Chapter 190: A Shoal Of Fish Gazing At The Sky
In the 4th year of the Tian You Calendar, at this time, all factions in Yao Capital missed the old glory. The horses in the capital city were also getting thinner and thinner.
In the late years of Emperor Shu, although the warfare in the north was a mess, under heaven could still be maintained, and the numerous prefectures in the south were still continuously transporting food and grass to Yao Capital.
In the summer of the 4th year of the Tian You Calendar, with Xia Prefecture taken by the Hao Army, the entire under heaven felt the pain.
For Hao State, what was taken was a broken prefecture; but for Da Yao, the Son of Heaven’s army could no longer stop the corps of the disloyal, which gave the several prefectures near Xia Prefecture reasons to fiefdomize. It also gave the southern prefectures excuses to intercept taxes themselves.
On the northern section of the Transport River, ships began to become scarce, and the rope-pullers of the past were nowhere to be seen. As for the occasional officials coming to the capital from outside, they no longer sent gifts, but instead held tokens from local real-power prefects and went straight to the homes of allies in Yao Capital’s imperial court to stay.
…The earth is cracking…
This was similar to the late-stage situation of groups like the Ou Alliance in Xuan Chong’s previous life.
Inside the Ou Union, there were actually different strategic directions. Some were Eastern Ou, some were North Fei, and others ate from the eastern new silk road trade bowl. When there was overall surplus, everyone could stay united and willing to concentrate resources. But when your Eastern Ou faction suddenly provoked a bear and consumed a large amount of public family assets in the fight with this bear, the other factions became a bit unhappy.
Although on the surface they showed unity, the Frankish people in the west and the Athenian people in the south stated their positions at the conference, as if they fully supported the Eastern Ou brothers in fighting the bear.
But when the bear gained the upper hand! Just like how Later Jin’s Battle of Sarhū created a resource-burning bottomless pit on the northeast border of Great Ming.
The various factions of the Ou Union would then use excuses to split the family, unwilling to be fleeced again. From a military perspective, it was just losing a corner in the east, but internally it fell apart.
The “Imperial Grace Shattering Fist” in the mouths of certain history buffs happened just like this.
This kind of “Imperial Grace Shattering Fist” actually happened in Xuan Chong’s previous life at age sixty and one hundred, one was India Secondary, the other was the New Continent. All were cases where strategic failure in a certain direction led to over-investment, and with no end in sight, the various member states just stopped.
For feudal states like Da Yao, losing a piece of land cannot be quantified in p strategy games; in the game, losing a piece of land still lets other areas accumulate resources for you, but in reality, after the empire loses core armies and authority, the mobilizable resources drop sharply.
Therefore, in times of great strife, one must recognize that military affairs are the top priority. If you go to war and can’t win, the total health bar will turn into scattered individual health bars.
The aspiring scholars of Da Yao, in this national calamity, still viewed things through the filter of “Neo-Confucianism” and “strategy studies,” and even mixed in “metaphysics” when discussing the national situation.
…Heavy rain…
In the thatched cottage of Yu Prefecture, there were great scholars laughing and talking, and no commoners coming and going.
Raindrops fell from the thatched eaves like beaded curtains. Visitors passing through this rain curtain were all drenched, but scholars from various places still held umbrellas and walked in here, drank a pot of tea, and then took turns explaining their insights on current affairs.
Unlike the self-entertaining keyboard warriors of later generations, these political discussion guys in the thatched cottage would in the future serve under various those in power. Sure enough, a low-level clerk from the prefect’s staff, also wearing cloth clothes, was quietly recording on the side. Some insights praised by everyone would be delivered to the prefect’s desk.
In the absence of a monarch-dominated imperial examination system selection, and still under the recommendation system, political discussions in the thatched cottage, with young people expounding insights and logic, were often ways to reveal talent.
This thatched hut looked
Compared to the rigidity of the Imperial Examination System’s essay topics, the talents selected through political discussions in thatched cottages under the Recommendation System are more flexible.
After all, the examination hall cannot test adaptability. The students selected after multiple imperial examinations only have the ability to write essays.
However, when talents in the thatched cottage express their views, they must undergo scrutiny from all sides. Of course, the core is still to look at the quality of the participants. Only people with sufficiently high perspectives can ensure the quality of the “discussion”.
