Chapter 348: Re-recording

Southern Qi, which volume of the *Zizhi Tongjian* was the Southern Qi in again?

Wang Yang felt a bit dejected.

The *Zizhi Tongjian* comes in abridged and complete editions; the difference between the two is like that between a bonsai and a garden. Wang Yang read the abridged version when he was a child, which naturally contained no Southern Qi. After growing up, he read the complete version. He had a set of the 1956 Zhonghuashu Bureau edition of the *Zizhi Tongjian* at home, totaling twenty volumes, but Wang Yang's main focus was on the Han and Tang dynasties, so he only chewed through to the 8th volume, the 18th year of the Yuanjia era of Emperor Wendi of Song, then skipped ahead to the 12th volume starting from the Chen and Sui dynasties, and skipped again after reading to the 18th volume. Furthermore, from the perspective of historiography, using the *Zizhi Tongjian* to study history is not considered orthodox, so he didn't pay much attention even after skipping a few volumes. Who could have imagined that one day, his transmigration would require it?

There is a story about contemporary academia:

A person researches the imagery of the moon in literature. You ask him about the moon theme in German Expressionism, and he says he researches Chinese literature. You ask him about the moon symbol in the July Poetry School, and he says he researches ancient Chinese literature. You ask him about the writing style of the moon in Han Fu, and he says he researches Tang dynasty literature within ancient literature. You change your question to Tang Fu, and he says he researches Tang poetry. You ask him about the syntactic evolution of writing about the moon in Tang poetry, and he says he only researches poetry written during the Dali era of the Tang dynasty...

This story illustrates that contemporary research, while becoming specialized, is also constantly narrowing. More and more people are setting boundaries for themselves and deep-plowing only an inch of soil, while fewer and fewer are willing to break down barriers and master a broad range of knowledge. This is partly because broad mastery is inherently difficult, partly due to the assessment and evaluation standards and academic atmosphere of contemporary scholarship, and partly because knowledge is truly too vast. As Zhuang Zi said, "Life has its limits, while knowledge has none." Taking Qing dynasty scholarship as an example, even if a person exhausted their entire life, they could not read all the Qing dynasty documents. If one focuses on this, how could one have the energy to attend to others?

Wang Yang could already be considered very well-read, but he had never paid attention to this obscure and short-lived Southern Qi dynasty. Even in his three most proficient fields—literary research, history of thought, and cultural history—he knew very little about the Southern Qi. However, at least it was much better than history. If the Prince of Badong had made any achievements in literature, or had written commentaries on the *Zuo Zhuan* or the *I Ching*, Wang Yang might have known a thing or two. But the Prince of Badong clearly would not leave his name in this regard, which led to Wang Yang having absolutely no foreknowledge.

Actually, it cannot be said he had absolutely none.

At the very least, Wang Yang's understanding of the history of the Southern Liang was much stronger than that of the Southern Qi. However, his knowledge of the Southern Liang was mainly concentrated after the founding of the Southern Liang, especially in the mid-to-late period after Emperor Wudi of Liang ascended the throne. The further he went, the more he knew. He had even carefully studied major upheavals like the Hou Jing Rebellion. But he was not very clear about the details of Xiao Yan's "entrepreneurial history," knowing only that he had launched troops from his position as Inspector of Yongzhou, reached Jiankang, and finally won. But why he launched the troops, how he won, who his opponents were, and so on, he knew nothing about. The only thing he could be sure of was that the Southern Qi perished at the hands of Xiao Yan. Then... could it be that Xiao Yan rose to power during this rebellion of the Prince of Badong?

"Do you know Xiao Yan?" Wang Yang asked Xiao Baoyue.

Baoyue was digesting the matter of the Prince of Badong and was startled to be suddenly asked about Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan and the current Son of Heaven were both sixth-generation descendants of Xiao Zheng, the ancestor of the Xiao family who moved to the south during the chaos of the Five Hu. That is to say, the two were of the same generation, but their branches were distant. Xiao Yan was equivalent to a distant relative of the imperial clan, and in terms of bloodline, he was far less prestigious than Baoyue within the imperial clan. As for family power, it was even less comparable to Baoyue's family.

"Why ask about him?" Baoyue frowned.

Baoyue had no good impression of this distant uncle, and not just because this person was in the faction of the Prince of Jingling.

"Nothing much, just suddenly remembered him. Is he still serving as a Household Registrar?"

Wang Yang was very careful to collect information in his daily social interactions, and now he had a good understanding of the affairs of the current dynasty. He had heard that Xiao Yan had previously served as a scholar in the Western Residence of the Prince of Jingling in his capacity as the Libationer of the Minister of Works' Western Pavilion (a position similar to Deputy Director of the Office of the Vice President). He was one of the eight great talents under the Prince of Jingling, known as the "Eight Friends"—the "Eight Friends of Jingling" he knew before his transmigration, which had left a heavy mark in literary history.

