I'm really not doing business

Chapter 584: Three Hundred Years of the Song Dynasty, Never Recovered Yanyun

Li Zhi flipped through the old lama's notes. The handwriting was extremely messy and the contents were difficult to discern. They sounded more like mumblings during the trip. The old lama's notes also contained very rare Mongolian text, so an interpreter was needed to translate this content.

Li Zhi and his entourage were trapped in Kaiping Wei, and the heavy snow ravaged most of the northern region. The snowflakes also fell in the capital and on the roof of the imperial study in Tonghe Palace.

The imperial study in Tonghe Palace was a warm room. Zhu Yijun was wearing a cloak and looking at a memorial in his hand. This memorial was written by the chief doctors of the Jiekuyuan, and it was about the treatment of syphilis and syphilis.

In summary, great efforts are needed to make miracles happen and one must face danger before being reborn.

When Chen Lin pacified the private market in Sandu'ao, he escorted a group of slaves who were controlled by opium to Beijing to carry out an opium withdrawal experiment in the prison. Although Fan Yingqi was seriously addicted to opium, he was far inferior to this group of captives.

This group of captives were originally fishermen from coastal villages. They were robbed by pirates and controlled by opium. The reason they went to the hospital for drug rehabilitation was not so much because they had many illnesses that needed treatment.

Most people who are addicted to opioids have various strange venereal diseases. These venereal diseases are highly contagious, and the medical officers are very cautious in dealing with them. Later, during the treatment process, they discovered a high fever treatment.

When these patients have a high fever, do not intervene but wait three hours before intervening. In this way, the pathogenic bugs will be burned to death and the patient will recover.

The only problem is that the survival rate of this treatment is about 90% dead. A total of 18 specimens from the dissection hospital underwent high fever treatment, and only three people survived, two recovered their health, and one was burned into a fool.

This high fever therapy is also very effective for the very difficult disease of withering, that is, cancer.

Ever since the little emperor took a prism and demonstrated to Zhang Juzheng how to refract light into seven colors, the optics of the Ming Dynasty has made great progress. Since then, telescopes and microscopes have been invented. After the Ming Dynasty had microscopes, it finally opened the door to the microscopic world and conducted extensive exploration of the boundaries of cognition. High fever therapy can kill pathogenic plague and normal body cells.

Therefore, hyperthermia therapy is a real life-and-death gamble where either you or I die, and it is a last resort to try to save a dying horse.

For example, Shi Maohua, who had one foot in the gates of hell before, insisted on going to Suiyuan. He developed a high fever before he set off, and the fever lasted for two days. His whole body was hot like a fire stick. His fingers, elbows and other joints could not flex and extend independently. Only his eyelids could move. His lips were chapped. He could not sit up for seven days after the fever subsided. He had blood in his urine, and he had convulsions and night sweats. He also had intermittent nightmares.

It was during that time that Pang Xian reported to the court that Shi Maohua might not live long and was in his twilight years. The Ministry of Rites also began to prepare for his posthumous title and official burial.

After the high fever, there was a month-long recovery period. After his body recovered a little, Shi Maohua thought that he would not live long and had to go to Suiyuan immediately. The chief medical officer Pang Xian had no choice but to set off with Shi Maohua, but Shi Maohua is still in good health and in much better spirits.

After studying a special sample, the Institute of Anesthesia believes that regular, periodic exercise is the best way to stay healthy.

Because when exercising, people will breathe quickly, their muscles will start to heat up, and their body temperature will rise rapidly. After long-term observation, after strenuous exercise, the body temperature can be maintained at a high temperature above 40° for a short period of time. In this case, a full round of detoxification will be carried out in the body.

This process was called "the killing of a person" by Li Shizhen and Chen Shigong, two great medical officers of the Jieku Hospital.

Killing the green is the inevitable process for detoxifying the sweet potato seedlings, and human exercise is a periodic detoxification, which is beneficial to the health of the body.

The special sample observed by the Jiekuyuan was His Majesty the Emperor. The Emperor was in extremely good health. Since he started practicing martial arts, he had only caught a cold once. It was because the Emperor relied on his youth and strong energy that he did not take the late spring cold seriously, which led to the problem.

