Huang Tu's hegemony went down several times and left a page in history.
Since ancient times, the emperors of each dynasty were not the same. Some came to govern the country, some came to bring disaster to the country, some came to cultivate immortality, and some came to stir up trouble.
The late Emperor Yuan and Emperor Yuan were undoubtedly cultivators. They were forgiving and kind, but muddleheaded and incompetent. Although his son's political views were similar to his, his style was undoubtedly stormy.
Long 'an Emperor, Li Feng, never believed in' governing a country is like cooking a small fish '. He was diligent in his governance and had a tough personality. Since he ascended the throne, he changed the previous Emperor's soft style of being lazy in government affairs and energetically began his turbulent ruling career.
In the first year, he sent Marquis Gu Yun to escort Calais Yinghou back to Beijiang. At the same time, he established a new Ancient Silk Road with various parties, opening the Western Regions' trade channel.
Whether it was repairing relations with Bei Man or sending Marquis Ding to the Western Regions' front line to supervise the expansion of the Silk Road, it showed the Emperor's hatred for the increasingly strained state treasury to the world. It had the meaning of "If you, Gu Yun, can't earn back the money, you can sell yourself."
Long An Two Years, the King of Wei colluded with the Dongying people and tried to take the capital from the sea. Unexpectedly, the conspiracy was exposed. The Jiangnan navy quickly took down the leader of the pirates on the sea serpent. The King of Wei was imprisoned and later took poison to "commit suicide."
Emperor Long An used this as an opportunity to ruthlessly clean up the officialdom in Jiangnan. Eight Shi Liu officials were implicated. Among them, more than 40 were executed. After autumn, they were not all executed, but three batches. The others were punished by the palace and sent to exile, never to be employed again.
In the same year, new laws were introduced from Jiangnan. The land occupied by the gentry and landlords was strictly investigated. However, after the investigation, the land was not distributed to the common people and tenants. Instead, it was taken back by the imperial court. After the local power was collected, it returned to the central government. Long An Three Years later, every piece of land had to go through layers of examination and approval. The degree of centralization of power was not comparable to that of the Emperor Wu.
No one dared to raise any objections. Those who had objections were all from King Wei's faction. If they weren't stabbed in the back, they would be stabbed in the back.
Another two years later, Long An four years later, Li Feng began to implement the "Decree Law", which required the long-armed foresters to register at their own place and obtain a "Decree" before they could continue their work.
According to their experience and ability, the imperial court divided the long-armed masters into five classes. Every order had a seal under it, and every seal had a serial number. The holder of the order had to keep a record of what they had cultivated and done.
There were strict restrictions on what one could do at any level, and unregistered long-armed masters were strictly prohibited from accepting jobs without permission.
All armors and lighters related to military supplies are not to be touched by non-military long-armed soldiers. Those who violate this order will have their fingers cut off and sent away.
As soon as this decree came out, there was a lot of controversy in the court. But no matter how the officials argued, the Emperor and the cabinet that had been cleaned up and put on the same pants with the Emperor all said the same thing — if the Long-Armed Forefather's branch wasn't strangled to death, how could the valve of the Purple Flowing Gold be tightened?
Just as the debate over the Decree Law had yet to reach a conclusion, Li Feng threw out the next heavy thunder: "Decree Law of the Beating of the Drums", directed directly at the military.
The Daliang Dynasty originally had seven major military branches based on their different functions. They also had a commander in each of the five regions: Jiangnan, the Central Plains, the Northern Frontier, the Western Regions, and Nanjiang. During this time, the appointment and removal of military officials, military pay, provisions, armors, lighters, and so on were all coordinated by the Ministry of War. Other matters were handled by the commanders of the various military regions.
The Marquis of Stability had a Xuan Tie Tiger Tally in his hands, which could be used in emergency situations to mobilize the troops of the entire territory.
