Don't be a prince

Li Chengqian stretched out his hand to support Li Xiaogong, and said: "Uncle, Father specially told you that the weather is not good today, so you will kneel in the mud, so you will not recover if you get sick, so you are allowed to bow down to receive the order. Just make it up during the Hajj.”

Li Xiaogong nodded, and immediately bowed to salute, not only him, Qibi Heli and others behind him, including all soldiers, bowed their hands and saluted.

"The emperor's edict said: I heard that the great Tang athletes defeated Gaochang and captured King Gaochang alive. I am overjoyed..."

After reading a long imperial decree, Li Chengqian suddenly found that he seemed to be the only impatient person in the audience, and the rest of the people, including those soldiers, were very happy.

Except for the first few sentences that are almost vernacular in the imperial decree, the rest are all parallel prose, which belongs to the type that you can't understand when you don't understand it, but you can only understand it when you see the words.Li Chengqian felt that he couldn't understand. It would be strange if those guys who don't know a lot of characters can understand.

Although they can't understand it, it doesn't bother them to enjoy it.Datang attaches great importance to military merits. A soldier with military merits will not be too timid even if he meets the county magistrate.In the past two years, business has developed rapidly, so the commercial tax revenue accounted for 20.00% of the imperial court's annual revenue.The rich court will naturally not be stingy, so the reward this time is very grand.

The awards for Li Xiaogong, Qibiheli and others had to be held at the Great Court Assembly, so that it would be more beautiful, and ordinary soldiers would naturally be rewarded by local Zhechong Mansion and other organizations, so there was no need to waste time.

After returning the soldier talisman and handing over the general's merit book to the army commander, Li Xiaogong relieved himself of his errand as chief executive, and got into Li Chengqian's carriage to enjoy hot tea.

After arranging for the soldiers to disperse in an orderly manner, Li Chengqian returned to the carriage. At this time, Li Xiaogong had already taken off his armor and was wrapped in a quilt with a happy expression on his face.There is a simple small stove in the carriage, so it is as warm as spring inside.

The general who had just returned from victory could not be too arrogant, so Li Chengqian ignored the rolled black quilt.Besides, even with gunpowder weapons this time, Li Xiaogong can be considered to have worked hard to fight across the desert next door.

After taking another sip of ginger tea, Li Xiaogong breathed a sigh of relief, and said: "Fortunately, there are gunpowder weapons from His Royal Highness, otherwise it would be impossible for only 2000 people to die in the battle. Gaochang is really a difficult place to attack. Not to mention, the Gobi and desert there alone are enough to bear. In the place of Qikou, if you want to bypass Gaochang's eyes and ears without anyone noticing, you have to go through a desert that takes a few days. Fortunately, this time the old man brought They are all elites from Guanzhong Longyou, otherwise it would be impossible to do it, and it would be impossible to scare that idiot Qu Wentai to death."

Li Chengqian knew that Li Xiaogong not only wanted to talk to someone, but also wanted to talk to himself about military strategy, so he pricked up his ears to listen.When leading troops in battle, some unexpected behaviors are actually more like gambling.It stands to reason that if Li Xiaogong attacked from the front, he could still win, but the battle damage would definitely not be just 2000 people.

However, he won the bet. People in Gaochang did not expect that he would risk his life to cross the desert and enter Qikou. Not to mention that the army on the border was stolen. Even when Qu Wentai was buried, they did not know that the Tang army Straight to their royal city.

To be honest, it was hard for Li Chengqian to imagine what it would be like if he lost the bet.The desert is not something that people can enter casually. If they lose their way, it is normal for 5 people to be lost in the desert.At that time, not to mention that Li Xiaogong's family is in danger, even the emperor will be questioned.

"Uncle Emperor, soldiers are deceitful. I understand this sentence. When you came back from the border, did you find out what happened to Tuyuhun and West Turkic?"

