Yang Guozhong had no reason to refuse.

Soldiers who have made meritorious services should be rewarded and promoted.

For example, Li Siye killed the Great Emir of the Arab Empire, which was equivalent to the Minister of War of the Tang Dynasty. During this period, he made many achievements, broke through the enemy lines, and killed countless enemies. It was no problem for him to be promoted from the Deputy Envoy of the Qiuci Army to the Military Envoy of Anxi.

Unfortunately, there are not many official positions in Anxi. If Li Siye were in other military regions, he might be the governor.

Just in this way, almost all the generals in Anxi, Beiting, Longyou and Hezhong were promoted by Li Xuan himself, and even Shuofang had some of Li Xuan's old subordinates.

Yang Guozhong suddenly felt worried.

He was not worried that Li Xuan would rebel, but he was afraid that Li Xuan, who held military power, would show his power to him.

Yang Guozhong also wanted to have influence in the army, but after he came to power, the power of the Ten Jiedushi of Tianbao had become extremely clear.

Fatty An is in the Northeast Army, and no one can interfere.

A military alliance was quietly formed in Longyou and Hexi, which excluded him.

An Sishun from Shuofang has always been unhappy with him.

Although the Hedong Army pretended to obey Fatty An but secretly disobeyed him, they also formed their own faction.

Not to mention the Western Regions, which is Li Xuan's territory. After these wars, it is estimated that the countries in the Western Regions will have to act according to Li Xuan's mood.

The only people who could allow Yang Guozhong to intervene were the Governor of the Five Prefectures of Lingnan and the Jiedushi of Jiannan.

In Lingnan, the army is only used to deal with bandits, pirates, and rebels. It is a barren land thousands of miles away from Chang'an. There is no use in holding military power there.

Yang Guozhong wanted to take control of the Jiannan Army, but his campaign against Nanzhao was a complete mess.

So Yang Guozhong felt very insecure.

No matter what, Yang Guozhong would definitely find a way to kill An Lushan.

Li Longji stayed in Wangchun Tower to rest that night.

The next morning, I looked at the map that Li Xuan sent back.

He asked the officials of the Jixian Academy to draw a complete atlas of the Tang Empire based on this map as soon as possible and show it to the people of the world.

Yang Guozhong also came up with an idea to post maps from the reigns of Emperor Taizong, Emperor Gaozong, and Empress Tianhou in the city, so that scholars and common people could see Li Longji's great military achievements at a glance.

Li Longji was delighted by the photo of the horse.

That night, Li Longji set out for Xingqing Palace and announced the first court meeting since returning from Huaqing Palace.

At the court meeting, Prime Minister Yang Guozhong almost had the final say.

The left prime minister Chen Xilie was submissive and followed Yang Guozhong's lead in everything. No matter what the document was, as long as Yang Guozhong gave the order, he would just sign it.

He enjoyed the fame, wealth and power that belonged to the prime minister, without caring about the people of the world.

Among all the civil and military officials, only one type could be promoted, and that was those who curry favor with the Yang family.

It is no exaggeration to say that in the temple, rotten wood are officials, and between the steps of the palace, beasts eat food.

Li Longji sat on the throne that symbolized the highest power of the empire, but he lacked his former spirit and energy.

At today's court meeting, what Li Longji wanted to hear most was the ministers bowing and congratulating him one by one, praising the sage's civil and military achievements.

Yang Guozhong had already made clear arrangements for Li Longji.

"Your Majesty is a wise and wise ruler. Even Yao and Shun were far better than you in terms of civil governance! Today, the world is peaceful and the people respect you. You have established schools to cultivate talents, revised laws and regulations, and spread benevolence throughout the world. You are truly a sage king. Your Majesty's military achievements have shocked the world. You have suppressed foreign invasions and stabilized the borders, and have ensured the peace of our dynasty. Your achievements are unparalleled. We, the ministers, are sincerely convinced and wish Your Majesty a long life."

Xianyu Zhongtong was the first to step forward and compliment Li Longji.

