Standalone Northern and Southern Dynasties

Chapter 84 The Princess' "Gift" (4k, please subscribe)

"Brother!"

When Su Yuyao saw that Su Ze had a shoulder injury, she quickly helped him into the house. Su Ze waved his hand to indicate that he was fine. The wound was cut by himself and it was just a superficial injury.

"I heard that my father was also injured."

Su Ze nodded and said, "I have sent someone to invite my father to come home to recuperate."

Su Yuyao nodded quickly and said, "My father has always lived alone. When my grandfather was alive, he wanted him to live in our house. Brother, I think you spent a lot of time and effort to persuade him this time."

There is no need to waste words, what matters is the force.

Su Ze told his sister, "When father-in-law comes home, you need to let him stay home and recover from his injuries. Don't run around if there's nothing to do."

"Don't worry, brother! Leave it to me!"

Seeing his energetic sister, Su Ze nodded. There was a sound of carriages and horses outside the door, and he saw the [timid servant] and Su Lin helping Li Tong get off the donkey cart. The [blind pharmacist] also followed behind the cart, holding a medicine jar in his hand.

Seeing the bandage on her father's face, Su Yuyao also asked distressedly: "Father, how did you get injured?"

Li Tong said: "He fell off his horse. When people get old, they will always stumble."

Su Yuyao looked at the bandage on Li Tong's face, wondering how he could have injured his face after falling so fast. Did his father-in-law fall on his face?

After saying that, Li Tong looked at Su Ze with a meaningful expression.

Su Ze said quickly: "I will help father-in-law go into the house to rest!"

Su Ze had already cleaned out the main house left by his father and laid out a new bed. After he helped Li Tong into the house, Li Tong looked at Su Ze and said:
"I didn't expect you to be this big, Aze. If your grandfather knew about this, he would be very pleased."

Su Ze brought a wooden basin and helped Li Tong remove the gauze on his face. He then changed the dressing on the wound on Li Tong's face according to the instructions of the [Blind Pharmacist].

During this period, Li Tong did not hum a word. After Su Ze wrapped the gauze again, Li Tong said:
"I used to be the instructor of the Tunqi Battalion and I know several centurions. Besides, your grandfather also used to be the commander of the Tunqi Battalion. When you take up the post, I will accompany you. I think no one will dare to make things difficult for you."

"The cavalry and the military officers are both elite members of the Imperial Guards. Whether you can win the loyalty of your soldiers depends on your own ability, Aze."

Su Ze hurriedly wrote it down. Li Tong had been in Yulin for many years. Although he had always been an instructor of medium rank, he had a high prestige. Coupled with the influence of his father, Su Ze also had some confidence in being a good commander of the cavalry brigade.

Li Tong continued, "I am the descendant of a beggar. The military book I gave you was passed down by my ancestor Li Nong."

"Father, how many descendants of beggars are there in the Yulin Army?"

"Not many. The descendants of Qihuo follow the "Order to Kill the Hu" as a guideline for their actions. In the past hundred years, the Han and the Hu fought in the north, and many of our ancestors died in the war. Now there are only more than a hundred descendants of Qihuo left in the Imperial Guards."

More than a hundred households? This number actually exceeded Su Ze's expectations. He asked again, "How are these beggars' descendants?"

Li Tong said: "Most of the descendants of beggars have family traditions, so their skills are naturally good."

Li Tong took out a yellowed piece of silk from his bosom and said, "This is the 'Order to Kill the Hu' passed down in our family. It is said that it was written by our ancestor Li Nong himself."

"I am old and have no descendants. I am passing this "Order to Kill the Hu" to you. Tomorrow I will copy a list of the descendants of the beggars for you. I will personally greet the descendants of the beggars in the Tunqi Camp, and they will definitely support you."

"Thank you, Father."

Li Tong suddenly sat up and said, "Aze, you said that day that the Hu trouble was not in the grassland, but in the Six Garrisons. Why is that?"

"Father, why do you suddenly ask this?"

Li Tong said with emotion: "A few years ago, your grandfather and I discussed this issue, and he said something similar at the time. I want to know what you think."

Grandpa?
The father of this body was selected by Emperor Xiaowen to be a Yulin Lang, so he was indeed not an ordinary person. How many people in history who could have been recorded in the history books died silently in the corner?
Facing Li Tong's inquiring eyes, Su Ze had no choice but to say, "Father, the Six Garrisons were originally established to defend against the Rouran people. The Six Garrisons were led by the great families of the nation and the high families of the Han Dynasty, with the Han nobles and tribal leaders as the military leaders, and the lower-class Han people, the tribesmen of the nation who were unwilling to move the capital, and the tribesmen of the Gaoche who surrendered to the Rouran as the source of soldiers."

"During the reign of Emperor Xiaowen, the Six Garrisons launched campaigns against Rouran every year, and each time they obtained a large amount of spoils. At that time, the garrison commanders and the monarch could be promoted based on their military merits, and the soldiers and civilians could share the spoils to support their families."

"At that time, the Six Towns often chased the Rouran tribe out of the grassland and at one point drove them to the north of Yinshan Mountain."

