"We still need to invite Mr. Feng to come to Chang'an."
"It's time to come."
In the Duke's Mansion of Jin, Wu Huaiyu said to General Feng Zhidai of Zuowuwei,
It's winter,
Snowflakes are falling in Chang'an, it is already November,
Feng Ang's second son, Feng Zhidai, held a cup of tea in his hand and did not accept the offer immediately. He hesitated and said, "I'm afraid it's too late. It's already November. Besides, I, Aye, he has been unwell in recent years and is afraid of the cold..."
···”
Huaiyu laughed a few times,
"In the first year of Shishou, Chaozhou, Chengzhou and other five states rebelled. Duke Geng galloped to the capital and asked the court to send troops to attack. He traveled from Guangzhou to Chang'an in five days."
"It's only the beginning of the month, so there's still time. Now hurry south to Guangzhou to deliver the message. It will be delivered in four or five days. Duke Geng will have enough time to come to Chang'an to attend the Zhengdan Dynasty."
Feng Zhidai was his father who entered the imperial court in the Yuan Dynasty of Zhenguan, and then stayed in Chang'an. From General Zhonglang to Wei Wei Shaoqing, and now to General Zuo Wuwei, he has never been able to go back. In the blink of an eye, it has been four years.
.
He had little strategy, but was brave enough to fight. At the end of his career, he followed his father to Luoyang, where he guarded the emperor and commanded his headquarters. After the Jiangdu Incident, he just took this group of Lingnan warriors and fought all the way back to his hometown of Gaoliang.
He is the second son of Feng An, and he is also the eldest son. He comes to Beijing as a hostage.
Since Feng An returned to the Tang Dynasty, he had never been to the imperial court, nor did he want to enter the imperial court. In the first year of Zhenguan, he sent his eldest son to Beijing as a last resort.
"Lingnan is going to change. If Geng Guogong doesn't come quickly, your Feng family will also be in disaster. I mean this with good intentions." Huaiyu said.
Feng Zhidai was frightened by these words and quickly put down the tea cup in his hand. After a few years in Beijing, he stopped chewing betel nuts and started drinking tea. Even now, loose tea is popular in Chang'an, and he has followed the fashion.
In Chang'an, he had General Zuo Wuwei, who was of the third rank, and also held the title of Duke and Sanjue. He was very leisurely. At the palace banquet, he sang poems in agreement, danced and beat bronze drums, and the Han barbarian family became a family.
"Wu Xiangguo?"
"I'm not being alarmist. Things are really going to change in Lingnan. A war is about to begin, and it will be more fierce than anything in the past few decades,"
Feng Zhidai's complexion changed slightly, but he still tried to stay calm.
He is also well-informed in Chang'an. Although he is a hostage, he also acts as his father's eyes and ears in Chang'an, collecting various intelligence information for Gao Liang and sending it back.
There have indeed been some changes in Lingnan recently, overtly or covertly, both on the one side of Chang'an and on the other side of Lingnan. He knew a lot of news, but it was not so scary.
But it was Wu Huaiyu who said this, so he had to be cautious.
"Please give me some advice, sir,"
Huaiyu refilled a cup of tea for himself,
Blowing the broken leaves, "You should know that Hou Junji has close secret contacts with Chen Longshu and even Li Guangdu, and even knows that they are preparing to send troops to attack the Luo Dou barbarians in Nanfuzhou."
"I think I heard about this." Feng Zhidai said.
Huaiyu still had that faint smile and a very mysterious look,
"It's now time. General Feng doesn't need to hide everywhere. Hou Junji is not interested in drinking. Chen Longshu doesn't really want to deal with Fang Man. Their goal this time is Gaoliang, the Eighth Governor of Gaozhou.
The state and even Danzhou Island are eyeing it,"
Feng Zhidai's face was cloudy and uncertain,
"Do you think that because the Feng family has a hundred thousand troops, has a good relationship with the court, and has the support of the Xian family, they can rest easy in Lingnan?"
"Prime Minister, Chen Longshu is not that capable. Even if we add Li Guangdu, we can't do it, and even if we add Hou Junji, we can't do it. Besides, I, Aye, am the Duke of Geng, the governor of Shangzhu State, and Gaozhou, appointed by the imperial court."
"Besides, the Governor of Guangzhou is Brother Xiangguo. Will he just sit back and watch?"
