Chapter 864: The Tang Dynasty is in crisis!
In front of Princess Pingyang's mansion, there were several people standing. The two leading them had holy marks on their eyebrows, which shone brightly. They were all tall and heroic, and were quite similar to Luo Xuanye, but not as "ferocious" and "severe" as Luo Xuanye.
There are seven brothers in Luo Xuanye's generation, and their names are "Sunshine, Stars, Night and Lingyun". The ones coming this time are Luo Xuanye's fourth elder brother Luo Xuanchen and sixth younger brother Luo Xuanling.
Luo Xuanchen is slightly shorter than Luo Xuanling and Luo Xuanye, and has a gentler temperament with a bit of bookish air. Luo Xuanling's hands are covered with calluses, and he looks like a warrior.
Luo Xuanye hadn't seen his brothers for many years. He ran out in a hurry. Luo Xuanling said in surprise, "Fifth brother!"
Luo Xuanye hugged Luo Xuanling tightly in front of the mansion, punched his arm twice, and said happily: "Good boy, I haven't seen you for many years, and you are still so strong!"
“Fourth brother!”
The three of them did not stand outside the mansion to reminisce about the past. Luo Xuanye welcomed them into the mansion.
When Luo Xuanling stepped over the threshold, he looked at the plaque of Princess Pingyang's Mansion and asked with a smile as he walked, "Fifth brother, have you always lived in the Princess' Mansion after you got married?"
Luo Xuanye pointed to the palace in the west and said with a smile: "I will go back to the Duke's Mansion occasionally.
Your sister-in-law is favored by the emperor, and the princess residence she was given is the closest to the palace, and she is very close to the court.
My Duke's Mansion is in another market town, so my husband and I live here. Moreover, the Princess's Mansion is built according to the first-class regulations, so it is convenient to use various utensils.
Fourth brother and A Ling will live here first. If they don’t want to live here anymore, they can live in Duke Zhou’s Mansion. Xiuning and I will buy two properties for you in the East Market in the north of Chang’an.
Most of the people living here are nobles and royal family members. Many of the surrounding markets are vacant and will be reserved for the princes and princesses of the Li clan in the future."
Luo Xuanchen looked around and said, "Duke Zhou, what a good title. The Emperor of Tang has a heart for it. Fourth brother, you have an extraordinary status in the Tang Dynasty."
Luo Xuanye raised his eyebrows and said, "Of course, otherwise I wouldn't write to you brothers.
If my brothers want to occupy a more important position in the Tang Dynasty, it is not enough for me to do it alone. The future of my Luo family may lie in the Tang Dynasty.
When the emperor ascends the throne, the title of Duke of Zhou will bring many benefits to the family. Isn't this our goal?"
That's the truth.
The Luo family's goal today is very clear, which is to occupy a more important position within a limited scope without usurping the throne and being judged by heaven as the actual king.
The Luo family cannot be stronger than the royal family, and the head of the Luo family cannot permanently and inherit a position above the emperor.
Under this rule, the Luo family must become as strong as possible. This is the Luo family now!
Several people quickly walked into the hall. After Luo Xuanye asked them to sit down, Luo Xuanling asked, "Fifth brother, is the King of Qin really as good as you said?"
Luo Xuanye nodded and said, "Among the emperor's children, he is the most special one.
When he was in Taiyuan, people called him "Young Master Taiyuan". At a time when the gap between the rich and the poor is huge, he did not treat people based on family background, but was humble and modest, which was very unusual.
As for his other merits and demeanor, you will know them when you get along with him in the future. I can only describe him as sincere.
It seems that the fourth brother and the sixth brother are going to join the King of Qin?"
When Luo Xuanye introduced Luo Xuanchen and Luo Xuanling, he must have introduced them to Li Yuan, but since the two said so, they would definitely favor King Qin in the future.
Luo Xuanchen chuckled and said, "I learned about Li Tang before I came here. The Emperor of Tang really does not have the talent of a founding emperor, just as our ancestors said.
Since ancient times, it has never been heard of a founding monarch not fighting a war. According to the plan of the Tang Emperor, the founding heroes and founding military generals of the Tang Dynasty in the future will all be under the command of the King of Qin.