Xuan Chong has inspected this talent selection model, and his evaluation is: excellent argumentative views have also emerged in various forums, with many great talents standing out. However, as the discussion scope and crowd expanded, many incompetent people came to join in the fun and spout nonsense, plus the impact of the navy, as well as various eye-catching perspectives, the effect disappeared.
Since the Zhenzhou system required an excessively large number of governance talents, Xuan Chong abandoned this “thatched cottage” model after inspection.
Xuan Chong compared repeatedly and believed: They still needed to establish schools for selecting materials. Of course, regarding the abilities of such “forum experts” in other prefectures, Xuan Chong believed that as long as they passed the inspection and their thinking could be transformed, he would still give them opportunities.
It’s just that the old scholars now disdain the opportunities given by Xuan Chong.——After all, Xuan Chong has already abandoned the process of “respecting the wise and humbling oneself to the lowly.”
Returning to the present, in the thatched cottage, most of everyone’s topics were still discussions on politics, “What exactly should be done under heaven?”
The first wave of discussion was about the ups and downs of Hao State in recent years. These scholars divided the current northern Hao State into “Former Hao” and “Later Hao”.
Two years ago, the Wu Family Brothers (Wu Hengyu and Xuan Chong) guarded the barrier, effectively curbing and striking down the Former Hao.
At that time, the scholars felt that the Northern Hao State had suffered a major loss of vital energy, and as long as the northern soldiers and generals were properly appeased, there would be no further issues. However, Former Hao remained quiet for two years, then reignited in the west, repeatedly capturing Da Yao Prefecture.
To this end, these scholars made excuses, calling the current Hao State, dominated by Zhao Cheng in court politics, Later Hao,
In the scholarly community, some atmosphere groups that had infiltrated made this emotional commentary: “Some foolish ministers in the imperial court have short-sighted vision. As Former Hao’s power declined, they hastily cast aside their elite soldiers and fine generals once the birds were gone, which led to endless calamities.”
As the saying goes, in times of national calamity, one thinks of fine generals. After the Wu Brothers established great merits, they were separated by the court elders. One stayed in Bo Prefecture to continue commanding the Eastern Market Army, while the other fled back to the Chong Land in the west.
So at this time, someone came up with the idea: Can we now have Wu Yuanchang of Chong Land contend with the current Later Hao once again?
Such discussion directions give a strong sense of déjà vu of “building the great triangle.”
That is, after confirming the existence of a “common enemy,” expecting one’s own side to form a Vertical Alliance with various factions for perfect coordination, yet forcibly ignoring the fundamental differences in key interests and willingness to contribute.
The strategy of vertical alliance to counter strong enemies is filled with numerous idealistic assumptions and lacks analysis and consideration of reality.
Soon, the thatched cottage was divided into two factions over this. One faction was led by Wang Botao, who emphasized “expel the barbarians and then resolve Later Hao”; while the leader of the scholarly faction on the other side was called Xi Houyu, whose argument emphasized “pacify internal threats and resolve Da Yao corrupt ministers.”
The arguments of both sides seem not to be directly contradictory, but in fact, each is skirting the edges. Their true arguments cannot be stated directly. Because one meaning is: Da Yao is beyond saving, future division is the long-term situation; the current local strategy should be to prepare for separatism. While the other meaning is: Da Yao can still hold together, should not separate, what should be done now is to loyally support the king.
Wang Botao: “Later Hao will become a great disaster, and the people under heaven will suffer.”
Xi Houyu was displeased at the interruption and responded, “Later Hao’s homeless dogs, where do they get the gall to cause trouble?”
Wang Botao: “When the late emperor was alive, he mobilized the strength of the entire realm to pacify False Hao but failed. Have you gentlemen forgotten? The reason Hao brings calamity to the realm is one-third due to its armored soldiers and seven parts due to disunity within our Da Yao.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere grew tense. Everyone prepared to control the direction of the discussion, not letting the debate become “wildly perverse.”
Back then, Emperor Shu allowed the chaos in Hao State, and the chief culprit was His Majesty’s inexperience in military affairs when he was Prince Zhou. So is this a topic that can be discussed now?
Currently, all sides are still inclined towards purging the emperor’s side, and purging the emperor’s side still relies on Emperor Ling’s legal principles. If we accuse the monarch of wrongdoing before even seeing him, wouldn’t that confirm that our side consists of corrupt ministers and traitors?
