Chapter 78

In Nanxiong, the only gain was buying a large bag of local specialty apricots, which, after being salted and dried, made for a decent snack. Several women spent the whole day munching on them.

"I've heard that the people in the southern mountains are known for their hard work and skill in climbing and crossing."

After passing Shixing County, I looked at the porters and laborers ahead, carrying bags and baskets, trekking on the mountain paths. Their skin was rough and black, their joints large, and they looked lean and strong. I couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"But they are actually... all northerners..."

This was a statement made by Feng Juanqi, with a sense of pride and a strange connotation.

"Northerners?"

I was taken aback for a moment, and then he explained to me.

Of course, these "northerners" are not truly from the north, but rather refer to refugees from the vast areas within or north of the Lingnan region, who make up a significant portion of the population in the Southern Dynasty.

Mainly consisting of farmers who have lost their homes and bankrupted citizens, they have no special skills, so upon arriving in Lingnan, they can only take on the dirtiest, hardest, and most tiring jobs at the bottom of society, selling their labor at extremely low prices to start over.

Or they might sell themselves as tenant farmers or serfs to wealthy households, but they still face competition from the plantation economy dominated by serfs in the territories of the vassal states.

Therefore, it is difficult for them to improve their treatment or compete for limited opportunities for advancement with the locals. Apart from enlisting in the military or engaging in overseas expansion with high mortality rates, most people can only remain at the bottom of society for a long time.

Over time, a unique social group has formed outside the traditional local residents, vassal-born Tang people, naturalized people and their descendants, and new and old vassal serfs of the Southern Dynasty—these "northerners."

Although the size of this group has fluctuated over the generations, it has continued to exist due to the constant influx of new southern migrants.

At the beginning of the Southern Dynasty, these southern migrants played a significant role in the initial expansion of the nine maritime and land routes, with countless people buried in foreign lands, shedding blood and sweat in the struggle against the wilderness, snakes, and diseases.

With simple tools and the most basic living conditions, they cleared the way, turning uninhabitable mountains and marshes into bustling villages and towns, and with artificial canals and ditches, they fragmented the vast southern wilderness, where wild beasts and snakes roamed.

From the traditional Annam Protectorate to the subsequently incorporated Lin Yi, Shui Zhen La, the Kingdom of Women, Wen Dan, and Zhu Nian, their footprints and figures can be found throughout the entire Indochinese Peninsula to the Bengal Bay adjacent to South India, turning the former southern wilderness dominated by the Pyu Kingdom (the predecessor of ancient Myanmar) into a purely inland vassal state.

On the other hand,

Due to the continuous influx of a large population from the north, which brought prosperity and cultural richness to various industries, it also caused various social problems in the hinterland of the Southern Dynasty outside the Lingnan region, leading to unemployment and bankruptcy. Therefore, later on, various restrictions and selection measures were implemented for northern migrants.

For example, some were accepted based on their property, and some based on their education and cultural level. There were also a certain number of lottery selections, mainly targeting able-bodied men and young women, while others had to rely on fate.

Therefore, the remaining southern migrants mostly gathered in the control area of the Five Routes Recruitment Office, and in the troops and garrison systems of the Five Routes Recruitment Office, these northern migrants also made up a significant proportion.

Well, after hearing this, I felt somewhat uncomfortable, not only because I had been in the north for a long time and had somewhat forgotten the identity and habits of the Southern Dynasty, but also because it reminded me of the high and cold investment immigration policies and green card cannon fodder of a later era, giving me a sense of déjà vu.

Feng Juanqi also realized that I was nominally a northern migrant in the Southern Dynasty, but with the official position from the Southeast Recruitment Office and the basic rank, I was no longer within the traditional four classes of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, and his expression became somewhat awkward.

"Do you think it's still necessary to care about the difference between northerners and southerners?"

I brushed it off without much concern.

"After passing through the Nanxiong Pass, it's the heartland of our Great Liang."

After returning to Lingnan, he seemed more spirited and talkative.

"The national name of our dynasty, Great Liang, is named after the surname of Liang Gong from hundreds of years ago, to honor and commemorate him."

"In fact, the current emperor and the ruling figures of the幕府 (mufu, meaning 'tent government' or 'shogunate') are all descendants of Liang Gong, just from different branches of the family."

