On the northern outskirts of Zhongqing City, at the huge Longquan Mountain, flags were fluttering. Tens of thousands of elite Imperial Guards gathered here to garrison the surrounding areas, and the guards were tight to prevent anyone from approaching.
Under the foothills, a series of tents are set up here.
Surrounding the central garrison camp, the emperor's majestic guard of honor surrounded it.
Zhao Yun, who had just been directly promoted from General of Miscellaneous Numbers to General of the Central Guard Army due to his military exploits, looked solemn at this time and was holding a sword in his hand as he personally defended the Xu Zhang Hall.
Apart from Xiao Cheng, the current emperor of the Yun Kingdom, there is obviously no one else worthy of the Central Guards personally guarding the camp gate!
It is now late autumn, when the air is crisp and clear.
A few months after Xiao Cheng returned to the capital from a tour, he still hadn't fully recovered and felt depressed staying in the palace, so he ordered this autumn hunt.
Hunting in autumn is usually done to prevent wild animals from trampling the fields and destroying food.
But it was late autumn at this time, and all the folk food had been returned to the warehouse, so the timing seemed a little late.
However, all the court officials also knew that His Majesty just wanted to go out and relax, so he just found a random reason.
After all, it was not a big deal. I wanted to let my colleagues from the DPRK and China, who had worked hard for a long time, come out to relax, so no one objected to this matter. Even Hai Rui, who had always been upright and did not tolerate extravagance and enjoyment, was not willing to go against Xiao because of this.
Accept.
The autumn hunt was held very smoothly.
The royal family members and civil and military ministers from the court came with them. They also brought the young sons and daughters and nephews from each family. This made the huge camp in front of them look extremely lively!
At this time, I suddenly heard a muffled sound like thunder coming from the distance.
Everyone in the camp followed the sound and left one after another.
Then he saw flying dust and flags covering the sky more than ten miles away.
Thousands of elite cavalry marched on the ground, roaring like thunder, and their momentum was impressive. On both sides, there were thousands of elite infantry, taking advantage of the crane wing formation to surround them.
Tigers, leopards, bears, and other ferocious wild beasts in the mountains and forests were driven away by the army in front of them, and they fled towards the camp in a hurry.
Yang Zaixing, who had been directly promoted from a junior general in the Forbidden Army to a fourth-rank Huwei general due to his military exploits in the bloody battle at Yangping Pass, was now wearing a mighty and gorgeous armor, leading several cavalry, and galloping in.
Before reaching the tent hall, he suddenly reined in his horse and stopped, rolled over and dismounted, then knelt down on one knee and said loudly:
"Your Majesty, the hunt is ready. Your Majesty is invited to visit the city and preside over the Autumn Hunting Ceremony!"
Although Xiao Cheng, today was just an excuse to relax in the palace.
But as the emperor of a country, since he leads the courtiers out, this matter is by no means a simple game!
This autumn hunting has naturally become a political activity that includes the important meaning of "showing virtue, filial piety, and training in martial arts", and there are many etiquettes in it.
If we follow the wishes of the Ministry of Etiquette, before starting the Autumn Hunt today, we have to go through many processes such as preparing gifts, accepting guests, presenting guests, entertaining guests, playing music and singing to entertain the guests, etc. The banquet can only begin after the banquet is completed.
Xiao Cheng wanted to come out to relax, so naturally he took the trouble and spent some time to cut out many complicated etiquette.
But no matter how simple it is, before the autumn hunt can begin, Xiao Cheng, the Emperor of the Yun Kingdom, needs to lead the ministers in a shooting ceremony before it can officially begin...
Many soldiers were dispatched to drive wild animals to the vicinity of the camp, just to perform this "courtesy of hunting"!
Nan Rongshu, dressed in a smart outfit with an excited look on her face, suddenly opened the curtain, turned her head and said softly:
"Your Majesty, hurry up!"
