Love Affairs in Chang'an - Chapter 286

Chapter 286 New Challenges
The next morning, Qin Mubai woke up early and practiced archery in the backyard.

He was about to go to the border, so it was inevitable that bow and horse martial arts would come in handy. Therefore, he had practiced more diligently in recent days. In terms of martial arts, Qin Mubai felt that he was at most second-rate, on the same level as Yin Yang, Yuwen Hongtai, and the others. However, there was still a huge gap between his father Qin Shubao and the veterans of Yuchi Jingde’s battlefield.

As for Xue Rengui, who was at the peak of the God Stage, there was no need to mention him. Qin Mubai had always felt that Xue Rengui might be a little more powerful than his old master. However, he was accustomed to humility and seldom showed it on purpose. However, it was precisely because of this that Xue Rengui gave off a mysterious and unfathomable feeling, causing people to inevitably estimate how strong his martial arts skills were.

The tiger-headed golden spear Qin Mubai had been with him for more than a year, but it was still brand new and had never seen blood. Today, he was taken out to practice the Qin Clan’s Taiji Spear’s spear technique several times, causing his arm to feel sore and swollen.

“I still have to practice!”

By the time he finished practicing, he was already drenched in sweat. After taking a bath and changing his clothes, he was ready to have breakfast with his mother and sister. When they arrived at the front hall, they discovered that there was a guest in the front courtyard. There was a man dressed in plain clothes and wearing a butt head, wandering in the forest garden to admire plum blossoms.

Qin Mubai sized it up. Isn’t that Li Ji?

Li Ji also saw Qin Mubai and waved at him from afar. Qin Mubai quickly walked forward and cupped his hands, “When did Uncle Shi arrive? It was truly a disappointment! The servants in this mansion were also dumbfounded, and they actually didn’t notify him!”

Li Ji chuckled, “Don’t blame them. I didn’t let them spread the news. I heard that you were practicing martial arts, so I walked around the garden without interrupting you.”

Other than Qin Mubai’s mother and sister, there was no one else in the family who could welcome him. Li Ji had actually waited for an hour in the garden. Qin Mubai couldn’t help but feel a little apologetic. He hurriedly invited Li Ji into the hall to take a seat and invited him to have breakfast with him.

If a person like Li Xu came here alone early in the morning, he would definitely have something to do with his appearance in the Three Treasures Hall. After the tea, Qin Mubai asked, “Uncle Shi condescended to visit. May I know what you have to teach me?”

Li Ji smiled and said, “There are still a few things I need to discuss with you.”

“Uncle Shi, please give me some advice.”

“You flatter me.” Li Ji smiled and said, “Recently, I have been busy dispatching troops under His Majesty’s orders.” Duke Lu Hou Jun Ji has led his troops down south to defend against the enemy in Songzhou. On the other hand, they were heading to Lanzhou, and they had almost been deployed. In the next few days, they would be able to gather all the grain and armor and set off with their troops. “Your Majesty gave me a secret message that the commander in chief leading the army to Lanzhou is none other than you, Qin Mubai, right?”

“Yes, His Majesty did give me an order, but the orders of the Imperial Court have not been given yet.” Qin Mubai said truthfully.

Li Ji nodded and said, “It should be the next two days. You have to prepare. The purpose of my coming here is to discuss with you about the candidate of the general.”

“General?” Qin Mubai frowned slightly, “What do you mean?”

“Lanzhou will become an important military town and barrier. It can’t be compared to an ordinary Governor-General’s Mansion. It’s related to the future of the Great Tang, Guan He, and the great plan of the military kingdom!” Li Ji said, “So I have to listen to your opinion on the selection of generals.” Originally, the Lanzhou Governor’s Mansion was just an ordinary military town. Your father held the position of Governor, and very few of his subordinates were capable. Now that His Majesty has sent you here, you can be considered to have given him a powerful arm. But you and your son alone are far from enough. The Governor’s Mansion of Lanzhou is about to expand. Originally, there were three continents under his control: Lan, He and Kou. Now, he may have to draw down Liangzhou as well. Under the rule of the army, from the original more than twenty thousand, to nearly fifty thousand. The former Lanzhou Governor-General’s Mansion would also be converted into the Central Governor’s Mansion. We must therefore increase the number of capable personnel, “he said.

