In early April, when Chang'an was busy preparing for this year's Beijing Examination, Li Po received greetings from the Turkic royal court.
As a Turkic Khan, he would definitely not express any feelings of longing in letters, let alone screams from nephews and nephews. The journey is long, and even the credentials may be lost. Ashina Yang Huan will not be so confused.
Secrets are revealed in writing.
This actually represents the beginning of the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries. In his letter, Ashina Yang Huan urged His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty to fulfill his promise this year. He basically expressed it. You are young, don’t forget it after one winter.
What did you say at the meeting?
Of course, if they didn't have a tacit understanding, the Turkic Khan would never have acted so urgently...
What Li Po has to do is very simple, just respond accordingly.
However, there are a lot of things to be done this year. In accordance with the provisions of the covenant, the boundaries between the two countries should be clearly drawn, and some border cities should be established on the border. The amount of commercial taxes and some management details have not been discussed yet. They need to be further discussed.
Send someone for consultation.
Then there is the issue of garrisoning troops at the border. It is easy to say that the Turks will never station a large army on the border because they cannot maintain such a consumption, and they are not stupid and will not give the Central Plains army such a clear tactical goal.
Well, in fact, this is all nonsense. From the Xiongnu to Rouran, to the Turks, and even the later northern nomads, their living habits determined their strategic and tactical methods that were very different from those in the Central Plains.
War horses are their biggest reliance, so logistical supplies are simple to the point of crudeness, which also determines their high mobility.
The loose tribal alliance also determines that their superstructure will not be too complicated, so their level of civilization, mobilization capabilities, etc. are greatly restricted.
These also make them natural enemies with the farming and pastoral civilization of the Central Plains...
One wins in explosive power, the other wins in persistence, and when they bite each other, they will probably switch roles. The durable one will become extremely violent, while the other one will choose to patiently prolong the war.
These are two nations that have created countless legendary stories.
Of course, China will never be destroyed, and its opponents change one after another...
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The current situation is that the relationship between Datang and the Turks is heating up. Datang must follow its agreement with the Turks and reduce the number of border troops stationed at the border fortress to show the sincerity of the two countries in forming a good relationship.
Li Po discussed it with his ministers and decided that it would be just as it was in the Sui Dynasty, setting up some military towns in Youzhou, Daizhou, Yulin, Wuyuan, Lingzhou and other places.
This Li Po was very familiar with him. He was originally from the Heng'an Zhenjun of the former Sui Dynasty. Under the old system of the Sui Dynasty, the Zhenjun was actually synonymous with the standing army. Most of them were stationed in the border areas, and some were stationed in Chang'an, Luoyang, and other key places.
at.
There are various names, but there are traces to follow. As long as the military brigade has a number, it is generally among the suppressing armies.
The number of town troops varies, generally between 1,500 and 5,000. There is no need to doubt this. It is already a very scientific configuration in the world.
It is easy to supply, and at the same time it can ensure its combat effectiveness. The number is not large, so it cannot easily grow in size. In addition, it is supplemented by the government army system. As long as the operation is good and the smoothness of the intermediate links is ensured, the military mobilization capability is absolutely unprecedented.
Yang Guang's ability to gather an army of millions is a typical example, but he just failed to do so.
Now that the Tang Dynasty has learned certain experiences and lessons, it is no longer supplemented by the Okura system, and its mobilization ability is much weaker than that of the previous Sui Dynasty. Of course, at this time, the Tang Dynasty cannot compare with the previous Sui Dynasty in terms of national strength.
Therefore, the reduction of the border troops was not due to the alliance with the Turks, but because the Tang Dynasty had reached a time when it was necessary to reduce the size of the army.
All conditions have gradually been met, there are no longer so many wars, household registration statistics have been completed, and the reform of the Fubing system to establish Zhechongfu is nearing completion.
As a result, the restoration of the army in various places was put on the agenda.
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In addition, Yulin, Wuyuan, and even Yingzhou will be recovered this year. If reducing the border troops is the sincerity of the Tang Dynasty, then returning these territories is the sincerity of the Turks.
What Li Po wanted to know more was actually how the Turkic royal court dealt with Ashina Duowen. Seeing Ashina Yang Huan's confident attitude during the alliance, Li Po felt that Ashina Duowen would soon be killed.
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A woman wants to deal with the feudal lords of one side... Li Po estimates that what Ashina Duowen will face is likely to be a series of conspiracies.
The Turks would not be as detailed as those in the Central Plains court, but if the host was Ashina Yang Huan, Li Po felt that he could still look forward to it.
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The beauty of April in the human world is gone, and the peach blossoms in the mountain temple are beginning to bloom.
The Tang Dynasty, which had a good relationship with the Turks, finally entered a relatively stable period. Although the war did not end for several years, the Tang Dynasty was as full of vitality as this warm April day.
This year's imperial examination in Beijing has been postponed from April to May. The main reason is to give the candidates who come to Beijing to take the examination an adaptation period, so that they can relax their mood and be able to produce some good articles in the Beijing examination.
