The cold winter has always been difficult, but if you endure it, it will pass. Throughout the eleventh year of Qianyu, all affairs in the entire East Asia region basically revolved around the conflicts and wars between Han and Liao.
Although there has been no major battle for more than two months, the war is still continuing. The two countries are still fighting fiercely along the border. The Han Dynasty has no intention of letting go. Likewise, the Liao Kingdom
Bian is also tough and fights to the end.
Time flies, except for the war in the north, the Han Dynasty entered the twelfth year of Qianyou without any setbacks. On the first day of the first lunar month, Kaifeng became lively again, and the citizens actively carried out celebrations to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new.
It seems that the emotions that have been suppressed throughout the cold winter are released all at once. The sound of firecrackers brings the old year to life, which is probably how it works.
The emperor was still in control of the Northern Expedition in Youzhou. The first month of the dynasty was not held, but there was still a celebration in the court. Because of the state-owned expedition, they did not dare to have any extravagance and waste, and just held a simple celebration.
During the celebration, relatives of the clan, ministers and officials in Beijing entered the palace to congratulate the Queen Mother and the Queen in the East Palace.
Similarly, during this festival, the officials of the central court cannot relax as they did in previous years, especially those in important positions, let alone take a break.
On the second day of the lunar month, the Kunming Palace is where the Crown Prince Liu Yang visits the Queen every day. After being crowned the crown prince, Liu Yang moved to the East Palace, but after half a year, he has basically adapted to it, but the frequency of going to the Kunming Palace every day is
Not low at all. In addition to being devoted to his mother, the little prince also needs his mother's support and comfort.
After Liu Chengyou personally went to war, the prince supervised the country. Although it was only in name, he basically sat in the chair and listened to the ministers handle state affairs.
Although it is difficult to express decision-making opinions, ministers will also attach a copy of some dispositional memorials for him to read. This is what the emperor ordered before leaving. Although he is the prince, this is not enough for a ten-year-old child.
It was not easy, but Liu Yang was very serious and read everything meticulously. If he didn't understand something, he would respectfully ask questions. After returning to the palace, if he still had questions, he would go to Kunming Hall to ask his mother.
In fact, the Queen's Great Talisman supports the prince's status in all aspects. For Liu Yang, the half-year career as prince has also improved his germplasm. Every move has the majesty of a prince. Of course, this is also a change in status.
The bonus brought by.
However, this is not easy. Every time he is in the palace, dealing with important ministers, watching them deal with state affairs, and listening to their arguments, Liu Yang always feels stressed. Even though he is just a young prince, Liu Yang's schedule is already complicated, and he no longer studies as usual.
It’s just martial arts practice. Therefore, from time to time, Liu Yang would choose to express his emotions to his mother. Of course, they would usually be comforted and resolved by leaving a big talisman.
Before arriving at the Kunming Palace, Liu Yang also visited the Queen Mother. This was also taught by Da Fu. The image of a good prince also needs to be cultivated and maintained from an early age. In fact, before he was established as the prince, Liu Yang was still happy.
, at least unlike Liu Xi, the third child, Fu Hou did not put too much pressure on him.
After the ceremony, the mother and son ate together. There was always something missing in the Han Palace without the emperor, and it could be seen from the queen's emotional expression. Da Fu was obviously a little sad, not because of anything else, but because of his brother, Xuan Hui Shi Fu.
Zhao Xin passed away, just five days ago, very suddenly.
When Fu Zhaoxin was in Qianyou for seven years, he had an illness and almost died at that time. Liu Chengyou personally sent an imperial doctor to use good medicine and saved him. After recovering from the illness, he was transferred from the military position to a civil servant, and successively served as Chenzhou, Xuzhou, the eunuch of the palace and the envoy of Xuanhui.
Now, Fu Zhaoxin's sudden death is a big blow to the Fu family. After all, although the Fu family is prosperous, there is a problem with Fu Yanqing, the most noble lineage.
Although Fu Yanqing had three sons, the only one who had grown up and served as an important official in the court was Fu Zhaoxin, and he was quite trusted by the emperor. Fu was left with two younger brothers, who were still young. In response to Fu Zhaoxin's death, Fu The ending is very sentimental. In addition to the love between brother and sister, there are also certain political factors.
"Mom, on the day of my uncle's funeral, I want to attend in person!" Liu Yang took the initiative, probably because he felt a little sorry for his mother's sadness.
Hearing this, Empress Fu glanced at him and showed a forced smile, appearing very satisfied with his performance. She held the infant prince in her arms and unbuttoned her clothes. During this time, her breasts had increased and she had nowhere to consume them. He simply fed it himself, and Dafu said: "Spring has begun, and state affairs are busy again. Follow the ministers, and you must listen to politics and study hard!"
"The Duke of Lu is an important minister of the Han Dynasty. He is the person your father relies on. He always treats him as a teacher. It is your blessing to be your tutor. You should treat him with more respect and courtesy, and ask for more advice!" Da Fu warned again! .
"Yes!" Liu Yang nodded and responded seriously.
Emperor Liu Chengyou did not neglect the prince Liu Yang, and Wei Renpu also served as the prince's tutor. To this day, Wei Renpu is still Liu Chengyou's most trusted minister.
He also recalled Li Fang, who had been serving abroad for many years, and served as the guest of the prince together with Dou Yan, a member of the Zhongshushe. Li Fang was a close minister of the emperor, and Dou Yan was one of the "Five Dragons of the Dou Family". Judging from Liu Chengyou's arrangements before and after , I have great expectations for the prince Liu Yang, and I really want to train him into a qualified prince.
