What kind of person is Zhao Yuanzuo, King of Nanliang, the third uncle who participated in the battle for the throne of the previous generation?
With all kinds of speculations and imaginations, Zhao Hongrun once again suffered from insomnia.
Fortunately, the situation was not serious this time. Around the fourth watch, he fell asleep and slept until his uncle Zhao Yuanli, the Sixth Prince, came to call him in person.
The two of them had some simple meals in the palace, and then left for the outside of the city.
Zhao Hongrun did not bring many people with him this time, only Shen Yu, Chu Heng, and Mu Qing. Zhao Yuanli only brought his Zongwei Chief Wang Juan and another Zongwei, a total of seven people. .
"Sixth Uncle, this time Third Uncle returns to Daliang, doesn't the imperial court intend to welcome him?"
While riding a horse slowly to the Shili Pavilion outside the city, Zhao Hongrun couldn't help but ask, because at this time, the news of the return of King Nanliang to Daliang had not yet spread in the court, which meant that someone had deliberately blocked the news, and it also showed that , the imperial court had no intention of sending people out of the city to greet him with great fanfare.
Zhao Yuanli smiled slightly when he heard this and said: "That is your third uncle, a person who was once labeled as a rebel... There are many officials in the court who have personally experienced the war for the throne seventeen years ago. How do they compare to each other? Xu, He Mei, and Li Huan will never dare to show their faces before your father expresses his attitude."
Zhao Hongrun tilted his head and said funnyly: "My father has already taken the initiative to recall his third uncle to Daliang. Isn't this a statement of attitude?"
Zhao Yuanli turned to look at Zhao Hongrun and said jokingly: "Your father still seems to be on the side of the Bingzhu Bureau, but is he actually on the side?"
"..." Hearing Zhao Yuanli mention this matter, Zhao Hongrun blushed slightly and defended: "I was just angry and didn't think about it carefully. If I had thought about it carefully, I wouldn't be able to see clearly..."
"Hahaha."
Zhao Yuanli smiled noncommittally, shook his head and said, "Let's not mention this matter. Come, Hongrun, Uncle Six will test your riding skills."
After saying that, he clamped the horse's belly with his legs, and the horse immediately rushed out like a sharp arrow leaving its bow.
Zhao Hongrun was stunned for a moment, and then he reacted immediately. He whipped the horse's buttocks with the whip in his hand, and followed closely.
But unfortunately, no matter how hard Zhao Hongrun tried, he could not shorten the distance between him and Zhao Yuanli. Instead, the distance became wider and wider.
After about a cup of tea, Zhao Yuanli took the initiative to slow down and stood on the spot with his horse. Looking at Zhao Hongrun who was chasing after him, he shook his head and joked with a smile: "King Su, who once commanded an army of 80,000, doesn't want to ride." You are so unskilled at this art, it’s a shame that Uncle Six is willing to let you go.”
Zhao Hongrun's face turned red when he heard this.
In fact, he doesn't know anything about riding skills. The so-called riding skills refer to the ability of a person to move freely on the back of a running war horse, such as the cavalry of the Junshui Army's Valiant Cavalry Camp.
The so-called riding skills like Zhao Hongrun's can only be regarded as relying on horse power to travel.
In fact, Zhao Hongrun himself knew this kind of thing.
However, it was in front of this Sixth Uncle that Zhao Hongrun rarely acted rogue.
"It doesn't count! I wasn't ready just now!"
"Then do you want to try again? Are you going to give the orders?" Zhao Yuanli winked and teased.
Zhao Hongrun couldn't help but feel short of breath. After all, the man in front of him was Liu Wangshu who had been playing with dogs and horses for half his life. His riding skills were probably no less than those of the well-trained dredging army cavalry. To be honest, Zhao Hongrun really didn't have much confidence.
"Well... if we want to compete, we have to change horses!" Zhao Hongrun rolled his eyes and stared at the horse under Zhao Yuanli's crotch.
"Hey, you're quite naughty!" Zhao Yuanli chuckled and shrugged indifferently.
I have to say that Zhao Yuanli's horse was indeed better than Zhao Hongrun's horse, and the feeling of running was completely different. But despite this, Zhao Hongrun still lost, and the loss was worse than the previous time.
"Are you convinced?"
"snort!"
The two exchanged their mounts.
But despite losing, Zhao Hongrun was very curious about Zhao Yuanli's horse.
You must know that the horses Zhao Hongrun rides are obtained from the Driving Department under the Ministry of War. They are considered to be the best horses in Wei. They are mainly supplied to the cavalry team of the sixth battalion of the garrison.
Unexpectedly, this kind of military horse was far inferior to Zhao Yuanli's horse in terms of foot strength and explosive power, which made Zhao Hongrun a little puzzled.
"Uncle Six, your horse... is not a horse from Hebei, right?"
Zhao Yuanli smiled slightly and joked: "Hongrun is also involved in Xiangma?"
"I just feel... I feel that Uncle Liu's horse has better foot power than my horse."
After hearing this, Zhao Yuanli did not hide anything and said truthfully: "This is a grassland horse, a horse raised by Wushi."
Wushi? A branch of Xirong?
Zhao Hongrun looked surprised.
Seeing his expression, Zhao Yuanli seemed to have misunderstood, and said with a smile: "In fact, Uncle Six still has some Qiang horses. If Hongrun is interested, Uncle Six can give you a few Uchi horses and young Qiang horses."
.”
"Young horse?" Zhao Hongrun looked at Zhao Yuanli in confusion, and said strangely: "Why doesn't Uncle Six just deal with my adult horse?"
