Chinese New Year

Chapter 1421: Getting Closer
Luoyang was even hotter in July, and Shao Xun moved directly into the fine house in Xiyuan.

Aside from court assemblies, he rarely returned to the palace, instead spending his time relaxing in the mountains. Even difficult memorials from the Council of State were delivered by horseback riders, where he would lie in the bamboo groves and pine forests while listening to reports from his close advisors or female officials.

When he has free time, he plays with his children and grandchildren, and he enjoys himself quite a bit.

On the tenth day of the seventh month, Crown Princess Lu brought Junheng over again.

Shao Xun knew what she meant; it was simply to further solidify the Crown Prince's position.

Haha, actually you're overthinking it.

To put it pretentiously, at this point, whoever he wants to take the lead will do so, and everyone else has to behave themselves.

He had already shown mercy to Le Kai, the first one to jump out. If the others still didn't know their place, then they were truly testing his ruthless side.

All this talk of a succession struggle is a joke; it's really just about which one he wants to choose.

He supports A, but what if B, C, and D disagree? Then let's fight! Let's see if you have the courage to raise an army and start a battle.

If you don't have the courage, then just sit down and wait patiently for his mind to change.

Alternatively, you could be very patient and wait until he dies before rebelling, which is also a viable option, although the success rate is extremely low.

Even the Yu family of Yingchuan, at this point, is not untouchable; it's just a matter of weighing the pros and cons.

Twenty years ago, he was constrained, but today, he can bear the cost of exterminating the Yu clan, and he still has time to clean up the mess.

The truly helpless situation is when one's health fails and time is running out. At that point, even if one is dissatisfied with the crown prince, one will be hesitant to act rashly, fearing national turmoil and not having enough time to remedy the situation.

However, he didn't mind that the Crown Princess brought her eldest grandson so that Shao Xun could enjoy family time; in fact, he was quite happy about it. From this perspective, Lady Lu was actually very clever, doing everything she could to help her husband get through this period.

Three-year-old Junheng stretched out his chubby little hand as soon as he saw Shao Xun.

Shao Xun smiled and took it, holding it in his arms and rocking it back and forth on the recliner, making the little boy giggle.

However, after laughing for a while, his gaze was drawn to the sound of horses' hooves in the distance.

More than a hundred descendants of martyrs galloped on horseback, thrusting their weapons at the straw figures standing on the ground. The entire process was fluid and pleasing to the eye.

This is the result of high-intensity training.

Emperor Wu of Han trained his cavalry for eight years, but if the training frequency were increased, this time could be shortened, although the cost would increase dramatically.

However, the high-intensity training involving more than a hundred people can still be managed in terms of the consumption of food, medicine, equipment, and horses, so it is not a problem.

"My dear grandson also likes riding horses?" Shao Xun sat up and teased his grandson.

“It looks good,” Junheng replied, seemingly unrelated to the question.

Shao Xun laughed heartily.

Lady Wang was playing on the grass with her youngest son, A-Wu, when she heard this and smiled. She put A-Wu down and let him go on his own.

Ah Wu looked around first, then hobbled over with his small legs, staring at Jun Heng with wide eyes, muttering, "Brother."

Everyone laughed.

Shao Xun picked A Wu up again and said, "Although Junheng is two months older than you, he is your nephew."

The two children looked at each other in Shao Xun's arms, clearly very curious. After a moment, they reached out one after the other to touch each other's faces.

Zhuge Wenbiao, who was also holding a small child's hand, glanced at Shao Xun upon hearing this, as if to say that his son was younger than his grandson, and that while he might be shameless, he was still concerned about his reputation.

Shao Xun didn't care. Weren't there many such cases among aristocratic families? It was perfectly normal.

Seeing that the two children in Shao Xun's arms were about to fight, Wang Yinling came over again, took A-Wu away, and exchanged a glance with Lu Shi, seemingly intentionally or unintentionally.

Mrs. Lu nodded slightly to her, walked a few steps away, and came to the bank of a small river.

This river is called "Dragon Head Canal". It is an artificial canal dug in the West Garden, mainly for the purpose of irrigating the vegetable plots in the garden.

People were working in the fields; most of them were government slaves who had been convicted of crimes.

Further away was the training ground for the Imperial Guards.

Under the blazing sun, the sound of horses' hooves thundered incessantly.

The infantrymen, fully armed and undeterred by the heat, practiced various military formations and combat techniques.

I've heard that another batch of imperial guards will be sent out next year to take up low-ranking military posts in prefectures or military governments. Those filling the positions will clearly be the older, middle-aged descendants of the heroes whom the emperor has always kept close at hand.

It's hard to say how effective these three or four thousand imperial guards are in combat, but their loyalty is top-notch.

The Crown Prince has never tried to contact these guards and personal troops, nor would he dare, nor would it be worthwhile.

Once the emperor discovers this—and there is a high probability—the impact on the crown prince's position would be devastating. Even if the crown prince is spared out of consideration for the empress, the position of heir apparent will fall to the Prince of Han.

"Don't you think the Imperial Guards are very elite?" Wang Yinling leaned closer and whispered.

Lady Lu was startled, but glanced at Lady Wang without showing any emotion.

Wang seemed oblivious, and simply smiled and said, "Many times, I feel that His Majesty is a born warrior, not an emperor. He is so much like a warrior. The warriors' love for him is not just about official rank and titles, but also about many unseen and intangible things. He is bold, brave, generous, and decisive. People don't only care about official rank and money."

"At the foot of Guangwu City, I invite brave warriors to ride in the imperial carriage; outside Ji County City, I publicly honor the rewards; at Dongmugen Mountain, wherever the arrows point, all warriors are willing to die for me. The same reward is given, but when the emperor does it, it inspires longing; when someone else does it, it only makes the warriors feel that you are trying to win them over, and that giving rewards is justified."

