The carriage was very smooth, and even though it was driving under dusk, it still felt like it was walking on flat ground.
Because Gong Zhuan's skills are not generally good, he controls the horses without any feeling of sluggishness, and the stability of this special carriage is also amazing. He was sitting on the carriage with a cautious expression on his face. Although he seemed to be no different from usual, he was waving the riding crop with his arm, which looked particularly energetic.
The crackling sound of the whip whistle seemed to express the excitement and excitement in the owner's heart.
Guangning City can be said to be the main road into the capital. As an important residence, it is actually not that big. However, because it was already regarded as the outpost of Prince Xing's Mansion, in the hands of the current emperor Liu Jixing, a planned and solid city was built like other state capitals surrounding Prince Xing's Mansion.
Because Guangning has water flowing through it, the emperor, who was forward-thinking, approved the construction of Guangning City near the water. Of course, some people raised questions, but the emperor didn't give much explanation. He just asked people to put up a sand table model for everyone to see.
Those officials who only knew how to talk on paper understood clearly after reading it, and those representatives of the military were naturally amazed. Because such a city has walls on three sides, and a water village built on one side by the water. The water fort is stationed close to the water, and behind it is the camp where the infantry is stationed. It perfectly combines the army's water fort with the infantry's barracks.
As a result, the three gates of Guangning City today are city gates, and one side is the river market outside the water stronghold. If foreign enemies want to enter through the water stronghold, they will not only attack the water stronghold, but also face the infantry stationed behind.
Of course, the market place between Shuizhai and the Infantry Army not only greatly facilitated people's trade and made life more colorful, but also made the Infantry Camp in the rear close to the city safer. Even the people living between the water village and the infantry camp feel safe and secure.
Thanks to this design, Guangning City not only has a developed economy, but also has convenient transportation. What's more, with the addition of a convenient waterway, people's lives and commerce in the city will naturally improve. Although the city is not big, it still has a feeling of prosperity.
As night fell, the carriage slowly drove into the city. With people from the Youth Hall going to make arrangements, and Gong Zhuan and others starting to arrive, the people were not surprised at all by the arrival of several carriages.
Guangning City is actually brightly lit, and Guangning City looks even more beautiful at night.
Drinking wine is heard all the time, and laughter and curses can be heard everywhere in the streets. People here live very comfortably. There are not too many worries, everyone lives with great vigor and feels that life should be like this.
Liu Jixing sat steadily in the carriage, and the sounds outside could naturally be heard. I can already hear and see the happiness of the people in Prince Xing's Mansion. This is exactly what I have been pursuing since taking power.
The few favorite concubines around him, Wang Yu are particularly reassured about him now, and the help from Xiao Yue's disciples make Liu Jixing the happiest. In Wang Yu's heart, the strange thoughts in her heart have benefited the people of Lingnan. She feels like a lover who has awakened. Now she can say that she supports her 100%, and her heart is full of herself.
When Guangning City was rebuilt, she fully supported her own plan. She also supported her anti-corruption efforts and did not allow anyone to take advantage of the opportunity to make profits. Now the county magistrate of Guangning is a descendant of the Wang family, a student named Wang Bo. Although he has not made any big achievements, he can at least act according to his own wishes.
Seeing this situation, we can think of Wang Bo's political achievements and that he is a good person to stabilize the situation. Although everyone has their shortcomings exposed, Liu Jixing always believes in the saying that people can make the most of their talents. Send these ignorant, fearless and passionate young people to the local areas. They should be more free and unrestrained in the local areas and they should also make greater political achievements.
The night in Guangning City is beautiful.
Slightly opening the car curtain, Shi Shiniang turned to one side so that Liu Jixing could see outside. Liu Jixing didn't care about the two people's attentiveness. After all, he was used to being in the palace. Even if Liu Jixing likes simplicity, it would be good to have beautiful women serving him.
