Chapter 992: The Mourning Person

Chapter 992: The Mourning Person

Chapter 992: The Mourning Person
After the meeting in Qiaocheng, everyone dispersed.

Xu Liu, Huan Fu and others sneaked back to Wu.

In fact, it wasn't really stealth. They just went back in a swagger, going around to the east and passing through their own defense zone.

What is surprising is that Yin Yi did not go to Luoyang, but followed Huan Fu.

Shao Gui continued to return to Zuoguo Garden. After the grass turned green in March and April, he went north to Pingcheng for business for a while.

Shao Fan returned to Luoyang and continued to be in charge of the Dali Temple and train his beloved "team of cruel officials".

Huan Wen first returned to his old home in Longkang, and then went to Yingchuan to pay a visit to Yu Liang.

Yu Liang was staying in his old house in Yanling, feeling bored every day. When he learned that he had a guest, who was the son of an old friend, he was overjoyed.

However, if you hold a big banquet, listen to music and watch dance during the mourning period, it will definitely not look good once the news gets out.

Moreover, in theory, you cannot receive guests, but this rule is not very strict.

But Yu Liang still paid close attention.

On February 15th, after nightfall, he sent someone to invite Huan Wen to the thatched hut where he was in mourning. The four people, including the former Jijun prefect Yu Yi, Luoyang magistrate Yu Bing, the general's office warehouse clerk Yu Tiao, and Liang county lieutenant Yu Yi, were all present.

After Yu Chen's death, the five members of the Yu family were all wiped out and sent back home to mourn, suffering heavy losses.

Among the five, the oldest, Yu Liang, was already forty years old, and the youngest, Yu Yi, was only twenty-four years old.

Because it had been less than a year since Yu Chen's death, the five brothers all lived in a thatched hut and led a simple life, at least that was what it seemed on the surface.

Of course, you don't have to do this.

This is Wei and Jin!

What kind of scholar would you be if you don’t do something out of the ordinary and display an uninhibited attitude during the mourning period?
However, Yu Liang was in mourning for his father after all, not his uncle or aunt - mourning for a biological uncle requires fourteen months, while mourning for a biological aunt only requires a "small mourning period", which is five months.

There are workarounds for the funeral of an uncle or an aunt, and one can even get married during the funeral, that is, no wedding ceremony is required, but only the uncle and aunt can be paid respects. This is a "tacit understanding" between the court and the scholars. After all, some "good matches" are too rare, and there is no way around it if one is in a hurry to get married.

In addition, if a biological father dies, one has to mourn for three years, and if an uncle or aunt dies, one has to mourn for fourteen months. Then there are the mother, aunt, and aunt who will all die one after another. Those with bad luck really can't bear it, so generally only the mourning for a father or a mother is strictly enforced, and the others can be flexible - but this is also controversial, so you must be prepared to be criticized.

The Yu Liang brothers had no way to make any changes but to "purify their minds and desires" and "mourn in peace" at home.

Huan Wen's arrival brought some ripples to his stagnant life.

"Do you have a courtesy name?" Yu Liang opened his big, bright eyes like a night owl, making people wonder if he slept too much during the day and couldn't sleep at night.

The four brothers sat under the dim oil lamp, looking at him silently.

"Before I crossed the river, my father gave me the name 'Yuanzi'," Huan Wen said.

"Mao Lun really wants to save trouble." Yu Liang said with a smile: "It's been a long time since we last met. Is he doing well in Jianye?"

Huan Wen is the eldest son, isn’t he Yuanzi?
"Not very well. I miss you very much," Huan Wen said.

"Oh? If that's the case, why didn't he want to stay when I advised him to?" Yu Liang asked.

"Now that you have entered the Zhendong Shogunate, there is no reason to give up halfway." Huan Wen said, "Just like you have served Your Majesty till now, you have never changed your ways."

Yu Liang smiled, changed the subject, and asked, "Yuanzi, do you want to join the army?"

"That's right. I hope you can help me." Huan Wen stood up and bowed, saying earnestly.

"Yuanzi, your family has been studying Confucian classics, why do you want to be a warrior?" Yu Liang was puzzled. "Although the customs in the north are different, it is a lie to say that the status of military strategists is higher than that of scholars. If you join the military strategists, your descendants will be jokingly called 'generals'."

Sima Yan had never fought in a war, but wasn't he called a "general" by his own concubine? Once you enter this door, it is difficult to get rid of it within three generations. Yu Liang wanted Huan Wen to think carefully - there is nothing wrong with practicing martial arts since childhood, it can be called the six arts of a gentleman, but joining the army and fighting in a war is another matter.

"The world has not yet been unified. Military men have no choice but to take unconventional measures if they want to achieve great things," Huan Wen said.

After hearing this, Yu Liang had some understanding of Huan Wen's character.

For children from a family of Confucian scholars, joining the army in today's society is a huge price to pay and a gamble.

"Yuanzi, do you think there is no chance for you to enter the officialdom as a civil servant?" Yu Liang said lightly.

"One step slow, every step slow," said Huan Wen.

Yu Liang thought to himself, "You look down on me so much." But he had to admit that Huan Wen had some truth in what he said.

As the leader of a faction, the most taboo thing is unfair rewards and punishments. How can Huan Wen be promoted if he has not made any achievements?

In this world, there are very few opportunities for civil officials to make achievements, so it is understandable that Huan Wen wants to join the army. Moreover, Huan Yi mentioned in his letter that Yuan Zi is active and likes to read biographies of heroes and patriots since he was a child, so he is not suitable to be a civil official.

"It's not impossible for you to join the army if you want to." After thinking it through, Yu Liang no longer insisted, but he couldn't help asking, "Have you ever read a military book?"

“I have read it since I was a child.”

