Warrior in Turbulent Han Dynasty

At the end of the year, Guo Shao got permission to take Li Yuan'er, Li Chuyun's daughter, as his concubine.

Officials in Tokyo wrote to change the year name in the coming year, but no one responded, so the Zhou Dynasty continued to use the "Xiande" year name of Zhou Taizu. After Guo Wei changed Guangshun to Xiande, it has not changed. Zhou Shizong succeeded to the throne in the first year of Xiande, and Chai Zongxun still uses it now.

All yamen seal the holiday, and Tokyo is immersed in the New Year's Eve.

...

The capital city of the Kingdom of Shu is also decorated with lanterns and festoons, and it is peaceful. The population here is dense, but there are not many people on the street in the morning after winter. Under the damp mist, many shops are still closed at night;

Pedestrians are all slow and leisurely, as if everyone is taking a walk; if someone suddenly walks in a hurry, people will guess whether there is something urgent at home, or if a family member is sick and rushing to invite a doctor, etc.

On the contrary, the teahouses in the streets and alleys were full of guests early on. A group of people drank tea and kowtowed dried fruits to "set up the Longmen Array", but more people liked to play leaf cards; according to the locals, this kind of gambling game was invented by Zhuge Kongming. It was rumored that the Shu soldiers were boring when they were marching and camping.

The fertile Western Sichuan Plain, humid climate, and a well-developed irrigation system can almost wait for a bumper harvest when the seeds are thrown into the ground. From peddlers in the city to farmers in the countryside, life is very leisurely. As long as there are no man-made disasters, most people have no worries about food and clothing. I can't feel the breath of war at all.

Even the emperor and ministers in the imperial city were not panicked, and Xiaomin felt no pressure.

Meng Chang felt very happy now, and was watching the waists and chests of those beauties in the hall with great interest, very carefully.

In the corner of the main hall, a large group of musicians sat on their knees, playing the zither and the sheng with intoxication on their faces. The beauties danced to the music with their long sleeves fluttering. All the girls sang and danced around, and the beauties who approached Meng Chang secretly winked at him, making Meng Chang very excited.

After a song, the singing girls retreated one by one to take a rest. Meng Chang still has more to say.

Wang Zhaoyuan got up at the right time and said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty, you have won a complete victory! The Zhou army's fanfare is nothing more than that, but being rejected by His Majesty's army, you will not be able to enter the country!"

Everyone echoed and followed the celebration. For a while, in the atmosphere of the New Year's Eve, the hall was even more enjoyable.

At this time, Prime Minister Li Hao said: "Your Majesty, since the reinforcements have arrived in Hanzhong, they should not be withdrawn. It is better to use Han Baozheng as the governor of Shannan Road to guard the northern border."

"Okay, let's make an order." Meng Chang said calmly.

At this time, someone muttered: "It's okay to pretend to be a loyal minister. It's not the right time to disturb people's elegance, so others still have to praise him?"

After hearing this, Li Hao's face became very ugly.

Mrs. Huarui, who was next to the throne, filled a glass of wine for Meng Chang, and said softly, "Prime Minister Li has a good heart, so don't be angry, Your Majesty."

Meng Chang said: "It's Chinese New Year, it's nothing to have fun with everyone. Besides, didn't Zhou Jun be beaten back by my Dashu?"

Li Hao hurriedly persuaded: "The Zhou army did not fight a big battle. It is probably because the weather in the north is too cold. Let's suspend the army for now. When the weather gets warmer next year, there will be a big battle. It is a complete strategy for us to make some preparations in advance."

"Don't talk about giving up your honorary title." Meng Chang finally took a firm attitude. He doesn't care about Li Hao's alarmist talk, and he doesn't like others to scare him at every turn.

Deputy Privy Envoy Wang Zhaoyuan said: "Your Majesty has to make some preparations, but he is just preparing to enter the Central Plains."

Li Hao frowned when he heard that.

Wang Zhaoyuan raised his head, squinted his eyes and glanced at Li Hao, looked around and said: "Gaozu (Meng Zhixiang) entered Shu, have you forgotten the ambitions he set? Separating the two rivers, recharging energy, accumulating strength and waiting for the opportunity, the Central Plains will change, and the army will come out of Sichuan to rule the world!"

A few scattered people hurriedly responded: "I dare not forget."

Meng Chang remained calm, and did not stop Wang Zhaoyuan's generous words... Everyone seemed to have no interest in going out after staying in Shu for decades, and even he himself didn't really want to settle in the Central Plains. He couldn't feel the difference between being the emperor of the Central Plains and the emperor of the Shu Kingdom for a while, and he didn't have a strong desire.

But let Wang Zhaoyuan talk about his ambitions, it's good to be inspiring.

Wang Zhaoyuan talked eloquently: "It's a pity to lose Qin Feng three years ago. Without Longyou, the Shu army's going to Guanzhong Road was blocked. I think that once the Central Plains is in turmoil and people's hearts in the border fluctuate, we can first win over Wang Jing of Qinzhou and take Qin Fengcheng back."

Meng Chang said solemnly: "It makes sense."

But Li Hao asked Wang Zhaoyuan: "Why does Deputy Wang think that the Central Plains will be in turmoil?"

Wang Zhaoyuan snorted, "The ruler of the Zhou Dynasty is weak and his ministers are strong, and the army's combat power has declined. Chaos has emerged. How long can orphans and widows be in power?"

