The weather in early autumn is already a little cool. The autumn wind blows through Qionglin Garden, the lake waves surge, the blurred rustling sounds, and the grass and trees in the wilderness rise and fall. Dozens of horses roared past, their hooves and feet galloping, completely let go, it was a galloping without any effort.
After galloping continuously for more than 20 miles, we stopped, climbed up the still lush soil slope, reined in the reins, and looked into the distance, the autumn waves were rippling between the Jinming Pond, the water and the sky were the same color, and the scenery was still pleasant.
"It's been a long time since I ran so freely!" Liu Chengyou sighed as he glanced at the guards who were following behind him and protecting him. Feeling the heat and exhaustion under the strong clothes, the spirit is particularly strong.
"This batch of royal horses is good! They are strong and powerful!" Liu Chengyou said with a chuckle, caressing a white horse with even coat under his crotch. Probably feeling the emperor's praise, the strong horse snorted energetically, tapping its hooves and feet lightly, as if it had not yet finished its full gallop.
However, a group of strong horses from the northwest came to Beijing, and a group of royal horses were selected from them. Liu Chengyou was so happy to see that he was eager to hunt, so he took his people for a run in Qionglin Garden. He Yun, the flying dragon knight beside him, heard this and responded with a smile: "There are 32 royal horses in this batch, and they are all top-notch horses. They are excellent in all aspects. Your Majesty is satisfied!"
Liu Chengyou said: "The Han Dynasty still lacks military horses. Such good horses cannot roam the battlefield, but they are used as urns and ceremonial guards. I always feel that it is a waste and it is difficult to realize their value!"
Hearing this, He Yun said to him: "Your Majesty's majestic appearance can only be matched by this good horse. If you use a mediocre horse, it will really damage the royal dignity!"
He Yun's words still made sense. He didn't dwell too much on this matter. Liu Chengyou turned his head and looked at him: "Feilong Xixia, how many royal horses are there now?"
"Your Majesty, including the 32 horses imported from the northwest, there are 654 horses in total. There are also 70 stallions, all of which are selected and strong horses and are being bred continuously!" He Yun replied.
"I don't need to elaborate on the importance of horses. They must be cultivated with care!" Liu Chengyou ordered.
"yes!"
"Your Majesty, how many horses are there now?" Liu Chengyou looked at Zhao Kuangyin who was accompanying him.
After thinking about it for a moment, Zhao Kuangyin reported: "The cavalry army has 12,800 war horses on both sides, the Longqi, Neidianzhi, and Xiaodi armies total 2,769 horses, and there are more than 2,000 Rong horses and Dao horses!"
"How old is the horse?" Liu Chengyou asked.
"After years of elimination and replenishment, there are more than 8,000 horses under ten years old, and the number is increasing year by year!" Zhao Kuangyin paused and continued: "I don't know much about the Guards Department, but I think it should be Not much different!”
Upon hearing this, Liu Chengyou's expression still looked very satisfied, and he sighed: "War horses are the weapon of the military. I want to sweep the northern border and regain the mountains and rivers, so they are indispensable! However, these years of hard work have not been in vain. Compared with In the early days of the country, there were so many improvements!”
At the beginning of the founding of the Han Dynasty, there were only more than 20,000 military horses controlled by the central government, and the quality of them varied greatly. Not even half of them were truly suitable for charge warfare.
Liu Chengyou naturally tried his best to improve it, but due to national finances in his early years, in the process of reorganizing the Forbidden Army, he reduced the number of personnel and selected and bred good horses. It was not until five years after Qianyou that it expanded again.
With the restoration and investment of horse administration, the situation of horse use has been further alleviated, but it has not been long enough for it to explode. However, the court's investment in money, food, and policies over the past two years has been real.
According to the original goal set by Liu Chengyou, within ten years, 100,000 war horses should be cultivated, trained and maintained for combat. Later, it was discovered that the goal was set too high, so he decisively changed it to 70,000 horses within 15 years. Even so, Liu Chengyou had no idea what the final outcome would be. Attention must be paid to it. For now, the financial resources that the court can invest in it are limited after all.
"Yuen Long, you must have stayed in Tokyo for a long time!" He suddenly looked at Zhao Kuangyin beside him and said.
Zhao Kuangyin was stunned for a moment, but he quickly realized what he was doing and asked for instructions: "Does your Majesty have any orders?"
"Two years ago, you took a trip to the northwest for me. This autumn, you will take another trip for me and take a look at Hanzhong!" Liu Chengyou said.
In an instant, Zhao Kuangyin thought a lot, and at the same time he agreed, he asked: "Commander Murong is inspecting the military affairs of Hebei, and I am going to the northwest. Who will handle the general affairs in front of the palace?"
