Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 298 Promotion to Tibetan Envoy

Chen Qingsi knows that she is very popular among the new generation. Many teenagers regard herself as an idol, especially those from poor families. I just didn't expect that a little girl who had not yet left the court would be so popular, and she would not be stingy with her handwriting.

Although his handwriting is not as good as that of the great writers of this era, it is still correct and respectable.

Chen Qingsi wrote an auspicious congratulatory message and handed it to He Lan Minzhi.

Helan Minzhi kept it like a treasure.

Chen Qingsi took advantage of Li Hong's class as always.

Guo Yu has become accustomed to Chen Qingsi's presence and is not as worried at first. He gradually realizes that Chen Qingsi is listening to his lecture.

Guo Yu didn't like Chen Qingsi very much, but seeing that he had tamed the unruly He Lan Minzhi and respected his knowledge so much, he gradually felt relieved and was particularly respectful in class.

After all, literati have always looked down upon each other. Chen Qingsi was both a great scholar, but he could sit down and listen to his lectures carefully and calmly. This shows how great his knowledge is.

At this moment, he felt that Chen Qingsi was a great scholar again.

In Chengqing Hall, the young eunuch of the East Palace once again reported to Li Zhi the movements of the prince and Chen Qingsi.

"As usual, Yu De accompanied the prince to study and complete his homework. He also went with the prince to Zhan Shifu to study government affairs."

Li Zhi asked: "Did Zhang Zhanshi and Chen Yude have any arguments later? What was their relationship like?"

The young eunuch said: "They didn't argue as much as before. The two of them had a good relationship and often discussed government affairs together. They just avoided discussing expansion and peace of the people. When Zhang Zhanshi and the prince talked about this aspect of government affairs, Chen Yude was by the side. Didn't answer."

Li Zhi nodded with a satisfied look.

That's right, Prince Yude is mainly responsible for the moral conduct of life, and the administrative aspect is Zhang Wenguan's job.

It's okay for Zhang Wenguan to invite Chen Qingsi to discuss it together. If he didn't invite him and raised his voice to object because it was inconsistent with his own ideas, that would be overstepping his bounds.

Zhang Wenguan was his personally appointed Prince Zhan Shi. He was the top administrative official in the East Palace and was equivalent to the prime minister of the Prince's Mansion.

In the Prince's Mansion, Zhang Wenguan took the lead.

"However... Li Zhan Shicheng is very dissatisfied with Chen Yude, but Chen Yude seems to disdain to argue with him."

Li Zhi nodded slightly and said, "Go down!"

He no longer paid attention to the little eunuch, but closed his eyes and thought deeply:

The main purpose of Chen Qingsi's rise and fall was to test his character and put him under his nose to see his attitude.

Chen Qingsi was promoted too quickly. How many years had it been since he entered Beijing? Has been promoted to the fourth rank...

This is not just an exceptional promotion by himself. Every promotion he receives has sufficient merit and reasons...

Now it is even more of a combination of military prowess and meritorious deeds...

At the age of twenty-five or six, it is really rare to achieve such an achievement.

Li Zhi had to carefully consider how to use him, but he found that even in the East Palace, Chen Qingsi was as comfortable as a fish in water.

He gained the prince's trust and the queen's gratitude.

No matter what position he is in, he can achieve results, and if anything is entrusted to him, he can solve it perfectly or even exceed the quota. No matter whether he was treated unfairly or not, he would do it with all his heart.

Li Zhi thought about his performance in front of the palace today, still trying his best to serve himself and the Tang Dynasty. He no longer hesitated and issued an appointment decree to Zhongshu Sheng.

When the handwriting was conveyed to the council hall, Xu Jingzong, Xu Yushi, Ren Yaxiang, and Jiang Ke were discussing matters together.

The imperial court is preparing to recuperate, but it must also guard against changes in Haidong Tutu.

The Tang Army's maritime warships, which have always been maintained, need serious maintenance. After all, it has been five years since they were last put into the battlefield.

The imperial court is now in some financial constraints, and the four of them argue with each other until they receive Li Zhi's order.

The four of them just stopped.

The handwriting was first handed to Xu Jingzong.

Xu Jingzong looked at the appointment in his hand, and then glanced at Jiang Ke with some sympathy. He didn't think much about it. He always carried out Li Zhi's appointment unconditionally.

Li Zhi gave the handwritten edict, obviously asking him to draft the decree on his behalf.

He immediately wrote a letter of appointment, stamped it with his seal, and handed it to Master Xu Yu.

Master Xu Yu was in charge of Menxia Province. Once the appointment letter was in his hands and stamped with the seal of Menxia Province, he could be issued to the staff for execution.

Master Xu Yue looked at the contents of the appointment letter, glanced at Jiang Ke with some sympathy, and stamped his seal.

Jiang Ke's heart skipped a beat when he saw this, and he thought to himself whether the lion had opened his mouth and made his relatives unhappy, so they wanted to join forces to deal with him?

