"...That's what happened. After the mediation of Dushuai He, the dispute between Generals Li and Ma was settled. They each took a step back and entered the city. Now General Bei is placed in a hotel separately, waiting to be summoned!" Chong Chong! In the political hall, Zhao Yao reported the incident in front of Kaifeng City to Liu Chengyou.
"Ha!" Liu Chengyou's reaction was quite calm, and he said to Zhao Yan in a joking tone: "I asked you to pick them up. I'm lucky enough to see such a good show!"
Regarding the emperor's words, Zhao Yao was a little confused about his attitude, so he cupped his hands and said, "It's understandable that military envoys have been in the army for a long time and have violent tempers and conflicts!"
Liu Chengyou said coldly: "It's rare to come to Tokyo and argue loudly at the feet of the capital, insult and curse each other, and attract everyone to watch. Do you still have the decency of a big Han general? This is to let the citizens of Tokyo appreciate their arrogance and domineering appearance. ?
If He Fujin hadn't stopped him, would the two of them have drawn their swords at each other and let everyone see their bravery again? "
"Li Jun has become more and more arrogant over the years! I can feel it across the Kaifeng city wall. He is full of criticism and resentment when he first arrives. What does he want to do? Demonstrate to the court? Show resentment to me?" Liu Chengyou said as he spoke. Then he laughed and sneered: "Ma Quanyi has been guarding the border for many years, but his temper has gradually grown!"
Seeing Liu Chengyou's anger, Zhao Yao quickly bowed to persuade him: "Your Majesty, calm down!"
In fact, there was not much change on Liu Chengyou's face, but his tone and words were unsettling. After pondering for a while, he sighed quietly: "Since the end of the Tang Dynasty, it has been difficult to control this arrogant and powerful general. It has been an unavoidable problem for monarchs of every generation and dynasty. Zhao Yue, what do you think I should do to control him?"
Faced with such a big question raised by the Emperor, Zhao Yao was a little dazed for a moment. Seeing that he seemed angry but not angry, he thought for a moment and said carefully: "Since His Majesty's imperial conquest, the army has been reorganized and the shortcomings of the previous generation have been greatly eliminated. The unhealthy tendencies in the country have been greatly eliminated. Generals Li and Ma have been guarding the border for a long time. They are not like the imperial army. They are often influenced and taught by His Majesty. They retain the bad habits of the previous generation and it is not surprising that they are a little unruly in their words and deeds. As for the Ma army, The envoy was favored by His Majesty and became a trusted general. This time he also spoke out to defend His Majesty and the imperial court. Although his reaction was fierce, it showed his loyalty..."
Hearing his words, Liu Chengyou looked at Zhao Yan with a little surprise: "What you said is quite pertinent!"
"Your Majesty, do you want to summon the northern border generals first?" Zhao Yao asked for instructions.
"No need!" Liu Chengyou directly ordered without thinking: "Tomorrow during the Jiaqing Festival, gather the Jiedu, defense, and military envoys who came to Beijing to the Long Live Hall to participate in the imperial banquet!"
"yes!"
Zhao Yao retreated, and Liu Chengyou began to think silently, muttering softly: "Li Jun..."
Li Jun served as a general in the Tang and Jin Dynasties. He was good at riding and shooting, had courage and the ability to rule. After the Battle of Luancheng that year, he led his troops to join Liu Chengyou and was worshiped as a general. Since the founding of the country, he has been guarding the north.
However, this person's character is a big problem. He is irritable, irritable, murderous, and not big-minded. He was conceited about his talents and qualifications, and he complained a lot about not being promoted after many years of guarding the northern garrison.
At the beginning, when he was adjusting the defense in the north, he wanted to compete for the deployment position in the north. As a result, Liu Chengyou preferred the veteran He Fujin. At that time, he was already dissatisfied.
As time went by, the Han Dynasty used force in the west and south, and a large number of junior generals emerged in the army and were vigorously promoted. Li Jun heard about it in the north, and his heart became even more unbalanced. But now, everywhere in the Han Dynasty, he, Li Jun, can only be regarded as an ordinary military envoy.
In Li Jun's view, this was the poor treatment of the emperor and the court, ignoring their contribution to guarding the border. In fact, with Liu Chengyou's emphasis on northern border defense, how could he treat his soldiers poorly? Colleagues who are strict with military law have always been caring and protective.
For Li Jun, although he was not promoted, he was given a higher salary. After all, there was no war on the northern front, so he could not be promoted casually. But Li Jun didn't understand, or was not satisfied, so much so that Liu Chengyou often heard about his grievances in Tokyo.
Therefore, although Liu Chengyou was dissatisfied with his performance outside Kaifeng today, it was not too surprising. He just became more determined and took advantage of this opportunity to transfer him away from the north and let Li Jun take charge of the army. Sooner or later there would be problems.
