Unforgivable Forty-Three (Part 2)

  Unforgivable, not the theme song of "Return to Village", but really unforgivable. Suning is really unforgivable for those aliens with hands full of Han people's blood, unforgivable for their actions, unforgivable for that so-called great fusion of nations that contains endless blood and tears of Han families! Just five words, and the deaths of tens of millions of Han families are glossed over? Such a spring and autumn writing style is really appropriate!

  "Unforgivable?" Kong Yingda asked in extreme puzzlement; towards Su Ning's sudden change, towards his own filial piety, with words extremely respectful and full of emotion, Kong Yingda was very pleased, thinking that this child still had a chance, just about to help him out, pull him out from the bottomless abyss, but suddenly heard such a reason, unforgivable? Unforgivable who?

  Everyone's head is filled with question marks.

  Li Er asked with increasing interest: "Su Ai, what can't be forgiven? What is it that can't be forgiven?"

  Su Ning took a deep breath, and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, the demise of the Two Songs, the demise of the Ming Dynasty, all these scenes kept appearing in Su Ning's mind. When the old man told him about this unbearable history, the tears he had shed, the sighs he had let out, the hatred that had been generated, all surged up to his heart, and his heart was filled with a mixture of five flavors, painful and unbearable.

  "I am unable to forgive the foreign tribes for taking advantage of my country's decline and invading us time and again, I am unable to forgive how our repeated leniency was taken as an opportunity by them to rise again, I am unable to forgive the devastation they left behind every time they came and went, I am unable to forgive their despicable conduct that is worse than pigs and dogs!"

  As early as the time of Confucius, the Zhou Dynasty was once pushed to the brink of destruction by the Quanrong tribe, and the Western Capital Chang'an fell. King Ping moved the capital to Luoyang, barely passing through the crisis. However, that year, countless Chinese sons and daughters were humiliated by the barbarians in the place where we now stand, with blood and tears all over their bodies. Their corpses, their blood, are right under our feet!

  In the Spring and Autumn period, taking advantage of the internal divisions within China, the Xiongnu rose to power and once led the barbarian tribes to invade the interior of China, committing atrocities such as burning, killing, looting, and plundering. The Five Hegemons formed an alliance, gathering the strength of various states to jointly resist the barbarian invasion. In the end, the barbarians were repelled, but in that year, amidst the ruins of the Central Plains, who cared about the heavy casualties, the suffering, and the displacement of the people?

  The Great Qin was established, and the Qin Emperor's heroic talent and broad vision sent Meng Tian to lead an army of 300,000, using arrow arrays and flying cavalry to greatly defeat the Xiongnu in the Hexi Corridor. He originally wanted to make a surprise attack into the northern deserts, thoroughly resolving the Xiongnu threat. However, domestically there was unrest, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang rebelled, and Liu Bang and Xiang Yu closely followed after them. The Great Qin perished, and the Xiongnu obtained an opportunity to catch their breath. Therefore, in the early years of the Han Dynasty, for several decades they were strong and insulted the Han Dynasty, even causing a lingering resentment. Although the Xiongnu ultimately left, that year the city of Yanmen was breached, from the governor downwards, not one person survived in the entire prefecture. The Xiongnu marched south along the way, wherever they went, no chickens or dogs were left! Corpses piled up like mountains! Blood flowed like rivers!

  Emperor Wu of Han was a man of great talent and vision, with Wei Qing and Huo Qubing being the most outstanding generals of their time. They led the sons of the Han family to defeat the Xiongnu, forcing the Chanyu to flee in the middle of the night. Emperor Wu overcame opposition from his officials and launched a decisive campaign against the Xiongnu in the north, completely eliminating the threat they posed and driving them back three thousand miles! From then on, there was no more trouble with the Xiongnu, but that year, the empire was exhausted, the population had decreased by half, and the national strength of the Han dynasty, accumulated over several decades, was depleted. Emperor Wu was forced to issue a decree acknowledging his mistakes and taking responsibility for them. The most glorious victory came at the cost of the lives of half of the sons of the Han family!

