Chapter 25 The twenty-fifth round Xue Wanjun was humiliated for his greed

After Li Shimin buried Li Yuan in the mausoleum, he told his officials that he would go to the cemetery to observe mourning for three years.The officials were shocked when they heard this, and they wrote letters to remonstrate. According to the ancient system, parents must observe mourning for three years when they die.If an official is in mourning, he needs to stop his official position and return home to observe filial piety.If the public affairs really cannot be separated from him, the emperor needs to issue an edict to make him stop keeping his filial piety, which is called seduction.Now that Li Shimin wants to go to the cemetery to observe his filial piety, of course he can't take his own affection, so he has to write a letter from all the officials to stop him.In fact, the country is now in a critical period. It is up to Li Shimin to decide on major national affairs and conquest diplomacy, as well as small daily affairs.Li Chengqian's name is the prince. After all, he is young, and he supervises the country in name. Small matters are dealt with by hundreds of officials, and Li Shimin has to come to Li Shimin for major matters.If Li Shimin really entered the mausoleum for three years and didn't care about state affairs, I don't know what will happen to this country.

Fang Xuanling and other ministers wrote letters one by one to persuade Li Shimin to give up this idea.Li Shimin didn't look at it at all, and scolded: "If I become the emperor, can I no longer be able to be filial to my ancestors? Now that the country is stable, and the world is mature this year, there is nothing embarrassing. In fact, I don't need to worry about it. You help me Good prince, let me stay with Gaozu quietly in the cemetery for three years. Alas, since I was young, I have been with Gaozu less often and fared more often. In order to mourn, it is time to be filial."

Fang Xuanling saw Li Shimin's determination, so he asked Xiao Yu, Chen Shuda, Yan Shigu, Yu Zhining and other veterans to meet Li Shimin, and said: "The emperor's heart is as hard as iron, you must understand it with reason, and move it with emotion. Be sure to persuade the emperor to change his mind." At that time, Li Shimin had long since stopped attending court affairs, but lived in a side hall in mourning clothes.After Xiao Yu and others entered the hall and kowtowed, Li Shimin asked: "Are you trying to persuade me again? If that's the case, don't open your mouth."

Xiao Yu said: "Your Majesty won't allow the ministers to open their mouths. Today, the old ministers would rather disobey orders and speak up. Your Majesty has said that the king's body is related to the world, and his every move must be mindful of the affairs of the world. Now that your majesty wants to enter the mausoleum to observe filial piety, the ministers privately I think that His Majesty's actions will hinder the affairs of the world." Chen Shuda said: "Yes, since the establishment of our dynasty, we first wiped out the princes of the four directions, then destroyed the Eastern Turks to stabilize the northern border, and even comforted the people to calm down, recuperate, and finally achieved great rule in the world. Now it is consolidating the results and leading the country to prosperity. At the critical moment of prosperity, the emperor has to enter the mausoleum to keep his filial piety, which is really hindering the great cause. Your majesty, before the death of the emperor, there was a decree saying that the funeral should not be extravagant, and the emperor was not allowed to guard the mausoleum. I guess, the reason why the emperor made such a will Hey, it is to let the emperor think about the common people in the world, and he does not need to be filial, and devotes himself to governing the country. Gaozu thinks this way, in fact, he has told the emperor: If you do not slacken in governing the state, you are great filial piety!"

"I have also said before that governing the country requires the joint efforts of the monarch and the ministers. Since Zhenguan, the world has improved somewhat, which is the result of our concerted efforts. The current situation, if all officials perform their own duties, I will Not in the capital, there is actually no big difference." Xiao Yu said: "How can there be no difference? Since your Majesty came to power, you have made the honest and honest people more diligent and the treacherous and sycophants less vicious. Both inside and outside the court and the public are dedicated to rejuvenating the country. So this situation can be formed, because of Your Majesty is open-minded in governing, appointing talents to select talents, and making judgments like a stream. The Tang Dynasty today cannot be separated from His Majesty's reign. If your Majesty goes to guard the mausoleum for three years, it is really worthless to accompany the grand ambitions with the Xiao Suo Mausoleum .”

Yu Zhining also interjected: "The crown prince is too young to entrust important matters. Like Li Jing who is currently conquering Tuyuhun, the affairs of the Western Regions are intricate and complicated, so His Majesty needs to judge the situation and make a choice. Although the country is stable, people's hearts are unpredictable and cannot be guaranteed. No one makes trouble while His Majesty is guarding the Mausoleum. If His Majesty is in the capital, they will be convinced of the Emperor's ability and dare not act rashly. In a word, if His Majesty guards the Mausoleum, it will do all kinds of harm but only benefit, and the benefit is only to let the world know the Emperor's filial piety , compared with the affairs of the world, it is light after all."

Chen Shuda and Yan Shigu also persuaded Li Shimin bitterly, citing the examples of the ancients, and urged Li Shimin not to guard the tomb. Li Shimin sighed, and said: "Well, if a person is an emperor, he looks like he is ruling the world and has infinite majesty, but he is actually not as good as an ordinary person. It is a simple thing for me to keep my filial piety, but I let you say such a thing." There is a lot of truth. These days, all the ministers have written to oppose it. It seems that if you ignore it, it is actually impossible! I understand all the reasons you said. The reason why I want to guard the mausoleum is because I feel that the affairs of the world have entered On the right path, as long as the officials follow the trend, I don’t need to worry about it anymore, because I want to spend a few days of quiet life to show my filial piety. However, according to your statement, if I go to guard the mausoleum, I will take the affairs of the world as light as possible, and It violated Gaozu's legacy. It seems that I have no choice but to stay in the capital."