If Your Majesty persists in exercising, maintaining a regular schedule, and eating healthily, Your Majesty will maintain long-term health. This is great news for the Ming Dynasty. Of course, for you, the humble Confucian scholar, it is a bolt from the blue.

"Sitting for a long time will cause poor health, while wielding a sword can prolong life." Zhu Yijun recited the final summary of the Jie Ku Yuan. The Jie Ku Yuan highly recognized the amount of exercise your majesty did, which was maintained at a very high but reasonable level all year round.

Your Majesty's physical condition is a problem that makes this humble scholar feel despair. I can't even survive as well as Your Majesty.

The term Jie Kui Yuan actually explains some things.

For example, when Zhao Guangyi was racing on the Gaoliang River, he was shot in the thighs by arrows. On the 2nd day of Dinghai and Wuzi, he fled from Zhuozhou to Dingzhou, a total of 380 miles. After being wounded, he still ran for so long and lived so long.

For example, why was the longest-lived emperor of the Ming Dynasty Zhu Yuanzhang, who lived to the age of 71, and the second longest-lived was Zhu Di, who lived to the age of 64? It was because these were all emperors, and after them, none lived past 60 years old, because people cannot detoxify themselves and do not kill themselves periodically, so they naturally cannot achieve immortality.

Of course, such an explanation also makes the matter even more confusing as to why Emperor Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty could not recover after falling into the water.

Emperor Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty was not the Emperor of Suigong. He was more active than Zhu Yijun, but in the end he could not escape the curse that the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was easily soluble in water.

After the memorial from the Jiekuyuan was submitted to the court, it immediately triggered impeachment by court officials. Any achievements of the Jiekuyuan would be impeached, because in the eyes of court officials, a place like the Jiekuyuan should not exist. Its existence was wrong, and its achievements were even more wrong!
The angle of the criticism against the Jie Ku Yuan's memorial this time is that the Jie Ku Yuan is clamoring for a more intense new policy and is creating public opinion for increasing taxes!
According to the Jiekuyuan, high fever can cure diseases. The Ming Dynasty is now ill. Can it only eliminate the accumulated malpractices by implementing more drastic new policies, such as raising taxes?
The officials of the Ming Dynasty are now extremely sensitive to tax increases. Whenever there is a slight disturbance, they will make groundless associations and then spontaneously resist. This is somewhat of an overreaction, which shows that they are really afraid of this.

"Li Shizhen and Chen Shigong said it so clearly. It was a life-and-death situation. Three of the eighteen people survived, and one became a fool. The officials in the court were really in a panic. They saw enemies everywhere." Zhu Yijun looked at the pile of memorials, which were against the cruelty of the Jiekuyuan and also to test the emperor's attitude towards tax increases.

Zhang Juzheng just posted a floating ticket and scared these court officials like frightened birds.

"Who made them so idle that they had to attack Li Rusong and several young lieutenant generals? It was the court officials who were the first to commit crimes. It's not your fault that you and the military heroes fought back. They are military heroes. How could they be beaten all day long? Li Rusong couldn't stand this humiliation. They deserved it." Feng Bao said happily.

Feng Bao, the ancestor who could only speak ill of civil servants and never say a good word about them, found every opportunity to put some eye drops in the eyes of the civil servants.

Zhang Juzheng is the Earl of Yicheng, the kind with hereditary certificates! So Zhang Juzheng's current position is that of a military hero, and it is natural for him to be in collusion with the military heroes.

Because Zhang Juzheng saw it very clearly that the leader of the current young military meritorious faction seemed to be Li Rusong, but in fact it was His Majesty himself.

The entire young group revolves around the emperor, which plays a vital role in the stability of the dynasty and the implementation of new policies.

Just looking at the attitude of the people around Zhu Yijun towards civil servants, and Zhu Yijun's deep-rooted prejudice against civil servants, this knot can never be untied because the environment simply does not exist.

"It's what they deserve." Zhu Yijun thought about it and circled these memorials. It was neither a right mark nor a wrong mark, but a circle, expressing an ambiguous attitude, which means that he had read it and would not reply. As for what he meant, these civil servants who were worried about the tax increase could guess it themselves!
"These books of congratulatory letters are interesting." Zhu Yijun lined up several books of congratulatory letters. The New Year was coming again, and officials from all over the country had to write such a congratulatory letter to wish everyone a happy New Year, which was considered as greeting the emperor. In theory, all officials in the world were disciples of the emperor, so it was part of etiquette for disciples to write congratulatory letters to their teacher to wish him a happy New Year.

