Late Tang Dynasty Floating Life

Chapter 1625 Children and Uphill

Li Shengtian entered the Forbidden Garden under the guidance of the palace servants.

In the garden, birds are singing and flowers are fragrant, the vegetation is luxuriant, and there is a breath of spring.

Li Shengtian walked for a while, sighing even more in his heart.

The country of Khotan also has such a beautiful scene around the Yuhe River.A little farther away from the river, the grass and trees gradually become scarce, and finally there is an endless large sand moraine.

There is really no comparison between the Western Regions and the Central Plains!
"Meet Your Majesty."

"Meet the noble concubine."

Before entering the garden, Han Quanhui had already reminded him that when he saw a man and a woman sitting on the bed, he bowed down and saluted on the spot.

"Sit down." Shao Shude had met him before, thanked him after hearing Cizu's order, and sat across from him.

Next to the saint should be Concubine Chu, who was looking at him with scrutiny.

It seemed impolite, but Li Shengtian knew it well, the mother-in-law was looking at her son-in-law, so she was not angry.

Next to Concubine Chu stood a woman whose appearance was seventy percent similar to that of Concubine Chu.Han Quanhui mentioned in private that this is the sister of Chu Jieyu and Chu Guifei, the sage called her "Little Chu" and had been favored for a while.

Concubine Chu's origin, Han Quanhui's words are unclear, but Li Shengtian generally understands that she is the wife of Zhang Quanyi, the governor of Liaodong Road!
After following the sage, his favor continued for more than ten years, and he gave birth to three sons and three daughters successively.After Mingxian Empress Zhao's death, the Chu family was directly promoted to the imperial concubine, and she existed under one person in the harem, which was quite legendary.

"Is the middle school all arranged?" Shao Shude asked.

"It has been properly arranged." Li Shengtian replied.

Shao Shude nodded.

Li Shengtian followed Wang Shi Xilue for two consecutive years, and gained a lot, and his prestige in the country is not small.As long as it is arranged well, there will be no chaos in a short period of time.

What's more, the first batch of 2000 soldiers from Khotan's town army has arrived at Niya Oasis. With them, Khotan's country will be more stable—these [-] soldiers were drawn from the Hengye and Luoyan armies.

"I've seen the list of ceremonies, and it's quite grand." After Shao Shude finished speaking, he looked at Mrs. Chu with a questioning look.

Mrs. Chu nodded slightly, and said: "Your Highness is a good-looking talent, and he can be a good match."

Li Shengtian was slightly uncomfortable.

Of course, among the people present, no one would think that his discomfort was an embarrassment.

What are you kidding?Is the lord of a country who has been on many battlefields so shy?What's more, he originally had a wife, and after hearing the sage's hint, he immediately divorced his wife and asked her to remarry someone else, which can be described as decisive.

Let me add one more thing, letting your wife remarry another man is nothing at all at this time. In history, Yang Xingmi divorced his wife Zhu and asked her to remarry.

In the same way, it is also human nature at this time to marry a wife and raise a tow bottle, and return the treatment to one's own son.

The social atmosphere and values ​​are different, which is very different from the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

"Then let's settle this matter, and the Ministry of Rites and Taichang Temple will handle it together." Shao Shude said with a final word.

No one objected.

Among the many biological daughters of the saint, he personally intervened in only two cases.

One is Shao Ze, the princess of Lantian, born to Wei Cai Zhaoyuan, who was born to Li Cunxu.

The second example is Shao Wei, the princess of Xianyou who was born to Concubine Chu Guifei, who descended to Li Shengtian.

Princess Xianyou is already 20 years old this year, she is considered an old lady, if the sage hadn't gone out to fight, she would have already married.

She also has a sister, Princess Shao Xi of Qingtian. Before the saint left for the expedition, she married Hu Ji, the deputy commander of the Fourth Command Battalion of the Left Wing Infantry of the Iron Forest Army——Hu Ji, the son of Hu Zhen, the deputy envoy of the Nanya Privy Council.

In recent years, the sage has successively canonized Princess Shao Jialuan of Qiantang and Princess Shao Hui of Wuqing. Both of them are 19 years old this year.

