It turned out that Cai Ying himself had no clue: "We have been analyzing for a long time and couldn't agree on one. I thought Brother Zedong might have some wise ideas, so we met at the door to wait." He replied with a slight embarrassment.
"My little brother has only taken over for a few days, what good ideas can he have?" Li Dan smiled bitterly, and everyone's faces were immediately disappointed. "However, the thieves should still have some tricks up their sleeves."
After Li Dan finished speaking, he turned to Director Pan and said, "Brother Pan, this official document should not be the only one sent from the border, right?"
"Of course," Director Pan nodded quickly: "In addition to the memorial from the border general, there are also the confessions of the guarding general and the soldier, the results of the widow's examination, and the testimony of the Ye Fushou leader who was the first to arrive at the scene."
As he spoke, he looked at Cai Ying. When the doctor nodded, he quickly stood up and said, "Master Li, please wait a moment. I'll get it right now!"
Li Dan took advantage of this moment to ask: "Master Cai, were these information sent directly to the Staff Department, or were they handed over to the Yamen of the Ministry of War for transfer?" He wanted to find out how many people in the Ministry of War knew about this matter.
Sure enough, Cai Ying said: "The border sent two reports, one to the Ministry of War and one to the Staff Department, but ours here is more detailed and comprehensive, and some information was handed over through internal channels of the Staff Department. Wait a moment When you see a green sign, that’s it.”
As he said that, Mr. Pan had come back in a hurry with a large volume under his arm. Li Dan's eyes skipped a beat without saying anything. He reached out to take it and read through them one by one. While reading, he said:
"This group of thieves is very cunning. They didn't leave a single body behind. They obviously came prepared and deliberately, and they also had ulterior motives. Otherwise, why bother?
This is definitely no ordinary horse thief. You can see what Fu Zuo also said here: The sword technique is precise, and he kills with one blow and goes straight to the vital point! "
Cai Ying looked at him in a daze as he picked up a document, and asked softly: "My lord, do you think there is something suspicious about this?"
"Yeah!" Li Dan nodded and handed him what he was holding: "The bodies were taken away, but the dead horses were not. You see, this is what the Ye Bu Shu team was writing. He said there were two A dead horse has no shoes, what do you think of this?"
"No shoe?" Manager Liu took it and looked at it carefully, then thought about it and said, "When I first joined the Fang Division seven years ago, I was assigned to a caravan and followed them around the grassland for half a year before returning.
No matter it is Ula, Huifa or Seyan, no matter how hard our government blocks it, they will do everything possible to shoe the warriors' horses, unless they are horses ridden by the old and the weak. "
When he said this, Li Dan also remembered that the horseshoeing business outside the capital city was very prosperous a while ago. The reason was that the tribute Ula mission had to find a blacksmith to shoe their horses before leaving. It was even regarded as a joke at that time.
"Did Master Liu ever go to Mobei during those six months?" Li Dan asked.
"No!" Manager Liu immediately shook his head: "It's too far and too dangerous. The situations I mentioned were all seen in various tribes in Monan. They are closer to the border wall, so it is easier to obtain these goods.
If you take the horseshoe out of the customs privately, you can exchange it for six sheepskins and two wolf skins there, and any herdsman will exchange them without hesitation! "
The corners of Li Dan's lips slightly raised after hearing this: "Then tell me, are these dead horses without shoes, the best friends of soldiers, possible from Kerge?"
Several people in the room were shocked. Everyone looked at Director Liu and saw his throat moving with difficulty: "Li, Mr. Li's speculation is possible, but they are so far away, can they make it?"
"I have to ask you, Mr. Liu, have you ever caught a Kergo spy who crossed the desert and secretly climbed over the border wall?"
Manager Liu was sweating on his forehead. He took out his handkerchief and wiped it. He replied: "It's true. But spies only have someone else occasionally. This, this job requires an army!"
"Since a few people can come over, it's not much different from two or three hundred people coming over. Besides, they can also break up into parts, pretend to be horse bandits, and then meet at the designated place." Li Dan said the map, and Cai Cai immediately Xing went to get a map.
However, this picture was too abstract and freehand, and it took Li Dan a long time to figure out the direction by looking left and right.
"Look, according to the memorial, the place of the accident was Sanyi Spring on the shore of Daihai Lake.
