Chapter 105: Wrestling, Tibetan Maizhuang

The government office of the Longyou Jiedushi.

"If Qilang can come to our Longyou army, it will be like adding wings to a tiger."

Huangfu Weiming personally greeted Li Xuan at the door and spoke as soon as he saw Li Xuan.

Huangfu Weiming, who is in his fifties this year, has a medium build, mixed black and white hair, and looks energetic.

He was from the famous Huangfu clan of Anding. Like many Han generals, Huangfu Weiming served in the army when he was young, but he entered the government as a general of the imperial guards through family connections. After more than a decade of civil service, Huangfu Weiming became a military general.

If it weren't for the recent defeat at Shibao City, Huangfu Weiming would definitely have been able to dominate Helong.

That defeat, which was caused by his haste for quick success, weakened Huangfu Weiming's prestige both in the twelve counties of Longyou and in the army.

"Greetings to Marshal Huangfu!"

Li Xuan bowed slightly to Huangfu Weiming.

"Why should we use such etiquette between you and me?"

Huangfu Weiming straightened Li Xuan and said, "Follow me into the government office."

It seems like he is very close to Li Xuan.

Before, when facing the Longyou Herdsmen, they were all equals. Huangfu Weiming also understood the purpose of this position.

Li Xuan's personal guards were taken to another place to eat and rest.

In the side hall of the government office, Huangfu Weiming hosted a banquet for Li Xuan alone to welcome him.

There were two simple low tables facing each other, on which were placed wine jugs, vegetables and grilled meat.

Huangfu Weiming dismissed his attendants and did not need to serve him, wanting to have a good feast with Li Xuan. He also wanted to talk about some private matters.

"The Right Prime Minister abused his power, and the government and the people did not obey him. Fortunately, the Left Prime Minister turned the tide and suppressed the Right Prime Minister's arrogance, and the government became clean. I look up to the Left Prime Minister like a mountain, and I admire him very much."

Huangfu Weiming expressed his admiration for Li Shizhi right from the start.

Praising his father in front of his son is meaningful.

"Huangfu Marshal guarded Longyou for three years and defeated Tubo's attacks many times. He worked hard and made great contributions. I have always admired Huangfu Marshal."

Li Xuan also expressed his praise in return.

He knew that Huangfu Weiming really dared to confront Li Linfu.

Historically, Huangfu Weiming directly accused Li Linfu of monopolizing power and persuaded Li Longji to dismiss Li Linfu from his position as prime minister.

But Li Linfu's power was granted by Li Longji, so how could he be dismissed?
Li Xuan and Huangfu Weiming continued to chat about some simple topics, mostly trying to get close to each other and talk about their daily lives.

Both of them avoided mentioning Wang Zhongsi's matter.

At the beginning, Huangfu Weiming's sworn brother Wang Yu had a conflict with Wang Zhongsi, and then Huangfu Weiming falsely accused Wang Zhongsi, causing him to be demoted.

Now Wang Zhongsi is powerful throughout the world. Whenever Huangfu Weiming thinks of this matter, he regrets it.

"Qilang, how about this wine?"

After Huangfu Weiming and Li Xuan drank several cups in a row, he asked Li Xuan.

"Good wine, comparable to the fine wine served at a royal banquet."

Li Xuan's words were not just a compliment; the wine Huangfu Weiming prepared for him was indeed delicious.

"That's right! This is the fine wine that the prince sent me. Normally I would drink it even if I was reluctant to do so. Today Qilang is here, so I am not stingy with it."

Huangfu Weiming raised the wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.

His words almost made Li Xuan spit out his mouth.

After all, he is a border commander with a large army, but he actually accepted the prince's wine and gave it to me to drink. What does this mean?
Li Xuan knew that Huangfu Weiming had been a good friend of Li Heng for a long time.

And he was on good terms with Wei Jian.

This is to treat them as a party, so that after Li Longji's death in the future, they will jointly assist Li Heng.

In Li Xuan's opinion, this was too hasty.

