At the south gate of Jinling, several groups of qingqi rode like lightning, crossing the Zhenhuai Bridge and rushing all the way.
This is the capital of the country, and it is at the feet of the emperor after all. How can Jinling Yin let go of such treacherous acts like galloping horses wantonly on weekdays? It’s simply unimaginable! As the dust rose, the street vendors hurriedly moved their stalls away, and the people around them stopped to watch.
The leading cavalryman was wearing red armor, with a flag with the word "order" on his back. He kept shouting "Great victory! Great victory! The Western Expeditionary Army captured Langzhou! Li Yuan, the Marquis of Yu of the Wei Sheng Army, captured and killed the enemy leader Liu Yan. !...A great victory! A great victory! The Western Expeditionary Army captured Kelangzhou! Li Yuan, the Marquis of Yu, captured the enemy leader Liu Yan!...A great victory! A great victory! The Western Expeditionary Army captured Kelangzhou! Li Yuan, the Marquis of Yu in the military capital, captured and killed the enemy leader Liu Yan!..."
The so-called important things were said three times, and this battle soon caused a sensation in the entire Jinling City. The capital indirectly represents the will of a dynasty, and the people here are influenced by the emperor's edicts of the Southern Tang Dynasty every day. Now when they hear the good news, they are excited about it, and everyone rushes to tell each other in the streets and alleys.
Not long after, on the banks of the Qinhuai River, anecdotes about "Li Lang attacked Langzhou under the moon and bravely fought to capture Liu Yan alone" were circulated in wine shops and teahouses. For a time, the whole city was talking about it, and even The girls in Qingxifang are all in love with each other, but of course this is a story for another day...
In the main hall, Emperor Li Jing was discussing matters with his ministers.
In recent days, he has been suffering on his face and anxious in his heart. First, Xuzhou's defeated troops came to report, and all five thousand elite soldiers were lost in Shuyang. Even the commander-in-chief Yan Jingquan was captured by the Zhou State. However, since Chen Jue submitted his first report, mentioning the army's siege of Langzhou, the army failed for more than ten days. There has been no report of the Western Expedition yet.
Li Jing has fallen into deep self-doubt. He has always been conceited and has never thought that his national policy of conquering the east and west for many years has made any mistakes.
I am the emperor of the Tang Dynasty. If I do not take it as my duty to unify the world and return the capital to the two capitals, how will I have the face to meet the late emperor and my ancestors in the future? But if we really lose the war one after another, it must not be my fault. I am the son of God, and I have not lost my virtue, so how can I blame God? It can only be due to my incompetence...
Sitting on the throne, Li Jing frowned and was immersed in his inner world, constantly conducting a series of self-examinations, but he clearly had no time to pay attention to what the ministers below said.
"Your Majesty!" Sun Sheng, the right servant, was just talking and his mouth was dry. Seeing the emperor's absent-minded appearance, he quickly raised his voice: "Your Majesty, I have advised your Majesty before. The great ancestor once said that as a ruler, you should practice political affairs. , rest with the people, but as for the large-scale use of weapons and weapons, the people are exhausted! Your Majesty has used troops for many years, and the people have been taxed heavily, which has made the people resentful! Since the beginning of the year, he has continued the Northern Expedition and the Western Expedition. This move is really against the law of heaven! The defeated general Yan Jingquan. .....”
These extremely irritating words had obviously brought the emperor back from his fugue, and then Li Jing said angrily: "Sun Sheng! Are you teaching me how to be an emperor?! The Northern Kingdom is trapped in the Yanzhou War. He has no time to look south, it's because he, Yan Jingquan, is arrogant and slow in his army, he is rampant and wanton, and he has failed to live up to my expectations, how can he be invincible?"
Sun Sheng was sweating slightly on his forehead. Seeing the emperor's anger, he quickly bowed and said, "Your Majesty! Your loyal words are hard to hear! I only wish for the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty. I really can't bear to see your Majesty being deceived and mistaken!"
