Chapter 52

After passing through the water gate, the old canal's banks were shrouded in mist and reflected in the water, the vast and endless expanse of water and scenery suddenly opened up, and we entered the true Yangtze River waters.

This was different from the vast, calm waves of a large lake or the unpredictable nature of the near sea. It contained the spiritual totem and will symbol of human prosperity and reproduction since ancient times, a boundless flow that, with the rumbling sound of the water and the wind, seemed to carry countless trembling souls, rushing eastward from then on.

"The great river comes from among the mountains, the mountain's momentum all flows east with the river."

I stood at the bow of the ship and recited these lines of poetry softly.

The swaying ship followed the turbulent waves along the river, passing through a willow forest that was clearly neglected and haphazardly cut, growing in a twisted and contorted manner with a strong sense of artistic form. Then we saw the so-called Yangzhou city, or Guangling Prefecture.

Is this the famous Yangzhou city? Although I had some mental preparation, I still felt a great disappointment. What I saw was a huge ruin, and the residents living on the ruins generally had a sickly appearance.

Could this be the Yangzhou of "Twenty-four Bridges under the Moonlight, where the jade person teaches the flute," "The moonlight of the world is divided into three parts, two of which are shamelessly in Yangzhou," "Ten miles of spring breeze in Yangzhou, the pearl curtains rolled up are not as good," "Ten years of a dream in Yangzhou, winning the reputation of being unfaithful in the pleasure quarters," the first place of the southeast's most famous scenic spots and pleasure quarters?

Could this be the Yangzhou of "Old friends bid farewell to the Yellow Crane Tower, in the misty March they go to Yangzhou," known as "a step a scene, the boat and horse cannot bear to look" amidst the fallen flowers?

Could this be the Yangzhou of "With ten thousand strings of cash, ride a crane to Yangzhou," the gold sink of Yangzhou; the Yangzhou of "Half of the world's wealth is in the southeast, and all the wealth of the southeast is in Yangzhou," the richest place; the Yangzhou of "Life is only fitting to die in Yangzhou, looking at the country from the Moon Bridge," the Yangzhou that lingers in the dreams of countless literati and scholars?

After the huge reality gap between the shattered dreams and expectations, we still disembarked. When we stepped onto the land, many people seemed to sigh in relief, as if they had put down some burden and accumulated worries and concerns.

The locals had already prepared enough carriages and other means of transportation. Our journey together had ended, or perhaps a new journey was just beginning.

I also began to bid farewell to the people who were somewhat reluctant to part. The friendships formed along the way made almost everyone come to see me off, except for someone who seemed to have been overstimulated last night and was somewhat broken.

As a farewell, some polite words were necessary.

"The journey is over... let's part here."

I waved my hand.

"The next meeting can only be left to fate..."

Tenth Lady, still pale, was supported by someone and still had a touch of charm.

"This is a small gift..."

She had someone bring out a name card, similar to the one from Liu Dongzhu, but more exquisite, with several large-denomination banknotes inside, all at least three digits.

"Mr. Xia..."

"Then I will sing a song as a farewell... as a keepsake..."

"Rolling Yangtze River flows east, waves wash away heroes."

Then I stood at the bow of the ship, raised my head, and sang a song, drawing the attention of the people on the surrounding boats, who looked up in admiration.

"Right and wrong, success and failure, turn to emptiness, the green mountains remain, the sunset turns red. White-haired fishermen and woodcutters on the riverbank, accustomed to the autumn moon and spring breeze. A pot of turbid wine, happy to meet, ancient and modern events, all become laughing matters."

The song of the Yangtze River, although already created by a predecessor, could still be sung as the theme song of the old version of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the "Ling Jiang Xian" by the talented Yang Shen, to show a sense of沧桑 (cang桑) and depth.

"Just this song as a farewell... is enough."

Thus, Tenth Lady was also moved.

"If it weren't for meeting in this chaotic world, it would surely be a story passed down for a time."

"Although I can't tell you more, please don't forget my name, it's... Shishi."

She suddenly pushed away the attendant, leaned close to my ear, and said this, then turned and walked away without hesitation.

"I'm looking forward to the next meeting even more..."

"Let's talk about it when we have time..."

I waved my hand, led the head-hugging person onto a small boat that had been summoned.

A short while later, our light boat slowly approached the embankment covered with water plants and moss, marking the entry into the area of Yangzhou city.

The magnificent city walls, "streets lined with a thousand willows, the glow of the sunset reflecting on the two cities," no longer existed. It was said that they were destroyed by the official army after breaking the city, and the坊 (fang) districts mostly disappeared in the ruins, which were the work of the loyal and core followers of the Dachun Brightness Religion who fought to the death.

They chanted "Only my bright heart, reborn in the Pure Land" and died together with the official army in the flames and smoke. It was said that because the dead were too numerous to be collected, the old city was destroyed and covered with fields, and then rebuilt with new homes.

Therefore, the Yangzhou I saw now was just a general area name, not a city name. Most of the ruins were rebuilt into villages and towns, dividing the old site of Yangzhou city into pieces, almost unrecognizable.

Only the water gate and the canal dock continued to function, as they could reach the sea, making this place one of the few semi-public transshipment and distribution points for the maritime vassals in the inland.

