Sky Curtain: The Overlord Charges into Battle, Shocking Emperors of All Dynasties

Chapter 42: A discarded geisha is being treated like a treasure?

In the Southern Song Dynasty, Xin Qiji's eyes were wide open, and a line of bloody tears slowly flowed from his eyes. That was Jinan, the Jinan where he was born and raised. He grew up drinking the water of Daming Lake. From a young age, Xin Qiji witnessed the tyranny of the Jin people. The elders of his hometown suffered greatly at the hands of the Jin people, like pigs and dogs. As a young man, he vowed to kill the traitors to serve his country, save the elders of his hometown, and save the people of the world from suffering.

When the sky revealed that Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty had driven out the barbarians, swept away the deep-seated problems, removed the barbarian stench, and restored the Han rites, he was overjoyed. The future generations would finally no longer be oppressed by foreign tribes. Xin Qiji felt as if he were in a hazy darkness, and finally a glimmer of light appeared. But then the light gradually faded, and an abyss far darker than before crashed down on him.

How could he not know that the celestial curtain said this was only the sixth invasion? What about the previous invasions? And what about after they gained control of the world?

Xin Qiji understood the barbarity and savagery of the Jurchens better than anyone else. His life was dedicated to preventing the Han people from being oppressed by foreign tribes again.

But in later generations, Daming Lake was no longer filled with sweet and refreshing water; it was filled with the corpses of his hometown elders, among whom might have been the descendants of his familiar neighbors.

"Kill the traitors!!! Kill the traitors!!!"

I will dedicate my life to killing the traitors and serving my country!

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Bei wept bitterly and almost fainted. He loved the people most, and when he suddenly learned that 130,000 of his people had been slaughtered by foreign tribes, he was overcome with grief and his legs went weak. Zhuge Liang, Guan Yu and others quickly supported Liu Bei, their faces also full of sorrow.

Guan Yu's already red face turned even redder with anger. He glared at his opponent, wishing he could personally go to Jinan at the end of the Ming Dynasty and behead that Tartar dog. "Brother, strategist, after the restoration of the Han Dynasty, you must send me to the northern border. I want to exterminate all the foreign tribes."

"Me too!!!"

In the eleventh year of the Yongle reign, Zhu Di and his court officials all wore gloomy faces because of the two words "Jiannu" mentioned on the sky. This reminded them of the Jianzhou Left Guard, which the court had newly established the previous year, whose leader, Menggetemur, the leader of the Odoli tribe, happened to be a Jurchen.

During the Yongle era, the Tatar tribe gradually declined while the Oirat Mongols grew stronger. In order to counterbalance the power of the Oirat Mongols in the northeast, the Ming Dynasty took the opportunity to place the newly surrendered Jurchen Odoli tribe in Jianzhou Left Guard. The original intention was to use this to control the Mongols, but unexpectedly, when the snipe and the clam fought, the insect ultimately benefited.

Zhu Gaoxu angrily declared, "Father, these Jianzhou Jurchens are still harboring treacherous intentions and have committed such abhorrent act; they deserve to be punished by both Heaven and Man."

"If you want your son to come and see, immediately send a large army and wipe them out."

The generals behind him echoed his sentiments, clamoring to immediately send troops to avenge their descendants. Compared to Zhu Gaochi and others who were targeting the Jianzhou Jurchens, Zhu Di, though furious, did not lose his composure.

He understood one thing: the Jurchens would eventually rule the Central Plains, which would be over a hundred years from now. In that time and space, during the Yongle reign, the Ming Dynasty's main adversary was still the Mongols. As for the Jurchens, they were just wild dogs that could be kicked to death at any time.

He wanted to take this opportunity to launch another northern expedition, cripple the Oirat Mongols in one battle, and conveniently pacify the Jianzhou Jurchens. He wanted to use this as a pretext to have the historians record the names of any civil officials who dared to oppose the expedition, so that it would be passed down to future generations. These people valued their reputation the most.

It just so happens that the recent suppression of the second-in-command went a bit too far, so let the second-in-command lead the troops. His methods are clean, both physically and mentally.

Zhu Di's face darkened, and his tone became heavy, clearly indicating that he was about to seize the opportunity to escalate the matter: "You damned Jurchens, instead of repaying the Emperor's grace, you dare to betray your master and plot rebellion! A bunch of ungrateful wretches!"

"I have decided that next year we will raise an army of 300,000 and annihilate the Jurchens in one decisive battle!"

