Song Xiu

Chapter 46 I aspire to emulate Emperor Taizong of Tang (Please continue reading! Please vote with monthly tickets!)

Zhao Dexiu walked silently ahead. When the servants in the Wei household saw him, they dared not disturb him and all retreated.

Before they knew it, Zhao Dexiu had led Lü Duan to a garden.

There is a rather large pond in the garden, and in the dead of winter, a thin layer of ice has covered its surface.

Several servants from the Wei household were using iron tools to chisel at the ice.

This scene made Zhao Dexiu feel even more depressed.

After the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun fell into the hands of the Khitan, every winter the Central Plains court would conscript laborers to break the ice on the frozen sections of the Yellow River.

This move was to prevent the Khitans from taking advantage of favorable weather conditions to cross the natural barrier of the Yellow River and invade the Central Plains.

Zhao Dexiu recalled the Chenqiao Mutiny, when even though the Imperial Guards were marching right at their doorstep, they dared not relax for a moment.

During the Han and Tang dynasties, did the Chinese people ever have to fear invasions from barbarians when they went out?
As she pondered, Zhao Dexiu stood by the pond.

Seeing that Zhao Dexiu wanted to discuss important matters here, Huyan Zan behind him used the sharp blade in his hand to scare away the bystanders in the garden.

After everyone else had left the garden, Zhao Dexiu looked down at the dark, icy cave entrance and said:
"Just now in the room, someone talked to me about the system of the Prince and the Prefect of the Capital."

Upon hearing this, I thought of Zhu Youwen, Li Congrong, Shi Zhonggui, and others.

They all used this system to successfully ascend to the throne.

But did they ultimately retain their throne?

"What use is it to me if it can climb but not defend?"

In front of Lü Duan, Zhao Dexiu spoke his mind frankly.

Lü Duan was not a person of later generations; no matter how intelligent he was, he could not have fully foreseen the great hidden dangers that the "defense of the interior and neglect of the exterior" policy would bring to the Song Dynasty.

In order to convey his feelings to Lü Duan, Zhao Dexiu had no choice but to whip the corpses of the Prince Jingyin's predecessors.

After recounting the stories of those who failed, Zhao Dexiu then cited a successful predecessor as an example:

"When Zhou Shizong was young, he was nurtured by Zhou Taizu. He rose through the ranks from Prince of Jin to Prefect of Kaifeng and received a last will and testament. Zhou Taizu paved the way for him smoothly."

Emperor Shizong of Zhou was praised for his talent and virtue in every position he held.

However, during the Battle of Gaoping, if it weren't for the desperate efforts of Duke Wei, the Emperor, Zhang Yongde, and others, the Great Zhou Dynasty would have perished that year.

If the Prince and the Prefect of the Capital could ensure the survival of the state, then the world would have been unified long ago!

Zhao Dexiu is not speaking nonsense.

During the Battle of Gaoping, the Zhou army had more troops than the Northern Han army, but as soon as the two armies clashed, the right flank of the Zhou army collapsed without a fight.

Thanks to Wei Renpu's timely advice, Zhao Kuangyin and Zhang Yongde's desperate fighting, and Chai Rong's personal protection from arrows, the Zhou army was able to turn defeat into victory.

After the Battle of Gaoping, Chai Rong, still shaken, executed dozens of imperial guards generals in one fell swoop, demonstrating just how critical the situation was.

Although the outcome of the Battle of Gaoping was good for the Central Plains regime, should the survival of the Central Plains regime be based on the word "fortunately"?
Lü Duan was standing right behind Zhao Dexiu, so it was impossible for him not to hear what Zhao Dexiu was saying.

However, after Zhao Dexiu spoke twice, he remained silent, indicating that Lü Duan was continuing to observe.

This is where Lü Duan and Lu Duoxun differ.

Only by truly understanding Zhao Dexiu's intentions could Lü Duan offer insightful advice.

As expected, Zhao Dexiu quickly added:
"Lord Lü, Lord Wei says you are a man of great talent."

I aspire to achieve great things, yet I do not wish for them to be thwarted halfway. What advice do you have for me?

Zhao Dexiu's words initially startled Lü Duan: Wei Gong was giving him far too much credit.

Surprised, Lü Duan's thoughts raced.

It is not difficult to tell from Zhao Dexiu's words that he no longer wants to rely on the system of princes and prefects of the capital.

If that were the case, Lü Duan would have thrown aside his prepared "theory of benevolent rule".

Fortunately, we had prepared for both possibilities.

Lu Duan bowed from behind, and just as he spoke, a fish that had been hiding in the pond popped its head above the water:

"Throughout history, those who aspire to great achievements have followed one of two paths: kingship or hegemony."

In chaotic times, tyranny reigns supreme!

"Hmm? Lu Qing, please continue."