"Have you ever led troops?"

"Have you ever trained your own farmhands?"

"how many people?"

"More than a thousand people."

Yu Liang sighed. He only had experience in leading a thousand soldiers and had never fought in a battle.

To put it bluntly, when he was the "warden" in Guangchengze, he commanded several thousand people at most, not to mention that after he went to Xuzhou, he organized larger-scale wars - regardless of the outcome, at least Yu Liang was a man who had experienced big scenes and had rich war experience.

"Have you studied all the wars in the past?" Yu Liang asked. "I have heard of them."

"Do you know about the battle to build the city of Heyang?"

"Know a thing or two."

"It's your turn to fight this battle. How do you fight?"

"Be cautious and fight if you can win. If you can't win, then it's better to preserve your strength." Huan Wen said after pondering for a moment.

"Then how long will the fight end?" Yu Liang couldn't help but ask.

"My Lord, don't you know that the essence of this battle is to boost prestige?" Huan Wen was not convinced. The young man was full of energy and spoke eloquently: "If we win, there will be no doubts. If we lose, our prestige will be greatly damaged, and it may be difficult to abdicate in the future."

Yu Liang was somewhat disappointed after hearing this and said, "I am certainly not a good general, but I always feel that you lack a certain kind of bearing."

Huan Wen looked over in confusion.

"I can't explain it." Yu Liang shook his head and said, "On the rainy night of the Battle of Zhamadi, the emperor personally led his elite troops across the river to the north and shouted 'Take the land of the Xiongnu and place it in China'. I don't think you can do such a thing. If you think too much, you will worry about gains and losses, which will make it difficult to win."

"Mana..." Huan Wen chewed on the word carefully.

He was only seventeen years old, and even though he was well-versed in military books, he still found it difficult to understand these two words.

Seeing that Huan Wen was still listening, Yu Liang smiled and said, "It's not easy to be a general. Yuanzi, why don't you go measure the fields? His Majesty is very angry about this, and a large number of people are going to lose their jobs. It's not impossible for you to take a small position in the agricultural department and measure the fields of a county."

"I still want to join the army. I hope you can help me." Huan Wen insisted.

"Forget it, I won't force you." Yu Liang sighed and said, "I'll write a letter for you to take to Qinzhou to meet Wen Taizhen and ask him to make the arrangements. The emperor is going to tour the west, so maybe there will be a chance."

"But are we going to attack Liangzhou?" Huan Wen asked.

"Perhaps there is also Yang Nandi." Yu Liang said, "Don't ask too many questions. You are only seventeen years old. You have a lot to learn."

Yu Liang recalled the fear he felt when he was "dominated" and "beaten" by the emperor at the age of seventeen. He felt bitter at the time, but now he can only smile knowingly.

How can outsiders understand the relationship between him and the emperor? No matter how big a disaster I cause, the emperor will forgive me...

After talking for a while, Huan Wen was taken to the farm to rest.

Yu Liang looked at his brothers and asked, "How about Huan Maolun's son?"

"He's only seventeen, how can you tell?" Yu Yi shook his head and said, "Is there any need to recruit this person?"

"He's the son of an old friend, I'm just taking care of him." Yu Liang said.

He really didn't take Huan Wen seriously, but for Huan Yi's sake, he took the time to meet him in person to examine and give him some advice.

"Brother, Huan Yuanzi can still be used." Yu Bing said, "There are more civil officials than military generals among the scholars in Ruying. Huan Yuanzi comes from a family of Confucian scholars, so his talent is naturally not bad. He is also willing to be a soldier, which is quite rare. If he has military merits in the future, he can be transferred to a civil official and help brother."

"It would be better to let him go to the Qin Palace and work as a minor official," said Yu Tiao.

"He came too late, and there is no suitable position for him." Yu Yi said: "If he has military merit, it may be more appropriate to transfer to the Qin Palace. The Qin Wang's fiefdom is in Fufeng, and he needs someone to help him collect taxes. There are many Hu people in the area, so it is not easy."

Yu Liang suddenly stood up, feeling a little annoyed.

Although it might sound a bit unfilial to say it out loud, he felt very depressed being trapped in this small thatched cottage.

While others are making great efforts, he can only watch from the sidelines. Over time, this is not a good thing.

It will take more than a year to be “released” from prison! Urgent!
If he wasn't afraid of criticism, he would have wanted to request reinstatement by now, alas.

"When will the emperor set out?" He looked at Yu Yi and asked.

Yu Yi was in charge of external liaisons—of course privately—and had contact with many people in the court. He replied, "Within half a month."

"So fast?"

"Shangjun and Fengyi are in rebellion again." Yu Yi said, "Hou Feihu has led the Yicong and Luoyan armies through Pujin Pass. For this reason, the emperor has decided to tour the west ahead of schedule."

The core of "Xun" is to declare the power of heaven, which naturally includes suppressing rebellion.

"Who will stay in Luoyang?"

"It should be Chen Yougen."

"Where's Zhang Shuo?"

"This is the strange thing." Yu Yi said: "Zhang Shuo actually led his army south."

Yu Liang was stunned.

He felt like he was blocked from the news and something must have happened that he didn't know about.

It is possible that it was at the end of last year that important officials in the court discussed how to win over Zu Yue.

Thinking of this, Yu Liang felt a little disappointed. Have you all forgotten about me?
"I want to write a letter, second brother, please send someone to deliver it to the Prince of Qin's palace." Yu Liang sat back and said unwillingly.

"What to write?" Yu Yi asked subconsciously.

"During this western tour, Your Majesty may go to Fufeng. Under the pressure of the army, you can quickly survey the land and population of the fiefdom." Yu Liang said, "If this matter can be done well, there will be endless benefits."

(End of this chapter)