On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, with the bright moon in the sky, Emperor Liu was walking in the inner city of Youzhou. Emperor Liu gathered his concubines and children together and held a family banquet, where they drank wine, ate cakes and admired the moon. Among the accompanying ministers, Li Ye was the only one in the family. The relatives didn’t scream either.
Celebrate reunion together during the festival. This is a festival of the heavenly family. Compared with previous years, although it is less solemn and solemn, it adds a rare warmth.
Within the royal family, since the death of the Queen Mother, the word warmth has become further and further away. However, the atmosphere at this Mid-Autumn Festival family dinner was quite lively and the whole family was quite happy.
The brothers and sisters Liu Xu also performed a dance song they had compiled together before. Liu Xu and the seventh brother Liu Hui played it, sisters Liu Jia and Liu Jian chanted it, and Liu Xi and the fifth brother Liu Yun led others. Brothers and sisters sing and dance...
Such a harmonious scene is not easy to come by, and it will only become more rare in the future. However, this scene is still flawed. There are still some concubines and princes in Luoyang who cannot accompany them. Not counting the reunion, there are still three princes who are still on the battlefield...
Emperor Liu's feelings were also slightly complicated. He was happy and cheerful, but he also couldn't help but miss his sons. After drinking some wine and remaining tipsy, I went to Concubine Zhe's place that night, as Empress Fu reminded me.
It was late at night, and there seemed to be a thin layer of mist between the sky and the earth, making the moonlight shining in the courtyard less bright. The bedroom was quiet, and the warm candlelight dissipated the autumn cold. Emperor Liu sat by the couch, soaking his feet habitually, but at this time, he was serving his concubine Zhe Niang.
As one of the early wives of Emperor Liu, Lady Zhe had been with him for more than twenty years. She was also the concubine who gave birth to the most children, four sons and one daughter, a total of five.
Although Emperor Liu has rarely been favored by Emperor Liu in recent years, his feelings have not faded too much. The passage of time has allowed the feelings to settle. Up to now, in Emperor Liu's mind, only Empress Fu, Concubine Gao and Concubine Zhe's status cannot be shaken. Even Concubine Hui, Xiao Fu and Concubine Shu, Da Zhou, cannot be compared with each other. As for the other concubines, let alone them. Emotions, only physical pleasure and enjoyment...
Naturally enjoying Lady Zhe's service, Emperor Liu looked at her with a somewhat soft gaze. Madam Zhe is almost forty years old, her beauty is no longer beautiful, she has aged, and her body is also a little out of shape. Due to proper maintenance, she still has some charm of a lady, but it is difficult to use beauty, beauty and so on. words to describe it. What's more, among Emperor Liu's concubines, Concubine Zhe was not the most stunningly beautiful.
Of course, Emperor Liu didn't despise her because of this. Even he himself was not as handsome and handsome as he was when he was young. He had become greasy, so why should he be harsh on Concubine Zhe who had reached her age.
Emperor Liu would never lack a beautiful face and an alluring body, so they seemed less important. On the contrary, feelings were what he valued more.
"Don't the officials think I'm old?" Noticing that Emperor Liu was staring at her background, Lady Zhe suddenly raised her head and asked generously.
"How could it be? Her youth is still there, she is dignified and generous, and she is still a beauty of a generation!" Emperor Liu immediately came back to his senses, shook his head and said, "Is it possible that someone is chewing their tongue again?"
Hearing this, Madam Zhe smiled and responded: "I am old as I am, why do I need others to comment? There is no need for officials to comfort me!"
In this regard, Concubine Zhe is obviously more open-minded than Concubine Gao Guifei and Concubine Fu Hui. As the lights flashed, Emperor Liu's shining eyes reflected the figure of Lady Zhe. He didn't know what kind of person the Lady Zhe was in the original history. As his concubine, after so many years, she was indeed not like the one in the novel. As legendary as she is, she is at least worthy of the word "virtuous" in her title.
"At the banquet just now, I saw that you were feeling disgusted. You must be missing Liu Fang!" Emperor Liu said softly.
Although Mrs. Zhe had always shown generous support for Liu Fang's expedition, and rarely showed any sympathy on weekdays, her mother was worried after her son traveled thousands of miles. Liu Fang was still on a dangerous battlefield, and he was going into Mobei, which was like a dragon's pond and a tiger's den. How can I not miss you? The more it is during the reunion festival, the more missing people are worth remembering and the stronger the feelings.