As he said this, some memories began to resurface in my mind. As the eldest son of the Eight-Leaf Clan, I had some knowledge of the origins and aftermath of the Southern Dynasty, and had come across some anecdotes that circulated only in small circles.

The origins of the Southern Dynasty can be traced back to the Yiwei Rebellion, and the roots of the Yiwei Rebellion were already laid in the peaceful and harmonious conclusion of the relationship between the emperor and his ministers after Liang Gong's retirement, which brought a sigh of relief to the nation.

He left behind a massive entity called the Longwu System, which continued to dominate and permeate the political life of the Tang Dynasty. This was a powerful military group that he developed from a ragtag army formed by gathering scattered troops during Emperor Xuanzong's westward flight.

Since the founding of the Liang family in the capital, the only ancestor Rongruo, who established his own government and held the position of Grand Chancellor and Chief of the Secretariat, produced several outstanding figures among his descendants.

As the spiritual leader of the overseas vassals and the leading family of the already enormous Longwu Army, the Liang family suppressed several generations of emperors and intentionally or unintentionally influenced the succession of the throne.

Because of the excellent resources left by their ancestors, there were always some talented and restless descendants who were then entangled and bound by various interest groups, becoming powerful ministers who encroached on imperial authority.

However, everything has its peak and decline. The Liang family's dominance in the court was not invincible, and the cyclical rise and fall of the dynasty also accumulated enough enemies and opponents for them. As the ruling power, they easily became the primary target of various hatreds.

As a result, during the Yiwei period, due to the sudden death of the young and vigorous Emperor Wenzong from taking elixirs, a sudden power struggle and compromise led to the emergence of a mid-adolescent or mad emperor who believed that by eliminating the Liang family, which controlled the court, he could rely on the resources of the capital to revive the dynasty.

Because he did not trust most of the armies in the capital, he secretly conspired with Zhang Xun, one of the Secretaries, to bring in external forces to massacre the entire Liang family, which resulted in the complete collapse of the court's authority and order.

Not only did the capital army fall into chaos and internal strife, but also the external armies from Shandong, Shanxi, Longyou, Hexi, Beiyuan, Yunzhong, and Jiannan, due to their ties to the Longwu System, felt a sense of loss and raised the banner of clearing the court, advancing on Chang'an.

Until the overseas vassal armies, led by the Lingnan vassals, entered the fray under the banner of clearing the court, the chaotic situation of external armies taking turns to enter the capital was finally brought to an end. The emperor fled to the northwest, relying on the border armies and the vassal system to counterattack.

One side supported the emperor, while the other wanted to eliminate the traitors, both claiming to be the legitimate successors of the Longwu Army. This is historically known as the Longwu War or the Eastern Army and Western Party War.

With the extermination of the Liang family in the capital as the trigger, the vassals of the South China Sea, in conflict with the central dynasty, formed a coalition to seek revenge, while the vassals and vassal states from the northern grasslands and the northwest continued to support the legitimacy of the Li Tang dynasty. In the seesaw battle, the fertile Guannei region was turned into a wasteland.

After the overseas vassal coalition captured Chang'an, they looted and then disbanded, and the disbanded coalition occupied various territories along the coast and south of the Huai River, engaging in a long proxy war.

To put it another way, the establishment of the Southern Dynasty was due to the years of operation and foundation. The Liang family in the capital did not completely perish, and some male members managed to escape.

As the largest power and the nominal leader of the overseas vassals, the current head of the Liang family in the South China Sea made a surprising decision. He declined the various invitations and tributes, and supported and enthroned the sole surviving male member of the Liang family in the capital, who was enthroned as the new emperor in Guangzhou, with the national name of Great Liang, in the first year of Yongjia, known as the Zhengding Dynasty, the Southern Dynasty, the Southern Liang, or the Lingnan Liang.

Then, a coalition army was formed to swear a northern expedition.

The Zhengding Emperor, the sole surviving male member of the Liang family in the capital, after the Yiwei Rebellion, arrived in the Lingnan region, which was already under the control of the South China Sea Governorate.

Naturally, he became the leader of the coalition of vassals for the northern expedition. Relying on his personal strength, he managed to unite a coalition of vassals with varying levels of loyalty and diverse interests, winning their hearts and forming his own core group, establishing the famous Imperial Dragon Guard and the Grand Headquarters of the Supreme Commander of the Army, which functioned like a small court.

