Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

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He fired three arrows in succession and finally hit the hind leg of a deer.

"You've won! Your Highness has won!"

The servants excitedly shouted and began to ride their horses to surround the wounded sika deer, which ran east and west.

Zhao Yang shot four more arrows, finally hitting the man's neck.

The servants continued the pursuit, and the hunting dogs pounced and seized the deer.

Two servants carried the deer over and followed Zhao Yang to report back.

Zhao Yang blushed with shame and, riding his horse, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have captured a deer."

"That's good, keep it up," Zhao Yuan encouraged.

Zhao Yang was relieved and obediently rode his horse beside his father.

Zhao Kang, wanting to prove himself, volunteered to go hunting when a wild boar was driven out of the woods.

Zhao Yuan waved his hand.

Zhao Kang immediately spurred his horse and galloped away. He made rapid progress at the military academy, especially in archery, spearmanship, and horsemanship.

With just one arrow, it struck the wild boar squarely in the side and back.

The wild boar, in pain, stopped running away and instead turned and charged at Zhao Kang.

Zhao Kang fired another arrow, hitting the wild boar in the nose.

Then he spurred his horse to the side, creating a small distance, and another arrow struck his head.

Zhao Yuan looked through the binoculars, a bright smile on his face.

Muller said to Anwari, "This prince is extremely brave and the oldest. Why isn't he the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty?"

Anwari said, "In the Ming Dynasty, whether it is the king or a nobleman, one wife is the principal wife, and the others are only secondary wives."

"The first son of the legal wife can inherit the country or property."

"If this son dies of illness, the inheritance will be passed on to the second son of the legal wife."

“What if the legal wife doesn’t have a son?” Mullek asked.

Anwari said, "Then it shall be inherited by the eldest son born to the other wives."

After thinking carefully for a while, Mullek said, "This system of succession can prevent internal strife."

"But if the successor is too foolish, it will bring disaster to the country."

Anwari said, "The officials of the Ming Dynasty said they were not afraid of a foolish crown prince because they had ministers to help govern the country."

"I fear that the crown prince will be cruel and inhumane, undermine the national system, and disregard the lives of the people."

Mullek pointed at Zhao Kang, who had returned from hunting wild boar: "This prince is so brave, doesn't he want to contend for the throne?"

Anwari said, "If he dares to vie for the throne, he will be the enemy of all civil and military officials in the entire country."

"Unless he can defeat all his opponents and overcome the ever-growing, massive army."

Mullek shook his head and said, "This kind of inheritance system is difficult to implement in Seljuk."

"The emperor himself has gone hunting!" Anwari shouted.

Mullek also took out his bow and arrows and went out with the emperor's attendants.

Zhao Yuan's mount at this time was Coal Ball, the great-great-great-grandson of the Treasure Basin.

Its fur is black, shiny, and smooth like silk, and it possesses the bloodlines of the Hehuang horse, the Khitan horse, the Wusun horse, and the Akhal-Teke horse.

Chapter 3678 A Fighting Horse

It is currently impossible to classify it as a breed because its genetic characteristics are still unstable, and its siblings all have different appearances.

Its shoulder height is even below average among Akhal-Teke horses, at only 147 centimeters, but it is already considered tall enough in China.

Its head is small and agile, resembling that of the Wusun horse. Its body shape is similar to that of the Hehuang horse.

It possesses exceptional speed and endurance, perfectly inheriting the strengths of both its father and mother.

He has a volatile temper and is extremely combative.

Zhao Yuan flicked his whip, and Coal Ball leaped forward excitedly, quickly overtaking the attendants by a horse's length.

Then it rushed faster and faster, and Zhao Yuan quickly pulled on the reins to control the speed.

Zhao Yuan aimed at the leader of the deer herd, hesitated slightly, and then shot at the other deer beside him.

An arrow struck him in the neck.

"The Emperor's archery is superb!" the attendants and officials exclaimed.

Zhao Yuan reined in his horse and stopped, saying with a smile, "Envoys from all countries should also give it a try."

The deer herd here was released by the imperial court, but it hasn't been long enough for them to multiply and thrive. It's estimated that another batch will have to be released after today.

For the next few years, we must temporarily cease hunting to allow wild animals to reproduce properly.

Envoys from various countries rushed out excitedly, all eager to show off their skills in front of the Ming emperor.

Only the envoys from neighboring vassal states and some powerful nations focused their attention on the emperor's horsemanship and archery skills.

The envoys from the vassal states were inwardly lamenting their plight, wishing for a Ming emperor who could rule by doing nothing.

Even if the emperor was skilled in horsemanship and archery, it didn't mean much; it simply meant that the emperor valued martial prowess.

The emperor valued martial prowess, and so did the Ming Dynasty!

Cao Tuan, the envoy from Western Xia, recalled the famine this year and heard that a large number of famine victims from the border had fled to the territory of the Ming Dynasty and been resettled.

Many of these people were even kidnapped by the Western Xia from the border of the Song Dynasty.

Once the population of Hengshan region in the Ming Dynasty becomes sufficient, war between the two countries will not be far off.

In the past, the reason why the Northern Song Dynasty and the Western Xia Dynasty fought a protracted war was purely out of necessity in the face of the current situation.

