Chapter 867 Jiangnan Luo family returns to Tang!
Hedong was recovered.
The name of the Tang Dynasty has spread throughout the world, and in the eyes of many people, it has the potential to dominate the world.
Li Shimin, the King of Qin of the Tang Dynasty, who led the wars to pacify Xue Ju of Western Qin, take Liangzhou, repel the Western Turks, and recover Hedong, was also very powerful.
Especially within Li Tang.
Liu Wenjing finally dodged the knife.
After returning with a great victory in Hedong, Li Shimin was finally able to save him from Emperor Li Yuan and First Prime Minister Pei Ji.
But although he could escape the death penalty, he could not escape the punishment of living. Liu Wenjing was exiled to Yizhou to live with those barbarians.
When he was about to leave Chang'an, Luo Xuan came to see him off at night.
It's raining in spring, and the weeping willows on the bank have sprouted.
Liu Wenjing was dejected. Luo Xuanye did not get out of the car. He said calmly across the car: "Don't blame King Qin for not coming to see you off. If he came, you might die."
Liu Wenjing sighed. He was an old minister, so how could he not understand this? If Li Shimin really came to send him off, it would mean that he would completely disrespect the emperor, and the emperor would most likely raise his butcher knife again.
He said in despair, "I understand that keeping my life is the result of the King of Qin's efforts to show his gratitude for my previous contributions."
Luo Xuanye added: "After arriving in Shu, be a good official and manage the southwest for the country.
Don't give up on yourself. In life, you must always be prepared. You are not really a low-level official. You may be in a remote place today, but ascend to the ninth heaven tomorrow.
You have read a lot of these principles in books, so there is no need for me to explain them. It’s almost time for me to go.
Lord Zhaoren, we will meet again if fate permits. "
After saying this, without waiting for Liu Wenjing to react, the coachman drove the carriage away.
Saving Liu Wenjing was a bit risky for Li Shimin, but it greatly improved the cohesion of the entire Qin Palace.
There were not many people under Li Shimin's command who had followed him since childhood. He was not an emperor or a crown prince, so he had the natural status to gather heroes.
All of his ministers, especially the military generals, except Luo, were surrendered generals, including Qu Tutong, Yuchi Gong, Qin Qiong, Cheng Yaojin, etc. Li Shimin's approach to these people was to trust them and treat them with sincerity, neither neglecting the old ones nor the new ones.
This is what Luo Xuanye admires most about Li Shimin. He has a very broad mind and can tolerate things that others cannot.
Li Shimin was never afraid of making mistakes, nor was he afraid of others saying he was wrong. He would correct his mistakes and do well next time. This is a rather scary trait. From the idle young man in Chang'an to the current King of Qin, he has not changed at all in this regard.
After Luo Xuanye entered the Prince of Qin's Mansion, Changsun was directing the servants in the mansion to prepare the things needed for the banquet. She had a slender figure and looked a little weak, but she had a strong aura that could not be ignored.
"princess."
When she saw Luo Xuanye walk in, she smiled and said, "Brother-in-law, the King of Qin is in the hall behind the main hall, discussing scriptures with a group of scholars."
Luo Xuanye said hello and walked quickly to the main hall. He was very familiar with the Prince Qin's Mansion. After turning a few corners, he found the hall and walked straight in. He looked around and saw that everyone was sitting casually. There were thick mats on the ground.
Li Shimin was lying casually on a mat covered with tiger skin. Although he was young, his face showed an aura of majesty without even being angry.
Luo Xuanling was sitting on the right side of Li Shimin. When he saw Luo Xuanye walk in, Li Shimin waved and said with a smile: "Qingyang, come quickly, have you sent him off?"
Luo Xuanye sat next to Changsun Wuji and nodded, "Sent him off and comforted him. The King of Qin made great efforts to save him this time. I hope he can control his bad habit of talking nonsense."
Li Shimin waved his hand, indicating that he didn't need to worry too much, and said calmly: "Hedong has been recovered. Now my Tang Dynasty only has two ways left, south and east. It's time to put the unification of the Central Plains and Hebei on the agenda.
This position of the Minister of the Eastern Shaanxi Province is still just an empty title. It is time to put it in place."
This simple sentence showed Li Shimin's amazing ambition.
