Li Shengtian entered the Forbidden Garden under the guidance of the palace officials.
The garden is full of birdsong, fragrant flowers and majestic vegetation, giving it an air of spring.
Li Shengtian walked for a while, sighing even more in his heart.
In the Kingdom of Khotan, there is such a beautiful scene along the Jade River. A little further away from the river, the vegetation gradually becomes sparse, and finally there is an endless large sand moraine.
There is really no comparison between the Western Regions and the Central Plains!
"Greetings to Your Majesty."
"Meet your concubine."
Han Quanjie had already warned them before entering the garden. At this time, he saw a man and a woman sitting on the bed, and they didn't know it. They fell down and saluted on the spot.
"Sit down." He had met Shao Shude before. After hearing the instructions to sit down, he thanked him and sat across from him.
The person next to the saint must be Concubine Chu, who is looking at him with a scrutinizing gaze.
It seemed rude, but Li Shengtian knew that it was his mother-in-law looking at her son-in-law, so he was not angry.
Next to Concubine Chu stood a girl whose appearance was very similar to that of Concubine Chu. Han Quanjie mentioned in private that this was Chu Jieyu, Concubine Chu's clan sister. The saint called her "Little Princess" and she became favored after a while.
.
The origin of Concubine Chu was not clear in Han Quan's words, but Li Shengtian generally understood it. She turned out to be the wife of Zhang Quanyi, the governor of Liaodong Province!
After following the saint, she continued to be favored for more than ten years and gave birth to three sons and three daughters. After the death of Empress Zhao of Mingxian, the Chu family was directly promoted to the imperial concubine. She was under one person in the harem, which is quite legendary.
"Have the arrangements been made for the junior high school?" Shao Shude asked.
"It has been arranged." Li Shengtian replied.
Shao Shude nodded.
Li Shengtian followed Wang Shi's Western expedition for two consecutive years and gained a lot. His prestige in the country is not small. As long as the arrangements are made well, no one will cause trouble in a short time.
What's more, the first batch of two thousand troops from Khotan's town army has arrived at the Niya Oasis. With them here, Khotan will be more stable - these two thousand troops were drawn from the Hengye and Luoyan armies.
"I've seen the gift list, it's quite grand." After Shao Shude finished speaking, he looked at Chu with questioning eyes.
Chu nodded slightly and said, "Your Highness is a talented person and will make a good match for you."
Li Shengtian was slightly uncomfortable.
Of course, no one present would think that his discomfort was a sign of embarrassment.
Are you kidding? Is the leader of a country who has been on many battlefields such a shy person? What's more, he originally had a wife. After hearing the sage's suggestion, he immediately divorced her and asked her to remarry someone else. It can be said that
Decisive.
One more thing, asking his wife to remarry another man was nothing at all at this time. Historically, Yang Xingmi divorced his first wife Zhu and asked her to remarry.
In the same way, it is human nature at this time to marry a wife and raise a wife, and give him the same treatment as his biological son.
The social atmosphere and values are different, which are very different from those of the Ming and Qing dynasties.
"Then let's settle this matter. The Ministry of Etiquette and Taichang Temple will handle it together." Shao Shude made the final decision and said.
No one had any objections.
Among the many biological daughters of the saint, he personally intervened in only two cases.
One of them is Princess Shao Ze of Lantian, born to Wei Cai Zhaoyuan, who came to surrender to Li Cunxu.
The second example is that the Xianyou princess Shao Wei, born to Concubine Chu, came to surrender to Li Shengtian.
Princess Xianyou is already twenty years old this year, so she is considered an old girl. If the saint had not been away on an expedition, she would have been married long ago.
She also has a sister, Princess Shao Xi of Qingtian, who was married to Hu Ji, the deputy general of the Fourth Command Battalion of the Tielin Army's left wing infantry before the saint went on the expedition - Hu Ji, the son of Hu Zhen, the deputy envoy to the Privy Council of Nanya.
In recent years, the saints have successively canonized Princess Shao Jialuan of Qiantang and Princess Shao Hui of Wuqing. Both of them are nineteen years old this year.
