The Great Tang General

A grand event, from morning till night.

During this period, foreign kings and envoys visited each other and talked with the officials of the Tang Dynasty.

They are all proud to speak Chinese.

If you can speak the official language like Zhongyuan Yayin, you will be even more proud of it.

This even caused the kings who did not understand Chinese to feel anxious during communication and they vowed to study hard in the future.

In the hope that the next time I pay homage, I will be able to communicate fluently with the Khan and the officials of the Tang Dynasty.

In their view, Chinese is inherently great, with clear and melodious pronunciation and each word has its own meaning. It is the language chosen by God, just like the Tao.

Most of the countries in the Western Regions and Transoxiana are promoting Chinese characters.

Now even the Tang Dynasty numerals, Tang Dynasty pinyin, and Chinese calendar will be introduced, along with Confucian culture.

The Tang Dynasty had prepared books well, so it could export culture effortlessly.

The Hu people were bold and unrestrained, and their chieftains constantly volunteered to perform dances and offer music to the Tian Khan.

Li Xuan allowed them to do so and clapped his hands when it was over.

At the banquet, the most depressed person was Li Longji.

He thought he would attract attention, but he didn't expect that these foreign kings and chiefs basically didn't pay attention to him.

Some of the envoys had met him before.

What’s even more infuriating is that all the civil and military officials turned a blind eye to him.

It's true that when people leave, the tea gets cold.

Only Li Shizhi accompanied him to drink a few glasses of wine, and Li Xuan toasted him out of courtesy.

He had to admit that his time was over.

Now is the era of Li Qillang.

Under the leadership of Li Qilang, the Tang Dynasty eliminated its ills and prospered.

He looked in the mirror and saw his head full of silver hair.

Then he looked at Li Xuan's young face that he longed for.

When he first ascended the throne, he was only a few years older than Li Xuan is now.

Will Li Xuan make the same wrong decision as him?

Li Longji looked at the foreign kings singing and dancing in the Hua'e Xianghui Tower. Seeing the splendor in the hall, he could already imagine the grand scene of "All under heaven belongs to the king, and all the people in the world are the king's subjects."

Just as Li Xuan once said boldly, "Wherever the sun and moon shine, and wherever the rivers flow, all is Tang territory."

In any case, in terms of military and diplomacy, Li Xuan truly brought the Tang Dynasty to its peak.

It is also the peak of the Chinese Empire that Li Xuan has always promoted.

"Shizhi, you gave birth to a good son..."

Li Longji raised the wine glass again and walked in front of Li Shizhi.

In the huge Hua'e Xianghui Tower, only Li Shi could drink with him.

"Emperor Shun was wise and abdicated to Dayu, the flood control ruler. This was a great deed."

Li Shizhi was also surprised that Li Longji would take the initiative to find him and say these words.

He was very optimistic and simply praised Li Longji's abdication to Li Xuan as the wisest decision.

As long as Li Longji spends his old age peacefully and honestly, everyone will be happy.

A genius like Qilang is hard to come by in a thousand years.

His appearance is a blessing to the country and the people.

"I am not as good as Li Qilang."

Li Longji drank a glass of wine by himself.

It sounds like self-mockery, but also like the truth.

Li Xuan’s policies can be seen from the Tang Monthly Report.

With iron-fisted determination, he carried out in-depth reforms in the Tang Dynasty.

The so-called powerful people were purged once again.

He was also enlightened. He didn't know that there were so many households hidden under his prosperous era.

Li Xuan's use of the Jinyiwei also surprised him. He was almost Li Xuan's eyes and ears in the local area.

The Secretariat has even greater authority than the former Ministry of Internal Affairs.

There is no need to worry about eunuchs interfering in politics, and one can also cultivate direct descendants loyal to the emperor.

Those eighteen scholars were known as “the Emperor’s disciples.”

To the extent that the "Nine Temples and Five Prisons" that originally included the imperial power became insignificant compared to the Secretariat and the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Moreover, there is a tendency for the Nine Temples and Five Prisons to be sidelined by the Tian Ce Palace and the Shangshu Province.

Li Xuan obviously wanted to use the Tian Ce Palace, the Secretariat, and the Jinyiwei as the new imperial power.

At the same time, the power of the Secretariat was further strengthened and overlapping departments were eliminated.

"Sanlang, you don't have to do that. Before you took the throne, all kinds of bad things happened in the court, and there was turmoil for decades. At that time, everyone thought that the dynasty had reached its end. But you changed the era name to Kaiyuan, worked hard to govern the country, and from the rise of poetry to the prosperity of peace, you set a precedent in ancient and modern times."

Li Shizhi comforted Li Longji.

Deep down in his heart, he felt guilty towards Li Longji.