Did they think that Li Longji, who was in his sixties, would not live for many more years?
Historically, if Li Longji had not suffered a series of blows, it is hard to say who would have lived longer between him and Li Heng.

"Good wine! It is my blessing to be able to drink this wine..."

Li Xuan said this without changing his expression.

Huangfu Weiming also had the ambition to become a general or a prime minister. Moreover, he was originally a civil servant and had been one of the Nine Ministers.

That's why he is close to Crown Prince Li Heng.

In terms of relationship, Wang Zhongsi and the prince were actually closer and they privately called each other brothers.

But Wang Zhongsi was loyal to the country and Li Longji.

If Li Longji was still alive, Wang Zhongsi would never do anything for Li Heng. This is why Li Longji was confident in letting Wang Zhongsi take charge of the heavy troops.

Of course, Huangfu Weiming would not help the crown prince to stage a coup, but he would help Li Heng deal with his mortal enemy Li Linfu.

In this way, after Li Heng came to power, it was a foregone conclusion that Huangfu Weiming would be appointed as prime minister.

I don't know whether Huangfu Weiming did it intentionally or unintentionally, but after mentioning the prince, he never mentioned him again.

Li Xuan once thought that it was difficult to handle the relationship with Huangfu Weiming.

Now it seems that Huangfu Weiming wants to help the prince win over him, or Li Shizhi behind him.

Huangfu Weiming, Wei Jian and the prince have a close relationship, which will also directly implicate Li Shizhi.

Li Xuan couldn't act rashly and could only play dumb.

He needs to come up with a foolproof plan.

"Qilang is also the Herdsman of Longyou. All the official horses in the world are under Qilang's command. My Longyou Army doesn't have many war horses. You are the deputy ambassador of the Longyou Army. You must take good care of the Longyou Army!"

Huangfu Weiming started talking to Li Xuan about horses again.

Everyone can see that Li Longji's intention of letting Li Xuan concurrently serve as the Herdsman of Longyou was to tacitly allow Li Xuan to recruit more cavalry.

"I have not yet taken up the post of Herdsman. Once I have a better understanding of the Herdsman, I will have no shortage of cavalry in Longyou County."

Li Xuan can guarantee this.

When attacking Jiuqu and Qinghai, the more cavalry the better. Without a large number of cavalry, it is difficult to move freely across a thousand miles.

"That's good! My judge Tian Yunping lives in Longyou all year round and knows the customs and people of Longyou, the mountains and rivers, and the Tibetan affairs very well. Qilang, if you need to know anything, feel free to ask."

Huangfu Weiming reminded Li Xuan.

Tian Yunping was his confidant whom he promoted, and he trusted him very much.

"it is good!"

Li Xuan needs to understand Longyou more accurately.

I talked with Huangfu Weiming for two hours until dark.

The judge arranged a mansion for Li Xuan near the government office as his residence.

There were twenty slaves and servants in the mansion to take care of Li Xuan's daily life.

Zhang Xing, Nan Jiyun and their personal guards lived in the mansion.

The next day, Huangfu Weiming invited Li Xuan to a banquet again, this time to get acquainted with the officials of the Jiedushi's shogunate and the officials of Xiping County.

Including the military commander, the chief military officer, the prosecutor, the patrol officer and so on.

Li Xuan chatted with them one by one.

When he became a general and wanted to handle the affairs of the Longyou Jiedushi, he could not do without these assistants.

"General Huangfu, General Gao is here."

Just as Li Xuan was chatting with Huangfu Weiming, a minor official reported to Huangfu Weiming.

"Let him in!"

Huangfu Weiming glanced at Li Xuan and then spoke slowly.

From his expression, it can be seen that he did not invite General Gao.

After a while, a strong man entered the front hall and bowed to Huangfu Weiming: "Greetings, General Huangfu!"

"Today we are hosting a banquet for General Li, so no need to be polite."

Huangfu Weiming raised his hand.

"This is Gao Xiuyan, the former Lintao Army Ambassador and the current Anxiang County Governor."

