The old soldiers who raised horses for the army would pass by a small pavilion outside the city every evening when they returned home. The pavilion stood on the side of a mountain road, surrounded by mountains and rivers, and the scenery was quite beautiful.
For half a year, there has been a middle-aged man drinking there every day with a small wine bag, while watching the scenery and the sunset.
This man has a thin appearance, a deep temperament, and simple clothes. His biggest feature is that he has a severe limp.
At first, the old soldier who raised the horse came up to talk to him and asked: "You have been in the army, right? You have a murderous spirit in you."
"I served as a soldier in Anxi for several years."
“No wonder the accent doesn’t sound like the locals.”
"My ancestral home is here, and I lived in the Western Regions with my grandfather when I was young."
"Now that the world is at peace, have you taken off your armor and returned to the fields?"
The middle-aged man smiled, took a sip of his wine, and said, "Yes, I have taken off my armor and returned to the fields."
Having said that, he squinted at the horizon, seeming to think of the yellow sand in the Western Regions again.
From that time on, they would often chat for a while, and the middle-aged man would sometimes hand the wine bag to the old soldier and share the wine with him.
After tasting it, the old man was not satisfied and said that although the wine tasted good, it was too little.
"The mother-in-law at home is very strict and only allows one drink a year."
"People who join the army are still afraid of their mother-in-law?"
"My mother-in-law is right. I am lame and have gout. Drinking too much is not good. I have to drink a little every day."
So whenever the wine in the wine bag was finished, the middle-aged man would raise his head and open his mouth wide until the last drop fell into his mouth. Even if the old man laughed at him, he would always do so.
On this day, the old soldier came home late due to some matters. He thought that the middle-aged man was gone, but he didn't expect that he was still there.
"Hey, why are you here so late today? It's hard to walk at night when it's dark."
"I will leave tomorrow and say goodbye to you."
"Where to go?"
"Call me to battle."
The old soldier was puzzled and said: "Don't fool me. At your age, you are thin, lame, and sick, how can you go to the battlefield again? The imperial court is becoming more and more unreasonable in recruiting troops."
"If you can't kill the enemy in battle, you can barely do it by commanding the battle."
"The more you talk about it, the more you get lost. How can a general be as poor as you?"
The middle-aged man just smiled, pointed to the completely darkened skyline in the distance, and said: "It would be great if we could go back to Anxi. There are mountains over there, but they are not as lush as here. There is grassland under the mountains over there.
free."
"Hey, I have been a soldier and raised horses all my life, and I have never left Puzhou."
"What a pity. The world is so vast."
The old pawn felt the difference between himself and the other person. Although the other person was thin, lame, and sick, he was like the swankiest horse in the stable, more like an eagle that could soar with its wings.
So, now I flutter my feathers and fly high into the sky!
From that day on, the old pawn never saw this middle-aged man again.
Sometimes when he returns home and passes by this small pavilion, he will stop to watch the sunset. Until one rainy day, there is no sunset, and he thinks of the middle-aged man who is watching here regardless of rain or shine. What is he looking at?
west.
It turned out that what he was looking at was never the sunset, but the Western Region thousands of miles away.
The old soldier tried his best to keep his eyes wide open, as if looking through the barrier between heaven and earth, looking at the desert, snow-capped mountains, grasslands, and Gobi, feeling the ambition in the man's heart.
Then one day, an old soldier heard a conversation between two generals in the army.
"It was General Feng Changqing. He was demoted to the governor of Puzhou and returned to his hometown to recuperate. Now he has been conscripted and recalled."
"How come you haven't heard of such a person in the county before?"
"I heard that General Feng was quiet, diligent and frugal. He only had two horses left in his private stable. His salary was all lost due to injuries and illnesses in the army. After returning home, he only built a small house and lived in seclusion."
"Where's the family?"
"It is said that he was trapped in Anxi and passed away many years ago..."
After hearing this, the old soldier couldn't help but wonder if the man he knew was Feng Changqing.
If so, in fact, no one has asked Feng Changqing to drink less wine. He holds the little wine in the wine bag every day. Does he still remember his late wife's advice?
~~
Several riders rode into Chang'an City and arrived at the majestic Daming Palace.
The lame middle-aged man got off his horse, staggered forward and said: "Pu Governor Shi Feng Changqing came here with an imperial edict to ask for an audience with the saint."
This last sentence made the imperial guard at the palace gate frown and secretly cursed this man for not knowing how to show appreciation.