In this situation, conflicts are bound to arise. I don't want to be on the opposite side of you, my fifth brother, because of this reason in the future.
We three brothers will either be glorious together or leave the Tang Dynasty together."
Luo Xuanchen thought too far ahead, which made Luo Xuanye feel a little uneasy. He whispered, "The King of Qin has never thought of competing with the Crown Prince for the throne. They have a good relationship as brothers."
Luo Xuanchen simply said: "The Li family is not the Luo family. There is no Su Wang ancestor above and no holy marks below. What is the use of feelings?"
Luo's judgment on the Tang Dynasty is different from that of other people in the world.
After getting to know Li Tang a little, every member of the Luo family could see the inevitable internal division.
This split originated from the "death sentence" imposed on Li Yuan by Luo Su.
Luo Su believed that Li Yuan was not capable enough to become the emperor.
All the Luo family members analyzed the situation of Li Tang based on Li Yuan's failure and came to the only conclusion.
Li Yuan wanted to rely on his outstanding son to conquer the world.
Who is the person who pacified the world?
Luo Xuanye was silent, Luo Xuanling was a little uneasy, and Luo Xuanchen was drinking tea calmly.
A maid in green clothes trotted in, glanced at Luo Xuanchen and Luo Xuanling with a little curiosity, and said to Luo Xuanye Fuli: "Prince consort, the princess is back."
As he was speaking, Li Xiuning, looking heroic and handsome in court robes, had already walked into the hall.
Luo Xuanye didn't think about it anymore and introduced them to each other. Li Xiuning was delighted to see the two sons of the Luo family. "Fourth brother and sixth brother, I will go to the palace to recommend you to the emperor tomorrow. The emperor will definitely be happy. With the four of you and the sixth brother here, your husband will no longer be alone."
Hearing what Li Xiuning said, especially the last sentence, Luo Xuanchen smiled slightly.
Clan power is crucial to both the emperor and the ministers. The reason why those families are so powerful is that they are strong clans that help each other.
Luo Xuanye's current high position and power are completely dependent on the Li royal family. If we talk about power from the bottom up, he has no people of his own. The appearance of Luo Xuanchen and Luo Xuanling can effectively improve this situation of being alone and powerless.
The fact that Li Xiuning could think of this shows that she cares about Luo Xuanye.
Li Xiuning asked someone to go downstairs and prepare the guest room for the two of them. Then the nanny in the mansion brought over the crying little princess.
Of course, the princess’ daughter is not a county princess, but Li Xiuning’s daughter is a county princess.
Before Li Xiuning could react, Luo Xuanchen and Luo Xuanling had teleported to the little girl's side, and Luo Xuanchen had already taken the little princess in his arms.
The induction between the holy marks made the little princess stop crying instantly.
She opened her big eyes with clear black and white and rolled them around, looking at Luo Xuanchen and Luo Xuanling.
"The first daughter of our Luo family in the next generation, Ah Ye, what's her name?"
Luo Xuanye smiled and said, "Yuan Ling, the peacock feather."
Luo Xuanling's calloused fingertips gently touched Luo Junwei's fair and translucent face, and then the little hand held his fingers. Luo Xuanling, such a strong man, actually showed a doting smile on his face and gently shook Luo Junwei's little hand.
Luo Xuanchen lifted Luo Junwei high up and laughed loudly, "Weiwei is blessed to be born in the Luo family."
Luo Junwei giggled and clapped her hands.
…
The next day.
Li Xiuning went to the palace and told Li Yuan about the arrival of Luo Xuanchen and Luo Xuanling, which made Li Yuan very pleased. He said to Pei Ji and other palace servants, "Back then, Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, only had Ying Wenxian Hou Luo Yi to assist him, but now I have three people. Doesn't this mean that I am far better than Liu Bang?"
The arrival of the Luo family was both exciting and worrying. The ministers complimented Li Yuan one after another, which made him even happier. Then Li Yuan thought for a while and said, "The Luo family is from a high-ranking family and is a close relative of the prince consort. We should use them in the Tang Dynasty. What positions do you think should be assigned to them?"
Li Xiuning said according to what was discussed last night: "Father, the son of the Luo family joined the Tang Dynasty not to enjoy wealth and honor, but to build achievements.
