Urban Sims

Ten days later.

After capturing Kaijing, the capital of King Gaoji, and plundering 100,000 people, Zhou Ming led his army and returned to Qizhou Island by boat from Incheon Port.

Of course, if you directly remove the capital of a country and take away all the core and senior leaders of the country, it can be predicted that once Zhou Ming leaves, the country will definitely be in chaos.

As for Gaoji State, which has a population of more than five million, if it is too chaotic and the population is reduced significantly, it will not be in the interests of overseas colonization groups... Population is also a precious resource. Although it can be regenerated, it does not grow like pigs, cattle, horses and sheep. The cycle is too long.

Therefore, like a blood servant raised by a vampire, Zhou Ming did not want Gao Jiguo's "blood bag" to dry up all at once, so he sent three thousand elite troops to garrison Kaijing in regular rotation.

In addition, he also left two "dogleg" local families to serve as the leading party and help establish a new political system to rule and manage Gaoji State.

These two bad-ass families are the relatives behind the two Gaoji beauties whom Zhou Ming was lucky to have. Zhou Ming promoted these two families because the two beauties served him very hard and in various ways, which made him feel happy both inside and outside. , gave this heaven-shattering wealth.

So, let’s be realistic: Appearance is a woman’s greatest asset. Not only in modern times where faces can make people despair, but also in ancient times, appearance was the only thing that most women rely on to advance to the top. aisle.

However, Zhou Ming kept these two beauties on Qizhou Island and did not bring them back to his hometown in Haiping. The main reason was to avoid jealousy in the backyard, because in recent years, in order to strengthen cooperation with the thirty-six franchised families, he has After taking in more than a dozen concubines, the original wives and concubines must not be happy because of the lack of rain and dew. This time, they brought back two more, and they were so beautiful and exotic... Zhou Ming guessed that he might be beaten. .

…

It was late October in the thirty-second year of Tiansheng.

After finishing his work, he returned to Tianjiazhuang, Haiping County. Just as he was about to take a big bath and wash away the dusty Zhou Ming, his wife Li Anping found him in a hurry. With a face full of sorrow, she threw herself into his arms and burst into tears. sad.

"Anping, what's wrong with you? What happened?"

Zhou Ming was slightly stunned, patted the woman's back, and asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"My father, my father is seriously ill. My sister said that my father's headache suddenly broke out again. It was worse than before. He was in a coma for many days. He often shouted 'Anping, Anping' and called my name... ...Husband, I want to go back to the imperial capital to see my father!"

After speaking, Li Anping burst into tears and was so sad that he couldn't speak.

"Your Majesty's headache strikes again?"

Zhou Ming was very surprised because a few years ago, Emperor Li Zhi miraculously recovered from his headache that made countless famous doctors in the world unable to do anything. For four consecutive years, Emperor Li Zhi's headache never broke out again. He handled national government affairs efficiently and wisely, and set a historical record for the number of consecutive days he was in office.

I just didn't expect that some time ago, Emperor Li Zhi had a physical accident after receiving a good news from the Western Region Protectorate.

This good news is: General Gao Xianzhi led 50,000 Zhou troops to fight against 200,000 Fire Worship Empire troops in Henglus City in the Western Region. He defeated more with less and with less casualties, and achieved a great victory with 120,000 beheaded!

This battle of Everlos was the second battle between the Great Zhou Dynasty and the Fire Worship Empire.

Ten years ago, during the first Battle of Henglus, the Great Zhou army was betrayed by the Black Khanate's army. The entire 50,000-strong army was wiped out. General Gao Xianzhi, known as an expert in mountain warfare, fled with only a few dozen cavalry. After returning to China, he was denounced by the court and fell into ruin for many years.

Three years ago, Emperor Li Zhi reactivated Gao Xianzhi and asked him to spend three years to retrain a mountain army and once again expedition to the Western Regions to compete with the Fire Worship Empire for hegemony in the Pami Plateau region.

Gao Xianzhi, who had been waiting for an opportunity for many years, did not disappoint Li Zhi. With a heart-warming victory, he avenged his shame and led his troops to massacre hundreds of thousands of people in the Black Han Kingdom. All the countries in the Western Regions, Surrendered in horror, the hegemony of the Great Zhou Dynasty was reestablished.

