Chapter 183 Risk of usurping the throne by a powerful minister? (Da Zhang Qiuyue
In the main hall, the lights are brightly lit.
It was already late at night. Sheng Taizu, played by Chu Ge, threw the last memorial on the table and leaned back a little tiredly.
Tired...
As an old man who is already seventy years old, even if Chu Ge has the gift of "mental health", his physical condition has reached a very extreme level after years of reviewing memorials.
The work of the emperor is indeed not done by humans.
Therefore, in feudal society, most people actually had no control over their lives.
Farmers work hard every day, but once some natural or man-made disaster occurs, they will end up selling their sons and daughters, leading to poverty and illness.
Although wealthy businessmen usually have a wealthy family and live in luxury, once they are targeted by officials, they will lose their skin even if they die. In the worst case, their homes will be confiscated and all their property will be used as military supplies.
Although officials are arrogant and domineering, they can still make all kinds of gray or black income as much as they want, but once something happens, they will be executed.
The emperor seems to be at the top of the entire feudal society. He can kill whoever he wants and do whatever he wants, but he is not absolutely free.
If you want to govern the country well, you have to work harder than a farmer; if you want to live peacefully, you have to bear the risk that the world may be in chaos and your position will be taken away.
It’s difficult!
In comparison, Chu Ge still prefers modern society.
Although oppression and pain also exist in modern society, at least due to the development of productivity, the probability of most people living a safe and happy life is much higher than in ancient times.
The memorial on the desk did not appear again for the time being, giving Chu Ge a very valuable rest time.
"Huh... this round of memorials has finally been approved...
"However, no new cases have been discovered for a long time.
"I thought there would be a Zhou Ping case involving a wide range of things, but after reading the memorial carefully, I found that the Zhou Ping case had been closed ten years ago...
"Strange, this doesn't look like the style of the game "Dark Sand".
"But it is indeed a case that has been completed, and there is not much content related to the Zhou Ping case in these memorials. From the perspective of game mechanics, I should not be required to settle old scores."
Cases after the North and South List case will no longer trigger any system prompts, and they can only be found by the players themselves from the mountains of memorials.
This probability is like finding a needle in a haystack.
However, since Chu Ge had ready-made historical knowledge in his mind, during the process of reviewing these memorials, he also paid targeted attention to some key cases in his memory.
For example, the Zhou Ping case.
This is also a case with great impact. Chu Ge originally thought that it would inevitably appear in the performance of the "Emperor" identity, but he repeatedly checked these memorials and compared the names of officials on the memorials and found that this case had actually happened.
ten years.
Judging from historical records, this case did occur at a time before Chu Ge played Sheng Taizu.
But Chu Ge also knew that in the copy of "Heroic and Reckless", these events were never based on the real time in history. For example, the time of the empty seal case obviously did not match, and it was forced by the game "Ansha".
Moved, pieced together.
Therefore, the Zhou Ping case turned out to be a case that had already happened, which made Chu Ge always feel a little uneasy.
The Zhou Ping case is actually not complicated in detail.
Shortly after the founding of the Great Sheng Dynasty, the then Prime Minister Sima Yan resigned due to illness. Before leaving, he recommended Zhou Ping, a fellow countryman from Sheng Taizu, to succeed him as Prime Minister.
Later, Zhou Ping was highly regarded by Taizu Sheng because of his thoughtfulness and appropriateness in handling affairs, and he had great power.
But soon, a major case against Zhou Ping began.
Initially, Zhou Ping's son was speeding in a car on the street and accidentally fell off the car and fell to his death. When Zhou Ping learned about it, he was very angry and used lynching to kill the driver directly.
When Taizu Sheng learned about this, he became furious and asked Zhou Ping to pay for the life of the driver.
Zhou Ping applied for compensation of property to avoid death, but Sheng Taizu refused. Zhou Ping realized that Sheng Taizu wanted him to die, so he joined forces with the imperial censor, Zhongcheng and other officials to plot a rebellion, and secretly won over the civil and military ministers.
