Chapter 828 People's Doubts Oath Luoshui 5 Yellow River Alliance
The news that Murong Chui was divided into Shaanxi and Guanxi was not less than, or even far exceeded, a series of major events in Wei. The imperial power of Yan was very strong. Under such circumstances, they were willing to let a prince split the land and become a king. Such a generous act was rare even in the Zhou Dynasty, let alone now.
Murong Chui's attack on Guanzhong should have been a turning point for the Yan State, leading to a major split and even the outbreak of a civil war. But why did the Yan State end it all smoothly?
By now, the State of Yan was only away from unifying the narrow north, that is, the area north of the Yellow River, and only had half of Jizhou and the four counties of Hexi in Liangzhou. This huge monster stretched across the sky like a curtain, bringing an endless sense of oppression to everyone.
What exactly happened in Jicheng of Yan State?
Could the emperor make such a big concession?
The ministers of Yan State wanted to know, Murong Chui wanted to know, Han State wanted to know, Liang State wanted to know, and everyone in the world wanted to know!
There is no wall that is impenetrable, especially when it comes to matters involving someone like the Queen Mother of Yan who is not particularly outstanding.
…
Jianye.
Xiao Yan and Luo Xianzhi sat opposite each other. Even Luo Xianzhi was a little confused. He couldn't understand the development of the situation. He thought about everything again. He shook his head again and said in disbelief: "No, the Queen Mother and the Emperor of Yan can't afford such a price. Even if Murong Ke took himself as a hostage, it would be impossible for them to let down their guard against Murong Chui."
Xiao Yan nodded in approval. Even if Luo Xianzhi and Luo Youzhi jointly guaranteed one person, this matter could not be agreed to. People change, and one cannot speculate on their future behavior based on their current mentality.
Every political entrustment is a gamble on the ancestral temple and the country.
This is why King Luo Xin of Luo Wen is respected by the world.
From Emperor Gaozu Lü Zhi to Emperor Xiaowen of Han Liu Heng, he was in charge of government for forty years. Everyone knew that it would be easy for him to usurp the throne, but he governed diligently and conscientiously without the slightest ill intention.
Murong Ke was called the Little King Wen, but he was not King Wen after all. Moreover, there was the Queen Mother of Yan who was stirring up trouble, and his power had been encroached upon over the years. From the information Luo Xianzhi had and his understanding of the Queen Mother and the Emperor of Yan, this was absolutely impossible.
Xiao Yan sighed and said, "Facts speak louder than words. This has happened, Lingxiu, we must reconsider the layout of the world. It seems that we can't destroy Han together with Yan.
Otherwise, facing the Yan State that unified the north, we will not be able to be a match for Yan State in the vast north in the foreseeable future without cavalry.
If the Yellow River freezes, we will have to resist the cavalry of Yan on a flat plain and fall into the current predicament of Han. "
Luo Xianzhi pondered for a long time and said slowly: "Your Majesty, although I am not very proficient in military affairs, I know the general situation. All unreasonable things in this world have to pay a price. The spies I sent out should be able to bring back the gossip in Yan State soon.
We can talk about the general trend then."
Soon after he finished speaking, an eunuch hurried into the palace and said, "Your Majesty, an official from the Shangshutai has delivered a letter outside the palace."
Luo Xianzhi and Xiao Yan were shocked and immediately reached out to take the letter. When they opened it, they were stunned and stood there with a feeling of sudden enlightenment. How could it be like this?
Luo Xianzhi's eyes suddenly burst into great joy, and then he looked at the emperor, only to see that the emperor stared at the letter for a long time without saying a word. Suddenly, his heart skipped a beat, and he deliberately said in a deep and exciting voice: "Your Majesty, Yan State has brought about its own destruction. This is a good opportunity for Daliang. First, destroy Han State, then seize Shuzhong, go north to attack Yan, and go west to destroy Guanzhong. Great achievements can be expected."
ah?
Xiao Yan raised his head, wondering why Luo Xianzhi said that?