Princess Qiantang's biological mother, Zhang Hui, was very popular with saints when she was a child.After the death of the biological mother, the sage took pity on her and not only rewarded her with a mansion, but also gave her a lot of property.For the princess's marriage, the sage picked a list and followed her preferences.

Princess Qiantang picks and chooses, but she doesn't like it.Later, when he heard that the wife of Sun Xingshi, Lieutenant General of Guoyi of Fengzhou Prefecture, had died of illness, he rushed over excitedly and said that he would be his successor wife.

Shao Shude's face darkened, and he almost regretted it.

He knew that Sun Xingshi was the son of Sun Jinde, the commander of Henan Province, who had been selected into the palace to study with the princes and princesses.

When he grew up, he voluntarily joined the army, first served in the state army, and then was transferred to a Zhechong Prefecture in Fengzhou to manage the soldiers.Human, tall and handsome, with a more heroic personality, his ambition is to serve the battlefield, shrouded in horse leather.

Shao Shude didn't care too much about the situation of the children, Jialuan seemed to have been secretly in love with him for a long time, and this time he finally got his chance.

He finally agreed.

The biological mother of Princess Shao Hui of Wuqing was Zhu Shi, the sister of Zhu Quanzhong, and the wife of Yuan Jingchu.Also choosing her own husband, she chose He Ning, a Jinshi in the first year of Tongguang and a native of Yunzhou.

After returning last year, Shao Shude met He Ning and found that he was from a scholarly family, but he dared to fight hard, had outstanding martial arts skills, and his archery skills were superb. He was quite satisfied and agreed. Gui hired as an aide, the battle of Huliupo, Jin cavalry chased after him, He Ning shot with a bow, killed the enemy with one arrow, and saved the life of the lord He Gui. It is really impossible for scholars these days to not know martial arts.

He Ning was also lucky. He was originally a county lieutenant in Hedong, but Shao Shude directly transferred him to Henan Prefecture to serve as the Dengfeng Order of Ji County, and was promoted several levels.

The weddings of the three princesses will all be arranged this year.

The marriage of the tenth prince and Wu Wang Shao Zhiyuan was also settled. The princess was the granddaughter of Wang Yanchang, Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment, and the queen chose it herself.

She doesn't care about her family background, after all, no one can compare to Shao's family, and what she likes is Xianhui.

In this matter, Shao Shude did not intend to interfere, and let the queen do it.

Housework, that's about it.

******
After finalizing the marriage between the royal family and Khotan, Shao Shude stayed with Li Shengtian for lunch in the Forbidden Garden, and then returned to the Chengxiang Hall to continue inquiring about the situation in the west.

"This year's war will probably start in Shule Town." Li Shengtian said: "Last year, Persia overhauled the fortress in Bahana and hoarded food and grass. I'm afraid it was the intention of destroying Shule Town once and for all."

"Let them come." Shao Shude smiled.

Yang Liang had already reported this matter.

After retiring last year, he sent scouts into Bahana to investigate the situation.

The Persians didn't intend to hide it—in fact, they couldn't hide it. A large group of chariots and horses transported supplies from the west to the city of Bahan.Food, equipment, everything is available, and it is obvious that there will be a big fight.

If it wasn't for the bad weather and heavy snow blocking the mountains, they might have come last winter.

And if Persia aggressively attacks, then the most likely direction is Shule, and the first to bear the brunt is the repaired Congling Nanyuan City.

The city is fairly solid, built with a mixture of earth and stone, and [-] town soldiers are stationed there.

After Yang Liang heard the news, he ordered Khotan to select and send thousands of soldiers to Nanyuan City, and at the same time hoard food, grass and equipment to facilitate the defense.

In the second year of the Tongguang War, Nanyuan was destined to be the main battlefield.The terrain is open, the water and grass are rich, and the altitude is not high. The appearance of two to 3000 meters is just right for a large army to fight.

Shao Shude wasn't very worried about fighting in this direction, he was very stable in defense and counterattack.But he was worried about Yang Liang, afraid that he would charge too hard and bring changes to the battle situation.

But remote micromanagement is not his style.No matter how well you know, how can you understand the actual situation better than the frontline coaches?