Zhang Hui, the biological mother of Princess Qiantang, was very popular with the saint when she was a child. After her biological mother passed away, the saint took pity on her and not only rewarded her with a mansion, but also gave her a lot of property. For the princess's marriage, the saint chose a list based on her preferences.
Princess Qiantang picked her over and over again, but she didn't like any one. Later, when she heard that the wife of Sun Xingshi, the captain of the Fengzhou Prefecture's army, Guoyi, had died of illness, she rushed over happily and said that she wanted to be his second wife.
Shao Shude's face darkened and he almost regretted it.
He knew that Sun Xingshi, the son of Sun Jinde, the commander of Henan Province, had been elected to the palace to study with the princes and princesses.
When he grew up, he volunteered to join the army. He first served in the state army, and then was transferred to a Zhechong Prefecture in Fengzhou to manage the soldiers. He was tall and handsome, with a rather heroic personality. His ambition was to serve on the battlefield and be buried under horse leather.
Shao Shude didn't care much about the situation of his children. It seemed that Jia Luan had been secretly in love with her for a long time and finally got the chance this time.
He finally agreed.
The biological mother of Princess Shao Hui of Wuqing was Zhu, the sister of Zhu Quanzhong, and the wife of Yuan Jingchu. She also chose her own husband, and she chose Yunzhou Renning, a Jinshi in the first year of Tongguang.
After returning last year, Shao Shude met with He Ning and found that this person came from a scholarly family, but he was brave enough to fight, had outstanding martial arts skills, and was even more proficient in archery. He was quite satisfied and agreed - He Ning was congratulated by his fellow villagers in history.
Gui hired him as an aide. During the battle of Huliupo, the Jin cavalry rushed in pursuit. He Ning used his bow and shot, killing the enemy with one arrow and saving the life of his lord He Gui. Scholars these days are really not good at martial arts.
He Ning was also very lucky. He was originally serving as a county captain in Hedong, but Shao Shude directly transferred him to Henan Prefecture, where he served as the magistrate of Ji County and was promoted several levels.
The weddings of the three princesses will be held this year.
The marriage of the tenth prince, King Wu Shao Zhiyuan, has also been decided. The princess is the granddaughter of Wang Yanchang, the Minister of Punishment, and was personally selected by the queen.
She doesn't care about family background, after all, no one can compare with the Shao family, what she values is virtuousness.
In this matter, Shao Shude did not intend to interfere and left it to the Queen.
Housework, that's basically it.
****
After finalizing the marriage between the royal family and Khotan, Shao Shude left Li Shengtian to have lunch in the Forbidden Garden, then returned to Chengxiang Hall and continued to inquire about the situation in the west.
"I'm afraid the war will start in Shule Town this year." Li Shengtian said: "Persia overhauled the city fortress in Bukhan last year and stocked up on food and grass. I'm afraid they are thinking of wiping out Shule Town once and for all."
"Let them come." Shao Shude smiled.
Yang Liang had already reported this matter.
After withdrawing his troops last year, he sent scouts into Bakhna to investigate the situation.
The Persians had no intention of hiding it—in fact, they could not hide it. A large group of vehicles and horses were transporting supplies from the west and headed for the city of Bakhan. Food, equipment, and everything else were available. It was obvious that they were going to fight.
If it hadn't been for the bad weather and heavy snow that closed the mountains, they might have come last winter.
And if Persia launches a large-scale attack, then the most likely direction is Shule, and the first one to bear the brunt is the Nanyuan City of Congling, which has been repaired.
The city is fairly solid, built with a mixture of earth and stone, and has two thousand soldiers stationed there.
After Yang Liang learned the news, he ordered Khotan to select a thousand soldiers and garrison Nanyuan City. At the same time, he hoarded grain, grass and equipment to facilitate the defense.
In the great war in the second year of Tongguang, Nanyuan was destined to be the main battlefield. The terrain was open, with abundant water and grass, and the altitude was not high. It was two to three thousand meters, which was perfect for a large army to fight.
Shao Shude is not very worried about the battle in this direction. The defensive counterattack is very stable. But he is worried about Yang Liang, fearing that he will charge too hard and bring variables to the battle situation.
But remote micro-management is not his style. No matter how knowledgeable you are, how can you understand the actual situation better than the front-line coach?
