Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 6 History Takes a Side Road
East courtyard, granary.

The book that Tanchun asked her maid to bring to Jia Cong was very much to his liking. He read it eagerly, trying to understand the world as quickly as possible.

With a smile on her face, Zhishao neatly stacked the two pieces of snow wave paper on the upper layer of the green bamboo bookshelf for Jia Cong to use.

This green bamboo bookshelf was secretly found by Zhishao from the storage room next door, where many discarded sundries in the mansion were piled.

Although Zhishao didn't know how to write, when she looked at the flawless white Xuelang paper and compared it with the coarse rice paper that Jia Cong originally used, she knew that it was excellent stuff.

"I've heard that the Third Miss is a straightforward and generous person, but I didn't expect her to be so kind and send so many books and papers to the Third Master. It's great that there are still people in this mansion who care about the Third Master."

Jia Cong turned his head and glanced at Zhishao. He saw that her dark hair was combed into two buns and adorned with a pomegranate bead silver hairpin.

The cold wind that leaked in through the window blew her beautiful hair at the temples. A few strands of hair stuck to her straight nose, making her look playful and childish.

The light green satin cotton jacket was a little thin, and the blue satin vest she wore outside had turned white from being washed, but it didn't look shabby on her, and instead made her slender and graceful figure stand out even more.

Jia Cong said: "The third sister is also very outstanding among the sisters. She often regrets that she is a girl. If she were born a boy, she would definitely be able to support the family."

Zhi Shao's eyes were filled with smiles: "I don't care whether the third young lady is outstanding or not, I just like the fact that the third young lady takes the third master seriously. If there are more of them in the mansion, the master's life will be better."

Jia Cong was touched after hearing her words. It felt so good to be cared for by someone. He wanted to say something, but Zhishao refilled his cup of tea, packed some clothes and went out to wash them.

Jia Cong looked at her back and sighed. It was not easy for Zhishao to follow him.

People like Baoyu and Jia Huan don't have personal maids to wash their clothes. They all have the servants outside the courtyard to wash their clothes. Unlike him, he has one person doing the work of eight.

Zhishao has followed him these years and suffered together. If he doesn't have a good ending in the future, Zhishao won't have a good ending either. Thinking of this, Jia Cong felt more pressured.

After the spring, all the flowers have faded, and the earth is left clean and white. According to what Jia Cong has seen and heard in these days, it will not be more than seven or eight years before the building collapses.

Jia She deprived him of the opportunity to study, and he was trapped in the East Courtyard. Not only did he suffer humiliation, but even if he didn't lose his life, he would end up as a beggar and be slandered by everyone.

Isn’t this too unfair? We should make plans early.

……

He calmed himself down and turned his attention back to the book in his hand.

Soon, the desk was filled with four or five open books. He was still taking notes on paper, sometimes making a few strokes. The more he read, the more shocked he was.

Although he was mentally prepared, the deviation and tragedy of this historical situation still greatly exceeded his expectations.

The history here also includes the Tang and Song dynasties, but some of the important historical nodes are completely different from the original historical line.

In the timeline here, the Xuanwu Gate Incident that shocked history, and the final winner became Li Jiancheng.

The powerful Li Shimin in the original timeline became a loser and was imprisoned for life in a palace in Taiyuan.

All the famous ministers and generals around him were killed, and almost no of his descendants survived.

In fact, such an ending was not too abrupt. Li Jiancheng was the appointed crown prince and the eldest son. He was the recognized heir to the throne according to the patriarchal system, and his status and righteousness were indisputable.

The anecdotes in unofficial history about his jealousy of his brother's outstanding achievements were not enough to shake his position as crown prince. It was largely accidental that Li Shimin eventually became the winner of the Xuanwu Gate Incident.

There have been many different opinions about the mystery behind this, but history is written by the victors and the truth has long been unknown.

In this time and space, the original winners became sinister and evil, and the losers became wise rulers who created a prosperous era. The logic of history is not surprising. Li Jiancheng succeeded Emperor Taizong and reigned for 21 years, creating the Kaiping Prosperity that was comparable to the Zhenguan Reign.

The source of history has gone astray, and countless heroes of literature and martial arts who once left their names in the annals of history have either become nameless or completely lost in the dust of time.

Perhaps the fortune of the Zhao Song clan was too strong and was not wiped out by the turbulence of history. Zhao Kuangyin still put on the yellow robe at Chenqiao Station.

