Royal Road

Chapter 75: Winter

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In the hall, there are piles of brocade and furs, the charcoal stove is warm, and several men in Chinese attire are sitting around the table, just like an ordinary high door. However, the dish in front of them was not a rare vegetable in winter, but a large lamb bone on a silver plate. The lamb that had just been taken off the shelf was roasted with a gleam of oil and a fragrant aroma. Just looking at it made one's forefinger twitch. It's a pity that the bones are too large to be eaten with the ivory chopsticks and silver spoons in front of them. If you want to eat meat into your mouth, you can only use your hands.

After a short silence, the man sitting on the left side laughed and reached out to grab the lamb bone: "Good lamb roasted by Xiangguo!"

As he spoke, he opened his mouth and bit hard, and a large piece of mutton fell off the bone and rolled into his mouth. The grease slid down the beard and dripped onto the gorgeous brocade robe.

The other, younger man on the right side smiled, took out a silver dagger from his waist, swiped it lightly, sliced a piece of tender meat, and put it in his mouth, chewing gently twice, the man laughed : "The milk sheep in winter is also rare, and the prime minister has been bothered."

Above the main seat, the old man with white beard and hair stretched out his hand, tore a piece of mutton and put it in the wheat rice, grabbed it twice, formed a ball, and put it into his mouth. The mutton is tender and the wheat rice is sweet. Even if the teeth are loose, it can be easily chewed. The old man calmly ate a ball of rice before saying, "I used to use a spoon and a chopstick, but I always felt unhappy. Such a good sheep should be eaten in this way."

This is the way the Huns eat. Sitting in a large tent, piling rice with bare hands, and cutting meat with a sharp knife is the only way to eat heartily. However, everyone here is dressed in Han family clothes. The robe has wide sleeves, the bun is high, and even the beard is neatly trimmed. Dressed in fancy clothes, but vulgar and unspeakably weird.

"Hahaha!" The middle-aged man holding the mutton with his hands laughed loudly, "Xiangguo is right. What kind of food should be eaten in what way. If you choose the wrong one, you won't be able to eat it. in the mouth."

"It also depends on when the meat is cooked and who will eat it." He cut off another piece of mutton, and the man on the side sneered, "Hundreds of cavalrymen from the left can also be defeated by the Jin army, can you take a job?"

"It's just a few hundred chaotic soldiers, how many can they do?" Liu Xuan's expression turned cold, "It's been too long since Chengping, the right side has forgotten the power of the royal court?"

The Xulianti clan of the Xiongnu royal family has declined, and now among the southern Xiongnu, the Tu various tribes are the strongest. As early as 50 years ago, Liu Yuan's father, Liu Bao, briefly unified the five tribes of the Xiongnu, arousing the suspicion of the Sima clan, and forcibly split the five tribes again. However, Liu Bao's reputation has been handed down in the five books. Now that Liu Yuan is in charge of the Tu ministries, Liu Xuan gave the title of King Zuo Xian to this grand-nephew. It can be said that he is the worthy of the Xiongnu Danyu. The royal court is the royal court, no matter what the surname is, it should not be taken lightly.

The man immediately closed his mouth. No matter how arrogant he was, he couldn't afford this crime.

The man next to him who was holding the sheep's bones laughed and said, "Xiangguo's words are serious. It's just the trouble from the left side, but it's also an opportunity. It just so happens that Sima Teng is trapped in Luoyang, why not take this opportunity and send troops directly?"

Liu Xuan pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head: "Winter is not suitable for raising troops, and Yuanhai is still in Yecheng. If there is no big order in charge, how can the five divisions be united? Today, I have invited two of you, but I want to be accurate. Do you want to eat this sheep or not?"

The two looked at each other, and the younger man smiled and said, "The people with yellow mouths should be divided up. As long as the prime minister keeps his word, the five divisions will belong to the royal court."

"Good." Liu Xuan nodded. "If that's the case, I hope the two of you will keep the king's orders in mind. Things like the Zuobu can't happen again. Why should you exchange cattle and sheep for extravagant things?"

These words came into the hearts of the two of them. Yes, the Huns have relied on swords and bows for generations, and they exchanged cattle and sheep for treasures, which is simply beyond stupid! Just like the 300,000 horse archers in the royal court back then, wouldn't the big man also bow his head and be a minister, pay tribute and kiss

"What Xiangguo said is very true! The troops and horses on the right are ready, and only waiting for Wang Tingjun's order."

A meal took more than half an hour. After seeing off the guests, Liu Xuan sat in front of the desk and held up the teacup. After all, when he is old, no matter how tender the mutton is, it is difficult for him to overcome it, so he can only drink more tea to get rid of the taint.

Although the right part has been used to a good life in the past two years, his troops and horses are still strong. As long as they keep their minds on it, it's enough. It's a pity that Yuan Hai didn't come back during the autumn harvest, and now he can only wait for next year. When the wheat is harvested and the horses grow back, it will be the day to send troops. Even if he escaped, he had to let Yuan Hai escape back.

After just closing his eyes and thinking for a moment, there was someone outside the door. It's the return of a horse-hunting trip to Gaodu.

Liu Xuan opened his eyes: "Let him in."

"Xiangguo!" The confidant said when he entered the door, "The battle at Gaodu was indeed as stated in the battle report."

