A few minutes later, Li Zhi patted his palms twice and asked the waiter to clean up the dish fragments and food residues on the floor. Then he drank a few mouthfuls of buttermilk. His anger had calmed down. After being on the throne for twenty years, he I have long understood a truth - you must not let your emotions control you.
"Your Majesty, Liu Rengui has arrived and is waiting outside the palace!" The voice of the servant came from outside, which was a little blurry mixed with the sound of wind and rain outside the palace.
"Let him in!" Li Zhi put down the spoon in his hand: "It's raining so hard, bring him a bowl of buttermilk to warm him up!"
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"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty!" Liu Rengui knelt down and bowed to the emperor before taking the buttermilk. Perhaps because of the heavy rain, his face was pale and gray, and his gray beard stuck to his wrinkled cheeks, making him look a little old. Li Zhi smiled: "It's raining and cold outside, Liu Qing will use some buttermilk first, and then let's talk about it!"
"Yes!" Liu Rengui responded gratefully. Although he had just changed his outer clothes, the inner clothes that were close to the flesh were still a little wet, and it was cool and uncomfortable to wear on his body. He finished the buttermilk in three gulps and felt quite warm, then handed the bowl to the waiter beside him and said in a deep voice, "I've finished it, sir!"
"Okay!" Li Zhi nodded: "I plan to make you the governor of Longzhou (today's Longxian). What do you think?"
Liu Rengui did not answer immediately. He twirled his chin and beard, thought for a moment and then replied: "Does your Majesty want me to deal with the Tibetan thieves?"
"Not bad!" A satisfied smile appeared on Li Zhi's face: "I know the elegant meaning after listening to Xiange. It is indeed very labor-saving to talk to Liu Qing!"
"Don't dare!" Liu Rengui secretly exhaled a long breath. He was originally an errand in the political affairs hall and one of the prime ministers. The emperor asked him to go out to serve as the governor of Longzhou. According to the political conventions of the Tang Dynasty, he was demoted to another state. With him At this age, it is estimated that it will be difficult to return to Chang'an in this life. But considering that the Tang army had just been defeated by Tubo in Dafeichuan, Longyou was empty, and his own past experience, becoming the governor of Longzhou at this time had another meaning. Longzhou is located in today's Long County, Baoji City, Shaanxi Province. It is on the east slope of Longshan Mountain, which happens to be the west gate of the Guanzhong Plain. You must pass through this place when climbing Longshan Mountain from Guanzhong, heading to the Hexi Corridor or entering the Hehuang Valley. Obviously, the emperor sent a minister he trusted and had rich military experience to guard the key points and ensure that nothing was lost in Guanzhong. In the early Tang Dynasty, there was no distinction between civil and military affairs. It was normal for border ministers to go to the court to pay homage to the prime minister after making great achievements. It was normal for the prime minister to go to the border to supervise the border troops and fight against thieves. If Liu Rengui could serve as the governor of Longzhou, it would undoubtedly greatly benefit his future political future. Useful.
"Liu Qing once led troops in Baekje. What do you think is the most important thing in Longyou right now?" Li Zhi asked.
"I don't know much about the situation in Longyou, so I don't dare to speak nonsense!" When Liu Rengui said this, he changed the subject: "However, Xue Rengui lost one hundred thousand troops this time, and the Longyou Military Mansion must be empty. I thought the first thing should be What you do is to comfort the deceased orphans, reduce taxes and labor, and show the court's caring heart. Then you can move your household registration from the mainland to make up for the shortfall. Only after you have rested and recuperated can we talk about the war!"
"Yeah!" Li Zhi nodded: "What else?"
"More?" Liu Rengui was stunned when he heard this. He carefully looked at the emperor's face and wondered if he wanted revenge right away? But the Tang army in Longyou was hurt in the battle of Dafichuan. It was not enough for Xue Rengui to drain all the elite troops in Longyou. He also transferred a lot of troops from Hedong and Guanzhong to have these 100,000 people. All of them were lost in one fell swoop. , even if they are transferred from the mainland military mansion to make up for it, the combat effectiveness is incomparable. Bringing this kind of army to compete with the Tubo people, isn't that just giving food?
"What if Tubo takes advantage of the victory and attacks?"
Hearing that the emperor did not ask him to counterattack immediately, Liu Rengui breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, please rest assured. Although the Longyou soldiers are newly defeated, they are not aggressive enough and have enough discipline. If the Tubo people don't come, they will be able to defeat them!"
