Aspiring to the Ten Kingdoms

Luo Youdu and Pan Mei almost arrived outside Linhuang Mansion in Shangjing in Khitan.

"Chen Panmei, I have seen Your Majesty!"

Pan Mei is dressed in a gorgeous goose feather armor, which sets off her majestic spirit.

This guy was originally responsible for the appearance of a military minister. As he grew older, he became more mature and his bearing became more extraordinary, especially the bearded beard on his face was like that of a bearded man.

Having been in this era for many years, many of Luo Youdu's habits have been integrated into this era.

The most basic thing is to grow a beard.

Later generations no longer have the habit of growing beards. For the convenience of Luo Youdu, later generations will use an electric shaver to shave twice a day.But in this era, he discovered that growing a beard is a habit to show male beauty. The presence or length of a beard is a symbol of seniority, and it is the so-called "senior virtue".

In ancient times, there were two kinds of people with high probability of not growing beards, one was eunuchs, and the other was criminals who had been punished.

One is despised without a beard.

Luo Youdu was not used to it at first, growing a beard is too troublesome, especially when eating, it is often stained with oily residue and it is difficult to take care of.

Later, I gradually got used to doing as the Romans did in the countryside, and gradually became smug, and I had to spend time taking care of it every day.

But the beard is related to genes. Luo Youdu's beard is not thick, just the slightly curly mustache on the left and right sides of the lips, and the slender beard on the chin.

Pan Mei is only 40 years old, but she already has a beautiful beard like Guan Erye, which perfectly supports his temperament, making Luo Youdu envious.

"Get up quickly, let me see, have you gained weight or lost weight..."

Luo Youdu strode forward to help Pan Mei up, looked him up and down, and nodded with satisfaction: "It's bitter cold in the north, but why do I think you're getting fat?"

Pan Mei said with a smile: "It's because of Your Majesty's benevolence. Wherever my army goes, the state capitals are all waiting for the wind, preparing delicious food and wine, eager to bathe in heaven's grace. I have a greedy mouth for a while, and I have grown a lot. Meat."

On this journey northward, he also experienced a sense of drama. He thought that the deeper he went into the heart of Khitan, the more serious the resistance he would encounter.As a result, along the way, there are hardly many Khitan people, and all the state capitals along the way are Han people, Bohai people, and mature Jurchens.Khitan does not allow them to arm themselves, nor interfere with their cultural freedom, as long as they farm and pay taxes truthfully, they don't care what they do.As a result, one after another, they surrendered faster than anyone else.

Luo Youdu smiled and said, "I didn't expect this."

He patted him on the shoulder vigorously and said: "The Battle of Liaodong was well fought, and I have read the battle report over and over again. To be able to face an opponent like Yelu Xianshi in the bitter cold land of Liaodong, can you still fight again and again?" Successfully, forcing him to dare not fight, is remarkable."

In this division of troops, Pan Mei faced the entire Liaodong defense line arranged by Khitan, and first broke Yingzhou to win the opportunity for his army in the middle to break through Songting Pass, and then trapped Yelu Xianshi on the Liaodong front line, isolating Dading Mansion and Liaodong. contacts.With a brigade and partial division, the containment task was perfectly completed.

The two major battles that will determine the outcome this time are the Longshan ambush and the victory in Guzhenli.

Pan Mei contributed a lot to the Longshan ambush, and Zhao Kuangyi contributed the most to the victory of Gu Lili.

Joining forces with Pan Mei, Luo Youdu led two groups of soldiers to Linhuang Mansion in Shangjing, Khitan.

Just like the situation along the way, even when they arrived at Linhuang Mansion, the capital of Khitan, it was as if they had returned home, and they were warmly received by the people of Linhuang Mansion.

Linhuang Mansion was the first capital city built on the mainland in the early days of Khitan's founding. When Yelu Abaoji built the city, the Han people had been taken into consideration.

Linhuang Mansion was built extremely brilliantly and majesticly. It is divided into two cities, and the two cities are connected in the shape of "日".The northern city is hexagonal in shape, and the interior is subdivided into the outer city and the inner city. The inner city is the Khitan imperial city, with a wall of three feet high, equipped with advanced defense facilities such as towers, towers, warehouses, and urns.The southern city, named Hancheng, is in the south of the imperial city. It is slightly square, with a wall of two feet high.

As the name suggests, the Khitan ruler lived in the imperial city, while the outer city was inhabited by Khitan nobles and Khitan people. The city of Seoul in the south was also naturally inhabited by Han people.

Yelu Abaoji was also guarding against the Han people back then. There were no other defensive facilities in Seoul except the city wall. It is estimated that the city wall was built to facilitate tax collection.

Because of the enthusiasm of the Han people, Bohai people, and Mature Jurchens towards the Central Plains army along the way, Yelu Bishe didn't dare to defend together with Seoul, fearing that it would be counterproductive.

