In the letter from the seed master to Xu Wei. At the beginning, he clearly told him that he "time is running out, and the deadline is not far away". Later, he praised Xu Wei, a junior of the Western Army, as "young but ambitious, and not afraid of dangers and obstacles despite his weak strength", hoping that he would "be loyal to the country and do it for himself". recalled the old friendship with Xu Zhang in the Western Army, and said that it was a pity that he didn't have time to meet. In the end, he instructed Xu Wei that at the moment of national crisis, it was the time for the military ministers to serve him, and sooner or later he would have to reuse. But at the same time, it is reminded that the young man has great misfortune and must be cautious. "When the Jurchen edge is gone, and Song Jin is seesawing, you should leave the dynasty to avoid disasters in the west, remember not to forget."

Xu Wei sat alone in the tent, looking at the letter for a long time, and finally sighed and put the letter in the envelope. Historically, before Yue Fei, Han Shizhong, Zhang Jun and others appeared, the Dao of Seed Masters was the absolute authority in the Song army. The patriarch, one might even say a banner. This veteran can be called handsome, although he has a clear understanding of the strength gap between the Song and Jin countries, but until his death, he still kept making suggestions, in the final analysis, the Great Song Dynasty has a way.

Now, this veteran will die soon, and if he dies, it will definitely be a blow to the morale of the Song army. If the Jurchens learned, they would inevitably be even more fearless. It's a pity that such a famous player didn't die on the battlefield. What makes Xu Wei feel even more regretful is that if he has any friendship with the Seed Master, it is really impossible to talk about it, the status of the two is too different. But since the first time I saw him, the concern for this younger generation was really moving. Even when he was dying, he sent letters, earnestly instructed, and repeatedly instructed.

In August of the first year of Jingkang of the Great Song Dynasty, the seed master Dao was seriously ill, and after Zhao Huan heard the news, he immediately ordered Yao Gu to go to Huazhou to sit in the town and take the seed master back to Tokyo for treatment. But the team has not yet arrived in the capital, and the Planter Dao has died of illness in the middle of the road. Zhao Huan expressed great grief, went to the family to mourn, and mourned the coffin, which moved everyone present. And personally drafted the edict. He highly praised his life of loyalty to the country, and presented the "Kaifu Yi with the Three Divisions". The seed master Daoben had two sons, both of whom died before him, and two grandchildren, the eldest grandson also died on the battlefield, and the second grandson died early. In order not to make this veteran of the army extinct, Zhao Huan ordered his nephew Chong Hong to be enshrined.

After the death of the seed master, although Zhao Huan mourned and posthumously sealed, he did not pay attention to the suggestions in his last words. Not only the emperor, but even Li Gang and other deacons also thought that the strategy of cultivating the Dao of the Master was unnecessary. If the seed is knowledgeable under the spring, he should also cry out......

After the siege of Taiyuan was lifted, Zhao Huan thought that he had made proper arrangements, and he did not have to be afraid even if the Jin army came again. He then focused his efforts on consolidating his rule. After Emperor Zhao Ji returned to Tokyo, he stayed in Longde Palace. Under the care of his son, his life continued to be luxurious and luxurious. But at the same time, Zhao Huan's political control over his father became more and more strict.

The first to be purged were the eunuchs beside Zhao Ji. At the beginning, in order to urge the Emperor Taishang to return to the camp, Zhao Huan promised not to pursue these people. But times have changed. In particular, Zhao Huan believed that under his leadership, the Song army had achieved a great victory in Taiyuan, and the control of the army had been initially established, and there was no need to look at anyone's face. Then Zhao Ji's cronies and eunuchs were expelled from Longde Palace one by one, and a large number of his henchmen were installed accordingly. Let them monitor the emperor's every move, even the emperor's words and deeds must be reported in time.

Just put Zhao Ji under house arrest, Zhao Huan felt that it was not enough insurance, and hastily appointed his ten-year-old son Zhao Chen as the crown prince. Everyone in the world thinks that the official family is reversed, but in Zhao Huan's opinion, once the situation is unexpected, he would rather his ignorant and weak son be in charge of the country than the restoration of his young and strong father.

Although Zhao Ji has been mediocre for decades, he is not stupid, he knows that he will not tolerate his son, and now that he is back in Tokyo, he is afraid that he will be placed under house arrest until death. After thinking about it, he moved out of the Dao of the Planter, who had passed away. He said to Zhao Huan, "The Jin people will commit Jingque again", and it was very reasonable for the master to suggest that the emperor retreat to Guanzhong. Since it is inconvenient for the emperor to leave Beijing, then let my father share your worries for you, how about I go to Luoyang to organize defense? Zhao Huan naturally did not forget how difficult it was to get his father back to Tokyo, and immediately rejected this suggestion. After that, Zhao Ji proposed to evacuate Tokyo and go south with the emperor, but he was also refused.

