Snow is falling heavily in the Northeast, and the endless backbone mountains are covered with snow. The sound of the new wind is like the howling of wild wolves on the mountain tops. At the northern foot of Jiliang Mountain, at the edge of the frozen Liao River, there is a valley with mountains to the north and south and running from east to west.
A plum blossom-shaped camp has been set up in the broad valley. The white felt tents are in the heavy snow, the same color as the earth. If you don't look closely, you can't find that they are tents.
This camp was Liu Rumei’s chosen “picnic” location.
I have to say, she is quite discerning.
The mountains on the north and south sides of this valley are steep. At the foot of the mountains are forests, bamboo groves, and animals. The mountains also help the camp block the harsh north wind. As for the valley that runs east and west, it is flat grassland, which is the best place to camp. Good place. Even the mountain springs and streams are frozen. Fortunately, ice and snow can be boiled into water, so water use is not a big problem.
It's just that there are many more people participating than Yang Ji expected.
Yang Ji and Liu Rumei originally wanted to have a special year, and the number of people was limited to their own male and female bodyguards and the descendants of the King of Wei. Unexpectedly, Huangfu Wuyi, Duan Decao, Yang Yuanhong and other Huanglong County officials heard this and "applied" to join.
Some of them have a utilitarian intention to get close to Yang Ji, but there are also some people who simply feel that their relatives are not here, and it is better to get together than spend the New Year alone in the unfamiliar Huanglong City.
Yang Ji couldn't "turn them away", and besides, there were many people and it was lively, so he brought them all over. However, there were too many people participating, and he was afraid that the prey would not be enough to eat, so he had to bring a lot of supplies and equipment from the city.
At noon on the day we set up camp, Yang Ji cooked the food himself.
He rarely cooks, which is not a "gentleman cooks far away", and this sentence has not been misinterpreted these days; the reason why he didn't cook was because he was lazy in the past, and later because he had too many things to do, but occasionally he made a table for the family Food is more satisfying than winning a battle.
Now that the sky is full of snow and wind, and the Chinese New Year is about to come again, people's mood has become particularly cheerful. In a good mood, they cooked a "table" of strange dishes for these outsiders.
The staple food he made today was "biě hot pot", which is relatively simple to make.
Cow flat and sheep flat were called "baicao soup" in later generations. They have the effects of strengthening the stomach, dispelling heat and aiding digestion. They are unique foods in Li, Cong and Rong counties in Guizhou Province. The method is to put them into the soup when slaughtering cattle and sheep. Take out the undigested grass residue in the stomach, squeeze out the water in the grass residue, filter it with fine cloth, and use the water.
The water is not added directly to the pot, but is first boiled with peppercorns, ginger, tangerine peel, five herbs, and salt. The foam on the surface and impurities at the bottom of the pot are removed, and the soup is set aside. Then stir-fry ginger, garlic, and peppercorns like stir-fry, and then add bone soup and beef and mutton gizzards.
When it boils, it's the beef and sheep hot pot soup.
This way, you can add beef and mutton slices, tripe, intestines, vegetables and other ingredients while eating, which is really delicious.
This dish was first recorded in the Song Dynasty's "Xi Man Cong Xiao", but now it was "invented" by Yang Ji in advance. Its main taste is slightly numbing and spicy; the numbing is not a problem because Sichuan peppercorns are a local product; as for the spiciness, there was no pepper in Sui Dynasty, but it can also be replaced by dogwood.
The people of the royal family have eaten it countless times, and Zhu Can, the cook, can also cook it, so instead of rejecting this dish, everyone likes it very much. However, Huangfu Wuyi, Duan Decao, Yang Yuanhong and other outsiders had never heard of it, let alone tasted it. Moreover, they heard that Yang Ji was cooking, so they watched from beginning to end. They saw the main ingredient of "Beef Hot Pot" It is really hard to accept it taken from the stomachs of cattle and sheep.
