There is no doubt whether Kaifeng should be repaired or not. Liu Chengyou had already considered this three years ago, but it was just because of financial resources. As the capital of the Han Dynasty, in recent years, with the rapid development of politics, economy, and culture, and the rapid increase in population, the infrastructure has been unable to meet the development needs of the city, and expansion and renovation are imperative.
Although in Liu Chengyou's mind, Kaifeng was not the most ideal place to build a capital. After all, there was no danger to defend on the plains, and there were worries about floods. However, with its convenient economy and transportation, Kaifeng was able to assume the position of a capital city and meet political and military needs at the stage of unifying the world. Therefore, the expansion of Kaifeng is also worthy of investment.
However, Liu Chengyou is rather stingy, and the court needs to spend money on too many things. Since this year, he has been unable to make ends meet. If you want to build Kaifeng, you can consider raising some money and food from other channels, such as the merchant "donations" mentioned by Murong Yanchao.
However, Liu Chengyou himself also needs to consider what valuable things should be exchanged with merchants, such as taxes, newly built shops, mansions, etc. After all, if Murong Yanchao were allowed to do it, it would probably turn into extortion and extortion. The original intention of building Kaifeng was good and benefited the country and the people, but Liu Chengyou didn't want it to go sour and ruin the reputation of the court. You still have to be in control and pay attention to your eating habits.
...
It's late autumn, everything is desolate, the trees are rustling, and the fallen leaves are falling. The sky is high and the clouds are clear. In the suburbs of Kaifeng, the contiguous acres of fields have become open fields. Weeds are piled up to be fattened until spring, and birds and insects are foraging among them.
In the middle of September of the fifth year of Emperor Qianyou's reign, the Emperor of the Han Dynasty went hunting in the western suburbs of Kaifeng. He was accompanied by more than 30 people including the queen, concubines, palace attendants, and noble children in the capital. The hunting army consisted of Fengchen Zuoying and Tieqilong The Czech and Czech armies each selected a thousand cavalry, and a thousand soldiers were selected from the brave men from various places who had newly added the imperial army.
Qingqi returned and broke into the camp gate directly. When he arrived in front of the imperial tent, the guard led the horse and kicked it off. Liu Chengyou dismounted quickly and landed on the ground. The knights who were guarding him had a lot of prey on their horses, and it looked like they had caught quite a lot.
Lady Zhe followed Liu Chengyou closely. She was wearing beautiful light armor, wrapped around her delicate body that was becoming more and more mature, giving her a unique charm. After postpartum recuperation, after a period of unremitting exercise, Lady Zhe's figure gradually recovered, but the areas that should have been bigger became a lot plumper. She is not very old, but she has completed her transformation. After all, she is a mother of two children.
It was probably due to the strenuous exercise that I was out of breath, coupled with the cold autumn wind, my pretty face was flushed, bright and shiny.
Throwing away the riding whip, he ordered to Zhang Dejun: "Skin and remove the bones of the deer I hunted. After returning to the palace, distribute the deer meat to the ladies of the palace!"
"Yes!" Seeing that the emperor was happy, Zhang Dejun also laughed with him.
Liu Chengyou and Lady Zhe entered the tent together. Inside and outside the tent, there were completely two worlds. The autumn breeze brought coolness outside, while the warmth was like spring inside.
Fuhou leaned lightly against the desk, her fat and thin legs stretched out gracefully, holding a volume in her hand, and she was reading it seriously. When he saw Liu Chengyou, he put down his book, put on his shoes and greeted him: "The official is back!"
"Yeah!" Liu Chengyou responded and opened his hands.
Empress Fu immediately ordered Gong'e to help the emperor remove his armor, and she herself stepped forward to help Lady Zhe remove her armor, which made the young lady so flattered that she didn't even dare to say anything. However, this scene of the sisters' deep love fell into the eyes of the emperor.
"Looking at the official's expression, you must have caught a lot!" Dafu ordered the man to prepare the hot and cold soup and personally served it to Liu Chengyou, asking with a smile.
"I only hunted one deer!" Liu Chengyou said with a smile, pointing to Madam Zhe: "On the contrary, Concubine Xian, she shot two pheasants, a hare, and a wild boar, but she was inferior to me. She feels ashamed. Rather, it’s quite embarrassing!”
After hearing what the emperor said, Lady Zhe immediately said: "Your Majesty hunts all the people in the world. How can I compare with him?"
