Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

Because everyone had already realized that anything bearing the Xixia script had been or was being destroyed.

In the square in front of a main hall, more than a dozen carpenters were busy at work.

The carpenters took planes and used them to remove all the inscriptions from the dismantled plaques inside the temple.

It's estimated that they didn't want to waste the wood, so they planed off the Western Xia script and could then recarve Chinese characters on it.

Li Renxiao wanted to see the stele his birth mother had carved, so the Ming soldiers led everyone to the stele forest.

"Hoo ho ho..."

A jumble of friction sounds came from the Forest of Steles. When the Western Xia royal family and members of the imperial clan went over to take a look, they found that the inscriptions on all the stone tablets were being worn away.

Li Renxiao, his face contorted with grief, muttered to himself, "How could it have come to this, how could it have come to this..."

Li Renli said in a low voice, "Destroy history and writing, and there will be no more Great Xia Tanguts. The Liangshan Emperor did the same to the Jurchens of the Jin Dynasty."

It is not destroyed directly.

Before the stone tablet was polished, a rubbing was made and transported to the Luoyang Imperial Palace for safekeeping as a historical document.

These inscriptions all have historical value, recording a certain year, month, event, and person, leaving them for future historians and scholars to study.

Except for preservation as historical and cultural materials, the Western Xia script is not allowed to exist anywhere else.

As groups of monks were escorted away from the temple, Li Renli couldn't help but ask, "How does the Ming Dynasty deal with monks?"

The civil official in charge of escorting the Western Xia nobles said, "Each of Chengtian Temple, Gaotai Temple, and Jietan Temple is only allowed to retain one hundred monks, and all the other monks must return to secular life."

"Each temple is only allowed to retain 800 mu of temple land, and the rest of the land will be given to the soldiers' families, Han immigrants and local farmers."

Li Renxiao couldn't help but say, "This is a great disrespect to the Buddha. You should not do this."

“Keeping the temples and monks can actually help ensure the survival of the Ming Dynasty.”

The civil official laughed and said, "The three major temples in Yinchuan Prefecture have countless monks and temple properties. They have exploited so much of the people's hard-earned money, so why haven't they blessed Western Xia with good weather and abundant harvests? Instead, they have brought Western Xia disasters year after year."

Upon hearing this question, Li Renxiao was speechless and silently lowered his head before turning away.

The next day, the group set off for Luoyang.

They traveled south along the Yellow River by boat and found that the farmland on both banks had been replanted, but was severely short of water due to drought, and even the water level of the Yellow River had dropped significantly.

Chapter 3860 The Way to Govern a Country

The Ming soldiers and laborers who remained in Yinchuan Prefecture, along with their families who were later sent there, and the local Western Xia farmers, were using various methods to obtain water for irrigation.

Many craftsmen are building waterwheels by the river. Some waterwheels are already finished and are being pumped from the Yellow River into the ditches by human power and animal power.

Some of those irrigation canals were already there, while others were newly dug this year.

From time to time, you can see many farmers and herdsmen gathered together to dredge irrigation canals that have been abandoned.

All of these were work-for-relief programs. On one hand, the government carried out large-scale infrastructure construction, and on the other hand, it solved the problem of food. Otherwise, many of these farmers and herdsmen would have starved to death.

“King Shu…” Li Renxiao quickly changed his address and asked, “Brother, why weren’t these irrigation canals dredged before?”

Li Renli replied with shame: "Dredging has been carried out every year, but corrupt officials have profited from it, embezzling government funds and deducting rations from the laborers."

"Because the laborers were abused and starved to death, they rioted and caused trouble, but the matter was eventually dropped."

Upon hearing this, Li Renxiao sighed, "Alas, with such neglect of water conservancy and agricultural administration, how can the Great Xia Dynasty not perish?"

"If I had ascended the throne ten years earlier, I would have restored production and allowed the people to rest."

The Western Xia dynasty is gone; there's no point in saying anything more.

Li Renli consoled himself, "It's better to surrender early; at least it can save countless lives."

"Given the severity of this year's drought, Da Xia is bound to suffer another famine, and countless farmers here will starve to death."

"Now that the Ming Dynasty has arrived, it has organized farmers to build water conservancy projects, which can be considered as providing farmers with food to survive."

They traveled all the way to Lanzhou, crossing the entire Shaanxi province, only to find that Shaanxi was also experiencing drought.