If we directly assign court officials, their qualities may not be sufficient and their talents may not be put to the best use.
It would be more appropriate to recruit them into the shogunate, have them follow you on expeditions, and then get promoted after they have made meritorious contributions."
Li Yuan nodded involuntarily after listening to this. Luo Xuanye was his son-in-law, a key contributor to the uprising in Jinyang, and had made outstanding contributions to the Tang Dynasty. Now he was a third-rank General of the Left Guard, and was granted the title of Duke of Zhou. This was all he deserved.
Naturally, the two sons of the Luo family could not do so, and had to start from low-level assignments. After all, this was no longer the era of hereditary nobility, and official positions in particular could not be granted easily.
Li Yuan hesitated for a moment, then said, "Just now you said in Pingyang that both of them are good at military affairs. I am planning to conquer Li Gui of Xiliang and send the King of Qin and the King of Qi to fight. Luo Xuanling is young, so he will be transferred to the King of Qin's mansion to serve as the deputy commander of the army.
Since Luo Xuanchen is the brother of the Prince Consort, he was transferred to the Prince Qi's Palace and served as the military commander of the Prince Qi's Palace."
The military commander of the Prince's Palace was of the upper fifth rank, while the deputy military commander was of the upper fifth rank, two levels lower. Li Yuan arranged their official positions according to their ages and seniority, but in fact they were similar.
Because Luo Xuanling entered the thriving Qin Palace, and Luo Xuanchen entered the Qi Palace, purely in terms of future prospects, Luo Xuanling is definitely better.
All I can say is that it was fortunately the Prince of Qi's Mansion. Li Shimin and Li Xuanba had a good relationship, and Prince of Qi Li Xuanba basically followed Li Shimin's lead.
If he was transferred to the Prince of Chu's Palace, he would inevitably come into conflict with Li Yuanji.
Li Xiuning thought about it briefly and found that it was no different from what she had expected, so she agreed directly.
Officials of this level do not need the emperor's personal approval. They can just go through the process of the three provinces and have the Ministry of Personnel of the Secretariat approve it. With Li Xiuning, the Minister of Internal Affairs, keeping an eye on it, no one will hold up this matter.
By the time the process reached the three provinces, the news that another son of the Luo family had arrived in Chang'an had spread everywhere.
"As expected of the Luo family, they are a prominent family. As soon as he entered the government, he became a high-ranking official of the fifth rank.
well."
The official positions of Luo Xuanchen and Luo Xuanling may not sound high on the surface, but in fact they are much higher.
You know, the two of them are almost white!
The ranks of officials in the world now range from the first rank to the ninth rank, with different levels of regular and regular officials, as well as upper and lower ranks.
From the first rank, to the junior rank, all the way to the junior rank.
Starting from the fourth rank, the upper fourth rank, the lower fourth rank, from the upper fourth rank, from the lower fourth rank, all the way to the lower ninth rank.
There were thirty levels of official positions, and the captain in charge of the government troops was only at the seventh rank.
In addition to the thirty levels, there are levels called Liuwai officials, from Liuwai 1st level to Liuwai 9th level, which means a total of thirty-nine official levels. Luo Xuanchen and Luo Xuanling are directly in the upper-middle level.
Luo Xuanchen was of the fifth rank. Officials of the same level were the magistrate of Luoyang, the magistrate of Jinyang, and the magistrate of Chang'an. How could he not be envied for being promoted to this position directly from a commoner?
It can only be said that Li Yuan really values family background. The Luo family's reputation, which has been upgraded to the level of a pillar of the country, is indeed strong and can influence the views of people all over the world. The face of Li Xiuning, Luo Xuanye, and Luo Su is indeed great.
After Luo Xuanchen and Luo Xuanling accepted the assignment, Luo Xuanling followed Luo Xuanye to the Prince of Qin's Mansion to meet Li Shimin.
When Li Shimin saw Luo Xuanling, he looked left and right, pulled him to sit at the table, and couldn't help laughing, "Great, now I have Qingyang and a fierce general. Who can stop my Tang army?"
The Qin Prince's Mansion was very lively, with Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui and others all there. Li Shimin simply held a banquet for Luo Xuanling's arrival. During the banquet, Luo Xuanling showed off some of his skills, which made everyone cheer for him even more.
