On July 29th, accompanied by Yuan Ji, Fang Ling and others as well as 200 personal guards, I arrived at the former Mongolian military camp at the foot of Lumen Mountain. After Kublai Khan withdrew his troops, this place became the prison of our army. Concentration camp for prisoners of war. The entire concentration camp is divided into two camps: East and West. Among them, the East camp detains Mongolian and Semu prisoners of war in the Western Regions. The West camp detains Han prisoners of war from the Yuan army.
Entering the camp, under the leadership of the guard general, I went directly to the largest barracks in the Western Camp.
Perhaps it was because my dragon robe was very conspicuous. As soon as I entered, I attracted countless looks. I looked around expressionlessly. Most of these looks were filled with fear and numbness. It was obvious when they saw me. There was an expression of curiosity again.
The northern Han people have experienced more than a hundred years of foreign rule. Although there are many unyielding people like Zhang Shijie and He Quchen, most people's sense of belonging to the Song Dynasty has faded a lot.
Although the barracks is large, there are many prisoners of war inside. It seems very crowded and the smell is extremely unpleasant. These prisoners of war are sitting or lying around. Even when they saw me, the emperor of the Song Dynasty, no one stood up.
The garrison general who accompanied me in shouted angrily: "The emperor is here, and he still doesn't bow down and bow down."
However, it seemed to be of no use. These prisoners of war still did not get up.
I stretched out my hand to stop the general's next move, which was the whip shape. I said calmly: "Do you want to go home?"
"Go home." The eyes of the captives told me that they wanted to go home very much.
Whether it was the Yuan Dynasty or the Song Dynasty, that seems to be the case. But family is always the concern in everyone's heart.
After a moment of silence, a voice finally came from the innermost corner: "I want to go home." Although I couldn't see who was saying it, I could hear it clearly, and I could also hear the words. A person's age is not too old.
"It's not impossible to go home. You just need to answer a few questions I asked." I looked towards the corner where the sound came from and said to the man in a calm voice. "I am Han Chinese. So are you. Come and tell me. .Why do you want to join the Mongolian army and help the foreigners attack us Han people?"
The voice paused for a moment and seemed to think for a while before stammering: "This, this. Your Majesty, I am from a poor family and joined the army just to have a good meal. As for the rest, there is nothing else. Think more."
"Well, I heard it. The person who spoke, stand here. I will let you go home in a while." I pointed to the left side of the door and continued. "Who else wants to go home? ."
Once there is a leader, there will be a second and third one.
"Your Majesty, I also want to go home." The speaker was not far in front of me, so I could see clearly. I saw this person stood up and said, "Your Majesty, although I am a Han, I was born in my mother's womb. When I came out, I only knew that the people in power were all Mongols. There were no other men in my family, so I was forced to join the army. After joining the army, I had to obey the orders of my superiors. It was not up to me whether to fight or with whom to fight. It can be counted."
In 1234 AD, Mongolia was destroyed and all the land in the north was returned to Mongolia. The second speaker was not very old, about twenty years old. His hometown was already under the rule of the Mongols when he was born.
"Okay. You also stand over there."
I didn't know whether it was a blessing or a disaster for the person who just spoke. I couldn't tell any clues from my expression. I walked over bravely and stood with the first person who spoke.
The third person who stood up to speak obviously knew the person just now. He bowed to me and said, "Your Majesty, that brother Li just said it is right. After the child was born, he only knew that he was a Mongolian. He only joined the army. For food and clothing."
I said calmly: "You can also stand over."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Except for the three voices, there was another silence in the barracks.
"Since you are silent, that's it for today. Think about it carefully. I'll come back tomorrow." I paused. "Someone, please change clothes for these three people, let them have a good meal, and give them road signs." You can leave on your own after eating."
The garrison general said "yes" and asked people to take the three people away.
Walking out of the barracks, Fang Ling said: "Brother, do you want to go to Dongying to visit?"
"I'm not going."
When passing through Dongying, Jiang Wanzai asked: "Your Majesty, what should we do with these Mongolian prisoners?"
"The walls of Xiangfan and Xiangfan are seriously damaged. Let them undergo labor reform."
"Reform through labor." Fang Ling said blankly. "What do you mean?"
"Ah. Haha. These Mongolian soldiers can't waste our food in vain," I said with a smile. "Let them do coolies first. We will talk about the rest later."
Jiang Wanzai then asked: "What if the Mongols don't obey?"
I snorted coldly and said, "Kill without mercy."
The next day, I came to Lumen Mountain again. As soon as I arrived in front of the gate, I saw the prisoner of war named Li from yesterday wandering outside the gate.
"Hey. Why hasn't this person left yet?" I said to myself.
Zhang Quan said: "Your Majesty, I will go and ask you now."
"kindness."
