People in the early Tang Dynasty: I compete with Wu Zhao for the throne

Chapter 1533: Farewell, Empress Wu summons

On the 28th day of the first lunar month, the weather was clear and the weather was sunny.

Li Xuan, wearing a purple dragon robe and a nine-beam crown on his head, walked up the steps of the Qianyang Palace with a serious face.

In front, the eunuch's voice shouted: "Announce the king Peng to see the emperor."

Standing on the steps, Li Xuan saw Li Xian sitting in the main hall, dressed in black brocade clothes and a white linen mourning coat.

The ministers mourned for twenty-seven days, and the emperor mourned for thirty-six days.

It would take another two days for Li Xian to be defeated.

The person standing under the golden steps was none other than Pei Yan.

The Minister of the Central Secretariat and the Regent Minister Pei Yan accompanied the emperor to meet with provincial governors every day.

Supervision by the way.

……

After entering the palace, Li Xuan bowed solemnly, then bowed to Li Xian and said, "Your Majesty, I am Peng Wang Xuan, and I pay my respects to you."

"Uncle Wang, please stand up." Li Xian raised his head slightly and looked at Li Xuan with deep gratitude in his eyes.

Before, Li Xian didn’t care much, but now that Li Xuan is leaving, all the things he had done for Li Xian before suddenly emerged clearly in Li Xian’s eyes.

And the benefits those things brought to Li Xian were deeply engraved in his heart.

"Time flies, two months have passed, and I never thought so many things had happened in the meantime." Li Xian sighed and said, "And now, Uncle Wang is leaving again."

"I serve the country and serve Your Majesty. It is the same no matter where I am." Li Xuan bowed seriously.

Li Xian smiled and asked, "I heard that Uncle Wang has been visiting the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Works, and the Ministry of Revenue recently?"

"Yes!" Li Xuan looked serious, and then said: "I will leave Beijing soon, so I need to discuss with the Ministry of Works in advance the number of military equipment to be used in Luoshui Road this year. The Ministry of War must approve it, and the Ministry of Revenue will be responsible for transportation, especially crossbows and arrows, which are indispensable."

Li Xuan never takes war lightly. After all, one battle could easily result in tens of thousands of casualties.

"Yeah!" Li Xian nodded slightly, his eyes looking at Pei Yan who was standing on Li Xuan's left.

Pei Yan nodded, looked at Li Xuan and said, "May I ask Your Majesty, what will you do after you return to Fanzhou this year?"

Li Xuan's expression became solemn. He turned to look at Pei Yan and said with a folded hand, "Last year, when Xuan first returned to the court, the late emperor summoned him. The late emperor said that after the Fengshan ceremony, Xuan should leave the capital in February, prepare in Fanzhou for two months, and set out for the Western Regions in May. Then he would break out from the Great Snow Mountain, hold the Western Turks hostage from the south, and cooperate with the Duke of Pengcheng in Anxi."

Pei Yan nodded, and then continued to ask: "So what happens after we arrive in the Western Regions?"

The Western Regions are vast, and it is not as simple as Li Xuan said, going to the Western Regions, pacifying the Western Turks, and then expelling the Arabs.

Li Xuan nodded and said, "The Luoshui Road army will fight out of the Great Snow Mountain, establish a base in the Pamir Mountains in the south of the Western Turkic region, and then connect with the Anxixi Town in the east of the Western Turkic region to communicate military strategies and supplies, force the Western Turkic tribes, and then surround and kill them from both sides."

Li Xuan's eyes narrowed slightly.

Not knowing what he was thinking about, Pei Yan, who was standing opposite him, immediately felt a murderous aura coming towards him.

He immediately remembered that the man standing in front of him was a frontline general with countless blood on his hands.

An army of one hundred thousand men could be easily defeated in his hands.

Although the Turks seem to be numerous and powerful, there are only a few elite troops among them.

The reason why the four towns of Anxi were in difficulty was mainly due to insufficient supplies and fatigue of soldiers.

But the logic is different.

Luosi has no shortage of supplies or manpower, only weapons. As long as we kill them and make up for the logistics, pacifying the Western Region will not be a problem.