"Your Highness, your Majesty, the ministers have been waiting at the Guangzheng Hall. Fan Xiang sent someone to inform you, and please ask His Majesty the Crown Prince to move over to listen to the government!" Not long after breakfast, a servant came to report.
Hearing this, Liu Yang's small body straightened subconsciously, and his whole body became serious. This almost became a conditioned reflex. Fuhou still looked at him with an encouraging look and said warmly: "Go!"
Liu Yang stood up and respectfully excused himself.
In the Guangzheng Hall, important ministers gathered together in twos and threes, chatting lightly. Liu Chengxun, Fan Zhi, Wei Renpu, Wang Pu, Xue Juzheng plus Xiang Xun, Han Tong, these seven people were from Kaifeng during the emperor's Northern Expedition. The most powerful among the ministers. Of course, King Yong Liu Chengxun was basically used to fill the numbers and balance the numbers.
Fan Zhi seemed to be sighing, which was quite puzzling. The Minister of Civil Affairs, Shen Shi, asked him generously. In this regard, Fan Zhi did not hide his thoughts and said directly: "It has been nearly half a year since the Northern Expedition. Hundreds of thousands of troops have been supported on the border. The imperial court has already They have exhausted all their efforts. Now that spring has begun, the war divisions are still not over, and the camp has issued orders to increase military supplies and the people's strength. Spring plowing will be delayed before we see it. A country is based on its people, and its agriculture is important. If it hurts its farmers, it will harm the foundation. If you miss the farming season, it may cause disaster. Your Majesty has been away from the capital for several months, and the capital is empty, which makes the people uneasy..."
Obviously, regarding the Northern Expedition, ministers like Fan Zhi began to worry too much and showed concern for the country and the people. Of course, their worries were not unfounded, and they were well-founded. In order to support the Northern Expedition, The price paid by the court has been very high.
Not to mention the more than 100,000 soldiers and civilians who were casualties before and after, in terms of financial consumption, the imperial court spent hundreds of millions of dollars. After the pacification of Shu, the war dividends plundered from the Shu land were almost at their bottom.
More than one million civilians were mobilized, and more than 2.5 million shi of grain and flour were transferred to Youzhou. The loss of the transfer was as high as 600,000 shi. In order to support the battle, even the grain storage in the official warehouse in Tokyo was used part.
So far, the grain reserves of the Tokyo government are only enough for the people of Tokyo for the 13th month. You must know that Liu Chengyou attaches great importance to the grain reserves in the capital due to the experience and lessons learned from the shortage of grain in the early years. , Tokyo's official grain reserves are enough to supply the entire Kaifeng people for two years.
Therefore, the fact that food consumption has reached this point is already a dangerous signal for Tokyo. Under such circumstances, the emperor issued another edict, asking Tokyo to continue to prepare food, ordnance, uniforms...
After the beginning of spring, the northern army will change into spring clothes again, which is another huge expenditure. You must know that in order to support the northern army through the winter, the supply of cloth and silk clothes consumes more than half of the official reserves. This can be said. It made Fan Zhi, Xue Juzheng and other ministers feel pain for a long time.
Now, the emperor is preparing to launch a major offensive against the Khitan. The war is going on, and it is not known how long it will be delayed. If the war continues for a long time, problems will inevitably arise in the country. This is almost certain.
Although the attack on the Southern Tang Dynasty lasted half a year from winter to spring, at that time they could feed the enemy and be close to Huainan, so the Han Dynasty could fully support it. However, the scale of the troops mobilized this time was so large that it could be called countless This is the first time in ten years. Until now, the pressure the big man has endured has reached a certain level. If he persists, he will start to lose his vitality...
Therefore, recently, there has inevitably been a trend of boycotting troops in the imperial court. In fact, as early as last winter, some people suggested that the emperor should stop as soon as he saw fit, because after the Battle of Nankou, the Han Dynasty had already achieved great results. , severely damaged the Liao army, repeated the Yanshan Pass, and greatly made up for the loopholes in the northern border defense. Of the sixteen Youyun prefectures, only the six prefectures of Yun, Shuo, Huan, Wei, Xin, and Wu were not recovered. Under such circumstances, it is really There is no need to force everything to be accomplished in one battle...
Of course, if we only look at the economic benefits, the Northern Expedition to the Liao Kingdom is a loss-making business no matter how we calculate it. However, this calculation is not based on that calculation.
Although Fan Zhi and other ministers could not see the benefits of restoring Yan Yun, it was just that when the price paid was too high and it caused domestic dangers, they would inevitably tend to be conservative.
However, when Emperor Liu Chengyou needed to be decisive, no one could change his will. Therefore, Fan Zhi and their efforts were destined to be useless.
When the prince Liu Yang arrived, the discussion in the Guangzheng Hall stopped, and all the ministers returned to their seats to pay homage. Although he was a young prince and did not have much prestige, he did not dare to lack the respect he deserved. , for more than ten years, Liu Chengyou has attached great importance to the reconstruction of the "ritual system". The reason why Dou Yan was gradually favored by the emperor was because of his outstanding achievements in the rituals of the Han Dynasty.
Liu Yang also looked very humble and returned the courtesy to the ministers respectfully. Then he sat down and sat upright, with a straight face and a serious look on his face, quietly waiting for the palace discussion.
In fact, after six months of contact, the ministers were very satisfied with the prince's performance. Since he respected them, he was also quick to learn, humble and courteous, and behaved well. In this way, in the eyes of these ministers, he did look like a prince.
It's just a matter of identity.
As Fan Zhi presided over the palace meeting, in Liu Yang's eyes, the arguments and discussions among the old men started again. Fan Zhi, in particular, had a firm tone and tough attitude. When he was emotional, his spittle almost splashed on his face...
