Ancestral Temple
Above the gray sky, white snowflakes fell down like goose feathers, falling one after another on the glazed tiles on the eaves. The sky and the earth were covered in silver, and tall and straight pine and cypress trees surrounded the red walls with green eaves. It was swaying constantly with the wind in the miserable wind and bitter rain.
At this moment, in the wind and snow, the young man is wearing a black cloak and a black and red python suit. He stands proudly in the wind and rain, as beautiful and tall as a pine and cypress, and as rich as jade.
Pieces of goose-feather snow fell on the cloak, and soon a thin layer of snowflakes could be seen on the shoulders.
Princess Xianning's clear eyes under Chunshan's dark eyebrows were focused, looking at the stern, straight profile. Her eyes were a little lost for a moment, and an indescribable joy surged in her heart.
Since he is a nobleman from Tianhuang, he is used to seeing good-looking men, so he naturally has a good look.
Princess Xianning couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude in her heart. She held an umbrella close to her and said softly: "Sir, umbrella."
Little Princess: "???"
Did my cousin forget that she was still under the umbrella?
Jia Heng looked at Princess Xianning's beautiful features and said softly: "Just hold on, I'm fine."
Emperor Chongping sighed at Xuehua and couldn't help but look at the boy in the python suit, who was talking to his daughter.
Secretly, they are really two young people who raise eyebrows together.
At first, because Ziyu already had a family, Concubine Rong was still opposed to it. Facts have proved that the son-in-law he chose is indeed a capable minister and general that has never been seen since the founding of the Han Dynasty.
Perhaps as Yang Guochang said, this is Wei Huo who was born by luck to help him revive the Han Dynasty.
In fact, what Emperor Chongping thought was not an exaggeration. People like Jia Heng who were able to conquer and fight were indeed among the few famous generals since the founding of the Han Dynasty.
At the time of the founding of the People's Republic of China, there may have been some young people who were granted the title of marquis by virtue of the dragon's power, but what was the environment like at that time?
Li Chanyue pressed the embroidered spring knife on her waist and stared at the young man. The eyes that were originally looking at him were a little sad, and she thought to herself that Mr. Xiao Jia and her cousin were really meant for each other, and she seemed to be superfluous.
Emperor Chongping stared at the young man, paused in his heart, and said in a deep voice: "Zi Yu, the Jurchen envoy Shuo Tuo, the false prince of the county, and the traitor Zhang Shang have been detained by me in the post house. How do you think Zi Yu should deal with them?"
In this era, generally speaking, there was a custom of not killing envoys in state relations, but as Princess Xianning said, if the Jurchens were not recognized as a country, they would not be considered envoys.
The "three no's principles" mentioned by Jia Heng, namely no contact, no negotiation, and no compromise, also fundamentally deny the legitimacy of the Jurchen regime.
In fact, in the Warring States period when etiquette was broken, going to an enemy country as an envoy carried a great risk to one's life. A big cauldron of cooked food was often prepared, and some were meant to scare people, but if they were frightened, they would be cooked to death for offending the enemy king. .
Of course, Emperor Chongping was not willing to kill him directly, but he was obviously not willing to let it go just like that.
Jia Heng pondered and said: "Your Majesty, I thought that the Prince Jurchen would not be released back to Liaodong so that he could be used by the enemy captives. Now he will not behead or kill him. He is guarding the post with heavy troops to restrict his freedom. Whenever he encounters a big victory against the captives, he will You can watch the ceremony with him."
Emperor Chongping: "???"
Han Huang raised his eyebrows and looked at the young man with a calm face in shock, feeling indescribable.
Every time there is a big victory, the Jurchen Prince is allowed to attend the ceremony. Is this like walking a monkey?
Or is Jia Ziyu so sure that he can win every battle against the captives?
Really...
how to say? It's just that Mr. Jia's showmanship skills have reached the extreme level. He can easily pick them up, and he has the style of a king.
I thought Lu Bu was already invincible...
Prince Nan'an frowned, his old face was covered with a layer of frost, and a sneer sounded in his heart.
