noffsinger Chapter 185: The 4th Cloud Moves, the Dynasty Will Fall
Chapter 185: The 4th Cloud Moves, the Dynasty Will Fall
The sky was covered with gloomy haze, the vast land was flowing like a river of blood, corpses were everywhere, broken limbs were everywhere, and there were unyielding heads rolling in the corners. The dead soldiers still had their unwilling eyes open, staring at a corner of the sky.
Birds in the sky swooped down and landed on the blood-stained corpses. A strong smell of blood hung in the air. Spears and swords were broken and half-hidden between the soil and bones, flickering faintly in the dim light.
Dayong was defeated again. The officials were like rats and ants, corrupt and wasteful. The soldiers' salaries were exploited at all levels. The soldiers were not well fed and clothed, and some of the garrison's weapons were rusty.
The officials at the top protect each other, use their power to embezzle public funds, misappropriate tax revenue, falsify accounts, and falsely report expenses... These seem to be the consensus among these officials - they don't care about the people's hard work and are only concerned with living a peaceful and prosperous life.
Faced with the iron cavalry of the grassland, Dayong's army was defeated step by step. The soldiers of Dayong were already afraid, thinking that if they faced the cavalry, they would be dead and powerless to turn the situation around.
It seemed that God also felt that the Dayong Dynasty was about to collapse, and frequent natural disasters pushed the crumbling dynasty into the torrent of historical annihilation.
“Clouds come from the dragon, winds come from the tiger.
Fame, wealth and honor are dust and dirt.
Looking at China, the people are suffering.
Thousands of miles of fertile land have become barren.
Look at the world, it's full of barbarians.
A good man should leave his parents.
Just for the people, not for myself.
Ninety-nine holding a steel knife.
He did not stop until all the Hu people were killed.
I am a real man.
Why do we serve the Tartars like horses and cattle?
The warrior drank up the wine in the bowl.
When people's dissatisfaction with the court reached its peak, an uprising song against the grassland spread across the country. Soon after, the frontier army killed the incompetent generals, drove out the barbarians, attacked the capital, and sought justice for the millions of soldiers who died in the battle - a vigorous people's uprising movement was completely launched.
The Lou family army was the majority of the regular anti-Yong forces. The soldiers led by Lou Wancen had already become a force that could establish their own territory. They shouted "Destroy the unjust and punish the tyrannical Yong!", holding the Lou family flag and pointing their swords at the capital.
The rebel forces of the Zhitong Society also emerged like mushrooms after a spring rain, first in Xuzhou and Tianshui, and quickly spread from these centers. It was obvious that they had been lurking for a long time... The people were shocked to realize that, without their knowledge, Dayong had actually had such a force.
The main force of the Zhitong Society was students from academies, and their backgrounds were not taken into consideration. The phrase "A hundred-foot-tall tree can hold up the bright moon; a low house with a few rafters cannot lock out the sound of reading for five nights" ignited the passion of the scholars.
"The supreme ruler, when he returns to his original state, is nothing more than a grass or an ant. A helmet of gold and iron, when he returns to his true nature, is nothing more than rags and linen clothes. This supreme ruler should be everyone!", once spread, pushed the uprising movement to a climax.
In the chaotic world, the clouds are moving in all directions, and heroes from all walks of life are emerging.
Songs of the uprising were echoed everywhere.
"The governor is a Rakshasa, the Sima is a wrathful snake, the chief official makes judgments with a smile, and Qinghe eats people alive."
"To kill the thieves, one gold and one drum, to welcome the officials, two drums and one gong. The gold and drums look the same, the officials and the thieves don't argue over the number!"
"The mountains are high and the emperor is far away, the people are few and the officials are many. I beat you three times a day, how can you not fight back!"
(The so-called "Xiang Gong" refers to local officials. Uprising folk songs often use popular language to explain the principle of "officials forcing the people to rebel.")
For a time, the Dayong Dynasty stood at the center of the storm, like a broken wall that was about to collapse, waiting for a force to fall down.
The ancestral land was occupied by the grasslands, and memorials of local separatism were sent to the capital one after another. The old emperor looked at the dense news and suddenly felt dizzy. His already poor health was stimulated and he passed away.
Mu Yijun took over a mess and ascended to the throne in a hurry. The succession ceremony was even more incomplete. He finally ascended to the position he had longed for, but he was not very happy. Reading the news about the rebels, he was furious and swept away the books on the table. The palace servants in the hall knelt down one after another, not daring to breathe.
"As a mayfly, you want to have the beauty of spring?! That's just wishful thinking!"
Although Mu Yijun felt the news coming from the local areas was urgent, his focus was still on consolidating his own power - the previous emperor passed away in a hurry, and these ministers might not obey him.
In order to resist foreign aggression, one must first stabilize the internal situation. If he does not win the hearts of these old ministers and establish his authority, he, as a monarch, will probably have no real power.
