Chapter 813 The eldest son
Chapter 813 The eldest son
In mid-April, the shogunate and the State of Liang issued orders at the same time to select more than 2,000 trackers, miners, and good family men from the five counties of Chen, Liang, Nandun, Xincai, and Xiangcheng to fill the right camp of the Heiliang Army. The right camp was also disbanded to recruit the Yinqiang and Heiliang armies.
In addition, several hundred strong and capable men were selected from the Xianbei in Bianliang to join the Yicong Army.
……
After the army was fully filled, rigorous training began.
At the same time, there were still more than 400 students from the three major military schools of Liang County, Xuchang and Bianliang who had completed five years of study in March after the end of the epidemic. Except for those who were added to the army, most of the remaining more than 300 people were sent to the 20 counties of Liang State. The vast majority of them served as county officials, and a few outstanding ones were awarded the ninth rank.
Among the twenty counties of Liang State, except for the five counties of Hedong, Pingyang, Yangping, Chenliu and Ruyin, the other ten counties of Chen, Liang, Xincai, Puyang, Ji, Dunqiu, Henei, Xingyang, Taiyuan and Xinxing had all suffered severe devastation in the war, and many places were completely devastated.
The existing people either migrated from other places or their clan structures collapsed in the war. There are not many powerful people or powerful families in the local area. The first generation of powerful people are still accumulating family property, and even parents, wives and children have to work in the fields. It is very suitable for martial arts students who have no roots in the local area to train.
The four counties of Wei, Chenliu, Jiyang and Runan have been rectified for many years, and the power of the wealthy families has been weakened to a certain extent. After the land measurement is completed, the situation will improve further.
As for Shangdang, it was the territory of Liu Ye's elder brother Liu Runzhong, mainly inhabited by Jiehu, supplemented by other miscellaneous Hu, and there were very few Han people. Shao Xun had promised the Liu family that Shangdang would be hereditary, and he had no intention of breaking his promise for the time being, so he would wait a little longer.
Throughout April and May, the recruits were training, while Shao Xun held a series of meetings to discuss the Xianbei situation.
At the beginning of May, Yu Mie planned to return from Xinshan. He had more than ten officials and clerks with him when he left, but one third of them were lost when he returned. Moreover, more than half of the one hundred righteous knights and several hundred Xiongnu soldiers from Taiyuan who escorted them were lost.
Shao Xun specially held a banquet in Shanglin Garden west of Pingyang to entertain Yu Mie and his entourage.
"Su Shuyan is living very comfortably in Dai County. I heard that Wang Feng gave him several beautiful girls and he is very comfortable." Shao Xun glanced at everyone and said, "Helan Aitou is a rough man. I thought he would raise an army out of anger and be extremely resolute. I didn't expect him to be a rough and treacherous man. Yuandu, tell me, will he send troops?"
"Not necessarily." Yu Mie sighed and said, "In fact, Shengle had a proposal to move the capital last year, and Helan Aitou, Wang Feng and others had already discovered it. At that time, Helan contacted Hexi, Hedouling and other tribes everywhere, but it was not going smoothly. I persuaded Yi Xinshan, saying that as long as the troops entered Shengle, the king would send out three armies to attack the two capitals in the north and south to support Helan, but Aitou was very hesitant and hesitated."
"Can you change your mind now?" Shao Xun asked.
"After the beginning of autumn, He Li summoned nobles from all tribes to Shengle for hunting in order to boost his prestige. Because Yulu was murdered, not many chieftains came, but He Li did. Later, an epidemic broke out from winter to spring, and many people died. People in the grassland said it was a punishment from heaven. He Li became more and more afraid, so he decided to lead all civil and military officials, concubines from the six palaces, craftsmen, musicians, imperial guards and civilians to the east, and take advantage of the opportunity of Que Shuang's inspection to occupy Dongmugen Mountain as the capital." Yu Mie said: "In this way, Helan Aitou may not send troops even more."