Xiao Yu and others hurriedly knelt down on the ground and said in unison: "Your Majesty can still be filial to Gaozu in the capital, and he has taken care of the world's major affairs. I am really grateful." Li Shimin then gave up the idea of ​​guarding the mausoleum. On this day, news that Li Jing attacked Tuyuhun and forced Murong Fuyun to commit suicide reached the capital.Li Shimin heard the news, looked west through the window, and murmured: "Sure enough, Li Yaoshi has lived up to my great trust. After going through many difficulties and obstacles, he finally completed this mission. The old fox committed suicide now, which can be regarded as getting rid of one of my heart problems." Because most of the soldiers in the Western Expedition Li Shimin asked Changsun Wuji to bring reward money to Longxi to reward the soldiers, and ordered Qibi He Li, Tuoba Chici and other generals to accompany Changsun Wuji to Beijing. He wanted to meet them personally and express his encouragement .

Hou Junji and Li Daozong led the South Route Army to Bohai via Xingsuchuan, intending to go deep into the moraine to pursue Fuyun.At this time, Li Jing sent people here and asked them to lead the troops northward to join the North Road. It turned out that after Fu Yun committed suicide, King Tianzhu, together with more than ten famous kings, brought Fu Yun's body to the Tang army camp to beg for surrender.Xue Wanjun didn't dare to make a decision, so he sent people to escort them to the location of Li Jing's Chinese army camp, and Li Jing decided. When Li Jing saw Fu Yun's body, he thought that if he hadn't run out of water, he would never have committed suicide.He also thought that this person had been an enemy of Zhongtu all his life, and he didn't realize that he was not Zhongtu's opponent until his death. He killed himself to protect the safety of his tribe, he was a hero, and he felt a little admiration in his heart.He asked King Tianzhu to bury Fu Yun first according to the custom of Tuyuhun, and then he wrote a letter, asking people to take King Tianzhu and Fuyun's son to the capital, and asked Li Shimin to decide the future fate of Tuyuhun.

Here, Li Jing separately sent people to order Hou Junji, Li Daozong, Xue Wanjun, and Li Daliang to lead the troops to meet in the Chinese army tent to discuss matters concerning the squadron.In the next few days, all the generals arrived one after another, and Li Jing arranged a banquet to reward everyone.At that time, Qibi Heli and Tuoba Chici led the troops to follow Li Jing's instructions to try to gather the Tuyuhun people and appease them, so it took a few days later to arrive. Li Jing held up a drink and said: "This Commander came here to challenge Tuyuhun according to the Emperor's order. We have won all the generals to do their best, and finally completed this campaign. It is really gratifying to congratulate. Thinking of the difficult situation of this campaign, it exceeded my expectations. This Commander thinks about it carefully. Holding on to Fu Yun with a strong mind is the key to victory. If you slack off a bit during the period and give Fu Yun a chance to breathe, your success will fall short.”

Li Jing paused for a while, and then said: "After we encircled Tuyuhun, there were three most exciting battles: one was when Hou Shangshu and Ren Chengwang led the South Route Army out of Luozhengu and drove Fuyun out of Wuhai; Shuhun Mountain blocked Fu Yun's escape route to the west; third, the Xue brothers and Qibi Heli made a surprise attack on Tulunchuan, causing Fu Yun to flee and finally committed suicide. Here, I want to talk more about Hou Shangshu's contribution. At that time, Fu Yun fled into Shaqi, and it was Hou Shangshu's insistence on pursuing him relentlessly, which was the key turning point." Hou Junji put down the wine cup, cupped his hands and said modestly: "Commander Li really made Junji feel ashamed when he said that. No matter what opinions we generals have, it will be decided by the governor. Everyone in the world says that Commander Li is like a god in using soldiers. , was invited out of the mountain again by the emperor this time, which fully proves this statement." Li Daliang interjected: "The chief inspector is very observant and sees Fu Yun's movements clearly. Because of the iron walls and iron walls, he has nowhere to escape, and there are many surprise soldiers to make him exhausted. Hou Shangshu is right, so we can get some The small victories are all due to the great governor's dispatch. If you want to say the hero of this battle, the first general is naturally the governor." Li Jing waved his hand and said: "Forget it. I am old and sick now, and I should have recuperated at home. In order to repay the emperor's grace, this time I have to go into battle in order to share the worries of the emperor. I am dying, and my heart for fame and fortune has long been indifferent. You know me The military merits of the DPRK are very generous. After all, you are young. If you have any credit, you should give it to you. This commander mostly sat in the tent of the Chinese army. You were the ones who charged ahead. If you want to say credit, it is you who did it Big." Hou Junji and Li Daliang have been marching and fighting for many years, and they have heard and seen Li Jing's ability, and they really admire them in their hearts.For example, Hou Junji has been prosperous in his official career in recent years, and he considers himself to be very skilled in military aircraft and tactics, but he dare not