On the seventh day of the eleventh month of the first year of Xianheng, the news of the victory in the Tuyuhun battle reached Luoyang. Emperor Gaozong was overjoyed and issued an edict to grant amnesty to the whole country. He rewarded the meritorious soldiers and changed the title of King Li Xian of Zhou to the King of England. He also sealed four hundred households.
She was allowed to attach the note to marry Zhao Qiong, the daughter of Zhao Mingquan, the Shaoyin of Luoyang, as the principal concubine, and to marry Wei Chi Mingyue, the princess of Khotan, as the side concubine. The department of the Ministry of Etiquette prepared the relevant matters and handled them as appropriate after Li Xianrong returned.
After the imperial edict, Yao Wangshu, the imperial censor, wrote in the original text: The King of England commanded the Western Regions with the dignity of a prince, which was inconsistent with the system. Now he has married the Khotan princess, which is even more inappropriate. For the sake of the country, he should be summoned back.
It is appropriate for the capital to be in the capital. As soon as this chapter was written, the government and the public were shocked by it. Those who spoke, either praised or refuted it. They had different opinions and the debate was fierce. The emperor could not decide. When he asked Empress Wu about it, she replied: "Xian'er has great achievements and is envied by others."
, it would be a good idea to pacify him and return to the capital for a while. The emperor thought about it and thought it was a good idea, so he issued an edict, ordering Li Jin to act as the chief protector of the Anxi Protectorate, commanding all troops and horses, conquering the towns in Anxi within a time limit, and summoning Li
Xian brought the Khotan princess back with him.
With mountains blocking the way and heavy snow blocking roads, even if the imperial edict was delivered, it could not break through the limitations of nature. By the time the edict reached Li Xian, it was already the ninth day of February in the second year of Xianheng, even though it had been passed several months ago.
The secret channel in his hand knew the origin and content of the imperial edict, but Li Xian couldn't help but feel a little annoyed when he actually received the edict. This time, Yao Wangshu, who was the first to submit the edict, was from the prince, but the second one followed him.
But there are many close men of Li Xian. Of course, Empress Wu's group of North Gate bachelors are also stirring up trouble. Obviously, no one is happy to see Li Xian conquering Anxi and Liang and Lanzhou.
In the palm of his hand, Li Xian was deeply depressed by this kind of behavior that only paid attention to the party struggle but ignored the overall interests of the society. Even though he had expected this kind of situation before setting off for the expedition, Li Xian still couldn't let it go.
The imperial edict is the imperial edict. No matter how much dissatisfaction there is, Li Xian cannot dare to resist and disobey the edict. Fortunately, he has a few months to make arrangements, and the situation in Anxi can basically be guaranteed to be worry-free - Anxi IV
In the town, except for the most remote Shule, which is still controlled by the remnants of the Tubo troops, the other three towns have been recovered by the Tang army. Considering the current strength of the Tang army in Anxi, it is not difficult to deal with the 5,000 remnants of the Tubo troops in Shule. The specific battle
Li Xian's deployment has been arranged long ago, and taking Shule is just a matter of chance. Furthermore, although the peace negotiations with Gar Qinling are still in their infancy, the Tang army has the absolute initiative.
You can attack and defend with your heart, and you are not afraid of how much trouble Gar Qinling can make. Of course, with Li Xian's departure, Gar Qinling may breathe a sigh of relief, but will most likely take the opportunity to do something.
However, these small actions did not matter in the overall situation. The only thing that Li Xian regretted was that he could not further tighten the Tibetan people's neck - the imperial edict made it very clear that Li Jinxing's mission was to conquer Anxi, and
It's not about attacking Tuyuhun. In fact, as far as Li Jinxing's ability is concerned, unless he has an absolutely superior force, he is definitely not an opponent of Gar Qinling. Defense is no problem, but if he attacks, he may have to suffer the same fate as Xue Rengui.
The same mistake has been made.
On the first day of March in the second year of Xianheng Dynasty, when trade routes were first opened, Li Xian led more than 300 personal guards to protect Princess Mingyue and her party. He bid farewell to the Khotan monarchs and ministers, and embarked on the road back to Beijing, passing through Qiemo, Xingxing Gorge, and Yumen Pass.
