Approaching the end of the year, the princes who are away from home will meet in the capital for the New Year.

Zhao Zongming was the first to come back this year.

The third elder brother of Emperor Yanfeng, Zhao Zongming, the prince of Yanming, pressed his younger brother on the throne, and then took his wife Du Yiqing and went directly to the west, taking charge of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses in the west, guarding the peace of the west.

However, the western realm is actually next to a large desert, and beyond this desert, further west, is the territory of a group of people from the Western Regions. And in this desert, there are only a dozen small tribes that live, and the total population may be less than one million.

Compared with the northern border in the south, the western border is a relatively peaceful side. The people of the Western Regions on the other side of the desert may basically cross the entire desert and come to find trouble with Yan Feng.

These tribes living in the desert were very early on, but they often paid attention to the western frontier of Yanfeng.

After all, in this desert where it is difficult to grow food, if you want to survive, you must take some ruthless paths. The robbery between tribes is at most to snatch the resources scattered in the desert into one house, which should be as much or as much as it should be, and will not regenerate itself.

Therefore, in the early years, the tribes in the desert would often unite and attack the western border of Yanfeng, whether they could grab territory, or grab some materials and population, in short, these tribes always invaded every few years.

After fighting three times or two times, the people of the West are not happy. At that time, the Yanfeng royal family saw that these barbarians in the desert were too much, so they immediately stationed troops in the west, and when the tribe invaded again, they directly sent troops to exterminate the united army of the tribe, and cut down the commander of the united tribe on the spot. Then he continued to wave his army deeper, killing all the tribes in the desert interior who should be killed, beating them all over.

Because Yan Feng's army was too deep into the desert at that time, it also attracted the attention of the countries in the Western Regions next to the desert, and almost thought that Yan Feng was going to send troops to attack them.

After the politics of these barbarian tribes in the western desert, the Yanfeng royal family at that time set two rules for them:

First, all tribes have only one great leader, and that is the emperor of Yanfeng. If anyone dares to call himself the Grand Ruler any longer, the rest of the tribes have the right to unite to remove their entire tribe and divide all the property, population, and goods of this tribe equally.

Second, Yanfeng will provide survival materials to various tribes every year, but strength is still king in the desert, and these tribes must fight every year, and then determine a ranking according to their strength. The higher the ranked, the more supplies they get.

To be reasonable, these two rules are actually quite tough. But for the uncivilized barbarians in this desert at that time, it was the best way for the Yanfeng royal family to treat them.

The first was the best way for the Yanfeng royal family at that time to control the power in the desert and prevent them from rebelling when they had nothing to do. The second one may seem bloody, but it is actually the best way to control the desert population.

It is estimated that some students are about to ask, why don't you take these hundreds of thousands of people in the desert into Yanfeng's territory? Aren't they all honest under their noses?

Not to mention whether these barbarians in the desert with their own beliefs and totems are willing to leave the desert, if Yan Feng really accepts these people into the country so selflessly, it will really be enough for them to live a peaceful life.

If you don't understand why, you can take a look at the refugee wave in Europe a few years ago.

Of course, it is impossible for the Yanfeng royal family to use two rules to bind the barbarians in the desert all the time. At that time, the royal family actually had a hidden "civilization" plan, which was to let each tribe select a smart and curious person every few years, and Yan Feng would take these to the west to learn knowledge, and after they learned something, they would send them back to each tribe, and then they would continue to civilize their own people.

This plan is the most useful for the barbarians in the desert, and after nearly two hundred years of changes, these barbarians have found a way of life that suits them with the help of Yan Feng.

They shuttled through the desert, bought novel goods from the countries of the Western Regions, and then transported them to the western border of Yanfeng to sell, and started a middleman business. Then rely on the difference earned in the middle to buy enough materials for the tribe's life.

Life got better, and the strife slowly subsided. In addition to the strict compliance of the first rule, the fighting in the second rule has gradually evolved into an annual tradition of the desert tribes gathering together for a big gathering.

Zhao Zongming, who was guarding in the west, was actually relatively idle, and now that these tribes in the desert had stopped, the army guarding the edge of the yellow sand really had nothing to do. Therefore, Zhao Zongming ran out when he had nothing to do and fought with these warriors in the desert tribe.

