Chapter 838: Just a Laugh (End of Volume)
Spring goes and autumn comes, how many years have passed.
Gusu is quiet. Under the small bridge with green marks, the water is gurgling and the waves are rippling. The girl is holding the boat pole and wiping the sweat from her forehead.
"Second Miss, the Madam is calling you home."
The fair-skinned girl was startled and quickly handed the pole to the boatman and hurried away.
Gusu County Mansion.
Behind the extremely high walls and moats, it is said to be a mansion, but in fact it is a small fortress. The reason why the aristocratic families are so powerful is because they own such a vast manor that is almost self-sufficient, and with the support of the clan soldiers, as long as there is no attack from the imperial army, they are unbreakable against those ordinary bandits.
Luo Youzhi and Luo Xianzhi attacked the aristocratic families, and what they targeted were their political privileges and the channels for upward mobility. They did not directly attack their economic foundation. The reason was very simple: the Gusu Luo family could not give up their own safety.
After all, the Gusu Luo family is not like the former main branch, which has extraordinary abilities to protect itself. Things like fortresses are what the Luo family needs.
Otherwise, if you happen to encounter a tyrant like Cao Chengsi, or a madman like Erzhu Rong, everything will be over.
The atmosphere in the Luo's Manor at this time was very solemn. It had been ten years since Luo Xianzhi's death. Just as he had expected, Xiao Yan's ambitions did not last long, and he entered a period of extreme comfort.
He summoned monks with profound knowledge of Buddhism to preach in the palace, and also sought out Taoist masters to seek the elixir of immortality. The older people get, the more they fear death. This was fully reflected in Xiao Yan.
"In the wars between the imperial court and the State of Yan over the years, we have lost more than we have won. The State of Yan has many great generals, but Daliang has never had a pillar. The Yellow River defense line has become the Xuhuai defense line. Daliang has been defeated step by step, and we don't know what the future will be like. What should my Luo family do?"
Everyone had a look of confusion on their faces. All they could do was to advise the emperor. However, all the memorials of advice fell on deaf ears and no one received a reply. How many people in Liang State advised Xiao Yan?
But for Xiao Yan, the most important thing is to achieve immortality now or to enjoy bliss after death.
This is exactly what Luo Xianzhi said to Xie Daoyuan - an old man who refuses to die is a thief.
…
Murong Chui was finally crowned as a real emperor in Jicheng. After unifying the State of Yan, the first thing he did was to move the capital to Yecheng. His purpose was simple: he wanted to preside over the war against Liang.
Heluo and Qingyan are both his targets.
He wanted to drive the Liang State completely south of the Qinling Mountains and the Huai River.
He truly deserves to be the world's number one war god today. In addition, he has a large number of capable and skilled generals under his command. To put it bluntly, after gathering the subordinates of Guandong and Erzhu Rong, 90% of the capable generals in the world are under his command.
If it weren't for the faction of Guanzhong and the faction of Guandong, with whom he grew up, fighting each other so fiercely that they were incompatible and held each other back, he would have already conquered Heluo and Qingyan.
This problem was difficult for him to solve, because his current situation was somewhat similar to that of the Jin State during the Bang Zhou period. His close relatives of the Murong clan were killed by Erzhu Rong, and his maternal relatives and close ministers were all killed by the emperor of the Former Yan State. In such a large Yan State, he could not find anyone close to him.
…
The majestic Luoyang always shines upon the whole country like the scorching sun.
Even though it looks a bit dilapidated after years of war, one can still see its past prosperity from the undamaged city walls.
Murong Chui appeared at the foot of this holy city riding a tall horse. He listened to the roaring Luo River, which formed a belt like the Milky Way. The Luo River irrigated into the moat. At the edge of the wide river, blue-green water plants were swaying.
Yang Cheng, Gao Huan and others who followed him stared at Luoyang with fiery eyes.
Wang Meng looked at the weeds growing under the city of Luoyang and said with emotion, "Luoyang is a little dilapidated now. I don't know when it will be able to recover to its heyday. Compared with Chang'an, this place is not a good place to establish a capital, but it is the best choice as the Eastern Capital. Rebuilding Luoyang is a top priority."
The city of Luoyang is somewhat dilapidated.
This is the power of time. During the war, Luoyang City was in the hands of Liang and Yan, and was exchanged back and forth. There were even some bandits who took advantage of the situation. Even if everyone stopped, war is war, and it was not easy to avoid destroying Luoyang City.
The biggest problem caused by the war was that the public facilities that kept Luoyang running fell into disrepair. A city with the largest population in the world required enormous amounts of resources.
