The Great Wei Music Bureau

Chapter 131 Nan Liang's Marriage Proposal

Last time we talked about Tuoba Jun, Tao Zhongwen and Li Yi discussing the rise and fall of the general trend together, so let’s stop talking nonsense and continue listening to Li Yi bragging.

After listening to Li Yi's remarks, Tao Zhongwen nodded and said, "I think so too, but what does this have to do with what you said?"

Li Yi looked at Tuoba Jun and asked, "How did the Wei Dynasty rise?"

Tuoba Jun said solemnly: "My Tuoba clan was originally Xianbei people. We lived in the northern grasslands of Jizhou during the middle of the Qin Dynasty. Forced to be expelled by the Xiongnu, we moved to Jizhou and surrendered to the Qin Dynasty. After several generations of integration, we became the people of the Qin Dynasty.

Our ancestor Tuoba Gui led the people of Jizhou to resist the Huns during the Eight Kings Rebellion at the end of the Qin Dynasty. Although King Zhao conquered Xianyang and won the victory, he died at the hands of the Huns. Since then, the world has been in chaos and wars have continued in various places.

My ancestor Tuoba Gui was awarded the title of Jizhou General for his meritorious service in resisting the Xiongnu in Jizhou. He protected the territory and the people. One year later, my ancestor defeated the Xiongnu in Jizhou and proclaimed himself King of Dai. After several generations of fighting, my great ancestor Tuoba Ping conquered Bingzhou and Youzhou and established the Wei Kingdom. Later, my father unified Hebei and the northwest. It has been passed down to me, Tuoba Jun, the tenth grandson and the sixth king.

Li Yi said: "Then do you know that the rise of Wei was due to the support of the people?"

Tuoba Jun replied: "Heroes emerge in troubled times, and it was my Tuoba family's ancestors who seized the opportunity."

Tao Zhongwen sighed and said, "Xiuyuan, you should give an example, otherwise your majesty will not be able to gain power."

Lao Yinbi had another reason for not allowing Li Yi and Tuoba Jun to discuss the Northern Wei Dynasty, which was to protect Li Yi from saying anything he shouldn't say.

Li Yi knew his good intentions and nodded, "Okay, let's use the Three Kingdoms of Wei, Shu and Wu as an example. Maybe you can understand it faster."

Tuoba Jun nodded, and Li Yi said, "Zhuge Kongming said in the Longzhong Discussion that Cao Cao used the emperor to control the princes, and he took advantage of the right time. This is really unbeatable. Do you know what this right time is?"

Tuoba Jun replied: "Of course, Cao Wei has obtained the title of the Son of Heaven. It can be said that wherever it fights, it is the army of justice and the army of the king."

Li Yi nodded and said, "This is the Emperor's Sword. Cao Cao fought all the way to pacify the north with the Emperor's Sword, but he lost so miserably in the Battle of Red Cliff. Why?"

Tuoba Jun replied: "It is because the Sun-Liu coalition has the advantage of location and people, and cannot be defeated by the weather."

Li Yi said: "If Cao Cao had obtained Jingzhou but had not been in a hurry to go south, and instead had managed Jingzhou and trained his navy, and shared the geographical advantages with Sun Quan in Jiangdong, it would have been hard to tell who would win the battle."

Tuoba Jun asked: "Why did Cao Wei lose the battle of Dingjun Mountain and Hanzhong?"

Li Yi smiled and said, "That's a good question. In the Battle of Hanzhong, Liu Bei had already taken Jingzhou and occupied Bashu. With Bashu, he enjoyed the geographical advantage, plus the existing people and alliances. So in the Battle of Hanzhong, Liu Bei defeated Cao Cao for the first time with his own strength."

Tuoba Jun asked again: "Since Liu Bei had the best geographical advantages and the support of the people, why couldn't he unify the world?"

Li Yi said, "Did Zhuge Liang tell Liu Bei during the Longzhong meeting that if there was any change in the north, he would order a general to march north from Jingzhou, and let him personally lead the army out of Bashu to conquer the world. Let me ask you what this change in the north means?"

Tuoba Jun replied: "Cao Cao's death, the chaos in the north, or something else that would shake the foundation of Cao Wei."

Li Yi smiled and said, "Not bad! What is this?"

Tuoba Jun said calmly, "This is also the right time. Zhuge Liang was telling Liu Bei that if he wanted to conquer the world, he had to wait for the right time. However, Guan Yu led his army north without waiting for the right time, and ended up losing Jingzhou and his life."

