My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 482 The Ming Dynasty's "Mandate of Heaven"

Li Yiyuan looked at his "calligraphy masterpiece" and wished he could break the brush in his hand.

Why do I have to be so impulsive?

Where are the Guiyi Army's documents?

"It has been delivered to the Ministry by express horse. Please take a look, sir!"

"Go quickly!"

Li Yiyuan was also very curious about what the Guiyi Army silk scroll looked like.
The Guiyi Army was an army stationed in the Western Regions during the Tang Dynasty.

This army was established by Zhang Yichao, a famous general of the Tang Dynasty, and maintained control over the Western Regions for a long period of time when it was cut off from the Tang Dynasty.

At the height of the Guiyi Army's power, Zhang Yichao recovered eleven prefectures, including Gua, Sha, Yi, Xi, Gan, Su, Lan, Shan, He, Min, and Kuo. He then presented the maps and household registration records of these prefectures to the Tang Dynasty, indicating that the Hexi region had once again come under Tang control.

It wasn't until the fifth year of the Dazhong era of the Tang Dynasty that the imperial court received the memorial and decided to establish the Guiyi Army in Shazhou, appointing Zhang Yichao as the military governor of the Guiyi Army and the inspector of eleven prefectures.

The return of the Guiyi Army to the Tang Dynasty was a very exciting event in the mid-Tang Dynasty.

Li Yiyuan saw the "Zhang Huaishen Bianwen" that had been sent from Jiayuguan by express courier.

Li Yiyuan was highly skilled in calligraphy and classical Chinese. After seeing the text on the silk scroll with his own eyes, he confirmed that the document was genuine.

"My lord, there is also a poem."

"Poetry and prose? Tang Dynasty poetry and prose?"

"It is 'The Ballad of the Qin Woman'."

"what!"

Li Yiyuan was almost dizzy, and he quickly asked:
"Where!"

"The Ballad of the Qin Woman" is a work by Wei Zhuang, a poet from the late Tang Dynasty.

This poem is the longest narrative poem of the Tang Dynasty, and it is as famous as Bai Juyi's "Song of Everlasting Regret". It was extremely popular and unprecedented, and was widely circulated for a time. Later generations referred to it, along with "Ballad of Mulan" and "The Peacock Flies Southeast", as the "Three Wonders of Yuefu Poetry".

However, in his old age, Wei Zhuang regretted writing this poem and ordered his family to retrieve the copies of the poem and forbade them from collecting it.

Therefore, later generations of scholars only heard of the poem's fame, but did not know its specific content.

Xu Shuli brought over a banner.

Upon seeing the banner, Li Yiyuan believed most of it.

A banner was a silk scroll used in the Tang Dynasty to write poems. Tang Dynasty poets would write their famous works on banners and give them as gifts to others.

After the Tang Dynasty, papermaking technology developed in the Song Dynasty, and the printing industry also emerged, so the custom of writing poems on banners disappeared.

Li Yiyuan had only seen this kind of thing in ancient books.

He looked closely at the poem on the banner.

When Li Yiyuan saw the lines, "The imperial treasury was burned to ashes, and the bones of officials were trampled on the streets!", he trembled. He understood why Wei Zhuang had personally banned the transmission of this poem in his old age.

But this poem is just so well written!
It truly deserves to be considered a work on par with "The Song of Everlasting Regret"!
After reading it, Li Yiyuan was certain that Sun Gao had truly unearthed the essence of Chinese culture.

Even if Zhang Yichao's silk manuscript could be forged, this "Qin Fu Yin" could not be forged. After the Tang Dynasty, who could write such poems and prose?
If Sun Gao had this ability, he wouldn't be the prefect of Lanzhou.

Li Yiyuan dared not delay and immediately said:
"Send him to the palace immediately! Then notify the cabinet!"
-
Emperor Longqing was still hesitating.

As an emperor, recovering the Western Regions was an even greater achievement than that of Emperor Chengzu, so he naturally wanted it too.