"You don't need to worry about this matter. Just stay in Chang'an with peace of mind and go back after getting married." Shao Shude said: "We have sent troops for two consecutive years. Although we have captured a lot, the Khotan Kingdom must be exhausted. This year there will be no
I plan to let you go to the battlefield with peace of mind."
"I will obey the holy order." Li Shengtian replied.
In fact, Khotan still has troops in Shule. In addition to the one thousand troops stationed in Nanyuan City, there are also one thousand Khotan troops stationed in Congling to guard the city. There are also one thousand monk troops stationed at Atush all year round.
Unlike Daxia, Khotan's standing army only has about 4,000 men, and it is already doing its best to send out 2,000.
If you want more soldiers, you can only mobilize the whole country, recruit people from farmlands, pastures, and orchards, and organize them to go into battle. But we have been doing this for two consecutive years, and we need to slow down this year.
Furthermore, their position is not very good, and there is no strategic advantage in sending troops. What really matters is the "iron triangle" of Suiye, Atami, and Yinli.
In the fifteenth year of Jianji's reign, Dalang Shao Siwu established Gongyue and other eight counties in the Yinli River Valley, where he placed government soldiers, herders and farmers.
In the first year of Tongguang, more than 20,000 people were plundered. By the end of the year, there were about 70,000 slaves in his eight counties.
Throughout last year, more than 3,000 athletes from the Central Plains came one after another.
Shao Shude also squeezed out two hundred households from each of the five prefectures of Wei, Bei, Shen, Zhao, and De in the share of immigrants.
On the way back to Chang'an, he also ordered the eight prison envoys from Zhili, Henan, Huaihai, Hebei, Hedong, Huainan, Guannei, and Guanbei to exile all the criminals to the Yinli Valley. If your family members are willing to follow, they will be given money and food.
, go on the road together - especially those who commit crimes and take bribes from officials, who have no choice but to exile the whole family to confirm Yinli's household registration.
By this year, 1,400 households from Jing, Di, Zhen, Bo, Wei, Meng, and Huai prefectures have immigrated to the Yinli Valley.
It can be said that they are very supportive. If Dalang's territory had not been weak, more people might come.
And if you take advantage of the imperial court, you will naturally send troops to fight for the imperial court.
If the main force of Persia attacks the South Plains, they will have to support it on the northern front, putting the enemy in the dilemma of fighting on two fronts - this is a geographical advantage that cannot be compared with Khotan.
"Is there any movement in Tubo?" Shao Shude asked.
While talking, Han Quanjie led two people in again.
Li Shengtian glanced at it from the corner of his eye, and was slightly surprised to see that he was actually a Tibetan.
"Greetings to Your Majesty." Brother Tie, Mr. and Mrs. Meulu saluted together.
"Get up and sit down," Shao Shude said, looking away from the round and tight curves of Melulu's hips, which were prostrated on the ground.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Brother Tie stood up to express his thanks and sat on the bed opposite the royal eucalyptus.
Just as Wu Lu was about to sit next to her husband, Concubine Chu waved her hand with a smile and asked her to sit next to her.
Mr. Wu Lu blushed and sat over.
Shao Shude introduced Brother Tie, and then motioned to Li Shengtian to continue.
"Your Majesty." Li Shengtian looked at Brother Tie across from him and said, "In fact, our country has caravans that travel regularly to Tubo, so we can get some news. Go south from Khotan and go up the mountain to the old place of Yangtong. According to the minister
As far as we know, the Tibetans in that area did not respect the orders of Luoche, and most of the officials, generals, and kings tended to be descendants of the bloodline of Dharma Zampu."
There was indeed an ancient trade route from Khotan to the south, passing through Ritu County in later generations and arriving at the Ali region.
Tubo invaded the Western Regions several times and sent troops from here.
Hearing what Li Shengtian said, Brother Tie became excited, his face turned red, he looked straight at Li Shengtian and asked, "You didn't trick me?"
Wu Lu's face also turned red, because a hand came in quietly from under her straight buttocks.
No one in the hall dared to look directly at the saint, but she was still so frightened that she almost screamed.
