"It's all my fault. If you weren't worried about me, how could you leave the army and rush back to Chang 'an at full speed?" In the Mo Mansion, Princess Changle said with a guilty face.
Meton shook his head and said, "It has nothing to do with you. I promised to rush back before you gave birth, but I didn't expect Tubo's ambush on the way. Since ancient times, the family and the country have been in a dilemma. I was lucky enough to lead the Firearms Supervisor back to the Tang dynasty safely and rush back to Chang 'an in time."
"No, you were punished because of me. I'll go and plead with my father." Changle suddenly stood up and said with a determined face.
Meton hurriedly stopped her and said with a bitter smile, "However, it's a taboo to leave the army as a general. What's wrong is wrong. It's reasonable to be punished. Besides, I've been busy for half a year. Now that His Majesty has removed me from my official position, I can take the opportunity to accompany you."
Princess Changle didn't stop until then. She snorted and said, "You don't have to be the Firearms Supervisor. You don't have to worry about me day and night when you go to the battlefield in the future."
In Princess Changle's view, the Firearms Supervisor was a military position. She didn't know when she would be sent to the battlefield. Swords had no eyes on the battlefield. If she encountered a dangerous situation like Tubo's ambush of the Firearms Supervisor again, she might not be so lucky. She didn't have to be a military position.
However, what Princess Changle did not know was that, in the eyes of many, the position of military officer, which she viewed as fraught with danger, was actually an exceptionally good opportunity to achieve meteoric success. This was the firearms supervisor with the greatest offensive power in the world. Whoever commanded this thousand-man army would be in control of gunpowder. In the future, military exploits would be within reach.
For a while, there was an endless stream of civil and military officials who wanted the position of the Firearms Supervisor, which made Li Shimin very annoyed.
"Yu Zhining ruined my plan," Li Shimin looked at the piles of memorials in front of him in the Administrative Hall and couldn't help but say bitterly.
"Why do you say that, Your Majesty?" From the side, Empress Zhangsun spoke softly. Although from a personal point of view, the son of Moton had travelled a great distance to return just as Princess Changle was about to give birth, making them, as his parents, feel gratified, in terms of military law, the son of Moton had indeed abandoned his soldiers and violated military law. Otherwise, she would have long since pleaded for leniency on Moton's behalf.
Li Shimin shook his head and said, "I'm not accusing Yu Zhining of being unreasonable. It's just that although Yu Zhining was in the right, he let Modun, the slippery catfish, escape."
"Catfish? That's your son-in-law! "Empress Zhangsun rolled her eyes at Li Shimin.
Li Shimin smiled awkwardly and said, "The reason why I trapped Meton in the officialdom is the same as me throwing him into the Imperial College. It's all because of the catfish effect. Guanyin Maid, have you noticed that in the past few years when Meton was in charge of the House of Mo, the House of Mo has developed rapidly? Although he provoked the Hundred Schools of Thought and advanced together, it's obvious that the House of Mo has developed much faster than the other schools. If I don't use the officialdom to trap Meton, the House of Mo will no longer be a catfish that stirred up the wind and rain, but it will grow into a whale that swallows everything."
It was not easy for him to pull Mo Jiazi into the officialdom and stabilize the situation of the Hundred Schools of Thought. Now that Meton was dismissed, he would definitely run the Mo Family Village with all his strength. The situation of the Hundred Schools of Thought contending would soon become a situation where only one school of thought dominated. This was not what Li Shimin wanted to see.
"Then let Meton be reinstated!" Empress Zhangsun frowned and said.
Li Shimin shook his head and said, "It's too late. Meton admitted his guilt in court, and all the ministers heard it with their own ears. If we don't punish him, I'm afraid they won't accept it."
"The only thing we can do now is to find a steady person to temporarily take over the position of the Firearms Supervisor." Empress Zhangsun said thoughtfully.
Li Shimin shook his head slightly. Gunpowder was the biggest secret of the Tang dynasty. The more people who knew about it, the more likely it would be leaked. Moreover, in terms of proficiency in gunpowder, Mo Jiazi was probably the only one who could do it. If it were someone else, it would be useless.
