The army moved forward slowly. Xue Wanche rode beside the carriage. Next to him were Changsun Wuji, Yuchi Gong and others. Li Ji led Zhou Daowu, Cheng Mingzhen, Zhang Liang and others to the rear. Ashina Simo rode forward and fought with
Xue Wanche rode forward and said enviously: "General Xue is the vanguard of the army, attacking cities and plundering territory, killing the enemy without any hope. A man should be so open and closed, I envy him!"
Xue Wanche was a rough man and didn't have much contact with the ministers of the court, but he was quite close to Ashina Simo. He smiled and said: "The prince is ridiculous. We are all loyal to the king. The final general will charge forward, and the prince will protect him."
Your Majesty's side, what is the difference between high and low?"
Ashina Simo's current official position is General Youwuhou. After the defeat of Dingxiang, he entered the court as a guard. His title is Huaihua County Prince, which is a few ranks higher than Xue Wanche's Wuling County Duke, so Xue Wanche is above the rank.
Treat him very politely.
Although he is a rough person, he is not ignorant of the world. He often feels deeply about the people he sees...
Ashina Simo looked around, moved his chin forward slightly, and said softly: "Wang Wendu was shown to the public by His Majesty, as a warning to others. I am afraid that Duke Zhao will record this debt on your head."
Xue Wanche raised his eyes and saw Changsun Wuji riding a horse closely following the emperor's car. At this time, he happened to look back at the two of them with a gloomy face. It must be Cheng Yaojin who was invited by His Majesty to ride with him.
Cheng, feeling very unhappy, turned around and turned around.
Xue Wanche laughed and said: "I and the prince are the same. We are both rough and good at fighting. We are not good at and don't care about the intrigues in the court. Your Majesty is magnanimous and is the only wise king in the ages. How can you do it just because of a few words?
Are you jealous after making slanderous remarks? As long as Your Majesty is not jealous, I don't care what others do."
When Ashina Simo heard this, he laughed and said nothing more.
Xue Wanche said that the two of them were similar. In fact, it was not just their rude and upright temperament, but also because they were both surrendered generals. Back then, Li Jing led his troops to a surprise attack on Dingxiang and defeated the Turkic Khanate. Jieli Khan was defeated and captured together with him, and surrendered to the Tang army.
, received preferential treatment from His Majesty Li Er.
And Xue Wanche was a confidant of the hidden prince Li Jiancheng. He was involved in the whole battle between Li Jiancheng and His Majesty Li Er for the throne. Later, Li Jiancheng was shot dead by His Majesty Li Er during the Xuanwu Gate Incident, and Xue Wanche once even declared that he would join the army.
After being defeated in the Qin Palace, he escaped from Chang'an and fled to Zhongnan Mountain, where he was surrendered by His Majesty Li Er. He was willing to join the court as an official, and even married Princess Danyang, who was highly regarded.
Both of them seemed to have the trust of His Majesty Li Er, but in fact they were in the same boat, so he changed his habit of never talking about courtiers and gave Xue Wanche some advice.
I have done my best. As for whether Xue Wanche takes it seriously or not, just let nature take its course.
Furthermore, Xue Wanche now has the Crown Prince and Fang Jun standing behind him. Given the current situation in which Changsun Wuji is under suspicion and suppression by His Majesty, it would not be easy to embarrass Xue Wanche...
The two were chatting in a low voice, and Xue Wanche said in a low voice: "The prince of the county may wish to come to my camp in the evening. Behind the recent raids on Anshi City, I came across an official from Goguryeo who went south to escape the war with his family. There are two daughters in the family, and they are very beautiful.
They are all ladies of the world, and they are not comparable to the Silla maids in the Chang'an market. They are really gifts, and they can be given to the prince in the end to share in the happiness."
The atmosphere of the Tang Dynasty was open, and it was common for men to give concubines to each other. Even such scandalous things as sharing the same bed with a woman were not surprising.
But Ashina Simo was startled and reminded: "How can we hide women in the army? If the commander of the army finds out, it will be a serious crime to report it to the Ministry of War and the Weiwei Temple! Even if your Majesty trusts you more
, how can we allow you to desecrate military discipline? Listen to me, resolve this matter quickly, and do not leave any hidden dangers."
Horse hooves were heard, surrounded by his and Ashina Simo's personal soldiers. Changsun Wuji couldn't hear it from far ahead. Xue Wanche said disapprovingly: "What is there to be afraid of? This place is in the army. Even if your Majesty knows about it,
, I just turned a blind eye and definitely didn't take it seriously. As for returning to Chang'an... Could it be that the county king thought that we could be promoted to nobility and official positions if we made military exploits? The reason why I asked for a fight was just to have fun. Fighting
Only when you are fighting in battle can you feel comfortable, and wrapping your body in horse leather is also easy. Instead of being cautious and catering to everyone, how can you enjoy yourself in time? People like us should not be greedy for military glory. The more we stay upright, the more worried your majesty will be."
Ashina Simo was riding on the horse and glanced at this licensed trader in surprise. He felt that this statement seemed very reasonable...
