If we look at the departure time, Li Longji's patrol time was actually much earlier than when Fang Youde led his troops back to Shuofang.
But the team was not moving very fast. It could even be said that it was almost like a tortoise crawling.
Li Longji spent most of his life in Chang'an and Luoyang, mainly in Chang'an and surrounding areas.
The scenery after leaving Guanzhong was very novel and exciting for Li Longji!
The endless grassland is a scenery that Brother Ji has never seen before!
The temperature was getting warmer day by day, and Li Longji was not busy heading to Lingzhou City at all. This way he felt like he was on his honeymoon with Yang Yuhuan.
Especially after leaving Xiaoguan, the team went north along the Wei Rushui (Hulu River). During the stop and go, Brother Ji often took Yang Yuhuan away quietly, and the two of them rode horses on the nearby grassland. , so unhappy.
Of course, it's true that Brother Ji wants to play, but he doesn't deliberately slow down his schedule just because he wants to play.
The so-called alliance naturally has a leader. This alliance leader can only be him, Li Longji.
Since he is the leader of the alliance, only the envoys from Tiele tribes on the grassland must be waiting for him, not the other way around! If Brother Ji came to Shuofang too early, the envoys from Tiele tribes would definitely not have arrived. Then should the alliance ceremony be held?
If it is held and everyone is not present, it means that some tribes have not participated in the alliance, which will leave great political risks.
If it is not held, but waits until everyone has gathered, then does Li Longji, the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, still need the face?
In Ji Ge's opinion, the Emperor of Tang Dynasty must have a good reputation! This can never change!
No matter how eager he is to implement this alliance, Li Longji has one principle in his heart, and that is: he must be the last to arrive in Lingzhou City!
After nearly a month of marching, the team, including five thousand elite dragon warriors, finally arrived at Mingsha City, not far to the south of Lingzhou! Li Longji ordered the Longwu Army to camp here and only sent a hundred elite soldiers to follow him to Lingzhou.
As the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, both the imperial army and the border troops were his own thugs. Regardless of the internal hierarchy, there should be no gaps or distinctions between superior and inferior in front of the Tiele tribes in the north.
If five thousand Longwu troops were brought to Lingzhou, it would appear that there were many internal conflicts in the Tang Dynasty. The emperor would not dare to travel at all, and would have to be heavily protected before he dared to leave Chang'an. This will make the grassland tribes who have always obeyed the strong and feared power and no morals develop a disobedient heart!
Only by driving away in a light car can it appear that Lingzhou is also under complete control. This kind of calmness is just like Taizong back then, who commanded with determination and no worries about the rebellion of the generals below.
He Zhizhang and others who accompanied him tried to persuade Li Longji, saying that saints are related to the country and the country, and they should not take risks easily. However, Ji Ge didn't take these words seriously at all and still insisted on his own opinion.
Three days later, Fang Youde, the governor of Youzhou, and Zhang Qiqiu, the governor of Shuofang, who were looking forward to the stars and the moon, finally waited for Li Longji, the sage of the Tang Dynasty who had thousands of halos.
Brother Ji also brought a few cronies such as "Emperor Princess" Yang Yuhuan and Longwu Army General Chen Xuanli into Lingzhou City, which was loyal to him.
…
In front of Shuofang Jiedu Mansion in Lingzhou City, Fang Youde and other senior generals of the Tang Army stood in a row and bowed to salute the proud Li Longji. The scene was quite spectacular.
Li Longji ignored anyone, walked directly to Fang Youde, held his hands and said, "Quan Zhong, you are welcome, you are my Wei Qing!"
"Wei Chen is very honored."
Fang Youde said cautiously.
"Hey, when there are no outsiders, you can call me Sanlang, and I can just call you Quanzhong. Why should you be so aloof from outsiders?"
Li Longji pulled Fang Youde's sleeves, leaned over and teased softly.
"No, the etiquette between king and minister cannot be abolished."
Fang Youde said in a deep voice, meticulously.
Hearing this, Li Longji laughed loudly and waved his hands, and then said to everyone: "Thank you for your hard work. Come join the alliance together. I will discuss your merits and reward them later."
"Thank you saint!"
All the generals replied in unison.
"Let's go, follow me to meet the envoys from the Tiele tribe!"
The high-spirited Li Longji, his face glowing red, strode into Shuofang Jiedu Mansion. He Zhizhang and others stood aside and did not move until all the generals entered, and then slowly walked inside.
"Don't talk or write poems later. This is the stage of the saint. You just need to quietly watch the saint's performance."
Li Taibai, you must not take over the spotlight. "
He Zhizhang pulled Li Bai's sleeves and warned him looking at his excited face.
Just like a basin of cold water poured on his head, Li Bai finally came to his senses and hurriedly confessed to He Zhizhang: "Ji Zhen (He Zhizhang's alias), don't worry, I know what's going on."
He has several ghosts in his heart!
