The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 494 The traitor will never die
Liu Rengui used to be a county lieutenant, and later served in Xianyang County and then went to Jingzhao Prefecture.

Looking at his career path over the decade or so, his promotion was quite rapid.

Especially since today's emperors pay attention to the talents of their subjects, there is a tendency for court officials to be inward-looking in their abilities.

In Xizhou, Liu Rengui's abilities opened everyone's eyes.

In Jingzhao Prefecture of Xizhou, Liu Rengui employed 300 people from the Western Regions to serve in the four towns of Anxi, and re-established tribal chiefs in each tribe, selecting capable people to govern the tribes in a certain area.

For the ancient tribes of the Western Regions, Liu Rengui's behavior once threatened the customs of the people in the Western Regions.

In Jingzhao Prefecture in the Western Regions, Liu Rengui warned Li Feng: "If the Western Regions want to change, they must change the regulations. Even if there are tribes that rebel, please ask Li Duhu to suppress them."

Li Fengjie understood and said, "That's natural."

"In the past, when they built the four towns of Anxi, they didn't see the fundamentals. What's more important in building the four towns of Anxi is to cure people. Only by curing people can we cure the Western Regions."

Outside Jingzhao Prefecture in Xizhou, Niu Jinda, who had just arrived in the Western Regions, listened to the conversation inside the prefecture and said, "The officials from Jingzhao Prefecture in Chang'an are indeed extraordinary."

Xue Rengui said loudly: "I will go to Tingzhou first."

Niu Jinda regained his serious expression and said, "If you need anything, just let me know."

"Here."

Xue Rengui came to the Western Regions again. Compared with before, the Western Regions had indeed undergone great changes, and there were more people here.

As long as the population was sufficient, Xue Rengui felt that he could raise an army of 100,000 people from the Western Regions here.

After leaving Xizhou City, Xue Rengui went all the way to Tingzhou. Today, there are more karez here than in the past.

Outside Suiye City, Bai Fang and Zhang Da'an brought 300 soldiers and horses to plant more than a thousand acres of land. During the grain planting season, they were still having people continue to cultivate the land.

It was May when Zhang Da'an followed Bai Fang to the Ili River.

Bai Fang pointed to the riverside and said, "Cotton can be grown on both sides of the river. This year, compared with previous years, the cotton is the most."

There are still many people from the Western Regions walking around the cotton fields, and they are also waiting for the day to pick cotton.

Sitting on the horse's back, Zhang Da'an could still see the snow on the Tianshan Mountains in the distance, as well as the gray-black land at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains. There were also patches of grass where horses were leisurely walking and eating grass.

Everything here is peaceful. If you walk further, you can see the statues erected by people from the Western Regions for Guo Luotuo and Tian Khan.

The two statues are nine feet tall and face east.

Zhang Daan saw that there were still people from the Western Regions carrying stones.

Bai Fang explained: "They also want to build a statue for the current Tian Khan."

The two of them were riding side by side at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains when suddenly a soldier came riding up and said, "Urgent news from Tianzhu! Something has happened. Please return to Suiye City as soon as possible."

Zhang Daan pulled the reins and asked, "What happened?"

"Reporting to the judge, the East Tianzhu Kingdom and the Arabs have gone to war. The Protectorate has issued an order, please return to Suiye City as soon as possible."

Bai Fang said: "I will go back now, and please inform the Protectorate General that I will definitely defend Suiye City."

"Here!"

The soldiers returned to Xizhou.

The two had no choice but to leave the foot of the Tianshan Mountains. On the way back to Suiye City, Zhang Da'an saw Chai Zhewei leading a team of Tang troops and Tubo soldiers into the Tianshan Mountains and heading towards Lake Issyk-Kul.

Zhang Da'an glanced at them from a distance, but did not stop and rode towards Suiye City.

Returning to Suiye City, Zhang Da'an was a little worried. There were only 300 people guarding Suiye City, and the nearest reinforcements were the troops led by General Chai Zhewei, at Issyk-Kul Lake.

The good news is that if the Arabs fight with the Eastern Tianzhu Kingdom, they may not necessarily reach Suiye City.

Bai Fang said excitedly: "It is finally time to settle old scores with the Arabs."

Zhang Daan said: "The Arabs have not yet reached the border of the Congling Mountains."

Bai Fang said: "Back then, under the city of Talas, General Wang Xuance led the Indians to attack the rear of the Arabs, burying 100,000 Arab soldiers in the snow. It was the Arabs' revenge on India."

Everyone was on guard in Suiye City for three days, and then another piece of news reached Suiye City that the king of Little Bolor led his troops to rescue East India, and the Arabs retreated again.

Murong Shun had a grudge against the Arabs. This time he only helped Dong Tianzhu to repel the Arabs. The next time might be a head-on confrontation.