As the largest collection and distribution port and industrial center in the southeast, at its peak, it had over a hundred guilds and merchant groups. Therefore, it was the region most penetrated and influenced by the maritime vassals.

As a symbol of the inability to recover after the collapse, the Huainan Governor and the four envoys and three commissions established since the Taixing reforms were no longer in Yangzhou city but in nearby Jiangyang, Yangzi, and even hundreds of miles away in Hailing city.

After seeing the tragic state of Yangzhou city, the research on this period of history, which I remembered, as the great turmoil that overturned half the world and severely damaged the authority of the court after the brief revival of Emperor Chongming, all came to mind.

The so-called Dachun Brightness Religion, named for its fundamental doctrine, the "Dachun Brightness Sutra," which was a mix of various local and foreign beliefs, was named as such.

The rise and growth of the Dachun Brightness Religion were also studied and verified by specialists in the two academies of Luoyang, as a historical reference. The most common theory I heard was:

The so-called religious movement that rose in one corner and swept half the world was pushed and influenced by the maritime vassals, who had tense relations with the court, at least they were deliberately indulged and allowed to grow.

At least, the large amount of weapons and supplies obtained by the Dachun Brightness Religion in its early stages had no clear source, which was suspicious.

At the time, the conflict between the sea and land had escalated, and the maritime vassals tried to disrupt the court's financial and tax base to strike at their competitors and gain more influence and control in economic and political affairs. After all, the input of resources from the maritime vassals had become a major source of the court's operation.

However, even the manipulators behind the scenes lost control of the situation, and the ordinary people who were swept up in the rebellion could no longer distinguish between the maritime vassals and the local landowners, leading to indiscriminate massacres. This prompted the maritime vassals, who had always been in opposition to the country, to actively send troops to suppress the rebellion from both inside and outside.

From the perspective of the Southern Dynasty where I came from, it was a completely different view, more inclined towards a continental conspiracy theory:

That is, there were people in the court's central government who planned and promoted the religious movement to exclude and eliminate the maritime vassals' capital and influence that had gradually dominated the southeast's financial and tax base and were thriving. Otherwise, it would be difficult to explain the Dachun Brightness Religion's thorough and comprehensive infiltration of the local government.

As a once officially recognized local association, it even spread to the maritime vassals, causing many disturbances and turmoil.

From my predecessor's perspective, the rise of the Dachun Brightness Religion was more related to the background of the times, and the fundamental reason might be:

The industrial and commercial capital from the overseas vassal plantations and the traditional handicraft guilds based on the inland large landowner estates were in fierce competition for influence in the traditional political and economic fields, a concrete manifestation of this competition.

The founder of the Dachun Brightness Religion seized the opportunity of this great era and rose to become a target of widespread shock and condemnation.

The rumors about the remnants of the Dachun Brightness Religion were due to:

The first leader, Jing Keshou, the so-called "Heavenly Peace Free King," whose body was not found in the city's flames, and the later "Three Corpses Case" where various official armies claimed credit for his capture.

After the city was broken, the various official army units handed over three bodies claimed to be the "leader" Jing Keshou to the court's envoy, the provincial inspector, and the southeast inspector, each with a group of former followers who solemnly identified and proved their authenticity.

Therefore, there are still reports of the Dachun Brightness Religion's remnants, and the rumors that these remnants believe and spread the idea that Jing Keshou did not truly die but was taken to the Pure Land by a heavenly messenger and will one day return to rebuild the earthly paradise.

After landing,

As compensation for the loss of transportation, they gave me a black Huai horse to carry my luggage and serve as a mount. This horse, small in stature but with large hooves, was a common breed among the southern horses, with the only advantage being its ability to eat a variety of foods, endure long journeys, and adapt well to the watery regions.

Thus, Red Tiger IV was born.

"Why is it called Red Tiger again..."

The head-hugging person on the horse, hugging me from behind, whispered, clearly troubled by this question for a long time.

"Because it's a special name..."

I answered without hesitation.

"From a great omen, with various incredible powers and effects..."

"Allegedly capable of reversing black and white, confusing ancient and modern, creating truth, turning the ugly into the beautiful, the shameless into the noble, the ignorant into the learned..."

"Even the common knowledge of history and the universe must be distorted or followed."

"Therefore, it is said that using it on a journey can turn misfortune into good fortune, seek benefits and avoid harm, and even substitute for danger when necessary."

In another place, a group of people who had entered a temporary residence in a manor began to prepare and arrange something.

"Do you regret letting him go, madam..."

The young steward suddenly asked.

"Why do you say that..."

Tenth Lady responded calmly.

"If you had the intention, there were other ways to keep him..."

The young steward's tone changed and continued.

"Or perhaps you couldn't bear to involve him..."

"Have you ever thought that he is the kind of person who would easily be coerced or threatened..."

Tenth Lady looked at him coldly.

"Or that forcing a resentful and talented person to serve us would have what kind of consequences for our affairs..."

"Our affairs must proceed as planned, and the last thing we need is variables."

"That's not to say there are no other ways..."

The young steward said.

"At least his skills are very useful to us..."

"Enough, don't say more..."

"We've finally arrived here, quickly contact the others and regroup..."

"Yes..."

"At least... we've left a hint and a connection..."

She glanced at the attendant Nian Nu, who had not yet fully recovered from her emotional and mental state. Since being assigned to serve that man, she had fallen into a state of hysteria and self-isolation.