"Oh? Why do you say that?" Li Zhi asked: "I heard that Qin Ling was a famous general in the world, with more than 200,000 men under his command. After the battle in Dafeichuan, our army in Longyou was empty. Isn't this a good opportunity to send troops? "
"Your Majesty, you don't know something!" Liu Rengui said with a smile: "The Tubo military system is different from that of the Tang Dynasty. Once they go to war, they will be swept away as soldiers, the young and strong will be the front troops, and the old and weak women and children will live in the back to graze and harvest for military resources. Such soldiers If it's a field battle, it's okay. After all, the winner will be decided in ten and a half months. If Tubo attacks Longyou here, there will be countless fortresses and pavilions built by the local dynasties. They face each other. As long as the wall is strong and the field is clear, there will be nothing to plunder in the other field, and there will be no battle. , it can take a few months at most, and it can take as little as twenty or thirty days, and it will be defeated without a fight!"
"That's it!" A smile appeared on Li Zhi's face. Just as Liu Rengui said, since the Han Dynasty, the area of Longyou has been a battleground for military strategists. All kinds of Uburg fortifications have been built in the past dynasties, and the density is much higher than in the mainland. . If Tubo invades, even if Longyou's field army is severely damaged, they can still use military ration tactics to repel the entire Tubo militia. Li Zhi breathed a sigh of relief: "Then Liu Qing's appointment as the governor of Longzhou has been decided first. If the Tibetan thieves In case of invasion, you will be appointed as the ambassador of Longyou March Guard!"
"I obey the decree!" Liu Rengui quickly gathered his belt and bowed down.
Seeing that Liu Rengui accepted his appointment, Li Zhi's face became a little more happy. He asked Liu Rengui a few questions about Longyou, and suddenly asked: "Liu Qing, someone in the court impeached Wang Wenzuo a few days ago. He is also yours." My old subordinate is here, take a look at this bullet!"
"Yes!" Liu Rengui was stunned when he heard this. He took the bullet from Li Zhi and started to read it. It turns out that the bullet accused Wang Wenzuo of being ordered to guard Songzhou and resist Tibet. However, after taking office, he did not think about how to resist Tubo. Instead, he negotiated with Tubo for personal gain and failed to fulfill his responsibility to contain Tubo. As a result, the Longyou army was defeated in Dafeichuan, and Wang Wenzuo was also responsible. At the end, Liu Rengui went to see the signature, only to find that it had been blacked out. Obviously this was done by the emperor, who did not want to expose who the impeacher was.
"I think this bullet is nonsense from beginning to end!" Liu Rengui put the bullet back on the table: "If the person who submitted the bullet had some knowledge of military affairs, he would not have written such a bullet! "
"Oh?" Li Zhi laughed: "So Liu Qing thinks Wang Wenzuo has no responsibility?"
"That's right, not only is there no responsibility, Wang Wenzuo has already done a good job in the Songzhou Governor's Office. At least if I were in his position, I couldn't do better than him!"
"Why do you say that?" Li Zhi said with a smile: "Don't he have the responsibility to contain Tubo all the way?"
"Your Majesty, Jiannan is the west residence of the imperial court. Every year, most of the winter and summer clothes given to the soldiers of Longyou, Beiting, and the Western Regions, as well as the rewards from Turks, Tiele, and Uighurs, are brocade and silk tributes from the middle of Shu. There is no such thing as the middle of Shu. With the tribute brocade, the imperial court simply did not have the ability to send 100,000 troops to conquer Tubo. As Wang Wenzuo is the governor of Songzhou, the first thing he has to do is to protect Xichuan instead of containing Tubo. How many soldiers do you have in Jiannan? You know, Wang Wenzuo only has so few troops at hand, but he has to protect several roads in Xichuan, and Tubo is not the only enemy in Jiannan. If he sends out a large number of troops to attack Tubo, what will happen if other barbarians take the opportunity to rebel? Besides, Wang Wenzuo wants to mobilize a large number of troops, then He needed to increase his troops and pay them. Who should he ask for? Or Chengdu? Chengdu gave him more, but gave less to the imperial court. The imperial court did not have the gold and silk from Shu, so what could it use to maintain the army in Longyou Beiting? After Wang Wenzuo took office, he defeated Tubo twice and established trade relations with them. Not only did he protect Xichuan, he also made money. Last year, the tribute brocade sent to Chang'an from Xichuan was half a percent more than in previous years. Here is Wang Wenzuo's Credit!”
"Hehehehe!" Li Zhi laughed loudly when he heard this: "Liu Qing is indeed a prime minister, and he has the same views as others!" At this point, he took out a piece of paper from the desk, but it was from there Cut out from the end of the bullet, it is written in Li Zhi's familiar font: "The affairs of the ministers in Xinjiang are not your knowledge, so don't say more!"
"Your majesty is wise, but I am too old to worry too much!" Liu Rengui hurriedly thanked him.
