nashuaworldcup Chapter 356 I wish to ride my horse northward, unwilling to remain content in a corner of the world.
Chapter 356 I wish to ride my horse northward, unwilling to remain content in a corner of the world.
Hearing Sun Yuanhua's words, Liu Ye felt a little worried. If everyone shared this mentality, then whether his strategy could be effectively implemented would be a question. He asked Yan Guang, "What did Mr. Yan say?"
Yan Guang answered without hesitation: "I agree with going north. Staying in the south all the time will not lead to great things. If we only intend to be local tyrants, we don't even need to control Guangdong and Guangxi. Guarding our small territory in Qiongzhou is enough. With such a powerful navy, what can the court, the Western barbarians, or even the Tartars and bandits do to us? But if we want to contend for the Central Plains and dominate the world, whether it is to directly enter the Forbidden City and take over, or to hold the emperor hostage to command the princes, or even to take a step back and assist the court as the Grand Marshal of the Army, going north is the only choice."
Liu Ye nodded. It seemed that the single-base turtle strategy wasn't entirely mainstream, and Yan Guang's thoughts represented the mindset of many. Although Yan Guang's words certainly carried a hint of sycophancy, hoping to follow Liu Ye and the Qiongzhou Camp to conquer the world and gain a prosperous future with his wife and children, their direction was aligned with his own.
He organized his thoughts, preparing to debate Liang Xiaoming's viewpoint. Reason must be debated to become clear; if they couldn't reach a consensus, big problems would arise—like rowing a boat in different directions, they'd never reach the other side.
"Since Master Liang has expressed his views, let's discuss it properly. First, let's talk about the choice between heading north and maintaining the status quo in the south." Liu Ye looked around at everyone. "I can't deny that with the current strength and financial resources of the Qiongzhou Camp, if we choose to remain in Qiongzhou and Guangdong and Guangxi without taking any action, no one can do anything to us, which is also a very safe choice. Given time, we can infiltrate the officialdom of Guangdong and Guangxi, make it as solid as an ironclad fortress, and even turn the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi and the Governor of Guangdong into our own people, which wouldn't be difficult. Then what? We can wait for the bandits to grow stronger and attack Beijing, and then the Tartars can enter the pass and fight the bandits for the world. We can sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, and wait until the north is devastated and the dead are everywhere before we come down the mountain to pick the peaches?"
Liang Xiaoming was speechless for a moment. These were all events that were bound to happen in history: Li Zicheng entered Beijing and established the Shun Dynasty, then Wu Sangui led the Qing army into the pass, the Battle of Shanhai Pass took place, the Qing army won a great victory, and finally the Qing Dynasty, which brought centuries of darkness to China, was established. The others present did not know, but as time travelers, he and Liu Ye knew very well.
Liu Ye said to Sun Yuanhua: "Mr. Sun, the Tartars have not yet broken through Shanhaiguan Pass, and Beizhili has not yet fallen. Are you planning to hold the south peacefully until the day when bandits run rampant, the capital falls, and the Tartars launch a large-scale invasion? Have you ever thought that the people of Beizhili will be ravaged under the iron hooves of the Tartars, and that the land north of the Yangtze River will be devastated and the people will suffer?"
Sun Yuanhua was taken aback, then waved his hands repeatedly: “I never thought of it that way. How could I bear to let the people suffer? But right now, Shanhaiguan is impregnable, and the Guan-Ning cavalry still holds its formidable power. In the second year of Chongzhen's reign, the Tartars could only detour through Xifengkou when they entered the pass, and they dared not linger. They quickly looted and plundered before retreating. How could there be any talk of a large-scale invasion? Besides, the bandits are already on their last legs. The court has appointed Hong Chengchou as the governor of five provinces, and the army has repeatedly defeated the bandits at Queshan and Zhuxianzhen. Gao Yingxiang and his ilk are barely clinging to life, and their annihilation is just around the corner. What you said, General, is probably an exaggeration.”
