Chapter 842 The first returning Western Expeditionary Army
It was very quiet outside the camp. Everyone was huddled in their tents to rest. They would be back in Chang'an City soon.
Xue Rengui and Wang Xuance were sitting by the fire, talking in low voices.
"You have returned to Chang'an City. Do you plan to take any position in the army?"
After listening to Wang Xuance's reply, Xue Rengui looked back at his wife Liu behind him. She was still wearing armor.
He looked inside the big tent again, where Pei Xingjian was talking to Xu Jingzong, Li Yifu and others.
Xue Rengui whispered: "It all depends on the arrangements of the DPRK."
Wang Xuance came closer and asked, "I heard from Pei Duhu that the Marquis of Lishan County had already taken a liking to you when you failed in the imperial examination. You will definitely be recommended by the Marquis of Lishan County when you go back this time."
Seeing that Xue Rengui remained silent, he added: "Xu Jingzong, the minister of Zhongshu Province, Li Yifu, the young minister of Honglu Temple, and Zhang Daan, the minister of the Ministry of Rites, were all recommended by the Marquis of Lishan County."
In Wang Xuance's understanding, as long as he is recommended by the Marquis of Lishan County, he can get a good position in the court.
Xue Rengui smiled and said: "I am not them, I am just a rough man."
Wang Xuance smiled and said: "Rengui, you are just too self-effacing."
The conversation in the camp continued. Pei Xingjian read two letters, one was a bamboo slip from the Pei family in Hedong, and the other was a piece of paper with the advice of the Marquis of Lishan County written on it.
It is very interesting to look at the words of the county prince. For example, this sentence, you are a talented general, and it is indeed wronged to let you go to the civil service, but there are bad people among the masses. This is all, if you want to live a wild life
At the end of my life, although I don’t understand it, I respect it.
Pei Xingjian became interested and asked again: "What does Chang'an City look like now?"
Xu Jingzong replied: "There are more and more people living in Chang'an City now. It is the busiest place in the Central Plains. Chongde Square is a gathering place for young scholars. It is said that for such a small market, every time it opens,
Fifty thousand scholars will gather."
"There is also the East Market. You can buy everything in the market in the East Palace, whether it is goods outside or within the customs."
"There are many people from the Western Regions, Turks, Tubos, Persians or Uighurs in the Western City. They are all praising Tian Khan. As for other places, it is useless for me to talk too much. Pei Du can go as far as Chang'an City.
look."
"You used to work as a clerk in the Ministry of Rites. At that time, Chang'an City was still in ruins, but now it has changed its appearance. You can't finish it all in one day."
Pei Xingjian still nodded and said with a smile: "I want to go back to Chang'an now to see how the scenery in Chang'an is."
Li Yifu replied: "I am willing to go to Chang'an with Pei Duhu."
"Okay!" Pei Xingjian patted the table and said, "Then please invite a few of you to go to Chang'an with the last general."
Everyone raised their wine bowls and drank the wine in one gulp.
Several people talked about the affairs in the court. Li Yifu and Yuan Gongyu talked about Changsun Wuji and the fight in Taiji Hall. Pei Xingjian smiled happily.
"This Changsun Wuji is nothing! He has been obstructing the Western Expedition." Li Yifu yelled, saying that he wanted to eat the old thief Changsun alive.
While the wine was flowing, Pei Xingjian became more and more sober. He had followed the news in Persia and knew that the DPRK and China were quarreling over the Western Expedition.
As soon as Khalid died, Pei Xingjian felt it was time to go back.
He didn't expect Chaozhong to be so interesting. After missing the scenery of Chang'an for so many years, he planned to see enough.
"I dare to ask you three, what Lishan looks like."
When Pei Duhu asked this question, the three of them fell silent.
After a long time, Xu Jingzong said: "Now Lishan is a place like a fairyland, and the people who live in Lishan live a prosperous life."
At this point, Li Yifu continued: "Lishan Mountain today is called Fairy Mountain by outsiders. Some people also say that Zhang Yang treats human resources as resources and is a wicked person."
Pei Xingjian nodded and said, "It's really remarkable that the Marquis of Lishan County can make such a thing as a firearm. I wonder if I can see the Marquis of the County this time."
Xu Jingzong advised: "Pei Duhu should not go to see the Marquis of Lishan County."
Pei Xingjian smiled helplessly and said: "It has been four years since we governed the Western Regions, conquered the Western Turks, rushed to the aid of Persia, and launched wars and feasts. If it weren't for this county prince, how could we not have the glory of these four years? How could we not see him?"
Pei Xingjian read the letter Xu Jingzong brought and the sentence again. Although he didn't understand it, he respected it.
It seems to be saying that you, Pei Xingjian, can actually act nonsense. These things have nothing to do with Lishan.