"The saint is still recovering from his illness today and cannot see General Feng. The general can attend tomorrow's ceremony."
Feng Changqing didn't know what this ceremony was at first, but he knew that the emperor and the saints would be there. He took out the dress that he would only wear a few times a year, and followed the procession of officials to the Temple of Heaven before dawn.
Compared with the Kaiyuan Tianbao period, the scale of today's royal festivals has been reduced a lot, making it less luxurious and more solemn.
When the sacrificial music started playing, Feng Changqing raised his eyes and was stunned for a moment when he saw Li Longji's figure slowly standing on the altar.
Li Longji has not appeared in front of the ministers for some time, but he does not look older than last time. His hair is meticulously combed, his complexion is good, and his face has a cheerful look, but he looks energetic.
He glanced around and found quite unexpectedly that in addition to Wei Jiansu, among the ministers there were also his old ministers such as Li Xian, Li Mi, Feng Changqing, etc. He couldn't help but nodded.
"I haven't seen you, sir, for a long time. I am very pleased to know that you are waiting for your fate."
"I only hope that the Supreme Emperor will be healthy for thousands of years!" Du Youlin took the lead and kowtowed.
Li Longji said: "I only hope that the country will be stable and that all the people will live and work in peace and contentment."
"The blessings of the Tang Dynasty are profound, as the Supreme Emperor said"
This kind of dialogue between the monarch and his ministers is obviously not a threat to the Supreme Emperor and the saint as Feng Changqing thought when Xue Bai just took charge of the country. It can be seen that the relegation of Feng Changqing is not unjust.
Afterwards, Li Longji closed his eyes, sighed, and got down to business.
"My second son, Ying, is smart and wise, and he has made great achievements in his official career. However, his career and fate are not harmonious. He has been deeply loyal to his family for a long time, and his family love has shocked his conscience."
In front of his subjects, he recounted the merits and injustices of his son Li Ying. Afterwards, he was filled with grief.
Li Cong stepped forward to comfort Li Longji at the right time.
But when the father and son stood together, Li Cong looked even more trembling.
Afterwards, there was another performance, and Li Cong asked people to read out the decree.
"Therefore, the Crown Prince Ying, to inherit the celebration of Tianzuo, to protect the glory of Hong's name, to celebrate Zhongxiaoji, is to be my younger brother. I will use my body to engrave a great treasure, and it is not as good as the gift of the king. I will not claim to be the heir of my great brother, and I will use it to pursue my posthumous title."
He is called Emperor Fengtian, and his concubine Xue’s posthumous title is the Queen of Obedience..."
Listening to this decree, Feng Changqing squinted his eyes and stared at Li Cong for a while, trying to detect the strange look on the emperor's face.
However, Li Cong was always calm and seemed to have figured out that the throne did not belong to him in the first place. Although it fell to him due to a series of changes, it was just for him to play a role in connecting the past and the future.
After reading the imperial edict, Li Cong's face turned pale, and his dejection could not be concealed.
Finally, because Li Cong could not stand for a long time, the palace officials brought two Hu stools for him and Li Longji to sit on, and then the sacrifice was hastily ended.
After the Supreme Emperor and the Saint left, only the Prince continued to complete the memorial service to Emperor Fengtian.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Feng Changqing stopped the emperor in front of hundreds of officials and asked to see the saint.
This matter made Li Cong very embarrassed, but a eunuch came to him and whispered something, and Li Cong agreed to meet Feng Changqing in Yanying Hall.
Feng Changqing regarded himself as a person whom the emperor could entrust, so when he came to the audience, he paid attention to whether the emperor would give him any hints.
Unfortunately, Li Cong was not familiar with political affairs and had nothing to say about the war in Tubo.
After chatting for a while, he sighed: "I'm getting old."
This sentence conveys a sense of sadness that time is running out. He is really in poor health.
In fact, Li Cong showed signs of decline before he ascended the throne. It was the excitement of becoming emperor that rejuvenated him. However, Xue Bai's supervision of the country made his spirit disperse, and the decline intensified.
"I am willing to do the saint's death, but I don't know what else to do?" Feng Changqing asked.
It took him a lot of courage to say this.
If Li Cong was unwilling to recognize the current crown prince in his heart, he would fight to the death to maintain the orthodoxy of the Tang Dynasty.
Li Cong looked back at him in astonishment, with a strange look in his lifeless eyes, and his lips trembled twice, hesitating whether to say anything.
