Fu Shanhe

Chapter 118 Marriage
On the grassland, the Gral tribe.

"Humph!

These Tatars are getting more and more arrogant. They actually asked us to stop trading with Dayu."

Chief Oguz said indignantly.

Compared to the newly rising Tatar tribe, the Guifang tribe is the old overlord of the prairie, with a population ten times that of the Tatars.

If the Guifang tribe had not been divided into pieces, the Tatars would have had no say at all.

“Brother, the Tatars are just a bunch of upstarts.

If you dare to point fingers at us today, you will shit and piss on our heads tomorrow.

I don’t think we should pay any attention to them!”

Baturu expressed his opinion immediately.

Trade with the Central Plains dynasties has always been an important way for grassland tribes to obtain resources.

Without the salt, iron, tea, silk, cloth, medicinal herbs and porcelain from the Dayu Dynasty, how could these grassland nobles continue their luxurious life?

“Baturu Wanhu, don’t be so excited.

The Tatars just don't want us to sell war horses to Dayu, they don't want us to end all trade.

In fact, a large portion of the goods we traded with the people of the Yu Dynasty also fell into the hands of the Tatars.

If the trade lines are cut off, not only will we suffer, but they will also suffer.

Unless they can repair their relationship with the Yu Dynasty and start trading directly."

Kong Jingwen said with a smile.

Only when the tribe is in trouble can his ability be highlighted.

If things continue to go smoothly, he, as a foreign prime minister, will not be able to survive.

“Mr. Kong, you make it sound easy.

If we don't sell the war horses, we will have to sell a lot of supplies to exchange for the goods we want.

In trade with the people of the Yu Dynasty, we have always lacked the right to speak, and the only thing we can control is the war horses.

If they stop selling war horses, who knows if they will close the trade again.

After all, the other supplies we sell are not indispensable to the people of the Yu Dynasty.

In order to restrict the people of the Yu Dynasty, the war horses we sell are all castrated.

When it came into the hands of the people of the Yu Dynasty, war horses became consumables.

No matter how much they bought, after a few battles, it would be almost all consumed.

By being able to do this, we have already given the Tatars enough face.

If you continue to push your luck, it will be too much!"

Baturu said with a lack of confidence.

The Gral tribe is the royal court of the Guifang tribe, but the Guifang tribe has four similar royal courts.

The five major royal courts each brought a group of younger brothers to stand on equal footing. It was obvious that the Guifang tribe was stronger than the Tatars, but they were beaten badly on the battlefield.

In several previous conflicts, the Gral tribe suffered great losses.

If it weren't for the fear of being too harsh and disrupting the internal balance of the Guifang tribe, it would be hard to say whether the Gral tribe would exist or not.

"Please calm down, Baturu, the Tatars are just trying to blackmail you.

The people of the Yu Dynasty purchased a large number of war horses, obviously preparing for war.

At this critical moment, the Tatars have not had enough time to win us over, let alone push us to the opposite side.

After all, we are not the only ones who sold war horses to the Yu Dynasty people."

Kong Jingwen analyzed calmly.

For an ambitious man like him, the more chaotic the world is, the better, because only in chaos can there be opportunities to display one's talents.

In his opinion, the previous defeat of the Gral tribe was entirely the result of their self-righteousness.

If we had listened to his advice, even if we failed to defeat the Tatars, we would not have suffered any loss.

Anyway, the Guifang tribe has more people than the Tatar tribe, so if there are any losses, they can just be replenished.

The current size of the Gral tribe is not limited by their natural environment, but is restricted by the natural environment.

If you want to recruit more people, just annex the small and medium-sized tribes below.

“Mr. Kong is right. The threat from the Tatars is nothing to worry about for now.

But to be on the safe side, we still have to fool around.

Pass the order down, all future warhorse trade will be handed over to the small tribes below."

……

In the capital.

Li Mu was busy preparing for the wedding. Although all the procedures had been arranged, as the person involved, he still had a lot of work to do.

In addition to catching up on wedding knowledge, he also had to direct people to renovate the house.

