Chapter 119 Six Towns (4k)
After Erzhu Rong entered Luoyang, what happened next had nothing to do with Su Ze.
In addition to bringing a thousand war horses, Erzhu Rong also brought a large number of high-quality precious horses to give to the powerful officials in Luoyang. Even Princess Chenliu received four pure-color BMWs.
Princess Chenliu lay on the carriage, and said weakly, "The four horses are given to you as a reward."
Su Ze came up and said, "Your Highness, isn't this earned by me?"
Princess Chenliu rolled her eyes and said, "How can there be such a lawless minister as you? You usually don't come to the Princess's Palace to pay respects, but when you heard that I just got a precious horse, you came here to smell the scent, and even mentioned such a shameless bet."
"That was also earned by me."
Seeing Su Ze's shameless look, Princess Chen Liu sat up and said, "There is another big deal. Do you want to earn it?"
Just as Princess Chenliu finished speaking, Su Ze suddenly received a system notification sound. He secretly opened the system and found that a big exclamation mark appeared at his location.
Another mission?
Su Ze didn't expect to have an unexpected gain when he came to see Princess Chenliu today! Could it be that he was really a cheat for the woman in front of him?
That’s not right. Li Chong has also given himself tasks. It’s okay to be a plug-in for a pretty princess, but you can’t be a plug-in for an old man, right?
Su Ze also summarized some rules of system tasks. In short, the tasks issued by the system are all important events that can affect the course of history, or the so-called "historical nodes."
Apart from the first novice mission of Gao Huan selling his horse, the events such as the Golden Lotus assassination, the defeat of the Rouran King's conspiracy, and the recommendation of Li Chong to lead the army into battle were all able to influence the course of history.
Even the first mission allowed Su Ze to get acquainted with Gao Huan, the future Emperor Shenwu of Northern Qi, which also connected him to a key historical figure.
Princess Chenliu's commission this time will definitely be a task that will have an impact on history.
As expected, Princess Chenliu said, "The court wants to escort the Rouran King back north to restore his position as Khan. Don't you have a grudge against the Rouran King?"
Sure enough.
Anagui, the King of Rouran, was a historical figure who was active until the death of Gao Huan. Although there are not many records about him in history books, he participated in several important historical events.
Su Ze framed Anagui for the selection of King Qinghe to join the court, but the powerful historical inertia still pulled history back to its original track, and the court still decided to escort Anagui back to the grassland.
In fact, even without Princess Chenliu saying anything, Su Ze was ready to find an opportunity to strike on the road. He had framed the other party and offended him badly. If he really allowed Anagui to rise again, wouldn't he be creating a strong enemy for himself?
Moreover, Anagui is a typical tyrant, and releasing him back to the grassland will cause endless troubles.
[Do you accept the mission - The End of the Grassland Warlord, and wait for an opportunity to assassinate the Rurun King Anagui on the way north? ]
Su Ze accepted the task without hesitation, but he said to Princess Chen Liu:
"Then what reward does Your Highness have for me?"
"The court prepared a rich dowry for Princess Shouyang, which included various gold and jade ornaments, brocade mattresses, as well as Buddhist scriptures, Taoist books, divination methods, classics, construction techniques, and medical books and prescriptions totaling one hundred volumes."
Hearing this, Su Ze's eyes turned red.
This Empress Dowager Hu is really so heartless that her own son sells her father's land!
Gold, silver and jewelry are fine, but these books are the most important rules and regulations of the country. If you give them to the Rouran people like this, it will be a shame for the Great Wei court if they don’t rise up!
Now there is one more reason why Anagui cannot return to the grassland.
When Princess Chenliu saw that Su Ze did not agree but did not refuse, she knew that he was moved. She knew Su Ze's character very well and knew that he would not let Anagui go on the road.
But whether the plan can succeed depends on the fate of my cousin Princess Shouyang.
Su Ze's hands were dishonestly wrapped around Princess Chenliu's delicate body again. He leaned close to her ear and asked, "Your Highness, are the dowries of our Wei princesses so generous?"
Princess Chenliu was tickled by Su Ze, but she couldn't break free from his embrace. She tilted her face and squinted her eyes and said:
"That depends on who you marry."
"Ok?"
"The Book of Rites says: 'The betrothal gift for a duke is seven intermediaries, for a marquis or earl five intermediaries, and for a viscount or baron three intermediaries, so as to distinguish between noble and humble.'"
Su Ze immediately understood what Princess Chenliu meant. The original text of this sentence was about the betrothal gifts offered by small vassal states to their overlords during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, but Princess Chenliu extended it to refer to the dowry prepared for the princess.
To put it bluntly, if she is still useful and powerful, the royal family will not only marry her to you readily, but also give her a generous dowry.
As for those of humble status, the court could not offer any good dowries.
The reason why Princess Shouyang was given a generous dowry was not because Empress Dowager Hu loved her, but because Anagui was currently very useful to the Northern Wei Dynasty.