…
Just as Luo Xianzhi said, even if Murong Ke offered himself as a hostage, it would be impossible for the emperor and the empress dowager to agree to such outrageous conditions.
Murong Ke put in a lot of effort. He first reasoned with the emperor and the empress dowager that Murong Chui's capture of Guanzhong was a major event that could change the situation in the world. It could even be said that it pushed the time for unifying the world forward by a huge step.
Murong Chui hardly asked the court for military supplies. Now, he had joined forces with the Guanzhong gentry and had formed a de facto separatist regime. Even if the court did not agree, he would proclaim himself king and emperor in Guanzhong. The court would have to face a powerful country with the same royal family name.
Moreover, if such a great contribution is not rewarded generously, the people of the world will not be obedient. In this world, there are a set of principles between the monarch and his subjects. The view that thunder, lightning, rain and dew are all the monarch's grace is not recognized by most people.
This is what Murong Ke said to the emperor and the empress dowager, but as we all know, the world never runs on "how it should be" but on "how it wants to be", especially for those who are powerful and arrogant.
When Murong Ke vouched for Murong Chui, the Queen Mother of Yan seized an opportunity. She made Murong Ke swear an oath in front of the Luo River that he would always be loyal to the emperor and if Murong Chui attempted to rebel, he would lead the army to quell Murong Chui's rebellion.
Moreover, Murong Ke wanted to lead his army to attack the Han Kingdom and seize all the land north of the Yellow River and even north of the Huai River until his death.
To the Queen Mother and the Emperor of Yan, Murong Chui was indeed a man of outstanding talent, but they did not think he could compare to Murong Ke. As long as Murong Ke was around, Murong Chui would not be able to achieve anything.
However, the Luo family oath has not had a good ending for anyone who has taken the oath until now. Yuan Shao died suddenly in middle age, Sima Yi broke his oath, and the four emperors swore that the head of the Luo family would bear the backlash, but Cao Fang still couldn't hold on.
Asking people to swear an oath is basically the same as asking them to commit suicide. Everyone in the Wei Kingdom who suggested that Cao Chengsi swear an oath was rejected by him.
But Murong Ke finally agreed to this condition. After he made the oath, he felt like he was struck by lightning. The emperor felt a little regretful, but the empress dowager just felt happy.
This condition was not only that Murong Ke used himself as a hostage, but also equivalent to exchanging Taiyuan for Guanzhong. For the emperor and the empress dowager, if they could own the land of Guandong, then Murong Chui, who did not have Hedong, Shuzhong and Liangzhou, would be relatively weak in facing the imperial court.
For Murong Ke, he could serve Dayan and conquer Hanliang, which was what he wanted to do. It could also give Murong Chui a place to stay and avoid the persecution of the Queen Mother. It was already the best of both worlds. As for the future, that was no longer something he could consider.
…
In Jianye City, Xiao Yan was extremely curious about what Luo Xianzhi had just said about self-destruction, and hurriedly asked: "Lingxiu, why do you say that Yan State is destroying itself? I just think that Murong Ke is really a loyal minister and gentleman, who can do what others cannot."
Luo Xianzhi was recalling something, and said with a sigh on his face: "Man proposes, God disposes. How can anyone in this world get a good ending by plotting against the gods?
The oath at Luoshui is of great importance. It can accomplish what ordinary people cannot do and can resolve the confusion in people's hearts. The price to be paid is also extremely high. Yuan Shao swore an oath in the past, but died young. The four emperors swore an oath, but the Emperor of Wei died early. The oath at Luoshui was made in order to suppress the Hu people, so the backlash was very small, and the main backlash was borne by the main branch of the Luo family who was called upon.
And they all died on the grassland, so it seemed that no one took the oath. If the main branch could survive, you would see them die in middle age.
The Goddess of Luo River is a spirit. Since she can make people take an oath, she naturally knows the content of the oath.
Murong Ke swore that he would be bitten by it. There was no need to say more. It all depended on his luck and life span. If he was destined to die young, his death would not be far away.
The Queen Mother of Yan forced Murong Ke to swear an oath. Isn't this just borrowing the power of the Goddess of Luo River to fulfill her own selfish desires?