Li Xiaogong naturally knew why Li Chengqian asked this question, and after thinking for a while, he said: "Although Western Turks and Tuyuhun have set up an army on the border, they have no intention of helping Gaochang. The old man sent Qi Biheli to lead 1 troops to press forward. , ready to test the idea of ​​​​the Western Turks, but the [-] troops of the Western Turks were frightened by [-] people and fled. The same is true for Tuyuhun.

When attacking Gaochang King City, spies from Tuyuhun and Western Turks approached, and with His Majesty's orders, I ignored them.After the pacification of Gaochang was completed, Tuyuhun made some changes when he switched defenses with the garrison in Longyou. They seemed to intend to occupy part of Gaochang, but the old man led the troops back, and they retreated.Ha ha, just a group of guys with a thief mentality. "

Hearing what Li Xiaogong said, Li Chengqian also smiled.What the Tuyuhun people don't know is that Li Xiaogong's appointment is the chief executive. The biggest difference between the chief executive and the general is that he can decide to attack on his own. There are objections.

Chapter 3

"Actually, I have some ideas about Tuyuhun. In the fourth year of Daye, the former Sui Dynasty attacked Tuyuhun. Although Xihai, Heyuan and other counties were established, except for the very short-term control of the smallest Heyuan County in the east, the other counties were not completely destroyed. Control. Emperor Yangdi sent Fushun to manage the remaining people. When he arrived in Xiping, he could not advance and had to return. As a result, after a few short years, Tuyuhun Fuyun not only regained all the lost land, but also attacked Heyou. I can't resist. Not only did they not lose much land, but they took a lot of it. Chengqian, don't underestimate the mentality of the thieves. You must know that not only Tuyuhun, but even Gaoli, did not steal the four counties of Lelang to get into the present the point?"

Li Chengqian arched his hands and said: "What the emperor said is that if you want to say that these small countries are like leeches, they should be killed at the very beginning, and they should not be given a chance to bite. But having said that, It seems that our land has been secretly occupied by people all the time. We rarely take the initiative to occupy other people’s land. It's better to play hooligans."

"Hahahaha! These words are interesting. Yes, we can be proud in spirit, but we really have to be hooligans in behavior."

After laughing loudly, Li Xiaogong's nose twitched twice, and he opened the small cabinet casually, and sure enough, he saw the wine jug in the drawer next to the small stove.

"Hey, thank you Your Highness for the wine."

Arching his hands, Li Xiaogong bit the spout of the pot and drank directly to his mouth, very hooligan.

Seeing Li Xiaogong like this, Li Chengqian also laughed.Unexpectedly, Li Xiaogong started to do so soon.

Just like Li Xiaogong was drinking and Li Chengqian was embarrassed to say anything after hearing the words of "giving wine", the Central Plains Dynasty has always played the role of a local tyrant.Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, as long as the kings, chiefs, and patriarchs of small countries in remote areas surrendered to the Central Plains Dynasty, they would receive extremely generous rewards. The rewards were so rich that the entire tribe could eat and drink for more than ten days without doing anything. .

That's how the "boss" primary school students are. They slap their faces and pretend to be fat. They obviously don't have enough food for their own people, but they treat others like their own parents.However, those ministers, even the emperor, probably didn't realize this.They are immersed in the glory of the so-called All Nations Come to the Court, and they look forward to relying on this glorious history.

Li Chengqian from later generations can tell them responsibly that they did it, Zhenguan Shengshi, even in the history books of junior high school, it takes up a lot of space.However, he, a later generation, only wanted to complain when he saw this so-called "Zhenguan Prosperous Age".At least until now, he has not seen where Shengshi is embodied.Frightened so that foreign enemies dare not attack, officials don't need to make up their salaries with food, so it is considered a prosperous age?

You know, even the people around Chang'an still live a life of drinking water when they are free and eating dry food when they are busy.What a prosperous age when the common people can't let go of their bellies!

At the great court meeting years ago, Li Chengqian sat in the court hall, listening to a speech officer's continuous flattering words, curled his lips in disobedience, and cast his eyes on Wei Zheng.

