Chapter 115 Final Harvest (4k)
Before dawn, Jiangyang King Yuan Yi walked on Tongtuo Street, the central axis of Luoyang. After a busy night, he finally dispersed the imperial guards and escorted the leader of the imperial guards who led the riot to the palace, thus quelling the Yulin Rebellion.
The whole team was very tired and walked in silence on the road. Suddenly, a hurried sound of horse hooves was heard, followed by the shouts of the envoys from the Six Garrisons who were sent to Luoyang.
King Jiangyang Yuanyi frowned slightly. The rebellion of the imperial guards had just been quelled, and the military situation in the six garrisons might cause new unrest.
Hou Gang beside him immediately understood, snatched the longbow from his personal attendant, and shot an arrow at the warhorse under the crotch of the envoy who was carrying the military intelligence letter.
The messenger was thrown out, and Hou Gang immediately sent someone to control him. Jiangyang Wang Yuanyi said to his attendants:
"The remnants of the rebels are spreading rumors to confuse the people! The six towns are safe! Take this man to the palace and ask the Queen Mother to deal with him!"
"Send people along the streets to report the victory and calm the people!"
The subordinates immediately carried out the military order. Looking at the rising sun, a light flashed in the three white eyes of Jiangyang King Yuanyi. If the Rouran invaded the border, what benefit could he gain from it?
-
Su Ze stayed on duty at the Shangshu Terrace until the next morning, when the team that was supposed to take over the shift arrived. He quickly handed over the defense to the other party and then returned home to sleep.
During this period, he asked Su Lin to stay outside the house and no one was allowed to come in and disturb his rest.
Su Ze had been planning for this Yulin change for several days, and yesterday he stood in front of the Shangshu Terrace for a whole day and night. He was exhausted both physically and mentally.
Anyway, he has already gained the greatest benefit. As for how the court rewards him, it is not something he can decide.
While Su Ze was sleeping, Su Chao from Henan Prefecture came to inquire about the news. Princess Chenliu sent her maid Lu Zhu to return the Clairvoyance. Su Lin stopped them outside the house and asked them to leave their things and leave.
When Su Ze had enough sleep, he stretched and sat up. As soon as he walked out of the house, he saw Gao Huan sitting at the door of his house.
"He Liuhun?"
When Gao Huan saw Su Ze, his eyes were bloodshot and he looked very tired, but mentally he was very excited.
"Brother Su, I'm here to say goodbye to you."
"what?"
Gao Huan said, "Last night, the messenger from the Six Garrisons reported that the Rouran Gaocha invaded the border and attacked the two towns of Wuchuan and Huaishuo. I am going back to Huaishuo."
Su Ze stood up. The Rouran Gaoche actually invaded the border? There was no such incident in the history books that he remembered? Could it be that he was influencing history with the butterfly effect?
But it is normal to think about it. Su Ze had read a paper before traveling through time. This era was experiencing a climate recovery from the Little Ice Age at the end of the Han Dynasty. This round of climate recovery would continue until the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, and finally create two powerful empires, the Tang Dynasty and Tubo.
Su Ze also asked his uncle Li Tong, and learned that the winter in Luoyang has become shorter and shorter in recent years, and spring has come earlier and earlier.
As the temperature rose, rivers began to flow again, grass grew on the wasteland, the ecology of the grasslands outside the Great Wall began to recover, the population of nomadic tribes began to grow, and livestock began to increase.
Since the founding of the Northern Wei Dynasty, the Rouran people, who had always been used as upgrade copies and ATMs by the Northern Wei Dynasty, have become active again.
At the same time, the Six Garrisons of the Northern Wei Dynasty were in a continuous decline. After Emperor Xiaowen moved the capital to Luoyang, the Six Garrisons never achieved any significant victory in their wars against the grasslands.
As one tribe gained strength while the other lost strength, the Rouran Gaoche tribes invaded the border more and more frequently.
Gao Huan said with some worry: "The Rouran also invaded in the past, but they were able to get the Six Garrisons to send messengers to Luoyang for help. This time, there must be a lot of enemies."
Having said this, both of them fell silent.
Gao Huan looked at Su Ze again and said, "Brother Su, did you also participate in the Yulin Rebellion?"
Su Ze nodded, and Gao Huan said:
"It's said that you, the Imperial Guards, surrounded the residence of Minister Zhang Yi and beat Zhang Yi and his son Zhang Zhongyu to death. In the end, the court only executed Hou Yuan, the commander of the Caiguanying Brigade, who led the group."
Su Ze nodded. He already knew the whole process from Su Bai's "Report on the Riot in Sikong Zhang's Mansion" in the system.
Gao Huan suddenly stood up and said, "Brother Su, I am going back to Huaishuo and will not come to Luoyang again."
Su Ze had anticipated this outcome. In history, Gao Huan personally experienced the Yulin Rebellion when he was delivering a letter in Luoyang. He saw the weakness of the court, returned to the Six Garrisons, spent all his wealth to make friends with the Six Garrisons, and said to his friends:
"If we govern like this, we can predict what will happen. The world will be in chaos. Can we still keep the wealth we have left?"
