The weather in early autumn is already a little cool. The autumn wind blows through the Qionglin Garden. The waves of the lake are surging, making a blurry rustling sound, and the grass and trees in the wilderness are undulating. Dozens of riders pass by with their hoofs and feet galloping, completely relaxed. It is a Mercedes-Benz that spares no effort in horsepower.
After galloping continuously for more than twenty miles, we stopped, climbed up the still lush soil slope, reined in the reins, and looked into the distance, the autumn waves were rippling between the Jinming Pond, the water and the sky were the same color, and the scenery was still pleasant.
"It's been a long time since I've run so happily!" Liu Chengyou sighed as he glanced at the guards who were following behind him and protecting the surroundings. Feeling the heat under his strong clothes, he was exhausted, but his energy was particularly strong.
"This batch of royal horses is not bad! They are strong and powerful!" Liu Chengyou caressed a white horse with even coat under his crotch and chuckled. Probably feeling the emperor's praise, the horse under his crotch hit the horse with great agility. He snorted and tapped his hooves lightly, as if he hadn't had enough fun yet.
However, a group of strong horses from the northwest came to Beijing, and a group of royal horses were selected from them. Liu Chengyou was so happy to see that he was eager to hunt, so he led his people to run in Qionglin Garden. He Yun, the flying dragon messenger beside him, heard this and smiled and said: "This group There are 32 royal horses in total, and they are all top-quality horses. They are excellent in all aspects. Your Majesty is satisfied!"
Liu Chengyou said: "The Han Dynasty still lacks military horses. Such good horses cannot roam the battlefield, but they are used as urns and ceremonial guards. I always feel that it is a waste and it is difficult to realize their value!"
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Hearing this, He Yun said to him: "Your Majesty's majestic appearance can only be matched by this good horse. If you use a mediocre horse, it will really damage the royal dignity!"
He Yun's words still made sense. He didn't dwell too much on this matter. Liu Chengyou turned his head and looked at him: "Fei Long Xia, how many royal horses are there now?"
"Your Majesty, including the 32 horses imported from the northwest, there are 654 horses in total. There are also 70 stallions, all of which are selected and strong horses and are being bred continuously!" He Yun replied.
"I don't need to elaborate on the importance of horses. They must be cultivated with care!" Liu Chengyou ordered.
"yes!"
"Your Majesty, how many horses are there now?" Liu Chengyou looked at Zhao Kuangyin who was accompanying him.
After thinking about it for a moment, Zhao Kuangyin reported: "There are 12,800 war horses on both sides of the iron cavalry army. There are 2,769 horses in Longqi, Zhizhi in the inner hall, and Xiaodi. There are also more than 2,000 horses and Dao horses!"
"How old is the horse?" Liu Chengyou asked.
"After years of elimination and replenishment, there are more than 8,000 horses under ten years old, and the number is increasing year by year!" Zhao Kuangyin paused and continued: "I don't know much about the Guards Department, but I think it should be Not much different!”
After hearing this, Liu Chengyou's expression still looked very satisfied, and he sighed: "War horses are the weapon of the military. I want to sweep the northern border and regain the mountains and rivers, so they are indispensable! However, these years of hard work have not been in vain. Compared with In the early days of the country, there were so many improvements!”
At the beginning of the founding of the Han Dynasty, there were only more than 20,000 military horses controlled by the central government, and the quality of them varied greatly. Not even half of them were truly suitable for charge warfare.
Liu Chengyou naturally tried his best to improve it, but due to national finances in his early years, in the process of reorganizing the Forbidden Army, he reduced the number of personnel and selected and bred good horses. It was not until five years after Qianyou that it expanded again.
With the restoration and investment in horse administration, the situation of horse use has been further alleviated, but it has not lasted long enough to explode. However, the court's investment in money, food, and policies in the past two years has been real.
According to the original goal set by Liu Chengyou, within ten years, 100,000 war horses should be cultivated, trained and maintained for combat. Later, he found that the goal was too high, so he decisively changed it to 70,000 horses in 15 years. Even though In this way, Liu Chengyou has no idea what the final outcome will be. No matter how important it is, for now, the financial resources that the imperial court can invest in it are ultimately limited.
"Yuen Long, you must have stayed in Tokyo for a long time!" He suddenly looked at Zhao Kuangyin beside him and said.
Zhao Kuangyin was stunned for a moment, but he quickly came to his senses, raised his hands and asked for instructions: "Does your Majesty have any instructions?"
"Two years ago, you took a trip to the northwest for me. This autumn, you will take another trip for me and take a look at Hanzhong!" Liu Chengyou said.
In an instant, Zhao Kuangyin thought a lot, and at the same time he agreed, he asked: "Commander Murong is inspecting the military affairs of Hebei, and I am going to the northwest. Who will handle the general affairs in front of the palace?"