The young man is arrogant and frivolous. This is just a victory, so he dares to make such a big deal? Sun Tzu said in the Art of War that arrogant soldiers will be defeated. When the defeat comes, if you speak arrogantly today, you will only be laughed at by the world.
Emperor Chongping's eyes showed a look of joy under his thin and pine eyebrows. He nodded and said, "Zi Yu's words are very much in line with my wishes."
Young people should have such vitality, such as Hou Huo Qubing, the champion of Han Dynasty, who has the courage to move forward.
Of course, Jia Heng has won consecutive victories before, and basically practices what he preaches. He has built his reputation by winning battles one after another.
At the beginning of the year, during the chaos in Henan, he personally told Emperor Chongping that the chaos in the Central Plains could be put down in a short time, and the final facts confirmed what Jia Heng said.
Princess Xianning's beautiful face was not clear whether it was because of the cold weather or some other reason. She had a blush on her face. She pursed her pink lips and looked at the young man. Under her beautiful eyebrows, her eyes were full of color.
What a great spirit sir!
Li Chanyue also glanced at Jia Heng. The starry eyes under the willow eyebrows were soft and clear, and their eyes were bright and shining, as if they had printed an indelible clear shadow.
Jia Heng said warmly: "Your Majesty, it's getting late. I will take you back."
Emperor Chongping nodded, looked at the ministers, and said: "Today, all the ministers have been tired for a long day, so they should all go back and rest."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." The officials watching the ceremony behind him all expressed their gratitude. At this moment, the temperature had dropped and it was already freezing.
As they spoke, the ministers left the front gate of the Ancestral Temple with complicated thoughts. A group of officials got on sedans and carriages in twos and threes. On the long street, the wind and snow became heavier and heavier. The sky and the earth were vast. The city walls, streets and houses were already covered with heavy snow.
As time passed, this sacrifice of prisoners at the Imperial Ancestral Temple also left an indelible impression on the officials, people, and gentry in Shenjing City.
Jia Heng also helped Emperor Chongping get into the carriage. Now he was sitting on the shaft of the carriage, picking up the reins with one hand. Princess Xianning and Li Chanyue mounted their horses and marched toward the palace garden with all the palace guards.
Emperor Chongping opened the curtain on the imperial chariot and said: "Zi Yu, I entrust you with full authority to deal with the Jurchens. You must come up with a plan for dealing with it."
Jia Heng said: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I have been busy dealing with this matter recently. The Jurchens want to destroy Chahar Mongolia and prepare for a full-scale southward invasion. I have recently sent spies and detectives to Chahar Mongolia to provide support at any time. The enemy cannot suddenly succeed. In addition, the Jurchens may also attack in two directions and use the strategy of attacking from the east to the west. I and Li Daxi will coordinate to prevent the Jurchens from going south to ravage the Han Dynasty."
Emperor Chongping nodded and said: "As long as Ziyu has made a comprehensive plan, enter the palace. You, Chanyue Xianning and the others will go to Kunning Palace and have dinner together."
The peace talks have been concluded, but the Jurchen envoys have also been detained. The Jurchens will definitely not give up. Next year will be fierce, and they need to be dealt with as soon as possible.
Jia Heng secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Previously, after he obtained Yongninghou, the protagonist of this great victory had turned into the Emperor, and now the Emperor has also finished the work and enjoyed the drama.
At this moment, as the carriage rolled over the light white snow on the bluestone road, making a crunching sound, the houses on both sides of the street were gradually hung with lanterns.
And Jia Heng drove a carriage pulled by six horses slowly into the palace gate. At this moment, the thick twilight slowly pressed down from the sky and fell on the majestic palace gate, while the hangings on the cornices and corners were The lanterns swayed in the cold wind, showing different bright lights and shadows on the white snow on the city wall.
Palace Garden, Kunning Palace
The palace was already brightly lit with lanterns and colorful decorations. In the inner hall, the palace maids and the eunuchs stood under the beams with their hands down, waiting quietly for orders.
