On the eighth day of July, Shao Shude arrived in Xiazhou and moved into his former mansion.
The house was a gift from Zhuge Shuang. It was worth more than a thousand yuan at the time, but it is priceless now.
Returning to the old place after more than 20 years, to be honest, besides being excited, I was also a little disappointed.
Fan Yanbo, a citizen of Shuofang County, has passed away many years ago. This is the news that Shao Shude received after entering the village.
There are still five people in Fan Yanbo's family: an old woman, a young couple, and two children.
"Are you the Prince of Lingwu County?" the old woman asked in a trembling voice with her cloudy eyes open.
Shao Shude was startled and recalled carefully. The face of a woman with a graceful figure and a bit of shyness slowly appeared, so he asked: "Are you Fan Yanbo's daughter-in-law?"
"Prince Lingwu has a good memory." The old woman smiled, revealing her empty gums.
Shao Shude was speechless.
The speed at which working people age is really unimaginable. She is probably only in her fifties, but her last bit of vitality has been wiped away by her hard life, and she is aging like a seventy-year-old woman seen in later generations.
old woman.
Thinking about the women in his harem, they are not all fifty years old, but because of their pampering, they have aged very slowly, and they still look like they still have some charm.
People are indeed different.
Shao Shude looked around and found that compared to the past, this house has undergone many positive changes.
The house has been renovated and cleaned very well.
The number of farm tools placed in the corner of the courtyard has increased significantly, most of which are iron tools.
The doors and windows are decorated with New Year paintings bought at the market, which are somewhat faded, but it seems that they were not seen more than 20 years ago.
Next to the vegetable patch enclosed by a wooden fence, a horse was tied.
A cellar was dug in the woodshed and several jars of wine were sealed in it.
There are more than a dozen chickens raised in the chicken coop. It is said that the eggs they lay are not sold and are eaten by themselves.
The clothes on the old woman looked to be a blend of silk and linen, not the linen clothes often worn by the lower class people.
After all the hardships, happiness comes. When you are old, you can take a break and enjoy some happiness. For the people at this time, it seems to be a peaceful and prosperous age.
Wang Pu came over and said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, Fan Wenda, the Hongyi Order of Minzhou, is the second grandson of this family. His father once went to war as a native Tuan villager and died in Yunzhou. Fan Wenda has a talent for reading, so he is from the county.
I was given a place to study at Xiazhou Confucian Classics."
"So that's it." Shao Shude said with emotion: "She is actually the Queen of Zhonglie."
Wang Pu looked at the Fan family who were standing there respectfully, and felt very emotional in his heart. There are a lot of this kind of families in the world, but Xiazhou is the most developed one. He had never been to this family more than 20 years ago.
, but after listening to the saint’s instructions, the family situation improved a lot.
The most important thing is that the name Fan Wenda has reached heaven. Saints always have a good memory. For Xiazhou Fan family, it is simply a blessing from heaven.
"Give the Fan family ten bolts of money, ten bolts of silk, and ten bolts of woolen cloth." Shao Shude took one last look at it and felt that there was nothing left to miss, so he went out.
The accompanying sergeant took the money and silk from the packhorse and delivered it to Fan's family.
This amount of money is not too much, not too much. It is a little more for ordinary people, but it is almost enough for "loyal and martyred queens".
After leaving Fan's house, Shao Shude rode his horse at the entrance of the village, silently looking at the peaceful village under the afterglow of the setting sun.
Countless warriors followed him and left this slightly arid land in pursuit of legendary wealth.
Some people fell on the way and disappeared among the loess and grass, with no descendants, no sacrifices, and obscurity.
Some people have gained a more prosperous life, but the price is that they suffer from injuries and illnesses and die early in their forties or fifties. The next generation still needs to continue to work hard.
Some people are extremely wealthy, have beautiful wives and concubines, and are full of money and grain. However, they have left their hometown behind and will never come back again in their lifetime, because the memories left to them here are only poverty and pain.
But Shao Shude selfishly wanted to go back to the poor era thirty years ago just to see his old friends.
The Master said on the river: "The deceased is like a man who never gives up day and night."
There is no going back to the past.
The only comforting thing is that people's lives have indeed changed dramatically.
Fan Yanbo should have been satisfied before his death, right?
Before Fan Yanbo's son died in battle, he probably didn't have so many regrets, right?
