"Bang! Bang! Bang!" A large iron spear shook out several gun flowers in the wind and snow. The stormy snowflakes fluttered in the wind. Then the robber competed with his arms, splashing the big iron spear in his hand so that it could not be penetrated. Before the snowflakes floating in the sky fell, they were already blown outside by the strong wind brought by the iron spear. When the man finished dancing a set of guns, there was no snowflake within a radius of one meter beside him.

"Okay! Good shooting skills! I guess this is the Yang family gun passed down by Brother Huaiyu's family. It's really murderous. I was standing at the door just now and I was afraid to go in." At this moment, a man's praise sounded from outside, and then Zhao Yan walked in with a smile from outside. He came here bravely in the wind and snow just now. He happened to see Yang Huaiyu dancing the gun, so he didn't disturb him. He just watched the other party finish dancing a set of gun techniques, which made a layer of snow fall on his head.

Yang Huaiyu didn't expect Zhao Yan to come at this time. He immediately put down the big iron spear in his hand and saluted: "I will pay homage to the prince!"

"Haha, there is no need to be too polite. The Yang family has served for my Zhao royal family for several generations. My wife is also a daughter of the general. We are also a family friend. Therefore, Brother Huaiyu does not have to stick to common etiquette. Just call me Zhao Yan or the third brother!" Zhao Yan said with a big smile. In fact, he had said these words to Yang Huaiyu before, but the other party was old-fashioned and stubborn, and even a bit harsh in etiquette. So every time he saw Zhao Yan, he was called the prince.

However, what surprised Zhao Yan this time was that after hearing Zhao Yan's words, Yang Huaiyu showed a desolate look on his face, and finally he forced a smile and said, "Since the prince said so, then Yang took the initiative to call him the prince the third brother."

Zhao Yan was also stunned when he heard Yang Huaiyu's unexpected change of his name, but then he reacted and smiled and said, "It should have been like this. Although it is windy and snowy today, it is a good day to drink and eat meat. I have someone prepare a table of wine and food, let's have a chat while eating!"

Zhao Yan said as he signaled to Xiao Douya behind him, and the other party immediately ran back to the other courtyard. In a short while, several servants brought wine and food. They arranged it in the outer hall of Yang Huaiyu's house. After the two of them sat down, all the servants retreated. Only Xiao Douya was left to pour wine for them.

"Brother Huaiyu. Last night, I saw you also helped Erdan's house catch fish on the river. And he also taught Erdan's martial arts. Do you want to take this kid as an apprentice?" Zhao Yan asked with a smile. Yang Huaiyu seemed to be very good to Erdan during this period. So Zhao Yan also wanted to know if the servant he had accidentally accepted would be successful in the future?

When Zhao Yan mentioned Erdan, Yang Huaiyu finally showed a smile on his face, which was a little depressed. He said, "Edan is very good. Although he is thin, his muscles and bones are very strong and his strength is greater than that of ordinary people. He is very suitable for martial arts. In addition, Erdan is also very smart. I plan to teach him martial arts not only, but also teach him some military tactics. If he is willing to join the army in the future, he can become a good general."

Zhao Yan was also happy when he heard this. Unexpectedly, he was still very sensible. The servant he picked up was so talented. But then he thought that the soldiers of the Song Dynasty had a very low status and had to tattoo their faces after joining the army. Ordinary people looked down on the soldiers and called them "thieves and soldiers." Although Erdan was a servant in his mansion, he at least had no worries about food and drink. He probably wouldn't be willing to join the army, let alone even if he became a general, he would be suppressed by the civil servant group.

Thinking of this, Zhao Yan no longer forced the matter about Erdan. He looked for Yang Huaiyu today for another thing, so he asked again: "Brother Huaiyu, you were sent here to guard corn and sweet potatoes, but now those two crops have been sent away, why are you still here and not leaving? Why are the soldiers under your command not here?"

When Zhao Yan asked about this, he suddenly poked Yang Huaiyu's sadness. He reached out and picked up the wine glass in front of him, and then drank the distilled spirit that Zhao Yan had specially prepared. Although he was a little uncomfortable with this spirit at the beginning, he quickly breathed out: "Good wine, this is the wine that men should drink!"

After a glass of strong wine was in his stomach, Yang Huaiyu felt much more relaxed. He immediately told his own experience, but Zhao Yan was stunned after hearing this. He never expected that there was such a thing in this world?

It turns out that there has always been a saying in the generals that "the general will not only last for three generations". Because the rebellion of military generals at the end of the Tang Dynasty made the Song Dynasty take this as a warning and guarded against military generals extremely strict. Since Taizu released the military power with a cup of wine, the military general group has been suppressed by the imperial power and civil officials group. Later, many rules, whether open or secret, were formed, among which "the general will not only last for three generations" is a secret constraint on the generals.