If the Shaanxi East Road Grand Secretariat is established, the entire north will be unified, and the Central Plains and Hebei will both be included in the territory of the Tang Dynasty. At that time, the unification of the world is only a matter of time.
Chang Sun Wuji found a piece of grass from somewhere, held it in his mouth, and said, "King of Qin, it's not easy. It's not easy to go east. We must first conquer Luoyang and then attack Dou Jiande.
I had planned to let Wang Shichong and Li Mi fight to the death, but I didn't expect that Li Mi seemed to be possessed by evil spirits.
After killing Zhai Rang, things went downhill rapidly, and he made many stupid moves, and was defeated repeatedly by Wang Shichong. According to the current situation, Li Mi's defeat is not far away. "
Qin Qiong and Cheng Yaojin said immediately, "King Qin, the reason why Wagang was able to gather together was because of loyalty. We all fought against the tyranny of the Sui Dynasty.
But Li Mi's killing of Zhai Rang chilled people's hearts, and the people's hearts were scattered. Without the people's hearts, Wagang was just an ordinary rebel army with flaws everywhere, and there was no need to be afraid of it. "
The words of Qin Qiong and Cheng Yaojin, who were once high-ranking officials of Wagang, are very credible. Li Shimin agreed and said, "It is often said that whoever wins the hearts of the people wins the world, but there are many different opinions on what the hearts of the people are.
But people's hearts are destiny. When you lose the people's hearts, God will not favor you. No matter who will fall into the hands of Luoyang in the end, Wang Shichong or Li Mi, I don't care.
Tang Dynasty, there is no second possibility that they will be defeated. "
Qin Qiong thought for a moment and said, "King Qin, there is a man named Xu Shiji in Wagang, I wonder if you have heard of him.
This man is loyal, brave and talented. He is truly a rare talent in Wagang.
He had always been loyal to the Tang Dynasty, but was unable to come due to his status. If Li Mi were defeated, you, the King of Qin, could write a letter and probably take over dozens of states in Henan.
By then, our army will march eastwards, Xu Shiji will march westwards, and together they will encircle Luoyang. Wouldn't that save a lot of effort?"
Of course I have heard of Xu Shiji's name. Since his ambition is to rule the world, all the heroes in the world have records. However, this is the first time I know that Xu Shiji's heart is in the Tang Dynasty.
Li Shimin, who always loved talents, couldn't help but sit up straight and said, "Shubao, tell me in detail."
…
Li Shimin will probably never know that when he was chasing Song Jingang and Liu Wuzhou to kill them, Luo Su was paying attention to this matter, or it was the Luo family who was paying attention to this matter.
Luo Xuanxing, who was in charge of the brave warriors, witnessed Li Shimin's switch from defense to offense. He did not eat for two days and did not take off his armor for three days, like the swiftest sharp blade.
There was absolutely no chance for Liu Song and the other two to catch their breath and reorganize their army, which shocked Luo Xuanxing. You have to know that the army led by Li Shimin was not a magical army like the Daring Warriors.
"Ah Xing, this is one of the people I like, what do you think?"
Luo Xuanxing was silent for a moment and then said, "Very good, I thought Dou Jiande was already very good.
I didn't expect that there is someone better than Dou Jiande.
At present, the situation in the world is a struggle between Li Tang and Zhao.
"Ancestor, which side are we on?"
Luo Su smiled faintly and said, "The winner."
Luo Xuanye was stunned.
In today's world, whoever the Luo family helps will win, but the ancestor said that the Luo family will help whoever wins, and Luo Xuanxing was confused.
Luo Su looked towards Hebei. It now seemed that Li Yuan had held Li Shimin back. Although this had caused considerable impact, it had not generally affected the booming momentum of the Li Tang Dynasty. Li Shimin eventually dealt with those problems.
What about Dou Jiande?
Will he change?
Will he continue to be a grassroots hero, or will he begin to change?
Luo Xuanxing couldn't figure it out, and then smiled bitterly. The ancestors were always so ingenious and confusing.
Luo Su naturally saw that Luo Xuanxing couldn't figure it out logically, so he asked with a smile: "Axing, who do you hope will win?"
Luo Xuanxing thought for a moment, "Li Tang."
"Why?"
Luo Xuanxing said without hesitation: “Dou Jiande lacks a little bit of the martial arts emperor’s stuff.
