It was a busy time for business, so Li Po didn't call Su Dan over to cause trouble for him.
In the evening, they recruited Dou Cong, the general of the Zuotun Guard, and Pang Yu, the general of the Zuojian Gate Guard, into the palace. While having dinner, he ordered them to escort the upcoming Imperial Examination in Beijing.
It was rare for Pang Yu to have a meal with the emperor, and he toasted repeatedly and flattered him very loudly. However, he was a serious military man, and even if he practiced flattery for a hundred years, he would not be able to catch up with the civil servants in the court.
It's not that warriors are like that, but it's because of the habits that warriors develop when leading troops. Only by being direct and rude can you lead great soldiers. Confucian generals may sound good to you, but if you are still so polite in the army, how can you convince the masses?
Therefore, most of the so-called Confucian generals since ancient times are images imagined by literati and cannot be accurate.
Dou Cong was still so coaxing and sneered at Pang Yu's flattery.
He picked up the wine glass and drank three glasses with the emperor in succession. He was not a very good drinker and he knew it, but he couldn't change it. He just didn't dare to be arrogant in the palace.
After three rounds of wine, five flavors of food.
Dou Cong said, "Your Majesty is so heroic, and there are many virtuous ministers and generals around you. Their contributions are great, and I am very convinced. But can your Majesty give me a chance, so that I can make some achievements for your Majesty?"
contribution.
Otherwise, I will always stay in the capital, and when I see the generals returning to the court one after another, I will almost lose my face to see people."
Pang Yu calmed down for a moment and looked sideways at Dou Cong, thinking that Dou Huaizhen really dared to speak. Although he was not a pleasant person, what he said now was very courageous and should be admired.
No wonder he was muttering in his mind. What Dou Cong said was indeed an issue that the generals were concerned about. After the generals returned to the court, would they still have a chance to lead troops?
Compared with those ministers who follow the dragon, they, "outsiders", pay more attention to this point. Moreover, if you don't have a general with great military exploits, why should you be a leader?
If the generals stand in the same place, you will be a head shorter than others.
Fortunately, he, Pang Yu, led troops to Liangzhou to reinforce Fan Wenjin. He led troops to defeat more than 200,000 people in Tuyuhun, and captured a lot of people. He also stationed troops in Liangzhou for several years, helping Fan Wenjin and others stabilize the state of Liangzhou.
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Therefore, his contribution is not small. He did not suffer any injustice when he returned to the capital. The generals who returned to the capital also respected him when they met him.
The same cannot be said for Dou Cong. This guy is a relative of Li Yuan and is highly regarded by Li Yuan. Although he has not lost his position as general since joining the Tang Dynasty, he has remained in the capital without moving.
In terms of military achievements, he cannot be compared with others, and there is no place for him in the Lingyan Pavilion. Among the more than ten generals, Dou Cong is alone. If he were replaced by Pang Yu, I am afraid he would feel very uncomfortable in his heart.
Thinking of this, Pang Yu squinted her eyes and watched the excitement. Dou Cong had an arrogant temperament and a big mouth. He offended many people. Pang Yu didn't like this person anyway, so he wouldn't speak for him here.
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Li Po put down his wine glass and looked at Dou Cong intently for a long time, until he was at a loss and didn't know what to say.
Li Po then smiled slightly and said, "I am very pleased that you have the heart to be rewarded for your meritorious service. This is what a leader should be like.
Besides, you are my general, you have been stationed in the capital, and you are loyal to me. I see it, and your contribution is not small..."
After saying a few words, Dou Cong's expression softened, and he beat his chest twice with gratitude, "Your Majesty knows me, I can only be loyal to Your Majesty.
Even if I only have hard work and no merit, how can I have the nerve to stand beside all the generals in the future? There is also a lack of a position for me in the Lingyan Pavilion. I am still young and want to compete for it... I hope your majesty will grant it."
Li Po laughed loudly. Dou Huaizhen was a member of the Dou family. It was impossible that he had not read books, but he spoke so straightforwardly. If he was not deliberately pretending, then he was really impatient.
"They say Huaizhen offends people when he opens his mouth, but I didn't expect him to be so sincere... Qing's appearance reminds me of the time when I was in Yunnei.
At that time, Brother Yuchi came to surrender. During the dinner, Brother Yuchi made rude remarks and was very upright, which made me very angry. But at that time, I did not have any good ministers and generals to assist me, so I could only suppress my anger and give him important tasks.
Looking back now, if I drove Yuchi Kai away in anger, wouldn't I have lost a good general?"
Pang Yu didn't see Dou Cong's reaction this time. The guy couldn't hide too many things on his mind. He must be extremely proud at this time. Compared with Yu Chikai, his evaluation was already not low.
And they are indeed very similar, not in terms of their temperaments, but they both have brothers, and Yuchi Kai's brother Yuchixin is now the Minister of War.
Dou Cong's elder brother Dou Gui was the Minister of War.
The father of the Yuchi brothers was Yang Yichen, the former Minister of Rites of the Sui Dynasty. He was from Xianbei. He must have a place in the list of famous former Sui generals.
They fought against the Turks, fought against Tuyuhun, and put down Yang Liang's rebellion. When the peasant uprising was in full swing in the late Sui Dynasty, Yang Yichen went to Hebei, recruited his own soldiers, and almost killed all the rebels in Hebei.
If those people in the Luoyang court had not been suspicious of him and recruited him into the court, Lao Yang might have killed all the Hebei rebels with one hand.
It's just that Yang Yichen's sect has little foundation. He was given the surname Yang because of his prowess in fighting. His foundation is shallow, and he only became rich for two generations.
Moreover, the Yuchi brothers voted for Li Po and even changed their surname back to Yuchi, making it even harder to find their ancestors.
The Dou brothers were born in the Dou family of Fufeng, a serious and wealthy family. Compared with the Yuchi brothers... well, there is really no comparison...
It's just that when the emperor said these words, it was undoubtedly a compliment to Dou Cong. Pang Yu felt that these words were a bit excessive. He didn't know that Dou Cong had helped the emperor do some dirty things in the capital and gained the emperor's trust.
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Moreover, Dou Cong also had the favor of his elder brother. Dou Gui was a talent that Li Po was ready to put to great use, so he could be more tolerant towards his younger brother.
There is no doubt about Dou Cong's ability to lead the army. When he followed Li Yuan to the south, Dou Cong worked hard, otherwise Li Yuan would not have easily granted him the rank of general.
It's a pity that the achievements in the early years are not counted now, which is indeed a bit miserable for Dou Cong.
Pang Yu took the opportunity to flatter him again, "Your Majesty has a huge heart. It is a great honor for me to be able to serve you."
Dou Cong looked over with wide eyes and thought to himself that Lao Pang is really ignorant. What's wrong with asking His Majesty to praise me more? Look at you, you are really shameful.
Li Po picked up the wine glass with a smile, "Don't worry, sir, the world is so big and there are so many enemies, how can there be no place for you to use your skills?
But I would like to advise you, how can you be as comfortable as staying in the capital while traveling long distances and facing fierce battles and dangers? Look at yourself, do you have any fat now? Can you still endure the hardships of wind and frost?
Seeing that the world is at peace, you don't want to enjoy the glory and wealth in the capital, but you still want to go out to lead troops. Your spirit is really commendable, but..."
Having said this, Li Po shook his head. Everyone knew what he meant. He just asked, if I send you to lead the troops, is it really possible?