The simplest point is that food and water do not appear out of thin air, but are provided by the surrounding areas.
It was obviously impossible to bear the burden during the war, so a large number of people left Luoyang, either voluntarily or involuntarily, to make a living.
Not to mention those wealthy and powerful people. In order to protect their lives and property, most of them fled to Shuzhong. Shuzhong has become the second refuge besides Kuaiji in Jiangzuo.
Population means popularity. Without popularity, Luoyang will easily grow weeds and if it encounters a fire, it will cause irreparable destruction.
The Luoyang that Murong Chui saw fell into his hands for the third time. This time, he was sure that Liang State had no ability to take back Luoyang, because the Liang State's field army was completely wiped out by him in Xingyang, and a full 60,000 elite troops were buried in Hulao Pass.
The battle almost brought on PTSD in the Liang generals against Murong Chui. When the Liang generals heard the name of Murong Chui, they felt their hearts tremble and they did not dare to confront him at all.
When Murong Chui rode into Luoyang, he suddenly asked everyone: "Since the collapse of the Later Han Dynasty, am I the first monarch to have two capitals at the same time?"
…
Murong Chui was in high spirits, while Xiao Yan was deeply doubting himself. Liang State had never suffered such a big setback. It had lost everything north of the Huai River, and the power between the north and the south was directly unbalanced. Unless the Hu people on the grassland rose up and tied down the energy of Yan State, Liang State could only defend the city and resist the iron hoof of the Northern Dynasty along the line of Qinling Mountains, Xiangyang, Yangtze River and Huai River.
He was in the main hall, surrounded by vermilion and golden colors. Buddhism has the custom of gilding Buddha statues, so the imperial palace was also full of gold. Bodhisattvas and Vajra Arhats in various postures were carved on the pillars of the hall. Needless to say, the tops of the statues were of course very beautiful. There was green smoke rising from the hall, and statues of Buddha and Bodhisattva were enshrined. All these people looked at Xiao Yan with compassionate eyes.
Xiao Yan rubbed the beads in his hand. He doubted himself for a long time and didn't understand why Daliang had fallen into its current state. He pondered for a long time, and finally turned the beads in his hand and said to himself: "It must be that I am not pious enough.
I am already a son of Buddha. If Murong Chui dares to risk my kingdom, Buddha will surely punish him."
Xiao Yan decided to gather thousands of monks to curse Murong Chui and make him die early.
As for whether there were so many eminent monks in the Southern Dynasties, that is really too simple. There were 480 temples in the Southern Dynasties, but each temple only had two people.
No one knew whether this massive ceremony organized by Xiao Yan to curse Murong Chui was effective, but Murong Chui was indeed in trouble.
…
The land of Yan State extended all the way to the desert in the north. On the northern grassland, there were three regions divided by mountains. These happened to be the territories of the Xiongnu royal court and the left and right wise kings. For countless years, nomadic peoples had been living and multiplying in these three regions.
Can nomadic peoples be eliminated?
Everyone knows that it is impossible. After the Hu people suffered a fatal blow, people from other places came to the grassland, including people from the Central Plains, people from the Western Regions, and the Donghu in the deep mountains and forests of Liaodong.
When the Yan State was trying to suppress the Hu people, it briefly gave up its northern defense for a period of time, but twenty years later, the Yan State had to take up the northern defense again.
However, the Hu people are still relatively weak now, and there are a large number of Hu people in Yan State. They are too familiar with the grassland. The Han Dynasty could not find the location of the Hu people, but Yan State did not have such concerns.
The Hu people in the Yan State always wielded their butcher knives to rob their relatives living on the grassland, and they never got tired of it, but not everything could go smoothly.
This time, the Yan army that went to the grassland to rob encountered unprecedented resistance, which eventually resulted in huge casualties of nearly 20,000 people. It can be said that all the previous advantages were lost at once.
The top leaders of Yan State immediately became nervous.
Murong Chui hadn't even warmed up in Luoyang when he heard about this and said directly: "The matter in the South is small, but the matter in the North is big. I will lead the troops back to Jinyang immediately. The Shangshu Ling and the General of Chariots and Cavalry will be responsible for guarding here."
The Minister of the Chancellery is Wang Meng, and the General of Chariots and Cavalry is Dugu Cheng, one of Murong Chui's most trusted generals. In today's Yan State, he is the top military leader.
No one had any objection to Murong Chui's statement that matters in the Southern Dynasty were small, while matters in the Northern Border were big. Everyone had a serious look on their faces.
