(Two in one chapter!)
"… 4th month, 22nd day, General Yuchi led fifty thousand elites and joined forces with the thirty thousand Summer Province House Army. On the same day, they entered the forest outside Shuofang City. Shen Fa and Zhong Chang, the two Taichang Temple officials, went to Shuofang City to persuade Liang Shidu to surrender, but to no avail.
"Seeing this, General Yuchi ordered Summer Province Governor Liu Min to send spies into the city. He also sent General Xue to lead cavalry and trample all the crops outside the city. When Liang Shidu heard the news, he guessed that the Great Tang army was outside the city. The next day, he locked down the city gates, not allowing anyone to enter or leave.
"In the next few days, General Xue led his cavalry to trample the crops outside the city. After all the crops were trampled, on the 25th day of the 4th month, General Yuchi led his army to surround Shuofang City, surrounding it but not attacking. At this time, due to the lack of food, the people in Shuofang City were panicking. Rioters rose up, and the army mutinied. In order to get out of this situation as quickly as possible, Liang Shidu sent many cavalry to break out of the encirclement and seek help from the Turks.
"On the 27th day of the 4th month, Turkic General Ashina Sheerchuan led twenty thousand Turkic wolf cavalry to assist Liang Shidu. However, he did not know that General Chai had already set up a pocket formation in the wilderness. Caught off guard, the Turkic army suffered heavy losses in the first clash. The day after, when the sun began to eat, General Chai took advantage of the darkness to rain arrows on Ashina Sheerchuan. When the sun rose, the Turkic army threw away their armor and fled.
In this battle, General Chai killed ten thousand Turkic wolf cavalry at the price of less than a hundred casualties. On the other side of Shuofang City, Liang Shidu was killed by his cousin Liang Luoren. Liang Luoren then led all the officials and generals of Shuofang City to surrender. Only then was Shuofang City taken without bloodshed! "
Within the Sweet Dew Hall, the messenger soldier from the frontlines reported the details of the battle to Li Er. When Li Er heard this, he could not help but smile, "Haha! Good! Good! This battle was well fought! You can go and rest first. When the army returns to court, we will reward you according to your merits! "
"Yes! Your Majesty! This general will take his leave! "
The soldier cupped his fists and hurriedly left.
Li Er was in a great mood and was preparing to head to the inner palace to share this good news with Empress Zhangsun when another eunuch walked in and said, "Your Majesty, the Marquis of Yong 'an requests an audience!"
Li Er was stunned and stopped in his tracks. He sat back down and said, "Let him in!"
"Here!"
Not long after, Li Zexuan came in from outside the hall and greeted Li Er, "This subject pays his respects to Your Majesty! Congratulations to Your Majesty for the great victory on the front lines and the recovery of the north. Now, our Great Tang has finally unified the Central Plains! "
Just now, when the messenger soldier was reporting the results of the battle to Li Zexuan, Li Zexuan was waiting outside the hall for his summons. His hearing was sharp, and naturally, he heard every word.
Li Er was amused when he heard that and said, "Hur hur! Get up! Brat, you're rather well-informed. Not only has the Imperial Court recovered Shuofang City, the Turks have also sent troops because of Liang Shidu. This way, the Great Tang will have a good reason to send troops to the Turks in the future! The plan you formulated back then has all been realized. No matter how you look at it, this can be considered a great merit. Whatever reward you want, just tell Us! "
One could see that Li Er was in an extremely good mood. The main reason was that this battle had been fought too beautifully. Not only had they recovered the north that had been isolated for ten-some years, they had even lured Xieli Khan to send troops. It was simply too perfect! And all of this was thanks to Li Zexuan's strategy of using peaceful means before resorting to force!
Li Zexuan hurriedly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, this subject did not personally enter the battlefield, nor did I kill a single enemy. I only moved my lips, so how can I claim credit? Those soldiers who shed their blood on the battlefield should be rewarded! "
These words were not out of modesty, but from the bottom of his heart. Even without his suggestion, Li Er's powerful 'think tank' would have come up with the best strategy. This was because in history, Liang Shidu had never caused much trouble for Li Er!
