Thirty thousand people went out to fight, but when they returned, there were only a little more than 20,000.
Except for the two thousand people left behind, the rest of the people were buried in Gaochang.
More than 3,000 people died on the way, and another 2,000 people died in several battles.
After so many people died, the army did not feel any sadness. Apart from the fact that they were used to seeing death, they also had the joy of winning a battle.
No wonder the ancients would write a poem that would lead to great success.
After winning a battle, the generals are the ones who get benefits, while those soldiers who died can get some pension at most.
A few years later, who will remember who they are?
Thousands of years later, most records will be recorded in history books. When Hou Jun gathered to destroy Gaochang, there may not even be a record of how many people were lost.
Lin Xuan admitted that he was a little sentimental.
When he arrived, Lin Xuan specially prepared more than a dozen carts of supplies. Except for the saltpeter which was used up, the alcohol was of no use at all.
He originally prepared it for his soldiers, but he never fought a single battle.
There were casualties on Hou Junji's side, but he was sent by Hou Junji to guard the dangerous pass and was beyond his reach.
…
The army went on an expedition and returned victorious, creating a sensation in Chang'an.
The Ministry of Rites prepared a triumphal ceremony in the suburbs.
Li Shimin led hundreds of civil and military officials out of Chang'an City in a mighty manner, and the streets in Chang'an City were deserted.
No matter what, this is also a battle to destroy the country, and it is destined to go down in history.
Not long after, the outgoing army came into view.
Hou Jun gathered in front, followed closely by Qibi Heli and Xue Wanjun, followed by Lin Xuan and some other generals.
Cheng Chumo and the others were just captains and could only stay with the army.
From a distance, everyone dismounted and walked towards Li Shimin on foot.
Hou Junji bowed and said loudly: "I, Hou Junji, the general manager of the march across the river, have been ordered to go to Gaochang and lead the troops in triumph. I am returning my orders to Your Majesty!"
"Well, I am very pleased that the soldiers fought bloody battles and promoted the prestige of the Tang Dynasty. Today, the streets of Chang'an are empty, just to welcome the triumphant return of our heroes of the Tang Dynasty!" Li Shimin said impassionedly.
The battle to destroy the country and the reconstruction of the Western Region Protectorate were such feats that Li Shimin was very excited.
After the sacrifice, it was presented to Li Shimin.
Hou Junji held the memorial recording the seizure in both hands and handed it to Li Shimin.
Li Shimin took it and pretended to read it.
When the army was approaching Chang'an, Li Shimin had already received the battle report written by Hou Junji.
Li Shimin didn't think much about the suicide of King Gaochang and his wife.
There were very few treasures in the Gaochang Kingdom, and Li Shimin had no doubt about it.
In his view, it is normal for Gaochang, a small country, to be poor.
The Tang Dynasty was so big, wasn't he also poor before?
"The army has returned to camp. Today we will reward the three armies. Tonight I will hold a banquet in the palace to reward the generals!" Li Shimin said with a smile.
After Li Shimin returned to the palace, the army entered Chang'an City in a mighty manner.
Lin Dongyang and Zhang Qing also came to watch the triumphal ceremony.
I felt very distressed when I saw Lin Xuan darkened a lot.
They knew that Lin Xuan was busy with something and might not be able to come home today, so they went back on their own after the triumphal ceremony.
…
Lin Xuan led the army back to the camp, ordered Xue Rengui and others to settle the army, and then left the camp with the cotton seeds and farmers.
These farmers are precious to him.
In addition to those who can make wine, there are also some who know how to grow cotton.
Lin Xuan rode his horse and stepped onto a concrete road not long after leaving Chang'an City.
Lin Xuan had previously ordered Xu Guangfu to build this cement road.
When he went on the expedition, the road had just begun to be smoothed, and now, more than three months later, it has been repaired.
Lin Xuan took a closer look. Although it was far inferior to those of later generations, it was completely sufficient in ancient times.