"I have my own considerations!" Glancing at Zhao Kuangyin and making him bow his head, Liu Chengyou added: "I will appoint Han Tong as the deputy commander in front of the palace to take charge of daily affairs!"
"yes!"
After returning to the palace, Liu Chengyou went directly to Concubine Guo Ning and took a bath with her. After changing his robes and feeling refreshed, he came out and returned to Chongzheng Hall. He received the news again that Guo Wei had asked for leave again.
The bright candlelight shone on Liu Chengyou's face, making his expression a bit gentle. He thought for a while and smiled slightly: "That's all, I don't want to be a director, so why should I force it..."
"What's going on at the Privy Council these days? How has Duke Chan behaved?" Liu Chengyou asked Zhang Dejun.
"Your Majesty, everything is as usual, Duke Chan is in charge of military affairs and everything is in order!" Zhang Dejun said.
After thinking for a while, he looked up at him and ordered: "Take out an autumn robe and send it to Duke Xing's mansion. Go there in person. It's autumn. The climate is changing and it's cold in the morning and evening. Let him pay attention to his health! In addition, again, it's autumn. Let He Yun choose a royal horse and send it to the house together!"
"yes!"
As night falls, the autumn breeze brings coolness. Compared with the heat of the day, it is always more comfortable, but it is better to add some clothes. At this time, Guo Wei holds the autumn robe given by the emperor in his hand, stands upright and stands in the palace In the back garden, the trees rustled in my ears, and the cold wind blew through my clothes and penetrated into the gaps, as if it wanted to invade my heart.
Touching the robe in his hand, it was made of fine fabrics, soft texture, and fine workmanship. The most important thing was that it was embroidered with a purple dragon pattern, which belonged to the royal robe. At this time, Guo Wei's mood became more and more complicated. The emperor kept him warm, but he felt more and more... Autumn cold.
"Husband, the wind is strong in the pavilion. You are wearing thin clothes. You have been standing for so long. You should go back to your room and rest. Don't catch a cold!" The lady walked up to Guo Wei and looked at him, with concern on her face. .
As he said that, he reached for the royal robe in his hand and wanted to put it on him: "Why don't you put it on when the emperor gave it to you?"
Guo Wei shook his head but said nothing and had no intention of putting it on.
Seeing this, Mrs. Zhang frowned slightly and asked: "What does the emperor mean? In the past few days, he has given food, robes, and horses. Even if he likes your father-in-law, he will not do such a thing."
Take care of things!"
Hearing this, the bitterness in the corner of Guo Wei's mouth became even stronger. He finally turned around, looked at his wife, and sighed: "Even my wife can see that this is unusual, how could I not know?"
Seeing this, Mrs. Zhang lowered her head slightly, thought for a while, and suddenly raised her head and asked: "Since returning to the capital, my husband has been feeling heavy and doubtful. Is it because of the emperor?"
"Madam, you are indeed knowledgeable!" Guo Wei's words were regarded as acquiescence.
Zhang raised her eyebrows and asked in confusion: "If that's the case, why did you accept Guo Ning, give you and your son promotions, and give you so many rewards?"
Hearing this, Guo Wei showed a helpless smile: "Your kindness is like the sea, unfathomable. This series of grace has made me a little overwhelmed! Your Majesty's thoughts are beyond my ability to guess!"
"Why don't you please leave Beijing to ensure safety?" Zhang suggested.
Shaking his head gently, Guo Wei said: "Now, I want to retreat but I can't!"
"If so, would it be..." Mrs. Zhang didn't dare to finish what she was thinking.
Knowing what she was worried about, Guo Wei gently held her hand and said comfortingly: "No! My heart is already like this. Now, I just wait for your majesty to settle this matter sometime!"
Guo Wei looked away, holding Zhang's hand and saying, go back to the room. The couple were together, Guo Wei's body was always upright, and he was the strongest and thickest pillar on which the entire Guo family relied.
The next day, Guo Wei once again went to court to beg for his body due to illness. This was the third time Guo Wei resigned from Liu Chengyou, and this time, he completely gave up all official positions and returned to his hometown to recuperate.
"Mr.
"It is said that it was because of the cold wind last night!" Zhao Pu replied.
After thinking for a while, Liu Chengyou ordered Zhang Dejun: "Notify the Imperial Medical Office and send an imperial doctor to the house for diagnosis and treatment!"
"Yes!" Zhang Dejun responded and left.
"Slow down!" Liu Chengyou stopped him again before he could take two steps.
"What other orders do the officials have?" Zhang Dejun bowed and asked for instructions.
After careful consideration, Liu Chengyou said: "Go to Yilan Palace, inform Concubine Ning, and ask her to prepare and accompany me to visit Guo Mansion!"