"In this world, you have to admit that some people are born easy to like and follow, and don't care much about anything else. The current emperor is a god in the hearts of warriors, and no one can defeat him in this respect."

Lady Lu was increasingly alarmed. She felt that Lady Wang was implying something, but she didn't think it was malicious; it was more like a subtle reminder. "Your Majesty is truly a remarkable man," Lady Lu said with a smile, glancing back at the grandmother and grandson who were playing.

"Yes," Wang Yinling said with emotion.

"The Crown Prince sent a letter home, mentioning that merchants and travelers from Pingcheng come and go in an endless stream, cattle and sheep roam the valleys, millet and wheat are fragrant, and flowers and fruits are abundant. The lady is highly regarded in all the prefectures and is also a remarkable woman," Lady Lu added.

Wang Yinling covered her mouth and laughed, saying, "If there were no emperor, would Pingcheng be what it is today? In the future, Lizhen, Yaoxi, and Yuanyue will also be under the care of the crown prince."

Hearing this, Lady Lu felt much more at ease.

Some things don't need to be said; those who understand will understand. Madam Wang harbored no ill will towards them; on the contrary, she intended to cooperate—or more accurately, to seek refuge with them, only less obviously.

On the other side, Shao Xun was surrounded by a group of children. After crossing a small wooden bridge, he turned back and couldn't help but chuckle.

It's almost like an army!

"Grandpa, I want to eat the fruit from the tree."

"Grandpa, hold me."

"Grandpa, aren't we going fishing today?"

"Grandpa, can you take me riding that little pony?"

"Grandpa, my twenty-first brother is scratching me."

Shao Xun would have been devastated if he had heard that before, but now he's used to it and treats it as white noise, walking ahead with a grin.

The palace servants followed cautiously on both sides, worried that the princes and princesses might fall into the river.

He stopped after reaching a high slope.

Before long, dozens of riders came galloping up, dismounted at a distance, and the leader stepped forward alone, bowing down: "Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty."

"Have the young men arrived?" Shao Xun asked.

"They've arrived and are encamped at the foot of the western mountain," replied Yang Qin, the commander of the Silver Spear Central Camp.

"Sit down," Shao Xun said, pointing to a folding chair next to him.

Yang Qin thanked him, glanced at the princes and princesses surrounding Shao Xun, and sat down calmly.

Shao Xun waved his hand and ordered the palace servants to take the noisy children aside, leaving only his eldest grandson Junheng by his side.

Yang Qin saw it out of the corner of his eye, but his expression didn't change at all.

"After the autumn harvest, each soldier in the Silver Spear Central Camp will receive three bolts of silk, one string of cash, and two bushels of grain, and then head west," Shao Xun instructed. "First, go to Wuwei, join forces with the various troops, and train together thoroughly to familiarize yourselves with each other."

Yang Qin was greatly shocked. This was...

He quickly realized what was happening and said, "Your subject obeys the decree."

"Your father is old, I heard he's ill?" Shao Xun asked.

"Yes, I fell ill when I went to Jiangnan in May. I'm much better now and can walk again," Yang Qin replied.

Shao Xun's gaze was somewhat unfocused, as if he were recalling something.

He and Yang Bao have known each other for over thirty years, and their relationship is extraordinary.

Yang Bao's abilities may have been average, but his loyalty was unquestionable. He dared to openly pledge allegiance to Sima Yue when the latter was at the height of his power, a fact that Shao Xun still remembers vividly.

Therefore, when Yang Bao did some bad things while serving as the Director of the Ministry of Revenue, he only gave him a reprimand and let it go lightly.

After taking command of the navy, Yang Bao made up for his lack of ability with diligence and dared to delegate authority to his subordinates, managing the navy quite well. However, precisely because of this, he was constantly traveling around, which greatly depleted his health, and it was time for him to retire and recuperate.

Yang Qin's abilities far surpassed his father's, which pleased Shao Xun greatly. Therefore, Shao Xun planned to cultivate him and give him an opportunity to make a name for himself.

Yang Qin must have gleaned some meaning from their conversation just now.

In the campaign to conquer the Western Regions, he will be the commander of one of the armies, but which one will depend on subsequent arrangements.

To be honest, this is a rare opportunity.

Conquering the Western Regions was not difficult from a military perspective, but like the conquest of Liao, the difficulty lay in logistics.

Once logistics are resolved, tens of thousands of infantry and cavalry will march in. Shao Xun doesn't believe those city-states in the Western Regions can win head-on; at best, they can only hold their cities and prolong their lives.

Furthermore, since they are already city-states, it is actually difficult for them to unite, and there is a possibility that they can be defeated one by one.

This makes the military aspect much easier.

This is a war achievement given away for free.

Yang Qin understood this and was very grateful.

"I've already told the men of the Silver Spear Army that we'll spend the New Year in Chang'an. After the New Year, we'll head west to Wuwei to train together with the crossbowmen of Shu, the swordsmen and shieldmen of the Liao people, and the Qiang and Hu tribes of Liangzhou. At the beginning of next year, the Falling Goose Army and the Youzhou Cavalry Commander will also head west. You'll lead them then, and the first thing you need to do is wipe out the Tuoba Xianbei." Shao Xun said, "The Qifu Xianbei and other tribes in Longxi will lead the way, and the elite troops from Sangcheng, Hehui, and other towns will also be dispatched. Don't give Tuoba any chance to escape, and don't be soft-hearted."

"Yes, sir," Yang Qin replied.

The four words, "Don't be soft-hearted," said it all; he knew what to do.

After giving his instructions, Shao Xun waved for him to leave and then began to play with his grandson.

(End of this chapter)