Xiao Cheng smiled and shook his head, and slowly walked out of the tent together with Yang Yuhuan, who was flirting with him and looking more and more pregnant.
At this time, Xiao Cheng was not wearing a dragon robe, but put on a suit of armor, and his posture was upright. Although he was not as majestic and dignified as before, his heroic and fierce aura became stronger and stronger.
, making people afraid to look directly.
The civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty who were waiting on the side quickly bent over and knelt on the ground, shouting:
"My lord, please see your Majesty!"
Xiao Cheng chuckled lightly, raised his hand to support him, and said loudly:
"Get flat!"
After all the ministers thanked them, they stood up, mounted their horses together with Xiao Cheng, and headed out of the camp under the guard of the Imperial Army.
(This chapter is not finished yet!)
Chapter 11 Autumn Hunting
Facing the herd of beasts in the distance, Xiao Cheng took the long bow handed over by Yang Zaixing, stood up on his horse, and drew the bow like a full moon. There was only a "clang" sound, and the arrows shot out like meteors at an astonishing speed.
The next moment, the arrow hit an elk not far away, and it immediately fell down.
Immediately, the courtiers and soldiers cheered:
"color!"
"Your Majesty is mighty!"
Xiao Cheng curled his lips, put away the long bow in his hand, and said with a loud smile:
"The army is encircling and there are many wild animals. Are there any of you who are willing to try your skills?"
In today's world, there are hundreds of schools of thought, but which one does not have profound knowledge of martial arts? All the ministers in the court, even those who are civil servants, have a little bit of martial arts. Naturally, they will not be timid at this time, and they all ask themselves to come forward and shoot.
Every time a minister hit a prey, there would be a burst of cheers and applause. Even if the minister didn't hit, they were just joking with each other, and the atmosphere seemed very good.
In fact, Xiao Cheng didn't have much interest in hunting.
After all, with his martial arts skills, unless there are some ninth-level, terrestrial fairyland beasts in the Longquan Mountain hunting grounds, there really is nothing that can make him feel the joy of hunting.
Today's autumn hunting trip out of the palace is actually just an outing with the harem to relax.
After all the ministers had finished firing, Xiao Cheng sat on his horse and looked around, then he laughed and said:
"Today for the autumn hunting, I met the young officials in the court. There are all the sons and nephews from all the families. I might as well let them all go to the hunting ground to show off their skills."
Having said this, Xiao Chengzi took off a jade ring from his hand and continued:
"I will give you my favorite ring ring to the one who hunts the most."
As soon as these words came out, the eyes of the courtiers who had sons and nephews around Xiao Cheng suddenly lit up.
This lucky draw, even a mere jade ring, is obviously an opportunity to stand out in front of His Majesty!
The last person to win the lottery of His Majesty was the former cabinet minister Xin Qiji.
After Xin Qiji asked himself to be released to the front lines and borders, he moved from the seventh-rank cabinet to the fifth-rank Right Army Governor's Mansion, commanding the Jinshi in Shaoyang. Now he serves under the command of Wu Zixu, the powerful Marquis of Qujing.
General, the future is boundless!
With this precedent, the courtiers' hearts immediately moved when they heard that His Majesty had another lucky draw...
Xiao Cheng chuckled again and said:
"Also, today all the civil and military talents of our country are gathered here. I specially asked you to bring the daughters of each family to be married. If a girl from any family falls in love with someone and gets married, it will be the same.
It’s a nice talk. If you are straightforward and bold, you can ask the royal concubine in the palace to act as a matchmaker!”
As soon as these words came out, the faces of the courtiers who came with their daughters froze slightly.
Those who came with their nephews and nephews laughed loudly and shouted that they wanted to thank His Majesty on behalf of their nephews.
Some courtiers like Zhang Zhao, Wen Tiren, and Yan Song who were quick to respond narrowed their eyes slightly at this time, with different thoughts.
Logically speaking, only Empress Dayun, whose mother is in the world, can make the final decision on the marriage of a courtier's daughter.