The servant guarding the door panicked when he saw a group of people coming on horseback. When he saw Lin Xuan in the lead, he shouted in surprise: "The young master is back!"
I was smart enough to run in and report the news.
"I have met the young master. Congratulations on your triumphant return!"
Lin Xuan dismounted, handed the horse to Liu Da, and asked, "Are mom and dad at home?"
The servant said: "Go back to the young master, the master and his wife have just returned from watching the triumphal ceremony, and someone has already gone to report it."
Lin Xuan nodded and walked in. As soon as he entered, he saw Lin Dongyang and Zhang Qing running over with happy faces.
"Xuan'er!" Zhang Qing's tone was trembling.
Although I had just seen Lin Xuan outside the city, I was still very excited now.
Lin Xuan ran over to support Zhang Qing and said with a smile: "Mom, the child is back!"
Zhang Qing stroked Lin Xuan's face and said with a smile: "It's good to come back, it's good to come back."
Although Lin Dongyang was also a little excited, he was much more reserved compared to Zhang Qing.
But Lin Xuan still saw excitement and joy in his eyes.
"You must be tired after such a journey. Let's take a bath first and then talk." Lin Dongyang said calmly.
Zhang Qing said quickly: "Yes, yes, Xuan'er, mother has informed Chun Yue that they have prepared water. You go and take a bath quickly."
"Mom and dad, the kid will come over to say hello later!" Lin Xuan said.
He hasn't had a good bath since he left for the war.
In the Tang Dynasty, you can still take a shower, but after entering the desert, water is a scarce thing, there is not enough to drink, and bathing is impossible.
When Chunyue and Yuhe learned that Lin Xuan had returned, they were excited and wanted to greet him.
But they were just maids, and Zhang Qing sent someone to send a message to them to prepare bath water, so they could only wait in the yard honestly.
Although they were busy working, their eyes were looking at the courtyard door from time to time.
When he saw Lin Xuan walking in, he quickly put down what he was doing and went out.
"Congratulations to the young master on your triumphant return!" Chunyue and Yuhe bowed excitedly.
"Haha, the young master has been away for so long, do you miss him?" Lin Xuan said with a smile.
The two girls couldn't stand Lin Xuan's teasing, so they lowered their heads shyly.
"Is the water ready? Master, I want to take a good wash." Lin Xuan said.
He has a long time to go, and he is sticky all over, so he really wants to take a good bath.
"Young Master, you are ready!" Chunyue said.
…
When the army entered the city, Hou Jun gathered his troops to plunder Gaochang. Naturally, they could not hide it.
It didn't take long for the news to spread throughout Chang'an City.
The people in Chang'an City couldn't tell the truth from the false, and they didn't take it seriously.
But those officials can naturally distinguish between true and false.
The people of the aristocratic family tried their best to suppress this matter.
Previously, they sent people to steal Lin Xuan's business, and Li Shimin took advantage of it and dealt with many officials from aristocratic families.
He was selling illegal salt and was dealt with by Li Shimin.
Their vitality was seriously damaged, and Hou Junji was already involved with them and had military power. Naturally, they didn't want anything to happen to Hou Junji at this time.
When the military attachés heard the news, although they were not ashamed of Hou Junji's actions, they were military commanders after all, so they pretended not to have heard anything.
The situation is different for civil servants who do not belong to aristocratic families.
Since Hou Junji destroyed Gaochang, the military generals in the DPRK became more and more active.
Since ancient times, civil and military officials have been at odds with each other. When civil officials saw this opportunity, they naturally thought about how to impeach Hou Junji.
Of course, today is the time for Li Shimin to reward the three armies, and they have no plans to impeach him now.
Prepare to collect evidence first and attack tomorrow morning.
Of course Li Shimin heard the news, and to be honest, he didn't care.
But he knew the impact of this incident, so he had a headache.
If a coach who has made great contributions is impeached during a celebration banquet, will he punish him or not?
Li Shimin had no choice but to tell Li Mu to hint to the ministers that no matter what, they should not cause trouble at the celebration party.