Chapter 1237 Mourning
Chapter 1237 Mourning
Shan Xia returned to Jianye in early August.
The fleet was huge, but much smaller than before.
Perhaps it was because he returned to a familiar place, his illness miraculously recovered, which was amazing.
However, some people are pretending to be sick, while others are really sick and are dying.
On the third day of August, Liu Kun, who had been bedridden for many days, suddenly sat up and asked his eldest son Liu Qun (Liu Zun was the eldest son of a concubine) to help him climb Beigu Mountain.
The weather didn't show any sign of getting cooler, but Liu Kun felt a little chilly.
Liu Qun wanted to say something, but Liu Kun waved his hand, signaling him to stop.
Liu Qun had no choice but to support his father with a sad face and accompany him on his last journey.
"Bei Gu, Bei Gu, why not 'Bei Gu'?" Liu Kun sighed.
The regimes that ruled Jiangdong always relied on the Yangtze River as their support. Facts have proved that the most intense battles always took place in the Huai River area further north. When you cannot hold that area, it proves that your elite main force has been lost. The remaining troops will not only collapse in a field battle, but will definitely not be able to defeat the enemy. At this point, you can only rely on the Yangtze River, but this Yangtze River may not be able to protect the ancestral temple.
Beigu Mountain is really just Beigu Mountain, not Beigu Mountain.
"After so many years, I have finally figured it out." Liu Kun suddenly said something out of context.
Liu Qun listened quietly.
"In Jinyang, we were defeated repeatedly, so we had to rely on the Tuoba Yilu brothers to stop the enemy." Liu Kun said: "I can't remember how many battles we fought. Generally speaking, we lost more than we won. Occasionally, we could beat the Xiongnu, and I was ecstatic at that time, asking how we won. But the next time we fought the Xiongnu, we lost. So we called on the Xianbei to come to our aid, and this cycle repeated until Jinyang fell."
"I have used soldiers from Taiyuan, Yanmen, Zhongshan, Dai (county), and even Xiongnu and Diqiang, but still lost more than I won. As a father, I am very dissatisfied. Why can we win sometimes and lose miserably other times? You say the soldiers are weak, but they beat the Xiongnu. You say the soldiers are strong, but they are defeated again and again."
"At that time, I couldn't understand it. But when Shao Taibai defeated the Xiongnu repeatedly, he finally came to his senses. In fact, it was because his soldiers were not good enough. He won and lost without knowing why. But Shao Taibai knew who he was going to fight from the beginning, so he trained hard to prepare for three battles and raised them well. At critical moments, he personally led the troops to boost morale."
"Father has relied too much on the powerful families. However, the powerful families' soldiers are not ours, so I have no say on how to train them. They have been fighting for many years and are still the same."
"Shao Taibai was also good at using the situation to win over the nobles and the chieftains of the Hu people. After he occupied Yu and Yan, he was already difficult to shake. From then on, he conquered Hebei, took back Bingzhou, and re-conquered Guanxi to unify the north."
"I, your father, didn't even do a good job of winning over the powerful families. I was ultimately wrong about Linghu Sheng."
Liu Qun was a little surprised.
My father had never admitted this mistake that caused Jinyang to lose the hearts of the people. But now, he personally said that he killed Linghu Sheng, a noble family in Taiyuan, because he favored an actor, which shows that he must have regrets in his heart.
A sigh was heard on the wind.
Maybe it's not just because of the mistakes I made when I was young, but also because I realized it so late.
Time is running out, I will be consigned to the mountains, what can I do! What can I do!
"He won this world..." Liu Kun sat on the top of the mountain, like a sculpture, staring at the vast north.
That night, Jin Taiwei Liu Kun died in his official residence at the age of sixty-four. He left instructions to be buried in Beigu Mountain.
Before leaving, he might have received some comfort, after all, there was no Lu Chen in Shenzhou.
******
Is Liu Kun considered an old friend of Wang Dao? Probably not, but he still felt a little sad.
He was as famous as Zu Ti at that time, and made a great name for himself by hearing the cock-crow.
Later, he rose and fell in the turbulent times and was able to attack Bingzhou. He fought with the Huns for years but was ultimately defeated.
To be honest, they were colleagues of the former King Yue of the East Sea. However, today, only a few of the former staff members are left...
Strangely enough, at this moment, Wang Dao was reminiscing about the old people in Sima Yue's mansion when he was Sikong, rather than the 160 officials from Jiangdong who assisted Sima Rui in achieving his great cause.
Military commander Cao Fu, Chief Clerk Wang Cheng, Left Commander Liu Qia, Assistant to the Imperial Guard Wang Cheng, Military Advisor Dai Yuan, Hua Tan, and Supervisor Mi Huang...
Where are the old friends now?
After Sima Yue became the Grand Tutor, he reopened his government, and there were more talented people than before, but he was gone.
I still remember that looming family general.
He was truly a man of deep thoughts, and he had started to train youngsters at an early age. Among that group of people emerged some of the now famous generals of the time, who fought for him in all directions and wiped out all those who disobeyed him.
Regret? Not much.
Wang Dao just wanted to kill one of Pei Dun's vanguards with a simple blow. If he couldn't kill him, he would stop and didn't bother to do it a second time.
Hate it? Not really.
Wang Dao still admired his achievements, but they just had different ideas and could not work together. That was all.
“Time flies by like an arrow, day and night.” Wang Dao smiled with relief: “Thirty years have passed so quickly.”
"Maohong." His wife Cao Shu looked at him worriedly.
Director Wang held her hand tightly, just like the quiet evening thirty years ago when the couple were walking by the bamboo forest.
The crescent moon is like a hook, and the evening breeze is cool.
The person is still the same, but the mood is different.
