Chapter 22 Song on Wine

Zhao Yong has always acted vigorously. He has just returned from the alliance of Lecheng and the King of Yan. After staying in Handan for less than ten days, he went north to patrol the clouds non-stop. At the same time, he ordered his eldest son Zhao Zhang to go to Daijun to recruit sergeants to prepare for the war.

This year, the master's father was away all year round and did not stay in Handan for long. The affairs of the country were handled by his son Zhao He. Although Zhao He is young, he is smart and easy to learn. With the help of Feiyi, everything in the country is also handled in an orderly manner without any chaos. Zhao Yong didn't like these tedious affairs. Seeing that his son was like the king's expectation, he was lucky to let him decide everything in the court, and he didn't have to report everything to himself as quickly as before.

Although Zhao Yong's name is to inspect the two counties of Yunzhong and Yanmen this time, it is actually a knock on Loufan and Linhu, which are increasingly rising in the north. Therefore, although the light car is simple, nearly 10,000 elite cavalry of the State of Zhao followed.

Lou Fan and Lin Hu are a powerful nomadic tribe in the north of the State of Zhao. They are called Sanhu together with Donghu in the north of the State of Yan. They have invaded the borders of Zhao, Yan and Qin for many years, making the three countries like a back. Because the combat methods of the countries in the Central Plains during the Spring and Autumn Period were mostly complementary tactics for chariots and infantry, the machine power on the vast grassland was far less than the free-to-go Hu people's cavalry. In the battles with the Hu people, they repeatedly suffered losses and most of them were defeated. Therefore, countries build the Great Wall to guard against the Hu people, and use infantry to rely on strong walls to resist the intrusion of the Hu people. The monarchs of the State of Zhao in all dynasties were the same. They insisted on relying on the Great Wall to defend the Hu people in the north and focusing on competing with the princes in the south.

Only when Zhao Yong ascended the throne as the queen, he changed the previous strategic thought of the State of Zhao, formed the six countries in the south, and took advantage of the contradictions between countries to contain each other. In the north, he gave up passive defense and used the newly trained elite cavalry to attack Lou Yan and Lin Hu, which hit the two parts several times, seized a large and beautiful grassland from their hands, and successively set up Yanmen and Yunzhong counties.

Compared with the continuous attack of the six countries in the Central Plains, the strategic policy of the State of Zhao has obviously been a great success. In less than a few years, the territory of Zhao has more than doubled, and the strategic space has greatly increased. It turned out that Lou Fan and Lin Hu, who had a headache for the monarchs of the State of Zhao, also suffered heavy losses under the repeated blows of Zhao Yong. They kept moving north to avoid the edge of the Zhao army, and dared not easily go south to plunder Zhao land.

However, after Lou Fan and Lin Hubei escaped to rest and recuperate in recent years, they have gradually recovered their vitality. With the strategic focus of the State of Zhao moving southward, the second part gradually began to peep and frequently provoke in northern Xinjiang to test the reaction of the State of Zhao. It was out of this concern that Zhao Yong was worried that once the main force of the Zhao army attacked Zhongshan, Lou Fan II was likely to take the opportunity to go south to attack Yunzhong and Yanmen, which had not been occupied for a long time. Therefore, he planned to deter the two parts by force before attacking Zhongshan, so that they would not dare to act rashly.

The army went all the way north, went out of the Jingxing passed, and entered the most important county in the north of the State of Zhao.

Zhao Xin suffered a lot along the way. Originally, he thought that he was the master's side, and naturally followed the master's side. He thought that he was a good man, and followed his master all the way.

The fact is far beyond Zhao Xin's expectation. Not to mention that there is no special preferential treatment, it is more bitter than ordinary soldiers.

Zhao Yong is not like the king of Zhao at all, but completely like a barbarian living on horseback. He can talk nonsense, and the greatest pleasure of every day is to drink liquor with his soldiers, eat meat in large pieces, speak vulgar words loudly, and laugh without image. Zhao Yong was used to the tent and used to the life of water and grass. He disdained the palace. Even Zhao Xin followed his bad luck. Every day, he had to eat behind his buttocks and had to eat roasted coarse and fishy beef and mutton. After only a few days, he felt a sore back and a bad smell.

What makes Zhao Xin cry more bitterly is that Zhao Yong seems to be energetic and never tired. All the way from Handan, the army almost kept on his way. Along the way, local officials are strictly forbidden to come to visit, and they will not enter the city. They will simply replenish the grain, grass and drinking water and continue on their way.

