The Pingding area is mainly mountainous and hilly, and transportation is still not very convenient, but it is much better than the rolling foothills of the Taihang Mountains. From Pingding, passing through Shouyang, it took three days to reach the destination of Taiyuan.
After nearly ten years of absence, this is Liu Chengyou's return to Jinyang. Although he traveled to many places with Liu Zhiyuan in his childhood, Jinyang has always been a city buried deep in his memory, with too many profound memories. Coming back again is a sigh of relief.
The city wall of Jinyang has become stronger, the streets have been significantly broadened, and the population has become more and more popular. It must be said that it is due to the contribution of the emperor's uncle Liu Chong in his early years. The dormitory is still very clean, and the courtyard where Liu Chengyou lived has hardly changed. Taiyuan Palace was in a lot of dilapidation and only maintained simple repairs. With Liu Chengyou's edict in front, the Taiyuan government did not spend money and resources on major renovations.
The purpose of patrolling to Hedong was threefold.
One is to worship heaven and ancestors, and pay homage to the soldiers from Hedong who sacrificed their lives to establish the Han Dynasty. As the place where the Han Dynasty rose, its foundation, above the temples, between the military and the government, many people have special feelings and attach great importance to it. Of course, Liu Chengyou was an exception. What he had in mind was the whole world. What he paid more attention to was the military and political role of Hedong.
Second, for example, Hebei inspected and inspected local politics. Since the reform of Hedong in the fifth year of Emperor Qianyou's reign, the imperial court had made huge adjustments to the prefectures west of Taihang and east of the Yellow River. But for many years, he basically watched Hedong as a memorial, and he also needed to see it with his own eyes.
In the early days of the founding of the country, Hedong was the most stable rear area of the Han Dynasty. During the period of Liu Chong's garrison, due to mutual suspicion with the imperial court, the politics gradually became chaotic and militaristic, which caused a series of adverse reactions. After Liu Chong's power disintegrated and the imperial court took over power and regulated government, the prefectures in Hedong slowly got back on track. The separation of military and political affairs was implemented. The stability of civil affairs and public security greatly promoted the development of Hedong. effect.
However, compared with Central Plains and Hebei, in recent years, the development of Hedong has somewhat failed to keep up with the overall situation. The reason is also very simple. There is insufficient population. At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians were stationed in the Central Plains, causing a large loss of population in Hedong. The impact caused by this will become more significant as time goes by.
Of course, as the core of Daozhi, Hedong, and the pearl on the Jinzhong Plain, Taiyuan Mansion is still the Great Hanwang Mansion.
The third one is the military border guards in Hedong. Although the Han Dynasty's defense focus in the north has been in Hebei over the years, the imperial preparedness on the east side of Hedong has never been relaxed. Just because of the geographical advantages of Hedong, the defensive pressure here is much smaller. The three armies of Baoning, Ninghua, and Dingxiang are like three strong gates, firmly restraining the Khitans outside the wall. Even if the Khitans chose Hedong as the main direction of attack southward, Liu Chengyou would be able to laugh out loud.
As the emperor's confidant, Yang Ye had been placed in Daidi for eight years, which was rare among the Han army. In order to inspect the border preparations, Liu Chengyou also made a special trip north to Yanmen and personally inspected Yanmen Pass, a famous and dangerous pass in the world.
Regarding Yang Ye, Liu Chengyou's attitude was as usual, and he seemed to have never been easier to deal with. He comforted and encouraged people, which made people wonder why Yang Ye was so virtuous and capable that the emperor valued him so much and did not show any decline over the years. Including Yang Ye himself, he only sincerely promised Liu Chengyou that he would do his best to defend Yanmen.
Liu Chengyou's stay in Hedong was not short. It was not until early May that the imperial driver set off from Taiyuan and embarked on his journey back to Beijing. According to the plan, we started from Taiyuan, passed through Fenyang Prefecture, went to Jin and Jiang, crossed Hezhong Prefecture, crossed the Yellow River from Fengling, went to Shaanzhou and Luoyang, and returned to Kaifeng in the east.
This was the march route that Liu Zhiyuan led the main force from Hedong to conquer the Central Plains. Going through it again also has the meaning of recalling the past and understanding the difficulties of starting a business in the first place. Although in fact, Liu Zhiyuan had an easy time on his side. The big battles in Hebei and the small battles in Heyang and the Central Plains were basically completed by Liu Chengyou and Shi Hongzhao.
