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◎Generals of the previous dynasty, generals of this dynasty◎
On the second day of staying in Datong, when Qingyang followed his father, elder brother and second brother to the military camp to watch the military, Qin Ren slept in the quilt all day. When the brother and sister reunited in the evening, Qin Ren's forehead was no longer hot.
On the third day, Qingyang followed her father, elder brother and second brother to visit the villages and towns around Datong in disguise. Qin Ren continued to stay in bed with a runny nose. In the evening, Qingyang came back and found that the nose of the third brother was red from wiping. After Qin Ren wiped his nose three times in a row, the little princess left with disgust.
Emperor Xingwu still loved this son. He stayed in Datong a day longer than originally planned. Qin Ren, who had no runny nose or cough upon departure, though his voice was a little strange, naturally joined the carriage. Qingyang sometimes stayed in his own carriage, sometimes stayed with his father. He also wanted to stay with his third brother, but Emperor Xingwu didn't let him, fearing his daughter would catch his third brother's illness.
After many stops and starts along the way, the army finally reached the end of their border patrol at the beginning of winter: Jizhou, a major city in northern Jizhou. Because Emperor Xingwu planned to return to the capital before the end of the year, he would not visit the more distant Liaozhou this time. Instead, he sent only Zhang Jie, the Liaozhou general, and Feng Yingke, the provincial governor, to Jizhou to meet the emperor.
Still some distance away from Jizhou, Qingyang lifted the curtain of the car and looked at Zhang Su who was a few steps away.
Zhang Su immediately urged his horse closer to the carriage.
Qingyang: "You're about to meet your father and elder brother. Are you looking forward to it?"
Duke Zhang Jie of Wei rushed to Liaozhou in April, while Crown Prince Zhang Jian was transferred to the Jizhou border army for training by his father three years ago.
Zhang Su avoided the little princess's smiling eyes and said, "Not bad."
He did miss his father and brother, but he didn't expect that he missed them so much.
Qingyang really liked observing Zhang Su. The calmer and more reserved he was, the more she wanted to see his expression that was different from usual. However, she was disappointed this time. It seemed that this man really had no expectations for the long-awaited reunion between his father and brother today.
Qingyang asked curiously, "Have you ever laughed or cried loudly?"
Zhang Su recalled for a moment and nodded.
Qingyang: "When?"
Zhang Su: "...When I first entered the palace to serve as the Third Prince's tutor, I lost my composure for a long time when I left home. I also smiled for a long time when I saw my mother for the first time outside the palace."
Qingyang: "...You were only six years old at that time, so it doesn't count."
Zhang Su: "It never happened again after that." His father had always set an example for the three brothers, teaching them to control their emotions and be calm, resolute and serious.
Qingyang thought of Zhang Jian and Zhang Heng. She had attended both of their weddings, and it was only on those two occasions that they both had smiles on their faces.
Zhang Su saw that the little princess, who was a little unhappy just now, suddenly smiled very happily, and looked at him with her head tilted while laughing.
Zhang Su didn't know what the little princess was laughing at, so he lowered his eyes and waited.
A slight chill fell on his face. Before Zhang Su could react, the little princess asked in surprise, "Is it snowing?"
Zhang Su looked up and saw scattered snowflakes falling from the sky.
When the emperor arrived outside Jizhou City, Jizhou General Guo Yanqing, Inspector Sun Jian, as well as Liaozhou General Zhang Jie and Inspector Feng Yingke who had arrived earlier, had been waiting for a long time with local officials. The drifting fine snow slightly whitened their official hats and robes.
Although it was snowing, there was no wind. Emperor Xingwu got off the car to meet with the officials. Qingyang deliberately asked Zhang Su to help her get off the horse, and then took Zhang Su with her to walk forward.
By this time, all the civil and military officials had risen. Qingyang first spotted Zhang Jian, standing off to the side across from him. Zhang Jian nodded slightly to the little princess from a distance, then glanced at his younger brother, a faint smile akin to a greeting. When Qingyang finally spotted Duke of Wei, Zhang Jie, he was listening respectfully to his father's words, not once glancing in his direction.
The ministers then saluted the little princess who appeared last.
