Chapter 219 Obtaining a Warrior, Lingxi Presents a Pear

"In this case, if you can pull the sword from my waist, I will allow you to join the army in Helong."

Seeing that Pei Ying claimed to be able to ride and shoot, and was very confident about it, Li Xuan decided to give Pei Ying a chance.

Li Xuan saw a shadow similar to Pei Huang in Pei Ying, but she spoke more aggressively than Pei Huang.

"it is good!"

When Pei Ying heard it was so simple, she immediately stepped forward and pulled out Zhuge Liang's sword from Li Xuan's waist.

"Da Lang, don't be rude!"

Pei Fan hurried to dissuade him.

He was worried that Pei Ying would offend Li Xuan.

Pei Fan always has a headache because his own eldest son acts rashly and loves to be chivalrous, unlike a son of a noble family.

He believed that this was because he had neglected management when he was an official in Luoyang, which led to Pei Fan coming into contact with too many Heluo wanderers when he was young.

"It's okay! This is the character of a soldier!"

Li Xuan laughed and signaled Pei Fan not to be so nervous.

Seeing this, Pei Ying had no more scruples and came to Li Xuan, not forgetting to bow to Li Xuan.

Then he quickly grabbed Li Xuan's hilt.

When Pei Ying was overjoyed and was about to pull out Li Xuan's Zhuge Liang sword, Li Xuan grabbed Pei Ying's wrist with his left hand.

The sword had just been unsheathed three inches when Li Xuan pressed Pei Ying's hand and pushed it back.

Pei Ying's face changed drastically when she saw an irresistible force.

He gritted his teeth and tried to pull it out, but the sword did not move in the scabbard.

It was of no use even though Peiying was holding her breath until her face turned red.

But Pei Ying never used her second hand.

Among his friends, he has always been proud of his immense strength.

He once carried a 500-jin millstone on his back and walked dozens of steps, making a group of knights bow down to him.

He had heard of General Li's supernatural power of tearing a tiger apart with his bare hands, but the reckless man's behavior was not only reckless, but he was also extremely confident in his own bravery, so he dared to challenge General Li.

After being in a stalemate for dozens of breaths, Pei Ying let out a breath, knowing that he could not change the situation at all and could only give up.

His expression was one of extreme disappointment.

He is worthy of being the legendary General Li. He looks a little shorter than him, but he has such great strength.

"Qiang!"

Just when Pei Ying let go of the hilt and felt disheartened, Li Xuan pulled out Zhuge Liang's sword himself.

The sword exudes a cold light and a sharp edge!

"I allow you to join the Helong Army, but since you have no military merit, you can start as my personal guard! Once you have made merit, I will appoint you as a general!"

Li Xuan took the initiative to draw his sword, which meant that he allowed Pei Ying to follow him into the army.

Through the test just now, Li Xuan discovered that Pei Ying had enormous strength, and few of the generals under his command had such strength.

Pei Ying looks to be less than 20 years old, and there is room for improvement in her strength and endurance.

How could you miss such a brave warrior?

As long as he doesn't die on the battlefield, Pei Ying should be able to be appointed as a general in the future!
"Pei Ying thanks General Li for accepting her!"

After hearing Li Xuan's words, Pei Ying's spirits suddenly improved. He was overjoyed and bowed to Li Xuan again.

Being able to become Li Xuan's personal guard is what his knight-errant friends dream of.

"The day after tomorrow I will leave Chang'an and head for Helong! If you can't follow me, you can only report to the Longyou Jiedushi's office by yourself."

Li Xuan put away Zhuge Liang's sword and straightened Pei Ying.

He will take a fast horse through the post station the day after tomorrow and reach Huangshui City as soon as possible.

"I can leave with General Lee any time."

Pei Ying agreed without hesitation, regardless of the presence of her father and sister.

After meeting General Li, he couldn't wait to achieve great things.

"Da Lang can leave with the doctor. If I act rashly in the future, I hope the doctor will forgive me!"

Seeing this, Pei Fan could only bow and say to Li Xuan.

His only worry was that his son would be defeated on the battlefield.