There was nothing too surprising about the two women in the eyes of others, but in Liu Jixing's eyes they were a little excited. Because Wang Ying used to be relatively plump in the palace, but she did not stand out in the palace with so many beauties. But after coming out of the palace and joining the Secret Service, it was natural that he had to practice hard and practice hard. It can be said that his body is well-proportioned and sexy.
Even if Shi Shiniang cannot match Wang Ying's beauty, she is still a rare beauty. In this day and age, you can tell at a glance that you are a person with good education and background. Although Liu Jixing is not particularly sexy now, deep down in the palace, his thoughts are no longer what he was in his time. He also received Master Shi's marrow cleansing, and his body is naturally abnormal.
I just saw the flower stamen that I have been fascinated by for a long time. It is indeed otherworldly and different from ordinary people. Liu Jixing felt a little excited, but he also knew that if he was too impatient, Huarui would definitely not refuse. But it didn't mean anything after that, so he didn't identify himself clearly.
But the desire hidden in his body was aroused, and he had no need to hide himself. He sat there in silence, but looked at Wang Ying and Shi Shiniang from time to time.
After fully understanding the meridians and Qi cultivation taught by Master Shi, I practiced dual cultivation with several members of the Yinlihua sect, which was of great help to my cultivation. Therefore, Liu Jixing usually cultivates with several concubines, and the true energy in his body has already reached a relatively high level.
The main reason I came to Guangning this time was because I heard that Hua Rui had arrived in Lingnan, so I couldn't help but want to come and have a look. Now that he was calm and at ease, Liu Jixing felt a little turbulent in his heart when he saw the two beauties beside him.
With Liu Jixing's current skills, he could reach Prince Zixing's palace in Guangning in less than half a day on a fast horse, so he didn't have to worry about anything happening in the capital. Although he ran out secretly, as his bodyguard, Yang Jiong left because of something, and Shi Wu also accepted an important task. Naturally, Xia Qinghou was inseparable from him, and the only one who protected him was Xia Qinghou.
In fact, when Liu Jixing came out, although he went to the place where he practiced in the palace in person, he didn't see anyone there. But Liu Jixing left a mark on the place he noticed and hurried out to Guangning. No matter how stable the big man is now, Liu Jixing's identity is still extremely sensitive.
But just now Liu Jixing came to see Huarui alone, and there were several servants from the Youth Hall beside him. They knew that there was no danger in Guangning City for the time being, so they were ordered by Liu Jixing to stay at the official post in Guangning City and did not follow him.
When Liu Jixing saw the scene outside and thought about how he felt in his heart, he said he wanted to get out of the car and take a walk.
Wang Ying and Shi Shiniang naturally saw Liu Jixing's reaction, but as a woman facing the most powerful person in Lingnan, they were both worried and secretly happy, but they did not dare to say a word.
Seeing Liu Jixing say this, the two of them felt relieved. Although their faces were still red, they still accompanied Liu Jixing to get off the car excitedly.
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Chu Di,
Langzhou Dudu Mansion.
The main meeting hall of the Governor's Palace,
This was once the main living room of the Ma family's envoys, and it was also the inner living room of the envoys.
Nowadays, it is the most authoritative place in Chu District. It is also the place where various policies and decisions are issued, and it is also the place where Chu District’s people’s livelihood plans will be headed in the future.
After Zhou Xingfeng was respectfully welcomed to Langzhou by General Pan Shusi, he did not build his own mansion or expand the governor's mansion, but moved into the original mansion. His pragmatism and frugality made him win a lot of people's hearts in a short period of time.
Although his wife, Mrs. Yan, always said that he was too extravagant and was even unwilling to enter the Dudu's Mansion at first, she later moved out of the Dudu's Mansion and lived in a villa of Zhou's family in the countryside. But everyone around Zhou Xingfeng knew that as the governor of a local vassal town, Zhou Xingfeng lived very frugally.
Sitting quietly on the Taishi chair, Zhou Xingfeng frowned. He faced too many things every day and he was used to thinking alone. The military reports in front of them came from Shaozhou and Hengzhou, as well as Yongzhou that had fallen. The original military reports had been delayed in arriving.
