Luoyang, the eastern capital, is still so majestic and majestic under the light of the glorious clouds and clouds in the afternoon; But once you look closely, it looks like a mansion in disrepair, and it begins to show a certain trend of multipolarization between east, west, north and south, from its heyday to its glory for a while, and then to gradual decline and finally decay.

Compared with the south bank of Luoshui that passes through the city, a large area of Waiguocheng District has shown obvious decline and decline, located in many square areas on the north bank, but it is still in the middle of the night sheng song, maintaining the gorgeous and exquisite flowers of the past.

In the imperial city of the Son of Heaven in Ye, the Kyushu Pond in Taoguang Garden was just when the crowd was boiling and galloping.

As an important pastime loved by the emperor of the dynasty, countless knights dressed in colorful clothes and tied with Yingluo and silk polyester, wearing the faces of various star officials, sandwiching silk-clad mounts, wielding long poles decorated with gold and jade ornaments on their horses, and competing to chase a porous colored ball wrapped in a bell liner, crisscrossing and colliding together to let out a burst of roars and shouts.

As the most powerful "eldest father" and "Shang father" of the dynasty, Tian Lingzi, a lieutenant of the Shence Army who is more like a prime minister than most prime ministers, also squinted at the Tang Dynasty Emperor during the elated gallop, known as the "Polo Emperor" Tang Xizong; Only when the other party's eyes happened to look at it, did he show a trace of loyalty, sincerity, kindness and gentleness.

In addition to having no beard, he is fair-skinned and clear as jade, and he looks like a well-maintained middle-aged man with a broad face, kind eyebrows and kind eyes, and a pampered atmosphere; It is only in the faces of those eunuchs in purple clothes and gold with fish bags who embrace him like the stars holding the moon that they can more or less reflect and imprint the best portrayal of his power and influence in Xuanhe.

You must know that many of them, even in the face of foreign ministers and even Zaifu, can be arrogant and unpretentious; But here, they have to follow the eyes of this "Father Tian" or a subtle expression, a movement, and rush to the trend and run left and right.

Tian Lingzi's original surname was Chen, a cake seller in Jiannan Road, because his family was too poor to open the pot in his early years, and he was castrated since he was a child and sold into the palace as a private white, and became a lowest-level sprinkler and sweeper; Later, he finally worshiped under the knee of an old eunuch Tianshi to be an adopted son, so that he was elected to the Inner Servant Province with his father-in-law to listen to the school, and became one of the five squares responsible for raising rare birds and beasts for the palace. And through this, he met and made friends with the current son who loves polo and is still a young king, and began to get the opportunity to make a career.

(Note: The private castration of the people is called a private confession, with the southern Fujian and Lingnan provinces are the most popular, and there are often wealthy and powerful families who collude with the government officials to abduct and sell children, and castration training is a private confession; The surname Feng Zushang is Feng Ang and Mrs. Xian who divided Lingnan, and is also the prototype of the Lingnan Song family, the first eunuch of the Kaiyuan Dynasty, who is the private confession of Huo Wang Jinxian)

When today's son is the so-called Tang Xizong in later generations, his real name is Li Yan, and he is the fifth son of the first emperor Tang Yizong Li Yan, which can be said to be neither an elder monarch nor a descendant, and is a quite inconspicuous existence among the sons of the first emperor; However, in July of the 14th year of Xiantong (873), after Tang Yizong was seriously ill, on the 18th, he was proclaimed the crown prince by the eunuch group such as Liu Xingshen and Han Wenyue, and changed his name to Li Yi, and then was located in front of the spirit at the age of 12, becoming the youngest emperor in the entire Tang Dynasty.

Because since childhood, Tian Lingzi, who was the envoy of Xiaoma Fang, accompanied him and took care of his daily life, he was very emotionally dependent, and called Tian Lingzi "Father", and after he ascended the throne, he was appointed as the right privy envoy and the general of the prison guard, and since then he has become one of the four nobles. ("Four nobles" refers to the internal and external privy envoys and the lieutenants of the left and right Shence Army, who can only be filled by eunuchs);

Later, he united with the Yang Fuguang and Yang Fugong brothers of the Yang family of the eunuch family, and the Ximen Sigong of the Ximen family and other great eunuchs, and successfully squeezed and cut off the senior eunuchs Liu Xingshen and Han Wenyue, who originally had the merit of canonization; Thus concurrently leading the lieutenant of the Shence Army and always in charge of the forbidden soldiers and horses.

He also used his strength to use party strife to indirectly squeeze out and exile, and the well-known three dynasties Yuan Su Zaichen Wang Duo, Zheng Ji and their henchmen, overwhelmed the successor Prime Minister Lu Xi, and became the first person in power to lean towards the government and the opposition, and overrode many powerful eunuchs and Zaifu.

Nowadays, with the size of the world and the height of the temple, he is entrusted with the taboo and attention of the Son of Heaven, who is also one of the heroes who are also born in the eunuch group and have the merit of supporting the Son of Heaven.