be arrogant in front of Li Jing.His words of praising Li Jing were not pretentious, but sincere words.The Xue brothers in the seat didn't have much contact with Li Jing. They first followed Li Yi, then Li Jiancheng, and then Li Shimin.Due to the battle of Tulunchuan, Xue Wanjun completely dispersed Tuyuhun, and felt that he was the first person in this battle.He has always regarded Qibi Heli as his subordinate, so now he has already forgotten about Qibi Heli's attack on Tulunchuan, and he has completely forgotten about Qibi Heli's surprise attack on Tulunchuan. Take the credit for it as your own.He was not as humble as Hou Junji and Li Daliang at this time, and he said triumphantly: "What Li Dudu said is right, like this battle of Tulunchuan, if I and Wan Che hadn't attacked quickly together, it would have been too late for Fu Yun to lead the troops. If everyone flees, it will take time for this battle to end." Li Jing nodded and said: "Yes, I heard that you drank horse blood due to lack of water during the march, just like Hou Shangshu led the soldiers to eat ice and snow in Luozhen Valley, thus overcoming difficulties and gaining time to fight the enemy. "Li Jing didn't know about the dispute between Qibi Heli and the Xue brothers at this time, and thought that the surprise attack on Tulunchuan was the idea of ​​the Xue brothers. Xue Wanjun's face was bright, and he said: "This battle finally forced Fu Yun to commit suicide in the sand. The emperor must be very happy to hear the news." Xue Wanjun took great achievements in one person, causing Hou Junji, Li Daozong, and Li Daliang to feel dissatisfied.The reason why this battle was able to win this battle has a lot to do with the previous encirclement of Fuyun and the efforts of various soldiers and horses to chase and intercept them. How could it be the work of all the soldiers and horses?They also thought that this was Xue Wanjun's drunken remarks and they could not take it seriously, so they ignored it. A few days later, Qibi Heli and Tuoba Chici came to meet Li Jing.At this time, the special envoy from the capital conveyed Li Shimin's will, which said that Changsun Wuji had brought rewards and rewards to reward the army, and asked all the ministries to return to their original places to garrison, and asked Qibi Heli and Tuoba Chi to resign After a while, I will enter the Beijing Miansheng.After Qibi Heli and Tuoba Chici heard the news, they sent all the troops back to their original places, and they followed Li Jing and hurried towards the capital. When they walked to Dadouba Valley that day, they saw banners fluttering in the valley, and the flat ground was filled with colorful colored silks and dazzling gold and silver objects.Changsun Wuji stood at the mouth of the valley with a smile on his face, and said to Li Jing and the others: "Wuji was ordered to welcome the army from the west to return to the east. I came here last night. I heard that the army is not far from here. I am waiting here for you. Your Majesty There are rewards and money, and Wuji wants to distribute them to the soldiers as soon as possible, but the conditions here are poor, so we have to make do with it.” Li Jing and others got off their horses and knelt down to listen to grandson Wuji read Li Shimin's will.After the decree was announced, Changsun Wuji distributed the rewards to everyone. The rewards included a bottle of wine and a catty of beef for each soldier. It was almost noon, and the soldiers sat on the ground and began to drink and eat meat. It was sitting together, and they played finger-guessing games, which was very lively. Changsun Wuji ordered several simple banquets to be set up on the wide ground in the valley, which consisted of cooked meat, cakes, etc. brought with him, and of course, jars of fine wine.Changsun Wuji sat at the same table with Li Jing, Li Daozong, Li Daliang, Hou Junji, Duan Zhixuan, Xue Wanche, and Xue Wanjun, and everyone pushed Li Jing to sit at the top; at the adjacent seat, Shi Danai sat at the top, and at the same table were Ashinasheer, Zhishisili, Qibi Heli, Tuoba Chici and others. The eldest grandson Wuji stood up and raised his wine to congratulate: "Duke Wei will lead the people to discuss Tuyuhun in the future. The emperor is worried about it every day in Beijing. After hearing the good news, he sent Wuji to work in the army. Wuji wants to convey the emperor's will as soon as possible. Here Encounter with the army in the wild. It is a pity that there are too few dishes and not much bouillon. Please understand the emperor's intentions and don't care about it. Come, please drink this cup to the full." All the generals got up one after another and raised their heads to drink.After the wine was exhausted, everyone sat down again. Li Jing is not good at drinking, so he just takes a sip.After he sat down, he raised his lamp and said to Zhangsun Wuji: "I am grateful for the emperor's grace. In fact, the victory of this battle is due to the strategy planned by the emperor in advance. We just followed the order. There is one more thing , This battle lasted more than half a year. The army went deep into the desert for a long time, and all the food and grass could only be supplied continuously from the rear. Thanks to Qi Gong, you and the house servant shot in the middle of the capital to dispatch, and General Duan tried his best to transport the army on time. Where can I go? , food and grass will follow.” Duan Zhixuan interjected: "Governor Li is too humble. Thinking about when Hou Shangshu