It would be much better to become the personal guard of Li Xuan, the governor of four towns.

He believed that Li Xuan could definitely discipline his son.

Pei Fan didn't have high expectations for Pei Ying, it was enough for him to achieve something as rare as the King of Longyou.

There is no doubt that Pei Fan believes that Li Xuan is a top commander and someone he can rely on.

"On the battlefield, one must face death head on. Wearing double armor, carrying courage and strength, and maintaining a stable formation, one can achieve meritorious service."

Li Xuan said to Pei Fan.

It is relatively easy to make meritorious service by becoming his personal guard.

The generals wore double armor, and unless they were unlucky, their chances of survival were relatively high as long as the formation did not collapse.

Many brave generals died in battle due to internal problems, or were captured and killed during the defeat.

"Hey! I don't need armor, I can still kill the enemy!"

Pei Ying had never worn armor and didn't know its importance on the battlefield.

"Pah! You were pinned to the ground and beaten by Yang's servants earlier. Have you forgotten so quickly?"

Pei Fan couldn't help but pat Pei Ying on the head.

The border troops at least have leather armor. If they don’t wear armor, wouldn’t they be seeking death if they go to the battlefield?
Those peerless warriors went into battle shirtless to risk their lives and boost morale; they were not fools.

"You must wear armor on the battlefield, and I am no exception. You only have one life, don't joke around."

Li Xuan spoke to Pei Ying.

"I understand!"

Pei Ying obeyed Li Xuan's words.

"Talk to your father and sister, I'll take you away later!"

Li Xuan was not unkind. He told Pei Ying to stay for a while.

To put it bluntly, this separation may be a separation between life and death.

Pei Ying nodded. She usually didn't have much to say to her grandfather, but now she wanted to say something.

Pei Lingxi stayed by Pei Ying's side with mixed feelings. Her brother had become General Li's personal guard. She hoped that her brother would protect General Li well, but she also hoped that her brother would be safe.

A man who fought on the battlefield like General Li could be a hero. Pei Lingxi also believed that this was his brother's future.

Li Xuan wandered in front of the orchard, looking at the pear and peach trees.

After Pei Lingxi talked with Pei Ying for a while, he picked some pears from his own pear tree and asked Pei Ying to take them away.

As they had to leave in a hurry, Pei Ying had nothing to take with her, so she took some pears from her own garden to eat on the way.

"General Li, do you eat pears?"

Pei Lingxi plucked up her courage again and brought the pear to Li Xuan.

"give me one!"

Seeing Pei Lingxi's shy look, Li Xuan did not refuse.

When Pei Lingxi came to the orchard, she was wearing a very ordinary narrow-sleeved blouse and a green skirt. She did not wear a painted silk scarf like the ladies. She had long hair like ink, and did not wear any hair accessories.

She spoke softly and walked as lightly as a bird. Her gracefulness and elegance made Li Xuan's eyes light up.

It was the first time that Li Xuan saw the children of aristocratic family behaving so ordinary.

Pei Lingxi picked out the largest and smoothest-looking pear and handed it to Li Xuan.

"Thank you!"

Li Xuan took the pear.

Pears represent purity and innocence and are very popular among people.

From Kong Rong giving away his pears to Tao Yuanming returning the pears, the pear's purity is revealed.

Although he had already eaten the pear, Li Xuan still took another bite in front of Pei Lingxi.

He felt that this pear was sweeter than the ones he had eaten before.

Pei Lingxi also smiled like a flower...

When Pei Fan saw this scene, his heart moved, but he had not yet asked his daughter how she knew General Li.

It is said that General Li is still unmarried.

If General Li falls in love with my daughter, it will not only help her find a home, but also make her family rich.

Although Pei Yaoqing's family was in decline, this kind of marriage was considered a match made in heaven.

In this era, family name and bloodline are above all else. Power is not as important as birth, and wealth is even less worth mentioning.

Just like Prime Minister Xue Yuanchao, he wished he could marry girls from the five surnames.

