By the time Meton arrived at the central tent, almost all the generals had arrived. They had already left Chang 'an for half a year, so it was clear that they were all extremely anxious for news from Chang' an.
Seeing the generals arrive, the leader, Hou Junji, nodded and waved his hand. Three messengers handed over a sealed document. Hou Junji examined it, and after confirming that there were no mistakes, he opened it.
"Everyone, after our report of victory reached Chang 'an, His Majesty was very pleased. He was extremely satisfied with how quickly we pacified Gao Chang. When we return to court, he will definitely reward us according to our contributions," Hou Junji excitedly said as he looked at the document.
The generals couldn't help but reveal proud expressions. They were naturally extremely proud that they had been able to pacify Gao Chang so quickly. Now that they heard Li Shimin's praise, they naturally felt gratified.
"This is what I should do." The generals cupped their hands toward Chang 'an, but they couldn't hide the smiles on their faces. Quite a few of them even began to secretly calculate how many ranks they would receive after returning to court.
Afterward, Li Shimin excused the generals from the formalities in the imperial edict. Finally, he mentioned the most important matter, which was the punishment for Gao Chang.
"Gao Chang privately provoked trouble on the border and attempted to obstruct the Silk Road. His crimes are truly unpardonable. In consideration of Ju Wentai's death and Qu Zhisheng's recent ascension to the throne, we will pardon his crimes. Qu Zhisheng will be made the Left Wuwei General and the Commandery Duke of Jincheng. In a few days, he will head to Chang 'an to take up his post," Hou Junji loudly read.
The generals couldn't help but raise their eyebrows. They thought to themselves that the son of Mo was right. If the imperial court didn't want Gao Chang to become king, then they wanted him to set up a county. It seemed that the imperial court had chosen the second option.
As expected, Hou Junji continued, "We wish to imitate the Han Dynasty and set up a protectorate in Gao Chang called the Anxi Protectorate. In a few days, officials from the protectorate will head to Gao Chang. "
"Anxi Protectorate!" The generals instantly understood the Imperial Court's intentions. The Imperial Court probably did not care for the barren Gao Chang seven thousand li away. The Anxi Protectorate had been established primarily to suppress the Western Turks.
Thinking of this, everyone couldn't help but take another look at Mo Jiazi. It was not without reason that this fellow had become His Majesty's favorite. If he wanted to suppress the Western Turks, he would have to station a certain number of troops in Gao Chang, which would require a lot of provisions and pay. Originally, the Imperial Court was prepared to spend a lot of money, but they didn't expect that Mo Jiazi had already paved the way for the Imperial Court. The secret raisin technique would probably be enough to solve most of the food and pay problems. This was a great help to the Imperial Court!
"Your Majesty is wise!" the generals immediately said in unison.
As generals, what they feared the most was the stability of the world. Now that Li Shimin had not stopped conquering Gao Chang and had instead set his sights on the Western Turks, this meant that Li Shimin would continue to value generals. This was what generals truly valued.
"Since Your Majesty wishes to establish the Anxi Protectorate, how about we set the location of the Anxi Protectorate in Gao Chang?" Hou Junji suggested.
"That's true. Gao Chang is the most majestic city of the Western Regions, easy to defend and difficult to attack. It truly is the best location for the Anxi Protectorate," the generals on the side agreed. They nodded in agreement with Hou Junji's suggestion.
But Meton shook his head. "I believe that while Gao Chang is the most majestic city of the Western Regions, it is not the best location for the Anxi Protectorate."
Hou Junji couldn't help but frown at Meton's objection. But after taking the city, Meton's status had clearly soared, and even Hou Junji had to take him seriously. Suppressing his dissatisfaction, he asked, "Mo Jiu, if you have something to say, please speak frankly."
Meton looked around and said, "We are the victors in Gao Chang, but no matter what reason we have for attacking Gao Chang, the people of Gao Chang are all victims and will view us with hostility. In particular, in this battle, many people in Gao Chang have died."
Xin Yaoer couldn't help but nod. In the battle outside Gao Chang, although the Tang Army had suffered many casualties, the Tang Army had still won. Gao Chang's casualties were several times greater than the Tang Army's, so the families of the dead soldiers naturally resented the Tang Army.
