xymnovel Chapter 52: Five generations going to the battlefield is way too early.
Chapter 52: Five generations going to the battlefield is way too early.
The following day at noon, Wang Jun and Wang Lu personally cooked a large table full of dishes, and had a final feast with Han Tong's family before finally sending the thoroughly drunk Han Tong to his carriage.
The entire family of over thirty people, along with more than one hundred servants and personal guards, set off together to Luoyang to retire.
After Han Tong moved out, Wang Jun moved into the main house that originally belonged to Han Tong. Still slightly drunk, he lay down on the floor and exclaimed in amazement:
"This house is huge! It must be at least 200 square meters, right? I'll be living here all by myself from now on. Hey, don't you think the Grand View Pavilion in Dream of the Red Chamber is at most this big?"
Wang Lu sat down next to Wang Jun, also sitting directly on the ground. The bed, cabinets, paintings, and even a small table and a few small chairs had all been moved away by Han Tong, leaving the once large main house almost bare.
"What are you thinking? Whether it's the size or the decoration, it can't compare to Daguanlou."
"Isn't Han Tong's residence the residence of the Prime Minister of the Song Dynasty? It seems to be the largest and best in all of Kaifeng, apart from the Imperial Palace."
"A prosperous dynasty is different from a chaotic one."
As he spoke, Wang Lu looked around the empty room, both amused and exasperated: "Han Tong is too ridiculous! He's supposed to be the Grand Secretary, how come he took away all the pots and pans, tables and chairs, even the bed?"
"The imperial court paid for him and sent the Golden Spear Squad of the Palace Guard to work for him for free. Apart from these few pillars, there's practically nothing left for us in this room. This is hardly the behavior of a Grand Secretary."
"It's alright. Out with the old, in with the new. He's taken them all, so we'll just buy new ones. We also need to hire more maids and servants. These days, buying people as slaves is considered doing good deeds."
"You make it sound so easy. Where did you get the money? Ten thousand strings of cash, just a few words from that beautiful woman and she's gone. Most of the workers in that factory have gone to Han Wei to build the Luoyang branch."
We've been here for half a year, and all our hard work has been for nothing. Hey, we're two time travelers, and we're even worried about money!
"You can't say that. Look how big this house is now. It's a four-courtyard mansion."
"By the way, I have a question for you. Yesterday, Zhang Mei mentioned someone named Yuan Yan to me. Who is he? Everyone says he's going to rebel. Why didn't you tell me about him?"
"Yuan Yan? Yuan... Yan, oh~, I remember now, he's a bit obscure. I'd completely forgotten about him if you hadn't mentioned him. I've been quite busy lately."
"What are you busy with? You're always hanging around with Zhao Guangmei and Li Jilong, running errands and running errands."
"Yuan Yanyao was a minister under Chai Rong when he was still a prince. His relationship with Zhao Kuangyin was already bad back then."
Historical records indicate a personal grudge. When Chai Rong was dying, he promoted Han Tong to the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guard Infantry, making him Han Tong's deputy, also to help Han Tong counterbalance Zhao Kuangyin.
"And then what? This didn't create any checks and balances."
"Because in the first month after Chai Rong's death, Empress Dowager Fu transferred him to be a military governor, and replaced him with Gao Huaide, Zhao Kuangyin's brother."
Before his death, Chai Rong actually had ways to check and balance Zhao Kuangyin, but no sooner had he died than Empress Dowager Fu began to undermine him. As the Empress Dowager, she deliberately harmed her own empire; what could anyone do?
"So, Yuan Yan is now preparing for war and refuses to submit to the Song Dynasty?"
"Of the dozens of warlords in the land, many are unwilling to submit. It's just that Yuan Yan has been making a lot of noise, constantly preparing his troops and making it seem like he's about to raise an army."
However, historically, Zhao Kuangyin ignored him. He first personally led an expedition to quell Li Jun's rebellion, and then took advantage of the situation to conquer Yangzhou and eliminate Li Chongjin. Incidentally, he also had Murong Yanzhao keep an eye on Guo Chong, who harbored rebellious intentions, and the five towns of Hebei.
