The day after tomorrow, it will be the end of the year, and the new year is coming!

Chaojiazhuang is lit up, and banners such as "Happy New Year" and "New Year" are fluttering. Shops and restaurants compete for promotional activities; There are three layers of people gathered on the stage of singing and dancing, inside and outside; One by one, the food vendors opened their throats to sell to passers-by......

Large, small, long, square, round oval and other lanterns are hung. During the day, it is like a dragon of lights, and at night the city is illuminated as bright as day. Forbidden troops stationed outside the city can also enter the city and play as they please.

Since the actual number of households exceeds 100,000, it is difficult to distribute supplies as before. So Chao Gai was replaced with various activities. For example, if the major restaurants guess the lantern riddles, if you answer correctly, there will be a gift.

Cockfighting, Keju, chess and other games, there are prizes at the top of the rankings. The prizes are rich and attractive, mostly rice and flour materials, silver coins, and even brand-new wheelbarrows, rickshaws, beautiful clothes and other things as rewards.

When the news spread, the whole city was sensational, and the surrounding villages and towns were boiling.

The people of ten miles and eight towns rushed to the market, plus the residents in the city, and the factories took turns to take a holiday. Pedestrians on the street stand shoulder to shoulder, wearing new clothes and smiling, admiring the lanterns, watching juggling, talking and laughing, until they flock to the scene of various activities.

Those who get the prize laugh, and those who fail the challenge are not convinced. The huge Chaojiazhuang is so lively that it is in a carnival.

"It's the New Year!" The call of joy rang out!

Except for Bianliang City, there is no other place with such prosperity!

When Jerodaripo looked down on the city that never sleeps, he felt like this. Yanjing in the north of Liao, the royal city of the Khitan people, is not as good as here.

How much more than 300,000 people? When Zong Ze greeted his family the night before, he felt abnormal. The crowd on the street is frightening, far beyond Dengzhou City.

The old man is still very knowledgeable, and Dengzhou City is much smaller, but it has a population of two or three hundred thousand. The flow of people is not so dense, and Chaojiazhuang, which is more than twice as large, is full of people, and there are pushes everywhere, what will happen to the population?

What the old man thought of was that Wu Yong didn't tell the truth, and his expression was embarrassed and complicated. The meaning of having more people can be imagined by anyone with a little brain,

Compared with the sentimentality of the old man, his children and grandchildren can see it. The eldest son, Zong Ying, and the second son, Zong Fang, came with his wife and children. All settled in Chaojiazhuang, and their enthusiasm for Chao Gai was quite touched.

The brothers took their wives and children to play in the city, and appreciated the heroism and straightforward style of Shandong men. I also saw that the people here lived and worked in peace and contentment, and the sincere smile that smiled from the bottom of my heart was highly respected.

Jeju Taishou Uncle Jang and his family are coming two days late!

The other thing is to come to Jeju for the New Year during the holidays. There are many holidays for officials in the Northern Song Dynasty, and there is a saying about Golden Week before and after the New Year.

Zhang Bofen is willing to bear hardships and stand hard work in the competition, and he is literate and can copy martial arts. was favored by Yang Zhi, and was promoted and reused again and again, becoming the deputy commander of the first battalion. Upon learning of the arrival of his parents and family, he was greeted early outside the city.

It is conceivable that what Uncle Zhang saw and heard when he entered the city at night was shocking. Looking at the crowd on the street, he had the illusion of coming to Bianliang City.

The city was much more lively than the last time I came to participate in Chao Gai's wedding. There is no doubt that this Zhang Taishou showed the same expression as an old man of the sect.

The population base is large, and the number of soldiers is large!

What is strikingly similar is that his two sons, the eldest son, served in the army. The youngest son, Zhang Zhongxiong, heard that his brother had been promoted again and again, and he was both envious and excited. I am very envious and hope to come to Chaojiazhuang to seek an official position.

Chaojiazhuang is a word hall of Chao Gai, and the doorway in this is more than you can think about. With such a majestic city, how can you defend it without 30,000 or 20,000 soldiers?