He clearly lost a battle, but Yang Guozhong said it was a small victory. He is now the Minister of War.

With the support of Yang Guozhong, Xianyu Zhongtong blatantly deprived Gao Xianzhi of his power.

Gao Xianzhi was a military general and could not defeat Yang Guozhong, so he could only be depressed.

"Your Majesty's literary achievements are as great as the sun and the moon, shining on our dynasty. I am deeply honored by your achievements in both civil and military affairs. I wish your Majesty a long and prosperous life and a long and prosperous reign."

Zhongshu Sheren Dou Hua stood up and continued to compliment.

"Your Majesty is an outstanding ruler throughout history. You are brilliant in civil governance. You are open to public opinion and accept advice readily. The country is prosperous and the people are wealthy. You are also a great military leader and have been invincible in every battle. Your Majesty's achievements will surely be recorded in history forever, and we, your subjects, have great respect for you..."

Attendant Censor Zheng Ang stepped out next. As an official of the Censorate, he spoke only good words to Li Longji, regardless of whether Li Longji had done it or not.

The civil and military ministers who came out no longer discussed state affairs, but instead flattered Li Longji.

Even the left and right pickers and left and right supplementaries appointed by Yang Guozhong did not report the emperor's faults, but lined up to praise the emperor's achievements.

In the past, Emperor Yang of Sui died because he refused to listen to advice, but Emperor Taizong accepted advice readily, and it happened not long ago.

Li Longji had already forgotten. He didn't know whether he wanted to be Emperor Yang of Sui or Emperor Taizong.

Those officials with conscience could only keep their mouths shut. Anyone who disobeyed would be driven out of Xingqing Hall.

No matter how strong the evidence is, it cannot compare to Yang Guozhong's sweet words.

"I know what you are thinking! The country is strong today because of the efforts of the ministers and the soldiers fighting outside, especially the King of Tianshui, who led the Tang cavalry to gallop across the Caspian Sea, forcing the Western Hu people to offer gold, silver and jewels worth 200,000 pieces of silk in exchange for peace."

"In this Western Expedition, the King of Tianshui made great contributions, surpassing the achievements of the Duke of Weiguo and the Duke of Yingguo. I have decided to increase the actual fiefdom of the King of Tianshui by 1,500 households. The current actual fiefdom of the King of Tianshui is 3,000 households."

"In addition, the King of Tianshui was rewarded with 100,000 strings of cash, 3,000 taels of gold, 1,000 pieces of colored forging, 1,000 pieces of crimson embroidery, 1,000 pieces of Shu brocade, 200 pieces of gold wares, 200 pieces of jade wares, 50 court musicians, and 100 beautiful singing girls from the music studio."

"Build another mansion in Shengyefang as the new Tianshui King's palace. It must be more magnificent than Lushan's mansion. The country is rich, so don't be stingy with financial resources. Choose two of the best orchards outside the city as rewards for the Tianshui King."

"Appoint the second son of the King of Tianshui as the Grand Master of the Imperial Court, and the eldest daughter as the Princess of Jincheng."

After hearing the compliments, Li Longji announced a reward for Li Xuan.

Li Xuan's official titles, honors, titles, and staff positions were either of the first or second rank, which was the highest that could be given.

Therefore, Li Longji was given additional fiefdoms and rewards for his children.

This was to tell Li Xuan that if he could accomplish immortal achievements, he could become a true marquis.

All the civil and military officials were astounded by the saint's generosity, but few of the princes and princesses were even granted a thousand households.

For a minister, being granted a fief of 100 households is something that can only be encountered by chance.

Li Xuan was actually granted 3,000 households, the first minister to do so since the founding of the Tang Dynasty.

Moreover, Li Xuan's second son and eldest daughter were only two or three years old when they were conferred titles again.

Especially the eldest daughter, who was given the title of Princess, the treatment of the Crown Prince's daughter.

Although there were examples of women with distant royal bloodlines being named princesses, they were all during the period of marriage for foreign princes.