Just because he has grasped the enthusiasm and hobbies of this Tang Dynasty since he was a child.

The young reigning Tang Xi Sect was keen on entertainment, from cockfighting, gambling geese, riding archery, sword and lance, law calculation, music, Go, gambling, all kinds of play He was almost exquisite, and regarded the palace gardens as a place of embarrassment. The use of Chang'an Zuozang, Qitian treasury gold coins, reward kicking musicians, tricks, the cost of tens of thousands, resulting in the exhaustion of the country.

Tian Lingzi gave Tang Xizong a plot to register the treasures of Chinese and foreign merchants in the two cities of Chang'an, and sent them all to the inner treasury for the emperor to squander. The government and the opposition dare not speak, and the world has its eyes.

In the near future, in history, in order to cultivate party henchmen, Tian Lingzi arranged for his henchmen to guard Sanchuan, that is, the Sichuan region as a retreat and foreign aid; He asked his brother Chen Jingxuan and the generals of the Zuo Shence Army Yang Shili, Niu Miao, and Luo Yuangao to town Sanchuan. However, Tang Xizong let four people bet on Sanchuan, and appointed the minister of the feudal territory with the gambling ball, and treated the country's political affairs as a child's play.

In the end, Chen Jingxuan won the first name, that is, he was appointed as the envoy of the Xichuan Festival, replacing the position of Cui Anqian, the envoy of the Xichuan Festival, Yang Shili was the envoy of the Dongchuan Festival, and Niu Miao was the envoy of the Shannan West Road; Since then, the world has known the absurd name of this polo master.

Liu Yunzhang, who was a bachelor of Hanlin at the time, had already described the urgent situation at that time with "the state has nine breaks" in the "Book of Direct Advice": "Gather troops all year round, and once it is broken." The barbarians are blazing, and the two are broken. The power is extravagant, and the three are broken. The general is not in the court, and the four are broken. Guangjian Buddhist temple, five broken also. Bribery and bribery of public banks, six breaks. The chief officials are brutal, and the seven are broken. The enslavement is not equal, and the eight are broken. There are many people who eat Lu, and there are few people who lose taxes. Regarding the state of existence of the common people in the world, he summed up the "eight sufferings" and "five goes".

But all this does not seem to affect the extravagant and fun of today's son, which is also something that the eunuchs and nobles in power led by Tian Lingzi are happy to see it do and intensify their encouragement and connivance; Because, in this way, they can take advantage of the fact that the Son of Heaven has no intention of interfering in state affairs and is having fun, so as to better grasp and control the authority and military plans of the country.

Therefore, he was thinking at this moment about the way in which the Son of Heaven seemed to be more favored and cared about, and could give wealth and fame and the corresponding means of beating;

And among the near side of the Son of Heaven, which of them are untimely and like to sell their fame and reputation, and they may say some unscrupulous remarks, they need to use the power of the Son of Heaven to exclude and denounce them in time, and even fabricate corresponding charges to deter those potential "anti-party" and "clear streams" in the DPRK and China.

"You must always remember that you are all slaves and maids of the heavenly family."

But what came out of his mouth was a different story:

"It's just that for the time being, with this humble body, I will show my face a little on behalf of the lord of the world and run outside."

"In your daily life, don't forget your duties and origins."

"It's those pavilion scholars, cousins (Zaifu) and Taichen, and the main department that are the rightful people in charge of the Heavenly Family's mandate."

"You usually have to leave some dignity in order to have a long life of harmony in the future."

"After all, the world is so big, and many things that are put on the table still need to be made for by this generation"

"You can't humiliate and despise those who serve the emperor, otherwise in the end, it will be the prestige and prestige of the heavenly family."

"Now that the state is in a difficult situation, those foreign feudal military towns who are thinking twice or three are staring at the actions of the court,"

"There are people inside and outside who are in tandem and colluding, and I wish there was an accident from the beginning."

"You must not give such an opportunity, otherwise..."

Speaking of this, Tian Lingzipi narrowed his eyes without smiling, and looked forward to the left and right.

"At that time, don't say that the heavenly family can't tolerate it, even the old body will have to ask for an explanation."

"What the great father said is very true."

"I'm kept in mind by Jingle Bell, and I'm awake every day."

All of a sudden, there was a chorus of echoes and greetings.

"Enlighten the nobles. Grass thieves enter Guangzhou"

"Lingnan Dongdao Jiedu made Li Zhao and below, all of them died for the country."

"Got it."

Tian Lingzi raised his eyebrows quietly.

"Then I will explain it to the Son of Heaven."

"But before that, don't spread the word, it will spoil everyone's interest that is so easy to have."

After all, it was he who personally said that the Son of Heaven ordered the contemporary general and veteran commander to sit in the southeast - Gao Biao, the envoy of the Zhenhai Navy, after the great break at the turn of Fujian and Zhejiang and the surrender of many thieves, he must not continue to pursue the grass thieves outside the Nandao Mountains without authorization, so as not to cause any chaos in the southeast; Later, he was transferred to the Huainan Jiedu envoy and concentrated on the supply of many financial schemes for the imperial court.