In the thatched cottage, the water boiled, and he began pouring in tea cake and red dates and such.
Xi Houyu seized the opportunity: “Later Hao was originally just a minor ailment; it was caused by corrupt ministers misleading His Majesty over these years in Da Yao.”
The topic shifted back from Emperor Ling to the corrupt minister, with everyone chiming in agreement one after another.
Wang Botao: Later Hao were originally a bunch without lord or father. They lost their old capital without much issue, and moreover, we call him Later Hao, which shows we know his national fortune is forcibly extended. Now his ministers are strong and his lord weak, with the country about to be usurped from below. But what about Da Yao? The pillars of the state have collapsed. How many more shakes can the state altars withstand?
Wang Botao ultimately reined in the topic, shifting the focus to Da Yao’s attitude toward meritorious officials.
Of course, many also began to reflect: how many “pillars of the state” are left under heaven? A taboo topic as deep as “Prince Zhou knows not of soldiers” back then is “whether the Wu Family brothers are truly pillars of the state.”
Several years ago, without a doubt, the Wu Family brothers were undeniably pillars of the state, but as various sects confirmed that the “Southern Border evil” was caused by Wu Hanluan, the Wu Family gained a stain.
In recent years, noble families and great clans everywhere, influenced by the sects, have adopted this view: the Wu Family bears original sin in the plague disaster and should now make amends to offset their merits.
Wu Yun Immortal Sect: Wu Yuanchang had a chance back then to wash away the stain—uphold great righteousness by executing kin, sacrificing the small family for under heaven; but Xuan Chong directly pulled a peach-for-li stunt, plunging all sects under heaven into the Great Tribulation.
In the narrative of worldly families colluding with the cultivation world, the Wu Family could no longer be pillars of the state, but tyrants instead.
This year, Xuan Chong sat by as Xia Prefecture was taken, then used troops in Yongzhou to expand his territory on his own; in these scholars’ comments, he became a treacherous thief with designs on under heaven.
Despite Wu Yuanchang’s poor reputation, in the logical deductions of the thatched cottage political discussants, they could not dismiss Wu Yuanchang’s role. They still needed to give Wu Yuanchang a chance to “turn back to the shore and repent anew.”
Regarding the second half of Tian You Calendar Year 4, many thatched cottage scholars believed: as long as Zhenzhou shows more loyalty, Later Hao won’t dare develop Xia Prefecture, nor relax guarding the western flank.
Whether the loyalist faction or the separatist faction, all their schemes require Da Yao to hold out for another year.
Numerous scholars all hoped Da Yao would continue maintaining this bad but uncollapsed situation, all hoped Zhao Cheng’s pace would be held back, so how to keep Xuan Chong’s fierce troops in the western frontier for balance became everyone’s goal.
The advisors thought to arrange something for Xuan Chong, such as sending a woman for a marriage alliance with Xuan Chong. Of course, best if a imperial clan woman.
…Before the rain, the fish come to the lake surface. Sticking their heads out to gaze at the sky and make wishes…
Cough cough cough, Xuan Chong was choked by the overly spicy river fresh, but of course Xuan Chong did not self-reflect, cursing: “Who’s badmouthing me.”
After finally prying open a river mussel, he found it had an off smell. Xuan Chong: “Damn, it’s all rotten, can’t eat it.” So he casually scooped out the thing and fed it to the dog rubbing up beside him.
The place where Xuan Chong was located was the southern region of Ling River Four Commanderies. Sparse population, roads newly opened.
And five hundred meters to his left was a camp built with wooden fences, namely a temporary supply point.
In Tian You Calendar Year 4 summer, Xuan Chong also had no intention of confronting Zhao Cheng head-on. Nor as Da Yao advisors envisioned, considering the “marriage alliance” overtures sent his way. Instead, he was probing the uses of Chi You Soldiers in the southern region.
Xuan Chong: As a thirty-something old boy, can’t I play with some interstellar toys?
First, the mecha passed through heaven and earth, leaving a contrail cloud from south to north—this was Xuan Chong’s exclusive “flight.” After penetrating north-south, it gave Xuan Chong a tool to return north anytime to take charge.