In addition, the saint's reward to Li Xuan was a bit exaggerated, and it would be difficult to spend it all in a lifetime.

The court musicians and the beauties in the imperial music troupe were like gods.

There were tens of thousands of women in Li Longji's harem and imperial court. To be rewarded as the King of Tianshui, he must have chosen the most beautiful ones.

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

Yang Guozhong had no choice but to stand up and answer, leading the ministers.

He was jealous in his heart because as the chief prime minister, he had never seen such a reward.

The ministers could only follow Yang Guozhong in praising Li Longji.

"Right Prime Minister, order the craftsmen to quickly make the medals and reward the Anxi Army, Beiting Army, and the Anxi and Hu tribes with 300,000 bolts of silk. A reward of 1 million strings of cash will be awarded to the troops by the King of Tianshui. The treasuries of the two capitals will draw silk money and transport it to Anxi as soon as possible."

Li Longji gave instructions to Yang Guozhong again.

He wanted the soldiers in Anxi Ting to recuperate and continue the Western Expedition, so he had to give them generous rewards.

Li Longji did not consider the burden on the warehouses. The amount of silk money tax collected every year was enough for him to squander.

What’s more, Yang Guozhong was there to “make money” for Li Longji.

Yang Guozhong was proficient in arithmetic, and he was calculating in his mind the amount of donations from the left armory and the right storage.

Both Zuo Cangku and You Cangku were departments under the Taifu Temple. Zuo Cangku was mainly responsible for receiving rent and tax income, while You Cangku was responsible for receiving tributes from local counties to the central government.

Not only in Chang'an, there were also left armory and right storage in Luoyang.

In order to show his ability, after Yang Guozhong was appointed as prime minister, he replaced all the grain in the left armory with silk and took Li Longji to visit it, which made Li Longji very happy and convinced of Yang Guozhong's ability.

At this point, Li Longji was spending money extravagantly.

Little did he know that his income at this time had decreased significantly compared to when Li Xuan was appointed prime minister.

In the eighth year of Tianbao, when Li Xuan was prime minister, the total amount of rice in the country was 118,627,200 dan, and the total amount of rice purchased was 2,139,530 dan.

The best in history!

Although many people in the Tang Dynasty became serfs or illegal households at this time, there were still tens of millions of households paying taxes, which was four times the number at the beginning of the Tang Dynasty.

It was the accumulation during the Kaiyuan period that led to the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty.

But everything will cease to exist once the laws are broken.

Last year, the Tang Dynasty's tax revenue was 10.7 million strings of cash.

It is necessary to support the salaries of court officials throughout the country, supply local military salaries, and various national expenses.

Li Longji immediately rewarded the army with one million strings of cash and a large amount of silk.

This year I'm definitely spending more than I earn, but the savings are enough to live on.

The most crucial thing is that Lady Guoguo had a mansion that was said to have cost two million strings of cash. Although there is some exaggeration in history books, it is certain that the Five Yangs were extremely extravagant.

In the end, after some calculations by Yang Guozhong, he followed Li Longji's wishes and prepared silk and money rewards for the soldiers of Anxi Beiting.

As long as Yang Guozhong has a ruthless heart, it is easy to get money when he is short of it.

He did not seek immortality, knowing that he would be judged badly after his death. He wanted to enjoy power early, regardless of the suffering of the people and the devastating flood.

With a word of dismissal, Li Longji left with satisfaction.

I don’t know when we will see each other again, officials.

When he was young, Li Longji warned himself to be diligent in government affairs and to get up early and go to bed late.

In the late Kaiyuan period, when Li Longji first started to miss the morning court, he felt embarrassed.

By the middle and late Tianbao period, Li Longji had become accustomed to not attending morning court sessions.

After retiring from court, Li Longji asked Gao Lishi to pass on the order, telling Li Xuan to return to Chang'an to report in the summer or autumn of this year.

The news of Li Xuan's victory soon reached Chang'an.

It was a rare occasion for the people to be happy, as they knew that King Tianshui was unrivaled in the world.