"What's the point of that?" Zhao Yuanli was dumbfounded when he heard this, and immediately told his nephew: "The so-called horse racing means that you have to raise and cultivate your own horses. Only then can you have fun. What's the point of taking someone else's horse?"
When Zhao Hongrun heard this, he suddenly realized that his sixth uncle had given him the horse as a gift in order to draw him into the horse betting circle.
Horse racing, this can be said to be the most common and most extravagant gambling game among the nobles of the Wei Dynasty. The cost is much higher than what was revealed about the children of a certain Ji Zhao clan spending a lot of money on their wives. That is not ordinary.
The nobles can afford it.
"I don't have that much money." Zhao Hongrun said dullly, considering that he still owes a lot of debts to the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Works.
"Haha, it doesn't matter." Zhao Yuanli seemed to have seen through Zhao Hongrun's sour thoughts, and said with a smile: "You don't have to bet on horse racing. In short, just give it a try... You have to know how to enjoy yourself in time, so that you can live your life in vain.
A lifetime."
It’s a speech worthy of a big dandy’s speech…
Although he couldn't help but vomit, it was undeniable that Zhao Hongrun was extremely enthusiastic about the speech of the Sixth Uncle.
He, the uncle of the Sixth Prince, seemed to have been playing all his life. Zhao Hongrun had longed for such a carefree and free playboy life.
Of course, even now, I still envy and look forward to it.
It's a pity that Zhao Hongrun already felt that he might not be as free and easy as this Uncle Sixth King. Because after he accepted the gift of those young horses from Uncle Sixth King, the first thing he thought of was not how to bring the young horses to him.
The excellent way it was bred surprised Liu Wangshu, but he was wondering if he could breed a better and more outstanding horse if he crossed the Wei horse with the Wu Shi horse and the Qiang horse.
It can be seen that Zhao Hongrun may not be as free and easy as his uncle Zhao Yuanli in this life, and his character determines his destiny.
Some people are destined to be unable to live only for themselves. For example, the Emperor of Wei who devoted all his energy to the Kingdom of Wei, and another example is Zhao Hongrun...
This is why Zhao Hongrun kept saying he was dissatisfied with Emperor Wei for handing over the Smelting Bureau to him, but he still dedicated his efforts wholeheartedly.
Shiliting, the southern suburb of Daliang, arrived soon.
It is a custom of the Wei people to see you off within ten miles. It probably means that although you are reluctant to leave, you must say goodbye after a thousand miles.
Asking the clan guards to tie their horses to the horse-tying posts outside Shili Pavilion, Zhao Hongrun and Zhao Yuanli stepped into Shili Pavilion.
Zhao Hongrun is no stranger to this pavilion.
He was here waiting for He Xinxian's arrival with Princess Yulong, and he was also here to see off his sixth brother Zhao Hongzhao and his new wife Shi Kuiji. Oh, he was also here to see off Chu Yangcheng with sisters Mi Jiang and Mi Rui. Jun Xiongtuo.
But when it comes to picking up someone here, this is really the first time.
"Sixth Uncle, when will Third Uncle arrive?" Zhao Hongrun looked at the sky and asked.
Unfortunately, Zhao Yuanli was still unclear about this matter. While he ordered his clan's chief of guard, Wang Yan, to take out some dried meat, dried fruits, and a few jugs of wine from the horse's backpack, he said to Zhao Hongrun: "Don't worry, this is Guan Dao. Don't worry and wait for a while, your third uncle will come."
"Hmm." Zhao Hongrun nodded.
The two sat down opposite each other and chatted while drinking.
During this period, Zhao Yuanli told Zhao Hongrun some of what he saw and heard in the Longxi area, including his transactions with the Wushi clan and the conflicts he had with a small group of Qiang people. Zhao Hongrun listened with relish and did not feel the time at all. Pass.
I don’t know how long it took, but Wang Jun, the head of the clan guard who had been standing behind Zhao Yuanli, looked at him with stern eyes and said in a low voice: "The prince is here!"
Zhao Yuanli's voice about his experience stopped abruptly, and he turned to look at the way he came.
At the same time, Zhao Hongrun also subconsciously turned his head to look at the official road and saw a carriage driving slowly on the official road.
Would that be the third uncle?
There was a hint of disbelief in Zhao Hongrun's eyes. After all, the carriage was so old. The wooden panels outside the carriage were peeling off piece by piece. It was so gray that it was hard to imagine that it belonged to a majestic prince. Take a ride.
And around that carriage, there were four guards on horses. If the four men dressed like ordinary people could be considered guards.
However, Zhao Hongrun did not dare to underestimate the four middle-aged men dressed as civilians, including the middle-aged groom driving the carriage.
Because in these five people, Zhao Hongrun smelled similar auras to Shen Yu, Wang Jian, Baili Ba, Sima An and others.
Born in Zongwei!
The only guard who behaves like a general is Zong Wei!
"..."
The carriage slowly slowed down, and one of the four knights slowly rode up to the pavilion, looking at the people in the pavilion expressionlessly.
At this time, Wang Yan, the chief of the Zongwei behind Zhao Yuanli, and another Zongwei stood calmly in front of his prince and looked at the knight.
The three young Zongwei, Shen Yu, Chu Heng, and Mu Qing, suddenly felt that something was wrong in the atmosphere inside and outside the pavilion.
These guys...
They looked at the four knights in horror, their right hands reaching for the weapons at their waists uncontrollably.
At this moment, the carriage stopped.
A middle-aged man in plain white cloth slowly stepped out of the carriage and glanced at the people in the pavilion with a pair of eyes that seemed to be able to see through everything.
That is Zhao Yuanzuo, King of Nanliang?!
Perhaps because of his excitement, Zhao Hongrun felt as if the blood in his body had coagulated. (To be continued.)