  At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the three kingdoms were divided, and the war was endless. For many years, there were natural disasters and man-made disasters, warlords were carved up, cruel and inhumane, and the people had no way to survive. Before the Taiping Taoist uprising, the population was 50 million, but by the time of the Wei destruction of Shu Han, less than a hundred years later, the population had decreased by 90%! After Jin destroyed Wu, the population was only around 10 million, and on the eve of the Eight Kings Rebellion, the population was still less than 20 million. The vitality of the Han family was exhausted, but the alien tribes were able to move inland, such as Guanzhong, Shandong, and Hebei, obtaining a good living environment and developing! The population of the Five Hu even exceeded that of the Han people!

  Can the kindness of the Jin people make the Hu people cherish old favors? No, taking advantage of the chaos of the Eight Kings, the five Hu rose up and brewed into a tragic drama of the Five Hu's invasion of China! The Hu people have never been grateful for the kindness they received, so after the Jin court moved south, the population of Jiangbei Han was almost wiped out, with only half of the 20 million people remaining. It was another tragic drama of piled-up corpses and rivers of blood. From then on, the north and south were at odds, with half of China's territory occupied by the Hu people for hundreds of years, until the previous dynasty's Emperor Wen unified the country. But in that year, where was the pure land?

  Your Majesty, Mr. Kong, since last summer, the Han people have been facing threats from the northern barbarians at all times, but we often adopt a defensive attitude towards them, talking about the grand words of "not offending me and I not offending you", but ignoring their series of looting behaviors, and even some people think that if he wants to loot, let him loot, anyway, it won't reach my head, what kind of mentality is this? What kind of person is this?

  The Huns are as ferocious as wolves, yet as cunning as foxes. I have wrestled with mountain wolves; they are ferocious but also know how to gauge the situation, when to strike decisively and when to lie in wait. In this respect, they are just like wolves. But they are also very much like foxes: knowing when to show a submissive posture and when to show an opposing one - cunning!

  "When the Central Plains dynasty was strong, they submitted and showed a soft attitude. When the Central Plains dynasty fell into decline, they would rise up together and not mention any past favors. For them, there is no past favor! For thousands of years, the Han people who died at the hands of the Hu people, their blood can dye every inch of the land of the Great Tang red, their corpses lined up in an area that is another territory of the Great Tang. Your Majesty, Mr. Kong, should I forgive them? Should we forgive them?"

  Li's breathing suddenly became rapid, Kong Yingda's eyes became dull, the civil officials were basically all stunned, the military generals almost all had red eyes, and some even had tears streaming down their faces, with clenched fists and gritted teeth. Especially Wei Zheng, whose eyes were wide open like bronze bells, looking up at the top of the palace, mouth agape, as if roaring in anger, his face covered in a mixture of tears and snot... The court was silent to the point where not a single sound could be heard...

  "However, we should repay resentment with virtue..." Kong Yingda's lips trembled violently as he spoke out a sentence, but before he could finish, he couldn't continue. Su Ning looked at Kong Yingda and said: "Mr. Kong, this sentence was taken out of context by later generations. You wouldn't not understand the origin of this sentence, would you? The Master said, 'Repay resentment with virtue, how do we repay virtue? Repay virtue with virtue, and repay resentment with straightforwardness.' Who only says 'repay resentment with virtue' and abandons the three sentences that follow?"

  "What's more, the barbarians have never understood etiquette or benevolence and filial piety. They value strength over age, and in their eyes, old people are not like they are to us - precious treasures worthy of respect. In the Tang Dynasty, elderly people are revered as auspicious symbols of longevity. But on the steppes, they're just a burden, trash! Whenever disaster strikes, the barbarians systematically slaughter the weak, the sick, and the disabled, sparing not even their own kin! Mr. Kong, do you still want to speak up for them?"

  Li Er's eyes sparkled with sharp light, while Kong Yingda was pale and trembling all over, stumbling and staggering, on the verge of falling. Sun Ning hastily stepped forward to support Kong Yingda, who closed his eyes, reopened them, gently pushed away Sun Ning's body, and bowed to Li Er: "Your Majesty, your old minister is unwell, please permit your old minister to take leave first."

  "The Emperor took a deep breath: 'You are old, and your body needs careful nursing. Today, I permit you to leave first. I will ask the imperial physician to go and treat you. Come, escort Mr. Kong back to his residence!'"

  Kong Yingda bowed again and was escorted by two soldiers from the upper hall, step by step, down from the imperial court...