This place is said to have entered the territory of the Ula tribe. Qimeier Khan and his party
You must be happy and relaxed, and maybe you even drank and celebrated in the evening, so you let your guard down.
The memorial said that the enemy came from the northeast and caught them by surprise. So what was there in the northeast? He pointed at it, and several people shouted at the same time: "Jininghai!"
"The enemy is hiding in Jininghai!" Li Dan repeated.
"Sir, excuse me for disturbing you!"
When everyone took a look, it turned out to be Li Dan's deputy, Ambassador Chen Chun. He stood with his hands crossed at the door: "A message has come from the palace, asking Mr. Cai and Mr. Li to come to the palace quickly to discuss matters."
Both of them understood that the Ministry of War must have reported the matter to the emperor. Li Dan stood up with Cai Ying. He could imagine how angry Zhao Tuo would be, and he couldn't help but sigh softly.
However, to his surprise, Zhao Tuo looked a little pale, but he did not become furious as he had guessed. After listening to Cai Ying's analysis quietly, he nodded with satisfaction:
"It's a cover-up! On the contrary, I was able to see their tricks clearly, and I became more determined to teach Kelge a lesson! Now, I don't think anyone will bring up any more peace talks, land concessions, or grants, right?"
Li Dan frowned. When he was talking at home, he heard Yao Huang and others talk about the war faction and the peace faction. At that time, he was still wondering why such a statement was made. Now that the words came from the emperor's mouth, could anyone really want to fight with them? Will Kelge negotiate a peace?
"Your Majesty is wise!" Hou Xie said with a grin: "Everyone is like this, but there are still people here who are clamoring for peace, thinking that dividing the land of Luyan and Seyan will be troublesome, and then marrying him, everything will Everything will be fine!
Only a ghost can believe him! Let him sweat profusely today, and tomorrow he will dare to kick down the door of our western Liaoning Province. How can we talk about benevolence and righteousness with such an insatiable evil wolf? "
"That's right! This idea is so ridiculous! It's completely wishful thinking!" Li Gengsan and several other generals present spoke in agreement.
Li Dan suddenly noticed that Shanhou Cao Dayuan was not there. It was strange that he was the Left Governor of the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion and the highest general of the Wuren Group. Why didn't Cao Hou come to participate in such a big event?
While he was thinking about it, he heard the censor on duty shout, and everyone fell silent. The emperor walked to the jade platform with his hands behind his back: "Let's not talk about other things. Let's discuss the aftermath.
The cabinet immediately sent someone to contact the Ulla Ministry to inform them of the matter and invite them to claim the body. Datong was ordered to send a fifth-rank official to carry coffins for Qimeier Khan and those of seventh-rank and above.
Officials from the Ministry of Rites were designated to go to the site of the accident to pay homage and erect a monument to commemorate the incident. Regarding the posthumous title of Qimeier Khan, the first assistant and the ministers prepared a request for the posthumous title. "
Officials from the cabinet and the Ministry of Rites agreed one by one, and then Zhao Tuo proposed that Qimeier Khan's return to the grassland was not only related to the Western Front Containment Plan, but also related to the Hanhai Protectorate's plan. This strategy has now suffered a setback. The emperor hopes that everyone will make suggestions. What are the next steps to make adjustments?
"I suggest that Prince Kulun immediately accept the canonization and inherit the throne to ensure the stability of the Ula tribe!" Hou Xie was the first to stand up and speak: "Only when Ula is stable, can we talk about the relationship with Huifa and the alliance between the two tribes. Bing, go north to Helin!"
After Han Wei exchanged opinions with several members of the cabinet, he stood up and expressed that the cabinet agreed with the proposal.
"Time waits for no one now. If Your Majesty wants to bring the West Road Plan into full play, the sooner the better!" After Han Wei finished speaking, Zhu Zhanzhen replied that the day after tomorrow would be an auspicious day, and His Majesty could immediately hold the canonization ceremony and then make arrangements. Cullen was escorted back to the grasslands.
Zhao Tuozhun ordered Du Yi, a priest in the ancestral hall of the Ministry of Rites, to preside over the canonization ceremony.
"I originally intended to send Neixiang Hou Deng Zhu to Monan to establish the Hanhai Protectorate after the war, but now it seems that it should be sooner rather than later!
