After the first lunar month, the footsteps of spring are getting closer day by day. The mountains are moist and the water is rising, the trees are revived, the grass is green, the flowers are blooming, the breeze is not cold, but the catkins that come with the wind are lingering, so that
People are troubled. The huge political machine of the imperial court is running in full swing and preparations for the crusade against the Southern Han Dynasty have begun. The "silly doctor" Yang Hao has gradually faded out of the scope of people's after-dinner talk.
To the west of Kaifeng City, there is the Forbidden Army Camp.
The gate of the camp is heavily guarded, and the soldiers are in bright uniforms and their eyes are not squinting. Rows of soldiers stand as straight as a line, like a copper wall and an iron wall. Many generals in armor and helmets are like stars holding the moon, surrounded by a broad-robed, long-sleeved man wearing a hat on his head.
A strong-looking man with a soft-footed buttocks head is walking out of the gate.
This man was in his forties, with a strong build, big ears, slightly dark complexion, and a pair of big eyes under thick eyebrows that looked majestic. But at this moment, his expression was very relaxed, and he was talking to the generals who were following him step by step.
Youxiao, it is Zhao Kuangyin, an official of the Song Dynasty.
There was a row of carriages and horses parked in front of the military camp. There were no flags, and there were no signs on the carriages. They looked like ordinary carriages belonging to wealthy families, but the plainclothes men standing around the carriages were not the ones you would find in ordinary wealthy families. These men
It's as if they were printed from the same mold, not in terms of their appearance, but in terms of their figure and temperament.
According to modern standards, these big men are all about 1.9 meters tall. They are tall and strong as mountains. The two big men standing on both sides of the chariot are giants with a height of more than two meters. They are tall and have strong muscles.
Tighten the black silk waistband.
Zhao Kuangyin came leisurely, stopped and said with a smile: "Okay, no need to send it off, old party..."
"I'm here!"
A man with a black face and black beard, who looked like an armored man made of iron, immediately took a step forward, hugged his fists, and made his armor clang. He was such a majestic general.
Zhao Kuangyin smiled and said: "Your soldiers are well trained, I am very satisfied. However, these weapons are the protection of the soldiers, but they cannot be careless. Just now, during the martial arts performance, three or four of the ten oil cans thrown were ineffective.
How can it be used in the event of a battle? This is not difficult to make ordnance, and it can be made on-site, so I have entrusted your own military craftsmen to do it. You must strengthen the supervision of the military craftsmen."
The old party, that is, the Ma Bujun commanded the party to advance. His dark red face was a little purple, and he said with a smile: "Yes, I... I understand."
Zhao Kuangyin saw his beloved general's embarrassment and asked with a smile: "Old party, it's spring and the flowers are blooming now. After a few days of preparation, we will send troops to conquer the Southern Han Dynasty. How many soldiers do you have in this camp? But?
Are there any vacancies? What are the weapons and equipment? Are there any shortages? Are you aware of them?"
"Uh..." Dang Jin looked left and right, his eyes flying wildly. In front of the officials, his staff did not dare to whisper to him. He was sweating profusely and his dark face was distorted.
I couldn't hold it in for a long time. Zhao Kuangyin was accompanied by Zhao Pu, Pan Mei, Cao Bin and other important civil and military ministers. Seeing the invincible general Dang Jin, who had always been brave in battle and never retreated, looking so embarrassed, they all kept their mouths shut.
He laughed, but no one stepped forward to help him.
Dang Jin is remarkable no matter how he uses troops to fight, but those skills are all honed on the battlefield. He doesn't know a word, and he is not good at running the army on a daily basis, and he is not good at managing food, fodder, ordnance. Asking him about these things will not be difficult for him.
All the civil and military officials were waiting to see the joke of this reckless man. Only Hu Yanzan, the deputy commander of the Xiaoxiong Army, had the best personal relationship with Dang Jin. When he saw his superior, who seemed to be constipated, Hu Yanzan panicked and felt aggrieved for him.
Taking a peek, Hu Yanzan quickly pointed at his belly.
Dang Jin was looking around for a savior with a pair of bull's-eye balls dangling. When he saw Hu Yanzan's actions, he suddenly thought of it. He hurriedly reached into his belt and pulled out a piece of wood. The scientific name of this wood board is a stile, which can be used to write down some information.
For important matters, its function is similar to the wat board used by courtiers, it is a memorandum.
Zhao Kuangyin was born in the army and did not want to stay in the forbidden area all day. He would look around from time to time. The military camp was his favorite place. Many generals in each section of the forbidden army did not know a few words, so they could prevent officials from asking questions.