However, Emperor Longqing was a relatively realistic emperor, which was also his strength. If he had only conquered the Western Regions for the sake of empty fame, wouldn't he have been portrayed by later generations as someone who was ambitious and eager for quick success?
Among the officials, few supported him, so the Longqing Emperor naturally hesitated.

Just then, Feng Bao, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, cautiously entered.

Feng Bao was well aware of the emperor's health, so he dared not offer his congratulations in a grand manner, for fear of making the emperor faint with joy.

He cautiously spoke to the emperor:
"Your Majesty, an urgent report from Jiayuguan."

Emperor Longqing frowned. Liu Bing's strategy of using one wolf to devour another was too effective. The Wushen people were advancing rapidly, but they did not have enough troops to occupy the blank areas. Jiayuguan kept submitting memorials to the court, requesting that the court occupy these areas.

However, the national policy for the Western Regions was still undecided, and the emperor hesitated to make a decision.

These urgent reports seemed to be urging the emperor to make a decision, which is why the Longqing Emperor felt somewhat disgusted when he heard about Jiayuguan.

Feng Bao said quickly:

"Your Majesty, this is not a war situation."

If it's not a war situation, why would you need an urgent dispatch?
The Longqing Emperor was even more displeased.

The imperial court is reorganizing the postal system. It's not a top priority that the 800-li express courier service should be used. Has the people at Jiayuguan gone mad?

Feng Bao said quickly:

"Your Majesty, please don't get agitated about what I'm about to say."

“Sun Gao, the prefect of Lanzhou, discovered a library cave at the Dunhuang site and unearthed more than 100,000 volumes of documents from the Northern and Southern Dynasties to the Song Dynasty.”

"Prefect Sun also reported that among the documents were silk scrolls recording the Tang Guiyi Army, as well as a large number of household registration documents and archives of the Tang Dynasty in the Western Regions."

“What Sun Gao urgently sent to the capital were the Guiyi Army silk scrolls and the lost ‘Qin Fu Yin’ (a poem by a woman from Qin).

Upon hearing this, the Longqing Emperor felt dizzy.

Feng Bao quickly stepped forward, supported the emperor's head, and said urgently:
"Your Majesty, please don't get agitated."

"Pass on the Imperial Physician!"

Emperor Longqing waved his hand, stopping the eunuch from going to fetch the imperial physician.

He composed himself, made a gesture, and ordered Feng Bao to present the silk scroll and "The Ballad of the Qin Woman".

Upon seeing the silk scroll from the Guiyi Army, Emperor Longqing's mind went completely blank.

The imperial court was discussing the development of the Western Regions when this silk manuscript was unearthed.
Is this the will of Heaven?

Or was it a man-made auspicious omen by Sun Gao, the prefect of Lanzhou?
impossible.

Emperor Longqing shook his head. If Sun Gao had fabricated auspicious omens, he could not have claimed that hundreds of thousands of documents had been unearthed. This was something that a prefect of Lanzhou could not possibly forge.

Even the emperor couldn't possibly produce hundreds of thousands of copies to forge such a document, let alone Sun Gao.

This must be true.

Then it can only be the will of Heaven!

The Guiyi Army holds special significance in history.

During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, the Guiyi Army returned to Tang, allowing the Tang Dynasty to regain control of the Western Regions.

Now, a divine opportunity has been presented to the Ming Dynasty, and documents of the Guiyi Army have been unearthed.

Does this mean that Heaven is foreshadowing that the Ming Dynasty will reclaim the Western Regions?

This is something that Heaven has forced upon the Ming Dynasty? Can it even refuse?
Emperor Longqing made up his mind. This nearly thousand-year-old silk scroll was some kind of omen, and a historical opportunity was right in front of him, which he absolutely could not miss.

The Longqing Emperor took out his pen and wrote down "Approved Su's memorial".

Feng Bao quickly asked:

"Does His Majesty intend to approve the proposals of the five departments of the Secretariat and Chancellery regarding the management of the Western Regions?"

Emperor Longqing nodded, and Feng Bao immediately found Su Ze's memorial and read it aloud from beginning to end. After the emperor nodded, he picked up a vermilion brush and affixed his seal to Su Ze's memorial.

Then the emperor looked at the banner being held by another eunuch.