Construction projects were underway everywhere: some were reinforcing city walls, some were repairing river embankments, some were widening official roads, some were digging irrigation canals, and some were excavating deep wells...

After several years of drought, the people of Shaanxi could no longer bear it. Every household had little surplus food, and the government could only absorb the starving people through work relief.

With the help of grain transferred from other regions, the people of Shaanxi were supported to overcome their difficulties, and the infrastructure in Shaanxi was also thoroughly repaired.

Li Renxiao was born and raised in the deep palace. Although he knew what this meant, he only knew it.

Li Renli was shocked by what he saw along the way: "Only China, with its vast territory, can transfer so much grain for disaster relief."

"It's hard to imagine that with such a severe drought in Shaanxi, no one has been found dead by the roadside, and that people are still able to take advantage of the situation to carry out large-scale construction."

Temperatures had already bottomed out during the Little Ice Age, with the average annual temperature at this time being even lower than at the end of the Ming Dynasty.

If we can hold on for a few more years, things will start to recover, and the next hundred years or so will be a period of recovery, which will continue until the mid-Yuan Dynasty in history before declining again.

Floods in the south and droughts in the north, floods in the south and droughts in the north... Every year it's the same: floods in the south and droughts in the north!

Fortunately, since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, it had been developing water conservancy projects in the south. A large amount of farmland was forcibly returned to lakes, and displaced farmers were directly relocated to counties and prefectures that lacked manpower.

Otherwise, I really don't know how I would have gotten through it.

“Brother, look over there!” Li Renxiao pointed to the construction site in the distance.

They were escorted to the forward post station, and Li Renli couldn't help but raise his doubts.

The postmaster explained, "Those four characters were written by the Emperor himself and bestowed upon the Governor-General of Shaanxi for drought relief."

"The official you see on the high platform is the Governor-General of Shaanxi for Drought Relief appointed by His Majesty. He has been stationed in Shaanxi since last year."

Chapter 3861 A Grand Gift from the Concubines

Night fell, but the summer heat lingered.

Li Renxiao stood in the courtyard of the post station, accompanied by two soldiers guarding him.

Before anyone knew it, Li Renli walked over.

Li Renxiao seemed to be talking to himself, or perhaps to Li Renli: "My mother taught me Chinese studies from a young age, and my father also invited great scholars to teach me the classics."

“I thought I had understood those scriptures, but after traveling these past few days, I have truly come to know what it means to be able to rule over a territory of a hundred li.”

Li Renli was also well-versed in Mencius, and recited the original text following his words: "If the king were to implement benevolent governance on the people, reduce punishments, lighten taxes, and encourage deep plowing and weeding..."

Mencius meant that if benevolent governance and light taxes are implemented, the people will be well-fed and clothed, and will understand various principles and virtues.

Even a small country of only a hundred miles could have its able-bodied men, armed with wooden sticks, defeat the heavily armed and fierce armies of Qin and Chu.

Although the states of Qin and Chu were powerful, their constant warfare disrupted agricultural work, preventing the people from properly cultivating the land and supporting their parents.

With parents starving and freezing, and brothers, wives, and children scattered, how could they possibly defeat a well-fed and well-clothed army?

"Your Majesty...my brother is intelligent, but unfortunately he was born at the wrong time." Li Renli couldn't help but sigh.

This wise and benevolent ruler of Western Xia led the dynasty to its most prosperous era.

Now, before he could even implement any reforms, he was escorted to Luoyang as a deposed monarch.

He could only sigh and lament in the small post station, using his own experience of national subjugation to verify the Confucian classics.

The group continued their journey and finally arrived in Chang'an.

An angel, who had been waiting for a long time, came and read out an imperial edict, then took away a large number of female members of the Western Xia royal family and clan.

Those taken away were mainly Li Qianshun's young concubines, as well as dozens of Li Chage's young concubines.

Because of their special status, Zhao Yuan had to decide their whereabouts. They were being taken away to be rewarded to the meritorious soldiers.

High-ranking generals will all receive a share, and Yue Fei will also receive one of Li Qianshun's concubines.

The two empress dowagers were also taken away and will soon be sent to Wangchuan Valley to spend their later years with Wen Huanzhang.

Zhao Yuan didn't care whether the retired emperor accepted it or not; he would just throw it over there.

Old Wen was truly unable to manage, so he decided to have the two empress dowagers serve as maids; otherwise, he really didn't know what to do with them.

