Agarwood Pavilion is a leisure place in Xingqing Palace. It is located in the northeast of the Dragon Pond in the palace. It has a pavilion of red bricks and black tiles, a foundation and fence made of white marble, lush trees and rippling lake water. This beautiful scenery often made Li Longji, who was tired of government affairs, feel comfortable and relaxed.
At this moment, the setting sun at dusk is reflected in the lake, a bright red color. This scene makes people inevitably think of the magnificence of "the sunset is infinitely beautiful".
In the Agarwood Pavilion, the sound of silk and bamboo can be heard endlessly. The emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Li Longji, was blindfolding his eyes with a black brocade belt and "touching the blind" in the Agarwood Pavilion.
Lei Haiqing, who was on the side, frowned and kept playing the pipa. The music was sometimes soothing and sometimes tight, moving in accordance with the "rhythm of the game".
"Sage, the slave family is here! Come here! Hahahahahaha!"
A soft and charming laugh came from behind Li Longji. The young woman who spoke was dressed in men's clothing. Although she was bare-faced, her beauty was not concealed, and she was more heroic and upright than ordinary women.
Her appearance is similar to that of Yang Yuhuan, but she is slimmer and more toned and energetic.
"Sage, this way, this way, the slave family is here."
To Li Longji's left is a young woman with a similar face to the woman just now, but she is smaller in stature and has a more feminine expression. She makes me feel pity for her when she looks at her, and I want to hold her in my arms and care for her.
Not only that, not far in front of Li Longji, there was also a woman with a similar face to the two girls. She looked a little more mature, but she was elegant and bookish. She was also more reserved, just slapping Li Longji and shouting onomatopoeia like "Oh, oh".
These three women are all Yang Yuhuan's sisters. Now they have been taken to Chang'an by Li Longji and have been named Mrs. Korea, Mrs. Guo and Mrs. Qin respectively. Since she is called "Madam", it is natural that she is a married woman.
Ji Ge loved Wujiwu and appointed all three of their husbands as governors, and transferred them from Chang'an to other places. This can be said to be a great favor from the emperor.
When Li Longji was depressed, he often invited the three girls to Xingqing Palace to have fun, often staying up all night. Of course, since Brother Ji has already named the three women as "Madam", it is naturally impossible to make them concubines or something like that.
Therefore, the relationship between the three women and the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty is very delicate, and they are in a "what they say is what they say" situation.
To say that the three women have no relationship with Brother Ji, theoretically speaking, there is indeed no relationship at all.
But it really doesn't matter at all. These three women often go in and out of Xingqing Palace and often stay out all night.
Yang Yuhuan's unexpected death made the passionate Emperor of the Tang Dynasty understand one thing:
Just enjoy what you have and don’t care about it forever. This is the normal state of the world!
Since each has his or her own life, wouldn't it be okay to just play around? Why should we pay attention to so many statuses?
Without status, there is no so-called moral pressure. Without status, there would be no such thing as "debauchery and immorality." Isn't such a comfortable life?
Yang Yuhuan's departure solved the knot in Ji Ge's heart since the Queen Wang was deposed.
As long as you live a happy life, things like propriety, justice, and shame are sometimes just a burden on the king. They have no meaning other than making him uncomfortable.
Once you pretend to be deaf and start enjoying it, then as long as there is no real evidence, all nonsense things will not exist. Playing with these three beautiful ladies but not giving them status, then Li Longji, the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, will still be a role model for the people of the world.
That's what Brother Ji thinks.
"Yao Yao! It's you, right! I've caught you!"
Li Longji turned around and pounced, holding Mrs. Qin in his arms.
"Sage, how bad are you? The slave family is not Yaoyao!"
Mrs. Qin said coquettishly and quickly broke away from Li Longji's arms.
Li Longji took off the brocade belt from his eyes and saw that it was not Mrs. Guo Guo Yang Yuyao, so he laughed loudly, hugged Mrs. Qin and kissed her fiercely.
