In the third year of Xuanhe in the Song Dynasty, the third day of March was the day of the Paper Kite Festival.
But that day outside Tokyo, no ordinary people were having fun, and there weren't even half a kite in the sky.
The twelve gates of Tokyo's four cities thundered with iron hooves, war drums roared, and the horse and infantry troops with various flags stopped briefly to swear their oaths, and then began to march southward in an orderly manner. Because there were so many people, it was not until the afternoon that they gradually finished their march.
In Zhilan Xiaozhu, Emperor Daojun looked at a short and fat eunuch in front of him and asked, "What do you think?"
The eunuch whispered: "In the official family, King Yun brought more than a dozen concubines, and loaded several large carts with various items and gadgets. The team was the last to leave."
Emperor Daojun frowned: "Where is King Qin?"
The eunuch said: "The King of Qin also took a bunch of people away."
Emperor Daojun asked curiously: "There are also women?"
The eunuch whispered: "The King of Qin took Zhao Yuannu and her maid mother. The others looked like actors. The humble slave saw one among them was as thin and withered as a monkey. He jumped very nimbly. He should be performing erotic scenes on the stage. The ugly behavior of the time.”
Emperor Daojun thought for a while, the second son was obsessed with music recently and actually brought all the actors there. But this was a war, so such an act was too unorganized. The third son was also not good at all. He brought so many women to Liangjiang, and it was useless. There is no appearance of rushing to the battlefield.
However, he still took a breath and secretly calculated in his mind that the Western Army plus the Imperial Guards, with a total of more than 200,000 soldiers and horses, should not be too surprised to defeat the Jiangnan bandits. Even if they are difficult to defeat, they will not be defeated. That's right, after all, the Western Army has gone through hundreds of battles, and its generals have long battlefield experience.
Thinking of this, he relaxed his body and waved to the short and fat eunuch. After the man exited the door, Zhang Di came in. Seeing him, Emperor Daojun suddenly thought of Li Shishi. He had not been to Fanlou for some time, so he planned to Go over there and take a look tonight...
The canal flows leisurely, with light green water color and silky waves.
Several large ships had just entered the canal from Bianshui River. For a moment, they saw only the sky and the earth, the fields were wide, and they looked into the distance.
Ships developed in the Song Dynasty, Kaifeng had many waterways, and the Yellow River was nearby, so there were many ships on weekdays.
But these warships are all warships. Although most of the warships are along the coast, there are also more than a dozen in Gyeongsang Province. They park in various rivers every day and never leave the boundaries of Kaifeng.
Driving in the middle is a large warship, which is also the best warship in the Song Dynasty at the moment. It has ten masts and ten sails, one hundred and thirty, and a keel whale frame. There is no such warship even on the Yangtze River.
There were only five warships like this in the entire Song Dynasty, including four in Dengzhou, Tongzhou, Fuzhou, and Leizhou. The remaining one was in Tokyo.
These five warships are all named "Shenzhou", the most famous of which are "Lingxu Zhiyuan Anji Shenzhou" and "Lingfei Shunji Shenzhou".
In the first year of Yuanfeng, Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty, the emperor sent envoys An Tao and Lu Mu to hire Goryeo, and they drove the two divine boats above.
After arriving in Goryeo, Goryeo had never seen such a big ship. They saw it was as tall as a mountain, floating on the waves, with brocade sails and falcon heads, and subdued dragons. They couldn't help but be frightened. They looked at the city, cheered and sighed, and the whole country welcomed it. .
At this moment, although the divine boat on the canal is not the two that were sent to Korea as envoys, it is still one of the five divine boats, named "Changkong Haozhi Ningyuan Divine Boat".
In front of the Shenzhou stood a large flag with a red background and gold foil, which was almost as high as the mainmast. The Chinese character "Qin" was written in regular script on it, fluttering in the wind and making a hunting sound.
There are two flags and flags on both sides of the big flag. On one side it says, Promote and protect the two Huaihe Rivers, and on the other side, it says, Conquer the thieves in the south.
The Shenzhou suppressed the waves and washed away the water on the canal, moving forward steadily, and merchant ships and passenger boats coming and going from the two places gave way.
