It was the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month in the tenth year of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
After Li Xia looked through Lian Xixian's memorial, he was stunned for a while.
This is already the fifth time in the past few years that Lian Xixian has requested to return to Beijing to report on his work. Li Xia refused the previous times.
This time, after Li Xia thought about it, he agreed.
"Prepare a post for Qing Lian."
Guan De took the memorial and responded: "Your Majesty, with Mr. Lian's arrival, I'm afraid there will be another war in the northwest."
It can be seen that the situation is no longer a secret. Foreign merchants coming to Chang'an have begun to talk about Haidu Khan more and more, and even call him the orthodox successor of the Golden Family.
It is still unclear how the New Tang Dynasty, which has only achieved unification not long ago, will look like in the eyes of Westerners. Haidu has eagerly announced to the world that he will rule the rapid rise of the Great Mongolia.
In the past five years, Li Xia has remained silent in the face of Haidu's arrogance.
~~
The official road from Liangzhou to Chang'an had been repaired, and Lian Xixian arrived in Chang'an only on the 13th day of the twelfth lunar month.
He once ran Guanlong and lived in Chang'an for several years, but when he came back this time, he no longer recognized the city.
Too many water conservancy projects have been built on the Guanzhong Plain.
Starting from Fenghui Canal, you can see well-organized houses and dense population.
Lian Xixian wore a thick cotton robe over his official uniform and a cotton hat on his head. While leading his horse, he looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar street scene. He occasionally pointed at the neighbors and recalled that this place was originally just a deserted pasture.
As he was walking, before he reached the city gate, he suddenly stopped and said: "This is the outline of the old Tang Dynasty. If we build another city wall now, it will really be like a chess game with hundreds of houses and twelve streets."
It’s like the scene of growing vegetables in Chang’an during the prosperous Tang Dynasty.”
"The outer city wall must be expanded. The difficulty is that it is no longer difficult to move the inner city."
"It can be seen that His Majesty is still planning to move the capital..."
After crossing the long street and walking a long way before entering the city gate, there were officials waiting at the city gate, leading Lian Xixian to the post.
There was a lot of traffic along the way. Today's Chang'an City is only the former part of the Chang'an Palace of the old Tang Dynasty. It is too cramped for a capital city.
The post was arranged next to the East Street of the Imperial City. Lian Xixian put down his luggage and sent people to the palace to ask for an audience. He took a bath and changed clothes to prepare for the audience.
[In view of the general environment, this site may be closed at any time. Please move to the permanently operating source-changing App as soon as possible. 】
Preparations were being made here, but before the attaché from the palace came back, a general announcement was heard.
"Mr. Lian, we have a visitor."
Lian Xixian couldn't help but be surprised, secretly thinking that he had just arrived in Chang'an, who could get the news so quickly.
When he rushed to the front hall of Guanyi and took a look, he couldn't help but burst into laughter, and then he quickly bowed.
~~
Nowadays, there are more and more restaurants selling Shu cuisine in Chang'an City, because many important officials in the court are from Sichuan and Shu.
In the evening of this day, a group of guests came to Shuxiang Tower in the east of the city. There were more than twenty warriors and two men, one in his thirties and one in his forties. They were both handsome and majestic. They were distinguished guests just by their bearing.
The two of them left the warrior sitting in the hall and went to the private room upstairs.
"It's too casual, just in case you encounter an assassin."
"It's good to see some fireworks occasionally. It's boring to discuss things in the palace all the time."
This kind of interview method is not in accordance with the procedures, it is just Li Xia's personal habit.
Lian Xixian carefully observed the private room, made sure it was safe and private, and wanted to speak but didn't know how to start admonishing.
"Brother Shanfu has come all the way back. He must have a lot to say in person. Why don't you say it again?"
"I would like to advise your Majesty." Lian Xixian said: "When the Song Dynasty moved south, Zhao Gou said, 'The profits from shipping are the greatest. If handled properly, the income can be in the millions. Wouldn't it be worth taking it from the people?'
The Song Dynasty was obsessed with the benefits of maritime trade, and gradually became peaceful with singing and dancing. Now that your Majesty rules the world, he emphasizes the benefits of sea trade and ignores the dangers of the Western Regions. This is where I am worried and uneasy."
Li Xia sighed and said, "Since you are here this time, take Liulang with you when you go back."
Lian Xixian's movements stagnated.
The Liulang that Li Xia mentioned was actually Duo Siman's child, named Li Changsui, who is only seven years old now.
Uluru Khunai's son Mubalasa died young, leaving only a posthumous daughter. In the past few years, Uluru Khunai had sole control of the Western Region Khanate in the name of Ketun.