Liangzhou arrived at Lanzhou City on the third day of April. Lin Mingdu, the governor of Lanzhou, led his officials and the people met him five miles outside the suburbs. They sent Li Xian and his party to the inn along the way. Before they could settle down, a report from their residence had arrived - Jiang Ke, Prime Minister of the Left
He died of vomiting blood on the night of March 29th, and Pei Xingjian succeeded him. Jiang Ye, who had returned to Beijing with Li Xian, cried so much that he fainted. Li Xian was also very sad, so he ordered a mourning hall to be set up in the post station to commemorate him and to keep vigil in person.
, stayed up all night, and at midnight the next day, he found time to summon Lin Mingdu and Ling Zhong to the side room to discuss matters.
"Your Highness, the death of Mr. Jiang is a loss for the country. However, the deceased is long gone. Your Highness must not be overly sad. If there is a loss, it may not be beautiful. Today, it is too early. Why don't Your Highness take a nap and wait for the afternoon?
Would you like to come again and listen to His Highness' instructions?" Lin Mingdu accompanied Li Xian to watch the funeral all night. However, there were so many people in the mourning hall that Lin Mingdu couldn't find a chance to admonish Li Xian. At this time, seeing that Li Xian was exhausted, he was busy and careful.
He gave some words of advice.
"It doesn't matter if I am alone. Mr. Jiang is the pillar of the country. He has an old friend with me. Now that he has passed away, he should be responsible for the rites of the younger generation. There is no need for Ming Gong to persuade him." In fact, Li Xian and Jiang Ke didn't have much contact, but this time he was able to make a contribution.
All these were due to Jiang Ke's righteous help. Li Xian admired and was grateful from the bottom of his heart for this veteran who had guarded the Tang Dynasty's borders for more than thirty years. It was the right thing to do to keep vigil for him for a day. Li Xian himself
He would not listen to Lin Mingdu's advice, so he shook his head and replied calmly but resolutely. Immediately, he stopped talking about the matter and looked at Ling Zhong, who was standing aside, and pondered.
After a while he said: "Ling Zhong, have you been following Gu Gu for more than six years?"
"Replying to Your Highness, today it will be one month shy of seven years."
Ling Zhong didn't understand the purpose of Li Xian's question, so he couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, and then hurriedly answered.
"Well, seven years is not a short period of time. Speaking of it, apart from Lin Hu, you are the one who has been with Gu for the longest time. Gu has been reluctant to let you go to work, which has delayed you." Looking at Ling Zhong.
Li Xian felt a lot of emotion in his face that looked slightly older, so he said apologetically.
"Your Highness, it is a blessing earned in three lifetimes to be able to follow Your Highness. How dare I have the slightest feeling of resentment? I am willing to follow Your Highness to the death. Please don't chase me away."
Upon hearing what Li Xian said, Ling Zhong couldn't help but panic. He hurriedly knelt down on the ground, made a big salute, and replied with a trembling voice.
"Get up." Seeing Ling Zhong being so emotional, the corners of Li Xian's eyes became slightly moist. He took a deep breath, stepped forward, stretched out his hand to help Ling Zhong up, and said with a hint of sadness: "
It's not that I want to drive you away, but it's actually limited by the imperial court's regulations. Your merits this time are not small. According to the law, you should be promoted to the Jin Dynasty. It is inappropriate to stay with you anymore. Now, I have two choices for you. One is to enter the Jin Dynasty.
The sixteen guards are generals. Based on your qualifications and military exploits, it is natural for you to become a general. Secondly, if you are assigned to a place outside, you should be an officer of the governor. There is no limit to you, but you can choose it yourself."
"Everything is done according to His Highness's orders, and the general will have no objections!"
Ling Chong had been working in the Prince's Mansion for a long time and knew the rules well. When he heard what Li Xian said, he knew that it was inevitable for him to leave the Prince's Mansion, but he never wanted to break away from Li Xian's family.
He expressed his attitude without hesitation and left the decision-making power in Li Xian's hands.
"Well, Guzi won't hide it from you. The deputy governor of Longzhou is vacant. Guzi wants you to take up this post first. After a year and a half, Guzi will try to correct you. I wonder what you want?" Li Xian said happily.
He nodded, without hiding much, and directly pointed out the official position he had obtained for Ling Zhong.
"I will obey your orders!"
Ling Zhong didn't have the slightest resistance to Li Xian's decision, and simply agreed.
