Chinese New Year's Eve.

The Royal Palace, the Golden Luang Palace.

The main hall was empty, only Emperor Xiang Yanran, Taiwei Li Rong, and Cai He and the chief eunuch and a few other people, and the atmosphere was solemn.

On the throne platform, there is a huge volume of "The World Kanyu Map", which is several times more accurate and detailed than the one in the county lord Li Yu's study.

Taiwei Li Rongyu reported: "Your Majesty." Since Xiaohan, the military towns in northern Xinjiang have frequently reported to them. The Huns were short of food, and repeatedly invaded the border area, looting the merchants and border people, as many as more than 100 times, and plundering thousands of border people. ”

Xiang Yanran was silent, and suddenly asked, "King Ping, how many war horses are there in the Shandan Military Horse Farm?" ”

"The Shandan Military Horse Farm has bred 100,000 war horses. 100,000 cavalry and 300,000 foot soldiers, ready to fight at any time! ”

Li Rong said in a deep voice.

Xiang Yanran's eyes were blazing.

He got up and looked to the north.

More than ten years ago.

In the heavy snow of that year, the Xiongnu asked for peace and trade with Great Chu.

However, since the establishment of Taizu Xiang Yu, Dachu pursued the policy of "no kinship, no land, no tribute!" to the Xiongnu! ”

If you don't accept it, just do it!

I have fought many battles with the Huns for a long time, and the Huns fled from the wind.

It's just that after the death of Taizu, there were frequent civil strife in Dachu, and the emperor changed every few years, so that he had no time to take care of the Xiongnu, so that the Xiongnu gradually grew up.

The Xiongnu and their relatives failed, and they repeatedly violated the border in anger, plundered the border people, and the military reports were frequent.

Xiang Yanran was more than thirty years old, and when he was young and vigorous, he followed the example of Xiang Yu, the overlord of Emperor Taizu, and led an army of 300,000 to drive in person.

In addition, with Li Rong as the general, he alone led 50,000 iron cavalry as a strategy to conquer the Xiongnu in the north.

The Great Chu army swept all the way across the steppe, and the Hun tribes that fought were defeated and retreated to the depths of the grassland.

Pity.

The Great Chu army was not familiar with the terrain of the grassland, and did not occupy the advantageous place, he advanced because of many small victories in the past, and was defeated by the Xiongnu to lure the enemy, and hundreds of thousands of heavy troops surrounded the depths of the grassland.

Li Rong led the army as a response, received an emergency military situation, and personally led 50,000 cavalry with Li's children as the core to enter the Xiongnu siege and escort the breakthrough.

In this battle, Li Rong's three sons broke through the siege for the protection of the saint and died in battle.

Li Rongzhong was hit by more than ten arrows and was almost dying. Although the Great Chu army killed more than 10,000 Huns, it also suffered tens of thousands of casualties, lost morale, and could only retreat to the territory of Great Chu.

Fortunately, Li Rong, the king of Ping, recuperated from his injuries for several years after returning to Dachu and finally recovered. It's just that it's hurt in the abdomen, and it hurts the spirit, and there are no descendants.

The battle to exterminate the Xiongnu fell short.

For more than ten years after that, the Great Chu Dynasty never raised troops again, recuperated, and never spoke lightly about war.

"A glass of turbid wine is thousands of miles away, and Yan Ran has no plan to return!"

"I ascended the throne when I was more than ten years old, and my father hoped that one day I would be able to climb Yanran Mountain and carve stones to remember my merits, so I was named 'Yanran'.

I dare not forget my father's dying entrustment for a day. One day, 'Yan Ran Legong', I will die in the northern Xinjiang, and I will be able to smile at Jiuquan, worthy of the ancestors of the Xiang family! ”

Xiang Yanran said, taking a deep look at Li Rong.

There was a raging fire in his heart.

I hope to go out again, sweep the court of the Huns with my own hands, and behead the Hun King at the foot of Yanran Mountain.

If Taiwei Li Rong felt that the time was ripe and he could fight, he would have the urge to fight the Huns again.

"I have been preparing for war for many years, and I can fight at any time. It's just that... The time is not yet ripe. The minister has asked the old general Song to go to the northwest to inspect the border towns to strengthen their defenses and resist the attack of the Huns. ”

Li Rong was silent and shook his head.

After the last war, after more than ten years of recuperation, although Da Chu has recovered its vitality, the soldiers are strong, the horses are strong, and the grain and grass are sufficient.

But the strength is not much stronger than back then.

