Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 302 Meeting an old friend on the road

Murong Nuohebo's words were sincere. He encountered great disasters several times in his life, and those who threatened him were the people around him. On the contrary, due to strategic value, the Tang army rescued him many times.

In Murong Nuohebo's eyes, the Tang army was really more reliable than Tuguhun's army.

Murong Tao was still thinking about what words to use to convince his father, but they hit it off immediately.

"Then the kid will go back and make arrangements now?"

Murong Tao still couldn't believe it.

Murong Nuohebo urged impatiently: "Go, go, go quickly, don't let the Tibetan envoys get ahead of you. You can tell Chen Shilang, don't worry that I, Tuyuhun, can't pay the military salary. We can use military horses instead. If it really doesn’t work, we can also disarm, and we will never wrong the heavenly soldiers of the heaven.”

Murong Tai's face was stiff. After thinking for a while, he thought of Chen Qingsi's words, "It's better to die than to live." What hope is there for Tuyuhun with such a father?

Then I thought about it, sandwiched between Tang Dynasty and Tubo, if we really had to change to a capable hero, he might not be able to survive until now.

With this reversal of thinking, everything is relieved.

Murong Tao returned to Chang'an again and informed Chen Qingsi of Murong Nuohebo's decision.

Of course he hid his father's cowardly attitude.

Seeing that things were going smoothly, Chen Qingsi didn't bother to go into details and said: "Murong Langjun can ask for help from His Majesty, and I will speak for you in the temple. But I can't guarantee whether it will succeed or not. I can only say If you get a chance, do your best.”

Murong Tao looked at Chen Qingsi who was concerned about the war situation in Qinghai. Although he knew that everything he did was for the Tang Dynasty, Tuyuhun could indeed benefit from it. He stood up and bowed, and said deeply: "No matter whether it succeeds or not, Tuyuhun will always be Chen Shilang friend."

When Li Zhi received the letter of credence from Murong Tai on behalf of Tuyuhun, his brows were filled with smiles.

There is no doubt that this must be Chen Qingsi's handiwork.

It was Chen Qingsi's suggestion to let Tuyuhun be responsible for the Tang army's military expenses. Without his help, how could Tuyuhun have made the same suggestion?

It was in vain that I made an exception and promoted him to the position of minister.

Let Chen Qingsi be the Minister of War, just to give him the power to promote the garrison in Qinghai and give him a certain say.

Li Zhi was satisfied. He liked ministers who could cater to his own wishes and do things beautifully.

So even though he wanted to suppress Chen Qingsi, whenever something happened, he would always think of Chen Qingsi and let him handle it.

And Chen Qingsi can always do things unexpectedly and beautifully, so she can't help but use it.

As for Chen Qingsi's promotion of the Tang army's garrison in Qinghai without any military pay, Jiang Ke, the Minister of War, sighed again. With such a capable and eye-catching subordinate, he, as a boss, was under great pressure.

Jiang Ke put aside the matters at hand and asked, "Shilang Chen, what are you dealing with now?"

Lu Zi, the head of the Treasury Department, said: "Chen Shilang is checking the war records of the Ministry of War over the years, and he is looking at them very seriously."

Jiang Ke frowned and said, "Has he finished all the matters at hand?"

Lu Zi nodded in admiration: "It was taken care of before noon... Chen Shilang is really a genius. The affairs of our Ministry of War are complicated, and Chen Shilang was new here, and it only took him less than a month to become familiar with all the processes. Regarding the handling of affairs, , efficient and fast. It only takes half a day to handle other people's affairs that take one or two days, and there are no mistakes."

Jiang Ke's face was a little dry after hearing this. He was transferred from a military position to a civilian position. Before he became the Minister of the Ministry of War, he was General Zuowei. When he was promoted to the Minister of the Ministry of War, he made a lot of jokes because he couldn't adapt to it. With the help of his boss Ren Yaxiang, he gradually got started.

Although Chen Qingsi came from a civil service background, he had never been exposed to the affairs of the Ministry of War. However, after he joined the army, he did not make mistakes or make jokes like himself. At most, the efficiency is slower. If you don’t understand, just ask, and then make a decision after you understand. Then within a month, I had completely adapted to the environment, and now I am even more comfortable. The performance of the two is completely different.

Seeing that Jiang Ke was a little dazed, Lu Zi said, "Shang Shu has something to do, and my subordinates will go and invite him."

Jiang Ke said hurriedly: "It's okay, no need." He felt guilty and was afraid that the other party would think wildly, so he explained: "I'm just curious, I don't know what he is looking at."

Lu Zi said: "This subordinate doesn't know."

It was almost dusk when Chen Qingsi walked out of the archives room. As he got to know the affairs of the Ministry of War, he ran to the archives of the Ministry of War whenever he had time.