Feng Changqing looked around and saw only a few palace officials standing far away. He then leaned forward and asked the emperor to whisper an order to him and entrust him with important matters.
Li Cong understood, leaned over and whispered.
"Feng Qing, do you know the Taoist priest who makes alchemy?"
"I am stupid." Feng Changqing was stunned for a moment, confused.
He thought of Li Xiazhou, and wondered what the emperor wanted to say.
Do you want to talk about destroying the Buddha? There is a rumor in the world that the Taoist priest Li Xiazhou encouraged the prince to destroy the Buddha.
Or, the sage wants to say that the gunpowder made by Li Xiazhou can be used on the northwest battlefield or other places.
Seeing his confusion, Li Cong sighed: "I really want to know if there is really an elixir of immortality in the world."
"saint?"
"Does Qing Feng know?"
Feng Changqing pursed his lips hard and was speechless for a long time.
He looked at the aging face in front of him, and he could no longer see the slightest sparkle in it.
Li Cong didn't care what this courtier thought of him, and murmured: "When I was hiding in the palace, I also refined some elixirs. Now I live in the deep palace, but I feel uncomfortable..."
Feng Changqing bowed his head and saluted, saying: "I beg you to retire."
His belief had been shaken. If asked again if he still suspected that Xue Bai was holding the emperor hostage to order the princes, he would not be as sure as before.
~~
After exiting Yanying Hall, the eunuch led Feng Changqing to Xuanzheng Hall.
Whether he admits it or not, he is now the prince supervising the country's governance, ensuring the normal operation of the entire court, and dealing with the current powerful enemy of Tibet.
When they arrived at the Xuanzheng Hall, after the eunuch made the announcement, he first asked Feng Changqing to wait and said that His Highness was meeting with the Supreme Emperor.
After a while, Gao Lishi came out and said with a smile: "General Feng, please go in. The Supreme Emperor has summoned you for discussion."
The emperor's edict did not surprise Feng Changqing, but he slowly climbed the stone steps and entered the Xuanzheng Hall, and unexpectedly found that the emperor and the prince got along so harmoniously.
Not only Xue Bai and Li Longji were present in the palace, but also several prime ministers and important officials in the court.
Obviously, the Emperor was invited to preside over a discussion about the war with Tubo. This came from the opinions of hundreds of officials in order to stabilize people's hearts.
Xue Bai posthumously proclaimed Li Ying emperor. If you gain something, you must make concessions. The art of power struggle is to compromise with each other.
Feng Changqing came closer and saw that Li Longji's older face was still full of charm, and his cloudy eyes were still shining with wisdom and kindness. Feng Changqing's eyes were sore and he immediately fell to the ground.
.
"I was originally poor and humble, but the Supreme Emperor had great trust. I was promoted to be a military envoy. From humble beginnings to greatness, I don't know how to repay the Supreme Emperor for his kindness."
Li Longji sat there, patted his knees and said, "Then you will help the prince and fight this battle for Datang."
Such calm and majestic words immediately calmed Feng Changqing's heart, and his morale, which had been drained by seeing Li Cong just now, was immediately revived.
His blood surged, and he immediately responded loudly: "I accept the decree!"
With the comparison of Li Cong, Li Longji, who is old but still maintains a progressive spirit, can indeed inspire people.
"Prince, help him up."
Li Longji stroked his long gray beard and gave another instruction.
Since he ordered Xue Bai, he had to do it and stepped forward to help Feng Chang Qing.
But aside from this pretentious behavior, what Li Longji did was actually conducive to Xue Bai's handling of government affairs more smoothly.
At least, Feng Changqing's attitude towards Xue Bai changed immediately. Xue Bai stretched out his hand, but was unable to help him up immediately.
Feng Changqing bowed solemnly and said: "I have deeply misunderstood Your Highness in the past. Please punish Your Highness."
"Now that you have been relegated, all the crimes that should be punished have been punished. Get up and talk about the situation of the war."
"Here!"
A map from Helong to Anxi has already been laid out in the hall.
In front of Li Longji, Li Xian first explained the current situation of the war with Tibet. Da Zha Lu Gong's 300,000 troops came in three groups. Guo Ziyi had few soldiers. Now he could only retreat and defend, and at the same time let his soldiers harvest wheat and strengthen the walls to clear the country.