Just like today’s princes and princesses, whoever they marry has some power at court, but without exception, they are either descendants of founding heroes or of noble blood.

As long as one has this kind of status, even if one is penniless, one has the opportunity to become a royal relative.

When Yang Yuhuan married Prince Shou Li Ying, she had no father or mother, and her uncle was only an eighth-rank official. But Yang Yuhuan's main clan was the Hongnong Yang family.

Not long ago, Du Fu married the love of his life, Yang. He had no official title and was a commoner.

Yang's father was Yang Yi, the Shaoqing of the Ministry of Agriculture. Why did he fall in love with Du Fu?

Because Du Fu's main clan was the Jingzhao Du family, Wei Du in the south of the city was five feet away from Tian Chi.

Du Fu also has the blood of Li Shimin, even closer than many of Li Shimin's descendants.

In Pei Fan's opinion, Pei Yaoqing's granddaughter is totally worthy of Li Xuan as long as he likes her.

Having low power does not mean having low social status.

Even Li Linfu tried every means to find a son-in-law from a prominent family and marry his son to a daughter from a prominent family.

Pei Fan was looking forward to it very much, but he couldn't force it.

He had no mood to talk to Pei Ying anymore, so he asked Pei Ying to follow Li Xuan and leave, and insisted that she obey Li Xuan's orders.

"See you later!"

Li Xuan waved to Pei Lingxi and left with Pei Ying and his personal guards.

The Jinwu Guards have cleared the way in advance!
Pei Lingxi also waved his hand gently, bidding farewell reluctantly!
"Lingxi, I'll take you to Chang'an later to stay with your great uncle!"

After Li Xuan left, Pei Fan thought about it again and again and prepared to send Pei Lingxi to his uncle Pei Yu.

Pei Fan's uncle Pei Yu is Pei Yaoqing's younger brother and is currently the Secretary of the Ministry of Personnel. Although it is not a high position, it is still a certain status.

General Li will return to Chang'an, but will not go to Yishou.

"I won't go! I want to accompany my grandpa and mom..."

Pei Lingxi thought that she didn't know anyone in Chang'an, so she rejected Pei Fan's request.

She knew that she would not be able to see General Li even if she went to Chang'an.

Pei Fan was helpless.

Fortunately, Dalang followed Li Xuan and they finally had a close relationship.

……

Li Xuan went back to Dongshan Garden to take another look.

Cao Yi was leading people to pick pears, and the merchants were also weighing the pears and loading baskets of pears into trucks.

When Li Xuan saw that there was no problem, he returned to Chang'an.

At this time, it was already dusk.

The next morning, Li Xuan had just finished the morning court session.

Yang Yuyao brought Yang Qi to the Duke of Song's mansion to apologize to Li Xuan.

Yang Qi was afraid that Li Xuan would tell Li Longji about this matter. He was afraid of Li Xuan and did not dare to come to see him, so he asked Yang Yuyao to go with him.

In the whole Chang'an, except for the saint, Li Xuan is the person Yang Qi fears the most.

Unlike other generals, Li Xuan was almost involved in the government affairs and attacked Li Linfu with swift and ruthless means.

Yang Qi was worried that Li Xuan was still angry and was looking for an opportunity to punish him, so he claimed that he had taught those servants a lesson and helped Li Xuan to calm down.

Li Xuan accepted their apology, but this time Li Xuan did not warn Yang Qi and Yang Yuyao again.

They won't listen.

After being forgiven by Li Xuan, Yang Qi breathed a sigh of relief. He and Yang Yuyao did not stay long.

After dusk in the afternoon, they will go to Xingqing Palace to attend a banquet.

The banquet where Li Longji saw Li Xuan off from leaving Chang'an!
When Li Xuan left Chang'an, he invited civil and military ministers, princes and princesses to a banquet, which showed his favor to Li Xuan.

It also encouraged Li Xuan to win the battle and expand the territory for the Tang Dynasty.

If he wins, this banquet will become a good story. If he loses, even if everything Li Xuan has done before is not in vain, his title as the most favored minister will no longer exist.