One must participate in clan activities, cannot miss gatherings of the children of nobles, and cannot miss banquets among colleagues in the officialdom.

After busy social activities, Li Mu felt more tired than fighting a war.

Finally, the wedding day arrived. According to the rules of the Dayu Dynasty, he went to the woman's home under the guidance of the matchmaker to marry the bride.

"It's just a wedding, why are you so nervous?

Where is the calmness and composure you had on the battlefield?"

Li Mu was helpless in the face of Marquis Wuyang's ridicule.

Being calm and composed is based on experience and judgment.

This is the first time for him to get married, so what experience do he have?

What's more, this was a typical arranged marriage. He had only seen the bride once from beginning to end, and that was from a distance.

From beginning to end, neither side said a word.

"My Lord, please don't talk about me.

I don't believe you weren't nervous when you were getting married!"

Li Mu immediately retorted.

As they became more familiar with each other, he no longer had the same awe towards his old boss.

Especially after being transferred from the Wucheng Bingmasi, the two people who lost their affiliation got along more like friends.

"hehe!"

“I am not as unconfident as you.

My wife lives across the street from me, and we grew up together. My father-in-law’s family is no different from my own.”

Marquis Wuyang said proudly.

There are many rules in wealthy families, and he married his childhood sweetheart.

Before the engagement, both parties were ordinary people and there was no need for so many requirements.

Later, when he unexpectedly became a relative by marriage, he became even more confident.

We chatted all the way and soon arrived at our destination.

After dismounting, he adjusted his round-necked robe, lining, black gauze hat with flowers on it, leather belt, red cape, and black boots.

Led by the etiquette officer, Li Mu entered the Duke's Mansion.

Later, he was like a puppet, completing the wedding process under the guidance of the etiquette staff.

He only reacted when he heard “the ceremony is over”.

Then the bride returned to the mansion. Instead of worshipping heaven and earth or parents as is familiar in movies and TV dramas, the bride was taken to worship the ancestral temple first.

After a series of tedious rituals, the wedding night finally arrived.

……

The next morning.

"My dear, it's time to get up!" Li Mu realized that he was no longer single after his sweet dream was disturbed.

Unfortunately, my body is so tired that I don’t feel like moving at all.

Thinking of the ridiculous things that happened last night, he couldn't help blushing.

It was all caused by alcohol. His wife couldn't handle it after her first experience, so she directly ordered the maid who was providing technical guidance to join the battlefield.

Before he could open his mouth to refuse, the two maids rushed over quickly, and the wedding night turned into a battle between three people.

Even though Li Mu was in good health, he was still exhausted after a night of tossing and turning.

"Sleep a little longer, it's still early!"

Li Mu said lazily.

Since the parents are not around, many processes can be omitted.

One's own rules are the rules of the mansion, and it's okay to be a little unrestrained.

"Sir, this is not possible. You should get up now and burn incense for your parents-in-law.

After breakfast, I have to go back home later.

If you miss the time, you will be laughed at."

There was a hint of urgency in her gentle voice.

"I understand, ma'am. I know the importance of this."

Li Mu said helplessly.

The lady from a noble family is good in every way except that she attaches great importance to rules.

It’s just breakfast. You won’t starve to death if you skip it.

At worst, you can just take two steamed buns and get by on the way.

But I can only think about these words in secret.

If it were to be told to others, it would be really a shame.

Being a little feudal and traditional is not necessarily a bad thing.

……

Cheng Guogongfu.

When he visited again, Li Mu had completely different feelings.

After visiting his father-in-law and mother-in-law, his wife went to the back house, leaving Li Mu and Duke Cheng Guo sitting facing each other.

After a few simple greetings, the topic involuntarily turned to the court.

As a son-in-law, Li Mu was the one who was tested and taught.

Most of the time, Jing Guoliang asked the questions and Li Mu was responsible for answering them.

Sometimes she nodded, sometimes she shook her head, leaving him confused.

"It seems that what your uncle said is right, you are born to be in the officialdom.

Just based on the information circulating from the outside world, the complicated relationships in the court were sorted out.

But these judgments are not so accurate.

