Han Zuo Gaomen

Chapter 655 Outside the Hall of Jiande
As the capital of the Zhao Kingdom, Xiangguo is one of the few majestic cities in the Northland today.

As the northern lands are all under the control of Zhao State, the scale of Xiang State's city is also becoming larger and larger, and it is no longer limited to the old city of Jianping that was built during the Yongjia period.Over the past ten years, constructions have been carried out repeatedly. Today's Xiangguo City reaches Longgang in the north and Yiling in the west. The Xiangshui River passes through the city. The city is extremely grand.

Surrounding the city is a vast fertile field, and a large number of farmhouses and manors stand by the river, all of which are the private property of the current kings and generals.There are a large number of working people in the fields, in short brown shirts or naked, leaning between the ditches in the fields, their expressions are full of numbness and bitterness.

The vast majority of these people are Jin people, and there are also miscellaneous beards of various shapes among them, all of whom were plundered from all directions, and belonged to the enslaved households of various powerful families.They are engaged in heavy labor every day, but the continuous output in this field has nothing to do with them.

The slaves of the Chinese people with their own fresh clothes and luxurious clothes separated the heads of the fields, and commanded their strong men to roam among them to supervise the workers.However, in the current world, human life is the least valuable. Those corpses that have been tortured to death are either buried directly in fertile fields, or are dragged by iron hooks to feed tigers, wolves and ferocious beasts.

Beyond the many manors, there are roads extending in all directions.These roads don't need to be repaired much. Over the past few decades, there have been frequent battles. I don't know how many iron riders have rolled on them, and they have already been trampled and compacted.

In recent years, as the situation in the North has gradually stabilized, the gathering of large groups of people is no longer as frequent as in previous years.However, there are still many people coming and going on these roads, and there are huge trucks full of goods from all over the world, which are continuously sent to the city of Xiangguo for the extravagant enjoyment of the kings and grandchildren.There are also wandering food refugees recruited or plundered by various parties, who are escorted in series with hemp ropes, and then divided up and enslaved by high-ranking people.

Just this kind of slave population, there are tens of thousands of people living around Xiangguo!They are the cornerstone and foundation to maintain the prosperous operation of this city, but this prosperity has nothing to do with them.

Although there is no lack of fertile soil in this area, there is a certain amount of output, and most of it will be included in the private treasury of each family.The only thing these people can have aspirations for is to live in such torment even if food and clothing cannot be sustained, and when they can't stand it anymore, it will be the time of death.

Further into the manor, there are several major military camps in the middle school.A large number of civilian households were settled here. They did not have to undertake farming and production, but they had to cut mountains, lay stones and make piles to build the city even stronger.

Undoubtedly, this labor was even heavier. People would die inside and outside the camp every day. Some of those corpses were burned to ashes due to the fear of breeding diseases, but most of them were dug into the ground and buried deep.But no matter how many people died, the scale of these large-scale military camps was always not small, and there were replenishments at any time.

Now Shi Le, the Lord of Zhao, has repeatedly promoted the virtue of government. In order to persuade mulberry farmers, he has opened up a large area of ​​land in the west of Xiangguo City, and even in the Teli Sangzi Garden, where hundreds of Kinki good families have been selected to live and weave.Even sometimes the emperor would visit this place in person, and bring the princes and grandchildren to plant the sangzi in person, so as to guide the good and educate the people.

But between Jitian and the city, there are several large-scale construction sites, where bright halls and high platforms are built to show the country's prestige.Some of those magnificent pavilions have been built, while others are still working hard.

The stone steps on the construction site are all dark brown, which is stained red with the blood of the artisans who were tortured by hard work.The surrounding land is so colorful, and the weeds that grow are particularly dense and strong.Every time the royal driver comes here, in order to avoid the blood stains on the corpses, they must be washed frequently with water, sprinkled with spices to cover up the blood, and covered with thick brocade, which is a magnificent and prosperous scene.

Closer to the city, there are row upon row of houses and courtyards, with little spare land.Those who can live here, in addition to the long-standing Kinki Liang family, are the well-loved Zahu tribe, or many artisan households who have passed down their skills.

Although it is still the outer edge of the city, in the eyes of those slave households who work all day long but see no hope, it is already an extremely happy paradise.

In this area, many mansion portals with high gates can already be seen.For example, Zhang Bin, the Youhou who served as a prime minister in the early years, although he died, the emperor deeply missed the old love and did not forget the merits of the Youhou Jiance. He specially built a mansion here for his family as a place to multiply, and even sent elite guards to guard it. family.

Even if there are many fierce Chinese people around who covet him, they would not dare to offend Youhou's old residence lightly at ordinary times, so his family and children can be raised in it.

