"Your Majesty, others may fall, but you cannot. Not even once," Hong Wuji, Right Servant of the Chancellery, said to Yang Yuan within the Summer Palace.
During the Summer court assembly, Zheng Yixin, Literary Chancellor of the Eastern Pavilion, proposed a large-scale northern expedition to reclaim the Central Plains and ancestral lands while the Yan state was in internal turmoil. However, the influential Hong Wuji berated him, and the matter was postponed indefinitely, effectively shelved.
After the court session, Hong Wuji, fearing that Emperor Yang Yuan might harbor lingering doubts or that the issue might resurface, sought an audience with Yang Yuan that very night.
In truth, Hong Wuji was not against a northern expedition to reclaim the Central Plains and ancestral lands. His entire family had been slaughtered by the Yan army, and that revenge had yet to be exacted. However, compared to the struggle for power, revenge seemed less important.
The Summer court was essentially divided into two factions or parties: the Northern Returnees and the Jiangdong Party.
The Jiangdong Party consisted of the aristocratic families residing in the Jiangdong region, while the Northern Returnees were the northern aristocratic clans.
When the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact. The fall of Luoyang and the collapse of the dynasty had dealt a heavy blow to the northern aristocratic families who depended on the Summer for survival. To preserve their lives and families, they had abandoned their homes and migrated south, with most settling in the prosperous and stable Jiangdong region.
The northern great clans accumulated strength and sought to regain their former glory, naturally creating irreconcilable conflicts with the "local snakes" - the southern aristocratic families who had cultivated and managed the Jiangdong land for years.
The cake was only so big. If the northern great clans took a larger share, the southern aristocratic families would naturally receive less. Why should the southern aristocratic families, who had guarded their homes and livelihoods, share a slice of the pie with the northern great clans?
In the early days of the Summer court's relocation to Jiangdong, both sides could unite to resist the invasion of the northern Hu Di tribes. The northern Hu Di tribes posed a constant threat, capable of descending south at any moment. Unilateral confrontation and strife between the northern and southern aristocratic clans would lead to continuous warfare in the Jiangdong region, benefiting neither party.
However, now that the Summer and Yan states had reached an armistice and the fighting had subsided, the two sides resumed their struggle. It was said that officials and scholars fleeing the turmoil in the fallen Central Plains had occupied prominent positions and exerted control over the Wu people, leading to considerable resentment.
The focal point of contention was the interest in land and other resources. Naturally, those in positions of power could seize more land and benefits.
Emperor Yang Yuan of Summer adopted a strategy of both appeasing and suppressing the Jiangdong aristocratic families, while supporting the northern great clans. The reason was that the Jiangdong aristocratic families had become too powerful, threatening the imperial throne. There had even been instances where Jiangdong aristocratic families had launched rebellions under the banner of "clearing the emperor's surroundings," nearly overthrowing Yang Yuan's reign. Thus, Yang Yuan was deeply wary, even fearful, of the power of the Jiangdong aristocratic families.
Just as the Yan state was plagued by internal strife, so too was the Summer.
The consequence of using the northern great clans to suppress the Jiangdong aristocratic families was the problem of "unease rather than scarcity," where the northern great clans continuously encroached upon the land and other interests of the Jiangdong aristocratic families, making them view the northerners as sworn enemies.
The reluctance and unwillingness of the Huo family, a prominent Jiangdong clan, to marry their daughter, Huo Wanrou, to Hong Wuji, was a concentrated manifestation of this conflict.
The Jiangdong aristocratic families' renewed call for a northern expedition to reclaim their ancestral lands was merely a ploy to reshuffle the deck, strengthen their influence, and seize power.
"You northern great clans want to restore your homeland? It would be best if you all went on this northern expedition. It would be even better if you all perished under the iron cavalry of the Hu Di, so you wouldn't come here to snatch our land."
Yang Yuan nodded upon hearing this.
Hong Wuji's words made a lot of sense and were essentially made with Yang Yuan's interests in mind, at least that's how Yang Yuan perceived it.
Regardless of whether those people won or lost, they could still hold official positions, the only difference being whether they served in Yan or Summer. But if Yang Yuan were to lose, would he still be able to be emperor? His throne would likely be lost, and his life would be in peril.
"Your Majesty, recuperate and plan for the future. This is a long-term strategy that requires gradual implementation," Hong Wuji continued, "and the lack of an heir to the throne is a matter of great national importance!" httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Yang Yuan was not infertile; in fact, he was quite capable of fathering children. However, he had consecutively given birth to seven or eight princesses with not a single imperial son. The absence of an heir to the throne was indeed a grave matter in this dynasty.
"Alas, Minister Hong, this matter... I am also helpless," Yang Yuan sighed deeply, as Hong Wuji had touched upon a painful spot.
Regarding this issue, Yang Yuan had even declared that whoever bore him an imperial son would be made a Noble Consort, or even Empress. Yet, the consorts in the harem continued to bear only princesses, with no one producing an imperial son.
"Your Majesty need not worry!" Hong Wuji said, "Selection! Your Majesty may decree the selection of daughters from officials of all ranks to replenish the harem. Until the selection is complete, marriage shall be temporarily forbidden."
Since the imperial consorts could not produce an imperial son, daughters of officials could be selected to serve as consorts, and daughters of commoners could be selected as palace maids. By casting a wide net, there was bound to be someone who could bear an imperial son.
Hong Wuji's words also carried a hint of revenge against the Huo family and Huo Wanrou.