Although Wei Zheng is now a servant, the title of Doctor Yushi has not been deprived, at least in terms of title, Wei Zheng is still the boss of these people.

Wei Zheng felt nauseous when he heard the report, but he could only resist going out to refute.From the first year of Wude to the present, it can be said that Datang could not do better. Being able to gradually make up for the prototype on the fragmented mountain and river map is a world-class achievement.Although the words are a little louder, they are not too much.

Sensing Li Chengqian's gaze, Wei Zheng could only lower his head and cover his face with his sleeve.

Shame on people!Less than three years after the Great Tang pacified Liang Shidu and East Turks, Gaochang was destroyed again. Although there is suspicion of militarism, it has to be said that this is what the people care about most. They don't care who Gao Chang is, as long as they are destroyed by the court, the court will be good.Under the continuous dispatch of troops, the hearts of the people are inevitably panicked. At this time, the court needs to release some exciting news to stabilize the hearts of the people.Bragging is the most savage and most effective means of appeasement.

Seeing Wei Zheng covering his face with his sleeves, Li Chengqian was embarrassed to stare at him, it's not good to bully honest people.

Rewards are indispensable during the Great Court Meeting. Li Xiaogong stole the limelight for pacifying Gaochang. Although the title is still Hejian County King, the Shiyi has added a thousand households.The courtiers knew very well that such a reward could be said to be meager, but since Li Xiaogong accepted it with a smile, it can only be said that the emperor had reached a private reward with him. the next generation.

Li Xiaogong is the Chief Chief of the Congshan Road Marching Army, and the Deputy Chief is Qi Bi He Li.Accompanied by Fang Xuanling's announcement, Qibi Heli became the General of the Left, and his title was changed to the Duke of Liang. This was specially arranged for him, because after his tribe surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, they lived near Liangzhou.

Qibi Heli, who was awarded Duke Liang, knelt down on the spot, scratched his face with his fingernails and swore to the emperor that he would never disappoint the emperor. Horses and thousands of loads of food, he is allowed to go back to Liangzhou to visit his relatives.

After announcing the decree, Fang Xuanling returned to his seat, saw Li Chengqian's strange expression, coughed lightly and said, "Your Highness looks down on Qibi's actions?"

Li Chengqian shook his head, and said in a low voice: "Gu never looks down on a person easily, even if this person is a slave, he must have special skills that others don't have. Gu just sighs, in fact, it may not be that the barbarians do not keep their promises, They have to be treated differently.”

Fang Xuanling laughed and said: "If it is another general from the prairie, if His Majesty wants to reward the title of the Duke, or give him the place where the tribe is settled, the veteran will definitely stop it, but the deed must be an exception. On the second day of the first lunar month, Qibi Heli and his mother led more than 1000 members of their tribe to Shazhou to surrender to the Tang Dynasty. His Majesty ordered them to be placed between Gansu and Liangzhou, appointed Qibi Heli as the general of the left army, and granted the title of His mother is the wife of Guzang County, and his younger brother Qibi Shamen is the governor of Helan Prefecture.

Such an arrangement is actually an old practice in dealing with surrendered tribes.You know, the governor of Qibi Salamander is the real governor, and his subordinates are allowed to have their own army.Although Qibiheli entered the court, but his younger brother and mother were in the local area, they could rely on Datang to grow stronger again, and then defected.The death of a contract is nothing compared to the future of an ethnic group.

But, you guessed it.Not only did they not rely on the position of the governor to do whatever they wanted, but they respectfully wrote a letter to His Majesty, explaining that Qibi Shaman was not suitable for power, and handed over the title of governor.After this test, you can know that people are sincerely surrendering.As long as he sincerely surrenders, let alone Hu Han, as long as he contributes to the state, he can be rewarded. "

Li Chengqian nodded and cupped his hands to thank Fang Xuanling for his answer.

