The emperor would rather have a

Chapter 90: Rewards for Suburban Sacrifice (4k)

The first day of the first lunar month, the second year of Xian De.

The Emperor of the Great Zhou offered sacrifices to heaven at the Circular Mound on the outskirts of Tokyo, and enshrined the spirit tablet of Emperor Taizu in the Taimiao. Hundreds of civil and military officials attended the ceremony.

The system of offering sacrifices to heaven at the Circular Mound was inherited from the Zhou Dynasty.

It lasted until the end of the Qing Dynasty and was the most important sacrificial activity in all dynasties.

Starting from the Sui Dynasty, sacrifices to the Lord of Heaven, the sun, the moon, the emperor of the earth, the gods of China, and the ancestral temples were designated as major sacrifices.

Sacrifices to the stars, the five sacrifices, the four directions, etc. are defined as middle sacrifices.

Sacrifices to the Si Ming, Si Zhong, Feng Shi, Yu Shi, mountains and rivers, etc. are considered minor sacrifices.

Generally speaking, medium and small sacrifices were more common, and the emperor could appoint officials to perform sacrifices on his behalf without having to appear in person.

But the grand sacrifices were different. The emperor had to perform the sacrifices himself to show his reverence for God.

Guo Wei, the founding emperor of the Later Zhou Dynasty, claimed to be a descendant of Guo Shu of the Zhou Dynasty, and used this to establish his country, calling it the Great Zhou.

Therefore, the Later Zhou Dynasty attached great importance to the Circular Mound for offering sacrifices to heaven.

Emperor Chai Rong was the chief priest in this suburban sacrifice, and Prime Minister Fan Zhi was the accompanying minister. The sacrifices were to the Lord of Heaven and the ancestral temple.

At the same time, Empress Fu also accompanied the emperor to participate in the sacrificial ceremony.

Early in the morning.

The emperor and empress set out from the palace.

There were nearly a thousand civil and military ministers, eunuchs and palace maids accompanying him.

In addition, there are the soldiers guarding the palace.

A huge group of tens of thousands of people left Tokyo from Wansheng Gate and headed towards the Circular Mound Altar in the western suburbs.

As the person in charge of the emperor's inspection of the imperial guards, Li Yi rested for one night in the barracks of the inner palace guards.

Then he got up at three or four in the morning and began to arrange the mobilization of the various imperial guards for the parade.

The troops to be reviewed needed to rush to the western suburbs parade ground to station first, waiting for the emperor to officially review the troops after the sacrifice to heaven was completed.

After everything was arranged, Li Yi rushed back to the palace without stopping and followed the emperor to the altar.

He was exhausted from tossing back and forth.

But as the saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility, and vice versa.

Like those generals of the six armies and guards, they just hold empty titles and wait for death, and they don’t even have the chance to contribute to the emperor.

The sacrifice officially begins.

Emperor Chai Rong wore a large fur coat and a bright yellow robe inside, which was embroidered with patterns of the sun, moon, stars, mountains, dragons, etc. He wore a crown with twelve tassels hanging from the front and back, and held a zhengui in his hand as he stepped onto the altar step by step.

It is said that the emperor is supreme among the people, but in front of the unfathomable power of the Emperor of Heaven, one must lower his proud head and pay homage to him respectfully.

After three kneelings and nine bows, wine, livestock, soup, millet, etc. are offered in turn.

After offering sacrifices to the Lord of Heaven, Chai Rong went to pay homage to the tablet of Taizu Guo Wei and offered a series of wine and food.

Although the Circular Mound Heaven Sacrifice is kept simple to save costs, the necessary procedures are still required.

After the suburban sacrifice.

The emperor ordered a grand review of the imperial guards.

……

A training ground in the western suburbs of Tokyo.

Located in the royal forest, it is called a training ground, but in fact it is just a compacted earthen space. However, its area is very large and it is likely to accommodate more than 100,000 troops.

On the southeast side of the parade ground, there was the emperor's imperial tent and a tower that was several dozen feet long and wide and more than ten feet high.

At that time, the emperor, the empress, and civil and military ministers will go up to the platform to review the imperial guards together.

Li Yi led his men to inspect all the imperial guards units that were on review, and at the same time explained the precautions to the generals of each unit.

He arranged 5,000 soldiers from the Inner Palace Guard as the first group in this parade.

Next are the 20,000 troops of the four main forces, namely Longjie, Hujie, Tieqi and Konghe.

Finally, there were more than 10,000 troops from other tribes.

They were divided into three groups and received the emperor's inspection in turn.

