Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Ever since Ang Lee entered Luzhou, he had been busy training soldiers and suppressing bandits. He was especially concerned about the situation in Cuan Di and had been living with the soldiers for several months.
In other words, Ang Lee had not been in contact with a woman within ten meters of him for several months until he met Cuan Shouyu's mother for the first time.
Perhaps it was because he had not seen a woman for a long time, but Ang Lee actually felt that Ah Kuang was quite beautiful and had a fascinating charm.
Was it because Ah Kel had this kind of charm, or was it because Li An hadn't seen a woman for too long that he had gone crazy? Li An himself couldn't say for sure. In short, he just felt that the middle-aged woman in front of him had a mesmerizing charm.
His unintentional teasing and probing had actually obtained a positive response from A 'Kuang, and this caused Li An to be rather surprised. He'd entirely never imagined that A' Kuang who seemed icy cold and wise on the surface and seemed to be unapproachable on the outside would actually have a charming side.
As the saying goes, you can't judge a book by its cover. From a person's appearance and daily behavior, you may not know the true side. Some people looked cold and serious on the surface, but were very charming on the inside. In front of others, they had a fierce image of a high-ranking official, but in private, they were extremely unbearable and licentious. Once their ugly side was exposed, they would immediately shock everyone.
There were also some people who were extremely cute and pure on the surface, as if they were above the common populace, but in private, they were extremely licentious. How many people were shocked by the various incidents in the later generations? The once charming and pure girl turned out to be a woman.
Ang Lee had lived two lives and did not have any dogmatic moral concepts. Since Ah Kuang did not object, why should he pretend to be a moral person? Moreover, Ah Kuang's husband, King Cuan Gui, had passed away a few months ago, so Ah Kuang should also be there.
In the evening, Ang Lee's subordinates came to report on the matter of settling down Cuan Shouyu's subordinates. Of course, Cuan Shouyu also came.
He wanted to thank Ang Lee for letting his subordinates settle down in the city, and secondly, he wanted to take his mother away from Ang Lee's residence.
"Mother, the family and soldiers have been arranged."
Cuan Shouyu looked at Ah Kuang and whispered.
"Got it. Go back quickly and tell the soldiers to behave themselves. Don't cause trouble."
A 'Liu said.
Cuan Shouyu frowned. "Mother, don't you want to go back?"
Ah Guan said calmly, "Mother still has something very important to discuss with General Li. You can go back first."
"Yes, Mother. I will take my leave."
Cuan Shouyu didn't dare to disobey his mother's orders. He bowed respectfully and left.
"Madam's cold appearance is very charming, but if you smile, you will be even more charming."
Ang Lee watched Cuan Shouyu leave and smiled at Ah Kuang.
Ah Kuang stood up and walked towards Ang Lee. She pressed her red lips against Ang Lee's ear and said softly, "I, Ah Kuang, have never liked to smile. There are only two people who have seen me smile. One is my husband, King Cuangui, and the other is General Li."
After saying that, she stepped back slightly, raised her face, and looked at Ang Lee with a charming smile. She kept sending flirtatious glances.
Ang Lee was very curious. He reached out and held Ah Kuang's waist. He asked gently, "Madam, you don't smile in front of the Governor? He is your son."
Ah Kuang smiled charmingly. "The night of spring is short. General, why are you asking this? It's better to be early."
Although Ang Lee was less than twenty years old, he had lived two lives. The combined age of the two lives was more than forty years old. Psychologically, he was more mature than Ah Kuang. Naturally, he didn't feel any discomfort. He directly carried Ah Kuang to the side of the bed and threw Ah Kuang on the bed rudely.
Catharsis, passion.
After a period of extreme pleasure, Ang Lee fell asleep comfortably. However, Ah Kuang opened her eyes and rested for half an hour. Then, she gently put on her clothes and left Ang Lee's residence. She quietly returned to her residence under the cover of the night.
Ang Lee's purpose was very clear. It was the heat and needs of his body. As for Ah Kuang's purpose, only she knew. Maybe like Ang Lee, she was just lonely. Maybe she was really infatuated with a handsome young man like Ang Lee. Of course, it was also possible that she wanted to get closer to Ang Lee to ensure that they could have a better status in Nanning Province in the future.
No matter what the situation was, Ang Lee didn't care and didn't want to guess. Anyway, Ang Lee knew that he would soon leave Nanning Province. Li Longji would not let him stay here for a long time.
In the following days, Ah Kuang came every day to talk about important things with Ang Lee. Of course, they talked on the bed. The content of the conversation was not important at all. Most of it was words of admiration for each other.