Luo Xuanchen went to the Prince of Qi's mansion to meet Li Xuanba, who said to him very kindly, "I will never forget this. When I was lying on the sickbed, I seemed to have seen the road to the underworld. In the end, it was Duke Wen who saved me and pulled me out of the underworld. This is the fate of me and the Luo family. In the future, we will work together for the Tang Dynasty. As long as we have any merits, I will report them to my father."
Feeling Li Xuanba's kindness, Luo Xuanchen knew that his future probably lay here.
Li Xuanba.
…
The war between Li Gui and the Western Turks broke out very quickly.
The Western Turks mobilized more than 150,000 cavalry and drove a large number of cattle and sheep to attack the four Hexi counties in Liangzhou.
Li Gui was completely dumbfounded.
I don’t know what’s wrong with the Western Turks.
It was not until the Western Turkic manifesto reached Hexi that he knew what had happened. He could only curse secretly and write a letter to the Western Turkic Khan Ashina Sai, saying that he had never called him a Hu person.
"You are a noble of the Chinese people, and I am also a noble of the Chinese people. We both stand under the blue sky of the Su Wang. We should join hands to pacify the Hu people, and not hurt ourselves."
But Ashina Sai didn’t believe it at all, and said in front of everyone, “These people from the Central Plains are very bad.
They do not worship the Su King.
It is said that in the Central Plains, even if you insult the Su King, there is no legal punishment, simply, simply..."
He couldn't find a word dirty enough to describe this matter.
"Son of a bitch!"
A minister below took up the conversation, and although he felt that the extent of the incident was too mild, Ashina Sai continued, "That's right!
Li Gui must be severely punished, and what qualifications does he have to be emperor?
On an equal footing with this Khan?"
At the same time, Li Tang was also targeting Li Gui, and from two aspects at the same time.
On the one hand, the An family of Liangzhou said that they could pacify Hexi and present it to the Tang Dynasty, which would mean disintegration from within.
On the one hand, Li Yuan was drawing troops from the Guanzhong Zhechoufu, ready to let Li Shimin lead the army into battle at any time.
Under such internal and external troubles, Li Gui, who was already unpopular in Hexi, soon could not hold on.
It was as if it was chosen by heaven. Li Tang obtained a vast piece of land without any effort.
Although it is not a grain-producing area, it is indeed a piece of land suitable for raising horses. The most important thing is that the entire Liangzhou was obtained.
Li Tang's western border advanced from three hundred miles outside Chang'an to one thousand five hundred miles outside Chang'an!
Li Tang could finally march eastward without too many worries. He no longer had to worry about leaving Chang'an empty once the army moved and being attacked from the rear by the Western Liang Kingdom.
The prerequisite is to resolve the aggressive Western Turks!
The army that was already preparing to conquer the Western Liang Kingdom now had a place to use its skills.
Li Yuan appointed Li Shimin as the marching marshal and appointed ten marching generals to lead 30,000 soldiers from the various guards in Guanzhong to march out of Hexi.
Faced with Li Gui's sudden surrender to the Tang Dynasty, Ashina Sai was a little confused. He hadn't even put in any effort, so why did the Liang Kingdom collapse on its own?
When Ashina Sai learned that the Tang Kingdom had sent troops, he became hesitant as to whether he should continue to fight the Tang Kingdom. He had sent troops hastily and was insufficiently prepared, so it was impossible for him to break into Guanzhong. Moreover, he had not yet captured any of the fortified cities in Hexi, so he could not advance at all.
"Khan, our army has come in a hurry. There is no need to fight to the death with the Central Plains. The high priest said some time ago that to the west of the temple, where Kangju used to be, there are pagans who do not believe in the Su King. They should be wiped out. We should return to the Shenlin Royal Court and raise the royal flag at the sacred place of the Su King."
While he was hesitating, some people began to persuade him to withdraw his troops. Many people in the Western Regions did not particularly want to enter the Central Plains.
They were used to life on the grassland, and the Western Regions had everything. They wanted to move westward and northward to occupy more grassland, rather than fight in the Central Plains. In their impression, the Central Plains was very dangerous.
