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

Chapter 673 The Caspian Sea was granted as a fief, and merits were inscribed on a stone, forever becoming territory of the Great Tang Dynasty (Second Update)

Inside the Liangyi Hall, Changsun Wuji was processing Li Chengqian's arrangements when he cupped his hands and asked, "Your Majesty, who will be appointed as the Chief Administrator of the Anxi Protectorate?"

If the emperor made such a arrangement for the Sima of the Anxi Protectorate, the Chief Clerk would probably be given the same important position.

"Wang Xuance, please." Li Chengqian gently tapped the imperial desk and then said, "I appoint Wang Xuance as the Chief Administrator of the Anxi Protectorate and concurrently as the Inspector General of the Imperial Guard. All ten of the Western Turkic Khaganates will be under Wang Xuance's control. I believe that Wang Xuance will be able to carry out the previous arrangements."

Changsun Wuji did not doubt Wang Xuance's abilities, nor did he doubt the emperor's plans. He was just a little confused as to why it was the Imperial Guard.
"Your Majesty," Changsun Wuji bowed and asked earnestly, "Does Wang Xuance's appointment as Inspector of the Imperial Guard mean he intends to bring all ten of the Western Turkic Khaganates under the command of the Imperial Guard?"

"Yes!" Li Chengqian couldn't help but laugh and nodded, saying, "That's right, that's how I've arranged it."

"Why?" Changsun Wuji frowned.

The inclusion of ten Turkic military commands into the Imperial Guard is not a good thing; it will disrupt the balance of the entire Sixteen Guards.
“Uncle, don’t forget that at the end of the year, the various tribes of the Western Turks will come to Chang’an to bestow upon me the title of Heavenly Khan. Therefore, these Western Turkic soldiers will naturally be my personal guards, and it should be no problem for them to be included in the Imperial Guard.” Li Chengqian calmed down and said seriously, “With the Heavenly Khan’s Imperial Guard in the Western Turks, they will not be easily controlled by those Turkic nobles again.”

The Western Turkic tribes are about to set off eastward, and once they leave, the imperial court will immediately implement the policy of establishing a military garrison in the Western Turkic Khaganate.

Afterwards, these people arrived in Chang'an and hailed the emperor as the Heavenly Khan.

Given the customs of the Western Turks, those Western Turk soldiers might not have a high regard for the Tang Dynasty, but they had an extremely high regard for the Heavenly Khan.

Becoming a member of the Heavenly Khan's personal guards is a great reward for their loyalty to the emperor.

At this time, the various benefits of the Fubing system were promoted, and the treatment of these Fubing soldiers in the Western Turks was improved.

During the emperor's reign as Heavenly Khan and his Fengshan ceremony at Mount Song, he kept these Western Turkic nobles in Chang'an and thoroughly established the entire Fubing system when their influence in the Western Turkic Khaganate was at its weakest.

This is the emperor's entire set of methods.

Once the courtiers understood these things, they couldn't help but marvel at the emperor's meticulous and precise planning.

“Perhaps in the future, we can select some loyal people from among them to serve as guards in Chang’an, which will further strengthen their loyalty,” Li Chengqian said with a smile. “Perhaps we can also transfer them to the ranks of officials in the Tingzhou Governor’s Office or the Anxi Protectorate, which will strengthen their foundation. In this way, the Tang Dynasty’s layout in the Western Turks will take shape.”

“Your Majesty!” Li Ji stepped forward, cupped his hands and said, “Your Majesty is wise, but Your Majesty, wouldn’t this cause more harm to the nobles of the Western Turkic tribes?”

“Isn’t this better?” Li Chengqian looked at Li Ji and said, “Duke of Ying, you don’t really think that the Tang Dynasty has a chance to win over the hearts of the Western Turks, do you?”

"His Majesty?"

“Let’s start with Ashina Buzhen. Ashina Buzhen is very ambitious. The five tribes of Nushibi joined his ranks, which means they wanted to rebel against the Tang Dynasty with him as their leader in the future.” Li Chengqian looked up and continued, “And then there’s Ashina Misha. When he was in the court, he may have been docile and even willing to die for his cause, but after staying in Suyab for a long time, how much loyalty will he still have?”

The officials in the palace were no longer children.

Ashina Misha, having spent so much time alone in the Western Turkic Khaganate, would likely feel somewhat uneasy even if he harbored no ill intentions.

“I understand what the Duke of Ying means. Ashina Misha did fight desperately alongside my father in Liaodong, so we shouldn’t be too harsh on him.” Li Chengqian nodded and said, “The Duke is right. I was a bit short-sighted before. In addition, the five tribes of Dulu are relatively submissive to the Tang Dynasty, so we should handle them more gently. We can select some gentle noble sons from the Fubing (military service) to serve as a buffer, so as to prevent them from joining forces with the five tribes of Nushibi.”

The emperor still didn't have much affection for the five tribes of Dulu, but he eased the situation somewhat to avoid simultaneously forcing the five tribes of Dulu and the five tribes of Nushibi to rebel, which could easily lead to a loss of control.

"So be it." Li Chengqian waved his hand slightly and said, "The middle and lower-level officials of the Kunling and Mengchi Protectorates are still mainly Western Turks. They have already been treated fairly."

"Yes!" Li Ji cupped his hands, his head bowed, his mind heavy. The emperor's prejudice against the Western Turks was already deep.

It seems he should take a good look at Ashina Misha. After all these years, is he still the same person?

“With everything settled in Tingzhou, there’s still Anxi to consider.” Li Chengqian looked up and said seriously, “Although India and Persia didn’t contribute much to the destruction of the Western Turks this time, we should still summon them to Chang’an. Let Pei Xingjian temporarily garrison at Wuhu River to ensure transportation. At the same time, let’s build a fortified village there and send three hundred men to guard it, which will be like having an extra eye on the Western Turks.”