The war to exterminate the Hu people decades ago not only made the Hu people pay a heavy price, but the Xia people also paid a heavy price. Before that war, the people of Xia never knew that the Hu people could be so strong?
If the Xianbei Xia Kingdom had not been destroyed, Murong Ke would have been the next generation leader of the Xianbei Xia Kingdom. There would have been countless talents among them. It makes my scalp tingle just thinking about it.
More than a thousand years of continuous victories had blinded the Xia world. That war woke up the entire Xia world. They must never take the Hu people lightly. They must be on guard at all times and never let them make a comeback.
If there is a next time, there will be no Luo family to lead us.
As for the Southern Dynasty...
The Yan State now generally underestimates the combat effectiveness of the Southern Dynasty, especially after losing Heluo and Qingyan. If it were not for the natural defenses of mountains and rivers, the Liang State should have surrendered directly.
After all, seven out of ten parts of the world have fallen into the hands of Yan State. What else can Liang State do to turn the tables?
Once one of the three points, Shuzhong, Xiangyang and Xuhuai, is lost, the Liang State can be declared extinct. In the view of Wang Meng and others, as long as development proceeds step by step, the demise of the Southern Dynasty is only a matter of time.
In the current Yan State, in order to counter the Southern Dynasty's offensive, the temporary capital is Yecheng, but Murong Chui basically does not work in Yecheng. He spends most of his time in Jinyang. The reason for this is that Jinyang is much safer than Yecheng, and from Jinyang he can remotely control the entire North China Plain, which is also a deterrent to Yecheng.
Murong Chui's departure made Liang State feel relieved. At least in the short term, they no longer had to worry about Yan State's attack. They could wait until Murong Chui returned from the northern border. By that time, Murong Chui might have been dead.
After all, Murong Chui is not young anymore. It is not surprising that he is still fighting on the battlefield at this age.
…
Wang Meng stayed in Luoyang City. He almost toured the entire city, and then fell into silence. After a long time, he shook his head.
After his inspection of Luoyang, he found that there were too many problems that needed to be solved. The first was the problem of repair and expansion, and also the problem of dredging the river.
The amount of manpower and material resources required just to restore the water supply in the city so that it can accommodate the capital's population is an astronomical figure.
In response to this situation, Wang Meng made his own judgment. It turned out that Chang'an was more suitable as the capital. There was no need to repair it. The current palaces and city walls could be used, and there were no problems with various supporting engineering facilities.
Luoyang can temporarily serve as a city for worship such as academies, and take on a function similar to that of a temple or Taoist temple, but it is unnecessary to have it serve as a capital city.
When making this judgment, Wang Meng felt extremely regretful, because this was Luoyang.
Luoyang is the holy city in the hearts of people all over the world. Who doesn’t want to see a majestic and glorious city?
In ancient mythology, King Su built the capital of gods here. Who wouldn’t want to leave a significant mark in the history of building Luoyang?
But Wang Meng knew that he couldn't do that. He couldn't make the already poor Yan State even worse for the sake of his own reputation. He would report the situation to Murong Chui truthfully and then give his own advice - "Don't carry out large-scale repairs on Luoyang City before the world recovers."
…
In the second year after Murong Chui went to war, Wang Meng, who was guarding Luoyang, fell seriously ill and was at the end of his life. Dugu Cheng hurriedly sent the news to Murong Chui's army.
Upon hearing the news, Murong Chui looked at his already exhausted soldiers and finally decided to withdraw his troops, driving 100,000 cattle and sheep back to the Central Plains. This trip to the grassland was still fruitful. The reason why he was unwilling to come back was because he had discovered some opponents with potential, and he wanted to eliminate these people in one battle.
But Wang Meng's sudden illness made him realize that this was God's will. Something had happened to the people in the rear, so he had to retreat and return to the country to carry out rectification.
Unexpectedly, when he was walking on the road, he learned the news of the death of his eldest son, Murong Ling, who was also the Crown Prince of Yan State. Murong Ling died suddenly one morning. The imperial physician suspected that he died of poisoning, but there was no evidence.
Murong Chui was struck by lightning. The little joy he had felt at victory was immediately thrown out of his mind. His body was shaking on the horse. He couldn't believe that the prince, whom he had placed high hopes on, would suddenly pass away before him.
This sudden news, like a haze, hung over the entire Yan State. People in the palace were trembling with fear, generals were whispering to each other, and Confucian scholars were outraged, thinking that someone was plotting murder.
Who can ignore Murong Ling’s death?
