By the Yellow River, Fu Yanqing and his eldest son Fu Zhaoxin were crossing the river.
However, it was the first time for the teenage Fu Zhaoxin to go to Kaifeng Mansion in Tokyo, so he seemed very excited and curious about everything he saw.
One of the biggest characteristics of the Five Dynasties warriors is that they get married and have children later.
For example, Fu Yanqing was born in the second year of Qianning (895) of Emperor Zhaozong of the Tang Dynasty, the same age as Liu Zhiyuan, and is now fifty-one years old.
But his eldest child, the eldest daughter Da Fu, is only sixteen years old, and the eldest son Fu Zhaoxin is only ten years old.
The other two Hebei generals who are as famous as Fu Yanqing are even more exaggerated. Gao Xingzhou was born in the first year of Guangqi of Emperor Xizong of the Tang Dynasty (885). He is already 61 years old this year. The eldest son Gao Huaide is only 20 years old, and the eldest daughter Gao E is just 20 years old. Seventeen years old.
An Shenqi is forty-nine years old this year, and his eldest son An Shouzhong is only fourteen years old.
This is simply like later generations marrying later and having children later!
However, this is also a last resort. If warriors who lick blood from the edge of their swords do not get ahead quickly while they are young and strong, what awaits them will be an old age with injuries and poverty.
The Five Dynasties was the golden age of warriors, but this golden age often brought a lot of disorder.
Even those with family backgrounds and bravery like Gao Xingzhou, Fu Yanqing, and An Shenqi are faced with the possibility of losing their lives at any time.
Fu Yanqing's elder brother Fu Yanchao and younger brother Fu Yanrao were both killed in their prime. Gao Xingzhou's father and uncle also died in the army. It is evident that the five generations were disordered.
Fu Yanqing went to Kaifeng Mansion in Tokyo this time for very important matters, because the news coming from outside the Great Wall was becoming more and more urgent. Liu Zhiyuan had obviously colluded with the Khitans.
In the Central Plains, the Hexi Army under the Emperor's command had been fighting for several consecutive years. They were so homesick that they had to let half of them go back home to visit relatives. They were unable to launch a major war in a short period of time.
Of course, the most important thing is that after the emperor selected his eldest daughter and Gao Xingzhou's eldest daughter as concubines, he never made any next move.
Even the daughter of the Kang family held a simple ceremony and was brought into the palace, but the daughter of the Fu and Gao families was still raised in the mansion.
Of course, Zhang Zhao also gave an explanation, which meant that a high-standard ceremony would be held before the daughters of the Fu and Gao families could enter the palace.
Fu Yanqing looked at the vast river and sighed. Is this a high-level ceremony?
The emperor's intention was that the Fu and Gao families should take the initiative to represent the Ya Bing Ya generals from the Hebei military general family and tell the emperor clearly where they will go from now on.
After agreeing on what can be touched and what cannot be touched? What kind of power can you ask for and what kind of power can't be asked for, the emperor will choose to recruit the generals from Hebei into the imperial court.
Otherwise, Fu Yanqing's heart skipped a beat. Seeing what Emperor Shaoming wanted, he would not hesitate to send the Hebei generals who still wanted to play the same tricks as before to Liu Zhiyuan, and then completely defeat them in the decisive battle between Hedong and Hexi. Clean it up.
So shortly after crossing the Yellow River and arriving at Fengqiu, Fu Yanqing met Gao Xingzhou.
Gao Xingzhou arrived with the Shanbei heroes who had been deeply tied up with the Gao family since the time of Emperor Wu Li Keyong.
An Shenqi also brought his fourteen-year-old eldest son An Shouzhong, as well as a considerable number of Shatuo and Sogdian tycoons.
Even Huangfu Yu's nephew Huangfu Chong arrived with Huangfu Yu's ten-year-old eldest son Huangfu Jie, as well as thirty or forty people of Zhending heroes.
In the past, he, Fu Yanqing, Gao Xingzhou and Huangfu Yu were the famous three generals of Hebei. At least half of the generals in Hebei and the local tycoons of Wubao had a close relationship with them.
