palace
The sky was slightly bright, and the entire building complex looked like a prostrate beast waiting for food!
The sky is already red, and the lights everywhere are gradually extinguished. From a distance, the sky is blue, the air is exuding a fresh breath, and the morning light is full of hope! A superb weather.
The heavy wooden door slowly opened, and officials who had been discussing matters all night filed out.
Zhang Yongde walked out with a calm face, because it was the time of preparation for war and conquest. As a senior military general of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Zhang Yongde wore a general's battle armor on the outside and a military general's civilian clothes on the inside.
There were no other people around him, and Zhang Yongde had gradually gotten used to this feeling in the past few months. Because of the sensitivity of my identity now, there were still many people following me in the past, and they still had some illusions. Later, after I completely surrendered to Guo Rong in person, the number of people around me gradually decreased. Besides, this is the front of the battlefield, and many civil servants from the court are not accompanying them.
To be honest, Zhang Yongde preferred this straightforward feeling. Looking back at the officers and generals who kept coming out behind him, Zhang Yongde seemed to be relieved.
There is no one around to pursue him, and naturally there will be no people who follow him secretly. Which emperor would not be afraid of people who would put pressure on him. There are some things that I know clearly, but I am not so reassured and cannot make them public. I feel at ease and free in my heart.
Of course, Zhang Yongde didn't hope that Guo Rong would understand him. At least Zhang Yongde didn't want the princess to be sad. As for whether Guo Rong understood or not, Zhang Yongde didn't care too much.
After all, the world still belongs to the Guo family. Although Guo Rong inherits the great cause, even though he is only the wife and nephew of the late emperor, his surname must be Guo! The princess and he have become brothers and sisters, not cousins before. What's more, in terms of blood alone, the princess is the real blood of the Guo family.
Zhang Yongde had only one idea, which was to protect the world for Guo Wei and the family's inheritance for the princess. Zhang Yongde knew that Guo Rong was more decisive than himself in killing and was obviously more suitable to be the heir to this foundation, so Zhang Yongde did not fight that day. Guo Wei also took a fancy to Zhang Yongde.
Guo Rong seemed to understand Zhang Yongde's thoughts at first, but as time went by, he seemed to no longer believe that Zhang Yongde would be so single-minded. Let me ask you, if you are sitting in that high position and there is someone who can threaten your status next to you, who will feel at ease and who will deal with it calmly?
Zhang Yongde does not regret his original choice, at least not yet. Because he knew that even if he came back to make another decision, even if he sat in this position, he would not necessarily be better than Guo Rong. Moreover, because of his temper, the foundation left by Guo Wei may have been torn apart long ago.
The courtiers left behind by Guo Wei had all experienced hundreds of battles with him that day, and they were all ambitious figures. Zhang Yongde asked himself about his own temperament. He couldn't control these people who wanted to be successful because he couldn't be as decisive as Guo Rong.
Moreover, the situation in the past two years has proven that under the leadership of Guo Rong, the Central Plains of Zhou is developing in a good direction. It held Shuzhong hostage and could not develop to the west, and its geographical limitations made it extremely difficult for it to go south. Naturally, the Central Plains did not have much to worry about; it even swallowed up more than ten state capitals in the Southern Tang Dynasty, leaving no Jiangnan forces north of the Yangtze River. ; It also withstood the development of the Northern Puppet Han, leaving the little Liu Puppet Northern Han with no way out.
Even with the rise of separatist forces in various places, most of the countries in the south of the Yangtze River still bow to the Zhou Kingdom. The Qian family of Wuyue and the Gao family of Jingnan make Shuzhong and Southern Tang dare not give it a go. Even Fujian, which had surrendered to the Southern Tang Dynasty, secretly sent people to join the Central Plains. This was no longer something ordinary people could control.
Zhang Yongde has always admired Guo Rong! Therefore, when Guo Rong ordered the officials accompanying the expedition to discuss matters today, Guo Rong said that he would continue the northern expedition, and Zhang Yongde fully supported it without question. Zhang Yongde doesn't want to prove anything, he just wants to give Guo Rong a simple message directly. I support whatever you do, and I will accompany you if you need to fight.