"Then you will stay with me in my bedroom tonight. Well, as for you two, wait outside the room and don't run away. Do you understand? If you run away, I will be angry!"
Li Longji said with a fake face. The three women were all so shy that they covered their mouths and snickered.
At this moment, Gao Lishi hurriedly walked in. Although his expression was still calm, it could be seen from the speed of his movements that something serious had definitely happened!
Li Longji was a little unhappy when Gao Lishi lost his interest.
However, he remained calm and asked in a displeased tone: "Why is Lux so panicked?"
Gao Lishi looked around. Li Longji understood and waved his hand gently. Lei Haiqing and the three ladies all retreated angrily, leaving Gao Lishi alone.
"Sage, the news from five days ago was just delivered to Chang'an today.
The Tubo people captured Jiuquan City in Suzhou. Now that Tang Dynasty has lost two of the five states in Hexi, it depends on whether Shazhou can be defended.
If Shazhou can still be defended, then there will probably be no trouble in the Western Region.
If Shazhou is also lost, the Anxi Protectorate and the Beiting Protectorate must send troops to recapture Shazhou.
The Tibetan army was strong and captured two more Hexi prefectures and obtained supplies. I'm afraid it will be difficult to determine the winner of this battle this year. "
Gao Lishi said worriedly.
In fact, the current situation is more serious than he said.
The two states in the Hexi Corridor were controlled by Tibet. For Datang, the losses were unprecedented because the trade routes in the Western Regions were cut off, which involved a lot of wealth. Longyou lost five states, and Brother Ji was not as distressed as he is now!
Because the trade routes in the Western Regions were blocked and the rare treasures from the Western Regions were missing, the quality of life of Brother Ji and the dignitaries of Chang'an would drop a lot!
If Shazhou is lost again, Tubo will build momentum. There are not many Han people in the Western Regions, and many of the other people are survivors of the destruction of small countries in the Western Regions since the Han Dynasty. Their attitude towards Datang may not be so loyal. It's normal for something to happen at that time.
"What happened to Wang Zhongsi? I gave him 50,000 to 60,000 soldiers and horses, and he fought like this?"
Li Longji asked with anger and dissatisfaction.
The situation in Hexi is indeed not good. All the money, silk and grain supported by the imperial court are stored in Liangzhou. The treasury is full, but they cannot be sent to Shazhou!
Several waves of messengers went there in a row, but they were all intercepted by the Tubo people. What was going on there now, the court's eyes darkened.
"Sage, changing commanders before battle is a taboo for military strategists. Besides, the main force of our Tang army is still intact, so we still have to fight this battle. It's just that the border army is blocked here in Suzhou and cannot continue to the west, which is also a problem. The top priority is We need to know what the situation is like in Shazhou.”
Gao Lishi was quite experienced in government affairs. As soon as Li Longji heard his explanation, he immediately gave up the idea of replacing the Hexi Jiedu envoy.
The only problem now is that the road to Shazhou has been cut off by the Tubo people. The Tubo people now have Guazhou as their foothold, and are sending a steady stream of troops here to strengthen their defense.
"Lishi, please go to the Yamen in person and tell the Prime Minister of the Left (Zhang Shougui) if he is willing to go to Hexi to take command in person. Then mobilize 30,000 soldiers and horses from Longyou to reinforce Suzhou. We must ensure that the trade routes in the Western Regions are smooth!"
Li Longji said bitterly.
He originally thought that the world was at peace and that he had created a country with "the treasures of heaven and earth". As a result, they were slapped in the face by the Tubo people. Even the trade routes in the Western Regions could not be guaranteed to be smooth. Why did they boast about "Tianhua Dibao"?
Why do the Tubo people still come to cause trouble? Why aren't they dead yet?
Li Longji was filled with resentment.
"I'll go right away."
Gao Lishi said with crossed arms and a salute.
"Well, go and come back quickly."
Li Longji looked gloomy and waved his hands.