Initially, the State of Song steadily advanced in Hengshan, and once a place was captured, a fortress was immediately built.

Then the Western Xia learned from this and also built a large fortress there.

The Yokoyama area is dotted with fortresses belonging to both countries.

Due to the terrain, we have to take down the fortresses one by one.

But now the Ming Dynasty has cannons. When facing a group of fortresses, they can use cannons to push through.

A few days ago, officials from the Court of State Ceremonial invited Cao Tuan to drink and talked at length about the loyal minister in the Northwest.

It was also revealed that Zhang Yichao's spirit tablet will soon be enshrined in the Daming Martial Temple.

Cao Tuan's ancestor was Zhang Yichao's grandson-in-law!

If one's ancestors are worshipped in the Ming Dynasty's Martial Temple, then if one assists the Ming Dynasty in destroying the Xia Dynasty, will one receive additional preferential treatment?

The problem is, his nephew is the crown prince of Western Xia.

Once his nephew succeeds to the throne, his influence in Western Xia will rise accordingly.

Unless absolutely necessary, it's best to avoid the destruction of Western Xia, so that the Cao family can continue to enjoy wealth and prosperity for generations.

But what if the Ming Dynasty really attacks?

Cao Tuan was very conflicted.

Suddenly, cheers erupted from ahead; it was unclear which country's envoy had successfully shot their prey.

Cao Tuan slapped his forehead and suddenly realized, "What the hell am I worrying about?"

As long as Western Xia doesn't suffer any defeats, I can happily be the emperor's brother-in-law.

If the war against Western Xia is lost, I should quickly become an inside agent to help, and it would be best to change my family name to Zhang.

The incense offerings of the Cao family were transferred to Zhang Yichao.

I can be Cao Tuan, or I can be Zhang Tuan.

"drive!"

Cao Tuan spurred his horse and charged out, but the deer herd had already scattered, and he could not find any prey at all.

Cao Tuan looked at the bow and arrow in his hand and realized that he had to choose the right time, otherwise he would not gain any advantage like he was now.

Joining the Ming dynasty too early could lead to the destruction of the family.

Joining the Ming dynasty too late would fail to demonstrate the value of the Cao family.

This timing is not easy to grasp.

The Ming Dynasty's royal hunting grounds were too small, and the hunting activities lasted only two days.

For half a day, the army was making preparations, and they didn't actually go hunting at all.

The hunt was over, and everything returned to normal.

The farmers whose crops were trampled received compensation for the damaged seedlings and began to busy themselves replanting miscellaneous grains and vegetables.

Envoys from some states left Luoyang with gifts in return.

Many more envoys chose to stay and continue to communicate with Ming officials, and foreign faces could often be seen on the streets of Luoyang.

Upon returning to the Eastern Palace, Crown Prince Zhao Yang surprisingly intensified his martial arts training on his own initiative.

Upon learning the news, Zhao Yuan summoned his son and asked, "I heard you've been practicing archery and horsemanship for an extra hour every day?"

Zhao Yang replied, "My performance during the hunt was not satisfactory."

Zhao Yuan said, "Actually, it's already pretty good."

"After all, that's archery on horseback, and the target is a running animal, plus you're still young and not strong enough."

"We can't let our father down," Zhao Yang said, head bowed.

Zhao Yuan laughed and said, "If you're interested, you can continue."

“If you’re not interested, then there’s no need. You might as well learn more about military strategy and geography. The emperor doesn’t need to personally lead the charge.”

“I understand,” Zhao Yang explained. “I have a general understanding of the geography of the Ming Dynasty and its surrounding countries.”

Zhao Yuan said, "Knowing the general outline is enough; just don't be easily deceived by the ministers."

Chapter 3679 Young

Zhao Yang said, "Now the court is full of virtuous officials, and both the central government and local governments are filled with capable ministers. They would not deceive the emperor."

Zhao Yuan's smile faded: "You really think so?"

"Is something wrong?" Zhao Yang wondered.

He is too young and inexperienced.

He was surrounded by "good people" from childhood, and his teachers were all great scholars, which led him to have an overly idealistic view of the world.

Zhao Yuan cautioned, "Remember, everyone has selfish desires; you can't completely trust anyone."

Zhao Yang asked, "Trust those you employ, and don't employ those you don't trust."

"If you can't trust anyone, how can you appoint officials to govern the country?"

Zhao Yuan sighed and said, "You've misunderstood that statement."

"Please enlighten me, Father." Zhao Yang sat waiting to hear his teachings.

Zhao Yuan explained in detail: "People are complex, and so are things."

"Take the land administration in Jiangxi as an example. Several years after the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the land administration in Jiangxi was still difficult to reform."

"Could it be that all the officials in Jiangxi colluded with powerful clans to deceive the imperial court?"

Zhao Yang shook his head: "No. The resistance to the Jiangxi land administration reform is too great, and the imperial court keeps urging us on, so Jiangxi officials can only try to keep it from the imperial court."

Zhao Yuan patiently guided him, asking, "Why was Wei Liangchen able to successfully measure the land?"

Zhao Yang thought carefully and said, "Mr. Wei is bold and capable, and he is not afraid of offending powerful families."

"With the royal decree and the imperial flag in hand, the local gentry could hardly resist."