"Will the imperial court just sit back and watch Chen Longshu and the others start a war?"
"Chen Longshu is like a madman who has lost his sight. He only wants to make a comeback and restore the glory of the Chen family in Longzhou. Not to mention Hou Junji, this guy is unwilling to give in and wants to make a comeback."
Feng Zhidai said, "But our Feng family is not something they can touch."
"Humph," Huaiyu shook his head.
"After experiencing the great chaos in the late Sui Dynasty and the early Tang Dynasty, the current Han chief Li Shuai in Lingnan is indeed the most powerful Feng family. But because of this, the Feng family's life and death is in crisis."
Feng Zhidai suddenly took a deep breath of air-conditioning and understood this sentence.
This young man from Lingnan who was able to make a name for himself in Lingnan with his bravery and prowess when he was young, followed his father to Luoyang and Jiangdu to serve the emperor, and now comes to Chang'an to serve the emperor of Tang Dynasty.
Finally I understood the meaning of Prime Minister Wu's words.
The crisis of the Feng family is not caused by Hou Junji or Chen Longshu, let alone figures like Tan Dian and Fu San. The only person who can truly endanger the Feng family is the imperial court and the current emperor of Chang'an.
But why would the Emperor of Chang'an endanger the Feng family?
Huaiyu has pointed it out clearly enough.
Feng Ang had 100,000 troops in Lingnan. Feng Ang had already broken the balance of power among the powerful chiefs and commanders in Lingnan. He had become the dominant family and was far superior to the official power of the imperial court in Lingnan.
This strength has now become a very dangerous thing.
"Hurry up and write a letter to Gao Liang. It's extremely urgent and can be expedited for eight hundred miles. Ask Duke Geng to come to Chang'an as soon as possible to mediate. Otherwise, it will be too late. I will also arrange this matter."
"I, Aye, have come to Chang'an right now. Can I really solve the problem?"
"It's not too late now, I will also help. The worst outcome is that you, Aye, serve the emperor in Chang'an, and you go back and take over the Feng family, do you understand?"
·······
Feng Zhidai hurriedly left the Wu family with a worried look on his face. Not long after, Zuo Wei Zhonglang sent Pang Xiaotai into Huaiyu's study.
"Now I ask you to go back to Lingnan, are you willing?"
"Is Lingnan really going to fight again?" Pang Xiaotai asked with a smile,
"You have to fight, it just depends on how you fight."
"I follow the arrangements of the Prime Minister, and I will fight whoever tells me to fight."
Wu Huaiyu planned to arrange for Pang Xiaotai to return to Lingnan to serve as the governor of Duanzhou. This Duanzhou was later called Zhaoqing, just to the west of Guangzhou and east of Longzhou. To the south was the Feng family's territory. Feng Zhidai's previous governor of Chunzhou, that spring
The state is adjacent to Duanzhou and Longzhou.
"Going to Duanzhou?"
Pang Xiaotai thought he would be allowed to return to Nanzhou. He was originally the chief of the barbarian chiefs in Bobai. In the sixth year of Wude, Pang Xiaotai, who was the governor of Nanzhou at the time, together with Ning Daoming of Nanyue Prefecture and Feng Xuan of Gaozhou, rebelled against the Tang Dynasty and captured the country.
Nanyue Prefecture was defeated when attacking Jiangzhou and was surrounded, and finally surrendered. After being recruited, he went to Chang'an. In recent years, he has embraced Wu Huaiyu and has been doing well.
The governor of Duanzhou is close to Xijiang and Guangzhou, which is different from his original hometown of Baizhou and Nanzhou.
However, Pang Xiaotai was also free and easy. He expressed happily that he would obey the arrangements of Enxiang. He would beat Chen Longshu when he was asked to beat him, and Feng An when he wanted to beat Feng An. Even Ning Chun's talk about the palace was considered a bird.
"Let me say hello to you first, and I will make the specific arrangements,"
It is not difficult for Wu Huaiyu to arrange for Pang Xiaotai to return to Lingnan, especially at this special time.
"En Xiang said who he wanted to kill, Chen Longshu or Hou Junji, Feng Ang, Tan Dian, Ning Chun, Li Guangdu?" He mentioned a string of names of the powerful and handsome people in Lingnan today.
"Don't worry," Huaiyu reassured him with a smile.
noon,
Huaiyu went to the East Palace to visit the prince,
Then he accompanied the prince into the palace to meet the emperor and empress.
