The Villain's Counterattack

Chapter 470: The Prosperous Era of the Two Emperors

Both the Great Yan Kingdom and the Southern Song Dynasty had troops stationed on both sides of the Yangtze River, but the north bank of the Yangtze River was not restricted to traffic, while the south bank of the Yangtze River was strictly guarded.

However, this strict defense must be targeted. The former high-ranking officials and wealthy families of the Song Dynasty cannot be stopped, and the small court of the Southern Song Dynasty will not ban this group of people, probably because they themselves belong to this group.

The situation north of the Yangtze River gets better and better every year. After three years, ordinary people will be able to have enough food and clothing and will not have to worry about food and clothing. However, the situation on the south bank of the Yangtze River gets worse and worse every year. People are even unable to make a living and want to flee to the north bank. There are tens of thousands of refugees every year, and this is the result of the obstruction of the Dali court of the Southern Song Dynasty. Otherwise, it would not last for three years and nine out of ten houses would be empty.

The letter from the former emperor was not a secret to the high-ranking officials of the Southern Song Dynasty court. There were many knowledgeable people among them. After all, those who were in high positions were not fools, and they could see the situation clearly. Now the Southern Song Dynasty was surrounded by the Great Yan Kingdom on all sides, especially the sea route was cut off, which made them despair.

With no way to retreat and no source of income, the desperate counterattacks of many aristocratic families on the southeastern coast were crushed by the seventy-two island masters. In that battle, the navy of the Great Yan Kingdom did not mobilize a single soldier, and the troops of the aristocratic families on the southeastern coast were wiped out. As a result, half of the seventy-two island masters were able to remove the life and death talismans on their bodies, and several leaders were even granted titles and became officials, becoming extremely powerful.

This was something no one had ever thought of. In the following years, other island owners continued to seduce these wealthy families from the southeast, hoping that they would come again to give themselves up. But no one is a fool. They would go ahead and give themselves up even though they knew they were courting death. They could only find ways to get closer to the winner.

The young Southern Song court received a letter from the former emperor, and the high-ranking officials spent two weeks discussing countermeasures. In the end, they only decided to suspend military expansion, and surprisingly, no other changes were made. The young Southern Song emperor finally understood who the court belonged to. He wanted reform and improvement, and he didn't want to be the king of a fallen country, but his subordinates were unwilling to do so.

Those who truly hold power do not want to give up their vested interests. They want to make a fortune before the demise of the Southern Song Dynasty. As long as they do not go too far, the Great Yan Kingdom will not pursue them. Although they will not be reused if they surrender again, they will not be deprived of their wealth.

Those with a longer-term vision would send their talented younger generations to the north bank of the Yangtze River, where they would have the opportunity to succeed in whatever they did. It would be best if they could enter Gusu Academy, which was already a training base for reserve officials of the Great Yan State. The imperial examinations of the Great Yan State were not limited to Confucianism, but also required the study of various schools of thought. Otherwise, one would not be able to hold a high position or become an official without taking care of practical matters.

How the small Southern Song dynasty managed to survive is beyond description. Murong Fu, stationed at Taihu Lake, remotely commanded the entire Great Yan Kingdom. His methods of balancing the Han and foreign powers were firm and steady, and Great Yan's national strength steadily and rapidly increased. After three years of stability, he personally led a large army on expeditions to Western Xia and Tubo. He entered the Western Xia imperial palace and visited various Tibetan Buddhist sects, gaining much. Fearing that Cao Yi's power was insufficient, he remained in the Western Regions for six months, subduing Jiumozhi before finally leaving with peace of mind.

Murong Fu and others in the small Southern Song Dynasty court were unwilling to move easily, and they were also unable to bring any impact to the huge Yan State. It would be more useful to keep them.

What's the use?

It is useful from both positive and negative perspectives. On the negative side, compared with the rich country and strong people of Dayan, which have a superior life, it is easier for the Han people of Dayan to have a sense of belonging and pride. After all, seeing their relatives and neighbors living poorly, they feel proud and a little reluctant, but they still can't help but want to show off.

On the positive side, the effect is equally huge. Murong Fu is not bloodthirsty. The army invaded and annexed the Central Plains too quickly before, and there were countless dregs in the mess. Those dregs have some value, but it is a pity to throw them away. The best way is to expel them and throw them into the small court of the Southern Song Dynasty, where they can still be the superior people and create value. No matter how big or small the value is, or whether it is dregs, they can still create value.

The Southern Song Dynasty's maritime communications were cut off, and it was surrounded and blocked from the north and west, forcing the Southern Song Dynasty to develop southward and continuously improve its various land capabilities. It even had to slightly change its attitude towards military personnel.

Aristocratic families are symbols of the elite in every era. Murong Fu never underestimated their heritage, and their wisdom was equally important. However, the wisdom of the predecessors was not always fully understood and absorbed by the later generations. People's wisdom always varies. The predecessors deceived the emperor and fooled the people, summarizing and summarizing many fallacies and heresies and making them public.

However, they themselves knew the truth and hid it within the family. However, their descendants had been in contact with outsiders for a long time and were gradually fooled. Many truths were gradually buried, and the fallacies and heresies even eroded their own descendants, which was harmful to both themselves and others.

You say a wise man would never make such a mistake?

Haha, your own descendants don't even believe in your own theories, and you still expect others to believe in them? Not to mention future generations, even those who pass on your fallacies and heresies to future generations will sometimes be self-hypnotized and believe in your own nonsense. How ironic!

Murong Fu's attitude towards such people was to expel them from the country. Their theories could be retained but would be refuted and suppressed. Their knowledge books would be confiscated, and the basic and essential parts would be selectively made public. The dregs would be taken away and returned to the small Southern Song court.