Of course, in addition to "Yangzhao Hot Pot", lunch also includes the hot pot that Sui people are accustomed to eating, as well as some other dishes, and Yang Jizi will not force them to eat it. But Huangfu Wuyi, Duan Decao, and Yang Yuanhong saw that Yang Ji and others were eating with gusto, so they tasted it.
After this taste, I couldn't stop eating.
Eat a few bites of meat, drink a glass of cold wine, and then scoop out a spoonful of raw blood marinated in salt, vinegar, and ginger foam.
It is truly the most wonderful enjoyment!
Duan Decao was the last person to try, but he ended up eating the most. He stuffed a large amount of chopsticks into his mouth and said vaguely: "It's so delicious..."
Although Duan Decao's father was Duan Shao, the leader of the "Three Heroes of the Northern Qi Dynasty", they were out-and-out Liangzhou people.
Duan Decao was not a subordinate of Yang Ji, but it was a coincidence that the Yin Shishi, Xue Shixiong, Zhang Dinghe, Xue Ju, Hao Yuan, Zong Luohu, etc. under Yang Ji were all from Liangzhou.
"This is called Cold Xuewang! It looks very popular, and the name has a good meaning. It's a good bonus. As for the taste, it's also outstanding." Yang Yuanhong was not slow at all. He tasted every dish and scooped it up. I swallowed a spoonful of cold sheep blood and commented with praise.
"It tastes delicious, then you can eat more." Yang Ji laughed, raised his glass to Yang Yuanhong, and drank it all in one gulp.
Seeing Yang Ji drinking so boldly, Yang Yuanhong felt guilty and said, "It's too strong to burn the knife, can we drink it slowly?"
Yang Ji smiled and said, "It's not that particular. You can drink as much as you want. Just be casual."
Hearing what he said, Yang Yuanhong felt embarrassed. He raised his bamboo cup, straightened his back and said, "Since the king said so, if I act coquettishly, I don't look like a man anymore, so I'll do it too!"
Drink it all in one gulp.
Yang Ji laughed loudly. As the chef for today's lunch, he felt full of accomplishment when he saw everyone eating so happily.
Maybe it was the Chinese New Year, and Yang Ji didn't have the airs of a prince. The more everyone drank, the more relaxed they became, and they talked happily.
However, although everyone drank happily, they were the leaders of Liaozhou after all, and there were more than 100,000 thieves on the other side, so naturally they would not get drunk.
After the meal, a group of people were hanging out in the snow.
"What's the name of this river?" Yang Ji looked at a frozen river and couldn't help but ask.
Huangfu Wuyi was an "old man" in Liaozhou. He knew this place better than anyone else. When Yang Ji asked, he quickly replied: "This river is a branch of Liao River. It is called Xiushui River. The rivers on both sides of the basin are The land is very fertile and can be cultivated into good farmland.”
Yang Ji didn't ask any more questions and said with a smile: "I am just a temporary military commander. If Goguryeo dare not fight with us, I will resign automatically after the ice and snow melt. How to govern Liaozhou and lead the people to get rich will be decided in the future. It’s up to you.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Daliang, who was on guard outside, galloped towards him and said from a distance: "Your Majesty, the eunuch Cao Li has arrived!"
"Where is he? Is he in Huanglong City?" Yang Ji was deeply surprised when he heard this. Not long after they destroyed the Khitan, the imperial court had already sent an audience to consecrate the meritorious generals. Why did they come here again?
"It's in the camp!" Li Daliang said: "Our envoys stationed in Longshan City in Yingzhou have long known that we are celebrating the New Year here. When they learned that the imperial envoys were coming, they had people take them directly here."
Although celebrating the New Year in the wild is an elegant thing, important matters cannot be neglected. Yang Ji was worried that the messenger would not be able to find him when something happened, so he sent the news to the counties and armies in Liaozhou in advance, and those stationed in Yingzhou and Yanzhou The messengers have already been deployed.
"Let's go and have a look." Yang Ji couldn't figure out why Yang Guang sent envoys again, so he simply gave up and led everyone back to the camp.
