The explosion on the west wall of the palace attracted many guards. They came to inquire about the situation, but they saw that one side of the old palace wall had collapsed, and His Majesty was standing in front of the collapsed palace wall unharmed.
More and more people from all sides in the palace came to question the guards. Seeing that Li Junxian was here, everyone became more and more suspicious.
Several wild cats were blown to pieces.
Bricks were scattered all over the floor.
Li Shimin lowered his head and looked at the center of the explosion that had just collapsed. There was still a lot of powder on the ground.
The powder is now in the form of blackened granules.
He picked up some with his hands, put it to his nose and smelled it carefully. He frowned at the powder and said, "Go and ask someone, what are these powders?"
"Here." Li Junxian took out a piece of cloth and took out all the remaining powder on the ground.
Li Shimin thought that as long as Lishan could make these things, the palace could also make them.
Li Junxian took these things and asked the Palace Armory Supervisor, the Imperial Medical Office or the Ministry of Works. After going around in a circle, he returned to the Manlu Hall again.
Li Shimin, who was drinking tea and looking worried, asked, "Have you asked?"
Li Junxian replied: "Your Majesty, I have asked about it. This thing contains a lot of saltpeter, and a lot of it is charcoal. However, we only know two things at the moment, and the rest are not clear yet."
Li Shimin had a stern look on his face, "Can't we check the rest?"
"It is said that it is difficult to distinguish after burning. The only thing that can be distinguished is saltpeter and charcoal."
"Well, let Lishan make a few more and send them over."
"Here."
Li Shimin drank tea and fell into deep thought, then got up and left after a while.
There are already many old people in the Wei Mansion army. Some of these old people have left the Wei Mansion, and some of them no longer care about the affairs of the army after being granted the title of Duke of Jin.
Zhuque Street runs through the entire city of Chang'an, but few people pass by at the other corner of Zhuque Street.
Since the victory in the Yinshan War, Li Jing rarely went out to meet friends and rarely saw outsiders.
Li Shimin wore an ordinary round-neck robe and walked into the house. The house looked very depressed, with few servants. There was a middle-aged man sitting in the yard, wiping a leather bag.
"Pharmacist." Li Shimin stepped forward and whispered.
Hearing this, the middle-aged man raised his head and saluted quickly when he saw the visitor, "I will pay my respects to Your Majesty at the end."
Li Shimin smiled and said, "I haven't seen you for a long time. How is your health lately?"
Li Jing already bowed and saluted, "Your Majesty, everything will be fine in the near future."
"Yes." Li Shimin nodded, looked around again, and took out a cloth bag, "This is tea from Lishan for the palace. I brought it to you."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Li Jing took the tea leaves and placed them on the table aside.
Seeing this, Li Shimin smiled again, "It's just some tea leaves. It's not valuable. You don't have to be so cautious."
In order to let Li Jing relax, Li Shimin also moved a bench and sat down, looking at the depression and simplicity in the courtyard.
The old bow was hung casually on the wall, and the arrows were placed in the leather sheaths.
A woman came out of the house with some wine, congratulated and said: "Your Majesty, please use the wine."
Li Shimin saw the turbid wine, then looked at the woman, "Hongfu, you have lived in Chang'an for a long time, but you are still used to it."
The woman calmly replied: "Your Majesty, the old woman has traveled all over the Central Plains when she was young, and there is nothing she is not used to."
This woman is Li Jing's betrothed wife, the rumored Hongfu girl in Heroes of the Green Forest. Her real name is Zhang Chuchen. She is Li Jing's confidante and his betrothed wife.
Li Shimin nodded and said, "I have always felt ashamed of you and your wife."
Hearing this, Li Jing hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, you must not say that, why should you be ashamed of our husband and wife?"
Li Jing said this to appease His Majesty.
Hongfu whispered: "May I ask Your Majesty if you have found the whereabouts of the Qiu-bearded guest?"
The couple looked at each other, with questions and dissatisfaction towards each other in their eyes.
When we parted from Lingnan, we didn't know where the bearded guest had gone. Now His Majesty has been on the throne for ten years. During these ten years, the emperor Li Shimin can send people to look for the bearded guest.
Tell Qiu Beard that now that the Central Plains has been pacified, he can come back.
But there is still no news from His Majesty, and Hong Fu is worried.
Li Jing has always been calm.
Because of this matter, Hong Fu has always had a grudge in his heart.
At the beginning, Li Jing, Hong Fu Nu, and Qiu bearded guest were known as the Three Heroes of Fengchen among the rangers, and they had a great reputation in the Central Plains.
Hong Fu still had the arrogance from back then, unlike Li Jing who had already worn it off.
Li Shimin just owed this couple a lot. Without Li Jing, he would not be where he is today.
After saying that, Hong Fu started coughing again. Her health has been poor these years.
