The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 807 Idle Cloud and Wild Crane
On the sixth day of the sixth month of the fourth year of the Mingqi reign, the King of Liao brought the saltpetered head of Huang Taiji and rushed to Xuzhou to hold a meeting with Emperor Chongzhen.

Five miles west of Xuzhou City, there is Yunlong Mountain, where pines and cypresses are lush and verdant. It is midsummer, and Zhu Youjian and Qi Meng, dressed in casual clothes, are exchanging greetings at Fanghe Pavilion.

"Your Majesty, are you used to the bumpy journey from Nanjing to Xuzhou?"

"That's what I wanted to ask you. The wind and sand in the capital are getting stronger and stronger. Are you used to this plane?"

The Crane Releasing Pavilion, built by the hermit Zhang Tianji of Pengcheng, boasts a simple and elegant appearance with its hipped roof and overhanging eaves. Zhang Tianji, who called himself "Hermit of Cloud Dragon," became a close friend of Su Shi when he was the prefect of Xuzhou. The hermit raised two cranes, which he released every morning from the pavilion, hence the pavilion's name.

In the autumn of the first year of Yuanfeng, Su Shi wrote "Record of the Fanghe Pavilion", and Yunlong Mountain and Fanghe Pavilion became famous because of this.

"I heard that immortals once lived in the Free Crane Pavilion. The King of Liao is meeting with me here. Does he want to send me to the west on a crane, or does he want me to retire to the mountains?"

Zhu Youjian carefully examined Qi Meng, his former mortal enemy, who sat on the stone bench before him. Qi Meng was a large man with a face as sharp as an axe. There was a scar on the left side of his chin, which was said to be an arrow wound he received while suppressing Wu Sangui's rebellion.

"Yes, Fanghe Mountain is indeed where the gods live. Over the years, I have sent many people to the Western Paradise. Before I eliminated Huang Taiji, I did have the idea of conquering Jiangnan and killing you."

Qi Meng grabbed the watermelon on the stone table, took a bite, and handed a piece to Zhu Youjian. Zhu Youjian shook his head, indicating that he didn't need it.

"I believe you have the ability to unify the world. Liu Zeqing, Zuo Liangyu and the others are no match for you. Your army can capture Annan and land in Japan. If you wish, unifying the world is only a matter of time. So, what made you change your mind and stop killing me?"

Qi Meng was silent for a moment and clapped his hands. Dongfang Zhu, who was standing outside the pavilion, walked in holding a wooden box. When he saw Zhu Youjian, he saluted the Southern Ming Emperor.

The King of Liao waved his hand, and Eunuch Dongfang opened the wooden box, revealing a ferocious wild boar head.

"What is this..." Zhu Youjian asked in surprise. The wild boar head in the wooden box was obviously completely different from what he had seen before.

"The head of Emperor Huang Taiji of the Qing Dynasty, to be precise, is a gift from the Vine Company to you and me."

"Huang Taiji?"

Zhu Youjian looked at this time traveler who came from the future like himself with a puzzled look on his face.

"That's right, absolutely true. Don't people like to call Nurhaci Wild Boar Skin? It's not impossible that Wild Boar Skin's son turned into a wild boar."

Zhu Youjian was confused after hearing this. Qi Meng asked Dongfang Zhu to take the wooden box away, and only the King of Liao and Emperor Chongzhen were left in the Fanghe Pavilion.

"Have you heard of the T virus?" Qi Meng stared into Zhu Youjian's eyes.

Zhu Youjian wondered if he had heard it wrong. Before entering the Eastern World, Vine Company repeatedly emphasized to players in the strategy guide, "The Eastern World is very pure and pristine. Apart from the traitor Qi Meng, there are no other foreign invaders..." Purity and pristineness were an important selling point of Vine Company. Zhu Youjian had signed up to enter precisely because of this.

"Are you saying that there is a Resident Evil copy in the Eastern World? This is impossible, this is too ridiculous. This is against the rules." "The rules are set by Vine Company, and all players can only adapt to them. There is no doubt that those robots deceived you." Qi Meng stared into Zhu Youjian's eyes and said word by word.