Some powerful people shared Yang Guozhong's concerns, fearing that Li Xuan would regain control of the government and oppress them.

Only the ministers and Li Shizhi who "yearned for" Li Xuan, as well as the poor people of the world, hoped that Li Xuan could become prime minister again.

Over the past two years, Li Xuan's achievements have been enough, and every step he takes is a legend that is out of reach for ordinary people.

Although Li Shizhi was in good health, the world was gloomy and he always felt that something was wrong.

He felt that the Yang family had gone too far. Looking through history books, there was no such family. He was worried that something might go wrong with the country.

Li Mi traveled between Mount Zhongnan and Mount Song. He did not present poems to the court as he had done in history, but continued to live in seclusion and pursue the great way.

Even if immortality is destroyed, the path in my heart will become clear.

At this time, Li Mi had no relationship with the imperial court and was a complete commoner.

Like many capable people, Li Mi also felt that the country was in danger.

But he knew that the country was already corrupt, and if it could not be cured fundamentally, it would only be able to survive.

In this regard, Li Xuan obviously sees further than him!
Li Mi was waiting for Li Xuan to make a decision.

Tianshui Palace.

Pei Lingxi finally received Li Xuan's letter, and for two days, she could recite the words on it. The last time Li Xuan wrote a letter was on the Chinese Valentine's Day last year.

At that time, Li Xuan also wrote a poem.

The thin clouds are playing tricks, the flying stars are conveying hatred, the Milky Way is far away and dark. When the golden wind and jade dew meet, it is better than countless things in the world.

Tenderness is like water, and the good time is like a dream. I can't help but look back at the magpie bridge on the way home. If the love between two people is long-lasting, why should we be together day and night?

She loved it very much and was looking forward to the reunion.

This time the message war was over, which made her feel at ease.

The children were playing in the courtyard. The oldest, Li Yi, was only four years old.

The youngest, Li Zhenzhen, is only two years old.

They only remember their two mothers and have no memory of their father at all. Even Li Yi's memory is very vague.

At the farewell two years ago, Li Yi just waved and had long forgotten about it.

In addition, they knew that their grandfather Li Shizhi loved them very much and took them to the East Market to play.

The power of Li Xuan alone is enough to make the Tianshui Palace a family on par with the Yang family.

He is also an existence that the Wu Yangs in the city dare not provoke.

It wasn't just because the imperial concubine protected him, but also because Li Xuan was indeed not someone to be trifled with. The scheming Li Linfu had been treated badly back then.

Pei Lingxi and Shuang'er are waiting for their husband Jiuyue to come back.

Li Xuan had already marked the date of his return on the letter.

Time passed quickly and it was May. Yang Guozhong noticed from clues that there were problems with An Lushan's food and weapons.

There is suspicion of hoarding food, fodder and weapons.

Moreover, the conflict between Yang Guozhong and An Lushan became increasingly serious, and An Lushan was very disdainful of this prime minister.

I look upon it with contempt!
Treating Yang Guozhong as if he were air, this was An Lushan's attitude towards Yang Guozhong.

Yang Guozhong once again pleaded with Li Longji to dismiss An Lushan from his position, believing that An Lushan had been in control of the Fanyang Army for twelve years and that the Fanyang Army had become his private army.

He was certain that An Lushan would rebel, and pointed out several suspicious points in a row.

After hearing what Yang Guozhong said, Li Longji became suspicious.

Immediately, Li Longji sent the eunuch Fu Lin to Fan Yang for reconnaissance.

But eunuchs were basically all greedy people who were obsessed with money and power, and Fu Lin was no exception.

Since An Lushan had spies in Chang'an and got the news in advance, he quickly made arrangements in Anyang.

When Fu Lin arrived, An Lushan directly gave him a box of gold, silver and jewelry.

Fu Lulin just took a casual look and did not go too far. After returning to Chang'an, he told Li Longji about An Lushan's loyalty.

Li Longji had already determined in his mind that the general and the minister were at odds and attacking each other, so he lightly brushed the matter aside and trusted An Lushan even more.