This may not be consistent with your next idea, ancestor."
Luo Su smiled, looked towards the direction of Chang'an in Guanzhong, and asked vaguely: "Axing, did you forget on purpose or unintentionally? The emperor of Li Tang was Li Yuan, and the crown prince was Li Jiancheng."
Luo Xuanxing did not answer directly, but just smiled faintly, "Follow your teachings, ancestor."
"You kid!"
Seeing Luo Xuanxing's expression, Luo Su immediately laughed and scolded him, then said softly: "Three of our disciples entered Li Tang, and two of our disciples entered Hebei. People in the world who are interested know who we are optimistic about.
But it is still not enough. Such a small number of people is far from enough, and our bargaining chips are not enough.
Let’s go.”
…
In the fourth year of Wude, with the filling of granaries in various places, the soldiers also recovered from their fatigue, and the war machine of the Tang Dynasty began to rumble again.
The outcome of Luoyang was finally decided.
Wang Shichong and Li Mi were both talented people. One of them was mean and ungrateful, and was suspicious of his subordinates.
Li Mi, who was deeply involved in the struggle in Wagang, felt that Zhai Rang's people were everywhere, and he didn't even dare to trust Xu Shiji.
The fight between these two people has little to do with their own abilities, it has become a competition to see whose organization is better.
From this point of view, Zheng State, which was born from the Sui Dynasty system, was much more tight-knit than Li Mi's Wagang. After both of them lost the support of the people, Zheng State could still operate according to political conventions, while Wagang simply fell apart.
After his defeat, Li Mi wanted to flee westward and surrender to the Tang Dynasty, but was predicted by Wang Shichong. Before he could cross the Luo River, he was blocked by Wang Shichong. Finally, Li Mi was killed by Zhai Rang's former subordinates and his body was thrown into the Luo River, ending his rather dramatic life.
From his peak period when everyone in the world thought that "Yanghua falls, plum flowers bloom" referred to Li Mi, to his current downfall, beheading and becoming a laughing stock, it only took a few short years.
It is true that when good luck comes, heaven and earth are on your side, and when bad luck comes, heroes cannot be free.
Besides, Li Mi cannot be considered a hero. He can only be said to have risen to prominence when the situation was favorable and failed when the situation declined. It is normal for him to have ended up like this given his character.
For Wang Shichong and Li Mi, a stage in life ended, but for other forces in the world, the end of the battle for Luoyang marked the beginning of a new war.
Li Yuan wanted to leave eastward.
…
The night was dark, and the bright moon was in the sky, illuminating the palace hall. The palace was filled with dark shadows. Li Yuan was in the hall, looking at the map in deep thought, accompanied by the smell of sandalwood.
The eunuch outside the palace led Li Shimin in and asked, "Father, why did you summon me at this time?"
When Li Shimin walked into the hall, he saw Li Yuan staring at the geomancy map. Upon hearing Li Shimin's voice, Li Yuan immediately asked, "Erlang, if we go east to the Central Plains now, are you sure?"
Upon hearing Li Yuan's words, Li Shimin's heart immediately trembled, and then he smiled confidently and said: "Father, I have always been confident. It depends on whether you have confidence in me."
Li Yuan laughed loudly upon hearing this. "Of course I have confidence in you. Who else but you can be the commander-in-chief heading east to the Central Plains?"
Li Shimin was relieved. Going east to the Central Plains was a matter of great importance. He would never trust others to do it. He had to do it himself. Then he said, "Father, after defeating Liu Wuzhou, our Tang Dynasty was a little short of food and grass, so I did not propose to go east through Tongguan.
But now the time has come, and it is indeed time to go east through Tongguan."
The wars fought since Li Shimin came to power have resulted in heavy losses of food and fodder, but very few casualties among soldiers.
He is good at using elite troops, and most of his battles are defensive counterattacks.
He would attack quickly after defending, crush the enemy in a rout, and chase them down. This way of fighting would result in very few casualties on his own side, which was one of the reasons why he enjoyed a very high prestige in the army.
Who doesn’t like a commander who can achieve victory while being relatively safe?
Li Yuan pointed at the geomancy map and said, "Erlang, look.