"They released a super virus in Liaodong, intending to kill me, and of course you as well. Ultimately, you're just a pawn, or more accurately, a discarded piece."

To be precise, it is one of Qi Meng's catchphrases.

"Is this your first time entering the Eastern World?" Qi Meng asked.

"Is this important?"

"I've been here many times, and I know their methods."

The career that Zhu Youjian had always been proud of collapsed.

His beliefs, his ideals, everything collapsed at this moment.

"They told me that they came to the Eastern World to resist tyranny. Only by eliminating you can they eliminate the soil for extremism and avoid tragedies like the humanitarian crisis during the Guangde period (Note 1)."

Qi Meng lit a cigar and handed one to Zhu Youjian, who took it.

"You've been deceived. Robots are all liars. Their rule is a hundred times more terrifying than extremism. The Eastern World has affected their ruling order, so it wants to kill us."

"We can join forces instead of being used as pawns by robots and engaging in senseless killings here."

Zhu Youjian carefully digested every word Qi Meng said to him.

Note:
1. Humanitarian crisis during the Guangde period:
It refers to a series of political and economic crises caused by the suppression of domestic rebellions, the forceful implementation of new economic policies, and the elimination of domestic dissidents during the reign of Emperor Guangde Liu Kan (1667-1745) after the death of Emperor Taizu of Qi, Liu Zhaosun.

At the end of the 17th century, the young Great Qi regime under the rule of Taizu won victory in the domestic war and in resisting foreign armed intervention. After eight years of expedition to Japan and three years of suppressing rebellion, the empire was seriously depleted in finances and the national economy was on the verge of bankruptcy.

After Emperor Guangde Liu Kan ascended the throne, he voluntarily gave up 3000 million square kilometers of territory (the Ryukyu Islands, Korea, the Japanese Islands, Sakhalin Island, and parts of Siberia) with a population of 180 million. Liu Kan concentrated his limited national strength on eliminating Princess Liu Yufei and her followers, brutally suppressing dissidents politically, and systematically purging veteran nobles of the previous dynasty...

The civil war resulted in the deaths of one million people on both sides of the Guangde Emperor and the princess, two million injured, and 100 deaths from plague. Between 200 and 40, the Great Qi Empire lost a total of three million people due to famine, plague, and migration to escape the war.

The Imperial Annals, published in 1758, the tenth year of the Guangyou reign, stated: "(After the great chaos of the Guangde reign) the empire's economy was at the level of Great Britain in the second half of the 17th century." The national economy was severely damaged. In 1720, the output of large-scale industry was almost 6-7% lower than the pre-war period. The metallurgical industry was in a very difficult state. In 1720, only 11.6 tons of pig iron were produced, approximately 3% of pre-war output. Coal production was down by two-thirds, oil production by almost three-fifths, and textile production by 2-3%. Due to a lack of fuel and raw materials, most enterprises were unable to operate. Per capita, pig iron production was less than 3 kilogram, and cotton textile production was less than 5 meter. Industrial products, the most needed by the population, were in dire shortage. Agriculture was also severely damaged. Agricultural output in 19 was only 20% of that in the third year of the Taichu reign. Grain and other essential foodstuffs were in severe shortage. Thirty percent of the railways ceased operation, and the remaining sections operated sporadically due to a lack of fuel, rolling stock, and skilled railroad personnel. Agricultural production fell by nearly half. Economic life became responsibly repurposed, with a massive devaluation of the currency. Social class dynamics underwent profound changes. Landlords and the upper and middle bourgeoisie were eliminated, and the rich peasants were expropriated. A large number of intellectuals, including their families, emigrated, numbering 1 million. The working class was reduced by half, with some fleeing famine by migrating to the countryside to work in crafts, and some dying on the battlefield. By the end of 1, the five million Qi army had begun demobilization, but society could not provide them with jobs. Peasants nominally received land, but under the grain requisition system, they were left with virtually nothing, and large-scale rebellions continued until the mid-eighteenth century.

(End of this chapter)