Chapter 787: People’s hearts are too fickle!
Zhaocheng turned into a swamp.
The temple burned to ashes.
Ji Zhao and Luo's prestige naturally suffered a severe blow, but it was not really that serious.
Just as when the decision to migrate was made, someone naturally raised this issue, and Luo Jin's answer was this -
“When a family starts to show off, it only proves that it begins to need these things to strengthen its momentum and maintain its so-called respectability.
But lies will definitely be exposed, and how devastated will the family be then?
What did the Luo family go through when the Luo Kingdom was destroyed?
Zhaocheng was burned down, and no one in the world was allowed to believe in King Su. Even if this was the case, what did it matter?
When King Zhaosheng appeared with wind, rain, thunder and lightning, the name of Luo family echoed again in the world.
What determines your status is not how you were in the past, but how you are now; it is not whether you were strong in the past, but whether you are strong now.
The Luo family is now at its weakest point in history. We are facing unimaginable disasters, and even the survival of the family is in question.
Even if we stay in the Central Plains, we don't have the ability beyond our capabilities to maintain the affairs of the Central Plains.
From ancient times to the present, the temptations on the Luo family, whether overt or covert, have never stopped, temptations from all sides, enemies and friends.
The smartest people in the world are all watching Luo. They can deceive him for a while, but not forever. Sooner or later, Luo's weakness will be seen through.
Especially after we have to face a disaster, that weakness will be extremely obvious.
When we moved to Liaodong, no matter how weak we were, the ill will towards us would not be able to cross the vast forest and road and fall upon us.
When another man of destiny like Lord Wenxuan or King Zhaosheng appears, or King Su returns to heaven, that will be the time for our Luo family to emerge."
In Luo Jin's opinion, the Luo family's calamity is of two kinds, namely, heaven's calamity and man's calamity.
The calamity from heaven is that the Hu people prospered while the Luo family defied heaven and must be punished by heaven.
Human calamity refers to the desires and malice hidden in people's hearts, their coveting and greed for the Luo family. Luo Jin did not hesitate to speculate on people's hearts with the greatest malice. He was a person who believed that human nature was evil, and he moved to Liaodong to avoid human calamity.
…
The Yan State captured Bingzhou in one battle, which shocked the Wei State and the Han State. In particular, the Wei State was about to conquer Hedong and was extremely worried that the Yan State would leave Bingzhou and take Hedong away. If the Wei State took Hedong, the most important part of the Jin State during the Spring and Autumn Period, into its hands, the consequences would be disastrous.
Just as countless people have said, Western Qin is indeed powerful. It can attack when advancing and defend when retreating. It has the most advantageous geographical location in the fight for the world.
But the prerequisite is that the Three Jins cannot be unified, otherwise Western Qin will always be Western Qin, not to mention that the Yan State occupies not only the Three Jins, but also the two large lands of Zhongshan and Yan.
The most terrifying thing was that the Han State was facing Yan State, which had no strategic location to defend except the Yellow River. Jizhou was almost completely exposed to the iron hoof of Yan State.
It is no exaggeration to say that when the Yellow River froze in winter, the cavalry of Yan State could go directly to the capital of Han State to forage for grass and then leave.
The messenger from Winter City was Luo Xiang's son Luo Yuzhi. He traveled southwards, and the first place he arrived at was naturally the State of Yan.
It happened that Murong Chengguang was conferred the title of King of Liaoxi for his meritorious service, and he was about to take the final step in ascending the throne. After Luo Yuzhi told him his intention, Murong Chengguang smiled and said, "The Xianbei are fierce, destroying temples and disrespecting the Su King. Everyone can kill them. I am honored to have been invited by Zhaogong, but with the strength of our two families, I am afraid that we cannot face the entire Xianbei.
Please ask the envoy to report back to Lord Zhao. If Lord Zhao is willing, Yan is willing to send troops together with Luo family to take advantage of the chaos caused by the sudden death of Xianbei Chanyu to cut off the Xianbei Liaodong arm first. "
After Murong Chengguang agreed, Luo Yuzhi continued to walk south. Murong Chengguang looked at Luo Yuzhi who was leaving and smiled with his hands behind his back. His close ministers asked in confusion: "My king, aren't you going to conquer the Han Kingdom and take back the land of Jizhou?
