Hu Legen held the banner high and shouted, looking very fanatical.
He has been following Li Xia for many years since he was captured in Qingfu County. He started working for Li Xia reluctantly and couldn't help himself. After the battle on Qishan Road, he just wanted to do whatever he wanted.
It's "It's also good to follow Marshal Li."
But there's still something missing.
In the words of the Han people, it is not enough to have "peace of mind". The heart from the Mongolian grassland is still floating in the air, and the longing for the grassland cannot stop.
Until the real people of the Quanzhen Sect, whom even Genghis Khan respected, brought the edict of immortality.
It turns out that King Jun is another Heavenly Khan given by the Immortal God!
It is enough for Hullergen to understand this.
He didn't care at all whether there were any errors or omissions in what Taoist Hao said, or whether the witchcraft of the goddess Tongsi of the Qingming Sect came from Cordyceps or gods and ghosts.
With sustenance in his heart, he could finally devote his loyalty to the great Son of Heaven without any worries.
The souls of our ancestors resting beside the Selenge River and living in the eternal sky will no longer question him why he betrayed his loyalty to Genghis Khan.
"Because the descendants of Genghis Khan offended the will of Changshengtian, Changshengtian sent down his true son to love and protect the people in all directions!"
Hu Legen is already a fanatical believer in the Qingming Cangtian Sect, and is a general of the Guiyi Battalion of the Suppressing West Army under King Jun...
There was the sound of horse hooves again. Hu Legen pulled the reins to make the horse take a step back. Li Xia had already driven the horse to the riverside.
The tall figure, the murderous aura coming towards his face... Hu Legen raised his head and glanced, only to feel that the red cloak looked so majestic.
After that, I saw the ships on the Han River docking, and a group of Song court officials lined up to disembark.
Many of them were so frightened that their faces turned pale, but the old man walking at the front was very energetic.
Hu Legen was glanced at by the other party and lowered his head unconsciously...
~~
"Is that Li Xia? He deserves to be called a daring man. He is alone among two thousand Mongolians, and yet he is still showing off his authority there."
"It is not easy to surrender the Mongols..."
There were faint whispers, and several officials following Li Zengbo were still mumbling secretly. Li Zengbo turned his head and glanced at them, and quickly stopped talking.
Seeing Li Zengbo walking towards Li Xia without hesitation, all the officials had no choice but to follow him.
After getting off the boat, Li Xia stood up from his horse and came forward to meet him. He was wearing armor and sword, and his posture was majestic, giving people a sense of intimidation.
"But Mr. Zhai has worked hard all the way, and the younger generation came here to greet you."
"Prince Pingling is too polite to bear..."
Some officials secretly thought that this was a show of force, but when they looked over, they saw Li Xia and Li Zengbo chatting happily, and they didn't seem to be hostile, so they couldn't help but be surprised.
What's even more strange is that Li Xia personally supported Li Zengbo and walked ahead, not towards Hanzhong City, but all the way to the military camp in the north of the city.
This is obviously inconsistent with etiquette.
Generally speaking, when receiving officials like this, it is time to hold a banquet to wash away the dust.
You can't immediately rebel by killing court officials, right?
It's inevitable to worry again...
~~
"I have heard about the name of Duke Kezhai for a long time. When the younger generation was the first captain to celebrate Fu, General Yi Shiying of the Changning Army mentioned Duke Kezhai many times. I am grateful for his kindness in protecting him."
What Li Xia said was not false.
As early as the sixth year of Xingchang, Li Zengbo came to protect Li Xia after recommending Pu Zhezhi to Shu.
At that time, Li Xia took refuge with Ding Daquan and lost his reputation. Li Zengbo sent a message to Pu Zezhi and Yi Shiying, mentioning Liu Zheng's incident as an example, and believed that the court should use people without suspicion.
Then there was a long talk between Yi Shiying and Li Xia at the gate of Xunsi City. Later, when Wu Liang joined forces and entered Shu, the Changning army also supported Qing Fu, and Pu Ze later trusted Li Xia. This was also related to this.
Li Zengbo didn't know Li Xia at all at that time, but he just wanted to preserve talents for the country.
Unexpectedly, this talented person's ambition is now clearly revealed.
"The prince's words are serious." Li Zengbo said: "The prince was appointed as an official at the age of sixteen, and he became the commander-in-chief at the age of eighteen, and became a king at the age of twenty-one. This is all a great favor from the late emperor and the official family."
"Only with the support of the military and civilians can we regain the lost ground."
After saying this, the two of them entered the camp.
Li Xia raised his finger and pointed at the big tent, and said: "Sichuan and Sichuan are poor, and it is not suitable for the officialdom to have banquets and social events. Today's reception is shabby. Please forgive me, Mr. Ke Zhai."
Li Zengbo stroked his beard and said: "Okay, if the customs in Lin'an can be like this, the cost of the national treasury can be reduced a lot."