Li Tong had experienced the era of Emperor Xiaowen, so of course he knew all this. He nodded repeatedly with a gleam in his eyes.

"But after the Rouran tribe went north of Yinshan Mountain, the Six Garrisons could no longer continue to build military merits. The generals and commanders could not leave the Six Garrisons through military merits. Instead, they became country bumpkins despised by the nobles of Luoyang. The soldiers and civilians of the Six Garrisons had no spoils of war to replenish their blood. The Six Garrisons were poor and could only rely on food relief requisitioned by the court. At that time, they could barely survive."

"When Emperor Xuanwu launched his army against the Southern Dynasty, the imperial court's grain was transported to the southern battlefield, and the Six Garrisons became completely abandoned by the imperial court."

Su Ze looked at Li Tong and asked, "Father, you are a soldier and civilian of the Six Garrisons. Do you agree with Emperor Xiaowen's policy of sinicization, or do you oppose it?"

Li Tong felt fear.

If they went south from the grassland, the Northern Wei still had troops, and the Hu people on the grassland were also there to rob.

But what if the six towns that were originally used to defend the grassland were in chaos?

Li Tong didn't dare to think about it. He looked at Su Ze and said, "You said that the Six Towns will be in chaos? And it will be a random chaos?"

Su Ze shook his head and said, "The Six Garrisons will be in chaos. By then, there will be no distinction between the Han and the Hu peoples. Instead, the chaos will be for survival. By then, it will surely sweep across the entire north."

Li Tong looked at Su Ze, and finally heaved a long sigh and said, "Father, you are old. Twenty years ago, when we talked about this, I would pick up my bow and mount my horse to go to the Six Towns. Now that I hear this, I just hope that the Six Towns will be in chaos later, and don't let me see this prosperous era in chaos."

"Father, this is no longer a prosperous age."

After listening to this, Li Tong sighed deeply. At this time, his sister Su Yuyao hurriedly knocked on the door and said, "Brother, the beautiful sister from Princess Chenliu's mansion is here again!"

Su Ze remembered the bet he made with Princess Chenliu at the hunting ground that day. Could it be that she really sent her personal maid Lu Zhu?
This princess is too crazy. Su Ze walked out of Li Tong’s room and walked to the door of the house.

All he saw was a gorgeous carriage parked in front of Su Ze's house. Several maids from the princess's mansion were surrounding a masked woman in a green skirt. Seeing this familiar outfit, Su Ze couldn't help but have a headache. Would this crazy woman really be willing to give her personal maid to him?

When the masked woman in a green skirt met Su Ze, she did not convey Princess Chenliu's order, but turned around and climbed onto the carriage.

Another maid from Princess Chenliu's mansion reminded Su Ze.

"Please get in the car, Marshal Su. The gifts prepared by the princess are in the car." Get in the car?

Su Ze looked around. It was already dark. The carriage from the princess's mansion must have been holding a token for passing through the curfew before it opened the gate of Jianyangli and entered.

In the dim night, let yourself get in the car?
"Please get in the car, Marshal Su."

Su Ze gritted his teeth. He was a traverser with a system. As a grown man, he was just a carriage in the princess's mansion. Could he be stronger than him?

After several interactions with Lu Zhu, I feel that she is not as crazy as Princess Chenliu, so it should be safe for her to get on the car by herself.

Before the maid reminded him again, Su Ze got on the carriage.

Princess Chenliu's carriage was very luxurious. There was quite a lot of space inside the carriage, and it was equipped with soft couches.

The carriage is wrapped with felt cloth, which not only blocks the chilly spring weather, but also blocks the prying eyes from outside the carriage.

However, there was no light in the carriage. After Su Ze climbed into the carriage, the maid outside closed the curtain, and the entire carriage was pitch black.

Su Ze sat down against the carriage curtain and said to the dark carriage, "Madam Luzhu, go back and tell the princess that I appreciate your kindness, but our Su family yard is too small to accommodate a personal maid like you. You should go back and serve the princess."

Just as Su Ze was about to get off the car after he finished speaking, a fragrant breeze blew over him, a pair of soft hands wrapped around his chest, and then a pair of soft lips blocked Su Ze's mouth.

With Su Ze's strength, he could easily break free from the restraints, but for some reason he couldn't exert any strength. Then Su Ze was like a whale in the deep sea, with his body tightly entangled by the "octopus".

. . .

After a full stick of incense had passed, the shaking of the carriage finally stopped, and Su Ze hurriedly jumped off the carriage.

A maid handed Su Ze a handkerchief and said:

"General Su, this is a little sweet treat from the princess. Her Highness hopes you can continue to work hard."

After saying this, the gorgeous carriage of the princess's mansion immediately turned and quickly disappeared into the darkness.

Su Yuyao, who was standing inside the door, waited until the carriage of the princess's mansion left before rushing out. She looked at Su Ze and asked with concern, "Brother, are you okay?"

Su Ze said awkwardly: "It's okay, it's okay, Yuyao, let's go back to the house."

