Please call me Your Majesty!

Chapter 166: Taoist Zhang of the White Sleeve Army started an uprising, and Chu Shizhao was summoned to pacify the south!

And this time it's a simulation.

For Chu Shizhao, this was actually an important experience accumulation. So far, Chu Shizhao had rarely chosen the rebel army as the starting point in his simulations.

Chu Shizhao's first choice was often to inherit the throne from Emperor Yongjin and rule the world as the legitimate heir of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Because the world inherited in this way is the most convenient and stable transition, and when the situation is relatively good, there will not be frequent wars.

The benefits are obvious.

The disadvantages are also obvious.

The flaw is that the Great Zhou that Chu Shizhao inherited cannot be reformed in a short period of time. It is like an elderly patient who wants to regulate his body and cure his chronic illness. He cannot recover without taking some strong medicine, but if too much strong medicine is taken, he will still die easily.

The new world and new country established by the rebels was equivalent to starting over again. Many problems could be easily solved. Even the simplest land annexation could be easily redistributed at the beginning of the new dynasty. Unlike Chu Shizhao who inherited the country of the Great Zhou Dynasty, it was sometimes not possible to easily liquidate the old aristocratic system.

Many of the Zhou Dynasty's army members are nobles and children of aristocratic families. If you insist on clearing them out, are you going to force the army to rebel?
On the contrary, since they were the rebels, Chu Shizhao didn't have to worry about the loyalty of these people. When it came to killing people, they were faster than anyone else and more eager than anyone else to be reborn.

Of course, the latter route also involves frequent wars and the highest number of deaths. Even if Chu Shizhao fights an excellent battle and it is the first battle to reopen the country, at least one-third or even more of the population will be killed or injured.

Moreover, Chu Shizhao also had to face another problem, which was the situation after the civil war, when nomadic peoples took advantage of the situation and invaded in large numbers.

The ambitions of the grassland forces towards the Central Plains dynasty are too obvious. This can be clearly seen from history. Whenever the Central Plains dynasty shows signs of weakness, these grassland forces will desperately rush to the Central Plains dynasty to get a share of the spoils.

The Huang Chao Uprising destroyed the Tang Dynasty, and the Tubo, Turks and a large number of other ethnic groups took advantage of the situation to enter Chang'an and looted it.

Not to mention the Southern Song Dynasty, where foreign races have always been in a dominant position.

There was a Tumu Incident in the Ming Dynasty.

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, Li Zicheng, the King of Rebellion, and the Ming army were fighting each other. The Jurchens originally came in to make a living, but they took advantage of the opportunity and made a big profit.

Even during the heyday of the Central Plains dynasty from the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Three Kingdoms period, those ethnic minorities were still restless. However, the princes of the Three Kingdoms were so powerful and had such advanced equipment that they gave them almost no chance.

No matter how weak Sun Quan was, he still fought against the Shanyue. Zhuge Liang captured Meng Huo seven times, Cao Cao pacified Liaodong, and Zhang Liao led the vanguard to defeat the Wuhuan in the Battle of Bailang Mountain.

If Chu Shizhao wanted his rebel army to prosper, what he needed to worry about most was not the official army of the Great Zhou Dynasty or other rebel armies that were competing on the same stage, but the grassland forces that were watching for opportunities and were ready to rush into the battlefield at any time.

At present, the most powerful ethnic group on the grassland is still the Huns. However, these Huns have no ethnic tolerance, are very xenophobic, and have strong hostility towards other ethnic groups on the grassland.

This is actually a good thing.

A unified grassland is a huge threat to any unified dynasty, because without enemies on the grassland, there is nothing to do and all they have to do is think about how to attack the Central Plains.

In fact, the best way to immobilize the grassland for a short period of time is to support new grassland forces and engage in internal consumption with the Huns.

And there has to be quantity control. You can help, but not completely. You can support, but not fully. It is best to adjust the situation to a level where both sides can fight back and forth, and let them consume it themselves.

Chu Shizhao became a good guy, and he also reaped the benefits.

He has to thank us!
Chu Shizhao has clear ideas about the issues that are actually on the table, but the problems that are not on the table give Chu Shizhao a headache.

For Chu Shizhao, the most troublesome issue is the issue of offspring.

To say that Chu Shizhao's heir is weak is not really the case.

Whether it is the eldest son born from the marriage with Li Fengning or the eldest son born from the marriage with Huan Yi, they both have the ability to stand on their own.

But the disadvantages are also obvious, that is, when there are half-siblings and a single right of inheritance, internal strife is likely to occur.

