Lizhou West Road, Tongqing Mansion, Luting County.
During the Lantern Festival, Cao Mansion in the city was decorated with lanterns and colorful, bustling with people and extremely lively.
The ancestor of the Cao family was Cao Bin, a famous general in the early Song Dynasty, who rose to the rank of privy envoy. His granddaughter is Queen Renzong of Song Dynasty, and she belongs to the Cao family, which is extremely famous.
However, since the Song Dynasty moved south, the Cao family has gradually declined. By the generation of Cao Youwen and Cao Youwan brothers, although they still had some wealth, they were no different from ordinary people.
Who would have expected that after a trip to the Jinling Military Lecture Hall, the Cao brothers would rise to great heights and be entrusted with important responsibilities by the Emperor of the Song Dynasty. They would return home in fine clothes and become real frontier officials.
The emperor is so "knowing people and making good use of them", does he treat side affairs as child's play?
Although all the officials were suspicious, no one knew or dared to say the word "nepotism".
Putting aside the doubts of the officials, this New Year's Day may be the most glorious, lively and proud festival for the Cao family in recent years.
On the fourteenth day of the first lunar month, Mrs. Cao's fiftieth birthday coincided with the Cao Mansion's grand banquet. Not only the prefect of Tongqing Prefecture, but also the magistrate of Liting County, as well as many officials and generals from the local government and the army, gathered together, and it was very lively.
In addition to the military and political dignitaries on Lizhou West Road, at another table were a group of military generals from the Xingyuan Rong Division on Lizhou East Road, including a group of military officers led by Commander Yu Jie and Commander Jiang Wanzai of Lizhou East Road. Class graduates.
Even Yu Jie's wife, who arrived in Hanzhong a month ago, traveled hundreds of miles to Liting County.
All in all, colleagues and subordinates from the Jinling Martial Arts Hall accounted for half of the guests in the Cao Mansion.
"Sichuan envoy Cui and Xianggong Cui gave him two bags of tea, two pieces of Sichuan brocade, and two jars of fine wine!"
"Lizhou West Road appeasement envoy Guo Zhengsun Guo Xianggong sent a pair of gold hairpins, two boxes of tea, and two jars of fine wine!"
"Lizhou East Road appeasement envoy Chen Li gave Chen Xianggong a pair of jade bracelets, a pair of gold hairpins, and two pieces of Sichuan brocade!"
"The transfer envoy of Lizhou West Road and the governor of Mianzhou, Gao Jiagao, sent two boxes of tea and two jars of fine wine!"
"Tongqing Prefecture Magistrate Chen Yu and Chen Xianggong gave me a pair of jade bracelets, two pieces of Sichuan brocade, and ten jars of fine wine!"
…………
The person hosting the banquet reported one by one, causing waves of cheers and envious and jealous looks. Everyone came in one after another, congratulations continued, and they took their seats.
"General Cao, Mrs. Cao, congratulations!"
In the lobby, Chen Yu, the magistrate of Tongqing Prefecture, Chen Yin, the magistrate of Xihe Prefecture, and Jia Zikun, the magistrate of Liting County, raised their glasses to congratulate Cao Youwen.
As for Guo Zhengsun, the pacification envoy of Lizhou West Road, Gao Jia, the transshipment envoy of Lizhou West Road, and Cui Yu, the Sichuan Zhizhi envoy, they only sent people to deliver gifts and did not show up.
"My dear gentlemen, thank you very much!"
Cao's mother and Cao brothers raised their glasses together, and the whole table was filled with joy.
"Mrs. Cao, today is a happy day, why are you still crying? You should be happy!"
Chen Yu saw Cao's mother wiping her tears and persuaded with a smile.
The ancestors of the Cao family were glorious and illustrious, and then they were mediocre for a hundred years. They were able to make a comeback, and the house was full of guests. No wonder Cao's mother shed tears.