"Envoy Li, how are things going?"

"Your Majesty has high expectations for this matter. We cannot allow any mistakes to disappoint His Majesty."

Zhang Yongde personally rode over to ask Li Yi. Apart from Li Yi, he was the one who cared the most about the emperor's review of the imperial guards.

After all, Li Yi was his subordinate, and he had the most to gain from the reorganization of the imperial guards. He certainly didn't want to make any mistakes and displease the emperor.

"Please rest assured, Envoy Zhang, I have made all the arrangements!"

Li Yi said this, but he felt a little amused in his heart. Zhang Yongde didn't seem to put in any effort when doing things, but when he achieved results, he came to give him many instructions.

But it is a good thing to have such a leader. At least he will not interfere and cause trouble for you.

Anyway, the emperor will naturally see the credit for his contribution, so he is not afraid of it being snatched away by others.

"That's good."

Zhang Yongde patted Li Yi on the shoulder and said, "You have made great contributions in rectifying the imperial guards this time. His Majesty will surely reward you generously. I would like to congratulate Envoy Li first."

Judging from the meaning of his words, it seems that he has already known some news.

But Li Yi couldn't ask any more questions, so he could only politely say, "I don't deserve it!"

Not long after Zhang Yongde left, an eunuch came to convey the emperor's oral instructions.

The review officially begins!
……

"drive!"

Li Yi led the vanguard and the rest of the generals in the inner palace followed.

Thousands of troops immediately marched in neat formation along the designated route towards the reviewing stand.

Suddenly, dust and fog billowed, and wind and sand rolled.

Li Yi personally led a hundred elite soldiers who were good at riding and shooting, followed by three thousand cavalry led by Ma Renyu, and a thousand infantry each led by the left and right chiefs.

In a blink of an eye, the reviewing platform came into view.

Looking from afar.

I saw the imperial guards surrounding a yellow tasseled canopy, with hundreds of eunuchs and palace maids following and serving on both sides.

Emperor Chai Rong was dressed in a royal robe, exuding an aura of dominance and sitting in a high position, overlooking the world.

Beside the emperor stood Empress Fu, her sleeves of gold brocade spread out like pouring red clouds, her hair combed in a dignified and majestic bun, and the pearl and jade hairpin on her head gleamed in the sunlight.

Civil and military officials stood on either side of the emperor, like stars guarding the sun and the moon, watching with bated breath the heavily armored army rushing towards them from afar.

“Gee—” “Gee!” “Gee!”

Suddenly, Li Yi jumped on his horse and whipped it to speed up. The one hundred elite cavalry and archers behind him also immediately urged their horses to gallop.

In an instant, they all broke away from the queue at the back and rushed straight towards the reviewing stand.

"ah!"

Some of the ministers on the platform were caught off guard and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, while others looked at the emperor, only to find that he looked normal and not surprised at all.

Only then did everyone feel relieved.

"Your Majesty, what does Li Yi want to do?" Queen Fu leaned over and whispered in the emperor's ear.

Chai Rong smiled and said, "The Queen, just watch."

In fact, the emperor was also a little curious. Li Yi had indeed reported to him in advance that he would personally lead people to practice charging, riding and shooting during the inspection.

But verbal descriptions are naturally not as direct as seeing it with your own eyes.

as predicted.

Just a hundred steps away from the reviewing stand, Li Yi suddenly turned his horse's head, made a 90-degree turn on the spot, and ran towards the target on the side of the platform.

The hundred cavalrymen behind him also followed closely.

"Take the bow...and shoot!"

Li Yi shouted loudly, took up the horn bow hanging from his waist, quickly pulled out an arrow, and shot it.

thump—

An arrow hits the bull's-eye.

At the same time, the other one hundred mounted archers also drew their bows and shot arrows. A rain of arrows came in an instant, and all of them hit the target without missing.

Although none of them hit the bull's eye, a hundred soldiers shot at the same time from a hundred steps away and all of them hit the target. Moreover, they were riding fast, freeing their hands to shoot arrows while keeping their horses stable.

Who dares to say that such riding, archery and horse-controlling skills are just so-so?
"Cum again!"

Li Yi shot another arrow, and it hit the bull's eye without any surprise.

Hundreds of soldiers fired again, but still no one hit the target.

"Three shots!"

At the same time that Li Yi's third arrow hit the center of the bull's eye, another hundred arrows hit the target immediately afterwards.

"receive!"

It’s a long story, but it all happened in a flash.

By the time everyone present reacted, Li Yi, leading a group of elite knights, had already turned back from the target direction.