Most of An Shenqi's people live in the Taihang Mountains at the junction of Hedong and Hebei, and they also have great influence in Hedong and Hebei.
Everyone didn't expect to meet here, so they quickly sat around, sifted a few cents of wine, cut some mutton and haggis, and started talking.
Gao Xing, the oldest, drank a large bowl of wine carefully, then wiped the wine from his beard and said with emotion.
"A weak leader from a certain family has been in the army for almost fifty years. He has seen his father and uncles die tragically, as well as his brothers and companions being killed.
I once thought that Emperor Zhuangmiao was the hero who ended the troubled times, but I didn’t expect that!”
When Fu Yanqing heard Gao Xingzhou mention Li Cunxu, he took a big gulp of wine.
Gao Xingzhou's father, Gao Si, and his three stepbrothers were unjustly killed by Emperor Wu Li Keyong, so his feelings for Zhuangmiao Li Cunxu were very limited.
But Fu Yanqing is different. His father Fu Cunshen was originally called Li Cunshen and was one of the thirteen eunuchs of Jin King Li Keyong.
Therefore, at Fu Zhaoxin's age, Fu Yanqing stayed with Zhuangzong Li Cunxu, who was more than ten years older than him.
Li Cunxu treated him like his own brother, and the two had a very deep relationship.
Fu Yanqing couldn't help but sigh, "If Zhuang Temple was still there, wouldn't the world have been peaceful by now?"
As the most orthodox representative of Daibei and Hedong warriors, An Shenqi nodded in agreement.
"This time I sent people back to my hometown to investigate, and I saw that the land east of Hedong is still the same as before.
The generals are arrogant, the state and county officials are useless, and the people either hide in the mountains or rely on Wubao to survive.
Liu Zhiyuan's ambitions are exactly the same as those of the commander-in-chief of the feudal town a hundred or two hundred years ago.
If he becomes the emperor, I'm afraid the world will be in chaos again, and I don't know when it will be safe.
But today's household registration is less than half of what Zhuangmiao had when he entered Luo. If this chaos continues, either we or our descendants will become slaves of foreigners.
I am really tired of this meaningless beating and killing."
Fu Yanqing smiled miserably, not knowing whether he was thinking of Li Cunxu or his elder brother Fu Yanchao and younger brother Fu Yanrao who were killed in the rebellion. Tears seemed to be shining in his eyes.
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He looked back at the other side, where Fu Zhaoxin, An Shouzhong and Huang Fujie, who were all about the same age, were laughing and having fun.
"Since the decline of the great dynasty, there has been chaos for two hundred years. Now that the Holy Lord has appeared, let this chaos end in our hands!
Let this young generation enjoy the wealth and honor that Duke Cheng Huai Liang and Qin Gong Huai Dao once had."
Cheng Huailiang was the son of Cheng Yaojin, and Qin Huaidao was the son of Qin Shubao. The two of them had no achievements to speak of, but under the protection of their fathers, they were high-ranking officials and well-paid throughout their lives, and they were as cool as they wanted.
Now Zhang Zhao's "The Complete Biography of Heroes of the Tang Dynasty" has become popular both inside and outside the Great Wall, across the country, and even the older generation like Fu Yanqing has begun to compare himself to the heroes in the biography.
When you are alive and working hard all your life, your greatest wish is not to be able to support your parents above, to honor your wife in the middle, and to protect your children and grandchildren below.
When Fu Yanqing said this, Gao Xingzhou and An Shenqi both laughed. The slightest dissatisfaction in their hearts about handing over the dominant force finally disappeared.
An Shenqi even jokingly said to Gao Xingzhou: "It would be a blessing if my son could be in the same situation as Cheng Huailiang.
But if it is kept by the public, in the future, if it is not Huo Piao Yao, it must be a hero like Dou Wenhou!"