Qingyang smiled and said no need to be polite, because he had already observed the father and son of the Zhang family. Qingyang looked carefully at Guo Yanqing, Sun Jian and Feng Yingke. Although these three people were far away from the capital, they were also important officials of the court and directly decided the civil governance and border defense of the two states.
Guo Yanqing, the general of Jizhou, is in his early fifties this year. He is a general with dark skin and a resolute face. He was a general guarding the border in the previous dynasty. When Emperor Xingwu's rebel army approached the capital, the previous emperor asked Guo Yanqing to send troops to rescue them. However, at that time, the Donghu cavalry were lurking outside the pass. Guo Yanqing saw that the court was about to collapse, so he gritted his teeth and disobeyed the order, keeping his troops in place and continuing to guard the border.
After Emperor Xingwu ascended the throne, he sent officials to Jizhou to persuade Guo Yanqing to surrender, saying that as long as Guo Yanqing was willing to be loyal to the new emperor and loyal to Da Qi, he would continue to be the general of Jizhou. Guo Yanqing surrendered very happily. In the past few years, he has been cooperating with the various policies and orders of the court. He never missed the three-year return to Beijing to report on his work. In the eyes of Emperor Xingwu, he was a pure and good general.
As for the two governors, Sun Jian and Feng Yingke, they were both capable officials promoted by Emperor Xingwu based on their previous political achievements.
After the emperor and his ministers exchanged greetings, they entered the city and settled down as usual.
At noon that day, Emperor Xingwu held a banquet at the official post station.
Qingyang sat next to his third brother as usual and noticed that Deng Chong across from him was not very polite to Zhang Jie and Guo Yanqing, and was scolded several times by his father during the banquet. However, the prince of Chengguo, Lu Zan, who also came from a commoner family, always behaved modestly and honestly. He could drink with Deng Chong but would not follow Deng Chong in excluding Zhang Jie and others.
After the banquet, Qingyang followed his third brother back to their courtyard. After washing up, he heard Jie Yu say that the three Zhang Su brothers had followed Zhang Jie. Qingyang was very happy for Zhang Su.
On the other side, Deng Kun supported his drunk father and staggered towards their courtyard. Seeing this, Qin Liang took the initiative to help from the other side. Although he was the prince of Yong, Deng Chong was his uncle, and it was natural for a nephew to take care of his uncle.
After entering the main hall, the two men forced Deng Chong to sit on a chair and sent someone to bring him sobering tea.
Deng Chong, reeking of alcohol, glanced at the two young men beside him and pointed at Qin Liang, saying, "This wine is so unpleasant to drink. You have to drink with your father. Of all the people here, your father and I are the most compatible!"
Back then, he and the emperor were brothers, and in their eyes, Prince Yong, who was eight years younger, was just a little brat who knew nothing. Later, the emperor started a rebellion, and the territory he occupied became larger and larger, and he surrounded himself with more and more capable people. The emperor's words and actions gradually changed, and he would scold him from time to time. On the contrary, Prince Yong was still the same Prince Yong from his hometown, and he was more tolerant of his temper.
Qin Liang signaled his long-servant to stand guard outside and advised his uncle: "Keep your voice down. If it gets out, people will go to the emperor and start gossiping about you, saying you're not happy to drink with him."
Deng Chong: "It has nothing to do with the Emperor. I just don't like Zhang Jie and his men! What a bunch of bullshit! If the famous generals were really that powerful, why didn't they help the previous emperor preserve his throne?"
After lying on the table and cursing for a while, Deng Chong fell asleep before he could even get his sobering tea.
Qin Liang then helped Deng Kun to help the man go to the bed inside to sleep.
After tossing and turning and sweating, the sobering tea was served and the two cousins sat in the main room and drank it.
Deng Kun peeked inside and asked Qin Liang, "I'm really confused about the Emperor's intentions. In terms of military achievements, my father, my uncle, Old Master Lu, and Uncle Lu are superior to Zhang Jie and the others. And Guo Yanqing hasn't helped the Emperor at all. In terms of friendship, my father and my uncle are the relatives and friends from my hometown who have been with the Emperor from the beginning. No matter how you look at it, the Emperor should trust my father and them more. Why did the Emperor give all the important positions like generals to outsiders? Isn't he afraid of another Yuan Zhaoxiong?"