Why did you agree to Luo's alliance request now?"
Murong Chengguang smiled slightly and said: "Occupying Youzhou, Bingzhou and Jizhou is just a piece of cake. The Han State stationed a large number of troops in Jizhou because it sensed this danger.
Since the Han Kingdom has such a feeling, then we, the Great Yan, will play along with it and let it station heavy troops there. Our Great Yan cavalry will hold back and let the Han Kingdom waste its food and grass.
Luo went to the Han State and invited them to attack the Xianbei. Who would dare to agree? Even Ying Hou might not dare to agree. After all, he didn't know what the Yan State was thinking. Would they directly snipe and kill all their troops within the Yan State after he entered the Yan State?
Luo's family cannot give him this guarantee because I, Dayan, am not Luo's subordinate.
The emperor of Han was not a wise ruler, but a mediocre person. His only advantage was that he lived longer than his outstanding father and did not cause trouble.
But in this world of great contention, he is not qualified.
There is only one final outcome, that is, the Emperor of Han will reject Luo's request for an alliance. The same is true for Chu, which is too far away from the grassland. How could it possibly come here to eliminate the enemies for Dayan and Wei?
Wei was the only one that might agree. After all, after the Xianbei conquered the Western Regions, they threatened Wei's Hexi Corridor and also threatened Wei's northern border.
But now the Wei Kingdom is actually preparing to invade Hedong County. This makes me a little confused. Do they not take the Xianbei seriously? "
After hearing Murong Chengguang's analysis, the officials of Yan State were surprised and said, "Your Majesty, if Wei, Chu and Han do not participate, and only Yan State participates, wouldn't that be a bit..."
Murong Chengguang waved his hand and said solemnly, "Your vision is still too narrow.
There is no deep hatred between our Yan State and the Xianbei, but there is a struggle for interests and destiny.
Among the people originating from the Great Xianbei Mountain, only one lineage can become the winner. Either we lose and then submit to them, or we win and they submit to us.
This is different from the other three kingdoms. Among the descendants of the Great Xianbei Mountain, only one kingdom can prosper. We must completely crush them under our feet and become the only legitimate one.
After defeating the Xianbei, the Luo clan had few people and it was impossible for them to accept a large number of Hu people into Winter City, and it was impossible for the Hu people to live there.
After all, to this day, I still don’t know how the Luo family survived in Winter City without causing massive deaths.
Then the only one who can accept the grassland and its population is our Great Yan. Just like taking over the Yuwen tribe, the strength of Great Yan will once again experience a rapid expansion. When Great Yan integrates the grassland and Youbing, and 100,000 armored cavalry march south, who can stop me?"
When Murong Chengguang said this, all the ministers of Yan State felt the same way. Of course, when Yan State moved south, countless Yan people had to endure the bitter cold of Liaodong. Every winter, people would freeze to death. However, Winter City was thousands of miles north of the former capital of Yan State!
It’s hard to imagine how cold that place is. It’s really strange how Luo survived.
Then he was shocked by the prospect that Murong Chengguang described. One hundred thousand armored cavalry was something that the early Han Dynasty could only barely achieve during the reign of Emperor Xiaowu of Han when the national power was at its peak.
The cost of armored cavalry at that time was relatively low, and there were also a large number of leather armors.
If there really were a hundred thousand cavalrymen in this era, Murong Chengguang would be crowned as the emperor.
Murong Chengguang said excitedly: "Besides, the power of Dayan and Luo clan may not be incapable of competing with Xianbei. Haven't you heard about what happened in the Western Regions?
The Xianbei Chanyu actually died with a single sword, which was so similar to what happened to Dong Zhuo back then.
The Luo family does have some methods that we cannot understand. Judging from the frequency of use, there may not be many, but there should be some. As long as they are there, they are of great value.
The Luo family itself is also very powerful. It is said that there are nearly 100,000 people in Winter City, not counting the elderly who are about to die and women and children who have no fighting ability. Calculated at one-fifth, there are almost 20,000 men between the ages of teens and fifty.