Of course, the officials of the imperial court would not admit that they wanted Chang'an to be prosperous for a longer period of time.
I have to say that although not many people from all over the country came to Beijing to take the exam, they did bring an unprecedented feeling to the world of Chang'an.
It was probably that this majestic city, which was the capital of the Tang Dynasty, was given a gentle and elegant coat, covering up the toughness and wildness from Kansai.
The Chang'an natives in the public opinion have become much more polite. The scholars at the literary conference frequently published excellent works, which not only led the Chang'an literary world to become more popular, but also quietly changed the atmosphere of Chang'an.
The nobles who were hiding in the mansion, dancing with swords and sticks, were looking forward to this year's hunting activities, while trying to look more elegant when going out to meet friends.
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In early April, the spring rain fell.
Lu Xiangjun took a few servants out of the east city of Chang'an.
Nowadays, the reputation of Lu Xiangjun, the Buddha's guest, Wutao layman, can no longer be described as hot in Chang'an, but can only be replaced by the sky.
No matter how powerful you are, it is not easy to meet Lu Xiangjun. After she composed the song "Qingyu Case" and it was quickly sung, the famous qin players in Chang'an should be headed by Lu Xiangjun.
It has become a consensus in the literary world.
Then it happened to be the time when his son went to Beijing to take the exam. In the mouths of scholars, Lu Xiangjun's name appeared more and more frequently.
Especially people from the south of the Yangtze River, when talking about Mr. Lu Xiang, no matter whether they are on the left or right of the river, they are always proud, and there is no sourness like that of a mere prostitute, how can he be compared with us.
This is the benefit that fame brings. It can break through the shackles and barriers that ordinary people can't overcome in today's environment.
Otherwise, with Lu Xiangjun’s background and career, how could he have reached such a level of universal praise?
In the words of later generations, it means that the road has become wider, and everyone has to respect you.
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Lu Xiangjun hid in the carriage and looked at the drizzly spring scene outside quite depressedly.
She was not in a good mood because she had been seriously ill before and Mrs. Cheng Guo had banned her from playing the piano. She had not touched the strings for several months and was in the stage where her feet were itching, her hands were itching and her whole body was itching.
Fortunately, Mrs. Chengguo made a promise, saying that she still had a poem in her hand, which was no worse than the Sapphire Case, and asked her to take good care of it and show it to her later.
Note that it is poetry, not words. Words have an inherent rhythm and are not so neat, so there is more room for expression in both composing lyrics and composing music.
Poetry is different. It has a neat structure and strict rules on the level. The advantage is that a good poem is more important than the words that sound beautiful and unique. More importantly, it is concise and condenses the essence.
Moreover, it can also demonstrate the poet's talent and profound literary skills to the greatest extent.
When the poetry is poor, the words will come out, and when the words are exhausted, the music will be heard. Later generations believe that this is how the Tang poetry, Song poetry, and Yuan music came from. However, in the eyes of the Fang family, the music can be completely removed. What is that?
The more profound difference is that because of the conciseness of poetry, the artistic conception and emotion expressed are more intense, while because of the rhythm of lyrics, the waist is softer and can be lingering, but it is a bit unbearable when it is strong.
Perhaps this is one of the reasons why poetry flourished during the Zhao Dynasty, because how many scholars would be able to dream like an iron horse?
So after hearing Mrs. Cheng Guo's deception, Lu Xiangjun was looking forward to it, but she also felt a little nervous. She really didn't want to experience the feeling of a serious illness again.
Is there a poem comparable to The Sapphire Case? How much energy does it take to compose it?
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Lu Xiangjun was in a bad mood, thinking about something on his mind.
Of course, she became excited after a while. This time she left the city to meet her old friend.
Li Keqing, a famous prostitute from Jiangyou, came to Beijing...
When he received the letter from the other party, Lu Xiangjun was naturally very happy.
Li Keqing is as famous as her in Jiangyou, and can also be said to be her predecessor. Li Keqing is good at painting landscapes. He studied under the famous Jiangnan scholar Yang Jue and is a representative figure among the famous prostitutes in Jiangnan.
To be honest, Lu Xiangjun, who is famous for his piano skills in Jiangzuo, is much inferior to others. He only studied under a famous master, and a wild monster like Lu Xiangjun cannot compare.
Li Keqing became famous earlier, and her experience is much more legendary than Lu Xiangjun's. By the time Lu Xiangjun became famous in Jiangyou, Li Keqing had already experienced the story of good deeds and comeback. People wanted to ask for one of her paintings.
But it is much harder than hearing Lu Xiangjun play a piece of music.
When Lu Xiangjun went north to Chang'an, Li Keqing was already in a state of semi-retirement, and the guests he received were all regular guests, or more precisely, friends who sang poems and wrote poems.
Well, at that time Xiao Mian was overthrown and the war was in chaos. Li Keqing might have been hiding at home shivering. Thinking of this, Lu Xiangjun burst into laughter.