Immediately afterwards, foreign envoys came to Beijing to pay tribute, but Zhou Ping did not report it to Taizu Sheng, but kept it himself.
The matter was learned by the inspector arranged by Sheng Taizu and reported to Sheng Taizu. Sheng Taizu was furious and demanded a thorough investigation, so a prison was set up. The officials under Zhou Ping were not monolithic. Many officials were well aware of the rebellion that caused Sheng Taizu.
It was basically a dead end, so I reported it secretly.
As a result, a lot of evidence about Zhou Ping's rebellion was discovered, including the corruption and fraud committed by his followers.
Taizu Sheng killed more than 20,000 people, most of whom were officials and family members closely involved with Zhou Ping.
Logically speaking, such a weighty case should appear in the role of "emperor".
But after Chu Ge flipped through the memorial for a long time, he discovered that this case actually happened based on real historical events, and nearly ten years had passed.
"Forget it, since it's not found in the game, it probably doesn't exist.
"Maybe the game "Dark Sand" has a certain degree of randomness when arranging cases.
"If the clearance goals are strictly based on real cases that happened in history every time, will it be easier for players to copy the answers at the beginning? A little randomness can also create certain obstacles for players to clear the level."
Chu Ge didn't think much and leaned back and took a nap.
However, just as he closed his eyes, his whole body seemed to float into the air as if his soul had left his body.
The little eunuch stepped forward in disbelief: "Your Majesty? Your Majesty!
"His Majesty passed away..."
Chu Ge: "..."
Good guy, he died without paying attention!
The performance ended too suddenly, and I was completely unprepared.
However, this is reasonable. After all, Sheng Taizu was already over seventy years old at the time, and he was still working at such a high intensity, so his death could indeed come at any time.
What made Chu Ge even more concerned was how many years of prosperity the Dasheng Dynasty would be able to enjoy after his dedicated efforts.
When he had dealt with the empty seal case before, he ruthlessly killed a group of officials, and also used some of the experience of later generations to give a relatively proper handling method, which gave Guo Zuo of the Dasheng Dynasty a little more two years.
Although it's not much, after all, the game mechanism stipulates that the game will be completed after more than 230 years.
Chu Ge was still full of expectations.
However, as the system prompt appeared in his field of vision, Chu Ge was stunned.
[The Dasheng Dynasty and Guozuo are being recalculated based on the handling of all cases.]
[The great prosperity of the dynasty and the enjoyment of the country: from the fifty-ninth year to the one hundred and seventy-eighth year.]
[Failed to clear the level as "Emperor"!]
Chu Ge looked at these lines of prompt information in front of him and was stunned.
what's the situation?
He had previously handled the North-South List case and the empty seal case, and also handled numerous other political matters in the process of reviewing memorials.
I had previously looked up Guo Zuo of the Great Sheng Dynasty, and they were all well above the passing mark.
But when I looked up Guo Zuo before, I only looked at the impact of major cases such as the Nanbei Bang Case and the Kongyin Case on Guo Zuo in the Great Sheng Dynasty.
And in the end, with the death of Sheng Taizu, the system showed the prosperous dynasty and Guozuo, but it was the result of all the cases added together.
Chu Ge frowned and fell into deep thought.
"Sure enough, this identity play is not that easy to pass. I encountered very serious problems...
"why?
"I must have missed a very important case, which led to this result.
"What's missing? Why can't I remember it at all?
"Moreover, why does this country still fluctuate up and down? The lowest is fifty-nine years, and the highest is one hundred and seventy-eight years. This gap is too big.
"If calculated based on the minimum of fifty-nine years, wouldn't it be equivalent to death in two lifetimes?
"It's too outrageous. What kind of thing can lead to the death of the second generation?
"...Planning to usurp the throne?"
As soon as Chu Ge analyzed it, he immediately felt that the amount of information hidden here was too great.
Sheng Taizu was a very long-lived emperor, and he lived to be seventy years old. The fifty-nine year of Guo Zuo meant that the Great Sheng Dynasty was over before his throne was passed to the emperor's grandson.