In fact, Li Chengqian knew a little more than Fang Xuanling, but not as detailed as he knew.You must know that this is a ruthless man who cut off his ears and vowed not to surrender after being captured, which caused the emperor to cry bitterly and exchanged the princess's marriage.There are many traitors among the surrendered generals of the Turkic tribes, Ashina Helu is one of them, but Qibiheli is really worthy of his title and the trust of the emperor.

After the award was announced, the court meeting ended, and the emperor didn't stay, so Li Chengqian happily slipped out.

In fact, the end of the Great Court is similar to the scene of office workers getting off work. The military generals gathered in a pile, clamoring for Li Xiaogong and Qibi Heli to treat them.The civil servants walked together in twos and threes, discussing matters between the ministries. After the big court meeting a year ago, and until the "holiday" in the new year, all the ministries of the court had to hurry up and finish all the important things.

Among the slow-moving people, Tang Jian's footsteps seemed hurried, and the curious Li Chengqian stepped forward to stop him.

"Mr. Ju, why are you in such a hurry?"

If it was someone else, Tang Jian would never talk to him, but when he looked back, it was the prince, so he could only stand still and say, "Your Highness, I am worried about the prince of Gaochang. This guy has been trying to kill himself since he settled in the guest house in Chang'an. Even when he relieves his hands, he has to follow closely. It’s really heartbreaking! See how good Jie Li is, he never causes trouble. Before, he just cried because his relatives couldn’t eat meat. His Majesty ordered them to be provided with meat. It'll be fine."

The Honglu Temple is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Tang Dynasty. The irony is that the prisoners, especially those who need to be supervised, are also managed by them.

Prince Gaochang, no, he is now King Gaochang.Qu Zhisheng, the king of Gaochang, is also considered to have a backbone, not to mention his refusal to surrender, and even thinking of suicide. Compared with him, Xieli is really a waste.

"Mr. Ju, why don't you take Gu to go? He, the king of Gaochang, is also a prince. He is also the prince. Maybe Ergu can enlighten him."

Tang Jian curled his lips. Although he felt that Qu Zhisheng was more likely to be hit, he had no choice but to cup his hands and say:

"Then your Highness will come with the officials, but you must bring your guards."

Li Chengqian looked back and saw that Zhang Yun had already stood behind him, and the Skywalker also lit up the horizontal knife on his waist, and then followed Tang Jian.

It is said to be a guest house, but it is actually a high-end prison cell.

Both Xieli and Qu Zhisheng were imprisoned in the compound prepared by Honglu Temple, surrounded by guards.When envoys from various countries made pilgrimages, Jieli and others were the best exhibits. Every time the Eastern Turkic wolf king appeared, the Western Turkic people would be angry, Xue Yantuo was timid, and Goryeo and other countries dared not speak.

It seems that Tang Jian and others really want to show Tuyuhun, Qiuci and other countries the waistline of King Gaochang and the high-quality life of the prisoners of the Tang Dynasty.

Chapter 3 The Wrathful Emperor

The treatment of prisoners in the Tang Dynasty was really not bad. Ever since Jieli cried in front of the emperor, they didn't even lack meat.

In the yard that looked more like a prison than a house, a pale young man was basking in the sun under the watchful eyes of several guards.Basking in the sun in winter is definitely good for the body, but the despair on the faces of the people basking in the sun is too great compared with the bright sunlight.

Seeing that it was the prince, the guards pulled out their horizontal knives one after another, repelled the Gaochang servants in the courtyard, and respectfully invited the prince in.

"Qu Zhisheng?"

"Li Chengqian?"

Zhang Yun was about to get angry, but Li Chengqian stopped him with a smile.In terms of status, Qu Zhisheng is still qualified to call him by his name.

Even now he is a prisoner.

Li Chengqian sat down on the bench naturally and handed Qu Zhisheng a jug.

Qu Zhisheng happily took it, and without a cup, he took a big gulp from the spout, coughing so hard that he couldn't stop.

"I'm still not used to drinking the emerging wine of the Tang Dynasty. My father collected a lot of it back then, and it was all sent to Gaochang by the Datang caravan."