The congratulatory letters in Zhu Yijun's hands all came from Shandong.

The powerful and influential people in Shandong finally followed the footsteps of the powerful and influential people in Guangdong and Guangxi. These congratulatory messages had only one meaning: Come back, my Governor Ling.

When it comes to torturing people, Wang Jiaping is really good at it, or rather, the scholar is good at it, because now the wealthy people in Shandong are also asking Ling Yunyi to return to Shandong through various channels. That Wang Yi'e is really not a human being.

Wang Yi'e learned from Wang Jiaping's successful experience and started to play dumb. Accustomed to Ling Yunyi's vigorous and decisive work style, it was really hard for Wang Yi'e to accept the soft resistance of scholars like him.

To come or not to come? Like coming; to accept or not to accept? Like accepting;
It would be better for Ling Yunyi to directly post a notice to inform everyone how much is required, and then each family will be assigned an amount based on the number of acres of land.

Zhu Yijun soon discovered why Ling Yunyi loved killing so much. These powerful and wealthy people even asked Ling Butang to go back, because it was fair.

For example, in terms of apportionment, Ling Yunyi apportioned the money based on the number of acres of land that had been surveyed. For example, if a county wanted to build a water conservancy project and needed silver, grain and other things, the amount each household should take would be announced on the bulletin board. If you have more land, you get more, and if he has less land, he gets less. In this way, people would not feel so resentful, after all, the rule is very clear.

Moreover, every time a canal or bridge was repaired, the donors were ranked and the rankings were engraved on stone tablets, which were placed at the bridgehead or next to the ditch. These wealthy families had to accept the donation with a pinch of their noses, and it was considered a good name, a good reputation, and a merit.

Just like the highway from the capital of the Ming Dynasty to Shanhaiguan, it was named Chonggu Highway. Zhu Yijun even wrote the inscription himself on a huge stone and placed it at the starting point of the highway. Wang Chonggu wanted to sleep with his arms around the stele!
The same is true for local areas. My family is rich, so in order to do good deeds such as building bridges and roads and developing water conservancy projects, I can donate money and grain, and have a stone tablet. It's not bad.

Wang Yi'e was not like that. The highway from Tianjin to Mizhou was under construction. The entire section required 1237 million silver taels. The Ming emperor gave 700 million silver taels from the treasury, and the rest came from the national treasury and local governments. Shandong had to bear about million silver taels. The construction period was three years, about million silver taels per year.

Originally, the powerful and wealthy were all waiting for the notice to be posted. Shandong is so big that if the money was really distributed, each family would have to pay two or three thousand taels at most, or a few hundred taels at least. For a family that could be identified as a powerful and wealthy family, this amount of money would not be a big deal. Moreover, the benefits of having the highway completed were obvious at a glance.

After waiting for a long time, the wealthy families in Shandong did not see the announcement of the donation notice. The only decree given by Wang Yi'e was that donations were voluntary, and it was up to your heart to decide how much you wanted to donate.

Not traveling? Of course, as long as you can afford the consequences.

"If I were a Shandong noble, I would curse him too. This Wang Yi'e is really a piece of shit." Zhu Yijun put himself in his shoes and thought about it. It would not be good if he gave money. He had no idea how much to give. If Wang Yi'e erected a tombstone for him, it would be better to go to hell directly. If he gave too little, he would be scolded. If he gave too much, he would not even have a good reputation.

The most feared thing is that someone secretly donates more in order to win the favor of the governor and gain a competitive advantage.

"Ling Butang's method is very fair, but that's because everyone is afraid of the knife in Ling Butang's hand, so it can be implemented. If Wang Yi'e does this, I'm afraid he won't get even half a tael of silver, because others are not afraid of him, so he can only do this and let them fight among themselves." Feng Baoze saw it very clearly.

Ling Yunyi was able to do this because he had foreign troops under his command, but Wang Jiaping and Wang Yi'e could not do it because they did not have foreign troops under their command.