Because Li Longji treated them father and son well, he also let Li Chengqian and Li Xiang's tombs be buried in Zhaoling.

Despite An Lushan's rebellion, the situation was now very good, with all nations coming to pay tribute, which made Li Shizhi affirm Li Longji's achievements.

If it weren't for Li Longji, the Tang Dynasty would have continued to decline until it fell into the abyss.

After all, the world was in chaos from the time when Wu Zetian came to power to the time when Wei was in power.

The turmoil in the imperial court resulted in the powerful and wealthy becoming unscrupulous in their land annexation.

"Now, only you, Shizhi, can evaluate me like this. You are the great-grandson of Emperor Taizong, and so am I. We are from the same generation."

Li Longji's resentment is now gradually decreasing.

Apart from not giving him freedom, Li Xuan did not make things difficult for him.

The reduction of welfare benefits for members of the royal family does not just affect their children.

Li Xuan's children, Li Xuan's brothers and sisters, and Li Xuan's cousins ​​were also cut.

The beauty of a gentleman will be cut down in five lifetimes.

The grace of the royal family lasted for five generations.

This is an objective law. We cannot expect the royal family to support a branch for a lifetime.

In another hundred years, the number of royal family members in the Tang Dynasty might reach hundreds of thousands.

"Yes! We are a family. The country has only been ruled by the Li family for more than a hundred years. I hope Sanlang takes care of his health and sees the Tang Dynasty become more prosperous."

After Li Shizhi finished speaking to Li Longji, he raised his glass.

Li Longji hesitated for a moment, then clinked glasses with Li Shi and drank it all.

The civil and military officials below couldn't help but feel curious when they saw the two retired emperors being so close.

They were more concerned about the situation of the two retired emperors than the foreign countries.

All civil and military officials knew that Li Longji had assassinated Li Xuan.

Now Li Xuan can still tolerate Li Longji attending banquets and showing up in public.

It really shows Li Xuan's unique mind.

Even Emperor Taizong sometimes killed people because of his joy or anger, but the officials felt that it would be difficult for Li Xuan to lose his moral character.

Therefore, everyone can express their own opinions in the court without worrying about angering the emperor with harsh words.

Li Xuan invited foreign kings and envoys to the stage one after another, and had conversations with him, and would at least drink a glass of wine with him.

Even envoys from small Southeast Asian countries, India and other countries were no exception.

They were deeply touched to receive such an honor.

Some even expressed their support for establishing trade ties with the Tang Dynasty to jointly promote prosperity.

People's aesthetic tastes vary. Who doesn't like the Shu brocade, crimson embroidery, colorful satin and Wu silk sold in the East Market?
In their opinion, wearing such silk is definitely more noble than wearing gold.

Even the celadon and white porcelain of the Tang Dynasty are more beautiful than gold and silver.

When you are dying, you can also buy a "Tang Sancai" to guard your tomb.

After summoning the Persian prince, Li Xuan made an exception and invited Afef, the leader of the Persian literary world who had accompanied the Persian prince to the Tang Dynasty to pay a visit.

When Li Xuan was in Persia, he had many interactions with Afef.

This person was originally a good friend of the Governor of Khorasan, and was later impressed by Li Xuan's greatness.

"I remember when I met you in Mulu City, you were eager to come to the Tang Dynasty. Now your wish has come true. What do you think of the Tang Dynasty?"

After Afif paid his respects to Li Xuan, Li Xuan asked him.

"Thank you again, Khan, for inviting me here. The Tang Dynasty is the overlord of the world, and Chang'an is worthy of being the center of the world. I never thought that after crossing the green collar and leaving the desert, there would be a country like heaven."

Today, Afif can speak fluent Chinese.

Persia also had a profound civilization.

In the past, Persia had been shackled by the Arabs and had forgotten its own beliefs.

It is a pity that he, like the governor of Khorasan, argued for the Arabs.

It is a pity that the Governor of Khorasan, a Persian leader, eventually died for the Arabs.

"Your Excellency is overpraising me. The Tang Dynasty is still far from reaching a peaceful and harmonious state. I am just following the footsteps of the sages and moving forward with difficulty."

Li Xuan replied with a smile.

"From what I have seen, Chang'an is already the most beautiful. Is there anything more civilized than Chang'an today?"

Afif was puzzled.

The world he imagined is what Chang'an looks like now. Li Xuan once wrote in Chinese characters in the newly established library in Persia: "The sea embraces all rivers, and tolerance makes it great; the wall stands thousands of feet high, and the lack of desire makes it strong."

After learning the meaning of this sentence, Afif prostrated himself to Li Xuan.

"You can't generalize. Our Chinese nation has grown from a tribal state to today over thousands of years. There have been countless improvements along the way. For a king, if he does nothing for decades and the country has not changed at all, he is not worthy of being the master of the country."