The era when Fan Yanbo struggled to survive is over, and now is the era when Fan Wenda denounces Fang Qiu.
****
Zhu Jin waved his horse's spear and galloped forward. Wherever he passed, the deer staggered.
Even the savages from the white mountains and black waters have to be convinced when they see it.
Not only is he full of strength, but his skills are also incomparable. When using various weapons, he can often knock down a person in two or three strokes. And looking at his movements, it seems that you have brought it to his knife edge yourself. It is extremely infuriating. Why?
Will this happen?
The sage said two words: "rhythm".
Zhu Jin kills with a rhythm. The reason why outsiders think that the opponent deliberately hits his killing move is because Zhu Jin predicts the opponent's movements, uses rhythm to seize the opportunity of the enemy, and then uses tyrannical strength and superb skills.
, kill the enemy instantly.
This is fighting with your brain!
Fortunately, Zhu Jin's brain was only used for fighting, and he was lacking in politics and military strategy. Otherwise, Zhu Quanzhong would be defeated, not the Zhu brothers.
"The deer seeds are not as strong as the real ones." After Zhu Jin stopped his horse, he threw the horse's straw and landed lightly on the ground. He took the fruit from the soldier, wiped it roughly and put it into his mouth to chew.
The fruits are harvested from the orchards in Xiazhou City.
The orchard can be traced back to the Helian period, and then gradually fell into disuse. After Jinshang took over Xiazhou, he re-dredged the black canal and introduced the hot spring water from the Wuding River tributary into the city, making the orchard full of life again.
Just yesterday, the saint picked several large baskets of fruits with his own hands and ordered them to be sent to Chang'an by horse for all the concubines to taste. Especially the queen, Wu Zangde, Feng Zhaoyi, Yeli Zhaorong, Weicai Zhaoyuan
and others have all lived with Jin Shang in Xiazhou for a period of time. When they tasted this thing, they were particularly touched.
Li Cunxu stood aside with his arms folded, looking coldly at Zhu Jin who was making a big show of himself.
This guy is too arrogant!
If there was anyone in the court whom he disliked, Li Tangbin was the first, and Zhu Jin had just arrived, and he was ranked second.
"Deputy envoy, Zhu Jin will get the Holy Scroll now, so it's better not to have a conflict with him." A close general came over and said in a low voice.
"What a holy scroll." Li Cunxu cursed in a low voice and said: "Huainan surrendered more than 50,000 troops and reorganized them into the three armies of Longhu, Golden Spear, and Shenwu. Zhu Yanshou, Wang Wan, and Chai Zaiyong each led an army.
What's wrong with him? What kind of holy scroll is this?"
The general smiled sarcastically.
Except for those who were annihilated, the remaining 100,000 troops in Huainan were eliminated from the old and weak, and more than 50,000 were obtained. After being dispersed, they were reorganized into the three armies of Dragon, Tiger, Golden Spear, and Shenwu.
After the training of these three troops is completed, one will go to Hunan to replace the Crane Control Army, one will stay in Jiangnan, and the other will join the Tianwei Army and set off northward in August to Liaodong Road to replace the Imperial Army and return.
Huainan's army, you could say they are southern soldiers, that's true. But not entirely. The temperament of northern soldiers is also very strong. Their equipment, tactics, training, etc. are more similar to northern soldiers - perhaps the environment and folk customs of Huainan are different.
There are relationships.
A saint will definitely not raise idle people. So many surrendered troops will definitely be used on various battlefields.
The first step is to let you go on a long-distance garrison, which is relatively easy to accept. Once you accept this, the next step is to fight. If you can even accept an expedition to fight, then the next step is a long-term expedition to see if you can accept it.
The bottom line is lowered step by step, which the sage calls "slicing sausages."
"Have all the military rations and equipment been checked?" Li Cunxu asked, no longer looking at the way the savages were worshiping Zhu Jin.
"We're ready. We still have a batch of missing arrows, so we have to go to Fengzhou to collect them," the general replied.
"That's good." Li Cunxu nodded, a fire surged in his heart, and he had the urge to do something big.
They had just received an order to go north to the Yin Mountains in three days to join the Yuan Peiquan. The Tibetan soldiers in Kedun City and some Feng defeated the soldiers of the two prefectures. There were about 40,000 people in total, one person and two horses, and they went north to attack the Tatar tribes.