Chu Jimin, the son of Chu Shizhao and Li Fengning, cannot be said to be a carbon copy of the two Fengs, but he is also quite charming.

In terms of numbers, Chu Jimin's military capabilities and his own charm are very terrifying.

It can be said that among Chu Shizhao's many sons, Chu Jimin is the only one with an innate charm of more than 95 points.

Don't underestimate the value of charm.

The greater your charm, the easier it is to recruit subordinates and win the hearts of the people.

Thanks to the term [Style of Emperor Gaozu], Chu Shizhao's charm value has been increasing year by year, and often in the later stages of simulation, Chu Shizhao can achieve a full lineup of powerful ministers in the court.

This is the increase brought by high charm.

This also means that Chu Jimin, this kid, has his own team.

Even if he was not the eldest son, as long as it was a period of war, he could form a small team and a small court on his own.

When one person does something, he may not have many ideas, but when a group of men work together as a team, they will have a lot of ideas.

Now the question of whether Chu Shizhao's heir is weak or not is not the same as the fact that as long as there are more sons, they will start fighting.

Theoretically, the solution is to implement a system of external fiefdoms, learning from Genghis Khan. Anyone with ability can go out and conquer the world on his own, and whoever conquers more land will own that land.

But this is just something you can just think about.

The Central Plains Dynasty was the most fertile land in the feudal dynasty.

People in the Central Plains have a deep-rooted love for their hometown. There is a saying that fallen leaves return to their roots. No matter how vast the land outside is, it cannot be as fragrant as the land at home.

Unlike nomadic people, they can survive anywhere.

Moreover, even if the country is sealed off, it is impossible to avoid the outbreak of civil war.

Kublai Khan was the king of civil war.

The most helpless thing is that Zhu Yuanzhang's method could not ensure that every son had a place.

Power is something that is best possessed by only one person, not by everyone.

Originally, Zhu Yuanzhang was still a petty-minded person. He hoped that each of his sons would have an acre of land to farm and a living space, and that the eldest "own son" would guard the empire.

But any normal person knows that this is unrealistic.

The first generation of sons grew up together, so there may be affection and blood ties. What about the grandchildren?

It's not like they grew up together.

Especially when they all stay in their own fiefdoms.

The longer the time goes, the more descendants there are, and the more distant the blood relationship becomes. How could it be possible for a group of people to protect the world for one person?

Beyond three generations, the blood relationship is completely weakened!

As for power, as long as there is the concept of competing to become emperor, no matter how strong your blood relationship is, something will happen. What's more, if the blood relationship is weak, why should anyone give in to you?

Therefore, for Chu Shizhao, the issue of succession is completely unsolvable. All he can do is to let the son of the wife take the throne. No matter how close his other sons are, Chu Shizhao has to try his best to prevent them from having too much power in the position of prince.

If you are powerless and weak, you still have a possibility of survival. If you have power, you will have ideas and will become chaotic.

Thinking of this, the scene in front of Chu Shizhao froze.

After his death, Chu Shizhao was given a posthumous title of extremely high magnitude, and his temple name was Jing Taizu.

In fact, the country that Chu Shizhao left to Chu Chengwei was still very reliable. Both the country's military strength and economic level were in a thriving situation.

The national treasury was overflowing, and the soldiers were those who had experienced the bloody battles that founded the country.

If this kind of situation could be broken, then there would be something wrong with the people. Moreover, before his death, Chu Shizhao had already set a policy for Chu Chengwei. As long as he did not mess around, or even ruled by inaction, he could take advantage of the dividends brought by the founding of the country and become a wise ruler.

There will be prosperity after war.

Because the population drops sharply during wars, and in peacetime, the population will gradually return and people will start to produce. As the population slowly increases, in an era where agriculture is the main source of production, the larger the population, the stronger the productivity and the better the economy.

Chu Shizhao took a look at the trend. Under the clear leadership of Chu Shizhao, Chu Chengwei followed the steps and made preparations for the subsequent steps of being a king.

Although it was not up to the standard Chu Shizhao wanted, it was basically qualified. At least as a monarch, Chu Chengwei's morality was reliable. Among those human-like monarchs, he could be said to be outstanding.

And the other end.

Chu Shixu from the Eastern Palace was staring at a foreigner with a wisp of mustache in front of him. The man was tall and strong, with eyes like an eagle.

"Your Highness, your servant Ma Yin greets you." Ma Yin clasped his hands together and knelt on the ground.

This person was the eldest son of Ma Su'an, the governor of Fanyang.

Most of the foreigners who held the power of the Jiedushi had to send hostages to Chang'an to avoid any evil intentions.