Yang Guozhong was very helpless. He could only secretly send people to investigate and seek more powerful evidence.

Fan Yang.

"Yang Guozhong, this son of a bitch, keeps saying bad things about me in front of the saint. Sooner or later, I will tear him into pieces."

After An Lushan summoned his military advisor Gao Shang and strategist Yan Zhuang, he slammed the table and cursed.

Serving the emperor is like serving a tiger. Li Longji is old and suspicious. Who knows, one day he will be suspected and summoned to Chang'an to be killed.

Since they had decided to rebel, they stored weapons, siege equipment, and food in Xiongwu City, and used the trading capabilities of Sogdian merchants to trade in silk money.

Sooner or later he will be exposed!
Unlike before, An Lushan did not dare to go to Chang'an frequently at this time, for fear that he would not be able to come back.

"Yang Guozhong is just a clown, don't pay attention to him, the prince must be patient. We are not ready, we must not act rashly."

Yan Zhuang reminded An Lushan that unlike in the past few years, An Lushan's temper had become increasingly strange in the past two years.

It seems to be related to An Lushan's growing weight.

"When can we send out troops?"

An Lushan asked Yan Zhuang.

"We need to prepare enough food for two years and spare weapons and armor for an army of 200,000."

"The Yeluohe you recruited has not yet completed its training. Before you send out your troops, you must send someone to discuss with the leaders of Tongluo, Shiwei, and Mohe and ask them to send troops to help as well."

Yan Zhuang replied, giving an exact time: "Preferably in two years."

Unlike Gao Shang, he attached great importance to the logistics of the army and was prepared for a protracted battle.

Those who achieve great things must plan ahead.

"Two years. Can I still live to the end of two years?"

An Lushan was very dissatisfied.

Some literati and officials in Hebei must have discovered something unusual and reported it to Li Longji.

How could it be so easy to conceal a major plan, the collection of food, and the production of weapons and armor?

"The Saint still trusts you now. If you feel that the rumors are not right, you can claim to be sick and not attend the court."

Yan Zhuang said to An Lushan.

Being far away at the frontier and claiming illness to not attend court can delay the visit for a long time.

"I am also worried about the one to the west... Li Xuan has made great contributions again. He is such a good fighter that he will become a stumbling block for me."

An Lushan looked towards the west with a rare serious look on his face.

That was his father's hometown. It was impossible for Li Xuan to gallop on his horse without feeling anything in his heart.

He learned from his Sogdian generals that the Arab Empire was a more powerful country than Tubo, but was driven out of the Caspian Sea by Li Xuan.

There is no way to find the Caspian Sea on An Lushan’s map.

"Prince, the fighting power of the countries in the west cannot be compared with that of the Tang Dynasty. The achievements that Li Xuan picked up for nothing can be done more beautifully by you. The Xi and Khitan you conquered are also very powerful. We have the elite soldiers of Youzhou, the iron cavalry of Yanyun, and the iron cavalry you trained, Yeluohe. With the help of the various Hu cavalry, we will surely defeat Li Xuan!"

"Besides, our arrows are on the string and we have to shoot them. We must fight for fame and honor! The Tang Dynasty is corrupt and the people are complaining. Only you can govern the world."

"Let's assume that Li Xuan is invincible, but didn't Xiang Yu, who was born into an aristocratic family in ancient times, still lose to Liu Bang, who was born into a commoner family?"

"Prince, the prophecy has long predicted your destiny!"

Gao Shang once again encouraged An Lushan when he lacked confidence.

An Lushan was of humble origin, while Li Xuan was of aristocratic origin.

How similar are they to Xiang Yu and Liu Bang of the past?
"General Gao is right. Besides, Li Xuan is in the Western Regions. He can't possibly return with his troops within a year. If he were in Persia, it would take more than a year to mobilize the troops. How could a tired army after a long journey be able to defeat the Yanyun Cavalry?"

Yan Zhuang also told An Lushan to remain firm in his beliefs no matter what.