###
Xi Cuan was completely controlled by the Tang Army. The noble families in Dongcuan also swore allegiance to the Tang Dynasty and would always be loyal to the Tang Dynasty. The situation in Cuan finally completely leaned towards the Tang Dynasty. There was no possibility of reversal.
When this favorable news was sent back to Chang 'an, everyone in the imperial court was extremely excited. They rushed to tell the good news to those who didn't know about it yet, making them all happy.
As the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Li Longji was naturally the happiest. The situation in Cuan was unstable, and the Tang Dynasty could not spare too many troops to quell the rebellion. This had always been a headache for him. Ang Lee took less than half a year to settle the situation in Cuan and let Xi Cuan be completely under the control of the Tang Army. This solved a big problem for the Tang Dynasty.
Of course, the meritorious service should be rewarded. Ang Lee and other generals should be rewarded. In addition, Ang Lee wrote a letter to the imperial court, requesting that Xi Cuan's Jifeng Province be changed into an official prefecture of the Tang Dynasty. This would help the Tang Dynasty to have better control over Cuan.
When this proposal was sent to Li Longji, Li Longji thought for a long time and immediately summoned several important officials in the imperial court to discuss this important matter. They finally decided whether to maintain the hereditary system of Cuan or change it into an official prefecture of the Tang Dynasty according to Ang Lee's proposal.
If they still adopted the policy of Jifeng Province, it would be easier for the people in Cuan to accept, and it would relieve the Tang Dynasty of the administrative burden of ruling this area.
If they adopted Ang Lee's proposal and changed all of Xi Cuan's Jifeng Province into official prefectures, they would have better control over Cuan. In addition, they could also collect tribute from the people in Cuan to relieve the financial pressure of the Tang Dynasty.
Obviously, adopting Ang Lee's proposal to change Xi Cuan's Jifeng Province into official prefectures was the most beneficial for the Tang Dynasty. This meant that the Tang Dynasty's control over Cuan would be more effective, and it would also be more beneficial for the people in Cuan to abide by the rule of royalty. They would gradually shed their barbaric appearance and become civilized people like the people of the Tang Dynasty.
Just as Ang Lee had expected, almost all of the civil and military officials supported Ang Lee, especially the generals. They strongly supported Ang Lee's proposal.
With the support of the civil and military officials, Li Longji naturally made up his mind. Since the power of the Xichuan clan had been wiped out and the Tang dynasty army had occupied Xichuan, there was no reason not to seize the opportunity to control this area more effectively. Moreover, Xichuan was rich in natural resources and could bring great vitality to the economy of the Tang dynasty. Moreover, Xichuan was rich in natural resources and could bring great vitality to the economy of the Tang dynasty.
Why not? It was not difficult to change Xi Cuan's Jifeng Province into an official prefecture. However, in the process of setting it up, a large number of officials and low-ranking officials had to be transferred to Xichuan. In addition, some qualified candidates from the local clans had to be selected to help the court of the Tang dynasty. After all, only the local people in Xichuan knew the situation of the people in Xichuan better. Using Xichuan to govern Xichuan was the best policy.
Ang Lee recommended many candidates to the court, which to a certain extent eased the need for officials and low-ranking officials in the Tang dynasty. The court only needed to transfer the remaining ones. Li Longji did not need to personally take care of them. He could just hand them over to the officials of the Ministry of Personnel.
What Li Longji needed to consider was how to reward Ang Lee and other meritorious officers and soldiers, and who to put in charge of guarding Xi Cuan to ensure the Tang dynasty's control over it.
Ang Lee's performance was too outstanding and showed too much talent. Li Longji naturally would not leave Ang Lee in a remote place like Xi Cuan for a long time. It was inevitable that he would be transferred back to Chang 'an. The 600 soldiers of the Dragon Martial Army could not be placed in Xi Cuan either. Naturally, the generals of the Dragon Martial Army could not be placed in Xi Cuan either.
Li Longji frequently saw the unfamiliar name of Nan Jiyun when he was reading the memorials of the generals. This person did not belong to the Dragon Martial Army. Li Longji had never heard of this person.
"Nan Jiyun has only been in the army for a few months, but he has achieved so much. He is really a talent and can be put to great use."
Li Longji gently placed the memorials on the table in front of him. He had already made up his mind to pass the power of controlling Xi Cuan to this newcomer named Nan Jiyun.
"Everyone, the Right Prime Minister is outside asking for an audience."
Yu Chaoen quietly walked into the Zichen Palace and reported in a low voice.