"It was sent by the caravan belonging to the Eastern Palace. There is a great market for spirits in the Western Regions. If it wasn't for your Gaochang's aggressive manipulation, it is estimated that not only the previous amount was sent over."

Li Chengqian was not surprised by Qu Zhisheng's sharp Tang Mandarin.Facts have proved that Chinese was still very popular in the Tang Dynasty. Whether it was for communication or for defense, foreigners all learned Chinese by coincidence.Especially for leaders, it is unimaginable if they can't speak Chinese.

After taking another sip of wine, Qu Zhisheng said: "I told my father at the beginning that Gaochang is located at the junction of the Three Kingdoms, and it is still at the core of the business road. If we can make so much money, it is time to stop. Because the Three Kingdoms Once the balance between them is broken, the end of Gaochang will come. In this case, it is better to take advantage of the good times, choose a country, and completely surrender. The Duke of the Tang Dynasty can still be exchanged. In this way, the people of Gaochang can also avoid the suffering of the war.

But, at that time, my father was immersed in the mountains of gold and silver, and turned a deaf ear to my advice. If he could have listened to me, how could he have come to this point.A small country should behave like a small country. Relying on the support of its neighbors to provoke another big country is the way to die. "

Li Chengqian nodded and asked puzzledly: "In this case, why did you refuse to surrender when attacking the king's city?"

Qu Zhisheng smiled slightly, and after taking a sip of wine, he said: "That's different. Datang has murderous intentions towards Gaochang. There is a saying in the Central Plains that 'the master humiliates his ministers to death'. You haven't seen the battlefield of Gaochang, but you have seen it." , you know how brutal your Tang generals are. In the battle at Qikou, the Tang army captured more than 1 prisoners, but those prisoners didn’t even show up in the slave market of the Tang Dynasty. Guess where they went?”

Li Chengqian shook his head, he didn't know, and he didn't want to know.The generals of the Tang Dynasty are very independent. Even if they kill [-] to [-] prisoners, they can find a good excuse and report to the court.

"Father insulted Datang. I don't resent Gaochang for being treated like this. Rather than surrender and watch his subjects being slaughtered, it is better to fight to the end. At this point, I guess you will make the same choice!"

Li Chengqian nodded, picked up the jug and touched Qu Zhisheng, and the two took a big gulp each.

Li Chengqian couldn't refute what Qu Zhisheng said.Although he hadn't experienced it before, but if he imagined such a scene, he had no other choice but to fight to the end.Even "surrender" is not an option.Cheng Yaojin, Yu Chigong and others were surrendered generals, but no one ever underestimated them because they surrendered to the forces of the Central Plains.When it comes time to go to the outside world, whoever surrenders will immediately be nailed to the list of shame in the history books and be reviled for thousands of years.

Today is sunny and windy, so it is easy to forget that it is still winter.

Both Li Chengqian and Qu Zhisheng drank a lot of wine, and their bodies were hot, so they involuntarily stretched out their bodies and stretched their waists.

Although it was the first time they met, the two were like friends who had been separated for many years.

"I want to commit suicide, because Gaochang is destroyed in my hands. I have no face to continue living. Only by dying can I have the face to face the ancestors under the underworld. Li Chengqian, you are also a prince, you should understand my feelings. Although the disaster It was brought by my father, but I still can’t shirk my responsibility. I’ve seen Xieli too. I don’t want to live like that. If you understand me, please give me a good time! In return, I can give the royal family I will give you my treasures. You must know that the treasures of our royal family are not just the ones in the royal palace."

"Tsk tsk, if there is no return, maybe I will agree to you, but if you take out your wealth, wouldn't you put me in an unrighteous place? It seems that I am trying to make you die just to covet your money. of."

Qu Zhisheng smiled wryly, and could only take a big sip of the strong wine.

Seeing that Qu Zhisheng's jug was empty, Li Chengqian handed over his own jug.Obviously they drank together, but there was still more than half of his hip flask.As for wine, Li Chengqian has always controlled it until he was slightly drunk.