Liu Ye sighed. If he hadn't known the future course of history, he probably would have shared the same thoughts as Sun Yuanhua. But these were all appearances. Soon after, the thirteen bandit families and seventy-two camps held the Xingyang Conference in Xingyang, Henan, uniting to resist the imperial court. Their power revived, and they grew stronger until Li Zicheng, the most powerful of them all, captured Beijing. Emperor Chongzhen hanged himself on Coal Hill, and the Ming Dynasty collapsed. In Liaodong, before launching a full-scale southward advance into the pass, Huang Taiji sent troops into the pass five times, as if entering an empty land, abducting nearly a million people and countless riches. The so-called Guan-Ning Iron Cavalry was merely a facade. But these prophetic events couldn't be discussed with anyone other than Liang Xiaoming.
He stood up and said loudly, "Gentlemen, if I wanted to stay in the south and be a wealthy landowner, I could have lived a comfortable life back then with my cotton cloth and liquor business, as well as the Wan Hua Lou brothel in Hangzhou. Now, with the trade with Japan and the taxes from the two major customs offices, my annual income would easily reach several million taels, or even tens of millions of taels of silver. That would be the height of wealth in the world. But I, Liu Ye, am not willing to be a wealthy man content with a corner of the country. My ambition lies elsewhere! In the future, no matter who wins the northern kingdom, whether it is the Tartars or bandits, even if I can use my southern territory to rival them, or even establish myself as king, what difference would that make from the cowardly Southern Song Dynasty? Even if I were to become emperor, I would be Zhao Kuangyin, who donned the yellow robe, not Zhao Gou, who bore the shame of the Jingkang Incident!"
Yan Guang was somewhat excited and loudly echoed, "A true man should be like this!"
Liu Ye continued, “Establishing a forward base in the north will allow us to maintain the initiative, whether it's fighting off bandits in the west or repelling the Tartars in the north. I can help the court with things they can't do. If you have the ability but hide in the south and watch the people of the north being trampled and abused by foreign tribes, you can accept it calmly, but I can't live with myself. Without any sense of responsibility, how can you have the face to be the Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces of the World, or even the ruler of the world who sits facing south?”
These words were spoken with such righteous indignation that Liang Xiaoming and Sun Yuanhua were left speechless.
"On another note, setting up a branch base in Shandong doesn't contradict consolidating our territory in the south!" Liu Ye looked at Liang Xiaoming. "Didn't you say you haven't controlled the Wuzhishan hinterland? Once I have a large number of immigrants, we can clear and cultivate those unclaimed lands inhabited by the Li people, and naturally we'll have these places firmly in our hands. As for the population issue, Guangdong does have a large population, but without major disasters in recent years, how many people are willing to leave their homes? Let alone going north to fight the Tartars in the future, even if they were to migrate to Qiongzhou, they probably wouldn't be willing. And then there are the Guangxi wolf soldiers you keep mentioning, they're experts at crossing mountains and valleys, similar to Lin San's local soldiers, and they have a glorious history. But our main battlefield in the future will be on the icy and snowy northern plains, and our biggest enemy will be the Tartars. What would I need so many mountain infantry for?"
Liang Xiaoming scratched his head: "What you said makes a lot of sense. I can't seem to find a reason to object."
Sun Yuanhua sighed, "I am short-sighted, please forgive me, General."
Liu Ye waved his hand: "Those who speak are not guilty, but those who hear should take heed. At least for now, the Tartars are still north of Shanhaiguan, and the bandits have become homeless dogs. Mr. Sun is not wrong either. It seems that I am being a bit of an overreaction. However, I am certain that as long as the root cause of the refugees is not resolved, the bandits will one day rise again. Huang Taiji is ambitious, and it is only a matter of time before the Tartars enter the pass again to burn, kill, and plunder. A few sections of city walls cannot stop them."