I am the prince of the Ming Dynasty, I don't give up

Chapter 494 Storytelling

You could hear a pin drop in the Fengtian Hall, and everyone was excited by Zhu Houzhao's words.

If you think about it carefully, it is simply a miracle that Taizu was able to lead the Han army to recover these Han and Tang territories after two hundred, three hundred, or even five or six hundred years.

"This is to rebuild the mountains and rivers!" Zhu Houzhao said word by word.

Zhu Houzhao's words hit everyone's heart like a sledgehammer.
"At that time, the Central Plains was in decline, the roads were blocked by weeds, there was no one living there, nine out of ten houses were empty, the land was barren, and the Han people in the north and south had been divided for a long time, and there was an urgent need to bridge the gap," Zhu Houzhao continued.

"At that time, the remnants of the Northern Yuan Dynasty were lurking in the northern desert, and Taizu could only manage his old territory and bridge the gap between the north and the south."

"This is to rebuild China!" Zhu Houzhao's eyes swept across the hall.

"Also because the north was devastated and in urgent need of recuperation, the Ming army, though powerful, was unable to march west to recover the old territory in the Western Regions."

All the ministers in the hall began to nod involuntarily, and there was nothing wrong with what Zhu Houzhao said.

Zhu Houxuan also nodded slightly. Reality is not a map coloring game, and recovering territory cannot be accomplished by playing a game and clicking the mouse a few times.

After the recovery, management needs to be done, living in harmony with the people and immigration are needed. It doesn't mean that you don't have to worry about anything after the recovery.

There were a series of wars in the north at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, which resulted in serious population loss. The situation at that time was indeed unable to recover the Western Regions.

Zhu Houzhao's voice suddenly became low. "In the 14th year of the Tianbao reign of the Tang Dynasty, the Anshi Rebellion broke out. Tubo took advantage of the situation and invaded, cutting off the Hexi Corridor. The Anxi Protectorate was left alone in the Western Regions."

"The Anxi Iron-Blooded Army, with white hair all over the city, has been defending the Western Regions for fifty years, fighting until the last man. The old land of the Western Regions fell into the dust of the barbarians, and it has been more than seven hundred years since then." There was suddenly a hint of sadness in Zhu Houzhao's voice.

Zhu Houzhao's words were very contagious, and the ministers in the Fengtian Hall were immersed in his words and in that period of history.
"The King of Jing sent a caravan to explore the situation in the Western Regions some time ago. They visited the various military towns of the Anxi Protectorate." Zhu Houzhao's tone suddenly became calm. "There they saw many Tang corpses that had not been buried, and traces of the Hu people using the heads of Anxi soldiers to build a Jingguan." Zhu Houzhao's calm words contained chilling content.

As soon as these words came out, there was an uproar in Fengtian Hall. The military officers could not stand it any longer. Duke Dingguo Xu Guangzuo stepped out angrily and said, "The Hu people have gone too far in bullying others. They did not even collect these loyal bones, but left them exposed in the wilderness. I request to lead the troops to the Western Regions to kill all the Hu people and collect the loyal bones."

Xu Guangzuo's words were applauded by the nobles.

Many civil officials were also moved by this, but they were much more reserved than the military officials.
"Let us imagine that more than 700 years ago, there was a young soldier from Guanzhong Prefecture, who took his weapons and armor, bid farewell to his parents and relatives, left Chang'an, and was ordered to go to Anxi Protectorate with a group of young Guanzhong youths like him. He was to guard the border for the Tang Dynasty there, but he heard that a rebellion had occurred in the mainland, and many of his compatriots were transferred back to the mainland to quell the rebellion." Zhu Houzhao did not respond to the military officers, but began to narrate in a calm and gentle tone.

As Zhu Houzhao continued his story, the Fengtian Hall gradually became quiet.
"He thought the rebellion in the interior would soon end, and he would soon be able to finish his garrison duty and return home to reunite with his parents and relatives. However, the news he received was that the Tibetan army had cut off the Hexi Corridor, and he completely lost contact with his hometown."

"The general told them that the Tang Dynasty would definitely fight back, and asked them to guard the territory of the Tang Dynasty. This defense lasted for ten, twenty, thirty, forty, and fifty years. He grew from a young man in his teens to a white-haired old man in his sixties or seventies. He experienced countless battles, but he still guarded the city wall in armor. The attacks of the Hu people became more and more fierce. The military towns of the Anxi Protectorate fell one after another. Countless Tang people were abducted and became slaves, and countless compatriots died fighting. But he was powerless because he was old. He could not wield the Mo Dao, could not draw the hard bow, and even wearing armor was difficult. Because the city was full of white-haired soldiers like him."

"He has not received any news from his hometown for fifty years. He knows that his parents must have passed away, but he still has to put on armor and defend the city wall, because this is his last home and the last city of the Tang people in the Western Regions."

"Outside the city, the Hu people's horns sounded, and they launched another attack, soon breaking through the city gate. He rushed forward with his sword, followed by his last comrades. Their iron helmets could not cover the white hair on their heads. They fought hard, but they were already old, and were no longer the strong young men who left their hometown fifty years ago."

"Their physical strength was soon exhausted. They did not retreat a single step. They were chopped to the ground by the vicious barbarians. They all fell in a pool of blood. Before he fell into endless darkness, he thought of his parents and hometown that he had not seen for fifty years."

Many people in the Fengtian Hall began to shed tears as Zhu Houzhao told the story. They were all immersed in Zhu Houzhao's story, and some even began to sob.
"The Hu people stepped over their bodies, stripped off their armor and clothes, took away his beloved sword, and threw their bodies aside without a care. The Hu people celebrated enthusiastically because they captured the last city of the Tang Dynasty in the Western Regions, and the Western Regions were completely occupied." Zhu Houzhao finished this long story in a calm tone.
This story was imagined by Zhu Houzhao based on historical data. Zhu Houzhao liked the story very much because it was so emotional, so he told it at the court meeting.
Although the officials in the palace were well-informed and had listened to storytelling frequently, they had never heard stories of this style, so their emotions were aroused. Even after Zhu Houzhao had finished telling the story, they were still immersed in it.
Even the eunuchs and guards on duty were moved by this story and secretly wiped away their tears.
"Wang Chengyu, you are from Shaanxi and also a native of Guanzhong. Tell me, should the old land in the Western Regions be recovered?" Zhu Houzhao suddenly began to call out names.

Wang Chengyu, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, was still immersed in the story when he suddenly heard Zhu Houzhao call his name. He was completely moved by the story, but there was still a trace of clarity in his mind. He still remembered the purpose of this court meeting, so for a moment he didn't know how to answer.
"Your Majesty!" An official came out with traces of tears on his face.

(End of this chapter)