Although there is no queen in Dayun now, it is reasonable for Bian Liuyun, the empress with the highest status in the harem, to make the decision.
But for His Majesty to say such a sentence in front of all the ministers, it is really like some kind of obscure statement, which makes people's hearts move.
After a while, Xiao Cheng's words were transmitted back to the camp.
The young civil and military officials in the court, the newly promoted scholars who had not yet been awarded official titles, and the nephews and nephews of distinguished officials from various clans suddenly became excited.
Young people always have pride and fantasy in their hearts.
Show your skills and become famous before the emperor, and attract beautiful women. From then on, you will be proud of your official career and love life. Thinking about it makes people excited!
Xiao Cheng turned his horse's head and looked at the many young men who were full of energy, riding out of the camp and running towards the hunting grounds, and the smiles on their faces became even bigger.
While others were paying attention, Xiao Cheng turned slightly sideways, facing Zhao Yun and Yang Zaixing beside him, and whispered:
"You two have never been married. I have asked your concubine to pay a little attention to you and choose a girl with a good family background and good looks!"
(This chapter is not finished yet!)
Chapter 11 Autumn Hunting
Speaking of this, Xiao Cheng pointed to a high platform covered by gauze in the distant camp and said with a smile:
"In there, there are all the noble daughters of the noble families, and the ladies of the court and officials, all of them are watching here. If you go and show off your skills today, the marriage will be easier."
As soon as Xiao Cheng said these words, Zhao Yun's face turned slightly red, and Yang Zaixing even touched his head, showing a somewhat innocent smile.
Zhao Yun blushed and was silent for a moment, then quickly shook his head and said:
"But as I wait for His Majesty's escort to approach, I cannot be careless. I should leave my post lightly and let General Huwei go. I will stay here to guard."
Xiao Cheng couldn't help but rolled his eyes and said:
"Actually, I have spoken about this issue many times. If there is any powerful person who comes out of this world, it may not be you who protect me, or I who protect you!"
After hearing this, Zhao Yun and Yang Zaixing felt a little depressed, but had nothing to say.
There are some things that make Zhao Yun and the others very discouraged.
For Xiao Cheng, the emperor of Dayun who is known as the "man of heaven" and has unparalleled martial arts skills, the worship masters and elite forbidden troops around him are actually just a guard of honor to show the majesty of the emperor.
Xiao Cheng waved his hand again and said:...
"Go for it!"
When Zhao Yun and Yang Zaixing heard this, they could only bow in unison and said:
"Thank you for your grace!"
Xiao Chenglang laughed a few times, threw the long bow in his hand to Yang Zaixing, turned around and headed towards Kancheng not far away.
The so-called "viewing the city" is actually a temporary high platform built not far from the camp, with a yellow curtain on it and a felt tent in the middle. Sitting on it, you can have a wide field of vision all around.
As soon as she sat down on the city watch, Nan Rongshu, who was dressed in a smart outfit and had no time to take a sip of tea, excitedly twisted her waist, ran to Xiao Cheng, and said softly:
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"
Xiao Cheng looked at her and smiled:
"Didn't I ask you to lead the ladies from each family to play? Why are you here?"
Nan Rongshu looked at Xiao Cheng, widened her eyes and pouted:
"Your Majesty cannot be partial! The daughters of each family in the court are also His Majesty's subjects. Aren't they also able to take the prizes given by Your Majesty? But why does Your Majesty only let the men of each family go hunting?"
When Xiao Cheng heard this, he raised his eyebrows.
"Why, is there any noble girl who also likes hunting? Hahaha, I'm afraid it's not you who wants to end up, so you're doing it in their name!"
"Hey, Your Majesty is looking down on us now. The women in the families of many distinguished generals may not be much worse than the men!" Nan Rongshu said unconvinced.