Moreover, internal worries and external troubles come and go one after another.

Hundreds of thousands of troops were dispatched, people ate horses and chewed, and the loss was too great.

At this time, everything will go well.

But if the war situation is unfavorable. If you are a little careless, you will be on fire everywhere and embattled, you will lose all the plates, and Da Chu will be turbulent.

Xiang Yanran was silent.

For King Ping's concerns, he knew it in his heart. And the understanding is so profound that no one in the world can do it.

Li Rong felt that the time had not come, and he must have felt that he was not sure of it, and the risk of playing was too high.

That's it!

I've endured it for more than a decade.

Bear with me.

It will take a few more years to sweep away the disadvantages of the Great Chu State, increase grain and grass, and remove all obstacles for the northern expedition of the Xiongnu.

"It's snowing so hard outside... Ruixue Trillion Year. We should have a good harvest next year! Stocking up on more grain, the soldiers in the border towns can also eat more. ”

Xiang Yanran looked at the outside of the Jinluan Palace, and suddenly smiled: "By the way, your son-in-law, how do you look at it?" I saw that he still had some ability, so I gave him the palace test excellent armor. ”

"Little Dusk... OK. It's the problem of spending money, which is very human. As a little marquis, he entered my Pingwang Mansion, and he was guilty. The emperor's gift, the minister is deserved. ”

Li Rong smiled bitterly.

This is also the emperor's "arbitrary", otherwise which little marquis is willing to enter the palace.

"I owe you three sons, and I can't pay it back! can only give you a son-in-law, talk about making up for it. Pingwangfu, can't be without a queen! Gave birth to a grandson earlier, so as to inherit the throne of King Ping. ”

Xiang Yanran sighed, "King Ping, you have worked hard during this time. Let's go back first, my brother and sister are still waiting for you to go back! On the first day of the first lunar month of Ming'er, the palace feasted the ministers, and they had to come early. ”

"Yes! The emperor also rests early! ”

Li Rong bowed and retired.

...

Inside the Jinluan Palace, it was quiet again.

Xiang Yanran was on the throne and looked through many concerts in Northern Xinjiang.

Some are upset.

Although this Great Chu has the appearance of "prosperous times", there are also many hidden dangers, and there are thousands of problems, where to start to solve them?

This year's year.

He was not satisfied.

Year after year, the children of the top ten gate valves in Jinling account for a small half, and the children of the official eunuchs account for a small half. But look at the talents of these gate lords, they are all mediocre, barely successful, and none of them are amazing.

On the contrary, Dong Xianliang, Master Father Yan, and Chao Fangzheng, these "excellent" civilian Confucian scholars, have some good ideas and ideas.

As for Chu Tianxiu, the "Youjia" little dusk marquis, he is not a Jinling gate valve, and the dusk marquis of the past dynasties have never mixed with officialdom.... But although the Chu clan of the previous dynasty declined, the background is still there.

The top priority is to gain the world's talents for one's own use.

But every year, I cast my net every year, but I couldn't catch a few big fish that could be used. On the contrary, there are a lot of indiscriminate refills.

Xiang Yanran suddenly remembered that Dong Xianliang wrote a question and answer paper "Deposing the Hundred Schools of Thought, Respecting Confucianism Alone".

He watched it many times.

I have already memorized it in my heart.

Xiang Yanran pondered for a long time, this Dong Xianliang still has some talent.

If there are more of these talents, why worry about it.

"After the Spring Festival Lantern Festival, hundreds of officials go to court, and the new policy should be implemented! Let the ministers make a decision, throw stones and ask for directions. ”

He thought to himself.

"Your Majesty!"

Cai and the great eunuch saw that the emperor had been pondering, and he didn't know how long it would take, so he said cautiously: "Today's Chinese New Year's Eve... The Queen Mother, Empress Cui, Yang Guifei, and all the concubines are waiting for you in the harem for Chinese New Year's Eve dinner... The Queen Mother has urged her several times! ”

"Oh!"

Xiang Yanran woke up and stood up.

Out of the Golden Luan Palace.

But I heard that inside and outside the Jinling Imperial City, there were "crackling" firecrackers everywhere. You can also hear the bustle outside in the palace.

After the New Year's Eve.

It's the New Year.

"It's been a long time, it's over!"

Xiang Yanran stood outside the gate of the Jinluan Palace, looked at the sky in the distance, and said with a faint sadness: "In the year of Gengzi, there are many disasters and difficulties... May God bless me! ”