But as she grew older and faced the rise of Haidu, she sent envoys twice to express her desire to pick up her grandson.
Uluru Hunai also hoped that Li Changsui could marry Mubalasha's daughter, who was his cousin, to ensure the smooth succession of the Khan throne.
Li Xia had always refused to do this before.
"Your Majesty," Lian Xixian was very surprised and asked, "Is this the condition for agreeing to Uluru Hunai?"
"Ulu Hunai also agreed to my conditions. I will make Liulang the King of Anxi. In the future, the Khanate he inherited from his grandmother will become a vassal town of the Tang Dynasty."
Lian Xixian said: "The sixth prince is still young, and His Majesty does not want him to follow the prairie custom of marrying close relatives. What is this?"
"How can everything go as planned?" Li Xia shook his head, "If you really become an emperor, you will not be as good as you were before. I am not a good father."
"His Majesty……"
Lian Xixian came with plenty of words of advice, but now he had nothing to say.
Finally, he stood up and saluted: "I am guilty. I forced your majesty to separate his flesh and blood. His crime deserves death."
Li Xia said: "You didn't force me, I thought about it on my own. Brother Meng wants to incorporate into the territory wherever the horses' hooves can reach. My ambition is not inferior to his. In addition to horses' hooves, there are also sea ships. I also hope to go there.
Afterwards, all territories were ruled by the central government, but the remote areas outside Zhongzhou could only be enfeoffed after all. They always said that they would create peace for all generations, but after doing it, I found that there is no perfect system that can guarantee the immortality of the dynasty.
, the future generations will not be chaotic. Another ten years have passed in a blink of an eye, with more and more expectations, but less and less time. I mourn the brief moment of my life, and envy the infinite Yangtze River.
So I have been thinking recently that it is enough for one generation to achieve the same achievements as one generation, to stabilize the territory of this country for future generations, to focus on its spirit of continuous enterprising and pioneering, and to break the shackles that may imprison it. In this way, although
It is inevitable to change dynasties. It can always stand in the forest of all nations without being bullied. It has the territory of a big country, the great heritage of ancient countries, and the national strength of a powerful country. It will make future generations proud of growing up here and there is no need to envy people from other countries.
.In this life, if I can achieve this for future generations, maybe it will be enough. With this in mind, just give in."
The conversation today felt more like Li Xia was having a heart-to-heart talk with a friend.
Lian Xixian then said: "I just said something serious. You should not say that Your Majesty is underestimating the crisis in the Western Regions."
"I know the power of Haidu."
"Haidu is the grandson of Ogedai. Speaking of it, he is more qualified to inherit the throne of the Mongolian Khan than Kublai Khan. In recent years, Kublai Khan was defeated and captured, and Hulawu of the Yin'er Khanate died of illness.
Brother Bielge of the Khanate also died, and no one in Mongolia was willing to be an enemy of Haidu, so he soon replaced Kublai Khan as the Great Khan of the Grasslands. However, I thought that although he was powerful, he was not very powerful.
. Now he is constantly plundering the Yinli River Basin in order to annex the Western Region Khanate. If he wants to attack Haidu, he should take advantage of the situation and do not wait for him to become powerful."
Li Xia nodded and said: "Brother Shanfu is right, but the early Han Dynasty also had to go through the rule of Wenjing before Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty attacked the Xiongnu in the north. Going to war with Haidu is different from recovering the Central Plains. It requires good horses and weapons.
Food and information are not ready yet."
"Since the country has spare capacity for maritime trade, why not send troops to the Western Regions first to facilitate trade and buy back good horses?"
"The Yin'er Khanate lies across the Silk Road. If it sends troops to the Western Regions, it will make little profit. Instead, it will be constantly consumed by the sea capital. Using one's own shortcomings to attack the other's strong points is not the best strategy."
"When going to sea to trade, wouldn't the cost of building ships be greater, and how much profit would there be? Don't you see that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty dug through the Western Regions and raised horses in Longxi, so he could defend the Huo?!"
Lian Xixian looked excited after talking about it.
This is a common characteristic of Beiguan. He has always seen the prosperity of the Silk Road, but never sea trade.
Li Xia smiled and said: "Brother Shanfu's idea coincides with mine. In the past five years, I have been trying every means to improve our national strength. Isn't it a kind of 'drilling through the Western Regions and raising horses in Longxi'?"
"I'm afraid that your Majesty will be deceived by the southerners, and you are going in the wrong direction!"
"No hurry, let's eat first. After dinner, I will show Brother Shanfu a few things."
Lian Xixian calmed down and said, "I am being rude."
"It doesn't matter, I'll tell you my thoughts first."
Li Xia dipped her fingers in the wine and drew a simple map on the table.