"By the way, I also suspect the Oirat tribes harbor malicious intentions. To prevent a major disaster, I'll eliminate them as well!"

The civil officials in the hall were also displeased. The great Ming Dynasty had been humiliated like that by the little Jurchens. There was nothing more to say. Let's get them.

But upon hearing Zhu Di's words, 300,000?

Do we really need 300,000 troops to fight the Jurchens? Sending a force of around 10,000 would be enough.

Your Majesty's true intention is not what it seems; you're thinking of using the pretext of conquering the Jurchens to launch an attack on the Oirat.

Just as someone was trying to advise Zhu Di not to squander the country's resources, he suddenly remembered that Zhu Di's pretext was to avenge the people of Jinan for future generations. If he were to offer advice, wouldn't the historical records condemn him for being uncommon?

Seeing that all the civil officials shouted "Yes, Your Majesty!" and even the Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi, who had always opposed his northern expedition, did not step forward to object, Zhu Di was secretly pleased.

The eldest son is sensible, so the throne should be passed to him. With his talent, he can be a ruler who maintains the status quo. In addition, there is that rascal Zhu Zhanji. The Ming Dynasty has two generations of wise rulers and a prosperous era. It's just that the eldest son's descendants don't seem to be very capable. Emperor Chengzu.

It must have been the incompetence of the eldest son's descendants that caused the Ming Dynasty to split into two, just like the Eastern and Western Han Dynasties. Fortunately, the imperial family managed to save the day; otherwise, the Ming Dynasty's more than 100 years of national fortune would not have even been comparable to the Northern Song Dynasty. How could he have the face to meet his father in the afterlife?

It's just a story about a farmer and a snake.

The Ming Dynasty took them in and granted them official positions for generations, but the dogs turned on their masters and took over the household.

Speaking of this, there are still quite a few of these people now; too many have survived.

Follow-up comment: At the opening ceremony a few days ago, I actually saw a group of people dressed in Manchu costumes waving around in a flamboyant manner. It was disgusting. Follow-up comment: Is there no one else? Couldn't they have used Li Qingzhao, Xin Qiji, or Qin Qiong? Why use a fictional character, especially one without any sense of propriety or shame? Follow-up comment: I thought I had gone to the wrong place and ended up in the Eight Great Hutongs. Follow-up comment: To borrow a phrase from the Little Grand Secretary: Is a discarded geisha being treated like a treasure?

Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty was completely unconcerned, even somewhat proud. The Qing Dynasty ruled the Han people with Manchu rule, using millions of Eight Banners soldiers to suppress hundreds of millions of Han people. In fact, the true direct descendants of the Jianzhou Jurchen numbered only a few hundred thousand. They relied on the butcher's knife in their hands. Now Qianlong was very satisfied. For more than a hundred years, relying on the butcher's knife in his hands, the bones of the Han people had finally bent. Although there were still some who were unwilling to give up in various places, they were ultimately a minority. After more than a hundred years of education in enslaving and indoctrinating the people, those Han people probably had long forgotten what they were like before, and only believed that the Manchus had always been noble in this world.

Jinan?

Emperor Qianlong remembered that Jinan, the City of Springs, was indeed beautiful. Seeing this, Heshen, who was standing nearby, noticed that Qianlong seemed to have some interest in her and hurriedly stepped forward, speaking in a flattering tone, "Your Majesty, this servant has heard that a talented woman has emerged from Jinan. She is exceptionally beautiful and has a perfect figure. Moreover, she is skilled in poetry and literature and knows music. Everyone says that she is a fairy descended from heaven."

Emperor Qianlong was intrigued by He Kun's words, and He Kun became even more convinced, continuing, "Moreover, the Jiangnan region is currently enjoying beautiful springtime. Not long ago, the Governor-General of Liangjiang even wrote to inquire about Your Majesty's well-being, hoping that Your Majesty could once again tour Jiangnan."

Emperor Qianlong was intrigued by the words. He was planning to travel around and see if the Han people in the Jiangnan region were behaving properly. "Alright, Heshen, you arrange my southern tour. I'll go to Jinan first and see what kind of extraordinary person is worthy of your praise."

Heshen was overjoyed, his face becoming even more obsequious. "This servant only knows that the fairy's surname is Xia, and I know nothing else. Perhaps such a fairy-like figure prefers to remain veiled."

After agreeing with him a few times, Heshen bowed and took his leave to make arrangements for the southern tour.

There was no fairy named Xia; she was just a famous courtesan from Jinan, whom Heshen had disguised.