If there is anything truly open, it is the knowledge of various schools of thought. Whether it is industry, agriculture, commerce, or law, the textbooks of Suzhou College have always been open to the public. Even many of the basic exercises and basic boxing techniques that go with them can be easily obtained as long as you pay a small price.

Confucianism suffered a huge impact, but it could do nothing about the Murong clan of the Xianbei people. Among the two emperors, Murong Bo was a real warrior, his head full of fighting, killing, conspiracy and intrigue, while Murong Fu, although a Jinshi with a great reputation, was knowledgeable and well-versed in all schools of thought. They might not be better than the others in their best areas, and if they paid a huge price to fool them, they would probably be crushed and lose confidence.

It's not that no one was pointing fingers at him. The scholars in the public reacted strongly to the fact that the Great Yan Kingdom did not have two emperors in the capital. Even many officials who were promoted later had their own ideas. It was just that the Murong family tore off the mask of civilization and directly ruled the world as Xianbei Hu people, which made them dare not act rashly.

The grass on the graves of those who died bravely and righteously in the early days was already three feet high, but those who came later did not follow suit. Murong Bo was stubborn and refused to listen to advice, and Murong Fu was knowledgeable and profound, so they could not persuade him. Just one sentence of "starting from reality and speaking with facts" was enough to make those empty talkers fail miserably.

In the Central Plains of the Great Yan, many people were exiled after breaking the law, and this happened to people of all classes. Among them, most scholars and Confucian scholars were exiled to the Southern Song Dynasty. Indeed, in the eyes of the Great Yan, the Southern Song was a place of exile, specifically responsible for receiving illegal scholars that the Great Yan despised.

The Great Yan Kingdom was not isolated, and recruiting talented people was the norm. Even the literati from the Southern Song Dynasty could be valued as long as they had real talents and knowledge. Military men could even better integrate into the Great Yan Kingdom. As long as they could avoid the blockade of the Southern Song Dynasty and come to the Great Yan Kingdom, and pass the assessment of local officials, they could obtain household registration in the Great Yan Kingdom.

The promotion channels for civil and military officials in the State of Yan were open. The reporting and self-recommendation mechanisms of Wu Zhou were brought out and became more complete and hierarchical. What is hierarchy?

Just like the imperial examinations, talent also has a hierarchy. Self-recommendations can be submitted from the county, prefecture, and state levels all the way up to the national level, but skipping one level or more is not acceptable. Self-recommendations will be reviewed by a dedicated individual, and those who pass will be issued a certificate of merit. This system of selecting talents, in conjunction with the Jinyiwei of the Great Yan Kingdom, ensures peace and vitality within the Great Yan Kingdom.

Murong Bo attended court almost every day, while Murong Fu had already run the cabinet very smoothly and familiarly, with clear hierarchy and division of labor, and the efficiency was shocking. The so-called "the harem does not interfere in politics" was just empty talk. Old Lady Murong accompanied her husband to court every day and made many achievements, and most of Murong Fu's wives and concubines held high positions.

This is also something that the literati and scholars cannot stand, but no matter how much they cannot stand it, they cannot deny that these women from the Murong family are all outstanding in their abilities, and the Great Yan Kingdom is thriving under their governance.

After Murong Fu pacified Xixia and Tubo, he vigorously reorganized the navy. Part of the fleet was used to attack Fuso and Wa Island, while he himself led a large fleet from Zhoushan through Ryukyu and Luzon and headed straight for India. Hundreds of monks accompanied him, all of whom were proficient in Sanskrit, and they set off a Buddhist craze in India.

What do you think of India’s reaction?

Haha, you think the Great Yan fleet is a peace envoy? Murong Fu's first act was to sweep away the enemy's navy and seize the Tianzhu port. Then, with his army stationed there, he was incredibly powerful. He visited the 72 island lords' settlements one by one, and half of them followed him on the expedition. He also removed the life and death talismans of a number of island lords. These island lords not only gained freedom but also made a fortune from foreign trade, naturally increasing their loyalty.

Murong Fu was not satisfied with the encroachment on India. His fleet marched westwards all the way to Europe. The masters of Buddhism and Taoism attacked the Catholics first. Wuyazi, who was old but young at heart, was very interested in the Catholics. The actions of the great grandmaster shocked countless people. The Great Yan Kingdom actually heard the news about Wanyan Honglie of Western Liao here.

The expedition was massive, involving numerous personnel, and took over a year to complete. The results were remarkable and fruitful. During Murong Fu's absence, Wang Yuyan and Azhu managed to govern the country, albeit with some bumps and bruises, without incident. The northern and central courts exchanged resources and learned from each other, gradually forming a tacit understanding. Both sides adjusted and changed, but Gusu saw minimal changes, while the northern Great Yan State undertook drastic reforms.

"Will you go out again after your return, my husband?"

"Time is running out. I've seen everything I should and shouldn't see, and collected everything I should and shouldn't collect. I'll spend the remaining two or three years with you. A life with you and your children, which I only dreamed of before, is now something I'm going to enjoy."

"Brother Bufan still has a conscience, but while enjoying family life, he can't give up cultivation."

"I'm already number one in the world, there's nothing I can do better. I don't need to practice anymore."

"There's no limit to realms. Brother Bufan can't advance any further in this world, so what about the next one? It's always a good idea to be prepared in advance. My sister Yue'er and I are a little lacking in strength. As the best in the world, isn't it Brother Bufan's responsibility to give us sisters some advice?"

Murong Fu: You two are already top masters at the Grandmaster level. It is not easy to go further. In this world, being promoted to Grandmaster is a bit tricky and forced, but I don’t want them to take this path.