Do you want to say that it was overthrown because of the peasant uprising at the bottom? Or that it was invaded by foreign enemies?
It's unlikely.
On the one hand, during the process of Taizu Sheng establishing the Great Sheng Dynasty, the entire bottom class had actually been shuffled once. In the process of recuperating and recuperating in the world, the possibility of a large-scale peasant uprising at the bottom level was very low.
Even if it breaks out, it will not overthrow the Dasheng Dynasty.
On the other hand, Sheng Taizu had basically no foreign troubles in his later years.
Just like Zhao Haiping is playing, when Taizu Sheng was in his prime, he attacked the Northern Barbarians several times and drove the Northern Barbarians far away to Mobei, and did not dare to invade the borders of the Sheng Dynasty.
Even if the Northern Barbarians gradually awakened to the fierce fighting power of the past after returning to the grassland, and once again posed a threat to the Dasheng Dynasty with the unification of the grassland tribes, the most they could do was invade the invaders and plunder.
Subjugation of the country? Absolutely impossible in the short term.
Perhaps, it is a possibility that the feudal king may cause rebellion.
However, no matter how much the vassal kings caused chaos, they were still the descendants of Taizu Sheng. Whoever became emperor had to continue the name of the Sheng Dynasty, and there was no talk of changing dynasties.
Therefore, after analysis and analysis, I am afraid there is only one possibility.
It means that powerful officials usurp the throne.
The reason why Guo Zuo has great flexibility, ranging from more than fifty years to more than one hundred and seventy years, is because the usurpation of the throne by powerful ministers is not a 100% event in itself, but a great deal of chance.
.
It is very difficult for a powerful official to usurp the throne, but the probability is by no means zero.
If a powerful minister really assisted the emperor conscientiously when he was in power and did not show any signs of betrayal until his death, then when he dies, other ministers will naturally come to power. Even if the descendants and party members of this powerful minister can continue to serve in the court
Even if it maintains a certain influence, it will eventually dissipate.
But if this powerful minister was determined to rebel when he was in office, then there would be much more he could do.
For example, while concealing his ambitions, he secretly placed his family members and cronies in the court, allowing his children and grandchildren to hold some key positions, and at the same time, he continued to eliminate dissidents.
If the emperor who succeeds him happens to be young and easy to handle, and the new emperor does not become suspicious of him, or if he becomes suspicious but cannot deal with it...
So the scenario of a powerful official usurping the throne is not completely unworkable.
The heirs of Sheng Taizu will indeed face such a situation.
In other words, every emperor who lives too long will encounter this situation.
Back to the previous question, the average life span of ancient people was very low, and many emperors died in their fifties. However, Taizu Sheng, because of his strong physical fitness, lived to be over seventy years old, and there was a possibility that the prince would be killed.
It's actually quite big.
Even if the crown prince successfully succeeds to the throne when Emperor Sheng Taizu dies, it is very likely that he will also die within a few years and the emperor's grandson will take the throne.
In terms of age composition, this is not a coincidence, but an event with high probability.
And can such a young grandson of the emperor be able to withstand an old goblin in his seventies or eighties who is determined to rebel and holds great power?
It's hard to say.
On the one hand, it depends on the ability of the emperor's grandson and other centrist forces in the court; on the other hand, it depends on how long this old goblin can survive.
It is precisely because there are so many accidental factors superimposed that the game "Dark Sand" does not give a very precise result, but a range.
In the worst case scenario, the prosperous dynasty of Guo Zuo only lasted fifty-nine years.
The most optimistic scenario is 178 years.
But no matter which one it is, it means Chu Ge failed to pass the level.
"If a powerful minister usurped the throne, wouldn't it be back to the Zhou Ping case?
"The person most likely to usurp the throne at that time was probably Zhou Ping.
"However, judging from historical records, Zhou Ping's usurpation of the throne does not seem to be a big threat. On the one hand, Sheng Taizu was in great power at the time, and although Zhou Ping was the prime minister, he was still too young to overthrow Sheng Taizu; on the other hand,
On the other hand, a lot of the evidence of Zhou Ping's rebellion in historical records seems to have been forcibly found later.