Why didn't he send out troops? Because he was afraid. At the same time, he drove He Li and his mother out of Shengle, which seemed to have achieved part of his goal.
This is a person who looks fierce but has no courage.
"Did he accept the book?" Shao Xun asked.
"I received it. Many nobles of the tribe saw it."
"Would it be safer if we sent another delegation there now?"
"If the Qi family mother and son go to Dongmugen Mountain, they will definitely take away a large number of tribesmen, soldiers, and officials who are loyal to them. Tuoba Yihuai is thirteen years old this year. He can get married if he is on the grassland. Helan Aitou will definitely use this nephew to influence the other tribes, which should be much safer."
When Shao Xun heard this, he was delighted. He stood up and walked around on the grass, saying with a smile, "Even if we can't let the Xianbei fight each other, it would be good to split them into three."
"That's right." Yu Mie said, "If the king attacks Tuoba Heli, the lords in the west may not come to rescue him. At most, only a few will send troops to rescue him for Tuoba Yiyi's sake. But Heli is a bit soft-hearted and is not liked by the nobles of the grassland."
"Not bad." Shao Xun put one hand behind his back and stroked his beard with the other hand, with a smile on his face, obviously very proud.
If he had not intervened and just watched the Tuoba Xianbei decide their own fate, things might not have come to this point.
Even if the Qi mother and son could not stay in Shengle and fled eastward to seek support, it might be several years later.
He accelerated the evolution of the conflict.
"Yuan Du." Shao Xun turned around, looked at him, and said, "You have been gone for more than half a year, so you may not know much about the affairs of the Honglu Temple. Now we have added two more temple secretaries, with a rank of sixth grade, so you can serve as the Honglu Secretary first."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the promotion." Yu Mie bowed.
He was promoted to a higher rank, which was less than he expected. Perhaps Prince Liang didn't want him to leave the Honglu Temple.
In addition, no one knows who will take over the position of Shanglinyuan Ling, which is actually a very critical position.
******
The choice of Shanglinyuan Ling was unexpected.
On the fifth day of May, Shao Xun ordered that the order of Shanglin Garden be given to his eldest son Jin Dao.
The Golden Sword Master's real name was Shao Zhang. He was born on the 308th day of the first lunar month in the second year of Yongjia (323), which would have been May of the seventh year of Shengui (). He was fifteen or sixteen years old, which was an adult in ancient times and was fully capable of marriage.
"There are more than 800 official slaves in Shanglin Garden, half of whom are from Chang'an, and half are Di, Qiang and Xianbei. There are also 100 soldiers, all of whom are surrendered Xiongnu." Shao Xun said as he climbed the stone steps, "The circumference is more than 200 miles, and the area is rich in pine, cypress and other trees, and has beautiful water and lush grass. The flat land below the mountain can be cultivated, and the mountain can be grazed. The cattle and sheep are fat, and the horses are majestic."
As he spoke, he turned his head and looked, then reached out his hand, pulled Le Lanji, and said, "Why is Tao Nu so far away from me?"
Le Lanji smiled, followed up panting, and took Shao Xun's arm.
"If it weren't for the golden sword, I would have carried you on my back." Shao Xun said.
Le Lanji patted him lightly.
Jin Daoyi followed behind, grinning foolishly and lowering his head.
A harmonious relationship between his parents is exactly what he wants to see.
The three of them chatted and laughed, and soon walked up the stone steps and arrived at a palace built on the mountain.
This was Liu Cong's summer palace. Stone steps were carved on the mountainside, and bricks and tiles were fired at the foot of the mountain and transported up the mountain. A holiday estate covering several acres was built using a mixture of blue bricks, stone slabs and large wood.
Huang Zheng, the military commander, stood at the foot of the tall gate and gently pushed it open. The family of three walked in.
"This is the bakery, this is the oil mill, this is the warehouse, this is the equipment warehouse, and there is also a water mill on the left side of the courtyard..." Shao Xun introduced the courtyards one by one: "Although the sparrow is small, it has everything, even the government office."