Empress Yi Renxiao was not taken away, but all the concubines also left.

He cautiously inquired about his birth mother's whereabouts and learned that Empress Dowager Cao was going to serve the retired emperor of the Ming Dynasty. He felt both angry and ashamed, but also somewhat relieved.

At least, this arrangement did not humiliate the Western Xia royal family too much, and it can be considered the best outcome for Empress Dowager Cao.

The night before leaving Chang'an, Li Renxiao cried his heart out in bed.

……

When the Western Xia royal family and clan members were escorted to Luoyang, the procession had been reduced by more than half.

The majority of those who left were women.

For example, Li Renxiao, the last emperor of a fallen kingdom, did not bring any of his concubines to the capital except for Empress Wang. Instead, they were scattered and given to meritorious generals.

Zhao Yuan didn't want any of them; he already had enough women, and there was no need to add more to his harem and increase his expenses.

Throughout history, emperors have often taken concubines from fallen kingdoms into the palace, with lust or the desire for control being only minor factors.

This was largely to appease the local powerful families, since many of the empresses and concubines were daughters of prominent families.

Chapter 3862 The Humiliating Emperor of Western Xia

Does Zhao Yuan need to appease the aristocratic families of Western Xia?

If emperors of past dynasties did not take concubines who had fallen from their kingdoms as wives, their primary method of dealing with them was to force them to become nuns.

Becoming a Taoist nun or a Buddhist nun is acceptable; the rest of one's life is spent under house arrest in temples and monasteries.

Zhao Yuan didn't like having women become nuns, so he simply gave them all away as rewards to his soldiers.

"Is this Luoyang?" Li Renxiao gazed at the majestic city walls.

Li Renli said, "I have been sent as an envoy to the Ming Dynasty several times, always to Kaifeng. Today is the first time I have returned to Luoyang."

They disembarked outside the city, and before they even reached the city gate, the news spread quickly, and many people came to point and watch the spectacle.

Li Renxiao was used to being watched all the way from Lanzhou.

In every city they visited, the locals treated them like monkeys.

At first I felt humiliated, but gradually I became numb.

They were all housed in large mansions within the city.

It was a newly renovated garden, waiting to be bestowed upon Zhu Chun, the Prince of Wu, who was about to come of age.

On the day they moved in, they were all placed under house arrest and not allowed to leave.

The next day, upon hearing someone shout "The Crown Prince has arrived," everyone was so frightened that they rushed out to kneel and greet him.

Crown Prince Zhao Yang, who would be twenty years old in two months, said to the Western Xia royal family and clan members kneeling before him, "Rise, everyone, let's go inside and talk."

The crowd expressed their gratitude and respectfully welcomed the Crown Prince inside.

Zhao Yang sat down in the main seat of the hall, briefly introduced himself to the people present, and said to Li Renxiao, "The Emperor is giving you two choices."

"First, he can live a leisurely life as a county magistrate, but his rank will be reduced to that of a viscount, and his descendants will be barred from taking the imperial examinations and becoming officials."

"Secondly, by giving up the title of nobility in the Ming Dynasty, your descendants will be able to take the imperial examinations, including yourself."

"Whichever you choose, you will be given a house in Kaifeng and some fertile land in the suburbs of Kaifeng."

Everyone was stunned when they heard this.

I've never seen a way to treat a deposed monarch like this. Under normal circumstances, shouldn't they just grant him a title, a house, and land?

Those who are lucky live a life of leisure and wealth, while those who are unlucky die of illness after a few years.

Li Renxiao quickly looked at Li Renli.

Li Renzhong, who committed suicide by hitting his head against a pillar, is dead. The old man was already in poor health; even if he hadn't hit the pillar, he wouldn't have lived for more than a few years.

His act of crashing into the enemy, ironically, made him a loyal martyr and a model of patriotism, revered by Confucianism.

Under strong advice from many ministers, Zhao Yuan had no choice but to make a show of it and give Li Renzhong's family extra preferential treatment.

Li Renzhong's eldest son and eldest son by a concubine came to Luoyang with their families and were given official positions in the Hanlin Academy to assist in compiling the history of Western Xia.

The second son remained in Yinchuan Prefecture, retaining a family residence, a shop, and hundreds of acres of land in the suburbs, and served as an official under the Ningxia Governor-General's Office.