Five Dynasties River Mountains Fengyue

Chapter 180 The Context of History

Years ago, Daliang was also immersed in a festive atmosphere, and people didn't know what happened in the south and west.

The Shifu began to purchase materials for the New Year.

Shi Congyun bought a lot because many people would come to his house for the New Year.

Today, the world has been in chaos for decades, and many people are wandering in foreign lands.

Li Chuyun's family and Si Chao's family all drifted south. Dong Zunhui's father was originally a guard in Youzhou. Later, he was destroyed by the Khitan disaster, and he was also a poor man living alone in a foreign land.

Not to mention Wang Zhong and Shao Ji, Pan Mei is not from Daliang. Although he is a close friend of the official family, it is impossible for him to go to the harem for the New Year.

Wang Shenqi is also a wanderer from western Liaoning.

In fact, many people had similar experiences with Wang Shenqi, Shi Yanchao, and Dong Zunhui. Most of them were from Liaodong, Liaoxi, Youzhou, and Yunzhou. After Liao went south, they fled south and went to Henan, Hebei and Qidi.

We are all wandering people, so let’s spend the New Year together, and you can sign up for a group to keep warm.

However, Shi Congyun gradually encountered the dilemma of the three monks without water.

He was very relieved that Zhao Shijian, Fu Jinling, and Zhou Xian did not fight. The three of them are women who have read poetry and books. They like poetry and prose, which makes them have a common hobby.

This was a good thing at first, and it made him feel at ease, but gradually Shi Congyun realized that something was wrong, because no one was sleeping with him anymore, and he pushed this one to push that, and that one to push another.

Zhou Xian explained to her that she was friends with Zhao Shijian and Fu Liu, and he felt betrayed by keeping them selfish.

Shi Congyun had a big head all of a sudden. When Zhao Shijian was alone, he slept how he wanted, and wherever he liked; when Zhao Shijian and Fu Liu were around, he often ran at both ends, and his life was not bad. Moistur, why now there are three wives, none of them will take him in!Drive him to someone else.

Almost got his nose crooked!what the hell is this
On the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, the imperial court held a grand court meeting. This time it was not in the Chuigong Hall, but in the Wende Hall, because this court meeting was not to discuss state affairs, but to meet envoys from various countries who came to pay tribute.

This year, all countries have sent envoys to celebrate the new year. There is no such thing as a scene of all nations coming to the DPRK, but there are more than a dozen countries and tribes.The surrounding Southern Tang, Western Shu, Wuyue, Wuping, Jingnan, and Southern Han all sent people here. After all, the Huainan War had just passed, and many people were frightened and rushed to pay tribute.

In addition, there are many countries and tribes that have come all the way to pay tribute.

This is due to Yu Wei in the Han and Tang Dynasties.

After the Han and Tang Dynasties, no matter how the Central Plains changed dynasties in this era, if you look at the historical records, you will find it strange that the countries outside seem to have long been accustomed to paying tribute.

In addition to the information asymmetry, no matter what the situation and strength of the Central Plains are, the tribes in the northeast, the island countries in the south, some tribal countries in the Western Regions and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau all subconsciously pay tribute to the Central Plains Dynasty.

This was the case in the Zhou Dynasty. In this era, the transmission of information was very slow. Most of them probably did not know that China had long since lost its glory. The current Zhou Dynasty is actually just a separate regime, so it still maintains the habits left over from the Han and Tang Dynasties.

This is also a strange sight.

Shi Congyun watched the officials of Honglu Temple communicate with these envoys with different clothes and different languages, and he was very moved. There were Koreans, women, and some ethnic groups and countries near the Hexi Corridor. The farthest one was from Malaysia. Over there country from the sea.

They probably think that China is still the same China as before.

When receiving these people in the main hall, words are needed to communicate, and words are not feasible. For the first time, Shi Congyun felt the weight of history.

The accumulation of Qin, Han, and Tang led to this situation. Even the Zhou Dynasty, which only had four provinces, enjoyed this kind of treatment, but it is not known whether their descendants can continue this glory and bear this honor.

Unknowingly, listening to them chattering there, my thoughts began to drift away
The Western Han Dynasty was the most important period for the formation of this pattern.