At this time, if you are still hesitating, aren't you a clown?

Besides, Yan Zhuang and Gao Shangzhen felt that they had a great chance of defeating Li Xuan.

This was how the two of them became prime ministers.

Become a true world hero!
"I will never say such things again. I will endure for a while, then lead my troops to rebel and attack Chang'an!"

An Lushan was shocked and no longer angry.

After being fooled by the two traitors, he thought the supreme throne was within his reach.

"No! We are Yang Guozhong, the one who cleared out the wicked and killed the cholera country!"

Yan Zhuang corrected An Lushan's words.

"Yes... yes! Clear out the court, haha!"

After An Lushan finished speaking, he burst into laughter.

On the plains north of Fanyang City, Cui Qianyou was training eight thousand Hu soldiers.

They are all Hu people, but they are wearing Tang Dynasty's iron armor, which has a very different style.

With the sound of metal pieces colliding, the cavalry rushed back and forth, occasionally taking out bows and arrows to shoot at targets...

Further north, in the city of Xiongwu, cartloads of grain followed the deep ruts into the city.

There are also some cars that are tightly wrapped.

A group of Sogdian merchants were entering Fan Yang from Henan and Hebei.

Some silk was given by An Lushan to the Mohe, Shiwei and other tribes so that they could see the benefits.

The rain is coming from the wind!
……

In the river.

After Li Xuan had been in Zhezhi City for half a month, he appointed Lu Jing as the garrison commander of Zhezhi City and Feng Changqing as the commander-in-chief of Zhezhi City.

The governor of Zhezhi City was a third-rank official, which was a high-ranking official with high salary.

However, Li Xuan did not give Lu Jing five thousand soldiers.

Only one thousand troops were selected from the Great Wall Army and the Anxi Beiting Army to serve as the backbone and temporarily garrison there.

After returning to Qiuci, complete the recruitment of troops and then transfer them to Zhezhi City.

The same went for the Congling garrison commander. Li Xuan allocated a thousand soldiers to Lun Weizhen and asked him to be stationed in Jumi first, waiting for the reinforcement of the troops.

Both armies were equipped with 3,000 infantry and 2,000 cavalry.

Establish the Tang army's control over Hezhong.

Unlike when the Caliphate controlled Transoxiana, the Anxi Protectorate only collected national taxes. It did not have various additional taxes like the Caliphate, and would not forcibly change the beliefs of the countries in Transoxiana.

The main force of the Tang Dynasty had already taken a step ahead of Li Xuan and was retreating towards Anxi along the Qianquan Ancient Road.

Including the cartloads of gold, silver and jewelry that Li Xuan obtained in this battle.

"Governor Feng, from now on, the management of Zhezhi area will be up to you. It will be difficult for immigrants to come here in a short time. Take care of every household as much as possible."

Before leaving Xiyuan City, Li Xuan said to Feng Changqing.

The Zhezhi area is hundreds of miles in radius and has a large area. However, most of the immigrants live in Zhezhi City near the Yaosha River and the former Talas area, where the soil is fertile and suitable for animal husbandry and farming.

"Don't worry, General Li. I will definitely govern the new territory of the Tang Dynasty well and ensure that the people live and work in peace and contentment."

Feng Changqing replied with a bow.

Although he had only a small number of people to manage, he felt a great sense of responsibility.

He was also responsible for collecting taxes from the Sogdian and Tocharian countries, as well as mediating conflicts among the countries.

Feng Changqing studied scriptures hard and had the opportunity to stand on his own and display his talents.

He was grateful to Li Xuan for entrusting him with such an important position.

"Within two years, I will promote you back to Anxi Protectorate."

Li Xuan patted Feng Changqing on the shoulder and said.

This puzzled Feng Changqing. In his position, what else could he be promoted to?
Could it be the deputy envoy?

Li Xuan did not give Feng Changqing an answer, and rode away with his personal guards.

Feng Changqing and Lu Jiong were in Julan City, watching Li Xuan enter the Qianquan Ancient Road.

(End of this chapter)