The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 217 Chang'an (I)

Li Miaowei volunteered to take Yazi to Chang'an to see if "Saito Kicho" had completely obeyed her husband and to touch her brother-in-law's underwear. Li Keyong agreed after obtaining Liu's consent.

However, after arriving in the capital, Li Miaowei's mentality changed.

The ancient capital stood tall, and since it was her first time here, she excitedly went straight into the city, ready to take a look at the Duliu Tree, the Dog Ridge, where the traitors were executed, the fierce general, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, where the men and women frequented, and the Nan Nei where Emperor Xuanzong leaned against the railing. After that, she would go into the palace for a feast!
But he didn't expect to be stopped by the city gate captain at Chunming Gate.

"Deep eyes, high nose, unChinese appearance, but wearing gold and silver jewelry... Where did this stranger come from?" Dongfang Tai put his hands on his head, leaned lazily against the wall, and examined.

"What does it have to do with you?"

Dongfangtai immediately whipped his hand beside him: "Take the money."

Guo Chongtao was frightened by the straightforwardness of the city gate captain and did not have time to remedy the situation. Li Miaowei was already furious: "What kind of bastard dares to ask for money from me! Are you tired of living?" She was about to draw her sword, but was held down by Guo Chongtao and his cousin-in-law Meng Zhixiang.

"What money?" Meng Zhixiang asked.

Dongfang Tai picked his nose and looked at the group with disdain. "You have to pay a city tax to enter the capital. This is a decree issued by the Holy... er... Prime Minister Zheng."

Li Miaowei was so angry that she glared. She was proud of her status and disdained to quarrel with a guard dog. She just pointed at the tower and said angrily: "I will never come again! Uncle Guo, we——"

Guo Chongtao quickly winked and said, "Forget it," and raised his leg to hold down the follower who was eager to try.

Dongfang Tai was obviously used to bullying others by taking advantage of his power. He was not afraid of the ferocious warriors around Li Miaowei, and sneered: "Why, you still want to fight? I, the Great Sage, have 100,000 soldiers! What kind of benevolence is there in the awakened Great Sage? You can fly into the sky and hide in the ground..."

Meng Zhixiang interrupted: "How much do you want?"

Dongfang Tai, spitting all over the place, quickly raised three fingers and said, "Three hundred coins will do. Enjoy yourself, and if you need anything, just come and ask for me..."

Li Miaowei snorted coldly and rode into the corridor.

A bastard who is taking advantage of the power of others!

It's not that I'm stingy with just three hundred coins, but I feel uncomfortable being asked for money.

If the officials are so greedy, the whole court must be corrupt. They can't even manage the old nest well, let alone Guanzhong and Guanxi. I don't know how my elder sister can have the nerve to say that the emperor is a wise ruler. I love him very much. Shame on you!
"Hey, make way, make way!" While I was walking on the street and thinking about random things, a sound of gongs and drums sounded on Chunming Avenue.

Pedestrians hurriedly moved out of the way, and merchants in the shops along the street also leaned out to look, "What's going on? What's going on?"

A large number of dishevelled troops were seen marching into the city. At the same time, dense crowds of people appeared under the walls of Dongshi, Chongrenli, Pingkangli, Taiqing Palace, etc., some standing on tiptoe to search, and some making a commotion.

"What is this?" Li Miaowei, who retreated to the side of the road and waited, asked Passerby A in confusion.

"The soldiers guarding Dengzhou have returned."

At this time, some relatives had found their family members in the procession and were jumping for joy. A couple of old men and children learned that someone had died in Ruzhou, and they fell to the ground, beating their chests and stamping their feet, crying out in pain: "My two sons!"

A woman carrying a child on her back chased after a group of warriors and asked in a trembling voice, "Are you all alone? You, you haven't seen Guo Dalang yet, so why don't you come back?"

"My sister-in-law, I'm so sad. Dalang... is missing."

"Maybe he was captured alive by the Bian bandits. Maybe we'll have news soon..."

The woman burst into tears and covered her face with her hands, sobbing.

Li Miaowei smiled bitterly, feeling an indescribable feeling.

"Here they come!" With a gust of wind, the people stuck in the road and their families on both sides ran back.

A horse team was approaching. The drivers were driving camels, mules and horses, and the carts behind them were covered with straw mats and red and black rags. Pairs of feet were visible at the rear of the carts, some were warriors, and some were officials. The stench of corpses and cries spread, and the onlookers avoided them as much as possible, fearing that they would be infected with the plague. Some of the bodies were claimed, and the rest set off again and were sent to the shrine.