According to the standard official textbook of the Vassal Affairs Office,

This military action known as the Yongkang Northern Expedition severely weakened the corrupt Tang dynasty, advancing almost invincibly. The coalition army had already occupied the western capital Chang'an, and the military towns along the way had submitted and offered hostages, almost ready to change the era name. However, as the largest supporter of the northern expedition, the Liang family in the South China Sea began to show signs of disharmony, with supplies and reinforcements becoming insufficient.

The coalition army was increasingly divided on the next steps, with some advocating further westward advance, some advocating local development, some advocating northward border consolidation, and some advocating eastward recovery of the Central Plains. The tens of thousands of vassal armies from the South China Sea showed signs of division due to their own interests and positions.

The situation further deteriorated as dissatisfaction with the distribution of expected benefits and territories led to the unchecked burning and looting by their subordinates, causing a loss of popular support. The military and civilians, who had initially hoped for a new era, became disillusioned, and the Zhengding Emperor could only symbolically punish the relevant military leaders.

The Zhengding Emperor, who had been maintaining the unity of the coalition, suddenly died in the army, causing chaos and mutual suspicion among the coalition, leading to endless accusations and attacks.

After a month of chaos, when the vanguard of the northwest loyalist army entered Guannei, they faced a coalition army that was already severely weakened, with many soldiers sick and injured, and many vassals' troops looting and burning out of frustration.

Without a leader and lacking unity, the coalition had no interest in consolidating their existing territories and power, and had to act on their own, leading to the betrayal of the military towns and cities along the way.

In the face of pursuit and interception, the large-scale retreat known as the Wuxi Disaster turned into a terrifying death march. Over the thousand-mile journey from Guannei to Jinghu, only a few families managed to return to Lingnan in an organized manner.

The coalition army, which was said to have 200,000 troops, had been reduced to less than a third of its original strength.

This惨败 (cánbài, meaning 'terrible defeat') had another consequence: the vassals of the South China Sea, who had lost a generation of their children, were extremely reluctant to talk about it. Although there were calls for another northern expedition, few responded.

On the other hand, due to the painful lessons of deep inland operations, they preferred to operate in areas they were familiar with, near the coast and river transport, and to achieve their goals and interests by controlling and supporting local regional forces.

Although the first to abandon the coalition and retreat, the military leaders of the Liang family in the South China Sea were officially punished, the damage to the Liang family's influence and prestige was immeasurable.

When they raised the army again to resist the invasion of the vassal states outside the Lingnan region, only some smaller vassals and lords who were closely tied to the Liang family or politically and economically dependent on them had to make a show of support.

The head of the family who supported the northern expedition, Liang Yuanping, died in depression, and intense power struggles broke out within the Liang family. There were also rumors that this was the price of betraying the Zhengding Emperor.

The new capital, Guangzhou, was in a state of panic, with wealthy and powerful families competing to board ships and flee to the opposite shore or even to the distant vassal of Annam. Some suggested moving the capital to the heartland of the Liang family's stronghold in Qiongzhou.

However, the Liang family, being the largest vassal in the South China Sea, with a long history and a steady stream of talented individuals, did not remain in chaos for long. The division was quelled by a branch from Annam.

The successor, the first-generation shogun and pillar of the state, Liang Chengye, was indeed a remarkable figure. Not only did he stabilize the basic situation in the Lingnan region, but he also personally led a new army to push the front line to the regions of Minzhong, Jiangxi, Jinghu, and Bashu.

Although he soon lost these territories, he secured the Lingnan region, and the vassal states outside the Lingnan region were no longer troubled by war. Over time, through gradual infiltration and attacks, the current Five Routes Recruitment Office was established.

Of course, there are also conspiracy theories that the final failure of the Yongjia Northern Expedition was a result of the first-generation shogun Liang Chengye's use of a proxy to eliminate the radicals within the family and severely weaken the power and resources of the vassal states, forcing them to submit and hand over the three powers of military affairs, finance, and law, becoming a part of the relatively stable shogunate system.

This conspiracy theory was once very popular and became the origin of many opposition forces in history, such as the centralized autocratic Guanghua Party, the feudal restoration Reform Party, and the controlling Zhengding Association.

The Lingnan court, rebuilt with the Liang family of the South China Sea as the main force, to commemorate the Zhengding Emperor who led the northern expedition, enthroned his posthumous son as the new emperor, establishing a system of a nominal emperor and a shogunate regency, which has continued for eleven generations and over a hundred years.

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