Late Tang Dynasty Floating Life

Chapter 1657
After leaving Wansheng Town, the boat arrived at the wharf near Heyincang. Shao Mianren didn't intend to change boats, so he directly borrowed more than ten carriages from Heyin County. Division, arrived in Luoyang, it was already early April.

After hearing about his return, the ninth younger brother Shao Xingben and the eleventh younger Shao Zhigu, who had just come from Xijing, came to visit together.

Both of these two were born to Concubine Chu Guifei, one was 21 years old and the other was 20 years old, and both had already entered the feudal domain.

The former is the king of Zhongsheng County, and his fief is in Zhongsheng Prefecture (now Kulun Banner), while the latter is the king of Mi'e County, and his fief is in Mi'e Prefecture (now Alashan).

To be honest, neither is a good place.

Therefore, if they have the opportunity to return to the Central Plains, they don’t mind staying for a few more months. For example, this time the saint asked them to come back to report on his work-in fact, the imperial concubine Chu missed his son-as long as the saint does not urge them to go back, try to stay for a few more days. Play for a few more days.

After nesting on the grassland for several years, everyone was blown stupid by the wind and sand!
"Third Brother." The two saluted together.

"Sit." Shao Mianren stretched out his hand and said.

His wife Zhang Shi (daughter of Zhang Guiba) also came out to meet the ceremony and prepared tea and snacks for the three of them.

"You two..." Shao Mianren smiled and said, "If you have nothing to do, go back as soon as possible, before Grandpa gets angry."

Kuro and Eleven Lang also laughed.

After the two of them slipped out of Chang'an, they dressed up like young masters and played around, as if they wanted to make up for what they had lost in the past few years.

"Third brother, you don't know, the grassland is too difficult." Eleven Lang Shao Zhigu said: "Miechuan is really miserable. Of all the tribes in the grassland, the Hexi Dangxiang is the poorest and most fierce, and my Mi'e The prefecture's fief was originally Hexi Dangxiang's grazing land. Alas, there is nothing but wind and sand all year round."

"The herdsmen often come to report that their sheep and horses have been stolen or robbed. I have to lead my troops out of the city and brave the wind and sand to find them. If I can't find the sheep and horses, I have to find the place and fight with others. .”

"The caravan only comes here once every six months. There is no good product yet, and the price is extremely expensive. To tell you the truth, third brother, I haven't had such good tea as Mengding, Yangxian, and Zisun for several years."

"The city smells like sheep excrement. The herdsmen are as stupid as pigs despite repeated admonitions. I don't even bother to beat them, because it's useless."

Shao Zhigu talked a lot, most of them were complaining, which shows that life is really difficult.

Shao Mianren listened with a smile, and found a lot of positive factors from the eleventh brother's words.

The eleventh brother complained about his hardships, but he was still doing business.

The herdsmen came to him for every trivial matter. Although he was upset, he did not refuse, but tried his best to solve it.

The grasslands are no different than the Han lands. These things may seem trivial, but they actually increase their prestige.The more you do, the prestige will accumulate bit by bit.If you encounter enemies and lead them to victory, your prestige will be unshakable. From now on, you can fight wherever you want until you encounter an irreversible defeat.

From another point of view, life in arid and impoverished places like Mi'e Prefecture is extremely difficult, but there are no people who dare to fight and fight hard.If trained well, it will be a very good army.

As long as the eleventh brother and his descendants don't do anything against them, they can secure their positions with the help of the imperial court's tiger skin coercion.When it really comes to the time when the imperial army's armaments are weakened, if their line can pull out tens of thousands of strong soldiers, maybe they can be of great use.

"Brother Eleven has grown up, and he is no longer the little brother who pestered me to catch Cicada when I was young." Shao Mianren looked carefully at his younger brother's face that had been roughened by the wind and sand, and said with relief: "Now you have your own department." People, you have won their love. Do it well and don’t let them down. If you don’t let them down, they won’t let you down. Shaw’s prestige on the grasslands was created by his father’s sword and gun. Don’t take it lightly Corrupted."

