xymnovel Chapter 10 "The Song Dynasty has lost its virtue, why not... seize power and replace it?"
Chapter 10 "The Song Dynasty has lost its virtue, why not... seize power and replace it?"
The room fell silent instantly.
Everyone was stunned, thinking they had misheard.
Liu Tang's smile froze on his face.
"Brother... what did you say?"
Liu Bei's tone was calm, yet unquestionable.
I said, these 100,000 strings of cash cannot be divided.
"Why?!"
Ruan Xiaowu was the first to shout, "We risk our lives, putting our lives on the line, what are we doing this for? If not for a share of the money, are we just doing it for fun?"
His words expressed the sentiments of everyone.
Yes, if not for money, then why?
Liu Bei stood up and walked to the crowd: "I ask you, you took these 100,000 strings of cash, divided them up, and then what?"
Wu Yong smiled slightly, picked up the wine bowl, and took a small sip.
It's that same question again.
Liu Tang scratched his head.
"And then...and then they bought land and farmland, ate meat to their hearts' content, drank wine from large bowls, and lived a carefree life!"
"To live a carefree life?"
Liu Bei looked at him: "Do you think the government is just sitting around doing nothing? Do you think Liang Zhongshu and Cai Jing will let the loss of 100,000 strings of cash for the birthday celebration go unpunished? At that point, our arrest warrants will be plastered all over Shandong, and even the whole of Hebei. The government troops will be searching for us like mad dogs. Where will you hide to buy land?"
Liu Tang opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.
Liu Bei then looked at the Ruan brothers.
"And you? Take the money and go back to Shijie Village? From now on, you won't sleep well every night, and you'll think the slightest sound is the government officials coming to your door? Have you ever thought about living like that?"
The three brothers' faces also turned grim.
Liu Bei finally looked at Gongsun Sheng.
"The Taoist priest cultivates tranquility and non-action, so he surely wouldn't be interested in these gold and silver things. But since you've gotten involved, you can't escape responsibility either. If the authorities can't catch us, won't they go to your sacred mountain and cause trouble for your master?"
Gongsun Sheng's expression changed slightly.
Liu Bei returned to the main seat and sat down.
"You only see the 100,000 strings of cash in front of you, but you don't see the deadly knife behind it."
Inside the room, you could hear a pin drop.
After a long silence, Liu Tang finally spoke, his voice slightly weak: "Then... what should we do, brother?"
Liu Bei took a deep breath and slowly said, "Do you know that the Jurchens in the north will surely march south within three to five years?"
Everyone was astonished.
Gongsun Sheng frowned and said, "Brother, the Liao Kingdom in the north has always been on good terms with the Song Dynasty. Although the Jin people are strong, they are just a minor problem. What is there to worry about?"
"Not a cause for concern?"
Liu Bei gave a cold laugh.
"Given the nature of the northern barbarians, they have always been the strong who devour the weak. If the Jin dynasty becomes powerful, it will surely destroy the Liao dynasty and then march south. At that time, how can the Song dynasty, with its bunch of good-for-nothings, possibly resist? When the nest is overturned, how can any egg remain intact? Once the country is destroyed and the world is in chaos, how can we protect ourselves?"
At this point, Liu Bei said, "Bring me my map!"
Wu Yong immediately took out the map he had prepared and hung it on the wall.
Liu Bei pointed to the north of the map and said, "This is where the Jin and Liao kingdoms are located."
Following the path from the Jin Dynasty downwards: "This is the Song Dynasty."
Everyone listened attentively.
Liu Bei slowly said, "Due to the loss of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, the Song Dynasty lacks natural defenses in the north, and its borders are almost indefensible. Once they break through the borders, the land will be flat and open, and the entire Central Plains will be virtually undefended."
Everyone was shocked. Lin Chong, who had studied military strategy, frowned and said, "Brother, do these barbarians really dare to march straight in?"
"They certainly would," Liu Bei sighed softly, then said, "Brother Lin, let me ask you, is there any logic in the strong paying money to the weak every year?"
Paying tribute to the Liao Kingdom every year was, in Lin Chong's mind, one of the greatest humiliations of the Song Dynasty. He slammed his fist on the table and said, "We really didn't."
Liu Bei nodded: "That's precisely why, in their minds, the Song Dynasty is the weaker party. The northern barbarians have always believed in the law of the jungle; it's only natural for the strong to bully the weak. If they march south and cross the Yellow River, they'll be heading straight for Bianliang. What will happen then?"
Everyone thought about it together.