Zhu Yijun nodded in agreement. Governor Ling would not go back, and the powerful and wealthy people in Shandong could only continue to be tortured by the scholars.

Fairness is always a very rare public resource. When we enjoy it, we often take it for granted. When we lose it, it is too late to regret.

"Your Majesty, the main government bell and drum tower will be completed tomorrow. Wang Ci Fu and Wan Ge Lao invite Your Majesty to attend the ceremony." Feng Bao picked out a very important memorial and placed it in front of Your Majesty. The main government bell and drum tower was a drum tower built by order of His Majesty the Emperor, and it was responsible for telling time in the capital.

Theoretically, this thing is not a major construction project, but a wonder. At the beginning, Wang Chonggu proposed to use it for the empress dowager's birthday celebrations, but the Empress Dowager Li firmly refused. She said that as long as the outer court was lively, it just didn't need to be built in her name. A pagoda was enough to be criticized, and a bell and drum tower cost 120 million silver coins, which was a whole year's worth of gold and silver!
Eventually, it became an imperial decree, and its main function was to tell time. "Send the decree to the cabinet, and I will go there on time tomorrow." Zhu Yijun looked at the time, and it was just right to go there after the court meeting. It only took a few steps from the Cultural Hall to the outside of Donghua Gate.

The court meeting the next day was not long as it was already December, and the main content of the meeting was the various year-end accounting. These accounts were somewhat trivial and would be comprehensively summarized at the end of December for the emperor to understand the current situation of the Ming Dynasty.

There was a heavy snow in the capital. When the price of coal was stable, everyone was grateful for the timely snow, because auspicious snow meant a good harvest, and the next year would not be a year of great disaster. If it did not snow, there would be locusts, the land would be dry, the harvest would be poor, the food price would rise, the cost of living would increase, the sharp contradiction between people and land would come to light, the fierce conflicts would cause unrest, and man-made disasters would occur. This is why everyone in and outside the Ming Dynasty was looking forward to snow.

"No, Lord Wan, have you read all the history books including the History of Liao and the History of Jin?" Zhu Yijun was delighted when he saw Wan Shihe's memorials. This Grand Master of the Imperial Clan even studied such obscure historical materials.

"It's quite interesting. I was originally curious about why Emperor Taizong of Song kept the experience of his defeat at Gaoliang River. I checked the history of Song Dynasty, but couldn't find it. It turned out that the two Song Dynasties avoided talking about this issue. I had to check the history of Liao Dynasty and finally found the specific source." Wan Shihe talked about the reason why he read the history of Liao and Jin Dynasty.

The story of the God of War of Gaoliang River is widely circulated, and the sandstorm raised by the donkey cart that day has been talked about tirelessly forever.

There is no record of this incident in the history of Song Dynasty, which is to avoid mentioning the name of the respected person. Similarly, the Ming Dynasty retained all the experiences of Ming Baozong Zhu Qizhen when he was captured and during his northern hunting, because the Ming Dynasty carried out equal revenge. In the fifth year of Jingtai, Yesen was killed and his head was sent to the Ming Dynasty to receive the reward.

There is no great meaning after the Spring and Autumn Annals, only a record of events. Since Zhu Xi advocated this, scholars in the Ming Dynasty only read the Spring and Autumn Annals and did not read history books, entirely in order to follow the fictional other side above the Three Dynasties.

But ever since Liang Menglong compiled "Essentials of History" for the Emperor to read history, this bad trend has finally stopped. Now all scholars in the Ming Dynasty read history books. After all, it would be extremely embarrassing if the ministers did not know something that the Emperor knew.

"If Emperor Taizong of Song could have destroyed the Liao Kingdom, then the two arrows hitting the Gaoliang River would probably have become a beautiful story like sleeping on firewood and tasting gall. But Emperor Taizong of Song did not do it, and the two Song dynasties lasted for 300 years before Yanyun was recovered." Wan Shihe said with emotion.

Gou Jian, King of Yue, slept in the woodshed and ate bitter gall, in exchange for which he was able to conquer Wu with only 3,000 soldiers. He finally took revenge. When talking about Gou Jian, King of Yue, no one would sneer at Gou Jian's shameful past.

If Zhao Guangyi had been able to destroy the Liao Kingdom later, his experience would not be a joke, but rather some hardships on the road to success.

