Great Han Arrow God

Chapter 524
In the middle of the night, the Chengming Palace was brightly lit. Dozens of bronze palace lanterns were burning silently. Occasionally, a lantern flower would burst out and make a soft noise, but it could not attract the attention of the people in the palace.Guo Sheren and two young eunuchs stood quietly aside, paying attention to the oil in the lamp, so as not to affect the emperor's smooth conversation.

The emperor and Meigao sat opposite each other, with only a royal case between them.The large imperial case is full of documents written in sheepskin and silk, exuding a strange smell, and the smell of fishy smell is everywhere in the solemn hall, but the emperor is unaware that the world he is depicted by these documents attracted.

This is not the first time that the emperor has learned about the situation in the Western Regions, but it is the first time in history that he has purposely explored the Western Regions.Including Liang Xiao's trip to the Western Regions, the preparations were not sufficient, and the information he obtained was mainly based on what he heard and seen. However, Meigao's envoy to Qiang brought along clerks who were good at drawing. The data obtained are recorded one by one, which is naturally more accurate than Liang Xiao's visual inspection.

"There are many jades in the Western Regions. Most of the jade used in the Central Plains comes from the Khotan countries under the snow-capped mountains. There are two rivers there, one is Baiyu River and the other is Moyu River. Every spring and summer, the earth warms up and the snow melts. The jade material can be washed into the river for more than a hundred miles. In autumn and winter, when the water is shallow, the common people go to the river beach to look for jade, which is commonly known as picking up treasures. Merchants are waiting nearby early, and whenever there is high-quality jade material, they will buy it immediately. "

"What's the price?"

"It depends on the size and texture of the jade material. However, compared to the price of jade in the Central Plains, it is only [-]% at most."

"[-]%?" The emperor was surprised. "That much difference?"

"Your Majesty, most of the jade materials picked up in the river are raw materials. It is still unknown whether we can get exquisite jade from them. Moreover, it is thousands of miles away to transport stones from the Western Regions to the Central Plains, and they have to pass through the territory of the Qiang or Huns. , there is always the danger of being robbed or even killed. If there is no ten times the benefits, who is willing to take this risk?"

The emperor nodded slightly, and pondered again: "In this way, I only use jade in the Central Plains, and a lot of money spent every year goes into the pockets of the Huns and Qiang people? And the jade wares we use to worship the heaven, earth, mountains and rivers Many have been impregnated by these barbarians?"

"exactly."

The emperor frowned.For the Central Plains Dynasty, jade was too important.Jade is used for offering sacrifices to the gods of heaven, earth, mountains and rivers, for the emperor's seal, for the clothing of monarchs and ministers, and jade is inseparable from the life of nobles.Jade is already close to a fetish. There are five virtues, seven virtues, and nine virtues, but in general, they are all gods with divinity.If these things were touched by the Huns and Qiang people, what divinity is there?

Mei Gao sighed lightly. "Not only jade, but all the goods transported to the Western Regions may be robbed by the Huns. The reason why the Huns value the Western Regions is because this trade route can bring them a steady stream of wealth. They started from this trade route. It is really abominable to rob property and then attack our country's borders."

"The Huns... how are you doing?" The emperor suddenly felt a strong anxiety.

"After two or three years of recuperation, the Xiongnu in the west are now gradually recovering, and their forces invaded the south again. The trade routes on the grasslands have been controlled by them again, and now merchants can only take the Qiangzhong, via the West Sea."

"How about the situation in the Western Regions? Are Li Shuyun and Li Danghu safe?"

Mei Gao frowned slightly and shook his head. "Not very good. Li Danghu is in Cheshi, and Li Shuyun is in Daban. They are the key points in the Western Regions. If the Huns want to regain the Western Regions, they must take these two places. During June and July, I was investigating in the south of the desert. , Li Danghu sent a message to his ministers, saying that the Huns gathered heavy troops and intended to invade the south. They were afraid that the countries in the Western Regions would be weak and would not be able to cope. Please report back to the court and send troops to support. Your Majesty, is the war in the northern border... going well?"

The emperor was at a loss for words for a moment, not knowing how to answer.Before Meigao's envoy, Liang Xiao once made a strategy to take the Henan land first, and then took advantage of the victory to take the Hexi Corridor in one fell swoop to communicate with the Western Regions.Now that the land in Henan was taken, he was afraid that Liang Xiaowei would be too big to lose, so he kept him in cold storage, and now he is arranged to go to South Vietnam.The plan to send troops to Hexi naturally came to naught.

Now comes the trouble.The Huns got a respite and took control of Hexi again. Li Danghu, Li Shuyun and others who were far away in the Western Regions were about to face the onslaught of the Huns who had regained their vitality.They are eager for the imperial court to send reinforcements, but they don't know how difficult the imperial court is facing now.

Seeing the embarrassment on the emperor's face, Mei Gao didn't know what happened.He thought that the war in northern Xinjiang was not going well, and he suffered setbacks, so his eyes became more anxious.

"Your Majesty, such things as fighting are indeed risky, but..."

The emperor waved his hand.He understood what Mei Gao meant.But Mei Gao obviously misunderstood.