Murong Shun was different from other people from the Western Regions. After he assisted Eastern India in repelling the Arabs, he returned to the Kingdom of Little Bolor. It was rumored that the new king of Little Bolor had been training troops, recruiting soldiers, absorbing population, and spending money like water.

Xiaobolü originally had 30,000 soldiers and horses, but Murong Shun recruited a large number of people into the army, and almost all the males in Xiaobolü were in the army.

This shows his ambition. He wanted to train all the people in Xiaoboluo into warriors and to fight a decisive battle with the Arabs with the whole country's strength.

This feud was also because the Arabs killed one of his sons.

Murong Shun had many sons. After one of them died, he made up his mind to destroy the Arabs, even if the Tang army did not help.

In Xizhou, in the Anxi Protectorate, five bad guys wearing bamboo hats stood in front of Liu Rengui, looking at the letter in their hands.

"The enemy who killed my son is not far away. If it were me, I would fight him to the death. I sympathize with Murong Shun."

The bad man asked, "Prefect, do you want to continue investigating?"

Liu Rengui shook his head and said, "No need. Record what happened here and the recent urgent reports and inform Jingzhao Prefecture in Chang'an."

"Here."

The five bad guys left quickly.

Liu Rengui put down the pen in his hand, walked out of the house with his hands behind his back, and looked at the bustling Xizhou City. The people here seemed to have long been accustomed to war.

The war with the Arabs is still far away from Xizhou. Even if the Arabs enter the Pamirs, they will not endanger Xizhou in a short time. With the barrier of Tianshan Mountains, even if the Arabs come, we can deal with them with the help of Tianshan Mountains.

But if the Arabs really entered the Pamir Mountains and crossed the city of Suiye, then the battle led by Xue Rengui and Liang Jianfang to attack the Pamir Mountains would have been in vain.

This is not the result the court wants. Defending Suiye City is the court's last bottom line.

In Xizhou, Liu Rengui's power was equal to that of Li Fengjie, the protector of Anxi Protectorate.

In some ways, he had more power than Li Fengjie because he could select officials in the Western Regions.

Today, Liu Rengui was walking in Xizhou City. When he passed by a restaurant, he saw a very familiar figure.

Looking again, I saw that the other person had no hair, and looked like a monk but without a monk's robe. He was a little thin and was eating a cake in the restaurant.

Liu Rengui stepped forward and asked, "Why did you come to Xizhou?"

"Come to Chongwenguan to pick up some books."

As he spoke, Xuanzang handed over a scroll of documents.

Liu Rengui took the document, confirmed it was from Chongwenguan, and asked, "You can wait here, I'll get it."

Xuanzang said, "Okay."

Liu Rengui left the restaurant in a hurry, and when he came back he brought a bag and placed it in front of Xuanzang.

"Thank you."

"Have you really returned to secular life?"

Xuanzang did not reply, but left the city with his luggage on his back.

Few people knew Xuanzang's whereabouts, and some even suspected that Xuanzang was dead.

Before meeting the clerk from Chongwenguan, Liu Rengui had no idea that he was actually teaching in the Hexi Corridor.

The urgent report from Xizhou was not delivered to Chang'an City until July. Outside Anning Village, the father and son were discussing Yu Tu's matter.

"Father, let the child try."

Li Shimin, wearing a bamboo hat to block the sunlight above his head, said: "He is the prince."

Li Chengqian said: "I have set many precedents. There are more than ten vice ministers in the Secretariat." "The Western Regions are not Guanzhong. If something happens to him..."

Li Chengqian continued: "It's okay, someone will be watching over him, he will be fine."

"He's still young."

"It is precisely because he is still young that we need to let him see more of the world. He needs exercise. If we don't let him do that now, he will miss it for a long time."

Li Chengqian said, "I, Wan'er, and Su Tan have all thought it through. Let Yu Tu give it a try."

Li Shimin asked, "How long will he be gone?"

"Two years at most. He will be sixteen when he comes back."

"Can this child gallop on the battlefield?"

Sitting next to his father, Li Chengqian continued, "I will have the Flying Tigers protect him, and a group of people will follow him to the Western Regions."

Li Shimin whispered, "Let Li Daoyan go with us."

"it is good."

The next day, the news that the current crown prince was going to the Western Regions spread throughout the court and the country. Before he left, people in and out of the palace were busy preparing a lot of things for the current crown prince.

Wei Chang looked at this huge team and whispered, "Even the crown prince is going to the Western Regions. It seems that there will really be a war."

Yan Qinli asked: "How many bad guys did you arrange for as guards?"

"Report to the prefect, arrange for a hundred bad guys to hide in the prince's team."

Yan Qinli said, "I wanted you to go with the prince in person, but there are many things to do in Jingzhao Prefecture that cannot be done without the Bad Marshal."

Wei Chang said: "We will obey the orders of Jingzhao Prefecture."

Outside Chang'an, Li Zhi said to Pei Yan, "I didn't expect you to go to the Western Regions as well."

