Wu Daozi and a man were in the crowd, watching Li Xuan enter the city and seeing Li Xuan and the people crying. The scene and the emotion were blended together, and they were extremely moved.

The people’s hope and the King of Tianshui’s helplessness.

Yang Guozhong is behind!
Welcoming the hero, but in silence.

A wonderful emotion and artistic conception came over them like an overwhelming tidal wave.

"This is a good work, but it's a pity that I'm not good at this kind of painting. Brother Wu must have had a blossoming mind."

The man next to Wu Daozi said to Wu Daozi.

His name was Zhang Xuan. He was once a court painter who was able to understand the beauty of painting.

He was famous for his aristocratic ladies and palace saddles.

The famous "Lady of Guo State Going Out for Spring" in history was created by him.

Unlike Wu Daozi, Zhang Xuan had already left the status of a court painter. However, Wu Daozi, as the best painter in the world who was proficient in everything, was given the title of "not allowed to paint without an imperial edict" by Li Longji.

"well!"

Wu Daozi muttered to himself, as if in response.

Once upon a time, he got drunk at a Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, pestered Li Xuan to write a poem for him, and even threatened to paint a picture for Li Xuan.

Li Xuan had no choice but to write "The candlelight is deep on the mica screen, the long river gradually sets and the morning stars sink. Chang'e should regret stealing the elixir, her heart is filled with the blue sea and sky every night" to reveal Wu Daozi's state of mind.

He regretted that he had become the emperor's imperial painter in order to get ahead.

Li Xuan has written the poem, but has not yet completed the painting he promised.

He doesn't dare!
People also think that it was just a drunken joke and should not be taken seriously!
At this moment, Wu Daozi was ready to fulfill his promise. Not long after, "The Heavenly General Returns to Heavenly Street" was published. The characters and scenes were vivid, with clothes fluttering in the wind and a natural layout.

On the surface, it describes the great military achievements of the Tang Dynasty and the confidence and composure of the people, but in fact it is not so optimistic about the prosperous times. Wu Daozi uses smooth lines and dynamic brushwork to make the painting vivid and full of mystery.

The volume is huge and it builds on the past and opens up the future.

But no one knew about it for a short time.

On Zhuque Street, where Li Xuan walked, he was constantly heard calling him "little husband".

The generals under Li Xuan's command were more confident, and the civil and military officials had different expressions.

Chief Prime Minister Yang Guozhong's face turned pale.

At this moment, Li Xuan is the undisputed protagonist.

Yang Guozhong discovered that the chief prime minister was sometimes not second only to the emperor, but above everyone else.

What went wrong?
He always felt something was wrong, but he didn't know what.

In this way, Li Xuan walked slowly all the way, and under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he arrived at the Suzaku Gate of the Imperial City, and then went to the Hua'e Xianghui Tower of the Xingqing Palace.

When Li Xuan turned east, the Jinwu Guards' cars on Zhuque Street made the street lively again.

It seems that there are not as many Hu people in Chang'an as in the early Tianbao period, but as the capital, it is still mainly inhabited by Han people, and the streets and alleys are still prosperous.

The people of Chang'an hoped that after the young master returned to Chang'an, he would stay there, be appointed as prime minister, and discipline the Yang family.

The wise men who could govern the country were exiled to the frontier to fight, and countless people felt sorry for it.

From the literati and officials to the common people and peddlers, everyone believed that the prime minister was far more important than the military governor, and that governing the country was more important than fighting on the border.

At the same time, Li Xuan's return also made some of Chang'an's wealthy families, high-ranking officials, and brothels and taverns look nervous.

Over the past ten years, Li Xuan's influence has been deeply rooted in people's hearts and in all aspects.

Even Lady Guo, Lady Qin, and Lady Han asked their servants to be more restrained and not to be caught by Li Xuan and cause them unhappiness.

As the saying goes, villains will succeed. Even when the servants of the Five Yangs were executed by Li Longji for whipping the princess and her husband, it did not stop the arrogance of the servants.

As long as you don't bully the princess or the prince, you can bully anyone else.

The princesses and princes can only be bullied by their masters.

For example, the children of Li Longji's brothers and sisters would rather offend the emperor than offend Yang.

Offending the emperor would not result in death, but offending Yang would certainly result in death.

While there were different reactions in Chang'an City, Li Xuan arrived at the Hua'e Xianghui Tower.

Li Longji, dressed in casual clothes and smiling, went downstairs in person to accept Li Xuan's greeting.

"I pay my respects to the Saint and wish him eternal life and longevity."