Qin Liang just drank tea.
Deng Kun: "Oh, I see. The Emperor values the Beijing Army more. If the border troops rebel, at least he still has time to react. If the Beijing Army rebels, they will directly attack the palace. So the Emperor wants to hand the Beijing Army over to his trusted old brothers."
Qin Liang put down his tea bowl, looked at Deng Kun for a few times, and then said, "What you said does make some sense, but guess what, in history, were there more generals who rebelled, or more princes who rebelled?"
Deng Kun, who doesn't like reading: "..."
Qin Liang whispered, "The answer is, Your Majesty."
Deng Kun was surprised: "Why?"
Qin Liang: "Because generals are ministers, they often have no legitimate reason to rebel, and instead they are branded as treacherous ministers and thieves. Princes may also be ministers, but they are of royal blood. If the emperor has any evidence against him, the princes can raise an army under the pretext of 'clearing the emperor's court,' and the people and officials are more likely to support the royal bloodline."
Deng Kun blinked, his whole body suddenly cold. "You mean, the emperor didn't send my uncle to be a frontier official because he was afraid that he would rebel one day?"
Qin Liang nodded.
Deng Kun: "Then my father..."
Qin Liang smiled, pointed at Deng Kun and then at himself: "I call your father uncle, and you call my father uncle. Our two families have long been tied to the same rope."
Deng Kun wanted to believe it but didn't dare to, and tried to overturn Qin Liang's guess: "What about Mr. Lu? Does the emperor also suspect him?"
Qin Liang shook his head. "Old Lu still has a few years to live. Lu Zan is good at leading troops into battle, but he lacks wisdom and strategy. He is only suitable for commanding the Beijing army."
Deng Kun was stunned.
Qin Liang stood up and said, "It's getting late. I'm going to go back and get some sleep."
Deng Kun stopped him: "No, you have to explain it to me clearly. If it is true as you said, that the emperor is wary of our two families rebelling, then he might attack us at any time."
Qin Liang smiled and said, "We can be on guard, but as long as we don't rebel, why would the Emperor punish us? I'm saying this to remind you and your uncle to be more careful with your words and actions in the future, and not to offend the Emperor because of verbal disputes. By the way, just keep this matter to yourself and your uncle, and don't let it get out, otherwise the good times for both our families will be over."
Patting Deng Kun on the shoulder, Qin Liang walked around him and out the door.
.
In another courtyard, the Zhang family father and son, who had drunk less than Deng Chong alone, were both sober and spoke concisely about their recent situation.
Zhang Heng spoke about the affairs of the capital, and Zhang Su listened.
There was no nonsense, no jokes, and even the warmth seemed weak.
Snow gradually gathered in the courtyard. Crown Prince Zhang Jian asked with a hint of emotion, "The Emperor previously appointed father as acting commander-in-chief of Liaozhou. Now that Marquis Meng has taken over as commander-in-chief of Liangzhou, does that mean father will be stationed in Liaozhou permanently?"
If Chang Shou were to say so, Jingcheng’s mother would miss her father very much.
His wife's face flashed through his mind, and Zhang Jie said calmly, "The emperor asked me to guard, so I will guard. There is nothing to say."
Although Yuan Zhaoxiong had been executed, the morale of the Liangzhou army remained in disarray, requiring a general like Meng Ji to stabilize it and deter the previously wavering Liangzhou generals and officials. On the Donghu side, the Donghu King, now in his prime, was ambitious, and his intention to march south had become increasingly clear in recent years. Since the emperor trusted him, he would dedicate himself to defending the border, and he believed his wife would understand.
Zhang Jie glanced at his three sons one by one and said, "Go back and fulfill your respective duties."
A general leading troops is likely to be suspected by the emperor, but as long as the general performs his duties conscientiously and is not unworthy of the emperor in both public and private matters, there is nothing to worry about.
【Author’s words】
Here I come, 100 red envelopes, see you tonight~
P.S.: Everyone should follow my announcement and watch it about an hour later. But I dare not postpone the announcement time, because I seem to have an incurable disease that always makes me one hour later than the preview [burst into tears]
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