In the seventh year of the New Year (767), the fifteenth day of the first lunar month was the Shangyuan Festival.
People flowed through Liangcheng, and cars and horses kept moving.
Both sides of the ten-mile official road were decorated with colorful lanterns, and there were countless vendors selling goods along the street. People from all over the world crowded the whole long street, and everything was bustling.
Passing through the gate of the imperial city and entering the inner country, there are few people here, but those who come and go are all dressed in rich clothes and silk, and their status is high.
In the innermost Changyuan Hall, thousands of people gathered here to celebrate the Shangyuan Festival. The sounds of singing, dancing and laughter echoed in the air above the imperial city.
In the inner hall, Emperor Zhou Jun was receiving meritorious ministers.
Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi led their troops to conquer Jiankang and overthrew the Southern Tang and Later Yan regimes entrenched in the south of the Yangtze River.
As for cleaning up the mess in the south of the Yangtze River, Pugu Huai'en and Bai Xiaode were responsible for it. Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi received the imperial edict to return to the court and rushed back to Liangcheng from the south of the Yangtze River to participate in the annual court meeting and the Shangyuan Banquet held in the palace.
Zhou Jun on the throne looked at Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi below the steps and said with a smile: "The Battle of Jiangcheng, the Battle of Xunyang, the Battle of Baling, the Battle of Raozhou... and then the recent Battle of Huzhou, the two of them
I have carefully read the military reports for every battle that Aiqing commanded. The two of you used your troops like gods and commanded them well. This is a blessing to the Tang Dynasty and a blessing to the people. I am very pleased."
Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi bowed to Zhou Jun together, speaking modestly.
Zhou Jun: "The achievements of the two of you cannot be exaggerated in any way. I will make you the Duke of the country at the great court meeting, and you will be the descendants of Mengyin for generations to come. After the first month, I plan to rebuild Lingyan."
Pavilion, please list the two of you on the list of meritorious officials."
After chatting with Guo and Li for a long time, Zhou Jun invited Sun Aying, the military governor of Shuofang.
The childish boy back then had now grown into a famous general of the Tang Dynasty. Zhou Jun looked at Sun Aying, as if he could still vaguely see the shy and introverted captain of the soldiers.
Zhou Jun was filled with emotion for a moment and shouted: "A Ying, come over here and talk to me."
Sun Aying sang "Nai" and walked closer to the front.
Zhou Jun: "Shuofang has been suffering from bitter cold for three years, with no reinforcements behind and powerful enemies in front. It's really hard for you."
Sun Aying: "Aying used to be His Majesty's personal guard, and all he wanted in his heart was to protect the safety of the Lord's family. Now, although he has become the Protector of the Town, he only has one thought every time he goes to the battlefield, and that is to sacrifice his life to serve.
Your Majesty is at ease."
Zhou Jun sighed softly after hearing this.
By the light of the fire, Zhou Jun looked at Sun Aying carefully.
Compared with the last time they met, Zhou Jun found that Sun Aying had a lot more wounds on his body. He couldn't help but shook his head and said: "I heard that in every battle, you led the troops to the front... There are no swords and guns on the battlefield, and you are invisible."
How can a general put himself in danger again and again?"
Sun Aying scratched his head, a little embarrassed, and just smiled awkwardly.
Zhou Jun added: "Li Siye bravely won the three armies back then, but he took the heads of enemy generals from thousands of troops. What happened next? Today's wars are no longer like before. Where are the swords, guns, swords and halberds?
They are all muskets and artillery. No matter how brave the general is, he is no match for an iron pellet the size of an egg."
Unlike Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi, Zhou Jun and Sun Aying did not talk like monarchs and ministers at all, but rather like elders lecturing younger ones.
Sun Aying then repeatedly promised Zhou Jun that he would never lead the charge again on the battlefield, and the latter gave up.
Looking at Sun Aying, Zhou Jun didn't say anything high-sounding in official terms, but just sighed: "I heard that your eldest son has just turned one year old, so I didn't prepare any decent gifts... Your ancestral home is Langfu, Hebei, and you have a family in Wangbei Prefecture.
A mountain of relics, with beautiful mountains, clear waters, and outstanding people. Let’s seal it as a first-year gift for your eldest son.”
