Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

To the southwest of Longmen Grottoes, Wan'an Mountain, which stretches for more than ten miles, has a part of the hillside that is included in the Tiansijian Horse Farm in the north.

The rest is all royal hunting grounds!

Although woodcutters from the surrounding areas are allowed to come to collect firewood, they are not allowed to cut down the main trunks of trees. Once they are caught, they will be heavily fined.

Luoyang has begun to use coal, and fewer and fewer woodcutters enter the city. The firewood used by the surrounding farmers will not have any impact on the vegetation of Wan'an Mountain.

There are no beasts in the mountains, even wild wolves cannot be found.

But there are more than ten kinds of prey such as wild boars, muntjacs, rabbits, sika deer, etc. Most of them are released by the court, and the original wild animals in the mountains have long been gone.

If wild animals run to nearby farmlands and are captured by local people, the government is too lazy to investigate. It doesn't matter if you go into the mountains to poach one or two, but if you go poaching for a long time, it means that you think you are living too comfortably.

The royal hunting grounds of all dynasties were actually only useful in the middle and early stages of the founding of the country.

It was not for the emperor's enjoyment, but to train the imperial guards in the form of hunting, especially the cavalry in the imperial guards.

The royal hunting grounds of the Northern Song Dynasty turned into farmland a few decades later.

The royal hunting grounds of the Ming Dynasty became a place for exile of eunuchs in the late Ming Dynasty, and the royal palaces inside were all decayed.

The royal hunting grounds of the Qing Dynasty were even more awesome. Because they covered a large area and had enough trees, they became the timber and fur base of the Qing nobles. No matter who was sent to supervise the Mulan Hunting Ground, they could make a fortune by stealing timber and poaching wild animals.

When Jiaqing first ascended the throne, there was also a new policy. Not only did he try to reform the internal affairs, he also planned to revitalize the Eight Banners Army.

So he started with hunting!

The first time he wanted to go, the ministers opposed it, saying that the emperor had only been in power for four years and it was not suitable to go hunting.

The second time he wanted to go, the ministers opposed it, saying that the capital had a sudden flood and the people were displaced. In order to reduce the burden on the court, the emperor should not go hunting.

It was delayed for another year, and the ministers still opposed it.

Jiaqing was furious and said that he was not going there for pleasure. Hunting in Mulan was a tradition passed down by our ancestors. He was trying to revitalize the Eight Banners Army.

The ministers were unable to stop him, and something went wrong halfway through.

The person in charge of the Mulan hunting ground reported that there was little rainfall this year, the weather had turned cold, and the water and grass had dried up, making it unsuitable for hunting.

Jiaqing sent people to investigate secretly and found that the water and grass there were abundant. However, a large number of trees had been cut down, and not even a deer could be seen within hundreds of miles. All of them were killed by the guards for the purpose of selling deer skins and blood.

What was even more ridiculous was that no one was severely punished for years of large-scale deception of the emperor...

Throughout the dynasties of China, as long as we look at the degree of desolation of the royal hunting grounds, we can infer whether the dynasty was declining. Including the Yuan Dynasty!

...

Compared with the hundreds of miles of the Qing Dynasty hunting grounds, the Ming Dynasty royal hunting grounds were still too small. How many prey could there be in the mountains and forests stretching for more than ten miles?

Thirty thousand imperial troops were dispatched on foot and cavalry, advancing layer by layer on the periphery of the hunting grounds.

The sound of war drums, military trumpets, and military whistles came and went, and they took turns to advance, and the various troops cooperated with each other.

Driving out the prey was only secondary, the main thing was to practice the transmission and execution of military orders.

A group of sika deer ran out in fright, and Zhu Ming said to the crown prince Zhu Yang: "You go!"

Prince Yu Zhu Kang was born in Jinzhou, which belonged to the ancient Ankang County, so he was called Zhu Kang.

The crown prince will be sixteen years old this year, and was born in Yangzhou, so he was called Zhu Yang.

The third and fourth princes were born in Xiangyang, named Zhu Xiang and Zhu Fan respectively...

Although the crown prince Zhu Yang was more introverted and didn't like martial arts very much, he was still forced to learn horse riding and archery.

He took a few of the crown prince's attendants and immediately rushed towards the herd of deer.

The herd of deer was frightened and fled to the other side from a long distance. In the distance, the flag was waved, a large number of soldiers shouted, and a group of hunting dogs were released.

The herd of deer began to flee in all directions.

Zhu Yang drew his bow and shot an arrow, which landed between several deer.

He shot three arrows in a row, and finally hit the hind leg of a deer.

"Hit, Your Highness the Crown Prince hit it!"

The attendants shouted excitedly and began to ride horses to surround the injured sika deer, which ran around.

Zhu Yang shot four more arrows and finally hit its neck.

The attendants continued to chase, and the hunting dogs pounced on the deer and bit it.

Two attendants carried the deer and followed Zhu Yang to report.

Zhu Yang blushed with shame, and rode on horseback and bowed, saying: "Your Majesty, I have captured a deer."

"Not bad, keep up the good work." Zhu Ming encouraged him.

Zhu Yang was relieved and followed his father on horseback.

Zhu Kang wanted to show off. When a wild boar was driven out of the woods, he took the initiative to go hunting.

Zhu Ming waved his hand.

Zhu Kang immediately rode on his horse and galloped. He made rapid progress in the military academy, especially in archery, spearmanship and riding.

Only one arrow was fired, and it hit the wild boar's back.

The wild boar was in pain, and it stopped running away, but turned and rushed towards Zhu Kang.

Zhu Kang shot another arrow, hitting the wild boar's nose. Then he rode his horse to the side, pulled away a little distance and shot another arrow into the head.