Incidents in the south of the Yangtze River have already broken out, and everyone on the ships and merchants traveling to and from the canal is aware of the chaos in Huaixi.
The news of the imperial court's pursuit of thieves has also been spread, and people are talking a lot. It has been spread that the three armies went to the south of the Yangtze River together.
Regarding the chaos in the south of the Yangtze River, people have different opinions. As the saying goes, don't persuade others to do good without suffering others' suffering. Most people in the market just listen to the excitement, while businessmen and travelers keep silent.
However, this does not affect their impression of the King of Qin. The imperial court is corrupt, officials are corrupt and bend the law, and the Southeastern officials are like wolves and tigers. Whether these things are true or false, as long as they can have enough to eat, they are still far away from the people.
Of course, this is only limited to outside Jiangnan. People outside Jiangnan always have a good opinion of King Qin. As for the people in Jiangnan and Zhejiang, no one knows about it. They probably think that all officials are colluding with each other, not to mention the royal family of Zhao and Song Dynasties.
Zhao Tao did not take the land route. Although he had power over both Huaihe Rivers, he wanted to go to Huaidong this time because Huaixi Road did not share the border with Liangzhejiang Road, and the capital had been moved from Luzhou to Shouzhou. Shouzhou was renamed Shouchun Prefecture, which is about 100 meters away from the Yangtze River. Farther away, it has no strategic significance.
So he took the water route and went straight down the canal to Yangzhou, the capital of Huaidong.
Originally, Zhao Kai could also travel by water, but for some reason he did not fight with him, but took a carriage. As for Tong Guan, except for a few personal followers, the rest were all Western troops, and almost none of them were familiar with boats. Water, he had no choice but to go on a boat with a few of his own family members.
Zhao Tong raised 30,000 soldiers and horses from the Guards and Military Division, 10,000 cavalry, and 20,000 infantry. He did not bring any local soldiers from the Xiang army, and they would be supplemented by Lianghuai.
At this moment, there were a total of three thousand infantrymen on these warships, all of whom he had picked out who were familiar with the water. The remaining horse infantry followed along the canal.
Zhao Tong walked out of the cabin at this time and came to the deck. He saw the green mountains on both sides of the bank and the vast green water of the canal. Boats in the distance looked over from time to time. Some lively locals in the capital might have recognized him, so they bowed. , shouting "The King of Qin has a long life and a happy life", "Your Highness has worked hard", "Your Highness will triumph soon".
The royal family of the Song Dynasty had always been close to the people. Officials went around Tokyo, drank in the main stores, and watched the merchants doing business. It was not a big deal. It was not until the reign of Emperor Daojun that some changes took place.
For some unknown reason, this dynasty held its temples high and became alienated from the people, gradually losing the simple atmosphere that existed at the beginning of the dynasty.
There is a widely circulated joke in later generations. It is said that two farmers were chatting while farming. One farmer wiped the sweat from his head and said, "Farming is so tiring, how can I, the emperor, endure it?"
Another farmer said, "The emperor used golden hoes for farming. He likes it when he looks at it, and he doesn't feel tired anymore."
At the same time, the wives of two farmers were also talking at home, and they were both worried about what to cook in the evening. After all, the farmhouses were shabby and there were not many options for eating and drinking. One of the wives was looking forward to it, "I wonder what delicious food will be eaten in the palace tonight?"
Another woman replied, "The empress of the East Palace bakes big cakes, and the empress of the West Palace peels green onions. They are very fragrant!"
This joke probably originated from the Shandong folk Lu opera "Xia Chenzhou".
The song is: "I heard that the old man is leaving the capital, and the East Palace and the West Palace are very busy. The Empress of the East Palace bakes big cakes, and the Empress of the West Palace peels green onions."
The meaning of these lyrics is that in order to bribe Bao Qingtian, the ladies spent a lot of money to make fragrant and filling pancakes rolled with green onions to bribe Bao Qingtian, but Bao Qingtian was still jealous after seeing the delicious ones. With a face like Bao Qingtian, he is naturally selfless.
