In December, heavy snow has fallen outside Jingu Garden.
This winter is really a bit cold.
Fan Long tightened his tight fur and ordered the car to stop.
After his car stopped, a line of more than ten cars stopped one after another. The drivers and guards all took a breath of heat and began to work - mainly taking care of the draft animals.
Fan Long stood in the snow, looking at the smoke from the kitchen in the distance, feeling a little lost.
When was the last time he passed by Jingu Garden? He couldn't remember clearly. It was probably more than ten years ago. It was still the heyday of Jingu Garden. The small village in the distance and the surrounding land seemed to be Shi Chong
Used as a place to raise horses.
It is said that things have changed a lot. It has only been a dozen years, but there have been such big changes.
Dozens of families live together in a dense cluster, surrounded by farmland where winter wheat is planted. Green wheat seedlings are now sprouting, blooming with vitality under the heavy snow.
"Huh..." He breathed out.
For more than ten years, Luoyang's powerful people came and went, ups and downs. In the end, the most famous Jingu Garden fell into the hands of a murderous warrior.
Chang'an and Luoyang, Zhangfang in the west and Shaoxun in the east, are a bit interesting.
After Zhang Fang became successful, he was collectively ostracized by the scholars of Yongfu.
After Shao Xun became successful, would he be collectively marginalized by the Yuefu scholars?
The possibility is not small.
Fan Long shook his head. There were not many people who could appreciate and control such a martial artist without any family background. He had to find the right master.
Zhang Fang failed to find the right person. After so many years, his relationship with the people in the Yong Mansion became worse and worse. He also gave up on himself and acted recklessly. He did not know that his death was coming, but he did not know it. It was pitiful.
Shao Xun's rise to prominence was short, and he was suppressed for a short time, and he has not even suffered any physical pain. He may still want to serve in the Yue Mansion, but how to recruit him will have to take a lot of thought.
An attendant has already come forward to call the door.
After Jinguyuan fell into the hands of Shao Xun, the main entrance seemed to have been moved to the hillside.
The entourage climbed up the stone steps and was quickly stopped.
Fan Long looked intently and saw seven or eight soldiers suddenly coming out of the pine forest on the left and right sides, holding long spears and standing aside.
He listened carefully, but the wind was so loud that he couldn't hear anything.
How come this Jingu Garden, such an elegant place, has turned into a military camp? Isn’t it like boiling cranes and burning harps?
After a while, the entourage came back and reported: "Da Honglu, someone has already gone in to report."
"Is Shao Xun in the mansion?" Fan Long asked.
"I don't know." The attendant said, "Both servants and soldiers are very tight-lipped."
Fan Long nodded and asked again: "How about this soldier?"
The attendant thought for a while and said: "Looking at his expression and posture, he is not very good. He is not as good as the soldiers of Ye Mansion."
"This must be a private army." Fan Long said.
"Yes." The attendant replied.
The waiting time was a bit long, the wind and snow were heavy, and Fan Long was already quite old. He felt the chill penetrate into the cracks in his bones and couldn't help but pace on the ground.
The entourage and guards were young and strong, and they were all born and raised in the North. The wind and snow could be tolerated, so it was nothing.
Anyway, I was idle, so Fan Long asked: "How true or false do you think the news I heard from the horse market this morning is?"
"I'm afraid it's true." One of the attendants said: "It's easy to invite gods but hard to send them away. If the Xianbei people were so easy to deal with, Wang Jun wouldn't have such a headache."
"Sima Yue must open the treasury to get money, give out rewards, and appease his people." Another follower said: "But this may not satisfy the Xianbei people."
To be honest, compared to Xianbei, inviting the Huns to fight was the cheapest.
They pay less and are more obedient. Sometimes the money they get is different from what they promised in advance, and they accept it.
But the Xianbei people are not that easy to talk to.
In addition to money, they also like to rob women and play with them.
Especially the women from the Central Plains are much more beautiful than those on the grasslands. How can the Xianbei people endure it?