Li Jing said again: "Your Majesty, Hongfu always pays attention to friendship and friendship."
Looking at the couple in front of him, Li Shimin took a sip of turbid wine, stood up slowly and said: "I have sent people to investigate. The bearded guest has already gone to sea, but now the imperial court has captured Goguryeo. Maybe in the next two years, There will be news, and I will continue to send people to investigate."
Hongfunu closed her eyes and lowered her head and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
She was wearing the coarse clothes of an ordinary woman, and her body was frail. She was no longer the heroine who was so energetic and happy in the Central Plains.
Back then, in Li Jing, Lingshi County, Shanxi, three people, Hong Fu Nu and Qiu Bearded Guest, became sworn brothers and sisters.
Later, when Yang Su passed away, the three of them arrived in Fenyang County. When they were first interviewed by Li Shimin and Li Yuan, the bearded guest flatly refused.
He didn't care about fame in his life, and from then on, the bearded guest kept a distance from Hongfu Nu and Li Jing.
Li Jing still remembers the delicious wine in Fenyang.
Later, Li Jing planned to follow Li Shimin and Li Yuan to find a way out, and follow Li Yuan to pacify the Central Plains.
At that time, the bearded guest had already seen the intentions of Li Jing and Hong Fu, and knew that he could no longer persuade them, so he said goodbye.
He even gave his entire life's belongings to Li Jing and Hong Fu.
Although the bearded guest was a heroic man, his family fortune was quite rich. It could also be said that Li Jing and Hong Fu could not worry about their family fortune for the rest of their lives.
After agreeing to pacify the Central Plains, the three of them got together again.
It's just that there has been no news about the Qiu-bearded guest's departure, which has become the biggest regret for Li Jing and Hongfu Nu.
At that time, Yang Su passed away, the bearded guests fled, and too many people died in the Jiangdu rebellion.
How many heroes died in foreign lands in those days.
How many heroes died in foreign lands in those days.
Yu Wenhuaji's death was not a pity. The land of the Central Plains had been in chaos and war for ten years.
The old people from back then are gone and dead. The world has changed, and the old friends from back then are no longer here.
Since Li Xiuning passed away, the cause of her death has remained a mystery.
Li Shimin has always avoided talking about it, Li Yuan no longer mentions it, and cannot answer questions. Li Yuanba died young, Li Yuanji, Li Daoxuan...
People from those days left one after another. The last few years of Wude and the first two years of Zhenguan were the darkest two years of Chang'an.
After those years passed, Hongfu Nu became more and more depressed. The old illness brought about by her expedition to Lingnan became more and more serious.
For this throne, Li Shimin knew that he owed a lot to those old friends. Now that he has been on the throne for ten years, those memories of the past have come to mind again.
Li Shimin whispered: "You and your wife have also heard about Zhang Yang?"
Li Jing nodded and said: "The general has heard a few years ago that this son's method of winning the Hexi Corridor and Gaochang was very vicious. The general thought he was a vicious person."
Hongfu said: "Your Majesty, the pharmacist is right. We must guard against such strategies and calculations."
Hong Fu and Li Jing were both very simple people. They didn't mean anything when they said it, they just asked casually.
Li Shimin smiled helplessly, "I have always hoped that such a person can contribute to the country. In the past two years, under his arrangement, a young boy named Zhang Daan captured Goguryeo."
Hearing this, Li Jing and Hong Fu looked surprised and suspicious.
The two of them had not appeared in front of the world for a long time, and they were very surprised when they heard the news. Yang Guang had conquered Goguryeo three times, and he had spent so much manpower and material resources that he could not capture Goguryeo.
Li Jing took out a map from his study room and said, "When the general conquered Taiyuan, I captured this map at the governor's mansion. This is the map of Liaodong."
A map was spread out on the ground. Li Jing put away his sleeves and straightened his clothes. He looked at the map situation in front of him and said, "Yang Guang lost many soldiers in order to cross the river. I dare to ask them how they crossed the river." of?"
Li Shimin shook his head and said: "Pharmacist, you haven't heard about the affairs of the DPRK for a long time. Now everything has changed. The map in your hand is no longer enough for military use. Now the map presented to the DPRK by the Ministry of Rites is more detailed."
"Yes...really?"
Li Jing's expression could not be said to be one of relief or loss.
Hong Fu Nu asked: "How much did it cost for soldiers, horses, food and grass?"
Li Shimin took two steps back and forth and looked towards the direction of Liaodong. "Only three thousand soldiers were used. Zhang Yang served as the Minister of Rites and sent an envoy to Goguryeo to order the King of Goguryeo to return the bones of the soldiers who died in the Sui Dynasty."
Hong Fu added: "The King of Goguryeo never returns these bones."
Li Yuan had done this kind of thing back then, and everyone knew it, and Goguryeo would never return the bones.
Li Jing was still frowning at the map, "Crossing the river! How did they cross the river?"