As for sending troops to Yuanzhou proposed by Yuan Zai, it is good from a strategic point of view, but Guo Ziyi believes that the city of Yuanzhou has been burned by the Tibetan army. Once the troops are sent out, they will have nowhere to station, and it will be difficult to transport food and grass. They will easily be besieged by the Tubo army and fall into trouble.
passive.
Taking advantage of this incident, Guo Ziyi also said in his memorial that the war with Tubo would be a long-term war that would last for several years or even ten years. Only when the national power can comprehensively defeat Tubo can the lost territory be recovered step by step.
To seize the opportunity to control Tibet, rushing for success will only make the war passive.
In this regard, Xue Bai asked Feng Changqing's opinion.
Feng Changqing has a different mentality from Guo Ziyi. He is more eager to connect to the Western Regions.
However, he had been in the four towns of Anxi for a long time and was not very familiar with Hexi and Longyou. After comparing the troops, money and food of both sides, and looking at the terrain, he believed that Datang currently only had passive defense. This view was the same as Guo Ziyi's.
His eyes kept wandering around the map, trying to think of more ways.
At this time, Li Mi spoke.
"Concerning the situation on the battlefield, several generals have analyzed it clearly. The ministers are incompetent, and they have come up with a strategy to trap Tibet. In a few years, Tibet will no longer be able to invade the east."
In the past, when discussing matters, Li Mi would often just go to that station and close his eyes to rest, as if he was unwilling to contribute to Xue Bai, but today it was completely different.
Li Longji and Li Cong's posthumous title of Li Ying represented the clan's recognition and acceptance of "Li Qian", while Xue Bai's invitation to Li Longji to discuss the matter symbolized magnanimity and harmony with the Tian family.
The father is kind and the son is filial, and the royal family is stable. This is the situation that all officials want to see most.
Even if it was just to encourage Xue Bai to keep up his efforts, Li Mi had to use all his strength today.
"If the Tang Dynasty could unite with the Uighurs in the north, and whenever Tubo sent troops, he would order the Huitans to come to their aid. If the Tubo invaded the fortress, they would be divided. His Highness once put down the rebellion in Nanzhao. However, in recent years, the war in the Central Plains has made it impossible to go south. You can send troops from Nanzhao to Mongolia.
If there is water, the rear of Tibet will be in chaos; Dashi is the strongest in the Western Regions, stretching from Congling to the West Sea, covering almost half of the world. Both China and India admire the Tang Dynasty, and have been enemies of Tibet for generations. They send envoys to fight against Tibet.
Cut off all exchanges. In this way, our tea, silk, porcelain and other goods from the Tang Dynasty can travel to various countries and exchange war horses. However, Tubo is trapped and it will be difficult to raise troops."
Everyone in the hall nodded repeatedly, deeply impressed by Li Mi's talent.
This suggestion boosted everyone's morale and clarified the general direction of the future situation between the two countries.
In comparison, Xue Bai's plan to pretend to be in alliance with Tubo Zampu but actually to alienate the Tibetan monarchs and ministers seemed petty.
However, Li Mi's strategy is grand and long-term, and it is difficult to solve the current problem of insufficient defense forces, money and food in the northwest in a short period of time.
Li Longji was here today, and the words "recruiting troops" and "increasing taxes" came to the lips of some officials several times, but they were afraid of Xue Bai and never said it out.
"Chang Yuan's proposal is very good. It is appropriate to send envoys to Uighur and order them to send troops." Li Longji spoke again, "What do you think, the prince?"
"Return to the Supreme Emperor, I think it is feasible."
Xue Bai did not give Li Longji much chance to preside over the situation, and then turned to the prime ministers and asked: "Who do you think can be sent as an envoy to Tibet?"
"The king of Dunhuang, Li Chengcai, is marrying Princess Huihe, so he can be the chief envoy." Li Xian said immediately.
Feng Changqing kept looking at the map with a thoughtful look in his eyes. As he listened to the courtiers discussing the mission to Huihe, his eyes gradually became firm.
Finally, he took two steps with a limp and saluted: "Your Majesty, Your Highness, I would like to lead a troop of soldiers and horses to use the road back to Hehe, and go to Anxi. I will lead the soldiers and horses of Anxi to attack Tibet from both sides and open up Hexi."
"It's been too long." Li Longji asked: "How many soldiers and horses do Anxi have now?"
Li Xian replied: "The road is cut off, and the imperial court does not know how many troops are left in Anxi. Moreover, the road is far away and the baggage cannot be carried. How can General Feng return to Anxi?"
