Lou Fan, Jinting.
Jinting City is so large that some people who have lived here for most of their lives have never visited the entire city.
It’s not that it’s really too big to walk, it’s that it’s too big to be bothered to walk.
The construction of Jinting City, whether it is the planning of the city or the structure of the houses, has the shadow of the Central Plains everywhere.
Even the location of Loufan Palace is almost exactly the same as the location of Dayu Zhenyuan Palace in Geling.
It is said that when Jinting City was built, there was only one person who participated in all the design and construction from beginning to end. This person was a Central Plains man.
So many years have passed, and the capital still looks a little empty.
There are hundreds of acres of open land in the north of the city. It looks deserted, but in fact it is the hunting ground of the royal family.
The Zongzheng family has a tradition that has not changed since Lou Fan founded the country.
Hunting wolves.
The royal family never hunted other things, such as wild boars and deer, and the royal family was not very interested in them.
This is because before Lou Fan founded the country, there were many tribes on this land who believed in gods who were all wolf gods.
Many tribes have wolves painted on their battle flags.
Since the founding of the country, the founding emperor has set a rule that every year, boys from the royal family and the nobles of the Nine Banners and Eighteen Tribes who are over fourteen years old must start hunting wolves.
This is to tell his descendants how many miracles the Zongzheng family has created and how many powerful enemies they have destroyed.
This is also to tell future generations that if martial arts are wasted, fighting spirit is lost, and domineering is lost, then the Loufan Empire will also be destroyed by others.
Before the capital moved south, there was a mountain outside the capital that was a hunting ground for the royal family.
After moving to Jinting, such a large area was deliberately set aside in order to continue the royal family's custom of hunting wolves to cultivate courage.
In order to prevent the descendants of the royal family from losing the bravery of their ancestors, all wolves are not domesticated.
The captured wild wolves are thrown into the hunting grounds, where they have to fight on their own to survive.
There is no shortage of food in the hunting grounds, but there is also no shortage of opponents.
Every year, conflicts break out between wolf packs, and many wolves are killed.
The wolves here are still full of wild nature. After the young men of the Zongzheng family and the nobles of the Nine Banners and Eighteen Tribes enter the hunting ground, no one can protect them.
They can either find someone to form a companion to complete their goal, or rely on their own abilities to hunt a wild wolf before they can leave.
This is the middle of winter, when wild wolves are at their most ferocious, and they need to capture a large number of prey to survive the severe cold.
Zong Zheng Shiquan was riding on a war horse, and his eyes were a little erratic as he watched the younger members of the Zong Zheng family rush their horses into the hunting ground.
The battle report from the front line has arrived, and the 100,000 elite troops of the southern Xinjiang camp were wiped out.
For Lou Fan now, this is nothing more than adding insult to injury.
The defeats in several consecutive wars caused Lou Fan to lose a large number of veterans. These soldiers are the true foundation of the country.
The 100,000 elite soldiers in southern Xinjiang have been training for several years, and they are now at their most capable of fighting.
Even when he went south to attack Dongbo last time, Zong Zhengshi was not willing to take this team with him.
"Your Majesty, it's cold. It's better to go back and wait."
A man who looked about thirty years old gently advised him. Judging from his clothes and temperament, his status must be extremely noble.
His name is Qihe Manruo, and he is the prince of the Badan tribe of the upper three banners among the nine banners.
When Lou Fan founded the country, the Shangsan Banner held by the founding emperor had a very close relationship with the Zongzheng royal family.
The Tuomu family is a descendant, and the founding king of the Gete family with a different surname was the sworn brother of the founding emperor.
The Qihe family is the one who calls the shots for the other three flags.
Qihe Manruo and Zong Zheng Shiquan are about the same age. It can be said that the two of them grew up together.
When Zong Zheng Shiquan was designated as the crown prince, Qihe Manruo was called into the palace to serve as the crown prince's companion.