But history took another turn in the next decade or so. Emperor Taizu of Song Dynasty took precautions to prevent problems from happening, and his brother was trapped in the position of prefect of Kaifeng for his entire life and died in depression.

As a result, countless great men of letters and martial arts in history were ruthlessly wiped out by the historical branches, or disappeared into the marketplace, and only one in ten of them retained their elegance.

The Song Dynasty lasted until the Jing Kang period, when the Jin army marched south and abducted the two emperors. Prince Kang Zhao Gou was killed by the Jin army in Xiangzhou, and the Zhao Song Dynasty reached its last bit of fate.

Countless loyal troops and righteous men crossed the river to the south and confronted the Jin army across the river. At the last moment of death and extinction, the bravery of the Han men was aroused, and they were brave and devoted with passion.

Finally, the Jin people were killed, and the Mongolian cavalry swept across the world again. Both sides of the Yangtze River became a bloody battlefield. The repeated tug-of-war between occupation and recovery lasted for 150 years, which is known in history as the Southern Migration to Defend the Country.

While leading their troops to fight against the barbarians, various warlords never stopped fighting for the supreme power of the Southern Migration Army. The flags on the city walls changed frequently, the country south of the Yangtze River changed several times, and the spirit of power and military power was far greater than that of previous generations.

It was not until more than eighty years ago that the Mongolian cavalry once again broke through the natural barrier of the Yangtze River and ravaged the south of the Yangtze River. Their momentum became unstoppable and the Han people in the south of the Yangtze River were in danger.

It is said that in troubled times, extraordinary talents will emerge. At this time, a mysterious organization called Hidden Gate suddenly appeared in the world and became the key to reversing the situation in the world.

The Hidden Sect used missionary societies as a means to attract strange people and their followers were spread all over the world. They assassinated Mongolian generals, burned food and grass, spied on military intelligence, and connected various anti-Mongol Han armies, becoming the vanguard of the anti-Mongol movement.

Among the various anti-Mongol Han armies, a general named Li Tianling stood out at this time. He was a man of strategy and a master of military strategy. He defeated the Mongolian cavalry several times and his prestige grew.

It is rumored that Li Tianling has a close connection with the Hidden Sect, and it was the Hidden Sect that informed him of a large amount of military intelligence, which enabled him to be invincible on the battlefield. However, no one can tell whether this is true or not.

Regardless of the rumors, Li Tianling was indeed a rare hero. It took him only ten years to destroy Zhang Chu, Chen Han and other southern kingdoms and unify half of the Jiangnan region.

He then led his army northward into the Central Plains, put forward the slogans of expelling the barbarians, restoring China, establishing rules and regulations, and saving the people, and gathered the Han people from the north and south to rebuild the country.

Li Tianling gained control of the world and spent another ten years going north to take Shandong, Henan, and Tongguan, and west to occupy Shanxi, northern Shaanxi, Guanzhong, Gansu and other places.

After sweeping across the Central Plains, the troops headed straight for the Mongol capital, and the success or failure of the empire depended on the final battle.

Just when the fate of the empire was uncertain, a master of the hidden sect unexpectedly stabbed the Mongol emperor Toghon Temur to death, causing chaos in the Mongol army. Li Tianling took advantage of the situation to capture Dadu and pacify the empire in one fell swoop.

Later, Li Tianling established the Great Zhou Dynasty and became Zhou Taizu. In the first five years of the founding of the country, Li Tianling did two major things.

The first thing was to chase the enemy to the north and wipe out the remaining Mongol forces. From then on, the Mongols dared not look south to graze their horses.

The second thing is to find out that the Yin Sect is plotting a rebellion and usurping the country, and to strangle the Yin Sect's disciples and followers. The Yin Sect will be banned in the Great Zhou, and anyone who forms an association to join the Yin Sect will be killed without mercy.

It has been sixty years since the establishment of the Great Zhou Dynasty. It has gone through four emperors, the world has been peaceful, the country has prospered, and the dynasty has begun to enter a period of prosperity.

The night sky outside the window was dark blue, with a bright moon in the sky. The charcoal in the charcoal basin was glowing with a flickering red light. Zhishao, who was standing beside her, yawned and was about to fall asleep.

Jia Cong looked at the books scattered on the desk, thinking about the strange and magnificent past in this space and time, and his heart could not calm down for a long time.

　The novel has been signed and I am fully committed to writing it. I am a new author and hope all book lovers will collect and support it.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)