and King Rencheng passed through Luozhen Valley, and when General Xue went straight to Tulunchuan, because Zhixuan was incompetent, he didn't transfer the food and grass up in time, so that the soldiers The stomach that has been hungry for several days. The victory in this battle is all due to the soldiers in the front having the heart to serve the country and not being afraid of difficulties and obstacles." Changsun Wuji said: "Duke Wei, what Zhixuan said is right. Now that the world is rich and the warehouses are full of food and grass, it is very easy to transfer food and grass for the army. This battle can be won thanks to Duke Wei's strategizing and the bloody fighting of the soldiers in front. made." In fact, every time we march and fight, sufficient food and grass are the basis for victory.As for the battle, the strategy of the general and the morale of the soldiers are the most important. This requires grasping the fleeting opportunities to deal unexpected and violent blows to the opponent, and often achieves miraculous results.In this battle, Hou Junji's South Route Army soldiers came out of Luozhen Valley and drove Fu Yun to the west, but Qibi Heli did not give Fu Yun a chance to breathe, and the surprise army raided Tulunchuan, which played a multiplier role in getting twice the result with half the effort. When everyone is drunk, it is natural to talk about proud things.Xue Wanjun has been praised by Li Jing and the generals these days, and he has already attributed the surprise attack on Tulunchuan to himself.Changsun Wuji was most interested in the battle of Tulunchuan. After all, this was the key battle to force Fu Yun to commit suicide, so he asked Xue Wanjun for the details of the battle.Xue Wanjun was very excited, and vividly talked about killing the horses and drinking their blood in order to reach Tulunchuan as soon as possible.When Changsun Wuji heard this verse, he couldn't help but click his tongue repeatedly, praising Xue Wanjun for being able to act decisively in an emergency. This side was talking lively, when suddenly someone from the next seat pulled out a sword and shouted loudly: "Xue Wanjun, you despicable and shameless villain. You tell such a big lie, I will risk my life, and it is up to you No." Everyone stared in astonishment, only to see Qibi Heli leaving his seat with a shining long sword in his hand and heading straight for Xue Wanjun. Ashinasheer and Zhishisili who were sitting with Qibi Heli hurriedly got up, trying to grab Qibi Heli.But Qibi Heli's movements were too quick, the two of them were a few steps behind him. Qibi Heli ran up to Xue Wanjun, everyone saw that they could not save each other, at this moment they only heard the sound of "Dang", one of them flew out of his seat, and at the same time jumped up and drew his sword, the sword and Qibi Heli's sword He intersected and took Qibi He Lizhen back a step.Everyone took a closer look: it turned out that it was Xue Wanche who drew his sword to save his brother. Qibi Heli rushed forward with all his strength and fought fiercely with Xue Wanche.Xue Wanjun's eyes burst into anger, and he also stood up, wanting to draw his sword to join the battle group and help Xue Wanche. Seeing this, Li Daliang shouted loudly: "Wanjun, don't do this." He drew his sword and rushed in front of the two people who were fighting hard, waiting for the moment when their swords were about to collide, stretched out his The epee with a dark handle slammed down.Hearing a shock, Qibi Heli and Xue Wanche felt their tiger's jaws tremble, and saw the long sword they stretched out snapped at their waists.Li Daliang stretched his own sword horizontally between the two, stood still, and shouted in his mouth: "Both of you take three steps back, I have something to say." Qibi Heli and Xue Wanche both took a step back subconsciously after being shaken.At this time, Ashinasheer and Zhishisili came up to grab Qibi Heli's arms, while Duan Zhixuan and Hou Junji over there grabbed Xue Wanche's hands. Li Daliang withdrew his sword and said: "What unresolvable grievances do you have, why do you fight with your lives? Today, in front of the emperor's envoys Qi Gong and Li Da Dudu, we must explain clearly." Qi Bi He Li was out of breath, pointed at the Xue brothers, and scolded: "You are really a pair of good brothers who work together together, if you want to be greedy and make great achievements, you must kill me to fulfill your wish." Xue Wanche scolded back: "You rebellious fan dog, you have humiliated our brothers many times in this battle. You have returned to our dynasty, so you can't do evil according to your past temperament. You think you can still follow your situation when you were the chief dog Humph, not to mention that I have a system, but to say that you are so arrogant, I, Xue Wanche, will not introduce you." Xue Wanche scolded Qibi He Li as a fan dog, Ashinasheer and Zhishenli suddenly changed their faces, Ashinasheer shouted: "How can General Xue say such words? Of course we used to be a foreign country, but Now that you belong to our dynasty, you are the subjects of the Tang Dynasty. You discriminate against us, you must confess to the emperor." Li Jing and Changsun Wuji didn't understand the reason why Qibi Heli drew his sword to stab Xue Wanjun for a while, but when they saw Xue Wanche humiliate the person who came to him, if they didn't stop in time, the scene would get out of control.Li Jing went to the second table, and faced Xue Wanche and reprimanded him: "Mr. Xue, the victory