ebookland Chapter 490 Unrealistic Fantasies
Chapter 490 Unrealistic Fantasies
To be fair, Tian Yu wasn't particularly greedy for his position, but what kind of people in the capital were coveting it?
Those who are capable and qualified to replace him are all scions of prominent families in the capital!
These scions of powerful families may possess profound knowledge and high moral character, but they are definitely not the best candidates to serve as commanders of the Great Wall Army.
Because the scions of these powerful families often prioritize their own interests, rather than fighting with barbarians...
Don't be ridiculous. The lives of people from these powerful families are incredibly precious. How could they possibly risk their lives to fight against barbarians?
Once these scions of powerful families are placed in these positions, their first thought will definitely not be how to resist the barbarians, but rather to negotiate peace with them, or even... engage in illegal trade with them!
On the grasslands where the barbarians lived, many medicinal herbs and resources were scarce in the Xia Kingdom, so doing business with the barbarians was a very profitable business.
As far as Tian Yu knew, there were many powerful families in the capital who secretly traded with the barbarians, exchanging resources that the barbarians desperately needed, such as grain and tea, for rare medicinal herbs such as python blood grass and python bone grass, thereby obtaining a lot of money!
Furthermore, Tian Yu had even heard some horrifying stories. Some families even traded the population of Xia Kingdom with the barbarians. This behavior was simply outrageous, aiding the enemy, and betraying the Nine Provinces!
How could Tian Yu dare to hand over his position to a member of such a large family who behaves in this way?
If they were put in that position, the barbarian invasion of Youzhou would be a matter of minutes.
They didn't even need barbarian invasions; they would sell the people of Youzhou to the grasslands one by one.
This is why Tian Yu has always been unwilling to give up this position. Born and raised in Youzhou, he has always regarded Youzhou as his hometown, and he absolutely does not want to see the barbarians rampaging on this land.
If he is unwilling to give up this position, Tian Yu will have to bear pressure from two sides: the possibility of a barbarian invasion at any time, and... open and covert attacks from the capital.
With tigers in front and wolves behind, this is the current predicament of the Great Wall Army, and it is also what troubles Tian Yu the most.
In short, let's take it one step at a time.
Tian Yu sighed and said this.
Returning to the capital is impossible. If he does, the court will inevitably order him to lead troops to other prefectures to quell the rebellion. At that time, the Great Wall will be vulnerable, and the barbarians will take advantage of the situation to invade, causing widespread devastation throughout Youzhou.
This is a situation that Tian Yu does not want to see.
"Ok."
Chang Yong sighed softly, walked to stand beside Tian Yu, and together they looked at the vast grasslands beyond the Great Wall: "General, do you think it's possible for us to break through the Great Wall and completely eliminate the barbarian threat in our lifetime?"
Completely eradicating the threat of the barbarians was the wish of the entire Great Wall Army. From the army commander Tian Yu to the ordinary soldiers, not one of them did not wish to completely eradicate the threat of the barbarians, and then retire to their hometowns to reunite with their families.
However, throughout history, the Xia people living in the Nine Provinces rarely managed to reach beyond the Great Wall. They could only rely on the Great Wall to barely defend against the attacks of the barbarians.
"Disaster."
Tian Yu sighed.
Given the strength of the Xia Kingdom, it might actually be able to fight the barbarians, but unfortunately...
Within the Xia Kingdom, there was no one entirely united. From the emperor to powerful clans, nobles, aristocratic landlords, and finally ordinary people, they all held different ideas.
The emperor only cared about pleasure, the powerful clans and noble families only wanted to gain benefits for their own families, and the ordinary people only wanted to live their own lives. Apart from the Great Wall Army and a small number of Youzhou people who had been harmed by the barbarians, no one cared about the threat of the barbarians thousands of miles away.
The idea of "minding one's own business" is common among most people. Even the imperial court, which was well aware of the threat posed by the barbarians, would not consider sending troops beyond the Great Wall to completely eliminate them, because that would be a thankless and arduous task.
The grasslands are vast, much larger than the Nine Provinces, and the barbarians live scattered throughout the grasslands, making it almost impossible to completely eradicate them.
Moreover, even if the barbarians were wiped out, what benefits would the imperial court gain?
Python Blood Grass? Python Bone Grass?
Even without annihilating the barbarians, the powerful families in the capital can still obtain them through trade with the barbarians. In fact, due to their scarcity, they can obtain even higher profits. Why waste time, effort, and resources to annihilate the barbarians?
This is the thinking of the imperial court, or rather, the officials who make up the imperial court.
They would never do something like break through the Great Wall and completely eliminate the threat of barbarians.
They even delayed the payment and supplies for the Great Wall Army as much as possible.
Of course, not all officials are like that...
An elderly figure flashed through Tian Yu's mind; it was the former prime minister of the Xia Kingdom.
He was the only scholar whom Tian Yu truly respected, unlike those officials in the capital who spoke of benevolence and morality but were filled with selfish scheming.
The former prime minister was a man with a heart for the world. Despite his humble origins and the high position he held, he maintained a simple lifestyle and had only one servant at home. During his years in power, he never accepted a single bribe, making him a moral exemplar.
The years when the former prime minister was in office were probably the most comfortable time for the Great Wall Army and the most relaxed time for Tian Yu.
This was because the former prime minister attached great importance to the Great Wall Army, and never skimped on military pay or supplies.
However, a good official like the former prime minister was clearly not tolerated by the nobles in the capital.
If you, as the prime minister who is the head of all officials, are not corrupt, how can we be corrupt?
Thus, with the death of the late emperor and the ascension of the new emperor, the former prime minister was immediately dismissed from his post and disappeared from the sight of the general public.
The people of the capital even suspected that the former prime minister had been secretly murdered by powerful figures in the capital because he had offended too many.
But Tian Yu knew that things were not like that.
The powerful and influential people in the capital did indeed hate the former prime minister to the bone and wished they could kill him as soon as possible. However, the former prime minister's servant was an extremely powerful martial artist who managed to help the outgoing prime minister escape from the capital and disappear into the vast sea of people.
A few days ago, the former prime minister and his servant came to Youzhou and met with Tian Yu. The two had a pleasant conversation and seemed to share the same ideals.
During their conversation, the former prime minister lavishly praised Tian Yu's achievements in resisting the barbarians and stated that he shared the same idea as Tian Yu, both hoping to break through the Great Wall and completely eliminate the threat of the barbarians.
However, during his reign, the country was plagued by numerous problems and urgently needed improvement, so he was unable to provide Tian Yu with support.
Tian Yu expressed his understanding of this.
Having come from humble beginnings, he knew very well that the internal conflicts within the Xia Kingdom were far more troublesome than those of the barbarians beyond the Great Wall, and thus he understood the difficulties faced by the former prime minister.
In fact, Tian Yu was already satisfied as long as the imperial court did not withhold the Great Wall Army's pay.
As for breaking through the Great Wall, that was merely an unrealistic fantasy of Tian Yu and the soldiers of the Great Wall Army...