Thief Emperor

Chapter 943: The Ultimate Minister
Throughout the dynasties, the new dynasties would generally not show mercy to these warlords of the old era.

Either incorporate or weaken.

Some of the more ruthless ones simply use various means to deal with these old forces, either by killing someone with a borrowed knife or by direct violence.

In comparison, Li Yun had already given the Hedong Army a chance. After all, the Hedong Army surrendered too late and had had several conflicts with Li before.

Giving them a chance to perform on the battlefield can be considered merciful simply from the perspective of the emperor's profession.

At this time, Xue Song had also finished reading the documents sent by the Nine Departments. Master Xue could not help but sigh: "This General Li Hao is really brave. He kept fighting even after being stabbed several times. He led the Hedong Army and blocked the Shuofang Army's breakout."

After sighing like this, he looked at Li Yun and asked, "Your Majesty, will the Shuofang Army be defeated soon?"

At this moment, Li Yun was also thinking about Li Hao's matter.

Although he and Li Hao had only met not long ago, they had been in contact for a long time. Before that, in his impression, Li Hao was a somewhat cunning general.

But now, he unexpectedly showed his strong side.

All I can say is that people are very complex and cannot be defined by one or two labels.

After hearing Master Xue's question, Li Yun came back to his senses. He looked at Xue Song and shook his head, saying, "It's not that easy. The current situation only ensures that the main force of the Shuofang Army will find it difficult to escape. But if they try to break out and a small group of troops go deep into the mountains, it will be difficult to find them."

At this point, Emperor Li smiled and said, "That is to say, the Wei father and son may not be able to catch it, but the big fish of the Shuofang Army has been caught."

Du Qian stood aside and also laughed: "The Shuofang Army has lost all its foundation now, but the Shuofang Army's soldiers are not dead. When they are really at their wits' end, they will most likely not let the Wei father and son escape. Some people will catch them and come to Your Majesty to claim the reward."

Du Xianggong looked at Li Yun and said seriously, "I think it won't be long before Your Majesty can meet the Wei father and son."

Hearing this, Li Yun touched his chin and said with a smile: "I have never met them. When I meet them, I will definitely get close to them."

Du Qian took a deep breath, looked at Li Yun, and bowed his head slightly and said, "Your Majesty, if you capture the Wei father and son, can you let me take care of them?"

He looked up at Li Yun with an earnest look.

Du Qian's father, Du Ting, the Minister of State, died at the hands of Wei Quanzhong.

Li Yun certainly still remembered this old grudge, and also remembered what he had promised Du Qian. He patted Du Qian on the shoulder and said, "Back then, I said that I would help Brother Shouyi avenge his family. I brought Brother Shouyi from Luoyang to Chang'an for this matter."

"After the Wei family arrives in Chang'an, they can all be handed over to Brother Shouyi for handling."

Du Qian's eyes immediately turned red when he heard this, and he bowed deeply to Li Yun: "Your Majesty, thank you for your kindness!"

Li Yun supported him and shook his head, saying, "We brothers started a business together. In the past ten years, Brother Shouyi has been working diligently and has made the greatest contribution. We cannot thank you enough."

Du Qian took a deep breath and calmed down, then looked up at Li Yun and said, "Your Majesty, no matter what the occasion, you must never mention the word 'partnering' again."

"Your Majesty is a saint sent from heaven to save the people from disaster. Now that the world is settled and the status is determined, you can no longer speak nonsense."

He said solemnly: "In the future, when the history books record my trip to Yuezhou, they will only record that I saw Your Majesty's bravery and had great ambitions, so I surrendered to Your Majesty."

Li Yun burst into laughter when he heard this.

Back then, when Du Qian first arrived in Yuezhou, he was appointed Governor of Yuezhou, and Li Yun was still Sima of Yuezhou. Theoretically, he was Du Qian's subordinate.

The relationship between the two people at that time was quite delicate. Du Qian and he had more of a cooperative relationship, and there was absolutely no possibility of him simply bowing down to him.

However, it is very likely that this will be written in future history books, and Du Qian himself will definitely not deny this.

The two chatted for a while, and Li Yun looked at Master Xue. After coughing, he said, "Father-in-law, as the governor of Guanzhong, you must do your best to restore Guanzhong, especially Chang'an City, for the court."

"When you restore Chang'an, remember to repair the Du family's ancestral home in Anrenfang first."

Emperor Li smiled and said, "When the time comes, I will return this house to Brother Shouyi."

Just as Master Xue was about to answer, Du Qian beside him shook his head slightly and said, "Your Majesty, the Du family's ancestral home should be restored at the Du family's own expense, and the court's money cannot be used. Moreover, after the ancestral home is restored, it should not be my property."

