Chapter 412: Spring Comes to Winter

Chapter 412: Spring Comes to Winter

Chapter 412: Spring Comes to Winter
Emperor Yang Guang left most of his troops in Huangshui County to rest. He led only 10,000 troops and a dozen important officials, accompanied by Xiao Xia and Changsun Sheng, to inspect Xihai and Heyuan.

In the first war with Tuyuhun, Yang Guang, as the commander-in-chief of the Sui army, came to the east coast of Xihai and established Xihai East City. At the suggestion of Xiao Xia, Yang Guang officially changed the name of Xihai to Qinghai, changed the name of Xihai East City to Weiding County, changed the name of Fuqi City to Xuande County, and made Xuande County the seat of Xihai County. At the same time, he ordered the relocation of 8,000 criminal households from all over the Sui Dynasty to fill Xihai County.

The so-called criminal household means that if one person breaks the law, the whole family will be exiled. Exile does not mean going to jail, but it means moving the whole family to the frontier to live. Of course, they will still be given land, but there will be no tax benefits. It is better than conscription.

Emperor Yang Guang then went to Heyuan County. Heyuan County was planning to set up two county towns, Chishui County and Jiuqu County. Yang Guang decided to transfer one thousand of the eight thousand criminal households to Jiuqu County.

Yang Guang's main purpose in inspecting Heyuan County was to personally understand the practice of changing one's nationality to Han. Of course, changing one's nationality to Han was not as simple as changing the household registration. It included a series of policies, such as changing Han names, wearing Han clothes, speaking Chinese, celebrating Han festivals, children's education, changing customs and even religion.

Accompanied by Xiao Xia, Yang Guang visited a Buddhist temple that was under construction. The abbot of the temple stepped forward and clasped his hands together and said, "Amitabha, I, Huikong, pay my respects to His Majesty the Emperor and His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin!"

Yang Guang nodded and smiled: "Where are you coming from?"

"We are monks from the Zhuangyan Temple in Jincheng County. I am the abbot of the Dharma Temple. I was invited by the government of Heyuan County to come to Chishui County to establish a branch temple and spread Buddhism. I brought a total of 30 disciples with me."

"How is the conversion effect?" Yang Guang asked with interest.

"The effect is very good. In just three months, more than 10,000 Qiang believers have been converted."

Yang Guang asked Xiao Xia in surprise: "Why is the effect so good?"

Xiao Xia smiled slightly and said, "Father, you don't know that since the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the Hexi Corridor and the Hehuang region have generally believed in Buddhism, and the Qiang people are no exception. After the Xianbei established Tuyuhun, they began to promote Shamanism, but the foundation of Buddhism is still there, so it is easy to recover."

Yang Guang stroked his beard and smiled: "So that's it, it's recovery!"

Xiao Xia looked at the expectant face of Abbot Huikong and said with a smile, "It's not easy to be a monk. Go deep into the pastoral areas to spread Buddhism. Last autumn, two monks were killed by wolves while preaching. In view of their efforts to consolidate the borders for the country, Father, please grant them a temple name!"

Yang Guang gladly proposed the name of the temple, "Imperially Granted Zhuangyan Temple", and also gave it a gilded bronze Buddha and 18 bronze Arhats.

Huikong was overjoyed and clasped his hands together in thanks.

Yang Guang stayed in Longyou for about ten days. The next day after returning to Huangshui County, he set out for Zhangye in Hexi.

When the team entered the Dadouba Valley, the sky suddenly became gloomy.

It was the turn of spring and summer, with uneven temperatures and unstable weather. Xiao Xia was really worried, so he personally followed his aunt Yang Lihua.

Yang Lihua was sitting in a carriage with three personal palace maids, including an old maid named Yu who had followed her for more than 30 years and was also her best friend.

Of course, horse-drawn carriages can use the Dadouba Valley. In the past, all the logistics carts used in the expeditions could use the Dadouba Valley. In addition, the Hexi Army and the Longyou Army spent a year repairing the road, filling some large potholes and chiseling away some sharp stones on the protruding ground.

The mountain roads were several times easier to travel on than before, but they were still more dangerous and difficult to travel on than the smooth roads in the plains. In particular, the valley roads that were more than ten miles long were very narrow and could only accommodate one large cart. The emperor's dragon chariot could not pass through, so the emperor and the empress could only ride in carriages and travel slowly like the ministers.

In addition, the Dadouba Valley is generally 3,500 meters above sea level, and most people and horses suffer from altitude sickness, difficulty breathing, various physical discomforts, and walk very slowly. This is why, although the Dadouba Valley is only 60 miles long, it takes two days to walk through it.

The military has begun distributing medicines to relieve soldiers' altitude sickness.

Yang Lihua also rode in a horse-drawn carriage. The axles, wheels and frame of the carriage were all made of fine iron. They were very strong and would not fall apart even when traveling through the rugged canyon.

However, the bumps were still severe, and Yang Lihua and several maids could only endure it silently.

At this time, a sound of horse hooves came galloping and stopped in front of Yang Lihua's carriage. Someone knocked on the window, and Xiao Xia's laughter came from outside, "Aunt, it's me!"

Yang Lihua opened the window and saw Xiao Xia's brilliant smile outside.

Yang Lihua smiled bitterly and said, "Aunt is not feeling well and has no strength to speak!"

"I know, I'll bring medicine to my aunt!"