"Third Brother, you..." Eleven Lang was a little surprised.

"Drink tea." Shao Mianren patted his shoulder and said.

"Okay." Eleven Lang picked up the tea bowl and tasted it slowly.

"Ninth brother, how is your side?" Shao Mianren looked at Jiulang Shao Xingben and asked.

"It's better than Eleventh Brother's Mi'e Prefecture. The Seven Sacred Prefectures are actually not too different. Zhongsheng Prefecture was originally a Khitan government tent, and it's okay. There are rivers, forests, swamps, pastures, and more. We have opened up some farmland and planted some corn, millet, and soybeans." Jiulang said: "The Seven Holy States already have three county kings, and the fifteenth younger brother will also become a feudal clan next year, so there will be four. These seven places, we I will be optimistic about Grandpa."

Among the seven holy prefectures, the king of Husheng County and the eighth prince Shao Duanfeng had long been the vassal, and the Husheng prefecture was in the area of ​​Wengniute Banner of the later generation - Balang is 23 years old this year, his wife is Song, and his biological mother is Empress Zhao of Mingxian.

The king of Zhongsheng County is the Ninth Prince Shao Xingben, whose fiefdom is in the later Kulun Banner, and his wife Wei Shi.

Shao Zhuangjing, the king of Yingsheng County, has already become a vassal. The fief Yingsheng Prefecture is located in the northeast of Shuangliao, the later generation. He is 19 years old this year. His biological mother is Tang Shuxian Empress He, and his wife is Wang from Longmen County in Hedong.

Next year, Shao Zhi, the king of Fengsheng County, will marry his wife Qian Shi (daughter of Qian Yu), and then go to Fengsheng Prefecture (now southwestern of Bahrain Zuo Banner) to become a feudal clan—the fifteenth prince Shao Zhizhong’s biological mother is Astade .

In addition to the seven holy prefectures, the imperial court established two prefectures in the west of Da Xianbei Mountain, namely Gongchen prefecture and Pangri prefecture.

The former is located near the city of Xilinhot in later generations, and the latter is located in the area of ​​Hulunbuir.

These two prefectures are the land obtained after Abaoji was beaten away, and they have been firmly controlled for more than three years. There are tens of thousands of Khitan, Wugu, and Yu people grazing there. Either confer to the prince, or confer on a prairie chief, and implement the rule of restraint.

Gongchen Prefecture and Pengri Prefecture are located to the west of Da Xianbei Mountain. In terms of agricultural conditions, they are definitely not as good as the Qisheng Prefecture in the east, and the population they can support is not as good as them, so the area is relatively large.

As far as Shao Mianren's selfishness is concerned, he somewhat hopes that these two places will also be granted to his younger brothers.But after thinking about it, I couldn't bear it.

These two places are even poorer than the Seven Sacred States. Isn't this a scam?
But then again, can it be as bad as Mi'e Prefecture?At the beginning, the eleventh brother didn't want to be a vassal, and was almost kidnapped by his father.After staying there for a few years, didn't the eleventh brother gradually get used to it?

A person's ability to adapt sometimes exceeds your imagination, and it depends on whether he is willing to suffer—well, in fact, it really depends on whether his father is ruthless or not.

"Ninth brother, you are only half right." Shao Mianren said: "Not only for father, but also for second brother."

Jiulang was a little surprised when he heard this, and asked, "Third Brother, you and Second Brother..."

"Ninth brother!" Shao Mianren waved his hands, and said earnestly: "It doesn't matter what happens to me and my second brother. I have been in Zangzhou for several years as my brother, reforming the land and returning home, comforting the people, and reconciliation. , I feel physically and mentally exhausted. Persuading farmers and mulberry and developing commerce, these two points are not humble, and they are easy to handle. But in more complicated environments, I am a little powerless. Every time I lead an army, I am afraid of showing cowardice. But Wu Yijun It's not my specialty. After a long time, I can't hide it, and the soldiers can see it. They are nothing more than looking at their father's face, coupled with the majesty of the court, and they are willing to listen to me. When encountering unruly I want to deal with the tame thorn head, but I have to be careful, it's really tiring."