Pei Yan looked back at Prince Ji, Pei Xingjian, and Di Renjie who were rushing over, and said, "We must settle the score for the battle."

At the front of the team was General Liang Jianfang's team. All the people who had fought against the Arabs in the Pamirs were there, except for Zhang Jianzhi.

Li Zhi glanced at Zhang Jianzhi, who was wiping his tears at the city gate, and said, "Pretend not to know him."

Li Ji smiled knowingly.

Yu Tu did not want to sit in the carriage, but rode his horse behind Liang Jianfang.

"Your Highness, do you have anything else to say?"

Yu Tu said in a clear voice: "Father, mother, grandparents have all been told, we can leave now."

Cheng Chumo led the Flying Tigers to join forces with Liang Jianfang's team and said, "We are ordered to protect His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Li Jingheng also rode up and said, "The Arabs and Eastern India have already started a war. The war will sooner or later spread to the Pamir Mountains. We must prepare early."

The warhorse under him moved restlessly. Yu Tu said in a clear voice, "I heard that Qin Ling is also in Tianshan, right?"

Li Jingheng nodded slowly.

Xue Wanbei was also riding on a horse, just behind the prince.

More and more people from the streets of Chang'an came to see him off, and the city gate of Chang'an was already blocked.

Yu Tu looked back toward the top of the city wall, and saw his father, mother, sister, and brother standing there to see him off.

Liang Jianfang said loudly: "Soldiers, it's seven thousand miles to Xizhou!"

The voices echoed in front of Chang'an City.

Liang Jianfang said again: "Move out!"

The team began to march towards Xizhou. Yu Tu, holding a telescope in his hand, sat on horseback and looked back at the scenery on the top of the city.

"General, how many miles is it from here to Suiye City?"

Hearing the prince's question, Liang Jianfang said, "It's ten thousand miles from here to Suiye City."

On the top of Chang'an City, Li Chengqian said: "This kid is full of vigor and vitality now."

Little Magpie said, "Humph, they probably come back crying."

Su Wan quietly wiped her tears and said, "Go back."

The family returned to the palace from the city walls of Chang'an.

At the foot of Chang'an, Luo Binwang looked at the departing army and said, "Teacher, I also want to go to the Western Regions."

In fact, Luo Binwang was about the same age as the crown prince. Li Yifu said, "Don't worry, you will have a chance to go to the Western Regions in the future."

"Can the Imperial Censor also go to the Western Regions?"

Li Yifu nodded and said, "Of course."

Inside the palace.

After the child left, Liangyi Hall always felt empty.

Su Wan was calculating the accounts as usual.

Li Chengqian looked at the memorials of persuasion that had piled up recently. The house was very quiet. Xiao Que'er and Xiao Mengji were teaching Li Miao how to read.

Ning'er was packing clothes for the children to change.

Letting the crown prince go with the army naturally attracted advice from the ministers. Li Chengqian read them one by one, and most of them were about the crown prince not being able to leave the capital at will.

Li Chengqian suddenly remembered his grandfather's words that the men of the Li family should be strong and brave in battle.

Since my father's generation, our fathers all grew up in wars. People in the royal family all have military merits, such as Li Shenfu, Li Daoxuan, and even the current Prince of Hejian Li Xiaogong and Prince of Jiangxia Li Daozon.

Perhaps because of the generation gap, the Li family always has children with military merits, not to mention that Zhinu and Shen Di also have military merits.

Many generals followed Yu Tu this time, and they had already paved the way in the Western Regions in the past two years.

Li Chengqian sat down next to his wife and said, "I don't want this child to have any regrets."

Su Wan said: "I understand your majesty's intentions."

Holding his wife's hand, Li Chengqian said, "When grandpa was alive, he often said that the sons of the Li family were all outstanding. Grandpa and my father's generation were like this, and I hope that the sons of the Li family in the future will be the same."

Su Wan held her husband's hand and nodded.

Li Chengqian added: "Even if this kid can't be a good emperor, the family fortune I left behind is enough for him to squander. At worst, he will have a grandson, and I will teach him well."

When Su Wan heard her husband talking about the future, she suddenly smiled again.

Seeing his father and mother laughing, Li Miao also laughed.

Xiao Que'er put her hands on her hips and said with a worried look on her face, "Father, Aunt Dongyang said someone wants to put women into the palace?"

Li Chengqian said: "They can't squeeze in."

Little Magpie said, "The thief is still thieving."

"Sister, what's the reason for your continued evil intentions?" Little Mengji stepped forward and asked.

"He is a bad guy who only wants to cause trouble for my father."

Li Chengqian closed his eyes and lay on the bamboo chair. He heard the sound of birds singing from the roof of the palace. When he listened carefully, he heard the sound of birds flapping their wings and flying.

An eunuch came quickly and said, "Your Majesty, Duke Zhao wants to see you."

(End of this chapter)