Because of the troops deployed by the Tang Dynasty in this war, together with the various Hu tribes in Hexi, the Tuyuhun troops of Lintao Army, and the Bailang Qiang, the total force will reach 200,000.

If it fails, the consequences will be disastrous.

Li Xuan heard from Li Lang that some people in Chang'an had recently been discussing the Battle of Dayechuan and how Xue Rengui "returned alone".

This shows that some people in Chang'an hoped that Li Xuan would fail in this battle.

This made Li Xuan very angry, and he was not angry at those people for cursing him.

But I am angry at these people's bad intentions.

Haven't you seen that in Qinghai, no one has collected the bones since ancient times? New ghosts are worried about grievances, old ghosts are crying, and the sky is cloudy and rainy, and the sound of chirping is heard!

After this battle, Li Xuan will definitely take back the bones from Qinghai.

Li Longji also invited Li Shizhi to this banquet.

They went together with their father and son.

The banquet will be held next to the Dragon Pond, and Li Longji has already reminded that there will be no early court tomorrow.

It means the party will last till late at night.

As soon as the father and son left the alley, they met Li Linfu's carriage.

Li Xuan rode his horse to Li Linfu's carriage.

"Right Prime Minister, I will be leaving tomorrow. Where is my "Departure Memorial"?"

Li Xuan saw Li Linfu lift the curtain, so he asked him.

Li Linfu's face turned dark, and he reluctantly took out a piece of paper from his arms and handed it to Li Xuan.

"Does Qilang doubt that this is not the handwriting of the original?"

Li Linfu frowned when he saw Li Xuan unfolding his weapon.

"How could that be? I trust the credibility of the Right Prime Minister."

Li Xuan shook his head, and what he said made Li Linfu feel better.

But the next sentence made Li Linfu's blood pressure soar.

"I'm checking to see if the Right Prime Minister made any typos!"

Li Xuan was looking at "The Memorial to the Emperor on Leaving the Capital" very carefully on his horse and said in a sarcastic tone.

When Li Linfu was appointed as the chief prime minister and minister of the Ministry of Personnel, the candidate official Yan Jiong's judgment included the two characters "杕杜".杕杜 is the title of a chapter in the Book of Songs, which originally means a solitary red tangerine tree, a metaphor for a person who is isolated and helpless.

But Li Linfu did not know the character "杕", so he asked Wei Zhi, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel, "What does '杖杜' mean here?"

Wei Zhi was very embarrassed and lowered his head not daring to speak.

Not long after, Jiang Du, the Junior Minister of Rites, had a son, who was Li Linfu's cousin. Li Linfu wrote a letter of congratulations. Jiang Du was overjoyed and passed the letter to the guests to show his closeness to Li Linfu. When the guests opened the letter, the beginning of the letter was: "I heard that you have the congratulations of playing with deer..."

There is a famous line in the Book of Songs, Xiaoya Sigan: When a boy is born, he is carried to the bed for sleeping, to the clothes for clothes, and to the jade for playing with.

Therefore, a boy born as a boy is called "Nong Zhang", which means that the boy will hold royal weapons and become a king or a prince when he grows up.

However, Li Linfu mistakenly wrote "弄璋" as "弄獐", and all the guests attending Jiang Du's son-birth banquet couldn't help but laugh.

But from then on, Li Linfu, in addition to handling government affairs, worked harder to study and read classics and history.

A similar mistake was never made again.

Li Xuan's words can be said to have exposed Li Linfu's scars.

Li Linfu was so angry that he closed the curtain of the carriage.

After checking that there were no typos in "The Memorial to the Emperor on Leaving the Capital", Li Xuan also left Li Linfu's carriage.

Li Linfu's calligraphy is average, but has a unique temperament. I collected it as a keepsake.

Li Xuan and his son and Li Linfu and his son entered the Xingqing Palace one after another and went to the Dragon Pool for a night banquet.

After Li Xuan and Li Shizhi arrived, the ministers kept asking for courtesy from them. Whether it was sincere or false, Li Xuan responded to each of their greetings.

Li Linfu was also welcomed, but not as enthusiastically as Li Xuan and his son Li Shizhi.