Li Feng kept the arrangements of the five regions and didn't touch the Tiger Tally in the Marquis of Stability's hands. He only set up a few military supervisors in addition to the commanders of each region. The military supervisors were directly under the Ministry of War and rotated every three years. They were only responsible for one thing, which was to ask the Ministry of War for the "Decree of the Beating of the Drums".
If the Decree of the Beating of the Drums didn't arrive and the commander dared to move the troops, it would be considered a rebellion.
Other than the Black Iron Battalion, all the garrisoned troops in the five regions had to follow this decree.
Once the Decree of the Beating of the Drums came out, the entire country was in an uproar. Who would care about the trivial matters of the long-armed soldiers among the common people?
The emperor and the civil and military officials squabbled like chickens and ducks for the New Year. On the same day, three of the five commanders wanted to retire. It was such an uproar that it alarmed the Marquis of Stability far away in the Northwest.
The Marquis of Stability didn't even have time to express his opinion on the emperor's death-seeking decree. He had already braced himself and went to various places to stabilize the morale of the troops. He patiently listened to the old generals' mourning and mourning.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Gu Yun just happened to return to the capital to report on her work. She was showered with more than fifty handkerchiefs by the young ladies and young wives on the streets. She didn't even have time to be proud. In just a few days, she had already given them all away to wipe people's tears — even diapers were spared.
Even the common people joined in the chaos. The scholars of the academies all over the country talked about almost nothing else all day long. They pulled out this decree and that decree like a rolling cart and repeatedly whipped the corpse, arguing back and forth.
The lifeless imperial court of the Yuanhe years finally gave them something to talk about.
This chaos continued for a Long An six years. The Beating of the Drums Decree still hadn't come to a conclusion. The emperor wasn't willing to rescind the decree, but for the time being, he didn't send anyone to supervise the troops. The decree hung in the air in name but not in reality. It was like a sword hanging in the air, ready to smash the head of one of the two sides at any time.
It was another cool autumn. Four years had passed since the flood dragon disaster in Jiangnan. The Prince of Wei's bones were already cold. This matter had become an expired topic of conversation, and no one brought it up again.
Next to the official road in the middle of Sichuan, there was a small wine shop called Apricot Blossom Village. It was said that the most common village in Daliang was "Apricot Blossom Village." Eight out of ten places with a shed to sell wine were called "Apricot Blossom Village."
A young man gently lifted the curtains and entered.
He wasn't more than 20 years old. He wore an old robe, dressed like a poor scholar, but his appearance was very handsome, handsome to the point of being fierce. His nose was high, his hair was like a knife, and his eyes were slightly sunken. His gaze was like a cold star, but it didn't make people feel aggressive. He had a gentle, jade-like aura. At first glance, he made people's eyes light up. After looking for a long time, people wouldn't get tired of looking at him.
The wine shop was very small. Even a big dog would have to bend down to enter. There were only two tables inside, and they were already full today.
The shopkeeper was also a waiter and an accountant. He was fiddling with an abacus with nothing to do. His gaze couldn't help but be attracted by the young man. He secretly praised him for being so handsome. He cupped his hands and said, "Sir, I'm sorry. You've come at the wrong time. There's no place to sit. There's a place to rest about five miles ahead. Would you like to go there and take a look?"
The scholar said good-naturedly, "I'm passing by and I'm a little thirsty. I'll have to trouble the shopkeeper to pour me a pot of good wine. I don't need to sit."
The shopkeeper took the wine pot. As soon as he opened the lid, the residual smell of wine surged out. "Green Bamboo Leaf. Okay."
The guest at the table next to him took the initiative to greet him. "Sir, please come here to rest. I'll make room for you."
The scholar didn't refuse and cupped his hands in thanks.
Before he could sit down, he heard someone at the table next to him say, "What's the noise about? I think His Majesty is very good. As an emperor, what's wrong with holding great power? I'm not being respectful, but is it possible that he doesn't care about anything all day long? If he's not eating vegetarian food and praying to Buddha, he's fooling around with the palace servants. Is he a good emperor? "
The scholar didn't expect that there would be people sitting in the wine shop watching the world's affairs. He looked up and saw that the speaker was an older man with his trousers rolled up. His hands were thick, and there was even a year's worth of engine oil between his fingers. It seemed that he might be a low-level long-armed engineer.