The reason why the court was reluctant to move against Li Xuan last year was, firstly, because Lushe had just been settled and the people needed to be appeased, and secondly, they did not want Li Xuan to gain more military power.

Now that the imperial power has changed, the one sitting on the throne is Li Xian, who trusts Li Xuan more.

When the new emperor ascended the throne, he wanted to achieve even more results.

It was a foregone conclusion that Li Xuan would invade the Western Regions at this time.

Not to mention, there is also the late emperor's will.

Pei Yan could even imagine how powerful Li Xuan's prestige in the court would be after the war.

Coupled with the support of others, he is truly a local hero.

so far so good.

The wealth accumulated by the Tibetans over decades has been transported back to the court in large quantities in the past two years, leaving only a impoverished Tibet. Otherwise, people would really worry that Li Xuan would have some ill intentions.

In that case, it would be another Tubo, and a combination of Lun Qinling and Mangsong Mangtsen.

……

"So what happens next?" Pei Yan asked.

"Within this year, we will find the main force of the Western Turks and destroy them. Next year, we will start to station troops in the Western Turkic tribes to stabilize the people's hearts. At the same time, we will send Western Turkic nobles to Chang'an, Luoyang, and even Yangzhou to divide the Western Turkic forces, find the 5,000 Arab cavalry, destroy them, and drive the Arab tentacles out of Western Turks."

Li Xuan looked solemn. The appearance of the Arab cavalry had brought about tremendous changes in the situation in the entire Western Regions.

The entire Silk Road was greatly affected.

As a result, now, the better Western Regions Hu merchants can go to Western Tuyuhun, while those with less luck can only go to Tubo, which gives Li Xuan a great advantage.

"I believe Uncle Wang can do this." Li Xian nodded with satisfaction. Although there are many generals in the court, only Li Xuan has this ability and can make him feel at ease. Pei Yan glanced at Li Xian and his eyes fell on Li Xuan again.

If Li Xuan had not led the army all the way westward, Pei Yan would probably have been extremely fearful.

"Western Turkic main force and the Arab cavalry main force will only be understood after a thorough battle."

Li Xuan sighed softly, then raised his head and said, "Everything else is easy to say, the key is the crossbows and arrows and the long spears, which require strong support from the court... Oh, and food and fodder."

"Isn't last year's harvest in Fanzhou enough for Uncle Wang to use?" Li Xian's face was suddenly filled with helplessness.

Fighting a large army is never an easy task, and the wealth consumed is as fierce as the flow of a river.

Food, military equipment, soldiers, men, and transportation losses required an absolutely huge amount of preparation due to the manipulation of officials in the middle.

"If you give me another three to five years, perhaps things will be easier, but charging into the Western Regions now is not something a Fanzhou can afford." Li Xuan looked helpless.

Li Xian turned sideways and looked at Pei Yan helplessly.

Pei Yan cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, the court is indeed in a difficult situation. In addition to asking the prince to think of more solutions on the front line, the court's land inventory must continue."

The inventory of land can bring a large amount of taxes to the court, enough to support the war on the front line.

"Also, the prince is going to start a war in the Western Regions. Does he need any talents?" Pei Yan paused for a moment and said, "I heard that the prince has been hoping to dispatch the former subordinates of the deposed crown prince to help Persia restore its country last year?"

"Is this true?" Li Xuan's eyes were full of surprise. Even Li Zhi didn't dare to agree to such a thing, but Pei Yan did.

Pei Yan nodded calmly, then pulled out a book from his sleeve and handed it to Li Xian's desk, then said calmly: "I have a list here, many of them are officials such as the Sheren, Bachelor, Canjun, Shuling, and Zhubu in the East Palace, all of whom volunteered to be transferred to the Western Regions."

There are many officials under the Eastern Palace. In addition to the Prince's Chancellor, the Junior Chancellor, the Prince's Household Director, the Prince's Servant, the Prince's Guard Commander, the Groom and the Central Sheren, there are also many Sheren, scholars of the Chongwen Academy, military officers of various departments, and subordinates of the Sijing Bureau, the Dianshan Bureau, the Pharmacy Bureau, the Neizhi Bureau, the Dianshe Bureau, and the Palace Gate Bureau.

These people, back then, were all outstanding young men selected from aristocratic families.