"I originally wanted to ask Wang Wenzuo to come to Longyou, but after thinking about it carefully, if he goes to Songzhou instead, I'm afraid there will be trouble again. Wouldn't it be better to press the gourd and let the ladle float? Let him stay in Songzhou! In Longzhou! The work is too much for you!" Li Zhi paused for a moment: "Liu Qing stayed in Longyou for three years, repaired the big hole that Xue Rengui made this time, and then returned to Chang'an Political Affairs Hall to run errands for me, how about that?"
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Outside Yingzhou City, at the riverside dock.
The setting sun sets in the west, and its last rays of iridescence shine, reflecting people's fur hats. The sound of drums came from Yingzhou City not far away, and pedestrians on the road couldn't help but speed up their pace in order to enter the city after closing the door.
On the pier by the river, Dahe Huaien's followers were already sitting on the boat, and the boatmen were still busy carrying their bags. A cold wind blew from near the branch that fed into the Liao River, making the torches sway. The firelight reflected on the river looked blood-red. The bloody river was flowing north, as if it was flowing to an unknown place in the netherworld.
"Well, I wish you a safe journey!" A Zhiluo enthusiastically held Dahe Huaien's hand: "Be sure to take care along the way!"
"I will be careful in everything!" Dahe Huaien said with a smile: "Blessed by gods and Buddhas, we will meet again soon!"
"Yes!" Ah Zhiluo nodded: "In Yingzhou, on the meadow, or somewhere else! We will always see you again!"
"Haha!" Dahe Huaien laughed: "What you said is a bit strange. It's okay to be in Yingzhou, but what the hell is that place on the meadow? You can meet anyone, and anything can happen to anyone! I don’t know who is the enemy and who is the friend there!”
"Then what else can I say?" Ah Zhiluo shook his head nonchalantly: "We are destined to be those who draw bows and shoot arrows. We can't help ourselves when we fly there!"
"Yes!" Dahe Huaien sighed: "With this current situation, no one knows what will happen in the future!" He opened his arms and hugged Ah Zhiluo: "May the gods and Buddhas bless you and let the arrows bypass you! "
"May the gods and Buddhas bless you and let the arrows go around you!" A Zhiluo also whispered, and the two of them let go of their arms, and Dahe Huaien boarded the boat without looking back.
The oars and oars slapped the water, and the boat slowly left the dock.
Dahe Huaien stood at the stern of the boat. The river bank and the firelight quickly hit his eyes and retreated. He stared at Azhiluo on the shore for a long time, and was gradually swallowed up by the night. His heart was gradually filled with a kind of sadness. The river water enveloped him, making him escape. Walking further and further away from everything he loved, it was like ruthless fate forcefully pulled him away from this light, into the wilderness, into the endless darkness.
The boat passed through the river mouth and entered the wide Liaohe River. The wind whistled across the river, the oars roared, which seemed monotonous and sad, and the boatman sang sad songs. Dahe Huaien was wrapped in a cloak and lying on his shop, recalling Yingzhou and the colorful life it represented. However, all of this no longer belonged to him, and what awaited him was endless war, darkness, danger and despair. , he thought hard, trying to find a way out, exhausted, and finally fell asleep amidst the sound of songs, oars and wind.
Early the next morning, Dahe Huaien woke up. He felt that he was light and strong. His strong body was like a full wine glass, with so much energy that it was overflowing. He walked onto the deck and found that the sky was clear, and the warm and gentle wind was blowing on the broad overflowing river, causing ripples in the folds. Under the cover of the morning fog, the two banks were blurred and connected with the river surface, and the boundary could not be seen clearly. A young boy servant woke up. He looked around in panic, but he couldn't see anywhere.
"Bodhisattva!" he shouted, "should we go to sea?"
"This is a rising river. It has rained a lot in the past few days, so the Liaohe River is much wider than usual!" Dahe Huaien said: "When the sun comes out and the fog disperses, you can see the river bank!"
"So that's it, I thought we had reached the territory of the Silla people!"
"We will go if necessary! Look, we are not the only boat on the river, there are many boats passing by!"
Sure enough, they soon saw many boats on the river, the most common of which was a small boat with a wooden frame and covered with birch bark or fish skin. It could be carried by one person after going ashore to dry. . This kind of boat is very fast when going with the current, but when going upstream, you must use a long oar. The Mohe people like to use this kind of small boat. They fill it with dried fish, nuts, dried berries, honey, and furs, and transport it to Han villages and towns along the river for sale. When they return, they bring salt, tea, ironware, cloth, etc. Goods were sold to tribal people living in meadows, woods and swamps.
There are large expanses of wilderness on both sides of the Liao River. There are no villages. Only white or brown tents can be seen occasionally. Those are the nomadic Khitan and Mohe people. Even for these lonely nomads, this season is a rare time when transportation is convenient. They are willing to exchange the necessary goods with the boat people on the river.
The boy servant looked at the shore in surprise. It was the first time in his life that he saw such a magnificent scenery. (End of chapter)