Then he suddenly changed the target of the attack: "Feng Yansi! You and Chen Jue have received great favor from His Majesty and are in charge of court affairs. Why have you repeatedly deceived the Holy Spirit and encouraged His Majesty to go on an expedition? You have lost the support of the people and harmed the country. What crime should you have committed? ?!”
Han Xizai, the minister of Zhongshu, and several ministers, immediately stood up, raised their hands and echoed: "Your Majesty! For the sake of the country, Sun Xiangzhong, please your Majesty to punish Feng Yansi and Chen Jue, so as to serve as a warning to all the ministers and the people!"
Feng Yansi, who was beside him, was in a leisurely state of mind when he suddenly heard Sun Sheng mobilize his gang members and began to target him with gnashing teeth. He cursed in his heart, but still said disapprovingly: "That's all for you to frame the truth! What, this time? Zhan, are you trying to force me into the palace?"
Sun Sheng was so angry that his old beard trembled: "Feng Yansi! How can you be allowed to confuse right and wrong in the court?! How can we call it a forced palace if we are so loyal?"
"Okay!" Every time he went to court, there was basically such a scene of fighting. Li Jing felt a headache and quickly raised his hand to stop it. He said helplessly: "You are all my humerus and good ministers of the country, so don't argue! "
"Your Majesty!" Liu Shaojian shouted at this time and hurried to the palace gate. As soon as he entered, he saw such a scene. The old eunuch always had a discerning eye and was used to the fights between the two parties, so he walked straight through the ministers, paying no attention to anyone, and trotted to Li Jing's side and whispered something.
After a while, the ministers were surprised to find that Li Jing's face gradually changed drastically, and he shouted "Okay! Okay!", and then kept slapping the table excitedly, and then took a big sip of the tea soup handed by the palace attendant next to him, as if Extremely emotional.
Liu Shaojian saw Li Jing nodding towards him, so he walked up to the jade steps in front of the emperor and said loudly: "The Western Expedition is a great victory! Privy Councilor Chen Jue reported that Li Yuan, the Marquis of Yu, the capital of the Holy Guard Army, wiped out more than 10,000 barbarians who came to the front and those behind. He also led his light cavalry to attack Langzhou at night and captured and killed Liu Yan. Our army has captured Langzhou and the northern border of the Chu region has been pacified. In this battle, we captured more than 30,000 enemies and seized a quantity of money, food, and countless equipment! Today, the Tang newspaper has included Liu Yan's head. Has been sent back to Jinling."
All the ministers present were in high spirits, and even the veteran ministers burst into tears and shouted, "Long live the mountain!" Looking at it at a glance, Feng Yansi's party, which has always advocated conquest, was very proud at this time, and congratulated each other with chests raised, while Sun Sheng's party, as the opposing anti-war faction, at this time, in addition to the due joy, was even more Most of it is the panic buried in my heart.
Feng Yansi beamed with joy and said loudly: "Your Majesty! The soldiers of the Western Expedition have sacrificed their lives to achieve such a great victory, which is enough to show that Your Majesty is so majestic that all the people have surrendered! The country has a powerful ruler inside, and there are elite soldiers and generals outside. The Central Plains can be restored in just a few days! My lord. Congratulations to Your Majesty!"
"What Feng Qing said is true! What he said is true!" Li Jing was overjoyed. At this moment, her heart was raging crazily. In the ten years since she took the throne, she had gone on many foreign campaigns. Which time had she not felt aggrieved? He was ambitious and fought everywhere, but he couldn't defeat Fujian, Wu Yue, Southern Han, and Zhou... Repeated defeats had made Li Jing embarrassed and almost discouraged!
But only the war against Chu is a good news!