"The Queen is cooking in person today and said she would like to make some side dishes. Thank you very much Huaiyu."
Li Shimin said with a smile.
As expected, Empress Changsun had already prepared a combination of meat and vegetables, as well as soup and cold dishes. The eight dishes were all exquisite.
"It was Wu Niang and Liu Niang who helped me prepare this dish today," said the eldest grandson, a little proudly.
Wu Niang is Cheng Qian's biological sister, Princess Li Lizhi of Changle, and the fifth eldest daughter among the princesses.
Not long ago, the emperor got into a fight with Wei Zheng because he started preparing a dowry for his eldest daughter. Because just before preparing a dowry for Changle, the emperor had also arranged a dowry for his sister Princess Yongjia. As a result, it was Changle's turn.
, Li Shimin announced that he would double Princess Yongjia’s dowry.
It is normal for the eldest daughter to be closer than her half-sister.
But Wei Zheng said this was not possible. Where could a niece have more dowry than her aunt?
Incompatible with etiquette.
Li Shimin took Cheng Qian and Huai Yu to sit down.
He also called Li Tai and Li Zhi,
In addition to the eldest daughter, Princess Changle, the queen also embraced the youngest daughter, Princess Chengyang. She also had children from her concubines, but since she was a child, she was the sixth princess, Princess Yuzhang, who was raised by Queen Changsun. She is about the same age as Changle.
Today’s meal,
The emperor and empress, then three legitimate sons, two legitimate daughters, and one adopted daughter,
None of the other concubines, princes or daughters were called.
Wu Huaiyu sat there, feeling a little flattered.
The queen cooked the food herself, and the prince and princesses accompanied her.
The Queen said many words of gratitude. Cheng Qian's leg recovered very well and was better than expected. After Cheng Qian broke his leg, although Li Shimin left him at Bailu Manor in Sanyuan and concealed the injury from the Queen, Queen Changsun still knew about it.
After learning about the situation, he rushed to Sanyuan and asked the imperial doctors to understand the situation carefully. At that time, even Feng Yu, a direct disciple of Sun Simiao, the king of medicine, said that the prince's leg was injured too seriously and that it would be affected even after recovery.
Who would have thought that Wu Huaiyu's medical treatment was as good as ever.
Li Shimin and the Queen even made a special toast to thank Huaiyu for making him very happy.
The queen's cooking is not bad and her cooking skills are very high.
Even the side dishes made by Princess Changle and Princess Yuzhang were pretty good. The two princesses are quite talented in this area.
"Your Majesty, Feng Ang wants to go to Beijing to meet the Holy Spirit,"
After dinner, while drinking tea, Huaiyu said to the emperor.
Li Shimin was a little surprised, "This Feng Ang has never left Lingnan for more than ten years. I also summon him to the court every year. Why does he suddenly want to go to Beijing this year?"
"Your Majesty, there is going to be a big chaos in Lingnan. The court must prepare early, otherwise it will be caught off guard. Feng Ang, the old fox, is already scared,"
"Is he afraid? Isn't Feng Ang known as the King of Lingnan, with a hundred thousand soldiers and horses, and the territory of eight states?" Li Shimin snorted coldly.
It has been ten years since Li Jing crossed the Nanling Mountains and arrived in Guizhou in the fourth year of Wude, divided his forces to conquer Lingnan, and all the states surrendered. Until now, ten years later, the Central Government of the Tang Dynasty has had no actual control over Lingnan chieftains like Feng An.
Li Shimin was very dissatisfied with this. During the Wude and Zhenguan dynasties, Feng An never entered the court for ten years. He appointed himself as an official, privately supported soldiers and horses, and did not even pay taxes to the court. Lingnan had to be reorganized long ago.
.
"Your Majesty, there is no room for chaos in Lingnan. If the imperial court wants to strengthen its control over Lingnan, there will be no room for chaos. It must be done step by step and down to earth.
But now some people want to cause chaos in Lingnan, so as to fish in troubled waters, and even want to provoke Feng An, Chen Longshu and Luo Dou into an all-out war.
In this fight, the entire Lingnan, whether it is the Han wealthy families, the local barbarians, or even the imperial court, will be dragged into it.
By then, the cost of restoring stability will be too high."
"The certain people you mentioned refer to Hou Junji?" Li Shimin asked.