"After he had finished fighting two battles, one in the north and one in the south, and had pacified all four garrisons in Hebei, while Yuan Yan was still preparing for war, Zhao Kuangyin sent Pan Mei alone into Shaanxi."
It's unclear how Pan Mei did it, but he rode alone on horseback, chatted with Yuan Yan for a while, and Yuan Yan followed Pan Mei to the capital to kowtow and submit to Zhao Kuangyin.
"One man on horseback, and he convinced a rebellious military governor to come to the capital and submit to him? That's impressive!"
"Son, tell me, can I take the credit? Pan Mei can do it, so I should be able to too, right? This shows that Yuan Yan was already intimidated back then, right?"
Wang Lu thought for a moment and said, "It seems like it might actually work. Pan Mei also started out in this matter. If Pan Mei can do it, so can we. Maybe you, Father, will also have a chance to become the number one general in the early Song Dynasty?"
But that's all in the future. We'll have to wait until Zhao Kuangyin returns after defeating Li Jun and Li Chongjin, which is still about half a year away.
"By the way, Father, why don't you join the army when we're fighting Li Jun? It should be a good opportunity to earn merits in this battle."
Zhao Kuangyin's personal campaign was a resounding success, a battle fought with artistry. He was sure to be promoted, and this opportunity would allow him to transition from a civil to a military official. You, however, are currently a mere clerk, still a civil official.
"I'm not going with the army, I'm Zhao Guangyi's accomplice. I'll definitely follow Zhao Guangyi. I don't know much about history, but I know that in the present Song Dynasty, when Zhao Kuangyin personally leads an expedition, he will definitely leave Zhao Guangyi in the palace to guard the capital."
"Oh, that's true, that's such a pity."
Wang Jun's eyes darted around, and he said, "What a pity? I think you'd be more suited to go."
"Me? At my age, going to war with the army? Besides, I don't have any official rank."
"Don't give me that. Does an official position mean anything to you?"
"I transported tens of thousands of bushels of grain to Huaizhou and Mengzhou. Can't I arrange a task for you to guard the grain?"
"Besides, I've heard that during the Five Dynasties period, it was customary for members of the imperial clan to accompany their husbands on military expeditions. You could easily have Zhao Guangmei join the army under the guise of military training. If he joins, then you can join too, right?"
Wang Lu quickly replied, "You're kidding me! I'm only twelve, and Zhao Guangmei is only thirteen. What kind of battlefield are we two little sprouts supposed to be on?"
"Twelve or thirteen, isn't he already a young man? Zhao Kuangyin only lived for a few years, so he has to gain experience as soon as possible. Reaching the first rank in officialdom is our common goal. You can't rely on me alone; you can't just lie down."
"You used to be able to serve as a civil official and plot against Emperor Taizong's dynasty, but now that you and Zhao Guangmei have become sworn brothers, what's the point of being a civil official? What's the point of Emperor Taizong? You might as well join me as a military general. Don't say you're too young; I've already inquired about you."
"What are you asking about?"
"Wang Yanchao joined the campaign against the Former Shu at the age of twelve; Li Keyong campaigned against Pang Xun at the age of thirteen; Li Cunxu joined the army at the age of eleven and met Emperor Zhaozong of Tang. Fu Yanqing, the Prince of Wei, also went to the battlefield to kill the Khitan at the age of thirteen."
"Twelve or thirteen years old is exactly the age when noble families of generals in the Five Dynasties period began to go to the battlefield. This is not early at all. Don't even think about shirking your duty. You've always pushed me so hard to become a military general, now it's your turn. Don't you dare give up."
Wang Lu pursed his lips and remained silent.
The rules of the Five Dynasties were indeed like this. In fact, Wang Jun was unaware that in this campaign against Li Jun, even Li Jilong participated. This was Li Jilong's first battle recorded in official history.
If Wang Lu wanted to go to the battlefield, he didn't need to follow Zhao Guangmei's route at all; he could just follow Li Jilong's. Li Jilong was a year younger than him, which made it difficult for him to use his young age as an excuse.
Damn it, why were these people from the Five Dynasties period sent to the battlefield at such a young age?