Feng Bao quickly gestured for the eunuch to step forward and unfold the banner. Feng Bao then began to recite "The Ballad of the Qin Woman" from beginning to end. "The Ballad of the Qin Woman" describes the social landscape during the Huang Chao Rebellion at the end of the Tang Dynasty through the voice of a woman fleeing from disaster.

This is a realistic long poem that depicts the desolate atmosphere of the late Tang Dynasty.

The Longqing Emperor listened attentively, and after hearing the whole thing, he was momentarily dazed.

The scene at the end of the Tang Dynasty was too tragic!

Thinking back to the prosperous era he lived in, Emperor Longqing felt a sense of temporal and spatial displacement.

He picked up his pen and wrote:
"Pass it on, and take heed of it."

Feng Bao immediately asked:

"Does Your Majesty intend to circulate this poem among the officials of the court, to serve as a warning against the lessons of the late Tang Dynasty?"

The Longqing Emperor nodded.

Feng Bao then asked:
"Your Majesty, I humbly request that this poem be published in the Yuefu Xinbao, so that the people may know the calamities of a chaotic world and the difficulty of achieving a prosperous one."

The Longqing Emperor nodded in satisfaction.
-
cabinet.

The Cabinet naturally received news of the commotion within the Office of Transmission immediately.

Upon hearing the report, Gao Gong put his pen down on the table.

"More than 100,000 volumes? From the Northern and Southern Dynasties to the Song Dynasty?"

There was a barely perceptible tremor in his voice.

The sheer number of documents unearthed is staggering!
He, who was always devoted to practical learning, understood the value of these classic texts.

Although the transmission of Confucianism has not been interrupted, there have been many errors in its transmission.

There was no other way; before the Song Dynasty, documents were passed down through copying.

Copying is something that those who know how to do will understand; it's easy to make a mistake if you're not careful.

Confucianism emphasizes profound meaning in concise language; a single mistake can completely alter the meaning of an entire article.

During the Han Dynasty, there was a debate between the Old Text and the New Text schools of classical texts.

Later scholars of all dynasties wrote annotations, which meant to interpret Confucian classics. It was precisely because of these annotations that countless schools of thought emerged.

The discovery of a cave containing over 100,000 books will certainly include Confucian classics.

This collection spans books from the Northern and Southern Dynasties to the Song and Yuan Dynasties. What kind of impact will the discovery of these ancient books have on contemporary Confucianism?
You, Zhu Xi and Yangming, spent so much time annotating, analyzing, and discussing each word. What if it turns out to be wrong in the classics?
Gao Gong is eager to see those unearthed books!
In addition, there's the political aspect.

Su Ze's "Memorial on Managing the Western Regions" is bound to be approved.

Gao Gong would not doubt that this was a deliberate arrangement by Su Ze.

The capital is thousands of miles away from Dunhuang, so how could Su Ze possibly arrange things in Dunhuang?

The discovery of hundreds of thousands of documents is not something that can be faked.

It is said that in addition to this Guiyi Army silk manuscript, the lost "Qin Fu Yin" was also unearthed, which is absolutely impossible to fake.

It could have been unearthed earlier or later, but it just happened to be unearthed at this particular time.

This kid seems to really have some destiny on his side.

Although the concept of the interaction between Heaven and humanity had faded by the Ming Dynasty, the idea of ​​the Mandate of Heaven was still prevalent in official circles and among the common people.

Documents from the Guiyi Army were unearthed during a court discussion on the Western Regions issue.

What God does not take, is to be blamed.

The emperor would inevitably take the opportunity to approve Su Ze's memorial and develop the Western Regions.

Similarly, Zhao Zhenji had the same idea.

His primary and urgent need was to obtain the unearthed Confucian classics in order to gain an advantage in resolving the turmoil in Confucianism.

Then came the question of the Western Regions, Zhao Zhenji said:
"Prime Minister, this is a great fortune for the nation and clear proof! The rediscovery of the Dunhuang manuscripts is surely a sign that our dynasty should continue the legacy of the Han and Tang dynasties. The matter of the Western Regions cannot be delayed any longer!"

