Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5180 Entering the Palace to See You
When Fang Jun returned to Beijing, the people lined the streets to welcome him in wind and rain, with unparalleled enthusiasm.

Since his rise, he led his army out of the White Road and destroyed the Xueyantuo, suppressed the Chang'an mutiny twice and protected the imperial power, made two expeditions to the Western Regions and defeated the Arabs, and even organized a navy to travel across the seven seas, formulated strategies, and forced Tubo to fight among themselves...

To date, Fang Jun's achievements have completely surpassed those of all the meritorious officials during the Zhenguan period.

The "two giants of the military" in the past are no longer mentioned. Li Jing and Li Ji, the two generations of military gods, have to abdicate at this moment.

Fang Jun has undoubtedly been promoted to the position of "the number one in the military", and no one can match him.

……

Inside the Wude Hall.

Li Chengqian, wearing a round-necked suit and a fu hat, stood in front of the window with his hands behind his back, gazing at the lush green flowers and trees outside the window in the rain, but his vision seemed to be out of focus.

Liu Li bowed and stood behind him, saying softly, "Your Majesty, the Grand Commandant has neither issued an order nor notified you. It is really against the rules to return to the capital from the front line of the Western Regions with such a small entourage."

When a general goes to war, he cannot just leave or come back as he pleases.

Especially when they returned to the capital quietly with the power of a great victory, it often had a profound and mysterious meaning and produced extremely far-reaching effects...

Li Chengqian came back to his senses and said helplessly, "It's better to say less of this kind of thing. The Taiwei is the pillar of our Tang Dynasty. This time, he defeated the Arabs and shocked the outside world. He has made great contributions to the country and is the best in the world. Naturally, he has the privilege of not following the rules... Besides, what do you think the Taiwei will do? Start a rebellion or force the emperor to abdicate? You are the Minister of the Central Secretariat, so you should focus on the matters within your authority."

He had endless resentment towards Fang Jun and was very dissatisfied with many of his actions, but from beginning to end, he never doubted Fang Jun's loyalty, whether to him as the emperor or to the empire.

No one loved this empire more than Fang Jun. For this reason, he even went so far as to oppose Emperor Taizong, who doted on him immensely, and to draw a clear line between himself and his "comrade-in-arms" with whom he had fought side by side and cooperated closely.

Liu Li shook his head and said, "No matter what, there are still some rules that must be followed. Today, the Grand Commandant can break the rules based on his achievements. Can others follow suit in the future? Without rules, there will be no order. Although I won't punish him for this, I still need to warn him."

Li Chengqian turned around, walked slowly back to the imperial desk, shook his head and said, "I understand the character of the Grand Commandant. He just doesn't want to show off and waste his troops. There's no need to make a fuss."

After a pause, he said, "Since the Grand Commandant has returned to the capital in secret, I will not personally go out to greet him. You will go to the Taiji Palace to greet him on my behalf."

Liu Jie: "..."

Should I go meet him?

I don't want to see his arrogant face!
"Here."

However, it is really unnecessary for His Majesty to go out of the palace to welcome you in person, using a lot of support, large carriages, and a large army.

Then it would be most appropriate for him, the Minister of the Central Secretariat and the head of the Prime Minister, to come out to greet them...

……

Fang Jun originally wanted to return to Beijing in a low profile and not attract attention. After all, he had defeated the 200,000-strong Arab army in the Western Regions, which was an outstanding achievement unparalleled in the world, and had a bit of the meaning of "being so meritorious that it frightened the king". Although Li Chengqian might not be afraid or suspicious of this, as a minister he should consider the situation faced by the king and try his best to eliminate the impact.

However, he still underestimated the importance of this battle in the hearts of the people. From the moment they entered the city, more and more people poured into the streets, cheering and cheering. There was an even greater crowd in front of the West Market Gate. When they arrived at the Suzaku Gate, the imperial guards on the city walls raised their swords high and cheered loudly, shaking the four directions.

Entering from the Suzaku Gate and walking along the long street to the Chengtian Gate, countless officials from various government offices on both sides of the way stood solemnly on the roadside, bowing and saluting to show their respect.

After finally arriving at Chengtian Gate, he threw off the stirrup, threw off the saddle, and threw his hat and raincoat to his personal soldiers. He looked at Liu Li who was already waiting at the door and sighed helplessly, "I wanted to be low-key, but the people, soldiers, and officials were too enthusiastic. I had to slow down to say hello. I have made the Minister of the Central Secretariat wait here. I am sorry."

Liu Li's eyes twitched, and he responded, "The Grand Commandant has made great military achievements and is feared by the world. You deserve to be loved by the people. Your contributions to the empire are second to none. Who among the civil and military officials in the court does not admire you and bow down to you? People like you are the pillars of the court and the backbone of the society. You are truly a role model for all ages."

"what?"

Fang Jun was surprised: "Isn't it possible that the Minister of the Central Secretariat is trying to flatter me? It would be very inappropriate if this were to get out. Outsiders might think that you are trying to sow discord between me and His Majesty."