Li Hao seemed to find Wang Zhaoyuan very displeased, and said tit-for-tat: "You only know the appearance and don't pay attention to the situation. The empress dowager of the Zhou Dynasty, that is, the widow in the words of the deputy Wang, is the eldest daughter of Fu Yanqing, a clan in Hebei.

"Haha, Guo Shao...you've just earned your name!" Wang Zhaoyuan laughed and said, "Prime Minister Wang, don't think that you are the only one who cares about state affairs. I sent someone to Tokyo with a little plan. Then Guo Shao has a name called Guo Tiejiang. Now that he is alive, he is very happy to stay at home all day blacksmithing."

Suddenly someone was amused, and couldn't hold back some suppressed laughter.

Even Meng Chang asked curiously: "Guo Shao is quite famous. He was a famous general in the Zhou Dynasty. So he was a blacksmith?"

Wang Zhaoyuan clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, I am absolutely telling the truth. This man may have some skills in war, but he likes craftsmen's tricks; he has been inspected in front of the palace by the Queen Mother of the Zhou Dynasty...that position is the highest military general in the Zhou Dynasty, but he still likes to forge iron."

"Everyone has their own hobbies." Meng Chang laughed.

Wang Zhaoyuan said: "The high-ranking people have such preferences. Your Majesty can learn from it. This is because they have no ambitions."

Meng Chang felt more at ease after hearing this. It doesn't matter whether he has a chance to rule the Central Plains, as long as the Central Plains is not too strong, like the Jin and Han dynasties, they are too busy to take care of themselves, and they can't attack the Kingdom of Shu.

At this time, another group of beauties came up to perform dances. Everyone stopped discussing state affairs and continued to watch. Meng Chang was quickly attracted by one of the dancing poses, and suddenly felt hot and impulsive. Looking closely at the woman, she found that she was not very beautiful, but there was something on her body that attracted him. Meng Chang finally discovered that the woman's breasts were the most plump among the group.

Meng Chang called the eunuch next to him to come forward, fixed his eyes on the beauty, and whispered a few words in the eunuch's ear. The eunuch bowed his head and followed Meng Chang's gaze. The beauty also noticed that the emperor and the eunuchs were looking at her, and immediately showed a shy smile on her face, and glared at Meng Chang coquettishly. Meng Chang was even more elated.

When the dance was over, Meng Chang left the table with an excuse.

... Mrs. Huarui saw a series of small actions in her eyes, but she couldn't control the emperor. She couldn't bear to be jealous, but made the emperor unhappy. She was just a little worried about Meng Chang's health... Once Zhou Jun retreated, Meng Chang returned to his previous life.

When Meng Chang's mind was spared and his energy was insufficient, he would find a Taoist alchemist to practice the technique in the room. After taking the alchemy, his spirit would rise for a while, and then he would continue to have fun in the flowers. Taoists, alchemists, court ladies and beauties, Meng Chang spends almost all day with these people. Mrs. Huarui was curious, so she quietly thought about Meng Chang's favorite pills and intercourse techniques, and felt that those things were harmful to the body.

So Mrs. Huarui felt uneasy. On the one hand, she was worried about Meng Chang's throne, and on the other hand, she was worried about his lifespan.

She used to think that Meng Chang's court lady was not that good-looking, and she tried to fight for favor so that he could be a little more restrained, but later found that it was all in vain. Men and women are not the same, Mrs. Huarui doesn't want to be approached by too many men; but men are just the opposite, they seem to be more obsessed with trying different women.

After Meng Chang left the table, Mrs. Huarui also left bored.

She found a close eunuch and asked the eunuch to question the prime ministers Li Hao and Wang Zhaoyuan, and said, "I want to know the details of Guo Shao."

A while ago, Meng Chang often summoned ministers, and Mrs. Huarui also learned about many important events. She concluded from sporadic news that a general named Guo Shao in the Zhou Dynasty was the most powerful person in the Zhou army and even the government.

Eunuchs and alchemists have little knowledge of distant events, and those high-ranking and well-paid family ministers are not useless. Most of them have read scriptures and made many friends, and they have seen and heard a lot.

Sure enough, the prime minister and the privy deputy envoy quickly answered Mrs. Huarui's question.

She learned a lot about Guo Shao. This person came from a humble background, and was appreciated after the Gaoping War. Later, he was promoted through military exploits, married into Fu Yanqing's family, and gradually reached the position of general. The Battle of Gaoping... less than four years ago.

I heard that the war in the north is incessant, and low-level generals who can fight have many opportunities to be promoted. In Mrs. Huarui's mind, a fierce and bearded man appeared...he must be a brave and fierce martial artist, who was able to rise to such a high position in just four years.

However, since this person came from a humble background, knowledge and talent may not grow out of thin air, and his vision is inevitably short-sighted due to the limitation of knowledge. Wang Zhaoyuan's saying "no ambition" may also have some truth.

Mrs. Huarui took a few steps, thinking: There have been some upstarts in Shu who have been rich for a few years, I haven't seen them before; once such people have money, most of them will indulge in pleasures and enjoy everything they wanted but could not get before. What aspirations and aspirations... Where is the joy and allure of pleasure?

After thinking about it, Mrs. Huarui felt a little relieved.