In order to speed up his return to Beijing, the old emperor chose to take the water route. In order to allow the entire camp to travel with the crowd, the Chief Secretary of Jiangnan Province urgently mobilized hundreds of large ships for transportation. At the same time, the Chief Secretary of Jiangnan Province also escorted the troops with their navy.
It is true that the old emperor's body was weak and could no longer support the rapid movement of land transportation. At the same time, the camp was accompanied by thousands of people and a lot of burdensome baggage. If you wanted to improve the transfer efficiency, sailing was a relatively suitable way.
However, even so, in this tight arrangement, from packing up, boarding the ship to setting sail, the entire camp team was inevitably in a chaotic and tense atmosphere. Coupled with the scorching sun, it was even more boring.
At the same time, if you want to ensure speed, it is not enough to rely on sails and oars alone. Therefore, from Lianghuai to Henan, the governments along the way that received the order also urgently deployed trackers to pull the tows for the fleet as if preparing for war.
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As a result, the scene on the canal reappeared many years ago when the old emperor visited the south. The scene was also spectacular. Along the canal, thousands of trackers uniformly shouted slogans and pulled the heavy boats on the water step by step.
of boats.
There are oars and oars between the ships to move the water, flags are flying on the hull, and there are some dignitaries, soldiers, and palace people accompanying them on the side of the ship. They are holding parasols and drinking herbal tea, looking at them with a kind of pity and curiosity.
Looking down at the hardworking trackers on the shore like a drama
The difference from that time was that this time, the old emperor was no longer riding an extremely luxurious "dragon boat", and the number of trackers who pulled his body was not as exaggerated as before, but the dragon flags placed all over the boat were still shining in the sun.
Dazzling and colorful.
In midsummer, the sun is scorching like fire, and the bright sun above our head is radiating heat to its fullest, treating all living beings with the most fair and just attitude.
On the three-story boat, the old emperor was still dressed in single clothes and light robes, with his shoulders slightly hunched, his spirit listless, and his expression numb as he stared at the trackers struggling to pull on the shore.
The summer is scorching and extremely hot. The trackers are either wearing short clothes or simply topless. All of them are bent over and working hard, silently enduring the wanton baking of the scorching sun.
Every chant and every step is solid and powerful, and at the same time it also gives people a heavy feeling. The blood marks on the shoulders can be clearly felt even from a distance of more than ten feet. Of course, the old emperor
It's invisible, he just feels it with an indifferent heart
The trackers are all of different shapes and sizes, tall or short, strong or weak. I don’t know if the government will recruit them. Will everyone be paid the same price, or not paid at all? The local government should not be so bold, right?
The old emperor did not hold an umbrella and was directly exposed to the sun. This was probably the first time in decades that he faced the sun so hard. He did not even shed much sweat on his forehead, but calmly immersed himself in the scenery on the summer canal.
In the "landscape".
The old emperor's condition was obviously not normal. His grandson Liu Wenhuan, who had been waiting by his side, was very uncomfortable. He felt extremely uncomfortable being exposed to the sun. He couldn't help but persuade him: "Grandpa, the exposure to the sun here will hurt your body. Please return to the cabin to rest."
."
The old emperor heard the persuasion, but he was still immersed in his own world. He raised his hand and pointed at the ant-like trackers beside the canal, and said: "When Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty went on patrol, was it the same situation along the Grand Canal?"
The old emperor was always like this, always raising such difficult questions. When Liu Wenhuan heard this, he quickly started to think about it. He was still thinking about how to answer appropriately, and then he heard the old emperor say leisurely:
“In my life, I cannot speak of great virtues, but I have achieved great achievements and great deeds, which can be traced back through the ages and thousands of years later. I am worthy of any emperor.
I have experienced great joy and great joy, endured great sorrow and great pain, and of course I have also committed great crimes. But I do not rejoice in good things, nor do I feel guilty about ugliness. It is not because of how high my realm is, but because I am self-aware, and I am not perfect.
A human being, let alone a saint!
Those who have achieved great things since ancient times do not stick to trivial matters. Any king who does something can hardly be called a good person!
These hard-working trackers in front of me were exposed to the scorching heat and shed blood and sweat because of an imperial edict. This must be the last evil thing I did."
The old emperor's nagging left Liu Wenhuan speechless for a moment. He really couldn't understand his grandfather's mentality at this time. He seemed to be pitying the trackers. If so, he could just issue an edict and let them go home. What's the point of saying such a thing?
"Wenhuan!" While thinking, the old emperor called Liu Wenhuan, and then confessed: "You must take this as a warning! Don't be like your grandfather who put your personal desires above the world.
Loving the people as one's own children is easier said than done! If the emperor doesn't love his people, how can he expect the powerful, bureaucrats, and magistrates to do so?"