As expected, Gao Huan stood up and said, "Brother Su, if the court is like this, the world will be in chaos. You must be careful in Luoyang. If things change, you can come to Liuzhen to find me!"
But Gao Huan sighed again and said, "I am just talking. If there is really a change in Luoyang, Brother Su should go to Xiurong to find Brother Liu Gui. You can't make a name for yourself in the Six Towns."
"But a doghouse is still a house. The Rouran invaded, so I still have to return to Huaishuo. Today is my farewell to Brother Su."
Su Ze was also a little sad. The wheel of history had already turned. When they met next time, they would not know what their positions were. It was not certain whether they were enemies or friends.
Gao Huan got on his horse and said, "After today's farewell, I don't know when we will meet again. Take care, Brother Su!"
Watching Gao Huan leave, Su Ze felt a little disappointed, but he didn't know that he would soon meet Gao Huan again.
-
In the next few days, Su Ze and other Yulin officers were notified to stay at home, and the atmosphere in Luoyang became tense again.
But just as Su Ze had expected, the current Northern Wei court had no way of dealing with the problem of the imperial guards.
All the high-ranking officials of the Northern Wei Dynasty, including Empress Dowager Hu, were frightened by the imperial guards.
If there is a rebellion among the hundreds of thousands of imperial guards stationed near Luoyang, there will be no army around Luoyang to suppress it!
In this situation, the court can only punish the main culprit, and it must also win over Su Ze and other imperial guards officers who are inclined towards the court. However, it is not known what kind of official position the court will be willing to give to reward Su Ze.
Soon Su Ze knew the final result of the court's decision -
Su Ze held the graceful body in his arms and listened to Princess Chenliu talking about what had happened in the court in recent days.
"Your enemy, General Hou Gang of the Left Guard, was dismissed from his post and demoted to a soldier in Qinzhou."
"Hou Gang killed his own son in front of the battle, and King Jiangyang guaranteed him, so this punishment is not too severe. Yang Dayan did not fight well in the battle of Zhongli, and was dismissed by his brother as a soldier in Yingzhou. He was re-employed a few years later."
"Don't touch me! Let's talk business! Do you want to listen?"
"The head of the main criminal Hou Yuan was hung on the gate of Luoyang City. Six other accomplices were beheaded. The whole family of the wanted criminal Mu Shaoyou disappeared. The court ordered Henan Prefecture to search for him in the capital."
"How can you be like this? I told you to stop touching me!"
"Jiangyang Prince Yuan Yi, promoted to Palace Attendant and Minister of the Chancellery, if you move again I will bite you!"
Su Ze was silent for a moment, and Princess Chen Liu continued:
"Prince of Guangyang Yuan Shen and Minister of Personnel Cui Liang are both promoted to Palace Attendants and Vice Ministers of State Affairs. Oh, be gentle!"
"Ministry of Personnel, Minister of Personnel Cui Liang, the emperor has issued a law to suspend the age limit. Ah, that is, regardless of ability, officials will be appointed according to seniority."
"Slow down!" Princess Chen Liu patted Su Ze's back, but her body cooperated and she kept saying:
"From now on, whenever there are vacancies, those who have served for a long time will be given priority, regardless of their talent or stupidity."
Su Ze threw Princess Chenliu to the ground again, buried his face in her long hair and asked:
"What about me? How will the court reward me?" Princess Chenliu turned her head and touched her nose with Su Ze's. She opened her red lips and said, "Want to know? That depends on whether you can serve me well."
Su Ze straightened his back and said, "Then I will die for the princess!"
. . .
"The court has appointed you as a lieutenant of the Imperial Guards, seventh rank. Congratulations, Su Lang. You have officially become an official in the Imperial Household."
"I have made such great contributions, but I am only given a post as a Yulin school lieutenant. Is the court just sending out beggars?"
The colonel in the Northern Wei Dynasty was different from that in the Han Dynasty. In the early Han Dynasty, the colonel was an official position higher than the two thousand stone official. However, as the number of generals of various types increased, even ordinary general titles were not enough, and they had to be given to "grand" generals. The colonel had become a grassroots military officer position.
In comparison, the Yulin Xiaowei was even inferior to the Yulin Lang, who had a lower official rank, because Yulin Lang was at least in the palace and could be by the side of the emperor and the empress dowager.
The value of military positions decreased, while the value of civil servants close to the core increased. This was the trend of historical development during the Southern and Northern Dynasties.
Another trend is that among the official positions of the imperial court that were once highly valued by civil officials, the number of military positions is increasing, and a class of military officers is gradually taking shape.
In the official system once monopolized by the aristocratic families, there was now a place for military officers from humble backgrounds.
Military power was further transferred to the hands of soldiers from commoner families. This was a historical trend that shook the foundations of the aristocratic families even more than the imperial examination system.