I heard that this is a long-term military operation. This is the second or third time it has gone north this year. The overall strategy is to rely on the two major logistics bases of Guanbei Road and Guannai Road to launch successive attacks on the Tatars.
If you find a pasture, hit it!
If you can't find the ranch, keep looking for it, and we'll call you when you find it!
Through this kind of war of attrition, the Tatars were overwhelmed, and then they surrendered southward, cutting off an arm of the Uighurs.
This method of warfare was actually very much in line with Li Cunxu's taste.
He just likes to lead light and powerful troops, without logistics, to support war with battle, and to kill the thieves until they lose their shit.
"It's time to eat!" A farmer from Shuofang County came over carrying cooked broth and steamed biscuits.
There are many people and there are many meals prepared.
Behind the team, there is also a carriage pulling plums, dates, apricots and other fruits. These are the specialties of the northwest. Xiazhou is especially rich in all kinds of fruits, and everyone who has tasted them says they are good.
"The imperial court really has nothing to say to the warriors." Li Cunxu laughed and said, "Eat! After eating, practice hard!"
My father-in-law has such great expectations for me, so I can’t be careless. Zhu Jin, my maid, please keep an eye on me!
****
Shao Shude was reviewing the memorial sent by Zhongshu in the "Qinglu" where he held his wedding thirty years ago.
The situation in the south of the Yangtze River has been decided, the surrendered troops are being trained and drilled, officials are being screened and appointed, Kansai and Henan have also selected some generals to go south to take over, and everything is on the right track.
The palace city of Jiangning Prefecture has also entered the site selection and design stage. Wei Wang Shao Mianren has an additional title of "Repairing Palaces and Building Envoys" on his head. However, this is a long-term plan and will not be rushed.
The above is all good news.
Of course, there is also bad news. According to reports from Jiannan and Qianzhong, envoys from Dachanghe Kingdom are becoming more and more active among various tribes.
A tribal leader secretly reported to the court, and local officials sent people to arrest him, but they always failed. This shows that there are so many people hanging around the wall.
The states in southern Jiannan and central Guizhou have issued warnings, believing that the Dachanghe Kingdom may launch an offensive, perhaps in winter.
After careful consideration, Shao Shude decided to send his sixth son, Shao Mingyi, to Chengdu again to take command.
The news from Liaodong is mixed.
Fortunately, the turmoil in the most remote and barbaric Kishu has come to an end.
The fighting qualities of the Daxia Forbidden Army are quite excellent.
He underwent rigorous training in the recruit academy and mastered basic skills very well.
After the new recruits joined the army, they were accompanied by old men. They went to the battlefield from time to time to feel the atmosphere, accumulate experience, and their quality was further improved. Coupled with the crushing of equipment and organization, the previous rebellion of the Bohai people was easily suppressed.
The only people who require a lot of effort are the Mohe people and the Jurchens. Their living environment is relatively complex, and it is difficult to cross mountains and ridges. They are also relatively brave individuals, so they spend a lot of energy.
However, in terms of performance on the battlefield, the current Forbidden Army is really suitable for suppressing the rebellion of the savages, because small-scale operations in mountainous areas require very high personal skills.
This allowed Shao Shude to further veto some calls from the court, that is, to lower the standards for enlistment in the Forbidden Army, so that all recruits from the five courtyards would be incorporated into the Forbidden Army.
The essence of this call is to stop strict technical training, and mainly turn to discipline and "crash" training in military formations. More essentially, it is to ask for saving money and strict military discipline. In martial arts training that is so strict that it can be called harsh.
Many people think it is redundant.
But the war against the Jurchen tribe in Shangougou shows that martial arts are important at all times.
In the southern part of Liaodong Road, Gongyi sent general Wang Jian to the north to conquer Falcon Rock City.
Strictly speaking, this place is their territory, but the defender has defected to Daxia, and things have become very complicated.
Shao Shude looked at it and felt annoyed: I am planning a western expedition, and you are just looking for trouble for me everywhere.
After thinking about it, I decided to send an envoy to the Mo Zhen Kingdom first to rebuke him and offer him courtesy first and then attack.
On July 11, he summoned the tribal leaders and local tycoons in Xiazhou, encouraged them, distributed some rewards, and then accepted three hundred of his disciples who were skilled in bow and horse into Yin'anzhi.
The next day, he led his troops northward towards Fengzhou.