The so-called generals are only three generations. It does not mean that the fourth generation of the generals are very incompetent, but that the fourth generation of the generals are often deliberately suppressed by the court. Yang Huaiyu happens to be the fourth generation of the Yang family, so since he became an adult, he has been treated unfairly by the court. For example, he has been with his father in the army since he was a child and has made a lot of contributions. However, when he became an adult, he was transferred back to Tokyo to serve as the imperial guard of the court. Not only will he never be able to go to the battlefield again in his life, but he is even more idle in normal times, and it is difficult to find something to do.

Originally, Yang Huaiyu finally seized the opportunity and took charge of an imperial guard to guard the extremely important corn and sweet potatoes on Zhaoyan's mansion. He thought that after he made contributions this time, he should be rewarded by the court. Even if it was impossible to transfer him back to the Western Army, he would always give him a position where he could do something.

But what Yang Huaiyu never expected was that after the corn and sweet potatoes were transported away, his guards were also transferred, but the leader, the only one, did not receive any transfer orders, as if the court had forgotten him. According to the rules of the army, as long as he did not receive a new order, he had to act according to the previous orders. So even if the corn and sweet potatoes he protected were no longer here, Yang Huaiyu still had to stay here and directly receive the new transfer order.

After hearing what Yang Huaiyu had happened and the reasons for staying here, Zhao Yan couldn't help but be shocked by the insidiousness of the Song Dynasty court, mainly those civil servant groups. People like Yang Huaiyu should put him on the battlefield to make achievements, but those civil servants transferred Yang Huaiyu back to the capital to be idle. This was simply to use time to polish Yang Huaiyu into a useless person, and now he even threw the other party to himself and ignored him. If nothing unexpected happened, Yang Huaiyu would probably wait here for the rest of his life.

Yang Huaiyu talked about his own experience, and at the same time, he drank a cup of wine one by one. Finally, he was drunk and could no longer control his feelings. He said sadly: "I, Yang Huaiyu, followed my father in the army at the age of twelve. At the age of 14, he went to the battlefield for the first time and killed two Xixia soldiers with his own hands. In the next four years, he followed his father to fight south and north, and made a lot of contributions, but he didn't expect that he would fall to this point now, and he had nowhere to display his skills. It's sad! It's a pity!"

Yang Huaiyu said, reaching out to grab the wine jar on the table and drinking it from mouth to mouth. Now he just wants to drown his sorrows. Only after getting drunk can he temporarily forget the pain in his heart.

Seeing Yang Huaiyu's appearance, Zhao Yan wanted to persuade him but didn't know how to persuade him. Moreover, he was not able to help him. After all, he was just a leisurely prince. Although he had a position in the military weapon prison, he did not have much power. In fact, not only Zhao Yan could not help Yang Huaiyu, but even the emperor Zhao Shu was powerless to do anything about it, because suppressing military generals had already formed a consensus among the civil servants' group.

It is also worth mentioning that the civil servant group of the Song Dynasty has begun to restrict the imperial power. It can be said that the Song Dynasty was the most suppressed era among the dynasties of the Central Plains. Even as the emperor, the imperial power needs to be exercised according to the rules set by the civil servants, otherwise it will be boycotted by the civil servant group. If this happens, the emperor will have to surrender in the end.

For example, although Zhao Yan's elder brother Zhao Xu strongly supported Wang Anshi's reform in history, he was boycotted by most officials because of the reform. In the end, Wang Anshi had to be dismissed from prefecture for the second time. The new law was even short-lived, which shows the strength of the civil servant group.

Seeing Yang Huaiyu finish drinking the wine in the wine jar in one breath, then put the wine jar down heavily, the two copper bells also had a bit of confusion in their eyes. It seemed that he was almost drunk. This made Zhao Yan sigh again and reluctantly comfort him: "Brother Huaiyu doesn't have to give up on himself. The Western Xia has not been destroyed and the Northern Liao has not yet been pacified. The court will need to use large-scale troops one day. Then it will be time for a powerful general like Brother Huaiyu to shine!"

Even he didn't believe Zhao Yan said these words. After all, he knew how cruel the fight between political groups was. Even if he used troops in the future, Yang Huaiyu would not be likely to be valued.

Yang Huaiyu was also very clear about this. He smiled tragically and said, "The prince does not need to comfort Yang. I know about my own affairs. I have been leaving the Western Army for eight years. I have nothing to do every day for these eight years. Although I can practice martial arts and study, if a general doesn't go to the battlefield for a long time, he will slowly be destroyed. For example, last time in Xiyuan, this little girl next to you sneaked into me. If it were in the past, I would probably have been killed by me. But at that time, I didn't have any warning. This is absolutely unforgivable for a general. I am afraid that in a few years, I will really become a useless person. Even if I have the chance to go to the battlefield again, I will only be a timid person!"

Although Yang Huaiyu was drunk when he spoke, he analyzed it very thoroughly. Or he had already figured out these things, but he didn't dare to say them normally, and now he vented it through alcohol. And when he finished these words, Yang Huaiyu couldn't help but cry, feeling sad for himself and for the generals of the Song Dynasty.
Chapter completed!