These days, he has carefully checked and verified the valley that the battle report said. Although the bodies have been transported away, the traces left will not disappear. Just by looking at the blackened gorge and the bloodstains left in the valley, it is not difficult to discern the details of the battle.

After listening to what his confidant said, Liu Xuan's brows wrinkled even higher: "How is the situation in Gaodu City?"

"The county magistrate of Gaodu has begun to take in refugees, saying that it is to rebuild the city wall and reclaim wasteland." The confidant replied.

"Accommodating refugees?" This is not something ordinary magistrates can do. The magistrate of Gaodu had never heard of a worthy name before, so after the battle, he was both a capable minister and a famous general. "What about Liang Mansion?"

"Liang Mansion has a village gate, and subordinates really can't spy on it." The confidant said, "But I inquired about the villages outside the village. It is said that Liang Mansion has also gathered a lot of refugees these days. In addition to the Han people, they also There are many Jie people. Everyone says that Lianghou Renshan is the incarnation of the Buddha."

He tapped on the table with his fingertips, and Liu Xuan sneered: "He is taking refugees and making a name for himself. Could it be that he wants to learn from Emperor Zhaolie? It doesn't matter, wait until that cowardly villain Sima Teng returns and see him. How to deal with it!"

Sima Teng was very happy, and he was trapped in Luoyang because of his dedication to epidemic prevention. If he returned to Bingzhou and found that he was no longer there, this Liang Zixi was participating in the Fa conference and sheltering refugees, maybe what kind of thoughts would have arisen. Wouldn't it be just right to use Sima's butcher's knife to kill this flamboyant figure. Lu Pingyuan could have died at the hands of Sima Ying, and it was not surprising that there was one more Liang Feng.

"On the left side, send some more people over. We must take good care of Huyan's lineage and let them know what to do!" Liu Xuan put down the tea cup and coughed heavily. Since that day's heart attack, his health has gotten worse. I just hope this winter can pass sooner...

"Cough cough cough!" Jiang Da's face was pale, and he coughed violently.

A few days ago, he suffered from a cold and coughed continuously. Because of this, he was exempted from the errand of entering the palace, and only sat in the office of the Shaofu every day.

The situation in Luoyang is getting worse. Short of water and food, let alone the people below, even he, a medical officer in the young mansion, could not eat enough and wear warm clothes every day. The price of grain in the city has risen to 10,000 yuan. The king of Changsha ordered the princes and nobles to open positions several times, but the grain and grass they obtained were still limited, and the army was still stretched. If it goes on like this, I am afraid that all the officials will endure starvation.

Whether he can win this battle, Jiang Da has no worries. Like a dying man on the verge of death, his heart was numb. The one outside the city is the Sima family, and the one inside the city is also the Sima family. Does it really matter who wins and who loses among these Sima? The royal drivers were dragged to the front line by the Changsha King. They were afraid that the emperor on the dragon chair would be like a mud puppet, able to drive at will.

Another series of violent coughs. Jiang Da struggled to stand up, took a pill, and swallowed it. At this time, decoction has become a luxury. Fortunately, he is in the Shaofu. If he is elsewhere, he is afraid that he will not even be able to take the medicine.

Just as he was about to turn back and lie down on the couch, there was a sudden noise outside.

"The King of Changsha wins again!"

"Zhang Fangjun hasn't retreated, what's the use of winning?"

"It's better to lose. If you lose, you will have food..."

"You, you shut up..."

That should be the medical officer of the Shaofu. With a wry smile, Jiang Da ignored them and lay down on the bed again. A piercing chill came over him, and he grabbed the quilt and wrapped himself firmly in it.

"Yongzhou has sent troops, and the King of Hejian is exhausted." Sima Teng paced the room anxiously, "Brother, Zhang Fang's army has been defeated again and again. If Chang'an is in an emergency, they will probably withdraw!"

As soon as Zhang Fang's army retreated, Sima Ying's palm was hard to cry, and she might give up. In this way, Sima Ai wins the game. The escort has meritorious deeds, and is brave and strong, and both the court, the top and the bottom must return to their hearts. This is much more difficult than a Sima Ying!

He is not afraid of lack of food, or even the city of Luoyang will be destroyed. But if Sima Ai controls the overall situation of the DPRK and China, how can these side branches still have a bright future? ! Moreover, he had been away from Bingzhou for so long. If Sima Ying returned without success and turned to attack Bingzhou in a fit of anger, wouldn't he become a bereaved dog? !

Sima Yue looked gloomy, staring at the smoke rising from the gold incense burner. The current situation is indeed beyond his expectations. Sima Yi must never be in power again, and Sima Ying is not a good person. If you want to gain a foothold in the DPRK, you can only do it as soon as possible! Alas, if it wasn't for his younger brother staying in Luoyang, why is there such a hurry

"You tell the temple. After the Lari Festival, take advantage of the situation and imprison Shidu. Everything must be done with caution, and don't let his subordinates know about this."

"Do you want to welcome the King of Chengdu into Luoyang?"

"If he is in time for Zhengdan, he will definitely be excited. If he incites Shidu's subordinates again, maybe he will be able to fish in troubled waters..." Sima Yue's voice became lower and lower, "This time the plan is very big, you must be careful. !"

"Brother, don't worry. I will definitely find a good opportunity!" Sima Teng replied with a cold smile.