After a while, Zhang Quanyi came back and said: "Your Majesty, the man said that he has several fellow villagers who are also locked up inside. He wants to return home with them."
"Really? I know. Don't worry about him. Let's go."
I walked into the same barracks as yesterday. This time all the prisoners of war stood up. One of the prisoners, who looked like a scholar, stepped forward and saluted me: "Your Majesty. The younger one was once a gentleman in a book school. His name is Ruda, thanks to everyone's recommendation, will answer to the emperor as the representative of this room."
"Ruda. Lu Zhishen." I smiled secretly and said, "Then you say it."
"Your Majesty, since the Jin invaded more than a hundred years ago, the ancestors of Xiao et al. were forced to become members of the Jin Kingdom. More than thirty years ago, the Mongols drove away the Jin people. Xiao et al. were forced to become People from Mongolia. However, the younger ones are Han people. This is certain. Your Majesty, please see. The people in the room all have black eyes and black hair. After we were born, we only learned about it from our parents' mouths. Our ancestors are all the same. The people of the Song Dynasty became citizens of other countries due to the war. As for the younger generation, they were ruled by the Mongols from the time they were born. Therefore, those who joined the Mongolian army, the emperor, and most of the younger generation were In order to earn a living, even fighting the emperor is not allowed. Please forgive me."
"Ruda, can you speak for everyone in this room?"
"Go back to the emperor. It's okay if you are young."
"Okay then. I'll ask you again. What's the status of you Han people in the north?"
Lu Da said: "Your Majesty, most Han people, including people from the original Jin Kingdom, have a very low status. Although the government has not stated it explicitly, everyone knows in their hearts that in Mongolia, the Mongolians are the superior people. The Semu people in the Western Regions They are considered middle-class people. The Han people are classified as inferior people."
"I have been to the north before. I know that the status of the Han people in the north is low and life is very difficult. If there is a dispute with the Mongols, no matter whether it is justified or not, they have no choice but to admit defeat. Have you ever thought about the reason for this?"
Ruda sighed and said, "Your Majesty, it's not because those in power are all Mongols."
"Yes. Then have you ever thought about overthrowing the rule of the Mongols?" I said with a serious look. "Are you just willing to be ruled by foreigners and live like inferior people? Could it be that the Han people in the north have lost their blood? It won’t work.”
"This..." Ruda was speechless for a moment.
A dark-faced man standing next to Luda interjected: "Your Majesty, little Wu Liu has never been to school. Naturally, he is not as well-educated as Brother Lu. However, my ancestors are all Han Chinese with integrity. For seventy years Before, the young ancestors once fled the Jin Kingdom and intended to return to the south. However, they were blocked by the defenders at the border. Because the ancestors had no money or materials to support them, they suspected that the ancestors were agents of the Jin Kingdom and resolutely refused to allow the ancestors to enter. Thirty Years ago, my young grandfather couldn't bear the bullying of the Mongols and went south again. He was discovered by the Mongolian army near the border. So my grandfather ran south while asking the defenders on the opposite side for help, but no one paid attention. In the end, he died at the hands of the Mongols. After that, my father gave up his intention to defect to the south. Your Majesty, it’s not that you are bloodless, but...”
The man named Wu Liu seemed to be a little excited, but in the end he did not express his feelings. But he was obviously dissatisfied with the Song Dynasty in the south.
I nodded and said with a smile: "Wu Liu, I am proud that among our Han people there are such bloody men as your ancestors. Ruda, Wu Liu, how long have you been joining the Mongolian army?"
Luda said: "Your Majesty, the younger one has been in the army for five years. This brother shaman has also been in the army for six years."
"Then you are all veterans. Let me ask you: What is the difference between the Song Army now and the Song Army in the past?"
Lu Da said: "Your Majesty, I think that the Song army in the past was afraid of us, but the Song army now is not even afraid of the Mongolian army."
"That's right." I suddenly raised my voice. "I am the Emperor of the Song Dynasty. I am the emperor of the Han people. All Han people in the world are my subjects. The Han people in the south are. So are you Han people in the north. A hundred years ago. The shame of Jingkang. I must snow, and I will definitely snow. This is not just a lie. You all participated in the Battle of Guanzitan a few days ago. Our victory came from two aspects. One is firearms. I think you must know this. No one will object. The second is that the Song Army now is completely different from the Song Army in the past. When you rushed to my camp, the firearms were unable to shoot. At this time, our army showed no fighting spirit and combat effectiveness. Not weaker than you. Even the Mongols are inferior to our Polu army. With this foundation, I believe that recovering the north and returning our rivers and mountains is no longer just an empty talk, but a reality. You say. Yes or no."
Ruda replied: "I can't be sure, but there is one thing. The emperor's firearms are indeed not something the Mongolian army can resist."