From childhood to adulthood, the two of them were taught by the same teacher, and they are almost the same in terms of personality and talent.
At least, that’s how outsiders see it.
But Zong Zheng Shiquan knew very well that the reason why his good brother who grew up together looked so similar to him was because Qihe Manruo accommodated him, tolerated him, and was there all the time. Keep a watch on yourself and make sure you cooperate with him.
"The empire has never experienced such a great shame, but it happened when I was in power."
Zong Zhengshiquan looked at the young men running wildly in the distance, his eyes becoming more and more wandering.
As long as there are no outsiders, he will never call himself me in front of Qihe Manruo.
People who are emperors don't have many friends. A qualified emperor should have no friends at all. He only has this one.
"Holy Lord, you don't need to care too much about the immediate victory or defeat."
Qihe Manruo said: "The battle was lost so quickly because Tuomu Shen went to the southern Xinjiang camp. The Yelu family can still fight, but..."
Zong Zhengshiquan sighed: "This is what I regret. If I hadn't been hesitant and cared too much about maintaining the relationship, I should have rejected Tuomu Shen's suggestion at that time."
Qihe Manruo also became a little gloomy because he knew very well how difficult the Holy Lord was.
There are too many people around the Holy Lord who want to influence him.
Even though Qihe Manruo was born in the Three Banners, he couldn't stand the ugly faces of the people in the Nine Banners and the Eighteenth Division.
The Queen is from the Tuomu family, and the Queen Mother is also from the Tuomu family. These two women have never seriously considered joining the royal family.
The Queen Mother wished that the Tuomu family could get more power. It would be best if the military and political power were divided between the Tuomu family.
When she first entered the palace, the queen was still cautious in her words and deeds, but under the guidance of the queen mother, she became more active now.
This time Tuomu Shen may have died in southern Xinjiang, or he may have been captured by a beautiful woman. The Queen Mother and the Empress kept talking to the Holy Lord. In the end, Zong Zheng Shiquan was really fed up and simply moved to Live here at the hunting ground.
The Queen Mother has always said that this kind of great hatred should not be avenged by others, but should be avenged by the Tuomu family.
So she kept asking Zong Zhengshiquan to issue an order to select a suitable person from the Tuomu family to lead the army, and then mobilize enough troops to hand over to the Tuomu family to go south to attack Dongbo and serve as a general for Tuomu. revenge.
The Holy King is too difficult.
Qihe Manruo even thought that if he were a holy king, he would escape from that place.
My mother chatters all day long, and my wife chatters the same way. It’s scary to think about such days.
If you don't agree or are deliberately cold, the two women will immediately start crying.
One was talking about how difficult it was for her to be a mother, how she had brought him up, and now she had lost a younger brother, while the other was talking about how sad she was after losing her uncle.
This kind of scene and those words, even if Qihe Manruo didn't hear them, just thinking about them made him feel like he couldn't bear it.
"Every civil and military court is looking at me."
Zong Zheng Shiquan let out a heavy breath.
"People from the Nine Flags and Eighteen Divisions are all clamoring for an all-out war and for horses to ride on the Lanjiang River..."
Zong Zhengshiquan looked at his good brother: "I don't know what's going on in their brains. Are they just fighting for power and profit?"
"It's not that Lou Fan can't fight now, it's that he can't lose another war. If he loses another battle, the empire will be in trouble."
He sighed again.
It was like thick dark clouds were squeezing in his chest and abdomen. No matter how long he exhaled, he could not relieve the congestion caused by this siltation.
Qihe Manruo said: "The courtiers are not willing to fight again, especially the civil servants. Most of them feel that Lou Fan needs to recuperate and restore his national strength now."
Zong Zheng Shiquan nodded: "This is the only thing I am happy about. At least they are not all idiots." "Holy Lord."
At this time, the chamberlain came closer and leaned over and said, "Prince Zhan has been waiting outside for a long time, and someone came to ask when the Holy Lord will see him."