"I will talk to you about one thing." Shao Mianren continued: "When you were in Xuzhou, your second brother inspected the state soldiers. He was wearing armor and shot eight out of ten arrows. The warriors were very convinced. Then the school sergeant, martial arts Those who are outstanding will be rewarded, and those who are lacking in martial arts will be punished directly. They can do whatever they want, and others can't complain, because the second brother's skills are there."

"I will never be able to reach the level of my second brother in my life. Besides, I prefer reading, writing poems, and listening to music more than martial arts, and I can't learn from my second brother. All I can do is to do my best , take care of the local affairs for the second brother, and take care of the family business better."

"You have to work hard too. If it weren't for the tiger skin of the imperial court, if it wasn't for the pressure of your father's prestige, ask yourself, would it be so easy to rule your respective fiefs?"

"This..." The two looked at each other and smiled helplessly, but soon, under the gaze of the third brother, they said in unison: "The third brother has taught you well, I will definitely take care of the fief's internal affairs and train the soldiers. , for the royal screen."

Shao Mianren laughed, and said, "That's right. With one hundred thousand grassland soldiers in hand, the Shao family can be more stable."

The two were even more helpless.

If there is a choice, who wants to go to the grassland?In the past few months in Chang'an and Luoyang, I don't know how happy I am.

"When will father go east?" Shao Mianren asked.

"I'll be leaving next month or so." Jiulang said, "After the exams and the rankings, my father may have to give a banquet to the high school scholars. I won't return to the Eastern Capital until all these things are done."

"May may not be able to leave yet." Eleventh Lang said suddenly: "Didn't there be news from Anxi Road? Persia sent a message saying that another mission will come this year."

"What's wrong with the mission?" Jiulang gave his younger brother a funny look, and said, "Will father wait for them in Chang'an? Where do the Persians have such big faces?"

"That's right." Eleven Lang smiled awkwardly, and said: "The last Persian mission left last November. Even if it moved quickly, it would take more than four months to return to Bukhara. The second one will be sent so soon. The mission is obviously a little too much. Sigh, don’t tell me, Persia is really rich. Last year, Miya Prefecture sent [-] soldiers to the west. I received news a few days ago that they brought back a lot of spoils and slaves. In my opinion, stop talking to Persia, just beat him hard."

"I also want to snatch a Persian slave girl. It's a pity that the Seven Holy States are too far away to send soldiers." Jiulang said with some regret.

"Ninth brother wants it, I'll give you the one I snatched back." Eleven Lang said nonchalantly.

"Good brother!" Jiulang said happily, "I'll give you [-] sheep for two Persian orchids."

"Okay, okay!" Shao Mianren looked at the two with some amusement, and said, "No matter when father leaves, you two can't go on wandering around like this anymore. No one can guarantee what the consequences will be if you delay any longer. .”

Jiulang and Shishilang sighed together, and said, "It's really time to go back. I just bought some things and brought them back to the grassland."

"Third brother take care of yourself." Jiulang took out an ancient seal from his pocket, put it on the table, and said, "I know that third brother likes to collect ancient objects. This is the official seal bestowed by the Khitan chieftain in the former Tang Dynasty. The workmanship is quite exquisite. , send you off."

Eleventh Lang also said: "Third brother wait a few days, I will send someone to bring over a Buddha statue, I guarantee you have never seen it. In the 15th year of Jianji, my son Lang captured it near Talas. Third brother will definitely like it."

Shao Mianren put his arms around the shoulders of the two brothers, and said, "I am determined. If there is a chance in the future, the third brother will definitely go to Zhongsheng Prefecture and Mi'e Prefecture."

The two felt a little surprised, but didn't say anything.

Shao Mianren didn't say much.

While talking with his second brother in private, he intended to let himself be Zong Zhengqing in the future - a position that is still vacant until now.

Shao Mianren was very happy.

(End of this chapter)