"Whether Zhou Ping really wanted to rebel or was forced into a corner and was forced to rebel, or whether he had no intention of rebelling at all and was just forced to bear the charge of rebellion... It's hard to tell.
"What's more, the Zhou Ping case is basically over? Taizu Sheng had already killed a group of people several years ago.
"In the end, why is there still a risk of usurpation by powerful ministers?"
Chu Ge was very confused.
Judging from the results, he did miss some very critical information, but from a process perspective, he couldn't figure out where exactly he missed it.
At this moment, fog enveloped Chu Ge's vision, and he felt that he was about to wake up in reality.
"Sure enough, this dungeon is not that simple. Even if four players attack it together, it will still take at least three or four days...
"Forget it, it's useless for me to go faster by myself, let's check the progress of others first.
"Use your time during the day to think about it carefully."
…
After leaving the game, Chu Ge woke up in reality.
The first thing to do is, of course, to immediately go to the chat group of the "'Start with a Bowl' Dungeon Strategy Team" and ask about other people's progress.
Li Hongyun had also woken up, and also mysteriously started chatting in the group to analyze the progress of land reclamation.
The other teams must also be chatting at this time.
Since the clearance mode this time is team clearance, and there is a certain degree of competition between different teams, there are obviously fewer players sharing their clearance experience on the forum this time than before.
Of course, from another perspective, it can also be said that this time the players spontaneously formed teams to conquer the dungeon, because each team mostly has resourceful players who are familiar with history, and there is no need to complement each other through forums, so basically it is still as designed
The path designed by the author is used to solve the puzzle.
"How is everyone's progress? Have you encountered any new problems?"
Chu Ge asked in the group, and soon, everyone talked about the new problems they encountered.
The first is Lu Heng who plays the beggar.
"I have confirmed that the identity of a beggar is a random experience of a lower-class identity. The dynasty, age, and specific origin of the experience will randomly change, and basically no matter how hard you try, you may not end up well in the end.
"I guess the goal of clearing this identity is to go through a certain number of cycles. As long as it reaches a certain number of times, or plays certain specific identities, it will be considered a pass.
"Or it just depends on luck. For example, if you happen to participate in an uprising at a certain time, and you naturally take on the identity of a rebel, you will be considered a pass."
Chu Ge thought for a while and replied: "Well, it's probably as you guessed.
"If that's the case, then continue to persevere and see, maybe a turnaround will occur naturally later on.
"After all, Sheng Taizu didn't take much initiative in the process from beggar to rebel. It was all because a fellow villager wrote a letter to him and was discovered by others, so he had no choice but to join the rebel army.
"As for the identity of 'beggar' in the game, the main purpose may be to allow players to experience the sufferings of the people and experience the mentality of Sheng Taizu when he was young. Most of them can pass the level after meeting the relevant requirements."
Then there is Huo Yunying who plays the role of the rebel.
"The progress here is not very optimistic.
"It was developing well and already had a team of seven or eight hundred people under its command, but it was suddenly overrun by Dong Chengyun, a general of the Northern Barbarians.
"It takes a long time to develop these people, so I don't have many opportunities to try. I'm more worried now, what if I continue to act like this, but Dong Chengyun comes again?
"No need to fight at all."
Chu Ge was thoughtful: "Dong Chengyun...wait a moment, let me check."
He immediately looked up the relevant name on the computer and determined the person's identity.
"Found it.
"Dong Chengyun was indeed a general of the Northern Barbarians at that time, and his soldiers were very powerful. But judging from historical circumstances, he did not have much interaction with Taizu Sheng.
"The only record that can be found is that Dong Chengyun was originally going to lead troops to attack Chuzhou City where Sheng Taizu was located, but at that time, another rebel marshal happened to capture another important town, so the Northern Barbarians hurriedly mobilized Dong Chengyun to help the southeast.