"You don't need to worry about this matter, just stay in Chang'an with peace of mind, and go back after you get married." Shao Shude said: "We have sent troops for two consecutive years. Although we have captured a lot, Khotan's middle school must be exhausted. I intend to let you go to the battlefield, and rest assured."

"I would like to obey the holy order." Li Shengtian replied.

In fact, Khotan still had soldiers in Shule. In addition to the 1000 sent to Nanyuan City, there were also [-] Khotan soldiers stationed in Congling Shouzhuo City, and [-] monk soldiers were stationed in Artush's side all year round.

Unlike Daxia, Khotan's standing army only has about 4000 people, and it has already done its best to send [-].

If you want more soldiers, you can only mobilize the whole country, recruit people from farmland, pastures, and orchards, and organize them to go into battle.But it has been doing this for two years in a row, and it will take a while this year.

Furthermore, their position is not very good, and there is no strategic advantage in sending troops. What really depends on it is the "iron triangle" of Suiye, Atami, and Yili.

In the 15th year of the founding of the pole, Dalang Shao Siwu set up Gongyue and other eight counties in the Yili River Valley, and placed soldiers in the government, both herding and farming.

In the first year of Tongguang, more than [-] people were plundered.By the end of the year, there were about [-] slaves in his eight counties.

Throughout last year, more than 3000 athletes from the Central Plains raced one after another.

Shao Shude still squeezed out [-] households from five prefectures of Wei, Bei, Shen, Zhao, and De in the immigrant quota.

On the way back to Chang'an, the eight criminal envoys of Zhili, Henan, Huaihai, Hebei, Hedong, Huainan, Guannei, and Guanbei were ordered to send all the criminals to the Yili River Valley.If family members are willing to follow, they can give merit and food, and go on the road together—especially officials who have committed crimes and received stolen goods.

This year, [-] households have immigrated from Jing, Di, Zhen, Bo, Wei, Meng, and Huai prefectures, and they will continue to be sent to the Yili River Valley.

It can be said that they are very supportive. If it weren't for Dalang's weak territory, more people might come over.

And taking the benefits of the court, it is natural to send troops to fight for the court.

If Persia mainly attacked the southern plains, they would have to support it on the northern front, putting the enemy in the dilemma of fighting on two fronts-this is an advantage in terms of geographical location, and Khotan is really incomparable.

"Is there any movement in Tubo?" Shao Shude asked.

While talking, Han Quanhui led the two of them in again.

Li Shengtian took a glance out of the corner of his eye, and was slightly surprised that he was from Tubo.

"Greetings, Your Majesty." Brother Tie, Mrs. Wulu and his wife saluted together.

"Get up and sit down." Shao Shude said, looking away from the round and tight curve of the buttocks of Mrs. Meilu who was prostrate on the ground.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Brother Tie got up to thank him, and sat on the bed opposite the imperial case.

Just as Mrs. Wulu was about to sit next to her husband, Concubine Chu beckoned with a smile and asked her to sit beside her.

Mrs. Wulu blushed and sat up.

Shao Shude introduced Brother Tie, and then signaled Li Shengtian to continue.

"Your Majesty." Li Shengtian looked at Brother Tie on the opposite side and said, "In fact, there are caravans in our country that travel to and from Tubo regularly, so we can know some news. Walk south from Khotan, and after going up the mountain, you can go to the old place of Yangtong. According to the minister As we know, the Tibetans in that area did not follow the logical order, and the officials, generals, and local kings tended to be descendants of Dharma Zanpu's blood."

From Khotan to the south, there is indeed an ancient commercial road, passing through Ritu County in later generations, and reaching the Ngari area.

Tubo invaded the Western Regions several times, and it also sent troops from here.

Hearing what Li Shengtian said, Brother Tie became excited, his face flushed, he looked straight at Li Shengtian, and asked, "Did you lie to me?"

Mei Lu's face also turned red, because a hand came in silently under her upturned buttocks.

No one in the hall dared to look directly at the saint, but she was so scared that she almost cried out.

"Prince Tiege, why did I lie to you?" Li Shengtian said angrily, "Which one in Xiangxiong, Guge and other places has a heart for the descendants of Yundan? They are all scolding them."