Liu Yu, the founding monarch of Liu Song, was the beneficiary of this change, and this Yulin rebellion also made Su Ze see the weakness of the officials in the court.
In fact, this position was exactly what Su Ze wanted, but Princess Chenliu said this on purpose.
Princess Chenliu said: "That's right, you don't have a good family background. If it weren't for this method of stopping the age limit, you would have no chance of being awarded the real rank."
"Isn't it because your Yuan family is too stingy? You should at least give me a captain position!"
"What captain? You don't even have the qualifications to be a captain."
Su Ze suddenly sat up and said, "Captain of the Imperial Consort!"
"Ah! Why are you here again!"
Luzhu looked at the shaking carriage speechlessly, worried that it would suddenly fall apart. When she returned home this time, she would definitely ask the craftsmen to reinforce the carriage.
Princess Chenliu was lying on the couch in the carriage, her eyes blurry as she said, "Oh, there is one more thing. Over the years, the border situation in the Six Garrisons has been critical, and the Rouran Gaocha have been invading. King Jiangyang wrote to the emperor, asking him to select a general from Luoyang to lead the troops to the Six Garrisons, and go out of the border with the troops from the Six Garrisons to wipe out the Rouran tribes."
"I know, you want to go to war, right?"
Su Ze looked at Princess Chenliu in surprise. He didn't expect that this woman's intuition was so accurate.
Princess Chenliu hugged Su Ze from behind and said, "Do you need me to help you operate the external speaker?"
Su Ze felt warm in his heart, and he grabbed her hand and said, "No, I have my own way."
"Let's finish what we need to do today first!"
Princess Chenliu cried out, "Come again!?"
. . .
When Su Ze was driven off the carriage, Luzhu glared at Su Ze fiercely before driving the carriage away.
Su Ze watched Princess Chenliu's carriage leave. Just as they were talking, an exclamation mark appeared on the system map. After half a month, the system finally refreshed the task again!
Where is this golden exclamation mark? This is an area that Su Ze has never been to, and it is still shrouded in fog. Su Ze sent Su Bai over to check whose mansion this area is.
At the same time, in this misty mansion, Li Daoyuan was led to the banquet hall by a maid. Seeing the cavalry general Li Chong with his coat opened to reveal his chest, Li Daoyuan respectfully stepped in and bowed, "General."
"Sir, please take your seat quickly!"
Although it was called a banquet, in fact, it was only Li Chong and Li Daoyuan drinking together. Facing Li Daoyuan's serious face, Li Chong quickly lost interest in the banquet.
He dismissed the dancers and maids, and then said, "Master, has no one ever told me that you are a spoiler?"
Li Daoyuan said, "Mr. Cui also said so."
Li Chong said, "I asked you to come here today because I want to discuss something with you. I want to conquer the north."
Li Daoyuan's expression remained unchanged. Li Chongqi asked, "Aren't you surprised, Master?"
Li Chong is not a popular candidate for this expedition against Rouran. The reason is very simple: he is too old!
Fighting in the North is completely different from fighting in the South.
To deal with the enemies on the northern grasslands, you can only use cavalry, because nomadic peoples such as the Rouran and Gaoche are coming south to rob, and are not here to engage in a decisive battle with your main force.
If you use infantry, the enemy will have already snatched the goods and run away before you can even form a battle line.
To catch up with these grassland tribes, we can only rely on cavalry.
The commander of the cavalry must personally go to the front line to command the battle, so leading the cavalry in battle is a very physically demanding task. At Li Chong's age, there is a risk of falling off the horse when riding a horse, so how can he command the battle?
It's just that the court is now short of talented people, and the generals who can lead troops to fight have either died of old age or been eliminated in the political struggle. If it were during the reign of Emperor Xiaowen, Li Chong would not even be ranked.
Even the Duke of Danyang's voice is higher than Li Chong's.
Li Chong got straight to the point and said, "I went to see Mr. Cui, and he mentioned you to me."
"I?"
Li Daoyuan shook his head and said, "I can't even see His Majesty and the Queen Mother, what use can I be?"
"No, Mr. Cui is not talking about Shan Chang, but your disciple Su Ze."
"Suze?"
"Yes, you also know how your disciples performed during the Yulin Incident, right?"
Li Daoyuan nodded. The news that the court commended Su Ze had spread. Li Daoyuan also approved of Su Ze's stance during the Night of Yulin.
Now that Su Ze has been able to enter the official career, Li Daoyuan is truly happy for this disciple.
But even if Su Ze was given an official position, he was only a seventh-rank Yulin captain. Could he really influence the appointment of the commander-in-chief of the Northern Expedition?
Li Chong said casually: "We have to give it a try to see if it can be done. Shanchang, go back and talk to your disciple. If he is willing to help me, please ask him to come to my house to meet me. I also want to meet the young man that Cui Gong praised so much."
Seeking monthly ticket
(End of this chapter)