As expected, Guo Rong got to know Zhang Yongde again, and actually promoted Zhang Yongde himself. This was the first time that Zhang Yongde was promoted to the Grand Lieutenant of the Great Zhou Dynasty after inspecting all the officials before he resigned, and together with him, he continued to conquer the Liao Kingdom.
For a person who has just reached his thirties, he has achieved the highest honor of a military commander in history. For anyone, it is the most proud thing in life. Zhang Yongde is happy, and the Zhang family is also happy! After all, we can come out of the shadow of the inspection after leaving office.
Before the emperor Guo Rong went to the north, he vaguely heard the rumors. On the way, he actually got a leather bag with a wooden board inside and a line of words written on it, saying that he was to be inspected to become the emperor. Therefore, the emperor, who was not too suspicious, evacuated Zhang Yongde who was stationed in the capital before the battle. This move not only made Zhang Yongde feel uneasy, but also made the Zhang family panic. After all, there had been too many accidents in the Zhang family during this period.
At the end of April, Zhang Yongde, who originally stayed in the capital, received a summons from Guo Rong, saying that Zhang Yongde would accompany him on the expedition. Zhang Yongde understood that this was because the emperor was still worried about him. In order to dispel the emperor's doubts, Zhang Yongde hurried to the front line without even thinking about it.
Emperor Guo Rong felt much relieved when he saw Zhang Yongde's arrival. He let Zhang Yongde be his personal guard as if nothing had happened, but promoted the deployment of land and water to Zhao Kuangyin to do the capital inspection. Zhang Yongde suddenly thought of someone's words in his heart, and he was filled with surprise and expectation.
Then I saw Yijin Pass and Waqiao Pass surrendering without a fight. The actions of the Zhou army greatly boosted the morale of the Northern Expedition soldiers. Zhang Yongde was also very pleased, although he was a little worried about his situation. After all, the world still belonged to the Guo family, and it was everyone's wish to drive the Liao people out of the Central Plains. Emperor Guo Rong's actions undoubtedly proved the imperial court's wishes.
The surrender of these two passes means that Nanjing, known as the Liao Kingdom, and Youzhou City in the Central Plains are already at the forefront of the Zhou Kingdom. Of course, it is a good thing for everyone to be able to regain the two major border passes without spending a single soldier. For the soldiers who surrendered, they can be remembered in history. Therefore, the defender Yao Neibin received a grand courtesy from the emperor Guo Rong.
As the guard of Waqiao Pass, Yao Neibin led 500 elite soldiers to surrender, which naturally led Guo Rong and others to settle in Waqiao Pass. Waqiao Pass is not only a famous border pass, but also an important trade exchange area on the northbound route. Therefore, there are many buildings in the pass, which can be used as the emperor's palace.
Emperor Guo Rong was still extremely satisfied with Yao Neibin's greeting. At that time, it was decided to promote Yao Neibin to the governor of Ruzhou, and people from all over the country called for praise for Yao Neibin. But because Yao Neibin's wife and children are still in Youzhou City, it is not recommended for the whole people to know.
Zhang Yongde still respected and admired the brave and mighty Yao Neibin very much. Although he was a military general of the Liao Kingdom, in the face of national justice, he resolutely chose to leave the Liao Kingdom and incorporated Waqiao Pass into the territory of the Zhou Kingdom. Although he admired him, Zhang Yongde knew that he would never interact with him because of his sensitive identity, he was destined not to associate with these people.
Although he was promoted to the governor of Ruzhou, and this was a good place close to the eastern capital Luoyang, the Northern Expedition was not over yet. Maybe Emperor Guo Rong would not let a fierce general like Yao Neibin leave his side. After all, it would be the best choice for someone like Yao Neibin to use him on the battlefield.
Seeing that the crowd was gradually decreasing, Zhang Yongde stopped his thoughts and walked towards the place where his horse was parked, where his personal guard Zhang Zhen had been guarding him.
"Lieutenant Zhang!" A rich voice sounded.
I saw a strong man, wearing a well-fitting golden mail armor, standing beside him majestically. This man has long eyebrows and looks dignified. As he was saluting him politely, a military commander of about the same age followed behind him. It was Zhao Kuangyin who replaced him as the inspector, and the person behind him was Cao Bin, the tea and wine envoy beside the emperor.
"Zhao Dianjian! Nice to meet you!" Zhang Yongde politely returned the greeting, and also returned the greeting to Cao Bin who was respectfully saluting him.