At the same time, Zhao Huan began to kill Zhao Ji's old ministers. One of the typical representatives is Tong Guan, he can't forget that Tong Guan fled from Taiyuan, resisted his edict, and followed Emperor Taishang to flee south. and even took away tens of thousands of elite soldiers. Shoot soldiers and civilians. Zhao Huan demoted Tong Guan three times in a row, and in July, when the Taiyuan bloody battle, he demoted him to the Jiyang Army (now Hainan).

In August, after the Taiyuan Jin army was almost completely annihilated, the Jurchens neither sent troops to invade the south, nor did they send envoys to ask for guilt, and they were a little strangely calm. This kind of silence made the civil servants who did not understand military affairs in the DPRK and China think that it was caused by the military might of the Great Song Dynasty. The Jurchens left behind the troops besieging Taiyuan, and they were killed by my heroic officials, presumably not daring to move lightly. These people were carried away by a local crushing victory, and they forgot the pain after their scars, and in a blink of an eye, they did not forget that they were almost beaten by the Jurchens last year.

However, the planter, who was still immersed in the grief of losing his brother, did not forget to play the imperial court, saying that the Jurchens would come back again, and asked the official family for reinforcements and materials to reorganize the defense of Taiyuan. He clearly understood that as long as Taiyuan did not fall, the Jurchen Western Route Army would not be able to move forward. The cavalry of the Jin army is indeed powerful, and it can raid thousands of miles, coming and going like the wind. But no matter how tough you are, you have to eat, right? As long as Taiyuan is stuck here like a nail, your logistics will not be able to guarantee it. Therefore, the West Road of the Jin Army wants to join forces with the East Road. Taiyuan must be eradicated!

But after the Battle of Taiyuan, in addition to the more than 30,000 troops led by the division, the troops of the Western Army returned to Fuzhou, because there was more than one enemy in the Great Song Dynasty. From this, it can be seen how prescient it was for the imperial court to ease relations with the Xia state and concentrate the western army against the Jurchens.

But Zhao Huan now has no extra troops to call on, and he can't come up with money to help Taiyuan. Not only did he have to maintain the Song Dynasty's huge bureaucracy and bloated army, but he also had to spend a lot of money for the emperor's pleasures. For this. He didn't even hesitate to cut back on food and clothing. For the military expenses and materials required by the division, he only paid less than 30%, let alone send a single soldier. At this time, some people proposed, why not take the suggestion of the late Planter Dao and transfer the troops of Shandong? Zhao Huan thought that the cost was too great and he couldn't afford it, so he ignored it.

On the eighth day of the first month of August, the Xu Mansion located in the West Water Gate in Tokyo City was very lively, and just after dawn, the people near the West Water Gate were surprised to see the handsome He Guan. Then, many officers of the Infantry Division6 continued to come. The neighbors all know that this house used to be owned by Wang Fu, a traitorous minister, and was later given by the official family to the new deputy commander of the infantry army. What big day is today? Do Shou? Wedding? It's not like it, isn't it supposed to be a lantern?

After someone with good deeds ran to inquire, it turned out that the petty officials of the Xu Mansion were going to hold a crown ceremony today and officially announced their adulthood. Who is the junior official of Xufu, you ask? I don't know if you still have the face to live in West Watergate? Xu Wei, the ninth child of the Xu family!

The crown ceremony is a very important part of ancient etiquette, and when a man reaches adulthood, he needs to perform the crown ceremony in order to be recognized by the society. Although Xu Wei has been in the seventh official residence, he is still regarded as a boy before the crown ceremony. And before the crown ceremony, you didn't have a word, so many people who were close to Xu Wei could only call "Xu Jiu Xu Jiu" because they had no words.

Since the crown ceremony is important, it is also very cumbersome. There are a total of 16 items, and the ancestors must be notified first, and the auspicious day must be selected. Only then do you invite guests, what kind of person can be a guest, what to say when invited, and what to answer, there are strict rules, and there can be no word for word. After the invitation, a person with high moral integrity and prominent status will be selected from the guests as the guest of honor. The day before the crown ceremony, the clansmen gathered at the temple to make an appointment. Agree on the content of the ceremony.

On the day of the crown ceremony, the people of the tribe should get up early before dawn and start to display their utensils. There are also boring rules about where to put things and where they are going, and you can't go wrong in the slightest.