Smiling self-deprecatingly, Pei Xingjian suddenly became drunk and whispered: "County Marquis, County Marquis, what is your true face?"
Seeing that Pei Xingjian was not in the right state, the three of them got together and said, "Pei Duhufu is drunk and needs more rest. I'll take my leave first and come back early tomorrow morning."
After that, Xu Jingzong led the people out of the camp.
Li Yifu whispered: "This person Pei Duhu should be from our side, right?"
"Oh, if you get involved with people in the army, you won't survive for long."
Upon hearing this warning, Li Yifu bowed and said, "I made a mistake."
Xu Jingzong tightened his clothes in the cold wind, looked around and quickly left.
The next day, I stepped on the ground with my military boots. The muddy road had been frozen overnight, and now there was some thin ice, which broke when I stepped on it.
Every time you take a step, you can hear the sound of tiny ice cubes cracking.
A group of soldiers woke up very late. When they were in Gaochang, the sun rose very late. Usually, the sky would just light up at Chen hour, and they would not start working until noon.
When Guanzhong is at Mao hour, the sky will be bright.
This also led to the fact that after returning to Guanzhong, everyone could not adapt to the changes in time and sunrise here.
Pei Xingjian smiled and said, "I don't know my hometown anymore."
Wang Xuance was squatting on the side of the road. He didn't look like a general fighting against Persia or Tianzhu at all. Instead, he looked like a ruffian in the army.
There is a kind of charm in your hometown. No matter how unreliable you are outside, you will be brought back to your true self when you return to your hometown.
Xue Rengui was eating a piece of cake. Apparently he had just woken up and his eyes were dull.
Xu Jingzong wore formal official uniform today and hurried into the camp, wanting to tell Pei Xingjian not to waste time.
But when I saw the listlessness of everyone in the camp, it didn't look like a team that had won a great victory in Persia.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Walking into Pei Xingjian's tent, Xu Jingzong handed over the official uniform with both hands, "This is the official uniform of the current Duhu Mansion. It was not there when Duhu Pei left.
Now Chaozhong has just made it, so I don’t know if it will fit.”
After that, when he raised his head, Pei Xingjian was stuffing food into his mouth. He was eating very anxiously, his cheeks were bulging, and his dark beard was very messy.
"Little Protector Pei, why are you still eating?"
Xu Jingzong gave Li Yifu a look and asked him to put Pei Xingjian into official uniform first.
At the moment, Pei Xingjian was eating while letting Li Yifu and Yuan Gongyu change his clothes.
After walking out of the camp, Pei Xingjian was chewing the cake and asked Xue Rengui in the camp, "Brother Xue, who made this cake?"
Just as Wang Xuance was arranging the team, Xue Rengui returned to God and said: "It was sent by a passing villager, and I specifically asked to give it to Pei Duhu."
"Yeah." Pei Xingjian lifted his belt, looked at the official uniform he was wearing, and then said, "It's a bit too big."
Xu Jingzong laughed and said: "They thought that Pei Duhu, who could fight in Persia, should be a strong man, so they acted like a strong man in the army. These people never thought that Pei Duhu was a scholar who entered the imperial examination."
"It's okay." Pei Xingjian tightened his belt again, looked at the sky and saw that the sun was already very high, so he got on his horse and said, "Let's go back to Chang'an!"
"Here!"
Everyone in the army responded loudly in unison.
The formation was organized, Pei Xingjian kicked the horse's belly, and the horse took off its hooves and headed towards Chang'an City.
The team returning from the Western Expedition was not large. It was a team of two thousand people when it came. Many people dispersed along the way, and they all returned to their respective Zhechong Mansion.
There were only 300 people in the team returning to Chang'an City. Pei Xingjian, as the Protector of the Palace, rode at the front of the team. Next to him was Xu Jingzong, the Minister of Zhongshu Province.
Following behind were Xue Rengui and Wang Xuance.
Outside Chang'an City, Prince Li Chengqian and Zhongshu Shengzuo Cheng stood a mile outside the city, watching the team coming here from a distance.
When the team approached Chang'an City, there was a burst of cheers from the nearby villagers. They saw the carts of gold pulled behind the team.
These golds are so dazzling, they are all trophies brought from Persia?
I didn't expect that the West was so rich. Even in the Tang Dynasty, it was rare for a powerful family to receive the gold leaf rewarded by His Majesty.
This Western Expeditionary Army was able to bring back mountains of gold.
"Beside the broken bridge outside the post office, I am lonely and have no owner."
"It's already dusk and I'm sad alone, and it's even more windy and rainy."
…
Xiao Qingqing's voice paused, and she quietly glanced at the page of the book. She then read: "I have no intention of fighting for spring, and all the flowers are jealous. It is scattered into mud and crushed into dust, but only the fragrance remains the same."
The voices of children reciting poems are always the most beautiful. The young and clear voice recited the poems of the father over and over again.