When they arrived at the Chinese army's tent, they saw a group of dusty guards from a distance, standing in the heavy snow, while Cao Li, the eunuch who was visiting him, was greeting him.
"I'm sorry to see you, Your Majesty!" Cao Li stepped forward and saluted.
Yang Ji cupped his hands and asked curiously: "Why did the prisoner come to Liaozhou?"
Cao Li said with a smile: "The saint wants to confer meritorious officers and soldiers, and he will ask humble officials to come and issue decrees."
Yang Ji was stunned and asked: "Flock it again?"
Cao Li nodded and said, "Yes!"
Yang Ji immediately invited him into the big tent and called a group of generals over.
When he was ready, Cao Li opened the edict and read in a mellow tone: "The barbarian Khitan did not realize the power of heaven and poisoned the border people of the Sui Dynasty. The whole country was outraged and the government and the public were humiliated. King Yang Ji of Wei was ordered to lead a righteous and brave army to the Turks in the face of danger. Borrowing troops, he also suppressed rebellion, defeated Khitan, and destroyed enemy countries to enhance the prestige of the Sui Dynasty. King Wei took the lead in hundreds of battles and defeated tens of thousands of enemies. He was awarded the title of general of the town army and received a reward of five thousand taels, silk, Ten thousand horses and thousands of households have been added to the city. All the heroes in the army have been awarded the title of governor. I admire this."
"Thank you, saint!" The one in the front was naturally the one who conferred the title of Yang Ji, while the one in the back was the second generation Liang who was conferred the title of accompanying the army. The second generation Liang who were summoned were all overjoyed and saluted to express their gratitude.
The governor is an honorary officer. The honorary officers of the Sui Dynasty are divided into eleven levels. From top to bottom, they are Shangzhuguo, Zhuguo, Shangdajiang, Dajiang, Shangkaifuyitongsansi, and Kaifuyitongsansi. Si, Shangyi Tongsansi, Yitongsansi, Dadudu, Shuaidudu, Dudu.
The title of Honored Officer is a special commendation for meritorious soldiers, which is somewhat similar to the first-class, third-class and third-class merit of "combat heroes" in later generations. Compared with the titles and civil and military officials that can be obtained due to father's meritorious deeds, the gold content of the honorary officers exchanged for real meritorious service is undoubtedly higher.
Although the governor is the lowest rank among the officers, the second generation Liang are people who have not yet served as officials. They came here to train with Yang Ji. They were not included in the previous canonization. They thought they had no hope of promotion, so they did not expect this. Once, they were all appointed as governors. How could they not be happy?
Yang Ji didn't care about himself. Yang Guang had already rewarded a lot of real things last time, but this time, in addition to the real things, he just promoted Wu Sanguan from a third-rank champion general to a second-rank army-suppressing general, which was of no significance. big.
What makes him happy are the rewards his subordinates receive. If they perform meritorious services and get fame under him, they will feel that they have a future with him. If they get nothing, their hearts will slowly disperse; and judging from Yang Guang's move of ennobling all governors , he really gave himself enough face.
Yang Ji asked someone to arrange lunch for Cao Li and the imperial guards. He and Cao Li went to the side tent to sit down and chat, and said with a smile: "You have worked hard at the prison, why don't you celebrate the New Year with us?"
Cao Li was exhausted after running in the wind and snow for more than half a month. He took a sip of hot tea and said with a smile: "Your Majesty is kind, but I accept my humble duty. Although we also want to rest for a few days, we can't!"
Yang Ji asked in surprise: "Don't you have other tasks?"
"Exactly! Speaking more carefully, this matter is also related to the king." Cao Li said: "The Turks are gradually becoming more powerful, but they stay in the Baidaochuan River and have become a hidden danger in the northern part of the Sui Dynasty. However, our dynasty cannot If you go back on your word, you will chill the hearts of the vassal countries. Therefore, even though we know that the Eastern Turks are a huge scourge, there is no good reason to expel them."