After Gao Lishi left, Li Longji immediately changed his smile and walked towards the palace with a relaxed pace.
No matter how fierce the battle is in Bian Town, it is still a hundred and eighty thousand miles away from Chang'an. Life is short, don’t stop enjoying it for a moment.
He is the saint of the Tang Dynasty and the master of the Tang Dynasty. He has the final say in everything here.
It doesn't matter whether other people are good or not, what matters is whether he is happy or not.
Tonight with Yang Yuhuan's three sisters, Brother Ji feels very happy!
…
It doesn’t matter whether it’s the big families or the common people in the small town of Dunhuang. They have been mobilized in the past few days to clean up the stones in the city, rebuild the perimeter of the karez, and repair the damaged houses. Although the city was busy, order was in order, and there was no panic on people's faces.
The bed crossbows on the city wall that were damaged by the Tibetans were also repaired. As for the corpses and bloodstains inside and outside the city, they have long been cleaned up.
The Tubo people were defeated, and the people here restored their confidence in the Tang army.
Today, Fang Chongyong is regarded as a god by the locals in Shazhou because of his previous "magical calculations". Therefore, those Hu businessmen from the Western Regions who were usually very meddlesome gave Fang Chongyong a nickname: "Hexi Qilinzi" to convey his deity.
What is Qilin?
"Gongyang Zhuan" records: "Lin is a benevolent beast."
According to legend, the auspicious beast Qilin has a habit of not coming out unless he has a benevolent king. This is the so-called "If there is a king, he will come; if there is no king, he will not come."
Fang Chongyong is the son of Qilin, so who is the benevolent king? Who is the king?
It can only be understood but cannot be expressed in words, and everything that is understood is understood.
This name is very meaningful, and it seems that someone is behind it.
"Come, Qilinzi, it's time to eat."
At the door of the study room in the backyard of the government office, Anaye patted the food box in his hand and shouted to Fang Chongyong who was writing a book at his desk.
"Does this bother you?"
Fang Chongyong retorted angrily, but saw Anaye walking in with a box containing food.
"It's very strange. You asked me to find those Hu businessmen to publicize this to the outside world. Now I call you Qilinzi, but you are not happy about it."
Anaye couldn't help teasing.
"What do you know? This is called hype, a high-end flattery! Flattering without any trace.
I am auspicious and invulnerable to all kinds of poisons. This name can be said to be worthless.
You, a local girl from Hexi, will know when I go to Chang'an to see the world. There, there's no point in fighting and killing, we have to rely on this. "
Fang Chongyong put down his brush, pointed at his head and said.
He opened the food box, and it turned out that there was another biscuit with added ingredients.
Before the Tubo people left, in order to last longer, Fang Chongyong made all the stored grains into dry biscuits that were easy to carry and distribute and were very hungry.
Just how proud I was then, I feel so bitter now. Because the Tubo people left a little "a little early," the Hu biscuits were not finished and were piled in the government warehouse. Thanks to the dry climate here, the corpses have survived for thousands of years, otherwise these biscuits would have gone bad long ago.
Even so, Fang Yanei took the lead in eating this kind of unpalatable dried Hu biscuits every day, his brows furrowed into the word "Chuan", and only he knew the bitterness in his mouth. He felt that he was the kind of person who pretended to be an idiot and had no choice at the time.
Suddenly, Anaye also put away her smile, mysteriously approached Fang Chongyong, and said in a low voice: "When I was shopping for groceries today, I heard a piece of news that I don't know whether it was true or not. There was someone who had escaped from Suzhou. People say that Jiuquan City has fallen and Suzhou is now under the control of the Tubo people."
"As expected."
Fang Chongyong nodded slightly, with no surprise on his face. He had already expected this.
In fact, when he heard that the Tubo people successfully attacked Jiayuguan (the city had not been built at this time), he knew that something was wrong and Suzhou would be difficult to defend.