The more Sima wanted to spend some money, it would be a bit difficult to get rid of them.
"The Xianbei people must be allowed to plunder." Another follower said.
For the same money, can it be the same as what you get from looting and opening a treasury?
Put yourself in their shoes, if you are a Xianbei person, of course you would prefer to plunder. Because during the plundering process, you can vent your animal desires, kill wantonly, and sexually humiliate women, all of which can give people great pleasure.
Just getting rewards doesn't bring much benefit.
"As a result, Sima Yue's reputation will be damaged." Fan Long said with a smile.
The Xianbei people could not break Wubao, but the prefectural and county towns were empty. If they broke a few and burned, killed, and looted, the Yuzhou scholars would surely be damaged, and their perception of Sima Yue would become worse.
I heard that Sima Yue was going to conquer Guanzhong westward, and he would probably have to use these Xianbei cavalry, which would be another catastrophe.
Do all the heroes of the Central Plains have this kind of virtue?
Fan Long was a little sad.
I think back then, he, Zhu Ji and the King of Han (Liu Yuan) were studying under Cui You of Shangdang. In their spare time, they often visited the mountains and rivers and made friends with scholars. From time to time, they would meet talented people who were both civil and military.
Or there is a professional with a certain skill, whom he or she admires very much.
Only forty years have passed, and the Central Plains has become like this.
The most famous sect king was unable to command the mighty troops and quell the rebellion. Instead, he relied on outsiders and fell to this level, which is pitiful.
The main door suddenly opened wide, and someone came down the mountain.
Fan Long and others ended the conversation and waited quietly.
****
Shao Xun was entertaining guests in his mansion: a group of left-behind staff headed by Cao Fu.
Jinguyuan is so famous that even Uncle Cao couldn't help but come and take a look.
Especially after snowfall in winter, the view from the tower is breathtaking.
At this time, boil a few pots of wine, drink some powder, find a few beauties, and have fun together. It is simply the ultimate happiness in the world.
It's a pity that there is nothing here, which is quite regrettable.
After Shao Xun received the news that the envoy from the "old friend who gave me the bow" was visiting, he complained to Cao Fu and left.
This group of people now seems to be hugging each other to keep each other warm.
Maybe Cao Fu still has some weight with Sima Yue, but the others are not quite qualified. When they get together occasionally, they are full of complaints and negative energy.
There is no doubt that their overall status in Yue Mansion has dropped a lot, and they are far inferior to the group of Xuzhou's new rich.
Shao Xun had nothing to talk about with these people. The only reason why he attended the rally was to find out more information, such as when Sima Yue would come to Beijing and what he would do next.
After some exchanges, it seems that Sima Yue will not be able to come before the first month of next year, and we don’t know when the Western Expedition will begin.
Shao Xun was not very interested in going to Guanzhong to work his life.
The more Sima asked him to go, the more he went.
If Sima didn't mention it, he would definitely not take the initiative to go.
Because you won't get anything if you go there, how can you still be allowed to guard Guanzhong? Stop making trouble, most of it is for the Sima clan king, and will not be given to people with other surnames.
After the king takes office, the official position is not enough to be divided among his own people. The local scholars also have to take a large part, and there is no share for you. If you go there, you will just work hard, which is meaningless.
After passing through a long corridor, Shao Xun met Fan Long who came to visit.
"It's really surprising that Mr. Fan comes to visit." Shao Xun extended his hand to signal the guests to take their seats.
Being neither cold nor hot seems to have shown a certain attitude.
Fan Long didn't take it seriously. He looked at the table and bed in front of him with a look of surprise, and then sat down calmly.
"How is the King of Han?" Shao Xun clapped his hands, asked his soldiers to bring tea, and poured a bowl for Fan Long himself, and asked.
"When we were fighting in the south and in the north, we were in high spirits, and while we were in high spirits, we always talked about the young general with golden armor by the Qili River." Fan Long said with a smile after thanking him.
