RPAGF Chapter 1359: Chang'an Fenghua
Chapter 1359: Chang'an Fenghua
Chapter 1359: Chang'an Fenghua
"But Yuan Kai, didn't you say you would be returning to the army soon? How come you still have time to accompany me out for fun today?"
The second son of Feng outwitted Du Yu.
"It is precisely because we are going back to the army that we should take advantage of the opportunity to go out and play more."
Du Yu replied nonchalantly, and then asked:
"Speaking of this, Jilang, are you really not planning to enter the military?"
Even if Mr. Feng II wanted to apply to transfer to the Martial Arts Academy based solely on his current academic performance, I believe it would be very easy.
If we add that he is the eldest son of his master and his mistress, the world's most advanced military tactics, which others would try hard to obtain but could not obtain, are readily available to Feng Erlang.
Not to mention that the two most recognized military commanders of the Han Dynasty, General Feng and General Zhendong, must be the two at the top.
In the eyes of insiders like Du Yu, it seemed a waste of Feng Erlang's status if he did not pursue a career in the military.
"Forget about me!" Second Master Feng shook his head. "With my limited martial arts skills, I can't even beat my own sister. Wouldn't it be a joke if I lead the army?"
As the eldest son of the Feng family, the second son of the Feng family is very clear about his own position.
His main task in this life is to find a way to protect the Feng family's business.
The Feng family’s business is already big enough.
There is no need for me to develop any business for the Feng family.
In fact, being able to protect the Feng family's current business is enough to make the Feng family's ancestors happy.
Besides, my lord and mother are in their prime, it is impossible for me to take part in the battle in person.
Even if we take a step back and say that if there really comes a day when the eldest son of the Feng family personally leads the army to fight the enemy, I'm afraid the Han Dynasty has reached its final moment.
For example, the enemy troops are approaching the city of Chang'an.
When that time really comes, there will naturally be no need to preserve the Feng family's business any longer.
Others saw the Feng family's eldest son as having a glorious life, but in fact, the second son of the Feng family was sometimes envious of his brothers.
At least they are much freer than I am, and they don't have so many constraints like I do.
For example, if Aunt Hua’s son Guan Sheng really wanted to achieve great things, he should go directly to Nanzhong and make preparations early.
In the future, it would be no problem for him to become a marquis, or even a free marquis in the south.
Of course, Mr. Feng would not tell outsiders about this feeling.
But it was his frank admission that his martial arts skills were not as good as his sister's that made Du Yu's mouth twitch.
Others may not know, but Senior Brother Feng, do you want to deceive even your own fellow apprentice?
The martial arts of the eldest sister are quite terrifying in the entire Chang'an circle. I really don't know who among the same generation can compare to her.
"Brother, you don't necessarily need to be a martial arts expert to lead an army," Du Yu said meaningfully, "For example, your martial arts skills may not be better than General Zhendong's. Aren't you still better than General Zhendong?"
"In the military, strategic planning is more important than martial arts. Do you agree or not?"
"That's indeed the truth," said Mr. Feng, looking at Du Yu meaningfully, "How about I go back home today and tell you what Yuan Kai said?"
Upon hearing this, Du Yu immediately cupped his hands and begged, "Brother, spare my life, and forgive me this time! I was just joking."
Senior Sister Ying is ruthless, and Senior Brother Ling is cruel at heart. You can't mess with these two siblings. You really can't mess with them.
Yang Hu, who was standing beside them, was somewhat confused and thoughtful as he listened to what the two were saying:
"Yuan Kai will be returning to the army soon. In recent days, I have often heard my classmates talking about military affairs. Could it be that there is something going on in the court?"
After being in Chang'an for so long, he has some understanding of the Han Dynasty.
According to some people, there is only one stone of talent in the world, and Mr. Feng alone has eight buckets of it.
Therefore, even if we cannot be like the headmaster, we can "establish the mind of the world", "carry on the lost knowledge of the ancient sages", and "bring peace to the world for all generations".
But the remaining two buckets are enough to "establish a life for the people."
Therefore, most students in the college have the ethos of "worrying about the country as if it were their own home, and taking the world as their own responsibility."
This kind of atmosphere is very different from the trend of escaping from the world and discussing metaphysics that is popular in Kanto, and it can even be said to be the opposite.
In addition, the imperial court has had the practice of recruiting students from colleges for internships whenever there is a major event over the years.
In this way, students got credits, the college gained reputation, and the court gained cattle and horses.
Everyone has a bright future.
It is precisely because of this convention that whenever there is any rumor in the academy, someone will guess whether the court will take any action again.
"It's just about establishing a military headquarters."