Empress Zhangsun changed the topic and said, "Your Majesty, don't pay attention to these troublesome matters. I have a happy matter to discuss with Your Majesty. It just so happens that Wuji came to the palace to pay a visit to me today, and we happened to talk about the marriage of Chong-er and Gao Yang!"
Li Shimin sighed slightly and said, "Chong-er has been suffering all these years. He has waited for so many years. Now that Gao Yang has turned sixteen, it's time for them to get married."
"In that case, I'll reply to my brother and let this unfortunate couple get married at the end of the year!" Empress Zhangsun said with a smile.
Li Shimin nodded and said, "I'll leave this matter to you. You must do it grandly."
Empress Zhangsun nodded, and then floated away.
After Empress Zhangsun left, Li Shimin took out a memorial from the pile of memorials in front of him. It was a memorial recommending the new Firearms Supervisor, and the person recommended was Zhangsun Chong.
Back then, when the scandal of marriage between relatives was exposed, in the eyes of the imperial family, Princess Changle's reputation was damaged the most. However, in reality, there was another victim, and that was Zhangsun Chong.
Although the imperial family, in order to compensate Zhangsun Chong, ignored the wave of voluntary marriage between Zhangsun Chong and Princess Gao Yang, everyone knew that Zhangsun Chong was still wronged.
And now, although this memorial was submitted by other officials, Li Shimin understood that it was definitely incited by Zhangsun Wuji. On one hand, Zhangsun Wuji asked Empress Zhangsun to talk about the marriage between Zhangsun Chong and Princess Gao Yang, and on the other hand, he had people submit memorials to ask for an official position for Zhangsun Chong. It was clear that the Firearms Supervisor was in Zhangsun Chong's eyes.
Furthermore, Zhangsun Chong was about the same age as Mo Jiazi, and they were both fifth-rank officials with boundless prospects. They were both relatives of the imperial family, and were deeply trusted by Li Shimin. No matter what, he was the best candidate to replace Meton.
"This time, we'll compensate you. I hope you won't disappoint us." Li Shimin thought for a long time, then waved his hand and marked the memorial.
However, Li Shimin did not give the entire Firearms Supervisor to Zhangsun Chong. Instead, he divided the Firearms Supervisor into two, the Firearms Supervisor and the Firearms Army. The Firearms Supervisor was responsible for continuing to develop gunpowder weapons, while the world-famous Firearms Army was given to Zhangsun Chong.
Soon, the news of the Firearms Supervisor being divided into two, and Zhangsun Chong getting the Firearms Army, spread through the imperial court. Immediately, everyone was in an uproar.
"After thinking about it, I'm afraid Zhangsun Chong is indeed the best candidate." Many people nodded. Few people in the Tang dynasty could be compared with Mo Jiazi. Zhangsun Chong's qualifications and status were rare.
"His Majesty divided the Firearms Supervisor into two. Zhangsun Chong got the Firearms Army, and the position of Chancellor of the Firearms Supervisor is probably still reserved for Mo Jiazi." Another official analyzed.
"It's a pity. No matter how good Mo Jiazi's Chancellor of the Firearms Supervisor is, he can only pave the way for Zhangsun Chong." A civil official sighed.
"Zhangsun Chong is a civil official. How can he lead an army to war?" Many generals were dissatisfied. The Firearms Army was the army with the strongest attack power. It should belong to the military, but it fell into the hands of a civil official.
"Mo Jiazi doesn't practice martial arts, but he still leads the Firearms Supervisor to fame." The civil officials supported Zhangsun Chong.
A general snorted and said, "How can they be compared? Mo Jiazi is from the Mo family. Mo Shou and Mo Gong are the unique skills of the Mo family. As for Zhangsun Chong, I'm not sure."
The civil official said carelessly, "So what? With gunpowder, who in the world can be a match for him?"
Immediately, everyone held their breaths. In the battle of the Western Expedition, gunpowder shone brilliantly. Even the Mohists, who did not know any martial arts, were able to lead the Firearms Division to defeat five thousand Tibetan cavalry. With the appearance of gunpowder, even a person who did not have the strength to truss a chicken could ignite gunpowder. An individual's bravery was no longer a factor that determined the outcome of a war.
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