After all, Li Xian was so outstanding at that time that many aristocratic families invested sufficient capital in him.

They originally thought that as long as Li Xian ascended the throne, he would be able to reward them generously, but unfortunately, they were too anxious and wanted Li Xian to take the throne, so they came into conflict with Empress Wu too early.

In the end, not only was Li Xian deposed, but the future of these children from aristocratic families was also ruined.

Although the late emperor did not kill them, he completely froze their official careers.

If they want to make progress, they must fight as ordered.

Fighting for Li Xian on orders.

This was a deal, the aristocratic families cooperated with the court in conducting land inventory, and the court gave them an opportunity to make further progress in their official careers.

This is a deal between Pei Yan and the aristocratic family, but it is good for Li Xian.

……

"I have no objection. As long as they know clearly that once they go to the battlefield, they will not have any special treatment and may never return to Kyoto, and they are still willing to go, I will take them with me." Li Xuan looked at Li Xian seriously.

"Uncle Wang's words make sense." Li Xian turned and looked at Pei Yan.

Pei Yan nodded and said, "They all have that awareness."

"That's good." Li Xuan breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Li Xian and said, "I may be able to get the eastern coast of the Khazar Sea. When the time comes, I will use these people to help Persia restore its country, then infiltrate Persia, relocate the Western Turks, completely control Persia, and make it a barrier between the Tang Dynasty and the Arabs."

Li Xian nodded slightly, then sighed and said, "It's a pity that the Arabs are too far away. Otherwise, I really want to destroy the Arabs."

Li Xuan gave a helpless smile. The Arab Empire was tens of thousands of miles away from Chang'an. Its military equipment supply and environmental adaptation had already exceeded the limit that the Tang Dynasty, no, the entire era could bear.

It would be fine if the two sides fought in the Western Regions, but whoever wanted to go further would only end up dead.

"Your Majesty, I have something else to ask." Li Xuan cupped his hands and said, "The son of the Duke of Pengcheng wants to follow me to the Western Regions and serve his father. He asked me to beg Your Majesty."

Li Xian turned and looked at Pei Yan.

Pei Yan sighed and said, "It is bitterly cold in the Western Regions, and the Duke of Pengcheng is quite old. Even if he can come back this time, his body will be broken, and there is a high possibility that he will not be able to return to the Tang Dynasty alive. I think you should agree."

"Okay." Li Xian nodded, looked at Li Xuan and said, "Uncle Wang, when you get to the Western Regions, how do you plan to get along with the Duke of Pengcheng?"

"The late emperor once issued an order that Luoshui Road is Luoshui Road and the four Anxi towns are the four Anxi towns. They are not subordinate to each other and fight on their own." After a brief pause, Li Xuan bowed and looked at Li Xian and said, "That being said, after I arrive in the Western Regions, I am still prepared to hand over the logistics to the Duke of Pengcheng. After all, he is the prime minister, and I can just fight on the front line."

Liu Shenli guarded Li Xuan's retreat, while Li Xuan fought deep into the west, which was good for the battle situation and also made the court feel at ease.

Li Xian smiled and nodded, saying, "Let's do this. If the Duke of Pengcheng is disturbed in the future, Uncle Wang will command the entire Western Region army, including Anxi... In addition, bring a few imperial edicts. I have just ascended the throne, so I will give some rewards to the generals on the front line."

"I obey your order." Li Xuan breathed a sigh of relief, a smile on his face.

Li Xian smiled, stood up, turned sideways and looked at Pei Yan, and said: "Mr. Pei, my uncle and I have something to discuss privately. Mr. Pei and the others should stay in the palace."

"Yes!" Pei Yan bowed in surprise.

Li Xian glanced at the attendants and the left and right historians behind the curtains around him, then walked down from the throne and walked directly out of the Qianyang Palace.

……

On the wide corridor, Li Xian waved away the guards around him, while Pei Yan and many servants in the palace stood far away.

Li Xian leaned on the railing, looking at the entire Qianyuan Hall Square, turned sideways to look at Li Xuan, and said, "My mother just sent someone to tell me that after I finish talking to my uncle, please go to Huiyou Hall. My mother has something to say to him."

Li Xuan's expression changed immediately.

(End of this chapter)