To the side, an old farmer immediately agreed. "Isn't that so? Look at the price of rice now. Since the beginning of my reign, have you seen anything cheaper?"
Seeing that he had supporters, the long-armed engineer became even more proud. He said arrogantly, "When I entered the city two days ago, I heard a group of students from the academy discussing the Dao. When it came to the drumming order, there was a young man who didn't have hair on his mouth who said that His Majesty was weakening the military strength of our Daliang's borders. What an armchair strategist, how laughable! Didn't you see the King of Wei's rebellion? These commanders are far away from His Majesty. If they have any thoughts of rebellion, not only will His Majesty's country be unstable, won't it be us common people who will be unlucky? I heard that with the Ministry of War's governance, who knows how much less military expenditure will be when the time comes. The common people won't have to bear so much tax. Isn't that a good thing? "
With these words, the people in the wine shop all nodded. The old man who had called the scholar to sit down also said, "The Marquis of Stability hasn't jumped out to object, but others have already made a fuss for him."
The scholar didn't pay much attention at first, but when he heard the words "Marquis of Stability," he subconsciously raised his head and blurted out, "What does this have to do with the Marquis of Stability?"
The old man smiled and said, "Young master, you don't understand. This time, His Majesty didn't move the Black Iron Battalion, but in reality, he took away the military power in the hands of the Marquis of Stability. Think about it, if in the future, only the drumming order can be mobilized, then what about the Xuan Tie and Tiger Tally in the hands of the Marquis of Stability? Using soldiers without the drumming order is considered treason. If the Ministry of War doesn't give the drumming order, will the five commanders listen to the Ministry of War or Marquis? "
The scholar smiled and said, "So that's how it is. This student has learned."
Finished speaking, he saw that the shopkeeper had finished ordering the wine, so he didn't want to listen to the nonsense of these villagers. He politely thanked the old man who had given him his seat, put down the money for the wine, and left.
When he left the wine shop, he saw that there was already someone waiting in the previously empty spot. The person didn't say anything and seemed a little embarrassed when he saw the poor scholar. He gave a curtsy and stood to the side like a mural.
The scholar helplessly held his forehead and thought, "He's catching up faster and faster."
This "scholar" was Changgeng. Four years ago, after he quarreled with Gu Yun, he was "escorted" back to the capital by the Black Eagle.
After rejecting many of the Emperor's rewards, Changgeng tried for half a year. Every day, he exchanged blows with the Marquis's household. In the end, he successfully escaped from the Marquis of Stability's household.
Gu Yun sent people to pursue him several times, and the two sides bitterly tugged at each other for an entire year. In the end, Gu Yun saw that the child was like a young eagle that couldn't be locked up and couldn't be held back, so he could only compromise and let him go.
However, no matter where Changgeng went, he would encounter a few Black Iron Battalion imperial bodyguards who appeared and disappeared mysteriously.
Later on, under the recommendation of the monk Liao Ran, Changgeng became a disciple of an unknown civilian expert. He followed his master and lived a life of appearing and disappearing mysteriously. He traveled all over the mountains and rivers, as well as places where no one went. For a time, he shook off the Black Iron Battalion.
However, every time he appeared near the relay station, he would be targeted again. As soon as he entered the center of Sichuan, this young soldier was waiting for him.
However, the current Changgeng was no longer the youth who didn't know what to do and was full of stubbornness. He led his horse to that person and said with an amiable expression, "It's been hard on this brother. How is my adoptive father?"
The young soldier was a little tongue-tied. He didn't expect Changgeng to come over and talk to him. He was at a loss as to what to do and replied, "Your … young master, master is doing well. He said that if the border is stable at the end of the year, he will return home to celebrate the New Year."