Encouraged by Zhao Dexiu, Lü Duan decided to stop showing off his shortcomings.

"What is hegemony? In short, it is the power of the military."

The world was in chaos, the order collapsed, and war broke out everywhere. Military power was the key to the imperial cause.

When the world is in turmoil, benevolence and righteousness have been lost, and propriety and law have fallen into disrepair; only armor and weapons remain in reality.

If there are no elite troops outside the tent, even if one possesses gold and jade, one will be like fish on a chopping block; if the banners do not flutter, even if one's cause is legitimate, one will ultimately perish. Therefore, an army cannot stand without it, and cannot survive if it is weak; this is the root of chaos in the world!

The main point of Lü Duan's words drew a sigh of praise from Zhao Dexiu.

"Excellent! But how should I take control of the military?"

To truly win over Zhao Dexiu, practical and feasible steps are needed.

Zhao Dexiu's question did not trouble Lü Duan.

"Li Jun's rebellion is just what Your Highness needs to do."

The matter of military power should be handled gradually, starting with small matters and progressing to larger ones, and from easy to difficult ones.

Now that things had come to this point, Lü Duan no longer intended to be vague.

"May I ask Your Highness a question: if Emperor Taizong of Tang had failed in his attack at Xuanwu Gate back then, would he have surrendered without resistance?"

After considering Emperor Taizong's temperament, Zhao Dexiu replied, "Absolutely not. If Emperor Taizong fails in his attack, he will flee east to Luoyang."

Lü Duan asked again:

"After Emperor Taizong fled east to Luoyang, could he, with the authority of the General of Heavenly Strategy and his reputation for invincibility, gather 100,000 elite troops and capture Chang'an?"

Upon hearing Lü Duan's second question, Zhao Dexiu's face already showed a smile.

"The reputation of General Tian Ce is not undeserved. It is certainly well-deserved."

After asking two questions in a row, Lü Duan had a third question:
"The chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty is just like today."

With warlords vying for power, people's hearts yearned for change, social order collapsed, and the lower classes overthrew their superiors.

"If Emperor Taizong of Tang had attacked Chang'an, did Your Highness believe that the newly established empire would have produced figures like Zhu Wen, Shi Jingtang, and Liu Zhiyuan?"

When Lü Duan asked his third question, Zhao Dexiu burst into laughter.

"There will be, but so what?"
"The King of Qin's battle-breaking music begins; let's conquer the world once more!"

After Zhao Dexiu answered the three questions in succession, Lü Duan said nothing more.

Lü Duan believed that after his three questions, Zhao Dexiu already had the answer in his heart.

Since the late Tang Dynasty, many people have pondered why the world has never been unified.

Some people believe the root cause lies in people's hearts, others believe it lies in the system, and still others believe it lies in divine will.

However, in Lü Duan's view, the root cause was that there was neither Emperor Gaozu of Han nor Emperor Taizong of Tang in the present era.

After conquering the world, use a million elite troops to discuss systems and reforms with the world. Who in the world would dare to disobey?

Under Lü Duan's three questions, Zhao Dexiu not only thought of Emperor Gaozu of Han and Emperor Taizong of Tang, but also Emperor Taizu of Ming.

The times and heroes have always been interdependent.

Seeing that Zhao Dexiu's expression of interest was becoming increasingly clear, Lü Duan decided to give him one last reminder:
"The path of emulating the sages is destined to be fraught with difficulties and dangers; one wrong step and you will be doomed."

"As the eldest son of the legitimate wife, Your Highness, if you adopt a benevolent approach and turn a blind eye to certain matters, your future will be much smoother."

Lü Duan was telling the truth.

There have been heroes similar to Emperor Taizong of Tang during times of chaos, such as Li Cunxu.

However, Li Cunxu was domineering and indulged in pleasure too early, which eventually led to the Xingjiaomen Incident.

The road is treacherous, and how many people in this world are willing to carry the burden for the sake of the world?

Lü Duan's words reminded Zhao Dexiu of the Song Dynasty in history.

Redundant officials, redundant soldiers, and redundant expenses are all the result of constant compromise.

If we can't take back the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, or the Hexi Corridor, then let's pretend we didn't see them.

And then there was the Treaty of Chanyuan.

"A broken peace is not what I desire."

The road is treacherous and long, but I am willing to travel it!

The first step in conquering the world is to take down Li Jun.

Upon hearing Zhao Dexiu's words, Huyan Zan and Lü Duan reacted differently.

Huyan Zan's eyes shone brightly, deeply regretting that he had not entrusted his life to the wrong wise ruler.

Lü Duan sighed inwardly, but he also intended to keep his promise and wholeheartedly assist Zhao Dexiu.

　It's my birthday today, so I'm writing the third chapter to celebrate. Please keep reading and give me your monthly votes!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)