"Shrine..." Li Miaowei asked the delegation to go to Jinzouyuan to rest first, while he, Guo Chongtao and Meng Zhixiang followed the cavalry to see the wonders.

After wandering around, passing Chongrenli, Yongxingli, and Laitingli, I finally realized that it was in the East Inner Forbidden Courtyard inside Changle Gate...

Meng Zhixiang hissed, and Li Miaowei was also dumbfounded. It sounds nice to call it a shrine... How can you set up a cemetery at home? There is no taboo at all. There are many ways to win people's hearts. If you don't understand, I can teach you. Why do you have to do this? Aren't you afraid of encountering ghosts in the middle of the night?
After the troops arrived, the remains were cremated beneath Changle Gate. With each cremation, someone shoveled the bones into a box. Numerous soldiers and relatives gathered in the square to the right of the gate. With each box filled, someone stepped forward to report their name and military status.

Li Miaowei tried hard to look around.

Inside Changle Gate, there is a big red Wutou Gate, and underneath is a clean bluestone slab sacred road.

On both sides of the sacred path stand tall stone statues, terracotta warriors, unicorns, and rhinoceroses, all lifelike. Old cypress and pine trees were transplanted, one tree and one altar, forming a forest. There are also flower beds, two long strips, pink roses, purple and white lilacs...

Are there murals and reliefs on the walls?

Yes, yes, it is very beautifully renovated and it is extremely honorable.

Soon, the Minister of Rites Su Rong, the Minister of Shrines Di Guichang, the Right Prime Minister Yang She, and the Envoy of Lingxiao Divine Road Zhao Ruxin arrived with their subordinates. When the soldiers and family members saw them, they all saluted.

The four of them returned the greeting and then proceeded according to the procedure.

The Taichang Temple played funeral music, placed offerings, performed soul-calling sacrifices, and held a burial ceremony.

Di Guichang brought the people from the ancestral temple department to carve the tablet according to the information on the urn.

After Zhao Rushin instructed the painters to enter the academy to paint the reliefs and murals of "Journey to Dengzhou", she also assigned Taoist priests and nuns to dance and perform corresponding rituals.

Afterwards, she sat on a stool, facing the stele, and concentrated on carving the words of the Shinto poem.

In the solemn atmosphere, some soldiers and family members cried even harder, while others gradually calmed down and stared at the soul-calling ceremony in a daze. Still others stood or squatted respectfully around Zhao Ruxin, watching what Shinto words she was carving.

After each sentence, someone would recite along: "A scholar in a country is nameless, he swears to be a heroic spirit during a long march. He is brave and does not look back, he abandons the enemy without hesitation, he stays at night and builds a fortress that will not be crossed... The great sage mourns for his son, the boudoir is silent, the immortal chariot travels in sorrow, the mountains and rivers are eternal. The sons of Yongliang..."

What a talent! Li Miaowei felt ashamed and left in despair, feeling like a country bumpkin...

"Sister, don't think too much." Women are easily emotional, especially the sister-in-law. Seeing that she was unhappy, Meng Zhixiang said, "It's not well written, just to scare us amateurs."

My sister-in-law said nothing.

This is second.

The key point is, my brother-in-law is too good at pretending!
Let's not talk about rewards. Just the move of Shangshu Cheng, Jiuqing, and one of the four nobles of Beisi jointly handling the funeral affairs may not be repaid with life, but at least the probability of rebellion is much smaller. Except for a few ungrateful people and lunatics, normal soldiers will remember it, right?

In today's world, the genuine respect they showed to Su Rong and Zhao Ruxin just now is so rare.

On the way to Danfeng Gate, we met another troop that was heading to station outside Kaiyuan Gate.

The soldiers were in high spirits, walking briskly, talking and laughing.

"Pick the vetch, pick the vetch, the vetch will not stop. Say return, say return, the year will not stop. After leaving home for many years and guarding the border for two generations, Xiantong finally got the imperial edict to return home."

"Hahaha, I can't wait any longer. I wish I could grow wings and fly back to Yuncheng."

"My father went to Xiliang, and only then did my grandson return...Alas!"

Li Miaowei observed for a while. The banners were General Sweeping the Enemy, Lieutenant of Liangzhou, and Geshu. It took a long time for them to pass by, and there were about 10,000 infantry and cavalry. So happy... but I'm afraid my hope will be dashed.

Yuncheng has fallen to the rebels, and thousands of villages are overgrown with thorns and weeds.

