Zhenguan: I, Dou Fengjie, will not be the first cuckold.

The news of the great victory was like a drop of cold water falling into a boiling oil pan, causing an uproar.

Duke Cheng Yaojin of Su State exclaimed, "Excellent! Your Majesty, please play the music! I can't wait to dance a tune!"

The musicians were summoned, and the "Qin King's Battle Music" began. A group of old men, led by Li Shimin, swayed their waists like water buckets, shook their rhinoceros-like buttocks, and stomped their elephant legs, turning the court into a sea of ​​joy.

Those who were not so happy were Guo Xingfang, the Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, and Zhao Hong'an, the Director of the Treasury.

Hou Junji's victory through a surprise attack meant that Dou Fengjie, who had devised the plan, was now even more favored, making revenge even more difficult for them.

Why is the young novice monk Yang's archery so bad?

"Zhang Wenguan, who was originally slated to be appointed as a military advisor in Bingzhou, has been reassigned as a military advisor in Yongzhou."

"Regarding the marriage of Hou Junji's daughter, I request that the Empress bestow upon him a generous reward."

"Dou Fengjie, the acting head of the Bureau of Ceremonies, is hereby awarded ten more pieces of superior-quality tricolor glazed pottery."

Having enjoyed the activity, Li Shimin issued a series of orders.

Even Guo Xingfang and Zhao Hong'an, who wanted to oppose it, couldn't understand why rewarding officials with funerary objects was such a stunt.

It is obvious that the repeated bestowal of glazed pottery as a reward was not intended to have Dou Fengjie be buried with his father.

"Your Majesty, I, Dou Dan, believe that it is too risky for the Duke of Lu to venture too far into the mountains alone. It would be best to have the Liangzhou Governor's Office raise troops to provide support outside the Qilian Mountains."

General Dou Dan of the Right Guard tidied his appearance and raised his tablet to report on matters.

"The General's move is a mature and prudent one. The Ministry of War has already issued documents and distributed fish tallies, and has mobilized the troops of Liangzhou to respond."

Li Shimin responded with a smile.

The bronze fish tally was a token used by the Tang Dynasty to mobilize troops and rotate garrison commanders. It was evolved from the ancient tiger tally to avoid using the same character.

There are several other types of fish tallies, and officials of the fifth rank and above carried fish tallies with them.

The fish-shaped tally was carried by officials; it was made of bronze, by princes of the same rank of gold, and by the crown prince of jade.

When Li Shimin waged war, he would try his best to leave behind a fresh force. In addition to the regular troops, each Yingyang Prefecture also had auxiliary troops outside the official ranks.

Therefore, foreign lands often couldn't understand how the Tang Dynasty, with its 1,200 men in the upper prefecture, 1,000 men in the middle prefecture, and 800 men in the lower prefecture, could have such an extra force.

Cui Dunli, Vice Minister of War, stepped forward and raised his tablet: "Your Majesty, I, Cui Dunli, have a report to submit. The Ministry of War's Department of Military Affairs suffered over a hundred casualties while investigating the internal affairs of the Tuyuhun."

"I request that their compensation be increased."

Guo Xingfang stepped forward, holding his official tablet, and said, "Your subject, Guo Xingfang, has a objection. In this campaign against Tuyuhun, the Court of State Ceremonies clearly ranked first, while the Department of Personnel's contribution was meager. How dare we request a generous reward?"

Whether the Ministry of War overthrows the Court of State Ceremonial or the Court of State Ceremonial defeats the Ministry of War, Guo Xingfang can watch the spectacle with great interest.

Liu Shan, the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, slammed his ceremonial tablet down: "To hold such an important position as the heir apparent and yet engage in such shameless, childish provocations deserve a beating!"

Cheng Yaojin slapped his thigh and laughed loudly: "Well done! The Court of State Ceremonial did a great job! Slap his nose and kick him in the groin!"

Ashina Zhong chuckled, Li Shenfu shook his head, and Li Shimin was taken aback.

Since Yuchi Jingde became the governor of Xiangzhou, the imperial court has been quiet for a long time.

Minister of Personnel Changsun Wuji raised his eyelids slightly and said calmly, "Those in important positions should think before they speak. In the face of important matters, personal grudges must be put aside."

His words directly implied that Guo Xingfang had ulterior motives. Since the deaths and injuries of the spies in the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics were always tragic, it was only reasonable for them to ask for more compensation.

If Minister of Revenue Tang Jian had rejected the proposal due to insufficient funds, no one else would have had anything to say.

