Thief Emperor

Chapter 1035 Blind Date
Su Sheng comes from a military family and had already secured his position as the top leader in the Jiangdong army back then. After the founding of the country, he first served as the Deputy Privy Councilor and then as the Privy Councilor. Putting aside everything else, his judgment on the direction of military affairs is still quite accurate.

His suggestions weren't too problematic.

The remnants of the Wei clan in the Shuofang area, along with the six barbarian tribes they colluded with, were unlikely to pose any significant threat in the short term. The reason they were emerging at this time was at most to take advantage of the chaos between the Tang Dynasty and the Khitans to plunder the northwest region.

It would be good if they could occupy the Hetao region. If they couldn't, they would just loot and then go back. There's no need to rush in dealing with this kind of enemy. There are more than 20,000 troops stationed in Chang'an. If we temporarily recruit some new soldiers, they can arrive in Lingzhou in half a month.

Recruiting soldiers in Guanzhong is quite easy.

Because the people of Guanzhong remember kindness very well, especially the kindness of Emperor Li.

Back then, during the late Wu Zhou period, the political situation in Chang'an was turbulent, with emperors coming and going. The Guanzhong region changed hands several times within a few years, and even fell into the hands of a ruthless figure like Liang Wen, causing immense suffering to the people of Guanzhong.

After the Battle of Guanzhong, Emperor Li personally went to Chang'an and inspected Guanzhong with Du Qian. Because the situation in Guanzhong was so bad, even though the economic situation of the new dynasty was not very good at the time, Li Yun still reduced the taxes in Guanzhong for three whole years and did not collect a single coin or a single grain of food from the people of Guanzhong.

For three years, the salaries of Guanzhong officials and the expenses of their government offices were all drawn from the imperial court, and some of it was even drawn from Li Yun's private treasury.

Moreover, under Li Yun's instructions, a large amount of grain seeds were transferred from Henan Province and distributed free of charge to the people of Guanzhong to help them resume production as soon as possible. As a result, Guanzhong was able to basically restore its previous agricultural production within three years.

By now, all sectors in Guanzhong have recovered to about 70-80% of their previous levels, and the population of Chang'an has recovered to half of what it was when it was the capital of the old Zhou Dynasty. However, the population still needs to recover gradually and cannot be rushed.

It is precisely for these reasons that the people of Guanzhong deeply appreciate Emperor Li's kindness. Every year on the Emperor's birthday, Guanzhong is undoubtedly the most lively place to celebrate among all the prefectures, counties, and districts in the country.

Compared to officials, gentry, and landlords, Emperor Li was clearly more popular with the common people.

Even if the population of Guanzhong still needs to recover, as long as the imperial court issues a conscription order, the people of Guanzhong will definitely respond enthusiastically.

When Chen Da quelled the rebellion in Guanzhong, the people of Guanzhong were just like that, very supportive of the court's every move.

Emperor Li was silent for a moment, then looked at Chen Da and said, "You have been in Guanzhong for many years, tell me about it."

Chen Da had hesitated several times before finally stepping forward. He bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, even without this turmoil, I was prepared to speak to Your Majesty and the court."

"I was appointed General of Chang'an and have been in Chang'an and Guanzhong for six years. During those six years, in northern Guanzhong, we could only reach the four prefectures of Yan, Qing, Yuan, and Hui. Beyond these four prefectures, it would be very difficult for the court to extend its administration. In other words..."

He looked at Li Yun and said in a deep voice, "The court has indeed taken back Guanzhong south of Xiaoguan Pass, but there is still a considerable gap between it and the Guannei Circuit during the Wu Zhou period. I have seen a map of the Guannei Circuit. Most of the Guanzhong area now is the Jingji Circuit during the Wu Zhou period."

"During the Wu Zhou period, most of the Guannei Circuit was not under actual control."

He looked at Li Yun and continued, "At this time, if Your Majesty were to wage war against Shuofang, I would like to request permission to take back the entire Guannei Circuit on behalf of the court."

Emperor Li glanced back at the map behind him, pondered for a moment, and then asked, "How many men do you need?"

Chen Da immediately bowed his head and said, "I am currently in charge of the Divine Martial Left and Right Guards of the Imperial Guards. I request that these two guards be taken on the expedition and then combined with the Chang'an Army in Chang'an. Together, we will have approximately 30,000 soldiers."

"Thirty thousand soldiers are enough."

Chen Da looked up at Li Yun and said solemnly, "I will not return to see Your Majesty until the Guannei Circuit is recovered."

The Imperial Guards are now divided into twelve guards, each with approximately five to six thousand men, all working together to protect Luoyang.

Adding the troops from the military command in Luoyang and other miscellaneous forces, the number of soldiers near Luoyang was roughly over 100,000.

The number of people is not large, but they are all elites accumulated over many years.

Upon hearing this, Li Yun looked at Chen Da.

"One Guannei Road alone is not enough; we'll deal with Guannei Road after that."

Emperor Li looked at Chen Da and slowly said, "I also want the Longyou Road."

Upon hearing this, the three generals' expressions changed slightly.

Guannei Circuit is located directly north of Guanzhong. Although the area is not small, it is about the size of Jiangnan Circuit.