, all wrote down some important data on the stile to prepare for emergencies. Seeing that it was reasonable, Dang Jin followed suit. The problem was that the generals next to him knew few words, but he did not recognize a word, so he asked his staff to
The helpers wrote down the numbers for him, but he could only stare at the stile.
Zhao Kuangyin said with a smile: "How about it, tell me quickly."
Dang Jin gritted his teeth and stared at the stile, as if he were glaring at the enemy who killed his father. After looking at it carefully for a long time, he still didn't recognize a word, so he had to worry, handed the stile to Zhao Kuangyin, and said in a rough voice
He said authentically: "The number of my soldiers and equipment are all written here. Officials, please take a look. I don't recognize this ghostly talisman."
Zhao Kuangyin had the intention of teasing him. Hearing this, he couldn't help laughing anymore. Zhao Pu, Cao Bin and others all laughed. Dang Jin blushed and felt ashamed. Zhao Kuangyin punched him in the chest and said with a smile:
"Don't you know how to be ashamed? Haha, hahaha, I won't make it difficult for you. Go ahead, go ahead. You can leave these matters to your staff, but you can't be careless with me about marching arrangements and charging into battle."
After Zhao Kuangyin finished speaking with a smile on his face, he waved his hand and turned to board the car. Dang Jin bowed and said loudly: "I will send you off to my official family."
Zhao Kuangyin started driving, and the other officials got on their sedans and rode horses. As soon as the convoy walked a few feet away, Dang Jin straightened up, kicked a Mu Liao next to him on the buttocks, and cursed angrily: "Keep it up!"
You don't see any use for it, and you see me in trouble, why don't you give me a warning?"
Dang Jin was always easy-going and his subordinates were not afraid of him. It was a good thing that he didn't scold him. But when he scolded him, all the generals and officials around him couldn't help laughing. Dang Jin was so angry that his face turned into an eggplant.
Se'er. Dang Jin's voice was loud, and Zhao Kuangyin could hear it clearly even while sitting in the car. He couldn't help but shake his head and smile, and said: "This good guy is so straightforward and cute."
Having said this, Zhao Kuangyin frowned and suddenly thought of Yang Hao. He tapped his fingers lightly on the low seat of the car. He raised his head and asked, "What is that Yang Hao doing now?"
Gu Ruoli, the deputy chamberlain who accompanied him, quickly replied: "Guan family, Yang Hao has been staying at Guanyi every day since he met the driver. After the first month, he went to Quyuan Street to buy something."
It’s a big house, and I’ve entrusted Yapo to hire karaoke girls, dancers, and maids and servants. I’ve been busy with these things. I’ve just had some leisure time in the past two days. Yesterday I went to visit the Daxiangguo Temple.”
"Hmm..." Zhao Kuangyin responded noncommittally. Gu Ruoli looked at his face and said softly: "The official family, I was sent by the official family to go to Luling Prefecture. I thought Luling Prefecture
The reason why Lingzhou officials were loyal to Yang Hao and obeyed his advice was because they were all appointed by Yang Hao. These people thought that their official future depended on Yang Hao. The officials treated them favorably and let them know who was the master of the world.
, they turned their attention to the court.
Furthermore, Yang Hao left his position and moved to another place. Over time, his influence weakened. When Luzhou was established as a state, it was surrounded by powerful vassals and invaders. The first priority was to establish an army and expand armaments. In addition, Luzhou's various industries
Although Yang Hao did not need money for anything, he spent a lot of money to build the state government office into a magnificent building. Although Yang Hao made vassal alliances in the northwest, used barbarians to control barbarians, and attacked the small Qiang tribes in Hengshan, it can be seen that
It turns out that this person is wise but has little knowledge. He loves greatness and loves achievements. He was originally from a humble background and did not know wealth. Now he stays in the prosperous land of Kaifeng, where he lives in glory and glory. Even if he once had ambition, it will gradually fade away.
.”
"Yeah!" Zhao Kuangyin was still noncommittal. He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes slightly. When Gu Ruoli saw it, he immediately shut up.
That day, Yang Hao gave a nondescript speech in the Jinluan Palace, but he also said it in a sonorous, powerful and serious manner, which made all the civil and military officials burst into laughter. Zhao Kuangyin could not restrain himself, and all the anger he had originally laughed out of his mouth.