Li Bai originally planned to show off his poetry in front of Li Longji later. Now that He Zhizhang reminded me, I realized that I thought too simplistically!
Li Bai had some idea of how much thought and expectation Li Longji had spent on the alliance. If nothing else, just conquering these grassland tribes and rebuilding the oath system established by Emperor Taizong was not an easy task.
This is Li Longji's stage alone, and there is no room for others to take over the spotlight!
Is the alliance beneficial to Datang?
Of course there is.
Before the onset of industrialization, the grasslands always belonged to the grassland people. The Tang Empire was a country dominated by the farming civilization of the Central Plains, and was destined to be unable to effectively rule the grasslands.
Since the "restriction" strategy is to be used, it is the most cost-effective strategy to form an alliance with the grassland tribes through canonization and maintain certain political and economic ties.
There is nothing wrong with establishing "Jizhou" in Mobei and adopting the method of "governing according to customs" to achieve the goal of lowest governance costs and maximum strategic benefits. It is the call of the times.
Before Fang Youde, whether he was dealing with the Khitan or the Bohai Kingdom, it was all a small matter, and it was a "daily operation" of the border army. This time, through political and military means, the Turks were destroyed and the Tiele tribes were allied, which pushed the Tang Dynasty to a new and higher level!
The strategic significance is different.
Although Brother Ji often does not engage in human affairs, this time he came to Lingzhou to participate in the alliance, but he was doing something important for the prosperity of the country.
The chiefs and envoys of the Tiele tribe were all placed in Lingzhou City and were not in Shuofang Jiedu Mansion at the moment. At this time, there were two special "guests" in the lobby of Jiedu Mansion. One of them was a seven or eight-year-old child, who was Dengli, the youngest son of the late Viga Khan of the Later Turkic Khanate. There was also a middle-aged woman who looked very old, and she was Dengli's mother, Po Gu.
After they were captured by the Pugu tribe, they were ordered by Fang Youde and sent directly to Lingzhou City. Not many people in the Tiele tribe knew about this.
"Holy man, this is Dengli, the youngest son of the late Viga Khan, and his mother Pogo.
Wei Chen suggested that the Tiele tribes hand over some of their captured Turkic slaves to Dengli, place them in the area north of Hetao, and establish Jisi Prefecture to show that the Tang Dynasty has a broad mind and will not let things go by the past. "
Fang Youde leaned into Li Longji's ear and whispered.
"Quan Zhong's strategy is wonderful."
Li Longji nodded slightly and smiled, and then said to Dengli's mother and son: "I allow you to move to the north of the Hetao. As my subjects of the Tang Dynasty, you will surrender to the Tang Dynasty and serve the Tang Dynasty for generations."
However, what was disappointing was that Dengli looked at Li Longji with hatred like a little wolf cub. He didn't know whether it was because he couldn't understand Chinese or for some other reason, but said nothing.
But the deep-seated hatred and the resentful look in his eyes were as real as if they were about to shoot out from his eyes.
Instead of hearing praise and thanksgiving, I got a look of hatred. Brother Ji was a little confused for a moment, not knowing what to say, and the situation suddenly became awkward.
I've given you a break, why don't you thank me? Brother Ji doesn't understand the logic of this.
In fact, this kind of reaction is normal, but Brother Ji has become accustomed to being the only one who thinks he is the only person to be respected. He has never thought that others also have the right to hate.
Denli mother and son are also powerful people, but they are powerful people among the Turks. In essence, he is the same type of person as Li Longji.
The thinking patterns of powerful people all over the world are highly consistent, and there are many similar situations.
When you infringe on others, you are like sand pouring into the sea. No matter how excessive it is, you don’t take it seriously, and you will completely forget it afterwards. But when you are violated by others, you will spend every penny, remembering every bit clearly, for fear of missing something. Forget it.
The Tang army took the lead and united with the nine Tiele surnames to destroy the Turks. The Turkic herdsmen may be able to forget this overwhelming hatred, but the nobles of the post-Turkic Khanate are obviously impossible to forget.
This is specifically reflected in Denli Khan, who has no city in his mind.
Of course, as the perpetrator, not only Brother Ji, but also many civil servants and generals present were surprised.
Di Yi is a beast. This kind of thinking also has a broad market in Datang.
At this embarrassing moment, Fang Youde stepped forward, grabbed Denli's braid with his left hand, pulled out a short knife with his right hand and plunged it into the opponent's neck, and then pulled it out. The warm blood immediately sprayed all over his face!
Denli's eyes looked frightened and confused, and his body fell softly.
He didn't seem to expect that in front of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, someone would dare to kill someone directly!
Fang Youde kicked Denli's body aside, then scolded his mother coldly:
"Dengli attempted to assassinate the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. His crime is unpardonable and he has been killed on the spot by a certain person!
If you have other heirs, choose one as your leader. If not, is there any problem in adopting one as an adopted son and as a leader?
If that doesn't work, then I'll sell you to Tiele's troops as slaves. "
"No problem, no problem, I still have a son..."