"I have my own considerations!" Glancing at Zhao Kuangyin and making him bow his head, Liu Chengyou added: "I will appoint Han Tong as the deputy commander in front of the palace to take charge of daily affairs!"
"yes!"
After returning to the palace, Liu Chengyou went directly to Concubine Guo Ning and took a bath with her. After changing his robes and walking out refreshed, he returned to Chongzheng Hall and received news again that Guo Wei had asked for leave again.
The bright candlelight shone on Liu Chengyou's face, making his expression a bit gentler. After thinking for a while, he smiled slightly: "That's all, I don't want to be in charge, so why should I force it..."
"What's going on at the Privy Council these days? How has Duke Chan behaved?" Liu Chengyou asked Zhang Dejun.
"Your Majesty, everything is as usual, Duke Chan is in charge of military affairs and everything is in order!" Zhang Dejun said.
After thinking for a while, he looked up at him and ordered: "Take out an autumn robe and send it to Duke Xing's mansion. Go there in person. Just tell him that it is autumn, the climate is changing, and it is cold in the morning and evening. Let him pay attention to his health! In addition, let him take care of himself. Let He Yun choose a royal horse and send it to the house together!"
"yes!"
As night falls, the autumn breeze brings coolness. Compared with the heat of the day, it is always more comfortable, but it is best to add some clothes. At this time, Guo Wei held the autumn robe given by the emperor in his hand. He stood upright in the back garden of the palace. The trees rustled in his ears. The cold wind blew through his clothes and penetrated into the gaps, as if wanting to invade his heart. .
Touching the robe in his hand, he saw that the fabric was of fine quality, soft in texture, and fine in workmanship. The most important thing was that it was embroidered with a purple dragon pattern, which belonged to the imperial robe. At this time, Guo Wei's mood became more and more complicated. The emperor kept him warm, but he felt the autumn cold more and more.
"Husband, the wind is strong in the pavilion. You are wearing thin clothes. You have been standing for so long. You should go back to your room and rest. Don't catch a cold!" The lady walked up to Guo Wei and looked at him, with concern on her face. .
As he said that, he reached for the royal robe in his hand and wanted to put it on him: "Why don't you put it on when the emperor gave it to you?"
Guo Wei shook his head, did not say anything, and had no intention of putting it on.
Seeing this, Mrs. Zhang frowned slightly and asked: "What does the emperor mean? In the past few days, he has given food, robes, and horses. Even if he likes your father-in-law, he will not do such a thing." Take care of things!"
Hearing this, the bitterness in the corner of Guo Wei's mouth became even stronger. He finally turned around, looked at his wife, and sighed: "Even my wife can see that this is unusual, how can I not know?"
Seeing this, Ms. Zhang lowered her head slightly, thought for a while, and suddenly raised her head and asked: "Since returning to the capital, my husband has been feeling heavy and doubtful. Is it because of the emperor?"
"Madam is indeed knowledgeable!" Guo Wei's words were regarded as acquiescence.
Zhang raised her eyebrows and asked in confusion: "If that's the case, why did you accept Guo Ning, give you and your son promotions, and give you so many rewards?"
Hearing this, Guo Wei showed a helpless smile: "Your kindness is like the sea, unfathomable. This series of grace has made me a little overwhelmed! Your Majesty's thoughts are beyond my ability to guess!"
"Why don't you please leave the capital to ensure safety?" Zhang suggested.
Shaking his head gently, Guo Wei said: "Now, I want to retreat but I can't!"
"If so, would it be..." Mrs. Zhang didn't dare to finish what she was thinking.
Knowing what she was worried about, Guo Wei gently held her hand and said comfortingly: "It's not that! My heart is already like this. Now, I just wait for your majesty to settle this matter sometime!"
Guo Wei looked away, took Zhang's hand and said, go back to the room. When the couple is together, Guo Wei's body is always upright, and he is the strongest and thickest pillar on which the entire Guo family relies.
The next day, Guo Wei once again went to court to beg for his body due to illness. This was the third time Guo Wei resigned from Liu Chengyou, and this time, he completely gave up all official positions and returned to his hometown to recuperate.
"Mr.
"It is said that it was because of the cold wind last night!" Zhao Pu replied.
After thinking for a while, Liu Chengyou ordered Zhang Dejun: "Notify the Imperial Medical Office and send an imperial doctor to the house for diagnosis and treatment!"
"Yes!" Zhang Dejun responded and left.
"Slow down!" Before he could take two steps, Liu Chengyou stopped him again.
"Any other instructions from the officials?" Zhang Dejun bowed and asked for instructions.
After careful consideration, Liu Chengyou said: "Go to Yilan Palace, inform Concubine Ning, and ask her to prepare and accompany me to visit Guo Mansion!"
"yes!"
