There was a "whoosh" sound in the air, and the arrow almost penetrated the target close to the red heart. Thirty steps away, Liu Chengyou stood there in a standard archery posture, holding the bow in his left hand, and the bowstring was still trembling. There was a hint of regret on that face that was barely majestic now, just a tiny bit short of hitting the target. After practicing for so long, his shooting skills have improved somewhat.
Probably Liu Zhiyuan's genes were really bad. In addition, after two years of growth and military and political hard work, his handsome face was already showing a tendency to become disabled. Probably because he stayed up too late last night, Liu Chengyou had a few pimples on his face.
Liu Chengyou is well aware of the changes in his appearance, and feels quite regretful when he occasionally looks in the mirror. However, he doesn't care, power is the best plastic surgery and cosmetics.
"Stand five steps farther!" Liu Chengyou looked at him and ordered, wanting to try a further distance.
The chamberlain signaled, and the guard standing in the distance hurriedly moved forward. Liu Chengyou looked at the obviously smaller target, and couldn't help but stretch his muscles. He spread his hands, and Zhang Dejun immediately handed over the arrow respectfully. into hand.
Once again assuming a standing shooting posture, Liu Chengyou took a precise aim, his strings trembling and his arrows firing. The result was quite lucky, the arrow did not miss the target, but it was a little far away from the target. In such an embarrassing situation, even if Zhang Dejun had prepared compliments, he was too embarrassed to say them out.
Seeing the result, Liu Chengyou shook his head. There was not much shame on his face, he just put down the bow and arrow calmly. The bows and arrows he used were not special royal bows, but the Forbidden Army's standard bows and arrows, made of yellow birch wood and covered with black lacquer.
"It seems that my talent in archery ends here!" Liu Chengyou said easily while holding a wet towel and wiping his face and hands.
Accompanying Liu Chengyou in practicing archery was Ma Quanyi, the commander of the Longqi Army. He was also in military uniform and looked fit and healthy. Hearing this, he couldn't help but say: "Your Majesty is busy with state affairs and neglects to practice. To reach the level he is today is much better than ordinary soldiers!"
Liu Chengyou smiled and pointed at Ma Quanyi: "I never thought that our Madu commanders would also learn such flattery!"
Facing the emperor's ridicule, Ma Quanyi's expression did not change and he replied seriously: "I am just answering according to the truth!"
"Looking at my crude skills, let me show you my shooting skills!" Liu Chengyou waved his hand and signaled to Ma Quanyi.
In addition to being a general, Ma Quanyi is good at fencing and riding archery in terms of personal martial arts. His archery skills are also quite famous in the military. No need to be polite, I bent my bow and set an arrow, and with a simple pose, I showed my master's bearing, and I used Liu Chengyou's target to hit the target with one arrow.
Liu Chengyou lay down on a newly made lounge chair in the palace next to him, crossed his legs slightly, closed his eyes leisurely, enjoying the warm sunshine of late spring, and listened to the wonderful rhythm of bows and arrows hitting a target in the air. Leisurely.
The basic national policy has been set, the government situation is gradually stabilizing, and everything is centered on recuperation and resumption of production. In a short period of time, Liu Chengyou has no intention of making any more troubles. During this period of time, he also consciously delegated some basic chores to his ministers.
Little things are basically ignored. In the first year of taking office, Liu Chengyou was burdened with everything, no matter how big or small. It really tired Liu Chengyou. In order to ensure that the throne is stable and the imperial power is not lost, Liu Chengyou would like to lighten some of the burden on himself.
Of course, the power of the government is still firmly in the hands of Liu Chengyou, and it is becoming more and more stable. It's just that he has more free time, and Liu Chengyou spends most of his free time studying and practicing martial arts. After all, he is not yet twenty years old in this body, and his personal knowledge is not enough to be proud of. It is the stage of working hard to improve himself. .
Reading, especially history, especially "modern history". He has dabbled in martial arts, but only archery can help him find some confidence.
In addition, it is about nourishing the body. Chapter 81 of Zhixuan given by Chen Tuan has been translated by Wang Pu. As Old Taoist Chen Tuan said at the beginning, his health regimen really did not have much effect on him. He holds the highest power in the world, and he still wants to "cultivate immortality"?
However, when it comes to bodybuilding, there are always some indirect effects, such as some postures, movements...
The spring sun shone on him, making him feel warm and comfortable. Liu Chengyou almost fell asleep. When he opened his eyes again, Ma Quanyi had put away his bow and gently shook his arm. It still took a lot of energy to shoot the bow.
Looking at the target covered with arrows thirty-five steps away, Liu Chengyou couldn't help stroking his palms and sighed: "The general's shooting skills are really superb!"
Ma Quanyi had a humble expression, but it was obvious that he had not put all his heart and soul into it.
