In any case, how much inside information and political trade-offs are behind this; just the permission from the Eastern Capital and the imperial court is the greatest encouragement and good news for the current selection ceremony held in Chang'an. Therefore, those who followed the news were not just ordinary people from poor families.
Even the families of the distinguished officials, officials and generals in Chang'an City no longer remained reserved and waited and dedicated themselves one after another. On the one hand, the early Tang Dynasty was still a period when the dynasty was rising. The trend of pursuing military success and building frontiers was advocated, and the trend of "all the rich and powerful men served in the army" had not yet completely subsided and dissipated.
On the other hand, these heroes and distinguished families since the founding of the People's Republic of China are only two or three generations old and have not lost their enterprising spirit in pursuing martial arts. However, due to the multiplication of their families, many of the children from other branches have become Unable to gain support and recommendation, he suffered from having no official career.
And the martial arts competition that Prince Li Hong tried in the selection order undoubtedly opened up a new track in front of them; even if this track is likely to be temporary, no one will give up this unique track. An opportunity; especially with their family roots and heritage.
Compared with ordinary soldiers from humble backgrounds, they undoubtedly have more advantages in selection and competition; they no longer need to start from the lowest level of the army and win military merits and qualifications step by step to get promoted; as long as they stand out in relevant competitions, they can Obtain the most basic general background and a high starting point.
Therefore, this time, the disciples from various families who came to apply for the recruitment with their own bows, horses, and swords gathered in an endless stream outside the apprenticeship that provided selection of soldiers and subsequent martial arts performances, and once again became a scenery on the streets of Chang'an. Various martial arts performances and competitions have become a major attraction for scholars and common people.
Of course, these young heroes who have been selected through various martial arts competitions cannot be put to use in the military directly. At this time, the martial arts lecture hall established by the former prince Li Hong on the pretext of compiling books and studying the art of war of the past dynasties came to be of critical use.
While most of the newly recruited soldiers are intensifying their training in the Shayuan Prison, these young recruits will also be gathered together for short-term crash training, where they will learn uniformly the military-related orders and regulations, basic common sense in battle formations, and even grouping into groups. Read and discuss famous war cases and gains and losses in the past dynasties.
"Your Highness's favor of recommendation is unforgettable. Now that Aye is shouldering his responsibilities, it is not convenient to thank him in person, so I have specially ordered someone to come and listen to His Highness." Qi Biming, a young general in black light armor, half-knelt in front of Prince Li Hong, respectfully He saluted respectfully and said: "Your Highness, please send me as much as you can..."
After Qi Biming resigned gratefully under his kind words and encouragement.
"You know, Li Sheng knows that in the end, it was only with the support of his mother that the award was made with the support of his mother." Prince Li Hongcai sighed with a complicated expression: "Such intention and painstaking efforts make Gu somewhat speechless. At least in this matter, she still puts the overall situation first."
"This is actually not surprising; at least the Queen of Heaven and the Holy Emperor are still closely related and share the same stakes most of the time." Jiang Tian, who was squatting on the case, scratched his neck gently and said: "And His Highness is the crown prince, so it is not a problem. Everything must be opposed, and it is normal to occasionally have common ground.”
"In other words, as long as she has not taken that step, she has a flesh-and-blood relationship with His Highness, and has a natural position to safeguard the authority of the Heavenly Family; even if she wants to compete for power in the court, she must take the His Majesty's attitude and feelings into consideration; this is not Is this the result His Highness expected?"
"I have had a private conversation with Mr. Li Tang, and he will submit a letter to retire soon." Prince Li Hong nodded and said, "If there is no other reason, Liang Guogong (Qibi Heli) will be the governor of Shanzhou." . Duke Liang is a veteran general who has made countless achievements in the two dynasties. There should be some changes in the strategy of Hehuang this time!"
As one of the few veteran generals in the Taizong Dynasty, Qibi Heli was no ordinary figure; he was originally the chief of the Qibi tribe of Tiele/Xue Yantuo, but he was impressed by Taizong and devoted his life to the Tang Dynasty; he successively fought in Gaochang, Tuyuhun, and Xue Yantuo defeated the Turks and finally participated in the destruction of Goguryeo.
It can be said that he was an outstanding player in both Taizong and Gaozong dynasties. After the death of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, he was buried in Zhaoling. Qibi Heli and Ashina Sheer requested to commit suicide and be buried in order to guard the mausoleum. Knowing that Gaozong told them that Taizong had left a will and did not allow sacrifices to be buried, the two of them gave up.
Today, Qibi Heli, although he is fifty-six years old, is still very strong and strong. He can shoot arrows and dance every day, drink a lot of wine and eat meat; and Qibi Heli is the son of him and the head of Tongchang County. The eldest son; he is also one of the generals who was ordered to participate in this selection exercise.
According to news from Dongdu, the generals Li Jinxing and Li Xuanzheng who were transferred from the Andong Protectorate were also appointed. Li Jinxing was the son of Chief Mohe Tudiji, and Li Xuanzheng was his cousin. The Mohe soldiers he led were in He played an important role in the annihilation of Goguryeo.
In addition, Wei Baiji, the governor of Lanzhou, and Gao Kan, the governor of Yingzhou, joined; these two were also not ordinary people. Wei Daiji was born in Jingzhao. Wei's father-in-law was Li Daozong, the king of Jiangxia, a famous clan general. However, he was a very capable alternative among the disciples of Menyin. He served as a general and prime minister in the Wu Zhou Dynasty.
