to fill their stomachs.