Li Chengqian of the Tang Dynasty: Please say long live His Majesty

Chapter 53: A sarcastic and heartbreaking statement

The weather is cold in the twelfth month, but the sun is shining brightly.

To the west of Chang'an City, outside the Jinguang Gate, all officials stood in awe, accompanied by the Jinwu attendants.

Li Anyan, dressed in a purple official robe, stood calmly behind Yu Zhining and Zhang Xuansu. His eyes raised slightly and fell on Li Zhi who was under the yellow umbrella in front of him.

Prince Li Zhi of Jin went to the suburbs on behalf of the emperor to welcome Duke Chen back to the court, and the emperor specially appointed Huang Gai to welcome him.

Seeing this scene, Li Anyan couldn't help but purse the corners of his mouth slightly.

If the King of Wei knew that the Emperor would give Huang Gai to the King of Jin today, I wonder if he would be furious to death.

In an instant, Li Anyan's expression calmed down.

In front, Duke Zhao Changsun Wuji turned his head with a cold face and took a look. Among the ministers, all those who were making small movements stopped.

The current Prime Minister is Sikong Changsun Wuji.

He is the real first among the court officials.

Even Fang Xuanling, Gao Shilian, Wei Zheng and others did not have a higher status in the court than him, not to mention Li Jing, the Duke of Wei who had already semi-retired.

However, today, all these people are here, accompanying the King of Jin to welcome Hou Junji, the commander-in-chief of the Jiaohe Road Army, back to the court.

Although Gaochang was not large, destroying Gaochang was equivalent to extinction of an entire country.

This was the third war of annihilation in the Tang Dynasty's foreign wars.

The first time was when Li Jing destroyed the Eastern Turks, and the second time was when Li Jing led his army to attack and destroy Tuyuhun.

This is the third time that Hou Junji has led his army to destroy Gaochang.

This was a real achievement of destroying a country, so the emperor originally wanted to send the crown prince and all the officials in the court to welcome Hou Junji, but unfortunately, neither the crown prince nor the King of Wei came.

But that was enough. Although Prince Jin was young, he was the emperor's legitimate son, and there were also hundreds of officials. Spreading out on both sides, thousands of Jinwu guards stood solemnly outside the Jinguan Gate with great momentum.

Of course, Hou Junji deserves this kind of treatment.

From a certain perspective, Hou Junji has already inherited Li Jing's legacy, but the Duke of Weiguo...

Li Anyan withdrew his thoughts. In front of him, the sound of thunderous horse hooves could be heard, and a black line appeared on the distant horizon.

……

The war horses galloped wildly and their hooves neighed.

Thousands of cavalrymen came roaring from the end of the sight, and when they arrived three miles outside the Golden Light Gate, they quickly slowed down.

More than a dozen generals in the army wearing golden Ming Guang armor were the first to break away from the cavalry and head towards the Jin Guang Gate.

In a blink of an eye, the generals had stopped their horses thirty meters away from Huang Gai.

Hou Junji, dressed in black and golden armor, was the first to dismount, with a sharp spear hanging on the side of the horse and a long sword in a black sheath hanging at his waist.

Hou Junji looked solemn and walked quickly towards Huang Gai.

Behind him, more than a dozen generals including Jiang Xingben, Xue Wanjun, Niu Jinda, Qibi Heli, Ashina She'er, Qiu Xinggong, Xue Gu Wuren, Cao Qin, Liu Demin, and Xin Liaoer also dismounted and followed him.

Standing before Huang Gai, Hou Junji solemnly clasped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I am Hou Junji, the general commander of the Jiaohe Road Army. In December of the 13th year of the Zhenguan reign, I was ordered to attack Gaochang.

He led his generals and soldiers and pacified Gaochang State on August 10, the 14th year of Zhenguan. His territory was 800 li from east to west and 500 li from north to south. He conquered three counties, five counties, and 22 cities, with 8,446 households, 37,738 people, and 4,300 horses.

Now that the campaign has ended, I have returned with my army to the court, offering a tribute of national treasures, captives, and countless precious jades, to congratulate our emperor and wish him a prosperous military career and a long life.

"Congratulations to our emperor, may his military fortune flourish and he live forever." Jiang Xingben, Xue Wanjun and other generals all bowed their hands.

