Great Ming Dynasty Wen Chao Gong

Chapter 198 The beautiful scenery of West Lake
"Teacher, during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, there were countless people with tiger fathers and dog sons, so all kinds of hegemony were fleeting, not only the Liu Song Dynasty." Li Zhizao said.

"Yes, just like Murong Chui, who was a wise man. In his later years, he worked hard to restore the country and succeeded. As a result, the 50,000 elites of the Yan Kingdom were buried by his own prince Murong Bao. Although Murong Chui forcibly supported his illness and brought the emerging Northern Wei Dynasty to power Even after a violent beating, the lives of 50,000 elites could not be exchanged. In the end, the foundation of the Yan Kingdom was taken away by the Tuoba clan, and Murong Bao who came to the throne was far behind his father." Zhang Xiao also sighed with emotion. .

"In the past, those who could establish their capital in Jinling were separatist regimes, and the country was not even long. The one who could establish its capital in Jinling, unify China, and create a prosperous age was the great ancestor of the dynasty."

"Yes, the one who unified the country from south to north was the Taizu of the country. The hegemony of so many countries in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties was fleeting. Instead, the Tuoba clan of the Northern Wei Dynasty, which arose in Dai, finally unified the Central Plains and was finally able to The Sui Dynasty that unified China also continued the imperial lineage of the Northern Dynasties. When I read history books, I admire the emperors of the Northern Wei Dynasty. Although there were many jealous, murderous, sinister and mean tyrants, they were all capable emperors, the Daowu Emperor who created the empire. Needless to say, Tuoba Gui and Tuoba Tao, the Taiwu Emperor who unified the north, even the last monarch, Emperor Xiaozhuang, Yuan Ziyou, dared to set an ambush and eradicate Er Zhurong, the powerful minister at the time. Dong Zhuo and Cao Cao had more power, and they killed so many clan members and ministers of the Northern Wei Dynasty during the Heyin Incident. Yuan Ziyou still planned to kill Er Zhurong, although Emperor Xiaozhuang was killed by the Erzhu family who counterattacked shortly afterwards. But I still admire this courage." Zhang Xiao analyzed.

"The emperors of the Northern Wei Dynasty still changed too frequently, and their martial arts skills were insufficient, but their civil affairs were in a mess. Emperor Xiaowen moved south to Luoyang with the intention of imitating the orthodoxy of the Central Plains. However, it was a pity that the Six Towns Rebellion occurred shortly after moving south. From then on, it was another bloody century in the north. ”

"The Dai Kingdom established by the original ancestors of the Northern Wei Dynasty was just a corner, called a country, but it was actually a tribe. Although Emperor Daowu of the Northern Wei Dynasty was cruel and easy to kill, he was still a hero. He could unite a divided tribe into a powerful one. The country itself is already very difficult. There are not many great khans on the grassland who have such ability. If they appear, they will be a huge threat to the court in the Central Plains. "

"Teacher, do you think there will be another hero like Genghis Khan on the grassland now?"

"It's a bit difficult. Since Dayan Khan unified Mongolia on the grassland, the leaders of various tribes are basically the descendants of Dayan Khan. They don't obey anyone. King Shunyi has always been dissatisfied with the Mongol Khan King of the Chahar Tribe of Eastern Mongolia. Moreover, although the grassland can produce enough excellent cavalry, the products are too scarce and the living conditions are too harsh. If there is any wind, frost, rain and snow, no one knows how many cattle, sheep and horses on the grassland will die. It was only the Mongolian branch that could eventually establish an empire. However, since the founding of the dynasty, Mongolia has been closely watched, and the development of the Mongolian tribe has been greatly restricted. Looking at it now, it is worthwhile to go to the northeast. Note that if a powerful separatist regime emerges in the Northeast, it will pose a huge threat to the Central Plains court. If this separatist regime in the Northeast can still gain grassland hegemony, it will most likely be the next Northern Dynasty to enter the country. , at least starting from Murong Yan, and later Goguryeo, the Khitan Kingdom, and the Jin Kingdom, all posed a great threat to the Central Plains. This threat cannot be easily resolved." Zhang Xiao answered in detail. Li Zhizao's various problems.

"So this is why my boss has been keeping a close eye on the Jurchen tribe, especially Nurhachi from the Jianzhou tribe?" Lu Zhang asked.