of this battle is the result of the joint efforts of all the lords. Like the Qibi and Dangxiang departments, they have made great contributions to this battle. Your body As a general of the imperial court, but also the current son-in-law, it is too unreasonable to say such unbearable words. Not to mention that they are chilled by the stubbornness, and my heart is not happy." "Doctor Li, don't be too partial to the general. I just scolded him back, but what about him? He wants to kill my brother with a sword." Xue Wanche shouted unconvinced. "Why did this matter happen? The commander-in-chief will naturally have to investigate clearly, and he will handle it impartially. Left and right, first take these three people away and take care of them, so that they are not allowed to quarrel again." Afterwards, Li Jing and Changsun Wuji asked someone about the reason, and Li Jing also called Qibi Heli to ask him in detail.Qibi Heli recounted the grievances and grievances with the Xue brothers this time, and finally said angrily: "The reason why we were able to attack Tulunchuan successfully in one fell swoop is the result of all the soldiers fighting with all their strength, and it is also the result of the Northern Route Army and even the Western Expedition. Is the contribution of the great army the work of one person? It would be fine if he, Xue Wanjun, planned an attack, but he retreated in front of the battle and followed me in desperation. How could he dare to take the merit of heaven as his own? I have lived for a long time He is mean, simple-minded, and cannot tolerate a grain of sand in his eyes. If I am with such people, I dare not go to the capital to face the saints, and I would rather return to the clan." Li Jing praised: "Okay, I didn't expect you to have such a heart! Xue Wanjun was good at fighting in the past, but I didn't expect him to take credit so seriously now. Qibi Heli, the current emperor promotes Qingming politics, and we can't tolerate young people making trouble. Like Xue Wanjun can only keep it a secret for a while, but it will eventually be exposed. If so, it will definitely not be tolerated by my court. Well, I will go and order Xue Wanjun to tell the truth about the war situation in the future, and not to exaggerate his achievements. What happened today, You are also at fault. If you tell me about it in detail, I am someone who does not understand, how can you allow Xue Wanjun to boast for no reason? But you are good at wielding swords and wanting to kill people, this is wrong, and you must not do this in the future .” Li Jing called the Xue brothers again, reprimanded them sharply, and told them to seek truth from facts and not speak falsely.Xue Wanche also disdained his brother's deeds, but seeing that Qibi Heli was coming to kill Xue Wanjun, the brotherhood inevitably shared the same hatred.Afterwards, Xue Wanche recalled the origin of the incident, and scolded Xue Wanjun: "Brother, you can't talk nonsense with a cheeky face from now on. It's obviously the credit of others. If you force yourself into my arms, I will blush for you." After Li Jing's resolution, the two sides calmed down on the way back to Beijing, and stopped provoking. Afterwards, Li Jing said to his eldest grandson Wuji: "Xue Wanjun is a good person, why is he shameless when he is burdened by fame and fortune?" Changsun Wuji said: "Yes, I was shocked when I first heard about this. I think Xue Wanjun thought that Qibi Heli was an outsider and ignored him. Unexpectedly, Qibi Heli was such a violent person, and immediately made a fuss. Make him ashamed." Li Jing didn't answer anymore, he thought that he was already an official, this time he was nominated by the emperor, he finally completed the mission, now he has nothing to worry about.As for the dispute between Xue Wanjun and Qibi Heli, as long as they stop fighting with their lives, I don't want to further resolve it for them. Everyone had nothing to say all the way, and they arrived in Beijing within a day.At that time, Li Shimin was still in mourning in the palace, unable to go out of the palace to greet him, so Fang Xuanling presided over it, Li Chengqian came forward, and held a victory ceremony in Taimiao. Li Shimin summoned Qibi Heli and Tuoba Chici at the Liangyi Hall today, and praised the Qibi Department and the Party Department for assisting the army to conquer Fuyun this time.The emperor Jinkou must have rewards to match, and Qibi Heli and Tuoba Chici naturally received countless rewards.In the end, Li Shimin changed the subject and said: "Tuyuhun's vitality has been greatly damaged by this battle, and its new king has been established. I asked Li Daliang to lead elite soldiers to station nearby as a way of solidarity. Qibi and Dangxiang are adjacent to Tuyuhun, and we must live in harmony in the future. , Do not rely on the situation to bully the weak." Qibi Heli and Tuoba Chici understood what Li Shimin meant, and hurriedly prostrated themselves on the ground and said, "I have belonged to the Celestial Dynasty, and have been subjects of the Tang Dynasty since then. Tuyuhun used to be an enemy of the Tang Dynasty, and it was the common enemy of the lower tribe. Tuyuhun Now that we belong to Datang, we can only obey the emperor's orders and live in harmony with each other." Li Shimin made the two of them equal. He suddenly remembered something and asked Qibi He Li, "He Li, I heard that you drew your sword and wanted to stab Xue Wanjun on the way back to the capital. Since you have returned to the Tang