"The war in northern Xinjiang is going well. We have regained Henan and controlled Yinshan. The Huns have been expelled to the north of Yinshan. However, something happened in the southeast. The imperial court sent Wei Qing and Liang Xiao to Jiangnan."

Mei Gao heaved a sigh of relief, and then asked in confusion: "What kind of major incident happened in Nanyue that Wei Qing and Liang Xiao need to deal with?"

The emperor was speechless.Not only Wei Qing, Liang Xiao, but also Han Anguo and Wang Hui, and now even Marquis Cao Shou of Pingyang has been sent there, and most of the elite that the court can mobilize have been dispatched.But when I think about it, what a big deal, is it worth mobilizing so many teachers?In fact, speaking of it, it's all caused by eagerness for quick success. If Liang Xiao's plan is used to build a ship in two to three years and attack from the sea, it won't be such a laborious effort at all.

After tossing for more than half a year, in the end it was necessary to call Huainan's navy to attack from the sea.

The emperor suddenly asked, "Young Ru, what kind of person do you think Liang Xiao is?"

Mei Gao was puzzled, this question was too abrupt and difficult to answer.

Seeing Mei Gao's hesitation, the emperor smiled again: "You don't have to think too much, I just want to ask your opinion. Liang Xiao is a young man who is very expensive. Some people in Chang'an envy him, and some people are jealous of him, saying that he is unruly and difficult to deal with. Get along. You have worked with Liang Xiao for a while, what do you think of him?"

Mei Gao was relieved and smiled slightly: "Your Majesty, Liang Xiao is actually a very simple person. Although he stands tall and sees far, he is not much smarter than others. It is just that he sees things from a different angle. If we must say that he is different from others What's the difference? Although he stands tall and looks far away, he doesn't talk about empty talk, but is down-to-earth and likes to demonstrate. He often said that not only must bold assumptions be made, but also careful verification. Only in this way can we gain true knowledge and achieve great success .”

"Boldly imagine, carefully verify?" the emperor repeated to himself, his eyes flickering.

"Yes, if you don't dare to make bold assumptions, you will stand still. If you are not careful to verify, you will become delusional."

"Interesting, interesting." The emperor laughed silently. "This is indeed like his style. It looks bold, but it is cautious in nature, think twice and act step by step. Some ideas seem to be unconstrained, but they are meticulous in verification. They must be based on the established formula and implemented."

Mei Gao laughed.

-

The Chen sisters each gave birth to a boy, and the emperor had two sons at once, and he was in a good mood.Empress Chen knew the emperor's mind best, so she took the initiative to invite Ying, and arranged for the Chen sisters to be taken care of in Jiaofang Hall.

In this way, not only did the Son of Heaven come to Jiaofang Hall to see his son every now and then, but the ladies who received the news also rushed to Jiaofang Hall to congratulate. The Chen sisters who gave birth to a child are even more beautiful.

Princess Guantao was very satisfied with this, and often brought the mothers of the Chen sisters into the palace to visit.

More than ten days later, Liu Ling also entered the palace to congratulate.Knowing that Liu Ling was coming, Empress Chen didn't dare to neglect, she greeted her outside the hall in person, walked down the steps, and laughed like a flower from afar. "My lord, why do you need to do this? Just send someone to tell you. It's not convenient for you in your body."

Liu Ling supported Alpha with one hand, and put his other hand on his waist, a little out of breath. "It's inconvenient, but fortunately, it's not far away. If you don't come, it's always rude. Among these two children, there is likely to be a future prince, so you can't neglect it."

Empress Chen was happy, with a smile on her face, she stroked Liu Ling's arm with her own hands, and led Liu Ling into the palace. "You came back from Maoling?"

"Yeah, Mrs. Li gave birth, and the family was too busy, so my mother took me back. I'm going to be here soon. It's not convenient to live outside the city. Besides, Deng Guobin and the others have gone to Huainan to build ships. There is nothing serious about Maoling. I am useless there."

Empress Chen smiled. "Your Majesty has done a great job this time. With the assistance of Deng Guobin and others, the Huainan navy refitted the building boats. Now Pingyanghou led [-] sailors to go out and should have arrived in Minyue. Once the war is over, the champion should Coming back soon."

"That's great." Liu Ling clapped his hands and smiled, but then felt a little regretful. "Speaking of which, my husband already has three children, and the eldest daughter can call someone. But when none of the children were born, he was at home. I am about to give birth, but he is far away in South Vietnam. I just feel uncomfortable. I want to talk to someone, but I don’t know who to talk to.”

When Empress Chen heard this, she felt pity too.Thinking about it carefully, Liang Xiao either went to the Western Regions, or to the Northern Borderlands, and now he is in South Vietnam. He has been all over the world, but he still can't let the emperor rest assured.It is normal for Liu Ling to have some complaints.

"The emperor has a lot of things to do recently, and I can't easily see him. When I have time to wait, I will tell His Majesty that I will give Champion Hou a long vacation and let him accompany you."

