Entering the front garden of the Prime Minister's Mansion, Yuan Zai immediately felt that the view was wide and there was another cave.
The front garden of the Prime Minister's Mansion in Liangzhou has been expanded and repaired several times. It is now said to be a courtyard, but in fact it is more like a park.
A middle street more than six meters wide stretches nearly fifty meters long, with side streets, cloisters and courtyards on both sides.
Countless lanterns are hung on long ropes in the middle street, extending from one end of the outer garden to the other.
In the courtyards on both sides, there are theater troupes, alleys, musicians, dancers, jugglers, etc. invited by the Prime Minister's Palace. It is so lively that the entire front garden is crowded with people and bustling with people.
Yuan Zai walked further along the long street and found many snack stalls along the street.
Wang Yunxiu approached a stall and saw a lot of bamboo sticks stuck on the haystacks on the counter. There were red fruits that looked like ice crystals on the bamboo sticks. They looked crystal clear and very pleasant.
Wang Yunxiu liked it and asked the stall owner: "What is this?"
The stall owner, an old man over sixty years old, replied: "This is called candied haws, which is a snack made from hawthorn dipped in caramel."
Wang Yunxiu: "This looks very interesting. I have never seen it anywhere else."
Stall owner: "This recipe of candied haws on a stick is said to have been made by the Prime Minister. It was originally intended to be eaten by the family in Fuzhong. Later, the recipe was slowly spread."
Wang Yunxiu reached for her purse and asked, "How much does one string cost?"
The stall owner glanced at Wang Yunxiu and asked, "Is the lady from other places?"
Wang Yunxiu: "How do you know?"
Stall owner: "All the expenses for the food stalls and restaurants here are borne by the Prime Minister's Office. If you like it, you can just eat it. As long as you don't waste it, it doesn't matter how many skewers you have."
Wang Yunxiu was a little surprised: "The Prime Minister's Office paid for it?"
Yuan Zai shook his head at the side and said: "It is certainly good to provide free food. But as a result, the people coming and going in this mansion will become more chaotic, which may not be conducive to the safety of the Prime Minister's mansion."
Hearing this, the stall owner said in a deep voice: "It is true that the Prime Minister is harsh on corrupt officials, but he takes great care of the people. At the beginning of the first year of the lunar month, the imperial court issued a document saying that it would cancel the rent regulations and follow the rules of the family. Regardless of the size of your business, you can pay taxes and tributes. This order is the credit of the Prime Minister... If someone wants to do harm to the Prime Minister, if I see it, I will be the first to go up and fight for it!"
Yuan Zai was stunned, laughed awkwardly twice, and said nothing.
Wang Yunxiu took two bunches of candied haws and led Yuan Zai forward.
Walking to the innermost part of the front garden, Yuan Zai saw that there were military guards guarding the entrance of the garden, so he stepped forward and said: "A certain Yuan Zai, named Gongfu, once served in the Dali Temple in Chang'an, and worked with the Prime Minister. It's an old friend who came to visit me today."
A captain in the military guard looked Yuan Zai up and down, shook his head and said: "There are guests in the inner garden today, please come back another day."
Seeing that Wu Wei refused to let go, Wang Yunxiu stepped forward and said loudly: "My husband has the heart to serve the country with fists and fists, and he is an old friend of the Prime Minister in Chang'an. Why don't you go in and inform me?"
When Wang Yunxiu spoke, he was quite imposing. When the captain heard this, he was stunned for a moment, then frowned and said: "I just said that there are guests in the inner garden, you..."
"Lady of the Wang family?!"
Before the captain finished speaking, a deep voice came from the inner garden.
Wang Yunxiu took a closer look and saw a tall middle-aged man with a heroic appearance standing in the garden gate, looking over with a surprised look on his face.
This person is none other than Fan Yang’s military envoy, Li Guangbi.
When Wang Yunxiu saw Li Guangbi, he first said goodbye calmly, and then said: "General Li, Yunxiu and her husband came to the Prime Minister's Mansion today. They want to see the Prime Minister. I hope you can make a difference."
Li Guangbi scratched his head and replied: "The Prime Minister is busy at the moment. You and your husband, why not rest outside in the garden first, and I will come to find you later."
When Wang Yunxiu heard this, she looked happy and nodded.
Seeing Li Guangbi walking away, Yuan Zai came over and said, "If I remember correctly, that person just now seemed to be Li Duhu?"
Wang Yunxiu: "General Li fought against Tibet, but was defeated once and was imprisoned for three years. Later, he followed the prime minister to Hebei to fight against thieves. He used his troops like a god and defeated Shi Siming. He really fulfilled what my father said back then.