Liu Tang, being impatient, said, "My dear brother, stop keeping me in suspense! What could a bunch of us who only know how to drink and fight possibly come up with?"
The Ruan brothers nodded in unison.
Lin Chong, on the other hand, was more experienced. He exclaimed in horror, "Move the capital?!"
"Indeed," Liu Bei said with absolute certainty, "The entire Central Plains have no natural defenses; the only option is to move the capital south of the Yangtze River. And at that point, the entire area north of the Yangtze...we have a great opportunity to achieve!"
There is great potential north of the Yangtze River.
These eight characters echoed in the small thatched hut, as if carrying the sound of metal and stone.
For the first time, a look of bewilderment appeared on Liu Tang's usually impatient face.
The three Nguyen brothers frowned, as if trying to understand the weight behind those eight words.
Only Lin Chong's body trembled violently, and a terrifying glint flashed in his eyes.
He was once the head instructor of the 800,000 Imperial Guards. Although he was sidelined, he knew the true state of the Song Dynasty's border defenses better than anyone else present.
With the loss of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, the north, facing the nomadic cavalry, was like a beautiful woman stripped naked, with nothing left to hide.
He had only thought about revenge and how to make a living, and had never dared to imagine... this possibility.
"Brother means..." Lin Chong looked at the map on the wall, his gaze shifting back and forth between the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, "...when the world is in chaos, we...can seize the opportunity to rise up, establish ourselves as kings?"
"To become king?" Liu Bei laughed.
He shook his head: "That's too narrow-minded."
Liu Bei stood up and walked to the map.
His palm swept from the Yanshan Mountains in the north, across Bianliang in the Central Plains, and finally landed in the center of the entire map.
"The Song dynasty has lost its virtue, why not..."
"To replace it?"
He spoke those four words very softly, yet they sent a strange shock through everyone present.
Gongsun Sheng's usually ethereal eyes froze at that moment.
He looked at Liu Bei's back; that not particularly tall figure seemed to cast a shadow that enveloped the entire world under the dim lamplight.
He remembered his master's instructions before he went down the mountain.
"If I encounter a true dragon in this mortal world, I should do my utmost to assist him, and perhaps we can accomplish a great feat of saving the world and bringing peace to the people."
What is a true dragon?
Previously, he thought it was about robbing the rich to help the poor and acting on behalf of Heaven.
But now, looking at the man in front of him, he suddenly had a completely new answer in his heart.
Wu Yong held his wine bowl, observing the expressions on everyone's faces, and nodded to himself in approval.
It became.
His brother's words had completely subdued this group of unruly heroes.
From then on, their thoughts were no longer about the 100,000 strings of cash, but about the entire world.
"elder brother!"
Liu Tang knelt down on one knee with a thud, clasping his hands in a fist salute!
Although he wasn't very bright, the passion in his heart was completely ignited!
"I, Liu Tang, am a rough man and don't understand any grand principles! But I know that following my brother is more enjoyable than being a rich man! From now on, if my brother tells me to go east, I will never go west!"
"We are willing to follow our brother, even unto death!"
The three Nguyen brothers exchanged a glance and then knelt down in unison.
They may not fully understand the profound meaning behind this, but they understood Lin Chong's excitement and Gongsun Sheng's shock.
They realized even more that following this Brother Chao Gai would bring them far more than just money.
It was something they had never even dared to imagine before.
That's called achievement.
Lin Chong then gave Liu Bei a solemn military salute.
"This humble general, Lin Chong, is willing to serve as your vanguard, brother!"
He no longer referred to himself as "Lin Chong," but as "this humble general."
Gongsun Sheng stood up and bowed deeply to Liu Bei.
"The Prefect has the world in his heart. I, a humble Taoist, am willing to divine the secrets of Heaven for the Prefect and clear the way ahead for him."
Liu Bei turned around and looked at the kneeling crowd, his heart filled with emotion.
Back then, he had Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Zhuge Liang by his side.
Now, it is Lin Chong, Wu Yong, Liu Tang, the three Ruan brothers, and Gongsun Sheng.
Although the team has changed, their desire to help the world has never changed.
"Please rise, everyone."
Liu Bei stepped forward and helped them up one by one.
"Today, we are here to emulate the story of the Peach Garden Oath: we do not seek to be born on the same day, in the same month, in the same year, but we wish to die on the same day, in the same month, in the same year. From this day forward, we will share joys and sorrows, and be bound together in life and death!"
He picked up the wine jar and filled it for everyone.
"Drink this bowl of wine, and we'll be brothers!"
"Dry!"