Li Xuan bowed to Li Longji.

"Qi Lang is a meritorious official, so there is no need for too much courtesy."

Li Longji stepped forward, helped Li Xuan to stand upright, and said, "I haven't seen you for three years. You have become more mature and more courageous. You led the men of the Tang Dynasty to show the power of the country. You planted the flag of the Tang Dynasty south of the Caspian Sea, and let the people of the world know that there is a place called the Caspian Sea and the vastness of the west. You are worthy of being the Heavenly General that the Hu people have passed down from mouth to mouth!"

The first half of his life was spent on literary achievements, and the second half was spent on military exploits.

Command the world to be pacified and win over all nations.

Even Emperor Taizong could not have achieved what we have today.

Li Longji believed that the restoration he was doing was more difficult than the foundation established by the founding monarch.

Since ancient times, there have been many emperors who founded a country, but he is the only one who truly revived the country.

"The general is the minister, and the Khan is the king. The minister is below the king. In the distant Hezhong and Persia, the Hu people admire the deeds of the saints more. They think that Chang'an is full of flowers, like a paradise on earth, and the saints are like gods, high above."

Li Xuan said to Li Longji with a smile. He knew what Li Longji wanted to hear.

In the last period of time, he will be the same as before.

So that he could smoothly take his wife and Shuang'er away from Chang'an.

"Ha ha!"

After hearing this, Li Longji tilted his head back and smiled. He believed it to be true and was very happy.

Little did they know that the Hu people in Transoxiana and Persia, out of fear of the Heavenly General, were sending their rare treasures to Chang'an out of piety.

"Qi Lang, come to the banquet. Have fun today. Don't go home until you are drunk!"

Li Longji took Li Xuan into the banquet hall on the second floor of Hua'e Xianghui Tower.

In the main seat of the hall, there is a jade table and a Hu bed. Yang Yuhuan is wearing a gorgeous brocade dress and a hairpin, sitting upright but looking forward.

She stared at the front door of the banquet hall.

Until the ladies-in-waiting lined up, the master of ceremonies announced the saint's re-entry.

When Yang Yuhuan saw Li Xuan enter the hall one step slower than Li Longji, she also slowly stood up.

Li Xuan, who is in her prime, looks very charming in a well-tailored red round-necked robe with his heroic temperament.

A battle in the west and the irrepressible determination in his heart made Li Xuan's eyes slightly sharp.

Yang Yuhuan knew that she had woken up in her dreams countless times in the middle of the night because of the man in front of her.

But she is a person without morals and can only fantasize but not hope for it.

She couldn't even show that in the past few years, she almost never mentioned Li Xuan in front of Li Longji, so as to avoid letting the saint discover the clues.

This led to a newly favored eunuch like Yuan Siyi thinking that the imperial concubine no longer favored Li Xuan.

At this moment, Yang Yuhuan did the same. After taking a subtle look at Li Xuan for the first time, her charming and upright gaze fell on Li Longji again.

She didn't know how many years of her beauty she had left, and would rather pin everything on a dream, just like Li Qilang's beautiful and affectionate lyrics.

I searched for him among the crowd for hundreds of times. Suddenly I turned around and found him standing there, in the dimly lit place!

In the banquet hall, there were also princes, princesses, grandchildren and their husbands.

They stood up together with Yang Yuhuan and greeted Li Longji: "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

"No gift!"

Li Longji raised his hand and signaled everyone to stand up.

He loved banquets the most because that was the time for him to show his great Tang style.

He pulled Li Xuan all the way to the deepest part of the hall, obviously wanting Li Xuan to sit with him.

Li Xuan arrived at his seat and waited for Li Longji to sit down first. Then he bowed to Yang Yuhuan and sat down at the lower right.

The civil and military officials were not surprised by this. With Li Xuan around, they always felt that Yang Guozhong was missing something.

Now they understand, it's prestige!
In terms of real prestige, Yang Guozhong was far behind Li Xuan.

In terms of achievements, Yang Guozhong could not compare with Li Xuan.

This prestige influenced people's hearts to the point that people thought Yang Guozhong was much weaker than Li Xuan.

Yang Guozhong could only pretend to remain calm, drinking and chatting with his subordinates around him and watching singing and dancing performances.

As long as you don't look at Li Xuan and watch the colorful ribbons flying, some of the unhappiness will be taken away.

During the banquet, Lady Guo, Lady Qin, and Lady Han were the objects of flattery by the dignitaries.

Even the princes and grandchildren of the emperor had to toast them and say flattering words to them.