——The one who gets my soldiers in the future will be Guangbi."
Yuan Zai didn't pay attention to his wife's words, but thought about it in his mind.
According to the news from the Beitang Di newspaper, among the Northern Fan generals under Wang Zhongsi who are now prosperous, besides Zhou Jun, it is Li Guangbi.
Yuan Zai thought that, with the help of Wang Zhongsi's connection, if there was a chance, he should spend more time with Li Guangbi in the future.
At this time, in the meeting hall in the inner garden of the Prime Minister's Mansion, Guo Ziyi, Li Guangbi, Li Siye, Pugu Huaien, Sun Aying, Shen Shugong... except for Duan Xiushi who was recuperating at home, almost all the senior generals of the Northern Tang Dynasty were gathered together.
Discuss sending troops.
On the desk in front of Zhou Jun is a map of the Tang Dynasty.
He pointed to Liangcheng on the map and said to the generals: "God bless spring in the third year, and the Northern Tang Dynasty will launch the largest external campaign to date."
"The army will be divided into three routes: east, middle and west. The east route starts from Fanyang and Pinglu. The armies participating in the east route battle are Lulong Army, Youzhou Army, Weihua Army, Changping Army, Xinyang Army, and those stationed in the Mingzhou area.
, the forward army that faced Shi Siming. The total strength was about 170,000, with Li Guangbi as the commander-in-chief and Pugu Huai'en as the deputy commander."
Li Guangbi and Pugu Huai'en all said that.
Zhou Jun looked at Li Guangbi and said: "In Yuyang Port, Navy Captain Du Huan has built a fleet. I will now hand over the command of this fleet to your hands. When fighting Shi Siming, it is reasonable to
Using this navy might be able to have an unexpected effect."
Li Guangbi raised his hand and said yes.
Zhou Jun turned his attention to Guo Ziyi who was aside: "The Central Route Army started from Shuofang Lingwu. It is mainly composed of Hexi Army and Shuofang Army. The total strength is about 200,000. Guo Ziyi serves as the commander-in-chief and Li Siye serves as the deputy commander. The Central Route Army
Go south to Xiaoguan, then go to Xiangle via Linjin, and finally go south to Xianyang to attack Chang'an."
Guo Ziyi looked at Zhou Jun, bowed and said, "I have the order."
Zhou Jun: "After the first lunar month, Liu Zai will take over the post of Protector in Anxi and Beiting. I will move you to be the deputy marshal of the world's soldiers and horses, with full responsibility for the recovery of Chang'an. The Central Route Army will face the army entrenched in the capital.
Thief army, there are thousands of elite soldiers there, and the enemy generals are cunning, you must not underestimate them."
Guo Ziyi responded.
Zhou Jun thought about it for a while, but still felt uneasy, and gave another warning: "After the Central Army sets off, Luoyang is afraid that An Shouzhong will be transferred back to defend the capital. When fighting against this person, you must be careful."
Guo Ziyi was a little surprised when he heard this, but he still agreed.
After arranging the tasks of the East Route Army and the Middle Route Army, Zhou Jun turned his attention to Uncle Shen and said: "The East Route and the Middle Route attack the Yan Army, while the mission of the West Route Army is to capture the Hehuang area and completely defend the Tubo people from going east.
's gate."
Uncle Shen, who had silver hair on his head, saluted Zhou Jun and said: "My ancestors were defeated at Lun Qinling in Dafeichuan. This trip to the west to Hehuang was to wash away the shame of the past with blood, and to expand the territory and defend Long.
right."
Zhou Jun nodded and said: "Once the East Route Army and the Middle Route Army depart, Hexi and Shuofang will be in a weak defensive state. Once the Tubo people take the opportunity to move eastward and then enter Guanzhong to plunder, our army's offensive will probably be disrupted.
. Therefore, if the West Route Army takes control of Hehuang as soon as possible, the East and Middle Routes will no longer have to worry about anything and can move south with confidence."
Uncle Shen bowed and said: "Prime Minister, please rest assured, I will definitely capture Hehuang. If not, I would rather die in battle than return to Liangzhou with shame."
After explaining the tasks of the three armies, Zhou Jun took a long breath and said: "Today is the Lantern Festival. It is a day for visiting parks and having fun, but the military affairs are urgent, and there are many people at the Ministry of War. So I took advantage of the Lantern Festival,
Under the guise of going to the garden for a banquet, I will gather with you here to discuss it. Next, after nightfall, I will set up a few tables of banquets in the inner garden for you to sit down and take it as a farewell."