There are also several counselors and clerks around him, but Zhou Xingfeng has never liked having literati around him. Apart from drafting some political affairs, Zhou Xingfeng himself does not know how to write these things, so he has to let them complete it. In addition, he thinks they are not enough to work with him. Discuss the issues among yourself.
It's not that Zhou Xingfeng is too proud, it's that these people really don't have a broad vision and discuss issues from a completely different perspective than himself. It's not that Zhou Xingfeng looks down on them, they can only help him make up for the omissions after he has conceived the idea.
This is an ebony dragon-carved armchair. Sitting on it, Zhou Xingfeng feels much more comfortable than sitting cross-legged or kneeling on the couch before.
The armchair was still a rare thing in this era. Very few people sat on this kind of chair and the Hu stool from Hudi. In addition to the emperor's dragon chair, the common ones are usually couches, horse-drawn chairs, and benches. Ordinary people kneel down or sit on various couches when gathering or receiving guests.
This armchair is said to be called the Grand Master's Chair, which means it is for people of high status like the Grand Master to sit on. Although there is no nine dragons carved like the dragon chair, there is also a dragon pattern carved with teeth and claws on the backrest in ebony. Originally, this pattern seemed to be a kind of transcendence, but in these troubled times, no one would care about whose fist is stronger.
Ebony becomes more valuable the more it is used, and its luster becomes more natural and beautiful. The chair Zhou Xingfeng is sitting on is made of ebony from Jiaozhou in the south, and the handles on both sides are red rosewood that is more than a century old. The most precious thing is the eyeball on the dragon on the backrest. It is said that it is inlaid with fine Yazhou water agarwood, which can be used to concentrate and meditate, and is naturally worth a lot of money.
There is no doubt that Zhou Xingfeng likes this chair very much, because both the ebony and agarwood exude a light fragrance, but they do not compete with each other for their respective fragrances. Instead, they mix together and make him feel calm.
When he got this chair, Zhou Xingfeng showed great love, not only because of its preciousness, but also because of its unique shape and good craftsmanship that was not similar to contemporary ones. Because before Zhou Xingfeng made his fortune and joined the army, he was a craftsman who inherited carpentry when he rose to prominence among the local people.
Zhou Xingfeng did not become a very good craftsman, but he became a world-famous general. Although I haven’t done anything for many years, I still have this vision. When I saw this chair, I fell in love with it.
I usually place it in my living room, where I work most of the time. Sitting on it is comfortable and atmospheric, and it seems to relieve fatigue and calm the mind. Zhou Xingfeng was still a little proud of himself, and of course it was the dragon on the backrest.
Although it is not a Nine-Dragon Chair, in this era, those who can sit on the Dragon Chair are either kings or emperors. Those who can enter the hall in Chu Di are naturally the discerning people in power in Chu Di. They all know that although Zhou Xingfeng does not have the ambition and arrogance to become king and emperor like his predecessor Ma Yin in Chu Di. But at least he is already the emperor of Chu. As for whether he has this mentality, only he himself knows.
I'm afraid no one in this world doesn't want to be an emperor, but it depends on whether he has the ability to be an emperor.
The emperor and general Xiang Ning have the guts!
People with ideas in the world will express this emotion. Many people know what Zhou Xingfeng is thinking, that is, he still has this idea in his heart.
Although a chair cannot represent anything, it is still a bit shocking in this era, let alone a chair carved with dragons. If it were placed in the previous Tang Dynasty, this would be a typical attempt to rebel.
Since taking power in the Chu Territory, Zhou Xingfeng, who has practiced frugality, has set an example by setting an example and never wastes money in the Dudu Mansion. This is obvious to everyone from top to bottom. This backrest Taishi chair was given by Zhang Wenbiao, the governor of Hengzhou. It is said that it was purchased from overseas travelers from Lingnan. The materials came from Jiaozhou, but the workmanship came from overseas travelers.
Zhou Xingfeng didn't believe such nonsense, but he never revealed it in front of others, let alone mentioned it himself. Not to mention that overseas places are far away, but there is the Han Dynasty in Lingnan separated by a ridge. It is also the place where the barbarians of the Five Ridges live. How much civilization and skills can there be?