The second son Feng and Du Yu looked at each other, and Du Yu said, "Uncle, don't you know? The court has decided to establish a local military headquarters to replace the current military system."
"Commander-in-Chief's Office?"
Yang Hu was stunned for a moment, then he came to his senses, "I have heard some rumors, but I don't know much about this matter."
Although he was studying in the college, he could only be considered a "day student" or an auditor.
There is no way to enjoy the preferential policies granted by the court to students of the academy.
So it's normal that he doesn't understand some things.
Seeing this, Du Yu briefly talked about the affairs of the Military Command, and finally explained:
"The establishment of the Military Command is similar to other new policies. It is a lack of manpower, so many students in the academy are interested."
"After all, it's not easy to get into a martial arts academy." Second Master Feng also said, "But if we take advantage of the establishment of the Military Command to join the army, maybe we can find a way out."
Principal Feng Shandu once said that a man should carry a Wu Gou and make great achievements.
With Mr. Feng as a role model, which of the enthusiastic students would not want to emulate the headmaster, to be able to pacify the world with a pen and to decide the outcome of the war with a horse?
But if you want to directly enter the Martial Arts Academy, it is more difficult than the Tai Academy.
But if I go to the Military General's Office for internship, and then use the channels of the Military General's Office to take part in the military examination, wouldn't that be almost the same as graduating from a military academy?
After hearing the explanation from the two, Yang Hu was surprised at first. Is there such an operation?
Then I was surprised again.
The martial arts of the Han State are already strong enough!
Just look at how the students in the academy are so keen to emulate Ban Dingyuan (Ban Chao) and join the army, and you can get a glimpse of this.
I thought that the military system currently implemented by the Han Dynasty, which combines conscription and recruitment, was already powerful enough compared to the hereditary military system of the Wei Dynasty.
The conscription system will impose a heavy burden on the people.
Especially in times of war, when people are displaced and the population is drastically reduced, forcible conscription will only lead to a loss of popular support and cause people to flee continuously.
The conscription system would place a heavy financial burden on the court.
Moreover, if you want the soldiers who are recruited with money and food to be willing to fight for their lives in the battlefield, how much money do you have to spend to buy their lives?
Therefore, there is a reason why the combat effectiveness of the Later Han Dynasty dropped so quickly after it implemented the conscription system.
Moreover, once the imperial court is financially strapped and allows local governments to recruit soldiers on their own, there will be the hidden danger of soldiers becoming generals.
Therefore, Emperor Wu saw the harm of the conscription system of the Later Han Dynasty and implemented the hereditary military system.
But who could have imagined that the Han Dynasty would go one step further than Emperor Wu and develop the military system to this level?
Even at the moment, Han still seems unsatisfied.
They even had to reform the Han army, which was already considered a powerful force.
It can be said that the Military General Office even absorbed the advantages of military farming and the hereditary military system.
Not to mention that the military farming and hereditary military system promoted by Emperor Wu has now declined. Even if it was still in its heyday, it might not have been able to get away with it when facing the General Military Office of the Han Dynasty.
Noticing that Yang Hu's silence was a little strange, Du Yu nudged him with his shoulder and reminded him:
"Uncle, what are you thinking about? So absorbed? Didn't you say you'd treat us today? Where are we going?"
After receiving Du Yu's kind reminder, Yang Hu suddenly came to his senses, looked at Du Yu with gratitude, and then said to Mr. Feng Er with some apology:
"I was distracted, please don't blame me, Brother Boyang."
Mr. Feng shook his head, his smile as gentle as jade: "No problem."
When Yang Hu saw the smile on Mr. Feng's face, he secretly sighed in his heart.
He understood that behind Mr. Feng's smile was a hint of alienation.
The reason is very simple: Shandong Yang family.
To this day, although the Shandong Yang family has expressed great goodwill towards the Han State, one of their actions is to send themselves to Chang'an.
However, Yang Hu knew that his family far away in Shandong was still following the old practice and wanted to place bets on multiple parties.
But this approach is not feasible for the Han State.
The longer Yang Hu stayed here, the more he understood this place, and the clearer he saw:
The old ways of the aristocratic families no longer work here.
Because the Han State had only one attitude towards the aristocratic families:
If you follow it, you will prosper; if you go against it, you will perish.
No one is allowed to play any indecisive or ambiguous game.
If we say that there is Shu in front and Hedong and Shangdang in the back, they will all perish if they go against them.
As for the wealthy and powerful people in Liangzhou, they were the typical example of those who prospered by following the will of the state - except for those families who wanted to die in the service of the Wei Dynasty and were eventually exterminated.
Especially the Zhang family of Dunhuang, who are now enjoying great prosperity in Liangzhou.
