It's getting cooler at night.
The night wind sent chills through the narrow cracks in the windows and invaded his body, making Liu Chengyou shiver twice and couldn't help but tighten the mink fur draped around his body.
Putting down the military newspaper in his hand, Liu Chengyou couldn't help but rub his eyes, and raised his eyes to notice the slightly swaying candlelight. The red candle was about to burn out and the light dimmed. He raised his eyebrows slightly and called out, "Here comes someone."
"Official family."
"Add a new candle!"
"yes!"
Vaguely, Liu Chengyou seemed to hear the voice of the serving eunuch being scolded by the steward. He was so blind that he had to order the lamp and candles personally from the official.
After replacing the new candle, the room in front of the imperial examination room was indeed much brighter, and the sight was much clearer. The military newspaper fell into my hands again. Liu Chengyou had read this battle report from Fengxiang no less than five times that night. He was really happy to have achieved such a great victory in his first foreign war since he ascended the throne.
Since last winter, when the Shu army marched northward, until the Battle of Jifeng Mountain, the Shu army mobilized a total of more than 60,000 troops and countless grain and equipment, resulting in losses of more than half. Among them, there are a large number of Hou Shu Forbidden Army. The Fengluan Suwei led by Li Tinggui escaped too quickly in Xiegu Town, and the losses were not serious. The two armies of Wei Sheng and Kuang Sheng mobilized by Zhang Qianzhao suffered heavy losses. The two armies of Wei Sheng and Kuang Sheng were the main forces of the Forbidden Army of Shu. They were the armies that existed when Meng Zhixiang founded Shu.
Although Shu has tens of thousands of forbidden troops, they are still exhausted after this battle. That is to say, the two Sichuan areas are uniquely advantaged and can withstand foreign invasion, but the Han army has no remaining strength, otherwise it can attack Xingyuan Mansion. Even so, Sanguan, an important gateway in Sichuan and Shaanxi, was lost.
When Liu Chengyou carefully examined the battle report, he couldn't help but feel a little scared. Although Wang Jun did not elaborate on the strategies, plans and battlefield situation before and after the fierce battle, Liu Chengyou, who had some military insight, could also detect the risks involved. If you are not careful, you will lose everything. The defeat of the army is not terrible, but if Fengxiang is lost and the safety of the entire Guanzhong is affected, it will be fatal.
Wang Jun's boldness surprised Liu Chengyou for the first time. If he were to lead the troops in person, he would definitely look for other opportunities on the basis of firmly defending Baoji. He would never take risks like him, forcing the enemy to force himself, leaving almost no room for leeway. Ever since his shocking adventure in Luancheng last year, Liu Chengyou had secretly made up his mind that he would never take any more risks. After all, if you stand by the river often, your shoes will get wet.
Of course, risks are often directly proportional to benefits. A major defeat of the Shu army at Jifeng Mountain can basically declare that the northwest of the Han Dynasty can temporarily eliminate foreign troubles. If the Shu army wants to move north again, they may have to weigh it carefully. They may even have to worry about whether the Han army will take the opportunity to counterattack Qin Fengjie into the four states.
At this point, Wang Jun's ambition was obviously aroused and a little lost. It was mentioned in the report that he was interested in launching an army, but he did not dare to take action on his own and asked the imperial court for instructions.
Regarding this, not to mention Liu Chengyou, when he went to the Privy Council or the Political Hall, he was basically rejected. The Shu army has been pushed back and safety has been maintained, but enemies have been encountered along the way. The imperial court's goal has been achieved, how can it start the war again?
At this time, recuperating, developing farming and weaving, and practicing internal strength are the first things that the man should do. Because of this battle, Liu Chengyou's position as emperor has been secured for the time being! For an ambitious heir like Liu Chengyou, he immediately wanted to do something as soon as his butt was firmly seated.
Right now, the only two most pressing issues before Liu Chengyou are the court and the imperial army. The court had been temporarily stabilized and had to be put behind the scenes, while the reform of the Forbidden Army was only the beginning.
Today's Han Dynasty Forbidden Army, among the senior generals, there are too many veteran generals with no moral integrity or insufficient ability. There are too few generals who directly serve him as the emperor. The soldiers are good and bad, and it is difficult to promote capable middle and lower-level officers.
Liu Chengyou has a strong desire for reform, but he also knows clearly that this matter cannot be rushed. Being too anxious can easily lead to trouble, and the military is the last place where trouble can occur.
Moreover, if he wanted to reform the Forbidden Army, he still had a better chance. Thoughts were running through his mind, and Liu Chengyou's eyes couldn't help but fall on the other two official documents on the desk. A letter, a secret note sent by Wang Jun to explain.
"Guan family, the queen is here." The call from the chamberlain slightly interrupted Liu Chengyou's thoughts.
Hearing this, Liu Chengyou did not feel angry. He calmed down the slightly gloomy expression on his face and said, "Xuan."