Gao Kan came from the famous Bohai Gao family. He was a veteran general who served in the Taizong Dynasty. He once led troops to pacify the remnants of the Eastern Turks and was one of the heroes in the destruction of Goguryeo. Gao Kan had three sons behind him: Gao Chongde, Gao Chongli, and Gao Chongwen. Gao Chongwen's grandson was Gao Shi, a famous frontier poet in the prosperous Tang Dynasty.
"Your Highness, don't be too optimistic." However, Jiang Tian poured cold water on Prince Li Hong: "Have you not noticed the age of these generals? Since they are serving in the Taizong Dynasty, The average age of veteran generals is over fifty."
"Of course they are temporary figures who have followed the late emperor and the present emperor, and have been conquering the east and west for a long time, and have become stronger and stronger with age; but how can they face an enemy that can be seen and fought with the eyes in this conquest of Tibet? If we just ask them to strictly guard the border and wait for counterattacks, that's it."
"The most fearful thing is to be urged to march on the initiative. After trekking through mountains and rivers, facing the changeable climate and hypoxia in the highlands, the ubiquitous snow blindness and the trouble of difficult cooking, we have to face the Tibetans who are familiar with the geography and adapted to the environment, and are ready to prepare for the battle. Army, how cruel is the imperial court?"
"With their age and body, even if they are able to survive in the end, they will suffer a loss of life and a short life; by then, even if they seem to be healthy and without disaster, they may not have a few years left to live... This is a defeat. Of course, the lost soldiers can be recruited and trained more."
"However, with the current structure of the Tang Dynasty, these generals who were accidentally lost can only be replenished and selected after countless years of military career and many battles. But it was treated as a one-time use consumable..."
Of course, as a successor who has been overshadowed by Taizong's brilliance for a long time, Gaozong's martial arts and achievements in his life can be divided into two stages. The first stage is to inherit Taizong's legacy and the political legacy of his generals, so he punches the Turks and kicks Goguryeo.
It can be said that it is so powerful that all the tribes tremble when they hear it; but no matter how majestic they are, those heroes and generals will eventually grow old and be taken away by time and years; on the other hand, Gaozong did not hesitate He killed his own uncle and the head of the auxiliary ministers, Sun Wuji.
Although it re-established authority and consolidated the imperial power in his hands, it also led to the further decline of the group of heroes/generals. After all, as Taizong's most trusted uncle, Changsun Wuji, who had long held an important central position, had a great influence on the court.
If we really want to investigate, how many of the heroes whose portraits are left in Lingyan Pavilion can stand alone and stay away from the incident? But fortunately, there is still a powerful person left to him by Taizong, the only remaining hero of Lingyan Pavilion, the British Duke Li Ji, who serves as a buffer and reconciliation between the emperor and the heroes.
However, this pure minister who had great talents as a general and prime minister and served in the three dynasties of Gaozu, Taizong and Gaozong could not withstand the erosion of age and passed away. What Gaozong had to face was the potential of the generals in the court gradually declining. Out of stock; only juniors such as Xue Rengui and Liu Rengui can make great use of them.
But it is still not enough, and under the constant challenges and confrontations, it has become stretched; then, those famous ministers and generals have not had enough time and opportunity to grow up, or to stand out and be entrusted with important tasks. ; So it is inevitable to fall into decline.
In addition, Gaozong was troubled by severe wind paralysis (hypertension) in his later years, and was increasingly unable to devote all his energy to handling state affairs. This was why Empress Wu was supported to stand at the front desk as a candidate to assist in the affairs of the government, and he tacitly allowed her to organize party members to curb the government and the opposition. The opposition forces in the country and checks and balances the various factions in the court.
He naturally had enough confidence to restrain and control Empress Wu, the familiar pillow, and always control the basic situation during his lifetime; but he did not expect that the chosen and optimistic prince would die young; The choice of successor becomes the beginning of all tragedies.
But no matter what, a general's meritorious service will last forever, and an excellent general needs a battle formation with mountains of corpses and seas of blood before he can be selected by chance. Therefore, as the emperor, Taizong, of course, can discern people with a keen eye and continue to select outstanding heroes; As his successor, Gaozong had no choice.
Out of his instinct to safeguard his imperial power, he even had to guard against and reject the influence of these ancient heroes and generals in the court; but he did not accumulate rich military experience and strategic vision, or even a mature selection system when conquering the world, to supplement Get more bench talent.
Therefore, in Gaozong's later ruling career, foreign wars and military operations can be said to have fallen into a decline of comprehensive contraction and consolidation; almost losing most of the achievements of the continuation of the Taizong Dynasty. But when Wu Zhou usurped the country, even Li Tang's last bit of prestige could no longer be maintained.
The loss of deterrence from foreign tribes and surrounding forces led to the rise and fall of border rebellions and intrusions, which almost accompanied the Wu Zhou Dynasty to the era of Zhongzong and Ruizong; until one person changed this decline again.
"...It turns out that this is one of the important reasons behind the two great defeats?" After hearing this, Prince Li Hong was silent for a while, and then said in a soft voice with unknown sadness and joy, and expected Looking at Jiang Tian expectantly: "But Li Sheng must have already made plans for this!"
"After all, they are extraordinary people who live with their country. If their fate can be changed, wouldn't it be a joy for Li Sheng?" (End of this chapter)