As a surrendered general, not only were they incomparable to the old brothers who followed the emperor to conquer the world, but even officials who were promoted from the bottom were more likely to gain the emperor's trust than them.
There is no need for others to remind the emperor to beware of surrendering generals and then rebelling. Even the surrendering generals themselves, how can they really take the emperor's words of favor and trust seriously?
The Han people have a saying, "Those who are not of my race will have different hearts." This saying is not only applicable to him, a Turkic person who is attached to the Tang Dynasty, but also to "second ministers" like Xue Wanche who have changed their families.
Since you know that the emperor cannot trust you unreservedly, and he dare not entrust you with the power of the country, why do you still make unparalleled achievements?
Doesn't it mean that the emperor has no title and is in a dilemma?
A surrendered general must also have the consciousness of a surrendered general...
Ashina Simo touched his beard, pondered for a long time, and said in a low voice: "If that's the case, then I won't bother you."
Xue Wanche laughed and said: "The general has always admired the king's demeanor, and has long wanted to have a drink and chat with the king. In the past, he never had the opportunity when he was in Chang'an, but he didn't want to be in Liaodong, which is outside and inside.
, but it’s really a blessing to be able to drink and have fun!”
Ashina Simo felt that he had finally overcome the way of serving as an official after being subordinated to someone else: "You have to fight fiercely, treat death as if you are home, be fearless, enjoy life vigorously, have no scruples, and enjoy yourself in the moment! It's a pity that I am over five years old.
It has been more than ten years since I entered the Tang Dynasty, but today I have just gotten a glimpse of the way to be an official. I am ashamed, ashamed!"
He used to be a Turkic aristocrat. After entering the Tang Dynasty, he was first granted the title of General Youwuhou. He was then sent back to Dingxiang by His Majesty Li Er to rule over the old Turkic tribes and was named a Turkic Khan. At that time, he seemed to have great power, thousands of miles away.
The pasture allowed him to run freely, but his heart was frightened every moment.
What if the tribe under your command rebels again?
What if someone in the court slanders him for supporting the army and respecting himself?
What if the emperor suspects him of evil intentions?
…
He was in awe of His Majesty Li Er from the bottom of his heart, almost beyond measure. With His Majesty Li Er's strategic planning and the power of the Tang Dynasty, it would be effortless to crush him to death.
So when others are in Dingxiang, they feel uneasy.
Fortunately, Xue Yantuo coveted the territory of Dingxiang and invaded boldly. Ashina Simo led his people to resist, but they were defeated thousands of miles away.
Everyone else saw that he was panic-stricken and fled all the way into the Great Wall, like a bereaved dog. They immediately wrote to His Majesty Li Er to plead guilty, and begged him to return to Chang'an, even if he was just to serve as a lieutenant in the palace of Suwei. He did not have the style of a Turkic Khan. In fact, Ashina Simo was so happy that he wanted to grab a few of Xue Yantuo's generals and kiss them fiercely.
Instead of living in Dingxiang all day long with fear and fear, why not go back to Chang'an to sleep well every night and enjoy the prosperity?
Therefore, in these years, he was always cautious and cautious, and every time he marched, he thought very hard. He just wanted to cause less trouble, make more meritorious service, and stay at the emperor's side in a down-to-earth manner.
Now I have just woken up, why did a surrendered general achieve so many military exploits?
You are already a county king, is it possible that you still want the emperor to make you a prince, give you a fief, and let you split the earth and become king, with one person subordinate to ten thousand people?
When he entered the Tang Dynasty, he also read basically the history books of the Han people. Since ancient times, whenever there is "no title, no reward", after all, it will be accompanied by the occurrence of tragic disasters.
Why does His Majesty Li Er repeatedly suppress Fang Jun's official position and title? It is to prevent this situation. If Fang Jun's official position and title are allowed to reach their peak at this time, how will the new emperor be rewarded when he takes the throne in the future? If there is no way to reward, there will be no invitation to buy. People's hearts will be alienated if they cannot show kindness to the king.
…
Changsun Wuji, who was in the front, glanced at Cheng Yaojin who was reporting the battle situation to His Majesty Li Er in the carriage, and then glanced at Xue Wanche and Ashina Simu, who were huddled together in the distance behind and muttering, frowning tightly. Frowning, he felt that he was already outside the core system of Datang.
This is not a good sign.
Although the emperor suppressed the Guanlong nobles in order to consolidate his imperial power, the Guanlong nobles still maintained control over the court in that initial period. However, now, as he followed the emperor to conquer Goguryeo, the Changan court was The influence of the Shangguanlong nobles has entered its lowest period since entering the Tang Dynasty, and it can be said that it is struggling. Even the entire alliance seems to be in danger of falling apart.
If the situation cannot be broken, the past glory and future power of the Guanlong nobles will be wiped away.
The key to breaking the situation lies not in Liaodong or Chang'an, but in the far western regions.
I just don’t know if Changsun Jun has completed the task he told him to do? Calculating the time, Changsun Jun should have been redeemed by Changsun Yan and returned to Chang’an, and the letter from Chang’an should not be far away at this time...