Late Tang

In an inn called Mustang in Chengde Red Fox Village on the bank of the Luan River in Rehe Province, a group of people were sitting there, listening to a few knights in the village who had just returned from the northern battlefield talk about their struggles during the war. The various adventures experienced during the journey, as well as the passionate battles and countless victories. .

These knights are real knights, they are the new nobles who have made great achievements in battle and finally won the title of knights issued by Qin Palace.Although the title of knight is only the penultimate rank under the fifteenth rank of Qin Fan's new title, it is still quite a big deal in the small Red Fox Village.

The few knights were not very old, and all of them were tall and burly men. They were mainly native Xi people, and there were also a Han who moved later, a Goguryeo man, and a Hu man from the Western Regions.The knight who was speaking had a big beard, but he was not very old either. He had broad shoulders and a tall figure, but he was a little thin. On his head in the cold weather, he wore a military uniform He wore a brand-new double-breasted navy-blue tuxedo with the fire-red service-colored trim that marked the cavalry service.There are two shiny warrant officer epaulets on his shoulders, and several medals are hung on the chest of his dress, which are all medals issued after participating in major battles.In addition, the most dazzling thing is the golden Huben Medal, which is an incomparably more precious military medal than the commemorative medal.

The straight military uniform looks very neat in the army, but it is a bit strange among the common people, especially among the Han people. It is a bit strange with the traditional robes and big shirts. For most people, this kind of military uniform has the feeling of Hufu, especially the small lapel, short jacket and narrow sleeves, and they look more friendly.Therefore, returning knights and nobles prefer to wear this kind of military uniform instead of the official robe with round collar.

The young warrant officer also wore a saber with a sheath of precious stones and gold and silver on his waist, and a pair of high-top long cowhide boots with spurs on his waist.

Beside him and sitting at the same table with him were five young knights who had also won the title of knight, but they lacked the shining medals and medals, and even their shoulders were just a few stripes instead of stars.But even so, six noble lords suddenly appeared in a village, and these returning knights still became the heroes of the Red Fox Village.It is the object of envy and admiration of all. Every day, many young people from nearby come to visit and listen to their stories of battles in the far north.

The owner of the store is also a Xiren, wearing a slightly shaved winter cotton coat of the United Army, and a cotton hat with ear protectors on his head.He was holding a bucket of homemade pears to burn. As early as a few years ago, Qin Fan had already imposed a prohibition on alcohol due to the huge food consumption of the war.Except for Qin Fan's winery, which specializes in the production and sale of wine, other merchants and common people are not allowed to make wine.But this prohibition is not so rigid, as long as you do not use grain to make wine, if you use fruits and other things instead of grain to make wine, the government will not be too prosecuted.Although pear roast is not as mellow as wine brewed from grain, it is also a good choice to have a glass of home-brewed pear roast in this winter.

The shop owner filled up several pottery bowls, and smiled as he listened to the thin young man talking about how he got the battle medals, how he got the medals, and how he got promoted again and again.Listening, he couldn't help showing a proud expression.Because this noble knight in uniform and medals is his second son Na Qibo, who will only be 20 years old next year, but has already become a warrant officer and a knight.

The rest of the young people in the nearby villages were even more engrossed in listening. Among them were Xi people, Tuyuhun people, Uighurs, Shatuo people, Sogdians, and more Han people.The often tense, even incompatible animosities between the various tribes on the frontier have all but disappeared now.The main reason is Qin Fan's immigration strategy. Nowadays, there is no traditional village collection divided by tribes. In the vast land, various tribes live together, and even each village has several tribes. In some villages, even hundreds of households come from more than a dozen different tribes.However, on the borderlands, the Han people who migrated from the Central Plains and left their original hometown due to the war are now the main ones, and they account for the vast majority.This makes tense confrontation a thing of the past in today's borderlands.

The Han people live together with people from various tribes on the outskirts, and even live together in the same village, living next to each other.The industriousness and benevolence of the Han people and the bravery and generosity of the Hu people have shown their good sides, so that they can live together harmoniously today.

They just sat there in response to the requests of the nearby youths, happily talking about their experiences in the army.Since many nearby sergeants returned from their vacations in the small shop, it has become a club and club for soldiers of the Qin Army.Soldiers returning home from vacation have had enough sleep at home, and after they are full, they can't help but think of the life in the army. This small shop has become their gathering point. Every day, everyone rides over on horseback. Drinking and chatting in this warm shop, as if still in the army.The small shop, which was originally deserted after the beginning of winter, is extremely prosperous this year.Originally, the regular customers in the small shop were mainly the nearby auxiliary soldiers who ordered the rural soldiers and the united soldiers, but now, these older auxiliary soldiers have become people who listen to the story, and the protagonists here have changed. It became the group of soldiers who had just returned from the front line.