"Yes!" All the ministers bowed.

"Furthermore, the Duke of Yanmen is still in Anxi and has not yet set off to return east." Li Chengqian looked up at Yu Zhining and said, "Master Yu, you draft the edict. I will give him a chance to personally lead the army to the West Sea, and then, on the shore of the West Sea, he will follow the example of the Marquis of Champion, perform the sacrificial ceremony, and then follow the example of the Marquis of Wuyang, inscribing his achievements on stone, thus becoming a new pinnacle of military generals."

The assembled officials looked up abruptly, staring at Li Chengqian in disbelief.

Marquis Huo Qubing, the champion, sealed the wolf's lair.
Marquis Dou Xian of Wuyang inscribed his name on a stone at Yanran.

The highest peak of all military generals in the world: sealing the wolf's lair and inscribing the Yanran Mountain.

Even Li Ji, whose contribution to the destruction of a country was somewhat inferior, was now being given to Liang Jianfang by the emperor.

Liang Jianfang was not particularly prominent during the late emperor's reign.

Li Chengqian chuckled softly and said, "Go and issue the edict. If he has already set off for the eastward journey by the time the edict arrives, he can only blame himself for not having the good fortune."

"Yes, sir!" Yu Zhining cupped his hands, then turned and quickly went to the side to write the imperial edict. None of the officials were surprised, because they knew that not only would Yu Zhining be fast, but everyone involved in the process of delivering the edict would ride their horses at breakneck speed to get the edict into Liang Jianfang's hands as quickly as possible to accomplish this extraordinary feat.

In the past, the pinnacle of military generals was Huo Qubing, the Marquis of Champion, and Dou Xian, the Marquis of Wuyang, during the Han Dynasty. But now, the pinnacle of military generals is Liang Jianfang of the Tang Dynasty.

Liang Jianfang himself may not have been exceptionally talented, but behind him were Li Jing's annihilation of the Eastern Turks and Tuyuhun, Li Ji's annihilation of the Xueyantuo and capture of Pingrang City, and countless other military achievements made by his soldiers over the years.

Liang Jianfang was granted the fief of Xihai, and his achievements were commemorated by inscribing a stone.

That was not just his glory, but the glory of all the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty, and the achievement of all the civil and military officials and everyone in the Tang Dynasty.

Even though Liang Jianfang had already returned to Lanzhou, he still had to go back, fight his way to the Caspian Sea, and inscribe his achievements on a stone tablet.

……

Li Chengqian smiled gently at the assembled officials.

Liang Jianfang's contribution was also his contribution.

Li Chengqian sighed softly in his heart, then looked up and said, "Let's leave the matter of the Western Turks here. Now, let's talk about Lanzhou. Du Fengju has been transferred to Anxi, so the position of Governor of Lanzhou is vacant. I think we should appoint Li Dejian as the Governor of Lanzhou."

"Your Majesty!" Changsun Wuji couldn't help but look up and cup his hands in greeting: "The Duke of Wei is still in Xichang Prefecture."

Li Jing was in Xichang Prefecture, and Li Dejian was in Lanzhou.

It's not a good thing that the father and son are so close.

Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "The Duke of Wei has been in Xichang Prefecture for many years. He is an eighty-five-year-old minister who has persisted in maintaining border stability for many years, despite many setbacks. Now it is time for him to be transferred back to Chang'an to enjoy his retirement."

The courtiers were taken aback for a moment, then slowly nodded.

They all remember Li Jing as the supreme commander who conquered the north and south, but they all forget that he was already an 85-year-old veteran.

If I continue like this, I'll probably die in Xichang Prefecture.

Even if he didn't persevere any longer, Li Jing probably wouldn't last more than a few years.

Li Chengqian looked up and said, "Issue an imperial decree to have the Duke of Wei return to Chang'an with the army and be appointed as the Crown Prince's tutor. If he has time when he returns, he can teach the Crown Prince for me."

"Yes!" All the ministers bowed.

Changsun Wuji stepped forward slightly and cupped his hands: "Your Majesty, Xichang Prefecture is of great importance. Once the Duke of Wei returns to the capital, I fear that the Tubo will become ambitious. I wonder who Your Majesty will appoint as his successor?"

“Yes, Tibet should be uneasy.” Li Chengqian looked calmly out of the hall and said softly, “Speaking of which, Mangsong Mangtsen should be ten years old by now.”

Changsun Wuji suddenly looked up, having keenly grasped the emperor's meaning.

With the situation in the Western Turkic Khaganate largely settled, the Tang Dynasty should now turn its attention to Tibet.

No, the Western Turks still have one more battle to fight...

Changsun Wuji lowered his head slightly.

No, the emperor deliberately left that battle unfinished. If Tibet wanted to intervene, it would inevitably get involved in that battle.

The emperor's foresight was frighteningly long-term.

"The Duke of Yanmen has been granted the honor of offering sacrifices at the Western Sea and having his merits inscribed on a stone. This is already a rare honor," Li Chengqian said calmly. "Let the Duke of Yanmen be appointed as the Governor of Xichang Prefecture, and let Xi Junmai be appointed as the Governor of Xia Prefecture."

"Here!" The officials held their hands in awe.

"Also, Duke Wei should arrive in Chang'an ahead of schedule." Li Chengqian sighed and said, "I will personally go outside the city to welcome him. He has sacrificed too much for the Tang Dynasty over the years."

"Your Majesty is benevolent!" The ministers bowed in sympathy.

"Retreat from the court."

"Here!"

(End of this chapter)