Madam Zhe is also very good at talking, which made Liu Chengyou quite happy. Empress Fu said: "The lady's heroic appearance is as good as that of a man, which is admirable."
Madam Zhe said: "How dare I accept the sage's false praise?"
One dragon and two phoenix, in this warm tent, started the mutual blowing mode, and the atmosphere was quite harmonious.
"What are you reading?" After taking a few sips of hot soup, Liu Chengyou noticed the book on the back cover of the charm.
The big talisman picked it up and replied: "A Recent Theory of the Emperors and Ministers of the Tang Dynasty."
"Is it the book presented by Zhang Zhao?" Liu Chengyou asked.
"Exactly, Mr. Zhang's analysis of the monarchs, ministers, and military affairs of the Tang Dynasty is quite reasonable. Officials may read it and benefit from it." Da Fu said and recommended it to Liu Chengyou.
"I read that Mr. Zhang's book is well written, and you praise him so much for being able to obtain a great talisman, so I'll take the time to read it!" Liu Chengyou responded.
"Your Majesty, Marquis Yu from the capital of Zhao wants to see you!" Zhang Dejun reported during the conversation.
For this hunt, Zhao Kuangyin deployed for the imperial tent camp and was responsible for the guards and hunting arrangements. After entering the account, he saluted solemnly and said: "Your Majesty, the military competition drill is ready and waiting for your Majesty's review!"
"Okay!" Liu Chengyou said immediately: "Go down and tell me, the martial arts performance will begin in a moment!"
Soldiers and horses drills, and sergeants performing martial arts are essential activities for Liu Chengyou when hunting. They are also a good opportunity for middle- and lower-level officers to show their bravery and talents in front of the emperor.
In the open field, there are many flags and war drums. There is a ring in the middle. The brave soldiers in the army take turns to compete to determine the strongest. They are all grassroots soldiers. According to the convention, those who rank higher will receive rewards and promotions. Those who can win the first place will also get the opportunity to banquet with the emperor. Therefore, they all work hard and the competition is fierce.
With a burst of warm cheers, another opponent was knocked down. The defeated soldier's nose was bruised and his face was swollen. After several rounds, he fell in front of the last opponent. His unwillingness was so overwhelming. It's much more profound, but there's really no way around it, the skills are inferior to others.
On the viewing platform, he was biting a purple-black grape and looking at the victorious soldiers on the ring. The six-foot tall man with a strong body won the championship in one fell swoop, and his momentum became even stronger. After several rounds of competition, he was injured but seemed to be unaware of it.
The military officials had already taken the stage to declare victory. Liu Chengyou asked Zhao Kuangyin who was waiting at the side: "Who is this strong man?"
Zhao Kuangyin quickly replied: "Your Majesty, this person's name is Luo Zhun. He is from Dingxiang. He has amazing physical strength and outstanding martial arts. He served in the army for three years and was selected to join Tokyo. He is now the commander of the Longqi Army!"
Liu Chengyou couldn't help but glance at Zhao Kuangyin. He had a really deep understanding of the military. He was a mere commander, but he knew his background very well. He obviously put his heart into it.
"Reward!" Liu Chengyou ordered with a smile.
When Luo Zhun, the chief minister on the stage, heard the reward, he immediately prostrated himself and thanked the emperor from afar.
This is the second day of hunting. In addition to the competition in martial arts, there are also competitions in riding, archery, swordsmanship and other personal qualities. According to Liu Chengyou's wishes, the riding competition is divided into obstacles and skill challenges, which makes it more interesting and enjoyable.
Archery is also divided into step shooting and mounted shooting. The most exciting one is undoubtedly mounted shooting. The wise concubine Zhe Niangzi became interested and asked Liu Chengyou for orders. She rode her horse and drew her bow. Seven of the ten arrows hit the target, and one of them hit the bull's-eye.
The horse was galloping and its graceful appearance became a unique and beautiful scenery above the hunting ground.
That night, Liu Chengyou held a banquet in the imperial tent, and the top winners in each category were allowed to have a drink together in the tent to reward their abilities.
On the third day, there were marching drills, flag capture and several team exercises, and finally a polo match ended the three-day autumn hunt.
On the way back to Beijing, Liu Chengyou couldn't help but think about the "martial arts examination" again. He has had this intention for a long time and intends to use it as a means to further control the army.
