Wu Qian was supported by his grandson Wu Ze and slowly walked up to the garrison in the north of Chang'an City.
Looking from the garrison, one can see the artillery on top of the city, covered with felt cloth, still sitting there quietly.
A few days ago, I almost had to light this artillery to meet the Mongolian army.
The area outside Chang'an City is actually not empty. To the north is the former site of Longshouyuan and the Tang Palace. Although it is now unprotected by city walls, it has become increasingly prosperous. It is difficult to imagine what it would be like after this bombardment.
If not for Li Xia and Zhang Jue, the more than 10,000 Tanma Red Army led by Liu Zheng were annihilated north of the Wei River, then no matter what Wu Qian did, the destruction of life around Chang'an was obviously inevitable.
Thinking of this, and then recalling Lian Xixian's withdrawal from Guanzhong, one realizes that Lian Xixian was concerned about his many years of hard work in governing this place...
In short, the continuous wars that took place in the summer and autumn of the third year of Xianning made Wu Qian think a lot.
It was indeed difficult to defend Guanlong. The imperial court did not want to regain the authority of the imperial court, so they allowed people like them to defend it.
Among them, there are the southerners who are the most determined to resist Mongolia, the northerners who have experienced the pain of chaos and have become more sympathetic to the people's livelihood, and countless people who just want to live a good life.
The atmosphere formed by this group of people is different from Lin'an...
Wu Qian just stood in the garrison, staring at this land with his old eyes, the more he looked at it, the more reluctant he was to leave it.
After a long time, a large group of chariots and horses meandered over, with flags flying in the wind and the momentum of returning from victory.
Wu Qian led the Chang'an officials to welcome him out of the city. He saw Li Xia riding a horse under the banner, dressed in military uniform and looking heroic.
He used to see Li Xia often, but seeing him again today made him feel even more different.
From the Battle of Qianshui Plateau, we can’t help but think of Tang Taizong and Liu Wenjing, so we can’t help but think of Liu Wenjing’s comment when Tang Taizong was young: “He is a very human being, his magnanimity is similar to that of Han Gao, and his martial prowess is the same as that of Wei Zu. Although he was young,
If you are young, it is God’s will.”
Even Wu Qian had this association, and this battle would definitely have a greater impact on Li Xia's prestige.
In today's troubled times, what do people yearn for most?
Even when Li Fen launched an attack, he shouted to "return to the throne of the prosperous Tang Dynasty", while Wang Wentong wanted to "succeed as Xuanling's minister". If possible, wouldn't Wu Qian not want to be Fang Xuanling?
This is how the people's admiration comes from...
Just after Wu Qian's thoughts turned around, Li Xia got off his horse, supported him, and said with a smile: "Why did Mr. Wu come to pick him up? It would be too much to mobilize the troops."
"The king's triumphant return should be welcomed even if the troops are mobilized to cheer up people's hearts."
"Okay, thank you very much, Mr. Wu."
Li Xia agreed with a smile, and when he walked side by side with Wu Qian, he whispered: "It's not a triumph yet, I'm very worried about the situation in Henan... Let's talk about it later, Mr. Wu, please see who that is?"
Wu Qian turned his head and looked through the crowd. When he saw Li Zengbo, he couldn't help but burst out laughing.
When we met old friends, he was quite free and easy. He smiled dumbly and waved his hand, as if "there is no need to talk too much about the past."
On the contrary, Li Zengbo had complicated emotions. He could restrain himself at first, but when he saw Wu Qian's free and easy expression, he couldn't hold it back anymore and burst into tears...
~~
"I heard that you left three "Poems of Death" before you 'passed away', so I know that you were troubled by Liu Zongshen, but I don't know if it was the master of Jia Sidao..."
After entering the city, Li Zengbo sat in the hall and talked about the past two years ago when he heard about Wu Qian's death, but the more he talked about it, the more angrily he became.
"'There are only seventy men, separated by four thousand miles. Even if it is not a smoky cave, there is no way to escape.' Even if I see you today in the world, the intensity of the persecution by the traitorous party at that time can still be seen!"
Li Zengbo had reasons to be angry.