"The two Turkic princes fought against the king in the Great Lakes area, and the king won a great victory. The imperial court had the reason to expel the Eastern Turks. Qimin Khan respected and feared me, the Sui Dynasty, and naturally he did not dare to disobey the imperial order. If you comply, you will take the initiative to leave the country.”
Yang Ji smiled: "He knows what's interesting!"
"He doesn't know what's interesting! He took the initiative after being reminded by Honglu Qing Shixiang." Cao Li chuckled, and then said: "But no matter what, we finally got rid of this scourge. , and I, the Great Sui Dynasty, have not lost my morality."
"Indeed!" Yang Ji nodded. Although the Sui Dynasty was not a soft persimmon who valued "benevolence and righteousness", he was the number one overlord in the world after all, so he still had to save some face. It would be best if Qimin Khan left "voluntarily" now.
"Although the Eastern Turks are about to withdraw from Baidaochuan, there are still many things that need to be handed over. The saint prevented the Turks from conflicting with our army during their migration, so he asked us to go to Yunzhou, Shengzhou, and Fengzhou to issue decrees. The situation is urgent and the time is critical. Wait, we will go west later." Cao Li put down his tea cup and said to Yang Ji: "Your Majesty, something happened in the capital, which may have something to do with you."
Yang Ji solemnly said: "Please speak!"
"A minister privately submitted a memorandum to the saint." Cao Li sighed and said: "The general meaning is that the military power of the generals in various places is too heavy, and it is recommended that the saint withdraw from the general's office, and the king, King Cai, King Teng, and King Dao will be the leaders. The state pastoral office is naturally the first to bear the brunt.”
When Cao Li said this, he did not continue, but stared at Yang Ji's face closely, as if observing Yang Ji's reaction.
"I definitely support this memorial with both hands and feet." Yang Ji said with a smile: "If the Prefectural Mufu is dismissed and I am dismissed from the position of Liangzhou Prefectural Mud, I will definitely implement the lazy dandy king's instructions conscientiously. The wind, and unswervingly do our duty of eating, drinking and having fun."
Cao Li looked dull after hearing this and stared at Yang Ji with difficulty. After a long while, he asked cautiously: "Is your Majesty serious?"
"Of course I'm serious!" Yang Ji glanced at Cao Li and said, "I have told the sage a long time ago that I don't want to be such a big official, let alone be busy with government affairs all day long. Life is short, and you should enjoy yourself in time. My pursuit." After thinking about it, he asked again: "What did the saint say?"
Cao Li finally woke up from Yang Ji's concept of "life is short, and timely gratification is my pursuit." He smiled bitterly and said: "The saint rejected it and dismissed the other party and investigated."
Yang Ji was not interested in who the petitioner was. Hearing that Yang Guang had dismissed this person and investigated him, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The image of a playboy king who is not greedy for power and likes to cause trouble is his character set by Yang Ji and must not be lost.
And because Yang Jun and Yang Xiu were dismissed and Yang Liang rebelled, although their "four golden heads" were willing to work as state pastors and general managers, they did not want the positions of state pastors and general managers. This thing , it’s so dazzling.
However, Cao Li believed that the person who submitted the memorial seemed to be in the name of removing the general managers from various places, but in fact he was targeting the "four golden heads". But Yang Ji didn't think so. He felt that the other party's ultimate goal was actually the general manager of each place.
The general administration offices of various states in the mainland have long existed in name only. The local state troops are managed by the local Sima, while the government troops are managed by the hussar generals and chariot generals of each military office. The two armies perform their respective duties and work side by side. The general manager of the border state usually only has the power to command troops and passively defend. Only with the title of marching general can he have the power to mobilize and deploy troops.
Therefore, in Yang Ji's view, this memorial, which suddenly appeared at the critical moment of military reform, was actually aimed at the border states. If the general administration of the border states was abolished, it would at least mean that the imperial court would abolish its martial arts and give way to foreign invasion. Chance.
More importantly, under the instigation of someone with ulterior motives, the general manager of Bianzhou was dissatisfied and caused chaos. This was also the other party's purpose.
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