In the harsh environment, the body of the person who grows up is very strong. Basically, in every tribe, there are one or two warriors with infinite strength. Zhao Zongming, who fights with them every year when he has nothing to do, and can win completely, is more noble than His Majesty the Emperor who is far away in the capital of Yanfeng in the eyes of the tribesmen.

The third prince, Zhao Hongzhe, likes to find someone to compete, but he stayed when he went to the west to visit his father when he was a child. After his son arrived in the west, Zhao Zongming couldn't wait to take his son to walk around the tribes in the desert, not only proudly introduced Zhao Hongzhe to every friend in the tribe, but also seemed to show off in front of his son, and fought in every tribe......

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In the evening, Zhao Zongyang held a banquet to entertain his third brother, and the Yanfeng royal family got together to be lively.

"Every year, you come back first, and if you stay so idle in the West, you can come back and sit on the throne for me for two years. After three rounds of drinking, Zhao Zongyang chatted with his brother.

"Okay," Zhao Zongming raised his head and bared his teeth at Zhao Zongyang, "If you can beat me, I will come back to help you be the emperor for two years." ”

"I ......" Zhao Zongyang was angry when he heard this, and he wanted to lift the table and fight to the death with Zhao Zongming, but after thinking about it carefully, he really couldn't beat him, so he had to let go of the hand that was holding the edge of the table again.

Xiao Biqiao's side, I don't know what she is muttering to the princess Du Yiqing.

Compared with Du Yiqing, Xiao Biqiao, the queen, looks more like a maid.

Du Yiqing has the temperament of a big lady in charge of a large family in costume TV series, she is shrewd and intelligent. In fact, Zhao Hongxing didn't know that nine out of ten of the businesses of the entire Western Territory and the desert tribe were managed by this princess Du Yiqing. Du Yiqing, who has been living in seclusion behind the scenes all the year round, making careful calculations and giving orders, must be much more courageous than Xiao Biqiao, who knows all day long that he is circling around Zhao Zongyang.

However, Xiao Bico's talent to chat with anyone is really unusual, and the two have known each other for many years, at this moment, she and Du Yiqing were chatting hotly, and the two didn't know what they were talking about, and they all had to cover their mouths and laugh at the same time, and they also glanced at Zhao Hongxing together.

Leng Buding was swept away, and Zhao Hongxing had a question mark on his head, and quickly lowered his head and pulled the little thing on his table.

Here, after Xiao Biqiao and Du Yiqing glanced at Zhao Hongxing, they then looked at Le Aya, who was sitting with Zhao Zhongling.

Le Aya, who was already full of fruit and was enjoying it, suddenly felt that her eyes were staring at her again, and when she looked up, she just saw the queen and the princess staring at her.

Although I don't know why these two want to look at themselves, but it's time to say hello, Le Aya took a bite of the fruit and calmly owed.

"Look, I'll just say it's good!" Xiao Biqiao said happily to Du Yiling, and she didn't know what she was talking about.

"Well, that's true. Du Yiling nodded in agreement, not knowing what she was thinking.

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Finally, after dinner, it was time for Zhao Hongxing to look forward to the most - Zhao Zongming's part of getting gifts for the children.

This can be regarded as a small custom of the Yanfeng royal family. As long as the elders can return to the capital for the New Year, they will definitely bring a gift to the children who have been born.

Zhao Hongxing received from Zhao Zongyang before he was two years old, all of them were some children's teasing things made in the Western Regions, and after he regained consciousness, he thought that Zhao Zongyang put forward his request for a gift - he wanted books from the Western Regions, any book would do, and it was best to bring a few more at a time.

Playing things will always be tired, but if the book is to your liking, you can read it many times, Zhao Hongxing felt that the books in the imperial study would be finished sooner or later, so he made plans in advance.

As an uncle, Zhao Zongming is happy to meet the requirements of his eldest nephew, and every year when he comes back, he will bring more than a dozen books from the Western Regions to Zhao Hongxing.

However, Zhao Hongxing was a little worried when he received the book for the first time - he didn't know the words of the Western Regions......