"Thank you, Your Highness, for your understanding. The empress's mother loves the world, and she understands our women's thoughts best." Liu Ling was very grateful. "By the way, how is the situation in Shandong? Is the breach blocked?"

The queen shook her head, a little anxious.Shandong broke through the blockade, and the rumors of anticipation revived. The emperor was also a little shaken, and finally he was not in a good mood.

Liu Ling didn't say anything more, and immediately mentioned the donation.She said it in the name of Liang Yu donating to Guangling, but the queen understood it as soon as she heard it, expressed her approval, and decided to follow the good example and encourage Princess Guantao to donate together.

-

Yan'an's memorials were sent to Chang'an and then to the emperor.

The emperor was very puzzled about Liang Xiao helping Lu Xiang practice riding.He could understand Yan An and Liang Xiao's idea of ​​taking advantage of South Vietnam's internal conflicts to disintegrate the defense line of South Vietnam's monarchs and ministers, but he expressed doubts about the specific methods.Is this method really suitable for practicing cavalry for South Vietnam?

The emperor decided to call Xu Le, Zhufu Yan and others to discuss the matter, and Mei Gao, who had just returned to the court, was also on the list.Because of his meritorious service on the mission, Meigao has just been promoted to the next doctor.

After listening to the situation in Nanyue, Xu Le, Zhu Fuyan and others were still silent, but Mei Gao took the initiative to speak.

"Your Majesty, how many cavalry are there in South Vietnam?"

"Yan An said, there are only more than 2000."

Mei Gao is very disapproving. "In Yichen's opinion, all the best horses in the world are located in the northwest. Dawan horses are the best in the world, followed by Wusun horses and Hexi horses, followed by Huns, Central Plains horses, and so on. Nanyue horses should not be as good as Central Plains horses. Ruochen's speculation is correct, so what if all the two thousand cavalry in Nanyue are trained to be elite? I, a big man, can send out a general at random, and can destroy the entire cavalry in Nanyue with several times the strength."

The emperor laughed. "Shaoru went to the Western Regions, not only opened his eyes, but also made his spirit stronger."

The crowd also laughed.

The master father Yan also said: "Your Majesty, I think what Mei Shaoru said is true. The horse is the foundation of the cavalry. Without a good horse, no matter how good the tactics are, it is useless. Our court has always defended more than attacked the Xiongnu, isn't it? Our soldiers are not brave, but they do not have enough horses. Now Dawan horses and Wusun horses are coming one after another, and there are more than [-] royal horses in His Majesty's six stables, so why care about the cavalry of South Vietnam."

The emperor nodded slightly to express his agreement, and felt a little more ashamed.Be it Dawan horses or Wusun horses, they were all brought back by Liang Xiao from the Western Regions.Now the big man has more and more war horses, and the strength of the cavalry even exceeds that of the Huns. Liang Xiao is the first.

"I think that although this move is a bit reckless, it must be a decision after considering the specific situation of South Vietnam and weighing the pros and cons. Yan An is the envoy and is in charge of the entire negotiation, while Liang Xiao is the deputy envoy and is only in charge of the military affairs. Assist Yan An. Even if Liang Xiao is ignorant, how can Yan An not know?"

The emperor nodded frequently.This memorandum was written by Yan An, and there is no sense of coercion in the writing, it should be Yan An's original intention.Although Liang Xiao and Yan An had some conflicts, considering the current situation, they should be cooperating happily.Otherwise, Yan An would not have written about Liang Xiao begging for money in the memorial.

This fit Liang Xiao's style very well.

However, the emperor laughed when he thought of Liang Yu's donation of a thousand pieces of gold.Liang Xiao shamelessly wanted to reimburse the expenses in South Vietnam in the memorial. Did he know that his family donated more than 1000 gold all at once?Thinking of this, the emperor had a sense of excitement of a successful prank.

"From my point of view, Liang Xiao's move not only intensifies the internal conflicts in South Vietnam, but also promotes the country's prestige." Seeing that the emperor is in a good mood, the master father Yan immediately seized the opportunity and calmly spoke good words for Liang Xiao. "I think it's not enough for Nanyue to see Liang Xiao's cavalry combat ability, but also to let them see the true power of our Han cavalry."

When the emperor heard this, he immediately cheered up. "How to do it?"

"First of all, reward the king of Nanyue with two good horses to let him know that the resources of war horses in our dynasty are not comparable to that of Nanyue. Secondly, transfer hundreds of horses to Nanyue by building boats, and hand them over to Liang Xiao for command, so that the kings and ministers of Nanyue can see them See what a real iron cavalry is, shock its heart, break its vigor, make it clear what to do, and know how to obey. In this way, you can defeat others without fighting."

The emperor raised his eyebrows and applauded repeatedly. "That's right, when Liang Xiao rode more than ten riders out of the Western Regions, he attracted the heads of all the countries in the Western Regions. Now that he is given a hundred riders, it's just a mere South Vietnam, and he still doesn't surrender?" He paused, then held back a smile and said: "Wait Wait, don't Nanyue have any princesses to marry? If his family is in trouble, I can't face the Lord."

Everyone couldn't help laughing out loud.
-
(End of this chapter)