It was this good news that made Emperor Li Zhi so excited that he walked much faster. He didn't pay attention to his steps. He accidentally tripped over the door threshold, fell, and hit his head heavily on the ground...

From this moment on, Emperor Li Zhi fell into a coma and could only lie in bed to recuperate. All government affairs were left to Queen Wu Mei to handle.

Zhou Ming also speculated that Emperor Li Zhide's headache may be a disease similar to "cerebral hemorrhage", which in this era was called "stroke". It is a rupture of blood vessels in the brain, and blood accumulates in the skull and cannot be drained out. It won't kill people, but it will definitely affect the normal function of the brain.

Moreover, this is an incurable disease unless a craniotomy can be performed to drain out the accumulated blood.

With the medical conditions of this era, there is no chance of success in performing a craniotomy on a patient. Even if a miracle doctor says he is sure, it is impossible for any relatives to agree to such an operation.

Therefore, Emperor Li Zhi, whose headaches broke out again and became more serious, besides lying in bed to recuperate and hoping for another miracle, was the only thing his relatives could do for him.

It is impossible for his wife Li Anping, who has been filial and considerate since she was a child, not to worry about her father's illness. Her sister, Princess Changping, also wrote a letter to her, saying that her father never forgets her and hopes she can go back to see what's going on. Miss her father.

"Okay, don't cry Anping, I'll take you back right away, and we'll go back to Zhongzhou to visit our father together!"

Zhou Ming hugged her and comforted her for a while, and then the woman took a break from crying, and then quickly ordered people to pack her belongings. She also took her son Tian An, who was almost four years old, and set off that day to the imperial capital of Zhongzhou.

"Your Majesty Emperor Ming, I hope you can pass this test smoothly. In my heart, you are close to being the emperor of the ages. If possible, I sincerely hope you can live a few more years."

Sitting in the swaying four-wheeled carriage, Zhou Ming, holding Ping's wife Anping in his arms, muttered to himself and let out a sigh of emotion.

An emperor through the ages!

Such a high evaluation came from Zhou Ming's mouth because Emperor Li Zhi, in the four years after his headaches completely disappeared, did several things that could be said to be "famous throughout the ages" as a wise king.

For example, in the field of agriculture, he vigorously promoted new agricultural tools across the country based on the method suggestions provided by Zhou Ming. In order to increase the number of cattle and horses in the country, he encouraged the promotion of the "agriculture and animal husbandry" agricultural farming model in many northern states... Of course, he also encountered There was some resistance, but after seeing the real benefits, Da Zhou's agricultural reform achieved great success.

There is also the field of industry and commerce. After reading "The Theory of Productivity" written by Zhou Ming specifically for him, he was deeply attracted by the theory of "efficiency first, material is national power". Later, despite the opposition of the ministers, he improved the social status of workers and businessmen. , successively promulgated the "Order to Encourage Industry and Commerce" and the "Order to Open Mines", the first of its kind, and appointed several master craftsmen responsible for completing major national engineering projects as officials. The court was in an uproar, but the opposition was still suppressed by him. Then in the Ministry of Industry, a "master craftsman supervisor" was set up to give high-paying beautiful houses and place these official master craftsmen.

In the most important military field, he also listened to some of Zhou Ming's opinions, carried out military reforms, updated weapons and equipment, and came up with various ways to improve the treatment of professional soldiers, strengthen training, and enhance the combat effectiveness of soldiers, and promulgated the "Order on Preferential Treatment for Soldiers" ", "Military Retirement Order", the two regulations stipulate that those who join the army can be allocated 30 acres of low-tax land to their families. The higher the position, the more low-tax land they will be allocated, and as long as the military service years reach 20 After five years, he will be allowed to retire from the military, and the state will provide him with a pension every year to support him until he is old.

Although these two regulations put great pressure on the national finances, once they were issued, the morale of the border guards soared, and they shouted long live. The number of civilians signing up to join the army suddenly increased tenfold. In some backward areas, there were even bribery of recruitment officials. , the phenomenon of muddle through...

The most dazzling result of the above military reforms was the Second Battle of Constant Ross.

In this battle, the 50,000 Zhou army used a majestic formation to confront the 200,000 Fire Worship Empire army, and won a great victory, beheading 120,000 people. Not to mention the total collapse of the army, the casualties were less than 5,000.