This kind of person will suffer extremely severe backlash. Even if she is strong for a while, she will definitely die within two or three years.
Isn't this a situation where Yan State is in chaos?
In today's world of great strife, you have deposed a king who was both a civil and military talent, Murong Ke, and even sacrificed the Queen Mother. I just want to laugh. It is true that I have a sage ruler, but it is not as good as having Jie and Zhou as my enemies.
Your Majesty, I think we should contact Yan immediately and start a war to destroy Han. Wei has been destroyed, and it is Han's turn. Divide Han and face Yan across the Yellow River. This is what I want in the future of Daliang."
ah?
Xiao Yan was stunned again. How come he suddenly jumped to the topic of destroying the Han Kingdom when he was talking about the Luo River Oath? And he just said that he wanted to preserve the Han Kingdom.
Luo Xianzhi laughed loudly and said, "Your Majesty, after the division of the Han Kingdom, the world is divided into two on the surface, but in fact it is divided into three. Murong Chui and the Yan Kingdom court will not attack Daliang together.
Once Murong Ke dies, Yan will probably fall apart and fall into chaos. That will be our chance."
Xiao Yan could clearly hear from Luo Xianzhi's words that he was extremely sure that Murong Ke would die early. One should know that there were historians in the hall recording the conversation between the two. The fact that he dared to make such a guarantee showed that there would be no accidents.
This made Xiao Yan panic, and he quickly asked: "Lingxiu, I also swore an oath back then. If this is the case, then doesn't that mean I am also..."
Luo Xianzhi comforted him, "As I said just now, Your Majesty has not suffered much backlash. Cao Fang is an exception. Emperor Murong Chengguang of Yan lived for seven or eight years even though he was very old. Emperor Liu Chen of Han lived for twenty years. They were all fine. What do you have to worry about?"
Xiao Yan felt a little relieved, but he was not completely relieved. Even the Bodhisattvas and Buddhas all over the hall could not make him feel at ease, especially since he had suppressed Buddhism. He just felt uncomfortable all over his body. He wanted to recite scriptures, so he left the matter of forming an alliance with the State of Yan to Luo Xianzhi, and ended this somewhat panicked conversation.
After Luo Xianzhi walked out of the palace, he felt a little emotional. He saw that Xiao Yan was still worried, but he had no way to deal with it. All these supernatural matters originated from human hearts, and human hearts are the most complicated things in the world, changing all the time. People in this world believe and disbelieve at the same time, which is really hard to guess.
This is what makes Liu Bang so valuable; his open-mindedness in the face of death is hard for ordinary people to imagine.
Especially for an emperor who possesses enormous power, he is truly a great emperor who is no less than the ancient sage kings.
Luo Xianzhi had never seen Murong Ke. By the time he entered Jianye, Murong Ke had already been praised as a god of war among various countries. Even Xiao Yan did not want to fight against Murong Ke.
But smart people always have the same views and the same judgment on the situation. For example, Murong Ke and Luo Xianzhi reached a consensus that the Han State no longer had any need to exist.
…
In the Luo Mansion, there were small bridges, flowing water, pavilions, towers, and winding corridors. There were lotus leaves in the pond, and dragonflies landed on the water, creating ripples. Luo Xianzhi and Xie Daoyuan were lying on rocking chairs in the pavilion.
Xie Daoyuan held a book in one hand and taught her daughter to read, and waved a feather fan in the other hand to occasionally fan Luo Xianzhi. Luo Xianzhi was reading a letter in his hand, which came from Murong Ke of Yan State.
This was not an official letter, but a personal letter from Murong Ke. The reason was very simple. Luo Xianzhi's official position had not changed. He was still the Minister of the Chancellery, but his official rank had been upgraded.
The Shangshu Ling of Liang State has now been upgraded to the second rank from the third rank official in comparison with Yan State, with greater authority. The Shangshu Ling has completely become a half-prime minister, and even the Shangshu Zuo Pushe have gained much more power.