Later, as the story spread, it became associated with the Emperor's Golden Hoe and became a joke between two farmers.
The joke is, of course, that ordinary people have little knowledge and their poor life limits their imagination.
But is this really the case? Go down to Chenzhou, Chenzhou feeds grain, Bao Zheng feeds grain, this kind of folk drama has a long history. What about golden hoes and baking big cakes? Is the original author short-sighted, or are the people really ignorant? Then why not arrange to go to other dynasties and only write about the Song Dynasty?
According to "Song History and Geography", there are Guanjia Palace and Silkworm Palace in the back garden of the palace city.
In the early Song Dynasty, in order to show that he was diligent and thrifty, loved the people and valued farming, he set up the Guanjia Palace and the Silkworm Palace in the palace. In the Guanjia Palace in the back garden, the emperor planted rice in front of the palace every year and harvested it after autumn. The queen, as the mother of a country, , every spring, a sericulture ceremony is held in the Silkworm Palace and the entire sericulture process is completed.
"History of the Song Dynasty", in the fifth year of Dazhong Xiangfu, Emperor Zhenzong, while promoting Zhancheng rice to Liangjiang, Lianghuai, and Liangzhejiang, planted small fragrant rice and Zhancheng rice in the Houyuan Yuchen Hall and other places, and tried to figure out and observe .
"The Empress and Concubine of the Song Dynasty" says, "Empress Cao focused on farming and often planted grains and raised silkworms in the forbidden garden."
In the early Song Dynasty, farmland was widely spread in the palace, and the rear gardens were the most concentrated. Farming scenes could be seen everywhere.
According to the ancestral system, the Emperor of the Song Dynasty had to visit the crops every year, and the Queen of the Song Dynasty had to kiss the silkworms. However, during this dynasty, Emperor Daojun never went to the fields except for the first few years after he ascended the throne.
However, "History of Song Dynasty Huizong Benji IV" records that after the disaster of Fangla was pacified during the Xuanhe period, Emperor Daojun didn't know what to think. He rolled up his trousers, carried a hoe, and went to the fields to work in person.
But it stopped there. Until the time of Jingkang, Emperor Daojun never touched a hoe again.
It can be seen that the story of the emperor's golden hoe was most likely true in the Song Dynasty.
As for the empress making pancakes and peeling onions, although it was mostly a joke, in the early Song Dynasty, when the trend of simplicity and people-friendship was prevalent, similar things may have happened.
Zhao Tong stood on the bow of the boat, with his hands behind his back, thinking about these things, and couldn't help but sigh secretly in his heart. These things are good even if they can win people's hearts, but this time the Emperor Daojun didn't pay attention to them, and in the end he even refused to show off. .
If Shenzong and Zhezong were still there, would Fangla still be in trouble? Will there still be a maritime alliance? Can we resist the Jurchens from going south and protect the Yellow River?
The efforts of several generations are often squandered in just one generation.
But Jiangshan Sheji, military and national affairs have no assumptions, if it doesn’t work, it won’t work...
At this time, Zhao Yuannu came out, came closer, and said politely: "Your Majesty, what scenery are you looking at?"
Zhao Tong smiled slightly: "I'm thinking about riding a crane to Yangzhou, how to spend the one hundred thousand guan."
Zhao Yuannu said: "Your Majesty is going to fight. If I had known that I would have disobeyed my order and not come, so as not to ruin the Prince's affairs."
Zhao Tong glanced at her and said, "If I don't come this time, I don't know what year or month the next time will be. Don't you want to go home and have a look?"
Zhao Yuannu whispered: "My home is in Tokyo. I no longer have a home in Yangzhou. I just miss a few things."
Zhao Tong had chatted with her before and learned that she was born into a boat family in Yangzhou City, and her mother died early. Later, her father married a butcher's daughter, gave birth to two sons, and then sold her.
And since she was already seven or eight years old at the time, she naturally remembered all of this and was vaguely aware that her father actually knew and tacitly approved of this matter.
In the Song Dynasty, buying and selling people was a serious crime, but for families who were poor and unable to raise and sell their children, the government implemented a redemption decree, used money to redeem the children, and used public funds to redeem the children for those poor families.