"Give me tea! Give me food!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Ma Quanyi sat down on a stone bench, drank tea, tasted cakes, and swallowed without deliberately being polite.
Liu Chengyou was still lying lazily on the recliner, glanced at his beloved general beside him, and asked in a heart-to-heart tone: "Quanyi, it's been almost two and a half years since you and I have known each other since the Longqi Army!"
"Yes!" When he suddenly heard that Liu Chengyou mentioned that time, Ma Quanyi's face also showed some traces of reminiscence, and he solemnly bowed to Liu Chengyou: "Back then, under the late emperor's tent, the ministers were no more than a single soldier in Longqi. Without His Majesty's support, I would not be able to surrender." With all my heart, I still don’t know where to make a living, let alone become the commander of the Han Dynasty’s imperial army..."
There was a lot of gratitude in Ma Quanyi's words, and Liu Chengyou did not doubt that he was there. If even the trusted generals who knew the truth and had been with the king for a long time were plotting against each other, he would be too tired to be an emperor.
Of course, from what he learned, although Ma Quanyi had some minor flaws, such as protecting shortcomings and showing favoritism, in general, he was loyal to the king's affairs in the army and devoted himself to the training of troops and horses. At least there is no problem with loyalty, well, only for him, Liu Chengyou.
"Since moving south from Hebei, I have been training in Beijing and marching westward to the middle of the river. I have not accomplished many feats. Have you ever felt bored?" Liu Chengyou asked in a calm tone.
"To be honest with you, Your Majesty, sometimes I feel this way. The soldiers practice the art of killing and fighting so hard that they rarely use their skills..." To Liu Chengyou, Ma Quanyi directly expressed his truest thoughts.
Liu Chengyou nodded and frowned slightly: "I'm afraid there are quite a few people in the army who think this way!"
"Exactly!"
Liu Chengyou chuckled, made a circle in the air with his hand, and said: "In today's world, the Han Dynasty only controls three or four tenths, and there are enemies on all sides. I want to flatten the world and restore the glory of China. In the future, there will be many battles to fight, and there will be many opportunities to make contributions!"
"What your Majesty said is true!" Ma Quanyi obviously understood and cupped his fists.
Military spirit!
Liu Chengyou secretly thought that he could always pay attention to the situation in the Chinese army and be wary of such subtle changes in military morale. After all, it was the military reorganization that lasted for half a year. A large number of old and weak people were eliminated, military discipline was stricter, and the control of the soldiers became stronger. This made the army of Nokan Ryo a little uncomfortable, not only the soldiers at the bottom, but also the generals. .
The accumulation of many factors made the atmosphere in the army somewhat depressing. The army should be serious and orderly, but not in this way. Liu Chengyou has thought deeply, but his ideological awareness is probably not in place.
The current army is all mercenaries without "souls", serving the court for money, profit and survival. Even though he is attached to the banner of the Han Dynasty, Liu Chengyou himself does not have too many extravagant expectations when it comes to loyalty to the court and to him as the emperor. He still knows himself.
This situation is exactly what Liu Chengyou has been working hard to change since he succeeded to the throne. Several reorganizations and adjustments were made to further transform the army while keeping the army under control.
It is inevitable to use money, food and favor to buy the morale of the army, but it cannot be the only means for the court to control the army.
Liu Chengyou suddenly remembered the trial implementation of "telling books" in the Longqi Army. It seems that we have to put effort into gathering talents and send them into the army to preach about loyalty to the emperor, patriotism, defense of the family, meritorious service, and peace of the world... These positive things really need to be emphasized. For most simple-minded people, For sergeants, it is not too difficult to achieve the effect of brainwashing through continuous indoctrination. It only requires dedication.
In order to ease the mood of the soldiers, training methods should also be diversified, including martial arts competitions, polo, Cuju and other activities. Camp prostitutes are not considered for the time being, but we may organize visits to brothels in Tokyo. Singles in the army also need to vent their anger. By the way, they can stimulate energy consumption and increase tax revenue...
Thoughts kept growing in Liu Chengyou's mind, and he gradually fell into a trance. When he came back to his senses, he saw Ma Quanyi still sitting aside politely, but the cup of tea was almost dry.
"More tea!" Liu Chengyou signaled.
Ma Quanyi respectfully said: "Your Majesty, there is no need to trouble the middle officer, my thirst has been quenched..."
Well, the royal tea in the palace seems to be only effective in quenching thirst for the Madu commander.
Glancing at Ma Quanyi, Liu Chengyou asked, "Quanyi, do you want to go out of town?"
Liu Chengyou suddenly mentioned it, and Ma Quanyi didn't react for a moment, but after looking at the emperor's cheek, he thought about it, realized something, and said, "I am willing to serve your majesty."
Looking at him, Liu Chengyou wanted to respect his thoughts: "Do you want to go to the south or the north?"
