At a reception banquet, Liu Chengyou ate well, drank well, and his mouth was full of oil. It seemed that the guests and hosts were enjoying themselves, but the atmosphere was vaguely awkward. Liu Xin and Murong Yanchao were very happy, but Liu Chengyou and these two uncles really couldn't talk together.
After such a long period of experience, Liu Chengyou is no longer as autistic as before, but his character is still the same deep down. Although he has learned to speak some stage words, he is really the kind of person who is good at dancing. They are uncle and nephew in name, but are they really close? At the wine table, the feeling of alienation was somewhat obvious.
That is to say, Liu Xin and Liu are not so sensitive, or they are numbed by alcohol, or Kaipo doesn't say it, at least on the surface, they are still happy. As for Liu Chengyou, I have no scruples about eating and drinking with him, and I feel at home.
At noon, I took a short rest in the post house. Before I had a good rest, Liu Xin sent someone to wake him up. These two people were obviously still drunk, so they asked Liu Chengyou to take them to the Longqi Army. They said they wanted to see the Han soldiers who had defeated the Khitans and returned from hundreds of battles, and wanted to express their condolences.
Then, Liu Chengyou was knocked off a hundred war horses by the two men. The two uncles were old and disrespectful, and their shameless looks refreshed Liu Chengyou's understanding. After a feast, he lost a hundred horses. No matter how you look at it, the deal was a loss. Liu Chengyou even suspected whether Liu Xin and Murong Yanchao were pretending to be drunk...
Of course, it's not entirely true to say how reluctant he is to part with them. After all, these war horses are also going to be dedicated to Liu Zhiyuan, and will eventually be used by the Imperial Army. Liu Xin is currently the commander of the guards and the horse army. At least in name, he will fall under his command sooner or later.
After resting for another night in Baima, the next day, Liu Chengyou said goodbye to Liu Xin and Murong Yanchao and set out for Kaifeng. Before leaving, he still couldn't hold it back and vaguely reminded Murong Yanchao to go back to Puyang. However, it is not up to him to decide what the effect will be.
Walking through Xincheng and down to Fengqiu, a hundred miles away, Liu Chengyou didn't walk very fast, and he didn't deliberately slow down. He just had a good feel for the situation in the Gyeonggi area.
Compared to the area in Hebei, it is still slightly better. At least you won’t be able to walk dozens or hundreds of miles without encountering an inhabited village or town. Although the Hu people caused serious damage to Henan, it was not like the mass killings after the northern crossing. With the addition of self-repair, some vitality has been restored.
However, times were obviously difficult, production was far from being restored, and the ruling order belonging to the Han Dynasty had not been re-established. There are also banditry activities. This is the Kinki area, so you can imagine what the situation is like in other places.
The government does not act, this is what Liu Chengyou sees. Of course, it was actually the newly born Hanting that did nothing.
"It's the beginning of autumn, right?" Liu Chengyou said with emotion as he walked out of the military tent in the early morning, feeling the cool breeze on his face and looking at the white mist shrouding the sky and the earth.
In the past few days, the weather has changed very obviously. It has been very cold in the morning and evening, and before I knew it, the chirping of cicadas could be heard all around.
The camp is twenty miles southeast of Fengqiu County, not far from Fengcheng, only about forty miles. There is a village nearby called Chenqiao.
Liu Chengyou obviously has a "special" feeling for this small village in Kinki.
"Your Highness, is there anything special about this village?" Guo Rong asked curiously, following Liu Chengyou and standing on a hill behind the village, pointing at the village in the mist.
Chenqiao Village is an ordinary village with not many people in the village. Many people fled and have not returned. It is said that a wealthy family named Chen in the village funded the repair of an old wooden bridge in the village, so the village name was changed to "Chenqiao" .
Looking back at Guo Rong, he blinked. The look in his eyes made Guo Rong a little confused.