This is Murong Chui's most outstanding son. He is both civil and military, and has high prestige in the court and the country. Everyone believes that even if Murong Chui cannot unify the world, it will be unified during Murong Ling's reign.
But Murong Ling is dead now.
So who will inherit Murong Chui's throne next?
Not to mention their abilities, even their prestige is not enough. With so many arrogant and powerful generals in Yan State, no one knows what the future outcome will be.
…
Xiao Yan had encountered the same problem that Murong Chui had faced for many years, and he had also made what he thought was a perfect and comprehensive arrangement, which was to leave the throne to one of his grandsons, and to give fiefdoms to the others to enjoy wealth and glory.
But he seemed to be getting old and was enjoying family life, so he often summoned his sons and grandsons to live in Jianye. Facing the prosperous Jianye, the political center of Daliang, the towering palace, and the supreme imperial power, the seed in the hearts of these princes who already had Xiao blood could not help but rise up, and the seed called ambition grew.
The stories of the Northern Dynasties stirred in their hearts. It seemed that no one in this world was sure to become emperor, and no one in this world was sure to be loyal.
After all, even my father (grandfather) rebelled against the Chu family, which led to the Xiao family's prosperity today. If that's the case, why can't we follow suit?
Moreover, the emperor has become increasingly incompetent in recent years, and people in the court and the public have long been dissatisfied with him. I can be said to be the emperor for the sake of Daliang.
Xiao Yan naturally didn't know that some of his sons and grandsons, who smiled at him kindly, had unspeakable secrets in their hearts.
He was still immersed in peace and tranquility.
…
There is no party that will never end in this world.
There has never been an undefeated country in this world.
There has never been anyone in this world who can be immortal, no matter if he is a king, a general, or an ordinary citizen.
Murong Chui was coming to the end of his life. Murong Ling's death was a huge blow to him, especially since he vaguely knew that it was his other son who did it.
This made him even more unacceptable.
He was not really an impeccable leader. He had outstanding military talents, but his political ability was almost entirely dependent on Wang Meng. After Wang Meng's death, he fell into chaos. He was also a person who valued friendship very much and was somewhat indecisive.
He was furious and wanted to kill his son who had committed a serious crime, but in the end he couldn't bring himself to do it.
On a stormy night, Murong Chui lay in the palace in Jinyang. He had two capitals, Chang'an and Luoyang, but he had never lived there for a long time.
Now, feeling the wet rain brought by the strong wind, the lights in the palace were on, and dozens of eunuchs and maids were kneeling on the ground, waiting for Murong Chui's orders at any time.
A corner of the curtain hung down, half resting at Murong Chui's feet, swaying slowly with the incoming wind.
Murong Chui met Murong Ke and his father Murong Chengguang, whom he had never seen in his memory, and both of them were smiling at him.
"In my life, I have repelled the Hu people in the north and defeated the Xiao Liang in the south. I have experienced hundreds of battles in my life. I have fought almost all the famous generals in the world. I have never been defeated, and even draws are rare. I must have done a good job.
It would be nice if the prince was still alive."
Murong Chui listened to the crackling sound and thought silently.
If Yan State had not encountered two generations of talented kings from the Luo family, it would have already been drinking from the Yangtze River, or even crossed the river to enter Jianye.
…
Xiao Yan outlasted another opponent by virtue of his age. He was really long-lived, as almost all of his peers had died by this time.
You have to know that he was an emperor who had participated in the war to destroy the Hu. The Wei and Han states that had participated in that battle had already perished, not to mention Murong Chengguang of Yan. Even Murong Chengguang's sons had all died, but Xiao Yan was still alive.
He has outlasted two generations of capable officials of the Luo family, and now it even seems that he can continue to outlast the third generation of the Luo family. This is really speechless.
If he could maintain the ambition he had in his youth, given his longevity, he would be invincible and might even unify the country.
But it's such a pity.
When he was young, the opponents he met were stronger than the last, including Murong Chengguang, Liu Chen, Murong Ke, Murong Chui, and Wang Meng. Even with the assistance of Luo Xianzhi, the Liang State could only barely maintain itself.
The most powerful time was when he seized Qingzhou during the civil unrest in Yan State, but soon his own internal situation became chaotic as well. With the death of Luo Xianzhi, the situation in the country became increasingly chaotic.
Upon hearing the news of Murong Chui's death, Xiao Yan felt a burst of ecstasy, and then he breathed a sigh of relief. Now he no longer had to worry about the iron hoof of Yan State trampling on the scenery of the South at any time.