The entire hall was still full of splendor, with endless wine, and court singers singing and dancing, not caring about the changes in Chang'an and Jingzhao areas.

On the high platform, Li Longji and Li Xuan chatted about the current situation, and it was mostly Li Longji who boasted about himself and showed off his achievements.

Although Li Longji reigned for a long time, he had never been to Jiangnan or Lingnan and had no idea about the situation there.

Even after the Tianbao period, his activities were limited to the area around Xianyang and Mount Li. He did not even go to Luoyang, and had no idea about the lives of the people living on the ancient roads of the two capitals.

It is true that he had made great achievements in martial arts, but his belief that the country was becoming more and more prosperous was pure conjecture.

After Li Xuan was dismissed from his post and Yang Guozhong was appointed as prime minister, the powerful families were unwilling to accept the implementation of the new Changping Law and resorted to plunder.

The new recruits from Changping had almost become the "county soldiers" in the local area. Although Yang Guozhong was concerned about Yang Yuhuan, he did not dismiss Liao Zhengrong, the commander of the new recruits from Changping.

However, he chose to weaken the new soldiers of the Changping Army, depriving them of the power to supervise local officials and allowing the powerful families to act with impunity.

Release all the repression from a few years ago.

The rich are feasting and drinking, while the poor are freezing on the streets. This line of poetry has only appeared in the past two years.

"Qilang is in the west. How are the mountains and rivers there different from those in the Tang Dynasty?"

When they were drunk, Li Longji asked Li Xuan about the affairs of the Western Regions.

"Your Majesty, compared to the Great Tang, it is definitely poor there. It is impossible for a wise ruler like you to be born there. I obtained some gold, silver and jewelry during the Western Expedition. Their treasures are also strange in shape and not as elegant as those in the Great Tang. They are still on their way to Chang'an."

Li Xuan replied to Li Longji and mentioned the spoils of war in passing, so that Li Longji would have peace of mind.

"Qi Lang is thoughtful. I also want to see how the treasures in the westernmost part are different!"

Li Longji has always been interested in the rare treasures contributed by the world.

"I will not let the Saint down, and I will bring back more treasures for you in the future."

Li Xuan said with a cupped hand.

"Was Yuan Siyi rude to Qilang yesterday?"

Li Longji suddenly asked this question again.

"Yesterday's eunuch was indeed a bit rude, and I don't know why."

Li Xuan pretended to be ignorant and answered, "Bian Lingcheng bribed Yuan Siyi to sow discord between me and Qilang. He said that Qilang was unhappy because I did not personally greet him."

"What does Shichiro think?"

Saying this shows that Li Longji had doubts in his heart. It was clearly Yuan Siyi who instigated the discord, but when he woke up, Li Longji still felt aggrieved.

Yang Yuhuan, who had been listening silently, felt a tightness in her heart.

But she did not speak immediately, and calmly filled the glasses of wine for Li Longji and Li Xuan.

"When I read Zuo Zhuan, I was very angry every time I read the part about the King of Heaven hunting in Heyang. According to the etiquette, officials have the duty to meet the King of Zhou. How can the King of Zhou be allowed to condescend to meet the princes in the vassal states?"

"The sage's dragon chariot is heading to Mount Tai and Mount Hua. No matter how great my achievements are, I dare not offend the emperor. I also hope that the sage will be great and long-lived and will no longer receive meritorious officials. Those who falsely accuse me must have ulterior motives."

Li Xuan answered Li Longji with almost no hesitation, his tone and expression full of grief.

The Heavenly King's Hunting in Heyang was a very famous event in ancient times and a symbol of the collapse of rites and music.

The Heavenly King refers to King Xiang of Zhou, who went to Heyang to meet the famous Duke Wen of Jin, Chong'er.

Although Duke Wen of Jin wanted to meet King Xiang of Zhou to increase his prestige, he did not expect that King Xiang of Zhou would come to Heyang. The meaning of this changed completely. It was not that Duke Wen of Jin met King Xiang of Zhou, but that King Xiang of Zhou "met" Duke Wen of Jin. It was really unbecoming for the dignified King of Zhou to be ordered around by a vassal king.

This also became a stain on Duke Wen of Jin.

The "hunting" in the story of the King of Heaven hunting in Heyang was just a way for Confucius to save face for King Xiang of Zhou when he was compiling the "Spring and Autumn Annals".

Even though everyone knows the meaning.

Li Xuan cited this story to show that he followed etiquette and had a sincere heart and never intended to offend the saints.

Rumors now and even in the future may be false accusations.

"What's the conflict between Bian Lingcheng and Qilang? Why did he frame you?"