Later, recommended by Wang Rong, he gained the appreciation of Wang Rong's uncle, Wang Jian, and served in Wang Jian's Office of the General of the Guards (ranked third among the various general offices, a position of great weight in the Eastern Jin and Southern Dynasties, often held by powerful ministers during the Jin). He heard that he seemed to have been promoted to Household Registrar. (Seventh rank, upper level in the military office, similar to a department director under the Military Commission). However, news in Jingzhou was sluggish, and coupled with the fact that Xiao Yan was not a major figure and Wang Yang lacked authoritative sources, it was difficult to obtain first-hand intelligence.

Although Baoyue did not understand Wang Yang's intent, she still answered:

"He has already been promoted to the sixth rank. Last year, the Son of Heaven added twenty swordsmen and a band of music for the Prince of Nanjun (the eldest son of the Crown Prince), and made high selections for his subordinates, choosing him and Shen Zhaolue. He serves as the Prince's Literary Official, and Shen serves as the Prince's Friend."

The Son of Heaven choosing subordinates for his eldest grandson from the second prince's people... that's interesting...

An official position like "Prince's Literary Official" (the same as Liu Tan's previous position) was a prestigious post for accumulating credentials in the Southern Dynasties, requiring extremely high family status. Coupled with Baoyue's mention of "high selection of subordinates" (*Book of Southern Qi · Annals of the Prince of Yulin* records that in the seventh year of the Yongming era, "high selection of friends and scholars." The same book's *Biography of Shen Zhaolue* says "The Prince of Nanjun's friends and scholars are of noble selection," and noble selection means high selection.), it can be seen that his reputation was quite good.

Although his rank was not low and he had a future, he lacked real power and did not seem like someone who could rise to power during chaos. Of course, such things are hard to say, but even if he were to rise, it would be difficult to control a province. This is not a novel or a movie. From the logic of transfers at the time, even if Xiao Yan were highly valued and promoted several levels, it would be impossible for him to become the Inspector of Yongzhou, unless the Prince of Badong could throw the world into chaos—chaos to the point where the world was boiling and it became an era of great contention. Then, naturally, everything would be unpredictable. But the key is, does the Prince of Badong have that ability?

Baoyue saw Wang Yang's thoughts were tangled and, not understanding why, said:

"Standing on the edge of an abyss, one should worry about the danger of drowning, not gaze at the forest on the other shore. Now that the situation in Jingzhou is so bad, you don't ask about Jingzhou, but ask about Xiao Yan. Could it be, could it be that he has some connection to the chaos in Jingzhou? Could the Prince of Jingling be involved?!"

Baoyue's face changed suddenly!

Wang Yang had originally regretted not reading the history of the Southern Qi and losing the advantage of his "heavenly eyes." Hearing Baoyue's words, he suddenly became vigilant about his own obsession with seeking historical outcomes.

With his own transmigration stirring up Jingzhou, the butterfly effect might have already begun. Not to mention anything else, just the matter of distinguishing the authenticity of the *Ancient Text Minister* and pacifying the barbarian tribes—weren't these things not in the original history? One thing changes, and a hundred things shift. History might have already secretly branched into a new line. The *I Ching* says: "Change leads to connection, and connection leads to longevity." It also says, "There is no fixed rule; one must adapt to change." If one is obsessed with relying on historical outcomes, it is not only easy to form a dependency, dulling one's intellect and blunting one's adaptability, but it is even easier to climb a tree to catch a fish and trap oneself in a circle!

If one cannot adapt to the situation and only focuses on using historical events from the original timeline to seek profit, it is not impossible to be led directly into a ditch.

True foresight never lies in the established text of history books, but in sufficiently clear insight and sufficiently wise decision-making!

If one wants to survive, one must first keep one's heart alive. Only when the heart is alive can one not be trapped by shackles and bound hand and foot.

Since I can annotate the Six Classics, the Six Classics can also annotate me!

If my intelligence is sufficient, my planning is thorough, my actions are brave, and my will is firm, then why seek foreknowledge, and why ask for the will of heaven?

Rather than seeking history that is hard to find, it is better to write history oneself!

Once Wang Yang thought of this, the blockage in his chest vanished. He smiled at Baoyue and said:

"Don't guess wildly; it was I who was confused. You are right; now is the time to ask about Jingzhou."

Then he cast aside Xiao Yan and asked Lian San in detail about the specific situation of the chaos in Jingzhou.

Baoyue saw that Wang Yang, who had been frowning, suddenly became heroic, and couldn't help but secretly marvel.

