Han Palace, Shulan Hall, where the emperor was fortunate to visit.
After the edict of the Southern Expedition was issued, Liu Chengyou seemed to have become more relaxed, and was far less busy than before. However, such a major event as Pingnan did not even cause any waves in the court. It was almost a matter of course.
Under the leadership of their respective chiefs, the officials of various departments are responsible for their own affairs. If it is a matter of military affairs, they will give full support. As for Liu Chengyou, perhaps it was because he had done all his work up front and had all the clues sorted out. After the strategy was launched, he only had to stay in Tokyo quietly and wait for the results.
With this little leisure time, Liu Chengyou went to Shulan Hall not only to visit Concubine Zhou Shu and his fifth daughter Liu Xuan, but also to enjoy a new music and dance composed by Lady Zhou.
Sitting behind the royal desk, with Liu Xuan in her arms, this fifth princess is only two years old now. She has excellent genes from the Tian family, and her appearance is naturally lovely. She is made of pink and jade, and her charm is very similar to her mother.
Moreover, he is very quiet, unlike other brothers and sisters who like to move more or less at this age. As for Liu Xuan, she didn't move much in Liu Chengyou's arms. She just stayed quietly and accompanied Liu Chengyou to enjoy her mother's dance.
Different from the previous Yingge Yanwu, this time, perhaps in response to the background of the war, the music and dance are somewhat passionate and heroic. Concubine Shu also put on a tight-fitting men's military uniform, and she looked full of heroism and great style. Womanly style. The sword dance in his hands, matched with the sonorous rhythm, and the picturesque eyebrows, jade face and beautiful nose, still made Liu Chengyou's eyes brighten.
"Is your mother's dance good?" As Concubine Shu put away her sword and performed a military salute, Liu Chengyou lowered his head and asked Liu Xuan after the dance.
The father asked the question, and the little girl responded obediently, with a sweet voice: "Okay..."
Then he continued to stay quietly in Liu Chengyou's arms, with only one pair of bright and moving eyes. This look really made Emperor Liu pity and love him.
"Your outfit is very charming!" Liu Chengyou praised Dazhou full of praise as he stared at Dazhou's tall and firm breasts.
Mrs. Zhou was panting slightly, looking at Liu Chengyou expectantly with her beautiful eyes: "What do you think of this music and dance?"
As early as after the Northern Expedition, Concubine Zhou Shu deliberately arranged a song and dance to praise the achievements of the Han Dynasty. Of course, this also used her talents to satisfy her interests and please the emperor. It took three years to perfect it and let Liu Chengyou come and appreciate it.
Of course, Emperor Liu has made little progress in his appreciation of music and dance. He can only judge with the most superficial senses, which feels good. In comparison, he obviously appreciates the beauty more.
Therefore, Liu Chengyou still held a positive attitude towards the results of Zhou Shufei's efforts, took the initiative to hold her hand and asked her to sit next to him, and said with a smile: "It's very good, generous and powerful, the music is beautiful, the dance is vigorous, and the person is even more beautiful..." ....”
She also knew the emperor's level of appreciation. Concubine Zhou Shu was already satisfied with his evaluation and smiled at him: "Thank you for the official compliment!"
"Does this dance music have a name?" Liu Chengyou asked.
"Not yet, please ask the officials to give me a name!" Concubine Shu looked at the emperor with her beautiful eyes.
Liu Chengyou also became interested, thought for a moment, and said: "To put it bluntly, to suit the occasion, let's call it "The Order of Triumph"!"
"As a concubine, I wish Master Wang a triumphant victory in advance, and congratulate the official family on pacifying the south of the Yangtze River and unifying the world!" Lady Zhou said to Liu Chengyou.
"I'm waiting for that day too!" Liu Chengyou was in a good mood and said with a smile: "You can also find some people to rehearse this dance together. When the great success is achieved, we can perform it in Chongyuan Hall during the Ceremony Banquet!"
"Yes!" Madam Zhou responded with her beautiful eyes brightening.