March 7th is the birthday of Emperor Liu Chengyou of the Han Dynasty, which is designated as the Jiaqing Festival. The seventh year of Qianyou's reign was Liu Chengyou's birth year, and he was twenty-four years old.
On the surface, the emperor's birthday was a big event, but the arrangements were very simple. He only took advantage of the great court meeting in the Chongyuan Hall to receive homage from domestic and foreign ministers, and listened to their congratulatory messages without even accepting gifts.
The only imperial banquet was only for foreign ministers who came to Beijing. Therefore, the imperial banquet in Long Live Hall had an unusual atmosphere from the beginning.
In the evening, the dining tables were neatly arranged in the Wansui Hall of the Han Palace. Nearly twenty generals and ministers who had come to the capital were already seated. Ritual music, singing and dancing had begun, and the palace's melodious sounds were intoxicating.
Li Jun was there, drinking wine and eating meat, praising the deliciousness of the palace delicacies. But as soon as he got drunk, he couldn't control his mouth and couldn't help but muttered: "In order to celebrate the emperor's birthday, we have recalled all the border guard generals. If something happens to the north, how can we resist the invaders from the south?"
He glanced around a few times and looked at the imperial desk. He saw it was empty and Liu Chengyou was still nowhere to be seen. He then said, "We have been waiting for the generals and ministers to arrive. Where is your majesty?"
"Li Jun, shut up!" He Fujin, the old commander who was listening to his words, immediately scolded him, his face full of anger, his hair blazing, and his old eyes full of dissatisfaction.
Li Jun was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said: "What's going on, Commander-in-Chief? This is above the palace, not in the army, so don't give me orders!"
"You! You also know that you are in the palace, how can you be allowed to act so wildly and wildly!" He Fujin's expression became even more angry. He was probably too excited. His face flushed and he coughed heavily.
No matter what, Li Jun is his subordinate and is controlled by him. It was embarrassing for him to be so disrespectful.
Seeing this, Li Jun raised his eyebrows, restrained his arrogance, and said to him: "He Dushuai is old and in poor health, so don't argue with me. Being angry will harm your health! If this makes his condition worse , I can’t bear it!”
"You!" He Fujin was suddenly furious, his old face trembled a few times, and he was speechless for a moment.
"Your Majesty has arrived!" A loud singing voice interrupted the atmosphere in the palace.
Everyone stood up to greet him, including Li Jun, who was arrogant in front of others, but when he really faced Liu Chengyou, he still lowered his eyebrows and bowed politely.
"Haha!" Liu Chengyou's voice came first before anyone arrived. He waved as soon as he entered: "Your Majesty, no courtesy!"
After sitting down, Liu Chengyou looked around, with a smile still on his lips: "The imperial concubine gave birth to a little princess for me, which took some time. I have to thank you for your long wait!"
As soon as these words were said, the reason for the emperor's lateness was explained, and there was another burst of congratulations.
Li Hongwei, the envoy of Pinglu Festival, stood up with a cup in hand, with a smile on his face, and said loudly: "Today is His Majesty's birthday, and a princess has been born in the harem. It can be said to be a double happiness! Everyone, let us congratulate His Majesty together!"
"Congratulations, Your Majesty!"
The royal banquet reached its climax after Liu Chengyou arrived, and the atmosphere was lively. Under his instruction, everyone let go of their restraints, pushed cups and changed cups, and had a great time.
When the atmosphere was at its most intense, Liu Chengyou coughed lightly, stood up and walked to the palace, expressing some emotion: "All the ministers are pillars of the Han Dynasty and generals of the country. They guard the country for the country. They work hard and have great achievements. They stay away from the capital on weekdays. I miss you so much when we rarely get together. Now, on my birthday, I have summoned all the ministers to gather together to show the friendship between our monarchs and ministers. No one needs to be restrained. Let us drink freely. We must have a good time. stop!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Another polite response.
After Liu Chengyou finished drinking a glass of wine, the chamberlain quickly filled it. After a while, Liu Chengyou still had a smile on his face: "However, in recent years, the ministers have been burdened with heavy responsibilities, and the king's affairs are complicated and very tiring. I heard that there are many People are all tired and sick because of this. It is not my original intention to make you work so hard. I can't bear to think about it. Therefore, I have the intention to use grace with you to lighten the burden on you. ....."
As soon as Liu Chengyou said these words, he paid attention to everyone's reaction, and the Long Live Hall gradually became quiet, with different expressions on their faces, some were calm, some were surprised, some were solemn...
Obviously, birthday greetings and other things were secondary. The emperor's words were the real purpose of calling them to the capital.
In the name of celebrating his birthday, Liu Chengyou sent military, defense and military envoys from various places to Beijing. The purpose was certainly not simple. This was the last time that the powers of local vassals and towns were removed on a large scale and brought under central control.
Liu Chengyou still held the wine glass in his hand.