Ashina Sai pondered over it, and after much thought, it seemed that there was no need to enter the Central Plains except to go to the burial place of King Su, as the Western Regions had not yet been unified.
Then go back!
He made up his mind and did not hesitate. He stood up in the big tent with a jeweled scimitar in his hand and said, "Tell the Tang army to kill Li Gui and send his head to my tent. Then I will withdraw my army!"
When Li Shimin began to prepare for war, he learned of Ashina Sai's request, and everyone was stunned.
The brain of this Western Turkic Khan?
Li Shimin reacted immediately and ordered loudly: "Send someone to bring Li Gui back. There is no need to send him back to Chang'an!"
After taking over Liangzhou, Li Shimin escorted Li Gui back to Chang'an. In the end, the only outcome waiting for Li Gui was beheading. Now that he was useful, there was no need to waste him and he was directly killed and sent to Ashina Sai.
After Ashina Sai got Li Gui's head, he immediately stepped on it and laughed wildly. Then he said, "Find someone to make his head into a chamber pot for me. I will use it in the future to let all those who have insulted me know that this is the result of offending me."
After venting his anger with Li Gui's head, Ashina Sai painfully withdrew his troops according to the previous agreement. Li Shimin was just trying it out, but he didn't expect it to really happen.
This war, which should have been considered a victory, came out of nowhere. Did the Tang Dynasty just get a piece of land for nothing?
Whether you are willing to believe it or not, whether it is God's favor or not, this is the fact. Just like when Shu surrendered, many people felt at that moment that perhaps God really favored the Tang Dynasty.
For the Tang Dynasty, the most difficult steps were all completed smoothly within two years.
Li Shimin rearranged the defense of Liangzhou to prevent the future comeback of the Western Turks. Neither he nor anyone else had the slightest intention of opposing the Western Turks.
If all regions of the world were assigned a level, then the Western Regions, located in the border area, would undoubtedly be unimportant among the various parts of the unified world.
Only after the world is unified will it be worthwhile to acquire the Western Regions. Even if we get it now, it would be too difficult to transfer troops from the Western Regions. It would be of almost no help in unifying the world.
Now the entire Tang Dynasty, from top to bottom, has only one idea, and that is to move eastward quickly, just like the countless dynasties that had moved eastward to unify the world before, and quickly gain control of the world.
…
After Li Shimin returned to Chang'an, he soon received some bad news that Taiyuan, where Li Yuanji was guarding, had a fight with Liu Wuzhou.
Liu Wuzhou, who had been entrenched in Jinyang, finally made up his mind to seize Jinyang. This was a rather terrible thing, as it showed that Liu Wuzhou and the Turks had reached an agreement.
He was no longer too worried that the Turks would cut off his retreat, and it was even possible that the Turks would send troops to help Liu Wuzhou.
This makes sense, because the Turks should have realized that the Tang Dynasty no longer wanted to cooperate with them.
"The Turks were in internal turmoil and were unable to take care of themselves, so Liu Wuzhou took advantage of the situation and headed south."
Fortunately, the situation did not get to the worst point. There was only Liu Wuzhou, and no Turks. This was a blessing in disguise.
Although the army led by Li Shimin did not fight, they had to rest after a long march from Chang'an all the way to the Hexi Corridor.
Although Liu Wuzhou was coming with great force, Taiyuan was his hometown after all. Li Tang had a solid ruling foundation there and had deployed heavy troops. It was not easy for Liu Wuzhou to capture it.
As Li Yuan said, "Liu Wuzhou, with his tiny territory, dared to invade the 2,000-li territory of the Tang Dynasty. He was just courting death.
When the Tang Dynasty recovers a little, as long as Taiyuan is held, Liu Wuzhou will be defeated and destroyed."
Yes.
As long as Taiyuan is defended and Liu Wuzhou cannot get the large granary, he will not be able to achieve anything.
But can Taiyuan be defended?
Most people think it can be defended!
Jinyang is a fortified city. It can be said that among all the cities in the world, there are not many cities that are stronger than Jinyang.
It would be difficult to capture Jinyang unless using water attack.
It is not that easy to attack by water. Unless it is an absolute crushing victory and the army has completely surrounded the city, only in that case can the attackers successfully dig the river.