The old emperor was still oscillating between hypocrisy and truth, talking more than taking action. Although he spoke a lot of enlightened truths and emotions, he did not show much sympathy to the trackers who were stretching under the hot sun, and some time to breathe and replenish water.
Time is probably a gift.
Starting from Yangzhou, it passed through Hangou and entered the Huaihe River, and then headed west and north to Bian. With the efforts of tens of thousands of trackers in the prefectures and counties along the way, the fleet sailed quickly along the canal towards Tokyo.
The whole journey was at a relatively steady pace, but not to mention the trackers, it was the officials who accompanied them who became depressed, agitated, and uninterested in this continuous and unreasonable boating process. It was not just because of the weather.
, the atmosphere of the entire camp has been in a weird state for a long time, just like the dullness before a mountain rain is about to come.
Until Songzhou, thanks to a heavy rain, everyone's tense nerves finally had a chance to relax, and their tired bodies were temporarily relieved.
The heavy rain fell straight down on Bianshui River, and the lines of rain were clearly visible. The sound of raindrops completely filled my ears. For a moment, it seemed that all the sounds in the world were unified into the sound of summer rain.
The fleet was moored at the pier southwest of Songcheng. Even though it was a large ship made of thousands of materials, it was still shaking in the storm.
The old emperor once again stood on the side of the ship, still in the same position, but wearing a leather raincoat and a big umbrella on his head. Even though the old emperor at this time had an indifferent attitude towards all affairs in the world,
There is no need to get wet in the rain.
Amid the rain, what the old emperor watched numbly were the trackers on the pier. Along the way back to the city, the trackers changed one after another, but in the eyes of the old emperor, they were all the same. They were all big men.
The gangsters at the bottom of society are as worthless as ants.
The former was still sweating profusely in the sun, but now he was shivering under the storm. Although there were shelters on the shore, they were not very effective at covering up, and most of the people were wet.
The dry food that sufficed for hunger was probably soaked by the rain, but it was still delicious. Supervisors wearing rain gear were patrolling, and two or three people could suppress hundreds of people. Even if they were punched and kicked, no one resisted. No matter how heavy the rain was,
They didn't dare to go far, huddled together, waiting for the rain to stop at any time, and continued to stretch His Majesty the Emperor. For coolies like them, this was a blessing from God.
As time passed, the rain still showed no signs of stopping, and the scene in front of me gradually became blurred. There were no other colors in my vision except a dull dark tone.
Even with the support of bamboo joints, the old emperor still couldn't stand for a long time. When fatigue hit his body, the old emperor had to choose to go back to the cabin. The bamboo joint in his hand had been repaired several times, and it broke again when he smashed Zhang Ji in Guangzhou last year.
, but perhaps it was precisely because of the cracks and repairs that the old emperor did not want to replace it with a new one.
"Pass the edict!" Before entering the cabin, the old emperor ordered to Hood: "After the rain stops, abandon the boat and land, and set off to the northeast, not to Tokyo!"
Hu De was slightly stunned when he heard the order. He obviously didn't know what the old emperor was up to, so he couldn't help but ask: "Where does the official family want to go?"
The old emperor was silent for a while, and then said in a deep voice: "Go to Mount Tai!"
In late June, we arrived at Yanzhou and Taishan in a relatively calm and stable state compared to the previous rush.
The last time the old emperor arrived at Mount Tai was when he was enshrined in Zen. Nearly twenty years have passed. Even for the old emperor, it is a long time ago. Even though he is only sixty-two years old, he is forty-five years old.
Years of imperial career can be said to be a long one.
He did not go to the state capital, but had a clear goal, and went straight to Mount Tai. The camp was also stationed at the foot of Mount Tai. Compared with the time when he was enshrined in Zen, this time it was obviously not as grand. Even the five-color altar where the old emperor personally went to worship was deserted.
faded.
The midsummer night was still hot. Under the night, the camp was brightly illuminated by dots of lights. From the imperial camp, the guards to the rear guards, everyone was busy.
However, they were busy but not in a hurry, and everything was tidied up and down in an orderly manner. Everyone seemed to have a premonition that they could have a good rest when they arrived at Mount Tai. If His Majesty the Emperor got into a mood and felt hasty, he would perform another Zen ceremony and sacrifice.
If you have more time, you really can’t say for sure.
There is really no reason for many things. Take Mount Tai as an example. The old emperor never thought that he was so majestic and majestic that he could shoulder his immortal achievements, but he still chose Mount Tai as the place of enshrinement according to tradition.
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Although I obviously have a certain prejudice against Confucianism, I still cannot help but use some of its ideas in the actual governance of the country. Otherwise, would anyone really be able to twist the thigh of the old emperor to be enshrined in another place? If you want to martyr the old emperor, you can simply do it. And sometimes
To this day, when recalling the glory of that year, the old emperor still does not forget to come to Mount Tai again and come to the place where the inscription was made to worship heaven.