"Mom, be happy. Today is a good day. You should also have a drink."
Cao Youwen persuaded softly. A smile appeared on Cao's mother's face again, she raised her wine glass, and everyone hurriedly joined her.
"Ms. Chen, you were not so polite to my brother in the past!"
Cao Youwan finished his drink, put down his glass, and looked at Chen Yu, his face flushed.
"General Cao, I am rude to you because you dance with guns and sticks all day long and cause trouble. I am extremely respectful to your brother."
Chen Yu smiled slightly and said to Cao Youwen:
"General Cao, I'm not complimenting you. With your talent, even if you take part in this year's imperial examination, you will definitely be on the gold list!"
He didn't mean it as a compliment. Cao Youwen in history was a Jinshi in the first year of Baoqing in the Southern Song Dynasty, and he was a thorough scholar.
"General Cao, Mr. Chen is right! Just tell me, there are a few young people of average age in the city who have never fought with you. Every time you beat someone to a bruised nose, swollen face, or a bloody head, it was you. Big brother will help you deal with the aftermath. Do you want to go to the county government office and check your great achievements?"
Jia Zikun, the magistrate of Liting County, was an honest official, outspoken and did not give Cao Youwan any face.
"Mr. Jia, why do you say anything if you want to slap someone in the face instead of slapping someone in the face? Come on, come on, drink! Drink!"
Cao Youwan's face turned even redder, and he quickly raised his wine glass and toasted Jia Zikun.
Everyone smiled, and Cao's mother also smiled and lightly hit her youngest son twice.
The naughty boy was now a dignified general of the imperial court.
"Ms. Chen, Mr. Jia, you have given me too much praise. Please take good care of me in the past. I would like to propose a toast to you."
Cao Youwen picked up his wine glass and drank with Chen Yu.
Compared to usual times, there were not many dignitaries here today, but all of them were courteous. The emperor highly praised the martial arts hall, and even these civil servants were much more polite to them, the martial artists.
"Two high-ranking officials in the Cao family, the eldest brother is good at both civil and military affairs, and the second brother is skilled in bow and horse. He is either a civil servant or a martial arts exam. It is worthy of being favored by the emperor today. Both brothers are feudal officials, guarding the border and protecting the country. What a great joy. The Cao family has a glorious scenery and a prominent lintel. Congratulations! Congratulations!"
Chen Yin, the magistrate of Xihe Prefecture, raised his glass again and congratulated Brother Cao Youwen with a smile on his face.
Xihe Prefecture is the western gate of the Song Dynasty, the west gate of the Three Passes and Five Prefectures. If the defense can be strengthened, it will indeed be a good thing.
"Ms. Chen, thank you very much!"
Cao Youwen finished his drink, put down his glass, and said in a deep voice:
"You all don't know, your majesty has asked your subordinates to guard Lizhou West Road and entrusted them with important tasks on the border. I am walking on thin ice and cautiously. I am afraid that if I take this careless step, I will betray the divine grace and I will be sorry for the folks in the three border areas and five states. Something will happen in the future. I hope you won’t take offense to troubling everyone, and I apologize for it.”
His official position is heavily weighted by the word "power". Once he fails to successfully perform his duties, he may have to leave voluntarily.
"Young official, you are joking! We will do our best!"
"Officials, if they can do it, they will do their best!"
Everyone nodded, all smiling.
The Cao brothers are favored by the emperor and are favored by him. The things he mentioned should naturally be done with care.
"In today's world, culture governs martial arts, and a generation of great poets and poets. Wen means promoting the New Deal, abolishing exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes, and benefiting all people. Wu means establishing martial arts halls, training new armies, and strengthening troops. The image of a generation of saints is ready to emerge."
Chen Yu looked at Cao Youwen with a flattering smile on his face.
"General Cao, I heard that His Majesty is coming to Shukou. Please introduce him to me when the time comes so that you can see the emperor's holy face."