"Noble knight, brave warrior, you have seen a lot of world!" said one of the merchants. He is the owner of the mountain goods store opposite the small shop. After winter, he became the owner of this small shop. Regular customer, must come every day.

"That's right! Most of you who originally lived in Middle-earth have already reached the northern edge when you reach the Red Fox, but in fact, if you go northward from here and walk another [-] miles, you still can't touch the edge." Na Qibo replied with a smile.

"I'll have a chance to see you in the future." The mountain merchant twisted his beard and said, "The King of Qin has defeated all the tribal armies in the Northeast this time. Not long ago, several armies marched north. It may not be long before the entire Northeast It has completely become the territory of the Qin Fan."

"Yes, in today's world, the king of Qin is going all over the world! I heard that Yanjing is about to establish a new emperor. The king of Qin has ordered that on New Year's Day, the new emperor will be formally established in Yanjing City. I heard that there will be another Unprecedented military parades and celebrations, it is said that the Shangyuan Festival will be a seven-day holiday, and the whole world will celebrate it and have fun with the people.” Another Han businessman who also runs a grocery store in the village market said.

"Treasurer Zhang, did you hear it wrong? How could the King of Qin support someone else to be the emperor? Wouldn't it be better for the King of Qin to be the emperor himself?"

"Yes, yes, the king of Qin is in charge, and our life seems to be going well. If someone else is the dragon chair, I don't know if there will be any changes!" A Han man who came here said worriedly.

"Don't eat radish and worry about it. Who is the king of Qin? No matter who is the emperor in this world, the one who is really in charge must be His Highness Qin Wang. To establish a new emperor, what kind of coercion is this? Son of Heaven..."

"Use the emperor to make the princes!" The headmaster of the village school in the village said.

"Yes, that's what it means."

However, their talk was interrupted by Qibo, who said: "Don't talk nonsense, where did you hear these words without shadows, His Royal Highness is the Optimus Prime of the Tang Dynasty, a loyal minister of the Tang Dynasty, Suppressing rebels and rebellious ministers for the Tang Dynasty, conquering enemies and expanding territories for the Tang Dynasty, they are great loyal ministers. How can the important ministers of the Qin Dynasty and the vassal king do the kind of thing that abolishes the emperor? There are only those who abolish the emperor The power officials and ministers are talented, Qin Wang is such a person. Don’t spread the word, in short, the above has never officially mentioned the matter of establishing the emperor on New Year’s Day.” After staying in the military camp for a long time, Now that Qi Bo can say some high-sounding words.

The businessman couldn't believe it, "It's been rumored outside, how is it possible? If King Qin doesn't support the new emperor, will he still go to Chang'an or Chengdu to serve him?"

"Oh, this is impossible. The emperor in Chengdu only knows how to play, and the world is ruined by him. I heard that the emperor is only in his teens, and he was also set up by the eunuchs. These eunuchs help How can a young son of heaven know how to govern the world, the king of Qin and his elders can't just be manipulated by them for the sake of a little reputation."

The people in the store started to talk about it. They are different from the people in the Central Plains. As a frontier, especially the land far away from Yanshan, which was originally Xi people's land, everything about them is closely related to the King of Qin, and we share weal and woe.For them, they wished that King Qin would put on the dragon robe and sit on the dragon chair as soon as possible, and become the emperor himself.In this way, they no longer have to worry about any repetitions.They have lived under the rule of Datang for decades, but they can't live a good life for a few days. They are never willing to return to the original life.As for loyalty and so on, to them, half a flying tiger is worthless compared to their own future destiny.

Compared with those people's worries, Na Qibo, who has now become a new nobleman of the Imperial Guard Corps Warrant Officer Knight with no bright future, is very optimistic.He believes that it doesn't matter whether the king of Qin is now called emperor or who he establishes as emperor.Life in the army, especially during the war in the Northeast, the new knowledge he learned made him already understand that such things as titles of monarchs and ministers, righteousness and so on are very illusory.Only when I have been a soldier and personally participated in many battles in the Northeast, and personally witnessed the hundreds of thousands of allied forces of the once powerful grassland tribes, under the attack of the Qin army, the ice melted and surrendered one by one under the iron hooves of the Qin army, can I become a soldier? You will truly understand that it is strength that ultimately determines everything!It is the army, the soldiers and horses, the territory, and the population, and the King of Qin just has an invincible army of tigers and wolves who can fly eagles and flags on the enemy's city! (To be continued.)