Li Jing couldn't help but joked in her heart, is this Chu land my blessed land? Then he reluctantly denied that although the northern border of the Chu Kingdom had been pacified, at this time the Bianhao and Zhangluan tribes in the southern border were struggling with the Southern Han Kingdom... Suddenly he thought inexplicably, The number one hero reported today, Li Yuan, was the one who said he surrendered to the King of Chu in Tanzhou Mansion last time. This time, it was him who made the first contribution to the battle of Langzhou!
Is this person my lucky general?
Recalling the young but calm face when she first summoned Li Yuan, Li Jing Le said: "Haha! My dear friends, Chen Jue has already reported to me that Li Yuan of the Wei Sheng Army should be the first contributor! Tell me, How should I reward him?"
Since the name Li Yuan appeared in the government and the public, most people understood that this was a confidant promoted by Privy Councilor Chen Jue. Having chosen to side with Feng Chen and Sun Sheng, Sun Sheng has a natural aversion to Li Yuan. Later, he heard rumors in the streets of Jinling that Li Yuan had become involved with Chen Jue's nemesis Zhou Zong, a veteran of the neutral faction in the Eastern Capital, and even entered into a marriage contract with the daughter of the Zhou family. However, the relationship between Li Yuan and Chen Jue seemed to have not changed. They were still reused and led the army in the expedition, which was confusing for a while.
After the emperor spoke at this time, something that made Sun Sheng and his party even more unpredictable happened again. Feng Yansi, who was supposed to take credit for Li Yuan in their speculation, now had a gloomy look on his face, and all his comrades behind him were silent. Say nothing.
Han Xizai quietly whispered a few words behind Sun Sheng, and then suddenly pushed him forward.
Sun Sheng couldn't help but staggered a few steps, and then stood up inexplicably.
Seeing that the emperor and the ministers were looking at him at this time, he could only swallow his saliva, and followed Han Xizai's words and said helplessly: "Your Majesty, Li Yuhou is unparalleled in wisdom and bravery. In the past, he said that he would surrender to the king of Chu and take Tanzhou lightly. This shows his wisdom. And the night attack on the city and the capture of the enemy leader during this Western Expedition shows his bravery! Your Majesty, to have such a talent at such a young age and to be so loyal to the emperor and serve the country is really a sign of the revival of the Tang Dynasty!
Li Yuan has descended from the sky, his Majesty’s guard, Huo Ye! Your Majesty should not hesitate to give rewards and give generous favors, so that you can show the emperor's sage, and the people will definitely be happy for it! "
Sun Sheng, who has always been harsh, is so rare to praise someone so generously today? Li Jing was stunned for a while, then clapped his hands excitedly and said with a smile: "Okay! Even Prime Minister Sun praised him so much?! Well, if this Li Yuan is really my guard, Huo, how can I be cold to him? Heart? Since he took the lead this time, I will reward him heavily!"
Then Li Jing tilted her head and asked with a smile: "Liu De, please tell all your dear friends about Chen Jue's request for Li Yuan's reward!"
Liu Shaojian quickly bowed and said: "Old slave, I obey!"
"Chen Envoy Xiangxiang said that Li Yuan should be the first to contribute to this western expedition. However, there are still Dongxi barbarians in the west of Langzhou. It is necessary to leave a general to guard Langzhou to ensure that Langzhou is safe. Based on Li Yuan's contribution, a festival can be established. "
Emperor Li Jing seemed to acquiesce, nodded with a smile and said: "My dear friends, what do you think?"
Establishing a festival is the supreme honor for military commanders, and it is also the most fearful thing for civil servants. As soon as Liu Shaojian finished speaking, the officials were already arguing with each other.
After a while, Feng Yansi, who had not spoken for a long time, suddenly stood up and said coldly: "Your Majesty, although Li Yuhou has the talent of a general, he is still young after all and has no experience in governing and caring for the people. I have been since the founding of the Tang Dynasty. , when was there a precedent for establishing a festival outside the country at the age of twenty-one? I am planning for the Tang Dynasty and for the common people, so please think twice!"