"General Cao, Your Majesty has come to Shukou in person, please introduce me to see the holy face."
Officials such as Jia Zikun, the magistrate of Liting County, spoke one after another.
Cao Youwen glanced at his younger brother. Needless to say, my younger brother is the loudmouth and talks nonsense everywhere.
"Ms. Chen, colleagues, your majesty has said that in the next few years, Shukou will be the main battlefield, and a series of wars will occur in the three passes and five states. By then, your majesty may come in person several times. If there is an opportunity, I will definitely introduce you to you. However, His Majesty has a keen eye, and the Sichuan Anti-Corruption Branch has been established. You should do your part to prevent your Majesty from arriving when the time comes, and you will not be clear about the door and make mistakes when the time comes. Loyalty may be harsh to your ears, so please respect yourself."
Cao You heard this without comment, and everyone nodded.
"Thank you, General Cao, for the reminder!"
"What General Cao said is true, we will take it to heart!"
All the officials, including Chen Yu, the prefect of Tongqing Prefecture, looked solemn.
No one dares to take the fight against corruption and clarification of officialdom lightly at this juncture.
"General Cao, the city walls of Tongqing Mansion are in dilapidated condition, and all the fortresses in the area are dilapidated. It may be difficult to repair them all!"
Jia Zikun, the magistrate of Liting County, spoke worriedly.
During the seven years of war between the Song and Jin Dynasties, coupled with the rebellion by the rebels, Tongqing Mansion was an important town in the north of Lizhou West Road and bore the brunt of the war, and all its defenses were destroyed. If it is not repaired, once war comes, something serious may happen.
"General Cao, the imperial court is setting up cement workshops in the border fortresses to repair the city walls and fortresses. Do you mean to build the big city first or the border fortresses first?"
Chen Yu looked at Cao Youwen and asked tentatively.
In the past, the Lizhou West Road Appeasement Department said that it was the local chief official who decided how to repair and where to repair it. Nowadays, these new warriors have the final say in the military affairs, and they require unconditional cooperation from local governments.
They had no choice but to comply with the emperor's imperial edict and the official documents from the Sichuan Production Department and the Lizhou West Road Appeasement Department.
"Xianggong Chen and Xianggong Jia, I have already inspected the city gates on Lizhou West Road. In my opinion, repairing the big city is the first priority. Now there is no war in the Song and Jin Dynasties, but once the Tatar army invades, the local forts will not be well-defended, so we have to give up. , when the time comes, the government will be fortified and the countryside will be clear, and the people will evacuate into the big cities of Fuzhou. Therefore, small and medium-sized forts should not be repaired for the time being."
Cao Youwen was silent for a moment and told the truth.
The three passes and five states are almost all military cities. The repair and expansion of the big city are concentrated in one place, which is also conducive to the garrison of the officers and soldiers. The Tatar army comes and goes like the wind, and the small and medium-sized forts cannot withstand the opponent's attack. It is useless to repair, so it is better to give up.
"General Cao, is this your Majesty's order?"
Chen Yu and Jia Zikun looked at each other, and Chen Yu asked subconsciously.
The emperor only said that the border defenses of the three passes and five states would be repaired, but he did not say that he would only build big cities and not forts.
And the Tatar army has no shadow. Will they invade?
"Two gentlemen, this is my idea. I will also step up the repair of the dangerous fortresses of the three passes and five states. I have informed your majesty a few days ago that your majesty will soon come to inspect the Shukou defense line. I believe that your majesty will have decision."
"That's it! That's it!"
Chen Yu and Jia Zikun nodded repeatedly.
Cao Youwen thought carefully, not to mention those fortresses, even Liting County, I am afraid that it cannot withstand the attack of the army.
The military has the final say on major repair matters. The current plan is that they can only cooperate with Cao Youwen, provide labor from the local government, and provide cement and some sergeants from the military. They will repair and expand the city first.