Li Longji was in high spirits. He nodded and said, "The Right Prime Minister is here. Let him in."
"Yes, everyone."
"This old subject greets Your Majesty."
Li Linfu always had a respectful look in front of Li Longji. He never dared to show the slightest disrespect.
"The Right Prime Minister is here at the right time. How is the selection of officials in Xi Cuan going? Are there any difficulties?"
Li Longji looked up at Li Linfu and asked softly.
Li Linfu cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, Ang Lee recommended a batch of officials and transferred a batch from each province. The rest are all transferred from the capital."
Not long after the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, they imitated the Sui Dynasty and established the imperial examination system. They used this system to select talents for the country. However, those who passed the imperial examination may not be able to get a position immediately. There must be a vacancy in an existing official position. Only then would these talents have a chance to show their ambition.
In the capital, Chang 'an, there were a large number of talents who did not have a position in the imperial examination. They were all waiting for a position. However, because they had passed the imperial examination, the imperial court would give them a salary so that they would not suffer from cold and hunger.
Xi Cuan now needed talents. These talents who had passed the imperial examination should naturally go to Xi Cuan.
However, many of the officials in the Ministry of Personnel were in cahoots with Li Linfu. They wanted to use this great opportunity to transfer officials and petty officials to Xi Cuang. They wanted to banish some of the dissidents who were further away from them to Xi Cuang to suffer. They also wanted to transfer talents who were closer to him to the provinces near the capital to take up various positions.
Using all kinds of opportunities to eliminate those who were not on their side, this was the reality of officialdom. It was cruel and bloody, and there was no exception in any era. It was also because of this that a large number of talents who were not willing to be officials were born.
The ups and downs of officialdom was a very difficult thing. Many people felt tired, but there was nothing they could do. Because once they got involved, it was hard to get out.
Li Longji was satisfied with Li Linfu's answer. He nodded and said, "Xi Cuan has just stabilized, and there are many things waiting to be done. Send these officials to Xi Cuan as soon as possible. Also, have you heard of Nan Jiyun?"
Li Linfu was slightly stunned for a moment before he said, "Your Majesty, isn't Nan Jiyun the general who joined the army in Luzhou? She relied on her own ability to make many contributions to the army. This old subject has often seen this name in the memorials sent from Cuan Di."
Li Longji nodded and asked, "What do you think of this person?"
Li Linfu frowned and said, "Your Majesty, this old subject has never seen Nan Jiyun. Naturally, I don't know much about him. However, a general who has just joined the army can make so many contributions. Naturally, he is a rare talent."
Li Longji sighed and said, "I plan to transfer Ang Lee back to the capital and let Nan Jiyun be the commander-in-chief of the army. He will be responsible for leading the army and guarding Xi Cuan. What do you think, Right Prime Minister?"
Hearing this, Li Linfu was slightly startled. He did not want Li An to return to the capital too early, because Li An had always been neither close nor distant to him, and was not his trusted aide. Furthermore, Li Longji's intention was to transfer Li An back to the capital, and if he were to oppose it with all his might, it would definitely make Li Longji unhappy.
"Your Majesty is wise. Nan Jiyun is a talent. He will definitely be able to guard Xi Cuan well for the Tang dynasty. However, this person has just joined the army for a few months and may not have enough understanding of the military affairs. It is very necessary to let Ang Lee teach him well."
Li Linfu's meaning was very clear. He wanted Ang Lee to stay in Xi Cuan for a few more days.
Li Longji felt that it was very reasonable. After thinking for a while, he nodded and said, "Ang Lee has only joined the army for a few months. It is indeed not very safe. I will send a decree to let Ang Lee stay in Xi Cuan for a few months. He must return to the capital before the New Year."
"Your Majesty is wise."
Li Linfu complimented and the corners of his mouth moved slightly.
After that, Li Longji officially issued an imperial edict, conferring Ang Lee the title of Lieutenant General of the Right Dragon Army, Loyal General, with a reward of one million taels of gold, ten thousand bolts of silk, twenty maids, and a mansion.
In addition, all the generals who followed Ang Lee on the campaign received a lot of rewards. Of course, the King of Yunnan, Pi Luoge also received a share. Moreover, Pi Luoge received more rewards than Ang Lee. This was also Li Longji's effort to appease Pi Luoge.
The rewards of the generals and soldiers were directly transported to Xi Cuan, while the rewards of Ang Lee and the generals and soldiers of the Dragon Army were temporarily left in the capital. When Ang Lee and the others returned to the capital, they would be handed over to save manpower and material resources.
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