Marquis Deng led Datong's Weiyuan Army, Shanxi Zhenwu Army, and Xuanfu Huai'an Army to march to Jininghai, set up a military tent, built fortresses, stocked up military supplies and horses, and recruited the Wula, Huifa, and Seyan tribes. , fully responsible for the protection of Monan. "
There are 20,000 people in the three armies, of which the Zhenwu Army has 6,000 cavalry. With them calming down and supporting Cullen, the problem of Cullen's lack of qualifications was solved.
The emperor asked the cabinet to lead everyone to discuss the candidate for the chief executive of the Protectorate, and then turned to go to the back of the palace to "change clothes." Li Dan silently left the hall and came to the corridor. Sure enough, not long after, he saw Liu Xi waving to him at the corner, and he hurriedly Step over.
Liu Xi walked in front, murmuring: "Who dares to kill even the angels sent by His Majesty? His Majesty fainted when he heard the news last night."
"What? Fainted?" Li Dan was shocked. It seemed that the Winged Dragon Guard was still moving faster than the normal post-road emergency delivery!
"No, the imperial doctor came to check my pulse, use a needle, and took some borneol to calm me down. It's scary!"
Li Dan immediately guessed that the emperor might have symptoms of Qi deficiency, excessive fire and lack of sleep, but he could not tell Liu Xi this. He followed to the outside of Qin'an Hall, and suddenly smelled a familiar aroma, and couldn't help but frown.
The palace servant used a jade hook to lift up the bead curtain. Zhao Tuo walked out of the inner hall and saw a smile on Li Dan's face: "Li Qing is here? Please sit down quickly!"
After thanking him, Li Dan sat down sideways and looked at the emperor's face carefully.
"Why, are you here to meet me?" Zhao Tuo asked curiously: "How, can you tell whether it's good or bad?"
"I am a disciple of a saint, and I don't dare to participate in these magic tricks." Li Dan smiled and said, "But I saw that His Majesty was slightly ill, so I just took a second look."
"You said I'm sick?" Zhao Tuo was surprised: "I don't even know it myself, how could you know?"
"Your Majesty, has your voice become thinner and weaker recently when you speak for a long time?"
"Exactly."
"Occasionally it's accompanied by dizziness, and your hands and feet tend to sweat, right?"
"Yes!" Zhao Tuo was surprised: "Is this a disease? Is there a way to cure it?"
"I dare you." Li Dan looked at everyone in the palace and said, "It's fine if Mr. Liu stays here!"
Eunuch Liu looked at the emperor with a smile, then shook off the dust and made a "squeal" sound in his mouth, and the others immediately filed out.
"What time does Your Majesty go to bed every day? How long does it take to fall asleep? How many hours can you sleep deeply every day?"
"Master Li..."
Just as Eunuch Liu was about to speak, Zhao Tuo waved his hand: "It doesn't matter, I can trust Li Zedong!" After saying that, he came closer and said softly: "I have to review the excerpts every night. It's not easy to fall asleep after drinking strong tea. It's better if there is a beautiful woman by my pillow, otherwise I will toss and turn. hard to fall asleep."
Li Dan nodded: "Your Majesty, this is caused by internal deficiency and dryness, liver fire invading the lungs, and poor kidney water regulation. Therefore, the damage of vitality affects speech expression, and the lung fire attacks the heart, causing dizziness.
Three methods can be used to manage it: go to bed early and sleep more, eat wolfberry, and stand daily. Your Majesty's youth is fleeting, don't be greedy for pleasure, your dragon's health will naturally last forever, remember this!
Use five or six wolfberry berries every day. Chew them carefully and swallow them with saliva. If you insist on it for a long time, it will have miraculous effects. As for the standing breathing technique, I will draw it when I go back and present it to you. You can practice it for half a quarter of an hour every day. "
Zhao Tuo originally thought that he would open him some kind of house with all the necessary benefits, but unexpectedly it was just these three things. His face felt slightly hot and he said, "Is it that easy?"
"It's easy to talk, but you need to persist." Li Dan also leaned over: "I am also a young boy. To be honest with you, Your Majesty, I used to fool around with two girls during the day..."