"It's nothing, I just think this village deserves a good name." Liu Chengyou said a little perfunctorily.
Guo Rong was even more puzzled, feeling that Liu Chengyou's eyes had some hidden meaning. Shaking his head in confusion, Guo Rong changed the topic and said: "General, I have checked and found out that this village is on the thoroughfare north of Tokyo, and the distance is also moderate. In the future, a post station can be set up here to convey government orders, military information, and welcome guests to stay. "
Hearing what Guo Rong said, Liu Chengyou couldn't help but frown. Could it be that this is something hidden?
Putting his thoughts away, Liu Chengyou replied somewhat calmly: "It is indeed suitable."
A sergeant from the dormitory quickly stepped up the hill and whispered something to Li Chongju. When Liu Chengyou saw it, he couldn't help but ask, "What's the matter?"
"Your Highness, someone from Tokyo is here to greet you." Li Chongju approached and reported.
"Who is he?" After hearing this, Liu Chengyou asked as he walked down the hill first.
"General Zuowei Liu Chengyun and Minister of Rites Li Shaoyou." Li Chongju replied.
At this time, in front of the military tent, two young nobles in purple clothes were wandering around, looking around and whispering. Beside them were the soldiers who were staying in the tent without squinting their eyes, while their entourage and guards were waiting quietly aside.
"Brother Yun, cousin." Liu Chengyou greeted him in advance before approaching.
"Erlang." The two men immediately smiled and came forward.
These two aristocratic young men, Li Shaoyou introduced before, are Liu Chengyou's cousin and the son of his uncle Li Hongxin. The other person, Liu Chengyun, was the eldest son of his uncle Liu Chong. He should be Liu Chengyun's cousin, but he was adopted as an adopted son by Liu Zhiyuan and had the right to inherit. As for Liu Chengyou, the relationship cannot be said to be estranged, but it is still close to each other, a normal brotherly relationship. Liu Chengyun usually has a better relationship with his eldest brother Liu Chengxun.
"It's you guys who are here?" Liu Chengyou seemed a little surprised.
Li Shaoyou was the first to speak and said: "I have been too busy in Tokyo recently. When I heard that you were coming back, I specially asked the official family for this errand to come and greet our second prince."
The tone was very relaxed. As he spoke, he looked at Liu Chengyou and said jokingly: "It's really different. He returns from a hundred battles with a kingly demeanor."
"Promoted?" Liu Chengyou looked at Li Shaoyou.
Li Shaoyou looked unconcerned and waved his hand and said: "You don't know what kind of official the Minister of Rites is. It's just a false position. He has a great reputation and no real work under his command. These days, I am very idle... ..."
To say that the separation of officials, positions, and dispatches developed to its peak in the Song Dynasty, in fact, there were already signs of this during the change of dynasties in the Five Dynasties. With the changes in the power structure and the transfer of powers, the original official title has gradually lost its original effectiveness and is divorced from the actual duties. The so-called name does not match the reality, but it is not as exaggerated as in the Song Dynasty.
"If you are serious, are you afraid that you won't find anything to do?" Liu Chengyou replied casually, then looked at Liu Chengyun.
Liu Chengyun was introverted and didn't talk much. In front of Liu Chengyou, he actually looked a little nervous and echoed in a decent manner: "Erlang, we are here under orders. The officials and the queen are all waiting for you in the palace."
Glancing at Liu Chengyun, Liu Chengyou nodded, and then asked: "Have you eaten?"
The two men were stunned and nodded.
"Soldiers, I have an empty stomach. Please accompany me to have breakfast before setting out on the road." He said in a light commanding tone.
"Yes." Subconsciously, the two of them agreed.
The morning meal was already prepared, and he ate with the soldiers. After casually filling his stomach, he broke camp and headed south towards Kaifeng. On the way, Liu Chengyou called Li Shaoyou to the car alone to question him alone. There are some things that are not easy to say in front of Liu Chengyun.