"The emperor has issued an edict." Li Zhi, dressed in a purple robe and a silver crown on his head, took a step forward with a solemn expression. At the same time, he could only take out an imperial edict from the tray in the hands of the eunuch beside him.

"We listen respectfully to the Holy Commandments." Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Wei Zheng, Li Jing, Gao Shilian and all the other officials, as well as all the soldiers on the Jinguan Gate wall in the rear, all knelt down at this moment, as densely packed as ants.

At this moment, all the generals in the army half-knelt on one knee to listen to the imperial edict.

Li Zhi stood under Huang Gai and read aloud: "In the fourteenth year of Zhenguan, in the year of Gengzi, on the twelfth month of Jichou, on the first day of the new moon of Xinyou, the emperor said:

Yu Xi!

The most important thing in the country is to sacrifice to the army.

Gaochang Qu Wentai is a man of unruly intentions. He dares to plot against the will of others. He has no loyalty to his superiors and is cruel to his subordinates. He has the heart of a beast and is vicious and cunning.

I received the mandate from the Shangyuan Emperor to be a parent: the way to prohibit violence is to make no distinction between the inside and the outside, to follow the will of the barbarians and the Chinese, to enforce the law of punishment and punish the evildoers for their numerous crimes, and to save the innocent from suffering.

Therefore, the Jiaohe Army Commander-in-Chief, the Minister of Personnel Hou Junji, led all the troops to meet at the enemy court, exhausting the strength of the large army and bringing about punishment from heaven.

Now I have achieved something, pacifying the country and defeating the invaders. My spirit is as great as the wind and clouds, and my energy is as strong as the sun and the moon. My ancestors have seen this and are willing to approve of me.

Therefore, the Minister of Personnel Hou Junji, the commander-in-chief of the Jiaohe army, was ordered to lead the generals of all the armies to offer the captives to the Taimiao, to show kindness to the heavens, and to let both heaven and man enjoy the feast together, with infinite joy.

A gentleman can observe his virtue through archery.

The drinking ceremony was carried out with great ceremony, lasting three days.

Admire this. "

Hou Junji, along with the generals behind him, all kowtowed excitedly and said, "Your Majesty, we thank you for your grace. May your Majesty live forever."

The emperor prepared fine wine and delicious food in the Guande Hall, and after the generals and soldiers offered sacrifices to the Taimiao, he held a three-day banquet.

"Please stand up, everyone." Li Zhi nodded gently, then handed the imperial edict to Hou Junji.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Hou Junji then stood up with a solemn expression and slowly breathed a sigh of relief.

Feeling the generals behind him rise, Hou Junji then bowed to Li Zhi with a gentle expression and said, "It has been over a year since I last saw Your Highness. You have become a heavenly man, a true dragon and phoenix, always at my service."

"Your Excellency, Duke, thank you for your compliment." Li Zhi bowed quickly. He understood what was said. "The appearance of a dragon and a phoenix, the appearance of a god and a man." The last person to be addressed like this was his father, Li Shimin.

Hou Junji shook his head, looked at Li Zhi and said, "Your Highness is a man of great talent, the second son of the Emperor, with a broad mind and a cheerful demeanor. I heard that Duke Ande has a daughter. I wonder if I could act as a matchmaker for them..."

"Duke Chen, you've gone too far." Changsun Wuji, who was standing aside, suddenly looked up and stared at Hou Junji coldly.

Fang Xuanling was slightly stunned and his face immediately turned gloomy.

The second eldest daughter of the imperial family, the daughter of Yang. Hou Junji, if you want to die, don't drag others into it.

Hou Junji turned around and looked at Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling, but ignored them. His gaze fell on Du Chuke, the chief secretary of King Wei, who was standing behind the prime ministers and secretaries, and he strode over.

Du Chuke looked at Hou Junji as he approached him, his face full of confusion. He bowed gratefully and said, "Duke Chen."

Hou Junji nodded slightly, looked at Du Chuke, and said directly: "Old Du, when we were at the Qin Palace, I thought you were a kind and generous person. Now looking back, I realize that you are just a fool, a blind fool."

Du Chuke was stunned, and his face instantly became extremely ugly.

Those present who had experienced that time immediately understood that Hou Junji was talking about Du Chuke saving Du Yan.

Du Yan is Du Chuke's uncle.

At the end of the Sui Dynasty, Du Chuke, his elder brother, and his uncle Du Yan all fell into the hands of Wang Shichong.