In fact, Khitan is not bad for the Han people in the territory. In Linhuang Mansion, where the Khitan and Han people live together in the same city, the two sides have long been accustomed to this kind of life.The Han people in Linhuang might not really respond to Luo Youdu's call, but Yelv Bishe didn't dare to gamble. In order to save troops, he did not arrange a garrison in Nancheng.

This left the Han gentry in Nancheng with no choice...

Luo Youdu is famous outside, and he has never done anything like massacre or looting.Under the premise that Yelu must abandon them, they will not spontaneously organize people to resist for self-protection.

It is only natural to choose Kaesong to welcome Luo Youdu, the emperor of the Central Plains.

Walking on the streets of Seoul in Linhuang Mansion, Luo Youdu looked at the bustling street scene, and the people on both sides of the street greeted him, waved to Yeluxian, and said to him: "Yelü must take if he is willing to surrender, I can give him the title of king." , within three generations, food and clothing will be worry-free.”

Looking at the prosperous lives of the Han people in Linhuang Mansion, Luo Youdu also felt a little compassion.Compared with the Jin people and Mongols in the future, the Khitan people are the most enlightened in terms of race.

But obviously Yelv Bishe had no intention of surrendering.

Before Ye Luxian got close to the city wall, the archers on the tower had already been shot back. He didn't even have the intention of talking, and showed a stubborn attitude to the end.

After Luo Youdu heard the news, he was no longer polite, and said: "If you want to die a heroic death, then I will grant him that."

Immediately, the soldiers and horses were divided into four, and they were stationed at Dashun Gate, An Dong Gate, Qiande Gate, and Gongchen Gate of the North City respectively to prepare for the siege.

Dongdan Palace.

Yi Shenzheng sighed, lamenting the impermanence of the world.

Originally, he was only a small spy in Korea, but he could retire soon.

As a result, God seemed to be playing a joke on him, and brought Brother Yeluxiu to Khitan, became a county magistrate, made great contributions, and waited for Wu Desi's people to take him back to Pan Mei's army.

However, Yelulong, king of Eastern Dan, loved his talent first, so he took him to Shangjing and arranged a residence for him in Seoul.

I planned to wait for Luo Youdu's army to arrive in Shangjing comfortably, and then meet up.

There was an accident at a critical moment, Yelulong first took him to the Beicheng palace politely, and told him that the army from the Southern Dynasty was coming and the palace was safe.

Yi Shenzheng was so anxious that he wanted to vomit blood, and couldn't help complaining secretly: If you weren't too polite, I might have returned to Bianjing and met my mother.

They come, the security.

Yi Shenzheng can only bite the bullet and continue to be his staff member of the Dongdan King.

"Mr. Yi, the king is back, please go to the hall to talk."

"It's here!"

Yi Shenzheng tidied up his clothes carefully, and came to the hall of the palace with some literati demeanor.

There are four people in the hall, all of them are the top figures in the Khitan temple.

Two of them are located at the top, and two are seated on the left and right.

The one on the upper left is Yelu Longxian, king of Eastern Dan, the one on the upper right is Yelu Daoyin, the younger brother of Yelu Longxian, the king of Shu, and the two people on the bottom are Yelu, the general of the right dragon and tiger guard, and the leather room Xiangwen Xiao security group.

Yi Shenzheng is the best at flattery, and he has already understood the complex interpersonal relationships in Khitan temples.

Yelu Longxian and Yelu Daoyin were the grandsons of Yelu Abaoji, the Khitan royal family, and their father was Yelubei, Abaoji's eldest son.And Yelu Heju is the grandson of Yelu Abaoji's younger brother Yelu Diela, and Xiao Antuan's father is Xiao Aguzhi, the founder of Khitan.

These four people are the core members of the Khitan temple's clan, and they are also the biggest reliance in Yelv Bishe's hands.

Yi Shenzheng bowed to the four people neither humble nor overbearing, and keenly noticed that the eyes of the four people were a little reddish, and their spirits were a little excited.

Yelulong first said: "Mr. Yi, Your Majesty is in the temple today, vowing to live and die with the Linhuang Mansion. The people of our Khitan are also enthusiastic and united. From now on, the strategic materials in Beicheng will be deployed in a unified manner, and a special person will be in charge. It’s okay for our group of big bosses to use knives and guns roughly, but the subtle calculations in numbers are not our expertise. I think of Mr., so let Mr. take the post of inspector.”

Yi Shenzheng hurriedly said: "I am willing to serve the king."

Yelulong trusted Yi Shenzheng very much, and instead of avoiding him to talk about the matter, he let him sit aside, and they talked about what might happen in the future.

Yi Shenzheng listened carefully and understood a general idea.

It turned out that facing the dilemma of soldiers approaching the city, Yelu Bishe did not play the main card of victory this time, but held high the banner of living and dying with the Daliao Khitan.