"I will eat the wind and drink the dew and I will definitely come to Anxi!"
In the hall, only Xue Bai looked at Feng Changqing with admiration in his eyes.
This is the reason why he must appoint Feng Changqing.
Attacking thousands of miles and taking surprise is Gao Xianzhi's best strategy. Xue Bai could use Gao Xianzhi to return to Hehe to return to the four towns of Anxi, but he was afraid that Gao Xianzhi's face would be completely ruined, and there was no pardon from the court yet, so he could not quickly gather the troops in Anxi and increase the number of Anxi towns. The situation with Feng Changqing was different. The two of them worked together perfectly.
"How many troops do you want?" Xue Bai asked.
Feng Changqing said: "I don't ask for more troops, but I ask you to lead the soldiers to Anxi."
This included generals such as Li Siye, Duan Xiushi, Ma Lin, etc. Xue Bai was a little reluctant to part with them.
But now that the Hexi Corridor has been occupied, the Central Plains of the Tang Dynasty and the huge territory of Anxi have been divided into two. The longer it takes, the harder it is to connect. It is indeed these fierce generals who have a glimmer of hope to do things that ordinary people cannot do.
Xue Bai then nodded subconsciously and said, "I'll think about this again."
When the ministers saw this situation, they would know the inclination of the prince's heart, and they would naturally analyze the interests and draw up regulations or write dissuasive memorials.
Li Longji closed his eyes to rest and stopped participating in the discussion.
He was measured and occasionally showed his presence, but he did not dare to anger Xue Bai.
Finally, Xue Bai said: "I will send the Supreme Emperor back to Tai Chi Palace."
"It's hard for you to be so busy with so many things and still have such a filial heart."
When the ministers saw that they were enjoying themselves and felt more at peace, they all retired.
There were fewer people in the Xuanzheng Hall. Li Longji looked at the figures that were gradually retreating, and his eyes seemed to flash with uneasiness for a moment.
He had to be in front of these officials to feel safe.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed his upper arm, and he couldn't help but feel a chill running down his spine.
Turning his head, what he saw was Xue Bai's handsome profile.
"I will help the great emperor."
"Okay." Li Longji showed a kind smile, stood up, and sighed: "Before I have time to ask, have you comforted your grandpa and grandma?"
"yes."
"I'm so ashamed of them." Li Longji said, "Fortunately, they have a son as heroic and powerful as you... I was like this when I was young, but I became confused when I got older."
As he said this, he waved his hand to indicate that he did not want to sit in the imperial chariot.
So Xue Bai supported him, and the two of them walked slowly down the long stone steps in front of Xuanzheng Hall.
At this time, as long as Xue Bai pushed with his hand, Li Longji might fall to his death under the stone steps, but there was really no need for him to do so.
"Don't worry, what I did today was really to help you control the situation." Li Longji added, "Because I am very sure that you are my grandson, and you are exactly the same as when I was young."
Xue Bai said: "The saint's body is getting worse day by day."
Li Longji did not accept Li Cong as a saint in his heart, so he had a moment's delay before he realized that Xue Bai was saying that Li Cong was about to die.
If Li Cong dies, Xue Bai will naturally ascend the throne. Even if Li Longji lives well by then, it will be useless. Although Li Cong is useless, his role is crucial.
Xue Bai said this, still testing Li Longji. If Li Longji still wants to prevent him from usurping the throne, he should feel nervous about this.
However.
"He has always been weak, so he may have to go ahead of me." Li Longji said in a very calm tone: "But don't worry, I will ensure that you inherit the throne smoothly."
Xue Bai looked at him with an appraising look, but found no flaw in his eyes.
Those eyes were full of love, which made Xue Bai feel inexplicably annoyed for a moment, but he restrained himself after standing on the stone steps and looking at Chang'an City.
"A while ago, I confiscated all the property of the Tianxia Temple. Many people in the court wanted to take the opportunity to ask the Supreme Emperor to take over the government. Maybe I didn't do a good enough job."
"I'm old and no longer have such ambitions." Li Longji shook his head, "Don't pay attention to those people who are trying to make ends meet."
This statement was not convincing enough, so he also looked at Chang'an City outside the palace wall for a while, and then added another sentence.
"Remember, you and I can work together to ensure that you recreate a prosperous age, a prosperous age that is far superior to the Kaiyuan Tianbao. Only in this way can I keep my honorable name and my posthumous title after my death..."
After a pause, he said loudly: "It must be a good posthumous title."