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In November, as Gao Xingzhou, Fu Yanqing, An Shenqi and relatives and friends of the Huangfu family arrived outside Kaifeng Mansion in Tokyo, Zhang Zhao finally began to prepare to admit Da Fu and Gao Eniang into the palace.
How could I, Zhang Shengren, not be greedy for these two cute ladies with the added temptation of status and history?
But he knew that he must be cautious when dealing with a beauty from such a family background.
If in Henan, there are few ordinary people in the wild and there are local rich and powerful forts everywhere, then in Hebei, there are no ordinary people in the wild and there are only local and powerful forts.
Moreover, the Wubao in Henan generally has hundreds or even thousands of people, and they can pull out one or two hundred men, with some tattered bamboo armor and wooden shields, which is considered good.
However, in Hebei, Wubao are often connected into a cluster, and there will be a large number of intermarriages between several Wubao, and local tooth soldiers and even tooth generals will also participate.
They watch and help each other, and can mobilize thousands of men at any time. Not to mention how good their armor and stomach are, but they are definitely better than the herdsmen on the grassland, and they also have the custom of riding and shooting.
Moreover, there are a large number of bow and arrow societies and gun and stick societies that serve as links between the Wubao. Although their numbers are small, their force is powerful.
Unless they were unable to do anything when it came to the scale of the Jin-Liao War, they were not afraid at all of the remaining small groups, whether they were the Imperial Forbidden Army or the Khitan cavalry heading south.
If it weren't for them, historically the Khitan had occupied the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun for so long, how could the land of Hebei be any better?
Even in the Northern Song Dynasty, under the suppression of the Zhao family court, Hebei's martial ethics were not completely suppressed. Otherwise, heroes like Yue Wumu would not have been born, and plain swords would not be everywhere.
Therefore, recruiting Da Fu and Gao E Niang was actually the same thing as recruiting powerful men from Hebei to the imperial court.
As for Zhang Zhao, he is willing to ensure that Hebei's martial ethics continues to exist to a certain extent. After all, it will take their efforts to clear the desert and defeat Wang's Korea.
But Zhang Zhao definitely cannot accept the current situation. Zhang Shengren has already decided in his heart that if the local tycoons in Hebei don't bow their heads and don't take the initiative to integrate into the new Zhou Dynasty.
Then he would rather push these people to Liu Zhiyuan's side, and then spend some time sweeping them and Liu Zhiyuan into the garbage heap of history.
However, Zhang Zhao still had a good idea, because he had come to a good time.
Gao Xingzhou, Fu Yanqing, An Shenqi, including Huangfu Yu who committed suicide and died for his country, although they all have moral problems of one kind or another.
But despite their flaws, these general leaders in Hebei still have a bottom line and perseverance when it comes to loyalty.
They can also understand Zhang Zhao's difficulties as an emperor determined to end the troubled times, and clearly know Zhang Zhao's determination.
At this time, it was almost the era when there were the most loyal ministers and righteous men among the five generations of commanders.
Therefore, when the news came that Gao Xingzhou, Fu Yanqing, An Shenqi and the Huangfu family had arrived in Fengqiu, Zhang Zhao was extremely excited.
He hugged Ms. Cao Sanniang, who was sorting out documents for him, and spun her around several times.
Mrs. Cao Sanniang was also extremely excited, and her eyes shone with admiration.
"I congratulate Erlang. There have always been turmoils among the military people in the world. The first was in the three towns of Hebei, the second was in Yabing in Huainan, and the last was in the place of Xingsheng in Hedong.
Nowadays, with the death of Huainan and the equalization of land in Chuzhou, only the three states of Hao, Si and Shou are threatened. Among them, the two states of Hao and Si are just fish on the chopping board, and Shouzhou is also unable to survive alone.
Gao, Fu, and An brought their relatives and friends to the court, and the land in Hebei will finally come under the control of the court.
There is only one place left in the east of Hedong, which is narrow and has few people. Liu Zhiyuan is old and is definitely not Erlang's enemy.
Since the decline of the great dynasty, the world has been divided into feudal vassals and towns, and warriors are running rampant and lawless. This situation will end at the hands of the saint."