According to the rules of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Ma Su'an should have placed his eldest legitimate son in Chang'an, but for some unknown reason, his illegitimate eldest son was detained in Chang'an as a hostage.

Ma Yin was naturally aware of his status, so he kept a low profile. In order to meet Chu Shixu of the Eastern Palace and to find a backer for himself in Chang'an, he could only curry favor with the powerful.

"General Ma, please stand up." Chu Shixu looked calm. He raised his hand to appease Ma Yin and said, "Your father has made great contributions to the court in Fanyang. He can be said to be a pillar of the country."

Ma Yin's expression remained unchanged. He knew very well that Chu Shixu's kindness towards him was simply an attempt to win over his father.

But in fact, the relationship between Ma Yin and Ma Su'an was not harmonious, and Ma Su'an left him in Chang'an as a hostage. As long as something happened, Ma Yin's life would be in danger. But now, Ma Yin had to use this identity to find a place for himself.

"I came to the East Palace to ask for something." Ma Yin did not have as many connections as the people in the Central Plains, so he said bluntly: "I hope Your Highness will help me."

Chu Shixu is not afraid that you won't cause trouble, he is just afraid that you won't ask him for help.

With Ma Yin's attitude, Chu Shixu would have room to take advantage of him as long as he needed something from him. However, Chu Shixu also had his own plans and wanted to bargain.

Now the fourth Prince Jin is showing signs of surpassing him in terms of power and reputation, which makes Chu Shixu in great need of some external support.

"Please speak." Chu Shixu spoke politely and gracefully.

"I have lived in Chang'an for a long time without any roots, like duckweed on the water. I am willing to serve Your Highness in order to gain glory and wealth." Ma Yin said straightforwardly.

Chu Shixu thought that these foreigners would not be so cultured and would probably take whatever they had, but he did not expect them to be so barbaric.

Chu Shixu had not expected that he would express his true feelings directly and want wealth and glory. Now he thought that the fourth brother had won the hearts of a group of soldiers in the Northern Army, and Chu Shixu was also eager to see Ma Yin surrender. He really needed a general who could compete with Chu Shizhao to serve in the Three Armys.

"I am very relieved to have the general's help. Tomorrow, I will ask my mother to find you a position." Chu Shixu pondered for a moment and said, "But you must remember that I can give you these, and I can naturally take them back."

"Since you are working for me, you should think carefully about it."

Ma Yin was relying on his father's name to "cheat and defraud". He was not favored by his father and came here to be a hostage. If he wasn't careful, he would get into trouble and die. Now Chu Shixu, who was half a step away from becoming a crown prince in the Eastern Palace, believed him, which was a pleasant surprise.

In response, Ma Yin insisted that he had no ulterior motives.

Just when Chang'an was still undercurrent.

In Xiao County of Pizhou, dozens of people gathered together. They looked at each other and swore an oath of blood covenant. Taking advantage of the cover of night, they rushed towards the county town, shouting and killing everywhere. Some people who had been prepared long ago almost followed suit to show their support. Under the pincer attack from both inside and outside, the county town soon fell into the hands of the rebels.

The next day, a Taoist named Zhang Zhengjun led the people in Yingzhou to revolt and quickly captured the city of Yingzhou.

He held up the white scarf and hung it on the edge of his sleeve.

"There are tens of thousands of people, but the ruler is unkind and the officials are unjust. The people are living in misery and it is difficult to continue. The dragon flies to the sky, and we should reopen the Great Zhoutian!!!"

Under the uprising led by Zhang Zhengjun, the entire south, which was dissatisfied with the rule of the Great Zhou Dynasty, surged out and emerged.

By daybreak, more than ten cities in the south had fallen, and local bureaucrats hurriedly reported the situation to the imperial court.

When the messenger arrived in Chang'an, the whole court was shocked and all officials were horrified. Emperor Yongjin was surprisingly calm in the court meeting, but beneath this calmness, there was an extremely deep rage.

After only two hours of discussion, Emperor Yongjin decided to send the three-prefecture army to fight against the rebels.

He used Chu Shizhao and Yang Fang as one army, Wang Xuan and Huan Sheng as another army, Du Zhiyun and Wei Yan as another army, a total of 270,000 troops to attack the rebellious city in the south.

However, the actual military strength, not counting the civilians who were responsible for logistics and food transportation, was only 70,000 soldiers at most, of which only 40,000 were equipped with armor, and the other 30,000 were equipped with outdated equipment.

However, armed forces like this are already the greatest force that the entire Great Zhou Dynasty can mobilize.

(End of this chapter)