Dynasty, you can no longer follow the old ways." Temperament, you can go crazy at every turn. You should know that Xue Wanjun is also an official, if you have any disputes, you can ask the superior to resolve them, and don't use swords rashly." Qibi Heli has been persuaded by several people these days, and seeing that Xue Wanjun dare not boast anymore, his anger has gradually faded a lot.Now Li Shimin suddenly asked about this matter again, he immediately thought that it was Xue Wanjun who complained first to the villain, which aroused his full of anger, and he kowtowed on the ground: "Your Majesty, although my nature is like a fire, I am also sensible. Xue Wanjun has no sense." I want to take credit for my merits, but I want to take credit for it, the minister is really upset, and wants to kill him because of excitement." Tuoba Chi said: "I have been walking with Hou Shangshu's South Route Army. At the beginning, I didn't know the many grievances and grievances of the North Route Army. On the way back to Beijing, I listened to everyone's discussion and felt that General Xue was not good. The Battle of Chishui, Xue It was Qibi Heli who went deep into the siege and rescued his brothers rashly and was besieged by heavy soldiers, and turned the defeat into victory; the battle of Tulunchuan was the result of Qibi Heli ignoring the Xue brothers. They led the troops to attack Yunya's camp, and made great achievements in the final victory over Tuyuhun. But what happened after the war? The brothers rewarded virtue with resentment, excluded He Li, greedy for their own merit, and uttered insults to the Fanyi. , it’s too chilling for me to wait.” Li Shimin heard people say that Qibi Heli is good at courage and wants to assassinate Xue Wanjun, because he wants to give a lesson today.Unexpectedly, after listening to the words of these two people, I realized that there are still countless twists and turns, so I said: "Oh, there are so many twists and turns. He Li, you can tell me the process of this battle in detail according to the facts. .” Qibi Heli explained the process of the battle in detail. The more Li Shimin heard it, the more solemn his face became. He didn't wait for Qibi Heli to finish speaking, his face was livid and interrupted Qibi Heli's words, and said: "I got it. He Li, there is no room for a grain of sand in your eyes, and neither can I. Xue Wanjun behaved like this. Since I came to the throne, Wei Zheng and other courtiers have advised me many times to cultivate the ethos of 'the emperor is wise and the ministers are straight', and I will try my best to practice it. If villains like Xue Wanjun are allowed to be rampant, it is because the ruler does not understand and the ministers are not straightforward. This matter can’t be done well, I will definitely punish Xue Wanjun severely. Also, they keep insulting you, which is also against my original intention. Over the years, I have regarded Huayi as a family, and the chiefs of the four directions have respected me as a "Heavenly Khan". I am not only the emperor of the Middle Earth, but also the emperor of the four directions. All my subjects are not allowed to make any distinctions. The Xue brothers have followed me for many years in vain because of their vicious words." Tuoba Chici interjected: "Your Majesty's words made the ministers feel more at ease. At the beginning of this battle, Li Dadudu solemnly made an alliance with the lower tribe, and the lower tribe members did their best to lead the army. Unexpectedly, Li Daozong and Gao Zhensheng took advantage of the crowd's dissatisfaction. Bei, did not try to attack Tuyuhun, but instead attacked the city in the territory of Bibu. From this point of view, they, like the Xue brothers, failed to understand the emperor's will." "Gao and Li, I have exiled them as punishment. He Li and Xue Wanjun want to be greedy for merit, so I will fulfill his wish, simply take his official position and give it to you, so that he is worthy of his name. What do you think?" Qi Bi He Li bowed and replied: "Your Majesty's wishes, I understand. I just took Xue Wanjun's official position and transferred it to me. I think it's not right." "What's wrong?" "If your majesty dismisses Xue Wanjun's official position for the sake of his ministers, if the barbarians know it, they will think that your majesty values ​​Hu and despises Han. Some people with ulterior motives follow suit, and they turn false accusations, making it difficult for your majesty to distinguish the truth from the false, and mess up the regulations. Also, if Wanjun's bad deeds are spread, all the barbarians will know that the generals in the court are the same as Wanjun, and thus they will despise the Han people, which will weaken the prestige of the Tang Dynasty. Your Majesty said that Huayi should be regarded as One body, we should neither favor the Han and despise the barbarians, nor the Hu Qinghua." Li Shimin was shocked in his heart, he never thought that such words would come out of Hu's population, what kind of heart is this!After hearing Qibi Heli's narration, he felt pity for each other, and said: "Well, you are noble-minded, so I will do what you ask, not to take Xue Wanjun's official position, but I will fine you a salary for one year as a warning. He Li, how can I reward you for your merits? Well, if you have something to ask, I will do so." "When I came to the capital, I admired the prosperity of China, and I saw that your majesty will stay in Beijing. I want to follow your majesty. If you can guard