Qu Zhisheng didn't dislike it, but drank it directly.

Leaning on the bench, Li Chengqian thought for a long time before he said: "From tomorrow, I will give you a lot of wine. It is different from the previous wine. If you drink too much strong wine, you will really drink to death. Intoxicated It shouldn't be too painful to die..."

Qu Zhisheng's eyes lit up, he bowed his hands to Li Chengqian, and immediately became happy.

Standing up, Li Chengqian walked out and said, "Compared with your father, you are more suitable to be a wise monarch. Although we are hostile, I don't need to insult you, I can give you the right to die."

After finishing speaking, Li Chengqian stretched his waist before completely leaving the yard.

At the gate of the courtyard, Tang Jian saw the prince coming out, and walked over nervously and asked, "Your Highness, has he given up his will to die?"

Li Chengqian shook his head and said: "No, on the contrary, I promised to let him die. Jugong, we have to be magnanimous to such a respectable enemy. But he promised to hand over the news treasured by the Gaochang royal family. Lu Temple is not bad either."

Tang Jian suddenly didn't know what to say. Although the treasures of the Gaochang royal family must be a lot of money, Qu Zhisheng was the only Gaochang royal family captured. If he died, he would lose a deterrent.

Ignoring Tang Jian who was at war between heaven and man, Li Chengqian went straight back to the East Palace.

Today I came to see Qu Zhisheng, and I also came here with feelings.

Seeing Qibi Heli's loyalty and Qu Zhisheng's will to die made him deeply moved.

Qibiheli's surrender was correct, because he saved his tribe.Qu Zhisheng should die and not surrender, because this is a manifestation of his integrity.

As the prince of the Tang Dynasty, if he wanted to avoid this choice, he had to work hard to make the Tang Dynasty stronger.

Fortunately, I traveled to the Tang Dynasty, which was a powerful dynasty and a sturdy dynasty.Externally, only the Han, Tang, and Ming Dynasties were exceptionally strong, and it was difficult for a dynasty like the Song Dynasty, which was used to losing and losing, and loved to do whatever it took, to reverse this declining trend.

Tang Jian had no way to make a decision, so he could only play it to the emperor.The emperor finally accepted Qu Zhisheng's conditions, but he wanted to die only after the Tang army found the property of the Gaochang royal family.

Accompanied by this order, there was also the emperor's reprimand, which was aimed at the prince.

Li Shimin felt that Li Chengqian was looking for trouble for nothing, so he went to Honglu Temple to make such a mess.

After being reprimanded, Li Chengqian could only stay in the East Palace honestly, "reading and thinking about his mistakes".

The fact that Qu Zhisheng was promised to seek death was purely a coincidence that day. He saw Qibi Heli in the court hall, and met Qu Zhisheng by accident.

However, he did not regret agreeing to Qu Zhisheng's condition.Enemies need to be respected sometimes.

When Xiaonian came, Li Chengqian's ban was lifted and he was able to go out to the East Palace for activities.

As the New Year approaches, Chang'an is filled with the atmosphere that the New Year is approaching.But this year is different from previous years. Foreigners can be seen in many places on the street.

"In Chang'an now, all nations have come to court. Not only the Tubo Turks and other countries, but also the Sasanian Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire in the far west have sent envoys. Your Highness's gunpowder weapons really shocked the world. .”

It was Tang Jian who came to announce the lifting of the ban, and he flattered him first after meeting.

"Ju Gong was joking. Although the gunpowder weapon was invented alone, it was the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty who used it on the battlefield. This is their credit, not alone."

Although he thought Tang Jian was very noisy, Li Chengqian still entertained him.

Being punished to study and think about one's past is just right, as long as you read in the study all day, you don't have to deal with various government affairs, but it is a rare opportunity to rest.

Poured a cup of tea by himself, Tang Jian didn't intend to say goodbye directly, but sat down and prepared to chat long.