The world of film and television begins from childhood

In the Song Dynasty, everyone from the emperor to the officials were really good-tempered. Even after being pulled by Mo Zang Epang, they were still weighing the pros and cons and never issued an order to take the throne back by force.

Zhou Chen had become accustomed to the court's weakness and was not in a hurry, because he knew that in the end, even for the sake of face, the court would not really do nothing. The war would definitely be fought, but as for the extent of the fight and whether the lost land could be recovered, that was hard to say.

The Song Dynasty is quite interesting. Whenever it went to war with an enemy country, it would rather spend money on annual tribute than pay military expenses to go to war. It was as if they were scared of being beaten. They were really used to being weak. Peace was obtained by asking for it, not by fighting.

This wait lasted for two months, and finally, perhaps because the court's patience had been worn out by the Western Xia, it was finally ready to use force.

After making up its mind, the court acted quickly. Duke Yingguo, who had just returned to Tokyo, was sent to the northwest again to serve as the commander-in-chief of this operation.

The opportunity Zhou Chen had been waiting for finally came.

Two months later, good news came back to Beijing.

When the emperor heard the victory report, he was very pleased, especially when he saw that the vanguard general Zhou Chen killed the enemy leader and was the first to contribute to the recovery of the lost land of Quye River in Linzhou. He was overjoyed.

"Haha, it turns out to be the Third Young Master of the Zhou Family. I was right about him. Although he did not participate in the Spring Examination, he was still able to make such great contributions on the frontier. He is indeed a talented and capable general of our Song Dynasty. He deserves a reward."

But he soon found that he was too happy too early, because there were more surprises to come.

Another month later, good news came from the northwest. The Song army defeated the Western Xia army and captured Yinzhou City. Duke Ying planned the whole thing, and the vanguard general Zhou Chen made great contributions. They annihilated 10,000 brave soldiers of the Western Xia army, were the first to break through Yinzhou City, and planted the flag of the Song Dynasty in the city.

Two months later, the Song army defeated the Xixia Xiangyou army and captured several cities around Shizhou. Zhou Chen was the first to capture a city.

But the Song army was stopped by the Western Xia army here, because the four legions of the Western Xia army gathered to form an effective defense line. The Song army was short of manpower and food, so it had to stop.

But even so, the Song army won a great victory. With only a loss of more than 10,000 people, it annihilated 30,000 Western Xia troops and took countless prisoners. It not only regained the lost land of Linzhou, but also occupied several cities and lands in Yinzhou and Shizhou.

It is no exaggeration to say that this great victory was the most enjoyable victory the emperor had ever achieved in his more than 30 years in office.

When the victory news reached Tokyo, the emperor was overjoyed and the court was in an uproar. The Song Dynasty had always been losing territory, so there had never been such a great victory, capturing two states in a row. It was an unprecedented victory.

There is no need to say much about the commander of this great victory, the Duke of Yingguo. Apart from him, the vanguard general Zhou Chen made the greatest contribution. He was the first to capture cities and occupy land several times. The Xixia people fled when they heard about Zhou, and his name as the God of Killing spread throughout the border.

The Western Xia had lost several territories in a row. Although it had now resisted the offensive of the Song army and was also thinking about recovering the lost territory, the Duke of Ying defended with all his might and established a defense line, making it impossible for the Western Xia to recover the lost territory. The Western Xia was forced to send people to the Song court to protest.

When they were invading Song territory, they were arrogant and did not retreat in the face of questioning from the Song side. But when their land was occupied by the Song army in their turn, they jumped up like a cat whose tail was stepped on, and tried to take back the lost territory with bared fangs and claws. If they could not defeat the Song side, they would use diplomatic methods to put pressure on the Song side.

The emperor has always been kind and generous to foreigners, but this great victory made him stand up straight. This is an unprecedented victory during his reign and one of the rare victories since the founding of the country. It is a great achievement of his.

Therefore, he didn't care about the attitude of the Western Xia side at all, and discussed the matter with all the officials during the grand court meeting.

"The main credit for the great victory in the northwest goes to Duke Ying and Vanguard Zhou Chen. Everyone, how do you think they should be rewarded?"

After a great victory, there must be rewards. If such a great achievement is not rewarded, who would be willing to fight to the death?

All the civil and military officials present today were present. As soon as the emperor finished speaking, a military official stood up.

"I think they should be rewarded handsomely, especially the commander-in-chief Zhou Chen. He is a vanguard general who always leads the troops and is the first to rush into the city. He should be the first to make contributions and be granted a title."