Huangfu Weiming introduced him to Li Xuan again.

He was originally an ambassador of the Rui Army, commanding 15,000 troops, but was sent to Anxiang as a prefect. He must have felt uncomfortable.

Gao Xiuyan was born a fierce general. When he fought, he would jump on his horse, hold his spear in hand, take off his helmet and charge forward, often killing the generals and capturing their flags.

He achieved a high position by virtue of his bravery and military achievements.

"I have long heard of Lord Gao's great name!"

Li Xuan knew that Gao Xiuyan was a fierce general. If the historical trend was followed, he would follow Geshu Han to attack Shibao City, and then enter Jiuqu Land to make further achievements.

Unfortunately, for unknown reasons, he later surrendered to An Lushan and became a rebel general.

"I heard that General Li is famous for his fearless behavior on the grasslands, beheading generals and pulling down flags. But I did not make any mistakes, but General Li took control of the Lintao Army. I am not convinced. Today, I came to compete with General Li in courage. Do you dare to accept it?"

Gao Xiuyan didn't say anything more. He went straight to the point and challenged Li Xuan.

The battle of Shibao City three months ago was not his fault. Gao Xiuyan, who had experienced many battles in the past 20 years, was very angry because he was transferred for no reason.

The Lintao Military Ambassador is different from other military envoys in that he has a greater chance of becoming a deputy envoy of a military governor.

He didn't understand, Li Xuan was already the deputy ambassador of the Jiedushi, why did he want to grab his position?

Gao Xiuyan just received the news two days ago and is still angry.

After learning that Li Xuan had arrived, he became angrier and angrier.

He firmly believed that his fighting power and courage were stronger than Li Xuan's.

He wanted to embarrass Li Xuan when leaving Huangshui City.

"Gao Taishou, General Li is the deputy governor of the Jiedushi and the herdsman of Longyou. How can he compete with you?"

Huangfu Weiming stood up and spoke.

Gao Xiuyan was once his subordinate, and he also sympathized with Gao Xiuyan.

But there are too many similar things.

Besides, the governor of Anxiang was not bad, and it was not considered a demotion. But with military generals in power, it was very difficult to be promoted to the court.

However, Gao Xiuyan still has a chance to join the army again.

Huangfu Weiming also promised Gao Xiuyan that he would recommend him if he had the chance.

"It is said that General Li led the troops and won battles with bravery. I have been in the army for twenty years, and I have often won battles with bravery. If you don't compete with me, it means you are not as brave as me. There are so many people watching here, and the news will soon spread to the Lintao army." Gao Xiuyan did not listen to Huangfu Weiming's advice and was determined to compete.

This sentence almost put Li Xuan in a difficult position. If he didn't compete, his reputation in the Lintao army would be reduced.

If we fight, losing is even more shameful.

The main reason was that Li Xuan was famous in the army for his bravery, so Gao Xiuyan was able to force Li Xuan like this.

Many officials felt that Gao Xiuyan had gone too far. Since he had already been transferred, why bother offending the distinguished Li Xuan? They should leave a way out for him so that they can meet again in the future.

What if Li Shizhi gives Gao Xiuyan an unsatisfactory grade in the assessment of Anxiang County at the end of the year, wouldn't he be demoted again?
There were also people watching the fun, who hoped that the two would fight.

"In that case, how do you think General Gao will compete?"

In fact, Li Xuan has absolute confidence in the competition of martial arts.

Unlike the previous archery competition with Ashina Fuwen, Gao Xiuyan had already left the army and was a person of status.

But if Li Xuan could win the competition against a fierce general like Gao Xiuyan, he would establish some reputation in the Lintao Army and even in the entire Longyou County.

"General Li is worth a fortune, I dare not fight him with swords, I will just compete with him in wrestling!"

Gao Xiuyan was best at one-on-one wrestling. His lower body was extremely stable and he had never failed in a wrestling match in his life.

"Yes! Please allow us to enter the training grounds, Marshal Huangfu."

