Su Daji opened the curtain and looked at the majestic city not far away with a look of wonder.
Compared with the Chaoge that Boyikao and Jiang Wenhuan saw seven years ago, it was only the prototype of a huge city. After years of construction and reinforcement, Chaoge has become the veritable first city in the world, where the destiny of the country lies.
Jizhou City, which was originally big enough in the minds of the Su family, was reduced to a small county town compared with it.
"Pay attention to your identity and don't make a fuss."
Su Hu whispered something, and Su Daji flattened her mouth and retracted her head.
"It's so big!"
In fact, Su Hu was even more shocked. His waist was slightly bent while sitting on the horse, and he felt like he was dwarfed by this unprecedented giant city.
When King Zhou ascended the throne, all the princes in the world congratulated him. At that time, the Chaoge was still in Qiyi, and the scale was indeed not much larger than that of Jizhou. With that reference, the impression at this moment is of course even more amazing.
Since the destruction of Dongyi, Great Shang has been developing steadily and tepidly over the years, so that its sense of existence is far lower than that of the four major princes who were struggling with the reform. Second-tier princes such as Su Hu also believe that the central government has
The trend of losing power.
But now seeing the grand scene of Chaoge with his own eyes, and thinking about the devastation of the battle of Jizhou not long ago, Su Hu realized that compared with the speed of development, the four major princes could not compare with the great merchants.
After the convoy entered the city, Su Hu nodded as he walked on the wide road and looked at the slave roads on both sides.
This is normal.
However, although the status of the slaves walking on it is low, their mental outlook has changed significantly.
It is true that slaves in the past were equal to livestock, or even worse than livestock. However, in just a few years, the living conditions of slaves have been greatly improved.
This was not an order from the top, but forced by the slave owners.
There are rumors everywhere that slaves will convert to military service and gain freedom. If this does not change, more and more slaves will defect.
Instead of triggering large-scale defections and causing huge losses, slave owners could only pinch their noses and improve the conditions of slaves.
Nowadays, the slaves in Dashang are somewhat similar to the farmhands of later generations. When slaves work, they can also leave part of the food as their own. Although their status is still very low, they are at least living as human beings.
As a result, the cost increased greatly, and the slave owners hated the four princes.
Su Hu watched coldly.
Soon, the motorcade arrived in front of the post house, and Su Hu's family members got out of the car one after another and walked into the spacious and clean interior.
There are hundreds of houses and dozens of courtyards. Officials personally arranged the Su family in the Qingjing upper room and sent people to wait for their orders.
Finally arriving at Chaoge, Su Hu came to the room. All the fatigue and stress accumulated in recent months came to the fore.
In the battle of Jizhou City, although the armies of the three major princes retreated, they also caused an almost devastating blow to Su Hu's rule.
First of all, all his generals were killed or injured.
You must know that it is not easy to train a general in this era. Basically, only princes with surnames are qualified. The military experience is either oral or recorded on bamboo slips and passed down from generation to generation. In this way, it may take several generations to train a general.
The accumulation of money, but the loss of generals is just a matter of time when a white knife enters and a red knife comes out.
Secondly, there is the threat of slaves.
In a last ditch effort, Nangong Shi ordered a thousand stragglers to attack the city and free the slaves. Many slaves took advantage of the chaos to escape. Due to the chaos in the city, they were difficult to capture. The remaining ones who were originally timid gradually gained courage.
Everyone follows the crowd, and the slave rebellion in Jizhou City was originally just a pretext and could not cause trouble. However, when the city's defense force was greatly weakened, the slaves began to get ready to take action, and there was a possibility that the fakery might become true.
Therefore, Su Hu made a decisive decision and asked Master Wang to guard Jizhou, while his whole family came to worship and worship the saint.
In view of the fact that Su Daji might enter the palace to serve His Majesty, Huang Tianhua did not dare to neglect and escorted him all the way.
Now that he had arrived at Chaoge safely, Su Hu breathed a sigh of relief and at the same time, he was thinking about ways to recapture Jizhou.
This recapture means truly returning to the past Jizhou City and saying that we have absolute power, instead of going back and living in fear and precariousness.
Various thoughts came to his mind. Su Hu's face was sometimes sad, sometimes angry, and finally he closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
When he woke up, the sun's shadow was already moving westward. It was past noon, and his stomach was growling.
Su Hu had no intention of getting up, but there was a scent coming from outside the door. He couldn't help but follow the smell and walked to the outer hall. He saw that tables of wine and food had been prepared, and many officials and businessmen were dining.
"Three meals a day?"
Su Hu was surprised.
Three meals a day is usually just the treatment of princes, and even many small princes are unable to maintain three decent meals. However, in Chaoge, even the common people are accustomed to three meals a day, and hotels and restaurants are open for business.
Don't care about food, just eat whenever you want.
After Su Hu had eaten the meal, he experienced firsthand the wealth of Chaoge, and a certain idea in his mind became clearer and clearer.
However, just after the meal, an old man who looked like a butler came forward to greet him and handed him a name card with both hands: "My master invites Su Hou to enter the Fengya Terrace to enjoy the debates of famous scholars."
Su Hu took the name card and looked at this novel thing: "Famous person?"
Along the way, he communicated with the Huang brothers and gained a certain understanding of Chaoge's current political and cultural situation.
During this period, Huang Tianjue mentioned that Chaoge now often holds debates.
If the name is not correct, then the words will not be smooth, and if the words are not right, the things will not be accomplished. Famous scholars may seem to be new products, but in fact they have been recognized by His Majesty. Famous people who have the trend of famous debate have a very high status.
What these celebrities discussed most was reform.
Due to the drastic changes carried out by the four princes, old ideas are constantly being impacted by the new system, and the new system has not yet been recognized by all classes. Every time a famous speaker gives a lecture, many people come to watch it.
"I will definitely keep the appointment."
Su Hu solemnly accepted the invitation and asked casually: "I first came to Chaoge, and I haven't asked for advice yet. Who is the most famous celebrity today?"
The old man's face was slightly strange, he paused and said, "He is a Taoist priest from outside the country, named Shen Gongbao."
…
The sun was setting in the west, and there were fiery trees and silver flowers, but the number of pedestrians on the street did not decrease. Su Hu took a few attendants and left for Fengya Terrace.
Fengya Terrace is located in the west of the city. It was built in the fourth year of King Zhou at the same time as Star Picking Terrace. However, the latter is in the palace city and is the place where the palace rests. It is said that the sun, moon and stars surround it. Fengya Terrace is a pure gathering place for scholars and celebrities.
Along the way, the wind blows on the clear water, the flowers are in bloom, and the pavilions, lakes and forests complement each other, making you feel relaxed and happy.
The debate venue in Taichung was not as Su Hu had imagined before. There were tight barriers between supporters and opponents. Every word you spoke to me was like a sword. From the seats, the scene seemed very casual. There were wine, tea, seasonal fruits, and celebrities.
Whether sitting or lying down, the atmosphere is harmonious and there is no tension between you and me.
There was only one Taoist priest, and there was no one else within a few feet, but he was drinking from a bottle alone, leisurely and contentedly.