This Taishi chair with a backrest is made of exquisite workmanship. The material is either ebony or rosewood. As for the other decorations on the chair, I won’t go into details one by one. Zhou Xingfeng was a carpenter by trade, and he could tell at a glance that he was not a current craftsman. He speculated that he was probably from the palace of the former dynasty. Although there are few patterns on the chair, only the backrest is decorated, it is majestic and majestic, but Zhou Xingfeng does not believe that people from overseas can do it.
The previous dynasty was destroyed by Zhu Wen, and all kinds of treasures in the east and west palaces could be said to have been lost as they were cleared. These things are naturally lost everywhere, even among the people. A lot of it must have been destroyed in the war, but a lot of it naturally ended up in private pockets.
Zhang Wenbiao was very kind, so Zhou Xingfeng accepted it calmly without any hesitation, and even thanked him privately. After all, it contained too many things. Although he didn't say it explicitly, Zhou Xingfeng felt that this was a good sign he got.
Since he took charge of the Chu Territory, it can be said that almost all the territory in the south has been entrusted to him. It is reasonable for him to support his own ideas.
Although the Great Han Kingdom in Lingnan is not worthy of mention, after all, the Liu family that is now in power also migrated from the Central Plains, and they have gathered many talents who were exiled by the previous dynasty, and even many old people.
In the last years when Chu was under the control of the Ma family, I personally saw that the southern states were successively occupied by the Tang State and were unable to do anything. Later, the Tang State was seized by the Han State to seize the territory. Now that Chenzhou, Guiyang, Lingxi and even Jinghai have become the territory of Lingnan, it is self-evident how many benefits they will receive.
The importance of the southern gateway is self-evident to the Chu region at the transition of the Central Plains. No matter how powerful Lingnan is, the territorial conflict at worst cannot go beyond Hengzhou. This is Zhou Xingfeng's bottom line for the south, so Zhou Xingfeng can only send heavy troops to Hengzhou.
It can be said that Zhou Xingfeng knew a lot about Zhang Wenbiao.
Although they were all sworn brothers back then, among the ten brothers, Zhang Wenbiao was one of those unknowns who had always been overshadowed by people like himself and Wang Jinkui. It's not that Zhang Wenbiao hides his clumsiness, but that although he has Qiu Hao in his heart, what he has in his stomach is limited.
It's not that Zhou Xingfeng is too arrogant. From the moment he met Zhang Wenbiao, he didn't pay much attention to him. In his eyes, he was just the little brother he watched grow up. Even his superb marksmanship was mostly taught by him. .
In Zhou Xingfeng's heart, he felt that he and he were not on the same level at all. However, since the sworn sworn vows, the brothers of those days have slowly ceased to exist. Now only Liu Ming and Zhou Xingfeng of Yuezhou are left. It means a certain amount of success in every situation.
As long as he follows him all the time, Zhou Xingfeng will never treat him badly, so it can be said that he usually responds to Zhang Wenbiao's requests. However, Zhou Xingfeng thought he was smart, so he was a little more wary of others.
Therefore, since taking power, although there is some mentality of wanting to restructure the country, unfortunately there are not many people around him. And in Zhou Xingfeng's mind, as his power has increased in recent years and his identity has become more and more important, Zhang Wenbiao seems to be a bit arrogant, but under his own power, he has always been obedient.
Looking coldly at the urgent report in front of him, it was Zhang Wenbiao who came quickly to report the crisis situation in several places in Hengzhou. Of course, there was also Pan Song who was personally transferred to Shaozhou, but he seemed not to achieve the results he wanted.
And the fall of Yongzhou City was the hottest thing in Zhou Xingfeng's heart. He even wondered if Zhang Wenbiao was deliberately causing trouble. Yongzhou City was located at a critical location and had always been an important place. I sent many cronies there, but now I didn't hear any news, and it actually fell.
This is a little too abnormal! After many years of fighting in the army, he has long been accustomed to these so-called battles.