The power of the Shangshutai has been increased in every country. This is exactly the trend of this era, that is, the court concentrates all its strength to do great things, and any dispersion of power will result in failure.
After Xie Daoyun finished reading the Encouragement to Study, she asked her maid to take her daughter away and asked, "My husband, what did Murong Ke say in the letter?"
Luo Xianzhi handed the letter to Xie Daoyun, and then said, "What a very interesting person."
Murong Ke did not say much about state affairs in the letter. Instead, he said some things to Luo Xianzhi that should not be said given their unfamiliar relationship, such as inviting Luo to the State of Yan and promising to make him a king.
These words were basically useless to the Luo family, but Murong Ke still did it. Luo Xianzhi chuckled and said, "Does Murong Ke have any plans? Is he going to use this letter to alienate the relationship between me and the emperor?
He is wrong. Although the relationship between the emperor and I is not unbreakable, it cannot be separated by just a letter."
Xie Daoyun pondered and said, "He may be sincere. Reading this passage, I don't know if it's an illusion, but I can feel from his words that he seems to be anxious and expectant.
My husband, didn’t you say that he might die at any time?
Maybe he himself has this concern.”
Luo Xianzhi fell silent for a moment. This was an angle he had not thought of. He took the letter back and read it again, and indeed, he found that the emotions in it were different.
“What a loyal minister! It’s a pity that there must be wise kings before there can be wise ministers who can exercise their powers freely.
He had a wrong idea. He shouldn't have targeted me or the Luo family. Even if the Luo family died, they would never serve two masters. Even if I don't have the holy marks, I won't tarnish the reputation of the Luo family.
He may have read the letter I wrote to him. I would like to meet him."
…
This was the first meeting between Luo Xianzhi and Murong Ke.
On the Yellow River, a small boat was moving with the waves. Two boatmen were paddling the boat, one in front and one behind. Luo Xianzhi and Murong Ke were sitting opposite each other in the boat, looking at each other.
In the past years, Liang and Yan did not have a border, so there was no chance for the two countries to meet. But after Liang captured Heluo, Liang and Yan drew the boundary across the Yellow River, and thus today's Meeting at the Yellow River came into being.
After an unknown amount of time, Murong Ke spoke first with a smile, "I didn't get to meet your father back then, but I didn't expect to meet the Duke of the County today. Father and son are both prime ministers. It's a pity that there is no such a prosperous family in Great Yan."
Luo Xian said: "Your Majesty is famous and a rare talent in the world. It is enough for Yan State to have a king."
Murong Ke coughed lightly and said, "I used to think so too. I thought I could conquer the world alone, but later I realized that people are born, grow old, get sick and die. Countries always prosper and decline because of people. If you want a country to prosper forever, you must have a steady stream of talents.
I originally thought that my seventh brother would be such a talent.
Is the Duke really unwilling to come to the State of Yan?
Liang was a Southern Dynasty. Does the Duke really think that Liang could unify the world?
If the Luo family does not make enough contributions in the process of unifying the country, or even stands on the opposite side, will they be able to keep their family's wealth in the end?"
Murong Ke still did not give up persuading Luo Xianzhi to go to Yan State.
Luo Xianzhi smiled and said, "Is there anything that can be said for sure in this world?
If we only rely on the current beams, it is naturally impossible to do it. This is a matter of human effort. Who says that the future beams are impossible?
If Yan State is really sure to win, why is Your Majesty asking me these here?
There is no such thing as destiny or certainty in this world!"
Murong Ke was silenced by Luo Xianzhi's words. He coughed twice and sighed, "It seems that it is no longer possible. Let's discuss the business. It's time to end the Han Kingdom."
His words were very light, but they were directly sentencing a country to death.
Luo Xianzhi pondered and said, "The Han Kingdom is not easy to destroy."
Murong Ke exhaled lightly, "It is never easy to destroy a country, but now is probably the best time. Liu Chen is dead, and the new emperor of Han favors eunuchs, ignores state affairs, and demotes important officials. The political situation of Han is in a mess.
