"Official!" It was already the height of summer, almost driven away by the cool sun in the sky. He crossed the threshold of Kunming Palace and ignored the palace attendants who were saluting.
In the hall, Dafu, who had been notified, also came out, holding a child in his hand and greeting Liu Chengyou: "Erlang is here!"
"Yeah!" Liu Chengyou responded, his eyes fell on the little boy, and said: "I heard that you brought Huaiyu to the palace, let me take a look!"
"Huaiyu, the officials are also thinking about you. Quick, salute the officials!" Da Fu touched the child's head and said gently.
After hearing this, without hesitation, he knelt down and kowtowed three times to Liu Chengyou: "My dear minister, Ma Huaiyu, join me, Your Majesty!"
Although he was a small man, his etiquette was in place. Seeing that he still wanted to kowtow, Liu Chengyou took the rare opportunity to help him up and said with a chuckle: "Okay, no need to be polite, get up quickly!"
"Go inside and rest first!" Seeing that Liu Chengyou was sweating profusely, he knew that he could not tolerate the heat, so Dafu personally waited on him: "Come here, get the ice handkerchief quickly..."
After sitting down, I felt the coolness in the hall and wiped my face with an ice handkerchief, which made me feel a little better. He called Ma Huaiyu to him and looked at him carefully.
On weekdays, even if Liu Chengyou tries his best to be gentle, his majestic demeanor is always awe-inspiring, let alone this little kid. However, although it was cramped, etiquette was still adhered to.
"You really look like Ma Quanyi! Looking at this boy, it's like looking at this person!" Liu Chengyou tilted his head and sighed at the big talisman.
Seeing Liu Chengyou thinking about his past, Da Fu couldn't help but say: "It is indeed a pity that Lord Ji Guo passed away at an early age, but it is quite pitiful to think of this child, who has lost his mother and father, and is lonely and helpless."
Hearing this, Liu Chengyou looked at Ma Huaiyu and said to him gently: "Huaiyu, your father is not only a hero of the imperial court, but also my lord and best friend. His early death is a great regret for me.
Fortunately, he still has your bloodline. From now on, you should study well in literature and martial arts, inherit your father's mantle, carry forward his reputation, serve the country, and bring glory to your family..."
"Yes!" Ma Huaiyu was a little confused by Liu Chengyou's words, but his eyes turned red subconsciously and he nodded vigorously.
"Erlang, there is something I want to discuss with you!" At this time, Dafu took the initiative to speak.
"Say it!" Seeing him say this, Liu Chengyou raised his hand with an open attitude.
Glancing at Ma Huaiyu, Dafu said: "I am very attached to this child Huaiyu, and I intend to raise him in the palace, so that he can study and practice martial arts with the princes. In this way, he can be cared for and cultivated well, and It can be regarded as a kind of consolation to Duke Ji..."
Hearing what Da Fu said, Liu Chengyou couldn't help but look at her in surprise, thought about it for a moment, and smiled: "I was hesitant about who to give him to raise. Since you have this intention, it's just right. In this way, I also So I rejected Sun Li."
Previously, Sun Li had taken the initiative to express his willingness to adopt Ma Huaiyu to Liu Chengyou. Sun Li had this intention. Firstly, it was due to the friendship between Gu Nian and Ma Quanyi. After all, he was Paoze who came from the Longqi Army. Secondly, the Sun family had a weak bloodline. If he wanted to increase his popularity, of course he also wanted to please the emperor.
However, if the Queen was interested in adoption, no one could compete with her. And Liu Chengyou also wanted to set an example by adopting Ma Huaiyu, so that the generals of the Han Dynasty could also see that the emperor's attitude towards his heroes and generals would definitely treat their descendants well.
"By the way, where's Liu Zhao? Why didn't you see him?" After looking around, Liu Chengyou asked about Liu Zhao, the tenth son of the emperor.
Upon hearing the question, Da Fu showed a loving smile and said: "He went to play in Ciming Palace. Liu Xu has grown up, and the Queen Mother is getting older. It is time for her grandchildren to visit her more often to show their filial piety and accompany her..."
"You should!" Hearing this, Liu Chengyou nodded and sighed, and then ordered: "Take Huaiyu to see the Queen Mother as well!"
"yes!"
…
As autumn enters, the weather gradually turns cooler. From the central government to the local government, all the government agencies and offices have entered a state of tension, running fast like clockwork. There is no other reason, Pingnan is coming.
In the second hall of the Ministry of War, Murong Yanzhao was sitting at the desk, dealing with official documents submitted from various places. As preparations for the war progressed, the three most busy offices in the imperial court were the Privy Council, the Ministry of War and the Third Division.