"This is inevitable. As long as someone seizes the hegemony of the Northeast, there will definitely be conflict with the Central Plains Dynasty, whether this person is the leader of the Jianzhou Jurchens, the leader of the Yehe Jurchens, the king of North Korea, or It would have been the same for anyone else. This is due to the situation. Now that the capital of the country is in Hebei, the strategic location of the Northeast is even more important. If the imperial court cannot firmly grasp the strategic location, it will be the opposite. Just like why Liu Yu rose to power, it was because Huan Xuan raised troops from Jingzhou and usurped the power of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, whether it was General Wang Dunwang or Huan Xuan's grandfather Huan Wen Huan, Great Sima. They almost took away the power of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. The northeast is the strategic location of the capital, and occupying the northeast will give you a commanding position." Zhang Xiao analyzed.

"Dear Mr. Zhang, I will definitely follow your instructions and paint the scenery of the West Lake well, as well as this beautiful tower." John promised.

To be honest, even though hundreds of years have passed, the scenery of West Lake has remained basically unchanged. After walking around in a circle, Zhang Xiao still came to Yue Wumu's tomb.

The three of them pointed out the country and talked loudly. Zhang Xiao couldn't help but feel a little desolate when he looked at the rolling Yangtze River.

"But the imperial court has established a town in Liaodong for two hundred years. How could it lose the Northeast? Those Jurchen tribes, despite being usually domineering, are just in a nest. They only rely on the soldiers of Liaodong Town, and then support them with all kinds of people who follow the barbarians. How could we lose the land of Liao, which is the northeastern land you mentioned, teacher? Especially in the past few years when Ning Yuanbo was guarding Liaodong, he did not know how many times he reported victory to the court. These cannot be all. It's fake." Lu Zhang was still a little confused.

"Uncle Ning Yuan's military exploits can naturally stand the test. Even though the battle reports are somewhat exaggerated, the number of beheadings is still real. Otherwise, he is not a descendant of the founding hero, how could he be the leader in Liaodong? Having served as a soldier for so many years, it naturally depends on his ability and his rank. "

"It's okay. I saw Leifeng Pagoda for the first time. I thought this tower was really unique. I couldn't help but take a few more glances." Zhang Xiao explained. After all, you can't say that you haven't seen Leifeng Pagoda before it collapsed. After that, all you saw were replicas. Although the new tower is not bad, it is not as good as the old one. However, China’s famous buildings and temples have been rebuilt several times, including the Great Baoen Temple in Nanjing. "

"Teacher, the sunset over the Leifeng Pagoda is considered a famous sight in the West Lake, but it's still early. Why don't you go to other places in the West Lake first? It's most pleasant to go boating in the West Lake." Li Zhizao recommended.

At the next stop, according to the plan, Zhang Xiao and his party set off for Zhejiang and headed straight for Hangzhou. After all, I still want to see the West Lake in Hangzhou during the Ming Dynasty.

Although hundreds of years have passed, the kneeling statues of Qin Hui and others are still so eye-catching.

In front of the West Lake, Zhang Xiao stopped at Leifeng Pagoda for a long time.

"John, you have to take a good look and experience, and finish the painting of Leifeng Pagoda." Zhang Xiao ordered the Italian painter.

Although Leifeng Pagoda is also a famous scenic spot on the edge of the West Lake, Li Zhizao was also a little puzzled when Zhang Xiao kept staring at it.

After several people paid their respects to Yue Wumu's tomb, their faces turned into solemn expressions. The Italian painter was really not used to it and finally couldn't help but said: "Dear Mr. Zhang, may I ask what you just paid homage to?" Cemetery, is it a hero of your country?”

"He is a great hero, he is a great commander-in-chief, his name is Yue Fei. He is a national hero of the Chinese people, and the enemies respect and fear him. However, this hero did not die in the war, but was killed by his own The monarch was executed." Zhang Xiao explained.

"Oh my God, why did his monarch do this? Did this commander-in-chief commit any crime?" "If he really committed a crime, the emperor would not dare to touch him. In fact, he did not commit a crime, it was just his The illustrious military exploits aroused the monarch's dissatisfaction. Those kneeling statues you just saw were the people who framed him. At that time, the commander-in-chief was conquering the city, but the monarch at that time gave him thirteen orders to lead his troops. When they returned to the court, they saw that the emperor was suspicious of the commander-in-chief and had committed unwarranted crimes against the commander-in-chief. The commander was worried, so he had him executed."

"This is a great hero and a loyal minister. If he really had the intention to rebel, I am afraid he would not obey the orders and accept the disposal of his monarch. I am afraid he would have directly launched an army. But this A monarch just killed a general who was loyal to him based on his own suspicion, so what hope does this dynasty have?" John sighed.