Although he came with great fanfare, when he returned to Mount Tai, the old emperor seemed very simple. He did not display any ceremonial guards or wear royal robes. He just wore casual clothes and was only escorted by a few followers. He revisited Mount Tai as if on an outing.
There is no doubt that the Fengchan Platform is his ultimate goal. He also calms down his mood, musters up his strength, and walks the ladder to heaven again. Twenty years later, the old emperor is already old and frail, not as good as before, but if he walks up the ladder to heaven again,
Still showing his stubbornness, he refused to allow anyone to help him, even if he walked slower.
The merit monument standing on the top of Mount Tai has absorbed the essence of the sun and moon for nearly twenty years, and has also been exposed to wind, sun and rain. The extra sense of obsolescence may be the precipitation of history.
Standing in front of the monument for a long time, the old emperor raised his head and silently stared at the congratulatory message praising him. His heart, which was not very fluctuating, finally gave birth to some warmth that even summer could not bring him.
He only stepped forward and touched the stele body gently. The old emperor didn't say much. He turned around and headed towards the Fengchan platform like an old man. It was the old emperor who came to the stage alone. He was very tired from walking.
The old emperor originally thought that he would be filled with endless emotions in the so-called "reception between heaven and man", but the reality was that his mind was completely blank, as if the past were all clouds and smoke, and all his achievements were nothing but dust.
The weather in Fuqi was so sultry that it made people breathless. On the top of the mountain, facing the bright sun in the sky, the old emperor was in a trance. He even felt a little cold.
At night, in the camp and in the imperial tent, dozens of oil lamps illuminated the small space. However, the lights flickered a little, the tent curtains were open, and the lights flickered frequently under the influence of the night wind.
Before long, four figures entered the tent under the guidance of Hu De. They were Shou Guogong Li Shaoyou, Ding'an Bo Li Jian, and the two emperors Wen Huan and Wen Ji. The four people looked at the old emperor nervously. His situation
Something was wrong. This kind of weakness, where he had almost lost all his energy and spirit, was a first for those who were familiar with the old emperor.
Without any hesitation, the four of them knelt down. At this moment, a heavy shadow cast over everyone's heart, and everyone was shrouded in an inexplicable sense of fear. This was a kind of heart-wrenching terror.
It was such an impact that it would be difficult for anyone to express the panic and confusion within it until this moment.
The old emperor waved his hand and dismissed the serving chamberlains, leaving only six people in the tent besides the old emperor. As the head of the chamberlain, Hu De was naturally among them, and there was also the living attendant who was rarely used by the old emperor.
Slowly turning his head, the old emperor looked at Ding'an Bo Li Jian, and said feebly: "Yuan Hui, you have been my guard for forty-five years. Some people even tease you that you are a gatekeeper noble, guarding Mr. Hou over the years.
I feel wronged to you!"
When Li Jian heard this, he kowtowed immediately, his emotions burst out, and he choked with sobs: "Your Majesty, this is my supreme honor, why should I complain!"
"Then, you will serve as my last duty! After sending me back to Beijing, you can retire from your post and retire!" the old emperor said weakly.
"Old minister, I'm here to serve you!" Elder Li Jian kowtowed with tears in his eyes.
The old emperor looked at Li Shaoyou again and kept the same rhythm in his voice: "Brother You, there is no need to say anything between you and me. I leave my funeral affairs to you! Give the prince a message. I am very satisfied with him.
"
"Yes!" Li Shaoyou tried his best to control his emotions.
Finally, the old emperor looked at Liu Wenhuan, who was already at a loss. The two brothers Liu Wenji suddenly struggled, mustered up their strength, and said, "You brothers, take care of yourself!"
The two brothers stared blankly at the old emperor, unable to speak, but their eyes were getting redder and redder. The hands of the living man recording beside him were shaking, and his eyes kept glancing towards the old emperor, but the old emperor seemed to have finished explaining to him Everything I wanted to say.
Lying on the couch, his eyes gradually became blurred and lifeless. After an unknown amount of time, when the atmosphere in the tent was completely enveloped in sadness, the old emperor hesitated again and murmured intermittently in a low voice:
"They say that before you die, you can look back on your entire life. Why can't I see anything? No, I still saw it. Is this the Han Empire? This -"
Suddenly, the old emperor's eyes widened, and the whites of his eyes were bloodshot, as if he had seen something horrific. By the time the courtiers in front of the bed reacted, the old emperor had stopped making any sound.
On June 29, the 30th year of Kaibao's reign (992), Emperor Liu Chengyou of the Han Dynasty died while camping in Mount Tai. He was sixty and two years old. He had reigned for forty-five years and had made countless achievements and faults!