But for the lack of talents and real help around me, I can only feel deeply powerless. Naturally, talents cannot be acquired overnight or quickly. But if you cultivate slowly, you don’t have the time to prepare yourself in this era.
If Zhang Wenbiao hadn't been helpless and in crisis, he probably wouldn't have wanted to beg himself! If he were a normal brother, Zhou Xingfeng would believe Zhang Wenbiao's words, but when he saw Pan Song's report that came at the same time, Zhou Xingfeng couldn't help but feel gloomy.
The first one was submitted by Pan Song after he arrived in Shaozhou. This was an untargeted report, just telling himself that he had successfully controlled the situation in Shaozhou. But he also said one thing, that is, Zhang Wenbiao, who had reported that the prefecture had fallen, did not ask Pan Song to send troops to support him.
Originally, there was no problem with this. Maybe Zhang Wenbiao was not in too much of a crisis and felt there was no need to find Pan Song. But then came an urgent report from Zhou Dunqi, the governor of Yongzhou, which made Zhou Xingfeng, who was suspicious by nature, weigh it in his mind. It turned out that several good horses died for this urgent report. It is said that the spy who delivered the message escaped from Yongzhou City alone.
Why didn't Zhang Wenbiao send anyone to support Yongzhou? Although Yongzhou is an independent state, he has always placed it under Zhang Wenbiao's Hengzhou check and balance. Moreover, Yongzhou City is the gateway to Chu from Daozhou City and one of the two important towns for him to contact Wuxi. Zhang Wenbiao didn't take it to heart?
It’s not that he didn’t take it to heart! Even now, he has not learned the true situation of the fall of Daozhou City. Even if he knows about it, it is just a report from Zhang Wenbiao. After the fall of Daozhou City, it was impossible for him not to pay attention to Yongzhou City! But now that Yongzhou City is in crisis, he did not let Pan Song respond positively.
There are only two possibilities, either Yongzhou City is really in danger, or Daozhou City has not fallen at all. Zhang Wenbiao falsely reported military intelligence and asked him to mobilize troops from several states to assemble around Yongzhou City.
Zhou Xingfeng's face was so gloomy that he could shed tears. Although he knew that Zhang Wenbiao could not be so bold, if Yongzhou City was also in his hands, then he, the Lord of Chu, would have one-third of his territory. Yes.
The second report from Shaozhou was that Pan Song had received support from Zhang Wenbiao, but the intention was to ask Pan Song to go directly to nearby Yongzhou to support him. However, Pan Song said that in order to quell the unrest throughout the territory, he dispersed his troops and suffered some fierce attacks. He could only send 6,000 troops to Yongzhou.
What's more, the report that I got by chance came from Yongzhou that had already fallen, but it was sent by Ma Huateng, the Yongzhou land and sea relief envoy who he personally appointed. It is said that Yongzhou City was attacked by armed forces of unknown origin. The governor Zhou Dunqi was trapped in Yongzhou City. His water stronghold was rebelled by internal forces, and the entire Xiangjiang River waterway was destroyed. In order to repay Zhou Xingfeng's appreciation, I will definitely repay him with my own life.
Seeing this, Zhou Xingfeng sighed even more, but his heart became even more angry. It turned out that there was another report on the table, but it was Zhang Wenbiao who said that on his way to Yongzhou City, he was ambushed by soldiers from Lingnan. Yongzhou City was in danger, and he hoped that Zhou Xingfeng could order him to combine the forces of several states. , went to encircle Yongzhou City.
"Ninth Brother, Ninth Brother! Are you so impatient!" He hit the table with his palm, Zhou Xingfeng's face turned pale, and the report on the table was smashed to pieces. It turns out that Zhou Xingfeng, who was always thought to be just a general who commanded the army, was actually a master with profound internal strength.
Judging from the intact condition of the desk and the flying confetti, it can be seen that he is at least an innate master. It is really something that should not be underestimated. Zhou Xingfeng is really well hidden. How can outsiders know his skills?