Ma Quanyi thought for a while, then raised his hand and said: "I am willing to obey your Majesty's orders, I dare not resign!"
Liu Chengyou was obviously more satisfied with Ma Quanyi's attitude.
With a straight face, he said directly: "Go to Mozhou and replace Murong Yanzhao as the defense envoy. There is no need to avoid your words. One day, I will launch my troops for the Northern Expedition. By then, I hope that You are the vanguard general of my great Han Dynasty!"
"Yes!" Ma Quanyi stood up and bowed deeply.
"Stand back!" Liu Chengyou waved his hand towards him.
Some generals were sent abroad, and Liu Chengyou wanted to seize their power, such as Shi Hongzhao, Zhou Hui, Wu Qianyu and other generals. And some people are allowed to go out, and they are entrusted with the responsibility of their heart and soul. They once paid Yang Ye, but this time Ma Quanyi.
As for Murong Yanzhao, he was transferred back to Tokyo and served as the commander of the Longqi Army.
...
In the Chongzheng Hall, Yang Bin, the second prime minister Li Tao, and the censor Zhongcheng Bian Guijun met at the same time to report to Liu Chengyou.
"Your Majesty, Dou Zhengu of Xuzhou has reported that the rest of Liu Xin's case has been tried one by one. The results of the case have been reported to the court. They only need to be reviewed by the Ministry of Punishment before the punishment can be implemented!" Yang Fan said to Liu Chengyou with a stiff expression. Report.
His style has not changed much. He calls him by his first name and does not even want to address him as Mr. Dou.
Liu Chengyou opened the memorial book and browsed it quickly. The initial raid in Xuzhou was on a very large scale, and all the generals in Xuzhou were wiped out. It was no joke, and it was inevitable that there would be fish in the pond.
After Dou Zhengu and Zhao Li spent a month of work, they finally came up with the result. After browsing through the sentencing list, there were 17 people sentenced to death. These military and political officials had done a lot of evil things before relying on Liu Xin's power.
Liu Chengyou didn't have much objection to this list. What he valued more was the investigation process of this major case, such as central review.
"With Dou Qing's ability, I think there are no omissions, but for the files submitted to Tokyo, we need to dispatch officials to carefully review and review them!" Liu Chengyou looked at Li Tao, who knew the Ministry of Criminal Affairs, and warned.
Li Tao responded eloquently: "Yes! Before coming to report, I have sent the Taoist priest to verify the files!"
"Xuzhou officials, how about the deployment?" Liu Chengyou turned his attention to Yang Bin.
Calmly facing the emperor's gaze, Yang Yihui reported: "The transfer of all Cao judges and dismissed county officials has been completed, and all official files have been recorded. Those below them will be appointed by the local government. Today, only Dou Zhen is responsible for military and state affairs in Xuzhou. To consolidate the power, I am afraid that the proposed candidate may not be in line with the superior's wishes, so I will wait for His Majesty's approval."
Yang Bin's words are always so thorny, and his tolerance for them is reaching the limit. Li Tao was standing by, his eyes quickly passing over the monarch and his ministers, his head lowered with disdain.
Liu Chengyou's reaction was as calm as ever, even indifferent. He looked away from Yang Bin and looked straight ahead. At this time, Yang Bin was only under his sight, and he couldn't even see him without looking away.
After Shao Zuo pondered, Liu Chengyou said calmly: "Let Dou Qing be appointed as the magistrate of Xuzhou. He will be in charge of the various courts and in charge of government affairs. Well... he will be given the title of Shizhong and Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment!"
After a pause, he looked at Bian Guitan again: "Transfer Zhao Li back to the capital, and re-appoint Liuzhou censor to be responsible for supervision affairs!"
"Yes!" Bian Guichen responded in a deep voice.
Although it has not yet been announced to the world, this arrangement for Xuzhou is a preliminary attempt to separate military and political affairs. This is not the case on the other side of Hezhong, Tong, and Hua. Although the prefects and prefects there are not as prominent on the table and deeply rooted in the hearts of the people as Jiedu, they are still shouldered by the military and government.
This is not the case in Xuzhou. Zhizhou only knows state affairs, and there are Cao magistrates under him, who are in charge of prisons, taxation, household registration, farming, industry and commerce, etc. For the counties under it, Liu Chengyou's initial goal was to reach the counties under the realistic situation that the imperial power had not even reached the state.
As for the Xuzhou military, just like the arrangement before Liu Chengyou left Xu, Wang Hanlun, the commander of the Xuzhou Horse Infantry Army, completely reorganized it to fulfill the functions of the local army.
This is the arrangement, but it remains to be seen in what direction it will develop and what the result will be. Fortunately, Xuzhou is in Kinki, and Liu Chengyou has not made any announcements. He has plenty of time and patience to discover problems, make timely adjustments, and sum up experience.