Although Xing'an didn't understand it, the meaning of the poem sounded good to him, so he started reading it too.
Suddenly she stopped reciting it, and Xin Xin'an asked curiously: "Sister, why don't you stop reciting it?"
Xiao Qingqing sighed: "Three hundred poems and two hundred words, I will never be able to memorize them all in this lifetime."
Xin Xin'an whispered: "I'll help my sister carry it."
"Hehehe..." Xiao Qingqing smiled dryly and said, "You can't even write well."
This poem about plum blossoms is very suitable for the current artistic conception. Although there are no plum blossoms on Lishan Mountain, there is still snow on Lishan Mountain that has not melted. The midwinter season has just passed, and the world is still bone-chillingly cold.
Inside the house, Zhang Yang had just repaired the chimney of the stove. This way, the family had a new stove for heating, and the smoke could also float out of the house from the chimney.
The heater was turned on and the room began to feel warm.
Li Yue sat down with her hands on her waist. She picked up the book on the side and read it. Listening to her daughter's voice reading poetry outside the house, she felt very good and asked, "The Western Expeditionary Army is back."
Zhang Yang washed his hands, nodded and said, "Well, I just arrived in Chang'an City today."
"Can the gold be sent back?"
"Well, it has been sent to their residence."
"That's fine."
Li Yue felt even more satisfied. She couldn't have too much contact with the military at home. She held a piece of colored glass and whispered: "Perhaps this light transmittance is enough."
The impurities have been removed from this thin piece of glass, but there are still pits and pits on it, and the characters used to make glasses look like they are one big and one small.
Zhang Yang smiled and said: "Maybe it's a problem with the forging method."
Li Yue fastened this piece of colored glass on a ring, and the first magnifying glass of the Tang Dynasty was born.
Xiaohui and Xiaowu just walked out of the library, and they also liked the poem Xiao Qingqing was reading at the moment.
These poems come from Mount Li and will one day be sung in the Central Plains.
The current Lishan Blacksmith Workshop has built a very high furnace, which can process dozens of stones of steel every day.
It is said that it only takes two firings to cast ordinary iron materials into the refined iron needed for a horizontal sword, and it only takes three days to burn out the iron materials needed for a helmet for the officers and soldiers of the Imperial Guard.
However, Lishan is not satisfied with this. They want to make iron with better hardness and are developing a slender cannon with greater range and power.
At this moment, in Chang'an City, inside the Imperial Palace, in front of Xingqing Hall.
Pei Xingjian, Xue Rengui, and Wang Xuance stood outside the palace.
Not long after, an old father-in-law came over with a smile. Even though he was so old, he still bowed humbly and said: "Your Majesty, please invite Pei Duhu to enter the palace."
Pei Xingjian straightened his clothes, nodded and stepped forward.
Compared with those who are submissive, the prince prefers such young talents who are arrogant and energetic.
It is this kind of talent that His Majesty longs for.
As soon as he entered the Xingqing Hall, Pei Xingjian felt a chill. This was a deep chill that only occurred when no one had stepped into the hall for a long time and the sun had not shone in for a long time.
The person sitting highest in the hall is Tian Khan. Standing a little far away from the entrance of the hall, it was hard to see what this Tian Khan looked like.
Taking a deep breath, Pei Xingjian bowed and walked into the palace, "Pei Xingjian, the Protector of Anxi, pays homage to His Majesty."
"Um."
Tian Khan simply responded.
Pei Xingjian hesitated for a moment, bowed his head and said again: "Your Majesty..."
"okay."
The words were suddenly interrupted by Tian Khan again. Pei Xingjian stood there for a moment not knowing what to say. Was it his own etiquette or what he said wrong?
"I have suffered a lot from you these years. I heard that it is not easy for you in Persia. You have been very effective in governing Persia."
"This is what I should do."
"Yeah." Tian Khan responded again.
Pei Xingjian kept his head down. He wanted to look up at Tian Khan, but he didn't know whether he should look up or not.
"Has Xu Jingzong met you?"
He hurriedly replied: "Your Majesty, Shi Lang Xu came to see me last night, and I came to Chang'an City with him early this morning."
Li Shimin put down the book in his hand. Years of reviewing memorials have resulted in his recent vision getting worse and worse. "I heard that Lishan has created a strange object that can recreate the scenery of one's youth. What do you think of this?"
Is there really such a magical thing in the world?"
Pei Xingjian pondered for a moment and replied: "I have never heard of such a thing in Persia."
"I guess so." Li Shimin changed his sitting position again, picked up a date on the table, and ate one by himself.
While he was eating, he handed the pot of dates to the prince and father-in-law beside him and said, "Give me this."
"Here."
A pot of dried dates given by His Majesty was placed in front of him. Pei Xingjian still bowed and took it with both hands, still not daring to raise his head.