He sent people to Xunzhou to investigate, and the various clues he obtained made him furious.
It is said that after Liu Zongshen took office, he killed Wu Qian more than once. First, he sent people to poison the well of the temple where Wu Qian lived, but it failed. In order to poison him, he also held a banquet to invite Wu Qian. After being declined, he simply forcibly held the banquet in Wu Qian's house.
residence.
What is even more distressing is Wu Qian's "posthumous affairs".
Wu Qian was looking forward to returning to his hometown after falling leaves. His poem said, "There are people in the imperial court who are most benevolent, and their bones may be coveted. Their souls will return home early, and they will not be ghosts in a foreign land."
However, he was demoted because he was involved in the dispute over the reserve position. Before he is rehabilitated, he does not have the conditions to return his coffin to his hometown for burial.
Therefore, what Li Zengbo found out at that time was that Wu Qian's body was buried in a remote place in Huwei Mountain, six hundred miles away from Xunzhou.
How sad and aggrieved it is for a generation of number one virtuous prime ministers to not even have a burial place after their death?
"But don't be angry anymore, don't be angry anymore. You are already in your 60s and you are the commander-in-chief. How can you cry like this...I am not dead, I am still alive."
"Brother Yifu, look at your life!"
Li Zengbo shook his head, becoming more and more angry.
He didn't know how to express this anger for a while, so he had to read Wu Qian's "Death Poem" again, crying every word.
"Bian Ma is coming from the south and the north wind is blowing, and he has repeatedly made long-term plans to attack Gu Zhong. A group of jackals are rampaging and trying to contain them, and Yifeng is flying high and his career is in vain..."
When I read the last sentence, "If you want to know the heroism of thousands of years, it is all in a night of thunder and lightning." Thinking that Wu Qian was almost buried by a glass of poisonous wine on that night of thunder and lightning, Li Zengbo was beating the table angrily.
"Don't be angry, it's over." Wu Qian sighed and said: "Three desperate poems, two of them were written because I thought I was going to die, and one was to create the illusion that I was dead... In short
It’s past, don’t be extreme or dissatisfied.”
"I am dissatisfied." Li Zengbo said: "I am indeed dissatisfied! Contact the court officials to force Jia Sidao to dismiss Liu Zongshen as an official... Oh, but how can you be so extreme?"
At this point, his tone became heavy and he finally uttered four more words——
"National affairs are the most important thing."
"Yes." Wu Qian agreed, "National affairs are the most important thing."
Others may not be able to understand that despite being so persecuted, they still insist on the idea that national affairs are the most important thing.
However, it is precisely with this mind and will that we can painstakingly support this crumbling home and country for decades.
National affairs are so important that people without such perseverance simply cannot handle them.
So they are Wu Qian and Li Zengbo.
We talked about our personal honors, disgrace, and grievances, we cried, and then the conversation gradually turned back to business.
"I didn't expect that it would be Li Xia who saved you. He was very foresighted."
"Shouyuan's son... people don't know what to say." Wu Qian murmured: "If the late emperor had such a son, or if King Rong had such a son, it would be a blessing to the country."
"Brother Yifu's words are extremely treasonous."
"Yes, the first meaning of these words is particularly treacherous to today's officials. I was demoted to Xunzhou. It is not unfair, not unfair..."
When it comes to today's official family, Li Zengbo is also speechless.
He rubbed his forehead, and for a moment he thought of Li Xia's bravery in leading the cavalry to intercept the Mongolian army on the battlefield of Qianshui Plateau, and for a moment he thought of the ridiculous things he heard about the officials in Lin'an for several days.
Not to mention the persecution Wu Qian suffered at court many times in his life, and compared to the treatment of Li Xia this year, I don’t know how to describe it.
"well."
Finally there was a long sigh.
Afterwards, Li Zengbo said: "I cannot rebel."
"Sixty and eight years old." Wu Qian twirled his long beard and sighed. He answered the question incorrectly and said, "You are three years younger than me, so you are no longer young."
"You want me to stop meddling with things behind me."
"What else?" Wu Qian asked back, patted his knees and said casually: "There is nothing we can do."