Li Er was taken aback. Then, as if he had just met Li Zexuan, he sized up Li Zexuan from head to toe. Then, he chuckled and said, "Haha! It seems like after spending so much time with Li Gang and Yan Silu in Yanhuang College, your personality has become more and more stable! Not bad! Not bad! What business do you have with us today? "
Li Zexuan smiled and replied, "Your Majesty, the people this subject sent to Sichuan have replied. They said that the local Qiang people have agreed to allow this subject to mine the mine. Although Sichuan's agriculture industry is very developed, due to the lack of transportation, it is inconvenient to communicate with the outside world. This is not conducive to the development of local trade. Therefore, this subject not only plans to send people to mine the mine, but also wants to build roads in Sichuan and bring famous shops from Chang 'an to Sichuan. At the same time, I want to open a bank there and promote the replacement of copper coins with Tangyuan! I hope that Your Majesty will allow this! "
Hearing this, Li Er nodded and said, "En! For you to have such thoughts, this subject is very gratifying! Sichuan is very important to our Tang Empire. If we can connect Sichuan to the Central Plains, it is equivalent to Tang Empire having a very stable rear guard. In the past, Sichuan was able to support hundreds of thousands of Liu Bang's Han Army. From this, one can see how good this land is! Therefore, building roads, opening shops, and opening a bank, this subject is approved by this subject. In the next two days, submit a proposal to this subject. The imperial court will allocate a sum of money to help build roads in Sichuan! "
Li Zexuan happily cupped his hands and said, "Many thanks, Your Majesty!"
Speaking of which, building bridges and paving roads for the people's livelihood was best done by the imperial court. It was not that Li Zexuan was unwilling to spend the money, but if this matter was done by him, it would be unjustifiable. He might even be accused of buying the people's hearts and arouse the suspicion of the emperor. Now that Li Er was willing to let the imperial court allocate the money, it was naturally the best!
Li Er thought for a moment and suddenly smiled, "Establishing the Yanhuang Bank is the best decision this subject has made in these two years! A few days ago, I heard from Ke 'er that in the past half a year since the bank was established, not only did it solve the shortage of money, but it also made the business activities of the Tang Empire more frequent and prosperous! This month, Ke 'er introduced an interest-bearing deposit business to the people in the Yanhuang Bank. Every day, he took in countless copper coins from the people, merchants, and the people. He then used these savings to lend to the merchants. It is said that the monthly interest added up to tens of thousands of strings of coins. And this is just the beginning. It really surprised me! "
Li Zexuan heard this and was not surprised. He cupped his hands and smiled, "His Highness King of Shu is naturally intelligent and can often draw inferences from one example. Now that he is training in the Yanhuang Bank, it is all because of Your Majesty's guidance that he can achieve such results!"
"Haha! You brat! "
Li Er was amused when he heard this. He pointed at Li Zexuan and said with a smile, "We are usually busy with state affairs. How would we have the time to teach Ke 'er? Are you praising yourself by saying this? Actually, you don't need to say it. This subject knows that Ke 'er's ideas must have been given by you. In short, I am very happy that Ke' er can learn such knowledge in the academy! "
Li Zexuan smiled and did not reply.
"Oh! That's right! "
Li Er suddenly said, "A few days ago, Li Chunfeng came to me and said that he wanted to be a teacher in Yanhuang College. You brat, tell me, what kind of magic potion did you feed him to make him so obsessed with Yanhuang College?"
Although Empress Zhangsun had solved the knot in Li Er's heart that day, Li Er still could not figure it out. Logically speaking, the only thing that attracted Li Chunfeng in Yanhuang College was the astronomical telescope. Moreover, Li Chunfeng already had the right to use it. So why did that guy still want to be a teacher in Yanhuang College?
Li Zexuan recalled the scene of him "tricking" Li Chunfeng that day and could not help but want to laugh. He coughed softly and said with a straight face,
"Your Majesty, Priest Li is very knowledgeable and talented in physics. He is about to understand the mystery of the universe and stars. It is very likely that he will become the greatest physicist in the whole Tang Empire, or even the whole world! Yanhuang College is the place that can fulfill his dreams. I believe that he decided to be a teacher in Yanhuang College after careful consideration! Your Majesty's permission is enough to show that Your Majesty is broad-minded. You can be called a wise emperor! "
"The mystery of the universe and stars? The greatest physicist? "
Li Er could not help but mutter. Then, he said angrily, "You brat, don't flatter me. This subject is warning you, don't have any ideas about the officials in the imperial court. Not only do you have a lot of things to do in the academy, but the imperial court is also very busy. If all the talents that I have carefully groomed are tricked into the academy by you, then who will handle the affairs in the three provinces and six departments? Won't the imperial court be in a mess? "
Li Zexuan was speechless. He muttered gloomily, "What do you mean by tricking? What I did was called 'tricking' with skills! "
"What?"
Li Zexuan's voice was too soft, so Li Er did not hear it clearly. However, he knew that Li Zexuan did not say anything good, so he raised his voice by an octave!