"You are unwilling to marry me? Then you will enter the palace, and your fate thereafter will depend on your own fortune."
Among the thousands of palace maids, those who achieved great success or met a good end were few and far between.
"Minister Hong..." Yang Yuan asked hesitantly, "Would this move... provoke criticism from the court officials?"
The selection, which was essentially a draft, would undoubtedly cause quite a stir throughout the Great Summer.
The selection of beautiful and virtuous women from among officials and commoners to enter the palace to serve the emperor would inevitably lead to a miserable fate for both those selected and those not. At that time, it was feared that every household with a daughter in the Great Summer would live in fear.
During the selection process, incidents of contention and bribery were also bound to occur.
"Your Majesty, there will be criticism every year, but our sacred dynasty cannot be without an heir for a single day," Hong Wuji replied.
"Your words are most fitting, and your loyalty is known to me," Yang Yuan nodded.
And so, the Great Summer selected three thousand beautiful women from Wu to fill the imperial harem.
...
"Your Majesty, there is one more urgent matter," Hong Wuji said to Yang Yuan with apparent hesitation and trepidation.
"What is it?" Yang Yuan asked.
"Does Your Majesty still have troops?" Hong Wuji asked.
Yang Yuan's face showed a trace of fear at first, then he sighed helplessly.
The troops of the Great Summer were primarily composed of regional garrisons and the private armies of the major aristocratic families. In times of war, they would jointly contribute their forces.
When Hong Wuji spoke of lacking troops, it was not that Yang Yuan had no personal imperial guards. However, the Imperial Guard numbered only tens of thousands, a mere drop in the bucket compared to the regional garrisons and the private armies of the major aristocratic families.
Hong Wuji's intention was to first seize control of the regional military powers and then the military powers of the major aristocratic families. However, this was a perilous undertaking that required extreme caution.
...
Wuyou Valley was located deep within the eastern mountains of Xiangfan. The entire mountain range was majestic and picturesque, with clear streams and springs, serene and tranquil. Moreover, Qingyuan Mountain was not particularly high, with its highest peak only a little over two hundred zhang.
Nestled within the eastern mountains, Wuyou Valley was completely hidden by dense green bamboo. The bamboo canopy blocked out the sky, and the wind whispered like a zither, creating a cool, refreshing, and elegant atmosphere.
Sitting on a stone bench in Wuyou Valley, listening to the babbling brook and gazing at the lush green bamboo, it felt like a paradise on earth, a place to forget worldly troubles.
Immortal dwellings are filled with ethereal mist, Wuyou Valley makes one forget the mortal world.
"Splash!" With a sound, an old man in a coarse linen robe, sitting by the stream in the valley and holding a fishing rod, pulled a fat fish out of the water and flung it onto the grass. The fat fish flailed on the ground.
"Tramp... tramp... tramp..."
Just as the old man reached out to grab the fish, a sound of hurried hoofbeats broke the tranquility of the valley.
The old man looked annoyed towards the valley entrance, where he saw a young Summer general, not yet thirty years old, leading several attendants, galloping towards them.
"Commander Min, why have you come again?" The uninvited guest was Min Wuyan, the Great Commander of Summer's Xiangfan, who held the authority to wield a sword and the title of General Zhenwei. The old man was Zhang Huchen, who had long since retired and lived in seclusion. Zhang Huchen asked.
"I haven't been here that many times. Are you already tired of seeing me, old general?" Min Wuyan dismounted, handed his whip to an attendant, and chuckled.
"Heh heh, you've come at just the right time. Try some of my cooking," Zhang Huchen glared at Min Wuyan and said, shaking his fish basket.
"Old general, I'm not in the mood for fish," Min Wuyan replied with a wry smile.
"What has happened to make the mighty Great Commander so troubled?" Zhang Huchen asked.
"Alas, it's all because..." Min Wuyan pointed to the sky and sighed, "The matter of the northern expedition is to be discussed again. You should know what 'discussed again' means, old general. Why are the heavens so blind? Do they truly not care about the ancestral lands and the state?"
Min Wuyan's words were filled with resentment.
Since becoming the Great Commander of Xiangfan, Min Wuyan had been diligently training his troops and preparing for war, eagerly awaiting the imperial decree to march north and reclaim their lost territories.
However, all Min Wuyan received was one disappointment after another.
Currently, the Yan state was in internal chaos, presenting an excellent opportunity for a northern expedition. Yet, the news Min Wuyan received was "to be discussed again." Based on past experience, "to be discussed again" meant it would be indefinitely postponed. Thus, Min Wuyan was deeply disappointed.
"So that's how it is..." Zhang Huchen waved his hand, gesturing for Min Wuyan to sit by the stream. "When I was an official, I was unaware of the hardships of the common people. After I retired, I became one of them and learned about their suffering. Frequent wars bring the most suffering to ordinary people. When war breaks out, it is still ordinary people who die and are wounded."
"Old general, you don't want to pursue the northern advance anymore either?" Min Wuyan asked in surprise. "Very well, I know that restarting a war is not beneficial to the state or the people. But should we just cower in the corner of Jiangdong, waiting for the Hu Di to invade? Waiting for the Hu Di to quell their internal strife, repair their weapons, and then march south with a large army? Old general, I fear that by then, the land will be shattered, and it will still be the ordinary people who suffer."
"I haven't finished speaking. Why are you so restless? Wuyan, as a general, you should remain calm even if Mount Tai collapses before you, and a herd of deer runs wild to your left without blinking," Zhang Huchen said, shaking his head slightly.