No!

He was slightly aware of the financial pressure of the imperial court, so he didn't apply for too many applications. He also found his old boss Ren Yaxiang to help intercede beforehand, which was very pleasant.

Xu Jingzong did not hide anything, and said bluntly: "You are really young and promising. Your Majesty has decreed that Prince Yude be promoted to the rank of Minister of the Military Department of the School, and he will also hold the position of Prince Yude."

Hearing this, Ren Yaxiang couldn't help showing a sympathetic expression.

Jiang Ke felt as if he had suffered an unreasonable disaster.

As the top leader of the Ministry of War, Jiang Ke has been promoted for less than a year, and his control over the Ministry of War is average.

Chen Qingsi is not alone now, there is a small group behind him. Just because he has no real power and duties, he failed to activate control.

Now that this appointment has been issued, Chen Qingsi will officially enter the upper echelons of the temple with the honor of being a minister. Not only does he have complete control over the political legacy left by Laiji, as long as he has 50% to rely on, he will be a big force.

As a minister, can I do it safely?

Even Xu Jingzong secretly smacked his lips at the speed of Chen Qingsi's promotion. He was slightly thankful that he was not as stupid as Li Yifu. He was already very old and had to think about future generations.

Xu Jingzong was actually a little dissatisfied with the close relationship between Chen Qingsi and Lai Ji. I just considered my age and there was no need to be hostile to him, so I always maintained a friendly relationship.

Master Xu Yu also felt a little regretful. He had always thought that Chen Qingsi would be one of his generals sooner or later, but he never expected that in just two or three years, he would become someone who could speak directly to him.

If I had known that this would be the case, I should have forced him to get on the ship, and he would not have started his own business now...

The Chen family's residence in Chang'an.

Chen Qingsi was playing with the children in the inner room. When he got the news of Yuan Zhixin's visit, he was invited to the study.

Chen Qingsi lit a fire and made tea.

As soon as Yuan Zhixin stepped into the study, he said congratulations.

"congratulations……"

Chen Qingsi said: "Why are you so happy?"

Yuan Zhi thought to himself: "Your Majesty has issued a decree to appoint Brother Ying Dao as the Minister of Military Affairs of the School and concurrently as Prince Yude. Finally, Brother Ying Dao has been given a fair official position."

At this time, it had not even been issued, but Yuan Zhixin was now a regular servant of Sanqi and served in Menxia Province. The imperial edict was transmitted to the Ministry of Officials in Shangshu Province through Menxia Province, and then it was issued and announced. When going through the process, this kind of will that does not need to be hidden can be known to everyone in the whole province in advance.

Chen Qingsi's hand movements trembled slightly, and there was a hint of joy in his eyes, which meant that all the hardships had come to an end.

The days spent studying with the prince were certainly pleasant, but the days when he had nothing to do and had no power in his hands were also really uncomfortable.

Especially since he also received Lai Ji's inheritance, in a short period of time he, the leader, could rely on his official reputation to stabilize the people around him. As time goes by, it is inevitable that no one will be attracted by Xu Jingzong, Xu Yushi and others. Minister of the Ministry of War, this was also an unexpected surprise. Chen Qingsi thought that he would start as the chief of the Fourth Department.

The so-called heads of the four departments are the four departments under the Ministry of War, namely the Ministry of War, the Staff Department, the Driving Department, and the Treasury Department. However, they do not want to be directly promoted to the Minister of War.

As for the word "check and calibration", in this case, there is no difference between having it and not having it.

Although his qualifications are indeed not enough to serve as Minister of War, there is no doubt about his achievements.

To put it bluntly, he decided the military deployment of the Li Tang court in the next ten years.

While Chen Qingsi was making tea, her mind was racing, trying to figure out Li Zhi's intentions.

Chen Qingsi's character of Li Xiaojiu has become more and more clear through his historical performance and real-life contact: a sinister emperor who likes to stand behind the scenes and let others take the blame for him.

Li Xiaojiu would not do meaningless things. If he was directly promoted to Minister of War, he must have something to deal with.

Thinking about today's meeting, I knew clearly in my heart that Li Zhi probably couldn't lose face and asked Tuyuhun to be responsible for the funds of the Tang army in Qinghai, and let him handle it.

Chen Qingsi said: "Brother Yuan, tomorrow I will submit a memorial requesting the establishment of the Qinghai Protectorate. Your Majesty will definitely agree to it. Then you suggest that Mr. Xu objects and refutes the decree. If Mr. Xu has concerns, then It's up to you to write a letter to object. As for the reasons, you can find them yourself. Let's sing a double act..."

With that said, he told Yuan Zhixin his thoughts.

Yuan Zhixin said with a bad smile, "It's a small trick, but it can save the court a lot of military expenses and benefit thousands of people. It's worth it."