After the preparations are made, the guests are not allowed to enter, and must stand outside the house and wait. Therefore, the residents of Xishuimen were fortunate to see the rare dignitaries of the imperial court gathered outside the Xufu Gate and talked to each other. These adults are dressed in court clothes and attend in full costume, which shows the importance attached to this crown ceremony.

"Hey, why is Li Shaozai here too? Tianfu Gong invited him? A group of infantry lieutenants discussed a lot. Isn't Zhengbin Captain He? If Li Shaozai is also invited to attend, Zhengbin should be him. Everyone knows that Li Gang is a close minister of the official family and is highly respected.

After Li Gang got off the sedan chair, he made a square gesture and said with a smile: "If you don't come as a guest, don't be surprised." ”

"How dare you, Li Xiang can come, it is really the glory of the Xu family." He Guan snorted haha.

Li Gang also smiled when he heard this: "Xu Wei is a rising star in the army, and I should be loved by my predecessors." ”

As the officials were talking, a sharp-eyed person caught a glimpse of a second-grade official coming quickly. The face of the Xu family is really not small, the deacon is here, Bu Shuai is here, and now there is another second-grade high-ranking official, who will it be? When the sedan chair landed and the people in the sedan stepped out, everyone was stunned. What's going on? Why isn't he in the house?

It was not someone else, it was Xu Shao, the privy deputy envoy! It's weird, he is Xu Zhang's younger brother, Xu Wei's uncle, he should have been in the house early in the morning to help, why did he appear here? Facing the puzzled eyes, Xu Shao probably felt a little embarrassed, and after stepping forward to greet the officials one by one, he stood outside and didn't go in. This made a group of officials confused, what happened?

However, the people in Xu Mansion were sharp-eyed, and after Xu Shao, they rushed in. At that time, Xu Zhang, Xu Yuan, and Xu Sheng were gathering in the flower hall to discuss the details, and the three of them were all dressed in court clothes, which was extremely grand. Seeing the doorman rushing in in a panic, Xu Yuan was the first to dislike: "Are you seeing ......" suddenly realized that today was the big day of the ninth brother, and he couldn't choose what to say, so he shouted: "What are you doing in a panic?" ”

"Three...... Xu Shumi is here! ”

As soon as the words came out, Xu Sheng and Xu Yuan looked at each other, why did the third uncle come? After thinking about it, how did you say this, the third uncle should have come. It's just that although outsiders don't know about this grievance within the Xu family, his two brothers know it. Then he looked at Xu Zhang, but saw that he was expressionless and did not react.

Xu Yuan gave a look to the fourth brother, Xu Sheng still doesn't understand his father's temper? How dare you brush the tiger's whiskers, or return the eyes. You are the eldest brother and the only son of the uncle, and there are two people that my old man admires the most in his life. One is the old breed and the other is the uncle, who will say if you don't say it?

Xu Yuan coughed dryly twice, and asked stubbornly: "Second uncle, do you look ......at this matter?"

Xu Zhang didn't wait for him to finish, with a cold snort, Xu Yuan touched a nail, looked at the fourth brother's words, and shook his head helplessly.

"Since you're here, please come in." At some point, Xu Wei suddenly appeared behind the curtain.

Xu Yuan and Xu Sheng were both startled at the same time, secretly looked at Xu Zhang's face, and saw that he had an angry face, and said in a deep voice: "My son Guanli, why did he come!" "It's really like a bell, deafening.

Xu Yuan and Xu Shengdu pinched the sweat for the ninth brother, good boy, don't think that you won't be beaten when you become an adult, in front of Lao Tzu, you will always be a son!

Xu Wei lifted the curtain and came out, wearing a deep coat with his head untied, quite an uninhibited and wild demeanor. He said to his father, "Those who are here today are my father's colleagues. The ugliness of the family should not be publicized, if there is a trouble, won't it be a joke for outsiders? ”

Xu Sheng was overjoyed, although his father was old-fashioned and stubborn, he had the best face. The ninth brother has made great contributions, and is favored by the superiors, today he held a crown ceremony, and his father, who has always been simple, actually invited his colleagues to participate in the grand event, in order to raise his eyebrows. The ninth brother's words, I'm afraid they are going to his heart.

When Xu Zhang heard this, he was speechless, and simply twisted his face to the side and didn't answer Xu Wei's words. When Xu Yuan saw it, he boldly said to the trembling doorman: "Go, please ask the third uncle to come in." ”

The man took two steps back, waiting for Xu Zhang's reaction, and if he roared, he hurried back to the place and stood still. But waiting left and right, Xu Zhang didn't see a reaction, so he put his mind at ease and ran out quickly. At this moment, the curtain suddenly opened, and Xu Wang's Xu Xiuping pulled Xu Wei back on the left and on the right: "They are all * people, and they are still restless!" What are you running? ”

Not long after, Xu Shao came to the flower hall, wearing a second-grade purple official uniform, a curved collar and big sleeves, a gold belt around his waist, and a fish bag, which was very solemn. Xu Yuan and Xu Sheng got up at the same time, and they had already made it, but they didn't dare to speak, and the atmosphere was embarrassing for a while.