"It's hard to compare the prosperity of the DPRK and China." Li Xia said: "How about we talk about the situation in Longxi today?"
"Very good, please follow the wishes of the prince."
It is not a time of war. It is obviously quite impolite to talk about business immediately after arriving at the place after a long journey.
Li Zengbo had no complaints, he was both appreciative and worried at the same time.
Less than half an hour after arriving in Hanzhong, I first met the Mongolian cavalry under Li Xia, which showed his ability to lead troops; then he saw his simple style without a banquet; now he directly talked about the situation in Longxi, and his behavior...
You can't see the other side, but from the few details in front of you, Li Xia's political style is at least many times better than that of a court that suppresses force, is extravagant, and has too many people.
"Jia Pingzhang's work... doesn't stick to trivial matters." Uncle Li Zeng sighed, stroking his beard, "I think if the king of Pingling County were to take charge of the government, he might be able to get rid of the old disease."
Recently, it seems that everyone likes to scold Jia Sidao.
Li Xia shook his head and said, "It can't be swept."
"The prince is belittling himself."
"I'm not belittling myself, I really can't do it." Li Xia said seriously: "In Shaanxi and Sichuan, officials who are simple and honest may improve the atmosphere, but in the southeast, it will only make people laugh. Besides, when it comes to the ability of the governor, I am inferior to Jia Sidao.
It's far away, and I can't even do what Jia Sidao is doing. But Mr. Zhai doesn't have to coax me to return to the court."
Li Zengbo was stunned for a moment, surprised that Li Xia spoke so bluntly, and there was deep worry in his eyes.
Li Xia knew from the beginning that he could not eliminate the long-standing shortcomings and could not save the Song Dynasty.
The interest class that existed there was so powerful that neither the prime minister nor the emperor could deal with it.
The effortless method is simply to outnumber the hundreds of thousands of troops in Jiangnan and completely obey his orders and march down with his iron-clad troops.
It cannot be broken or established.
As for other more complicated methods, he felt inferior to Jia Sidao.
But the paths we take are different, so there’s no need to compare.
"Let's talk about Longxi."
Li Xia led Li Zengbo to the big tent, pointed to the big map on the table, and said: "Now our sphere of influence in Longxi actually only reaches Gongchang and Dingxi. In other words, the farthest is only Longzhong. Liupanshan I
We have never dared to take it. This is the place where Mongolian Genghis Khan died. If we take it, Mongolia will fight for it despite civil strife. Fortunately, Longxi is a vast area with few people and there are not many Mongolian troops. There is only a thousand-man troop in Liupan Mountain. In addition, there are
In the western region of Hetao, Xingqing Prefecture, Xingzhou, and Liangzhou have Mongolian kings in charge."
"Which Mongol clan kings?"
"The son of Kuo Duan, Xingzhou Tie will be strong, and Liangzhou will be destroyed. It is a bad luck. When Kuo Duan was alive, he always served as the first commander of the Mongolian Western Route Army. He was conferred the title of King of Liang, managed the hometown of Xixia and Tubo, and established his headquarters in Liangzhou for ten years.
Kublai Khan died before, and his son... was mediocre in talent. From the information I have learned so far, I don’t see Kublai Khan’s son having any talents. But I predict that they have chosen Kublai Khan in the battle for the throne. I’m afraid
Kublai Khan will send his general to receive their troops."
Li Zengbo came prepared and raised his hand to draw a circle on the map.
"In order to manage Longxi, if we can take the old land of Xixia, take the Hetao, and then take the Hexi Corridor, and defend it at Jiayuguan, then we can stabilize the situation..."
Just as he advocated the restoration of the defense of Xiangfan and wrote early about Qi State's defensive role in the southwest, Li Zengbo was a man with a very strategic vision.
Although the word "defend" has not yet been removed, his defensive strategy has never focused only on one city and one pool, but on the entire strategic situation.
Just hearing this sentence, Li Xia was already pleasantly surprised, realizing that the person who was transferred to Longxi this time was probably a handsome man with a strategic vision better than Wang Jian.
"There is something else that I need to tell Duke Ke Zhai first. The person who is in charge of the government in Longxi now is Lian Xixian, a famous scholar from the north who surrendered. Brother Shanfu has the reputation of 'Lian Mencius'. He will definitely be able to manage people's livelihood, money and food."
So that Mr. Ke Zhai has no worries, I only hope that you two can work together..."
Li Zengbo had known that Li Xia would make his confidants take charge of money and food, but when he heard about Lian Xixian's deeds, he couldn't help but secretly complain in his heart.
With such a powerful person strangling the lifeline of money and food, it is extremely difficult to do anything else.
From the perspective of preserving the Song Dynasty, he was already a little reluctant to go to Longxi, so he asked another question inadvertently.
"But I don't know who the prince recommends to be the pacifier of Kuizhou Road?"