Xiao Xia handed Yang Lihua a gourd and said, "Take two pills of the medicine inside every day, and you will feel much better!"

"I took medicine, but it didn't work!"

"The medicine that Auntie took is what ordinary soldiers take on the plateau. It is effective for strong soldiers, but less effective for women. Auntie, try this one I gave you. It contains thirteen kinds of medicine, including Rhodiola rosea, Scutellaria baicalensis, Ginseng, Cordyceps sinensis, Snow Lotus, etc. You will know after taking two pills." "Okay! Let me try!"

Xiao Xia waved his hand, and the soldiers stuffed more than a dozen cashmere quilts, fur coats and fur hats into the carriage.

"Xia'er, what are you doing?"

"It's very cold at night, so I use it to keep warm!"

Xiao Xia's laughter came from a distance, and he and his soldiers had already run away.

The spacious carriage suddenly became crowded, but it was filled with soft and comfortable items. Lying on them reduced the bumps and was warm, so no one had any objections.

After Yang Lihua took the medicine, the discomfort in her body soon disappeared. It was as if the huge rock pressing on her chest was removed. Her drowsy mind became clearer and her breathing seemed to become much smoother.

Yang Lihua perked up and said with a smile: "This medicine is really effective, everyone should take two pills!"

At the turn of spring and summer, and summer and autumn, Dadouba Valley is most prone to extreme weather.

Sure enough, at dusk, the temperature began to drop sharply.
There was wind and snow in the Qilian Mountains, and the Dadouba Valley was no exception. The temperature dropped sharply from more than ten degrees Celsius above zero to minus twenty degrees Celsius. The strong cold wind brought snow balls and swept over the sky. The scene in history was exactly the same.

Xiao Xia rode on his horse and shouted, "Quick! Get the supplies out of the warehouse, quick!"

Winter clothes and military blankets were quickly handed to every soldier. The team stopped moving forward, and sheepskin tents were set up. Piles of firewood were lit inside the tents. The ministers also put on thick winter clothes and wrapped themselves in military blankets and gathered around the firewood.

The soldiers were still busy roasting mutton and making milk tea. A dozen prime ministers and high-ranking officials gathered around a fire. Wei Chong took a piece of Sanzhen cake, looked at it carefully, and asked, "What is this?"

A soldier who was grilling meat for them said with a smile: "This is a treasure for the people in Hexi to spend the winter. Every household relies on it to keep warm."

Yang Su had used this toy when he went to war against the Turks ten years ago, and he laughed and said, "This must be a cow dung cake!"

When Wei Chong heard that it was a cow dung cake, he immediately threw it away in disgust. Yang Su laughed, "This is indeed a good treasure for keeping warm. It's a pity that you don't know its value!"

He took a piece of roasted mutton and started chewing it with his mouth full of oil. Wei Chong was still disgusted and did not eat the mutton. He only gnawed a piece of dry biscuit and drank a bowl of hot milk tea.

Emperor Yang Guang and his family sat in a big tent. They did not burn the Three Treasures Cakes, but charcoal. In addition to Emperor Yang Guang, there were also Empress Xiao, two imperial concubines, the eldest princess Yang Lihua, daughter Yang Feiyan, as well as the crown princess and two grandsons.

Everyone was wearing a thick fur coat and a wide, thick hat, which was a fur hat of the Hu people and was particularly warm. Each person had two sheepskins and a military blanket under him.

Xiao Xia personally grilled meat and made milk tea for them. Xiao Xia first distributed the cooked milk tea to his two young grandsons, Prince of Yan Yang Dan and Prince of Yue Yang Tong. There was also another Prince of Dai Yang You who was too young, only half a year old, and therefore did not come along.

He then distributed the milk tea to Emperor Yang Guang, Empress Xiao and the eldest princess. Yang Guang smiled and waved his hand, "Give it to them first! I'm not in a hurry."

Xiao Xia took a gourd, poured himself a cup, drank it in one gulp, and then handed the gourd to his father, saying with a smile: "This is the best milk wine in Hexi, father, please try it."

Yang Guang hesitated. He never drank anything from outside, fearing that someone might have poisoned it. But since this was the wine his son had handed to him, and his son had already drunk a large glass, Yang Guang no longer doubted it. He took the gourd and took a big sip, praising, "What a strong wine. It's refreshing!"

Yang Lihua held the cup and sipped the hot milk tea, feeling very comfortable. She looked at her nephew with satisfaction, thinking carefully, and took a sip of the wine first.

Xiao Xia then shared the second pot of brewed milk tea with the Imperial Concubine and the Crown Princess, and filled a cup for her father and herself.

Xiao Xia called out and the guards began to add firewood and grill the meat.

Yang Guang watched his son busying himself silently. For the first time, he felt a kind of support from Xiao Xia. Being able to take good care of everyone in the family, isn't this the pillar of the family?
He could see this kind of support in his eldest son, but not in his second son. Now he saw it in his third son. At this moment, Yang Guang's eyes became moist.

As the night grew deeper, everyone went back to their carriages to sleep. The carriages were pulled into the tent and unloaded from the horses, just like rooms in the tent.

Yang Lihua was lying on a thick wool blanket, covered with a soft and thick cashmere quilt. Xiao Xia also carefully prepared two hot water bottles for her, so that she could fall asleep in the warmth.

(End of this chapter)