Li Xuan smiled slightly. What he was most proud of was his natural strength. Gao Xiuyan was very confident in his own strength.

Wrestling is also called wrestling.

It was a very common sport in the Tang army.

Whether a soldier has the potential to become a fierce general is often reflected in his strength.

In the era of cold weapons, the power of the weapon can be exerted according to the strength. At most, there are some fighting skills.

The so-called "force" that uses one point of strength to exert ten points of strength is something that only appears in novels.

Wrestling is all about the use of strength.

"That's fine!"

Huangfu Weiming saw that he could not stop it and could only acquiesce to the fight.

Everyone says that Li Xuan is very brave, and the legends about him are even more miraculous.

Gao Xiuyan is one of the top three generals in the Longyou army, and Huangfu Weiming also wants to meet him.

The banquet ended and the assistant officials came together to the parade ground behind the government office.

"Gao Taishou, enough is enough."

Before the competition started, Huangfu Weiming reminded Gao Xiuyan.

He was afraid that Gao Xiuyan would win and ride on Li Xuan, which would cause Li Xuan to lose face, and he, as the governor, would also lose face.

In Huangfu Weiming's mind, Wei Jian and Li Shi are in the same party, so he and Li Xuan are in the same party.

This is why he didn't care that Li Xuan had once served under Wang Zhongsi.

"I understand!" Gao Xiuyan nodded.

Huangfu Weiming asked his chief guard to serve as the referee.

"start!"

At the command of the chief of the personal guards, Gao Xiuyan was ready.

Li Xuan remained motionless.

"Roar……"

Seeing Li Xuan being so frivolous, Gao Xiuyan became furious. He rushed over like a tiger pouncing on its prey, trying to suppress Li Xuan in an instant.

The distance between the two was not far, and in the blink of an eye, they were about to collide with Li Xuan.

With Gao Xiuyan's momentum, he could easily knock Li Xuan to the ground by just hugging him.

All the officials watched intently, afraid of missing the wonderful moment.

As they were about to touch each other, their hearts beat faster.

Just when Gao Xiuyan was about to hug Li Xuan, Li Xuan quickly stretched out his right hand and grabbed Gao Xiuyan's arm.

However, Gao Xiuyan's accumulated momentum was stopped.

Gao Xiuyan felt that Li Xuan's hand was like a wall, pressing his body in place.

But Li Xuan did not stop there. While grabbing Gao Xiuyan's arm, he leaned forward and threw him over his shoulder, using the strength of his shoulder to easily throw Gao Xiuyan away.

Shockingly, Li Xuan only used one hand from beginning to end.

Gao Xiuyan rolled over several times and got up, his face suddenly turned pale.

At that moment, he felt an unrivaled sense of power.

He had no time to exert his lower body strength.

"Come again!"

Gao Xiuyan was unwilling to admit defeat, so he shouted loudly and rushed forward again.

When he got closer to Li Xuan, he stepped heavier, put one hand on Li Xuan's shoulder, and prepared to grab Li Xuan's arm with the other hand.

But when there is a huge difference in power, all beautiful imaginations are in vain.

This time, Li Xuan used both hands. He grabbed Gao Xiuyan's arm with his left hand and pulled hard, and Gao Xiuyan's feet left the ground.

At the same time, Li Xuan held Gao Xiuyan's waist with his right hand, and with a little force, he lifted Gao Xiuyan above his head.

Then, like throwing an object, he threw Gao Xiuyan into a pile of sand two meters away.

"This is truly divine power."

"Gao Taishou weighs nearly 200 kilograms, but he was thrown into the air like this. It's really an eye-opener."

"The strength of bears and tigers is insignificant, not like that of the human world."

"It seems that the rumors are true. General Li has the courage of ten thousand men..."

The assistants and guards of the Jiedushi Mansion were speechless.

The wrestling between Gao Xiuyan and Li Xuan was like a big man fighting a baby, it was effortless.

"Clap!"