"My family background is not high and my reputation is not prominent. Unexpectedly, the King of Han still remembers me." Shao Xun said with a smile.
"Big men don't value family status. Talented people can occupy high positions." Fan Long said.
Shao Xun smiled and said nothing.
In fact, it's not that the Han Dynasty didn't value family status, it was just that no one wanted to vote.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Liu Yuan appointed Cui You of the Party Shang Dynasty as the imperial censor, but the old man refused.
He was ninety-three years old, and he really didn't want to be an official of the Huns at the end of his life. Cui You firmly resigned because he had been Liu Yuan's teacher and could not force him, so he had to give up in the end.
The Fan Long in front of me is Liu Yuan's classmate and a native of Yanmen.
When Liu Yuanhai founded the country, the Huns were naturally happy to serve as officials, but very few Jin people joined him.
Considering Liu Yuan's experience of studying and serving as an official in the Central Plains for half his life, he may have disdain for those Xiongnu nobles. He felt that although they learned Chinese and a few even read classics and history, they were deeply influenced by Hu Feng and were ultimately different.
, he was thinking of recruiting scholars from the Central Plains to fill his country’s official positions.
But at this juncture, who will go?
At least the Jin Dynasty still maintains its airs and is the orthodoxy of the world. Although the Han Dynasty has a good momentum and has successively conquered cities and territories, it is still a small country, and it is a country founded by the Hunu. If it surrenders, I am afraid it will be destroyed.
If you laugh out loud, your reputation will be ruined immediately.
To put it bluntly, Liu Yuan had to show off his fists, show some strength, conquer a larger territory, and even target Luoyang, in order to attract more talents to join him.
Now that he hasn't had time to do these things, naturally he can't recruit anyone, so he has come to Shao Xun to test it out - as the great lord of the Han Dynasty, Fan Long is definitely not the only one to visit Shao Xun, but after this circle,
Probably nothing gained.
It turns out that it was so difficult for Liu Yuan to start a business.
"If the young man is willing to travel north, the King of Han will be delighted." Fan Long added: "The most important warrior in our country, the brave general that the King of Han values ​​​​can be easily obtained. He can lead the army, conquer the north and south, make achievements, and be ranked among the three nobles.
impossible."
"I appreciate the King of Han's kindness." Shao Xun said: "I have no great ambitions, and the one I love is only a drunken woman, but I have failed to live up to the kindness of the King of Han."
Fan Long laughed loudly after hearing this and said: "The Huyan family in our country has a beautiful woman. If the husband goes north and shows off his extraordinary skills, the nobles and ministers will see him. He will take his daughter as his wife and wait for his own business."
He was quite right.
According to the customs of the Huns, there is not so much distinction between family status. If you are capable and someone the King of Han values, marrying a daughter of the Huyan or Liu family is perfectly normal and you don’t need to think too much.
Shao Xun shook his head and laughed, and said: "Mr. Fan, please stay here. I have no intention of going north. You can report the truth truthfully after you return."
Fan Long sighed and said, "In that case, I will leave."
"Mr. Fan." Shao Xun looked at Fan Long's leaving figure and shouted.
Fan Long turned around in confusion.
"If there is trouble in the Han Dynasty and we cannot stay any longer, you will have a place in Jingu Garden." Shao Xun said.
This time it was Fan Long's turn to laugh.
He shook his head and disappeared at the end of the corridor.
Shao Xun played with the tea cup and thought silently.
Let’s plant a seed for Fan Long first.
If you don't develop in the future, naturally nothing will happen.
If it develops, then there will be another way here.
Fan Long was Da Honglu and a classmate of Liu Yuan. His status in the Han Dynasty was not low. He knew many Xiongnu nobles and the Liu Han clan.
Liu Yuan is old. Will the country still be so stable after his death? How is it possible?
Internal killings and struggles for power are the traditions of the grasslands.
He doesn't mind taking in some of the losers in political struggles, which is beneficial.
Chapter completed!