"Secondly, it is precisely because Gao Chang is the most majestic city of the Western Regions that the Anxi Protectorate cannot choose to be here. Once the location is confirmed, it will definitely become the center of gravity of Gao Chang. Gao Chang is already the most majestic city of the Western Regions, and it is also the capital of Gao Chang. It has a special meaning to the people of Gao Chang, so the location of the Anxi Protectorate must be as far away from Gao Chang as possible," Meton continued.
The generals all nodded. Now that Gao Chang had been confirmed, the best way for the Tang Dynasty to deal with Gao Chang was to let the significance of Gao Chang slowly fade away. Only then would they truly submit to the Tang Dynasty.
"Then in Mo Jiu's case, where should the Protectorate of the Western Regions be located? Could it be that we can just randomly choose a small city? "Hou Junji asked with a frown.
Meton shook his head and said, "Among the twenty-two cities of Gao Chang, there is one that is not inferior to Gao Chang City. That is Jiaohe City."
"Jiaohe City." The generals' hearts skipped a beat as they suddenly remembered this majestic city. Jiaohe City was originally the capital of Jushi Nation, and its defensive power was only slightly inferior to Gao Chang City.
Meton said proudly, "That's right, it's Jiaohe City. When our army set out on the expedition, it was in the name of avenging Jushi Nation. Grand General, you were appointed by His Majesty as the Chief Supervisor of the Jiaohe River Marching Corps. When our army attacked and occupied various cities, the citizens of the other cities of Gao Chang were all opposed to the Tang Dynasty Army. However, Jiaohe City was the only city that was deeply grateful to the Tang Dynasty. It can be said that our army has won the hearts of the people in Jiaohe City. "
The generals could not help but feel awkward. The hostility of the other cities of Gao Chang toward the Tang Dynasty Army was not only because they had destroyed Gao Chang, but also because of their plundering.
"In addition, His Majesty has naturally designated the Protectorate as the Anxi Protectorate. Naturally, the further west a city is, the more intimidating it will be to the countries of the Western Regions and the Western Turks.
"I second the motion. Since His Majesty has appointed the General as the Chief Supervisor of the Jiaohe River, then it's only right that the Anxi Protectorate be located in Jiaohe City." Xin Yaoer rarely agreed with Mo Jiazi, and he did not forget to flatter Hou Junji.
Hou Junji thought about it carefully. When he thought about the actions of the Tang Dynasty Army in Gao Chang, he could not help but sigh. In comparison, Jiaohe City was indeed the best location for the Anxi Protectorate.
"Since that's the case, then the Anxi Protectorate shall be located in Jiaohe City." Hou Junji made the final decision and accepted Meton's suggestion.
Suddenly, Xue Wanjun brought up another key figure in Gao Chang City, the former King of Gao Chang, Qu Zhisheng. "Since the Imperial Court has already decided to establish the Western Regions Protectorate, then what about Qu Zhisheng?"
Hou Junji laughed and said, "Since the Imperial Court has already appointed Qu Zhisheng as the Prefectural Duke of Jincheng, then from now on, we will be colleagues. Naturally, we can't treat him like before. Come, pass on His Majesty's decree to the Prefectural Duke of Jincheng.
The generals couldn't help but laugh. They naturally knew that Qu Zhisheng's title as the Prefectural Duke of Jincheng was just an empty title. His status was even lower than that of Xieli Khagan. If His Majesty had appointed someone else as the Prefectural Duke of Gao Chang, they might have been a little apprehensive. But now that Qu Zhisheng was about to enter the Imperial Court as an official, they would not be able to make any waves.
"Prefectural Duke of Jincheng!"
In a side hall of the Gao Chang Palace, after Qu Zhisheng received the decree from Chang 'an City, he couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief. He hurriedly kowtowed in the direction of Chang' an City and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!"
In these days, Qu Zhisheng had been extremely fearful. He had been afraid that Chang 'an City would send out a decree to behead him in public. Now that the dust had finally settled and the Tang people had left, Qu Zhisheng couldn't help but collapse to the ground.
After a long time, his joy suddenly turned to sorrow. He prostrated himself on the ground and began to bawl. The Gao Chang Kingdom had been passed down for more than a hundred years. In the end, Qu Zhisheng had not even been on the throne for a month before he became the ruler of a fallen kingdom.
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