“Oh? What talents did Uncle Shi choose?” Qin Mubai asked.

Li Ji smiled and said, “These people are going to work with your father and son in the future. Of course, I have to ask your opinion first. I have selected some people and His Majesty has appointed a few people. I’ll let you know now-take them and see!”

After saying that, Li Ji took out a list of officials that had been added to the Lanzhou Governor-General’s Mansion this time.

The Central Governor’s Mansion was considered a relatively large military base. The highest official was also the Governor, rank three. The three most important deputies were Bie Jia who was below the fourth rank, Chang Shi who was above the fifth rank, and Sima who was below the fifth rank. There are soldiers, law, armor, shi, warehouse, work, such as cao ginseng military several people, and other such as city order, cheng, zuo, doctorate, assistant teachers and other officials. These officials were organized in a similar way to the local governor’s office. However, because the Governor-General’s Manor was more inclined to govern the army, there was also the military establishment of the Manor Guards. According to Li Xu, if the number of soldiers under the Lanzhou Governor-General’s Mansion reached 50,000, there would be at least 20 military mansions and more than 20 commandants under the command of the Governor-General’s Mansion.

In addition, the military forces of the Lanzhou Governor-General’s Mansion were under the command of Zuo Wei Wei Wei. When Qin Shubao was first activated, he was conferred the title of General Zuo Wei Wei and the Governor of Lanzhou. That was the true name of the Supreme Military Officer. Officials under the Governor-General’s Manor, especially military officials, also held the positions of Governor-General’s Manor and Governor-General’s Manor at the same time.

Qin Mubai glanced at the list of people Li Xu had given him. The original officers of the Zuo Wei Wei Guard did not change much, but the position of the Governor-General’s Manor had changed a lot. The first was that Sima and Changshi had both been replaced. Qin Mubai did not expect that Xue Wanjun and Xue Wanche would be brothers!

This pair of brothers possessed outstanding martial arts skills, and their prestige in the army was not small. Moreover, the current official rank is not low, divided into Zuotun Wei and Right Martial Wei general, and Qin Shubao is also a third-grade, equal to one of the twelve generals; Apart from that, Xue Wanche was Li Shimin’s brother-in-law, a relative of the royal family.

It could be said that if not for the fact that the Emperor had recently reactivated Qin Shubao, the founding veteran general, the prestige and reputation of the Xue brothers now far surpassed Qin Shubao’s!

Apart from the Xue brothers, who were appointed Chief Shi and Sima, they also changed the position of the Great General of Ben Wei to Inspector General, and General Zuo Wei Wei (a total of two people, deputy to the Great General) was also appointed by them. In other words, their ranks hadn’t been lowered, and they were still rank three (Inspector General). Their official rank had been lowered by one level, and they were the deputy of General Qin Shubao.

Since it had increased from the Lower Governor’s Mansion to the Central Governor’s Mansion, Lanzhou had added an adjuvant officer that was only available in the Central Governor’s Mansion-Bie Jia, who was second only to the Governor’s Mansion, and was the highest civilian official who assisted Qin Shubao in managing the people’s livelihood.

However, this person was empty.

The other civil and military officials weren’t very important anymore. They were basically people chosen from the various government guards and the government supervisors of the various imperial palaces.

After Qin Mubai finished reading, he remained silent for a long time.

“What are you thinking?” Li Xuan asked with a smile as he drank his tea calmly.

“Uncle Shi, you are not an outsider either. Junior, there is something you do not know. I would like to ask for your advice.” Qin Mubai said.

“Speak.”

Qin Mubai did not conceal anything and said, “Everyone knows that the Xue brothers have made outstanding contributions in recent years. My father has faded out of the Imperial Army for many years and is a bit old. His reputation is not as good as the Xue brothers.” Now, His Majesty the Emperor has asked the Xue brothers to be my father’s deputy … How can the two of them be convinced? If the Governor-General’s Manor is at odds with one another, it will be considered bad. ”

Li Ji smiled nonchalantly, as if he had already anticipated Qin Mubai’s worries. He said, “Your Majesty has made such an arrangement. We ministers should also be considerate. After all, Lanzhou is related to the western half of the Great Tang. It is a barrier and a gate. If you don’t choose the right person, it will definitely be impossible. If all the right people are hugged together, it may not be what Your Majesty wants to see.”