The archives of the Ministry of War have detailed records of most battles since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, including the familiar Battle of Hulao, in which Li Shimin captured two kings in one battle, and the Battle of Tang Dynasty in which Li Jing unexpectedly attacked Dingxiang and annihilated the Turks.

Whether these battles are recorded in books or spread by word of mouth, they are only general descriptions, and the details and in-depth things will not appear in the public records.

However, there are detailed records in the files of the Ministry of War, including how many soldiers there were on both sides, what situation they faced, how many people died after the war, what the mission of each general was, and what achievements he achieved.

It makes people truly feel the cruelty of war and the in-depth and meticulous planning and decision-making...

After watching these battles, Chen Qingsi tried to figure out the psychological game of being a general at that time, and felt that it was more effective to help him than reading military books.

Chen Qingsi tidied up his office and came to the Ministry of War stables. His newly won Qinghai Cong champion was sleeping with his eyes closed.

The champion is the name specially given to Baoju by Chen Qingsi. The reason is the long white number "1" on the horse's face.

"1" means champion.

Chen Qingsi rode the champion back to Chen's residence.

The little guy is getting more and more fun. Although he can't speak, when he is teased, he babbling and saying "baby talk" and "gurgling" while talking makes people's hearts melt.

Chen Qingsi's greatest pleasure every day now is chatting with her precious son.

"Mirror mirror..."

"Little mirror..."

Chen Qingsi hugged the little guy and kept calling him by his nickname.

In this era, it was not popular to directly give a big name. First, a nickname was given to survive the most dangerous period of childhood, and then a big name was given. Then, during the crowning ceremony, the elders gave the name.

The ancients had a superstition. Because the mortality rate of children was too high, they liked to give children cheap names so that they could make a living.

This superstitious habit is not only believed by the common people, but also by princes, nobles, and even the emperor. Therefore, many famous figures have nicknames that make people laugh: Zhinu, Jinu, Asizi, Trash, and Fighting General. Huang Nu, A Ni, Chou Gei, Xi Gou and so on.

Chen Qingsi didn't believe this, so she gave her baby a nickname with the character "mirror", which means to have insight into the world, to be pure and noble, and to use people as mirrors.

The little guy has memorized Chen Qingsi's father's voice. Although he can't understand the words, as soon as this familiar voice sounds, he will make various sounds in response.

Xiao Miaochen watched this warm scene from the side with a faint smile on her bright face.

Chen Qingsi glanced at the lady on the side and said, "In a few days it will be the Mid-Autumn Festival, and there will be a lantern festival in Furong Garden. Can we go and see it together as a family?"

Xiao Miaochen does not have the habit of admiring the moon and lanterns during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Although the Mid-Autumn Festival originated very early, there are records in the Zhou Dynasty. During the Han and Jin Dynasties, there were already activities such as respecting and supporting the elderly on the day of autumn, giving cakes and appreciating the moon. However, it has never been taken seriously and is very niche.

Until Li Shimin, Emperor Zhenguan of the Tang Dynasty, personally designated the Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15th as one of the most important festivals in the Tang Dynasty. The moon palace and other mythological stories were combined to make it full of romance. Only then did the style of playing with the moon become popular and officially promoted, so that it became one of the four traditional festivals in China.

Therefore, admiring the lanterns and the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival has not become popular, and Xiao Miaochen has never experienced it since he was far away in the south of the Yangtze River.

Xiao Miaochen said with a smile: "I heard that Mid-Autumn Festival lantern viewing and moon viewing are very popular in Chang'an, and I would like to see it too."

"Okay, that's it."

Chen Qingsi put her forehead on the little guy's forehead and said, "Aye, please bring a mirror to watch the lanterns and admire the moon, okay!" He was answered by a series of gurgling sounds.

Soon it was August 15th, and everyone in the Chen family was preparing for the night outing. Chen Qingsi was still riding the champion, Zhou Kui was driving the carriage, Xiao Miaochen, Qianyan and Qingkong were in the car, as well as four guards and two girls. Follow the carriage to the left and right.

As Chen Qingsi's status rose, her travels also became more pompous.

As the largest capital city in the world, Chang'an is always crowded with people during festivals.

But compared to later generations, when hundreds of thousands of tourists crowded into a small place, this era was much better.

While driving the carriage, Zhou Kui warned the two guards leading the way not to disturb the people traveling with them, nor to let them get close.

Chen Qingsi didn't speak at the side, but her eyes were very satisfied with the performance of Zhou Kui, the steward responsible for the safety inside and outside the mansion.

When it comes to the safety of your family, it's always right to be cautious.

As soon as they merged into Zhuque Street, Chen Qingsi and his group were spotted by passers-by.