When Yang Hu came to the Han Kingdom for the first time, he went to Longxi Xin's to deliver a letter, so he naturally knew the situation in Liangzhou.
Although Uncle Yang could be considered excellent, he was too young and lacked experience. In the old and aristocratic Shandong Yang family, he had no say at this time.
Moreover, how difficult would it be to persuade the people in Shandong since I am in Chang'an?
So, in such a dilemma, he could only try his best to explain the situation of Han State to his family.
At the same time, he did his best to make friends with the people of the Han Kingdom in Chang'an.
Even if not for the family, you can still make some preparations for your future.
Obviously, making friends with the second son of the Feng family is a good choice for Yang Hu.
However, Yang Hu naturally knew that with his current status, it would be a bit difficult for him to gain the complete trust of Mr. Feng Er.
You also need sincerity.
And today, he came to show his sincerity.
"There is a new wine shop opened by a Hu person from the Western Regions in the West Market. I heard it's pretty good. Didn't Yuan Kai say he was going back to the army? So this time, we can consider it as a farewell party for Yuan Kai."
Although he wanted to make friends with the second son of the Feng family, Yang Hu naturally would not say it directly, but would do it through the name of Du Yu, who was also a son of a noble family.
"Uncle is really thoughtful."
Although I have long been accustomed to leaving the academy from time to time and reporting to the army.
But it was rare that his uncle was so sincere, so Du Yu certainly would not refuse.
"It's just that there are many stalls in the East and West Markets, but apart from the novelty of the place, the food and wine are always hard to describe."
The second son of the Feng family took the initiative to speak up, "Could it be that this Hu Si is different from the others?"
"Brother Boyang is right!" Yang Hu clapped his hands and said with a smile, "Whether it's drinking or eating, how can this Hu Si compare with us, the Han? He just wants something new."
After the Han Dynasty recaptured Liangzhou, Zhang Gong, the head of the Zhang family in Dunhuang, volunteered to send his son Zhang Ju to the Western Regions to appease the countries there.
Zhang took advantage of the prestige that the Han Dynasty had established in the Western Regions over the past 400 years, as well as the reputation of the Zhang family, and went through many hardships to restore contact between the Western Regions and the Han Dynasty.
In the early years, the Hu Abi tribe outside the Great Wall invaded various countries. Zhang Ju and his nephew Zhang Hua joined forces to fight against them, beheading and capturing tens of thousands of people.
It was this battle that allowed the Han Dynasty to regain a firm foothold in the Western Regions and re-establish the Western Regions Protectorate.
As the first Protector General of the Western Regions of the Han Dynasty, Zhang Hua led tens of thousands of people to garrison in Gaochang (Turpan), responsible for maintaining the security and political stability of the countries in the Western Regions and ensuring the smooth flow of trade routes between the Western Regions and the Han Dynasty.
The latter point is especially important.
The smooth flow of trade routes has allowed the Han Dynasty to make considerable profits over the years.
The Han Dynasty's finances were able to sustain the fight against the bandits while also allowing it to continue implementing new policies.
The smooth flow of trade routes in the Western Regions played an indispensable role.
It is unknown how much profit could be made just by shipping the Han Dynasty's unique materials to the Western Regions and selling them.
Especially after the emperor returned to the old capital Chang'an, people from all over the country lived there, including many wealthy and powerful families, merchants, and the four gathering places of the world, which became a place of profit.
There are also extremely wealthy businessmen who have billions of wealth. Every summer, they invite guests and bring dozens of maids. They decorate the guests with fine clothes and silk gauze and ask them to serve wine.
Chang'an is already showing signs of regaining its prosperity as an international metropolis.
Of course, the main task of the Han Dynasty now is to suppress the rebellion and stabilize the world.
For the time being, there is not enough energy to deliberately develop the Western Regions.
There are also small countries in the Western Regions that are unwilling to surrender, but as long as they do not disrupt the trade routes, that is enough.
Even so, although all the small countries in the Western Regions could not be reached, such as Qiuci, Khotan, Kangju, Wusun, Shule, Yuezhi, Shanshan, and Cheshi, all paid tribute every year.
The King of Yanqi, in particular, sent his son to serve him.
Therefore, the number of Hu people in Chang'an increased day by day, and it was natural for these Hu shops to open up.
In the past, the biggest feature of Hu Si was its rambutan wine.
But in the early years, someone in Liangzhou not only enclosed large areas of land to open up pastures to raise cattle and sheep, built workshops, etc., but also vigorously developed the planting industry.
With the personal guidance of the agricultural expert Li Xu, it is normal to grow some rambutans and improve the winter melon.