Li Yi nodded and said, "That's right. Liu Bei was not aggressive when he captured Hanzhong, because he knew that although Cao Wei lost Hanzhong, it was not hurt. However, Guan Yu was greedy for merit and reckless, and eventually ruined the good situation of Western Shu. Here is a question. Think about it, why did Liu Bei insist on avenging Guan Yu despite the opposition of his ministers?"

Tuoba Jun thought for a moment and replied, "He did it to keep the people's support! He believed in benevolence. If he did not seek revenge, he would lose the support of his soldiers, so he had to fight this battle. However, he never thought that this battle would destroy the luck of Western Shu."

Tao Zhongwen stroked his beard and nodded, "Not bad, not bad. It's faster to say it this way."

Tuoba Jun raised his head and asked, "Then why did Zhuge Liang fail to defeat Cao Pi after he went to Qishan six times? After Cao Pi became emperor, he didn't even have the right time."

Tao Zhongwen laughed and said, "Although Cao Pi's enthronement was at a disadvantage, he had the support of the people. After Liu Bei's death, Western Shu lost the support of the people. The fact that Kong Ming had to do everything himself and had no one to rely on is a proof of this. In order to consolidate his regime, he had to use the Northern Expedition to reconcile the conflicts between the internal clans. Moreover, he led his troops to the Northern Expedition and invaded other countries as an attacker. He had neither the advantage of the time nor the terrain, so the several Northern Expeditions had little effect."

Tuoba Jun asked doubtfully: "Has he gained the support of the people?"

Li Yi explained: "Why didn't Cao Cao usurp the Han Dynasty and become emperor? Was it because he didn't want to? No, he was powerless because he was unpopular. The reason why he was unpopular was because he looked down on clans and intellectuals. Why did he issue orders to seek talents again and again?

Because he was unpopular and had no one available, in order to fill the vacancies in officials, he came up with the method of selecting people based on their merits. It was also because of this method of selecting people based on their merits that when the Sima family seized power later, no one stood up to speak for Cao Wei.

In the final analysis, the policy of selecting people based on their talents was a solution Cao Cao came up with out of necessity. Imagine recommending people with bad morals to be officials. Not to mention the corruption, how can we talk about loyalty?"

Tuoba Jun clapped his hands and said, "So the imperial examination system must include the subject of propriety! If you are not loyal, no matter how talented you are, you will be useless!"

Li Yi sat down, Tuoba Jun poured him a glass of wine, Li Yi smiled and drank it all, saying: "Yes, if you want to restore rituals and music, you must emphasize the words loyalty and righteousness! The Legalist school of thought is suitable for chaotic times, but it is not enough for governing a country. The Confucian school of thought of rituals can educate the people, respect heaven and earth, be loyal to the emperor and love the country, and is the best way for the ruler to control the people."

Tao Zhongwen was relieved after hearing this and said: "The Confucian and Taoist schools all have their advantages and disadvantages, and cannot be generalized in one sentence. The Legalist school of thought is also not completely useless in governing the world."

Li Yi nodded and said, "Mr., what you said is very true. Clear prohibitions, smooth political orders, and smooth communication are all the benefits of ruling the country by law. As long as there are no large prisons and cruel officials, the teachings of the Legalists will naturally be useful."

Tuoba Jun nodded in agreement and then asked, "You said that if you want to unify the world, you need to gain power, and you need to have the right time, the right place, and the right people. The Qin Dynasty gained the world, and I already know the people and the right place, but I don't understand the right time. What was the right time for the First Emperor?"

Li Yi said, "It was the six kingdoms that destroyed them, not Qin. Didn't I just say that the time when the First Emperor was in power was when the six kingdoms had no wise rulers. Although he had capable ministers and brave generals, he could not use them well. A ruler who does not seek advancement is mediocre. Under the general trend, those who only seek to survive in a corner will surely perish."

Tuoba Jun nodded and said: "Teacher, Xiuyuan, don't worry, I have the ambition to swallow up the world and unify the nine provinces. I think about it day and night and never slack off. Thank you for helping me achieve this great cause." As he said that, Tuoba Jun raised his glass to the two of them, and the two of them also raised their glasses and drank together.

Tao Zhongwen put down his wine glass and said, "Xiuyuan, please tell me what is lacking in terms of time, place, and people for the Great Wei to gain power, so that Your Majesty can have a direction to work towards."

Tuoba Jun looked at Li Yi expectantly. Li Yi scratched his head and said, "We have to wait for the right time, but I feel it will be there soon. When Southern Liang sends troops north, it will be the opportunity to destroy Liang.

As for Xichu, the time has not come yet, at least I have not noticed it yet. If I have the chance, I will go to Xichu and see if I can gain anything.