When Xiao Cheng heard this, he thought that there were elite soldiers all around the hunting ground, and that too ferocious beasts were driven away and killed in advance. It would not be a bad thing for the boys and girls from each family to have more contact, so he nodded and said:
"Go ahead, my finger ring is not suitable for my daughter's family. I have to find a fortune. Look after the girls in each family and pay attention to their safety!"
When Nan Rongshu heard Xiao Cheng's agreement, she nodded excitedly and said:
"Your Majesty, don't worry!"
After saying that, she turned around and left in a hurry.
That cheerful and excited figure made Xiao Cheng burst into laughter.
After Nan Rongshu left for a while, a palace servant walked up to Xiao Cheng and bowed:
"Your Majesty, Shen Wansan is outside asking for an audience!"
Hearing this, Xiao Cheng nodded and said in a deep voice:
"Let him in!"
"yes."
After a while, Shen Wansan, led by the palace servants, carefully walked up to Xiao Cheng, leaned down and worshiped:
"Shen Wansan, pay homage to His Majesty!"
Xiao Cheng raised his head and glanced at Shen Wansan, and couldn't help but be slightly startled.
During his previous tour of Jiangcheng County, Shen Wansan worked day and night in order to recruit various merchants to collect and transport the materials needed to reward the army, and he had already lost too much.
But when we saw him today, Shen Wansan was even thinner than before, and his expression looked extremely tired.
Xiao Cheng sat up slightly and frowned:
"How did it end up like this?"
(This chapter is not finished yet!)
Chapter 11 Autumn Hunting
Shen Wansan raised his head, smiled bitterly, and said:
"Preparing the materials needed to accompany the capital and coordinating all parties are no easier than raising reward materials before. But fortunately, the common people have already made all the preparations for what His Majesty has told us. We only need to wait for His Majesty to issue an edict to the world, and Jiangling will be the capital, and construction can begin!"
Zhongqing City is too far away from the Central Plains. As the Yun Kingdom becomes more and more prosperous, it is no longer suitable to serve as the capital...
However, because the establishment of a new capital was too important, Xiao Cheng came up with the idea of establishing a companion capital.
This Jiangling is the first capital that Xiao Cheng wants to establish!
Looking at the tired and hard-working Shen Wansan, Xiao Cheng sighed softly, nodded and said:
"Thanks for your hard work!"
"Serving His Majesty is my heart's desire, why bother?"
Having said this, Shen Wansan continued:
"The grassroots have already asked people from the Mo family to investigate. If we rush the work, we should be able to complete the main body in one year and completely complete it within two years!"
When Xiao Cheng heard this, he frowned and said:
"So fast?"
"Because we are building the capital on the original basis of Jiangling City, we only need to expand the city to the north and build the palace and government offices. It is much easier than building a new city directly."
In fact, expansion on the basis of the original structure was not the main reason for the rapid construction. After all, it took Zhu Di, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, to build BJ City on the basis of Dadu in the Yuan Dynasty for more than ten years!
And the reason why the Jiangling capital was able to be built so quickly was because someone from the Mo family took action.
Now that cement has been invented, coupled with the Mohist machine beasts that can be used as construction machinery, and all kinds of wonderful methods, it is not so exaggerated to expand the capital within a year!
When Xiao Cheng heard this, he nodded slightly and said warmly:
"Okay, thank you for your hard work this time!"
Xiao Cheng paused again and continued:
"I will send an edict tomorrow to give you the official title of Official Official!"
Hearing this, Shen Wansan suddenly felt happy.
You must know that what Xiao Cheng had promised before was only to give him the rank of imperial court official of the fifth rank. And now, although the title of the official official is a false title, he is also the fourth rank of the imperial court, and he is already ranked in the imperial robe. among members!
It is obvious that His Majesty has been promoted to the third level because of his dedicated errands.
Among merchants from ancient times to the present, who can be as high-ranking official in a country as he is today, with unlimited glory?
Thinking of this, Shen Wansan was both ecstatic and grateful and leaned over to salute, saying:
"My dear, Shen Wansan, thank you for your kindness!"