Refuse to trample on the pride of heaven

Chapter 126 Today's Dayong, a Time of Trouble

After hearing Yan Xunfeng's explanation, Lu Wensheng suddenly didn't know what to say.

"Can Yan sit here?"

"nature."

"I still don't know what to call the Immortal Master."

"Lu Wensheng."

"Master Lu."

"Just call me by my name."

Yan Xunfeng moved his lips but couldn't say, "Master Lu seems to be interested in these mundane matters?"

Lu Wensheng didn't care that Yan Xunfeng didn't change his name, he just shook his head.

"I am not interested in these things, and this cannot be called 'vulgar' - compared to these, I would rather ask about the current situation of the Great Yong court."

Yan Xunfeng looked surprised, and Lu Wensheng said nonchalantly.

"General Yan, have you ever heard of the chaotic times?"

What Lu Wensheng asked was completely irrelevant. Yan Xunfeng paused, but still cooperated.

"What kind of chaotic world is this?"

"Someone once summarized three signs of troubled times: First, black and white are reversed, and right and wrong are not distinguished.

From the emperor to the common people, everyone was in a muddle, not knowing right from wrong. The treacherous villains took advantage of the situation and seized power by calling a horse a zebra and confusing right and wrong. Honest advice was unpleasant to the ear, and the strategies that would benefit the country were suppressed. However, the foolish government orders prevailed.

If a dynasty cannot judge even the most basic right and wrong, justice cannot be upheld, and evil cannot be severely punished, then the life of this dynasty has entered the countdown.

Second: Everyone is trying to protect themselves and no one dares to speak out. Useless people are rampant and the emperor favors treacherous people. Then people all over the world will follow suit. Loyal and wise officials can only protect themselves and dare not express their opinions. They just want to live in peace. However, those who are useless to the country and the people do whatever they want.

If in a dynasty, everyone is in danger, dares not speak out, and treacherous people are rampant, then this dynasty is not far from destruction.

Third: Everything is rationalized, everything that happens is tacitly accepted, and people are the product of the environment.

If black and white are reversed for a long time, people will gradually become numb from their initial anger, and their thoughts will be corrupted bit by bit. They will think that everything is as it should be, and they will stand idly by and become indifferent to everything.

The responsibility of executing rewards and punishments was monopolized by people in high positions of power, who decided what could and could not be done. As a result, the political situation was turbulent and natural disasters followed one after another. The so-called "wrath of heaven and resentment of the people" ultimately destroyed the foundation of a dynasty.

After all, I am not an official of Dayong, so I don’t know the details, but General Yan, don’t you know it?”

Yan Xunfeng was silent for a long time and said, "Don't talk nonsense about the court."

"No one else will know this. General Yan, are you still afraid that Master Lu can't protect you?"

Yan Xunfeng: “…” You are very humorous, but isn’t it inappropriate to use humor about a topic like losing one’s head?

"You don't refute it, which means you agree with what I said?"

"Yan didn't mean that."

"Then why don't you refute it? I won't be angry. I swear on the oath that the Immortal Master cares about most."

"..."

"Because you have nothing to say, you agree in your heart, right? Mu Yijun doesn't look tolerant. Ask yourself, is he a suitable heir?"

Yan Xunfeng: "...His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is still young. With the assistance of subjects like us, he will grow up." And they don't seem to know each other very well. Isn't it not good to talk about such a sensitive topic?

"Oh~ that means you are not qualified. You still agree with what I said - isn't it because he is afraid of you that you were driven here? Your achievements are too great and they threaten the ruler." Isn't this the only trivial matter between the monarch and his subjects?

Liu Zhong was so embarrassed that he wanted to cover his ears and pretend to be deaf and dumb. He quietly moved away. This immortal master was really good at grasping the key points, right? And he really hit the nail on the head and pressed on step by step! Is this what he can listen to? !

Yan Xunfeng was speechless and even felt like he was about to break out in a cold sweat - the other party had dissected all of this, and his analysis was politically sensitive and hit home.

"...Excuse me for asking about the immortal master's age."

"twenty."

Younger than him! Yan Xunfeng guaranteed that no one in the army would tell the immortal master about the disputes in the court. How could this be an immortal master? He must be the disciple of some hermit. He came out to analyze the world.

"I am just a bystander watching the glory of your Dayong. I don't know how prosperous Dayong was in the past, but the people are struggling all day long. This doesn't look like a sign of prosperity. Just take the army as an example. How was Dayong before, and how is it now?"

"In the past, regardless of one's family background, one's military achievements were rewarded with honors. Now... weapons are thrust into one's throat, corpses are piled up like mountains, and one is consigned to history books and lives a miserable life."

Yan Xunfeng's words also revealed a hint of dissatisfaction, which made Liu Zhong tremble with fear - was General Yan really brainwashed?

"Cough cough cough."

After getting the hint, Yan Xunfeng stopped talking - he was almost led into a ditch. This Master Lu was really good at talking, even worse than those censors.

"When will the people be saved? Heaven's will is against their will! The people live in peace, but are harmed by man-made disasters - when anger and dissatisfaction exceed the limit, when even surviving like a dog becomes a luxury, resistance will be the only way."

As for the signs of troubled times, Dayong is already on the decline, various social chaos are emerging frequently, and the country is about to be overthrown - the world is in a mess and can no longer accommodate this chaotic dynasty...

Liu Zhong and Yan Xunfeng did not speak. The topic of rebellion has always been a high-risk word since ancient times, but what they both felt was that Dayong’s fate was about to end and was in danger.

Moreover, the conflict between the Yan family's military power and the central imperial power was at its most acute.

Throughout history, most monarchs and ministers who started a business together could not escape the fate of "four similarities": sharing the same boat, sleeping in the same bed but having different dreams, fighting against each other, and perishing together.

Both the Lou and Yan families followed the previous emperor in conquering the world, but as time went on, "the birds have all flown away and the good bows have been put away", and the two families that held military power could not avoid being suspected - even if the two families behaved themselves and even if they only had one son who could inherit the family business.

Yan Xunfeng's grandfather was called back by the emperor (not the founding emperor, but the old emperor) and lost the opportunity to strike hard on the grassland. In order to protect his family, he committed suicide to apologize and asked the Yan family to move to the border. The name that frightened the enemy away for 300 miles eventually turned into an unwilling murmur on the imperial edict.

That year, the old grandmother in the family wore old clothes, leaned against the door and looked out, hanging herself from the beam. The ambition to serve the country in his heart was extinguished by the cold water, and the wind and smoke dispersed, leaving him empty-handed.

It turns out that there has never been any harmony between the monarch and his subjects, only suspicion and estrangement.

(Zeng Guofan, one of the four great ministers of the late Qing Dynasty, was praised by the world for his "virtue, merit and words, three immortals, and a perfect man as a teacher, a general and a prime minister." The three summaries of the troubled times in the article were proposed by Zeng Guofan and translated into plain language.)

(“Tiger Tally”: A military talisman used in ancient times to convey orders and mobilize troops. It is named because it resembles a tiger. It consists of two halves, left and right, with exactly the same inscriptions. The right half is kept by the central government, while the left half is issued to the general who commands the army. When mobilizing the army, the envoy sent by the monarch or emperor will put the two halves together before the troops can be mobilized.)