Riding the wind of rebirth

There are brick and stone passageways on both sides of the city gate that can be accessed. Once you reach the gate, the area above is quite spacious. In addition to the magnificent archway, there are two low-rise buildings on the east and west sides, which were obviously used by the garrison on the gate tower back then.

The building is magnificent in structure, and the calligraphy on the gate tower and the city gate is also impressive, but it is simple and solemn. The roof and the side room roof are covered with large blue tiles, and the walls are made of blue bricks and white walls, which shows that the scale of Huili City itself is not high. However, most of the wooden windows on the upper floor are boarded up, leaving some small square holes, which is obviously for practical purposes. These are all "arrow windows".

Gongji Tower is somewhat dilapidated, with mottled white walls and damaged wooden windows. It is not even closed off, and people can freely go inside and tour it.

There are many inscriptions on the walls inside the building. Besides the vulgar phrases like "So-and-so was here," there is also a well-structured poem in running script, left by someone from an unknown dynasty.

Zhouzhi interpreted it for everyone: "From the highest tower, one overlooks the clear river; from the top, one ascends to the remote border. The eastern cliffs of Jieshi float in the clear sky, while the western peaks merge with the misty haze."

"This poem seems pretty good, huh?" Huang Ruishan commented.

“Of course it’s good. This is a poem by Yang Shen, the great scholar from Sichuan and the top scholar in the imperial examination of the Ming Dynasty.” Zhou Zhi raised his camera and took a picture of the poem. “However, the version that is commonly circulated now is: ‘From the tower of Yaocen, I look down upon the clear river; I climb ten thousand miles to the frontier. The eastern cliffs of Jieshi are tinged with crimson, and the western peaks are shrouded in mist. The traveler at the ends of the earth sheds tears, and the lonely minister by the sea has been exiled for nine years. I imagine myself in short clothes following Li Guang, and the Han dynasty is at peace, with the Yanran Mountain inscribed on the monument.’ There are some differences in wording between this and the poem here. These seemingly hasty lines are quite valuable.”

“Oh right, you might not know Yang Shen,” Zhou Zhi said to Li Laosan and Xu Anxin. “But the opening theme song of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, ‘The Mighty Yangtze River Flows Eastward,’ was written by him. Baoguang Temple in Xindu, the place where the Arhats are counted, and Guihu Park next to it, are his former residence.”

"Oh, it was him!" Xu Anxin immediately realized. "Guihu Park is quite large, so his family must be big landowners?"

"A big landlord and a top scholar coming here to feign sentimentality and lament the passing of spring?" Li Yijia said, "A wanderer at the ends of the earth, a lonely official by the sea, is it any of your business to be a top scholar?"

"Haha, political struggles in the Ming Dynasty were quite brutal. Coupled with being hated to the bone by the emperor, this top scholar really was that unlucky," Zhou Zhi laughed.

"Yang Tinghe was the foremost of the three great talents of the Ming Dynasty and the son of Yang Tinghe, a Grand Secretary of the Dongge Pavilion. He achieved the highest rank in the imperial examination in the sixth year of the Zhengde reign. When Emperor Zhengde, the Ming Wuzong Emperor, left Juyong Pass, he submitted a memorial to remonstrate against the emperor's actions and subsequently resigned and returned to his hometown. After Emperor Jiajing, the Ming Shizong Emperor, ascended the throne, he was reinstated as a Hanlin Compiler and Lecturer at the Imperial Academy."

"His father passed away during the reign of Emperor Zhengde. During the reign of Emperor Jiajing, he held absolute power for several dozen days, dismissing and removing many officials, which offended a large number of people. In the third year of Jiajing's reign, Zhang Cong, Gui E, and other new nobles, in order to curry favor with the emperor, advocated adding Emperor Jiajing's biological father between Emperor Xianzong and Emperor Wuzong, making him Emperor Ruizong."

"This move led to a split among the court officials, which was the famous 'Great Rites Controversy' during the Jiajing reign. Yang Tinghe and his son, along with other opponents, angered the emperor and were punished with caning, dismissed from office, and exiled to Yongchang Guard in southern Yunnan."

"Because his father had offended many people, after Yang Shen was demoted, the dismissed grudges recruited some desperados to ambush him on the road, intending to kill him. Yang Shen was careful all the way and only dispersed when he reached Linqing County."

"Because of the Great Rites Controversy, the Jiajing Emperor harbored extreme resentment towards Yang Tinghe and his son Yang Shen. He often inquired about Yang Shen's recent condition, and if the ministers replied 'old and ill,' the Jiajing Emperor would be very pleased. Upon hearing this, Yang Shen became even more dissolute. He often indulged in drinking and traveling to famous scenic spots."