With Li Xu’s words, Qin Mubai suddenly came to a realization!

Yes, kings are paranoid!

An important military town like Lanzhou, with 50,000 troops in hand, was directly facing the naked Great Tang Guanzhong. Manual control of the Silk Road was related to the plan to dominate the Western Regions. It could be said that they could become a country of their own. If there were any changes here, the risks to the Great Tang would be more than a million times greater than Tibet!

Ever since the founding of Zhenguan, the Xue brothers were not from the same faction as Qin Shubao and the other old generals of the Qin Palace. Not only did they not say that they were in conflict with each other, they were at least secretly competing against each other and refusing to accept it. Li Shimin’s intentions were obvious. He wanted Lanzhou to be strong, but at the same time, there were two distinct factions.

The emperor disliked the party factions the most, but he was also the most willing to use them. There were contradictions between the officials, so it was convenient for the emperor to harmonize and control them. If they were all in the same gang, then it would be Lashantou who set up a gang. If that was the case, then Lanzhou, which was “a country of its own,” would only know the governor and not the emperor.

After thinking about this, Qin Mubai smiled relieved. The Emperor’s Mind Technique could not be like this. It couldn’t be said that Li Shimin’s heart was narrow-minded, and the Emperor had his own difficulties, that’s all!

Thus, he did not break the casserole and changed the topic, “Then why is the position of don’t drive empty again? En, there are also vacancies for the Yi Manor General, Zhonglang, Zuo Lang, and Youlang Sanlang of Zuo Wei Wei Guard.”

“His Majesty the Emperor has deliberately ordered such an arrangement. It seems that the duty of not driving is naturally yours.” Li Ji smiled. “Your father is the viceroy, but like the Xue brothers, he is from the military. He is not good at wenzhi. You are the most important supplement for the three of them.”

“That’s interesting.” Qin Mubai smiled and said, “I’m driving on the Xue brothers’ two long history and Sima. They have to feel aggrieved.”

“There’s nothing to feel aggrieved about. They govern the army, you govern the people, and each has its own division of labor.” Li Ji said, “Moreover, in the army, the two generals can stand on their own, but you are only the personal lord of Zuo Wei Wei’s Yi Clan, and follow your father as a great general.”

“In other words, I might be the corps commander of the Zuowei Wei Yi Manor in Lanzhou, right?” Qin Mubai said.

“Very likely.” Li Ji nodded, “But in the end, we still have to wait for His Majesty to decide.”

Qin Mubai nodded and smiled. The Emperor forcefully inserted the Xue brothers into the Lanzhou Governor’s Mansion. In the Governor’s Mansion, the two of them were about the same level as him, Qin Mubai, and assisted Qin Shubao together. In the army, the two of them were nominally under Qin Shubao’s command, but they were strong enough to fight Qin Shubao.

The power of the Qin father and son and the Xue brothers was intertwined. At that time, it would be difficult not to create friction and fight. However, these four people were people who had a bottom line and a foresight, and they wouldn’t miss the country’s affairs because of their private battles. From this point of view, Li Shimin’s arrangements could be said to be exquisite. The emperor’s mansion and mind techniques were displayed vividly.

“The purpose of my question is to ask you to recommend two generals to the left and right of the Zuowei Wei Yi Manor. They are your deputies in the army, and they will be the commanders of the Great General’s pro-decorum Zhongjun army together.” Li Ji said.

Qin Mubai smiled bitterly, “Who can I recommend? It’s Uncle Shi’s call!”

“Mubai, there’s no need to worry.” Li Ji smiled and said, “When we go to Lanzhou, there will definitely be marches and battles.” Could it be that you and your father took the lead when they charged into the front lines? That won’t do! Therefore, there had to be two handy lieutenants to take on the heavy responsibility of charging into the front lines. The Xue brothers are a pair of valiant generals, but you and your son will definitely not be able to command them properly. “When we reach the frontlines of the border, this can be fatal, do you know?”

Qin Mubai nodded and said, “However, I really don’t have a suitable candidate! If it were a fierce general, and if we could casually send him out, there really wouldn’t be such a person!”

“Why not?” Li Xi smiled mysteriously, “Isn’t there a few in the Wu Palace?”