The intervention method of redemption also meant that the Song Dynasty court acquiesced in the inconvenient punishment of selling off one's own children if the family was poor.
This makes people use "employment" and "buying and selling" interchangeably. Most of the things they sell will be in the name of employment, otherwise they may be redeemed by the government. This is embarrassing, and the buyer will cause trouble to the seller.
Zhao Yuannu's stepmother wanted to hide her from his father. It was almost impossible to sell her alone. Moreover, she was sold so far away, even to Fanlou in Tokyo. It was even more impossible for her father not to know about it. After all, she was going to be sold in the name of employment. It is necessary to sign a contract, and even the contract is for life, so there are such things as human redemption and self-redemption.
Zhao Tong looked at her and knew that she was heartbroken about the original home in Yangzhou. Anyone who was sold from a young age would not have a good impression of the original home, not to mention that it was not sold to a normal family, but to a colorful family.
Zhao Yuannu just missed Yangzhou where she grew up, so she always wanted to come back and have a look. However, Zhao Tong felt that since she was back, it would be okay to see her family if possible. It just depends on her own wishes.
He said: "I won't know if the Qionghua blooms in Yangzhou until I get there."
Zhao Yuannu's eyes lit up when he heard this, a look of memory appeared on his charming cheeks, and he said: "It seems to be half a month away."
Zhao Tong said: "Yuan Nu has seen it?"
Zhao Yuannu nodded hurriedly: "There is a huge flower tree in the Houtu Temple in Yangzhou. I used to go there when I was a child. When the flowers bloom, they are crystal clear, like snowflakes falling from the heaven."
Seeing what she said was interesting, Zhao Tong smiled and said, "I've been admiring it for a long time, so we might as well go and have a look when it opens."
Zhao Yuannu looked happy when he heard this, but then he said with some concern: "The slave family heard that this flower is somewhat unknown, and it seems to be a prince, so it is best not to see it."
Knowing what she said, Zhao Tong shook his head and said: "Yang Guang's death has nothing to do with flowers. He has been militaristic and aggressive all his life. Do you really think he opened the canal just to see Qiong flowers?"
Zhao Yuannu didn't understand this, so he said: "Both the Embroidery Book and Mr. Speech said so..."
Zhao Tong said: "This is also written in the history books, but how can it be taken seriously? They are just using such words to cover up his violence and cruelty and doing whatever he wants."
Zhao Yuannu could understand this. Seeing that there was no one on both sides, he couldn't help but quietly grabbed the corner of Zhao Tong's clothes and whispered: "The slave family will accompany the prince to see Qionghua."
Zhao Tao looked at the long blue waves ahead and suddenly said: "Actually, what I want to see most is the Confucius Temple, Wuyi Lane, Zhuque Bridge, the banks of the Qinhuai River, and the ten-mile wind flowers..."
Zhao Yuannu's eyes flashed, he gripped the corner of his robe tighter, and said, "Your Majesty, you want to see the Qinhuai River?"
Zhao Tao nodded, and Zhao Yuannu added: "Your Majesty is not promoting the two Huaihe Rivers this time, but the Qinhuai River is on Jiangnan East Road..."
Zhao Tong shook his head, with a slight smile on his lips: "Why, in the south of the Huai River, under the sky, is it the king's land, and on the shore of the land, is it the king's ministers."
Then without saying a word, he turned around and walked back to the battleship cabin.
This Changkong Haozhi Ningyuan Shenzhou currently carries about five to six hundred people. In addition to the Scarlet Pioneer Group, thirteen selected by Broken Jade Tower are also there.
The thirteen people are now headed by Ding Daxie, and the remaining ones include Ding Erxie who followed him to visit Guifan Tower, Lu Ping, Han Jiao, Jiang Zhang, Xu Daqing, and the Bai family who have been secretly protecting the palace. The three brothers waited, Shi Qian also followed this time.
Zhao Tong sat in the cabin for a while, then got up and went to the attic over there, thinking about having a small meeting with the people of Suiyulou.
(End of chapter)