At this moment, on an Arhat bed, Empress Song was conversing with Concubine Duanrong, while the eighth prince Chen Ze was sitting aside with some boredom.
"Xianning should be back now, it's getting a little dark." Concubine Duanrong's voice sounded as clear and as clear as a mountain spring, with a bit of crispness and sweetness.
Empress Song smiled, the beauty's eyebrows curved, and she joked: "Sister, Xianning is not young anymore. Don't always treat her like a child."
Concubine Duanrong looked embarrassed and said, "Sister, no matter how old you get, it's all the meat that falls from my body. She is getting more and more naughty now."
Ever since I got a man, I have paid less and less attention to her as a mother. Now I have moved outside the palace, and I don’t know what I am doing.
At this time, the high-pitched voice of the inner prisoner outside the palace sounded: "Your Majesty has arrived."
The two concubines who happened to be talking stood up one after another, came out of the fragrant and pleasant warm pavilion, walked around a red sandalwood and phoenix-patterned marble screen, and stared at it.
"Father," the eighth prince Chen Ze, who was standing next to Concubine Duanrong, called out with his hand stretched out.
Emperor Chongping looked at his youngest son, with a hint of kindness in his eyes.
For example, Emperor Chongping had a rigid and serious temperament. He always regarded himself as a strict father to the two kings of Wei and Liang, but when it came to his youngest son, because he did not have many expectations, he did not pay a certain amount of loving attention.
Queen Song smiled and said softly: "I'm back."
"I didn't say much, but I was still busy all day long." Emperor Chongping said with a smile.
Concubine Duanrong couldn't help but look at her daughter, and then saw the scene that made the beauty's jade face slightly dull, and thought to herself, this Xianning really... can't avoid people.
It was clearly Princess Xianning who walked up to Jia Heng, stretched out her slender hand, and patted the snowflakes on Jia Heng's shoulders. The girl looked attentive under her wingless crown.
At this moment, all the palace maids and eunuchs lowered their heads, not looking at the two of them.
Jia Heng's expression was a little unnatural. He looked at the beautiful girl, winked, motioned the girl to calm down, and said softly: "Okay, I have nothing to do."
In fact, we can also understand some of Xianning's intentions, which are nothing more than to declare sovereignty and urge the marriage in front of the emperor and the concubine.
The etiquette of this era was naturally much more tolerant towards the royal family, emperors and daughters, and the rules were used to restrain ordinary people.
"Sir, please take off your cloak. The melted snow will make the cloak soaked." Princess Xianning said with crooked eyebrows and eyes full of the young man's handsome face, and her voice was as gentle as a willow leaf caressing water.
While everyone was talking, they stepped into the brightly lit hall. The warmth sent by the earth dragon filled the air. There was no cold in the room. The warmth was mixed with the refreshing incense.
The royal family naturally uses the finest spices.
Emperor Chongping sat down and said: "Zitong, let the imperial kitchen prepare the meal, and then bring a pot of imperial wine. I will have a few drinks later."
"Your Majesty." Upon hearing this, Empress Song pulled down Emperor Chongping's sleeves with an angry look on her face. Her voice was charming and melodious, like an oriole coming out of the valley, with a hint of the sweetness of the misty rainy countryside in the south of the Yangtze River. She didn't look like she had given birth to two sons at all. .
Jia Heng picked up the tea cup, took a sip, and couldn't help but glance at Empress Song.
The beauty has a majestic bun, golden wings swaying under the bright lights, and the colorful brilliance. The hibiscus jade face and pear cheeks are as beautiful as snow, and the two pink lips are slightly moist under the straight and small nose. , the soft charm flowing silently from the corners of the eyebrows and eyes in the angry eyes at this moment makes people's hearts throb inexplicably.
Emperor Chongping smiled and said, "Zitong, it's cold and you feel cold, so it's okay to drink less."
Princess Xianning had a look of worry on her face and advised: "Father, the imperial physician has warned me before that the dragon body should be the most important thing."
Emperor Chongping looked at Princess Xianning and Jia Heng beside her, and said, "Xianning, you are going to open a palace next year. My father has some feelings in his heart, so Dai Quan asked them to bring their daughter Hong."
