When the emperor's chariot passed by on the street, the people along the way kowtowed. They respected the emperor and the Yang royal family from the bottom of their hearts. Without the Yang family who unified the Central Plains more than a hundred years ago and established a stable and powerful empire, the people's lives would not be as leisurely and content as they are now. A powerful empire is not only a symbol of the glory of the royal family. For the people, the stronger the country, the more stable their lives will be.
The emperor seemed to enjoy the people's worship. This feeling of being regarded as a god made him satisfied and happy. The Yang family has done many things to ensure that this empire can last for thousands of years. They have done their best to take care of the people without touching the fundamental interests of those families. This was something that none of the previous dynasties or even the previous rulers of the Central Plains dynasties had ever done. Because of this, the emperor also firmly believed that the Sui Dynasty would last forever.
The oppression suffered by the common people is undoubtedly the lowest in the history of civilization for thousands of years.
The people¡¯s shouts of long live were very sincere, and they loved all the emperors of the Sui Dynasty. Even when the state treasury was unable to make ends meet due to the aggressive military activities during the Taizong period and had to increase taxes, they only complained.
The emperor looked at the people and his people.
He subconsciously raised his hand to straighten his crown, his eyes becoming firmer.
No matter who it is, don¡¯t try to snatch these people away from me!
no matter who!
The gong sounding loudly to clear the way, the people immediately knelt on the ground as the procession passed. The one hundred and eight Ouchi guards in front of them, in flying fish robes, moved forward majestically with their swords pressed. The bright red cloak was blown up, looking very impressive. Behind them are the golden melon warriors carrying various ceremonial guards. They are all tall and strong men. Behind them were five hundred Forbidden Army soldiers, wearing bright cotton armor that looked even more solemn. Behind the imperial army is His Majesty's royal chariot, which is surrounded by officers above the rank of captain of the Imperial Army, as well as guards from the Ouchi Guards Office.
Behind the royal chariot are the accompanying palace maids and eunuchs, and behind them are the civil and military officials. At the very end were one hundred and eight cavalrymen.
The fierce red national flag of the Sui Dynasty and the dragon flag representing the royal family were flying on both sides of the imperial chariot. The palace musicians walked in front of the imperial chariot while playing and beating.
God Bless Emperor Yang Yi is a very low-key person, and can even be said to be the most low-key among all the emperors of the Sui Dynasty. This is the first time in his more than ten years since he ascended the throne that he travels with such pomp and circumstance. On weekdays, even when leaving the palace, the entourage is very simple. So this was the first time for the people to see the emperor on such an occasion, and everyone was a little excited.
There were at least tens of thousands of people gathered around the square. They were very disciplined and did not take a step beyond. Compared with the density of the crowd, the huge square seemed even more empty. Only after His Majesty is on the general stage, the Zuowuwei army will come from a distance, walk around the square and then stop to form a square formation to accept the emperor's review and lecture.
The officials of the Ministry of Rites have been working on this matter for a long time, and now is the time when they are most nervous, fearing that something will go wrong. Everyone knows that if today's ceremony is ruined due to mistakes, there will be no good results. In order to avoid accidents, even Duke Huaiqiu, the Minister of Rites, personally came out to preside over the affairs.
A Yuanwailang from the Ministry of Rites and several of his men hurried to where Zuowuwei's troops were. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and said to General Zuowuwei Yu Manlou: "General, don't think that the lower officials are too talkative. When you pass by the square, are you ready for how to walk, how to stop, and how to form an array? "
General Yu Manlou smiled and said, "Do you think I, the general, can screw up today's affairs?"
Yuanwailang from the Ministry of Rites quickly apologized and said with a smile: "I don't mean this, but even Huai Lao is not at ease, so he specifically asked me to come and ask the general again."
Yu Manlou said: "Then just go back and tell Huai Lao, everything has been arranged."