Looking at Zhao Kuangyin's sincere eyes, Zhang Yongde suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, remembering that he had just thought of him, but did not expect to see him right away. He couldn't help but said calmly: "Zhao Dianjian just came from Cangzhou. He worked tirelessly for the country and attended the early morning meeting. He must be a little tired!"
"Where! Where! It's rare to meet a Taiwei, but a certain family knows that there is a very famous wine shop in Waqiao Pass. I hope the Taiwei doesn't mind it being shabby, so how about we go and eat together!" Zhao Kuangyin's face did not change, and he pointed at Cao Bin and said : "Guohua is a real person, and he can be said to be half the master of Waqiao Pass!"
"That's very good. Since we are so kind to meet with you, if a certain family declines, it will seem like we have lost our closeness. Let Guohua lead the way and go together to experience it!" Zhang Yongde saw that Zhao Kuangyin's words were friendly and natural, and he didn't address him like a court official. He himself agreed with a smile.
After all, after coming out of the palace, Zhang Yongde no longer had that scruple. What's more, there are now officers and soldiers of the Zhou Dynasty at Waqiao Pass, Zhang Yongde is upright, and the meeting is in broad daylight, so he does not refuse Zhao Kuangyin's kindness.
Zhang Zhen, his personal guard, saw that he was with Zhao Kuangyin and Cao Bin, so he brought the famous sweat horse over.
No. 1 in Xiongzhou!
The flagpole of the wine shop is fluttering in the wind, with a black label and gold characters, and colorful ribbons fluttering on the edge.
What a domineering name! The sign is dark and shiny, obviously it has not been up for a year or two!
Being able to hang a sign for such a long time means it must be awesome!
This is a wine shop, and its most famous thing is of course its famous roasted whole lamb! The aroma of sizzling oil makes greedy people salivate.
It's next to the window on the second floor. Because it's still early, there's only one table of guests.
Cao Bin skillfully prepared the dipping sauce for the two of them. At the same time, he used a knife to cut off a few pieces of meat from the whole lamb in front of him. There is a fire chamber two feet long and more than a foot wide in the middle, with bright charcoal fire inside. The mutton on the iron rack is sizzling with oil and exudes an alluring fragrance. Looking at the meat in front of me is very appetizing.
Zhang Yongde's family was well-off since he was a child. Although barbecue was often served on the table, he had never eaten it this way. In particular, the aroma of mutton is something that ordinary home cooks cannot create. Even without any ingredients, the taste is alluring.
The wine is a famous strong drink!
It is said that this kind of wine is run by the Zheng family, a prominent family in Daming Prefecture. Only the Zheng family sells it in the area north of the Yellow River. It can be said that it is an exclusive business. Even today, the Zhou Dynasty Palace is exclusively provided by the Zheng family. They truly regard this wine as a royal tribute. liquor.
In the Central Plains, this wine came out of the world in just half a year. It is famous for its strong and mellow wine and high price. It is a must-have for people in the cold northern areas. Even though Zhang Yongde could afford it, he rarely drank alcohol, so he had never seen this wine.
It's just that this wine is expensive and not something ordinary people can afford, but now it is a product that even the Liao Kingdom purchases in large quantities. It is said that the Liao Kingdom sealed the border, but as long as it was the Zheng family's caravan transporting wine, it would be easy to let them through.
On that day, Yijin Pass and Waqiao Pass were the main passes for the Liao Kingdom to purchase Touqu. Today, of course, Waqiaoguan still retains this custom, but many people can only smell this expensive spirit.
Zhang Zhen poured three bowls of Touqi aside, and the entire second floor was filled with the aroma of wine.
"This time-honored barbecue restaurant was already well-known in the Central Plains during the previous dynasty. More than ten years ago, Uncle Sui was lucky enough to come here and have a meal. The wonderful taste has never been forgotten!" Cao Bin said while holding the wine: "The army is preparing for war. You are not allowed to drink during the expedition. Your Majesty has ordered repairs this time, and the soldiers and civilians are not prohibited from doing anything. Today, I can honor these two adults and get what I want!" It felt like his mouth was watering, and it seemed that he was also a drinker.