"The Uighurs are loyal to the king, and the soldiers from Liangzhou are also fighting for the country. What a righteous cause that is frightening..." Li Miaowei shrugged, his chest surging with a few waves. Just as he was about to say something, a shaking song came from the direction of the shrine behind him. It should be the end of the coffin, and the butchers were singing a dirge: "The scholar is nameless when he is in the country, and he swears to be a loyal hero on the long march. He is brave and does not look back, and abandons the enemy without hesitation... The immortal is traveling sadly, and the mountains and rivers are eternal... Soul... Come back... Swear to die for the Holy Tang... Long live the imperial country..."

In front of him, the Liangzhou Army heard this and laughed loudly, raising their arms in response: "We swear to die for the Holy Tang! Long live the Empire!"

Li Miaowei's ears were ringing and her eyes were dizzy, and her cheeks flushed, as if she had taken an aphrodisiac.

A Li son who was appointed by Heaven.

There is only one loyal person in the mountains and rivers.

Unity.

Sheng Tang will not perish yet.

She began to look forward to meeting her brother-in-law whom she had never met before.

"See you!"

"Everyone, your second aunt and third uncle from Taiyuan are here to see you." Wenren Chuchu walked slowly across the pond bridge, arrived at Penglai Mountain, and said happily.

The saint asked Wenren Chuchu to take her to the Mingfuyuan to wait, while he continued to meet the mysterious man. ******
Fu Jian was not like the barbarian leader. He traveled among the various states, upheld justice and practiced benevolence, was cautious in his own conduct and loved others. He tried to restore order in the north, which had been in turmoil for decades.

But he failed.

Why? The prescription was wrong. Faced with the hatred and chaos between the Han and the Tibetan peoples, he imagined that he could use his own royal rule of "using the way of restraining the barbarians to subdue them and pardon them, showing them the power of China and guiding them with the law of the king" to "pacify the people, reconcile the barbarians, and make the world one family, all the same."

But his authority came from military conquests and victories.

At a young age, he inherited the legacy of two generations of chaos. He had no foundation of accumulated virtue above him, and he had the wolves of Sima below him. He was not a leader of revolution. How could he maintain the prosperity of the flood and guard the temple that could not be moved? Therefore, the Fei River finally flooded, and the great throne ended quickly. Looking at the fall of the Heavenly King, the benevolent are not invincible.

"Since returning to the country in Yuanhe, Zhuye's sons and daughters have been stationed in military states. Although they are called vassal states, they are actually treated as family members. As a result, when they saw the young master ascend the throne, bandits proliferated. Jinzhong, Cunzhang, Junli, and Guochang, father and son, all took up arms. They are truly beasts in human form. The saint also knows the reasons why the criminals insisted on doing so. First, to punish them for committing crimes. Second, to use Murong Chui to revive. How can he marry a Shatuo woman as his concubine? Even if it is out of an alliance to resist bullies, they should not be allowed to enter or leave within five steps."

"Li Cunxiao is extremely ferocious and greedy. If he is not satisfied, Li Keyong cannot control him. The only one who can control him is Madam Liu. If he has no other choice but to come to the court, we can take him in, but how can we allow him to defend Wuguan and Nanyang?"

"In addition, in ancient times, the Han people only controlled the four barbarians, and never controlled the Han people with the barbarians. Ashina Yingchen, Mo Zangqiqi, Li Renmei, Hu Suoyue, Lun Hongyi... summoning so many Jiehu people is like inviting wolves into the house."

"When a sinner lives in seclusion in the countryside, he is overjoyed every time he hears that a saint has turned the tide, and every time he is able to..." Zhang Jun held back and swallowed the rest of the content.

Moreover, he found that I had forgotten about the saints and was not listening at all.

He couldn't help but feel uneasy. What happened to the Saint? In his impression, the Saint had great ambitions and wanted to be brave and heroic as soon as he ascended the throne. Whenever he made an impassioned speech and offered advice, the Saint would seriously discuss it, regardless of whether it was good or bad, but it was definitely not like today.

When Shatuo was mentioned, he remained silent and his eyes were dull. Could it be that he was bullied to this extent by the Shatuo woman?

No, the saint was just thinking about something else.

Later generations locked up the two saints in the dog hole. At that time, Zhang Jun had been expelled by Li Keyong for the Hedong campaign. Upon hearing the news, he walked to Luoyang to ask Zhang Quanyi to come to the king's defense. He also sent letters to various towns and prepared to go to Qingzhou to join Wang Shifan to gather the king's defense army.