It is said that the right time is not as important as the right location, and the right location is not as important as the right people.
For a country like Han that has no mountains or rivers to protect it, if it loses the harmony of the people, it will be close to destruction.
Since five years ago, the Han State has been unable to fight a field battle with Dayan. It can only defend the city and harass Dayan's food supply, relying on the natural barrier of the Yellow River to deal with Dayan's attack on Fenggao.
Now the Han State is about to lose its united will. If a country cannot fight in the field, it will only fall into a passive position. If people are confused and cannot even defend the city, then the country will perish. "
Murong Ke had a deep understanding of war. In offense, offense gains advantage, and defense ensures survival. If a country can always keep on attacking, then it will naturally not be in danger of destruction, but if a country cannot defend well, then it will easily fall into destruction.
The terrain of the Han State was very poor. It was the only country among all the nations without the dangers of mountains and rivers. It was able to withstand attacks from three sides by relying on the city defense system built with strong financial resources. In this era, a large number of forts and urn cities were built, which were almost built on the scale of the Great Wall to resist the attacks of the Three Kingdoms.
But the man-made defensive city could not block the border of thousands of miles, and the Han Kingdom still had to divide its troops to guard it. Now the Han emperor was messing around, favoring eunuchs and flattering ministers. The ministers of the Han Kingdom could only persuade him, because this was Liu Chen's only son, and even replacing someone else was impossible. The problem of scarce offspring in the Han Kingdom, which had started in the Liu Bei era, had finally affected the present.
Each generation of the Han State is weaker than the previous one. There are either playboys without ambitions, or second-generation people with great ambitions but little talent. There are very few people who are both talented in literature and martial arts. Even Ying Hou is the same. Now that the ancestors' blessings are gone, even the main branch cannot be guaranteed to have talents to support the country, let alone Ying Hou's line.
The contemporary Ying Hou is a talent worthy of a county governor, which is far inferior to the talents worthy of a king's assistant like Luo Xianzhi and Murong Ke.
The meaning of Murong Ke's words was very simple. It was indeed difficult to destroy the Han Kingdom, but as long as Yan and Liang were together, the Han Kingdom would not be able to hold on. No country could face a three-front war and still win.
Luo Xianzhi pondered for a moment and said, "It is inevitable that your country will attack Jizhou. What's next?"
Murong Ke knew that Luo Xianzhi was going to start dividing the land for attack, which was also a kind of power division. Since they were going to form an alliance to divide the Han Kingdom, Yan and Liang could not fight first. He had thought about it a long time ago and said directly: "We will meet on the Yellow River today. The north of the Yellow River belongs to Great Yan, and the south of the Yellow River, Yuzhou belongs to Liang. The two places of Qing and Yan will be first come first served."
Luo Xianzhi looked at Murong Ke with amusement, and said calmly: "The area north of the Yellow River belongs to Yan State, and the area south of the Yellow River belongs to Daliang. With the Yellow River as the boundary, the two countries will always maintain peace."
Murong Ke laughed loudly, and the sound was heard far above the Yellow River. He said, "You are joking too much. Such a large piece of land is not something that Liang can take. I, the Great Yan Iron Cavalry, will not allow such a thing to happen. In this case, let's rely on our own abilities."
In the battle for Qingzhou and Yanzhou, Liang State had the advantage because it could attack directly from Heluo, while Yan State had to cross the Yellow River from Bohai Sea before it could attack Qingzhou. The cavalry could only pass through in the winter when the Yellow River was dry.
Luo Xianzhi also discussed with Murong Ke the number of troops to be sent by each country. If both countries wanted to destroy the Han Dynasty, they would have to make great efforts, or even go all out.
Although the emperors of both countries did not attend the treaty, both of them brought the emperor's treasure. They took out a seal from their arms, wrote the treaty with their own hands, and stamped the seal on it.
After everything was over, Murong Ke and Luo Xianzhi high-fived and swore an oath. Murong Ke smiled and said, "I hope to see the Duke of Taishan in Fenggao."