As for Liu Zhiyuan, in addition to surrendering the garrison in Jiangbi, he recruited surrenders and rebels along the way. He was easily welcomed into Tokyo and ruled the world. Of course, in the propaganda of the imperial court, it cannot be described truthfully. On the way to the march, there are always things that can be discovered. The merits and prestige of Gaozu are highlighted, and the world follows him.
Hezhong Prefecture and Yongji City were named after the "Hedong City" after the rebellion of Li Shouzhen.
Although many years have passed, Yongji City Wall still retains some traces of fierce battles. After all, in the battle of a hundred thousand troops, some military relics can always be found inside and outside the city, telling the story of the swords and swords and the blood flowing like rivers.
The rebellion in Hezhong didn't last long at first. Liu Chengyou personally led the army and quickly put an end to it with overwhelming force. As a result, Li Shouzhen and his son raised an army for three months and then perished. However, there were many soldiers and civilians killed and injured.
After eight years of stable development, the people in the river have apparently recovered from the trauma of the war. It is adjacent to the Yellow River, serves as a transportation hub, and has the benefit of salt relief. The river has also become one of the richest prefectures in the Han Dynasty, and it pays a large amount of finance and tax to the court every year.
To the west of Yongji City, the summer current of the river is turbulent, and Puban Crossing does not look very safe. Beside the ferry, the originally strong rebel Xizhai remained because of the surrender of the rebel general Zhou Guangxun. It was later transformed into a ferry facility. Now it has developed into a town attached to Yongji City, with bustling people and beautiful scenes. Prosperity
Walking around, Liu Chengyou triggered more memories and emotions.
"I still remember the time when I led a large army to put an end to Li Shouzhen's rebellion. At that time, I had only been on the throne for half a year, but the Shu invaders had retreated. The Liao Dynasty was still in chaos, the party was changing, and the Han Dynasty was in danger of overthrow. I still think about it. , I still can’t help but feel scared and have cold sweats on my back!” Standing on the bank of the river, blowing the hot wind, with the city and town as the background, Liu Chengyou recalled with emotion.
"Li Shouzhen and his son are like jackals and snakes, with wolf-like hearts and dog-like lungs. They are ambitious, brazenly raising troops, and betraying the imperial court. But they don't know that His Majesty is wise and wise. He has already seen through it, and he has personally conquered it with force and resoluteness to quell it!" Li Shaoyou boasted.
What happened at the beginning was not that far apart, but from the words of the monarch and the minister, things had changed. In fact, Li Shouzhen's rebellion was also due to Liu Chengyou's persecution. He killed He Zhong as a "chicken" to set an example and deter the world.
History is generally tampered with and modified like this. For Liu Chengyou, dressing up beautifully shows the beautiful side to him and future generations.
"However, when I chose to conquer personally, almost everyone in the court opposed it. Although I was confident of winning, I also wanted to gamble! Looking back now, I still made a risky move. At that time, the country's finances were difficult, and in order to conquer the river, The army and the people have tried their best. If the counter-rebellion fails or the war continues for a long time, the Han Dynasty will be in danger..." Liu Chengyou began to discuss the original situation with Li Shaoyou.
"Your Majesty is determined by destiny. If you plan ahead and prepare properly, you will have five points of victory. The soldiers will use their lives to gain another two points. The imperial chariot will personally conquer, and another two points will be gained. However, although the rebellion in the river is urgent, it will finally end in a corner. But if you fight against the world and take chances, how can you succeed? Destruction is a natural thing!" Li Shaoyou said.
Li Shaoyou is very good at planning. According to his calculations, Liu Chengyou has at least a 90% chance of winning the rebellion...
"Your Majesty, urgent report from Guanzhong!" While Liu Chengyou was talking to Li Shaoyou, Guo Tong suddenly came over, with a hurried pace and an anxious look on his face. The moment he spoke, Liu Chengyou's heart sank.
After receiving the urgent report, I quickly read it, but it was an urgent report sent from Tokyo Xie. The Shu Kingdom in Guanzhong surrendered and caused chaos, enslaving the people, destroying the city and killing officials, causing trouble to three counties.
His originally calm expression immediately darkened, and the memorial in his hand was pinched.
Seeing this, Li Shaoyou couldn't help but ask: "Your Majesty, what happened?"
After thinking for a while, looking at Li Shaoyou, Liu Chengyou said to him: "Brother You, it seems that you can't go back to Kaifeng with me. As the chief envoy of Guanzhong, it's time for you to take office as soon as possible!"