Li Longji was very satisfied with Li Xuan's answer, which was in line with his wishes.

Any minister who could be angry about the king's hunting in Heyang must be a loyal minister.

He now wanted to know the conflict between Bian Lingcheng and Li Xuan.

"I learned that Bian Lingcheng had thousands of acres of fertile land in Qiuci, Yanqi and other places, and he also demanded many treasures from the kings of various countries. I wanted to come back and report to the saint, but I didn't expect him to get there first and even turn the tables on me."

Li Xuan had to change his plan and kill Bian Lingcheng first.

Bian Lingcheng's "deposits" are still in Anxi, and all his huge wealth will go into Li Xuan's pocket.

"I will definitely kill this dog slave Bian Lingcheng."

Li Longji believed what Li Xuan said at this time and was furious.

Everything suddenly became clear.

As I said, corruption in the chaotic late Tianbao period is not scary as long as you are favored by Li Longji.

Li Longji would not tolerate a military supervisor who tried to sow discord between the emperor and his subjects and deceive the emperor.

This is shaking his power.

"At today's banquet, please calm down, Saint..."

Li Xuan persuaded Li Longji.

"Drink!"

Li Longji drank another glass of wine to dispel his disappointment.

In his heart, Bian Lingcheng was already a dead man.

"Qilang, foreign countries are very large and have civilizations. Do you think they also have emperors?"

Yang Yuhuan interrupted and asked Li Xuan.

"My dear, the Caliph of the Arab Empire is similar to the successor and leader of religion, military and politics. He can be called the king of a country. But the monarch of the Roman Empire can be translated as the emperor. In the Western world, such as the Frankish Kingdom and the Roman Empire, particularly outstanding emperors are called the Great Emperor."

Li Xuan explained to Yang Yuhuan.

"If Sanlang is like this, he must be an emperor."

Yang Yuhuan looked at Li Longji and said.

"How can the great emperors of the West be compared with saints? The word saint is far superior to the great emperor. Moreover, the Heavenly Khan is the common ruler of the world. Even Alexander the Great, the greatest emperor in the West, is not as good as a saint."

Li Xuan corrected Yang Yuhuan's words.

"That's right! The saint's literary and martial arts skills are unique in the ages."

Yang Yuhuan and Li Xuan's singing and dancing made Li Longji happy again. He felt like he was floating again.

"Qilang, the Roman Empire is a country on the Mediterranean Sea! I heard it's very rich."

Li Longji asked Li Xuan with interest.

"My lord, the current Roman Empire is the Eastern Roman Empire that was split from the once glorious Roman Empire. However, they regard themselves as the orthodox and call themselves the Roman Empire. They must be richer than the Arab Empire."

Li Xuan replied to Li Longji.

"The Roman Empire once sent envoys to the Tang Dynasty, and the daffodils in the Dragon Pond were brought by them. I only remember that they were somewhat similar to the Sogdians. At that time, they said that it took them more than two years to reach the Tang Dynasty."

The Tang Dynasty once called the Roman Empire Fulin. After Li Xuan’s popularization, it was officially translated into the two Chinese characters "Rome".

"The Roman Empire is thousands of miles away from Chang'an. Our troops cannot enter the Roman Empire directly without the help of local auxiliary troops and local food and fodder."

Li Xuan replied to Li Longji.

"Does Shichiro still have any intention of conquering Rome?"

Li Longji asked Li Xuan that he couldn't stand someone being called emperor like him.

He is the only ruler of the world.

"Replying to the Prophet, the Caliphate had just experienced a change of dynasty, and brothers killed each other again. Safahi's younger brother Abu Jalfar Abbas killed him and became the new caliph."

"I have received news that this man is ambitious and seems to be more powerful than his brother. He has already repelled the Roman Empire's army and pacified the governor who refused to submit."

"I suggest that while the Arab Empire is in turmoil and the people are confused, the Tang Dynasty should continue to send troops to the west, capture the city of Hashemite in one fell swoop, take the holy cities of Jerusalem and Mecca, plant the Tang Dynasty's flag in the Mediterranean, and achieve the saint's immortal military exploits."

"Only by destroying the Arab Empire can our Tang Dynasty use Persia's resources and food to attack Rome!"

Li Xuan seemed to be analyzing the situation to Li Longji in a very logical manner.

In fact, he was taking advantage of Li Longji's inflated ambition to deceive Li Longji!
After he received gold, silver, jewelry, 100,000 dinars and 10 million dirhams worth of two million pieces of silk from Abu Jalfar Abbas, he planned to stop his activities temporarily.