Zhao Guangyi did not do it, and neither did his descendants.

"Very good, just publish it in the official newspaper." Zhu Yijun once again affirmed Wan Shihe's research on this period of history.

In this study, in addition to Zhao Guangyi's defeat at Gaoliang River, there was another battle, the Battle of Tongguan.

During the Anshi Rebellion, the main responsibility for the defeat in Tongguan naturally lies with Li Longji, who lost his composure after An Lushan launched the rebellion, destroyed his own pillars, unjustly killed Feng Changqing and Gao Xianzhi, and then repeatedly urged Geshu Han to send troops. It was precisely because of these repeated urgings that Geshu Han was defeated.

However, Wan Shihe's research found that Geshu Han, the general who was granted the title of nobility and a king of a different surname on the Censorate, was not really that loyal.

Geshu Han led an army of 200,000 to garrison Tongguan. These 200,000 men were not the motley crowd under Feng Changqing and Gao Xianzhi, but the elite troops from the two military towns of Hexi and Longyou. They were truly elite troops.

During the Kaiyuan period, the troops from the two towns of Hexi and Longyou conquered most of the Qinghai Plateau, interrupting the expansion of the rising Tubo.

A Turkic Turgesh led the most elite troops that the Tang court could mobilize in Tongguan, facing an army of only 8, without any plan of attack for half a year. Any emperor would be confused and afraid that Geshu Han would not suppress the rebellion and instead enter Chang'an. Moreover, Geshu Han had a very good relationship with Crown Prince Li Heng.

In such a complicated situation, the real reason that prompted Li Longji to urge Geshu Han to advance was the death of An Sishun.

During the Kaiyuan period, An Sishun reminded Li Longji to be careful of An Lushan, and regardless of Li Longji's trust in An Lushan, he repeatedly warned Li Longji that An Lushan might rebel. The famous Guo Ziyi, Li Guangbi and others were all An Sishun's subordinates.

Geshu Han led a strong army in Tongguan and falsely accused An Sishun of seeking revenge and asked the emperor to kill An Sishun. Li Longji had no choice but to kill An Sishun to appease Geshu Han.

After An Sishun was killed, Li Longji began to frequently send people to urge Geshu Han to come out of the pass. Geshu Han went out to fight, and the 200,000 Tang troops were defeated by 80,000 rebels. After being captured, Geshu Han directly surrendered to An Lushan and said: Your Majesty, please put an end to the chaos. Today, the world is not peaceful. Li Guangbi is in Tumen, Lai Zhen is in Henan, and Lu Jing is in Nanyang. I will send a letter to your majesty to invite them, and the three sides can be pacified.

Geshu Han surrendered so readily and so respectfully that An Lushan was ecstatic and in a good mood.

Wan Shihe commented on this passage, believing that Geshu Han had always been elevated to a higher level mainly to reflect Li Longji's incompetence and arrogance.

As for the failure of the Battle of Tongguan, the key battle in the Anshi Rebellion, Wan Shihe believed that the main responsibility was that Li Longji was slack for many years, had no one available in a hurry, used people improperly, and made strategic mistakes.

At that time, Geshu Han was already very old and had suffered a stroke, leaving him paralyzed on one side of his body. After deliberating for a long time, the court could only send such a general to the front line. Doesn't that mean that the court had no one available and had made the wrong choice of person?
Geshu Han was already old and could no longer fight. Leading a group of ragtag soldiers into battle against a group of fierce and powerful armies like An Lushan and Shi Siming would only result in this outcome.

Wan Shihe's criticism of Li Longji mainly focused on his strategic mistakes. Li Longji made so many ridiculous decisions during the Anshi Rebellion with only one purpose: he wanted to win a quick victory.

An Sishun's strategy was to hold out at Tongguan and let Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi sneak in.

This strategy was also the consensus at the time. Its only drawback was that it was a bit slow.

An Sishun was the only person in the court at that time who could stop Li Longji from wanting a quick victory. As a result, An Sishun was killed. Li Longji's desire for a quick victory, just like his trust in An Lushan, no one could dissuade him, which ultimately led to the mess of the Battle of Tongguan.

Zhu Yijun suddenly thought of Li Chengliang.