Li Xuan knew that Afif was limited by his vision.

In fact, this mentality has always existed among the Han scholar-official class.

Before Li Xuan established the national policy, even a group of prime ministers believed that the pinnacle of civil governance was the pinnacle of farming.

The fact that craftsmen have been humble for generations has curbed countless brilliant ideas.

In order to make money, those businessmen will also come up with many inventions.

"The Khan is worthy of being the common ruler of the world. A humble scholar like me will never reach your level."

In his heart, Afif admired Li Xuan even more.

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

He thought of his king and groaned in his heart.

The old king suddenly gained power, just like winning the lottery. He only knew how to enjoy himself and had no intention of working hard to govern the country.

The prince did not receive a good education since childhood, could not bear the weight of power, and was addicted to sensual pleasures.

They persuaded for a long time during this trek.

If it were not for the support of the giant Tang Dynasty and the prestige of the Heavenly Khan in the Western Regions, the Persian Empire would have been swallowed up by Abu Jalfar Abbas without leaving anything behind.

The lives of the Persian people were not much better than under the rule of the Arabs.

Look at the people of the Tang Dynasty. As long as they have hands and feet and are willing to endure hardships, they will have no worries about food and clothing.

Afif had a deep understanding of the Khan's policy of eliminating lowly people and promoting good people.

The serfdom problem in Persia was even more serious than that in the Tang Dynasty.

Only if Persia can eliminate the lowly and turn them into good people can it be considered to have a new life.

"Nothing is difficult if one sets his mind to it. I believe Persia will get better and better."

Li Xuan encouraged Afif again and changed the subject, "The Tang Dynasty is preparing to build a Palace of Wisdom. When you return to your country, you can ask the talents of translation agencies and libraries to study in the Tang Dynasty. Together we can study culture, art, science and technology."

Although the Persian Kingdom did not have direct Tang Dynasty troops stationed there, Li Xuan had planted many traps.

For example, the family of Khalid ibn Barmak.

Li Xuan took advantage of the blackmail on Abu Zilfar Abbas to redeem Abu Zilfar Abbas's family and obtained the loyalty of Khalid ibn Barmak.

Now Khalid ibn Barmak was trusted by the old king Pushan.

In addition, Li Xuan recruited many Persian literati in Mulu City, established translation agencies and libraries, and recruited talents.

These talents can be introduced into the Palace of Wisdom of the Tang Dynasty.

In addition, the Persian Empire also had to donate the rich resources such as gold and silver in the Khorasan region to the Tang Dynasty.

The Tang Dynasty could make a lot of money from trade with Persia.

It is impossible for Li Xuan to help Persia without restraint and form a big country spanning Asia, Africa and Europe. That would undoubtedly be a disaster.

"May I ask, Khan, what is the Palace of Wisdom?"

Afif asked Li Xuan curiously.

"The Palace of Wisdom is an institution composed of scholars who are proficient in astronomy, geography, humanities, history, philosophy, mathematics, etc. Books from all over the world can be translated here. Scholars from all over the world learn and progress together. Let the flower of civilization bloom here, dazzling and brilliant."

Li Xuan made a long story short and roughly explained to Afif what the Palace of Wisdom was.

He established the Palace of Wisdom in Tianzhong Luoyang and selected some talents from the Tang Dynasty.

Although Chang'an was the western capital, the core of the Tang Dynasty was still east of Mount Xiao.

If all resources are tilted towards Chang'an, sooner or later it will become top-heavy and even cause Chang'an to collapse.

In Luoyang, with the Grand Canal from north to south, it is easier to mobilize resources than in Chang'an.

All research results of the Palace of Wisdom are implemented in the core area of ​​​​the Tang Dynasty.

Even those foreign envoys took their research results back to their own countries.

It is also difficult for a clever woman to cook without rice.

"If you want this holy place, when I return to Mulu City, I will immediately bring scholars from all over Persia to the Palace of Wisdom."

Afif said immediately after he learned the purpose of the Palace of Wisdom.

He didn't consider other factors.

Even though he knew that the Palace of Wisdom would make the Tang Dynasty stronger and more influential, he would still lead the country's talents here without hesitation.

Some people need a platform for exploration.

"Good! Only by staying close to civilization can the relationship between Persia and Tang Dynasty last forever. Cheers to exploring together in the Palace of Wisdom!"

Li Xuan raised his glass to Afif.

Afif immediately picked up the wine glass with both hands and drank it all with Li Xuan.

Scholars from Persia alone are not enough. Once trade is established and the reputation of the Palace of Wisdom is made known, Li Xuan will also win over scholars from India, the Arabs, Rome, and even the Franks.

Let the world believe that truth will be born in the House of Wisdom.

With everyone enjoying the feast to their hearty delight, the grand gathering of hundreds of nations came to an end at sunset.