Among them there are 3,000 brave warriors, as well as other young and strong troops. Those who are left behind for farming and fishing and hunting, it will be no problem to select 7,000 to 8,000 people to go to the expedition.
Coupled with the auxiliary soldiers of the Hu people, this combat power is not weak at all. As long as we don’t encounter the main force of the Xianbei like the Temple Army, it will be sufficient. "
All the ministers of Yan State looked at Murong Chengguang with a somewhat strange look, as if asking, why does Your Majesty know so much about the Luo family?
Do you have any bad ideas?
We can't send troops to Winterfell, so you must be careful, my king.
Murong Chengguang naturally felt this gaze.
There must be a reason why he knows Luo's family so well, but that goes without saying.
In short, he is a normal person and would not have any inappropriate thoughts about a secluded family hiding in the deep mountains and forests, ice and snow.
The ministers of Yan State have been convinced, and Murong Chengguang is thinking that whether it is an attack on Xianbei or Han State, if there is another great victory, he won't even need to force them, and Yan will probably abdicate on their own initiative.
…
After leaving Jicheng, Luo Yuzhi went all the way to Fenggao. Before he entered Fenggao, he met Luo Yuan. Luo Yuan and Luo Yuzhi's father Luo Xiang were of the same generation. Luo Yuzhi bowed and said, "Uncle, how are you?"
Luo Yuan hadn't seen his tribesmen for many years. He patted Luo Yuzhi on the shoulder with great joy and said, "Liaodong is indeed a place to train one's physique. You are such a good man."
As the two walked, Luo Yuzhi said, "Uncle, you are a good man. I am nothing."
Luo Yuan sighed slightly and said, "What a good man you are, you are just a paperhanger. I came here to pick you up today because I am worried that you will not find anyone willing to receive you in Fenggao City, and you will not be able to see His Majesty the Emperor."
Luo Yuzhi's heart skipped a beat when he heard this, and he looked at Luo Yuan in disbelief. Luo Yuan nodded slightly, indicating that it was indeed the case, and lowered his voice and said: "Among the four countries in the world, our Great Han has the most fertile land and the largest population, but in fact it is at a disadvantage. Our Great Han is the only country without mountains and rivers to protect its territory.
Wei's Guanzhong is surrounded by four fortresses that can withstand a million strong soldiers; Chu's Xiangyang is a one-man pass that can stop ten thousand, and the Huai and Si rivers are impossible to cross without a navy, and there is also the natural barrier of the Yangtze River; Yan has the convenience of mountains and rivers, and the advantage of cavalry on the plains.
The Han Dynasty is under attack from three sides. The number of troops stationed outside alone is as large as the sum of the three armies. Defense is required everywhere. This is the current situation of the Han Dynasty. Since the last emperor, our Han Dynasty has been on guard at all times, especially after the great defeat in Xuzhou, it is almost like a paranoid fear.
It would be difficult for the family to contact the emperor to send troops, as no army of the Han Kingdom could move rashly.
At most, they could send a small detachment that was better than nothing to participate.
If you want to send out a large army, I can only say that you must perform an incomparable miracle before the emperor so that he dare not refuse.
It is not enough to just not dare to refuse, but he must also be assured of joining the coalition forces without having to worry about any unexpected events happening to the Han army.
The King of Liaoxi of the Yan State in the north has always been eyeing the Han Dynasty. Five years ago, he led more than 20,000 cavalrymen all the way to the north bank of the Yellow River. Although he did not capture the city, he abducted tens of thousands of civilians. Your Majesty hates him deeply.
As long as he is here, His Majesty will most likely not trust the coalition forces."
Luo Yuzhi didn't expect to receive such shocking news just after arriving in Han, but after all, he had prepared himself mentally. He also asked in a low voice: "Uncle, the temple was destroyed. Isn't there any unrest in Han?"
Luo Yuan said: "Of course there were, not just the people, the imperial court also sent a letter to the Xianbei to reprimand them immediately, but the Xianbei Chanyu is dead, and I'm afraid no one will read the letter.
If the rumor that a family had killed the Chanyu with a single sword traveling thousands of miles had not spread throughout the country, the court's reaction would probably have been even smaller than this.