"Besieged and intercepted by several heavy troops from the Northern Barbarians, the rebel marshal ended up defeated and killed."
Huo Yunying thought for a while: "You mean...this was an event that never happened due to accidental events in history, but it appeared in the process of playing the role of 'rebel'?
"Does that mean it's just my bad luck?
"After all, judging from historical records, if the rebel marshal had captured that important town later, or if the Northern Barbarians had not dispatched Dong Chengyun to encircle and suppress it at the first time, it would probably have been Sheng Taizu who was defeated and died."
Chu Ge did not reply immediately, but thought about it carefully.
"Of course luck is one factor, but I suspect there may be other factors as well.
"How is the situation in Chuzhou City?"
Huo Yunying answered truthfully: "Not very good. There are several marshals competing for power in Chuzhou City. Although Sheng Taizu's group is the most powerful, it cannot be said to have absolute command over the other marshals.
"What's more, the marshal of Taizu Sheng's branch does not fully trust him."
Chu Ge: “That’s right.
“I think the key to this matter is not ‘luck’ but ‘timing’.
"Because according to the situation at that time, even if Dong Chengyun did not attack, there would be other Northern Barbarian generals to attack; even if all the Northern Barbarian generals did not capture Chuzhou City, several groups of rebels in Chuzhou City might still have civil strife; even if
The rebel army that Sheng Taizu belonged to won, but he still had to rely on others in the end, and it was impossible to establish his own achievements.
"So, when the number of people under your command reaches a certain level, you will inevitably encounter these problems."
Huo Yunying suddenly realized: "In other words... the reason why it failed was because I delayed it too long, so the situation changed?
"Should I find the right time to leave the rebel army and start my own business?"
Chu Ge: "Yes, set up your own business.
"I was thinking from the beginning about why the game "Dark Sands" arranges for us to play rebels.
"In the beginning, the battle between the rebel army and the northern barbarian army was very easy, almost overwhelming. But the real tough battle was the battle between several larger forces of the rebel army.
"The real battle between Sheng Taizu and the Northern Barbarians was when he basically integrated the rebel army, unified it from south to north, and then went on an expedition to Mobei.
"The trial of the identity of 'rebels' neither showed the hard battle between the rebels nor set up too many obstacles in dealing with the northern barbarian army.
"Because the test of military ability is mostly focused on the status of 'commander'.
"Then the test of 'rebel' status is likely to be related to management ability and decision-making ability."
Huo Yunying couldn't help but suddenly realized: "So that's it! Then I understand. When I have six to seven hundred people next time, I will find a way to start my own business.
"However, it is definitely impossible to take away all six to seven hundred people. Let's see then."
Finally, there is Zhao Haiping, who plays the role of "commander".
"My process of playing the commander-in-chief was relatively smooth.
"At the beginning, the decision was mainly about the personal expedition, and then we suddenly encountered the Northern Barbarian cavalry during the dispatch of troops. I suspect that this game mixed up Taizu Sheng's personal expedition with the personal expedition that led to the 'Jiming Mountain Disastrous Defeat'
Already."
Chu Ge was a little surprised: "The defeat at Jiming Mountain? That was a big defeat. Are you stuck?"
Zhao Haiping: "No, I don't think there is any possibility of a big defeat at all.
"We already have more troops than our opponent. As long as we are not so stupid as to send away all the elite cavalry first and then set up camp in the mountains to cut off our own water source, we will win even if we waste it.
"I didn't do much. I just chose a place to camp, called back two cavalrymen, arranged a little bit of tactics, and finally charged into battle with five thousand elite cavalrymen, and then won.
“It’s just that I haven’t cleared the level even after I won.
"In the follow-up, I have to wait for the army to reorganize and then go far beyond the Great Wall, enter Mobei, and find the large army of the Northern Barbarians for a decisive battle.
"Currently, I am still wandering around in the desert eating sand. If there is a guide, I don't have to do anything. I just don't know how long it will take to find the main force of the Northern Barbarians."
The other three people silently made "awesome" expressions.
Although Zhao Haiping said it quite lightly, everyone can guess that this matter is definitely not that simple.
