Zhangchou Jianqiong wasn't the only one paying attention to the affairs of the royal court.
While Zhangchou Jianqiong's Great Kite was flying toward the capital, in a massive tent in the northeast of the Tang dynasty, golden cups, silver bowls, and tiger pelts were placed on the floor.
In the tent, an energetic figure in his forties was chuckling heartily as he feasted on meat and wine. He exuded a ferocious and intimidating aura.
"Hahaha, Zhiyi, have you seen the documents on the table? These are the signatures of a hundred generals! They are all pleading for me, the Great General who Supports the Empire! The Eastern Protector-General! The founding duke of Southern Sun Commandery! "
The armors of the people in the tent vibrated and their long hair danced in the wind. They were clearly in a good mood.
"This … Is Marshal really going to interfere in this matter? Back then, a single sentence from Duke Jiu delayed Marshal for nearly twenty years at the border. "
Not too far away, separated by a basin of charcoal, a scholarly middle-aged Confucian general was sitting cross-legged. His mustache drooped down from his lips, giving off the impression of a modest gentleman. He was Zhang Shougui's lifelong friend, Wu Zhiyi, who had gone through life and death with him.
The two of them had joined the army together. From the Tang dynasty's Longxi Garrison to Guazhou to the current Eastern Protector-General, intimidating the Xi Tribe, Khitans, and even the distant Turks, the two of them had always been the best partners, and they were best friends who had transcended life and death.
Right now, the Big Dipper Great General Geshu Han, who had risen to fame in the Imperial Court and was known as the 'Seven Stars of the Big Dipper, Geshu Brings His Saber at Night', was only plowing the land he had once plowed.
In terms of experience, Geshu Han was just a junior. Before an elder like Zhang Shougui, he had nothing to show off.
There weren't many valiant generals in the Tang dynasty, and there were even fewer who could suppress Geshu Han. However, Zhang Shougui was definitely one of them.
This was also the reason why so many Conferred Generals' documents were flying toward the Protectorate of the Northeast.
In the Tang dynasty, there were only a few generals who could stand against the powerful Hu like Gao Xianzhi, Fomonlința, Geshu Han, and An Sishun.
Grand General Who Supports the Nation, Zhang Shougui, was definitely one of the best.
As for Conferred Generals, while their status was higher than that of ordinary generals, they were still lacking in terms of weight.
"Hmph, Zhang Jiuling took advantage of his seniority and ruined my path to becoming a Minister. How could I not remember that?"
Hearing Wu Zhiyi's words, Zhang Shougui's face darkened. Zhang Shougui knew that Wu Zhiyi was talking about the past events of the Holy Emperor 23 years ago.
At the time, Zhang Shougui had just arrived in Youzhou, and he had dealt a heavy blow to the Khitan tribes that were at the height of their power and threatening Youzhou and the Tang Dynasty to the northeast. Coupled with Longyou's many defeats of Ouzan, Zhang Shougui's reputation was like the sun in the sky, and there was even a rumor that he was the 'Minister of Desire'.
Alas, Wang Jiuling believed that Zhang Shougui was truly too young and immature. Although he was used to war, he might not be able to take on the role of Prime Minister and manage the Imperial Court.
Thus, when the Holy Emperor asked, he was rejected by Wang Chong's grandfather, Wang Jiuling. He said, "Shougui has just defeated the Khitans, and Your Majesty is already the Prime Minister. If we were to destroy the Xi and the Turks, how would Your Majesty reward us?" This directly shattered Zhang Shougui's dream of becoming Prime Minister.
If not for this, Zhang Shougui might have become the youngest Prime Minister in the history of the Tang Dynasty!
The hatred in Zhang Shougui's heart was unimaginable.
"However, even though that Wang Clan brat isn't worth saving, that fellow Fomonlința is even more despicable! Could it be that with so many people pleading for me to make a move, I can humiliate that person from the Wang Clan and crush that fellow Fomonlința's reputation. What's there to be against it? "
Zhang Shougui suddenly burst into laughter.
Wang Jiuling was known as Duke Jiu, and he was highly respected in the Imperial Court. Although Zhang Shougui was displeased that Wang Jiuling had foiled his plans back then, he couldn't deal with such a person as forcefully as he did on the battlefield.
Saving his grandson was the best way to humiliate him. As for Fomonlința …
There were few in the Tang dynasty who could compare to Zhang Shougui in terms of seniority, and Fomonlința was definitely one of them. Back then, when Zhang Shougui wasn't the Andong Protector-General, and he was still fighting against Ouzan in Longyou, Guazhou, Qixi, and Anxi intersected, and the two of them didn't come into conflict.
This time, Fomonlința was making a huge fuss, and Zhang Shougui couldn't stand it anymore. Compared to the prospect of teaching Fomonlința a lesson, saving Duke Jiu's grandson, Wang Chong, wasn't a big deal.
"However, given the current situation, the Hu and Han generals are at odds with one another in the royal court because of that child. We are in Youzhou, and unlike the Han generals in other places, we have many Hu generals and soldiers under us. If we were to interfere recklessly, I'm afraid that our subordinates might start a rebellion, and that would be disadvantageous to us! "
Wu Zhiyi frowned and said worriedly. The more he knew about the happenings in the royal court, the more worried he was. Given the current situation, it wasn't wise for them to interfere recklessly.
Unexpectedly, when Wu Zhiyi's words fell into Zhang Shougui's ears, he burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, Zhiyi, why are you learning from those people in the royal court? What Han and Hu generals, what fools. In my Youzhou, before me, Zhang Shougui, there are no Hu or Han. There are only those who obey me and those who don't. Horse, what do you think? "
Zhang Shougui suddenly turned his head around, and his eyes were as sharp as lightning. Not too far away, he saw a plump Hu in his early twenties eating grass on the ground.