At that time, the number of dependent countries was also the largest, with as many as 55 clearly recorded.

The Western Han Dynasty chose the system of the Qin Dynasty and decided to expand outward, which established the historical context for the future.

The expansion of the Western Han Dynasty was very difficult, and it was not just a simple military conquest, because the world was still in a fog at that time.

The Hexi Corridor, Western Regions, Yunnan-Guizhou Mountains and Rivers, Mobei, etc. No one knew what it was like before. The customs, culture, strength, etc. there were unknown. Zhang Qian and others let China know the outside world for the first time. face.

It was very difficult at that time. It was not just a simple military conquest. It was impossible to write a story full of individual heroism, but it was very thick and majestic, and it also laid the foundation for all the future.

Expansion to the Hexi Corridor, the Western Regions (Xinjiang), Hetao, Yinshan, Yunnan-Guizhou, Guangdong and Guangxi (Guangdong, Guangxi), Vietnam, North Korea and other places is not as simple as military conquest, but also needs to transport population, reclaim land, impart knowledge, and carry out cultural development. Expand to make it culturally acceptable.

If the culture does not agree, domination is built on sand dunes, and the spread and hegemony of the cultural system is to leave an inexhaustible legacy for future generations.

However, the Han Dynasty also had weaknesses. Their foreign policy was different from that of the Tang Dynasty. According to Liu Bang's decision, the Han Dynasty inherited the laws of the Qin State from the beginning, and it was an out-and-out military system.

There was no imperial examination system, so it was determined that the people of the Han Dynasty wanted to climb up, and fighting and killing the enemy was the most important way.

Therefore, for the Han Dynasty, it is not in line with the national conditions to annex neighboring countries to establish rule, except for some strategically important places, otherwise they will fall into the predicament after the Qin Dynasty unified the world.

If the soldiers don't fight, and the bottom doesn't have a way to rise, the country will be in chaos.

How many people all over the country are waiting eagerly, waiting to fight and make meritorious deeds.

Therefore, the wars in the Han Dynasty were very frequent and even fought for the sake of fighting, until they fought militaristically.
History books generally do not show the wars of the Han Dynasty, because they were too bloody, and many times it was the Han Dynasty who deliberately provoked wars, and there was no justice at all.

Fighting is not for ruling, not for the benefit of the people of the country, it has only one purpose, to cut off the heads of soldiers and make meritorious deeds, so as to gain channels for advancement.

Therefore, Wang Fuzhi's statement that "the old country will always die with weakness, while the Han will die with strength" is a very wonderful conclusion. It is determined by the military system. It has been decided since Liu Bang decided to follow the Qin system when he founded the country, and he made military achievements.

In the case of severe civil strife in the end, the way for civil and military officials to gain political capital is to fight wars, putting neighboring countries and tribes on the ground to fight to show their strength, using this militaristic method.This is how Dong Zhuo made his fortune.

After the Sui and Tang Dynasties, there was an imperial examination system, and it became more civilized at once.With the foundation laid by the Han Dynasty, the surrounding countries and nationalities have cultural identity, because many of them were once the vassal states of the Han Dynasty, and they are also very afraid of the great country in the Central Plains whose martial arts are so abundant that they are crazy, so it is very convenient to rule.

In the long course of history, the Han Dynasty was equivalent to giving a severe blow to the tribes of neighboring countries. The Tang Dynasty cleverly began to fight and give sweet dates at the same time. This was very smart at first.

And because of the imperial examination system, people in the Tang Dynasty not only had to kill people like the Han Dynasty if they wanted to rise, but the atmosphere became civilized all of a sudden.

There are also great differences in wars. The Tang Dynasty did not have as many wars as the Han Dynasty, and the methods of fighting and goals were completely different.

When the Han Dynasty attacked the Xiongnu, South Vietnam, and North Korea, they fought to the death, almost suspected of genocide.At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, when there were many internal conflicts in the country, the Xiqiang and other tribes were also chased and killed. They chased them all the way and did not let them go. There were more than 100 battles, large and small. Except for the thousands of people who surrendered, they chased and killed none of them.

