The Sixteen Kingdoms of the Eastern Jin Dynasty: The Competition in the Central Plains

"Basically, it was done, but there was one person who refused to come."Zhang Bin shook his head and said. Shi Le felt strange and asked:"It's delicious and delicious, but you don't want to come?"

"No matter what the people I sent said, he just didn't want to come. He is King Zhao's neighbor, his name is Li Yang."Zhang Bin said. Shi Le was happy when he heard it was Li Yang. Shi Le smiled and said:"I think back then Gu was a penniless slave with a humble status. When kenaf is harvested in autumn, it needs to be soaked in water for a few days before the outer skin can be peeled off. The peeled off hemp bark can be made into hemp rope. At that time, there was a big puddle outside the village. Gu wanted to retting hemp, and Li Yang also wanted to retash hemp. They refused to give in, so they started fighting many times." Shi Le recalled

"He is still brooding over such a small thing."Zhang Bin said with a smile

"If you want to conquer the world, how can you account for such a trivial matter a few years ago! Li Yang is a rare warrior. If Gu wants to annex more territory, the more warriors like Li Yang, the better. Youhou, please send a few more people to drive the carriage to bring Li Yang, the lonely neighbor, to Xiangguo!"Shi Le said. Zhang Bin said:"I admire King Zhao for being so magnanimous!"

Xiangguo, Jiande Hall. Shi Le sat high on the dragon chair above. In addition to dozens of civil and military ministers, there were also dozens of senior citizens from Wuxiang County, Shangdang County. Civil and military officials The minister first saluted Shi Le, followed by the gentry and neighbors of Wuxiang County.

"I am waiting to see His Royal Highness the King of Zhao!", old people from Wuxiang, etc. meet His Highness King Zhao!"

"All my dear friends, please go free of charge! , Elders and elders, please get up quickly! Please take a seat!"Shi Le smiled happily, stood up and called for the people below to sit down. At this moment, a sturdy man came to Jiande Hall. The Minister of Civil and Military Affairs and the gentry of Wuxiang all looked back. Someone from Wuxiang knew him and whispered:" This is Li Yang who had a fist fight with King Zhao when he was young.

Li Yang came to the front and knelt down in front of Shi Le:"Grass people, Li Yang next door sees that King Zhao is a thousand years old!""

When Shi Le saw Li Yang coming, he came down from the top happily. When Li Yang saw Shi Le coming down, he quickly saluted again and said:"Li Yang meets His Highness King Zhao, Thousand Years of Saint Ann! Shi

Le had a smile on his face. He grabbed Li Yang's arm and said,"I have suffered from your old punches in the past, and you have also suffered from Gu's vicious hands." This all happened more than 20 years ago. At that time, there were many things to do, and it was all about survival. How could Gu be blamed!"

"Thank you very much to King Zhao for his magnanimity and not taking into account the faults of ordinary people! Li Yang said.

Shi Le returned to the top and said with a smile:"Li Yang, Gu's neighbor, is extremely strong." Even if several strong men join forces, they are no match for Li Yang. Li Yang was granted the title of Captain of the Army and was given a residence. Wuxiang County, the hometown of Gu, is like Fengxian and Peixian, the hometowns of Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty. Gu is also a mortal, and after death, his soul must return to his hometown. Starting this year, three generations of people in Wuxiang County will be exempted from taxes and corvee. Anyone with talent will be selected and hired."

When Li Yang heard that he, a commoner, had suddenly risen through the ranks and became a captain in the army, he was a little flattered, so he quickly knelt down and said,"My lord Li Yang, thank you for your majesty's grace! Li

Yanggang stood up, and the elders and elders of Wuxiang also knelt down and saluted:"Thank you, King Zhao!""

"It has been less than three years since the founding of our country, the State of Zhao, and people in many places still do not have enough to eat or wear warmly. Hundreds of industries are waiting to be prospered and hundreds of wastes are waiting to be promoted, and it is urgent to implement strict frugality. Starting this year, private brewing will be strictly prohibited. Even in the outskirts of the ancestral temple, wine made overnight must be used." Shi Le said. The civil and military ministers and people from Wuxiang below said together:"King Zhao Shengming!"