What my brother said that day before the migration was absolutely true. People's hearts are fickle, like quicksand on the beach and drowning in the river. It is easy to disperse but difficult to gather.
The family has only moved away for nearly twenty years, just one generation, and it has become like this. This is only possible because I am in the court, otherwise I don’t know what would have happened.
My uncle's decision to move the family away was truly the right one.
My brother said that no one knows what the world will be like without the Luo family. Changes are starting now, and I dare not imagine what will happen in the future. "
As he spoke, Luo Yuan actually began to sigh. If it were said that Liu Chan did not remember old friendships, he was not that kind of monarch.
The people he is using now are still the same group of old ministers left behind by Luo Qi, Zhuge Liang and others, including Luo Yuan, who is also highly valued by him.
But all he thought about were the people around him.
The Zhaocheng Luo family was not very related to him, so he didn't care much about it.
A person who is both affectionate and heartless, a mediocre monarch who can only see the little piece of land in front of him, has some ideas of his own, but is more receptive to advice.
Luo Yuan held a very high status in the Han Kingdom and received many preferential treatments from the emperor. He had no shortage of wealth and honor, and was able to display his talents. Almost all ministers in the Han Kingdom respected him as the Marquis of Ying. He almost reached the pinnacle of ministers again. Even if he was not as good as his father, he was still noble.
But even so, there are some things he cannot do, such as getting the Han Kingdom to agree to send troops. His coming here today is the emperor's tactful refusal. If Luo Yuzhi brings it up and the emperor refuses again, it would be a bit embarrassing.
Luo Yuzhi didn't go into Fenggao in the end. He stared at the city of Fenggao and said, "Uncle, do you think the emperor will regret it in the end?"
Luo Yuan looked up at the clear blue sky and said slowly, "Yes, I will regret it, but this is fate. When Han was sandwiched between Yan and Chu, the choice today was destined. Due to some mistakes, we were unable to capture Youzhou in one go, which led to the outcome today. Who says this is not destined by heaven?"
Luo Yuzhi turned around and left without looking back. Suddenly, a figure walked by Luo Yuan, also looking at Luo Yuzhi who was leaving, and said, "Uncle, are we really just going to watch His Majesty do nothing?"
Luo Yuan said softly: "I have advised His Majesty in the palace for several days, and His Majesty only said one sentence, the country will be in danger.
I didn't know what to say. Asking a king to abandon his country is like asking a coward to abandon his life.
Your Majesty has never been an ambitious emperor. He has never thought about creating any achievements. It has always been us who have pushed him forward.
Now he feels the danger, no one can push him, he is too heavy."
Lu Mu thought of his uncle, feeling somewhat helpless, and then said with emotion: "Since Your Majesty is unwilling to send troops, we can't stop the civilian warriors. I will call on the family members to go. The revenge of the Suwang Temple must be avenged, otherwise it would be unworthy of the Lu family."
Luo Yuan instantly turned his head to look at Lu Mu. Unlike the Luo family which had always been dwindling in numbers, the Yinghou lineage only had a few big and small cats. The Lu family was different, it was an extremely large clan.
At the end of the Qin Dynasty, the Lu family gathered together to record their family tree, and later on, this caused the Lu family to split up and migrate many times.
Over the past three hundred years, almost four hundred years, it has experienced so many twists and turns, but because of its large population, it is still the largest clan in the Han State.
The Lu family, which was originally moved to Yecheng by the Yuan family, experienced the rule of the Yuan family, the Cao family, and the Yan family successively, and finally returned to the rule of the Liu family.
As a result, the emperor was born to Lu, and Lu was still the big family that had both high-ranking officials in the court and local clans.
If Lu went there on his own initiative, the scene would be unimaginable. I'm afraid Liu Chan would immediately call Lu Mu into the palace and ask him what he wanted to do.
Seeing Luo Yuan staring at him, Lu Mu first smiled, then said solemnly: "Uncle, this is not just a whim of my nephew, many young people in the clan think so.
Of course, the entire clan is not heading north. The Lu family does not have the magical powers of the Luo family. They just feel that if they do not participate in such matters, the friendship between our two families cannot be strengthened, and the Luo family’s kindness cannot be repaid.
