flstandardbreds Chapter 178 On Rise and Fall
Chapter 178 On Rise and Fall
Along the way, Lin Kunlun and Mu Feng walked side by side on the ancient road. The scenery on both sides was picturesque, with distant mountains like dark blue and nearby waters covered with mist. However, Lin Kunlun's heart seemed to be weighed down by a heavy object, and he could not immerse himself in this picturesque scenery. He took advantage of this rare leisure time to ask Mu Feng about the days when they had fought side by side in the northeastern frontier, as well as the ancient legends about the barbarians.
"Speaking of the barbarians, I still remember that period of time full of blood and fire." Mu Feng took a deep breath, as if he wanted to inhale all the dust of that period of history into his lungs. "The barbarians were originally just a small force on the northeastern border of the Dakun Dynasty. They lived between the white mountains and black waters. It was cold and the environment was harsh, but the barbarians survived with their tenacious will."
Lin Kunlun nodded slightly, a trace of deep thought flashed in his eyes: "Yes, in such an environment, survival itself is a battle against heaven and earth."
Mu Feng continued, "However, although the barbarians are brave, they can never become a threat to the Da Kun Dynasty with their own strength. What really made the barbarians rise were those greedy generals." A trace of anger flashed in his eyes, as if the crimes of those generals were right in front of him.
"I remember that Li Cheng, the general of Northeast County at that time, valued the rich herbs and precious furs in the White Mountains and Black Waters, so he colluded with the barbarian tribes and accepted their bribes. Driven by these interests, Li Cheng even appointed the generals of the barbarian tribes as court officials, including a barbarian general named Hachi."
"Hachi?" Lin Kunlun raised his eyebrows. This name was not unfamiliar to him.
Mu Feng nodded, a trace of pity flashed in his eyes: "Yes, it was Hachi. He played to Li Cheng's taste and presented a large amount of money and barbarian beauties to Li Cheng, so he was appreciated and reused by Li Cheng. He was appointed as the commander of the left guard of Jianzhou, commanding a large number of troops and having tremendous power."
"What happened next?" Lin Kunlun asked.
Mu Feng sighed, as if he had returned to those difficult days: "Later, Hachi rebelled on the grounds that his people were mistakenly killed by Kun soldiers. He used his power in the court to unify the Jianzhou barbarians and many tribes on the grassland. For a time, his power was at its peak and he became a major threat to the Great Kun Dynasty."
At this point, Mu Feng's eyes flashed with worry: "Although Hachi is dead now, his remnants are still there. The problem of the barbarians is still a major concern for the Dakun Dynasty."
Lin Kunlun was silent for a moment, a trace of worry flashed in his eyes: "So, Da Kun is now..."
Mu Feng interrupted him, his eyes flashing with determination: "In fact, the real strength of the barbarians is definitely not as good as that of Da Kun, but the generals of Da Kun are restricted by the civil officials and the current Emperor Chongming. When the old commander led the Northeast, he said that if the barbarians want to develop, they must rely on continuous plundering, so we spent three years building a large number of city defense fortifications. With the completion of those fortifications, the scope of the barbarians' activities has been greatly restricted. If this continues, sooner or later the barbarians will run into a wall under the city walls because they cannot get material replenishment, and they will collapse completely."
At this point, Mu Feng's eyes lit up, as if he had returned to the days when he fought side by side with the old commander. Lin Kunlun could imagine how much effort they put into building those city defense works. You know, those barbarians would not wait for them to build the city walls. Every barbarian was an expert in horseback archery. I don't know how much the border guards in the northeast paid to complete the construction of those city defense works.
"Then why have the barbarians developed into such a powerful force now? And do they have the opportunity to enter the heartland of the Central Plains and threaten Kyoto?" Lin Kunlun asked puzzledly.