Sitting in the court, Mu Yijun even felt that these officials might have colluded with local officials to deceive their superiors and subordinates, and thought that everyone had ill intentions towards him. For a time, he became suspicious and the atmosphere in the court was weird and anxious.
He was very sensitive about military power. After all, it was real power and the key to the throne. Rather than fighting on the grassland, he was more interested in suppressing the rebels.
After the new emperor ascended the throne, many smart people, in order to curry favor with the new emperor, realized Mu Yijun's intention and wrote to the emperor, claiming that they would send troops to suppress local uprisings first, saying that if they wanted peace in the country, they must first stabilize the country.
Mu Yijun was very happy, thinking that the emperor and his subjects were of one mind, and that everyone still trusted him at the critical moment. However, a military general refuted him and slapped him in the face on the spot.
"The several powerful rebel armies are all trying to contain the grasslands. The grassland people are extremely brutal. We should take advantage of this opportunity to annihilate them in one fell swoop. At this moment, it is the right thing to do to unite against the enemy, Your Majesty!"
"Speaking for the traitors, what is your intention, Lord Wang?!"
"I am just discussing the matter at hand. What are you talking about?"
There was a quarrel in the court. Mu Yijun looked at the group of people led by General Wang who wanted to attack the grassland first, and he wanted to kill them...
Later, many people wrote to the emperor demanding that Wang Yong be punished, and various evidences were presented. So, the new emperor followed the public opinion and executed him at the Meridian Gate to make an example of him.
On the day of the execution, thick clouds covered the sky, and the cold air rolled in like a rock. The carriage roads in the capital were deserted, and the prison carts crushed rotten leaves. Black crows screamed fiercely, and white sparrows watched on the dead branches.
Wang Yong was dressed in plain clothes and wearing handcuffs. His opponents who were watching the execution were full of sarcasm. After thirty years of fighting in the battlefield, he had thought of dying on the battlefield, but he had never thought that he would die at the hands of the new emperor.
Once caught in a tangle, how can we explain the flaws in the report? An Nai’s defense is weak, and the new emperor is suspicious.
He is loyal and devoted, but he is the only one who is in disgrace. He will be passed down by word of mouth in the future as a treacherous minister.
"The great government and the people have stood firm for more than a hundred years, the slaughter of the peasants is so sad, the treacherous ministers have caused cholera in the palace, the procurators rely on fear, the lives and deaths of the common people, how many people have hurriedly promised themselves in the drifting ups and downs, the lonely tomb is guarded by the flags, the border is lost, the king is gone, under the dragon robe, the white-clad woman leans on the stele, under the edict, is the human heart.
The king is gone, and the world is begging for mercy—"
Wang Yong is not Dou E. Everyone is in danger. No one speaks for him, and no one feels sorry for him. He cannot see the blood and red dust, the eight-foot flagpole and the white silk hanging. Who knows and who believes his injustice?
No matter how strong a body is, once the head is chopped off, there will be no life, and even Wang Yong’s last words will be swallowed up.
Mu Yijun was sitting in a high position and thought that it was Wang Yong's dying struggle. Little did he know that the heartfelt words of the loyal ministers behind him were all cut off by his order.
(The lyrics of the uprising in the text come from the Red Turban Army at the end of the Yuan Dynasty)
(carving: hardship, decline. The social economy is in decline, and people live in hardship)
(I wish to save countless sentient beings and keep the moon and the sun shining forever - I wish to use my life to save countless sentient beings and keep the moon and the sun shining forever)
(The great government and the people have stood firm for more than a hundred years, how sad it is to slaughter the peasants and slaves, the treacherous ministers have cholera in the palace, the procurators rely on fear, the common people live and die, how many people have hurriedly promised themselves in the drifting ups and downs, the lonely tomb is guarded by flags, the border is lost, the king is gone, under the dragon robe, the white-clad woman leans on the stele, under the edict, is the human heart——
The scene of a country in trouble for more than a hundred years. The court is in chaos, treacherous ministers are in power, eunuchs bully people, and the common people live a miserable life, with life and death uncertain, and they are helpless in the turmoil. The flags beside the lonely graves stand alone, and the borders fall and fall, but the king turns a blind eye to it. The dignitaries in dragon robes don't care about the lives of the people, and the women in mourning weep against the tombstones. The imperial edict was issued, but it reflects the people's betrayal.
(Dense clouds obscured the sun, and the cold air rolled in like a rock. The roads in the capital were deserted, and the carriages with railings creaked and crushed the rotten leaves. The black crows screamed, and the white sparrows watched on the dead branches. Thick clouds obscured the sun, and the cold air rolled in like a rock. The roads in the capital were deserted, and the carriages with railings creaked and crushed the rotten leaves. The black crows screamed, and the white sparrows on the dead branches watched.)