The scheming Li Linfu didn't care. He kept smiling and was extremely respectful even to Crown Prince Li Heng.

"How is Duke Song doing these days?"

After meeting Li Shi, Prime Minister Pei Kuan held Li Shizhi's hand.

Li Shizhi is much younger than Pei Kuan, but Li Shizhi is now an idle official enjoying retirement. He has retired after achieving success, which makes him very senior.

Fortunately, Pei Kuan is in good health and full of energy.

"Aside from being a little confused, there's nothing wrong with getting old."

Li Shizhi held Pei Kuan's hand tightly and replied to him.

"Duke Song is so enviable!"

Pei Kuan was naturally not jealous of Li Shizhi's retirement, but he was jealous of Li Shizhi for having a talented child like Li Xuan.

He could not compare with others in terms of wealth and status, and he only hoped that one day his descendants would be able to have a bright future and not be like most of the officials in Chang'an who lived in obscurity.

Pei Kuan and Li Shizhi exchanged greetings and then held Li Xuan's hand: "Qilang, I will help you win the first battle!"

"Thank you, Zuo Xiang, for your kindness to me. If I cannot defeat Tubo, how can I return with dignity?"

Before going to war, you must have confidence.

"Today, the military secretariat came to the Secretariat. The Khitan King and the Xi King in the northeast killed Princess Jingle and Princess Yifang and rebelled against the Tang Dynasty. An Lushan requested to attack the Xi and Khitan tribes."

"The saint was furious and ordered An Lushan to lead the armies of Pinglu and Fanyang to attack the Khitan and Xi!"

Pei Kuan told Li Xuan this important event in his ear.

"I understand. Thank you, Prime Minister Zuo, for telling me!"

Li Xuan sighed.

He could guess why the King of Xi and the King of Khitan rebelled.

In history, An Lushan plundered these two tribes many times for the sake of border achievements.

Make him kill the princess and rebel.

Li Xuan's scare of An Lushan only delayed An Lushan's action for a year.

An Lushan needed military merit, and the generals in the northeast also needed border merit.

An Lushan believed that his provocation against the Xi and Khitan peoples was very secretive and would not be discovered.

He transferred away all the people around him who were not his confidants and appointed his confidants instead.

An Lushan did not care about the background of the people he employed. As long as they could give him advice, he would employ them even if their moral character was very bad.

Li Xuan felt sorry that Princess Jingle and Princess Yifang died in a foreign land.

Marrying a wife is already a misfortune.

When Princess Yifang left Chang'an and arrived at Xuchi Posthouse, she was so sad that she wrote a poem on the wall of the posthouse: "My heart is broken, I look forward to Chang'an someday."

Burying jade and burying incense, there will never be a chance.

Li Xuan was confident that he could expose An Lushan, but he couldn't.

An Lushan is Li Xuan’s opportunity!

Otherwise, more people will die in wars, or freeze or starve to death in the future.

"The whole world is using troops now."

Pei Kuan had a bad feeling.

Not long ago, Fu Menglingcha recommended a general named Gao Xianzhi as the deputy ambassador of the Anxi Four Towns and the commander of the army, and he led 10,000 soldiers to attack Xiaoboluo again.

Li Longji agreed!
The troops of four towns fought against Tubo, and the troops of two towns fought against Xi and Khitan.

Li Longji also ordered the Jiannan Jiedushi to take an offensive stance and try to delay the Tubo troops in Jiannan.

Fortunately, the current conscription system is in place, and the army's food supply is provided by the Jiedushi, which enables the Tang Dynasty to use its military force so vigorously.

However, the court's annual clothing and rewards increased, and Li Longji was extravagant. Even though taxes were high, the Tang Dynasty's treasury was always at a low point.

"Left Prime Minister, don't worry too much! This is a permanent solution. Rest and recuperate."

Li Xuan comforted Pei Kuan with words that Pei Kuan didn't even believe.

Pei Kuan just nodded and said no more.

More and more dignitaries gathered around the Dragon Pond...

(End of this chapter)