After the Tang Dynasty became civilized, it already knew that it started to fight for the sake of rule, not for the sake of fighting. As long as it is conquered and surrendered, it will be ruled by me in name, and then it will stop fighting.

This is a mutually reinforcing progress, like standing on the shoulders of giants.

The Qin Dynasty left institutions for the Han Dynasty, the Han Dynasty left cultural identity and hegemony for the Tang Dynasty, and the Tang Dynasty used the heritage of cultural identity to transform it into political control.

I just don't know if their descendants can regain the old rivers and mountains, continue to hold on to this heritage, and gradually carry it forward, making great strides forward
After the court meeting, Shi Congyun chatted and laughed with the crowd and went out. Although he was touched by the scene and thought of some heavy things, he quickly forgot that this is the kind of person he is, with a big heart.

A large group of people chattered and walked towards the north gate, talking about Shi Congyun's mansion in the past year, and discussing the strange envoys from various countries who just came, laughing and chattering all the way out of the palace.

Finally, they parted outside the south gate of the imperial city.

After returning home, the three girls were writing something at the same table. Shi Congyun came over and realized that he was writing Spring Festival couplets, but at this time they were not called Spring Festival couplets, but peach charms.

And it was not written on paper, but on wooden boards. Paper is too expensive these days to withstand wind and rain.

Shi Congyun went to join in the fun, but he only pointed fingers and dared not show his ugliness, because his handwriting was really ugly, and it became a literal show of ugliness as soon as he started.

While watching the three little girls writing the couplet with great interest, he talked about interesting stories about the court today, especially the envoys from various countries in strange costumes. They were also very interested.

While writing, Zhao Shijian added some knowledge to them: "Actually, the straight females have come to pay tribute a long time ago. They hoped that the Central Plains would be like the Tang Dynasty at the beginning, and justice for the world. They were beaten up by the Khitan people, so they hoped The Central Plains Dynasty can help.

It's a pity that they were wrong in their expectations. Today's China is no longer the China of decades ago. "

Only then did Shi Congyun realize that there was such a thing.

The Khitans expanded rapidly in the north, and Nuzhi was the ancestor of the later Jurchens. They could not withstand the Khitans' attack.

Liaodong and its surrounding areas could be the masters when the Han and Tang Dynasties were strong, so he hoped that the Central Plains Dynasty could help mediate the war so that the Liao Kingdom would not attack them, so he paid tribute frequently.

It's just that they don't know that the Liao Kingdom is the leader today, and the Central Plains has no way of making decisions. They didn't extend their hands to Liaodong, let alone Liaodong, and even Youzhou can't do anything.
In another two years, I guess they will soon realize the reality.

Shi Congyun sighed, this was originally a good opportunity to deal with the Liao Kingdom, to support the Jurchens to fight the Liao Kingdom, even if they are not strong enough to fight guerrillas.

It's a pity that the Central Plains is also in chaos at this time.

The Liao Kingdom is definitely of trans-epochal significance to the nomads. The Liao Kingdom brought the grassland regime from the era of tribal alliances to the era of empires.

In the past, the grassland regimes were all tribal alliances, but they were not united. They had to be replaced every few years as the leader, and there was a high probability of internal fighting and civil war when they were replaced.

Only Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was the only one who had a head-on confrontation with the grassland peoples, but at that time the Huns were also a tribal alliance. After being attacked by Wei Qing and Huo Qubing one after another, their internal conflicts began to disintegrate. Half of them surrendered to the Han Dynasty and helped the Han Dynasty fight the rest of the Huns.

But Li Shimin is more strategic in dealing with Turks.

When the Turks were strong, he endured the humiliation and endured the alliance under the city, and then took advantage of the internal conflicts of the Turkic tribes to fight against one faction, and after knocking down half, he would clean up the other half.

Therefore, the Tang Dynasty fought the Turks so smoothly, and the strategic planning contributed a lot. This also preserved the national strength of the early Tang Dynasty, and it was an important reason why the later Tang Dynasty was so strong.

If Li Shimin was directly angry and bloody, regardless of the long-term interests, he wanted to have a head-to-head head-to-head with the powerful Turks. Even if he could win, the national power of the Tang Dynasty would be greatly weakened, and there would be no prosperity later.

