If it weren't for etiquette and law, Li Zhi would really like to go out of the city to meet Li Qinzai.
Li Qinzai was too embarrassed by Li Zhi. Li Zhi ordered him to go out as an envoy. He originally planned to let Li Qinzai delay the Tibetan conquest of Tuyuhun, leaving enough time for the rear to raise food and fodder and Su Dingfang's army to join the battle.
Unexpectedly, Li Qinzai led thousands of troops and horses, and somehow managed to control the situation in Tuyuhun. The Tubo army suffered heavy losses under Li Qinzai, which not only delayed the Tibetan attack, but also restrained the Tibetan army's strength.
In the end, the situation of the three kingdoms competing for supremacy in the northwest was completely controlled by Li Qinzai, who led thousands of troops. As for Su Dingfang's army, after arriving in the northwest, they only did some to eliminate the remaining enemies, and forced Ludong with an absolute crushing advantage. I appreciate scraps like retreating troops.
The great meritorious work of the Emperor deserves to be welcomed personally.
Li Qinzai stood in front of Li Zhi and bowed, his expression solemn and calm, without any trace of arrogance, as if he had just done a trivial thing and came back to report on his duties.
Li Zhi stared at Li Qinzai's face, the more he looked at it, the happier he became.
If all the people in the court were as talented as Li Jingchu, why would the Tang Dynasty be unable to wipe out all the other countries and dominate the world?
It's a pity that there are too few talents like Li Qinzai, this is the only one.
"Jingchu is so polite. It's bitter cold outside the Great Wall and a lot of hard work. Look at you, you're all thin... eh?" Li Zhi opened his eyes wide in surprise: "That's not right. Why is Jingchu so much plumper than when he left Beijing? Divided? Why is this?"
Li Qinzai took a breath and finally panicked.
Not only women in the world have appearance anxiety, but handsome men also have it. You may not necessarily rely on this face to earn a living, but having a handsome face is undoubtedly the icing on the cake in life.
Besides, if one day you are unlucky and lose everything, at least this face is the last line of defense in your life. At that time, you will have enough capital to say to a certain old Beibi, Auntie, I don’t want to work hard anymore...
Leng Buding was told that he was fat, which was like a bolt from the blue.
"Impossible! I'm definitely not fat. I just wore more clothes in winter." Li Qinzai denied nervously, looking around anxiously, as if looking for a mirror.
Empress Wu covered her mouth and smiled softly: "Well, you are not fat, it's because your Majesty is dazzled. On the other hand, Your Majesty, you have been eating too much these days, and you are a little lucky..."
After saying that, Empress Wu glanced at Li Zhi coquettishly. Li Zhi laughed happily and patted his belly with both hands.
The relationship between husband and wife, which was already somewhat alienated, inexplicably regained some of its former loving appearance after Li Qinzai returned from the victory.
From a scientific perspective, this is called "happiness".
Li Zhi grabbed Li Qinzai's wrist and pulled him towards Anren Hall. Empress Wu followed behind with a smile, like a virtuous wife entertaining neighbors. Before the three of them entered the palace, the atmosphere was already extremely harmonious and joyful.
Li Qinzai, who was being held by Li Zhi's hand, felt goosebumps all over his body. He wanted to shake off Li Zhi's hand but was afraid of offending him.
The ancients had many problems. Holding hands between men seemed to be a sign of intimacy, and the symptoms were relatively mild.
It is said that during the Zhenguan period, Taizong Li Shimin loved dancing and often danced with his ministers in the Taiji Palace. The dancers in Taichang Temple were driven away. A group of grown men twitched their hands and feet in the palace, and a group of demons danced wildly. The scene was really eye-catching.
What's more, Li Shimin also paid great attention to the etiquette of the Xianbei people. After the Xuanwu Gate Incident, Li Shimin went to the palace to see Li Yuan and "knelt down and sucked his breasts." That scene... tsk!