Du Yan soon defected to Wang Shichong and became the Minister of Personnel.

It was originally thought that he defected to Wang Shichong in order to protect his two nephews, but at this time, he took revenge for his old grudge.

Du Yan slandered Ruhui's brother to Wang Shichong and killed him. He also imprisoned Du Chuke and deprived him of food, causing Chuke to almost starve to death.

A few years later, Wang Shichong was defeated and Du Yan, a senior official of Wang Shichong, was to be executed. However, at this time, Du Chuke stood up and begged Du Ruhui with tears and blood to save Du Yan.

In the end, Du Ruhui used his military achievements to exchange for Du Yan's pardon.

Repaying evil with kindness, this kind of thing appeared clearly before their eyes, even Hou Junji and countless other meritorious officials of the Qin Palace were shocked and admired.

If it were them, they would have chopped him down with a knife long ago.

So, more than ten years later, Du Chuke had become the fourth-rank Chief Clerk of King Wei.

He relies on his reputation.

However, today, Hou Junji completely denied his deeds and ruined his reputation.

Especially since Hou Junji was the Minister of Personnel and the commander-in-chief of the army, not to mention that he was about to take the next step forward.

With this sentence, Du Chuke's future career was over.

There is no word more hurtful than this.

……

He struggled to open his mouth to refute, but at this time, Hou Junji looked past him with a cold expression and looked at Fang Yiai who was standing on the side.

"Duke!" Fang Yiai bowed subconsciously.

Hou Junji looked at him deeply, then suddenly turned his head and looked at Fang Xuanling who was standing beside Changsun Wuji.

Fang Xuanling frowned slightly. He didn't understand what Hou Junji meant.
Wei Zheng, who was standing slightly aside, suddenly frowned and remembered something.

Du Chuke was later promoted to the fifth rank of Jieshizhong, promoted to General of the Left Guard, and appointed as the governor of Pu and Ying states, all of which were initially recommended by Fang Xuanling.

Fang Xuanling, King of Wei.

Wei Zheng couldn't help but look at Li Zhi, and then at Hou Junji.

He immediately understood that Hou Junji was angry about what happened today, and he even sensed the undercurrent on the surface.

From Hou Junji's perspective, it was fine that he had just returned to the court after conquering a country, and the prince was unable to come due to illness, but the King of Wei was playing tricks on him, which made him very angry.

When he saw Li Zhi, he couldn't help but mention Li Yuanji in a vague way.

If the Prince of Jin looks like Li Yuanji, then whoever looks like Li Jiancheng would naturally be the crown prince, and whoever looks like the Prince of Qin would be the Prince of Wei.

Afterwards, Hou Junji walked up to Du Chuke and scolded him to his face, then looked at Fang Xuanling and also scolded Fang Xuanling.

Even Changsun Wuji and his Wei Zheng were also among those who were scolded.

This is how you maintain government.

Wei Zheng lowered his head slightly. Hou Junji was right in his scolding. These people really didn't do well enough.

The King of Wei’s mind... should be controlled!

……

"Duke, it's almost time. People are still waiting at the Taimiao." Yu Zhining walked up a little and looked at Hou Junji seriously.

Hou Junji's expression calmed down. He glanced at his son-in-law Helan Chushi, who was standing behind Yu Zhining, and nodded, "Okay!"

Yu Zhining immediately retreated, but Helan Chushi walked over and helped Hou Junji and Li Zhi lead the horses over.

Hou Junji looked at Li Zhi and bowed slightly.

Li Zhi nodded flattered, then took the lead in mounting his horse.

Huang Gai moved forward,

Li Zhi and Hou Junji rode their horses together towards Jinguang Gate, and other ministers also mounted their horses and followed them to the Taimiao.

A thousand cavalrymen farther away slowly set off, and further behind them, more cavalrymen were escorting a group of Gaochang captives towards Chang'an City.

……

In Chang'an City, people on both sides of the Golden Avenue were already shouting.

Hou Junji followed behind Li Zhi, looking happily at the cheering people on both sides, and walked slowly.

On the avenues on both sides, thousands of Jinwu guards held long flags and wore swords on their waists, solemnly maintaining order.

Everything is in order.

Suddenly, a cry of surprise came from the alley on the left. Before everyone could react, a long flag fell down.

The flagpole swept across Li Zhi's waist and abdomen...

(End of this chapter)