Li Shimin personally bears the burden of humiliation, clearly sees the general trend of the world, and understands that the Turks cannot be eliminated suddenly.Choosing to wait for the opportunity, taking differentiated strikes, and seizing the right opportunity to attack are important reasons why the Tang Dynasty fought the Turks smoothly and the foundation of the Tang Dynasty was stable.

In this regard, Guo Rong is far behind Li Shimin. Although the officials hope to compete with Li Shimin, he may have Li Shimin's bravery, but there is still a big gap in strategic vision and patience.

Not to mention that the current Great Zhou Dynasty does not have the same strength as that in the early Tang Dynasty at that time. The officials even saw the situation of the world clearly, first integrated the north and the south to strengthen themselves, and then chose a suitable time to attack the Liao Kingdom, instead of casually betting on the fate of the country. No patience either.

According to the biography of Empress Fu, Guo Rong is irritable and bloodthirsty, which may be related to his character, he is not a patient person.

In history, he didn't even clean up the south. When the Southern Tang, Western Shu, Northern Han, Wuyue, Wuping, Southern Han, etc. were still there, he ignored the collective opposition of the generals and won Bazhou Xiongzhou. If he insists on going his own way, he must hurry to the north to Youzhou, where he will open a big station with the Liao Kingdom.

Strategically, at this time, a head-to-head confrontation with the Liao Kingdom will result in a loss even if you are lucky and win miserably, ruining the future of a country.

The current Liao Kingdom is not simple, it is the first grassland empire in the true sense.

Because of their admiration for the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty, the rulers of the past dynasties adopted Sinicization reforms to transform the country from a tribal alliance country into an empire, and more effectively integrate the power of the whole country. This is the reason for their strength.

The Liao Kingdom was definitely an unprecedented challenge for the Central Plains Dynasty, and it also made a good start for the grassland regime.

Shi Congyun thought about it for a long time, and many things were messed up in his mind. In the end, he felt more and more critical. If the timeline did not change, Guo Rong would disregard opposition and attack Liao the next year.

He didn't know if the officials would fight again, but this time he felt that he had to prepare, and he felt a strong sense of crisis.

In history, Guo Rong, regardless of the opposition of the generals, insisted on taking Youzhou. During the war with the Liao Kingdom, he suddenly died of illness. What if the officials still persisted and did not die of illness?After all, history has changed.

When the time comes to really fight, what will happen if the Liao army marches straight in?
If you think about it calmly, the probability of this is very high.Because Zhou's army might be gone once it is defeated, the whole country only has four provinces.

But the size of the Liao Kingdom is there. If you fail once, you can come for the second time. If you fail the second time, you can come for the third time. Sending troops one after another, Zhou Guo does not have the south and Shu as the rear. It will definitely not be able to support it in a few years or more. , just like how they dealt with the latter.

Will he be able to escape to the Southern Tang and Shu kingdoms by then?
Certainly not, these two countries have been beaten so badly by him, and it is too dangerous for him to go to the Northern Han Dynasty, and the Liao Kingdom cannot go.

After thinking about it, Shi Congyun sadly found that he had only one way to go now, and that was to be ready to fight the Liao Kingdom at all times, and he had to win, and if he lost, he was gone!
The official's head doesn't grow on his neck, so he can't expect himself to be able to persuade the official to clean up the little brother behind his butt first, and then integrate his forces before fighting the Liao Kingdom
So Shi Congyun thought about it, some things really should not be delayed, he must be prepared for danger in times of peace, he can't just hang out here and indulge in the gentleness all day long.

So I just asked Zhao Shijian to write an invitation letter, and sent it to Feng Jisheng, the commander of the Ministry of War, and planned to send someone to send it solemnly.

Zhao Shijian was stunned for a moment, the military commander Shi was a petty official, logically speaking, with Shi Congyun's current status, why did he invite such a person.

"Your friend?" She tilted her head curiously while writing.

Shi Congyun pinched her lovely nose, "I haven't seen her before, but I've wanted to see her for a long time, so I just want to make a point, so that others don't know about it. For me, this is a very extraordinary talent, so I can't be underestimated."

(End of this chapter)