"Hahahaha!" Zhang Zhao was happy and emotional.
"Among the pioneers in history, it only took seven years for Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty to dominate the world.
Guangwu of the Han Dynasty also started from a young age and only took twelve years.
It only took ten years for Emperor Taizong of the great dynasty to assist Emperor Gaozu in unifying the world.
It has been fifteen years since I, Zhang Zhao, left for Anxi in the second year of Changxing (931) of the later dynasty. In fifteen years, let alone dominate the world, I have not even managed half of the country.
Throughout the history of the dynasties, the founder of the country has never had such a difficult time. Only today has he seen the light of day."
The door of the study room creaked open, and it turned out that Queen Cao Yanxi arrived with a plate of cantaloupe. She looked at Zhang Zhao with wet eyes, not hiding her protective intentions.
"During the time of Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, the laws of the Qin Dynasty were harsh, and the hearts of the six countries were not attached to them. The world has been suffering from Qin for a long time. The main force of the Qin army was actually defeated by the overlord of Chu. That's why Gaozu conquered the country so quickly.
In the later Han Dynasty, Wang Mang usurped the throne and his perverse actions were unpopular. First, there was the Green Forest Red Eyebrow Rebellion, and then Emperor Gengshi raised the banner. Emperor Guangwu even abandoned his wife Zhaochang and married the Guo family. He had ruled the world for only twelve years.
Emperor Taizong of the great dynasty, whose family was originally from the Guanlong clan, was able to dominate the world in ten years, except that Emperor Taizong was the lord of heaven.
In fact, he relied on hiding behind the heroes of the world to stay away from disputes, recuperating and recuperating in secret, and only then sent out troops to the world after Guanzhong became prosperous.
My husband is the only one who came from scratch and worked hard from the west to the east. He also wants to change the world's atmosphere and follow the rites of the Zhou Dynasty to set the rules. Even if he has the world in twenty years, he will be the hero of the ages."
As expected, his wife was considerate. After Zhang Shengren heard this, Mei's nose was bubbling.
At this time, Cao Yanxi had just given birth to a son. Although her body had not yet recovered, the queen's domineering attitude was not bad at all.
"Tomorrow, let Nobunaga'er take Jing'er outside the city to greet everyone in Hebei.
Li Fang was ordered to inform Guo Tiance and ask the Privy Council to organize the six guards of the pro-army, the seven foreign towns, the left and right divine guards, and the polo teams of the armies of each town.
Let’s organize a polo match on the school field in the west of the city to celebrate the Hebei generals’ return to the country.”
Jing'er is the fourth son of Zhang Zhao and Zhang Xianjing, the legitimate son born to Cao Yanxi.
After hearing Zhang Zhao's instructions, the two sisters Cao Sanniang Yannai and Queen Cao Jiuniang Yanxi looked into each other's eyes, and they were both indescribably happy.
The two sisters have been clinging to Zhang Zhao recently because everyone from Hebei is about to arrive, and they are afraid that Zhang Zhao will send his eldest son Zhang Xiancun to meet the generals of Hebei.
The biggest threat to the two sisters now is their equally doting aunt Li Ruoliu.
My aunt has a constitution that makes it easy to get pregnant and is good at giving birth to boys. Now she has given birth to three princes for Zhang Zhao. The eldest son Zhang Xiancun and the second son Zhang Xianzhao were both born to Li Ruoliu.
Moreover, the eldest son Zhang Xiancun is very talented in literature, and his painting skills have begun to be recognized by everyone. He is also humble and polite, and has a good appearance. He has an excellent reputation both inside and outside the court, and Zhang Zhao also likes him very much.
This has actually posed a considerable threat to Zhang Xianjing's status.
Therefore, the two Cao sisters have been secretly trying their best to make Zhang Zhaoduo pay attention to Zhang Xianjing, who is just over three years old, and try their best to let the father and son get along with each other.
Where Zhang Zhao didn't pay attention, the palace fight had already begun.
