Standalone Northern and Southern Dynasties

Chapter 67 A Real Man Should Live Like This
Jianyangli is divided into two parts, East and West, by a street. The East Li is basically inhabited by Chinese, while the West Li is inhabited by Han people.

Dongli, at the home of team leader Lu Zheng.

Ten Chinese imperial guards who were preparing to participate in the selection of the Qinghe Palace gathered together. Lu Zheng said to them:

"I got the news that Su Ze has made great contributions in Henan Prefecture and has been recommended for merit by Zuo Ling!"

All those present were Chinese Yulin. Over the years, their hatred for the Han Yulin had grown greater and greater. Su Ze had often helped the Han Yulin in the past, and was also a thorn in the eyes of everyone.

Lu Zheng added: "If Su Ze can perform well in the selection of forwards, he might actually be selected."

Since the sinicization, middle and lower-level official positions have been monopolized by the Han people, and the number of people who have switched to official careers from the military system has been decreasing, and they are concentrated among the children of wealthy families in China.

Becoming a selected soldier in each of the major royal palaces has become the only way out for these middle and low-level Chinese imperial guards.

After Lu Zheng finished speaking, the Chinese soldiers present became excited.

Seeing the emotions of the crowd, Lu Zheng coughed and said, "When my grandfather was alive, the king used our people when he went to war. Those Han people could only be used as slaves. When did these lowly creatures come to dominate us?"

Everyone started shouting, and Lu Zheng finally said his purpose: "Although hunting is just hunting, bows and arrows have no eyes in the hunting field, and every year there are people who are accidentally injured and have to leave the hunting field."

Those gathered here with Lu Zheng are all his hunting "friends". Most of them were able to participate in the selection because of Lu Zheng's sponsorship. They are actually his cronies.

Normally, these Chinese Yulin often bully the lower-level Han Yulin in the army. In recent days, Su Ze's influence among the grassroots Han Yulin has been growing, and these united Han Yulin have also made the Chinese Yulin, who used to be able to bully them, more fearful.

Since Emperor Xiaowen's sinicization reform, with the opening up of Han Chinese families to join the Yulin Huben, the number of Han Chinese in the imperial guards has continued to increase, and now exceeds the number of Xianbei people.

After the reform of "Detailed Determination of Clan Aristocracy", clan aristocracy replaced nationality and became the new classification method to distinguish the noble and the humble. It was no longer possible to receive preferential treatment as before just by relying on one's citizenship.

What's worse is that as Wei's external warfare became constrained in recent years, several battles failed to achieve much results, and it became difficult to accumulate military merits.

Seeing that the atmosphere was set, Lu Zheng simply picked up the wine on the table, raised his head and drank it, saying: "Let's go all out tomorrow! We can't let the Han dogs climb over our heads! My grandfather moved south with Emperor Xiaowen!"

"My great grandfather fought against the Rurou with Emperor Taiwu!"

The next day.

The day has finally arrived for Prince Qinghe to join the team and select the forwards.

As it was a major event that attracted much attention in Luoyang City, people from all the neighborhoods close to Tongtuo Street climbed up the parapets of the neighborhoods and watched the huge team coming out of the palace.

Leading the way in the front row were thirty-six armored soldiers. This was the ceremonial guard personally bestowed upon Prince Qinghe by Empress Dowager Hu for him to use today. They were originally guards in the Forbidden City, but today they were ordered to protect Prince Qinghe. This was enough to show Empress Dowager Hu's "favor" for this "closest" prince of the royal family.

Next came a number of horse-drawn carriages, on which were placed all kinds of utensils, from food utensils to wine utensils, to various silks and soft cushions, all kinds of things to appreciate.

The hunting ground had already been built, and most of the things for the banquet had actually been transported to the hunting ground. The carriages were carrying things that King Qinghe used every day. Next came the white-clothed scholars, who were the staff and guests of King Qinghe. Wherever this group of people went, they would cause cheers from the people in the neighborhood, and some brave young ladies even threw their handkerchiefs directly at the white-clothed scholars.

Liu Bozhi was also in the team, but this time there was no joy on his face. He just walked in the team in a dull manner.

Next is the carriage of Prince Qinghe. He rides in a cart pulled by five oxen. The five oxen have different coat colors. The cart is extremely spacious, and it takes ten pieces of Shu brocade to decorate the cart!

The ox cart was surrounded by the maids and servants of Prince Qinghe, and the female officials in the palace were also dressed in hunting clothes and followed the ox cart on ponies.

Behind the motorcade of Prince Qinghe was the motorcade of the princes, dukes, and nobles of Luoyang. They were all invited to participate in the selection of the elite. Throughout the day, Prince Qinghe would hold banquets in the hunting ground to entertain these princes, dukes, and nobles of Luoyang.

Even Gao Huan, who was recuperating in a hotel in Sitong City, hired a hotel attendant to get a donkey cart to carry him to the edge of Tongtuo Street. Looking at the mighty procession, he could not help but say:
"This is how a man is born!"

The people around him laughed at him when they saw him lying on the donkey cart with his butt sticking up in his arms, looking so miserable.

Gao Huan didn't care at all about the laughter of the people around him. Instead, he asked his servant to push the cart into the crowd while others were laughing so that he could better appreciate the grand convoy.

Compared with the bustling Luoyang City, Su Ze and other imperial guards who were going to participate in the selection of the best soldiers had already arrived at the hunting ground early and were waiting.

The so-called selected guards, in fact, the imperial guards like Su Ze who were selected were just supporting roles, and these princes, dukes and nobles were the real protagonists.

This hunting event was Luoyang’s annual grand banquet, and everyone attending the banquet was desperately trying to show off their power and wealth.

Even some impoverished nobles had to borrow money from merchants just to be able to attend King Qinghe's banquet.

After all these mighty troops entered the hunting ground, it was time for Su Ze and other soldiers who were participating in the selection to enter.

The terrain around Luoyang is flat. In order to make it convenient for princes, dukes and nobles to watch hunting, the King of Qinghe, when he was in charge of the Jiangzuojian, conscripted 10,000 laborers from the surrounding areas of Luoyang, each of whom carried a basket of soil to artificially build this mound.

The mounds had been covered with straw mats, tents had been built, fences had been erected, and flags were hoisted behind each tent.

These domes surround the dome of Prince Qinghe like stars surrounding the moon, and are arranged from the inside to the outside according to the size of the official position and title in the court and the power held.

Standing in the archery field below the mound, one couldn't even see the roof of the Qinghe King's yurt.

The shooting range was more than three hundred steps away from the banquet venue of King Qinghe. King Rouran was also a king conferred by the Northern Wei Dynasty. His yurt should be the closest to King Qinghe. Su Ze estimated that if his father-in-law wanted to assassinate King Rouran, he would have to at least climb the mound.

However, the three layers of security inside and outside the mound were extremely strict, and those who participated in the selection of warriors would start hunting after the first round of shooting test.

Only those who have hunted more prey can climb the mound and be interviewed in person by King Qinghe.

That is to say, Yafu also mixed in with those who participated in the selection of the vanguard, and he had to win the subsequent hunting.

Recently, I have been saving up my manuscripts to put them on the shelves. If they are put on the shelves, there will
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(End of this chapter)