"Have you ever stayed in Jinling?" Liu Chengyou said.
Obviously, although Emperor Liu looked calm on his face, he was thinking about Pingnan's situation in his heart. Upon hearing this, Concubine Zhou Shu said: "When I was young, I lived with my father in Jinling for a while, but it was long ago and my memory is blurred. I think the Jinling of today is different from my childhood memories!"
Nodding, Liu Chengyou waved his hand, with infinite confidence in his calm tone: "That's okay. When I tour the south in the future and stop in Jinling, you can compare it in person, and I will also reminisce with you. Maybe Why don't you have some feelings?"
"Sit down for a moment while I go take a bath!" Concubine Shu said after chatting with the emperor for a while, but the strenuous exercise just now made her sweat a little, so she was neither comfortable nor suitable to serve the emperor. .
However, Fang Ti raised her hips, and before she could stand up, she was pulled into Emperor Liu's arms, almost touching Madam Zhou's ear, and he smiled: "No need, you smell just as good now..."
Sometimes, a little sweat, not only does not affect the fun, but it is more likely to stimulate the outbreak of hormones.
Emperor Liu's hands became a little irregular, and Concubine Zhou Shu's pretty face became more and more rosy. A man and a woman flirted shamelessly, seeming to have overlooked something. When he turned around, he found that the little princess Liu Xuan was looking at her parents with her ignorant and innocent eyes. Feeling the slight doubt in her pure eyes, Emperor Liu showed a rare embarrassment on his old face.
As for Concubine Zhou Shu, whose military uniform was messy, she was buried directly in Liu Chengyou's arms, looking shy in front of others. Her daughter's gaze made her whole body extremely sensitive...
After leaving Shulan Hall with satisfaction, Liu Chengyou went directly to Chongzheng Hall. On the way, he had ordered someone to go to the Privy Council to see if there was any military report. Although I knew it wouldn't be that fast, I couldn't help but feel concerned.
Even though Emperor Liu was always confident that the Pingnan War would be a success, after all, he had considered and compared all aspects and had absolutely sufficient preparations, but he was just afraid of any eventuality or accident. A person who travels a hundred miles has half a mile. There have always been great undertakings, but this is not an example of being ruined by a moment of negligence at the last moment.
Logically speaking, given Emperor Liu's consistent behavior, he shouldn't be so worried about gains and losses. However, the fact is that after achieving a series of glorious victories, he became uneasy. He was afraid that he would encounter his own "Waterloo" next time.
Of course, this may be because Liu Chengyou cared too much about it. The so-called caring leads to chaos. In the face of the great cause of flattening the world, clarifying the world, and achieving the world's first and greatest achievements, it was difficult for Emperor Liu to truly maintain a normal heart.
However, even so, his basic qualities have not been lost. He uses people, knows how to delegate power, and dares to delegate power.
Regarding the question of the coach of Nanzheng, Liu Chengyou finally chose Li Gu. When Li Gu proposed to the imperial court to pacify Nan, he also wrote a letter of resignation, confessed his physical condition, and said that in order not to delay the military affairs and to take into account the overall situation, he was willing to give way to other generals.
At that time, Liu Chengyou was very moved. As far as he knew, although Li Gu's health was not good, he was not incapable of governing. As for Li Gu, he probably heard the emperor's concerns and took the initiative to resign in order to avoid embarrassment for him.
What else could Liu Chengyou say to such a minister. He wrote a long letter to Li Gu at that time, expressing his merits, letting him take care of military affairs with peace of mind, and assuring him that there was no other choice for the position of commander. concern.
Therefore, when the Pingnan edict was issued, the name of the commander was unmistakably Ruyin County Duke Li Gu.
When Liu Chengyou returned to Chongzheng Hall, he saw a young figure wandering there. He was not very tall due to his age, but he looked strong and powerful. It was the fourth prince Liu Fang. The guard told Liu Chengyou that the fourth prince had been waiting for a long time.