Next, he would only prepare for the Anshi Rebellion.

At that time, he controlled the entrance to the Western Regions and pretended to transfer troops into Persia to reach the Caspian Sea.

First of all, it naturally gave An Lushan the opportunity to start an uprising in Fan Yang.

If An Lushan wanted to change the Tang Dynasty, he had to start a fight and drive Li Longji out of Chang'an with great force.

Only in this way would Li Longji completely lose his prestige among the people and officials of the world.

The casualties of human beings in the process are inevitable.

There is no construction without destruction, and these are the prices that must be paid. The An-Shi Rebellion, which lasted for eight years, was too tragic.

Li Xuan must end it quickly and establish his rule over the world.

Second.

Once An Lushan launched an uprising, Li Longji would lose all face, because he was the one who promoted An Lushan and protected him everywhere.

He was desperate, as if he was looking for a fig leaf.

At that time, he would ask capable generals to ride back from the border as quickly as possible.

In history, when generals such as Geshu Han and Feng Changqing returned, they did not bring their own troops with them. Instead, they asked the long-abandoned Southern Ya Imperial Guards to put on armor and recruit some untrained civilians to resist the fierce and wolf-like army.

Apart from the fact that it took several months to mobilize the troops, what was more important was that Li Longji had lost his mind.

The outcome is obvious.

If Li Xuan had lied that he was in the "Caspian Sea" and said he was ill and unable to return, Li Longji would have been unable to do anything to him.

Once Li Xuan arrives in the Jingzhao area, he will definitely bring thousands of troops with him.

"How long will it take Shichiro to set off?"

Li Longji couldn't wait to ask Li Xuan at the banquet.

What Li Xuan said was exactly what he wished for after seeing the map of the Mediterranean.

If he couldn't do it, that would be fine. But with a famous general like Li Xuan under his command, he could definitely do it.

How could the warmongering Li Longji not be tempted?
"To ensure everything goes well, we will recruit new soldiers, train them, prepare food and supplies, and set out in the spring of the fourteenth year."

Li Xuan gave a reasonable time.

"Yes! A long expedition of thousands of miles requires a foolproof plan. We can prepare after Qilang returns to the Western Regions. If you have any needs, just ask. The court will fully support Anxi."

Li Longji nodded. The Anxi Beiting army had been fighting for two years, so it was very reasonable for them to rest for more than a year.

After all, the Arab Empire still has great power.

"During the expedition, war horses are the most consumed because they are not used to the climate and water, so more war horses are needed. Food can be bought with silk. In addition, Anxi is short of craftsmen and military doctors. Due to the lack of craftsmen, when the army went to Persia, the soldiers fought with damaged weapons, and the wounded soldiers died because no one treated them."

Li Xuan lied with his eyes open.

He attached the greatest importance to craftsmen and military doctors and knew the importance of logistics.

But if we want to develop the Western Regions and Hezhong, the more craftsmen and military doctors we have, the better.

"How can this be possible? I will immediately order the summoning of 2,000 craftsmen and military doctors to go to the Western Regions. Qilang is the Herdsman of Longyou, so please dispatch the war horses of the Longyou Herdsman."

Li Longji agreed to Li Xuan's request without thinking.

Soon, the craftsmen and military doctors will arrive in Anxi with their families to report for duty.

Although Anxi is not a good place, Li Xuan will not treat these craftsmen unfairly.

Li Xuan felt more at ease knowing that he could dispatch the pastoral supervisor's war horses at will.

Later, Li Xuan mentioned to Li Longji the matter of establishing the Qarluk Khanate to the north of the Beiting Protectorate to balance the Uighurs.

Li Longji agreed to Li Xuan's request. The Uighurs had been expanding their territory in recent years and needed to be punished.

After the banquet, Li Longji would bestow the title of Khan on Shiliyehu.

In the land where the Heavenly General gallops, the enthronement of the Heavenly Khan is orthodox!

The banquet's decadent music continued until dusk.

Li Xuan is slightly drunk, but conscious.

Li Longji was so happy that he got drunk and passed out. The female officials helped him go behind the scenes.

After Yang Yuhuan took one last look at Li Xuan, she could only leave with him.

The sage left and the banquet ended. Under the chairmanship of the ceremonial officer, the civil and military officials left the stage one after another.

Li Xuan did not talk with the officials, but got on the carriage with Li Qian and headed towards Pingkangfang.

According to etiquette, Li Xuan should first visit his father Li Shizhi and then return home to meet his wife.

(End of this chapter)