"Live well." Director Wang walked calmly, as if he was explaining something ordinary, and said calmly.
Cao Shu burst into tears.
"Don't be sad, and don't seek revenge." Director Wang said, "Thirty years ago, I didn't know much, so I was not as good as Shao Taibai. Thirty years later today..." Director Wang smiled and said, "He did a good job. After all, I can only patch things up, but he can build a foundation for a dynasty. The difference is clear. In this world, he has more ideas than me and sees farther than me, so it's normal that he lost."
Cao Shu held Wang Dao's arm tightly.
Director Wang patted his wife's hand to comfort her.
"Shiru is gone. He is more resolute than me. It is good to be a man who has a beginning and an end." Wang Dao sighed and said, "If any of the Wang family members come to visit, do not meet them. I used to think that Yi Fu was too boastful and too biased towards Pingzi and Chuzhong, and I felt a little resentful. Now that things have come to this, he still needs to lend a hand. The world is unpredictable, it is true."
"Forget it! Forget it!" Wang Dao sighed twice and said, "Some people call me Guan Yiwu, some people laugh at me for having no politics. Right or wrong, gain or loss are not important anymore."
"Along..." Cao Shu wiped the corner of her eyes and said, "Go back."
"Okay, let's go back, let's go back." Wang Dao was like an old official who had unloaded a heavy burden. He felt relaxed and walked back slowly with his wife's arm.
In this life, I have been high-spirited, full of regret, passionate, and acted crazy and stupid, but in the end, everything returned to calm.
Perhaps, this is life.
******
August 14th is the day to avoid illness.
Shan Wei didn't know why he came to Danyang County again.
Perhaps this place has become a kind of symbol in his mind.
Although he is a relative of the emperor, he does not hold a position in the central government and just holds on to the position of Danyang Yin, which only makes people laugh.
Du Yi was also here, looking at the scenery outside the window with boredom.
"Master." He stood up gently and bowed.
After Shan Wei returned the gift, he was speechless and wanted to say something, but felt that nothing was appropriate.
"My Lord, don't you want to see the magnificent scenery of autumn?" Du Yi asked.
"The autumn wind is bleak, what is there to see?" Shan Wei replied unhappily.
"Everyone in the world likes the fruits of autumn, doesn't the Lord like it?"
"My life is about to end, where will the harvest come from?"
"Isn't Shan Yanlin back?" Du Yi said with a smile, "Qiu Shi is over there."
"I can't bring myself to do this." Shan Wei said, "Although Yan Lin is smart, I'm afraid he can't do this."
Du Yi nodded and said, "In this case, there is another way out."
Shan Wei sat up straight, stared into Du Yi's eyes, and asked, "Where is the way out?"
"The way out is to hand over Jianye intact to the emperor." Du Yi said: "In Wudu——"
"The palace is majestic, the towers are high, and the splendor is like a fairyland. It will be a great achievement to hand it over to Your Majesty."
"Golden tiaras, pearl robes, peach pipes, ivory mats, banana and kudzu vines, crane knees, rhinoceros horns. To fill the imperial treasury, this is the second merit."
"A noble family, a great hero, a descendant of Yu and Wei, a descendant of Gu and Lu. To make him face north and serve is the third merit."
"Wu Shu, Yue Nu, Zhao Ji, Qi E, beauties from all directions, noble ladies in the deep palace. They can entertain the emperor in his later years, and they are the four merits."
"The building ship and the light boat..."
After Du Yi listed them one by one, Shan Wei finally understood. This was about preserving the wealth that gathered the essence of the southeast from being destroyed in the war and allowing the conqueror to receive it intact. This was where he could make his effort.
"Shan Yanlin understands better than you do." Du Yi pointed out to him again.
Shan Wei's expression became complicated when he heard this.
Shan is a relative of the emperor. It would be fine if they didn't die for their country, but they took the lead in surrendering. It's a bit unkind and embarrassing. But now that things have come to this, it seems that there is no other way to save their lives.
Oh! What a shame! Shan Wei sighed secretly.
"Your Excellency still has 2,000 county soldiers, right?" Du Yi spoke again: "Shan Yanlin returned with 8,000 people from Liyang, so that's 10,000 people. Apart from the virtuous brothers, what other soldiers does Jianye have?"
"Wang Chuming has several thousand newly recruited soldiers." Shan Wei said, "There are 4,000 soldiers in Shitou City and 4,000 soldiers in Taicheng. It seems that the King of Kuaiji also has some troops. Liu Chao and Zhao Yin in the south - that's it, a lot of their people have scattered, less than 30,000, and their morale is low. If they were not confined in the camps and fortresses, I'm afraid they would have scattered."
"The elite soldiers of Liyang are brave and good at fighting. Perhaps only the remaining 6,000 to 7,000 Northern Army soldiers in Jingkou can match them." Du Yi said, "It is best to seize the military power and control the 4,000 troops in Taicheng. This way, we can attack or defend without any worries."
Shan Wei nodded slowly, then looked at Du Yi and said, "Now that things have come to this, can Hongzhi help me understand the confusion in my heart?"
"Your Excellency, please feel free to speak."
"When did you become a spy?" Shan Wei asked seriously.
Du Yi laughed loudly and said, "Why do you have to be so obsessed with such trivial matters?"
"If there is no escape in the future and my whole family has to die, you must let me die with peace of mind, right?" Shan Wei said.
"You are joking, my Lord." Du Yi put away his smile and said, "Some of my words are false, but the affection between you and me is not false. Relax your mind. As long as Jianye is preserved and the handover is smooth, you will be fine."
Shan Wei sighed and said, "I will trust you once more. I don't need your land, property, or farmhands. I just want to save my life."
(End of this chapter)