As soon as these words came out, the whole place was in an uproar.

To be conferred a title is the highest honor for a military man. However, since the founding of the Song Dynasty, apart from the titles conferred during the founding period, there have been few titles conferred in nearly a hundred years. Even if there have been, most of them were conferred posthumously.

Among all the officials, Sheng Hong, who was standing in the last row in a green robe, had his heart pounding.

He had just recently arrived in Tokyo, and was currently serving as Cheng Zhilang, the new Shangshutai, and had only attended court a few times so far.

He still remembered that when he first went to court, he was scared half to death because of the issue of establishing an heir. Since then, he has shrunk and would never speak unless the emperor called on him. Compared with being in the limelight, his life is more important.

But today he was shocked again, the difference was that last time he was scared, this time he was excited.

Zhou Chen is his son-in-law. Although they haven't officially married yet, he is still his eldest son-in-law. Now he heard people in the court talking about Zhou Chen and even mentioned the title. It really made his head buzz.

Suddenly, a purple-robed official stood up and said loudly, "Your Majesty, this is absolutely not allowed. The commander of Zhoudu has indeed made extraordinary achievements and can be promoted, but the matter of conferring a title is absolutely not allowed. Please consider it, Your Majesty."

Immediately, a military officer stood up to refute: "Lord Yang, what you said is wrong. General Zhou has made great achievements that have never been seen before in our dynasty. He has conquered two states and several cities, and expanded the territory of our Song Dynasty. With such achievements, how can he not be granted a title?"

"Yes, that's right, Your Majesty. The commander of Zhoudu should be granted a title."

"No, there are rewards, but no knighthood."

"Bullshit, meritorious service should be rewarded, Your Majesty, I think he should be given a title."

"You, you, you actually cursed in the court, Your Majesty, please expel him..."

The conflict between the civil and military officials was on full display today, with even foul language being used. The military officers who stepped out all agreed with the conferring of titles, while the civil officials who spoke were fully opposed to it.

On the contrary, the top civil and military officials at the forefront remained as still as a mountain and did not participate in the dispute.

The military generals supported Zhou Chen so much, not because they had a good relationship with Zhou Chen, but for the benefit of the military officers. Zhou Chen was the son of a noble family, a natural military general, and he was so outstanding that the generals naturally wanted to help him.

As for the civil officials, they did not have any grudges against Zhou Chen. They were mainly opposed to the suggestions made by the military officers, especially the matter of conferring titles. They were unwilling to let Zhou Chen be conferred a title and thus strengthen the influence of the military officers.

The court was arguing so loudly that the emperor felt a headache and growled angrily, "Shut up, everyone, shut up."

The hall gradually quieted down, but the emperor was still angry. It was supposed to be a happy event, but it ended up being so depressing, which made him very unhappy.

"We'll discuss this later. We'll discuss this later."

"Retreat!"

Sheng Hong hurried home, and immediately took his wife Wang Ruofu to Shou'an Hall in the backyard.

"Mother, what a great event! What a great event!"

As soon as he entered the room, Sheng Hong couldn't control his emotions and shouted excitedly.

Old Madam Sheng scolded in dissatisfaction: "You are the head of the family. You should stay calm and collected when encountering things. Don't lose your composure. Look at what you look like now."

Wang Ruofu and Sheng Hualan in the room looked at the excited Sheng Hong in confusion, not understanding why he lost his composure like that.

After being scolded by the old lady, Sheng Hong apologized, but he couldn't hide the joy on his face.

"Mother, wife, Hua'er, do you know what happened in the court today? Good news, great good news, a great victory in the northwest, taking back two states of Xixia, Sanlang Chen Ge'er has made great contributions, and someone in the court today proposed to confer a title on Sanlang."

"A knighthood?"

Wang Ruofu stood up in shock and cried out, "Do you really want to confer a title?"

Although the old lady and Hua Lan didn't say anything, their faces became shocked and they stared at Sheng Hong.

"Father, what you said is true?"

"Of course it's true. It was about conferring a title on Sanlang. There was a huge argument in the court, and finally the emperor had to announce the withdrawal of the court."

Sheng Hong was excited: "I think that since Sanlang has made such a great contribution, the government is willing to reward him generously, and it is possible that he will be conferred a title. Of course, it is hard to say whether he can be conferred a title, but what is certain is that Sanlang has made great contributions, and he will definitely be promoted and rewarded generously."