"I see. It seems I have to work harder to earn a large dowry for Your Highness!"
"Hey! Did you try too hard today?"
. . .
When the lovemaking ended, Su Ze held Princess Chen Liu in his arms and started chatting. When he heard Su Ze talking about the women in Er Zhu Rong's army, Princess Chen Liu smiled and said, "Do you think that's General Er Zhu's daughter?"
"Isn't it?"
"How long has Erzhu Rong been married? That should be my cousin, Princess Beixiang."
Su Ze was stunned for a moment. The records of characters' ages in the history books of the Northern Wei Dynasty were often not very accurate, and Su Ze had not calculated how old Erzhu Rong was now.
Princess Chenliu said: "Erzhu Rong has only inherited his father's title for a short time, and has only been crowned for five years. How could he have such a big daughter?"
The Northern Wei Dynasty crowned the emperor at the age of 21, which means Erzhu Rong is only 26 years old now. Su Ze recalled how Erzhu Rong dressed that day, and it turned out that he deliberately dressed to look mature. In the historical timeline before Su Ze traveled through time, Erzhu Rong was only 38 years old when he died. Moreover, the Erzhu family itself has a longevity gene, and there was a centenarian who lived to the age of 91 in their ancestors. It is no wonder that many historians believe that if Erzhu Rong had not died unexpectedly, history might have taken a completely different path.
Gao Huan is now 23 years old, and Su Ze is the same age as Gao Huan. Anyone facing such a competitor would feel a lot of pressure.
Princess Chenliu said, "By the way, King Jiangyang is planning to hold a hunting event in the southern suburbs to encourage General Li to go to war. You should also participate, right?"
"I heard that Erzhu Rong is also a good hunter. You will be able to meet him then."
At this point, Princess Chenliu thought of the approaching date for Su Ze to go to war, and leaned into his arms and said, "I really don't want you to leave."
How could Su Ze sit idly by when faced with Princess Chenliu's rare tenderness? He hugged Princess Chenliu's waist and said, "Then let me be loyal to Your Highness once more."
"call!"
-
When an army goes out to war, it is natural to prepare money and food supplies, and the food and fodder must be sent before the troops move.
Li Chong also had to select elite soldiers in Luoyang and re-train them. Gao Huan, who had bid farewell to Su Ze, rode his horse at full speed to the Six Garrisons after receiving the news that his hometown Huaishuo had been attacked and looted by the Rouran people.
Gao Huan was an excellent horseman. He rode a fast and light horse and it took him only ten days to reach Jinyang (Taiyuan) from Luoyang. He then rode north without stopping and arrived at Pingcheng, the old capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty.
After arriving in Pingcheng, the surrounding situation suddenly became tense, and news of small groups of Rouran cavalry appearing outside the city came from time to time.
At this time, Gao Huan did not dare to return north alone. He could only stay in Pingcheng to inquire about the situation and then find reliable companions to form a group to return to Huaishuo Town.
Pingcheng was the birthplace of the Northern Wei Dynasty. Its political status declined after the capital was moved to Luoyang, but its position as a key military hub in the north remained solid.
Pingcheng and the six towns further north formed the core of the entire Northern Wei Dynasty's northern strategy. Pingcheng was a hub for money, grain, military and horses, and the six towns were distributed on the northern defense line, guarding the important passage to the south from the grassland.
The appearance of Rouran people near Pingcheng showed that the situation in the Six Garrisons was not optimistic. Gao Huan missed his wife and children in Huaishuo and was even more eager to return home.
While Gao Huan was staying in Pingcheng for supplies, he unexpectedly met an acquaintance.
"Zi Ru?"
This was a young man who was a few years older than Gao Huan. He was also exhausted from the journey. When he saw Gao Huan, he said in surprise, "He Liuhun! Are you back north?"
This young man is also a good friend of Gao Huan, Sima Ziru, the current governor of Huaishuo Town.
A Shengshi is a minor official who assists in handling government affairs. Sima Ziru's ancestors were princes of the Jin Dynasty. Later, they moved to Yunzhong because of the war in the Central Plains. His father and grandfather both served in the court of the Northern Wei Dynasty, and his father once served as an official at the level of prefect.
But now Sima Ziru's family has lost power, and he can only serve as a clerk in Huaishuo Town, assisting the Huaishuo Town General in handling some official documents.
Gao Huan stepped forward and grabbed Sima Ziru and asked, "How is Huaishuo?"
Speaking of Huaishuo, Sima Ziru sighed repeatedly. He pulled Gao Huan to the side of the road and said:
"Not so good. Huaishuo is surrounded by Rouran people everywhere. The town commander sent me to Pingcheng to ask for help and food, but I can't even enter the station now. I can only wait for news at the post house."
When Emperor Xiaowen moved the capital to Luoyang, he set up a Liutai in the old capital Pingcheng to handle affairs near Pingcheng. Over time, the Pingcheng Liutai became the coordinating department of the entire northern border defense. When the Huaishuo Town General requested soldiers and food, he naturally had to send people to the Pingcheng Liutai to ask for it.