"Sir, please drink slowly!" When everyone heard this, they saw a teenage waiter coming over with a tray. When they saw the three of them about to drink, they actually stopped them. There were several dipping sauces on the tray in his hand, but they were things they had never seen before. Everyone didn't know what he was going to do, so they couldn't help but look at the smiling waiter.
"Your Majesty, I must have been to the time-honored brand before, but the characteristics of the time-honored brand have changed a bit now!" The boy looked at the three people in military uniforms, who were obviously the generals of the Zhou army occupying Waqiao Pass, and couldn't help but respectfully Said: "My lords, please see the difference in this wine!"
Carefully and somewhat proudly, he took the wine from the small wine jar in Zhang Zhen's hand and carefully poured out a little bit. In the empty plate in his tray, he took out a fire from his arms. He blew the twister and blew it. After the twister caught fire, he moved closer to the empty saucer.
Whoosh! Flames soared into the sky.
The little bit of wine in the empty dish was ignited, and the fire was transparent and bluish.
"What a strong wine!" Zhang Yongde was surprised, watching the wine in the empty plate slowly burning and slowly reducing.
"Yes!" Xiao'er responded proudly. He had done this experiment no less than a hundred times. In his own words, it cost him an unknown amount of money. Seeing the surprised expressions on the three people's faces, he felt that this was indeed the case, and said proudly: "Such a very good strong wine, the three adults should drink it with caution in this season, and don't be greedy for good wine!"
"Haha! Good wine! Don't be greedy!" Zhao Kuangyin raised his bowl and said to Zhang Yongde: "A certain family respects the Taiwei!"
Drink to win!
"I don't know, waiter, there is something different about this mutton!" He felt the liquor entering his throat, like a scalding hot stream, flowing smoothly down his throat and reaching his stomach. Zhang Yongde felt warm all over. After a night of exhaustion, I couldn't help but praise: "Good wine!"
"Sir, you know the goods!" The waiter's eyes flashed and he smiled respectfully: "The time-honored brand has become even more famous in the hands of the current shop owner these years. Because the current shop owner of our time-honored shop, Zheng Dong, not only inherits the family tradition, He passed down the craftsmanship and constantly introduced new ones, and now he has developed an exclusive dipping sauce. In just a few months, even the barbarians in the Liao Kingdom are now obsessed with the time-honored brand!" The gushing kid was a little proud, Seeing that everyone was listening with great interest, they couldn't help but talk vividly.
Zhang Yongde didn't think the waiter was bragging. After tasting the exclusive dipping sauces of Kuming powder and Jiangyou, he really felt that the mutton tasted very different from before. After casually rewarding him with some scattered silver, the waiter retreated obediently.
"The check is not as simple as inviting a certain family to dinner, right?" Zhang Yongde felt his nose was a little burning and his cheeks were a little hot. Although he only drank half a bowl, he was much more vigorous than usual when drinking a jar of wine. . After three drinks, Zhang Yongde didn't want to beat around the bush and faced Zhao Kuangyin directly.
He was not very familiar with Zhao Kuangyin before. He only knew that his father, Zhao Hongyin, turned out to be the commander of Luoyang Jiama Camp. Later, in the hands of Taizu, he made up the leader of the East and West Squadron and paid homage to the deputy commander of Huazhou. At that time, Zhang Yongde had only heard about it and knew that Zhao Kuangyin was a figure among the young generals in the anniversary year.
Later, it was not until Guo Rong became the Yin of Kaifeng Prefecture that he transferred to Kaifeng Prefecture and became the military envoy of Ma Zhi. Zhang Yongde did not get to know this man who was not much different from himself in age. Since then, he has been working under his own subordinates. Although he has always been in foreign positions, his position has been under his own imperial army since the first year of Xiande.
Zhao Kuangyin went from being the Marquis of Yu in front of the palace and the governor of Yanzhou to later the commander of the palace and the governor of the Dingguo Army. His position was far higher than that of his father Zhao Hongyin. Although he has been promoted step by step in his external positions, he has always been part-time in the imperial army and has always been within his own jurisdiction. Even now, he has replaced himself and done the sensitive inspection in front of the palace, which is expected by the world, because he himself is the superior of the commander in front of the palace.
Because his position in the Imperial Guard has always been promoted correctly and naturally, it is natural to take over Zhang Yongde's position. Even Zhang Yongde thinks it is normal, because promotions in different organizational departments are promoted in sequence. But at this moment, Zhang Yongde suddenly remembered a person and what that person said to him.