After those touching scenes appeared in his mind, Li Qinzai suddenly felt that it was okay to be held by Li Zhi. Everyone was straight, and there was no chance of a bayonet fight.
After entering the hall, the three of them took their seats.
Li Zhi was in a very happy mood today. When he sat down, he loudly ordered a banquet and wine.
In order to welcome Li Qinzai's arrival, Li Zhi had obviously made arrangements in advance. As soon as he finished speaking, a group of palace maids entered the palace carrying hot wine and food.
Li Qinzai knew the rules of the palace very well. After filling the wine, he immediately stood up and took the initiative to propose a toast to Li Zhi and Empress Wu. After drinking, he sat down respectfully.
Li Zhi wiped the wine stains from his beard and said with a smile: "Jingchu's mission this time has helped me gain a lot of face. I remember when I appointed you as the envoy, many old ministers in the court came to advise me. He said that you are frivolous, lazy, and behave in a stateless manner, and that you will lose the prestige of the Tang Dynasty when you are sent as an envoy."
"Now that Jingchu has returned from a great victory, and is presented with thousands of miles of Tuyuhun land as a gift, I want to see what those rotten Confucian scholars can say."
As he said this, Li Zhi couldn't help but sneer.
Li Qinzai lowered his head and said, "I just did my duty. My contribution is not worth mentioning."
Li Zhi shook his head and sighed: "Jingchu, you may not know how great your contribution is. Because of you, the court has saved food and grass for at least three years, and has avoided the casualties of tens of thousands of soldiers. The national treasury can increase every year." With 20% tax, hundreds of thousands of people will be included in our Datang household registration..."
"The Romance of Fairy Wood"
Empress Wu smiled and continued: "Not only that, after Tuyuhun returned to the Tang Dynasty, the road between the Anxi Protectorate and Guanzhong was widened by hundreds of miles, from Qilian Mountain to Jishi Mountain, all belonged to the Tang Dynasty. From now on, the Tang Dynasty The trade route with the Western Regions is firmly in the hands of the Tang Dynasty."
"What's more, this battle pushed Tubo back to the plateau, and they no longer dare to advance eastward. However, we, the Tang Dynasty, have taken more initiative. As long as Tuyuhun is completely digested, in the future, our king's division will send troops to the border of Tang and Tubo. Within a hundred years , Tibet, the powerful enemy to the west, has no chance of making a comeback."
"And all this was achieved by you and thousands of soldiers. Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, we have been able to take advantage of unprecedented benefits!"
Li Qinzai smiled bitterly and said: "The more I said it, the more frightened I became. I just did what I should do. The credit may be a little bit, but it is definitely not so exaggerated. I have not failed to live up to your majesty's entrustment. I am very satisfied and dare not do anything more." Talk about merit.”
Li Zhi laughed and said: "Jingchu is still so humble. Are you afraid that I will send you as an envoy again and make you go through mountains of swords and fire?"
At this time, Empress Wu seemed to have forgotten all the unpleasantness she had with Li Qinzai in the past, and showed concern, saying: "I heard that Jingchu's mission was quite dangerous. He was first trapped in the Tubo camp, and then fell into a tight siege by the Tubo army. Fortunately, General Su’s troops arrived in time, Jing Chu must have had a hard time, right?”
Li Qinzai's expression darkened and he sighed: "It's indeed a bit dangerous. Shanzhou City was surrounded by heavy siege. I had more than 5,000 soldiers under my command. In the end, only a few hundred were left. The rest were all killed in the battle. I feel ashamed to treat them and their sacrifice." Parents, wives and children..."
As he spoke, Li Qinzai adjusted his clothes, bowed to Li Zhi and said, "Your Majesty, I take the liberty to beg Your Majesty to posthumously reward those soldiers who died in battle, and to provide preferential treatment to the families of those soldiers. I can't do anything for them anymore. I can only I can do my best for their loved ones."