The Chi You Soldiers combat base was a treasure trove. Xuan Chong patiently discovered that “seventy percent” of some facilities were intact in functionality despite failure, but parts of the structure could still operate.
Xuan Chong scavenged some effective technology from a pile of failed tech. (Just like interstellar scavengers picking through junk.)
For example, some refining furnace tech was failed, but could be used to fire bricks.
The three fortresses near Chi You Mountain made use of these bricks; though their defensive barriers had walls of logs and rammed earth, the defensive towers were built of brick walls.
Of course, most importantly, Xuan Chong dug out from the biological repository the maintenance system originally for producing nutritional liquid for soldiers.
This thing could turn organic matter into edible jelly-like nutritional liquid. Xuan Chong made a point of protecting this machinery.
…Assembly operation…
Lingnan Four Commanderies, wooden cattle and horses covered with rubber tarps (raincoat material) transported twenty strange machines to an open space and fixed them in place. The two hundred in charge of logistics, after the vehicles stopped, immediately divided into groups to unload the machines.
Amid collective shouts and non-commissioned officers’ commands of “Careful!” “Slow down, don’t smash it!” “Wooden baseboards here, put it on the baseboards first!”, the machines were steadied.
After operating per the manual, Xuan Chong discovered that shredding wood with the machine, then steaming it in a large iron pot, then feeding it into this nutritional liquid maker produced sweet, vitamin-rich nutritional liquid.
This nutrition machine consumed electricity; for power, Xuan Chong dug out “solar” components from Chi You Soldiers and found generators in some abandoned warehouses.
This meant that in Xuan Chong’s upcoming southern expedition, on the grain front, there would be no limit to the scale of troops he brought. What needed assurance were ammunition, tents, arrows, and such elements.
After calculations, Xuan Chong determined his troop could bring over twenty thousand.
In the Chong Land chaos, he recovered many forces, all now urgently needing a war to test them—these included the soldiers he led on the expedition to the sevenfold high tower.
Without a doubt, their loyalty was no issue. After the expedition to the “rotten sevenfold prison,” where he led them out from the most terrifying plague beasts, they were basically devoted heart and soul.
But! Loyalty isn’t just about the lower ranks’ devotion; it also requires leaders assigning positions.
And now within Chong Land, the southern route army faction had no intention of giving these rebels any positions.
If left unaddressed long-term, even if loyal to him, internal splits and contradictions would arise.
This was just like in Legend of Zhen Huan where both Hua Fei and the empress loved the fat orange cat—did that stabilize the rear palace? Or did they still fight endlessly over status?
The various factional military nobles under the lord were the same.
The commander had to create an “interest chain” to arrange everyone fully.
Xuan Chong looked up at the sky, as if another thing was drooping down, but this wasn’t the rotten style he saw last time from the Evil Moon; it was something like a lotus root.
…Invite…
At this time on the Evil Moon, in the rotten smell domain, the lotus seed had quietly unfurled in a dazed state, with white lotus root and green leaves spreading amid the chaotic information flow.
As an alien species that used a neutron star for one wither and bloom per year, branching and scattering leaves, now on this high-concentration unknown information planet Evil Moon, it began unreasonably “decomposing” and “absorbing nourishment.”
In the green rotten garden, one by one chubby rotten little elves, and mushroom flowers all melted and withered; even the Lord of Rot, huge as a mountain, was now entangled by roots. The Lord of Rot let out groans, while in the surrounding blue domain, the Qing Bao Dao Venerable of equal size, hidden in the mirror palace, seemed to sense something slightly.
In the adjacent red domain, blood battle mad demons wrapped in blood power tried to charge over to chop apart these lotus flowers, but after stepping on the lotus leaves, they turned into red gemstone dewdrops, then merged into the pond below.
The forces in the other three domains of the Evil Moon silently watched as the rotten domain turned into a blooming field of lotus flowers.
Yet it was impossible to remain a bystander, because roots often extended to the other three domains. As spring thunder flashed around the lotus seed, whether it was the blood-colored mad battle or the purple palace, the struck areas all turned into pools of silt.
And in the silt, roots were growing. As the evil moon projected onto the Xi Ren Realm, these roots often appeared in the places where the evil moon projected.
The lotus seed had already grown, next awaiting the Human Realm to loosen this “pond mud” for it.