It was not long ago that a person said something strange to him! The man did not ask him to pay attention to the movements of Emperor Guo Rong, but asked him to pay attention to a person, a person who was not very conspicuous in the Great Zhou Dynasty, that is Zhao Kuangyin.
Zhang Yongde was very surprised, but this person helped him find out the causes of death of several relatives, and predicted the development of things in the past few months, and that was Ji Hongzhong.
He investigated and discovered that the tragedy of his uncle Zhang Jun's family annihilation was inseparable from a famous sect in the world, that is, the Nine Yang Sect entrenched in the Central Plains. His cousin Zhang Yongheng was pierced through the heart with a sharp sword and killed with one sword. The opponent's method was obviously the "Earth Splitting Sword Technique" of Jiuyang Sect. There was also his uncle Lu Xie, who died unjustly, but looking at the clues, he was inseparable from the swordsman in the world.
I have never interacted with the Jiuyang Sect. Who made the Jiuyang Sect attack my relatives? It’s nothing more than a person who feels his identity is threatened!
Zhang Yongde has always believed that the target was naturally the emperor Guo Rong, but Guo Rong, who had always been upright and upright, was now the emperor, so there was no need to treat him like this. Thinking of this, Zhang Yongde later became suspicious. But Ji Hongzhong gave himself a reminder, that is, if he steps down, who will benefit the most?
Zhang Yongde had never thought about this, but now he suddenly felt enlightened! Could it be?
"A certain family is here to ask the Taiwei for advice!" Zhao Kuangyin actually stood up, clasped his fists, and saluted Zhang Yongde cautiously.
He looked at Zhao Kuangyin quietly, this young man with a good kung fu. It is said that when he was young, he was favored by Master Cheng Chu, the master of the Buddhist Xinzhang Sect, and taught him the supreme Buddhist method "Vajra Demon Subduing Fist" and "Demon Subduing Stick Technique". At a young age, his cultivation has reached a very high level, and he has created a famous boxing technique called "Nine Layers of Long Fist". Not only is he famous in the world, he is also very prestigious in the military.
"You're being too polite in the inspection! Although he is a minister of the same palace and has always been in the imperial army! But the inspection has always been in a foreign position. He is a true pioneering minister of the Great Zhou Dynasty. He has always been admired by a certain family!" Zhang Yongde! He said sincerely, although Ji Hongzhong's words were still echoing in his mind, but he really couldn't think of it. Guo Rongxiong had great ambitions, how could Zhao Kuangyin make trouble!
"Being appreciated by His Majesty, a certain family is naturally extremely honored, and they will do their best for the great Zhou Dynasty. But seeing the Taiwei's current situation, a certain family suddenly understands the Taiwei's state of mind!" He saw that Zhang Yongde did not say anything, and his face was calm and natural. , couldn't help but said sincerely: "Your Majesty has lofty ambitions, and he is still in his prime. He will surely become a wise master who will unify the world. Although a certain family has been making contributions to the country, and has achieved small victories in sending troops, but when he thinks about it, he will become more powerful. I’m always in a state of panic!”
"Great achievements shock the Lord!" When Zhang Yongde heard this, he thought of one word in his mind, and he knew that Zhao Kuangyin was looking for trouble in him.
He is the emperor's brother-in-law, but he is also jealous of the emperor. And Zhao Kuangyin was still an outsider. For a young man, taking the highest position in the Forbidden Army was the highest honor in life. He also became the governor of the Great Zhou Dynasty with a heavy army, and the troops under his command were enough to attract anyone's attention. Although he is glorious, from another perspective, will he be even more tabooed by the emperor?
"I will be the emperor through inspection! It won't be wrong, but it won't be your inspection!"
Ji Hongzhong's words suddenly exploded in Zhang Yongde's ears! I don’t have this intention! And isn't Zhao Kuangyin doing inspections now? Moreover, the troops he now controls are much larger and wider than what he had before!
How can it be! Zhao Kuangyin did not have this qualification and could not control the talents in the court, let alone the military commanders!
But who dares to say!
Guo Rong is young and powerful. Under his hands, it is basically impossible!
Zhao Kuangyin is also young and courageous!