Sun Aying was stunned for a moment, and then said hesitantly: "Your Majesty, I'm afraid this is a bit over the limit..."
Zhou Jun waved his hand: "You deserve this, go ahead."
Sun Aying could only thank him.
The next person to come to see the saint was Guo Ziyi's nephew Guo Xin, the general of the Tang Dynasty who guarded Anxi alone with white hair in later history.
Seeing Guo Xin bowing and standing under the throne, Zhou Jun was a little distracted for a moment.
In another world, Guo Xin has been guarding the Western Regions alone for fifty years, with his hair turning from blue to white. His territory has been lost one after another, and the Tibetan army has pressed on the territory. At the end of the battle, only the lonely city of Kucha remained.
In the end, the reinforcements that Guo Xin longed for still did not arrive. All that was left were the Tibetan army's dark clouds pressing down on the city, and Anxi's old soldiers fighting to the death.
Zhou Jun looked at Guo Xin in front of him again and said softly: "Thank you for your hard work, General Guo."
Guo Xin looked a little frightened and couldn't help but said to Zhou Jun: "Your Majesty, in terms of merit, I am far inferior to Guo and Li, and not as good as Sun Duhu. In this great court meeting, Your Majesty made the minister a prince, and in
Hehuang established a separate government, which may cause dissatisfaction among other ministers..."
During the war in the Northern Tang Dynasty, Guo Xin's performance was not outstanding.
The reason is that he only participated in the Battle of Chang'an, and after the decisive battle with the Tubo people, the Tang army suffered heavy losses, and it can only be regarded as a tragic victory.
More importantly, Sang Chiruo, the leader of the Tubo army, could not be captured, so the battle of Chang'an could be said to be incomplete.
Therefore, many ministers in the court, although they could not openly object to the emperor's insistence on making Guo Xin a county official and allowing him to establish a separate government in Hehuang, were quite critical secretly.
Zhou Jun: "The formation of the Dragon Cavalry Army and the recovery of Chang'an are all due to you. Especially the battle of Chang'an, if you hadn't defeated the many with less, defeated the strong with weak, and made the Tubo people retreat, it would have been so indifferent.
There will be great changes in the battle situation in the north and south of the Yangtze River. That's why I will remember your contribution."
After hearing this, other generals might have taken advantage of the opportunity to go downhill to thank the emperor.
However, Guo Xin was an honest man by nature. He bowed to Zhou Jun and said: "Your Majesty, the first credit for winning the battle of Chang'an is not me, but Kong Zhongcheng... If he hadn't made suggestions and used tricks to deceive the enemy, the battle of Chang'an would have been impossible."
It’s hard to tell whether the battle will be won or lost.”
Being able to guard Anxi alone for decades, Guo Xin's character of being unwilling to be greedy for merit and loyal to his heart made Zhou Jun deeply moved.
Zhou Jun said to Guo Xin: "I have my own reward for Kong You, so you don't need to worry about it. Now the Tubo people have returned to the plateau. I heard that as soon as Dalu Sang Chiruo returned to Luoxe City, he went on a killing spree and executed hundreds of people.
He named the old nobles and supported a group of new nobles to stabilize his rule in Tubo. From my point of view, this person's desire to covet the Central Plains has not disappeared, and he will definitely try to make a comeback in the future."
Guo Xin said categorically: "I am stationed in Hehuang. If Sang Chiruo dares to invade the border, he will never come back!"
Zhou Jun nodded.
After meeting the meritorious ministers, and with Zhou Jun's toast, the Shangyuan Banquet in the Changyuan Palace officially entered its climax.
Seeing that all the guests in the hall were enjoying themselves, Zhou Jun announced an important news.
After the end of the first month, the Tang Dynasty will gradually move its capital from Liangcheng to Chang'an.
Chang'an is the capital, and Liangcheng is the companion capital. The prosperity of the Tang Dynasty was suspended in the 14th year of Tianbao, and will now be resumed in the new year.
(Attached is a map of the territory of the Tang Dynasty in the seventh year of the New Year (767). The red line is the actual control territory. The picture is under review and will probably be available on the morning of the 9th.)