"There is really no hope, so this dynasty was also wiped out by the Mongols a hundred years later. It wasn't until Emperor Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty raised an army and drove the Mongolian Khan back to the grassland. But your news in Europe is indeed quite closed, I'm afraid it won't be better. People still think that the land of China is still ruled by the Mongol Khan." Zhang Xiao asked.

"Dear Mr. Zhang, this is your stereotype. After experiencing the opening of new sea routes, we Europeans still have some general understanding of many countries around the world. We have also known about the existence of the Ming Dynasty for a long time. , but I didn’t understand how much territory the Mongol Khan occupied. However, I really didn’t know enough about the Ming Dynasty. It was only after I arrived in China last year that I learned that the current capital of the Ming Dynasty was the capital of the Mongol emperor, which was recorded by Marco Polo. What a wonderful big city.”

"Actually, the location of the city of Dadu in the Yuan Dynasty and the city of Beijing in the Ming Dynasty are still somewhat different, but they are indeed very close, so there is no big problem if they are considered to be the same place." Zhang Xiao explained.

"Teacher, everyone is tired from walking today. I know there is a restaurant in Hangzhou City. The shopkeeper and I are old friends. This restaurant is not far from the West Lake. Do you want to go to that restaurant?" Li Zhizao saw everyone. After playing for a long time, I was a little tired and took the initiative to suggest.

"Zhenzhi, you are a native of Hangzhou, so we will only listen to your recommendation whether it tastes good or not," Zhang Xiao said.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Zhang Xiao saw that Li Zhizao was not bragging. The boss was indeed familiar with him. Of course, it might also be because of the identities of Zhang Xiao and his party. No matter what, the shopkeeper quickly welcomed Zhang Xiao and his party to the distinguished seats in the box, where they could enjoy the view of the West Lake.

"Zhenzhi, have you often visited West Lake before?" Zhang Xiao asked.

"Yes, my home is relatively close to the West Lake, so when I was bored with studying, I liked to come to the West Lake and watch the scenery while reading."

"Being able to live by the West Lake for a long time can be regarded as a magical life. Zhenzhi, do you know the approximate market price of a house by the West Lake?"

"Teacher, do you want to live in Hangzhou? Don't want to go back to the capital?" Li Zhizao was a little surprised.

"I do have this intention. His Majesty did not say when he wanted me to return to Beijing. I just sat down here in Hangzhou. The water in the capital is too deep now. There is no point in staying here. It is better to stay in Hangzhou for a while. . It’s also great to write some books and read books by the West Lake.”

"What book does the teacher want to write?"

"I still want to write a martial arts story. I had an idea for this book when I was in the capital, but I never had time to write it. Now looking at the scenery of the West Lake, my mind is suddenly broadened and I have inspiration."

"Teacher, can you tell me the title of the book? I can guess what it's about."

"It's called "The Swordsman". Can you guess what this book is about based on this title alone?"

"The title of the book is really nice, but teacher, the students really can't guess what you are going to write about. I will take a bold guess, it should be a story about a knight-errant taking revenge and wandering around the world."

"Actually, it's almost the same, but the gap is still a bit big. It doesn't matter, when I write the manuscript, I will ask you to refer to it for details. In addition to this one, I actually want to write another novel, but I'm afraid of being criticized if I write it. Someone said that I was making a satire, and I’ll figure out how to write it better when the time comes. I’m afraid I’ll write “Swordsman” first.”

"Teacher, instead of writing the Rise of Great Powers series, are you still compiling the history of the Yuan Dynasty?"

"I won't write about it for the time being. The chapter on the rise of a great country, Franji, is really difficult to write. The main reason is that now the Franji Kingdom is in a stage of transition from prosperity to decline, and many things are not finalized. Although the Ottoman Empire is still in the process of development, The rise of the Ottoman Empire is now stable and its expansion has reached its limit, so it is better to write about it. The Franco Kingdom is different. Although it is still the dominant maritime power in Europe, its hegemony is already shaky, but the so-called bad ship is still on the verge of collapse. There are three pounds of nails. Although the ships of the Folangji Kingdom are now somewhat damaged, they are still very luxurious. We cannot just make random conclusions and say that the Folangji Kingdom is about to lose. This is the formulation of the imperial court's major foreign policies. So I have to find a way to have a deeper understanding of the current situation of Fo Langji before I can write. As for the revision of Yuan History, there will naturally be someone responsible for it, and I just gave some ideas," Zhang Xiao explained.

(End of this chapter)