But now Sima Ziru didn't even enter the door of the Liutai. Gao Huan had experienced a baptism in Luoyang and understood the tricks, but he still clenched his fists and said:
"Since last year, Pingcheng Liutai has been constantly withholding the grain shipped to the town granary. That's our own grain, so why are you not going to give it to us?"
Sima Ziru shook his head and said, "The governor in Taiwan told me that the court has sent General Li Chong to lead troops north, so the grain in the Pingcheng granary is reserved for General Li."
Gao Huan had seen the level of the Luoyang Imperial Guards, and he had no confidence in these troops going north to fight against the Rouran people.
He couldn't help but say: "As long as the court is willing to provide money and food, our Huaishuo Town can beat the Rouran people back!"
Sima Ziru also shook his head. The Six Garrisons were not weak, but on the contrary, they were too strong, so they were feared by the court. Moreover, since Emperor Xiaowen moved the capital to Luoyang, and experienced several southern expeditions by Emperor Xuanwu, the status of the Six Garrisons in the court became lower and lower, and it was so weak that no important officials spoke for them.
Even Li Chong, who attached the most importance to the Six Garrisons issue, was still worried about the problem of the Six Garrisons border defense system.
Only the people of the Six Garrisons understood the difficulties of the Six Garrisons. Sima Ziru calmed down and said, "In all previous expeditions, the imperial army must be the main force. This has been the rule since the establishment of the Six Garrisons. We can only wait for General Li's army to move north quickly, and then we will work with them to deal with the Rouran people!"
Gao Huan clenched his fists, but the reality was indeed like this. He said, "Brother Ziru, it's useless to stay in Pingcheng. Let's go back to Huaishuo!"
-
As Li Chong's acting military officer, Yu Jin has been very busy these days. He got a complete set of northern border maps from the Taiwei Mansion, found the archives of the Northern Wei's northern expeditions, and found the envoys who traveled between Luoyang and the grassland in the Siyi Hall to inquire about the situation in the north.
Su Ze drooled as he looked at the information and took the initiative to help Yu Jin sort it out. Among them, the topographic maps of the northern border and the information on past expeditions were the most valuable. These were equivalent to the perfect answers given by his predecessor and were of great reference value for this expedition.
But the more he read, the more confused Yu Jin became. He closed a roll of information and said:
"Brother Su, the Six Towns are quite powerful, so why are they always robbed by the Rouran people?"
After reading the information, the two learned that the Rouran people had started their invasions several years ago, but at first they only looted near the Six Garrisons, so the military intelligence reported by the Six Garrisons was suppressed by the court. After looting, the Rouran people retreated back to the grassland, so they did not cause any waves in the court.
This time the main reason was that the Rouran people made too much noise. They crossed the Six Garrisons and harassed the vicinity of Pingcheng. Pingcheng was the old capital of Longxing in the Northern Wei Dynasty. The governor of Pingcheng could no longer pretend to be dead and could only ask for help from the court.
Before reading this information, Su Ze actually had these doubts.
Su Ze, who knew the development of history, was well aware of the power of the Six Garrisons Uprising, a major uprising that swept across the entire north. Moreover, in the future when Gao Huan's Northern Qi and Western Wei fought for hegemony, most of their main forces were soldiers from the Six Garrisons.
The soldiers of the Six Garrisons are definitely not without combat effectiveness. On the contrary, they are the best source of soldiers of this era!
Su Ze was very clear that the two groups that would influence the situation in the Central Plains in the future, the Wuchuan and Huaishuo groups, had produced powerful generals who had influenced this land for several centuries. The Guanlong military group of the Sui and Tang dynasties were their descendants.
This is also the reason why Su Ze must go to the Six Garrisons. He is not as wealthy as Erzhu Rong, nor is he a native of the Six Garrisons like Gao Huan and Yuwen Tai. If he does not make his presence felt now, how will he recruit these powerful generals when the Six Garrisons are really in chaos in the future?
The history books record the invasion of Rouran and the uprising of Six Garrisons, but no history book explains clearly why the Six Garrisons troops, which were able to overthrow the entire Northern Wei Dynasty, were defeated everywhere when facing a mere invasion of Rouran. Were the Rouran people really stronger than the Six Garrisons?
Of course that is impossible. The Rouran people can be said to be the worst grassland overlord. When the Northern Wei Dynasty was founded, they would target and beat the Rouran whenever they had the chance, and they beat them so hard that they fled to the north of the Yin Mountains.
Moreover, the Rouran are now divided internally and do not even have a unified organization.
After reading this information, Su Ze finally understood why the Six Garrisons were always at a disadvantage when facing the raids of the Rouran people.
Yu Jin raised his head and looked at Su Ze. He was accustomed to getting answers from Su Ze.
(End of this chapter)