"AH!"
Under Zhang Shougui's gaze, the plump Hu trembled, and cold sweat dripped down his forehead. Fear was written all over his face.
"Commander is right. We, the Hu, are horses. How can horses compare to you? Fomonlința, Gao Xianzhi, and the others are the same as me. We are horses, horses. "
As he spoke, he stuck out his bottom and chewed on the grass in his mouth. He mimicked Horse Neigh's neighing and fawning.
"Hahaha!"
Seeing the fawning look on the Hu, Zhang Shougui burst into laughter. Even Wu Zhiyi couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of it.
"Those who obey me can live, and those who don't will die!"
Zhang Shougui laughed. He suddenly whipped out a token from his waist and threw it out of the tent. Outside the tent, a cold gale blew. More than a hundred bound Xi, Khitan, and Turkic Hu stood amidst the bone-chilling wind. Behind them were more than a hundred executioners.
"Kill!"
Their heads fell to the ground, and fresh blood spurted out. The hundred Xi, Khitan, and Turkic Hu fell to the ground like wooden pillars. They struggled for a moment before coming to a stop.
Soon, armored soldiers came over and dragged their corpses away. They threw them into a ditch and buried them. The thick stench of blood wafted through the rain.
Here, the grass on the ground was red.
To the east of the Tang dynasty, to the east of Youzhou, Zhang Shougui was an existence that could stop a child from crying. Just as he had said, in Youzhou, in front of Zhang Shougui, there were no Hu, no Han.
There were only those who obeyed and those who disobeyed.
Those who obeyed would live, and those who disobeyed would die!
Peng!
The tent was torn apart, and that Hu who had been pretending to be a horse and sucking up to Wang Chong flew out like a white meatball.
"Bring Ashina along? Come on, we two hunters, let's get to work together! If we don't capture two hundred Xi and Khitan Hu today, two more people will be sleeping in that ditch. Don't think about escaping. You should know that you won't be able to! "
That ice-cold voice was even more bone-chilling than the chilly wind.
Caw!
Almost as the two Hu scrambled out of Zhang Shougui's tent, a crow shot out of the tent like an arrow, flying against the clouds toward the Tang dynasty's capital.
Grand General Assisting the Nation Zhang Shougui, Andong Protector-General!
When Zhang Shougui's name appeared in the Imperial Court, he would become the most important bargaining chip for the Han generals.
In the military world of the Tang dynasty, Zhang Shougui was a figure of great stature, one of the two legendary existences of the Central Plains in the generation of the current Holy Emperor.
However, there was another person in the military world who was even more important than Zhang Shougui, with even more illustrious achievements.
When Youzhou's Protector-General, Andong Protector-General Zhang Shougui's memorial appeared in the Imperial Court, countless people immediately turned to this Han military leader.
To the east of the Tang dynasty's imperial palace, in the Crown Prince's Imperial Tutor Residence on Green Dragon Street, a square-faced, dignified, and resolute middle-aged man sat by the bedside, his brow furrowed.
Although he didn't exude the slightest aura, the middle-aged man exuded the aura of someone who wielded supreme authority over the entire world.
His every action, though casual, exuded an intimidating and respectful aura.
In front of this middle-aged man, everyone could not help but lower their heads, not even daring to look him in the eye. They naturally felt a sense of respect.
This person was the crown prince's imperial tutor, Wang Zhongsi.
In the Tang dynasty, there were few people who could surpass the likes of Zhang Shougui, Fomonlința, Gao Xianzhi, Geshu Han, and An Sishun.
Wang Zhongsi was definitely someone who could do this.
The reason was simple. The current vice commander of the Big Dipper Army, Big Dipper Great General Geshu Han, had been groomed by him.
Wang Zhongsi didn't hold any illustrious position in the military. In fact, he had already relinquished his military authority, and he only held the title of the crown prince's imperial tutor.
But in terms of the positions he had held, there was no one in the entire Tang dynasty who could match up to him. Daizhou Governor, Imperial Censor, Hedong Military Commander, Yunhui General, Zuo Yulin General, and even the Northern Protector-General, Qixi Protector-General, Eastern Protector-General, Southern Protector-General … He had held all of these positions.
In terms of achievements, there was no one in the entire Tang dynasty who could match up to him.
When he was the Eastern Protector-General, he defeated the Xi and the Khitans; when he was the Northern Protector-General, he swept through the Eastern and Western Turkic Khaganates, defeating them and winning twenty years of peace; when he was in Longyou, he fought his way up to the Ouzan Plateau, forcing even the monks of the Great Snowy Mountain to deal with him.
In Wang Zhongsi's life, other than the Western Regions' Suiye City, he had fought every single opponent he could lay his hands on.
However, he was different from the other generals.
Wang Zhongsi had never been a utilitarian. In every single battle, he would bring his military authority with him and return with it. On the battlefield, he was an invincible marshal, but when he returned, he would return as a nameless figure, carrying only the title of the crown prince's imperial tutor.
Furthermore, unlike the other generals, Wang Zhongsi was compassionate towards his soldiers. Even though he had contributed greatly to the war, he wasn't willing to start one. Thus, throughout his life, Wang Zhongsi tried his best not to start a war.
At the same time, Wang Zhongsi was more than willing to leave the opportunity to gain fame and experience to the younger generation. This was also the reason why he was respected in the royal court.
More importantly, even though Wang Zhongsi had made so many contributions and defeated so many opponents, he was still only fifty years old.
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