You, Guo Xingfang, are you even qualified to provoke a conflict between the Ministry of War and the Court of State Ceremonial?

"Dou Fengjie, the acting head of the Bureau of Foreign Affairs, proposed to confer the title of Da Sili Fa upon Kun Chiding, the Duke of Luoyang of Tuyuhun, and to establish his capital at Shudun City, in response to the Qida Khan Murong Xiaojun."

Liu Shan, who had skillfully slapped Guo Xingfang's tablet, finally calmly began his report.

"Why aren't the Khan and Yabghu being appointed?"

Yang Shidao, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, who had covered his face and returned to court, asked a sarcastic question.

"Your Excellency has a terrible memory! Khan, Yabghu, and Teleghu—those are privileges reserved for members of the royal family!"

Liu Shan replied in a sarcastic or ambiguous way.

Putting aside personal grudges, Zhao Hong'an had to admit that this was a brilliant move, effectively isolating Busabo Khan from the Tangut Tuoba clan.

This would encourage other small tribes of Tuyuhun to follow suit, and with the Honglu Temple persuading other Qiang tribes, Murong Fuyun's space for maneuver would be further compressed.

Even if Tuyuhun were a centipede, several of its legs would still be cut off.

Changsun Wuji thought for a moment: "Has the Black Tangut side not made a move yet?"

Xiang Dunshan, the king of the Black Party, was a good friend of Tuyuhun Busabo Khan. When the Sui Dynasty army defeated Fusi City, Murong Paopao went to seek refuge with this old friend.

Liu Shan sighed, "Even though Dou Fengjie has made extensive connections with the various Qiang tribes, he still can't reach the Black Dangxiang."

The Black Tang people are located in such a remote place!

The present-day Tuyuhun occupies the area around the Western Sea and is expanding westward, possessing the two western cities of Shanshan and Qiemo, which conveniently blocks the southern route of the Silk Road.

As long as the connection between these two cities and the Tuyuhun homeland cannot be severed, Murong Fuyun can still maneuver in the Great Desert.

That vast desert was nothing but endless sand; without an experienced guide, you couldn't find a water source even if it was only two miles apart.

Tang Jian chuckled: "Dou Fengjie definitely has some tricks up his sleeve."

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Returning from Daozhengfang to Longzhengfang, Dou Fengjie patted his round belly and decided to walk instead of riding his donkey.

Lady Dou was so hospitable and the food was so delicious that Dou Fengjie couldn't resist and, like Dou happy, ate until he was quite full.

Ultimately, Dou Fengjie was just a nineteen-year-old boy, so it's understandable that he liked food.

"That wicked Ah Lu bullied all the horses in the Duke of Lu's mansion."

Dou happy laughed and scolded him.

"Uh, uh."

Ah Lu laughed triumphantly, tilting his head back.

"We've already provided you with two female donkeys, why are you still so flirtatious?"

Dou Fengjie grabbed a donkey's ear.

There's no way around it, Donkey is full of energy, I don't know if it's a nuclear-powered donkey, it has to cause trouble wherever it goes.

Su Dingfang, the Left Guard General of the Imperial Guard, carrying a spear with a blunt head, led his guards on patrol through the streets.

The plain-headed spear was used by the left and right guards on patrol. When they went into battle, they switched to wooden spears or lacquered spears.

"Hey, Duke Zan, why aren't you back at your residence yet? Curfew starts after the street drums finish, or you'll get a beating."

Su Dingfang made a joke at Dou Fengjie's expense.

Actions taken after curfew will be punished with caning unless there is an official document, a document issued by the county or ward, or an emergency requiring medical attention.

The guards on either side didn't care what was happening inside the ward.

"Thank you for what happened that day, General."

Dou Fengjie clasped his hands in a salute.

Although it was Li Hai'an who came forward, it was inseparable from Su Dingfang's instructions.

"What's there to thank me for? I just couldn't stand people kicking someone when they're down."

Su Dingfang waved his hand casually.

In fact, his transfer to the position of Left Guard General was somewhat influenced by this incident.

Otherwise, given his achievement of raiding the Turkic camp at night and causing the Turks to collapse, he would have been more than qualified to be promoted to a third-rank general.

However, he didn't take it to heart.

If the awl is placed in the bag, how can it not stand out?

Dou Fengjie suddenly asked, "Entering the high-altitude, frigid mountains, where breathing becomes difficult, will you be able to adapt, General?"

Su Dingfang grinned: "That's incredible!"