Soon, accompanied by two palace maids, Da Fu walked into the palace with elegant steps. The palace ladies were holding a food box in their hands. Obviously, they were bringing Liu Chengyou a midnight snack.
Liu Chengyou stood up to greet her and said in a gentle tone, "The queen is here."
"The official family." Da Fu smiled gently at Liu Chengyou: "I wonder if it will disturb the official family's management of politics?"
He waved his hand and invited him to sit next to him. Liu Chengyou touched his belly and said, "I am feeling hungry in my belly. The Queen is interested."
I glanced at the food I took out from the food box. It looked like soup or soup. The main ingredients were in the form of threads and the color was crystal clear. It was covered with some minced meat and condiments. It had a fragrant aroma and whetted your appetite. Liu Chengyou pointed at the thread-like objects and asked curiously: "Does this seem to be shredded fish?"
"Officials have good eyesight." Da Fu's compliment was not flattering, and he explained to Liu Chengyou: "This dish is called Crystal Ramen. It is made by finely cutting fish and meat into shreds and cooking it. This dish is well-known in Tokyo." vegetable."
"Oh?" Liu Chengyou was slightly surprised. Tokyo folk cuisine has become so sophisticated? He showed some interest and said: "Then I want to try what the people in Tokyo eat..."
In fact, Liu Chengyou knew that this dish might be popular in shops, but not many people could afford it. In the context of the entire country falling into famine, it is not easy to have a full stomach. Except for those high-ranking officials and nobles, how many people are so particular about eating.
However, seeing the kind look on Da Fu's face, Liu Chengyou restrained himself from expressing his nameless anger and bad mood. The eunuch tasted it first, but found nothing unusual. Then Liu Chengyou took the small bowl and spoon and started eating.
Seeing Liu Chengyou devouring the food, he did not care about the image of the emperor. There was a soft light in Da Fu's beautiful eyes, with a funny smile, and he couldn't help but ask: "What do you think it tastes like?"
"The taste is tender, smooth and refreshing, not bad. Confucius said, you never get tired of fine food, and you never get tired of fine cooking. That's probably it." Liu Chengyou picked up the silk scarf and wiped his mouth.
After thinking about it for a while, he couldn't help but said something casually: "We are now in the lean season, and the country has little food reserves. The common people of the Han Dynasty have many hungry meals and no food to eat. Everyone in the dynasty should put frugality first. As the master of the country, I should set an example. When it comes to food, I don’t have to be so meticulous..."
What Liu Chengyou said was not very subtle. Dafu was a smart woman. Her face darkened, but she quickly regained her composure. She looked at Liu Chengyou with a clear look, showing a trace of respect, and said generously: "Officer's family." Heart, I understand.”
Hearing this, Liu Chengyou showed a stiff smile to Da Fu, probably because he was afraid that his smile would scare her, and he reached out to grab her hand and rubbed it gently to show his affection. This is almost the limit of tenderness that Liu Chengyou can achieve, and Da Fu can obviously feel it.
In addition, the queen's hands were so soft, and more importantly, the warmth in her palms easily aroused Liu Chengyou's heart.
Shaking his head to suppress the overwhelming thoughts in his mind, Liu Chengyou couldn't help but rub his eyes and took a deep breath.
He ordered people to remove the food box, and seeing the tired look on Liu Chengyou's face, Da Fu straightened up and knelt beside Liu Chengyou's seat, reaching out to knead the acupuncture points on his head: "Officials are diligent in their work, and they also need to pay attention to their health."
It's obvious that he has never served anyone before. Fu's craftsmanship is very poor, far worse than Geng's. However, Liu Chengyou also enjoyed the feeling of respect and hospitality between husband and wife.
"Today's hard work is for future comfort." Liu Chengyou closed his eyes and sighed.
Seeing this, Da Fu couldn't help but ask: "During this period, the officials were worried about the war in Guan Nei. I heard that the imperial court won the battle in Fengxiang and defeated the invading enemy. The Western Frontier was now safe. Why were the officials still so worried? .”
"Foreign troubles have been eliminated for the time being, but internal worries are still there." Liu Chengyou said.
After saying that, Liu Chengyou opened his eyes, picked up one of the letters from the imperial case, and handed it to her: "Look at it!"
Da Fu shook his head. Although there was some curiosity in his eyes, he still acted like a woman and said he did not dare. Although the Han Dynasty did not explicitly stipulate that the harem was not allowed to interfere in politics, a truly smart woman would never touch that line easily.
"It doesn't matter, I'll let you see it."
Under Liu Chengyou's instruction, the big talisman hesitated for a moment, glanced at Liu Chengyou carefully from the corner of his eye, took it, and started browsing. As soon as he raised his head, he reacted. His beautiful eyes narrowed, his tender lips opened slightly, and he asked in doubt: "How dare you do this?"