the gate for your majesty, I will be very honored." Those generals were officials in the capital, but they were actually kept in the capital, in the sense of detaining their tribesmen, as a special kind of hostage.Li Shimin didn't expect Qibi Heli to take the initiative to ask not to return to the territory, but to follow him, so he couldn't help being greatly moved.He thought for a while, then said: "If you stay in the capital, will the Qibi tribe be leaderless?" "It's okay. When I left, I already said this to everyone. They were unwilling at first, but after I understood the reason, I have approved my move to stay in Beijing." "Since this is the case, I will give you the task of inspecting the school and setting up the camp, Sugong Beimen. If you make more contributions in the future, I will reward you separately." Qibi Heli hastily knelt down and thanked him.Tuoba Chici did not have such intentions.A few days later, he bid farewell to the capital and returned to the west. Li Shimin later summoned the Xue brothers and scolded them severely.Xue Wanjun was fined a year's salary and made their brothers stay at home for a month.The Xue brothers were so disgraced now that they dared not see anyone again, and it saved them a lot of embarrassment by asking them to stay at home and think about their mistakes. Qibi Heli stayed in the capital from then on. Li Shimin admired his virtue and talent very much, and awarded him the title of General of the Left Leading Army.After a few days, Li Shimin saw that Qibi Heli was not yet married, so he selected a girl from the clan who was about the same age as Qibi Heli, named her the head of Lintao County, and ordered her to be his wife. Li Jing wanted to go to the Zhengshitang to make peace with the government affairs. Halfway along the way, he saw several people coming towards him on horseback.At that time, because of Li Jing's inconvenient legs and feet, Li Shimin specially ordered Li Jing to walk on public transportation.The group of people walked in front of Li Jing, the one in front got off the horse, bowed and said: "Duke Wei has achieved a great victory in the Western Expedition, it is really gratifying and congratulatory." Li Jing took a closer look, and it turned out that this person was Li Shi who hadn't seen him for many days. After Li Shi and Li Jing broke through the Eastern Turks, they have been stationed in the northern border to monitor the movement there.He came to Beijing at this time, but his father Xu Gai died three years ago. According to the system, he should be released from office and go home to observe mourning for three years.Now that Ding You's term expired, he went back to Beijing to face Sheng, Li Shimin allowed him to return to his old post, and continued to return to Bingzhou to defend. He led his people out of Beijing to go to Bingzhou, but he happened to meet Li Jing. Li Jing ordered the people who carried him to drop down, and he himself went down to the ground.Li Shi hurriedly said, "Mr. Wei has trouble with his legs and feet, why bother?" Li Jing smiled and said: "We haven't seen each other for a long time, if I take the opportunity to talk to you, is it the way of hospitality?" The two didn't have much contact with each other before, but they admired each other's abilities and felt a sense of sympathy for each other.Both of them had the same heart disease, that is, on the eve of the Xuanwu Gate change, they ignored Li Shimin's intention to solicit.They have been faithfully working for the imperial court these years, but they are always cautious and dare not make any mistakes.Sometimes the two want to have a heart-to-heart chat, but they are afraid of being jealous by Li Shimin, so they hardly communicate with each other.For example, when Li Shi came to Beijing this time, he thought of visiting Li Jing's mansion, but suddenly heard some rumors, so he dismissed this idea and dared not think about it again. Li Shigong said: "Wei Gong is old and strong. He took command of the western expedition with a sick body, walked through the desert, and finally wiped out Tuyuhun. That Fuyun is called an old fox, but he still falls into the hands of Wei Gong. What Shi recently did , I have heard the people of the country talk about this battle, and in their words, they have long respected Duke Wei as a god." "Yinggong said this, which made Li Jing really ashamed. In fact, the emperor also wanted Yinggong to be in command. It's a pity that you, Ding You, are not easy to win. And now that the country is prosperous, the people are strong and horses are strong, the emperor dispatched troops twice as large as Tuyuhun to surround him. , anyone who is handsome can be easily captured." The two exchanged polite greetings here, Li Shi heard that Li Jing was going to the Political Affairs Hall, and knew that there was a time limit to go there to discuss matters, so he hurriedly said: "In that case, please invite Wei Gong Shangyu to walk, I should hurry." Li Jing stepped forward to hold on to Li Shizhi's hand, shook his hand and said, "In the northern border, Yinggong needs to worry more. In the life of the emperor, the northern border will be guarded by Yinggong. The land has always been a hotbed of disasters in China, and now the emperor is calming down with the strategy of restraining people, and with a strong and powerful country as the foundation, the barbarians dare not make trouble. But fifty years later, what will it be like?" Li Shi laughed, shook Li Jing's hand heavily, and said: "Fifty years later, you