"The attack on Haidu is not only a matter of the northwest route. Troops are sent out from Ningxia, Hetao, Shanxi, and Hebei. In addition to attacking Haidu, we also need to attack Harala and Lin. At the same time, we need to send troops to Liaodong to prevent Naiyan.
Support Haidu, this is a national battle. Calm down, Haidu is arrogant today, that is because I do not intend to fight with him, if I send troops, I will completely destroy him in one battle. Therefore, calm down, we must
Accumulate national strength."
The map drawn by drinks quickly spread out.
Lian Xixian nodded, completely understanding what Li Xia meant.
"Let's talk about what preparations we have." Li Xia added: "In addition to Qiangu, let's talk about horses and weapons first. I have ordered Hu Legen to raise horses in Hetao. As for weapons, we will go to the ordnance shop together tomorrow..."
Lian Xixian suddenly felt a little confused.
We will go to the Ordnance Shop tomorrow, so what are we going to see tonight?
~~
"Uu."
"who?!"
The horses just stopped, and orders were heard from the front.
The servants stepped forward and handed over the token, and then the guards guarding the manor moved out of the way.
Li Xia left the horses outside the fence and walked into the manor.
There was nothing to see in the dark, but he raised his hand and pointed to a few open spaces in the night and said: "This one is potatoes, and this one is sweet potatoes."
Then he turned around and pointed to the other side.
"That's corn, over there are peanuts... By the way, over there are chili peppers."
Lian Xixian squinted and could faintly see that some of the fields had sprouts, while others did not.
"For five consecutive years, I have sent sea ships to search for the New World every year. One fleet was sent at the end of the sixth year of the founding of the People's Republic of China, and two more fleets were sent in the seventh year of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The third fleet came back in August this year.
It arrived at Guangzhou Port in September and the first batch of seeds were planted in September."
Li Xia said as he walked, with a sigh in his tone.
"Now some have sprouted, and some have not. Maybe the farming season is wrong. They may not be able to adapt to the soil and climate immediately, and they need to be tested again and again. Therefore, the seeds are very precious. I don't even dare to send a horse to send them to you.
, so that others can’t explain clearly.”
"I just still have doubts. Is the yield of these grains really much higher than wheat?"
"It's much higher. This is the only thing I can guarantee to the people of the world... Food is the most important thing for the people. The food and clothing of the people are always much more important than the ambitions of those in power. If the people don't have enough to eat, there is no need to talk about expanding the territory.
"
The two walked through the path between field stalks and walked into a warehouse.
Li Xia pushed the door open and went in. Inside, there were two officials from the Agriculture and Agriculture Department lying on small couches in their uniforms on duty. When they saw someone coming, they got up quickly.
They were not frightened when they saw Li Xia. It can be seen that although their official positions are small, they often meet the saints.
"I have met His Majesty."
"Sorry to bother you, I'll give Lian Qing some seeds of various kinds to take back to Gansu, and tell Lian Qing what to pay attention to when planting."
"I accept the decree."
After Lian Xixian took a few packets of seeds, Li Xia patted him on the back and said, "Gansu is suitable for growing potatoes and corn. Let's take some back and try them."
Lian Xixian smiled bitterly, but he still had doubts after all.
"If one day I can have a bowl of potato stew with you again, it will be during the Northern Expedition to Haidu, how about that?"
"I will live up to your majesty's great trust..."
~~
At that time, no one except Li Xia could understand the significance of these seeds.
Even in Lian Xixian's opinion, taking a few packets of seeds was just a trivial matter. On the contrary, he felt that the biggest thing in this trip to Beijing was to bring the sixth prince to the feudal lord.
For Uluru Hunai, bringing the Khanate to surrender to Li Xia was a helpless move, and in fact it was unwilling. For Li Xia, sending a son away from him was like sending a son into hostage. In fact,
Nor do they want to... In short, in the face of the rise of Haidu, both sides have made compromises and gained something.
The sixteenth day of the twelfth lunar month.
The New Year has not yet arrived, but Li Xia has issued an edict, making his sixth son Li Changsui the king of Gaochang County and sending him as an envoy to the Chagatai Khanate.
After receiving the order, Duo Siman hugged the child and cried hard.
"Your Majesty... at least wait until the New Year..."
Although she is a Mongolian, Duo Siman actually enjoyed the excitement of the New Year the most in previous years.
Li Xia patted her on the back and said, "You and I knew this day would come."
"Woooo..."
Duo Siman cried loudly.
Li Changsui was trying his best to hold back his tears, but because of his mother's behavior, his tears finally kept falling.
"Father...the child doesn't want to leave home..."
Li Xia hugged his legs and cried for a long time before reaching out to wipe his cheeks and nose.