However, the Longyou Road was too vast…

If we trace the Longyou Road back to its origins, it can extend all the way west to the Anxi Protectorate during the height of the Zhou Dynasty. In terms of area alone, it already occupies most of the territory currently held by Emperor Li.

Such a vast territory could only be governed by tributary systems or by sending envoys to manage the Western Regions, even when the country was powerful throughout history.

Very few are actually directly administered and garrisoned by troops.

Seeing the hesitation on Chen Da's face, Emperor Li calmly said, "If you feel that you are not up to the task, I will consider other candidates."

Chen Da was the emperor's most trusted subordinate. Since the emperor had already said such a thing, he wouldn't even blink if the emperor asked him to die. This Shenwu Guard general knelt on the ground and bowed his head deeply, saying, "Your subject is willing to accept the order!"

Emperor Li looked at him and nodded silently: "Very well, it's settled then. You will lead the Divine Martial Guard and join forces with the garrison in Chang'an to launch the expedition. You will be the commander-in-chief, and General He Jun of Chang'an will be the deputy commander."

As he spoke, Li Yun looked at Li Hu, the Minister of War, and said, "The Ministry of War should discuss a plan with Chen Da within three days." He then looked at Chen Da and said, "The Divine Martial Guard should also be prepared to ensure that it can take action at any time after three days."

Both of them bowed their heads in agreement, then exchanged a glance and tacitly withdrew from Ganlu Hall, leaving General Su behind.

Su Sheng remained in the Ganlu Hall, glanced at the emperor, then at the Tibetan area on the map, and said, "Does Your Majesty still have designs on Tibet?"

"Ah."

Li Yun also stood up, looked at the map of Tibet, thought about it carefully, and suddenly his eyes flashed.

“Brother, an idea has suddenly popped into my head.”

Su Sheng turned to look at Li Yun.

They've known each other for almost twenty years, and he's come to understand Li Yun quite well.

His Majesty the Emperor often had some ingenious ideas, especially on the battlefield, where he often came up with brilliant strategies when facing powerful enemies.

Su Sheng bowed slightly and said, "Your Majesty, please speak."

Li Yun's gaze fell on the map, and then he murmured, "The Tibetans want to make peace with us through marriage, and they want to marry my princess."

He glanced at Su Sheng and said softly, "Right now, I only have one daughter who is suitable for marriage."

"And there are no sisters."

In Li Yun's family, there is only his eldest daughter, Li Shu, who has reached marriageable age. Several months ago, Su Sheng had already petitioned to bestow a marriage upon this eldest princess to the Su family.

We're getting married at the end of the year.

Upon hearing Li Yun's words, Su Sheng knew in his heart that His Majesty the Emperor was trying to sow discord between him and others.

Actually, this problem is easy to solve. Although Emperor Li himself does not have a suitable daughter, the Prince of Chu's mansion has a younger princess who has not yet married. She can be adopted into the royal family and be betrothed as a princess.

However, since the emperor had said so, Su Sheng could not say anything else. He immediately lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty, I also think that the Tibetans should be taught a lesson!"

Emperor Li looked up at Su Sheng and said with a smile, "Gu Chang, go quickly and invite the Prince of Yue into the palace. Once he's inside, have him come to the Ganlu Hall immediately."

The eunuch Gu Chang nodded in agreement and ran off to fetch the King of Yue.

As Li Yun's second son and the first prince to leave the palace to be granted a title and establish his own residence, the location of the Yue Prince's residence was naturally not too far from the palace. In just half an hour, the Yue Prince, dressed in a casual robe, hurriedly arrived at the Ganlu Hall. Upon seeing Li Yun, he immediately knelt down, kowtowed, and addressed him as "Father Emperor."

After being allowed to stand up, he stood up and bowed to Su Sheng, saying, "Uncle."

Su Sheng quickly clasped his hands in return, saying, "Your Highness is too kind."

Emperor Li had been discussing with Su Sheng for a long time, and they had already reached a general agreement. He looked at his tall second son, who resembled him, and said with a smile, "Zheng'er, I have a task for you to do."

Li Zheng immediately bowed his head deeply: "Father's orders."

"The Tibetans want to ask our dynasty for a marriage alliance. Your older sister is already betrothed, and all your younger sisters are underage. Moreover, our dynasty has already established a rule against marriage alliances."

"This matter cannot be discussed, but not agreeing to a marriage alliance does not mean that marriage is not possible."

"Go to Jiannan Road and go on a blind date."

"To meet the Tibetan princess."

His Majesty the Emperor's gaze remained fixed on the map.

His Highness the Prince of Yue stood behind his father, also looking up at the map. He blinked and said with a smile, "Father, you didn't send me all this way just for a blind date, did you?"

"General of Chengdu, we will fully cooperate with you."

Emperor Li placed his hand on the map and slowly said, "This blind date is not important. What's important is finding a way to take over this place."

Following Li Yun's hand, His Highness the King of Yue saw a remote but seemingly complex prefecture.

The name of this state is not a common character.

Moreover, judging from its location, this prefecture should have been lost to the Tibetans for quite some time.

The King of Yue stepped forward and finally saw the name of the state clearly before murmuring it aloud.

"Jinchuan Prefecture".

(End of this chapter)