Pogo was so frightened that he could not speak coherently and said tremblingly.
"Those who disrespect the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty will die!"
Fang Youde put the dagger into its sheath, and with a harsh word, he crossed his hands and saluted Li Longji: "Wei Chen is going down to wash his face, please wait a moment, saint."
Li Longji shook his head and sighed: "Go ahead. If it's not necessary in the future, don't kill anyone. Back then you were... sigh!"
Although he talked about it on his lips, it was very useful in his heart. Fang Youde's flattery was really comfortable.
When he remembered that during the coup that year, it was Fang Youde who was the first to rush into Princess Taiping's mansion, Li Longji sighed in his heart:
Some people change over the years, but some don't. No matter how many years pass, they are still as unique as the stones in the pit.
All the generals in the lobby of Shuofang Jiedu Mansion were dumbfounded, and the generals of Shuofang Army were even more regretful. Such a great opportunity to kneel and lick, why don’t I have the vision?
Look how good Fang Jieshuai is at licking!
Not only does the licking sound full of momentum, but it also doesn’t look flattering!
The angles are tricky and the shots are accurate, which is a good story!
The farce of the remnants of the Turkic Khanate after the settlement was so fooled that it spread like wildfire. All the generals spoke in unison, claiming that Dengli Khan failed to assassinate the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, but was killed on the spot by Fang Jieshuai!
Everyone in the world says that the Turks are really ambitious and would not be killed unjustly. The Tang Dynasty was as open-minded as ever, letting things go by the wayside, and repaying evil with kindness, which was the style of a great country.
Li Longji ordered an alliance ceremony to be held in front of a specially designed stone tablet in Lingzhou City three days later.
A hundred years ago, Emperor Taizong made an alliance with Tiele tribes here and erected a stone monument. This stone tablet has been too lonely for hundreds of years, so Brother Ji wanted to give it a companion.
The sun was shining brightly the next day, and the grasslands on the Hetao Plain in the southeast of Lingzhou City were all filled with wild flowers of all colors, which made people mesmerized by the sight.
Ji Ge ordered Fang Youde to lead a hundred-man guard to show his favor. He himself took Yang Yuhuan dressed as a concubine in the palace and galloped on the grassland full of green grass and flowers.
…
Li Longji took Yang Yuhuan to an open and flat grassland, and the surrounding cattle and sheep were driven away. The sun is bright but not dazzling, and it shines warmly on the body.
Fang Youde, with a hundred elite cavalry, stayed far away and did not come forward to disturb Li Longji's "elegant enjoyment."
This is Ji Ge's private space and private time.
"Huanhuan, I want to have something exciting today."
Li Longji said with a wicked smile.
Yang Yuhuan smiled charmingly, covered her mouth with her delicate hands and asked softly: "What is it, Sanlang?"
"Hehe, just watch it. I was very good at this back then."
Brother Ji said meaningfully, then he got on his horse and stretched out his hand to pull Yang Yuhuan up.
"Do I want to ride on the same horse as Saburo?"
Yang Yuhuan asked doubtfully.
The woman sat in front, the man held the reins behind, and they rode together. This kind of thing... you can see it from time to time in the suburbs of Chang'an, it doesn't seem to be unusual.
Li Longji couldn't help but let Yang Yuhuan put one foot in the stirrup and pull her onto the horse.
The two of them were not facing forward, but were sitting facing each other! Yang Yuhuan's back was turned to the horse's head!
Yang Yuhuan was frightened and clamored to get off his horse. Brother Ji understood it, whipped the horse on the buttocks, and started "racing".
Two people and one horse, galloping on the grassland in a weird posture.
Not far away, Fang Youde had dismounted and looked at Li Longji quietly on the horse. He skillfully pulled off the gauze Yang Yuhuan was wearing and threw it to the ground, sighing helplessly.
Fang Jieshuai, whose fame was known all over the world, held the hilt of his sword tightly in his right hand. He pulled out an inch several times and then inserted it back unwillingly.
"The witch has brought harm to the country. In the future, our country, the Tang Dynasty, will be like the Yin and Shang Dynasties... and will be destroyed in the hands of the witch."
Fang Youde looked up to the sky and sighed, helplessly sitting on the grass.
After a long time, Zhang Xun anxiously pointed to the unsightly scene on the grass not far away and asked:
"Jie Shuai, should we avoid it?"
"You can go on your own, I'm a little tired."
Fang Youde waved his hand feebly and said.
"Jie Shuai, if the enchantress disappears, will the world be at peace?"
Zhang Xun asked calmly?
Fang Youde was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly and said: "Don't think too much, this enchantress... I can't compare to ten of her saints, so don't think about things like trying to keep saints away from women. . The saint will not listen to advice on this matter."
Zhang Xun nodded thoughtfully, crossed his hands, saluted and said goodbye, taking the guards further away.
There are many strange scenes that they cannot appreciate.
(End of chapter)