Mu Feng sighed, with a hint of helplessness in his eyes: "If we continue to follow the old marshal's policies, these barbarians will naturally become weaker and weaker, and it is only a matter of time before they perish or surrender. But no matter how smart the old marshal is, he still hasn't really seen the current Chongming Emperor clearly. The Chongming Emperor is not a wise monarch, and he has been urging the old marshal to quickly fight those barbarians. In order to implement his plan, the old marshal has been trying to delay, and naturally those civil servants who are jealous of the old marshal found an opportunity. They fabricated false evidence saying that the old marshal wanted to keep his troops to himself, and that the old marshal had the opportunity to pacify the barbarians a long time ago but instead kept the enemy to himself. You should know that the old marshal controlled more than 300,000 troops at the time, and the Chongming Emperor also doubted the old marshal because of this, so that he failed at the last moment, and the old marshal was killed by his own people on this charge."
On the ancient road, the two walked non-stop, the afterglow of the setting sun stretched their shadows long, as if foreshadowing the heavy topic that was about to come. Lin Kunlun gently patted Mu Feng's shoulder, indicating that he should continue to tell the history that had been forgotten by the years.
Mu Feng took a deep breath of the cold air and continued, "After the old commander died, the border guards who had originally followed his plan were leaderless. In addition to the suppression of the civil service group and the urging of Emperor Chongming, the Northeast Border Guards had to fight hastily. At this time, the barbarians had accumulated a large amount of supplies and troops due to long-term plunder. They took advantage of the situation to counterattack and were unstoppable."
"At that time, the barbarian cavalry led by Hachi swept in like a violent storm, and the defenders of the Central Plains were defeated. It was not until later that the court realized the seriousness of the problem and mobilized heavy troops to the northeast for support. But it was too late. The barbarians had already penetrated deep into the heart of the Central Plains, and the safety of the capital was in jeopardy."
Lin Kunlun clenched his fists, as if he could feel the tense situation on the border and the helplessness of the soldiers. He asked, "How did you stabilize the situation later?"
Mu Feng shook his head and sighed, "Later, the court sent a new commander to start a protracted war with the barbarians. Although both sides won and lost, the barbarians' power was never completely eliminated. In the process, those generals and soldiers who were supposed to guard the border became panic-stricken and demoralized because of the suspicion of the court and the suppression of the civil service group."
"So, the current situation is entirely caused by the hesitation of their so-called revival leader, Emperor Chongming. Such a person is self-willed and does not trust his ministers. As a result, the current situation has emerged. This is also the end of the Dakun Dynasty. Now there is such a drought in the western part of the Dakun Dynasty. The agriculturally developed areas in the east have been divided up by those civil service groups! Now the best opportunity has been missed! No more money and food can be provided to continue your Marshal's plan! In other words, even if your Marshal is not dead, it will be difficult to restore the situation at that time by regaining control of the northeastern border!" Lin Kunlun increasingly feels that the history he is experiencing now is very similar to that of the late Ming Dynasty. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, those civil service groups occupied a large amount of land. This made the tax revenue of the Ming Dynasty worse year by year. But the court did not have enough money to provide disaster relief and strengthen the border!
After hearing what Lin Kunlun said, Mu Feng couldn't help but look at Lin Kunlun with new eyes. You know, in ancient society, information was very closed. What's more, he was an ordinary mountain dweller who had never been to school! Just based on the situation he introduced, he was able to analyze such accurate information. It really felt like a scholar who knew everything in the world without leaving home.
"In Mr. Lin's opinion, is there still hope for the current Dakun Dynasty?" Mu Feng suddenly asked with interest. He wanted to see if Lin Kunlun was really capable. Because from the beginning to the end, Yuan Quan had never thought of truly rebelling to seize the entire world, which also caused many disagreements in their village. Some wanted to return to the court. Some wanted to hire Yuan Quan to become the king.
"No destruction, no construction! If the current situation continues, the Dakun Dynasty will have no chance at all! Unless the current Chongming Emperor can truly grasp all the real power and turn the butcher knife to those civil service groups and use those civil service groups, the products accumulated by several generations, to treat the victims! Train soldiers! There may be some chances to consolidate various places! But this is impossible, after all, the power of the civil service group is too great! It is not something that a Chongming Emperor can do! 200 years is the limit of a dynasty! The rise and fall of dynasties is basically this law! It is also the law of land changes! When the land is concentrated in the hands of a few civil service groups? That dynasty will also be over!" Lin Kunlun used to like reading various history books. He was particularly interested in the history of the Ming Dynasty. So he was very familiar with the history of the Ming Dynasty's demise.