At the same time, the inner palace guards led by Ma Renyu had received orders in advance and lined up in an orderly manner not far from the platform.

"Your Majesty, please review the Imperial Guards!"

Li Yi rode a black warhorse with long flowing mane, and the sound of hooves echoed as it arrived at the foot of the platform. He dismounted and saluted.

"good very good!"

The emperor seemed very satisfied with this performance specially designed by Li Yi.

Of course, this was exactly the purpose of Li Yi's trick just now.

When it comes to reorganizing the imperial guards, the emperor not only wants to see a brand new military etiquette and appearance, but he also certainly hopes to train a truly powerful army.

It is not realistic to prove to the emperor how powerful the imperial guards are in a short period of time.

No matter how well you train, it is not as good as fighting on the battlefield with real guns and swords.

But through the series of performances just now, Li Yi also wanted to tell everyone that there is no shortage of capable people in the Imperial Guards. This time when reorganizing the Imperial Guards, he really put in a lot of effort to select the elite.

At this time, Empress Fu suddenly said, "Your Majesty, I just remembered that my second sister wrote me a letter last month, mentioning that when Envoy Li Du visited the King of Wei, he had shown a skill called..."

"Oh, right, there's this archery skill called Three Stars in a Row. It's about the arrows hitting the tails of the arrows, and the tails of the three arrows are connected."

"At first, I didn't quite believe that archery could be so miraculous. I thought my second sister had been living in seclusion for many years and had never seen any military affairs. Someone must have deceived her."

"But now that I've seen Envoy Li's abilities, I'm starting to believe it."

As she spoke, a smile broke out on Fu's fair face. The hairpin on her head trembled slightly, and the pearl and jade pendants swayed in the wind.

However, Li Yi was a little curious. How could Fu Ermei and the Queen have such a close relationship? Judging from what Da Fu said, the two sisters should write letters to each other frequently.

But Queen Dafu has been married for many years after all, and the two sisters probably have few opportunities to meet. Their feelings will probably fade over time.

But what puzzled Li Yi even more was that the Queen suddenly brought up this matter, which seemed a bit strange.

The Queen of Talismans is definitely not an ignorant girl who speaks without thinking... A woman with a strong sense of self-determination like her will always have meaning in everything she says.

It’s a pity that Li Yi couldn’t figure it out for the time being.

After hearing Da Fu's words, Chai Rong smiled heartily and said, "Li Dushi's ability has been proven to everyone in the battles of Gaoping and Xinkou. Is it any wonder that he is an excellent archer?"

As he spoke, Chai Rong looked at Li Yi and said approvingly, "If after this reorganization of the Imperial Guards, the army is filled with elite troops like the one you just led, then there will be no place in the world that I cannot visit."

Li Yi felt ashamed when he heard this. The one hundred people he brought with him were all elite soldiers selected from various parts of the imperial guards.

Even on the grassland where people rely on nomadism for their livelihood, they are considered rare top talents.

If the emperor really wanted everyone in the imperial guards to have this ability.

Isn't this nonsense?

Fortunately, Chai Rong just said this casually. He himself was an emperor who came from a military background, so he naturally knew the specific situation in the army.

Chai Rong nodded slightly and said, "You did a great job."

Although he had not yet reviewed other units of the Imperial Guard, just looking at the Inner Palace Guards not far away, he could see their strict and orderly manner in their words and actions.

The emperor also knew that Li Yi must have put in a lot of effort.

Next.

Li Yi personally served as the flag bearer, riding back and forth on horseback, waving command flags constantly, and directing the various units of the imperial guards to pass under the reviewing stand in turn according to the rehearsed formation to receive the emperor's inspection.

"Great Zhou Wansheng!"

"Long live your Majesty!"

The imperial guards on parade would change the direction of their weapons when passing the reviewing stand, and at the same time turn their heads towards the emperor's guard on the platform, shouting slogans in unison.

I saw a series of neat, orderly and imposing columns passing under the platform.

The smile on Emperor Chai Rong's face never disappeared.

Li Yi couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, thinking that all his hard work over the past few months had not been in vain.

Subsequently.

The units participating in the parade were composed of cavalry, infantry, archers, crossbowmen and other arms. They gathered together to practice military formations such as the偃月阵 and横山阵, as well as coordination and cooperation between the various arms.

It has to be said that after five generations of military accumulation, the foundation of the Later Zhou Imperial Guards was indeed not bad.

After all, the founding emperors of the Five Dynasties relied on their elite troops to ascend to power.

And these elite soldiers eventually became the imperial guards.