It’s a pity that I’ve probably moved away and I don’t know when we’ll meet again.”
Luo Yuan walked towards Fenggao City and said softly, "When we meet again, they may have become too noble to describe."
Lu Mu did not understand or hear clearly. The words were scattered in the wind. The breeze was still warm and Fenggao was calm.
…
After Luo Yuzhi entered the territory of Chu State, a light drizzle suddenly began to fall from the sky and his clothes became sticky. For Luo Yuzhi, who grew up in Zhaocheng, the scenery of Jiangdong was different.
There is no wind that tears everything apart, no snow that cuts people like a knife, no majestic and continuous mountains, and no primeval forest that seems to have no end.
All the wild and rough things of the North are not to be seen here. There are beautiful girls washing clothes by the river, temples and monks can be seen on the low hills everywhere, and small boats are wandering under the bridges. All the scenery is delicate and elegant. The scholars of the South also wear crowns and wide sleeves, and are quite romantic.
When Luo Yuzhi saw all this, he was silent. He couldn't help but think of his people hunting and fishing in the ice and snow. Then he understood what sacrifice was and why, with the ability of the Luo family, they were willing to live in Winter City and cut off the retreat of the Hu people, which was a great sacrifice.
Unlike the Han Kingdom, the Chu Kingdom welcomed Luo Yuzhi's arrival, especially the Emperor of Chu. He personally invited Luo Yuzhi to the palace and then asked directly: "What do you think of my Great Chu?"
Luo Yuzhi naturally praised it. During his journey, he found that there was nothing worth criticizing about the Southern Kingdom. There was no unrest, it was a land of fish and rice, and it was quite wealthy. The major families had their own territories and the struggles in the court did not affect the common people.
The Emperor of Chu showed a bit of satisfaction when he heard this. After experiencing the great defeat in Shu, he became a little obsessed and stayed in the harem all day long, which was quite chaotic. However, in the Chu State's system where the emperor and the aristocracy shared the world, it didn't matter whether there was an emperor or not. Several ministers handled the state affairs very well.
At this moment, Luo Yuzhi arrived in the country. The Emperor of Chu knew that he came from Liaodong, a bitter and cold place. Seeing Luo Yuzhi's slightly dark and rough skin, he knew that his life was quite difficult. He couldn't help but show off and said, "Your Excellency, why don't you stay in Da Chu? Isn't it better than the bitter and cold place of Liaodong?"
Luo Yuzhi was disgusted and told the emperor his purpose, but he did not expect that the emperor of Chu would say: "Trampling on the temple, the Xianbei are really courting their own destruction. Such a small tribe should be exterminated.
However, my dear envoy, the Xianbei have their own neighboring Wei and Yan states to block them, and the Chu State is thousands of miles away from the Xianbei. By the time the Chu State's heavenly soldiers arrive, they will probably have been reduced to dust.
All we need to do is look at the misty rain and wait for the news of the demise of the Xianbei."
These words really made Luo Yuzhi feel angry and amused. This time he went south, he entered the Three Kingdoms. Murong Chengguang of Yan State had the ambition to rule the world and was a hero; the Emperor of Han State, Liu Chan, was an average person, at least he had some persistence; only the Emperor of Chu State was a good-for-nothing waste.
The ministers in the Chu State Hall felt quite embarrassed when they saw this, but they didn't know what to say.
This was the case with the Emperor of Chu. Each time he made a mistake, it was not serious and would not be a big deal, but it always made him lose face and made his ministers feel really ashamed.
But the emperor himself is disgraced, so should the ministers go up and accuse him of being disgraceful?
Luo Xi never came to the palace. After the Chu State moved its capital to Jianye, he rarely met with the Emperor of Chu. He was doing things that were beneficial to the whole world.
For example, the method of breaking through the clan records. After all, the clan records are not a system of hereditary aristocracy, but a standardized system of selecting officials.
