Chapter 71 The Cruel Truth Tian Ze sat casually on the desk, supporting himself with both hands, looking out the window at the azure sky, his expression lost: "Let's talk about the failure of the Yellow Turbans and the future." Zhang Liang's pupils trembled slightly when he heard this, and his face was slightly angry and helpless. "If it weren't for the betrayal of that traitor Tang Zhou, with big brother's careful planning, Luoyang would have been conquered by us in the first place. By then, the officers and soldiers would be leaderless, and the world..." Tian Ze interrupted Zhang Liang directly: "You are wrong, your failure is inevitable, and it has nothing to do with Tang Zhou." "What did you say?" Zhang Liang had actually already vaguely sensed something, but he still questioned with his eyes wide open in disbelief. "I won't go into the details of the deeper reasons, as I don't know them very clearly. But I can tell you clearly that even if Tang Zhou hadn't come forward, someone else would have informed on you, because you chose the wrong allies and took the wrong stance from the very beginning." Tian Ze began to take stock, little by little, of the things he had been thinking about and trying to figure out over the past few months. "Zhang Jue is a man of character. He has worked hard for more than ten years and has won over many aristocratic families. He even connected with some eunuchs in the court." "According to his plan, with Jizhou, Yanzhou, and Yuzhou as the core, they will besiege Luoyang with all their might. With the help of the insiders in Luoyang and the palace, the chances of taking it down are indeed quite high." "As long as we can successfully capture Luoyang and the emperor, the world will be without a master, and the Yellow Turban Army can quickly occupy all places." "But he was too naive after all."
"He knew that he couldn't accomplish anything great just by relying on the power of the people, and that he had to win over local officials, powerful families, and eunuchs. But he never thought about whether these forces would work for him sincerely." "Perhaps some of them truly believe in Taiping Christianity, but their positions and interests are completely in conflict with yours." "Eunuchs are tools that the emperor supports to suppress the powerful and wealthy. They have shallow foundations and rely only on the emperor's trust." "They are now extremely powerful and notorious. It is not only useless for them to join you, but they will be lucky if they are not liquidated by you in the end." "The aristocratic families may not care whether the emperor's surname is Liu or Zhang. But their power in the world is now deeply rooted. Most of the Han Dynasty is actually under their control. What practical benefits can you bring to them?" "So from the very beginning, you have been standing on the opposite side of this era. There is absolutely no way you can succeed." "If you were not of some value to them, this uprising would not have happened. A few ordinary officials could have easily crushed you at the very beginning." "This is impossible!" Zhang Liang's face was full of disbelief, and he roared at the top of his lungs. "There are also many knowledgeable and benevolent people among those noble families. They are willing to rule the world with us. How could they..." Tian Ze couldn't help but sneer when he heard this. His laughter was full of contempt and a hint of self-mockery: "You are qualified to rule the world together?" "They are all noble families with a long history. You are a bunch of ignorant people. What qualifications do you have to rule the world with them? In their eyes, you are just a tool to force the emperor to compromise." "Without you, the emperor would not have lifted the ban on political parties; without you, the emperor would not have relaxed restrictions and allowed local tyrants to recruit and train soldiers on their own; without you, those scholars from aristocratic families would not have become famous." "Your role was basically exhausted at the beginning of the uprising. Now you have lost your value, so the only thing you can do is fail." "The most ridiculous thing is that you all can't see the reason why there are so many refugees in the world. You revolt for the people and put your hopes on the powerful families." "Although these aristocratic families are not the root cause of the current situation, they are also the main culprits. It is their greed and wanton annexation of land that have caused the people to become homeless." "The so-called emperor's stupidity, rampant evil officials, and rampant eunuchs are only a small part of the story. The main reason is still the aristocratic and powerful families." "It's not your fault that you started the uprising, but it's your fault that you didn't have the ability to succeed and didn't figure out why you started the uprising." "Your uprising not only failed to put an end to this damned world, but instead helped the aristocratic families, suppressed the imperial eunuchs, and harmed countless people." "How many people in the world have died unjustly because of you, just for this uprising that will never succeed and is meaningless." Tian Ze's words were like extremely sharp arrows that pierced Zhang Liang's heart.
Zhang Niujiao, who was standing by, felt as if his whole world was collapsing in an instant and his mind went blank. They could tell that what Tian Ze said was not a lie, and every word he said was solid and incisive. This may be the cruel truth! "Haha." Zhang Liang suddenly laughed, and his laughter was full of despair and desolation. He was now a little dazed. Looking at Tian Ze's figure, he seemed to see his elder brother Zhang Jue. "What's wrong? Was I wrong?" Tian Ze frowned when he saw that Zhang Liang's reaction was a little strange, and couldn't help asking. "No, you are right. My elder brother finally saw through all these things, but it was too late." Zhang Liang's expression was extremely complicated, his eyes full of pain and regret. "I never thought there would be someone like you among the officers and soldiers. What's your name?" "The governor of Liaodong, Tian Chengshou." "It's you!" Upon hearing this, the light in Zhang Liang's eyes became brighter, like a torch suddenly lit in the darkness. Taiping believers were spread all over the world, and the three brothers wanted to seize various states, so they would naturally ask around for information. Not many people in the imperial court knew about the grand occasion in Liaodong, but they knew. Although the local Taiping believers were driven away, Zhang Jue was not angry at the time, but rather admired them very much. He could see that the Liaodong governor was a rare capable official and knowledgeable man. Although Tian Ze had a bad reputation outside, they all knew very well how the people in Liaodong lived. Tian Ze's act of eliminating all corrupt officials and evil gentry, allowing the common people to have land to farm, made them regard Tian Ze as a close friend. The two sides can be said to be like-minded people. The future of the Yellow Turbans described by Zhang Jue was very similar to that of Liaodong. I never expected that the Liaodong governor that I longed for was actually this young man in front of me whose temperament was slightly similar to that of my elder brother. "That's right. I'm afraid you are the only one who is willing to tell the truth to a defeated bandit like me." Zhang Liang said self-deprecatingly, with deep helplessness in his voice. But suddenly, a thought came to his mind, maybe... "Taishuai Tian, what do you mean by the future of the Yellow Turbans?" Zhang Liang stared at Tian Ze and asked with a complicated expression. (End of this chapter)