But neither Baoyue nor Wang Yang himself understood how important Wang Yang's current "clarity of mind" would be.

Actually, Wang Yang was right.

History had indeed changed quietly.

In the original history, the Prince of Badong, unaware, was secretly reported by Liu Yin for trading weapons with the barbarian tribes. In a fit of rage, the Prince of Badong beheaded the imperial envoy and responded hastily to the Forbidden Army. Although he defeated the first wave of enemies, he could not change the overall situation and finally ended up dead.

(The *History of the Southern Dynasties* compiled during the Tang dynasty took a sympathetic stance toward the Prince of Badong, with much embellishment, recording that after the Prince of Badong won his first victory, he said, "The Emperor sent the Governor of Danyang, Xiao Shunzhi, to lead troops to follow. Zixiang took thirty men in white clothes that very day, boarded a boat, and went down to the capital," giving the impression that the Prince of Badong voluntarily laid down his arms after winning. The *Book of Southern Qi* from the Liang dynasty recorded the situation after the imperial court sent troops for the second time more clearly: "The Emperor sent the Governor of Danyang, Xiao Shunzhi, to lead troops to follow. Zixiang's subordinates were terrified and fled. Zixiang then surrendered in white clothes.")

But after Wang Yang's transmigration, Liu Yin was forced by Wang Yang to change sides, relying on the Prince of Badong, so naturally there was no more informing. And because Seeing Liu Cheng wanted to watch the ambush on Wang Yang with his own eyes, he went alone to a remote pavilion in the Le family estate, resulting in his capture by barbarian soldiers. This led to Wang Yi's investigation, which in turn led to the Prince of Badong's guilty conscience and his attempt to intercept and kill them. The interception plan encountered the disturbance of the Yongning troops and Wang Yang's clever escape, and since Wang Yi and Wang Yang's bodies were not found, this led the Prince of Badong to prepare for contingencies. Then Liu Yin's change of sides allowed the Prince of Badong to obtain a large sum of money accumulated by the Prince of Luling, increasing his confidence. Finally, Wang Tai used Wang Yang's testimony to provoke him.

The Prince of Badong went from the passive response in the original timeline to active attack now, and his momentum was no longer comparable to that in the original history. Using the capture of Seeing Liu Cheng and the barbarian interception of the mission as a lead, and using the barbarian disaster as an excuse, he detained the high-ranking officials, raised his banner, and commanded Jingzhou. Coupled with being forced by Wang Yi, he used a dangerous move to achieve a surprise victory, crushing Wang Yi, establishing his prestige in the first battle, and then sweeping through the counties. His momentum was several times stronger than in the original history!

Looking at the entire process of the Prince of Badong's rebellion, it seems that every step was forced by the situation and every move was decided by the Prince of Badong himself, but in fact, every link was profoundly influenced by the variable that is Wang Yang!

Between the flapping of wings, layers were added, eventually gathering into a hurricane on the land of Jingchu that was more violent than in the original timeline and even had the potential to rewrite the fate of the entire dynasty!

So even if three volumes of the *Book of Southern Qi* fell from the sky now, they might not be able to serve as a script for future fate. Therefore, Wang Yang really does not need to regret not having foreknowledge, because from the day he became famous in Jingzhou—

The ancient moon and today's dust, the brush and ink of the Spring and Autumn, all await re-recording.

——————

Note: There is controversy in academia about whether Xiao Yan's starting official position was Libationer of the Eastern Pavilion of the General of the Guards, or Acting Participant of the Legal Bureau of the Prince of Baling, or something else. The determination of this issue also involves the official position Xiao Yan held at this time in this book. He Liangwu's "Three Examinations of Xiao Yan and Shen Yue of the 'Eight Friends of Jingling'" explains this controversy very clearly. Last year, the sixth volume of *Chinese Literary Materials* edited by Mr. Liu Yuejin also included this article. Interested friends can go and read it, but its final conclusion may not necessarily be the definitive one. This book still takes the records of the *Book of Liang* as the basis, synthesizes part of the examinations and discussions by He Liangwu, Zhuang Huiming, Zhao Yiwu, and Bai Juncai (see *Critical Biography of Xiao Yan*, *Emperor Wudi of Liang and His Era*, *A Brief Examination of Emperor Wudi of Liang, Xiao Yan*), and sets the starting official position as Acting Participant of the Legal Bureau of the Prince of Baling, later becoming Libationer of the Western Pavilion of the Minister of Works, then transferred to Libationer of the Eastern Pavilion of the General of the Guards, then promoted to Household Registrar of the General of the Guards, and at this time he is the Literary Official of the Prince of Nanjun. As for the reason why it was set this way, I won't say, otherwise I would have to write another long piece. ===== CHAPTER 349 =====