Li Jing chuckled and said, "So what if I say it a dozen times? I have produced talented people, so even a hundred times is not too much. By the way, Li Yuan, you did a particularly good job in Dongxi. Peng Shiyu came to Beijing to express his gratitude. I personally promise that all tribes in Dongxi will surrender to me, the Tang Dynasty, forever, and ensure peace in the western border of the Chu land. This is also my wish."
Li Yuan smiled and said, "This is my duty as a minister. Congratulations to Your Majesty."
Li Jing smiled and said, "Peng Shiyu often praises you in front of me, and I heard that you married his sister as your concubine, right?"
Li Yuan hurriedly raised his hands and replied: "Your Majesty, I have indeed taken Peng Guogong's sister as my concubine."
Li Jing chuckled and said: "Interesting, this is not a bad idea. It is good to get married to Dongxi. This is also a strategy for long-term peace and stability. Hey, I heard that the barbarian women from Dongxi look terrible. I'm sorry for you, but I understand your painstaking efforts."
Li Yuan was stunned for a moment, but he did not argue. He just sighed softly and saluted, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Li Jing nodded and sighed: "I am very happy. I have many capable people and my country is as stable as a rock. This is my blessing. If you can work hard and do your best for the country, I can also live a comfortable life. By the way. , you were injured by an assassin earlier, can your injury be healed?"
Li Yuan cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I have recovered."
"Then I'll be relieved." Li Jing nodded, winked and smiled: "You must be well aware of the assassination. The mastermind is really hateful, but I also issued a decree to severely punish you. It can be said that I have vented your bad temper on your behalf. Since You have recovered and it is over. Don't worry, you are a meritorious minister. I will never allow this to happen again."
The emperor took the initiative to talk about his assassination, and Li Yuan naturally understood his intention, which was just to calm the matter.
"That's what your Majesty said." Li Yuan changed the subject and said: "As for His Royal Highness Prince Zheng's kidnapping in Langzhou, I want to plead guilty for it. After all, the traitor general Zhou Xingfeng did it in our territory of Wuping. After all, it was my fault, and I feel extremely ashamed."
Li Jing waved his hand and said: "This matter has nothing to do with you. You are a governor. You can manage good people, but how can you control people with ulterior motives? It is true that I am very sad that Lao Liu is in danger, but it is not your fault. What can you do? Timely rescue and execution of the traitor can be regarded as meritorious service. I also saw your last memorial on this matter, so you don’t need to blame yourself for this matter."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Li Jing asked again: "By the way, I was right when you asked for army expansion last time. What's the situation now? When are you going to send troops south to regain Guiguan?"
Li Yuan cupped his hands and replied: "Your Majesty, the people of Chu are very grateful for your great kindness. The strong men are very enthusiastic about joining the army. The expansion of the army in Wuping has gone smoothly. I believe that after I return this time, the number of troops and horses will be sufficient. But the issue of sending troops southward. But I am a little hesitant, which is why I hurried back to Jinling this time. In addition to thanking His Majesty, I also want to make a request to Your Majesty."
Li Jing asked in confusion: "Oh? What request?"
Li Yuan paused and said, "I would like to ask Your Majesty to allow me to send troops to the north to avoid the shame of returning to the Northern Expedition."
Li Jing was stunned for a moment, then reacted instantly and said with a smile: "It seems that you know the imperial court's decree regarding the Zhennan Army's crusade against Zhou in the near future."
Li Yuan nodded honestly and said, "I know."
Li Jing smiled and said: "No wonder you were hesitant to send troops south. It turned out to be to ask for help in the Northern Expedition. Last time, our dynasty was defeated in the Northern Kingdom. Even my eldest son was almost killed, and the country's prestige was greatly damaged. This has always been a worry for me. , Zhongshu's disciples and the Privy Council jointly submitted a petition to launch the Second Northern Expedition. It was rare for the ministers to unite as one, so I approved Li Zhenggu's petition to lead the Zhennan Army to attack the Zhou Kingdom, just to teach Guo Wei a lesson.
Li Yuan, your loyalty and bravery are commendable, but this time you should follow your original request to me and concentrate on the war in the south. There is no need to worry about this matter. Although your town of Wuping is very close to Zhou State, your Wuping army is not responsible for it.
Besides, Guangxi Guan is still in the hands of the puppet Han, and the barbarian enemies in Lingnan are always watching. Your Wuping soldiers and horses have experienced several months of battles, and the casualties are not small. Now you should take advantage of the expansion of the army to rest and recuperate, and then you can go all out to replace me. Recover Guiguan and attack the puppet Han in Lingnan. "
Li Yuandao: "Your Majesty, I am willing to
It is not that I want to force myself to take the place of Prime Minister Li in the crusade against Zhou, but my intention is to threaten his followers with troops. Your Majesty is right. The expansion of the army has not yet been completed, and the troops and horses continue to rest and recuperate after a long war. However, it is still possible to send out 10,000 elite troops to accompany the expedition. I have always dreamed of capturing the city of Xuzhou, so as to provide the basis for my former Northern Expedition army. The heroic soldiers take revenge. "
Li Jing smiled and said: "I approve of your thoughts, but I have already made a decision on this matter. Don't worry, the Zhennan Army is a brave army. I believe they will succeed immediately."
Li Yuan shook his head and said: "Your Majesty, please forgive me for talking too much. In my opinion, the previous defeat of the Northern Expedition is a big worry for the people in the country. We must do our best in this war without making any mistakes, otherwise the hearts of the people in the country will be It must be floated. I know that Your Majesty is loyal to our troops and civilians in Wuping, but this war is related to the honor and disgrace of the country. If I cannot participate, I will not only feel depressed and unbearable, but also feel unworthy of Your Majesty's repeated promotions."