The current situation is that the Tubo people occupy the strategic location of Jiayuguan and block the Tang army east of Guazhou. Now they have captured Jiuquan City and driven the Tang army to the Kongtong Mountain area in the east! It is very close to the Jiankang Army's station.
The current Chinese army camp of the Tang Army was set up at the Jiankang Army Station, controlling the gateway to the west of Ganzhou.
The dilemma Wang Zhongsi now faces is: it is difficult to break through with a steady attack. If he forces a cavalry raid, he will be rescued by an ambush from Jiayuguan. The supplies of the Tubo people are not good, and the Tang army is only slightly stronger. If this battle continues to consume, it should be said that "both sides suffer" to a certain extent.
Perhaps both sides are waiting for the other side to show a weakness and maintain a stalemate in the battle for the time being.
Fang Chongyong secretly calculated the outcome of the battle in his heart, and the biscuits in his mouth were like chewing wax.
"Aren't you surprised at all?"
Anaye asked curiously. She originally thought this was a landslide-like news for Fang Chongyong.
Even she, a Hexi girl who knows nothing about military affairs, knows that once the Hexi Corridor is cut off, Shazhou will become an isolated island and lose supplies from the Central Plains.
This question is very serious!
Unexpectedly, Fang Chongyong was listening to her while eating Hu biscuits, and seemed to be absent-minded.
"I never borrow other people's hands on important matters of life and death. If you want to break the situation, you must take risks.
There is no such thing as a sure thing in this world! "
At this moment, Zhang Guangsheng, who had just returned to Luocheng for a day and a night, pushed open the door and said with a joyful face: "Your Majesty, General Guo and others came to the government office to thank you. I heard him talk about the battle situation. It was really dangerous. It’s dangerous. This time we were able to defeat Tubo, and it’s all thanks to the emperor alone!”
"Just lead the way, there are so many flatteries! Focus more on the battle formation!"
Fang Chongyong stood up and cursed with a smile.
When the two came to the lobby of the government office, they saw Guo Ziyi, who had a dusty face, and senior officials from the local Doulu Army gathered here.
"Thank you for your hard work, Commander Guo! This battle is really not easy!"
As soon as they met, Fang Chongyong held Guo Ziyi's arm and laughed.
After hearing what he said, Guo Ziyi said sheepishly:
"Your Majesty, what you said is true! During the siege of Luocheng, the Tubo people rushed into the city several times. It was Xin Yunjing who led the veterans of the Baiting Army to kill them back.
At that time, we were really at the end of our fight. Hu Shang's troops in Luocheng were also ready to make peace with the Tubo people, but we suppressed them! These turtles!
The emperor led his troops to defeat the Tibetan army besieging the city in one fell swoop. The Tubo people outside Luo City withdrew when they saw that the situation was not good.
If it weren't for the envoy's power, Guo would have handed over his life to Luocheng.
The leader of the Tubo army, Guo, doesn't seem like a simple person. "
Upon hearing what Guo Ziyi said, all the generals in the hall looked at each other in shock. They did not expect that the defense of Luocheng would be so difficult.
Reminiscing about the day when I screamed for pursuit, everyone looked ashamed. If you really want to go, you will most likely be beaten by the Tubo people! In that case, if there is a discussion about merit and rewards after the war, it would be a different matter whether to receive rewards or to lead the army with batons.
"Although Shazhou has been relieved from the siege now, I guess that Guazhou and Suzhou are both under the control of the Tibetans. The Tang army in Liangzhou is blocked from Jiayuguan and cannot use its strength.
Therefore, a certain man decided to concentrate his forces and set out to Guazhou to catch the Tubo people by surprise. What do you think? "
Fang Chongyong dropped a bombshell, knocking out Guo Ziyi, Wang Sili and others in the lobby!
You've only had enough food for two days, so you can't be shaking like this, right?
"Your Majesty, now that Shazhou has finally rescued the siege, it seems a little bit rash to attack Guazhou now..."
Wang Sili organized the conversation for a long time, but he didn't know what to say.
(End of chapter)