The only downside is that they dare not leave the palace easily. After all, although the emperor loves them, it is not easy to use those guards who protect the palace. There must be bribes to drive them.In the early years, although Youhou made great achievements and received a lot of rewards, but now his son has lost his position, and it will inevitably be inconvenient to sit and eat.

Previously, a wife from the mansion left the mansion to worship Buddha, and then there was no news, even the soldiers accompanying the guards disappeared.Similar haze has frequently shrouded the sky over Youhou Mansion, making people uneasy.

Surrounding the Jianping old city, the scale of the building suddenly becomes grand.An ordinary mansion occupies an area of ​​more than an hectare, with high and deep doors, and a high courtyard wall to separate the inside and the outside.

Each of these mansions formed a separate domain, and they were rarely connected to each other. Trees were planted all over the walls to prevent outsiders from prying.Even if they live next door, they dare not slack off.Except for the tribe members of his own family, he seldom interacts with outsiders.Although it is within a city, it looks like independent fortress walls.

Among these mansions, there is no shortage of extra large courtyards covering an extremely large area of ​​more than ten hectares.Just from the size of the gate, it can be seen that the master is so powerful that people dare not offend easily. Even if many Chinese people who are accustomed to being aggressive in the outer city come here, they must restrain their hearts and dare not be presumptuous.

Today, the beloved names in the emperor's letter, such as the king of Pengcheng Shi Kan and the general Shi Cong, etc., although they each lead the army outside, all of them have family members in the mansion here.

Xiangshui passes through the city, and there are many palaces and towers on both sides of the river. The clan kings have their own gardens and villas here. Even if they are not there, they still have a lot of slaves and soldiers inside, taking bribes and goods, and accumulating fertilizer.In the vicinity, there are many barn armories, hoarding a large amount of goods for civilian needs and military use.

This is the real core of the city. In recent years, the emperor has not lacked in benevolent government. He has built various schools. He also selected the Xiangwang family under the command of Duomu from among the Jin people to live in Chongrenli near the left. Unruly people invaded their lives, and many famous people from Shandong, Hebei, and Hedong lived here.

On the opposite side of the river is the palace. The tall and majestic Jiande Palace has buildings and halls that undulate like mountains, which makes people dare not look straight.There are Yongfeng City and Yongchang City on the left and right, both of which are small cities independent of the city pool, and each has heavy troops to guard the palace.

Going further north is where the guards of the forbidden army are located. There are tens of thousands of soldiers and many horses on standby.

Autumn is crisp and clear, the period of the court meeting.Between the Zhengyang Gate and Qianqian Gate of Miyagi, there are mighty imperial guards standing in a row, looking at the road, horseshoes sounding one after another, and a large number of well-armored generals dismounted here.Those who have made outstanding achievements and enjoyed great honors walked to the front of the Jiande Hall under the guard of the left and right soldiers, and then stood silently, waiting for the announcement.

On the other side of the palace is the place where nearly a hundred officials from Taiwan Province are waiting for an edict.Compared with the strong and powerful people on the opposite side, the momentum here is a little weaker.

Officials are also meticulous in their uniforms and crowns, and there are many servants around them, but their momentum is a little weaker. They look left and right, or hang their heads in silence, or talk in a low voice with acquaintances, but they dare not look directly at the opposite side. Those titans either looked at them with disdain or teasing.

Among these officials, the most important one is Cheng Ya, the doctor of You Guanglu. Cheng Xia has a thin complexion, three long beards, and a crown and belt. Outstanding style.At this time, there were many officials from Taiwan Province surrounding him. Although they didn't have much communication with each other, they already showed a tacit understanding in their positions.

Zhongshu Ling Xu Guang, who was closest to Cheng Ya, was a middle-aged man with a round face and a slightly plump figure. He whispered: "Today's court meeting, the King of Zhongshan was absent again for no reason. I have been a minister so far, and there is no rule of courtesy for the emperor. There is really no respect for the minister!"

Hearing this, Cheng Xia subconsciously raised his head to look at the opposite side, and then found that there were many eyes on the other side, each with ferocity and gimmick contempt.His thin cheeks couldn't help trembling, his slightly narrowed eyes were also cold, and there was an undetectable cold snort from his nose.

"My lord has been restrained a little in recent years, and things have become more and more slow. There are so many vicious ones, it's not a good attitude."

Xu Guang glanced at Cheng Yan again with a worried expression, and whispered.These people are used as counselors. Although they are now in high positions and in charge of the forbidden areas of Taiwan Province, it does not mean that they can sit back and relax.