"oh"
Wailang, the official of the Ministry of Etiquette, agreed and left, looking at the majestic team with deep emotion in his heart. This was the first time he saw so many people gathered together, and the awe-inspiring military power made him feel very insignificant.
After he said goodbye, he hurried back to report to Duke Huai Qiu. Although it was only February and the weather was still cold, his body was already soaked with sweat. He just found a place where no one was around and sat down to kick him. Before he could stretch his hands, someone suddenly strangled his neck from behind. A narrow knife was swiped across his neck, and there was blood. It squirted out all at once.
Soon, his body was dragged away. Not long after, a man wearing the same official uniform as Yuanwailang came out from where he was lazing with a few followers, and quickly blended into the busy officials No one noticed that there seemed to be many new faces among the officers of the Ministry of Rites today.
The singing and dancing companies such as Hong Xiu Zhao and others naturally allocate stages according to the instructions of the officials of the Ministry of Etiquette. There are more than a dozen stages lined up facing each other, and the stage of Hong Xiuzhao is in the center. There is no doubt that no one can challenge the status of the leader of the Red Sleeve Dance Troupe.
Several young officials from the Ministry of Etiquette directed the people from the singing and dancing troupe to stop next to the stage that belonged to them. Today is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the girls from the singing and dancing troupe. They had never performed on such an open-air stage, and one of the audience members was the current emperor. At this time, there are probably no less than a hundred thousand people around, as well as so many high-ranking officials and nobles. Especially the girls from other singing and dancing houses, all holding back their energy to compete with the people in Hong Xiu Zhao. Even if it can't be compared, I hope it can arouse the ideas of those big shots.
The best ending for those of them who work as showgirls and dancers is to be concubines of some big shot. So today they were all dressed up, thinking that if they were lucky, they might be chosen by His Majesty to enter the palace.
Naturally, they would not notice that the eyes of those officials from the Ministry of Etiquette were always looking at the general ordering platform opposite.
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The emperor¡¯s chariot stopped outside the square, and the emperor in full attire waved to the people as he stepped off the chariot. The smile on his lips was charming, the charm of a man who held the supreme power in the world. He was the emperor of the Sui Dynasty and the most powerful person in the entire Central Plains. Except for Meng Yuan, emperors of other countries also had to treat him as courtiers when they saw him.
Under the guidance of Su Buwei, the eunuch who held the pen in the imperial study, the emperor strode towards the general stage. The officials were divided into two rows according to their civil and military grades, standing on the left and right of the general platform. The nobles of royal blood and important officials of the imperial court followed the emperor to the general stage.
Pointing to the stage, the dragon chair, symbolizing imperial power, was placed in the center.
??According to their rank, the two people closest to the emperor are sitting on the left is Prince Yi Yang Yin, and sitting on the right is Zhou Banchuan, the director of the Yanwu Academy. But for some reason, Prince Yi and Dean Zhou haven't arrived yet. The emperor who was on the general stage didn't seem to care at all. He just glanced at the chair to the left of the dragon chair and raised the corners of his mouth slightly.
Before sitting down on the dragon chair, the emperor stretched out his hand and pressed down twice. The cheers of the people stopped immediately, and the square with no less than 100,000 people became very quiet.
Duke Huaiqiu, the Minister of Rites, who personally presided over today's ceremony, came to the front and reported today's program arrangements to the emperor. The emperor nodded, indicating that it could begin.
Huaiqiu said he obeyed the order, and then walked to the front of the general stage and shouted: "The ceremony begins!"
As these words were shouted, a Ministry of Rites official standing high up immediately waved the flag in his hand. On the street on the north side of the square, officials from the Ministry of Rites waved the flags one after another like a relay. Soon, General Yu Manlou, who saw the flags waving, took a deep breath, then raised his hand and pointed forward.
"Go forward and show off the spirit of Zuo Wuwei!"
