When Shengjia arrived in Dengzhou, it was already midsummer in July.
To the east of Yunzhou, there are no traces of the battlefield. However, Shao Shude still paid homage to the soldiers who died in the attack on Tianping and Ziqing Second Town.
At that time, it was drizzling in the sky and the road was extremely muddy. Shao Shude had a little difficulty walking, but he was in a relaxed mood. Looking at the Master who greeted him respectfully, he waved his hand and went straight into the temple.
Among the green pines and cypresses, a huge tablet is enshrined, cigarette smoke curls up, and the sound of chanting is endless.
This is Jigong Temple, which has been built in many places to accept donations and worship from the people.
He inexplicably remembered Xu Hao, who had been ill a few days ago and stayed in Yunzhou, and sighed.
There are not many old brothers left.
Some people feel a little resentful before leaving.
Some people feel reluctant to leave before leaving.
Some people are in great pain before leaving.
There are also tears streaming down the face, or silently.
The various aspects of life make people endlessly melancholy and nostalgic.
Shao Shude sat in the courtyard, and the guards dutifully held up the yellow umbrella canopy.
At this time, he felt heavy and gentle at the same time, falling into a mysterious state.
In a daze, I saw the fallen warriors getting up from the pool of blood and kneeling in front of them. They were holding the enemy's head in their hands, their weapons were full of gaps, their armor was in pieces, and their robes were stained with blood.
"I have today, so I can't wait for you." Shao Shude sighed.
The guards looked intently, knowing that the saint was lost in memories again.
Today, he was walking in the muddy fields. His steps were no longer vigorous and his energy was no longer strong. He had a feeling of desolation and loneliness in late autumn.
"Your Majesty..." Lieutenant Commander Wang Yanfan walked in.
"Everyone is here?" Shao Shude asked.
"yes."
"Let them come in." He waved his hand and said.
The sky has cleared up, and the guards have brought some tables and placed them in the courtyard.
Later, some fruits, dried meat, and rice wine were brought.
Shao Shude sat on the main seat, his mind wandering.
"See Your Majesty." Seven people including Zhuang Ao, the inspection envoy of Yuanyuquan, Hun Shizhi, the inspection envoy of Kedun City, and King Xi Suzhi came in to pay their respects.
It had just rained and the ground was a little wet, but all seven of them knelt down and worshiped, not daring to show any signs of neglect.
Shao Shude came back to his senses, his eyes focused again, and he looked at several people quietly.
He didn't say anything, just looked at it.
The atmosphere in the venue became subtle.
The seven people knelt on the ground, their heads touching the ground, and did not dare to move.
"Sit down." After a long time, Shao Shude said.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the seat." Several people responded in unison, and then, led by the guards, they sat down at their respective desks and waited silently without eating or drinking.
Shao Shude stood up, walked to the memorial tablet, and burned a stick of incense.
"It's been a dream for forty years." After finishing the incense, he turned around, looked at a few people, and said.
The seven people looked at each other, not knowing what they meant.
Shao Shude ignored them and said to himself: "Last month Xu Hao was ill in bed, and I went to visit him. Talking about the old events of the conquest of Li Guochang and his son, I was filled with emotion."
Xu Hao probably doesn't have much time left.
When people get old, anything can happen. Even if they were lively and energetic one moment, they may fall seriously ill one day and their health will deteriorate rapidly.
Xu Hao must have felt that the end was approaching.
He kept sighing and even shed tears in the end. He only said one sentence: "I will fight for Your Majesty in the next life."
Shao Shude once thought about a question, if he could go back forty years and do it again, what would be the result? He couldn't be sure at the time, but now that he thinks about it, with these old brothers here, how much worse could it be?
A person like Xu Hao, who almost never misses when beheading an enemy, fights with his brain. There should be a lot of color in the history books of later generations. If "Huang Xia Yong Jiang Zhi" was made into a game, his martial arts
It should be close to a hundred, although Shao Shude knows that he cannot reach this level.
"I started by conquering Li Guochang and his son. In the following thirty years, I conquered the east and west, and gradually unified the world." He continued: "Now the world is at peace, and all nations come to court. This should be considered a prosperous age, right?"
"Your Majesty has wiped out all the ugliness and worked hard for twenty years. It is already a peaceful and prosperous time."
"Both the grasslands and the Han areas, life has improved in recent years, and this is all due to His Majesty."
"If this is not a prosperous age, what else is a prosperous age?"
…
Several people talked desperately, with a strong sense of flattery.
Shao Shude did not answer their questions, but just stared into the distance.
The group of people in front of him are no longer the old people who followed him through life and death.
The old man has passed away, but the new man may not have the deep love that he formed by following him through the world.
Love, love, seems illusory, but it is something that courtiers strive for in their lives.
Love is not worth a penny, but it can protect the family's wealth.
Love cannot be seen or touched, but it can restrain the king's high-raised butcher knife.
When people leave, the tea will cool down. When people are gone, the friendship will also be gone.
"When I wake up from my dreams at midnight, I often sweat through my clothes and worry so much." Shao Shude sighed and said.
Everyone's hearts skipped a beat, and they had some vague guesses.
But it’s hard to answer this and say it.
"Drink." Shao Shude waved his hand and said.
