My father, Li Shimin, requests Your Majesty to become the Retired Emperor.

Li Chengan was overjoyed to encounter Xue Rengui at Sun Simiao's thatched cottage in Zhongnan Mountain.

Xue Rengui was only a few years older than him. The young people quickly became acquainted and chatted very congenially.

What Li Chengqian didn't expect was that someone as capable as Xue Rengui had yet to achieve any official rank or fame.

What's even more infuriating is that when Xue Rengui went to join the army, he was stopped by Zhang Shigui.

Li Chengan knew that Zhang Shigui had made great military achievements, was a senior official, and was his father's confidant. He was not a ruthless character who could be easily shaken.

"Today, I have met Xue Rengui here. Let's have a good drink."

Li Chengan gave the order, and Qin Ying and Lu Zhaolin busied themselves preparing the banquet.

Speaking of,

It wasn't really a banquet.

Qin Ying caught some pheasants and rabbits.

Lu Zhaolin picked some wild fruits and vegetables, and pieced them together to make a few dishes.

but,

Li Chengan, however, ate with great relish, feeling that the food was far better than that prepared by the chefs in the imperial kitchen.

Qin Ying then fetched two more jars of wine, and everyone began to drink.

What pleased Li Chengan even more was that Xue Rengui was also a heavy drinker.

However, he drank more refinedly than Qin Ying, who drank bowl after bowl.

Because Qin Ying drank too quickly, some of the wine dripped down his cheeks and into his neck.

Li Chengan asked Xue Rengui, "What did your ancestors do?"

Xue Rengui sat up straight and said, “Your Highness, our ancestor was Xue Andu, a famous general of the Northern Wei Dynasty. He was my sixth-generation ancestor.”

I was born into the Xue clan of Hedong. My father was Xue Gui and my grandfather was Xue Yan.

now,

Their family fortunes had declined, and they were no different from ordinary people now.

"I've heard of Xue Andu; he's incredibly brave in battle," Li Chengan said, setting down his wine cup. "It's indeed not easy for someone from a humble background to rise in rank."

The Han Dynasty selected talent through the recommendation system.

When Cao Pi came to power, in order to gain the support of powerful clans and aristocratic families, he implemented the Nine-Rank System.

This meant that the officialdom was essentially monopolized by powerful clans and aristocratic families.

therefore,

From this perspective, Emperor Wen of Sui and Empress Dugu did do a good thing by establishing the imperial examination system.

but,

The Sui Dynasty's reign was too short, lasting only 38 years, and the imperial examination system was not yet perfected.

Therefore, it is not necessarily easy for scholars to serve the country.

There was no comprehensive set of measures or methods for selecting military officers.

Not long ago,

Su Wan proposed to her father, the emperor, that they hold civil and military examinations in order to select civil officials and military generals to serve the court in the future.

Liu Bang's "Song of the Great Wind" is well-written: "Where can we find brave warriors to guard the four directions?" Our Tang Dynasty also lacks good generals.

Xue Rengui felt warm inside and was deeply moved by Li Chengqian's words.

Because he sensed a warmth in Li Chengqian's words.

He felt that Li Chengqian was different from other crown princes, as his concern for the country and its people was evident in his words.

Xue Rengui bowed again: "Your Highness, you are so young, yet you are far-sighted and understand the people's sentiments. When you inherit the throne, you will surely lead our Tang Dynasty to prosperity and strength."

Li Chengan waved his hand after hearing this: "It's too far in the future to talk about those things now."

Currently, I am still a person with a criminal record.

and,

My father has already issued an edict ordering Chang He to arrest me.

"If it weren't for Master Xuanzang persuading me to leave the city, I would probably already be imprisoned in the Dali Temple, and I might not even be able to save my head."

Upon hearing this, Qin Ying began cursing again: "That old bastard Fang Xuanling, sooner or later..."

I'm going to settle accounts with him.

Putting everything else aside, you've already saved Fang Yi'ai several times.

He is relentless in his criticism and finds fault with you in every way, yet he fails to see all the contributions you have made.

Besides, your father isn't even old yet, and he's already starting to get senile.

She's so easily swayed; whatever others say, she believes.

Those ministers spoke ill of you to your father, and he didn't even send anyone to investigate before believing what they said. Is that appropriate?

Li Chenggan lowered his head and remained silent.

Seeing that Li Chengan remained silent, Qin Ying assumed that she had hit the nail on the head.

He waved his large hand, spitting everywhere: "Your Highness, if you ask me, why don't you just rebel!"

Your father is a tyrannical and incompetent ruler, why should we protect him?

Ashina She'er had ten thousand cavalry, while the Great King of the Mountain Back had tens of thousands of naval forces.

Silla, Tuyuhun, and Tibet all listen to you. With just a shout, you can easily gather an army of 100,000.

With these troops,

They captured Chang'an by surprise.