Fortunately, Zhao Zongming thought it through, and came back that year not only with a translator who knew the language of the Western Regions, but also with a dictionary.

Unexpectedly, when Zhao Hongxing was a few years old, he took the initiative to unlock the achievement of mastering bilingualism!

This year is no exception, Zhao Hongxing has received more than a dozen books of all kinds from the Western Regions.

Zhao Hongming received a gift this year, a simple map from a country in the Western Regions.

"Second Emperor Uncle, are you planning to let me go to the Western Regions to expand my territory in the future?" Zhao Hongming joked.

"If you have that ambition, I'd love to support you. Zhao Zongming's answer didn't seem like a joke.

What Zhao Hongzhe got was very special, it was the same exercise.

"Which sect is this from, father?" Zhao Hongzhe was very happy to receive this gift. Due to the particularity of the bloodline, as long as the people of the Yanfeng royal family are willing, they can practice as many kinds of exercises as they want.

Zhao Hongming, who loves martial arts, is of course very interested in all kinds of exercises, but exercises are the foundation of each sect's life, and Zhao Zongming can bring back a copy every year, which really makes people doubt his methods.

"Don't worry, I got it all by regular means. Zhao Zongming's tone of speech is less credible than that of the person who sells the three no-health products.

What Zhao Hongwei got was a pen with a very peculiar shape. If Zhao Zongming didn't say that this pen was a pen, basically no one would be able to associate its function.

The pen is in the form of a small stick that is less than five inches long with a rope that has been mixed with a circle of rope. After untying a section of the rope wrapped around it, a dark section was revealed, and this section was used for writing.

Isn't this a pencil? Zhao Hongxing complained in his heart that when the early pencils on the earth were not wrapped in wooden rods, they looked like this.

"Thank you, father. Zhao Hongwei thanked him directly, and didn't give Zhao Zongming a chance to say anything sassy.

But Zhao Hongxing wanted to ask Zhao Zongming, why didn't you come back with a piece of eraser?

Zhao Zhongling, as the pearl of the Yanfeng royal family, naturally received the most expensive gift.

A tiara made of pure gold.

"Wow, this shape is very curious!" Zhao Zhongling happily held it in his hand and looked left and right.

"Well, the Ting tribe merchant said that this is a more popular thing among the 'nobles and celebrities' in the Western Regions, so I asked them to bring me back a certain top. Zhao Zongming said, pouting, "As a result, the top I brought back was just a gold-plated copper product, so I asked the craftsmen under my hand to give you a pure gold one according to this shape." ”

"Wow, thank you Uncle Sanhuang!" Zhao Zhongling hugged this crown in his arms and thanked Zhao Zongming happily.

Zhao Hongxing felt that if he wanted a gift, it must be Zhao Zongming who had better get it, right? He thought it was time to ask Zhao Zongming for a book made of pure gold.

After giving these children of the Yanfeng royal family, Zhao Zongming took out another thing.

"Le Aya, come, this is for you. Zhao Zongyang said to Le Aya.

"Ah, and mine?" asked Aya, confused.

"Of course, come on. Du Yiqing waved her hand to Le Aya and asked her to hurry over.

Le Aya walked in front of Zhao Zongming a little helplessly, Du Yiling pulled Le Aya in front of him, and took the things in Zhao Zongming's hand, and then put Le Aya around his neck.

What a round piece of jade. Seeing the thing hanging around Le Aya's neck, Zhao Hongxing was surprised.

"This, this is ......" Le Aya wondered, raised her hand to pick up this jade pendant, and found that this piece of jade was actually warm, and there were two words engraved on the jade pendant.

"Rakuaya".

"This is a fire sand jade produced in the desert, which is a naturally formed warm stone. Du Yiling touched Le Aya's head and said, "You are from the capital, Yanfeng has a relatively cold winter, you will definitely be much warmer with this." ”

Le Aya didn't understand what the value of this jade pendant was, but she could clearly feel the warm feeling that this jade pendant brought to her when it was in her hands.

"Thank you, thank you. Le Aya really didn't know what to say, so she had to thank her repeatedly.

I don't know why, Le Aya felt that her heart was warmed up like holding a jade pendant's hand.