Zhu Wen supported the inner servants in doing this. Of course, Zhu Wen would not sit idly by and ordered Zhang Quanyi to exterminate the whole family.

Zhang Jun's secluded residence in Changshui County learned that a Bian official named Ye Yan had informed Zhang Jun to flee. Zhang Jun heard this and told his eldest son Zhang Ge, "You go on your own to preserve the incense and don't be a burden to me." Then Ye Yan led the righteous men to escort the Zhang family to escape, while Zhang Jun, "the Bian bandits broke into the house, surrounded and killed them."

Of course, Zhang Jun had his faults, such as being angry, boastful, and politically immature. During his time as prime minister, he was taken advantage of by Zhu Wen and other ambitious people who took advantage of his weakness of "anxiety to revive the country". But he had one rare advantage, the bottom line.

Rights and responsibilities are unified. Is it stupid to sit at home and wait for death? It is indeed stupid for ordinary people. At the level of Zhang Jun, Cui Yin, Lu Xiufu, Wen Tianxiang, Hong Chengchou, Sun Chengzong, and Qian Qianyi, you have to die if you are supposed to die because of the position you are sitting in or have sat in before. What did you occupy? When the country is about to fall, you say that it is the general trend and you are a hero who knows the times. I just want to live... Then don't stand there. You are greedy for power and benefits, but you don't want to bear the corresponding obligations and responsibilities. What kind of person are you?

This is also the reason why the saints were respectful to Concubine Shu but hated her. After becoming the queen, her husband and children were all tortured and killed, and she even begged for life from the regicide. Are Li Jianrong, Pei Zhenyi, Yang Kezheng, and Nangong Chongyan afraid of death? Are Empress Zhou and Zhang Yan of the late Ming Dynasty afraid of death?

Between Empress He and Yang Kezheng, and between Su Xun and Du Rangneng, Zhang Jun chose the latter.

When Zhang Jun was killed, Wang Jian of Xichuan sent people to sneak into Henan to bring his widow who had escaped the disaster to Chengdu to take care of her.

Wang Yan succeeded to the throne and appointed Zhang Ge as prime minister. After the Later Tang conquered Shu, he was summoned to Luoyang as the deputy envoy of the Three Departments. His youngest son Zhang Bo died in Huainan, and was protected by Yang Xingmi, who appointed him as his staff - "Whenever Bo had official business, he would handle affairs in front of the real portraits of the saints to show that he had not forgotten the court."

Strong winds reveal strong grass; times of adversity reveal a person’s true character.

"Saint..." Zhang Jun coughed, not knowing that the saint was recalling his life.

"Well, that's a very insightful comment." The saint came back to his senses and nodded in approval. For such employees, we should encourage their enthusiasm and put them in suitable positions to work, rather than arguing with them about right and wrong or discussing major decisions.

"What is Mr. Zhang good at?" The saint took the initiative to change the subject.

Zhang Jun looked at the saint in surprise. It had only been four years since they last met, and he had already forgotten him?

"I am not very good at music theory, mathematics, mechanical engineering, diplomacy, civil engineering, history, and classics..."

He was able to become the prime minister, of course he had the ability. He could make chimes, play musical scales by hand, and recite three-digit multiplication. He could oversee the construction of imperial mausoleums and palaces. He was good at financial management. He was also an expert in classics, history, and magic. He was forced to step down because he did not understand what era it was.

So Zhao, Wei, Yan, Bian, Cang, Yun, and Qi jointly petitioned to attack Li Keyong, and he felt that there was great hope. Little did he know that it was Li Maozhen and Wang Xingyu in the northwest of Beijing who wanted to let the Shen Ce Army fight with Li Keyong to test the bottom line of the court. It was Zhu Wen who wanted to create a strong enemy for the court. It was the Hebei vassal who wanted to use Zhu Wen to suppress Li Keyong. It was Zhu Wen who wanted to provoke court officials and internal officials to start a war... It seemed like a petition, but in fact it involved all kinds of calculations, so many, so wide, and so deep that he and Zhaozong did not understand.

The result was that the "needs" of all parties were met, but the court suffered heavy losses.

"You're being modest," the sage said, waving his hand. "In his youth, Mr. Zhang compared himself to the Sleeping Dragon on Jinfeng Mountain. Just considering this, despite universal accusations, I can't match him. Could you please tell me about your life as a hermit?"