The fiasco at Jiming Mountain was indeed a waste of money caused by the emperor's messing around at the time. Many people in later generations also commented when studying history that "I can do it myself." But when it comes to the game "Ansha",
Not necessarily without difficulty.
If we follow real historical events, if the emperor at that time made even a little mistake, it would be impossible for the entire army to be destroyed.
As a time traveler, what you have to do is actually very simple. Just hand over the command of the army to the meritorious veteran who was in the army at that time, and then become a mascot yourself.
However, the game "Dark Sand" definitely cannot allow players to pass the level so easily. It will inevitably interfere with various factors and confuse the player's judgment, thus creating a "fog of war" effect.
Zhao Haiping can pass the level very easily because his combat effectiveness is among the best among players, so he can win easily.
If Zhao Haiping had not made a series of correct arrangements and failed to charge with 5,000 elite troops and deliver a fatal blow to the Northern Barbarian army, then the outcome of this war is hard to say.
Chu Ge roughly summarized everyone's progress and briefly introduced his own progress.
"Okay, that's it, let's break up the meeting first.
"At present, it seems that our progress is quite fast. Everyone is making plans based on their own situations and trying to get the first pass tonight!"
The chat group became quiet again, and the four players each went to check the information and formulate a clearance plan.
…
10 at night.
Chu Ge once again began to act as the "emperor" of Sheng Taizu.
This time he still encountered the North and South List case and the empty seal case, but he successfully solved them without spending too much time.
After all, he has dealt with it once before and is familiar with it. As long as he does not change his handling method, the game will be handled in the same way as before.
Chu Ge's main energy was focused on finding the hidden case.
"Based on the previous results, this last case that affected Guo Zuo of the Great Sheng Dynasty is probably hidden in these memorials.
"Moreover, it is very likely to be related to a certain powerful official.
"But the problem is...it seems that no one with the same level of power as Zhou Ping can be found in the court now..."
Chu Ge still didn't have much clue, so he could only keep reading the memorials, especially those related to famous ministers, hoping to find some clues.
Suddenly, his hand stopped.
"Former Prime Minister Sima Yan Shangshu requested the pardon of his distant relative Li You...and this is not the first time he has submitted a letter...
"Li You's crime is that he was involved in Zhou Ping's case, and he will be sent to the border area.
"If we just talk about the way this matter is handled, it seems that whether he is exempted or not is only a matter of Sheng Taizu's thought. It makes sense whether he is exempted or not."
Chu Ge fell into deep thought.
He had seen this memorial before, but he didn't take it seriously and directly approved it.
The reason is simple. He didn't feel that this was something he had to deal with.
Former Prime Minister Sima Yan was a great contributor to Sheng Taizu in the process of opening up the territory. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he was the first contributor.
At this time, Sima Yan had already left the position of prime minister due to illness, and it had been nearly ten years since Zhou Ping, who had replaced him as prime minister, was executed for treason.
The reason why his distant relative Li You was implicated and sent away at this time is because the Zhou Ping case was a major case that lasted for nearly ten years and continues to this day.
Before, Chu Ge simply thought that since Sima Yan was a great hero, had already stepped down from the position of prime minister, and was already seventy-six years old, there shouldn't be any big problems.
Moreover, the Zhou Ping case originally involved a lot of people, and many of the people implicated must be innocent. Since this Li You is a distant relative of the former Prime Minister Sima Yan, and it was only ten years later that he was involved in the Zhou Ping case, it probably means that His involvement in Zhou Ping's case is not that deep.
In this case, what if you sell Sima Yan a favor and pardon this unimportant Li You?
But when he saw this memorial again, Chu Ge realized that something was wrong.
Because he remembered that according to the true situation in history, Sima Yan's final outcome was that all more than 70 members of his family were killed, and his children and grandchildren were saved because of their marriage to the royal family.
Chu Ge had always felt that killing Sima Yan was not necessary. But now it seems that it may not be that simple.
"Is it possible...that this person also wants me to kill him??"