In the past, he was busy with state affairs and didn't pay much attention to his daughter. Now she has grown into a beautiful girl. I have a daughter in my family who has just grown up.
Princess Xianning's beautiful cheeks were slightly flushed with rouge, her tone was shy, and she said softly: "Father."
Nuer Hong, among the people, only daughters drink Nuer Hong when they get married. Is the father going to entrust her to her husband?
After hearing Emperor Chongping's words, Empress Song glanced at Jia Heng. Facing the panicked look away, the beautiful eyes under her beautiful eyebrows were stunned for a moment. Her calm and beautiful face turned to Emperor Chongping and said softly: "Then wait. Your Majesty, please have a few drinks, don’t drink too much."
Imperial Concubine Duanrong also gave a soft word of advice and said, "Your Majesty, please take care of your dragon body."
Emperor Chongping responded, looked at Jia Heng, and said, "Ziyu, tell me about the fire blunderbuss."
Jia Heng just took out the tea cup, his face calmed down, and he said: "Your Majesty, the fire blunderbuss is different from the firearms used in the Beijing camp. The Hongyi cannon has a longer range, but this thing has a shortcoming, that is, it is bulky and needs to be pulled by a mule or horse. It is more mobile, and the combat area of the Hongyi artillery is not limited to defending the city. In addition, the Hongyi fire blunderbuss is also more reliable than the fire blunderbuss woven by our Ordnance Supervisor."
He can use mules and horses for the most preliminary mechanization. Of course, with the battle with the Jurchens, the subsequent effects will definitely not be as strong as the first time.
Moreover, the Jurchens in parallel time and space also obtained many Ming Dynasty Hongyi cannons through seizure.
"If we compete with the Jurchens on the grassland, can the fire blunderbuss suppress the Jurchen Jingqi?" Emperor Chongping asked.
Jia Heng said softly: "If the fire gun is further improved, it can also restrain the Jurchen cavalry and archers. As for crushing them, there are still many difficulties in the current firearms manufacturing technology."
Seeing Emperor Chongping's silence, Jia Heng said: "Your Majesty, the strength of the Jurchens has never been in their proficiency in riding and shooting, but in their bravery and fearlessness of death. They rose up in the bitter cold land of white mountains and black waters. They will do anything to survive. The Jurchens The Eight Banners initially had only a few tens of thousands of people. They first took advantage of the fall of the Ming Dynasty to absorb the remaining Ming descendants of the Central Plains Dynasty. Later, they occupied Liaodong, defeated the Mongols, and absorbed the Han, Mongolian and Jurchen tribes. Just like the Qin State in the Warring States Period, Fen Liu There are many heroes in the world, and the Jurchen population and national strength are not as strong as our Han Dynasty, but every time we go to war, all the people are soldiers, so the soldiers are many and not afraid of death."
When Emperor Chongping heard this, he looked thoughtful and said, "What Zi Yu said is true."
Jia Heng said: "There are similar situations in Qing history. For example, during the Jin and Song Dynasties, the former Song Dynasty suffered the humiliation of Jingkang. When they crossed south to Pian'an, the upper class of the Jin Kingdom indulged in pleasure and drunkenness. The Mongolian tribes grew rapidly, and then quickly swept across the north and south. , win the world."
When Emperor Chongping heard this, he sighed: "Indulging in pleasure leads to a drunken life and a dream of death."
Jia Heng said: "Your Majesty, once our Central Plains dynasty becomes strong, just like Liu Han and Li Tang, although the Xiongnu and Turks were raging for a while at the beginning, as long as the Central Plains dynasty works hard to govern, once it slows down, it will always win a great victory with its huge size. , On the contrary, the Central Plains dynasty's national power was weak, its officials were corrupt, and there were internal and external troubles, so foreign races could take advantage of it."
Emperor Chongping lamented: "The previous chaos in Henan was like this, and there was also corruption in the Hedao Yamen... What Zi Yu said hit the mark."