As long as the northern border is stable and the grassland tribes are recovered, the Zhenbei Army can withdraw troops to the south, and then the geographical advantage will be occupied. As for the harmony of people, my suggestion is not to use relatives to check and balance the clans, but to use scholars, and the clan class can only be weakened but not eliminated, and the clan and scholars should be used to check and balance each other. I believe in your ability in this regard, there is absolutely no problem. But there is one thing I don’t know whether I should say it or not. ”

Tuoba Jun said unhappily: "It's so boring for us brothers to say such things."

Li Yi smiled and said, "Then I'll be frank. If you really marry Nangong Xue in the future, and if she gives birth to a prince, have you figured out the pros and cons?"

Tao Zhongwen coughed twice upon hearing this, and Tuoba Jun hesitated slightly. Li Yi ignored Tao Zhongwen's kind reminder and continued, "At least it is definitely not appropriate for the Nangong family to manage the defense of Shangjing City. Now the Nangong family is not a foreign relative, but once Nangong Xue enters the palace and gives birth to a prince, it will be bad if something unexpected happens."

Tuoba Jun squinted at Li Yi and said coldly, "Xiuyuan, you are quite sinister. You actually used such words to trick me into giving Xuemei to you?"

Li Yi said seriously: "I am just telling the truth, but I don't mean what you said."

Tuoba Jun smiled and said, "Teacher has already told me about this matter, and my mother has also talked to me about it. The reason why she postponed Sister Xue's entry into the palace was, firstly, to change Sister Xue's character; secondly, she wanted to see how the Nangong family would react; thirdly, my mother did have some opinions about Sister Xue."

Tao Zhongwen couldn't believe that Tuoba Jun actually said such words in front of Li Yi, and asked: "Your Majesty, why do you need to say these words to us?"

Tuoba Jun shook his hand and said, "It's okay. I guessed it all. I don't know if it's right or wrong. You can help me analyze it. Besides, I know how to trust people when you employ them. If you don't trust them, don't employ them. I believe that Teacher and Xiuyuan really regard you as my arms. Naturally, I won't have any doubts, and I don't believe you will do anything that is not good for me."

Tao Zhongwen shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, please don't tell others about this anymore. How can a king be so open-hearted to his subjects? Wouldn't that be a loss of dignity as a superior?"

Tuoba Jun sighed, "It's been too long since I've opened my heart to anyone. Since I became the emperor, I have no one to talk to."

Li Yi poured a glass of wine for Tuoba Jun and said, "It's lonely at the top. When you sit on the supreme throne, you are destined to embark on a lonely road. If you don't have this kind of awareness, you can't be a wise ruler."

Tuoba Jun smiled and said, "When I chose to take this path, I had a deep discussion with my teacher and my mother, and I had already strengthened my belief and determination."

Tao Zhongwen asked, "Your Majesty, have you made up your mind to take action against the clan?"

Tuoba Jun said seriously: "Hasn't the Imperial College and the imperial examination system already made their position clear? Why do you ask this question, teacher?"

Tao Zhongwen asked: "Your Majesty, have you ever thought that the clan will not give up, and they will have a backup plan to do everything they can to disrupt your plans?"

Tuoba Jun put down his wine glass and said with a smile: "Of course I know about this. If they were defeated so easily, how could they become a threat to the imperial power. As for revenge, Xiuyuan, I will protect you."

Li Yi pointed at Tao Zhongwen and said to Tuoba Jun: "This old silver coin doesn't mean you to protect me! He is a bad guy!"

Tao Zhongwen stretched out his hand and pushed Li Yi's hand away, saying with a smile: "You are really rude, pointing at me and scolding me in front of His Majesty. Do you really think I dare not touch you?"

Li Yi smiled and said, "Okay, now Brother Fang is the chief priest of the Imperial Academy, you can ask him to go to the northwest. It just so happens that my three wives are reluctant to let me go."

Tuoba Jun reacted and asked, "Teacher, do you mean to send Xiuyuan to the Western Regions under the pretext of the clan's revenge?"

Tao Zhongwen nodded and said, "Yes, it's a good opportunity to let him go out for a walk and avoid the limelight. He has done enough and blocked a lot for Your Majesty and for the old ministers. I feel a little sorry to let him become the target of public criticism again."

Li Yi laughed and scolded: "How can you be so kind, old silver coin? You clearly asked me to go to the northwest to help you close the net, but you just said some nice words without any sincerity!"

Tao Zhongwen poured a glass of wine for Li Yi and said with a smile: "You also have your own purpose in going to the Western Regions. We are just getting what we need. How can you say that you are helping me close the net? You are helping Your Majesty."