“Ah?” Qin Mubai immediately shook his head and said, “They are from the Prince of Wu!”

“Those are also people from the Imperial Court!” Li Ji said casually.

Hearing that, Qin Mubai couldn’t help but feel a little alarmed-what did Li Ji mean? Is he asking me to poach people from King Wu? This kind of thing had always been the most unkind and hateful. With Li Ji’s tactfulness and insight into the world, how could he have encouraged me to do such a foolish thing?

After thinking for a moment, Qin Mubai thought that after returning to the capital, he and Li Ke had coincidentally thought of keeping a distance from each other and drawing a clear line. Li Ke also became more and more low-key, hiding in the manor all day long, refusing to even host the engagement ceremony for Qin Mubai and Gaoyang, openly showing that the two of them had a conflict.

Thinking of this, Qin Mubai roughly understood, “This is most likely Li Ke’s intention!”

He was already an idle prince returning to the capital. What other name did he have to raise so many generals and soldiers in the manor? Once these people were left idle, they might be dug into a corner at some point. After all, if the Imperial Court wanted to hire someone to transfer his subordinates to King Wu, that would only be a matter of one sentence. In the Imperial Court, there were countless people who wanted to cut him down into a tree pole.

Rather than waiting for someone to dig a corner and break their wings, it would be better for them to voluntarily give up sending these people out-giving them to Qin Mubai was of course the best deal!

Moreover, the emperor may also intend to reduce the number of talents around Li Ke. After all, he was a small concubine prince. His subordinates, Wen Youquan and Wanji, were Xue Rengui, Yuwen Hongtai, Yin Yang, and the others. Wherever these people were placed, they were all first-class talents. Now, they were all nest in the Wu Palace. Not to mention King Wei, the Crown Prince, and the others were worried, even if Li Shimin saw too much, he would find it eye-catching!

“When Uncle Shi said that, I really remembered.” Qin Mubai did not point it out. He smiled and said, “I recommended two of the three Great Generals of the Wu Palace. They are Xue Rengui and Yuwen Hongtai. If I transfer these two to the Zuo Wei Wei Wei Yi Palace, I will definitely be able to deal with them.”

“Then let them be!” Li Xi didn’t say much, but he actually made a decision directly like this.

Looks like this is already tacit understanding, really have tacit understanding.

“In addition, the hundred cavalry that followed you to Xiang Prefecture in the past have also been transferred back. They have returned to the hundred cavalry camp a few days ago.” Li Ji said, “Your Majesty means that these people will follow you all the way to the north and to the south, and they will never be more thoughtful.” When they arrived at the border and went to the battlefield, they needed this kind of blood, flesh and blood, and courage to take care of them. Your Majesty has said that you are his precious son-in-law. These hundred cavalry are still under your command, serving as the warlords of the Yi Prefecture, the middle marquis, and Si Ge. They will defend the Zhongjun together with you. ”

“Alright!” This made Qin Mubai somewhat overjoyed. Those 30 brothers were all the most intimate iron poles. With them accompanying him, they all had many levels of confidence in their hearts.

“But Pang Fei didn’t come back.” Li Ji said, “He will take over the position of Commandant of Xiangzhou Prefecture that you left behind and continue to stay there. The young man is not bad, he is very strong. He was stunned by the fact that an ordinary soldier became a Commandant of the Supreme Stage. Mubai, I didn’t expect that you would have a keen eye for talent and have a good training!”

“Haha! Uncle Shi is making fun of me!” Qin Mubai was also very happy. Pang Fei, this brat, is truly a genius now.

“Almost all of these things. I’m done.” Li Ji has always been straightforward. After he finished speaking, he folded the list into his arms and got up, “I’m leaving. There’s no need to send me off. You should have made preparations and will leave the capital in a few days.”

“Thank you, Uncle!” Qin Mubai continued to send him off along the way, sending him out of the manor.

Li Ji got on his horse and left.

Qin Mubai paced around the courtyard, thinking to his left and right, “Compared to the Governor’s Mansion of Lanzhou, Xiangzhou is really a table full of wine.” Go there and face real war and real enemies. Both externally and internally, the situation will be even more complicated. Moreover, he was also shouldering the grand plan of the Great Tang Empire, which could be said to be related to the entire territory of China for a thousand years!

Alright, here comes the new challenge!