"Mr. Chen!"

"Mr. Chen!"

"Mr. Chen!"

……

Chen Qingsi is very famous among the young generation of the Tang Dynasty. Many people like his poems, articles, or his personality. In short, whenever they meet him on the street, they will have a feeling of great luck, and No fuss, just a respectful salute and call: "Mr. Chen!"

This situation often happens when I return to the Imperial City.

Chen Qingsi also responded politely.

But it was a festival at this time, and teenagers were the main group of tourists. They walked in small groups. When they met Chen Qingsi, they rushed up to say hello.

Chen Qingsi was a little too busy to return the gift, praying in her heart to enter the Furong Garden as soon as possible.

Furong Garden is a royal forbidden garden located on the south bank of Qujiang Pool. During the Zhenguan period, Emperor Taizong gave it to his beloved son Li Tai. After Li Tai's death, Li Zhi gave it to the East Palace.

Furong Garden is not open to the public in normal times, but during festive festivals such as the Mid-Autumn Festival, Furong Garden will be open to some people in Chang'an City, such as nobles, officials, foreign guests, etc. Relevant literati can also visit under the guidance of the above people The next one is incorporated.

As long as you enter Furong Garden, this situation will definitely improve.

Chen Qingsi dealt with more and more young scholars.

Zhou Kui, who was driving, suddenly said: "Master Lang, in front of you is General Wang Fangyi."

Zhou Kui knew that Chen Qingsi admired Wang Fangyi very much. While driving, he saw him chatting with someone on the street and gave him a reminder.

Chen Qingsi looked in the direction pointed by Zhou Kui and saw Wang Fangyi talking to someone.

Wang Fangyi was originally a school captain in the local Zhechong Mansion.

When the Five Tie Le tribes rebelled, Wang Fangyi followed Zheng Rentai and did not achieve any merit, but Chen Qingsi deliberately promoted him when he was planning to build Sanshou surrender city and gave him credit.

Wang Fangyi was therefore transferred back to Chang'an and now serves in Zuoweiwei Mansion.

Chen Qingsi rode forward without any hesitation.

This interpersonal relationship becomes closer with more contact.

The two of them usually have their own work tasks and have no chance of contact.

The chance encounters along the way were treated as if they were passing by without seeing each other. Once or twice, the relationship faded away.

But just a few words of greeting, even if you say some nonsense without any nutrition, can continue the relationship.

"Zhongxiang!"

Chen Qingsi shouted, dismounted and stepped forward.

Wang Fangyi heard someone calling him, and when he saw it was Chen Qingsi, his face immediately showed a look of joy.

"Shilang Chen!"

He stepped forward quickly, bowed deeply and said, "I haven't formally thanked the minister yet. I met you today. Please accept my three bows."

Chen Qingsi was surprised and said: "Zhongxiang, why is this?"

It turns out that Wang Fangyi's transfer back to the capital this time accidentally saved his mother's life.

Wang Fangyi is a very filial person, and the only thing he worries about while working abroad is his elderly mother. The Queen Mother knew very well that her son was filial, so she did not dare to tell him about her life, for fear of delaying his future.

Historically, the Queen Mother died of this illness, and Wang Fangyi returned to Chang'an to mourn. After the mourning period expired, he got the opportunity to follow Pei Xingjian in the crusade against Li Zhepei, thus stepping onto the historical stage and making a splash.

Chen Qingsi gave Wang Fangyi a share of credit and ordered him to be transferred back to Chang'an, where he discovered that his mother was ill in bed.

Wang Fangyi served him day and night.

With her son taking good care of her, the Queen Mother unexpectedly recovered from her illness.

Wang Fangyi did not know that if he did not come back, his mother would die of illness, but he was also grateful to Chen Qingsi for giving him this opportunity to take care of his mother.

When Chen Qingsi heard the reason, she felt very fond of him.

Filial piety is the most lovable person.

"That's Zhongxiang's filial piety and aunt's good fortune."

He glanced at the man who was about the same age as Wang Fangyi not far away and said, "You are going to enjoy the lanterns and the moon, why don't you go together?"

Wang Fangyi waved his hand to call the man and introduced him: "Servant, this is my best friend. His surname is Zhao, his twin names are Chiman, and he is the county captain of Chang'an County."

Zhao Chi is full of strength and strength, and wearing a tight-fitting suit gives people a very capable feeling.

Zhao Chiman bowed and saluted.

Chen Qingsi greeted him with a smile. Wang Fangyi's good friend was naturally also his good friend.

Wang Fangyi said apologetically: "I originally planned to invite my brother to watch the moon and drink together, but he has urgent official duties and is unable to travel. I happen to have nothing to do, so I will act as his aide..."

(End of this chapter)