Zong Zheng Shiquan's brows furrowed even deeper, and his eyes were full of anger.
The person the chamberlain was talking about was Tuomu Leilei, the son of Tuomu Shen.
He had asked to see him seven or eight times. Zong Zhengshiquan had met with him a few times before and was willing to comfort him. However, this man was aggressive by nature and simple-minded, so he did not listen to advice at all.
Among the people of the Nine Banners and Eighteen Divisions, Tuomu Leilei is the loudest in calling for a southern expedition.
His father was being taken advantage of without knowing it, and now he was being instigated by people from the Nine Flags and Eighteen Divisions.
Like his father, he thought he was highly respected.
Qihe Manruo waved his hand, and the waiter immediately stepped back knowingly.
Qihe Manruo said: "Holy Lord, I think Tuomu Leilei is so anxious not only because he wants military power but also wants to fight. He actually..."
Zong Zhengshiquan said: "I know."
He snorted: "His father is not smart, and this son is even stupider. He probably got impatient after being encouraged a few times."
"Whether Tuomu Shen lives or dies is more important to him than anything else. If his father dies, he can inherit the throne. If his father lives, he must continue to be his heir apparent."
Qihe Manruo said: "Actually, as long as the throne is given to him, he won't be so troublesome."
He looked at Zong Zheng Shiquan and persuaded him: "Tuo Mu Shen was probably captured alive and forced back to parade by the beauty, so he might as well die."
The meaning of these words is actually very straightforward. Lou Fan does not need a shameful prisoner prince, Lou Fan would rather have a brave prince who died fighting at the border.
Even if the Jade Kingdom sent people everywhere to spread the news that Tuomu Shen was captured alive and paraded through the streets, Lou Fan would never admit it.
Zong Zhengshiquan nodded: "You are right, I also know what to do. I just hung him up on purpose. He made me feel uncomfortable, and I can't make him feel better so quickly."
Qihe Manruo said: "How about this? I go out to see him now and tell him that the Holy Lord has received the news that Tuomu died in the battle in Southern Xinjiang, so he wants him to go to Southern Xinjiang in person and take his father's body with him." return."
"Only if he is brought back and everyone knows that his father did die in battle, then it will be justifiable for him to inherit the throne."
He looked at Zong Zheng Shiquan: "I'll tell him again, you want to lead the army, but if you don't even have the courage to retrieve your father's body, then why would the Holy Lord let you lead the army casually?"
Zong Zhengshiquan smiled: "If you want to say that you are too evil-minded, then you have to go ahead."
Qihe Manruo responded and turned his horse back.
When Qihe Manruo saw Takumu Leilei outside the hunting ground, his attitude immediately changed and he looked respectful.
Although he and Takumu Leilei are both heirs, Takumu Leilei is still from a descendant clan, and he cannot act as equal to Takumu Leilei.
As a close friend, he analyzed the pros and cons of the relationship to Tuomu Leilei.
After Tuomu Leilei heard this, he immediately looked like he was suddenly enlightened. He also felt that it was not the Holy Lord who didn't want him to lead the army, but the Holy Lord was waiting to test him.
"OK!"
Tuomu Leilei said: "I'll go right away!"
Qihe Manruo lowered his voice and said: "Actually, it is probably difficult to find the prince's body, but what the Holy Lord wants is just an action and an attitude from your prince. Having said that, you understand what I mean."
Tuomu Leilei said carelessly: "I understand, you just want to say that I will go to southern Xinjiang for a while, and then I will get a corpse and pretend to be my father. I understand."
Qihe Manruo immediately looked over with admiration, clasped his fists and said, "Then I wish the prince a safe journey and leave early and come back early."
"Don't worry."
Tuomu Leilei turned around and left.
Qihe Manruo watched him go away, and waved to his confidant: "Send the order, don't let Tuomu Leilei come back alive."