A few years ago, the tragedy of Chengya's family was brutalized by the king of Zhongshan, and his wife and concubines were all abused. It can be described as an unprecedented and appalling atrocity!Being ministers to each other, even if there is no lack of gloating and misfortune, but what I think about is that I still feel sorry for each other when I am sick.Those arrogant soldiers relied on their bravery, and they didn't pay attention to them, the high-ranking officials of Taiwan Province.

It's ridiculous that the lord still thinks that those violent thugs are usable people. You must know that these high-ranking officials in Taiwan and the province represent the majesty of the lord, and they are even humiliated and bullied!In other words, these giants don't care about the majesty of the Lord at all.Such a chaotic omen, how could it be a blessing for the country!

When Cheng Xia heard this, his eyes flickered, and he realized that there were not many people looking at him near him, so he sighed and whispered: "The lord is old..."

As he said that, he turned his gaze over the majestic hall to the east, which was the place where the Crown Prince's uterus was located.

Being humiliated by King Zhongshan Shihu like that, but the Lord failed to punish King Zhongshan severely to seek justice and face for him. If there is no resentment in his heart, how could it be possible!But Cheng Xia also understood that in the eyes of the lord, the group of subordinates who followed him when they were young, no matter how many suggestions they made and how they showed loyalty, they were just outsiders and would never be drawn as confidantes.

For example, You Hou Zhang Bin, who died in the early years, the Lord had unparalleled trust in him, with a benevolent attitude, but in fact, he was both useful and defensive, and at the same time acquiesced in suppressing Zhang Bin.In the final analysis, the Jie tribe has few people, so they defend more with less. In the Lord's mind, how to guard against Jin people's counterattack is the top priority!

If there was any idea of ​​being loyal to the king and serving the country in order to gain fame and fame before, then after Shi Hu's torture a few years ago, no matter how many unrealistic dreams he had, Cheng Xia's heart for the king has long been chilled .So he also gradually understood in his heart that no matter how benevolent the lord is on the surface, they, the courtiers who were born in Jin, will never get the chance to take charge of the current situation!
The hope lies only in the crown prince, only the crown prince can take charge of the country in the future, these people will have real dignity and opportunities!

In fact, Cheng Ya is not the only one who thinks this way now, and many courtiers gathered around him, in fact, more or less have this kind of understanding.It's no secret that the king is benevolent outside and taboo inside.And the benevolent and enlightened crown prince is their only hope to stand up to the court!

As the uncle of the crown prince's mother's family, Cheng Xia has a natural advantage in status, and is naturally widely respected and supported by courtiers.But this identity is not all good for Cheng Xia.

The lord has been alienated from him in recent years, and he probably has been wary of him in his heart as Jin Zhun, who caused troubles in the Han and Zhao dynasties.Not only did he not let him get too close to the prince to exert influence, but he also specially promoted Yan Zhen, the permanent servant, to be in charge of supervising the prince.Earlier, the crown prince had gifted him hundreds of personal guards to protect his family, but soon after, he was strictly reprimanded by the lord not to give or receive the guards privately, and ordered them to be returned.

Moreover, in recent years, the Lord has consciously promoted some Wangzong sects in the North, not only to stabilize the internal governance, but also to carve up the ruling power of Cheng Ya and others.Those noble families had many negative reputations, and their local prestige was extremely high, which was far from comparable to that of Cheng Xia's humble background.

It is conceivable that even if the crown prince succeeds to the throne in the future, Cheng Xia will never think of surpassing those people to win the imperial court.Among them, the most outstanding one is the Guo family in Taiyuan. The Guo family was already well-known in the Jin Dynasty and the Zhong Dynasty. Similar to the famous Chinese and Korean scholars Peixiu in Hedong and Jia Chong in Pingyang, they all married the Guo family.

And when he was the master of Shangwei, he was also a guest of the Guo family and received a lot of attention.Now the Guo family has Guo Yin as the Minister of Taiwan Province in the court, and Guo Quan and others as the commander of the army outside the court, the momentum can be described as extremely great.

Before, there was the hostility of Zhongshan Wang Shihu and other powerful generals, and later, Taiyuan Guo family and other Wangzong pressed every step of the way. Even though he was the uncle of the crown prince, Cheng Xia was also in a difficult situation.Not to mention that the crown prince has not taken power yet, even if he has already won the throne, Cheng Xia can't imagine that he can turn the situation around immediately.

The situation seemed to be in jeopardy, but Cheng Xia also knew that he still had something to use, and the Lord wanted to use them to contain King Zhongshan, so it was not time to give up.For example, the king of Zhongshan was moved away from Yecheng earlier, and Xiangguo was detained, and the crown prince was allowed to take power in Yecheng.It is not convenient for the master to do these things in person, and a few villains are needed to block the mouth.