Li Jing frowned and said, "Are you serious about this?"
Li Yuandao said: "This is the reason why I came to Jinling specially. How dare you lie about it?"
Li Jing shook his head and said, "I don't think so. The imperial court still needs your soldiers and horses to control the Chu land. We can't focus on one thing and lose the other."
Is it possible that Li Yuan was pretending: "Your Majesty, in fact, even if I don't send troops, this battle will have something to do with our town of Wuping."
Li Jing said: "How do you say this?"
Li Yuandao: "Has your majesty noticed the small country of Jingnan? The imperial court ordered Prime Minister Li to lead an army from the Huai River to attack Xuzhou. The 100,000-strong army to suppress the south is huge. In addition to the Qingxu Forbidden Army, Zhou's military strength in the south should not forget to return With the Jingnan Gao family, Jingnan is now a loyal dog of the Northern Kingdom. I expect that they will respond, so we must be on guard! Wuping borders Jingnan, how can I not make preparations? How can I go south with peace of mind?"
Li Jing nodded and said: "I understand. You are saying that if Li Zhenggu leads his army to the north, in addition to mobilizing the imperial army to fight, the state of Zhou may also send troops to Jingnan to respond, aiming at Chu. Is this what you mean?"
Li Yuan cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty is wise, this is exactly what I am worried about. Therefore, instead of the enemy coming to attack me, it is better for me to make people first. When the time comes for Prime Minister Li to attack, it is better for Xu Chen to attack Jingnan. If Zhou comes to rescue Jingnan, doesn't it just involve their energy, but it will give Li Shixiang some help. If the Zhou Dynasty ignores it, I will try my best to capture some counties in Jingnan to disgust them, causing them unbearable pain and not daring to act rashly."
Li Jing frowned and thought, "In that case, it does make sense to send troops. I'm just worried that you haven't completed the expansion of your army yet, your troops and horses are tired, and you will suffer losses in the battle."
Li Yuan smiled and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. I have seen the poisonous miasma in the mountains, dense forests and swamps of Dongxi. How can I be afraid of Jingnan, which is a small and sparse place? Besides, I am not trying to seize Jiangling Mansion, the capital of Jingnan. It's just a matter of capturing a few small cities. The risk is actually not high, and it can also open up territory for the Tang Dynasty."
Li Jing thought for a while and said: "Compared with Xuzhou City, those counties in Jingnan are just small battles. Have you mentioned this matter to the Privy Council?"
Li Yuandao said: "I entered the city in the evening and just returned to my old residence to settle down before coming to see your majesty. The important ministers in the court may not know that I have returned to the capital. If your majesty allows my petition, I will write a memorial tomorrow and send someone to the Privy Council to report this. But before that, getting His Majesty’s approval is the most important thing.”
Li Jing's face immediately showed approval.
You must know that there have been constant rumors last year about the relationship between the former Privy Councilor Chen Jue and Li Yuan. Before, Li Yuan was indeed recommended by Chen Jue. It was okay for the Forbidden Army generals and the Privy Councilor to have a close relationship, and Li Jing didn't care. But now Li Yuan is the governor of one side. Although Li Jing does not believe that the Privy Council headed by Wei Cen and Li Yuan will do anything, but if the relationship between the governor of Bianzhen and the important ministers of the emperor and the emperor is too close, Li Jing will Jing would feel uncomfortable to some extent, because it is a taboo thing. Now Li Yuan's actions obviously made Xuanzong feel much more comfortable.
"That's all. After you report to the Privy Council tomorrow, if there is no objection there, I will give you permission to do this. Don't worry, the money and food for this attack on Jingnan will be borne by the imperial court. I will issue an order immediately. You The Wuping Army will also be regarded as the Zhennan Army. I will order the Privy Council to give you some armor and weapons as a priority.
Let's not talk about these things for the time being. I am very happy that you are back in Beijing. You can listen to some music with me and tell me interesting stories about Dongxi, marching and fighting. when
In front of Peng Shiyu, it's better for me to ask him about those barbarians, lest he think I'm disrespectful to him. "Li Jing chuckled.
Li Yuan nodded and took his seat. Li Jing ordered the musicians to play music. The palace band below began to play strings and strings, and several actors also began to sing loudly. Li Yuan was actually not in the mood to listen to any music, but he pretended to shake his head and enjoy it. Li Jing herself felt suffocated and soon ordered the band to stop playing.
Li Jing said with annoyance on his face: "I'm going to be mad at these guys. I don't know what they are singing. They have no artistic conception at all. Li Yuan, let me tell you, after the Feng brothers left Beijing one after another, no one gave me any advice." I was in a bad mood for arranging the music and writing the lyrics.
The poets and musicians in my palace are not as good as each other. I have changed them several times, but none of them can make me feel comfortable. Oops, it really gives me a headache. I like listening to music and singing lyrics the most, but now even this pleasure is almost gone. "
When Li Yuan heard him talk about the two Feng brothers, he glanced at Queen Zhong. Mrs. Zhong was leaning lazily on the pillow. Hearing this, he raised his eyebrows and glanced at Li Yuan. The two people made inexplicable eye contact, seeming to understand each other tacitly, but they quickly avoided each other's eyes.
"Your Majesty, don't worry. In fact, these lyrics and music are quite good. It's just that your Majesty is used to the previous taste. Naturally, he feels that these musicians are too ordinary. How about I present some new songs and good lyrics to your Majesty in a few days, and trouble these musicians and actors to perform for your majesty?" A song to relieve His Majesty's boredom and make His Majesty smile."
"You actually understand this?" Li Jing was very surprised, then she put her hands on her hands and said with a smile: "Okay, okay! That's great. It's agreed, I'll be waiting for you."