Some people may ask, didn't Zhou Ming offend the queen Wu Mei? Why did he have such a warm relationship with the emperor Li Zhi? Still have the opportunity to guide him on so many strategies to strengthen the country and the army?

It turned out that after Princess Anping ran to Zhou Ming at night, Emperor Li Zhi missed his daughter and couldn't let go. As a father, even if he was angry again, he could not ignore it. Soon after, he sent the eunuch Ma Dexi to come In Qingzhou, he visited his daughter Anping and saw that everything was fine and that the princess was pregnant. The eunuch Ma Dexi immediately returned to Emperor Li Zhi with a letter written by Princess Anping and Zhou Ming, as well as many heavy gifts.

Since then, gifts and letters have been exchanged between the two parties during every year and festival. After his grandson Tian An was born, in order to let Li Zhi see what his grandson looked like, Zhou Ming also used a pencil to draw many cartoons of mother and son, and talked a lot. An interesting and vivid story. Emperor Li Zhi laughed out loud after reading the comic. Seeing his daughter living so happily, the resentment in his heart disappeared long ago. Zhou Ming, the cheap son-in-law, also pinched his nose and recognized it. In the letter, He is often referred to as "loved son-in-law".

Emperor Li Zhi also knew that his "loved son-in-law" was the number one genius. Therefore, when he encountered any difficult problems in the process of handling national affairs, he quarreled with Queen Wu Mei many times, and often found to his dismay that he When Wu Mei could not refute, she suddenly remembered this "loved son-in-law", so she wrote a "Letter on Political Affairs" asking him if he had any unique insights.

Sure enough, he was not disappointed. In Zhou Ming's reply, after criticizing the current shortcomings, he always put forward many suggestions that impressed him. The feasibility and operability were quite high. He acted according to these opinions and suggestions. After accomplishing several things beautifully, not only the Queen Wu Mei felt that she could not see through him, but all the officials and ministers shouted from the bottom of their hearts in unison: "The Holy One is wise" more and more times.

Of course, Li Zhi, who had been the "wise emperor" for several years, also knew the importance of confidentiality. No one except the eunuch Ma Dexi knew that he had private correspondence with Tian Zihua. Otherwise, if the Queen Wu Mei discovered it, no one would know the secret. How many people were executed.

And to be honest, Li Zhi, who is a bit timid and cowardly at heart, is afraid from the bottom of his heart towards this queen who has been sleeping with him for more than thirty years. Some of the things this woman has done sometimes even make him feel creepy and frightened. .

Even so, he did not dare to kill or cripple her. On the one hand, the two still had a deep relationship as husband and wife, so he could not do it. On the other hand, Li Zhi did not know what means this woman would use to deal with him. , once he does that, what awaits him may be unimaginable revenge.

…

More than twenty days later.

The imperial capital of Zhongzhou, Luojing City.

Early in the morning, after the city gate was opened.

A four-wheeled carriage rushed into the city at a speed that was close to crazy. However, it rushed along the city's main roads, ran four or five traffic red cards in a row, threw down a handful of gold leaves, and went straight into the Daming Palace.

Hanyuan Hall, inside the magnificent bedroom.

There was a crowd of people, and the princes and grandsons, all dressed in gorgeous costumes painted with dragons and embroidered phoenixes, were all kneeling in front of a big bed, looking sad and sobbing.

"Father, what's wrong with you? Father, your unfilial daughter Anping is back! Father! Wuwuwu~"

Under the leadership of the eunuch Ma Dexi, he rushed into the bedroom and saw his father Li Zhihou who was emaciated on the bed. Li Anping fell to his knees with a plop, held his father's hand and cried heartbreakingly. stand up.

Seeing this scene, the other princes and grandsons in the room stared at her with angry expressions. Prince Li Jie moved his mouth and even wanted to scold her: "You shameless woman, do you still have the nerve to come back?"

However, the patient on the bed suddenly opened his eyes, and after uttering a clear sentence, everyone's anger stopped and their faces were full of surprise.

"Ping'er, my dear daughter, you are back..."

Emperor Li Zhi, who had been in a coma for dozens of days, woke up.

The current chapter, sorry it’s a little late