Even Nanzhong can make honey wine, so it makes sense that Liangzhou produces some rambutan wine, right?
The winemaking technology in the Western Regions is not as good as that of the Han Dynasty. If they transport rambutan wine from thousands of miles away to Chang'an to sell, wouldn't they lose a lot of money?
Therefore, the guava wine from the Western Regions was squeezed out by the guava wine from Liangzhou, and Han cooking had become popular.
How can the food in the Hu people's taverns and restaurants compare with the Han people's delicious food?
Hearing Mr. Feng's evaluation of Hu Si, Du Yu pointed at him and laughed:
"Who doesn't know that the food at the Feng Mansion is unique in the world? Boyang has developed a picky taste in his own mansion, so naturally he doesn't like other people's food. But for me, Hu Si's roasted lamb is quite to my taste."
Although there were a constant flow of Hu people in Chang'an City, if the food in the Hu shops was really of no use, then there would probably be few Hu shops that could survive in the entire Chang'an City.
Yang Hu watched the two bickering and said:
"Boyang, the Hu Si we went to today was specially recommended by someone. I heard that it is quite different from the real Hu Si."
"Oh?" Mr. Feng Er immediately became interested when he heard it. "What's the difference?"
As for the customs and culture in the Western Regions, they are different from those in the Middle Earth after all, so some things are still worth looking forward to.
For example, Hu Ji.
In those days, someone gave Your Excellency a group of high-quality Hu girls who were good at singing and dancing. However, Your Excellency seemed not to like them and sent them all out of the palace.
Whenever he saw the Hu Ji dance in the brothel, Mr. Feng couldn't help but sigh for the adults:
My lord, even if you don't like it, it would be great if you could keep it at home to entertain guests!
Just think about it, based on the prestige that the adults have among the Hu people, you can guess how rare it is to see a Hu girl sent to your house.
So Mr. Feng felt even more sad.
"Hu Ji danced and urged people to drink."
As if he had heard the second young master Feng's thoughts, Yang Hu smiled slightly mysteriously and said words that made the second young master Feng's heart beat fast.
Mr. Feng's eyes widened immediately: "Cao!"
Just hearing the name, it sounds very... good!
Of course, everyone had heard of dancing to persuade people to drink - this kind of game should be available in almost every wealthy family - but Mr. Feng was a bumpkin in this regard. He had heard of it but had never seen it.
After all, the Feng family has a very strict family tradition.
And everyone knows that Sima Feng is not interested in women. Unlike other wealthy families, he does not like to keep concubines.
So when I heard that Hu Si actually provided this kind of service, I naturally became curious.
Sima Feng and General Zhendong are not conservative people.
Even in Feng Dasima's opinion, in his own era, for students of this age, KFC was no longer news.
Not to mention this was ancient times.
Mr. Feng is already a young man after all.
Although under the education of General Zhendong, there was no rebellious period.
But he was also allowed to go to a brothel to listen to some music and relax.
It's also okay to drink a little wine, as long as you don't drink too much.
As soon as Yang Hu saw the look on Mr. Feng's face, he knew that he had touched his sore spot.
"To be honest, Boyang, when my friend first told me about this, I was also quite curious, just like you."
"It seems that my friend is a wonderful person."
After saying this, all three of them smiled knowingly.
They talked as they walked, and finally arrived at the West Market, where they found the legendary Hu Si.
"Wow, it's really different. It's quite lively."
As soon as the three of them stepped into the tavern, they immediately felt a wave of heat coming towards them.
The whole tavern was filled with the rich aroma of wine and barbecue.
Looking around, you can see all kinds of decorations hanging on the walls of the tavern.
There are exquisite tapestries and exotic copper utensils. These embellishments make the entire tavern look full of exotic charm.
The Hu girls were wearing thin clothes, and the hems of their skirts swayed with their light steps, which was very eye-catching.
They shuttled between the tables with flattering smiles on their faces, pouring wine for the guests from time to time, and laughter and joy rose one after another.
A space was specially reserved in the hall, where a barefoot Hu girl was dancing to the beat of a drum and spinning her body continuously.
The bells tied around her slender waist and snow-white ankles seemed to be about to break free from their restraints and scatter like shooting stars as she danced.
This caused the crowd to cheer continuously.
"Gentlemen, the store is full."
When the Hu waiter saw the three people coming in, he hurriedly came forward to apologize with great fear and trepidation, bowing repeatedly: "I am so sorry!"
"I booked a private room upstairs."
Yang Hu raised his chin slightly and said lightly.
"So it's you, my lord. I'm blind," the waiter slapped himself hurriedly, "Please come in, my lord."
(End of this chapter)