"It's so good. You can live up to Gu Duan, and Gu Duan won't let you down!"
Longzhou is located in a dangerous location, with many and skilled soldiers. It is an important military town from Guanzhong to Longyou. Li Xian has long been eyeing the military power in this state, but he has always been unable to do so. This time Lingzhong not only established a breakthrough in the Datong River Valley
After that, he led his troops to defend Yunwu for seven days and seven nights, blocking the siege of 40,000 Tibetan troops. His meritorious service was very great. According to his original official rank of deputy commander of the palace, he could be promoted to sixteen generals at this time.
Li Xian's high position, as for being appointed as the deputy governor of Longzhou, it was just a mediocre appointment. Speaking of which, some people really felt wronged by Ling Zhong's great achievements. However, among the trusted generals around Li Xian, only Ling Zhong was qualified to take up this position. The rest
Since he lacked qualifications, he had no choice but to do so. Seeing Ling Zhong's straightforward response, Li Xian immediately relaxed and made a firm promise with a gentle face.
"I am willing to do my best for His Highness!"
Ling Zhong bowed and saluted, and responded generously.
"Well, I can't believe this!" Li Xian nodded happily, and did not say more about the matter. He looked sideways at Lin Mingdu, who was slightly uneasy, and said in a deep voice: "Ming Gong is also doing this this time.
As a hero of the country, he should move inland as usual. I also have two options for Ming Gong to choose. One is that I will marry the daughter of Zhao Mingquan, the Shaoyin of Luoyang Prefecture, as his concubine. As a rule, I will be sent out, and the post of Shaoyin is vacant.
, if Ming Gong is interested, Gudang can make plans for him. Secondly, because Zhao Renben, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, has been replaced by Yan Liben, the Minister of the Ministry of Hubu, as a rule, his position should be replaced by Yan Liben, the Minister of the Ministry of Hubu.
With Ming Gong’s qualifications, I can serve him successively, or I can do it alone. I don’t know who Ming Gong is interested in?”
"Your Highness, I will obey His Highness's arrangements without any objection!"
Lin Mingdu had long planned to seek refuge with Li Xian. This time when he saw that Li Xian was not shy about such secretive things, he obviously regarded him as his confidant. He was very moved in his heart. Therefore, even though he wanted to choose a position deep down in his heart.
The more prestigious position of Minister of the Ministry of Industry, but in the end the decision-making power was still left in the hands of Li Xian.
"Well, if I try my best, I might be able to get Duke Ming to take up the post of minister of the Ministry of Works."
Li Xian's previous words actually made it very clear that he hoped that Lin Mingdu would take up the post of Shaoyin of Luoyang Prefecture. This is because Li Xian knew very well that the future political center would be in Luoyang, not Chang'an. If his subordinates
Someone who can control part of the authority of Luoyang Mansion is obviously beneficial to Li Xian's strategizing. Obviously, Lin Mingdu, who has been in local government affairs for a long time, is the most suitable candidate. But at this time, Lin Mingdu's eyes clearly showed reluctance.
Li Xian did not want to force him to do so. After all, Li Xian still had a few candidates who could serve as Shaoyin of Luoyang Prefecture, and Lin Mingdu was not far behind. After pondering for a moment, he gave the answer with a smile.
an answer.
"I respectfully obey His Highness's orders!"
Lin Mingdu only wanted to be transferred to serve in the imperial court, and he was willing to be demoted to the rank of Lang Zhongling. Hearing that he could be promoted to the minister of the Ministry of Industry, there was no reason why he would not be happy. He bowed to the end and thanked him for his kindness.
The choking sound was clearly audible.
"Ming Gong, you don't have to be like this. Please get up. I'm going to leave early the next morning. I'd like to trouble Ming Gong to send someone to the ferry to deliver a message." Now that the matter was decided, Li Xian didn't want to be more verbose, so he tactfully issued the eviction order.
"Your Highness has been working hard all the way. Hu Bu will stay for a few more days, and he will allow the officials to show their loyalty to the landlord."
When he heard that Li Xian was in such a hurry, Lin Mingdu couldn't help but was stunned and hurriedly offered words of advice.
"Ming Gong, please go and do your work."
Li Xian did not explain the reason, but just waved his hand to signal Lin Mingdu to leave, but he himself frowned slightly and fell into deep thought...