Huangfu Weiming took the lead in applauding. He had been in the army for many years and was knowledgeable. I'm afraid that Wang Zhongsi back then didn't have such power.

Gao Xiuyan was not injured, but he did not dare to go forward again. He buried his head in his chest, feeling extremely ashamed.

He understood that his power was not on the same level as Li Xuan's, and no matter how he compared them, he would be defeated miserably.

He wanted to prove that he was braver than Li Xuan, but now he is like a clown and he is embarrassing himself.

"Concession!"

Li Xuan bowed.

It was precisely because of his bad impression of Gao Xiuyan and the label of "traitor" in his mind that Li Xuan showed his skills.

Otherwise, Li Xuan would give Gao Xiuyan some respect instead of throwing him out like a sandbag.

"The general is so brave, I am convinced!"

After saying this, Gao Xiuyan left without looking back. He was too embarrassed to stay any longer.

Huangfu Weiming, considering that Gao Xiuyan was his subordinate, asked the secretary to escort Gao Xiuyan out of the government office and comfort him.

The wrestling with Gao Xiuyan was just a small episode.

After everyone got to know each other, the party ended.

Li Xuan also invited Judge Tian Yunping to his residence to inquire about matters concerning the various armies and Tubo.

He needs to understand this as soon as possible so that he can have a clear idea of ​​it.

Although Tian Yunping was Huangfu Weiming's confidant, he answered all of Li Xuan's questions and was very patient.

Others admired Li Xuan's courage, but as a scholar, he respected Li Xuan's talent even more.

The two chatted until the evening.
They talked about what to pay attention to in each season, spring, summer, autumn and winter.

"In summer, Tubo rarely attacks, but there are some. For example, in the Jishi Army area, the fields there are on the vast border. Every June when the wheat is ripe, Tubo will come to harvest the wheat in the military area in advance despite the heat. We have taken precautions many times, but have failed to stop them. The Jishi Army suffered casualties and was unable to resist."

"It's almost June now, and the wheat will be ripe. I guess a large part of it will be snatched away again."

Tian Yunping told Li Xuan the story.

Li Xuan suddenly had an idea. Isn't this the "Tubo Maizhuang"? The place where Geshu Han made his achievements.

Geshu Han is still in Hexi and is not very famous now.

"What kind of general is Xu Kuo, the commander of the Jishi Army, who can't even protect the military farms?"

Li Xuan asked Tian Yunping.

Through his understanding, Li Xuan knew that many military envoys in Longyou were generals whose names were recorded in history books.

Such as Wang Nande, the commander of Heyuan Army, Yang Jinghui, the commander of Baishui Army, and Zhang Shouyu, the commander of Anren County.

Of course, there were also some ordinary generals, or military envoys and guards that Li Xuan did not know about.

"I can't make any assumptions about the commander. After all, I have never been to the Jishi Army."

Tian Yunping shook his head and said.

It is hot in June, and under normal circumstances both sides would tacitly avoid fighting and fatten up their war horses.

Therefore, if the Ji Shi Army did not stop them, other armies would not be willing to send troops in such hot weather.

Li Xuan has made his decision in his mind.

He decided not to inspect the pastoral supervisory office for the time being, as he planned to establish his authority by using the Tibetan soldiers who were harvesting the Tang army's wheat.

Because it was almost June and the wheat was about to ripen, he had to be prepared.

In fact, in Li Xuan's opinion, the summer here is far less hot than in the north, as can be seen from the fact that wheat does not ripen until June.

The wheat in the Central Plains has been harvested by this time.

Therefore, only a small number of cavalry and stone-accumulating troops are sent out to prevent heat stroke.

The next morning, Li Xuan went to find Huangfu Weiming.

"Qilang is going to lead 3,000 crossbowmen and cavalry to cooperate with the Jishi Army to protect the wheat fields?"

Huangfu Weiming didn't expect Li Xuan to be so anxious and wanted to achieve success after only two days.

　A big chapter of 5,000 words, and another 5,000 words later.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)