In addition, since the Later Jin Dynasty, there has been a tradition of recruiting elite troops from local vassal states to serve as imperial guards.

The local military governors were being squeezed weaker and weaker, while the imperial guards were becoming stronger and stronger. Now that Chai Rong had succeeded to the throne, he vigorously reformed the imperial guards through Li Yi.

Thousands of elite personnel were recruited from local military governorates, prefectures and counties.

Therefore, although the troops that were reviewed by the emperor this time included new recruits, many of them were soldiers from local vassal states, and the quality of the soldiers was guaranteed.

After ten days or half a month of running-in, they were already quite impressive during the drills.

But as the saying goes, one incompetent general can tire out thousands of soldiers.

No matter how powerful an army is, it cannot withstand the defeat of a weak commander... just like the donkey cart god of war in history.

Wait until the review is over.

The emperor hosted a banquet on the spot to entertain his ministers, gave sacrificial meat to civil and military officials, and shared the wine and liquor used for the sacrifice to show his favor.

At the same time, during the banquet, the emperor's rewards also came down.

……

"Fan Zhi, who was appointed Zuo Pushe and concurrently served as Menxia Shilang, Pingzhangshi, and Supervisor of National History, was changed to Shou Situ and concurrently served as Menxia Shilang, Pingzhangshi, and Grand Secretary of the Hongwenguan Academy."

"Li Gu, the Right Servant, who was also the Minister of the Central Secretariat, Prime Minister, Grand Secretary of the Jixian Hall, and Judge of the Three Departments, was changed to the position of Minister of the Interior, Minister of the Imperial Court, and Prime Minister, and was responsible for supervising the compilation of the national history."

"Wang Pu, the Minister of the Central Secretariat and Prime Minister, was appointed as the Minister of the Central Secretariat and concurrently the Minister of Rites, Prime Minister, and Grand Secretary of the Jixian Hall."

"Jing Fan, a scholar of the Privy Council and the Minister of Works, was appointed as the Minister of the Secretariat, the Prime Minister, and the Judge of the Three Departments."

"Zheng Renhui, Privy Councilor, Inspector of the Imperial Guards, and Co-Prime Minister, was also appointed Minister of the Interior."

"Appoint Wei Renpu, Deputy Privy Councilor and Right Imperial Guard General, as Privy Councilor and Inspector of the Imperial Guard."

"..."

The emperor first rewarded the civil officials. Although the Privy Council was in charge of military affairs, its chief officer was not a military man, so he was also considered a civil official.

Li Yi sat aside and listened quietly. He didn't care about the rewards given to others. He mainly paid attention to the rewards given to six important ministers.

The number of prime ministers increased from three to four, with the addition of Jing Fan, the Secretary of the Central Secretariat.

Jing Fan concurrently served as judge of three ministries, namely the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of Salt and Iron Transport.

Appointing the prime minister to judge the affairs of the Three Departments has been a tradition since the middle and late Tang Dynasty and continued until the Yuanfeng reform in the Northern Song Dynasty.

The prime minister who holds this position is known as the "Prime Minister of Strategy".

However, compared with the other three prime ministers, Jing Fan can only be called the last prime minister, that is, the one with the lowest ranking.

Among them, Prime Minister Fan Zhi was the Grand Secretary of the Hongwenguan. This title meant that he was the prime minister and ranked first.

Li Gujia was also the supervisor of national history, which meant he was the second-in-command.

Wang Pu had an additional title of Grand Secretary of the Jixian Hall than Jing Fan, so he was naturally ranked third.

In addition, as Li Yi had expected, the Deputy Privy Councilor Wei Renpu was directly promoted to Privy Councilor after reorganizing the imperial guards.

Although Zheng Renhui's position as Privy Councilor was not removed, he was also given the honorary title of Minister of the Interior.

However, since he returned from the emperor's expedition, he has not presided over the affairs of the Privy Council again. It is said that his old age and frailty have caused his illness to recur, and it is unknown how long he can live.

Therefore, Zheng Renhui's position as Privy Councilor was just a title.

It seems that Wei Renpu will have the final say in the Privy Council from now on.

Of course, the power of the Privy Councilor is not as great as imagined.

Ever since Guo Wei usurped the throne of the Later Han Dynasty by taking the position of Privy Councilor, the position of Privy Councilor has gradually been filled by civil officials.

The Privy Council also began to become the emperor's mouthpiece.

However, Wei Renpu was highly trusted by Chai Rong, and Li Yi planned to establish a good relationship with him in the future.

(End of this chapter)