Zhao Tuo was stunned for a moment, and couldn't help laughing anymore. He pointed at him and leaned back and forth, laughing until tears came out. After finally calming down, he took the handkerchief from Eunuch Liu and said:
"Since I came to the throne, this is the first time that a minister has been so straightforward in person! No, I dare say that since the palace was completed and Emperor Taizong moved in, this is the first time that you will do it!"
"That's all Li Dan has. As for how he got this ability, I would like to dedicate it all to His Majesty without hiding anything!"
"Okay, okay, okay, your method of admonition is the best in history!" Zhao Tuo patted the armrest of the chair and laughed again.
When he smiled, Li Dan breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that after the murder of Qimeer Khan, the emperor did not become angry because he endured it, but it did not mean that he was really not angry.
Fainting is a sign of anger. Now let him fully vent Li Dan's self-degradation, venting this grief and anger in laughter.
Only in this way can he truly let go of the matter, instead of venting his anger by having an all-night mess with the harem after returning to the palace at night. The latter may seem very satisfying, but is actually very harmful to the body!
"So, you also support the result that Kelge did.
Argument? Zhao Tuo finally stopped laughing and wiped the tears from his eyes.
"I am not supporting you, I am convinced!"
"Oh?" Zhao Tuo put down his handkerchief and looked at him carefully: "Do you know something that no one else knows?"
"I received an insider report today that Yebi Khan sent a eunuch who could pretend to be a woman to go south, bribe the guard at Baiyangkou and then take the road to the capital. But after learning the news of Qimeier Khan's return, this man disappeared.
In addition, Yebi Khan sent a Chexue Guard of nearly 300 people to escort him. This team was hidden in the meadow of Jininghai, which was only 200 miles away from the place where Qimeier Khan was killed.
Therefore, I can basically conclude that this case was committed by Kerr! "
Zhao Tuo gritted his teeth and said, "I won't be able to sleep peacefully until everyone in Kerr dies!" He stood up and walked a few steps, then turned around and asked, "Can we kill this Chexue?"
"As long as you cast nets in all directions and make good bait, it shouldn't be difficult!"
"Bait? You mean...?"
Li Dan stepped forward and said softly: "Your Majesty publicized this matter in a big way, and then offered sacrifices and gifts in the capital, so that everyone would know that Qimeier Khan of the Ula tribe died in the king's affairs, and he would be honored after his death.
Then Fu Kelun succeeded to the throne, continued the canonization ceremony, and then sent him back to the grassland to inherit his father's legacy. The thief will be furious when he hears that, and will set up an ambush to kill Karen again to completely disrupt His Majesty's plan.
Your Majesty can choose a good general to set up an ambush on all sides to counterattack, and he will definitely be able to capture him in one battle! "
"Wonderful, I will follow this plan!" Zhao Tuo smiled while stroking his hands: "You are my ovary!"
"I think this matter is not right, so I will hand it over to General Deng. He is familiar with the northern land, has fought with the Egu people many times, and is familiar with the use of cavalry. And if this battle is successful and the prince's blood revenge is avenged, Culun will be grateful to General Deng. The Protector There will be no obstacles to the establishment of the government!"
"That makes sense!" Only then did Zhao Tuo feel that most of the weight in his chest had been removed. He slapped Li Dan on the back and said, "With you here, everything seems to be simple and easy."
"I don't have any secrets. I just don't forget my original intention. I can't let these troublesome little things ruin the big plan. As long as the big plan works, I have the initiative and the enemy is passive. Your Majesty, do you think this is the truth?"
"Yes, yes!" Zhao Tuo nodded repeatedly, suddenly feeling regretful: "Why don't you stay, I think I can't live without you."
"Your Majesty, it would be ridiculous if you think so."
"how?"
"It doesn't matter if there is no Li Dan in the world. If there is no Your Majesty in the world, thousands of people will feel that the building will collapse. So Your Majesty, please don't praise me like this in the future, lest I make mistakes."
Li Dan bowed and answered. This answer was so clever that even Eunuch Liu beside him couldn't help but smile.
Zhao Tuo turned around and helped him up, obviously feeling much more relaxed, and said:
"Then while you are still in Beijing, please help me with three things. The first one is the 3,700 fire guns you sent me. Professor Song Qian has been training hard at the Shenji Camp for a month. I plan to use this time How about asking them to go with you to Liaoxi to try their skills?"