"but……"
Wu Qian waved his hand and said with a smile: "When old friends meet again, it's only right to talk about poetry. Back then, you and I sang poems together. I said, 'Ask the Huns before they are destroyed, what's going on?' You said, 'Who fought to conquer the Central Plains?' Just ask the characters today.
, How can there be no peace of mind?', still thinking about these words from you and me... I have too many complaints."
In these two poems, one lamented that the Huns were living in seclusion before they were destroyed, and the other asked whether there was still Xie An in the world. They turned around and said living in seclusion. Although the word "seclusion" was just mentioned, this kind of pessimism seemed like
It was engraved in the bones of the civil servants of the Song Dynasty.
It's all pessimistic to say the least.
"Why can't you and I be like Yue Wumu? 'Driving a long chariot, traversing the gap in the Helan Mountains. Aspirational, hungry for Hulu meat, laughing and thirsty for drinking the blood of the Huns!' Why are you and me always 'things in the world, all are leisurely and leisurely, never do anything'
"Retire", why is it always "Beyond the dangerous fence, the vast waves are infinite, go and return to rest"?"
At this point, Wu Qian leaned forward and asked: "In the past, even talking about recovery was too much, but don't you think that we have become more energetic in recent years? You and I are getting old, so we can just cheer up. What's the point?
No?"
Li Zengbo sighed with emotion, "They can't even talk about the reconquest." These words showed that they had no dissatisfaction with the imperial court.
"Brother Yifu, are you...?"
"No, I always ask Li Xiaer to teach him to be loyal to the emperor and serve the country. But as an old man, what else can I do?"
"You are loyal to the emperor and serve the country?" Li Zengbo asked back, still feeling uneasy.
"I've been thinking of a saying a lot lately..." Wu Qian said again, "How to put it, 'A boat is better than a human being, and water is better than a commoner. Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it.' How do you think that can be done?"
There is no need to say it clearly, Li Zengbo already understood what Wu Qian meant.
He was supposed to curb Li Ni's trend, but he didn't expect that his position had already changed like this before he started to deal with Li Xia.
And Li Xia has never dealt with him at all, so he is indeed very generous.
Thinking of this, another comment can't help but come to mind.
"The magnanimity is similar to that of Han Gao, and the martial prowess is the same as that of Wei Zu."
~~
Li Zengbo went to Chang'an not only for personal reasons such as meeting old friends, but also for understanding the upcoming situation before returning to Longxi.
In other words, just after annihilating A Shu, they rushed to Chang'an for a military meeting without stopping.
After entering the city and resting for a while, Li Zengbo and Wu Qian went to the lobby of the government office and saw that many civil and military officials had already arrived.
Li Xia did not change out of his military uniform, and his expression was not very good.
"First summarize this year's summer defense and autumn defense..."
In one sentence, many generals were brought back to the atmosphere of being invaded by Mongolian troops every year, and they had to start preventing Mongolian invaders every year again.
“We fought several victorious battles in succession and annihilated nearly 30,000 Mongolian troops. However, after fighting battles in Nanyang, Yellow River, Tongguan, Gongchang, Yan’an, Qianshui Plateau, etc., our army’s casualties also exceeded 10,000, with more than 10,000 casualties.
Fifty thousand innocent people suffered..."
Li Xia was very dissatisfied with this, and he was unwilling to engage in such consumption with Mongolia.
Therefore, he first clearly stated his future strategic tendencies.
"We must fight outward and block the enemy outside our homes. This is the next stage of the strategy. Please think carefully about how to do it and continue to discuss this tomorrow. Now let's talk about the situation... Lin Zi, you tell me."
Li Xia and Lin'an have completely different styles when discussing affairs.
He summarizes, sets out goals, and is concise and to the point.
And his emphasis on intelligence is something few people in the world can match.
Lin Zi had already stood up, but he seemed to be in a state of silence and determination.
"According to intelligence from Shandong and Henan, Xia Gui has been repulsed by Zhang Honglue, and Li Fen has been surrounded by Jinan, which is on the verge of defeat. I'm afraid that this winter the Mongolian army will be able to free their hands and turn around to attack Sichuan and Shaanxi..."