Let’s not talk about Guanzhong. Hedong, Hebei, Henan, Jiangnan, Jingxiang, and Jiangnan are fighting each other to protect themselves and will not get involved in our dispute.
Hedong is in our hands. Wang Shichong of Henan, Dou Jiande of Hebei, and Xiao Xian of Jingxiang are all difficult to deal with. Erlang, who do you think we should attack first?"
Li Shimin had thought about it for a long time and said without hesitation: "Since ancient times, whoever controls the Central Plains controls the world, and that is naturally Wang Shichong. As long as we control the Central Plains, Xiao Xin's Liang State will collapse!
Moreover, the strongest force of our Tang Dynasty is the cavalry, which is a powerful weapon for competing for the Central Plains. However, what we need to attack the Liang State are boats.
Father, this is God's will for us to attack Wang Shichong!"
Li Shimin already had a vague idea of what was going on, so he made his choice without hesitation.
Li Yuan leaned back on the cushion, laughed and asked, "Erlang, the heroes of this world may not follow your plan. Xiao Xian and Dou Jiande may support Wang Shichong. If this is true, how will you deal with it?"
Li Shimin took two steps forward, pointed at the geomancy map and said loudly: "Yizhou is in the hands of my Tang Dynasty. As long as Xiao Xin dares to lead the army to attack, it will give my Tang Dynasty an opportunity. As long as a small army goes downstream, we can directly capture Jiangling. Then, father, you can directly become the master of the two thousand miles of mountains and rivers in the south."
Li Yuan laughed heartily upon hearing this, then stopped and asked, "What about Dou Jiande? He will not sit idly by and watch the Tang Dynasty defeat Dou Jiande."
Li Shimin said confidently: "Since ancient times, military alliances have always betrayed each other. The same is true between Dou Jiande and Wang Shichong. Will he really come to rescue Wang Shichong?
My son is sure not.
Dou Jiande will only wait until the Tang Dynasty and Wang Shichong are exhausted before making his move, and greed will lead to his downfall. "
In the Qin Palace, Li Shimin sat in the main seat with a majestic look, glaring at all the ministers under his command, and said in a loud voice: "My father has decided to march east. I will be the commander-in-chief and lead the elite troops in Guanzhong. All the generals and ministers will follow me to conquer Luoyang and defeat Wang Shichong."
Everyone looked at each other with surprise and solemnity in their eyes. Wang Shichong, who defeated Li Mi, could be called the overlord of the Central Plains. He was a great enemy of the Tang Dynasty. It was not an easy task to capture Luoyang.
Luo Xuan and the other two left the King of Qin and returned home. Luo Xuan said as they walked, "Fourth brother, Xiaoliu, this expedition against Wang Shichong should be the second largest war after the expedition against Dou Jiande.
As the situation in the world progresses, the opportunities to make meritorious deeds become fewer and fewer, especially for Xiaoliu. It would be best if he could get both the title and honor to the top level in these two wars, including Duke of the State and Supreme Pillar of the State. Otherwise, he will fall behind in the subsequent seniority system.
I don’t know what Fourth Brother’s path will be.
If possible, after we defeat Wang Shichong this time, it’s time to get more of the Luo family’s direct descendants involved. The three of us are still not enough.”
Luo Xuanchen and Luo Xuanling both knew that this lack was not due to lack of power.
During the Han Dynasty, when the Luo family was at its peak, they were known as the Luo Half Dynasty, but that was just a description of power.
Luo Su believed that if the direct descendants of the Luo family entered the dynasty to hold official positions, the Luo family and the dynasty would be closely connected. Coupled with blood ties, they would be deeply bound together and could gain additional luck and fortune.
So Luo Xuanchen and Luo Xuanling, who had been hesitating before, immediately traveled thousands of miles to Chang'an as soon as they saw the letter written by Luo Xuanye.
If one could reach the Luo Ban Dynasty through blood relationship and direct lineage, and as long as the Luo family was not struck by the Heavenly Dao, it would be hard to imagine how prosperous it could be.
…
As one of the most powerful countries in the world, with tens of millions of people, the energy that can be unleashed by the Tang Dynasty at the command of a single authority is unimaginable.
Amid the cheers of the masses, Li Shimin once again took to the battlefield, leading the 80,000-strong Li Tang army to march east to Luoyang. From the moment he left Tongguan, the news was all over the place.