Luo Xi believed that this official selection system, at present, was better than the recommendation system of the Later Han Dynasty in promoting grassroots talents, but not as good as the recommendation system of the Early Han Dynasty. However, if it was modified or its scope was expanded by Luo Xi, it might be able to select talents for the State of Chu and even become a method of selecting officials accepted throughout the country.
Even though Luo Yuzhi came from Liaodong, he did not go to the palace to meet him. Instead, he prepared a banquet in his own house and waited for Luo Yuzhi to finish the banquet in the palace before going to his house.
When Luo Yuzhi, who looked a little tired, arrived at Luo Xi's house, he forced himself to cheer up and bowed, saying, "Brother, how are you?"
Luo hoped that Luo Yuzhi's facial features were clear, but his skin was slightly dark and rough. He was a little dazed. He asked tremblingly: "Yuzhi, are all the people in the tribe like you?"
Luo Yuzhi looked at Luo Xi in front of him. He had a handsome face and a romantic air, which formed a sharp contrast with himself. The difference between living in Liaodong and Jiangdong was really too great.
He touched his head and smiled, "Brother, I am like this because of my martial arts training and my participation in the fishing and hunting team. Most of the tribesmen are fine as long as they are well protected."
Luo Xi took Luo Yuzhi into the courtyard and asked softly, "You have seen the emperor, how is it?"
Luo Yuzhi did not shy away from the question and said directly: "The border of Chu State is Han State. If it was Yan State, the one who is now in Jianye admiring the splendor of Jiangdong should be Murong Chengguang, and the head of the Emperor of Chu should have sunk into the Yangtze River."
This rather sharp remark made Luo Xi burst out laughing. After he finished laughing, he said leisurely, "Even if we don't border Yan, I don't think Chu will last long. If the Emperor of Chu didn't like to make trouble and the people didn't rebel against him, the princes and ministers in the court would have long been unable to tolerate him.
The succession of emperors in the world today is comparable to that of the Zhou and Spring and Autumn Periods. Once Lu Xun dies, the Chu State will probably undergo a major change."
Cao Wei replaced Han, this could be considered a change of the throne. Now Cao Wei is internally unstable, needless to say Yan State is completely the second Cao Cao. The only difference is that Yan State has the habits of the Hu people, the Yan family is not good enough, so it is reasonable for the Murong family to come to power. Cao Wei did not dare to use the Liu clan's relatives, and even after the Murong family came to power, they would continue to use the Yan royal family. This could be considered a cultural difference.
Needless to say, the throne of the Chu family was elected. If the throne of the Son of Heaven was appointed by heaven, then the throne of the Chu family was appointed by the various families. In the past, Chu Xiong was still a hero who could balance the various families. But the current Emperor of Chu is a complete waste in this world of great strife.
The various families in the Chu State were still thinking about conquering the Han State and marching into the Central Plains. The current Chu family could not accomplish this task, and it was only a matter of time before they were deposed.
Luo Xi and Luo Yuzhi were chatting about various jokes about the royal family of Chu and various families. Luo Yuzhi immediately knew about this attitude and opened his mouth to ask.
Luo Xi's smiling face gradually froze, and a look of sadness and helplessness appeared on his face. He said softly: "When you leave Jiangdong, I will give you my private soldiers. They are the Danyang soldiers I recruited in Jiangdong, 3,000 people.
Did he use the family's secret weapon to kill Chanyu with one sword?
It’s a pity that the king and his ministers of Chu never saw it. If they had seen that scene, I believe it would not have ended like it did now. There would not have been 3,000 people, but perhaps 30,000.”
Luo Yuzhi replied, “Brother, the head of the family asked me to tell you that the divine weapon of destiny killed the Chanyu with one sword, which greatly reduced the luck of the Hu people.
You don't have to worry too much about the family. Just stay in Jiangdong and guard it carefully. In a hundred years, or two hundred years, the family will eventually return. I hope that there will still be descendants of the Luo family alive by then."
Luo Xi's expression when he heard this was exactly the same as Luo Yuan's. They were both shocked but also happy. With a hint of comfort, he whispered softly, "As long as the family can handle it, it's fine. My descendants will stay in Jiangdong until the day the family returns."
Luo Yuzhi left with an unsatisfactory but expected result, and went to face the unknown future of the Luo family.
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