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Polo, this thing was not invented by the British, but due to the issue of the right to speak, Western propaganda has made it seem that the Chinese do not play polo, and that it is a patent of Western Gentlemen.
But in fact, polo was very popular as early as the Han Dynasty.
Because this is a great way to practice riding skills, practice cooperation, enhance feelings and competition among soldiers, and maintain the folk riding and shooting style.
So how could Zhang Zhao not pay attention to it? It's not just as simple as paying attention to it. Zhang Zhao personally set detailed rules for polo.
He also ordered the pro-army, imperial army, Gyeonggi Guards and local town armies to form polo teams, and also established a polo league competition system.
When there is no war, polo league is the best pastime for soldiers.
After more than a year of development, in addition to the military, many private polo teams have also been formed.
Even the city of Tokyo formed a civilian polo alliance under the leadership of Xue Juzheng, governor of Kaifeng. They even played more points games than the army because they didn't have to worry about fighting.
Zhang Zhao is also considering promoting some well-performing civilian teams to the military league competition to form a second-level competition system.
What is good above will be followed by the people below. However, Zhang Zhao still did not understand enough. It is not as simple as the emergence of a polo team among the people. In fact, a women's polo team has already appeared among the people.
Moreover, due to the influence of the emperor's preference for long-legged beauties, and the fact that playing polo requires women to be tall and long-legged, in Tokyo recently, at least in the past six months, long-legged ladies who were not liked by everyone in the past have suddenly become in demand.
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If a young lady is tall and has long legs, she will definitely be recommended to learn to play polo. It doesn’t matter whether she is good at playing polo or not. At least she must be able to ride a horse, be able to swing a stick, and know what polo is all about.
Because after doing this, it will be easy to marry into a general from Hexi.
There were only so many pro-Hexi soldiers and forbidden troops brought by Zhang Shengren to the Central Plains, and even fewer were unmarried. They knew how to play polo, which was simply a stepping stone for ordinary women from ordinary households to marry into the families of petty officers or warrior-rank officials.
Even the horse market in Tokyo has soared. The originally rare horses have also been reduced in cost due to the surge in demand, and have gradually entered the civilian families who have begun to settle down and have some assets.
On the same day, I came to Kaifeng Mansion in Tokyo and the local tycoons in Hebei, and received a grand welcome and hospitality from the imperial court. Not only the prime ministers and senior officials of the imperial court were all present.
Zhang Zhao's six adopted sons, Marquis of Shicheng Zhang Liecheng, Duke Murong Nobunaga of Qinghai, Duke Li Cunhui of Shouchang, Bo Zhe Deyuan of Yinzhou, Zhao Yanjin of Dunqiu, and Yang Jiye, Marquis of Yu of Zuo Jinwu were also present to celebrate.
The banquet was of a high standard, which was rarely seen in the past, and everyone was directly arranged to live in the Chu Garden in the inner city near the imperial city.
On the surface, Zhang Zhao certainly would not say that it was Hebei Yajiang and local tycoons who came to discuss state affairs with him. He used the excuse that the emperor accepted Da Fu and Gao Eniang as concubines, and it was Queen Cao Yanxi who came forward to express his wish.
A special event.
So, when Li Xiaofeng arrived at Kaifeng Mansion in Tokyo, escorted and accompanied by his bodyguards in brocade clothes, what he saw was such a grand scene.
Li Xiaofeng was completely shocked. In terms of wealth, Kaifeng Prefecture in Tokyo cannot compare with Chengdu, which has enjoyed long-lasting peace and is located in the land of abundance. However, Kaifeng Prefecture in Tokyo has a grandeur and magnanimity that Chengdu does not have.
While on the road, Li Xiaofeng discovered that it was said in Shu that Guanzhong and the Central Plains had suffered successive disasters, and the wars continued. They were already quite dilapidated and the people were in dire straits.
But what Li Xiaofeng saw was that the people were indeed not very wealthy, and in many places there was a problem of having enough to eat. Many people could only eat wild vegetables and a little grain to satisfy their hunger.