This war is different from the previous ones. It will not be conquered by just defensive counterattack. This time, a large-scale siege will be carried out.
Although Wang Shichong roughly occupied Henan, he had just defeated Li Mi and had no time to occupy the vast land. He was still the Wang Shichong who only occupied the Central Plains.
Although he occupied Luoyang, the passes guarding Luoyang were not in his hands, especially the most critical Tongguan in the west, which was in the hands of Li Tang. There was no pressure at all to go east.
Li Shimin ordered his generals to lead the army to attack cities and strongholds, and captured cities in the east, west, south and north of Luoyang, thereby isolating Luoyang.
As the saying goes, a righteous cause will have many supporters. As soon as Li Tang's army appeared, a large number of people surrendered to the Tang army and betrayed Wang Shichong in the territory of Zheng State.
Countless provincial governors and county magistrates surrendered. Judging from the number, Wang Shichong's rule over Zheng was a complete failure and he was extremely unpopular.
Facing these heroes who came to surrender, Li Tang's approach was consistent, that is, to let them keep their previous official positions without any changes, and to do his best to appease these restless people.
Under this trend, Li Tang advanced quickly, dividing Wang Shichong's forces in Henan into many unconnected units.
Wang Shichong, who thought he could fight against Li Tang, suddenly found that he seemed to have thought too much. He failed even faster than Song Jingang and Liu Wuzhou did.
The war between Li Tang and Wang Shichong was a bitter battle. Wang Shichong did not dare to fight to the death, so he defended the city to the death. After breaking through the outer county town, every step forward of the Tang army had to pay the price of blood.
Before, Li Shimin was holding his ground and waiting for the enemy to attack, but now it was his turn to attack. This was a test of willpower.
…
Luo Xuanjing and Luo Jingcheng protected themselves in the south of the Yangtze River and occasionally attacked the surrounding forces. There were many forces south of the Huai River, each of which was separatist. The most powerful one was the Jianghuai Army led by Du Fuwei. The most important person was Du Fuwei, who was a fierce general and had never met an opponent in his quest for power in the Jianghuai area.
As Li Shimin marched eastward to Luoyang, Luo Xuanjing believed that the time had come, "Now is the most critical moment for Li Tang. If we can help Li Tang at this moment, we will be able to make enough contributions.
If we wait any longer, it will be difficult to enter the core power layer of Li Tang. If we wait until Qin Wang Li Shimin defeats Wang Shichong, our value will be greatly reduced. "
There is a difference between surrendering as a country. When Li Tang couldn't conquer the country, surrendering as a country was a great achievement. But if Li Tang could conquer the country, surrendering would be nothing.
Luo Xuanjing believed that at this time, Li Tang needed food the most, and Jiangzuo had no shortage of food, and it was very fast to transport food from Jiangzuo to the Central Plains. "Sending timely assistance at such a critical moment is enough to make the Tang court pay a price that it would never pay on ordinary days."
What is the price?
Luo Xuanjing looked at Luo Jingcheng with shining eyes. This might very well be a crown.
"Du Fuwei occupies Jianghuai. If we do this, he will probably destroy it. We need to fight Du Fuwei."
When Luo Jingcheng asked this, Luo Xuanjing said decisively: "Du Fuwei only has the courage of a general and has no ambition. As long as my husband and I write a letter to him, he will surrender.
This can be considered as giving him a share of wealth and honor. Those who do not want to seize the world, but do not find a way out as soon as possible, will only end up dead in this world. "
The little girl who was quite playful and cute back then has now grown into a powerful person in Jiangzuo. The great power of time is really a cause for regret.
Luo Jingcheng's last question was, "Why the Tang Dynasty? What if the Tang Dynasty fails?"
Luo Xuanjing smiled and said, "The Tang Dynasty failed?
My husband, from the moment our ancestors returned, there were two different people in this world, one was called Li Shimin and the other was called Dou Jiande.
Whoever Luo supports between these two people will win.
Who will Luo help?
We will help whoever our ancestors tell us to help.
My second elder brother and seventh younger brother did not spend enough time with the ancestor. But it was different for me. I was with the ancestor day and night, and I knew that the ancestor actually favored Li Shimin in his heart.