Several people immediately picked up the wine bowls and drank all the wine in one gulp. Then they sat there upright, like students listening to the teachings.
Shao Shude shook his head and laughed.
After all, they are not old brothers. If they were old people who walked together, even if they were divided into monarchs and ministers, they would not be so different.
After all, he is old and has killed many old people. The new generation is respectful and uneasy in front of him.
After Shao Shude returned to his seat, he held the wine bowl, pondered for a while, and then said: "I dreamed that one day, the grassland was turbulent, and someone led hundreds of thousands of horses to ride south to the Central Plains, killing people like rivers of blood, and leaving hundreds of miles without human habitation.
The state of Daxia is like the fallen leaves in autumn, drifting uncertainly, and like the candlelight in the wind, dark and unclear."
"Your Majesty..." Several people couldn't sit still and looked surprised and uncertain.
Shao Shude's thoughts were completely withdrawn from reminiscing, and he looked at them with a slightly indifferent look and said: "Do you have a solution?"
"Your Majesty, no one can send out hundreds of thousands of horses on the grassland, unless there is an order from the Beiya Privy Council." Zhuang Ao said.
"The Forbidden Army is so brave that it is difficult to defeat them. Even if they have hundreds of thousands of riders, they would not dare to go south," Su Zhi said.
"Your Majesty, I would like to send five hundred strong men to Luoyang to defend the capital."
"If anyone rebels, we will punish him."
…
Shao Shude's eyes wandered back and forth on them, his last trace of patience exhausted, and he no longer wanted to talk to them more.
Because these so-called old friends are not worthy of his condescension or his affection in the future.
At this time, Kedun City's inspection envoy Hu Shizhi spoke: "Your Majesty, I have heard that each tribe in the northern part of Qi has a Yi Li Jin. Some of them are responsible for tens of thousands of troops, and as few as two or three thousand. They conduct regular drills and training.
Like an arm making a finger. I think that the tribes in Qinan can also imitate their old practices, reorganize them, and use them as Gancheng for the country."
As soon as this statement came out, several other people had different expressions.
It's not that they have any objections, it's actually instinct. Who doesn't want to be a warlord? Who doesn't want to control more people, cattle and sheep?
This is the virtue of grassland.
The Han warlords still know how to annex each other, but don't the grassland chiefs not want to? It's the same.
After Hun Shizhi made his words clear, the matter came to the final step: What should we do? Agree or not? If we agree, can we still bargain?
"Hunqing is such a wonderful person." Shao Shude smiled, stood up, offered him a bowl of wine, and said, "Drink this cup to the full."
Hun Shizhi took the wine bowl and drank it all in one gulp.
Shao Shude paced slowly in front of several chiefs with his hands behind his back.
His footsteps were very light, but they struck several people's hearts like a bell in the morning and a drum in the evening.
"Wait -" he cleared his throat and said.
Everyone pricked up their ears.
"After we go back, we will check the household registration, cattle and sheep." Shao Shude continued: "Divide the household. You all divide it yourself, and divide it well. If the division is not good, I will divide it for you, do you understand?"
Several people confirmed their uneasy guesses, and they all sighed secretly. It has been delayed for so long, and there is really no way to escape.
"I obey the decree." Several people expressed their opinions one after another.
Are you willing? Of course not.
But what is the cost of openly defying the imperial court? This is something they have to consider.
The title "Supreme Emperor Jianwen, Shenwu," was given by all the tribes, and the meeting of the Heichengzi people was also very formal. To be honest, his status on the grassland today is more orthodox than that of many so-called Great Khans.
They have listened to their fathers talking about the past battles since they were young, and their awe for the Supreme Emperor has been deeply rooted in their bones. Some of them are older and have even caught up with the tail of the unification of the world. They have seen the indomitable bravery of the Great Xia Forbidden Army, which is really not much.
The courage to resist.
To put it bluntly, if the person standing in front of them was the prince, they might have to bargain, but facing the "kind-faced and dark-hearted" supreme emperor, no one dared to openly confront him, because he was too dazzling and beyond human power.
Enemy.
So - what else can be done?
The large tribes turned into medium tribes, and the medium tribes turned into small tribes. After a few generations, there may be no difference between the Yinshan, Yanbei tribes and the Qibei tribes.
It's obvious that brothers who have divided the family property may not necessarily be of the same mind.
Moreover, this matter cannot be dealt with head-on. We all have children and grandchildren, and the children who do not have the right to inherit will know what their attitude will be when they know that the saint has issued a "favor order"? They must be ecstatic.
The grasslands are different from those in the Han Dynasty. The Khan's uncles, brothers, sons and grandsons all lead the army or hold official positions. They each have their own teams and supporters. If you don't have the right to inherit, that's it. Don't do what he wants. But now the sage tells you,
The tribe can be divided into families, and you may also obtain inheritance rights, and the court will support them.
You see, people's hearts inside have also been messed up. If it's serious, there's no need to separate the family, just split it, okay?
The order of pushing favor is an eternal conspiracy, everyone can see through it, but it can't be broken. What it tests is not how many household registrations, soldiers and horses you have, but the human heart.
No solution!
After hearing everyone's agreement, Shao Shude didn't look happy.
In his life, he has destroyed too many tribes. He can do whatever he wants. Who dares to resist?
He has cleaned up the thorns again for future generations. That's all he can do.