"Prince Tiege, why did I lie to you?" Li Shengtian said angrily: "Who in Xiangxiong, Guge and other places cares about the descendants of Yundan? They are all scolding them."
Brother Tie was overjoyed.
He now has a strong sense of crisis, because his brother-in-law Cai Bangshi's belly is already very big, but his wife's belly has not moved at all.
Could it be that he did too little? This realization made him somewhat relieved.
When Cai Bang became pregnant, he must have been abused too much by the saint. If his wife was not pregnant, it meant that he was abused less. In this regard, he finally surpassed his younger brother.
But then he felt a little uncomfortable. The saint must be dissatisfied with him, right? God knows, there must be the saint's spies in the hotel. They can testify that he has never slept with his wife in the past few months. I really couldn't bear it, so I could only
Under the resentful eyes of his wife, he went to Pingkangli to visit prostitutes...
"If we drive troops up from Khotan, which places can we capture?" Tie Ge looked closely into Li Shengtian's eyes and asked.
"If the prince is willing to go south from Khotan and go up the mountain, there is really a chance." Li Shengtian said after thinking for a while.
Brother Tie turned his eyes and begged: "Your Majesty."
Shao Shude had already withdrawn his hand and left, but when Mrs. Lu saw her husband looking this way, she still lowered her head guiltily. Her buttocks were greasy and very uncomfortable.
"This is indeed a good route." Shao Shude said: "However, this matter is risky and not guaranteed. Have you thought about it?"
"I have already made up my mind and am willing to go to the mountains from Khotan." Brother Tie said with determination: "If Your Majesty is not at ease, I am willing to keep my wife and children in the Central Plains as hostages."
Meru understood the implication of her husband's words and raised her head to glance at Brother Tie. The previous guilt gradually dissipated and was replaced by sighs and pity, and there seemed to be a bit of resentment.
Thinking again of the majestic figure of the saint bathing in the golden sunshine outside Hezhou City, the resentment was buried deeper, and a hint of joy came to my heart.
"There are many things happening in the Western Region. Let's get through this year first and let's wait until the situation stabilizes." Shao Shude made a decision after thinking for a moment.
Brother Tie was extremely disappointed and even a little lost.
"But, Li Qing——" Shao Shude looked at Li Shengtian and said.
Li Shengtian turned to look at the saint and said, "Please give me your Majesty's instructions."
"You can send monks to Tubo to do some research," Shao Shude said.
Religious people are never just as simple as their superficial identity. In fact, they undertake many tasks.
Under the guise of Dharma exchanges, it is the safest way to go to Ali to inquire about information, and even give some hints to local officials and Tuwang to see their reactions.
Brother Tie ignited hope again and looked at Li Shengtian.
"I obey the decree." Li Shengtian responded.
"That's it, I won't keep you for dinner." Shao Shude said.
"I excuse myself." Li Shengtian stood up, saluted, and left.
Chu came back just in time and said with a smile: "Prince, forgive me, I want to talk to Lianhua tonight and want her to stay in the palace."
"Okay, okay!" Brother Tie said repeatedly: "Lianhua, take good care of me - accompany the noble concubine."
The resentment in Mr. Lu's heart surfaced again, but it was already very dull. On the contrary, underneath it became more and more sticky.
Shao Shude stood up and walked to the map, scratching it with his fingers.
He really never thought that he could enter Tubo from Khotan.
When I saw Li Shengtian, a flash of lightning flashed through my mind: It turns out we can still walk this way.
Closer and more reliable!
Shangshung, Guge, Ladakh, Pulan...
The question is, does Brother Tie have the ability to get the full support of local officials?
This depends on his destiny.
The opportunity has been given to you. If you can't seize it, even if you are incompetent, don't blame others.
However, the opportunity is indeed great!
The son-in-law's kingdom of Khotan is right next to it, and it can be reached in just a few steps. Support is even more convenient than in the Biallon Valley.
From another perspective, control is also stronger.
If Brother Tie is incompetent and unable to win everyone's support, it may not necessarily be a bad thing.
The less he can control the situation, the more he needs external support and the easier it is to control it.
Of course, Brother Tie has the blood of Zanpu in his body after all. The local officials and the Tuwang will not be disadvantageous to him.