Seeing Liu Chengyou return, Liu Fang immediately stepped forward and saluted solemnly: "I see your Majesty!"
At this time, Liu Fang was wearing a suit of armor, bright silver, which made him more heroic, and he also had a knife on his waist. Looking at his clothes and his expression, Liu Chengyou asked: "What do you mean when you come to see me dressed like this? Are you trying to imitate the generals and ask for orders to march south!"
Even though the candidates for the generals for the expedition have been decided, during this period, there are still many generals of the imperial army who have asked Liu Chengyou for orders to march south, all hoping to catch up with the train to Pingnan and gain some military glory. For example, Sun Li, the emperor's old general, finally resigned from the position of Xiaodi Army in the previous army reorganization. This time he was also rejected. Liu Chengyou's reply was to give young people more opportunities.
In this Pingnan campaign, in addition to using troops and horses with local troops as the main force, most of the generals sent were garrison generals from the south. The meritorious generals in the past were basically not used. It is not only about giving opportunities to those who come behind, but also about balance.
Faced with the emperor's question, Liu Fang was also very direct. He cupped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, I have indeed come to ask for orders to join the expedition and go to the Pingnan Expedition battlefield!"
Liu Chengyou was not surprised by this. Observing his tense expression, there was no excitement or jumpiness, only determination.
"You are so young and don't know the importance of it. Are you just kidding about war? Is it just for you to have fun with?" However, Liu Chengyou scolded him lightly.
"Your Majesty, I am not young anymore. Over the years, I have read military books and practiced martial arts. Now that the war in the south is about to begin, it is not the time to use martial arts to make achievements. Otherwise, what is the use of practicing it?" Liu Fang had the rare ability to contradict Liu Chengyou, which was quite obvious. Pride.
In fact, he had the experience of accompanying the Northern Expedition, and even though he did not truly experience the bloody killings on the battlefield, Liu Fang's heroic temperament and courage were tempered. In terms of actual years, Liu Fang is already thirteen years old. For some noble children, this is already the age to become a father...
"Where did you get this armor?" Liu Chengyou asked after pondering for a while.
"I asked the weapons inspector to help me build it!" Liu Fang replied honestly: "Your Majesty, when I grow up, I won't be able to wear this set of armor anymore. Wouldn't it be a waste by then?"
Hearing what he said, Liu Chengyou was also amused by him. Liu Fang didn't smile, but looked at him seriously. After thinking for a while, Liu Chengyou asked, "Does your mother agree?"
Liu Fang said simply: "If Your Majesty agrees, I will have my own explanation from my mother!"
Seeing this boy acting like a majesty, Liu Chengyou couldn't help but sigh in his heart. However, he was indeed seriously considering the feasibility of this matter, even though it only required one word from him.
"Where do you want to go with the Jianghuai, Ezhou, and Lingnan armies?" Liu Chengyou stared at Liu Fang and said calmly.
Hearing this, Liu Fang's face finally lit up with joy, then he fell into thinking, and finally said: "Lingnan!"
"Why?" Liu Chengyou was a little surprised.
Liu Fang said proudly: "I joined the army this time to hone myself. Lingnan is mountainous and the environment is harsh. Wherever it is difficult, I will go wherever it is!"
Liu Chengyou finally smiled, touched his head with his hand, and said: "I will approve a note for you later and let you serve in front of the Lingnan Army. As for your position, you will be a guard for Pan Mei!"
When Liu Fang left happily, Liu Chengyou couldn't help but sigh, feeling both relieved and worried. Liu Chengyou had put a lot of effort into cultivating his sons. Before that, he had considered letting Prince Liu Yang lead the expedition to give him a long prestige and qualifications.
However, he later gave up on this idea. Even so, Liu Chengyou also asked Liu Yang to participate in the entire logistics operation of the Pingnan army to further hone his practical political capabilities.
Not long after he entered the palace and took his seat, Liu Chengyou summoned Lu Yin again and told him directly: "Go and find out who made the armor for Liu Fang without authorization and deal with it according to the regulations!"