Li Shimin whispered: "The military report said that there was a civil strife in Goguryeo. Zhang Da'an, the long history of Liaodong and the minister of the Ministry of Rites, took 3,000 soldiers across the river overnight. Before Goguryeo took any precautions, he used the name of the rescue envoy Li Yifu. , captured the royal city of Goguryeo and captured Yeon Gaesumun alive."
After hearing His Majesty tell what happened, Li Jing finally had a plan in mind. He smiled and said, "But it happened this summer?"
Li Shimin still nodded.
Li Jing nodded and said: "That's the case. Goguryeo has no fortified city to defend. As long as you can cross the river, you can directly enter the royal city of Goguryeo. However, Goguryeo is surrounded by mountains and is extremely cold in winter. It is necessary to start an attack in summer and autumn."
"And the civil strife in Goguryeo gave them an opportunity to take advantage of it. There was a precedent in the Weishui Treaty. The people who used this strategy were very clever. They took down Goguryeo with the minimum number of soldiers and horses, but..."
At this point, Li Jing still looked confused, "How can even five thousand soldiers break the city?"
Li Shimin took another sip of wine and said in a deep voice: "That Zhang Yang has a city-breaking weapon in his hand, which can destroy fortified cities and flatten mountains and rivers. Even Chang'an City won't be afraid of this weapon once it comes out. It's just a few more explosions." Second-rate."
"Pharmacist, today's young people are more powerful than each other. They are not comparable to ours back then. Pei Xingjian and Wang Xuance brought 2,000 men to pacify the Tianshan Mountains, and led 30,000 Anxi troops to repel another 300,000 cannibals. With Zhang Daan and three thousand soldiers, he took Goguryeo."
"I often feel that if these people were born a few years earlier, we would not be the opponents of these young people."
Li Jing smiled in astonishment, who could comment on this kind of thing? Now the generals who fought in the world have all their weapons in their treasury, so they don't have the same spirit as before.
Li Jing cupped his hands and said, "General, I would like to congratulate your Majesty on having such a young leader. The Tang Dynasty will be victorious."
"Yes." Li Shimin nodded heavily, "I am also old and can't draw my bow now."
The emperor looked at the old bow hanging on the wall and whispered.
Hong Fu and Li Jing were also silent.
After reminiscing with Li Jing for a long time, Li Shimin finally stood up and said: "There is a very good medical clinic in Lishan, and Dr. Sun is here. Pharmacist, please take Hong Fu to have a look."
"Here."
Li Jing bowed and said goodbye to the emperor.
When General Li Jing walked out of his house, many people were asking about him.
Since the great victory of Yinshan, Li Jing rarely interfered with political affairs, and he rarely even went out to meet people.
This time, Li Jing went to visit Fang Xuanling first.
Fang Xuanling's home is also on Zhuque Street. Li Shimin's strange problem.
He likes to arrange the homes of a group of founding heroes on Zhuque Street, so that any movement in the home of a powerful family can be heard by the house next door.
This caused these founding heroes to have two or three families who were at odds with each other, and some who were in cliques. Sometimes when one family quarreled, the neighboring families would come to help.
It forms a unique scene on Zhuque Street.
It is a good thing to say that the heroes of the world now live in Chang'an City for retirement, but the relationship between people is not so pure.
Another example is that Niu Jinda climbed over the wall in the middle of the night and went to Cheng Yaojin's house to take some pieces of beef. Afterwards, everyone had a quarrel and everyone knew about it.
Now that General Li Jing went out to visit Fang Xuanling, the news spread to other houses on Zhuque Street within half an hour.
Is it Li Jing who is going to leave the mountain? Everyone speculated.
The reason for coming to see Fang Xuanling this time was not for anything else, but to ask Fang Xuanling about Zhang Yang.
If you want to visit Lishan for medical treatment, you can't do without Zhang Yang and Princess Runan, the owners of Lishan.
As for Zhang Yang, Li Jing had only heard of his name and had never seen him.
Today's Tang Dynasty has leveled the Tianshan Mountains, wiped out the Turks, and defeated Tibet so that they dare not say a word.
Everything is in a great situation. There are no foreign enemies in Datang.
This time Li Jing visited Fang Xuanling, which inevitably aroused people's discussion.
At Fang Xuanling's home, Li Jing looked at the clear wine in the bowl and asked, "What kind of wine is this?"
"Most of the wine brewed by Lishan is sold outside the customs. However, due to the good harvest in the past two years, this kind of wine is also sold in Chang'an City, but most of it is sold by His Majesty's palace staff, only before me and other powerful people."
Seeing her husband showing off, Fang Xuanling's wife said displeasedly: "A jar of wine like this costs 600 yuan. Your Majesty really thinks we are too rich."
These words seemed to be scolding, but also seemed to be complaining that the price given by His Majesty was too high.