Wang Ruofu was so excited that her face was full of smiles: "That's great, that's really great, our son-in-law is really capable, he is good at both literature and martial arts, our Huaer has chosen a good husband, it would be great if he can be conferred a title, then Huaer will be the Earl's wife."

In this world, Earl is the lowest rank. If one is to be conferred a title, one would start with Earl.

Sheng Hualan had a delighted look on her face. Being promoted to a higher position would make people happy, but what made her even happier was that Zhou Chen had won a great victory, which meant that everyone else was fine, so she could rest assured.

The old lady said with a serious face: "Regarding the matter of Chen'er's title, you must not spread rumors. This is still an undetermined matter. We can't cause trouble for Chen'er."

"I understand, son."

Sheng Hong and Wang Ruofu both nodded repeatedly. Although they were excited, they were still rational.

In fact, the emperor was also considering whether to confer a title on Zhou Chen. To be honest, he had a very good impression of Zhou Chen. He was a man of both civil and military talents, and was very capable. He had helped him conquer a piece of territory, so he liked Zhou Chen very much.

But he also knew that conferring a title of nobility was not something that could be done easily, as the interests and relationships involved were too complicated. If Zhou Chen was not from a noble family, he could have been conferred the title of earl.

But the problem is that Zhou Chen was born in the Mansion of Marquis Zhongjing. If Zhou Chen is given a title, wouldn’t that mean he would have two titles in the same family?

At present, there is no family with two titles in the imperial court. Could it be that this system will be broken up for Zhou Chen? He felt conflicted.

At this moment, Zhou Yexiong from the Mansion of Marquis Zhongjing suddenly uploaded a memorial. After reading it, the emperor remained silent for a long time.

"I see, this is what the Marquis Zhongjing is like. No wonder he objects?"

A few days later, Zhou Chen's reward came down. It was not a title, but he was given the title of Light Cavalry Commander, Yinzhou Surveillance Envoy, Dingyuan General, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Baode Army, in addition to a number of gold, silver, jewelry, and an imperial farm.

At the same time, there was news that Marquis Zhongjing himself was opposed to conferring a title on Zhou Chen, so the government did not confer the title on him.

The authenticity of this news was unknown, but it caused quite a stir in Tokyo City. Although Zhou Chen might not be able to be successfully conferred the title, it was really puzzling that his father was against his son being conferred the title.

If we were to say who stood up for Zhou Chen the most, it would be Zhou Chen's future mother-in-law, Madam Wang.

"Oh my God, is there such a thing in the world? How can a father oppose his son's title? I have never heard of a father like this. He is so biased. Does he only have the eldest son in his eyes and doesn't care about the second son at all? I am so angry, so angry."

In Shou'an Hall, Wang Ruofu threw all disregard into her image and started cursing loudly, totally disregarding Marquis Zhongjing's identity. She wished she could rush into Marquis Zhongjing's mansion and curse loudly to satisfy herself.

"Alright, alright, this is just hearsay. If you make a scene here and it gets out and your in-laws find out, it will be really embarrassing."

Sheng Hong scolded Wang Ruofu impatiently. He did not think it was too strange that Zhou Chen was not granted a title. Firstly, Zhou Chen was too young, and secondly, he was born in a marquis's mansion. If he was granted a title, it would mean that the family had two titles, which had a different meaning. Therefore, it was understandable that he was not granted a title.

But Wang Ruofu didn't care about so many things. She only knew that the title was within her grasp and she would soon be the mother-in-law of the Earl. Now it suddenly disappeared and there were rumors that her in-laws didn't want it. How could she not be angry?

"Why is it so ugly? How can you be partial to your eldest son? He is uglier than me. Sanlang is also pitiful. He fought desperately on the front line and made meritorious contributions, but what is the result?"

Old Madam Sheng scolded in dissatisfaction: "Alright, Madam, stop talking. What's the point of being angry? This is their own business."

After the old lady spoke, Wang Ruofu stopped worrying, but her face was still very ugly. Having a title and not having a title are two different concepts. This is a major matter concerning her daughter, and she is more anxious than anyone else.

The old lady said: "Not being given a title may not be a bad thing. Sanlang is still young, and standing out from the crowd may not be a good thing."

Sheng Hong agreed, "Mother is right. Speaking of which, the official's reward this time is already very good. Now Sanlang's rank is three levels higher than mine, haha."

When Zhou Chen got promoted, his future father-in-law naturally felt proud and benefited from it.