Luo Xianzhi also smiled and said: "At that time, Yan will definitely retreat, and I Daliang will plant the big flag in the palace of Han and on the top of the city."
After saying that, the two of them respectively got off the small boat and boarded the big ship. Murong Ke went back north, while Luo Xianzhi went south. The two parted ways, holding the covenant in their arms. It had been many years since they had a copy of this covenant, so it was truly precious.
After Murong Ke went ashore, he asked his trusted retainers to go to Guanzhong and inform Murong Chui of this matter. Liang and Yan were going to unite to attack Han. This was Murong Chui's opportunity. Liangzhou and Shuzhong were still in an independent state. Liangzhou was Guanzhong's back garden. If the threat from Liangzhou could not be eliminated, Guanzhong would not be able to advance eastward in the future. Shuzhong was Guanzhong's blood bag and forward base. Without Shuzhong, Guanzhong alone could not produce a large number of troops and would not be able to threaten the Southern Dynasty in the future.
The war between the Three Kingdoms must have been a long war. Once the war started, it would not be a matter of one or two years. Even if it was just a moment, it would probably take three or four years. Especially for something like siege, if you encountered a master of city defense, a city might be difficult to conquer, and it would take countless time.
Such a long time was enough for Murong Chui to launch a war of annexation against Liangzhou and Shuzhong.
Murong Ke was so worried about Murong Chui that he never forgot to give Murong Chui some advice even at this critical moment. Perhaps he was a little desperate about the emperor and the empress dowager, so he placed all his hopes on Murong Chui.
Does Luo Xianzhi know about this?
He could guess it.
But that's how things are in this world. There is no such thing as having the best of both worlds. Liang State's strength must be chosen between the western front and the eastern front.
Yan State will definitely attack Jizhou, whether Liang State agrees to join the attack or not. Han State will be unstoppable north of the Yellow River unless Liang State is willing to support Han State.
But that's impossible.
If Liang supported Han, Murong Chui would definitely put pressure on Liang on the western front, and Liang would be caught in a situation of fighting on two fronts.
When the State of Yan conquered the entire Jizhou and began to march south of the Yellow River, the State of Liang would face even greater competition.
Therefore, the current situation is the best choice for Liang State. Let Murong Chui focus his energy on other forces temporarily. Liang State strives to obtain all the land south of the Yellow River, and then waits for the fission within Yan State.
This was the idea that Luo Xianzhi and Xiao Yan came up with after a long analysis and integration of various plans, which was the most suitable for Liang State.
When Luo Xianzhi and Murong Ke met, and when Liang and Yan formed an alliance, Han had no idea what was happening.
In Fengzhong, the capital of the Han Dynasty, the emperor who had just ascended the throne was playing the butterfly catching game with his concubines in the harem, while beside him were some scholars writing some literary works for him.
He likes to pretend to be cultured and doesn't like to listen to military and national affairs.
"Your Majesty, Marquis Ying requests an audience."
The emperor was having fun when a eunuch hurried to his side and whispered a report. If it was news from ordinary ministers, it would never reach the emperor, but he certainly did not dare to stop the news from Marquis Ying.
Ying Hou?
The emperor rubbed his head with a headache. He could even imagine what Ying Hou would say. He knew his teacher too well. He was sure that he would use words of advice again after they met.
The emperor hugged a concubine who was wearing a somewhat seductive outfit and said with a sad face: "Just say that I am tired and sick and cannot see you, teacher, and let me go back."
Upon hearing this, the eunuch hurried out of the palace and relayed the emperor's words to the contemporary Marquis Ying. Marquis Ying was sitting in the carriage and did not expect this result. He glanced at the palace again.
"Maybe that's fate."
He left here.
————
The "Yellow River Alliance" was the first formal military alliance between two countries since the end of the Zhou Dynasty, in which Yan and Liang formed an alliance to dismember the Han State. The conclusion of the alliance marked the beginning of a new stage in the war of unification among the various states.
The end of an era and the beginning of a new era happened in the midst of these conversations. ——"Zhu Xia·Northern and Southern Dynasties"
(End of this chapter)
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