However, although this episode made him change his understanding of Yang Hao, he still kept him after listening to the government, summoned him to the Wende Hall, and threw him the memorial table of the Luzhou Prefect. Yang Hao saw
Half of his face changed drastically. He neither denied outright that he had anything to do with him nor tried to shirk responsibility. He kowtowed and apologized.
Zhao Kuangyin had been observing him coldly since he was deliberately kept by himself and brought to Wende Hall. When he was asked to stay, he was overjoyed and uneasy when facing him alone. He handed the memorial to
The confusion and confusion when I met him, and the drastic change in my face when I was halfway through reading it, are completely the changes in the expression of a person who has no prior knowledge.
He did not defend himself, which was consistent with his character. In his original memorial, he gave all the credit to Luo Kedi, He Longcheng, Liu Haibo and others. Even Cheng Dexuan, who was at odds with him, was credited.
He is a man who values righteousness. If he had a ghost in his heart at this time, he would not have reacted this way.
Thinking of this and thinking of the injustice he had suffered, Zhao Kuangyin couldn't help but feel a little shaken. He comforted him with kind words and said that he had great trust in him and believed that he was not the mastermind of this matter, allowing him to live in Tokyo with peace of mind and buy land to build a house.
He bought maids, hired servants, and made a good living with singers and dancers, so he sent him out. The implication of his words was that although he was not angry at him for this matter, he wanted him to live in Kaifeng forever and be an idler with salary but no power.
Dismissed from office.
Zhao Kuangyin meant to comfort him, and he also had his own purpose. He would not kill anyone unless necessary. It is not easy to rule the world. Now he is fighting in all directions. In a few years, he has destroyed Jinghu and Houshu, and occupied a large area of the Northern Han Dynasty.
Territory, these places cannot be conquered with troops and the flag of the Song Dynasty is planted on the city. It will naturally become the territory of the Song Dynasty. To conquer the people's hearts, implement the rule, and transform the people into kings, these cannot be achieved by force.
The problem has been solved, and it cannot be achieved in a day. Now that troops are about to be used against the Southern Han Dynasty, it is really not suitable for the northwest region to cause trouble again. Keeping Yang Hao in the capital will stabilize Luzhou to a certain extent.
As for whether Yang Hao was ambitious or not, he didn't just ignore it. After Yang Hao left, he summoned a "gandanguan" from the "Wude Division" and gave him personal instructions, ordering him to send a few
'Marriage Soldier' closely investigates all movements of Division Yang Hao.
Early on the next morning, one of Yang Hao's personal followers quietly left Tokyo and headed northwest. Several "marriage soldiers" from Wudesi immediately followed secretly. When the messenger arrived at Baisha Town, a "marriage soldier" was there.
He was drugged by alcohol, took the opportunity to steal his letters, copied them, sealed the letters intact and put them back into his arms, before returning to Tokyo.
When the copied letter was placed on Zhao Kuangyin's desk, Yang Hao's messenger had not yet entered the northwest territory. Yang Hao's letter still had the same handwriting as a dog, and the wording was also half-written. The two letters were respectively
It was written to Ke Zhen'e, the deputy envoy of the Luzhou regiment training, and a woman named Tang.
In his letter to Ke Tuanlian, Yang Hao told them that he had been given preferential treatment by the officials when he came to the capital, and that he had unlimited fame. He also said that he would stay in the capital for a long time, and might be reused by the officials in the future. He urged them not to follow the right path and serve as officials for the people.
, it’s really rare
Opportunities, in the future, we must love ourselves and reflect on ourselves, and do things with peace of mind. Soon the officials will send new regiment training envoys to take charge of the troops, telling them to cooperate well, obey the superiors, and not to be greedy for power and profit, so as not to mislead others.
Ji Yunyun.
The letter he wrote to the woman surnamed Tang took a different turn, telling how he was frightened when he met the emperor, and scolded the Luzhou officials for being short-sighted, watching the sky from a well, and using such a crude strategy to exclude Cheng Dexuan, which almost caused harm to others.
Self, full of complaints, mixed with some venting slang, and then love
Mianmian, talked a lot about love, and also wrote a few love poems copied from Tang poetry that were not suitable for the situation, which made Zhao Kuangyin very funny. At the end of the letter, he also said that although he was living in the capital, his status was not determined, his family was not settled, and he was frightened and discussed.
After settling down, he would send people back to the northwest to propose marriage to her home and welcome her to Beijing to get married.