But this was not caused by the Zhou court. On the contrary, Zhou officials were still providing disaster relief.
Moreover, the method of disaster relief is not to directly distribute food to the people. As long as people do not starve to death on a large scale, they will not care.
What officials are in charge of is the sowing of winter wheat and preparations for farming in the coming year. Where conditions permit, they are also organizing people to repair water conservancy.
This is sensible!
Li Xiaofeng understood very well that this year's farming had been completed, and distributing rations to the people could only relieve temporary emergencies. Organizations to resume farming and repair water conservancy were the fundamental solutions.
Therefore, along the way, what Li Xiaofeng saw on the faces of Guanzhong and the people was not the pain of this year's poor harvest, but the desire for next year's bumper harvest.
And since he passed Luoyang and even arrived in Tokyo, Li Xiaofeng had another feeling. The people here are much better than Guanzhong and other places.
There are many Conglong officials from Hexi who have settled in the surrounding area, so the countryside is relatively wealthy.
Coupled with the various constructions of palaces, city repairs, river dredging and water conservancy projects, the area from Luoyang to Tokyo is in full swing even in winter.
The people were as tired as dead dogs and unwilling to move, but they definitely did not starve to death.
"Wuna Xiaolang, get out of the way quickly, be careful of slave Xue Lifei hurting you!"
Li Xiaofeng was still sighing in the middle of the road outside the city, not wanting to rush past a cavalry team of at least twenty people.
On the horseback, the woman was dressed entirely in men's clothing, revealing two round and long legs on both sides of the horse.
The woman in front of her was tall and tall, with picturesque features and handsome features. This was different from the usual unfeminine beauty, which immediately caught Li Xiaofeng's attention.
At this time, he was not wearing the official uniform of the Shu Kingdom, and the bodyguards escorting him were also dressed in merchant attire. An old man holding a donkey next to him saw Li Xiaofeng's eyes and quickly reminded him.
"This husband, please stop looking. Be careful and she will come over and beat you!"
"How dare he hit someone? How dare a woman hit her husband?"
Li Xiaofeng's eyes widened with disbelief on his face.
Of course, husband here does not mean the husband of future generations, but literally refers to a man.
The old man's face showed a look of laughter, "Why don't you dare? This is a tigress from Hexi, the fourteenth lady of the Cao family in Shazhou.
Last time, Prince Nanping’s brother-in-law offended her, so she was beaten hard when she was held down, so fierce! Why don’t you try shouting loudly a few times.”
Uh...! Li Xiaofeng coughed dryly and stopped talking.
This city of Tokyo is good for everything, but there are too many horses. Men can ride horses and shoot arrows, but women can also ride horses and shoot arrows. They also speak with extremely loud voices, often go around in men's clothes, and kill pigs and sheep as skillfully as the butchers in Shu.
The beauty is beautiful, and it is really a bit scary. Maybe in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, those tough women in the history books behaved like this.
Thinking of this, Li Xiaofeng quickly retreated to the corner of the street, looked at the Tokyo city wall in the distance, and said to the royal guards escorting him.
"Excuse me, please tell me. I will change into my official uniform right here and wait for arrangements by Feng Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites."
Not long after, a Yuanwailang came out of the city to greet him, "Feng Shangshu asked me to inform you about the matter. The envoys of Shu should contact Gao Gong Baorong, the deputy envoy of Jingnan Festival, Magong Xiguang, the deputy envoy of Wu'an Army, the younger brother of the King of Chu, and the Southern Tang Dynasty."
The envoy Li Gong Jingda, the military governor of Runzhou Town, and Pei Jian, the envoy of the Ministry of Rites of Wuyue Kingdom, live together in Yongding Palace in the east of the city."
Li Xiaofeng opened his mouth and wanted to refuse, because this meant that he would live with envoys from other countries.
But these envoys actually came to pay homage to the Emperor of Zhou, but not him!
However, at this time, Li Xiaofeng did not say anything in the end, because he knew very well what the consequences would be if he, the only one in Shizhong, did not understand the situation.