Since Li Chengliang left Liaodong in the 19th year of Wanli, the situation in Liaodong gradually deteriorated. In the 29th year of Wanli, the chief minister of the cabinet, Shen Yikuan, after a round of inspection, had no choice but to re-employ Li Chengliang, who had been unemployed for ten years and was already 76 years old, to govern Liaodong again.

There was no one available, which was the dilemma at that time.

Regarding the defeat of Emperor Taizong of Song in the Northern Expedition and the Battle of Tongguan, Wan Shihe re-analyzed these two typical cases based on the theory of contradiction. In fact, it was to remind His Majesty the Emperor to be prepared for danger in times of peace and to respect the objective laws of the development of things.

The theory of contradiction talks about the law of development of things. It says that a three-foot-thick ice does not form overnight, and it will take time for it to thaw. Everything in the world has its own objective laws of development, and new policies should not be pursued too hastily.

"In my opinion, those bastards who call Lord Wan 'Wan Wugu' are totally wrong. Based on this article, who dares to say that Lord Wan is boneless and upright?" Zhu Yijun reviewed Wan Shihe's lengthy article and published it in the official newspaper.

They were talking about Zhao Guangyi and Li Longji, but in fact they were just admonishing Your Majesty.

Wan Shihe expressed his opposition to the tax increase. He believed that the court did not need to be so anxious. Both Zhao Guangyi and Li Longji failed because they wanted a quick victory, but more haste makes waste.

Since they all opposed the tax increase, Wan Shihe's approach was approved by the emperor, while the opposition of other court officials was met with the emperor's ridicule of them as frightened birds.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your praise." Wan Shihe bowed his head again to express his gratitude. His reputation depended entirely on Your Majesty to protect it.

"Your Majesty, I have a memorial here." Cabinet minister Wang Guoguang presented a memorial to the emperor. When Zhu Yijun opened it, his brows were furrowed and his face looked solemn.

"I will read this memorial carefully before discussing it." Zhu Yijun put the memorial into his sleeve, very solemnly.

Now that the court meeting is over, we have to go to Donghua Gate to witness the completion of the bell and drum tower of the main government office. This is also a big event and we have to do it bit by bit.

A viewing platform was set up outside Donghua Gate. There was a handover ceremony to mark the official completion of the bell and drum tower. Wang Chonggu and Wang Daokun led officials from the Ministry of Works to make a final inspection of the bell and drum tower before handing it over to the Ministry of Rites for use. The Ministry of Rites was responsible for sending firemen and night watchmen to guard the bell and drum tower.

There are four clock faces on the bell and drum tower. The minute hand alone is 27000 feet and minutes long, and the diameter of the entire dial is more than feet. The pendulum clock in the entire bell room weighs kilograms, which is about twice the weight of the Ruyi Jingu Bang. Such a big thing needs to be wound up every three days and calibrated every three days.

When Zhu Yijun arrived at Donghua Gate, the entire area outside Donghua Gate was much more lively than on the days when the results of the joint and palace examinations were announced. The left and right wings of the viewing platform were filled with court officials and foreign envoys.

Wang Chonggu led many officials from the Ministry of Works into the Bell and Drum Tower and conducted a symbolic inspection. Prior to this, the craftsmen had carefully checked all the details. Wang Chonggu's entry into the Bell and Drum Tower was just a formality. After a detailed inspection, Wang Chonggu handed the key to Feng Bao.

"Your Majesty, your Majesty, please review it." Wang Chonggu stood under the viewing stand, bowed his head and said loudly.

"Your Majesty, please review it." The officials of the Ministry of Works bowed their heads and requested permission.

Zhu Yijun waved his hand and said, "Then let's go and take a look together."

The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty did not move because the commander-in-chief Zhao Mengyou took his men into the Bell and Drum Tower to conduct a final security check before inviting the Emperor to go.

This is very necessary. What if the hour and minute hands of the bell and drum tower, which are more than 30 feet above the ground, fall from the sky and land on the emperor? What will happen?

When Zhu Di rode his horse into Jinan Prefecture, he did not expect that the gate would fall down at the city gate. Zhu Di's horse was crushed to death, and Zhu Di luckily escaped.

Therefore, necessary security checks are for the emperor’s safety and for the benefit of his subjects.

(End of this chapter)