The first to start were the three thousand cavalry. The sound of horse hooves stepping on the bluestone was dense and coherent, just like the sound of heavy rain hitting lotus leaves. Three thousand cavalry is not a big number just looking at it. But only by seeing it with your own eyes can you feel the momentum of the army beating drums. Three thousand people and horses marched along the street. Looking from the front to the back, you couldn't see the end of the team. The cavalry moved forward, followed closely by large groups of infantry advancing in squares of one thousand men.
Zuo Wuwei belongs to one of the six armies of the emperor, and is the elite among the elite. If nearly 40,000 troops were allowed to walk in a line, it would take a lot of time to circle the square and then form an array. Therefore, in order to shorten the time of the ceremony, only 3,000 cavalry and 5,000 infantry participated in the review. Most of the troops have already left the city and are waiting.
The emperor looked calm when he saw the cavalry team appearing in the distance. But no one would see that in his cuffs, his fists began to clench.
According to the regulations, the team did not pass in front of the emperor when entering the palace. After the team took the oath and left the city, they walked on the road in front of the emperor and accepted his majesty's review. Therefore, the cavalry entered from one side of the square, walked around half a circle before entering the square, and lined up in the square, as did the infantry.
When Zuowuwei's soldiers appeared, the people watching suddenly burst into cheers. It is not easy for the people of Chang'an City to see a large army marching out, because no army from any country has been able to threaten Chang'an since the founding of the Sui Dynasty. If the enemy this time had not been the Meng Yuan people, I am afraid that the emperor would not have mobilized the Sixth Army of the Emperor to go out.
The cheers of the people were deafening, and they were all excited when they saw Zuo Wuwei's majestic military posture. A sense of pride came from my heart and immediately spread throughout my body.
A gray-haired old man was excitedA little trembling, he took his wife's hand and said with a trembling voice: "Have you seen it! Have you seen it! This is our heroic army of the Sui Dynasty! I was a soldier in Zuowuwei back then, and I once served as the brigade commander. ! I told you, you don¡¯t believe it even if the large group of people is passing by, look at it, look at itthe trees are as long as the forest, and the swords are as wide as the sea!"
His wife had lost her front teeth and was a little awkward when speaking: "I saw it, I saw it Who says I don't believe it? I know you were a hero when you were young. But don't tell me yet. Looking at so many soldiers, these two My legs are all weak.¡±
The old man said proudly: "That's natural. Every soldier in the Sui Dynasty is a hero."
He pointed to the team and introduced it to his wife: "Have you seen the weapon held in the hands of the cavalry? That is the long spear. The long spears used by the cavalry are generally made of composite materials, are made with precision and have excellent toughness. And the long spears used by the infantry Most of the long bows are rigid. Did you see that the bows on the backs of the infantry and cavalry are also different. The cavalry bow is smaller than the infantry bow, but the shooting speed is faster, while the infantry bow has greater power and a longer range. ¡¡±
When he said this, the old man suddenly stopped. I don't know what he thought of, but he suddenly frowned.
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A carriage stopped at the entrance of the Martial Arts Academy, and the sky was just getting bright. The emperor's guard of honor had not yet left the palace, and the streets seemed even more deserted because the people had gone to the square. Several Taoists got off the carriage and helped an older Taoist down. Then they paid the fare and walked slowly towards the gate of the Martial Arts Academy.
At this moment, the door to the martial arts academy suddenly opened.
Professor Yan Qing and another professor named Min Xu walked out side by side. When he looked at the Taoists, his face was particularly solemn.
In front of the library of Yanwuyuan
Dean Zhou was sitting at the stone table in front of the library, looking at the end game on the chessboard in front of him in a daze. He seemed to be very confused about what to do next, and his brows were furrowed.
At this moment, someone suddenly said to him calmly: "It's so boring to show off alone, how about you and I playing a game of chess?"
Dean Zhou raised his head and looked at the speaker, nodded and said calmly: "You are barely qualified, sit down."