Later, it was he who took the lead in the court to deny the proposal of the prime minister to propose the surrender of the thief leader Huang Chao, and rejected the Zhedong Observation Envoy Cui Mu and the Lingnan Dongdao Jiedu Envoy Li Zhen who took the initiative to plead for the surrender of Huang Chao's Zazi, and only gave a symbolic low-grade military position "East Palace Decline Rate".

Therefore, he categorically did not let this news become a reason and excuse for those potential opponents in the DPRK and China to question and shake their authority, but took the first step to preset a position and justification around the Son of Heaven, and took advantage of the young man's greed for pleasure and disgust with complicated political affairs, so that he could not turn what seemed bad into a good thing that would continue to expand the power and interests in his hands.

As for the so-called grass thieves, even if it is for a while and according to Guangzhou, it is not a way for them to bring about their own death, as long as the soldiers and horses of the Jiangnan Provinces are nearby to block the Wuling Mountains; Following the old wisdom of the original prime minister Wang Duo to split the thief leader Wang Xianzhi's subordinates, these grass thieves trapped outside the ridge will definitely be chaotic without a fight, and they will go to the court with an external trouble.

Compared with these scabies plagues thousands of miles away, what he had to worry about and worry about was the dynamics and trends of the feudal towns that were close to the two capitals; For example, the Hedong Army Rebellion and the Yishuai incident of the Tianping Army that just happened:

First of all, in February of the sixth year of Qianfu (879), the soldiers of the Hedong Army to Jingle (now Jingle, Shanxi) killed the Confucian official Shi Yu and others to make a rebellion. On the twelfth, Jiedu made Cui Jikang flee to Jinyang, and on the 14th, the rebels entered the house to kill Ji Kang. On the 21st, the Tang Dynasty reinstated the envoy of the Suining Festival, and Li Kan was the envoy of the Hedong Festival.

In March of the sixth year of Qianfu (879), the Tianping Army (stationed in Yunzhou) made Zhang Wei die, and the tooth general Cui Junyu knew about the state affairs, and Zizhou sentenced Shi Cao Quanxi to punish him.

In May, the soldiers rebelled again, burning and plundering the three cities of Jinyang (now Taiyuan, Shanxi), and Li Kan beheaded the Confucian official Wang Jing, and the matter was pacified. Afterwards, due to the secret arrest of the chaotic soldiers, the remaining party 100 people called them "revenge generals" and plundered again. Jiedu made Lieberthal order to behead the thieves and divide the arrest and revenge, and the matter was decided. On August 7, Kan left his post and left the east to guard Li Wei and Pingzhang, and served as the envoy of the east of the river.

Later, Hedong Jiedu made Li Wei sick, so that Li Shaoquan, the deputy envoy of the army, could observe and stay, and Li Fenggaoquan, the supervising army, would stay behind. On the third day, Li Wei died. Duyu Hou Zhang Kai and Guo Lu signed their own letters to Qian Li Shao, and stayed behind with Shaoyin Ding Qiuzhi. In November, the edict was made to the king as the envoy of the Yiwu Festival; Hedong marching Sima. Yanmen Pass has come to make Kang Chuangui the envoy of the Hedong Festival. At the end of the month, Kang Chuangui went from Daizhou (now Dai County, Shanxi) to Jinyang (now Taiyuan, Shanxi), Zhang Kai and Guo Lu greeted Yu Lu, and were killed by Chuangui with a random knife.

In addition, it is the Xichuan Festival that makes Cui An's hidden control of Shu Ping thieves very good; And with the cowardice of the Shu soldiers, he sent the generals to recruit strong men from Chen and Xu Zhuzhou, mixed with the Shu people, and used them for training, so that they had 3,000 people, divided into three armies, and also wore yellow hats and called the yellow-headed army. He also played the crossbowman of Hongzhou, taught the Shu people to use the crossbow to take the pill and shoot it, selected thousands of people, and called the crossbow camp of the gods; Since then, the Shu soldiers have been immersed in strong;

However, this Cui Anqian is not his person, but the younger brother of the former prime minister Cui Shenyou, who was born in the Cui clan of Wucheng, Henan, one of the lineages of famous prime ministers, and is also the candidate for the giant sword of his political enemies Wang Duo and Zheng Jin, who made great contributions to the pacification of the rebellion of the grass thief king Xianzhi; Therefore, there was an incident in which Tian Lingzi later encouraged the Son of Heaven to play polo to privately decide the ownership of the Sanchuan Festival Marshal.

Thinking of this, he looked at Tang Xizong's flushed young face again, and once again showed a bright and sincere smile, shook his head like a fat goose, and shouted loudly with all his sleeves raised.

"Everybody mighty... Wan Sheng. Wan Sheng. ”

Echoing this, there were hundreds of people present, all kinds of music classes, and excellent singers desperately advocating and chanting loudly. The so-called new atmosphere of the new dynasty.