"The palace of Xiangguo is under construction, and the Jiande Hall has just been completed. Only then can we gather together in the Jiande Hall. Other palaces and palaces were also built one after another. Luoyang, the capital of the Jin Dynasty, and Chang'an, the western capital, both had wonderful palace buildings. Unfortunately, both were destroyed by the war. The Xiangguo palace under construction is called Jiande Palace. Jiande Palace not only has the majesty of the Central Plains palace, but also has the style of the grassland nomads. Shi Le said

"The Kingdom of Zhao will last forever! The king of Zhao is in good health and a thousand-year-old saint!"The civil and military ministers cheered. Shi Le continued:"I will say one more thing and then start the banquet. A few days ago, General Ji Long captured Fuping City, the seat of Yanci County, and built a strong castle in Fengqiu. Then he led some soldiers and three hundred families back to Xiangguo. Gu has already allowed these people to live in Chongren in Xiangguo, and also appointed a public official to command them."

"General Ji Long had the foresight to know that Fengqiu was a battleground for military strategists in history. The construction of Fengqiu Castle can serve as a deterrent to Zu Yue south of the Yellow River."Zhang Bin praised Shi Hu a few words. Shi Hu saluted Zhang Bin and said,"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your advice!"

"Okay, I’ve talked a lot today, now let’s serve food and wine! Today I want to get drunk with all my dear friends and elders from Wuxiang! In the future, anyone who is willing to live and do business in Xiangguo will definitely provide various conveniences! Shi Le said

"Thank you, King Zhao Qiansui!"The elders and elders of Wuxiang said in unison.

After eating and drinking, the elders and neighbors of Wuxiang expressed their gratitude and left. Li Yang also stayed, together with Zhang Bin, Shi Hu and others. Accompanying Shi Le for a stroll outside the Jiande Palace. Just now, Shi Le, the Minister of Civil and Military Affairs, and old friends and neighbors were having a banquet in the Jiande Palace. The soldiers who defended the Jiande Palace also had a banquet in their own residence in the Jiande Palace. A Hu The soldier was drunk and was about to break into the north gate with a riding crop to urge his horse. Two guards at the gate shouted,"Stop!""It didn't help. When Shi Le saw this, he was furious. Li Yang quickly stepped forward and grabbed the drunkard from his horse. The unsteady drunkard saw that it was King Zhao Shile and woke up from the wine. He quickly knelt down He bowed his head and said,"Young man, please see King Zhao! Feng

Zhu, the junior law enforcer in charge of the palace entrance, also came over. He quickly knelt down and apologized to Shi Le:"Just now, the drunken foreigner rode a horse and forced his way into the carriage door. I didn't stop him." He was so drunk that he couldn't hear me yelling at him, and it was almost impossible to have a conversation with him."

Feng Zhu's face changed drastically as soon as he finished speaking, because Shi Le had already given repeated orders not to say that Jie was a barbarian, so he kowtowed and begged for forgiveness:"King Zhao, forgive me, King Zhao, forgive me!"

Shi Le and the Minister of Civil and Military Affairs, Li Yang and others naturally drank a lot. Seeing Feng Zhu's trembling look, Shi Le said with a smile:"The Hu is drunk, so of course you can't talk to him."

With that said, Shi Le waved his hand to let him get up. When Feng Zhu saw that King Zhao did not punish him, he kowtowed and thanked him and went to guard the palace gate again. As they walked, Shi Le, Zhang Bin and others came to the newly completed Baichi Tower.. Looking at the tallest building in Xiang Kingdom, Shi Le said:"The tall city wall in Xiang Kingdom is wide enough for two cows to lie down. When we stand on this hundred-foot building and look around, we will definitely be able to see the beautiful scenery of the entire Xiang Kingdom!"