After taking a towel and wiping Emperor Liu's feet, Lady Zhe still nodded in response and sighed: "How can I not worry about it? I don't know what is going on with Shiro in Mobei now? What's his situation like?"
"Perhaps Liu Fang and we have just admired the same bright moon in the sky together!" Emperor Liu said warmly as his legs were tucked into the quilt, and he pulled Lady Zhe to sit together.
"I hope so!" Sensing the relief in Emperor Liu's words, Madam Zhe suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, raised her head and smiled and said: "It's not just my son who fights for the country through life and death, I only treat him as the world's Like all mothers who send their children to the battlefield, silently wish them well and pray for them!"
Hearing what he said, Emperor Liu was slightly reserved, but then his expression revealed a touch of respect. He grabbed Madam Zhe's hand and said seriously: "The love for one's son is ordinary, but among all the mothers in the world, who can understand the righteousness so deeply? How many people are there?”
Caressing his hand, Emperor Liu relaxed his tone again and said warmly: "It is already the Mid-Autumn Festival. According to the Privy Council's analysis of the military aircraft, the two armies of Hexi and Yulin, which have been in Mobei for a long time, should have been planning their divisions. Perhaps they have already arrived On the way back. If they can break through the dangers and go north and achieve victory, they will definitely be able to return safely!"
"I hope it will be as the official said!" Lady Zhe responded.
"Will do!"
...
In fact, at the beginning of the Liaodong War, when the Northeastern Han Army entered a period of rest and the war situation stabilized, Emperor Liu's attention shifted away from Liaodong for the first time and began to devote more attention and energy to other fronts.
For a long time, compared with the vigorous and bloody battlefield in Liaodong, the progress of the Han army in other directions has always felt tepid.
However, looking back and looking carefully, other battlefields are not so plain. The two Han armies that attacked the northern part of the Great Wall need no further elaboration on their generosity and arduousness. Liu Tinghan, on his side, went north several times. Although he did not gain much, he was always entangled with the Liao army, fighting wits and courage, and effectively restrained the Liao army in the Shangjing area.
As for Guo Jinjun, 10,000 Han troops advanced into the Western Regions on foot and cavalry, and the surprise they brought was even more surprising. As early as two months ago, all the land in the original Xizhou Uighur towns south of the Tianshan Mountains occupied by the Liao Kingdom had been occupied by Guo Jinjun. Captured.
Today, only a few thousand remnants of the Liao army in the Western Regions have retreated north. Under the leadership of Yelu Dilie and Yelusha, they are guarding the two cities of Luntai and Beiting in the north, struggling to survive and unable to advance or retreat. If the Black Khan Kingdom to the west hadn't taken advantage of the situation and sent troops eastwards, Guo Jin would have led his troops northward and completely wiped them out.
Yes, today's Western Region is in a mess again, but with the Liao army retreating, the leading roles in this land are the Han Dynasty and the Black Khanate.
Moreover, the situation is not so optimistic. Guo Jin is faced with enemies on both sides. The Black Khanate's army is coming even more fiercely. It has already conquered the Yanqi area that it had not been able to capture from the Liao army before, and continues to advance eastward with a direct frontline. Refers to Gaochang.
As for Guo Jin, due to lack of strength in his hands, he had to devote his main energy to dealing with the threat from the Black Khan's army. Although there were many servant armies from the Western Regions who surrendered to the Han Dynasty, they were really not of much use and they had to be cautious when fighting against the wind, let alone against the enemy against the wind.
If Lu Duoxun hadn't actively raised support in Hexi, Guo Jin might not have been able to support it, and it would have been dangerous to hold Gaochangdu, especially when there were thousands of Liao troops in the north who were still dead and not dead.
In contrast, the truly tepid army belongs to Wang Yanchao's army and the Xi tribe. They have been fighting in the mountains for several months. They have suffered some casualties and spent a lot of money on food and weapons, but they have only captured two cities. After Yelvxian transferred Gao Xun to lead his army south and stationed at Prince Xi's Mansion, the war came to a standstill again.
However, just as Zhao Kuangyin commented, Wang Yanchao may have difficulty making progress, but at least he is not in danger of defeat.
For the other fronts, Emperor Liu has no more requirements for the time being. If the current situation can be maintained, it is not unacceptable.
If you want to make adjustments to the overall situation of the Northern Expedition, you may have to go to Liaodong. Now, including the civilians, there are still nearly 400,000 people. It is worth considering whether it is necessary to continue to maintain such a large army.