"Okay, then I will depart for the capital in two days." Changgeng listened and nodded. One couldn't see how happy he was, nor how reluctant he was. As he spoke, he handed over the jug of wine that he had just filled. "It's been a long journey. Brother, drink some wine to warm yourself."
No matter how ignorant the young soldier was, he knew that his sudden appearance was an eyesore. Unexpectedly, not only was Changgeng not in a hurry, he even kindly invited him to drink. For a moment, he was overwhelmed by the favor.
He didn't dare to touch the mouth of the jug with his own mouth. He trembled as he took a sip. He didn't dare to spill a single drop. He returned the jug with both hands and led Changgeng's horse.
Changgeng said, "In the spring, I actually went to the northwest once. It was just that my adoptive father was busy with military affairs, so I didn't show up to bother him. The Ancient Silk Road is really prosperous. A pile of yellow sand in the vast sea can actually become crowded. There aren't many places that are more prosperous than the Ancient Silk Road."
The young soldier looked around and saw that there was no one around. He said in a low voice, "With the Marshal in charge, the bandits have gradually disappeared in recent years. Many people have settled down at the Ancient Silk Road to do business. There are all kinds of trinkets from all over the place. The Marshal said that if Your Highness has anything that you like, he will bring it back for you when he returns to the capital in the first year."
Changgeng paused and said lightly, "It's good that he's back."
The young soldier didn't understand the meaning in his words and thought that he was just being polite. People who had been in the military for a long time didn't know how to flatter people, so they obediently kept silent.
Changgeng walked on the official road in the center of Sichuan as usual, but his chest was a little hot. He thought that parting was like water, and that once he poured a handful of water, everything would be washed away. Unexpectedly, the Gu Yun was carved on. After washing for a long time, the marks became deeper.
When he heard that Gu Yun would return to the capital at the end of the year, it was just autumn. Changgeng was shocked to find that he was already nervous. Just now, he was eager to return home and blurted out, "Prepare to return to the capital." Now, he regretted it. He wished that he could eat his words and run away to the ends of the earth.
Just as he was thinking nonsense, a thin woman with a person on her back walked toward him. The woman walked very strenuously and had to stop to rest every few steps. She was panting like an ox. She tripped over a stone on the side of the road and fell to the ground with a cry of surprise.
Changgeng immediately came back to his senses and went forward to help the two people up. "Auntie, are you alright?"
The woman walked for an unknown distance. She was so tired that she couldn't speak. Before she could open her mouth to speak, tears had already fallen.
Changgeng was stunned for a moment, but he didn't ask why she was crying. He just helped the unconscious old man on her back up and put his hand on his pulse. A moment later, he said softly, "This old man is just not in good condition all year round. The fire in his heart is too strong. He will be fine after two needles. His life won't be in danger. If you trust me, please come with me first."
The young soldier of the Black Iron Battalion didn't expect that His Highness would have medical knowledge. He hurriedly went forward to help carry the sick old man.
Changgeng let the woman get on his horse and led the way. Not long after, they arrived at a village. There was a house at the entrance of the village. It was built very elegantly and there was a string of bacon hanging at the door.
Changgeng tied up the horse with ease and directly pushed the door open to enter. He led the patient into the inner room and placed him on a small couch. He took out a box of silver needles from under the pillow and rolled up his sleeves to personally administer the needles.
The young soldier carefully asked, "Are you … staying here?"
Changgeng quickly raised his head and smiled at him. "No, this is just my friend's house …"
Before he finished speaking, he heard someone outside the house say, "Why did you come in without an invitation again?"
While speaking, a slender woman in white lifted the curtain and walked in. The young soldier's whole body tensed up and he subconsciously became nervous. He didn't even notice that the person was at the door. The other party's martial arts must be above his.
Changgeng didn't stop and didn't feel embarrassed. He only said, "Miss Chen, I thought you weren't here."
It was Chen Qingxu of the Linyuan Pavilion on the pirate ship of the East China Sea.
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