"There were six general amnesties during the entire reign of Emperor Shizong. Yang Shen was still unable to return to his hometown. According to the Ming law, he could redeem himself and return home when he was over sixty years old, but no one dared to accept his case."

"However, rules are rigid while people are flexible. In the eighth year of the Jiajing reign, Yang Tinghe passed away in Xindu at the age of seventy-one. Yang Shen requested Governor Ouyang Chong to plead on his behalf to return to his hometown to bury his father. After receiving approval, he rushed back to Xindu to handle the funeral arrangements. After that, local officials turned a blind eye to him because of his great reputation. No matter where he stayed, local officials treated him very well." "However, that was all the help they could offer. In the thirty-second year of the Jiajing reign, with the help of Duke Mu Chaobi of Qian, Yang Shen even moved his entire family to Yujiangyang, which is my hometown of Manzhou. However, after only five years, he was reported and exposed again. In the thirty-seventh year of the Jiajing reign, the governor sent four commanders to escort him back to Yongchang."

"His body was not returned to Xindu for burial until after he died in central Yunnan."

"However, his plight garnered the sympathy of the vast majority of people. When the Jiajing Emperor died and the Longqing Emperor ascended the throne, he was posthumously awarded the title of Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices."

"After the Tianqi Emperor ascended the throne, he was posthumously honored as 'Wenxian'."

"This posthumous title is quite good, belonging to the sixteenth rank of civil officials. Generally, one must have both achievements in civil administration and merits in the rule of law. The Ming Dynasty Ministry of Rites' 'Examination of Posthumous Titles' specifically noted that 'those who are not accomplished in both civil and military affairs shall not be given the posthumous title of Xian.' Song Lian received the title 'Xian' for 'establishing rites and music and revising the penal code,' while Liang Jinyang received this posthumous title for 'upholding the legal code and rectifying military discipline.' Yang Shen was exiled his whole life, and only participated in the compilation of the 'Veritable Records of Emperor Wuzong' during the Zhengde era. When he was exiled to Yongchang Guard, he led his servants to help quell the rebellion. His public achievements can only be described as mediocre. The posthumous title he was given was mostly due to his more than four hundred works in Yunnan."

"The problem is that the Jiajing Emperor lived too long." Xu Anxin's hometown, Jingyang, is very close to Yang Tinghe's hometown, Xindu, so his opinion is naturally biased: "If Jiajing had died earlier, Old Yang would probably have been given important positions. With his previous reputation and his own talent, it wouldn't have been difficult for him to catch up with his father."

“This possibility is quite high,” Zhou Zhi said. “If the Jiajing Emperor had died early, Yang Shen would definitely have been recommended by the ministers when the Longqing Emperor came to power. Given his personality and the personalities of the Longqing Emperor and his ministers, he might have been able to gain power from the Longqing Emperor and join forces with Xu Jie.”

"However, history has no ifs, so only future generations can leave this poem on the city tower to commemorate this great literary figure who could not pass through the 'Eternal North Star' gate and could not accomplish the 'Gongji' project."

“But I don’t think it’s a big deal,” Xu Anxin said. “Didn’t Su Dongpo say that if people in Fujian could eat lychees every day, they could too? And Yang Dacai also had pomegranates to eat! Besides, the climate here is good, and the fruits are good too. I feel that central Yunnan at that time wouldn’t have been too bad. Most of the people in the city are Han Chinese. Looking at the old city, I feel that it should be similar to Xindu.”

“Yes, my cousin wasn’t wrong about that.” Zhou Zhi nodded and said, “Back then, this place had a nickname, ‘Little Chengdu’.”

When everyone came down from upstairs, they found a bulletin board in a corner of the North Training Ground and learned that an important event in modern history had taken place there.

The Red Army held the Huili Conference here, which had two major achievements. First, it clarified that the goal of the Long March was to head north to northern Shaanxi to join forces with the Fourth Front Army, thus pointing the way to victory. Second, it refuted erroneous ideas and opposing opinions within the army, unified understanding, and firmly established the leadership team.

This significance is far greater than the first point.

Zhouzhi is relatively weak in modern history. He always thought that these two events were decided after the Zunyi Conference, but now he knows that there were so many twists and turns in them.

During the conference, the Red Army remained at Beiguan, confronting the city's garrison for eight days and eight nights, thus gaining valuable time for the conference to be held at the ironworks in the suburbs. (End of Chapter)