Arrest your father and lock him in jail.

"Why can't you be the Emperor of Tang yourself?"

"Nonsense!" Li Chengan was furious to hear Qin Ying spouting such nonsense. "Qin Ying, I warn you, never mention such disrespectful and ungrateful words again."

If I were to do that,

What kind of person have I become?

Do you want me to repeat Liu Ju's mistakes?

How can Liu Ju compare to you now?

Liu Ju didn't have any troops under his command, while you command so many troops.

Moreover, the Tuyuhun, Tibet, Dangxiang, and Silla are all loyal supporters of you...

Li Chengan waved his hand to interrupt him: "Don't say any more. In this life, even if I die, I will never take the path of rebellion."

Think about it, if I really did that, wouldn't that just prove that Fang Xuanling and the others were right?

Besides, don't act impulsively. Think about it calmly. Who is your father, the emperor?

The Tang Dynasty was basically conquered by my father. He pacified the entire country in just six years. Who in history can compare to such speed?

Liu Bang's conquest of the empire was relatively quick, taking him seven years.

and,

Liu Bang's military campaigns were mostly marred by defeats.

His empire was largely built by Han Xin.

How can Liu Bang's military tactics be compared to those of my father?

The emperor's father attacked Xue Ju and his son Xue Rengao, as well as Liu Wuzhou, Wang Shichong, Liu Heita, Dou Jiande, and others, and was victorious against them all.

If we raise an army, who can be a match for Father and his fierce generals?

Putting everything else aside, among Li Jing, Li Ji, Yuchi Gong, and Cheng Yaojin, who could defeat him?

"..." Qin Ying couldn't answer.

Sun Simiao observed this and sighed, "Your Highness's loyalty and filial piety are truly admirable."

but,

This can't go on.

You can't just stay here on Zhongnan Mountain.

This place is too close to Chang'an. Chang He's imperial guards want to arrest you, and three assassins are hunting you down. I've heard a bit about their rules as assassins.

Once they've taken someone's money, they'll keep hunting them down until they kill the person they're after.

Therefore, I suspect they won't let this go easily.

Qin Ying patted his chest loudly: "Your Highness, don't worry, I'll protect you, everything will be alright."

If I ever run into them again, I'll catch them and smash them all to death!

Everyone could tell that Qin Ying was exaggerating, but there was no need to expose him in front of everyone.

Xue Rengui said loudly, "Your Highness, the martial arts examination for the Lantern Festival is approaching, and martial arts practitioners from all over the country are flocking to Chang'an."

I have learned that Zhang Shigui is about to return to Chang'an from Hedong.

"Zhang Shigui is back. You mean he's going to take the martial arts exam?" Li Chenggan was somewhat surprised.

"No, Zhang Shigui has four sons: Zhang Zhilong, Zhang Zhihu, Zhang Zhibiao, and Zhang Zhibao."

I heard that his eldest son, Zhang Zhilong, plans to participate in this martial arts exam.

"Oh, isn't that a good thing?"

"If everyone competes fairly, that would naturally be a good thing."

but,

As far as I know, his eldest son is a spoiled brat with mediocre martial arts skills. If he were to take the martial arts exam, how could he possibly win the seal of a general or vanguard?

That's impossible.

Upon hearing this, Li Chengan frowned.

He felt there was something fishy about this. How could someone with mediocre martial arts skills dare to participate in the martial arts exam?

Isn't that a joke?

Li Chengan knew that Zhang Shigui was no ordinary person.

At the beginning,

To use an imperfect analogy, he's like Han Xin from back in the day.

If Han Xin had helped Liu Bang, Liu Bang would have won.

If Han Xin had helped Xiang Yu, Xiang Yu could have seized the world.

then,

Li Mi, Wang Shichong, and others all wanted to win over Zhang Shigui.

but,

Zhang Shigui remained unmoved and observed the situation calmly.

Zhang Shigui felt that Wang Shichong, Li Mi, and others were not capable of great things.

Ultimately, Zhang Shigui defected to Li Yuan.

Zhang Shigui followed Li Shimin in eliminating warlords such as Xue Ju, Xue Rengao and his son, Liu Wuzhou, and Dou Jiande, and his contributions were the greatest among all the generals.

History has proven that

Zhang Shigui's choice was correct.

This shows that Zhang Shigui was a very intelligent person.

If that's the case, how could such a person allow his son to participate in the martial arts examination?

Li Chenggan sensed there must be a reason behind this.

"So, where is Zhang Shigui now?"

"We expect to arrive in Luoyang tomorrow night."

Li Chengan nodded slightly, gazing at Qin Ying: "Are those two carrier pigeons still there?"

"Yes, I'm here," Qin Ying replied.

"Very good, then return to Chang'an and continue to gather information about the city."

This time, we absolutely must find out the exact details; we can't let it be like last time.