Some foreign envoys were too drunk to salute Li Xuan.

Li Xuan didn't care and ordered the imperial guards to send them back to the embassy.

He drank quite a bit of wine and was a little tipsy.

This was the first time he had experienced such a situation in all these years, so he went back to his bedroom to rest.

The next day, the Tang Dynasty began to discuss the details of trade with various countries.

Under the Tang Dynasty's combination of kindness and power, no country would refuse.

Even very small countries and tribes promised to send at least one caravan to the Tang Dynasty every year to bring local specialties to the Tang Dynasty.

They also allowed Tang Dynasty caravans to enter their country to trade, and they were obliged to protect the safety of Tang Dynasty merchants.

Connecting the dots is only the first step of the Silk Road at this stage.

After the grand gathering of hundreds of nations, envoys from some countries began to return.

For example, Prince Feng Jiayi of Yunnan was in a hurry to go back and report the holy order of Heavenly Khan to Geluo Fengbao.

Not long after, Geluofeng would come to Chang'an to pay homage to Tian Khan.

Some kings of the Western Regions also applied to Li Xuan to stay in the Tang Dynasty for a period of time.

After seeing the prosperity of Chang'an, they were reluctant to leave.

There are also people like Prince Yehu who were forced to stay in Chang'an.

Prince Yehu only asked a part of the delegation to return to Chanyu City to report to Moyanchuo and explain the reason why the Khan wanted to keep him tomorrow.

Prince Yehu also wrote a letter to Moyanchuo, persuading him to forget the previous unpleasantness and be wholeheartedly friendly with the Tang Dynasty.

Moreover, Prince Yehu raised Moyanchu's blood pressure and described the magnificent scene of the grand gathering of hundreds of countries and the wisdom and bravery of the Heavenly Khan.

Even the saint Li Longji had to sit aside obediently.

……

March 15th.

The Roman ambassador Apogas ended his nearly two-year mission and set off today to return to Rome.

When leaving Chang'an, Abogas brought back some crop seeds, regardless of whether they were suitable for planting.

He also wrote down what he saw and heard on paper and took it back to Rome.

On this day, Li Xuan appeared in Zhuque Street riding a Ferghana horse with great fanfare, with the Yulin Army's guard of honor leading the way.

There were also civil and military officials following behind.

This was not to send off the Roman delegation, but to send off the Tang Dynasty delegation together with the Roman delegation.

Led by Cui Hanheng, one of the 18 scholars of the Secretariat, the Tang Dynasty officially went on a diplomatic mission to Rome.

Traveling from the north of the Caspian Sea is difficult and arduous.

Not only did he have to record the terrain of the mountains and rivers along the way, but he also had to check whether there were any crop seeds. He also had to bring back some Roman books for translation, and discuss with Constantine V the date for the attack on the Arab Empire.

This journey is no easier than Xuanzang's journey to the West.

If successful, Cui Hanheng and the delegation would be the first wave of Chinese to arrive in Europe.

Li Xuan had personally written an imperial edict to Du Huan in the Anxi Protectorate, ordering him to be the deputy ambassador and meet Cui Hanheng in Qiuci City to go on a joint mission to the Roman Empire.

"What's going on today? Why is the Supreme coming to Suzaku Street in person?"

"There are also Yulinlang ceremonial guards. Is there something to celebrate?"

"You are too out of date. There was a notice the day before yesterday that the Supreme Master would personally escort Cui Hanheng ten miles out of Mingde Gate."

"Who is Cui Hanheng?"

"He is one of the eighteen scholars of the current Secretariat, and he is the ambassador to Rome. It is said that he will do the same thing as Zhang Qian. Rome is far away, and it will take three years to get there. If there is a disaster such as heavy rain, it will take even longer."

"Incredible! Cui Hanheng will definitely overcome all difficulties and return to the Tang Dynasty."

The people along the way were talking about it, and when they heard that Cui Hanheng was going to be an envoy to Rome, the farthest country in the world, they were all in awe.

Now that the people know the importance of diplomacy, they can bring more edible fruits, vegetables and grains to the Tang Dynasty.

For a time, people thought that Cui Hanheng would become a hero like Zhang Qian, and they cheered for him.

Cui Hanheng was riding on his horse and his faith became even stronger when he saw the people cheering.

He will surely succeed in his mission and complete the Supreme's instructions.

During this trip to Rome, in addition to the more than 20 civil servants, Li Xuan also selected 200 brave warriors from the Tian Ce Guard and Shen Ce Guard who were good at riding and shooting to accompany the delegation to protect their safety.

The Tang Dynasty envoys had more than 500 fine horses in total. In addition to carrying items, they also had a large amount of gold and silver to buy supplies along the way...

(End of this chapter)