After reading these two letters, Zhao Guan's suspicion about Yang Hao suddenly disappeared. Speaking of which, he admired Yang Hao very much. This man could lead a mere 3,000 soldiers to defeat 50,000 people under the siege and interception of the Khitan cavalry.
An Ran brought to the northwest, he really has real talents. You know, brought to the northwest
With 50,000 civilians, it is no better than 3,000 soldiers acting alone. If a famous general leads 3,000 soldiers into the grassland and rides among 100,000 cavalry, he may not be able to return safely. However, if you give him five
Thousands of old, weak, women and children will try again, but only a few will succeed.
Yang Hao was able to do what others could not do. There was certainly an element of luck in this, and the reason why he led his troops back in time and restrained most of the Khitan was enough to prove that he was courageous and resourceful. After arriving safely in the northwest, Yang Hao praised his merits in the performance.
Take over
His attitude was especially appreciated by him. Yang Hao was a man who had no talent in learning but talent. He was outstanding in martial arts among civil servants and outstanding in literary talents among military generals. Especially since he had a simple and endearing personality, he was not necessarily a man to be cultivated.
Talent.
Unexpectedly, Cheng Dexuan returned to the capital in disgrace at this time. He struggled for a year and traveled around the northwest. Now he has returned to Kaifeng and is still working in his old profession - Kaifeng Prefecture Yamen Officer.
Zhao Guangyi took the unlucky Yamen officer to meet the emperor. In front of the official, Cheng Dexuan's personal account was naturally much more detailed than the memorial. Some clues he saw in daily life were casually mentioned. Cheng Dexuan was unintentional, but Zhao Kuangyin was not.
The listener was interested and had doubts in his heart. Yang Hao's position in his heart suddenly changed to "watch his words and observe his actions."
Yang Hao hasn't done anything unusual these days, and he has almost forgotten them.
Just as he was thinking of this, he heard an exclamation from outside the car. Zhao Kuangyin frowned, and Gu Ruoli immediately bent down and walked out. After a while, Gu Ruoli got back into the car and hurriedly reported: "Guan family, there is a fire in the city.
, the fireworks are sky-high, it seems the intensity of the fire is really amazing.”
When Zhao Kuangyin heard this, his expression changed. He hurriedly got out of the carriage and looked towards the top of Kaifeng City. He saw thick smoke billowing from a place in the city. He couldn't help but said in shock: "Enter the city, enter the city quickly." At that moment, the carriage and horse suddenly accelerated and rushed towards the city.
Go.
This fire is really not small.
Kaifeng City is densely populated. In addition to the main avenues, it is full of small alleys. On both sides, there are many high-end houses. There are many houses in the sky. There are no streets and streets, and the city is not accessible. In these years, the Song Dynasty expanded its territory.
, destroyed some countries one after another, and the kings of these countries now all live in Kaifeng.
Gao Jichong of Jingnan, Zhou Baoquan of Hunan, Meng Chang of Xishu...all moved with their concubines and concubines. Zhao Kuangyin showed his magnanimity and treated them very favorably, allowing them to purchase land, buy houses, and build various houses and pavilions, which made Kaifeng
Construction land is becoming more scarce.
In addition, Zhao Kuangyin encouraged officials to buy land, build houses, and enjoy life. Therefore, whether they retired from officialdom or were serving as officials in the court, many officials with rich eunuchs did not hesitate to build mansions to enjoy themselves during their lifetime and pass them on to their descendants after their death. Therefore,
The population density and building density of Kaifeng City are unprecedented.
In addition, Buddhism and Taoism were popular at this time. Buddhist temples and Taoist temples were everywhere, and they were places where incense was constantly burning all day long. When they had more believers, they often burned incense and worshiped Buddha at home. If they were not careful, fires would become a common occurrence. At this time,
Most of the houses in China are made of bamboo and wood structures, and bricks and stones are not yet popular. Once a fire breaks out, you can imagine the huge damage caused.
Before that, Kaifeng City had been on fire many times. In severe cases, thousands of households were burned down, and even the palace itself was set on fire. Zhao Kuangyin knew very well how powerful the fire was, and how could he not be surprised when he saw it.
His carriages and horses entered the city from Wansheng Gate and hurriedly passed the Jinliang Bridge. In front of them, they saw flames soaring into the sky, thick smoke billowing, heat waves hitting their faces, and many people running around shouting. From a distance, it seemed to be the area around "Jianlongguan"
A fire broke out, but it was hard to tell at this time because the buildings were close together and the surrounding houses were closely connected to the Jianlongguan house. Standing on the roof, you could walk across it in almost one step. The fire was blown away by the wind again.