Zhu Ming looked through the telescope, with a bright smile on his face.

Muleke said to Anwari: "This prince is extremely brave and the oldest, why is he not the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty?"

Anwari said: "In the Ming Dynasty, whether it is the king or the noble, there is one wife who is the main wife, and the others are only secondary wives. The first son of the main wife can inherit the country or industry. If this son dies of illness, the second son of the main wife will inherit."

"What if the main wife has no son?" Muleke asked.

Anwari said: "Then the eldest son born to other wives will inherit."

Mulek thought carefully for a while and said: "This inheritance system can avoid civil strife. But if the heir is too stupid, it will bring disaster to the country."

Anwari said: "The officials of the Ming Dynasty said that they are not afraid of the stupidity of the crown prince because there are ministers to help govern the country. They are afraid that the crown prince will be cruel and inhumane, destroy the national system, and ignore the lives of the people."

Mulek pointed at Zhu Kang who came back from hunting wild boars: "This prince is so brave, doesn't he want to fight for the throne?"

Anwari said: "If he dares to fight for the throne, he will be the enemy of all civil and military officials in the country. Unless he can defeat all opponents and defeat the endless huge army."

Mulek shook his head and said: "This inheritance system is difficult to implement in the Seljuk."

"The emperor is hunting in person!" Anwari shouted.

Mulek also took out his bow and arrow and went out with the emperor's attendants.

Zhu Ming's mount at this time is the great-great-great-grandson of the cornucopia - Coal Ball.

Its fur is as black and smooth as silk, and it has the bloodline of Hehuang horse, Khitan horse, Wusun horse and Ferghana horse.

It is not possible to classify it as a horse breed for the time being, because the genetic characteristics are not stable yet, and its brothers and sisters all have different shapes.

Its shoulder height is not even qualified for Ferghana horses, only 147 cm, but it is tall enough in China. The head is small and smart, with the characteristics of Wusun horse. The body is like Hehuang horse. The speed and endurance are very strong, perfectly inheriting the advantages of the paternal and maternal lines.

It has a violent personality and is very aggressive.

Zhu Ming waved the whip, and the coal ball jumped out excitedly in an instant, surpassing the attendants by a horse length in a blink of an eye.

Then it rushed faster and faster, and Zhu Ming hurriedly pulled the reins to control the speed.

Zhu Ming aimed at the leader of the deer herd, hesitated slightly, and turned to shoot at the other one next to him.

One arrow hit the neck.

"The emperor is a great archer!" The attendants and officials shouted.

Zhu Ming stopped his horse and said with a smile: "Emissaries from all countries should also try it."

The deer here were released by the court, and they have not reproduced for a short time. It is estimated that a new batch will be released after today.

In the next few years, hunting must be temporarily suspended to allow the wild animals to reproduce well.

Emissaries from various countries rushed out excitedly, all wanting to show off their skills in front of the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

Only the envoys from the surrounding vassal states and some major powers focused on the emperor's riding and archery skills.

The envoys from the vassal states complained in their hearts, and they hoped that the Ming Dynasty would have an emperor who ruled the country without hesitation.

No matter how good the emperor's riding and archery are, it doesn't matter, but that means that the emperor is martial.

If the emperor is martial, the Ming Dynasty will be martial!

Xixia envoy Cao Tuan thought of this year's famine and heard that a large number of border starving people fled to the Ming Dynasty and were resettled. Many of them were even abducted by Xixia from the border of the Song Dynasty.

Once the population of the Hengshan area of ​​the Ming Dynasty is sufficient, the two countries will not be far from war.

In the past, the reason why the Northern Song Dynasty and Xixia fought a tug-of-war was purely because they had no choice in the face of the current situation.

At first, the Song State steadily advanced in Hengshan, and built a fortress immediately after conquering a place. Then Xixia also learned and built a large fortress there.

The area around Hengshan is full of fortresses of the two countries.

Due to the terrain, it is necessary to slowly attack the fortresses one by one.

But now the Ming Dynasty has artillery, and when facing a group of fortresses, it can use artillery to push through.

A few days ago, officials from the Honglu Temple invited Cao Tuan to drink and talked about the lonely loyalty in the northwest.

It was also revealed that the Ming Wu Temple will soon enshrine the tablet of Zhang Yichao.

Cao Tuan's ancestor is Zhang Yichao's grandson-in-law!

If his ancestors are enshrined in the Ming Wu Temple, can he get extra treatment for helping the Ming Dynasty to destroy Xia?

The problem is that his nephew is the prince of Xixia.

Once his nephew succeeds to the throne, his position in Xixia will rise. It is best not to destroy Xixia unless it is absolutely necessary, so that the Cao family can continue to be rich and prosperous for generations.

But what should I do if the Ming Dynasty really attacks?

Cao Tuan was very confused.

Suddenly, cheers came from the front. An envoy from an unknown country shot the prey.

Cao Tuan slapped his head and suddenly figured it out. Why should I worry about it?

As long as Xixia did not show defeat, he would be happy to be the uncle of the king. If Xixia lost the war, he would quickly help as an insider. It would be best if he changed his family name to Zhang and changed the Cao family's incense to Zhang Yichao's incense.

I can be Cao Tuan or Zhang Tuan.

"Go!"

Cao Tuan rushed out on his horse, but the deer had already fled and he could not find the prey at all.

Cao Tuan looked at the bow and arrow in his hand and found that he had to choose the right time, otherwise he would not get any benefits like he did now.

If he surrendered to the Ming too early, his family might be destroyed.

If he surrendered to the Ming too late, he could not reflect the value of the Cao family.

This time is not easy to grasp.

(There seems to be a chapter before that mistakenly wrote the prince's name as Zhu Xiang.)