When talking about daily life, Zhang Jun was very natural. He even talked about how he had a hard time making a living when he was young, and how he worked as a tax collector in a county under the jurisdiction of the Henghai Army. He was fired for teaching his superiors how to do things. He did not shy away from his scandals, which shows that he had a free and easy personality and a good relationship with Emperor Zhaozong.

The sage listened patiently, allowing Zhang Jun to express himself, occasionally asking "and then what?"

He traveled to Luoyang, attached himself to Tian Lingzi and Yang Fugong, took charge of the Duzhisi, and fled to Shangshan to avoid the chaos.

Instruct the county magistrate to offer hundreds of carts of food to the sage who was on the run on a certain day and at a certain place.

He served as Wang Duo's judge and assisted in the recovery of Chang'an.

He was sent as an envoy to Qingzhou and persuaded Wang Jingwu to defect from Huang Chao's camp and serve the emperor.

Then go to Fengxiang and Bining to fight.

Unconsciously, Wenren Chuchu came again to say, "Zhu Jin wants to see you."

As soon as he saw the fire clouds reflected in the Taiye Lake, Zhang Jun was shocked. He and the saint had been alone from the afternoon to the evening. As a man who practiced the way of a minister, he seemed to have received the deepest reward. He stood up, slowly stepped back three steps, holding the hem of his clothes with one hand, and stretched out the other hand like a wing, dancing gracefully.

"Tolerating the shamelessness of criminals and still wanting to serve you."

"I can't let you stand in the court. Not to mention your uncle, the virtuous concubine right in front of you hates you to the core."

"Then let's settle for the next best thing and accompany you as a mountain man."

"It should be so. Zhang Ge can enter the Imperial Academy, Zhang Bo is excellent in martial arts, and he will be appointed as a Qianniu Beishen and a Penglai Ban Zhishi." Especially Zhang Bo, a die-hard Li family member who has been tested by history: "Zhang Xin will be named Zhaoyi."

"Very good."

While escorting Zhang Jun to Yintai Gate to leave the palace, the sage instructed him: "Summon Mr. Zhang once every seven days. If there is an urgent matter, let Zheng Yanchang, Li Xi, Wang Tuan, and Han Yi pass on the message, and I will make time to make an appointment myself."

Zhang Jun was speechless.

Just worship.

"Call Zhu Jin." After returning to Penglai Palace, the saint started the last summons of the day.

While waiting, he looked through his desk. The day of departure was getting closer and closer, and the various official duties were getting complicated.

On the second day of May, Ge Congzhou attacked Huaizhou and fought fiercely with Wang Zimei and Xiao Xiu.

Zhu's bandits marched westward to fight Yang Shouliang and Yang Shouxin who were besieging Shanzhou. Liang Han's soldiers were defeated in three battles and their morale was greatly reduced. On their way back to Taolin Pass, they started to make a commotion. Yang Shouliang was unable to control them and simply let them go, and the chaotic soldiers scattered all over the place.

Li Cunxiao originally planned to leave Ruzhou and advance towards Yique, the southern gateway of Henan Prefecture.

However, the more than 10,000 troops assigned to him, including Zhao Chong, Ouyang Jian, and Amnan, were called back to rest. Not returning home for a long time might lead to military chaos. In addition, the saint did not want to see Li Cunxiao establish prestige in his own army, and it would be better for him to be a commander.

Zhao Kuangning and Li Sizhou, commander of the Kui army, entered Guozhou with an army of 70,000. Most of their troops were newly recruited, and although they had been trained for several months and looked competent, they were untested, so they did not dare to advance rashly and waited for Li to join them in Guozhou.

Wei army commanders Wu Yiji and Tian Heng stormed Heyin Bridge.

The garrison troops deployed by Yang Xingmi in Chuzhou and Shouchun were on the move frequently, and there was a momentum of launching a large-scale attack on Yingzhou and Xuzhou.

Ma Yin sent 8,000 men north to suppress the rebellion.

Li Keyong hasn't made any movement yet and no one knows what's going on.

"Everyone, Zhu Jin is here." Yu Daolian walked in to report.

Some books just become rotten after being read for a long time.

He held Yu Daolian's soft hand and buried his head in her chest and rubbed it a few times: "The taste has changed."

She used to be an old maid, but now she is a young woman.

"Do you like kneeling or straddling your legs, lying on your side?"

Yu Daolian pulled his hand back, his face red as a hot iron, almost smoking. He sensed the other party's intention to go further, and hurriedly tightened his legs to clamp the devil's claws: "Our second aunt is outside the palace, don't do anything reckless."

Really.

He is even more excited!
(End of this chapter)