While they were drinking tea and discussing matters, the appointment letter from the Ministry of Personnel was delivered to Chen Qingsi.

In addition to a decree, there is also a brand new dark crimson court dress.

The next day.

Li Zhi was reviewing the memorial as always, with his brows furrowed. This was already normal.

Continuous wars, pensions, rewards and other matters cost the court a lot of money.

The treasury is empty, nothing is going smoothly, and it is difficult to implement any ideas.

Li Zhi took a memorial with a headache. When he saw the special handwriting, Li Zhi felt refreshed.

Chen Qingsi rarely wrote to express his opinions, but every time he wrote to express his opinions, it was a major matter related to the overall situation of the country, so that he felt that he must not be careless after seeing Chen Qingsi's memorial.

After reading it carefully, it turned out to be a letter requesting a memorial to the Governor of Qinghai.

Li Zhi couldn't help but be shocked. He appointed Chen Qingsi as the minister of the Ministry of War. In addition to his ability, he mainly wanted him to handle the affairs of garrisoning troops in Qinghai.

How can we find a treasure land in Qinghai that can be cultivated and established as a military garrison without spending military salary, so as to reduce financial pressure.

Why was this the first memorial he wrote as soon as he became Minister of War?

Li Zhi instinctively wanted to refute: his initial idea was to set up a protective palace, after all, the potential danger of Tubo was too great.

When Qinghai fell into their hands, there were two roads bordering the Tang Dynasty, one was Liangzhou and the other was Longyou.

Liangzhou has excellent momentum. Stimulated by the east-west trade route, it has formed a huge commercial and economic circle, second only to Chang'an and Luoyang. Longyou is directly connected to Guanzhong, which is the only way for the east-west trade route.

Tibet must not be allowed to threaten trade.

So even if you tighten your pants and eat less rice, you still have to build the Protectorate.

But after hearing Chen Qingsi's methods, how could he still be willing to spend such a high amount of military expenditure?

I was about to write the word "No" with a big ink pen, but my mind turned and I wrote "Yes".

Chen Qingsi has never let him down. Everything assigned to him can be handled properly.

He was also the first to propose Tuyuhun pay for military expenses, so there was no reason to beat himself up.

He must have his own intentions...

Li Zhi couldn't figure it out for a while, so he simply let Shi do it, or at worst, he would come back at the last minute.

Li Zhi himself was a little uneasy until the decree was rejected by his subordinates.

Li Zhifang breathed a sigh of relief.

Then he received another memorial from Yuan Zhixin, sternly opposing the establishment of a Protectorate in Qinghai.

After receiving this memorial, Li Zhi was relieved.

Li Zhi knew about the relationship between Yuan Zhixin and Chen Qingsi, so he put the matter aside and ignored it.

Chen Qingsi submitted two more letters asking for the establishment of a Qinghai Protectorate, but both were rejected in the end.

The matter came to an end, but due to three consecutive memorials, the matter caused quite a stir in Beijing.

But it soon came to nothing.

One month, two months, three months...

For three months in a row, there was no movement in Tang Ting at all since the war.

On this day, a large group of troops came to Chang'an City. The team consisted of 600 people and more than 2,000 oxen and horses. Each of the oxen and horses was hung with large boxes, and the team stretched many miles in front and back.

There is no doubt that this is a tribute team coming to Beijing.

This situation is not surprising in Chang'an City.

All the nations of the Tang Dynasty came to congratulate him, but all the vassal states who came to see him did not give him any tribute. Not to mention the imperial city, there was no place for him in the Siyi Pavilion, so he could only stay in an inn.

Whenever the tribute team arrives, people will stop to watch and even speak loudly with excitement to show their pride as citizens of the heaven.

But this time is an exception...

The people passing by looked at them with unkind expressions, with a hint of hostility in their eyes.

If there is no other, this team is Tubo.

Tubo was the only country that caused huge casualties to the Tang Dynasty in these years.

The leader was none other than Gal Dongzan's confidant, Dayan Mangbuzhi, the deputy prime minister of Tubo. At the moment, he was walking at the front of the team, riding a big horse with a sad face, looking at the hostile eyes around him, thinking about himself this time. During the trip, I responded with a pessimistic attitude.

The biggest impact of their defeat of Tibet this time was the severance of Tang-Tibet trade routes.

Tubo is located on a plateau and is rich in materials, but lacks productivity and needs to increase its national power through trade.

There are two core trade routes in Tubo, one goes west to Nibala, passes through Tianzhu and trades with Dashi, and the other is the Tang-Tibet trade route.

The trade route to the west is not peaceful, Nibala is still good, but a group of poor ghosts in Tianzhu fight every day, and the caravan is attacked from time to time.

In recent years, the economic focus has shifted to the Tang-Tibet trade route, which is now cut off.

In just three months, serious problems arose within Tubo.

Many nobles are dissatisfied with Galdongzan, and there are already signs of internal strife...

(End of this chapter)