"Mother, if it weren't for you, Hua'er wouldn't have had this good marriage."

Wang Ruofu muttered, "Marriage is great, but I feel uneasy until we get married. The same goes for Sanlang. When can we return to Beijing to get married? We can't let Huaer wait like this forever, right?"

Old Madam Sheng had just picked up the teacup, but when she heard this, she put it down with a bang in anger.

Sheng Hong's face also changed: "What are you talking about, woman? Sanlang is at the frontier and there is a war. How can he come back whenever he wants? He and Hua'er are not very old, so why rush? He is in the prime of his career now, and it is a good time to make achievements. Don't say such things again in the future, do you hear me?"

He understands officialdom better than Wang Ruofu and is more supportive of Zhou Chen. Anyway, it has been decided and they can get married at any time. However, there are not many opportunities to achieve success, so they must seize this opportunity.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 1114 Return to Beijing, the Marquis's Mansion is coming, preparing to welcome him

In Shizhou City, Zhou Chen and Duke Yingguo both received imperial edicts conferring rewards.

This time, the envoys from the capital came to the border not only to read the imperial edict and reward people, but also to contact and negotiate with Western Xia, so they all stayed in Shizhou City.

The war was over, and the next step would be to enter a phase of mutual tug-of-war. However, Zhou Chen knew that no matter how weak the emperor and the officials were, they would not give up the land they had obtained. Even if they had to give in, it would only be in other areas.

Anyway, it will have nothing to do with him from now on. He has got military merit, prestige, and results. He can't fight anymore anyway, so he just needs to wait patiently.

In fact, if it weren't for the shortage of troops and food, and if he were allowed to command the army, he would be able to capture Xiazhou in one fell swoop, and even put pressure on Xingqing Prefecture.

But unfortunately, the officials in the court don't think so. On the one hand, they don't want military generals to become powerful, and on the other hand, they don't want to go to war. Civil officials are all peace-loving.

After the Song-Xia war, Zhou Chen was promoted to the commander-in-chief of the Baode Army, which was real power.

Just when Song and Xia had reached a preliminary agreement on the matter, Zhou Chen suddenly received a letter from Tokyo, asking him to go back. At the same time, the imperial court also ordered him to return to Beijing.

Zhou Chen didn't understand why his family asked him to go back, but he knew why the court asked him to go back. This was the case with the military generals of the Song Dynasty. The court would not allow you to lead the same army all the time. But asking him to go back so suddenly was still a little beyond his expectations. He wondered if it was related to the Marquis' Mansion.

So he said something to the Duke of England, and rushed back to Tokyo from the border with a dozen personal soldiers.

It was several days later when he returned to Tokyo. The first thing he did after returning to Beijing was to report on his work. Then he received an imperial decree and went to meet the emperor.

During this meeting, the official smiled more often and talked to Zhou Chen for a long time, all of which was praise and encouragement.

After leaving the palace, Zhou Chen went straight to the Mansion of Marquis Zhongjing. Although he didn't know what had happened in the mansion, he always felt a little uneasy, as if something was about to happen.

As soon as he arrived at the gate of the Marquis' Mansion, he saw his mother, Zhou Xu, standing at the door waiting for him.

"Saburo."

A choking and trembling voice was heard, and Zhou Xu quickly rushed towards Zhou Chen. She staggered and was firmly held by Zhou Chen with both hands.

"Mom, slow down, I'm back."

"My son, my son."

Zhou Xu couldn't control herself anymore and hugged Zhou Chen tightly. People surrounded her from all sides, so no one could see the situation clearly.

Zhou Chen also hugged his mother, letting her hug him and just comforting her in a low voice.

"Mom, I'm really fine. I just haven't seen you for a long time and I missed you so much. Now I'm finally back."

"It'll be good to come back, it'll be good to come back."

In fact, Zhou Xu was not a weak person, but she really loved Zhou Chen too much. She had two sons, but the eldest son was not close to her, and she did not like his behavior. Her attitude towards him was even worse than that towards her eldest daughter-in-law.

In the entire marquis's mansion, the person she cared about most was her youngest son Zhou Chen. It happened that this youngest son had been away for nearly four years, and when they met again, it was natural that she could not control her emotions.

Zhou Chen affectionately helped Zhou Xu into the Marquis' Mansion, sent her back, and talked to her.

But after just a while, Zhou Xu said, "Sanlang, your father knows that you are back and has been waiting for you. Go meet him, and then go meet your eldest brother, Dalang..."