These cavalry are the elites who have been following Zhao Yong for many years and have long been used to this kind of high-intensity march. The cavalry are all changing horses. They rush on their way during the day and rest in the middle of the night. These strengths are just a piece of cake for them. Only Zhao Xin, the spoiled young master, suffered the most. His riding skills were not superb. After a few days on the road, the inner side of his legs had already been worn into a piece of spar. Every time he touched it, it was extremely hot and painful.

Zhao Xin's behavior naturally could not escape Zhao Yong's eyes, but he ignored it. Instead, he ordered to strengthen the intensity of the march and rushed from Handan to Dai County in only five days. When he saw that Zhao Xin was not good at riding, he was extremely stubborn. His face was pale on the back of the horse every day, but he just closed his mouth and endured it, which made Zhao Yong quite satisfied.

However, his generals are not so friendly to Zhao Xin. These military leaders were all hard friends on the battlefield. On that day, Zhao Xin humiliated Shi Hu, and naturally these people would not give him a good look. It was also gloating to see Zhao Xin suffering on horseback. If it hadn't been for the Lord's presence, I'm afraid he would have humiliated him.

For good, Zhao Xin is strong and healthy, and his martial arts cultivation is not weak. After the initial torture, he gradually got used to it, but it was not as difficult as in the first few days.

After leaving Taihang Daojing, he entered the territory of Dai County in the north of Zhao.

The county in Handan is like the left arm on the right arm. The two centers, one in the south and the one in the north, echoing each other from afar, building the special national conditions and style of the State of Zhao.

Unlike any country in the Central Plains, the state of Zhao is divided into two parts: north and south. The south is the farming civilization represented by the capital Handan, and the north is the nomadic civilization represented by Dai County. Therefore, whether it is political or economic, Dai County has its special significance. Therefore, the monarchs of the State of Zhao will set up a minister in Dai County to exercise the rights of kings instead of themselves.

After entering Daijun, both the wind and land shape and words and deeds are very different from Zhao Min in Handan. Zhao Xin has lived near Handan since he was a child. He has never seen the scenery of the grassland. He feasted his eyes along the way, and his mood is much better.

This fashion is early spring. Although there is still a trace of chill in the air, it is not fierce on the face. Tender green appears on the grassland, which looks extremely pleasing to the eyes. Although Dai County has been owned by the Zhao family for nearly a hundred years, the strength of reclamation is not great. Many places are uninhabited. Along the way, the army often shocked the little beasts on the roadside and fled into the forest in a panic.

Zhao Yong was very interested and ordered the garrison to rest for a day. He personally led the horse into the forest to hunt.

I have to say that Zhao Yong's archery is really good. In less than half a day, the prey he hunted was already full of spare horses. Zhao Yong was in a good mood, so he divided his prey with everyone, and he barbecued the game himself.

Because there is plenty of time, there is no need to rush on the way as in the past few days. In addition, the soldiers have eaten too many dried meat cakes in the past few days. Today, they have hunted a lot of wild animals. Naturally, the army is cheering, and groups of bonfires are smiling and roasting wild animals.

"Come on, taste my craft." Zhao Yong quickly cut off a hind leg on the wild boar barbecued on the bonfire with a dagger and threw it to Zhao Xin beside him.

Zhao Xin took the wild boar's leg in a panic and was almost scalded by the hot grease. When I put it on my mouth and bite it, I only feel that my mouth is full of meat fragrance, oily but not greasy, and I can't help squeaking my mouth.

"How about it?" Zhao Yong looked at the boy with a smile.

"Okay, that's great." Zhao Xin quickly spit out his tongue and grinned.

"I didn't expect you to have such a good craftsmanship, master. It's awesome."

After getting along with each other these days, Zhao Xin also knows that his father is usually a very easy-going person to get along with. He usually jokes with soldiers at will and rarely calls himself alone. So I gradually became bold and no longer as restrained as before.

Zhao Yong laughed and said, "This is natural. I dare not say that I am the best in the world when it comes to war, but when it comes to this hunting and barbecue, if I think I am the second, no one in the world dares to be the first."

"This is natural." Han Sheng beside him said to Zhao Xin with a smile, "Your boy is blessed today. If you can eat the game baked by the master's father, you must open your belly and eat well, otherwise you will definitely regret it in the future."

Han Sheng is the Lang Zhongling beside his master, who leads the officers and Zhao Xin's immediate superior. Unlike those cronies around the Lord, he was born in a family, but he won the trust of the Lord. Therefore, he took good care of Zhao Xin, who was of the same origin, and helped him a lot along the way.

Zhao Xin devoured the barbecue and said inexplicablely, "That's natural. I must fill my stomach today."

Zhao Yong looked at Zhao Xin with a smile, suddenly untied the bag from his waist, threw it over and said, "Cess it."

"What's the fun of eating meat without drinking? Come on, how about tasting the spirits in my north."