Linhuang Mansion was their first capital in Daliao and the ancestral home of their Khitan.

Linhuang is here, Daliao is here, Linhuang is gone, Khitan is dead.

The name "Khitan" was first seen in the "Historical Records of the Three Kingdoms" in North Korea. In the third year of Taiyuan in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, there was a record that Khitan people invaded Goguryeo and fell into the eight tribes.

A nation that has existed for 600 years has experienced many ups and downs, from the Dahe clan, the Yaonian clan to the present Yelu clan, Khitan also has its own national pride.

The state of life and death of the nation has also exploded with the courage to regard death as home.

Therefore, the entire northern city of Linhuang Mansion did not have the low morale as imagined, but instead had a kind of tragic feeling that jade would be broken rather than whole.

Thousands of Khitan youths in Linhuang Mansion took to the streets to apply for military service, and countless old and weak women and children encouraged the men and children in their own families.

Faced with the oppressive situation of the Central Plains army, the Khitan people in the entire northern city of Linhuang Mansion gathered together instead.

Yelu Bishe looked at the courage of the civil and military ministers in the temple to live and die with the Daliao, felt the fighting spirit of the common people who did not want to be subjugated slaves, stood on the tower and looked at the star-like torches in the Central Plains barracks below the city, Grinding his teeth, he said, "If you want to destroy me Daliao, it depends on whether your teeth are sharp enough."

The imperial tent of the Daying Camp in the Central Plains.

Luo Youdu called together all the generals in the army to discuss the matter together. Looking at nearly a hundred middle and senior generals in the tent, he did not say how to attack Linhuang North City, but asked Ye Luxian, "It will be the Cold Food Festival soon." Now, what is the attitude of you Khitan people towards the Cold Food Festival?"

Ye Luxian was a little puzzled, but he still said truthfully: "Influenced by the Han people, the Cold Food Festival is also a big festival in our locality. There are only slight changes, such as outing in the green and planting willows, which is not popular here. There is grass when you go out. There is no What a strange thing. As for willows, there are not any willows in the north, just a few. If you really want to pick them, one person can break them off. The biggest event in our Cold Food Festival here is the polo game. Football is popular, but it is not played very well, the system is not perfect, and it is not as exciting as Zhongyuan.”

In later generations, the Cold Food Festival has been merged into the Qingming Festival, and almost no one mentioned it.

But in ancient times, the Cold Food Festival was one of the three major festivals.

Especially in the Tang and Song Dynasties, it was even more popular.

During the Tang and Song dynasties, the legal holidays, Yuan Day (Spring Festival), cold food, and winter solstice, each had seven days off.As for Shangyuan Festival, Summer Solstice, Xiantian Festival, Zhongyuan Festival, Xiayuan Festival, etc., it varies from three to five days.

Many festival habits of the Dayu Dynasty were inherited from the Tang Dynasty, and the Cold Food Festival is also very important.

On the basis of the original, activities such as football, tree planting, swings, flower viewing, cockfighting, banquets, poetry and lyrics were added.

Anyway, it's just one word "play".

The world is peaceful and the life is rich. If you have nothing to do, you can find something to have fun in order to vent your life.

Luo Youdu said: "The winter in the north is so cold that people hide from the cats on the first day and the last year. Now that the weather is getting warmer and everything is recovering, the soldiers must be relaxed. The people in the southern city of Linhuang should also let them participate. Come in. I will organize several football and polo matches in a row and invite them to visit. The polo matches will be in charge of Ma Shuai, and the football will be handed over to Commander Shi."

Gao Huaide is recognized as the number one player in polo, and no one in the Central Plains can beat him.

The number of people on both sides of the polo match is not fixed. Luo Youdu has personally seen Gao Huaide leading three unknown soldiers, four of them, sweeping the 15-member Xizhou Uighur polo team: It is said that in the Western Regions, the Xizhou Uighur polo team is invincible.

As for football, Shi Shouxin is the most proficient. One of the most powerful teams in Bianjing is raised by him, and is sought after by thousands of people in Bianjing.

As he spoke, he ordered Han Wei to be in charge of organizing the sacrifice to Confucius in Seoul, and asked Lu Duoxun to organize a poetry meeting.

This military meeting was actually held around the Cold Food Festival.

Luo Youdu surrounded the northern city of Linhuang Mansion, thinking that it was not an attack, but a grand festival celebration.

At the same time, Yelubi took the emperor and visited the four gates in person for several days to cheer and encourage the soldiers defending the city, expressing that he was with them.

The atmosphere in the entire northern city of Linhuang Mansion was polished like a sharp sword, and Yelu Bishe was the one holding the sword. He held the sword high and was ready to strike at the Central Plains who intended to attack the city at any time.

As a result, one day, two days and three days...

As time passed day by day, Yelu Bishe stood in the north city and looked at the south city, feeling that the atmosphere was very strange.