Under such circumstances, a man returned to Chang'an City and brought shocking news!
…
This person's name is Li Yuanji.
His identity is the fourth son of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty and the King of Chu.
His position was to stay behind in Jinyang, Taiyuan, and his mission was to guard Jinyang, the birthplace of the Li Tang Dynasty, its base camp, and the hub of the entire Hedong region.
Why did he return to Chang'an?
Because Jinyang was lost.
Jinyang, which he was defending, was lost.
So he escaped directly back, bringing with him his wives, concubines, children, and those precious treasures. Even on the way back, he was still enjoying himself.
How was Jinyang lost?
He felt that he could not win the battle against the aggressive army of Liu Wuzhou, especially his subordinate Song Jingang who was too powerful. So he lied to the defenders of Jinyang, saying that he would go out of the city for reconnaissance, and then fled.
Jinyang surrendered without a fight!
At the same time as Jinyang was lost, Song Jingang started to capture cities and territories from Jinyang, and his speed was even faster than when Li Tang took over Hedong.
It truly is a fine tradition of the Guanlong clans.
The Yang family of Hongnong could not take Hongnong, and the Li Tang family of Jinyang could not hold Hedong.
The court in Chang'an fell into a stalemate. What happened to King Chu Li Yuanji?
Li Yuan's head was buzzing. He wanted to scold Li Yuanji harshly, but he restrained himself in the end.
For such a tragic failure, we must find someone responsible!
Of course, this person cannot be Li Yuanji, because that is his son. If Li Yuan is punished, not to mention that Li Yuan would be reluctant, after all, he is so protective of his son that it might also damage his prestige.
Then Li Yuanji's subordinates can only take the blame, but ordinary people cannot bear this blame.
The most important official positions in the palace are Changshi and Sima.
When Li Yuan was the King of Tang, Pei Ji was his Chief Secretary and Liu Wenjing was his Sima.
Later, when Li Yuan became emperor, these two people directly became prime ministers. You can imagine the importance of these two positions.
Only these two people can take the blame for Li Yuanji, but they cannot be punished casually. It depends on their identities. This is a typical practice of Li Yuan.
Members of the royal family cannot be touched.
He wanted someone to take the blame, but Li Yuanji's subordinates were unwilling to do so.
If I take on this blame, not only will I not be able to achieve success in the future, but I may even have no future at all.
This made Li Yuan very uncomfortable.
In the end, he could only say to his ministers in a sullen tone: "Although I know that King Sima of Chu was wrong, decisions are not made by one person. I think the most urgent task now is to consider how to retake Hedong."
Li Yuanji treated the incident as if it had never happened and dealt with it coldly. Many people were a little indignant because Li Yuan did not handle it in the same way last time when Xue Ju was involved.
Liu Wenjing and Yin Kaishan, who had made up for their crimes by making amends, were reprimanded, and the others who had no merit were punished.
Such double standards made Li Yuan lose a lot of popular support, but Li Yuan did not care. The advantage of establishing the relationship between the monarch and his subjects was that even if the subjects were dissatisfied with the emperor, as long as it did not reach a fundamental level, there would be no backlash.
This is the natural privilege of the king, who has double standards for the merits and demerits of his subjects.
Just when the Li Tang court was still thinking about how to deal with Li Yuanji, Liu Wuzhou's army, led by Song Jingang, was about to capture Hedong County and face Li Tang across the Yellow River.
Chang'an was completely shocked!
This is the most dangerous time since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, even more dangerous than Xue Ju's time!
————
God has given the Tang Dynasty great favor, but it has also given it great tests. During the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, there were many events that would greatly delay the unification process in the eyes of later generations. Liu Wuzhou's capture of Taiyuan was such a major event. According to the experience of the past hundreds of years, the Tang Dynasty and Liu Wuzhou should have fought a tug-of-war in Bingzhou for several years, but the result was not the case. In this chapter, the author will explain in detail the extraordinary significance of this war for the establishment of the Tang Dynasty. ——"The Rise and Fall of the Tang Empire"
Thanks to the readers for their enthusiastic voting, the result was much better than I expected, and there were actually top 30.
Thanks to the leader of the charity gambling king’s magic lamp.
(End of this chapter)
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