Su Yuyao couldn't help but ask curiously: "Brother, what did the princess give you?"

Thinking back to the scene in the carriage just now, Su Ze's face also turned red. He quickly said: "The princess asked her personal maid to bring a few words to me, brother."

Su Yuyao was a novice after all, so she quickly said, "This should be very important news for my brother, right?"

"Why do you say that?"

"I see the carriage is shaking violently. This must be news that makes Brother very excited, right?"

Su Ze couldn't hide his embarrassment and said, "It's cold in the night, let's go back."

Turning around to look in the direction where the princess's carriage left, was the woman in the carriage really Lu Zhu?

But think about it, this was the Northern Dynasty that wrote "The Ballad of Mulan", and the customs of the people in the Northern Dynasties were even more open than those in the Sui and Tang Dynasties.
-
Nothing happened that night. In fact, Su Ze's injuries had healed long ago, but he did not go to the Yulin Army. Instead, he invited many Yulin soldiers to his home for a banquet under the pretext of recuperating.

Some of them were his subordinates when he was on duty on the city wall. Lu Zheng suffered a great loss in the last selection of forwards. Not only was he not selected, but his horse was shot by Su Ze and he was thrown out by the horse and suffered serious injuries.

Lu Zheng simply asked for a long vacation. After hearing the news, Su Ze immediately sent Su Lin to deliver silk to Yang Zongjia, and also let him get in touch with the Yulin school lieutenant in charge of the palace gate, and he was promoted to temporary team leader.

Yang Zongjia was naturally grateful to Su Ze and brought his brothers to visit Su Ze. Su Ze immediately said that he would continue to pay for the brothers who were guarding the palace gate to retire. The atmosphere became extremely warm and everyone wanted to worship Su Ze as their eldest brother right in the yard.

The next people to visit Su Ze were the Han Yulin Knights who had accompanied Su Ze to participate in the last selection of warriors.

Those who were able to participate in the selection of the front line were considered to have wealthy families among the Han Yulin. Many of them served in elite camps such as the Tunqiying or Caiguanying. Although most of the Han Yulin were not able to become white-robed scholars because of the assassination, the King of Qinghe also gave them rewards or promoted them to military positions.

This group of people are considered the backbone of the younger generation of Han people in the Yulin Army. During the attack on the Chinese Yulin Army, they had all shot the horses of the Chinese Yulin Army, and had developed quite a grudge against them. Now Su Ze is the commander of the Tunqiying Brigade, the highest position among them. They also have the comradeship of hunting in the hunting grounds, so they naturally came over.

They were all able to provide their own war horses to participate in the selection of vanguards, so their family backgrounds were naturally not comparable to those of the poor lower-level Yulin like Yang Zongjia. For the younger generation of middle and high-level Han Yulin, the cost of making friends was much higher than making friends with lower-level soldiers.

However, Su Ze also had a clever way to deal with them. Those who could participate in the selection of the elite were naturally ambitious Han Yulin. Su Ze asked Su Lin to teach them the skills of riding and shooting, and at the same time promised that after his injury healed, he would teach them military books on behalf of his father-in-law Li Tong. This group of Han Yulin elites quickly gathered around Su Ze.

The last part is the descendants of beggars hiding in the Yulin Army.

These people are the most difficult to deal with.

The Qihuo Army has experienced too many dynasty changes since the present day. Although the descendants of Qihuo still have a "military leader" like Li Tong, their actual control is very weak.

Otherwise, Li Tong would not have assassinated Anagui alone.

Most of these descendants of Yulin have archery skills inherited from their families and are basically concentrated in the Caiguanying. Although Su Ze has a list of names, he does not plan to go directly to their homes to win them over.

However, Su Ze was not going to let Wang Hui, the centurion of the Material Officer Camp, go. Instead, he sent Su Bai to his home to give him a warning. Wang Hui was so scared that he went to visit Su Ze the next day with gifts.

Su Ze did not tell him what to do specifically, but only asked him to report the news about Hou Yuan, the commander of the Caiguanying Brigade, to him in a timely manner, and then sent Wang Hui back.

During this period, Gao Huan, who heard that Su Ze was injured, came to visit Su Ze with gifts, but he took away a jar of good wine from Su Ze's house, saying that he wanted to drink with Su Ze after his injury healed.

Liu Gui's cousin Liu Bozhi brought the pharmacist from Qinghe Palace to Su Ze's house to change the medicine. Su Ze also learned about Qinghe Prince's current situation from Liu Bozhi. When Empress Dowager Hu heard that Qinghe Prince was injured, she immediately sent Grand Chamberlain Liu Teng to summon Qinghe Prince to the palace. After the meeting with the empress dowager, Qinghe Prince regained the power to enter and leave the palace and was as favored as before.

After seeing Liu Bozhi off, Su Ze was not so optimistic about the future of Prince Qinghe.

However, the change in political situation at this time had nothing to do with him, a small commander of the Yulin Brigade. What Su Ze cared about was the refresh of the store.

Sorry, I was busy with the Qingming Festival and was unable to update the book. This week I will update more than 8000 words!

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(End of this chapter)