The huge courtyard was paved with bluestone slabs, and several towering trees rose from the ground, casting mottled shadows.
Outside the courtyard is a rolling pine forest, with birds perched on the branches and fluttering around.
The environment is quiet and the air is fresh. It is actually a good place to live in seclusion, but it is not the case for young people.
"This will be your residence from now on." Shao Xun patted his son's shoulder and said, "Jin Dao, if you can manage Shanglin Garden well, I will let you manage the entire county without any worries."
Le Lanji took out a piece of silk and gently wiped the sweat beads from the tip of Shao Xun's nose.
Seeing his parents loving each other so much and being entrusted with an important task for the first time, Jin Dao was filled with pride and excitement. He immediately said, "Don't worry, Grandpa. I will take good care of this place."
Shao Xun clapped his hands.
Huang Zheng understood and quickly blew the horn.
After a while, clanging sounds were heard, and hundreds of warriors came to the square outside the courtyard and stood solemnly in the wind.
Each of them led a horse, and was dressed in shiny armor and equipped with all kinds of equipment, looking very powerful.
"Le Xiu greets the king, prince, and madam." A strong man about thirty years old stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and said loudly.
"Your uncle treats you very well. He is worried that you cannot control the old people in Shanglin Garden, so he has specially selected 100 people with skilled martial arts from Nanyang." Shao Xun said, "Go and meet your warriors. They will be your people from now on."
Jin Dao was stunned at first, then he held his breath and walked out of the courtyard.
"Greetings, Prince." Hundreds of soldiers saluted in unison.
Shao Xun winked again.
Huang Zheng waved his hand, and soon, the silk that had been prepared long ago was brought over by his personal soldiers.
Huang Zheng trotted over again and whispered something to Jin Dao.
Jin Dao was in a state of excitement. When he heard Huang Zheng's words, he immediately reacted and said, "I will give you two pieces of silk. Now... from now on, as long as you work diligently, there will be rewards."
When he said the last few words, his voice changed slightly.
Shao Xun and Le Lanji smiled at each other.
"You gave birth to a good son for me." Shao Xun said softly.
Le Lanji didn't know what she was thinking about. She fell gently into Shao Xun's arms and started crying.
Shao Xun hugged her and whispered in her ear: "Don't cry, don't cry, I only regret that I didn't meet you earlier. Now Jin Dao has grown up, Xiang Pu (born in February of the ninth year of Yongjia) is also cute and smart, and you should be happy to have your children by your side."
Le Lanji hugged him tightly and hummed.
Shao Xun took out silk again and wiped Lan Ji's tears.
The soldiers outside the courtyard had already lined up and left. Jin Dao stood outside awkwardly, as if looking at the scenery.
After comforting the woman, Shao Xun walked out of the courtyard.
The father and son stood side by side in the square, looking at the river valley and mountains in the distance.
"Your younger brothers will also have to experience this in the future," Shao Xun said.
Upon hearing this, Jin Dao's excitement subsided a little.
It turns out that everyone has to do this, he is not special...
"There are many troubles in the world. My son has no right to lie at home and enjoy himself." Shao Xun said again.
After experiencing this epidemic, I have come to terms with many things.
Life is so fragile that if you are not careful you can die from war, hunger, or disease. Even riding a horse can lead to the risk of falling to death.
During the period when the epidemic was most severe, Shao Xun thought a lot.
He once boasted of his bravery and believed that even if an assassin came close to him, he could kill him with his own hands.
But what if it was a plague?
He wasn't sure how long he could live, let alone how far he could go.
Some things should be arranged in advance.
Jin Dao is over fifteen years old. He has been studying literature and martial arts since he was young. His literary talent is better than his. It is time for him to go out and gain experience.
Managing the more than 4,000 soldiers and civilians in Shanglinyuan is his first step, and Shao Xun will continue to observe his son.
(The third update is here, and will continue tomorrow.)
(End of this chapter)