He believed that this was the result of the grand Dharma Assembly, so he became more and more devoted to Buddhism. He believed that immortality was not out of reach.
…
Xiao Yan never thought that he would see an army that did not belong to him outside Jianye City.
No.
It should be said that he heard that before he left the palace, the army had already entered Jianye and was heading straight for the palace.
He watched helplessly as the palace was breached so easily, and suddenly a question occurred to him: "Where are those local officials and princes?"
The answer to this question is very simple. The princes and officials in those places watched the army march across their borders without reacting or taking any action.
The reasons are very complicated. Some want to shift the blame, some are unwilling to take the lead, some have ulterior motives, and some are deliberately indulgent.
But no matter which one it was, this was the result that Xiao Yan saw in the end.
"Your Majesty, I heard that there was a treacherous minister causing trouble, so I led the army to protect you."
This is the first half of the sentence. The second half was not said openly, "Edict: to be the Minister of State, to be in charge of the military affairs inside and outside the country."
Another month later, Xiao Yan became the emperor emeritus.
He can now recite the sutras every day.
The palace of the retired emperor was naturally not as spacious as that of the emperor. Xiao Yan was lying on the bed, staring at the slightly worn curtains, but Luo Xianzhi's face appeared in front of him.
The words that Luo Xianzhi had advised him many times came to his ears.
Listening to these words today, they are more sobering than the Buddhist scriptures recited by the great monks.
A painful expression flashed across Xiao Yan's face. He felt that it was difficult to breathe and murmured, "Lingxiu, Lingxiu, I was wrong, I was wrong."
"Qingyun, you are here too, woo~
We made a vow together back then, but now the foundation of Daliang has been destroyed by me. I have destroyed the efforts of both you and your son for fifty years. I deserve to die.
I am the shame of Lanling Xiao Clan."
Xiao Yan was already experiencing extremely severe hallucinations. Luo Xianzhi and Luo Youzhi appeared alternately in front of his eyes, making him recall past events over and over again.
He couldn't even numb himself because the words were too clear. Almost every sentence was not a simple exhortation but a prophecy of the present.
He could only admit his mistake in a panic.
"If there is an afterlife, I will never make these mistakes."
When the nightmare ended, Xiao Yan was soaked in cold sweat. Now he could only hope that reincarnation was real. If there was an afterlife, he would definitely be a wise ruler until the end of his life.
Xiao Yan pulled down the curtain and tore off the cloth on the table, accidentally knocking over the things on the table. There was the sound of plates falling to the ground and breaking into pieces, the sound of food falling to the ground, and the sound of candles being knocked over.
The candle flame ignited the tablecloth almost instantly.
In the firelight, Xiao Yan staggered through the gap in the curtain and vaguely saw Luo Xianzhi and Luo Youzhi again. Both of them had solemn expressions.
Until this moment, Xiao Yan finally felt that he had returned to his youth.
At that time, he dared to charge on the battlefield, kill generals, seize flags, and be the first to break into the enemy lines. At that time, he did not care about life and death at all. He was like the rising sun in the morning, full of endless energy.
The more he feared death, the closer death came to him.
Death also turned him into his current state, neither human nor ghost, making him the complete loser he is today.
He should have been Emperor Wu!
But now he may not be able to get this posthumous title. Even if he can get it, it is likely that the explanation will be to praise his ambition and poverty. If this is used to explain it, he would rather get a posthumous title of Zhuang or Huan.
At the end of his life, he wanted to prove that he had completely repented, and that was to use suicide to prove that he was no longer afraid of death!
The raging flames spread from the tablecloth to the bed.
Then it surged and covered the entire palace, and the soldiers who were guarding Xiao Yan only realized it belatedly when the thick smoke and flames rising into the sky appeared in front of everyone.
Water and fire are the most ruthless things in the world.
These two bring life to people, but also endless death and destruction.
People come clean and are eventually taken away by fire, leaving nothing behind in this world.
Xiao Yan didn't want anyone, especially those who were rebellious, to touch his body. He just wanted to burn himself completely to ashes in this fire!
…
it's all over.
————
In the process of unifying the world, the most regrettable thing is probably that the two sides are evenly matched, and the great cause of heroes is difficult to achieve. The sigh of the hero in his twilight years still makes us sigh after thousands of years. This is the case with Yan and Liang. They reached the peak together and fell into the abyss together. This is a joke of heaven, which fell on people and in history, leaving only a line of names, and history has opened a new chapter. - "Zhu Xia·Northern and Southern Dynasties"
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(End of this chapter)
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