Han Xizai, who had always been the most elegant, shook his sleeves and took over the words in an unhurried manner: "What Mr. Feng said is wrong! Your Majesty wants to promote useful talents, and they should be judged based on their talents and merits. How can you judge them based on their age?" Measure? Your Majesty has already said that Li Yuan has the talents of Wei and Huo. How old were Wei and Huo when they became marquises in the past year? Could it be that Prime Minister Feng deliberately misled your Majesty? If you wronged your meritorious officials, how would your Majesty handle yourself? ?!”
"You!" Feng Yansi was choked up and his face turned red. He could only respond vaguely: "I am only thinking about His Majesty. How can Minister Han misinterpret it randomly?"
Liu Shaojian calmly interjected: "Feng Liushou also signed this memorial to Ambassador Chen..."
This sentence came very cleverly, and it hit Feng Yansi's heart unexpectedly. He was already resentful and complained in his heart, Feng Yanlu, Feng Yanlu, you are my true brother, how could you be so confused? Don't you know the feud between Li Yuan and my Feng family? Then several resentful faces seemed to appear in my mind one after another, including his son, Minister Zhang, and the imperial concubine...
Seeing that Feng Yansi fell into a brief silence, and the party members behind him stopped arguing with others, Sun Sheng, Han Xizai and others who were in the spotlight started talking. Gradually, the appointment of Li Yuan as Wuping Jiedushi seemed to have become the mainstream of public opinion.
Until Sun Sheng asked in confusion: "Your Majesty, wasn't the post of Wuping Jiedushi previously promised to Bian Hao? What if-"
"What's the harm?" Li Jing smiled disdainfully, shook his head and said, "I originally ordered Bian Hao to build a festival in Wuping, and ordered him to wait for an opportunity to lead his army to attack Kelangzhou, but for several months, he has done nothing! Now he is in Guangxi again The state has been defeated one after another. In my opinion, he, the military governor of Wuping, might as well not do anything!"
Thinking of this, Li Jing seemed to have made up his mind, and smiled at Liu Shaojian and said: "Liu De, make an order immediately. Li Yuan, the Marquis of Yu, the capital of the Holy Guard Army, will be promoted to General You Qianniu Wei, promoted to the Holy Army of Guards, and appointed as Wuping. The Jiedushi envoy was awarded the title of Inspector of Schools, to control the military affairs of Langzhou and specialize in pacifying the barbarians in Dongxi." (Note: Chong means actual duty; the position of inspector is the customary official of the local Jiedushi envoys. Non-employment)
After this series of titles, the ministers already knew that Li Yuan would undoubtedly be a rising star in the Tang Dynasty!
Then Li Jing started to pick up another memorial and talked about the Northern Expedition to Xuzhou.
The emperor was in the mood for a great victory. After struggling for half a day, the officials came out of the Golden Palace weakly and hungry.
As the sun sets, a canopy-covered carriage wrapped in silk slowly drives onto Yufang Street. The gold-inlaid window sills are splashed with the sunset, shining brightly and attracting everyone's attention. There is no need for passers-by to guess, as the passengers in the car must be of high status.
On the carriage, Sun Sheng finally couldn't help but said with full of questions: "Brother Han, why do you recommend Li Yuan? There is still Zhou Liu behind, and there are so many talents in the Tang Dynasty, why do you fall in love with him? The civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty Everyone knows that he was single-handedly promoted by Chen Jue! This is a recipe for disaster!"
Han Xizai smiled faintly, raised the crepe curtain and looked around for a moment, then turned back and said: "Everything that puzzled us before has been revealed. Do you know why Zhou Liushou betrothed his beloved daughter to Li Yuan? And asked us to support him secretly?" "
Sun Sheng shook his head and said, "Is it because I can't wait?"
Han Xizai whispered mysteriously: "For King Yan."