I remember that the young man in front of me sorted out the messy military and government affairs for him in the study room of Hanyuan Hall.
Jia Heng said: "Your Majesty, the chaos in Henan is caused by both natural disasters and man-made disasters."
Emperor Chongping nodded.
Jia Heng turned to the fire gun and said: "But this does not mean that we, the big man, will exchange peace talks with the Jurchens for time to recuperate. The fire gun and Hongyi cannon can shorten the time for our big man and the Jurchens to counterattack. From an overall perspective, , after five years of accumulating national strength, our country achieved partial victory on the battlefield against the captives through weapons, which boosted the morale of the people of our country. We accumulated small victories into big victories, gained one soldier every day, and finally defeated the Jurchens in one fell swoop. "
He felt that the emperor might have been a little carried away by today's sacrifice of prisoners at the Ancestral Temple, and he began to have a trace of fantasy in his heart. He needed to pour some cold water on the emperor.
Emperor Chongping's eyes moved slightly, and he nodded in agreement: "It's about accumulating small victories into big ones."
Jia Heng said: "Now the Jiangnan naval battle is just the first one. As long as we follow the steps, time is on our side."
Emperor Chongping said: "The Jurchens will definitely not give up next year. Ziyu should also deal with it well. By the way, there are still waterways."
Jia Heng said: "The Jiangnan Navy has retrained its troops to strictly protect the safety of the counties in the south of the Yangtze River. I speculate that the Jurchens will probably send troops from Ji Town to contain our troops, but the real strategic direction is Chahar Mongolia. This is It’s an upright conspiracy.”
The Jurchens were convinced that the Han court did not dare to go out to fight in the field, and intervened in the Jurchens' battle to unify Mongolia. However, the Jurchens were not afraid of the usual side drums. This was a psychological advantage established after decades of fighting with the Han border troops.
Emperor Chongping said: "What Ziyu said is true. Next year we still need to refresh the official system, promote sweet potato cultivation, alleviate famines, and rectify the border troops. We are not in a hurry to fight the Jurchens. Now I, a big man, must be on the defensive, step by step, and fight steadily."
Jia Heng cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty has a clear vision, and I mean the same thing."
Empress Song and Concubine Duanrong also listened to the conversation between the monarch and his ministers or the father-in-law and son-in-law, and looked at each other with joy in their hearts.
Emperor Chongping said: "As Ziyu said earlier, the frontier army now maintains a huge armament, which consumes countless national funds every year. It still needs to be reorganized. However, the Nan'an County Prince and Baolinghou have already reorganized it at the beginning of the year."
Now he also had some doubts about how effective the so-called reorganization between the two was. Ziyu had gone through many bloody storms in reorganizing the Jingying, Jiangbei, and Jiangnan camps, and subsequent wars also proved that the reorganization was very effective.
The Duke of Nan'an and Marquis Baoling could do it so easily?
Jia Heng said: "Your Majesty, some of the frontier troops have been suffering from chronic diseases for many years. The generals on the frontier are very powerful and have deep roots. It is difficult to act rashly. We need to do it step by step."
Although the central government's prestige is growing, the frontier troops are not easy to manipulate. Once a mutiny is provoked, they can easily become beyond the reach of the central government.
Emperor Chongping nodded and said with a smile: "Ziyu has grown up and plans for the country. These things need to be done step by step."
No wonder Ziyu wants to go to Taiyuan and Datong. It is indeed close and not chaotic. He hopes that he can play a triumphant song like Jiangnan.
In fact, today's prisoner sacrifice at the Imperial Ancestral Temple gave the emperor a taste of the sweetness, and he unconsciously raised his threshold and expectations.
Empress Song looked at the two of them with a bright smile and said softly: "Your Majesty, dinner is ready."
At this moment, Princess Xianning, who was listening quietly, also held the hand of the eighth prince Chen Ze and said, "My father and your husband are talking about official business, and we can't even get in the way."
Emperor Chongping then ordered the palace servants to pass on the meal.
There are some things today that I may not be able to write down in the second update.
(End of chapter)