"Soldiers must focus on actual combat. Training without fighting is a false strategy. I agree!" Li Dan replied: "It just happened that all the troops in Beijing changed to carriages and marched north together with the Ruichang Battalion, which had just been transformed into engineers."
"Okay! The second thing is about peace negotiations."
"Your Majesty," Li Dan crossed his arms and asked, "Is there a peace negotiation faction in the court, as the old general Caihou said just now?"
"It's not surprising that some people advocate fighting and others advocate peace. What's the matter?"
"I am worried that in the middle of the battle on the front line, there will be talks of peace talks in the rear."
Zhao Tuo smiled: "You don't have to worry about this. I'm not Zhao Gou, and I won't do those thirteen gold medals."
Li Dan also smiled: "I believe in Your Majesty. Frankly speaking, I understand Gaozong's decision back then."
"Oh?" Zhao Tuo was surprised: "Don't you think he is too soft?"
"The Southern Dynasties had not been established for a long time, and they lacked financial resources for successive campaigns. However, the Jin Kingdom was sitting on the treasury savings of the previous Song Dynasty for hundreds of years, and it also had cavalry for mobile warfare. If you are not careful, you may lose a territory that you have managed to hold on to again. This is That's the worst.
Only by weakening and attacking the Jin Kingdom, curbing its southward ambitions, and allowing the Southern Dynasties time to recuperate and reorganize their affairs, while eliminating disadvantages and advantages, and reforming and pragmatically, can the Southern Dynasties have a future.
However, Yue Fei and other generals disobeyed the emperor's orders, which actually weakened the imperial power, leading the Qin family to seize power and control the government by killing the Yue family.
This made the late Gaozong Dynasty inactive, and the court also fell into a lethargic depression. Everyone said that this was the Qin family's crime of disrupting the imperial court, but they didn't know that the Yue family had actually contributed to it! "
Seeing Zhao Tuo nodding thoughtfully, Li Dan changed the topic:
"But the situation is different now. Your Majesty's reputation and authority have grown steadily since he took office. Everyone says that your Majesty is comparable to the former Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty. Therefore, I am only worried about the Zhuhe faction disturbing your majesty's sight, and I am not worried about your majesty meeting Qin Hui."
"Ha, you've made a lot of progress with this guy!" Zhao Tuo laughed and cursed, and then said:
"However, peace needs to be negotiated after the war. You said before that you wanted to take back the land of three states and two counties, but most of this land belongs to Seyan and a small part to Luyan. How could they let it go so easily?
Also, what should I say about Kerr? He can't do all the bad things, only to shrink back and pretend it's nothing? "
"Oh, so your Majesty asked this." Li Dan nodded: "I thought that first of all, Kelge must return all the pastures it occupied, and secondly, because it provoked the incident, it must cede some pastures to the Monan tribes.
Let's help Seyan and Luyan negotiate for a large piece of pasture, and then collect interest from the three states and two counties. Is this okay? "
"Yeah." Zhao Tuo smiled: "What else?"
"Kelko must return all the captives and captives. If he is dead or disabled, he must hand over another person as compensation. In addition, your majesty can promise that as long as it pays tribute once a year, the caravan will be allowed to trade with it the following year. "Li Dan suggested.
The emperor carefully wrote down all this with a pencil, and finally raised his head and said: "One last thing: the Queen Mother likes the tall and tall Dou Qing (the number one scholar) very much, and plans to recruit him as her consort."
"Okay!" Li Dan got excited upon hearing this: "The scholar's classics are good in theory, and his poetry is passable, but it's just that it's not practical in practice and always seems a bit otherworldly.
However, it is quite suitable for him to be the consort, he is honest and honest, and his character is very stable. If he is sent to serve as an official, it will harm him. If he stays in the capital and is given a mansion, and then he will be given the position of assistant envoy in the Tongwen Guan, that's great! "
Zhao Tuo waited patiently for him to finish, and asked quietly: "You agreed so quickly, and you didn't ask who to marry him?"
"Ah, who is it?"
The emperor dipped his hand into the tea cup and wrote the word "Miyun" on the coffee table. Li Dan was stunned immediately!