Zhao Zhenji unequivocally supported Su Ze and shouted Su Ze's slogan of "restoring the Han and Tang dynasties".

Then Zhao Zhenji continued:
"The Ministry of War and the General Staff should immediately begin work, in accordance with the strategy outlined in the 'Memorial on the Management of the Western Regions,' to allocate manpower and resources to quickly construct Yumen Pass and Yangguan Pass!"

Zhang Juzheng, who had initially opposed the move, also fell silent.

There was nothing I could do; I couldn't defy fate.

The Grand Masters then said:

"The unearthed silk manuscripts are fine, as are the bamboo slips and paper; they were undamaged during storage. But will they be damaged during transportation to the capital?"

Everyone nodded.

That makes sense, Dunhuang has an arid climate, which is why it has survived for so long. But if it were moved to the capital, would there be any problems?

These are all part of the Chinese cultural heritage!

Zhu Dashou then said:

“This is a matter of great importance to the cultural heritage. We should send Li Tongzhengshi to Dunhuang in person to send the books that can be transported back to the capital immediately through the Tongzhengsi’s post stations.”

"For documents that are inconvenient to transport, Li Tongzheng was instructed to oversee the construction of a library in Dunhuang, where scribes would make copies and send them back to the capital."

After Zhu Dashou finished speaking, the other Grand Secretaries, including Zhang Juzheng, all said, "Excellent!"

Before long, Feng Bao, the Grand Secretary of the Directorate of Ceremonial, arrived at the Grand Secretariat. As expected, the Emperor approved Su Ze's memorial and sent a copy of "The Ballad of the Qin Woman" to the Grand Secretariat, requesting that it be sent to the "New Yuefu News" newspaper for publication.

As for the banner inscribed with "The Ballad of the Qin Woman," it naturally became a royal treasure.

Gao Gong and other cabinet ministers wrote a memorial on the preservation and transportation of Dunhuang documents, asking Feng Bao to bring them into the palace. Feng Bao readily agreed.
-
"Brother Yifu, it's done!"

Shen Yiguan rushed into Luo Wanhua's public room.

He had just returned from the cabinet and heard the report from Zhu Dashou.

Shen Yiguan immediately reported the good news to Luo Wanhua: "More than 100,000 documents from the Northern and Southern Dynasties period have been unearthed in Dunhuang, including silk manuscripts from the Guiyi Army. Brother Zilin's memorial on the Western Regions has been approved!"

Luo Wanhua was also momentarily dazed. This works too?
Luo Wanhua considered countless possibilities, but this was the one he had never considered.
What is this? Is this destiny?

Luo Wanhua was the one who knew Su Ze's blueprint best. The grand strategy of defending the south from the north and the blueprint for the cotton industry behind Su Ze finally broke through the last obstacle and gained indisputable legitimacy through this "heaven-sent" Dunhuang manuscript.

Shen Yiguan said again:

"This time, the poem 'Qin Fu Yin' was also unearthed. The Grand Secretaries have already sent a copy to the newspaper office in accordance with His Majesty's decree, so that the entire official and the people can see the scene of the chaotic world."

"what?"

As a scholar, how could one not know this famous Tang Dynasty essay? When Luo Wanhua was studying, he also regretted not being able to read such a masterpiece.

Now, through this method, such a masterpiece can see the light of day again!
What is this if not destiny?
"Should we inform Brother Zilin?"

Shen Yiguan said:
"I went to inform Brother Zilin first, but it seems that Brother Zilin had already anticipated this."

Luo Wanhua couldn't understand it either. Such things couldn't be arranged by human power. Could it be that, as the people say, Brother Zilin is as good at divination as Prime Minister Zhuge?
"Let's go, let's go see 'The Ballad of the Qin Woman'!"
-
Hearing the commotion outside the door, Su Ze knew that everyone was going to see "The Ballad of the Qin Woman".

He gave a wry smile, never expecting the system to cause such a commotion in order to pass the memorial.

But that's good, because now the imperial court has no reason to abandon the Western Regions.

At this point, the system also popped up a settlement report.

(End of this chapter)