Brother Tie was overjoyed.

He has a strong sense of crisis now, because his sister-in-law Cai Bangshi's stomach is already very big, but his wife's stomach has not moved.

Could it be that it has done less?This realization comforted him a little.

Cai Bangshi was pregnant, she must have been spoiled too much by the saint.If my wife is not pregnant, then the waste is less.In this respect, he finally surpassed his brother.

But then he felt a little uncomfortable, the saint must be dissatisfied with him, right?God is sorry, there must be a sage's eyeliner in the posthouse, they can testify that he has never had sex with his wife in the past few months.I really can't stand it, so I can only go to Pingkang to whore under the eyes of my wife's resentment...

"If troops are driven up from Khotan, may those places be seized?" Brother Tie asked, staring into Li Shengtian's eyes.

"If the prince is willing to go south to the mountains from Khotan, there is a chance." Li Shengtian said after thinking for a while.

Brother Tie turned his eyes and begged, "Your Majesty."

Shao Shude had left long ago, but when Wulu saw her husband looking at her, she still lowered her head guiltily.It's greasy between the buttocks, very uncomfortable.

"This is indeed a good route." Shao Shude said: "However, this matter is risky, and it is not guaranteed. Have you thought about it?"

"I—I have already made up my mind, and I am willing to go up the mountain from Khotan." Brother Tie said resolutely: "If Your Majesty is not at ease, I am willing to keep my wife and children in the Central Plains as hostages."

Mrs. Wulu understood her husband's implication, and raised her head to look at Brother Tie. The previous sense of guilt gradually dissipated, replaced by sighs and pity, and there seemed to be a bit of resentment.

Thinking of the stalwart figure of the saint bathed in the golden sunlight outside the city of Hezhou again, the resentment was buried even deeper, and a hint of joy floated in his heart.

"There are a lot of troubles in the Western Regions, let's pass this year first, let's talk about it after the situation stabilizes." After thinking for a while, Shao Shude made a decision.

Brother Tie was extremely disappointed, and even lost his mind.

"However, Li Qing—" Shao Shude looked at Li Shengtian and said.

Li Shengtian turned his head to look at the saint, and said, "Your Majesty, please give me instructions."

"You can send monks to Tubo to investigate a little bit." Shao Shude said.

Religious people have never been as simple as their superficial identities. In fact, they undertake many tasks.

Under the pretense of exchanging Buddhism, it is the safest way to go to Ali to inquire about news, and even hint at the local officials and Tuwang to see their reactions.

Brother Tie ignited hope again, and looked at Li Shengtian.

"I obey the order." Li Shengtian replied.

"That's it, I won't keep you for dinner." Shao Shude said.

"Resignation." Li Shengtian stood up, saluted, and left.

Mrs. Chu came back just right, and said with a smile: "Forgive me, Prince, I want to talk to Lianhua tonight, and I want her to stay in the palace."

"Okay, okay!" Brother Tie said repeatedly: "Lianhua, please accompany—accompany the imperial concubine Chu."

The resentment in Mrs. Wulu's heart surfaced again, but it was already very weak.Instead, the bottom is getting slimier.

Shao Shude got up and walked to the map, swipe around with his fingers.

He really never thought that he could enter Tibet from Khotan.

When he saw Li Shengtian, it was like a flash of lightning flashed through his mind: It turned out that he could still go this way.

Closer and more reliable!

Zhang Zhung, Guge, Ladakh, Purang...

The question is, does Brother Tie have the ability to get the full support of local officials?

It depends on his good fortune.

The opportunity is given to you, if you can't grasp it, even if you are incompetent, don't blame others.

However, the chances are really great!

The son-in-law's country of Khotan is right next to him, and he is within walking distance. It is even more convenient to support him than the other side of the Long Valley.

From another point of view, the control is also stronger.

If Brother Tie is incompetent and unable to get everyone's support, maybe it is not necessarily a bad thing.

The more he can't control the situation, the more he needs external support and the easier it is to control.

Of course, Brother Tie has the blood of Zanpu after all, and the local officials and local kings will not be against him.

This situation is the best.

(End of this chapter)