Uncle Zhang came to Chaofu with a heavy mood at night, gongs and drums were beating outside the gate, firecrackers were ringing in unison, Wu Yong and Chao Fu led the team to welcome the Taishou of Benzhou.

Dengzhou Tongju Zong Ze had already heard of Uncle Zhang's name and came to join in the fun. Uncle Zhang's family was settled in Yajing Courtyard and was well entertained.

The reason why Chao Gai didn't come to greet him in person was because he had been too busy for a few days. was busy socializing, and even Liu Menglong didn't meet him, so he could only delay it again and again.

The more you get to the Chinese New Year, the busier you get! As the head of Jeju's soldiers and horses, he was involved in many Chaojiazhuang industries. There is an endless stream of people who come to give gifts, and they gather in groups. Send away batch after batch, and truly experience the taste of being an official.

As always, he feasted in the most luxurious restaurant in the city. Two days earlier than last year, the new eunuch Liu Gechang was invited to rotate, and Cai Ganban sang the leading role. The local heroes of this state, celebrities, county officials, etc. Celebrate the Chinese New Year and celebrate peace!

By the way, it was also for Zhao Tan, the prisoner of the forbidden army.

That's right, Bianliang City summoned that this Zhao Du will be transferred away after the New Year. The cause was an attack on Tong Guan, and the leading general Wang Yu was not healed. Urgently dispatched elite soldiers and strong generals to Jiangnan to encircle and suppress the Manichaeans.

The main reason is that the conquest of Yangsan has failed one after another, and Jeju is relatively stable and not in a hurry. Tong Guan thought twice, transferred Zhao Tan, and then came to ask for Shuibo.

In the spring of the following year, Zhao Tanjun went south by boat.

"Hahaha, Zhao Dujian, I wish you success and exterminate the Jiangnan thieves." Heaven and earth, in the private room on the third floor, Chao Gai left the table of Liu Gechang and Cai Ganban, and came to the table of the forbidden army officer to toast.

After drinking a lot of wine, he was full of red face, sincere smile, and took the initiative to come. After Zhao Tan and his officers were stunned, they were flattered and raised their glasses in return.

"Many... Thank you, sir! Zhao Tan drank the wine in his cup with a complicated expression. From the initial disdain of the Jeju Commander to the gradual seriousness of the other party, he finally believed that the other party was indeed far-sighted.

Harassment and conflict again and again, slowly consumed, can also consume Liangshan. It's just that for myself who is about to be transferred, it doesn't seem to have anything to do with it.

With Chao Gai's current status, he is not interested in Zhao Tan, a Tong Guan minion in front of him, but the other party is about to leave, and there is no need to worry about it and snub it. I had a few glasses of wine with each other, and reminded him vaguely before leaving.

"Zhao Dujian, Jiangnan Manichi taught me a little bit of it, good at demagoguery, hatred of the government, but anyone who has been an official has been brutally killed. In fact, the sect is nothing remarkable, and there are no military generals. Instigating and inciting the people to gather, at best, the people with weapons. ”

"Oh, what do you mean?" Zhao Tan savored it, and the more he thought about it, the more so. I just couldn't think of the key to it, so I decided to humbly ask for advice.

Without thinking, Chao Gai informed the most correct extermination plan: "Manichaeism is easy to defeat, but after defeat, it can still be assembled. The breakthrough is in the people, do you think about who is good and how to eat and have nothing to do to rebel? ”

In addition to me, Chao Gai added a sentence in his heart.

Zhao Tan seemed to have caught something, but he was a little confused, and was about to ask.

"Zhao Dujian, when you get to the battlefield, you will understand very well, and it is useless to say it." Chao Gai didn't give the other party a chance to find his dream, and left after drinking.

As long as the people of Jiangnan live a good life, who will be full of food and spill blood? It's just that this simple and effective method is impossible for the imperial court to do. Just like in history, the Western Army was dispatched to bloody suppression.