Qin Ying blushed upon hearing this: "I was too careless last time. Li Tai and his men had an ambush, but I didn't notice."

This time, I promise it won't happen again.

"Your Highness, where are you going?"

"Since I have nothing else to do, I'll just accompany Xue Rengui for a stroll and take a trip to Luoyang."

"But you're too conspicuous. You're the Crown Prince, who doesn't know you?"

"I'm afraid you'll be arrested before you even reach Luoyang."

Li Chengan took out another package.

It was the same set of robes, monk's shoes, prayer beads, and head covering that Master Xuanzang had prepared for him.

Upon seeing this, Qin Ying suddenly remembered and asked, "That night, when I was chasing Ashina Jieshe Shuai, I encountered Master Xuanzang and two monks. Were you one of them?"

Li Chengan nodded: "Yes, the situation was extremely urgent at the time."

Under the persuasion of Fang Xuanling and a group of ministers, the Emperor has made up his mind to send Chang He to arrest me.

Just then, Master Xuanzang arrived at the Eastern Palace and advised the orphan to leave and not wait to die.

then,

"I didn't want to leave the Eastern Palace, but they dragged me away, and I happened to arrive at Xuanwu Gate, where I encountered you catching that flower thief."

"Your Highness, leaving Chang'an was the right thing to do."

What would happen if you actually stayed in Chang'an?

It's really hard to say.

"Big or small, it's okay to run away."

Li Chengan changed into a kasaya, put on monk's shoes, and wore Buddhist beads and a hood, looking every bit the handsome monk.

Even Sun Simiao nodded repeatedly after reading it.

Lu Zhaolin also praised him, saying, "Your Highness is arguably the most handsome monk in history."

I will compose a poem for you, entitled "The Great Tang Monk".

So Lu Zhaolin took out his brush, ink, paper and inkstone and wrote a poem praising Li Chenggan for being more insightful than Buddhists, even though he was not one of them.

......

evening.

Luoyang.

Luoyang has a unique geographical location, situated east of Chang'an.

This place is well-connected and has convenient transportation, making it the heart of the Central Plains.

then,

The Eastern Zhou Dynasty established its capital in Luoyang.

After Liu Bang seized power, he also planned to establish his capital in Luoyang.

However, Zhang Liang and Liu Jing raised objections.

They believed that although Luoyang was a good place, it was not defensible and would be vulnerable to attack from other countries in the event of war.

The Guanzhong region is protected by four natural barriers.

then,

The Qin army entered Xianyang.

Refuse to defend Hangu Pass,

If they could win, they would fight; if they couldn't, they would retreat into Hangu Pass, and the six states would be powerless against the Qin army.

At the beginning,

When Xiang Yu conquered Xianyang, proclaimed himself the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, and enfeoffed various lords, some people advised him to establish his capital in Guanzhong.

but,

Xiang Yu said he would return home in glory and establish his capital in Pengcheng.

If Xiang Yu had established his capital in Guanzhong, how could Liu Bang have possibly seized the empire?

Pengcheng is also flat and has no natural defenses.

This is why, while Xiang Yu was fighting in Qi, Liu Bang led a coalition of 56 feudal lords to attack Pengcheng.

Liu Bang readily accepted their advice, taking everything into consideration, and established his capital in Chang'an.

When Emperor Guangwu of Han, Liu Xiu, seized power, the Red Eyebrow Army burned, killed, and looted in Chang'an.

Chang'an was in ruins, while Luoyang was well-connected, rich in resources, and extremely prosperous.

Furthermore, most of Liu Xiu's civil and military officials came from Hebei and Henan, which were relatively close to Luoyang.

therefore,

Ultimately, Liu Xiu established his capital in Luoyang, marking the beginning of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

During the Cao Wei period,

It was also established in Luoyang.

For a period of time, the Sui Dynasty also had Luoyang as its capital.

Emperor Yang of Sui spent a long time in Luoyang, where he built the Luoyang Palace and the Xianren Palace.

Therefore, Luoyang was brightly lit, bustling with people, and extremely prosperous, no less so than Chang'an.

Li Chengan and Xue Rengui entered Luoyang City.

Li Chengan gifted Xue Rengui a fine horse, Baiyuju.

Xue Rengui was extremely grateful.

Since ancient times, great generals have loved horses.

then,

Guan Yu was so excited to receive the Red Hare that he knelt down before Cao Cao.

Cao Cao didn't quite understand Guan Yu's meaning, so he asked, "Back then, when I sent you ten beautiful women, I didn't see you kneel down."

Why do you kneel down when I give you the Red Hare?

Why do you despise people but value livestock?

Guan Yu replied, "Because once I have the Red Hare, as long as I can find out Liu Bei's whereabouts, I can see my brother within a day."

This remark nearly made Cao Cao so angry he vomited blood.

However, this also shows that great generals love fine horses.