"… Erm, nothing, nothing! I just said that I won't dare to do it again. If Your Majesty has no other orders, then I will take my leave! "
Li Zexuan quickly changed his words.
Li Er looked at Li Zexuan suspiciously and said, "That's all, you can go back!"
Li Zexuan heaved a sigh of relief and said, "Your Majesty, I will take my leave!"
Then, he turned around and was about to leave the hall!
Unexpectedly, Li Er's voice came from behind him. "Eh? Wait! "
Li Zexuan was speechless. He thought to himself, Old Li, are you messing with me? If you make me angry, I will …
"Your Majesty, do you have any other orders?"
He had no choice, he was under someone else's roof, he had to lower his head! Li Zexuan turned around and walked in front of Li Er with a smile on his face.
Li Er said with a serious face, "There is something that I want you to do. If you do it well, I will reward you handsomely!"
Li Zexuan clasped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, please speak. If it is within my power, I will do my best!"
Actually, this fellow did not think much of it. This was because he knew that with his current title and official position, he was already in an awkward position where he could not be promoted. There was no other way. Who asked him to be the one and only Marquis of Great Tang at such a young age? If he were to be promoted any further, where would the faces of those who contributed to the founding of the country be?
Li Er nodded with satisfaction and then said,
"Yesterday, the envoy of the Wo Nation, who is the current Crown Prince of the Wo Nation, came to me and wanted to make a bet with me. He said that the Football League held by the Tang Empire Football Association had ended. He was very interested in the football of the Tang Empire, so he set up his own team and wanted to compete with the best team of the Tang Empire. If he won, he hoped that I could allow the Wo Nation to send students to study in the Yanhuang Academy in the future. If they lost, he was willing to give 40,000 kilograms of brass to the Tang Empire!"
Li Zexuan's heart tightened and he quickly asked, "Your Majesty, did you agree to the request of the Crown Prince of Wo?"
At this time, he was secretly cursing in his heart, "Sure enough, the imperialists still want to destroy us. This damn Crown Prince of Wo has always coveted the advanced engineering knowledge of Yanhuang College. Last time, he failed to bribe me with beautiful women, so he wants to find an opportunity from Li Er. How hateful!"
Li Er looked at Li Zexuan strangely and said, "The Tang Empire is the most powerful country in the Celestial Empire, while the Wo Nation is just a small foreign country. How can I not accept their challenge? Wouldn't that be degrading the prestige of the Tang Empire? Besides, this football comes from Tang Football. I don't believe that Tang Football's team can't beat Wo's team. Since the Crown Prince of Wo is willing to give me 40,000 kilograms of brass, how can I not accept it? "
“.....”
When Li Zexuan heard this, he was so angry that he almost died. He thought, "Old Li, you are too deceitful, aren't you? Even when I was facing the Princess of Wo, I was still calm. Wasn't it to protect the knowledge of Yanhuang College from being controlled by foreigners? But you actually accepted such a deceitful bet. What do you want me to do? "
"Your Majesty, forgive me for offending you, but you really shouldn't have accepted this bet! The Crown Prince of Wo covets the engineering knowledge of Yanhuang College, and it has been clear for a long time. Even if we are sure to win the competition, it's better to be safe than sorry. If they really win, Your Majesty, do you really want to allow them to send students to Yanhuang College? "
Li Zexuan was angry and cupped his hands to Li Er. There were many disrespectful words in his words, and they were all because he was angry with Old Li!
Hearing this, Li Er did not get angry. He chuckled and said, "What you have said, Zhen is very clear about it. But Zhen is the Emperor of the Great Tang Empire. How can Zhen refuse a challenge from a small foreign country? If this spread out, the reputation of Tang Football's Imperial Court among the people will definitely fall. Won't it be considered as falling into the Wo's trap?
So, instead of avoiding it, it's better to fight head-on and win! Of course, to be on the safe side, I order you to select a group of top players from the top teams of Tang Football. After training them well, they will participate in this competition! You are the founder of Tang Football, so you are most familiar with the rules of football. If you are to select and train the players, I don't believe that the Wo team can win! "
Great! You really think highly of me!
Li Zexuan smiled bitterly in his heart and felt an inexplicable pressure. This courage was related to the honor of Tang Football and whether the knowledge of Yanhuang College would be leaked. It was not up to him not to take responsibility. After thinking for a moment, Li Zexuan cupped his hands and said, "In that case, I will accept this task! I just don't know when Your Majesty will be competing with the Wo team? "
.....
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