Xu Shao's expression was as usual, he had to go forward, facing Xu Zhang, who was sitting on the main seat, looked at it for a while, and then bowed, and shouted: "Brother." ”

Xu Yuan and Xu Sheng suddenly tightened their skins, how would the old man react? Shooting? Yells? Ignore? A punch in the face?

Xu Zhang's teeth were clenched, his fists clenched, and it seemed that he really wanted to fight. Xu Yuan couldn't help but worry a little for the third uncle, although the second uncle is now old and sick, but the name of the first fierce general of the Western Army is not blown out, it is made up of countless heads of party members!

Who knows, Xu Zhang stared at Xu Shao for a long time, his face was uncertain, he suddenly sighed, and hummed softly. He sighed, Xu Yuan and Xu Sheng breathed a sigh of relief, and then stepped forward to salute Xu Shao, claiming that he had seen the third uncle. Xu Shao picked up his two nephews with his own hands, looked at them carefully, and said with a smile: "Yide, Xinchen, good, good, good." ”

The auspicious time has arrived, and the crown ceremony has officially begun. The person designated by the Xu Mansion went out of the mansion to invite Li Gang, He Guan and other guests to enter, and then came back to report to Xu Zhang. Xu Zhang immediately went out to the east of the gate to greet him, and he was surprised to see that Shaozai Li Gang was also there. After snorting at Li Gang, he was honored.

"Haha, Master Xu gave birth to a good son! Congratulations! Li Gang returned the salute and laughed heartily. Then, He Guan and other officials greeted Xu Zhang one after another, and they all praised and congratulated him, making him smile happily, as if he was a few years younger. The guests gathered, and Xu Zhang, as the host, had to bow to the guests three times, and the guests needed to bow back regardless of their official rank. Then, Xu Zhang and Zhengbin He Guan shook each other and entered the main gate, and Li Gang and other guests followed. According to the etiquette system, where there is a turn, the host and the guests must also shake, and this shake can not be the usual slight bowing, the body must be level with the ground! Fortunately, this Xu Mansion is not big, and the elderly guests are a little relieved, otherwise, all the way, Xu Wei has not been crowned, so we will flash our waists first.

Entering the main hall, Xu Zhang and He Guan each occupied the main position, standing left and right. The other guests and relatives stood outside the hall, and their positions were not sloppy at all. After everything was ready, Xu Zhang ordered someone to summon Xu Wei out. Facing south, it stands next to the feast set up in the northeast part of the guest hall.

Xu Wei really didn't expect it, isn't it just a ceremony to wear a hat? Why make it so grand? Just thinking about it, I suddenly saw He Guan coming over, and he actually shook at him! Let him sit down at the side of the feast. Xu Wei was startled, and before he could come back to his senses, he saw the bearded deputy capital of the Bujun Division, Yu Hou, come to sit down beside him, and when he was puzzled, the chief had already picked up the comb that had been prepared next to him to comb his hair, and after finishing, he tied it with a ribbon. This chief acts as a "praiser", and his duty is to comb the "crown", that is, Xu Wei's first head. Non-master close subordinates cannot take on this role. It seems that this person is estimated to have the same temper as Xu Zhang.

Xu Wei has always had the urge to laugh, how can I marry my daughter's family? But the people present are either the nouveau riche of the imperial court, or the chief of the three ya, how dare they be abrupt? So I endured it again and again. I thought I was done combing my hair, and I should wear a hat, right? But when he saw He Guan and his father going out at the same time, he waved at the guests standing outside the hall, and the guests thanked him, saying that the host did not have to come down if he had something to do.

The two returned to the hall and shook each other again. Then, Xu Zhang returned to the main seat, He Guan stood in front of Xu Wei, and someone brought a copper basin for him to clean his hands. After washing his hands, he reached out and moved the strap on Xu Wei's head, indicating that he was doing it himself. After that, someone sent the "crown". In fact, it is not a hat, but a scarf, which is used to wrap it.

He Guan took it, looked around with a serious expression, and said loudly: "When the moon is auspicious, the first plus yuan is served." Abandon your young ambitions, and become virtuous. Shou Kao Weiqi, Jieer Jingfu. (When you choose the auspicious month of the good moon, put a crown on you, remove your childish heart, and practise your adult virtues.) I wish you a long and auspicious life, and I hope that God will bless you. ）