As a commander-in-chief who has fought for many years, he is equally good at civilian positions. Perhaps he was not as knowledgeable and quick in memory as Wei Renpu, but in the position of chief officer of the Ministry of War, I have to say that Murong Yanzhao did a better job and handled many things more beautifully. After all, he has rich military experience, and many issues should be considered from his perspective, which is closer to reality.
However, as he gets older, Murong Dushuai, who was once graceful and majestic, is now getting older. After all, he is almost fifty years old. The hard work and dedication in the early years made these people age very quickly.
In fact, this is also the norm for most generals. Those who become stronger as they grow older are only a minority after all.
"Come here!" After approving a document, Murong Yanzhao summoned a subordinate and directly ordered: "The Jianghuai camp is still short of three thousand sets of armor. Go ask the weapons supervisor and urge them to hurry up and remind them. They, don’t delay the time!”
"yes!"
After he retreated, he took a sip of tea and patted his waist again. A look of exhaustion appeared on Murong Yanzhao's face.
"Ms. sir, your majesty is here!" At this time, an official came to report in a hurry.
Murong Yanzhao was slightly shocked when he heard this. Recently, the emperor liked to inspect various departments and made sudden visits, so he also reprimanded several officials. Therefore, everyone in the court was quite diligent, at least to get through this special time.
This time, it seemed that it was the turn of the Ministry of War. Murong Yanzhao stood up, straightened his clothes, and ordered: "Hurry up and gather all the officials and follow me to welcome him!"
"No need!" The voice was heard before anyone arrived, and Liu Chengyou walked in slowly.
"I see your Majesty!"
"Excuse me, please!" Emperor Liu treated Murong Yanzhao with great respect and courtesy.
Looking at Murong Yanzhao, who was standing in front of him, who seemed to be getting older and had a rickety body, Liu Chengyou couldn't help but feel a little emotional in his heart. This was another decline of a famous marshal. I'm afraid that many people can't imagine that the famous Murong Dushuai, and the rumored to have extraordinary grace, Murong Xianggong, could actually be such a decaying old man.
"Your Majesty, these are some matters that have been dealt with in the past two days. Please check it out!" While ordering people to serve tea, Murong Yanzhao personally held a stack of this chapter.
Seeing this, Liu Chengyou shook his head and said, "I must have seen what's important. As for these official duties, I believe they must have fulfilled their duties and handled them properly!"
Liu Chengyou's tone was full of affirmation for Murong Yanzhao. Seeing this, Murong Yanzhao was also moved and said: "Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty!"
However, looking at the memorials that filled the case, Liu Chengyou said: "Most of these are related to Pingnan's preparations!"
"Exactly!" Murong Yanzhao nodded.
"How is the food and grass? Are there any difficulties?" Liu Chengyou asked with concern in a slightly heavy tone.
"The Jianghuai area has been recuperating for many years. Since the ninth year of Emperor Qianyou's reign, it has been building warehouses to store grain. Up to now, it is enough, and it does not require much military grain support from the court.
Only Jinghu suffered frequent wars and serious damage, and needed support from the court. The reserves in Jinan and Jiangling are not enough to support the two armies. Fortunately, with the support of Sichuan and Shu, when the grain from Sichuan is transferred eastward, it will be enough to supply the Jinghu military! It can also alleviate the difficulties on the court’s side! "
"That's good!" After listening to what he said, Liu Chengyou showed a smile on his face, took a breath, and then said with emotion: "I have been resting for nearly four years. I originally thought I could continue to fight for prosperity, but I didn't want to be affected by a drought. I can only. I hope that when the war begins, it will go smoothly!"
"Don't worry, Your Majesty!" Hearing this, Murong Yanzhao said to Liu Chengyou with a very firm tone: "This time to pacify the south, we will definitely be able to conquer the south in one fell swoop!"
Murong Yanzhao never spoke big words, so seeing his affirmative expression, Liu Chengyou also smiled easily: "I feel a lot more at ease when you hear what you say!"
Yes, the fifteenth year of Qianyou was indeed an eventful autumn. After summer, drought and locusts occurred in Huaibei, Hebei and Guanzhong, causing disaster to various states and a wide range. In this regard, Liu Chengyou had no choice but to deal with these disasters. The imperial court also had a set of procedures and had accumulated enough experience in the frequent disasters in the early years. Therefore, under Liu Chengyou's order, the imperial court actively provided disaster relief, exempted rent and taxes, and controlled disasters. Food prices appease the people.
This drought locust disaster had an impact on the Southern Expedition plan, but it had no fundamental impact. It only added some pressure to the imperial court in maintaining the Southern Expedition. However, for today's big men, these pressures are enough to bear.
The unification plan that has been prepared for so long will never be easily stopped. Autumn has arrived, and the day of sending troops is not far away.