So Cheng Xia also kept his mission in mind, and Xu Guang frequently spoke to the Lord to be careful of King Zhongshan. Although it had no effect, it was also a statement that they would never submit to King Zhongshan's despotic power!
Fortunately, Zhongshan King is not without opponents. Shi Sheng who guards Guanzhong, Shi Lang who guards Luoyang, Shi Cong from Henan, and Shi Kan from Xuzhou all have a lot of resentment towards King Zhongshan.Although these people also spoke sincerely to Cheng Xia, they were unwilling to see Zhongshan Wang's family dominate, so it could be said that there was a possibility of unity.

Today's court meeting, the topic should be the affairs of Yuzhou.Last year, taking advantage of the turmoil in Wu, the lord ordered Shi Cong and others to send troops to defeat Shouchun in one fell swoop and wipe out the old enemies of the Zu family.Although it did not follow the trend to continue southward and take all of Yuzhou into the country, there were also many dispatches and operations.

But I didn't expect the southern bandits to be so bold and impatient, and the new chaos will be settled, so they sent troops to the north again, starting the war lightly.What's even more exaggerated is that Huang Quan, who was guarding Hefei, was so useless that he was wiped out in the south by the southern thieves!

It is not worth mentioning that the loss of land is not worth mentioning in this case, but it is really an unacceptable stain on the national fortune that is trending today!So after the lord got the reward, he was also furious. Today, he summoned civil servants and generals at home and abroad to discuss how to deal with it and get back this shame!

Regarding this, Cheng Xia was not lacking in anxiety, after all, Huang Quan used it because of his recommendation.Although the intention was to weaken King Zhongshan's wings, he did not expect that Huang Quan, who is known as a good fighter, lost so ugly.Therefore, Cheng Xia was also prepared to bear the blame later, especially the ridicule and embarrassment from King Zhongshan.

King Zhongshan did not attend today, Cheng Xia breathed a sigh of relief.That lunatic did things unscrupulously, which cannot be judged by common sense. Huang Quan died in Nantu, and he will definitely take revenge on himself for this account.

However, what a colleague said next made Cheng Xia mention it again in one breath: "A few days ago, a group of people from the south galloped into the city and entered the mansion of King Zhongshan. It is said that they are the messengers sent by Huang Quan..."

Hearing this, Cheng Xia couldn't remain calm.Hefei is so far away from Xiangguo that the battle reports are not detailed.There are many doubts about Huang Quan's defeat, and there may be some inside information that was not mentioned in the battle report.And Cheng Xia really didn't have any effective sources of information outside, so it was difficult to get any detailed information.

Before Huang Quan was about to fall, he sent envoys to see King Zhongshan. What's the inside story?Or, could the king of Zhongshan have plans in southern Henan?
Because he has too little strength to rely on, Cheng Xia can't help but think a lot about anything unusual, and dare not slack off.Even if there is no inside information about this matter, he still signaled people to step up their inquiries in this regard.Regardless of whether King Zhongshan has any plans to go south, it is always good to be prepared.

Many courtiers gathered outside the Jiande Hall for a long time, but they couldn't be summoned for a long time, so there was unavoidable commotion.It was only when the sun was three poles high that a tall figure came out of the hall and said to everyone: "My lord feels a little unwell today, let's let it go for another day. Please return to the temple to take precautions, and we will discuss it in the next day."

Hearing this, everyone's discussion inevitably became louder.The civil servants were fine, but they were a little surprised or worried about the emperor's holy body, while the military generals pointed at the man who announced the decree and cursed a few words. Don't be favored by the titans.

Cheng Xia and Xu Guang looked at each other, also full of doubts, not sure if the Lord was really uncomfortable or had other plans.But having said that, since the beginning of this year, the lord has made many strikes against the imperial court, and they did not dare to peek at the forbidden defenses, but they just feel in their hearts that the lord is indeed not lacking in ambition, which is far from the previous efforts to govern.

Everyone retreated separately, when Cheng Xia was boarding the car outside the Yongfeng Gate, an official next to him suddenly walked up and said with a flattering smile, "Guanglu, please stay a little longer, a stranger from my village recently settled down, He is a figure of the teacher of the Southern Heavenly Master Taoism, who came to the north because of the chaos in the southern land. He has many supernatural powers, and he is especially good at rejuvenating the elixir of rejuvenation. The servant sees the essence and does not dare to use it for himself. Introduce Gaoshi to Guanglu."

Cheng Ya was full of thoughts at this time, after hearing the words, he just waved his hands and said: "Remember it, wait until you have time."

　Waiting for a long time, a big chapter to write about the situation of Jiehu. . .Sorry, I'm sorry, the state has fluctuated slightly as the year approaches. . .

　　
　
(End of this chapter)