and I will be dead, but we don't need to worry about it." Li Shi suddenly suppressed his smile, his face became serious, He asked: "Mr. Wei, I heard that Gao Zhensheng sued you for rebellion some time ago, and Li Daoyan was there to testify. Is it true?" "It's purely a false accusation! These two people delayed their military term and treacherously plundered the party's tribe. They almost missed a major event. I sent them to the capital to be punished by the emperor. They harbored personal grievances and wanted to falsely accuse me. That's not up to them. In the end, they, After all, he was dispatched by the emperor to exile in the frontier!" "That's right, Li Daoyan is the eldest son of Zhun'an King Li Shentong, a member of the royal family; Gao Zhensheng is an old man of the Qin Palace. The emperor's move is not favoritism, and he does not miss the old love. It is indeed righteousness to kill relatives." Li Shi changed the subject again, He said, "This time I heard that Dali Temple was ordered to investigate Gao and Li's false accusation, and it took a lot of work. Has Dali Temple ever sent people to the front of the army to inspect?" Li Jing's heart sank suddenly, and he replied: "It's clearly a false accusation, why bother to investigate! The soldiers are fighting bloody battles ahead, how can they care about such trivial matters?" Li Shigong clapped his hands and said, "At any rate, Dali Temple handled it impartially, and finally cleared up the false accusation against Duke Wei. Duke Wei, I don't dare to delay your time any longer, so let's bid farewell." Li Jing also cupped his hands and said, "If that's the case, please get on the horse first. Bingzhou is thousands of miles away from the capital, and the journey is long and difficult, so please be careful." Li Shi heard the pun in Li Jing's words, so he said: "Shi Jin listens to Duke Wei's orders." He flew on his horse as he spoke, waved to Li Jing again, and then rode his horse towards the city gate.What wise people the two are, they don't need to clarify their words, they have already understood each other's deep meaning. Li Jing stood there blankly, staring blankly at Li Shi and his followers disappearing from sight.He sighed heavily, thinking that Li Shimin was still worried about himself.It was obvious that he had already been invited back home, and it was only after Li Shimin's grand invitation that he came out to be handsome.In order to win peace, he did his best on the front line and led the soldiers to fight bloody battles.In order to strictly enforce the military order, Li Daoyan and Gao Zhensheng were sent to the capital. The two obviously took revenge with personal grievances.With Li Shimin's wisdom, can't he see that these two people are venting their personal anger and making false accusations, so is it necessary for Dali Temple to come and check again? At this moment, Li Jing felt a chill in his heart, and the chill penetrated to the soles of his feet. Thinking of this, Li Jing walked up to the house slowly, and waved to the person who carried him: "Turn back and go back to the house." Li Jing did not leave the house again, and sent someone to the government affairs hall to ask for leave, saying that he was unwell and could not discuss matters anymore.He also asked his family members to close the door of the house tightly and prevent guests from visiting. Even relatives should not meet each other frequently.Fortunately, Li Jing is open-minded, so he can enjoy leisure in the claustrophobic mansion.Iron horse life, this time is really a rare peace.Playing with grandchildren in leisure time is quite a family happiness.He also took out the three volumes of Art of War he had written, and supplemented his experience over the years to make it more perfect. 这日午后，李世民见室外阳光甚暖，遂唤人牵来马匹，要到西内苑驰骋一回。他策马出了玄武门，进入西内苑，就见沿途花草枯败，水面萧索无物。因想现在正是隆冬之时，万物正在冬眠，所以难以感受春天的赏心悦目。他游了一会儿，感觉没有什么趣味，就想折返宫中。 李世民其时居于西内苑之东首，向东一墙之隔，即是热火朝天的大明宫建筑工地。李世民听到外面夯土的号子声，忽然若有所思，让人去唤来将作大匠阎立德。 阎立德此时日夜在工地上监工，闻听李世民召唤，即在太监的带领下从东墙角门进入，见了李世民，他先跪拜行礼。 李世民问道：“阎卿，大明宫的建造进度若何？” 阎立德答道：“禀皇上，建造宫室最难处莫过于缺少钱物与人力。此宫是陛下为高祖避暑而建造，内府拨给的钱物皆能到位。其后公卿百官闻听皇上为高祖尽孝，纷纷捐助财物，让臣多取人力，以加快建造速度。陛下在这里应该能听到工地上人声鼎沸，这些工役之人，其实未用内府之财，皆是百官捐助之财雇来之人。更有甚者，京城之内，往往有多人来此出义工，分文不取。如此，宫室建造速度很快。臣预计，此宫原定需三年乃成，然有这些人加入，两年之内即可完工。” 李世民感伤道：“群臣及百姓如此爱戴高祖，让朕心内万分感动。只是高祖无福呀，宫室未成，却驾崩而去。空留此宫，又有何用？” 阎立德低头不语。 李世民又想起一事，说道：“高祖一生为国辛劳，其驾崩之时连陵墓都未选定。看来人生苦短，且有不测风云。阎卿，朕之陵园由你现在着手选定。” “选定陵园，其事关重大，以臣绵薄之力，恐难以完成。” “朕不会像始皇那样穷天下之力建造，简简单单即成。记得上次虞卿说过，汉文帝之霸陵因山而建，既现高显，又不费器物。朕之陵园，可选一山凿出一洞，能容一棺即可。阎卿，你可找袁天纲、李淳风两人，让他们助你踏勘风水、方位，就不要再大动干戈了。” "The minister obeys the order." 李世民又笑道：“阎卿，你雅擅丹青，然做了朕的将作大匠，整日忙于宫室及器物的图样，丹青之功就被落下了。现在有人说，尔弟立本的丹青功力已隐隐在你之上。说起来，这是你受宫中之事所累，以致疏于练习。其实你在劳作之余，还是要勤于练习才好。像朕爱好书艺，虽忙于国事，每日也要临摹数篇方罢。” “臣今后定遵皇上训诫。不过画艺之道，亦讲究灵性。臣心思愚钝，对画艺之道不能穷究，与臣弟立本相比，就少了一分生动。这一点，臣自愧不如，因想在六服及腰舆伞扇方面多下一些力气，为宫室添一些色彩。” “看来这是勉强不来的。你对腰舆伞扇及宫室图样，穷究颇深，立本不及你。然在绘制人物一节，立本可谓得其精髓。像其近作《外国图》，将四夷之人物面貌及服饰色彩，皆绘制得惟妙惟肖，煞是好看。” “皇上能尽各人之才，臣下得皇上重视，无不竭尽心力，争取将事做得更好一些。” 李世民又与阎立德闲聊了几句，看到太阳已经西斜，遂上马要回宫中。他又看了一眼东墙外的大明宫工地，嘱咐道：“事不可半途而废，阎卿，你这些日子还要驻守在此，争取将大明宫早日建成。” "I understand." “对了，为建造此宫，内府拨来不少钱物，现在公卿百官又捐助不少，若此宫建成，这些钱物肯定使用不完，是吗？” “不错，就是将多余钱物再造一处宫室，亦绰绰有余。” “既有如此多的钱物，若不用之亦是暴殄天物。朕去年到洛阳，见那里的宫室破旧不堪，该是修缮的时候了。阎卿，你可到洛阳实地查看，如何修缮由你定之。朕想洛阳宫室由炀帝所建，历经王世充及战火破坏，修缮时不能按原样修复。新朝要有新气象嘛，可依你聪明才智将之略加改造，要有新意才好。”李世民还在武德四年的时候，见洛阳宫修建得奢侈堂皇，遂令人拆掉则天门等处，发感叹道：“逞侈心，穷人欲，焉得国不败亡！”从此之后，洛阳宫从未修缮过。 阎立德躬身答应。 李世民想了想又道：“此次平定吐谷浑，本来应该宴请诸将庆贺一番才是，然国丧之日不能呈欢。朕想呀，今后如此庆贺胜利的场面定然不少，然京城之中没有一处可以宴欢的好场合。朕上次去洛阳飞山，见那里环境适宜，若建一宫殿以为宴饮之所，确实别有风味，阎卿，你得空的时候，就去踏勘一番，并绘制出图样来。” 阎立德又复躬身答应。 一会儿的工夫，李世民先让阎立德为自己选定陵园，再让他修缮洛阳宫，最后又要新造飞山宫，这些活儿足够阎立德忙上一阵了。