  This is something that has never happened since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, but the courtiers did not think it was bad because they themselves were also infected with that strong hatred. The wronged souls of tens of millions of Han people floated above their heads. If this hatred was not resolved for a day, it would accumulate and deepen, and the final result would inevitably be devastating.

  Emperor Li II watched as Kong Yingda's lonely figure disappeared into the distance, but his heart was filled with uncontrollable excitement and joy, mixed with a hint of hesitation. He longed to have a private conversation with Su Ning, for there were things that couldn't be discussed in court. The words Su Ning had spoken today had far exceeded his expectations. Emperor Li II made a silent vow: if he couldn't utilize Su Ning's talents for himself, then he would definitely eliminate him! A talent like this must be kept within the grasp of the Tang Dynasty, and under his own control!

  I was still a bit worried, thinking that the matter might not be easily passed, but now Su Ning's words made me feel extremely dissatisfied with the aliens, let alone those generals? And those officials who advocate for being tough on the outside, and the biggest obstacle is none other than Kong Yingda, the leader of the Confucian scholars. It's hard to deal with him, he can't be beaten or scolded. Kong Yingda still holds the position of Giving Things, if he doesn't agree, this matter won't pass!

  But after Suning's words, Kong Yingda left, the biggest obstacle no longer exists, a rare opportunity that needs to be seized!

  Emperor Li II spoke up: "Su Ai's words, I highly agree with. In the past, we monarchs and ministers have never counted one by one the events of over a thousand years, nor did we ever think that the northern barbarians would be so cruel and inhumane, so devoid of conscience! Nor did we ever think that our Huaxia people suffered such great hardships and endured such great crimes at the hands of these alien tribes!"

  The previous dynasties have perished, but their lessons we must pay attention to! I think that in order for our great Tang dynasty not to repeat the mistakes of the previous Jin dynasty, we need to make some changes. We cannot treat the northern barbarians with the same kindness as before, and we should also have corresponding precautions and punitive measures. The other day, I received a memorial that proposed an idea called labor reform. After careful consideration, I think it is beneficial to both the country and the people, with no drawbacks. Su Ai, this labor reform was your brainchild, so please explain it to all of you ministers.

  Su Ning understood that this was an opportunity given by Li Er to himself; so Su Ning bowed to Li Er and slowly said, "I obey the order!"

  Afterwards, Su Ning sorted out his thoughts and said: "The so-called labor reform is the change I made based on my teacher's words; My teacher thinks that in the past dynasties, they were too lenient towards the alien tribes, which led to the alien tribes developing a habit. Once there was a disaster or famine, they would come to the Central Plains to loot and plunder, simply treating the Central Plains as their backyard, an inexhaustible backyard. Therefore, for this situation, my teacher thinks that we should strike back fiercely, no matter what the cost, and make the alien tribes know that those who dare to offend the strong Han will be punished, even if they are far away!"

  In this regard, I am the same as my teacher, but my teacher has a deep hatred for the alien tribe and thinks that they should be exterminated. However, I do not agree with this view. I think that excessive killing is not good, and the alien tribe's brutal killings are unjust. Should we also engage in excessive killings? This would harm the harmony of heaven. Therefore, I believe that all aliens who have abandoned their resistance should be captured and brought back to the Central Plains, organized into units, and closely guarded by appointed personnel to prevent any escape or rioting. If there is any disturbance, they should be killed without hesitation!

  From then on, all the construction of palaces, roads, cities, repair of city defenses, dredging of rivers, excavation of canals, transportation of grain and supplies, etc. that needed to be done by the people of the Tang Dynasty would be done by these captives. They would use their entire lives to serve the Tang Dynasty, to serve the people of the Tang Dynasty, in order to atone for their sins. The Tang Dynasty would not kill the captives, but it would absolutely not pardon these sinful people. The greatest leniency of the Tang Dynasty was to spare their lives, and they would be slaves of the Tang Dynasty for life, slaves of all the people of the Tang Dynasty!

  Once the number of captives owned by Datang reaches the number needed by Datang, Datang can abolish corvée! The people are at peace with production and life, and this will surely become an unprecedented prosperous world! Datang will be the pride of Han's sons, Datang will be supported by the people all over the world, and Datang's rivers and mountains will surely prosper forever!"