In this case, the Tang Dynasty will be the final winner.
Whoever wins, we help win.
The Tang Dynasty will win, so we help the Tang Dynasty, that's all."
Luo Jingcheng was a little shocked, but he had nothing to say, so he could only nod his head and said, "I understand. I'll write the letter right away."
Soon, the messenger arrived at Du Fuwei. Just as Luo Xuanjing said, Du Fuwei was a man with no ambition. He only wanted to protect himself in Jianghuai and had no ambition to seize the world.
After receiving Luo Xuanjing's letter, he decided to follow Luo Jingcheng and surrender to the Tang Dynasty after just a moment's consideration in exchange for wealth and glory in the next six months.
The sudden surrender of Du Fuwei and Luo Jingcheng was unexpected by the Tang Dynasty, especially what Luo Xuanjing said in the letter, that grain from Jiangnan could be transported to the Central Plains to supply the army's needs. The Tang court was extremely shocked and believed that the battle in the Central Plains would be a tough one.
Li Shimin and Wang Shichong fought fiercely in the Central Plains, and the consumption of food and fodder and the casualties of soldiers were quite large. If Li Shimin could get food and fodder support from the south of the Yangtze River, it would greatly ease the pressure of transporting grain in Guanzhong and give Li Shimin more margin.
Previously, Li Shimin had been unable to capture the city after a long siege, and Li Yuan was even ready to let Li Shimin withdraw to Guanzhong, but Li Shimin insisted.
It is said that the Tang Dynasty was short of food, but Wang Shichong was even more short of food.
After this period of attack, Luoyang has almost become an isolated city. People's hearts are on the side of the Tang Dynasty. Retreating now will only allow Wang Shichong to make a comeback, and it will be too difficult for the Tang Dynasty to capture it again.
Although Jiangnan was still surrounded by powerful enemies, neither Luo nor Du Fuwei could send troops north, but there was enough food. After the siege, Luoyang must have begun to run out of food. Li Shimin was confident that he could capture Luoyang.
Du Fuwei, who was in control of the Jianghuai region, and the Luo family, who ruled the Jiangzuo region. Especially the Luo family, Luo Xuanjing was Luo Xuanye's biological sister, which meant she had connections in the court.
Li Yuan leaned back in the tiger-skin chair and asked his ministers, "I wonder how I should reward Du Fuwei, Luo Jingcheng, and Luo Xuanjing to show my respect for them?"
The ministers looked at each other, not knowing what to say. This was a surrender by a country, and those territories were outside the Tang Dynasty. They belonged to the great princes in any era. If it really counted, they should be made kings.
But who dares to say who will be crowned king?
Finally, it was Li Xiuning who stepped forward and said, "Father, if you want to show your respect, I suggest making him a king. Only by making him a king can we win the support of the people."
Li Yuan was actually quite indiscriminate in bestowing titles. After a brief thought, he thought that what Li Xiuning said was right, so he immediately said: "Du Fuwei traveled all over the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers, so he should be given the title of Prince of Xu.
If it's Luo Jingcheng, give him a seal..."
Li Yuan actually directly conferred the title of prince on Du Fuwei, which shocked Li Xiuning a little. Wouldn't he be held accountable in the future?
She didn't care about Du Fuwei's life, but she couldn't help caring about her sister-in-law Luo Xuanjing, so she said again: "Father, is the prince too high?
There has never been a precedent for a minister to be granted the title of prince, so my daughter thinks that the title of county prince is enough."
Li Yuan narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Then let Du Fuwei be made a prince, and Luo Jingcheng be made a county prince. What do you think, Pingyang?"
On the surface, this seems unfair to Luo Jingcheng, but in fact it is a kind of protection. Li Xiuning breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I will obey my father's order."
Tang Ting is extremely fast.
Soon the decree of enthronement was sent to Jianghuai.
"Zerdu Fuwei, ..., was conferred the title of Prince of Xu, and was given the title of Shangzhuguo, and was given the title of Kaifu Yitong Sansi, and the title of Shangshu Ling of the Southeast Road."
In terms of title and various official positions, Du Fuwei was given a de facto independent status, which made Du Fuwei very satisfied.
The envoy soon arrived in Suzhou, Jiangzuo, and the imperial edict reached the Luo family.
(End of this chapter)
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