Chao Gai met with the bearded man Zhu Tong and the winged tiger Lei Heng and had a few glasses of wine, and after inviting the other party to go to Chao Mansion for the New Year, he left in a hurry.

It was handed over to the pharmacist Xiao Jiasui, and Feng Xi was introduced. In the private room, the melodious sound of the piano wafts, the incense burner in the corner of the wall is full of precious incense, the wine jar on the long table is like a mountain, and the delicacies based on seafood are piled up......

Compared to last year, the abundance is even better!

Wealthy and wealthy, gentry and officials and other celebrities held wine glasses and dangled around, chatting or laughing. There are also those who huddle in the corners and eat and drink.

Someone is destined to stay on it, it's a sleepless night!

Chao Gai hurried back to Chao Mansion, just in time for the small banquet held in the mansion. Mainly entertained Zong Ze's family, Zhang Shuye's family, Wu Yong and Xiao Rang, Jin Dajian and others as accompaniment, although the number of people is not large, but it is more harmonious.

Chao Gai and several ladies attended, which was naturally the climax of the banquet. Everyone pushes cups and changes lamps, you come and go, talking about past experiences and interesting stories.

For example, the reckless man of Yutai is like a thug, talking about his past and avenging his father, so that he fell into the grass, robbed the house, black words, and made Zong Ze with foul language, Zhang Shuye frowned, but his children and grandchildren listened to it with enthusiasm.

Li Qingzhao, a talented woman through the ages, and Li Shishi, a fairy girl, can give Chao Gai a long face. Although she was pregnant, one person made a poem in response to the situation, and the other plucked the pipa and sang the Qingyu case that Chao Gai borrowed from.

Everyone present applauded and applauded.

And so on, as well as performing wrestling, cockfighting, and having fun.

At the banquet, whether it was Chao Gai, Wu Yong, Zong Ze, or Zhang Shuye, they didn't talk about sensitive topics, they just drank and had fun and got along well.

After a banquet, the guests and hosts are happy!

After the banquet dispersed, the Gathering Hall, an underground secret room.

The candlesticks flickered, and tea sets and snacks were placed on two tables. The stove in the corner of the wall was boiling hot water and hot wine, and the four of them sat opposite each other.

Wang is Chao Gai, Chao Gai Zongze, Zhang Shuye, Wu Yong.

No one knows that the future changes originated from this, which is known as the Chao family theory.

"Manager Chao, what do you think of the world's major events?" No one bothered, Zong Ze asked.

Chao Gai took out a map from his bosom and spread it out on the table, and took the candlestick again. The surface reflects the topographical map of the Song Dynasty and the borders of the surrounding countries.

In addition to the Northern Song Dynasty, Dali, Western Xia, Tibet, Liao, Jin, and Mongolia are all marked. The borders of several countries are very distinct in color.

"This, this is ......" Zong Ze, Zhang Shuye was attracted at a glance, and was a little surprised.

"The jackals, tigers and leopards outside the Song Dynasty looked around at each other. However, the internal traitors are in charge, and the chaos is unbearable. Chao Gai looked at the map, his expression a little serious.

"The Liao country is gone, and this big shield is missing. The Jin people went south, and as soon as the Song Dynasty was in decline, they asked, you two stubbornly believe that the surrounding countries are safe? ”

"Those who are not of my race will have different hearts."

"It's just going to pounce on it and bite a piece of fat."

Zong Ze, Uncle Zhang's expression was extremely serious, and he had heard that there were countries around him before. Now I am very worried about saying it so vividly.

"Yes, troubled times have appeared, such as the Southern and Northern Dynasties at the end of the Jin Dynasty, and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms at the end of the Tang Dynasty."

"So the two of them, conformist, the nation suffers, and the Han people are in dire straits." Wu rolled his eyes around and subtly joined the discussion.

Chao Gai shook his tongue and talked about the facts, pointing to the map to explain all kinds of possible situations, without exception, very bad.