In fact, everyone in the court can be a member of the Qingliu Party, a member of the eunuch party, or a neutral party.

If interests require, Zuo Guangen can become a leader of the Qingliu movement.

Don't judge a person's stance based on their party affiliation.

Although it works most of the time, accidents can happen at critical moments.

We are not scholars, there is no need to distinguish right from wrong!"

Faced with his father-in-law's preaching, Li Mu could only nod continuously.

"Father-in-law, your advice is profound and insightful. I have benefited a lot from it!"

Regardless of whether he agrees in his heart or not, on the surface he is a good and obedient child.

"Ok!"

"By the way, how is your training going in the Yangzhou Camp? Are you capable of fighting?"

Jing Guoliang asked with concern.

If a general wants to climb fast and stand firm, he must have an army under his command.

The imperial court continued to expand its army, the power of the nine frontier generals continued to grow, and the noble camp also felt the pressure.

In addition to Li Mu's Yangzhou Camp, the noble group also promoted the establishment of Huai'an Camp, Yong'an Camp, Tongzhou Camp, and Baoding Camp.

"The Yangzhou Camp has five thousand infantrymen and one thousand cavalrymen under its command.

At present, the five thousand infantry units are fully staffed, with a total of more than 5,600 people, all of whom are carefully selected young and strong.

Dealing with ordinary bandits is no problem at all.

The Thousand Cavalry Team is in the process of being formed, and the biggest problem now is the shortage of war horses.

Thanks to the efforts of my son-in-law, I managed to gather 500 cavalrymen.

It will take some time before we can form combat effectiveness.

The second reason is insufficient financial resources. The military expenditure allocated by the imperial court is limited, and the army mainly relies on local financial support.

Because of the war, the local support that can be provided in the short term is limited.”

Li Mu took the opportunity to complain.

In order to get more military pay, everyone counted the number of people and livestock together when reporting their military strength.

The soldiers were counted together with their war horses, inferior horses for transportation, and the logistical personnel who provided support for the soldiers.

It is not surprising that there were only 500 main combat cavalrymen, but the number increased to 2,000 when listed on the Ministry of War's roster.

But Li Mu doesn't like to do this!
Historical experience tells him that when senior executives make decisions, they often do so without thinking.

If you meet a fool who knows nothing about soldiers, he will think you have that many combat soldiers based on the number of establishments you report.

The combat effectiveness of all soldiers is calculated, and then combat missions are deployed.

Winning is a miracle, failure is the norm.

These bad habits were developed later. The armies in the early years of the founding of the country were truly fully staffed, without any deception.

Even if it becomes an unspoken rule, these things cannot be brought to the table.

Since he couldn't bring it to the surface, Li Mu simply pretended not to know and legally expanded his military strength.

“The problem of war horses is easy to solve. The court has just purchased a batch from the grassland.

You can submit an application later and it won’t be difficult to get approval.

As for the issue of military pay, it is only a temporary difficulty. It will be solved once the autumn grain is stored in the warehouse.

The key is the combat effectiveness of the troops, which must be improved as soon as possible.

The emperor intends to recover Liaodong. Once a border war breaks out, no one can guarantee when it will end.

If anything unexpected happens in the country, we cannot rely solely on the Beijing troops. You must also take on tasks.

Don't let your troops be incompetent when they are on the battlefield, that would be fatal!"

After listening to his father-in-law's words, Li Mu suddenly felt that he should form more cavalry.

The domestic situation in Dayu is still stable, and the probability of major changes in a short period of time is not high.

If we are defeated again on the crucial Liaodong front, the northern barbarians will surely break through the pass and enter.

Just because the border troops were able to stop them last time doesn’t mean they can stop them this time.

If the Hu people were to invade, the newly formed troops in the country would come in handy.

Yangzhou seems to be far away from the capital, but because of the existence of the Grand Canal, the deployment of troops is actually fast.

Li Mu had no clear idea of ​​the Northern Tartar's specific combat effectiveness.

The only thing that is certain is that in modern times, the combat effectiveness of the Northern Tartar cavalry is considered the strongest among cold weapon armies.

(End of this chapter)