"I am the eleventh in the family. Apart from others, my third brother is the closest relative. According to seniority, this house should belong to him."

Li Yun looked at him and said with a smile: "Does Minister Du dare to compete with Brother Shouyi for the majority?"

Du Qian remained calm and said, "Your Majesty, I think things should be what they are. You cannot bully others by taking advantage of your power."

He looked up at Li Yun, then at Xue Song, and said with a smile: "What I mean is that this Du family ancestral house can be renovated by the third brother himself in the future. If His Majesty considers my contributions in the past few years, please give me another small house in Chang'an City."

"When I get old and retire to my hometown, I will return to Chang'an to live."

Emperor Li was speechless and said, "If we really let Minister Du build such a big house, wouldn't that force my Minister of Revenue to take money from the national treasury?"

"and."

He smiled at Du Qian and said, "Brother Shouyi will be buried in the Taimiao next to my imperial mausoleum in the future. He doesn't necessarily have to come back to Chang'an." Li Yun said this calmly.

But Xue Song and Du Qian were both stunned at the same time. After a long while, Master Xue gave Du Qian a look. Mr. Du came to his senses and immediately knelt down in front of Li Yun, bowed his head deeply, and his tone was a little excited.

"My lord, thank you for your kindness!"

Enshrined in the Taimiao and buried in the imperial tomb!
Just eight short words, yet they are the pinnacle of what a minister can do.

Looking back, during the entire Li Tang dynasty, apart from the royal family, there were probably few foreign officials who could receive such an honor.

Such an honor is even more valuable than the title of Duke of Qin held by Prime Minister Du.

Apart from anything else, the descendants of the Du family in later generations only need to say in front of others that their ancestors are worthy of being enshrined in the Taimiao, and that will be enough for them to walk with their heads held high.

Worthy of being enshrined in the Taimiao.

Later emperors had to burn incense and offer sacrifices during festivals!

Li Yun himself did not have much of this feeling. He had been running around all these years, and most of the internal affairs and logistics were actually handled by Du Qian. In fact, in some special periods, he was more like a general leading troops and a hands-off boss.

Among these, Du Qian’s contributions and hard work cannot be erased, and all the honors he receives are well deserved.

He bent down and helped Du Qian up, and said with a smile: "There are no outsiders here, why are you kneeling?"

After pulling Du Qian up, Emperor Li looked at him again and said sternly, "Brother Shouyi, don't worry, I'm not just saying this casually. I always keep my word."

Du Qian wiped his eyes with his sleeve and choked up a little: "I know, Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty never breaks his word."

Emperor Li looked at Du Qian, whose eyes were red, and was somewhat surprised: "Why is Brother Shouyi crying?"

Mr. Xue, who was standing by, said sourly, "Mr. Du's eyes were just red. He is very well-educated. If he were an ordinary person, he would probably go crazy."

Emperor Li was speechless and asked, "Is it that serious?"

He looked at Master Xue and asked, "Father-in-law also wants to be buried with me?"

Mr. Xue shook his head repeatedly and said with a wry smile: "I know how much merit my family has contributed, so I won't add to the trouble."

He sighed and said, "When I am gone, I will bury myself back in my hometown."

Li Yun looked at him, then at Du Qian, thoughtfully.

Soon, he regained his spirits and walked out of Anrenfang with his hands behind his back.

"Let's go, let's go. We have to meet many so-called wise men in Guanzhong today. Let's sort out the officials in Guanzhong Road first."

Both of them nodded and answered yes, then followed Li Yun and left Anrenfang step by step.

…………

At the same time, near Xiaoguan in the north.

General Su Sheng had surrounded the main force of the Shuofang Army. He, with his central army, came all the way to the vicinity of Xiaoguan and found the camp of the Hedong Army.

At the gate of the Hedong Army camp, He Man, the chief of the Guanzhong Division, bowed his head respectfully to Su Sheng and said, "General!"

Su Sheng looked at him, nodded, and asked, "How is General Li?"

"Too much bleeding."

He Man lowered his head and said, "It's been two or three days. I've had a high fever. Sometimes I wake up, but soon after I wake up, I fall asleep again."

"The doctor said he had to carry it himself."

Su Sheng nodded when he heard this, then sighed and said, "I didn't expect that he would be injured like this."

He Man hesitated for a moment, then lowered his head and said, "The casualties of the Hedong Army are too heavy. If General Li doesn't lead the charge, the people below will not fight."

Su Sheng listened and thought for a moment, then said, "I'll go take care of business and wait for General Li to wake up."

"Come and let me know."

He Man bowed his head deeply and saluted with his fists clasped.

"Yes."

(End of this chapter)