Li Xia said calmly: "After the Marquis of Yue of Dali, Gao Changshou returned to the Song Dynasty and helped Wang Shi recover Dali. This great contribution deserves a heavy reward. I intend to make him a Marquis of the Founding of the Kingdom and recommend him to be the pacifier of Kuizhou Road and to know Chongqing."
Mansion, what does Duke Zhai think?"
Li Zengbo had known that Li Xia would not be able to give up his official position in Shuzhong. Hearing this, he became more worried and nodded. He could not do anything else for the moment but went to Longxi to discuss it again.
Li Xia smiled, thinking about the friendship between Li Zengbo and Wu Qian, but he was not in a hurry to mention it and only continued to talk about official matters.
"It can be foreseen that when the battle for the Mongolian Khanate is over and the war begins, Guanzhong will face Ahema in Shanxi and Shi Tianze in Henan; Longxi will face the enemies of Xingqing Mansion. The time left for us to prepare for the war is short, but please can
Zhai Gong deployed all his strength..."
~~
Hu Legen arranged for the soldiers of Guiyi Camp to place the remaining officials in the camp, which went smoothly.
When he returned to the big tent, it was getting dark, but Li Xia was still discussing the situation with Li Zengbo in secret.
Even as a Mongolian, Hulegen found it a bit distasteful.
It was only the first day for the old man, and he didn’t even take a break. He must be very tired...
He guarded outside the tent for a while, and finally saw Li Xia lifting the curtain and coming out, and said, "Go and prepare some food for Mr. Ke Zhai."
Hu Legen had already made preparations and asked people to bring wine and food to Li Zengbo himself.
Li Zengbo smiled and asked, "Can you speak Chinese?"
"I can speak, and I can also write poetry." Hu Legen saw that this old Han man also had heroic spirit, but he did not dare to look down upon him.
"Really? How about reading your poem to me?"
Hu Legen glanced at Li Xia again and saw him nodding. Then he cleared his throat and thought about which poem he had composed to read.
"The Hulegens who came from the grassland are rare and precious because of their authenticity. They surrender to my gods. The handsome kings are victorious in every battle. Mongolians, their blood is boiling for my Tengri Khan."
Li Zengbo was silent for a long time.
I don't know whether I am speechless at something that cannot be called poetry, or I am shocked by the Mongolian's reverence for Li Xia.
When he came back to his senses, he saw the rat-like man in front of him staring at him, as if waiting for a comment.
Li Zengbo is known as a talented poet in today's poetry world, so he cannot comment on this poem. He just smiled and asked Hu Legen to step aside.
Hu Legen turned to look at Li Xia again, and then retreated after Li Xia's instructions.
Li Zengbo then said: "How about I also send a poem to the king?"
Without waiting for Li Xia's answer, he patted his knees and sang a song "Qin Yuan Chun" to himself.
"... Seeing that there is no one in the world, the only hero in the world today is the envoy. If you want to be loyal to the military, prosper the king's industry, support the Sima, and bear the blame for our people? Clean up the armored soldiers, return to Dingfu, and make sure that the eight wastelands are unified. Management
The situation is closer to Han Qin than the situation in Jinghe."
After hearing this, Li Xia shook his head.
"But Mr. Zhai advised me to learn from Yue Fei, Zhongwu... His posthumous name is 'Zhongwu', does it really mean 'when he returns to Dingfu, he will surely unify the eight wastelands'?"
Li Zengbo smiled bitterly and was speechless.
Li Xia looked around and could see deep helplessness in the wrinkles on the old man's face.
He has also been observing Li Zengbo.
Even if we already know his ambition, ability, and character, today is just our first meeting, so it is not easy to embarrass this famous loyal minister of the Song Dynasty.
Li Xia then said: "As officials in the northwest, we should be less romantic and pay more attention to practical matters. There is no need to mention suspicions and ambitions. The most important thing in a few years is to protect the safety of one side and resist the invasion of foreign invaders. But what does Zhai Gong think?
"
"What does the prince mean...?"
"Simple, if the foreign invaders are not pacified, there will be no internal strife."
This is Li Xia's guarantee and suggestion.
Li Zengbo couldn't help but be surprised.
This time, the imperial court sent him here to check and balance Li Xia. They originally thought that he was ambitious and must be a cunning person...
No, I was faced with such a frank and bold response.
It's a bit ridiculous, but this is the trend, otherwise what would happen?
Thinking about it, this is the best result that a sixty-three-year-old man can achieve.
"There will be no internal strife until the foreign invaders are pacified."
Li Zengbo felt a little relaxed for no reason.
With this assurance, at least for the time being, we can focus less on internal fighting.
After he came, those temptations, those euphemistic reminders, those hidden subtleties hidden in the poems, seemed to be resolved so easily by Li Xia?
Hundreds of years of party strife and internal strife have made almost all Song Dynasty officials accustomed to it.
I just discovered today that when you have absolute strength, a sincere attitude, an inclusive mind, and a common vision... the way to resolve internal strife is sometimes so simple.