In Du Qi's camp.
All the soldiers were packing their bags and preparing to leave.
After all, the negotiations were over.
Hou Junji did not know about this. When the camp set off, he did not see any other Tang soldiers along the way. He was the only one being escorted in a prisoner carriage.
This made Hou Junji's heart sink.
What was going on?
All the soldiers who were captured with him had disappeared. He was the only one left.
Hou Junji immediately shouted that he wanted to see Du Qi, but even when the soldiers went to report, Du Qi ignored Hou Junji. When it was close to noon, when the army was resting, Du Qi arranged for someone to bring Hou Junji over.
Du Qi said, "Hou Junji, do you have anything to say?"
Hou Junji said, "Ping Xi Wang, why didn't I see the rest of the army?"
Du Qi said, "The reason why you didn't see the rest of the Tang dynasty captives is very simple. All the captives have been released and sent back to Guazhou. As for you, you have to remain a hostage. "
Hou Junji's eyes widened. "Why? Why do I have to remain a hostage? The rest have been released. Why am I the only one left? "
Du Qi said, "Hou Junji, why do you have to remain? Isn't this simple?"
Hou Junji said, "What do you mean?"
Du Qi said, "You have been abandoned by the Emperor and are temporarily being kept as a hostage in the Western Regions. As for when you will be released, you have to wait until the Tang dynasty has arranged for someone to replace you. But whether there will be someone to replace you or not, that is unknown. Everything depends on the Emperor's decision. "
Hou Junji listened to Du Qi's words and knew that Du Qi was leaving something unsaid. He asked, "Ping Xi Wang, the Imperial Court has arranged for someone to replace me in the Western Regions.
Du Qi said, "The hostage I mentioned is Zhangsun Wuji's eldest son, Zhangsun Chong. Of course, whether the Emperor and Zhangsun Wuji agree or not depends on them. "
In fact, this was already agreed.
It was already an agreement.
But Du Qi had not told Hou Junji this because he wanted Hou Junji to feel resentment toward Zhangsun Wuji.
Hou Junji fell silent for a long while before saying, "His Majesty will definitely arrange for someone to take my place."
But his words lacked confidence. This was because Hou Junji was Zhangsun Wuji's eldest son and Zhangsun Wugou's nephew. He could be considered a relative of the imperial family, and even though Hou Junji was important, he couldn't compare.
Du Qi said indifferently, "No matter what, you are now a good hostage."
"You may leave."
Du Qi waved his hand.
Someone immediately led Hou Junji away.
As Hou Junji walked, he began to ponder. What if Zhangsun Wuji tried to stall for time, or if Zhangsun Wuji simply refused? In short, it was not beneficial to him.
Hou Junji was worried, but there was nothing he could do about it. As a hostage, he had no say in this matter.
The army continued to retreat. When the news that Du Qi's army had defeated the Tang army without a fight began to spread through Yi Province, all of Yi Province began to seethe with excitement.
Du Qi only had one hundred thousand soldiers.
But the Tang army had more than two hundred thousand soldiers, and in the end, the Tang army had left.
This was where Du Qi was formidable.
While Du Qi had been fighting on the front lines, Yi Province, Gaochang Province, Yanqi Province, and Qizi Province had actually been under Du Qi's control. But in reality, the situation was turbulent, and there was much news that was unfavorable to Du Qi.
Many people believed that Du Qi would not be able to win.
Many people believed that the Western Regions would fall into chaos.
But now, these discussions had been dispelled. Everyone had witnessed Du Qi's prowess. Relying on his own strength, he had driven back all the Tang army, ensuring that the four provinces of the Western Regions were no longer a problem. Moreover, when Du Qi withdrew, he had sent scouts ahead of time to inform the other provinces of the news.
Du Qi paid no attention to what was happening in the other provinces and led his army in retreat. By the time they returned from the Yi Province border to Gaochang City, it was already the beginning of the seventh month, and the weather was even hotter.
The army returned to its ranks, and Du Qi returned to the palace. By this time, his child was nearly one year old. A one-year-old child could already walk if he or she started walking a little earlier.
A little later would be a little slower.
His son, Du Ye, was still unable to walk, but he could already speak and call out 'Father' and 'Mother'. As for his daughter, Du Yan, this girl was rather sturdy and not very picky about food. She could already walk and speak rather clearly.
With two more children, the house became much livelier.
When it was almost three in the afternoon, after the two children had gone to bed, Du Qi returned to his study to sort out the gains and losses of this battle. This time, although he did not really fight with Li Shimin, in fact, because of this battle, he had already severed his relationship with the Tang dynasty, leaving only conflict between the two sides.
However, Du Qi was not afraid. In the current situation, Du Qi dared to go to war with the Tang dynasty, let alone in the future. When Li Shimin truly stabilized the internal situation and even stationed troops at the Tibetan border, Du Qi's strength would be even stronger.
Knock! Knock!
Outside the study, there was a knock on the door.
Liu Jian said, "Your Highness, Mr. Wang Ji requests an audience."
Du Qi said, "Please!"
He looked a little surprised. Wang Ji had always been in Chang 'an, taking care of the Chang' an Tang dynasty academy. Now, why did he come to Gaochang City from the Western Regions? Liu Jian went to pass the message, and not long after, Wang Ji entered.
Wang Ji saluted and said, "Wang Ji greets Ping Xi Wang."
Du Qi said, "Mr. Wang, please take a seat."
After Wang Ji took a seat, Du Qi took the initiative to say, "Mr. Wang has always been teaching in Chang 'an, why did you come to the Western Regions now? What happened? As long as I can help, I will do my best. "
Wang Ji said, "I came today to seek refuge with Your Highness, and I beg Your Highness to take me in."
Du Qi's face was full of astonishment.
Wang Ji came to seek refuge, what was going on?
Du Qi said, "Mr. Wang, you have always been teaching and educating people in the Chang 'an Academy, why did you suddenly come to the Western Regions to seek refuge with me? If you want to work for me, I can't ask for anything more. However, what happened to your Tang dynasty academy? "
Wang Ji sighed and said in a deep voice, "Since Hou Junji started the war with Your Highness in the Western Regions, many people in the academy have left. Because these people are worried that they will be easily blamed if they get involved with Your Highness. Especially when the Crown Prince was regent a few days ago, there was news from the Imperial Court that they were going to gradually suppress everything about Your Highness and eliminate Your Highness' influence. "
After a pause, Wang Ji continued, "Therefore, the academy was affected even more. Many scholars and teachers left, and there are not many people left. So, I dissolved the Tang dynasty academy and brought a few people to the Western Regions. Now, I am here to seek refuge with Your Highness. "
Du Qi said, "If Mr. Wang and the others want to seek refuge with me, I welcome them. Although the Western Regions is vast and rich in resources, it lacks talents. However, the Western Regions are lacking in talents. The people brought by Mr. Wang are naturally excellent. "
Wang Ji said, "Thank you, Your Highness."
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