Because Li Xia's time with this child was too short, he didn't say much. More truths need to be taught by people who have been with him for many years.
"You have to listen to your husband. From now on, he will serve as your king and support you."
After that, Li Xia took Duo Siman's hand, hugged her, blocked her sight, and watched Li Changsui being led away while crying...
~~
Outside Chang'an City.
Xi Jihu looked at the carriage, then at Wu Ze in front of the carriage, and sighed.
"Why bother taking your family to that bitter cold place outside the Great Wall?"
Wu Zedao: "Uncle, please don't say that. Maybe when I was the king's prime minister in the Western Regions, my uncle was not yet the prime minister."
The Wu family is also the founding father of the country. Wu Qian made great contributions to governing Guanzhong and guarding Chang'an. As his grandson, Wu Ze can have a stable future as long as he follows the steps.
However, following the prince of Gaochang County to the west was a risky endeavor, and most civil servants from poor families were willing to go.
But Wu Ze was worried that others had selfish motives and did not know how to teach the prince to care about the Central Plains, so he insisted on going.
"Educate the Western Regions and stabilize the country's territory. If the Wu family doesn't go, who will?"
At this time, Xi Jihu looked over and saw Wu Ze with a smile on his face, but firmness in his eyes, and finally said no more.
"It doesn't matter if you contribute to the country, it's the same wherever you go."
Drum music sounded from ahead.
That was when the royal chariot came to see Lian Xixian off.
Wu Ze said goodbye to Xi Jihu and went to the palace gate to meet Li Changsui.
"Sir!" Li Changsui cried: "I don't want to leave..."
"Your Highness is able to contribute to the country at such a young age, but many people still ask for it but still don't get it." Wu Ze was patient and said in a calm tone: "Let me tell you a few stories for Your Highness."
"what story?"
"..."
Amidst all the noise, the team gradually lined up and prepared to set off.
Lian Xixian also bid farewell to Li Xia.
"Your Majesty, please rest assured that I will protect your Highness."
Li Xia nodded, looked towards the horizon, and murmured: "Your Majesty or Your Highness, sending mayflies to the heaven and earth is just a drop in the ocean. Instead, it is the seeds in your arms that can change the fate of hundreds of generations."
Lian Xixian couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.
He looked around and saw for the first time a few white hairs on Li Xia's temples, and thought, Your Majesty is still reluctant to let go...
~~
Spring passed and autumn came, and more than three years passed in the blink of an eye.
In the middle of October, the thirteenth year of the founding of the Tong Dynasty.
Liangzhou.
Lian Xixian was reviewing official documents with a solemn look on his face.
In recent years, Haidu has become more and more arrogant, eyeing the land of Chagatai Khanate, and sending troops to Yinli more and more frequently.
Wu Luhu asked for help several times, and Lian Xixian also sent troops out of Yumen Pass to support Qiangu.
However, with the buffer of the Western Region, the imperial court has not officially declared war on Haidu after all.
Haidu may have also made up its mind on this. Now even Han business travelers have begun to be robbed frequently, and this Silk Road is completely impassable.
In other words, Haraherin completely replaced Chang'an's position on the east-west trade route.
After reviewing these messages, Lian Xixian took out another imperial edict from his sleeve.
The will is simple, the emperor will patrol the west.
Calculating time, we may be able to reach Liangzhou in these few days.
"Making envoys."
Suddenly there was a call outside the door. Lian Xixian stood up suddenly and adjusted his robe subconsciously.
really.
"Envoy, please leave the city to greet him!"
…
This was not the first time for Li Xia to come to Liangzhou. After entering the city, he saw many acquaintances, such as the Mongolian general Mago, the Uyghur general Desu Amu, and Yu Dechen, who is now in charge of military intelligence in the northwest.
After inspecting the military camp, Li Xia and Lian Xixian said on their way back to the city: "The military morale is available, but I am more concerned about horse and civil affairs. How is Brother Shanfu's business going?"
"I would also like to treat your Majesty to a meal."
Li Xia raised his hand and made a three sign and said: "Last time in Chang'an, I spent so much money treating you to dinner. Don't be stingy."
"Your Majesty, you can rest assured that your Majesty will be satisfied."
The team returned to the camp, and not long after they sat down, Lian Xixian ordered several dishes to be served, obviously he had prepared them in advance.
The plate was placed on the eucalyptus. Li Xia looked at it and didn't move quickly, but nodded.
"This is roasted corn, and this is potato roasted mutton. I have been planting it for three years. This year is the second harvest of potatoes. I left more seeds before, but now they are edible..."
At the end of the introduction, Lian Xixian bowed solemnly.
"I still remember your majesty's golden words. The situation in the northwest is becoming more and more critical now. I ask you to attack Haidu."