Blow, the fire spread immediately, and now the fireworks have enveloped the entire alley, and they are still spreading.
Seeing how serious the fire was, Zhao Kuangyin couldn't help but gasped and immediately ordered: "Quick, send me my decree immediately, ordering the party to mobilize the imperial army to enter the city to put out the fire!"
After sending people to mobilize troops, Zhao Kuangyin jumped out of the car and walked forward, fearing that the officials would be harmed. Those tall men immediately protected him in the middle. Before he could go far, the fleeing people blocked his way.
On the way, I saw a group of villagers carrying water and running back and forth. One of them was jumping and shouting: "Quick, quick, quick, what's the use? Hurry up and get water to put out the fire. Quickly give way to the idle people waiting."
Open, don't hinder firefighting."
A scoundrel pushed a small car, which was blocking the intersection of the alley near the river, but did not move away. He asked Fangzheng with a playful smile: "Xu Fangzheng, please make it clear, you are fetching hot water."
Is it better to drink cold water, sweet water or bitter water?"
Xu Fang was so angry that he jumped on his feet, blowing his beard and staring: "Mo Daobei, water and fire have no mercy. The fire is burning so fiercely, why are you still blocking the road and don't get out of the way quickly?"
The rogue rolled his eyes, simply stopped the car, sat on the shaft, and sneered: "It's easy for me to give way. Just say something nice..."
The people around him said angrily: "Turned over his car." "Who dares?" Mo Daobei glared and looked around fiercely. The people immediately did not dare to say anything.
Zhao Kuangyin was so angry that his lungs exploded. He gritted his teeth and said bitterly: "Go, chop him down on the spot!"
The two big men immediately pounced on the rogue. These two imperial guards always only obeyed the orders of the official. They didn't even care about the officials in the court, regardless of whether this was a busy street. The rogue was showing off his power. These two
A big man pounced on him, lifted him up like an eagle catching a chick, and slammed him to the ground with a "thud" sound, and the man seemed to fall apart.
Before the scoundrel could catch his breath and curse, a guard pulled out his knife and swung the sharp steel knife. A big human head fell to the ground. The head rolled to the ground and was still grinning. A mouthful of blood spurted out.
It was more than a foot high. Although the people around him hated this scoundrel and had no conscience, but when they saw such a murder, everyone was so frightened that their faces turned pale.
Zhao Kuangyin was shocked when he saw the men carrying water. He was about to urge them to pour water to put out the fire. When the noise nearby fell silent, a distant voice came to his ears clearly: "Folks, this is the case."
fire, splash
The water won't help. We can't save it like this. We have to demolish the surrounding houses. We have to demolish the surrounding houses. Quickly demolish the houses, otherwise, the fire will burn the entire area. When will we reach the spacious street?
The time is over.”
After hearing this, Zhao Kuangyin's heart suddenly lit up, wow! I was really dizzy, why did I still put out the fire? Can the fire be put out? The most urgent task is to cut off the fire line quickly to prevent the fire from continuing to spread and cause
A greater loss would be appropriate.”
He hurried forward and saw a fire jumping up to 15 feet in front of a house. Many people were still pouring water with buckets and basins. There was a person running back and forth, constantly shouting that the surrounding houses that were about to burn should be put down.
He was beaten down, but unfortunately no one paid attention to him.
As long as the fire hasn't burned down his own house, who doesn't hold on to the hope of contingency? To demolish my house? It would be weird if I didn't risk my life with you. Besides, the people who organize the most fire-fighting are petty officials like Fangzheng Yaqian. Who?
Dare you take on such an indescribable responsibility? So no one paid any attention to him.
Zhao Kuangyin said in a deep voice: "Zhao Pu, go and call that Fang Zheng over, reveal your identity, and ask him to order people to knock down the houses around the fire source!"
"I obey the order!" Zhao Pu immediately stepped forward,
Zhao Kuangyin looked at the man again, nodded in approval and said, "This man does have some knowledge."
The man shouted till he was hoarse and exhausted from running. He panted for air and stopped. He stretched out his hand to wipe the sweat from his face, and immediately there were five black fingerprints on his cheek. He looked at the fire and sighed with regret.
: "Not only are the buildings in Kaifeng city densely packed, but they are also built with bamboo and wood instead of bricks, stones and terracotta tiles. As a result of the fire, I don't know how many families have suffered..."
Only then did Zhao Kuangyin see his appearance clearly, and couldn't help shouting in surprise: "Yang Hao!"