Liu Li shook his head: "Is that what the Grand Commandant thinks? That is a real misunderstanding. I have absolutely no such intention."

"Haha, I really misunderstood!"

Fang Jun patted Liu Li's shoulder with a smile on his face and said with emotion: "But as a close minister to His Majesty and the head of the prime minister, you should be careful when speaking and try not to cause misunderstandings. After all, a loyal minister can make a country prosperous, while a flatterer can ruin it. Be careful!"

The eunuchs standing by were frightened to see that these two ministers, who were both the best in civil and military affairs, had no verbal sparring or attacks on each other, and they lowered their heads and eyes and hid aside obediently.

Liu Li sneered and turned away, "Don't keep your majesty waiting. Please follow me into the palace."

"Your Majesty, are you in a hurry to summon me? Oh my, seeing the Minister of the Central Secretariat talking to me about this and that, I thought Your Majesty was not in a hurry..."

"No noise is allowed in the palace. Can you please say less?"

"There has never been a precedent in the Tang Dynasty where people were punished for their words. Is the Minister of the Central Secretariat trying to block the channels of speech and control public opinion?"

"..."

Liu Li ignored this fool, shut his mouth and walked quickly.

After entering the Wude Hall, Fang Jun bowed to the ground and saluted. Li Chengqian, who was behind the imperial desk, stood up and walked over. He leaned over and supported Fang Jun's shoulders to help him stand up. He laughed and said, "It's a private occasion. Why should Erlang be so polite? Please stand up quickly!"

After standing up, Li Chengqian smiled and patted Fang Jun's shoulders twice, praising him: "This battle was well fought! The Arab bandits bullied the Tang Dynasty and invaded our western territory, not only threatening the security of the border but also blocking the Silk Road and causing huge losses to the empire's finances. This battle not only enhanced our national prestige, but also cut off the Arabs' claws and brought decades of peace. Erlang has made great contributions!"

Fang Jun said modestly: "Although I worked very hard on the front line, working day and night, and tens of thousands of soldiers fought bravely and never turned back, the greater credit lies with Your Majesty, who controlled the world and stabilized the overall situation. There were also the Minister of the Central Secretariat who prepared food and fodder, and countless officials who ran the logistics. I dare not take all the credit for such achievements."

Liu Li was stroking his beard, looking a little embarrassed.

He worked very hard to collect the supplies in the rear, but at the same time, he also made things difficult for Fang Jun. The quantity of almost every item of supplies was cut in half, and the delivery date was delayed as much as possible...

So when he heard Fang Jun's words, he couldn't tell whether this guy was praising him or scolding him...

Li Chengqian didn't care about these things, and said with emotion: "How does that saying go? If civil officials are not greedy for money and military generals are not afraid of death, the country will prosper! You military generals guard the borders and fight to the death, and civil officials govern the country and collect taxes. We, the monarch and our subjects, work hard together to continue this glorious era for thousands of years, so that our Han people can live a prosperous life and our Great Tang Dynasty can shock the world!"

He was truly moved and felt that he was very lucky.

In terms of civil servants, there were slightly fewer officials than during the Zhenguan period, but due to the reform of the imperial examination system, a large number of talents were recruited into the government. In addition, various professional talents were trained in the Zhenguan Academy, which was more than enough to govern the country.

As for the military, it was the most powerful in the history. Since he ascended the throne, the Tang Dynasty had won all foreign wars and had never lost a battle. At sea, the powerful navy crushed the world and almost turned the East and South Seas into the inland seas of the Tang Dynasty. The warships were the oceans. Countless people and merchants went to various places along the sea routes to make a living, bringing back mountains and valleys of wealth to the Tang Dynasty.

On land, they also made rapid progress and were invincible. Even the Arab Empire, which was known as one of the two superpowers in the world together with the Tang Dynasty, was defeated twice, thus completely establishing their position as "the only empire in the world".

Regardless of whether in terms of civil or military achievements, Li Chengqian admitted that he was far inferior to Emperor Taizong and could not be compared with him at all. However, in terms of the strength of the empire and the vastness of its territory, he was very likely to surpass Emperor Taizong.

How could this not excite him?

That’s Emperor Taizong!

Even though the praise of "the greatest emperor of all time" has some criticisms, if the word "one of" is added, it becomes an irrefutable fact.

If I could become the "second best in the history" in the future, wouldn't that be wonderful...

The emperor and his ministers took their seats, and the eunuch served them fragrant tea, but was dismissed by Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian asked about many details of the battle. Fang Jun did not need any written battle reports. He kept all the matters in his mind and was able to answer them easily without any mistakes when facing the questioning.

Liu Li said: "So, this battle was not only meritorious for Ashina Helu, but also for the Persian prince."

Fang Jun nodded and said, "Persia was destroyed by the Arabs. The hatred between the two countries is as deep as the sea. When I met him under the city of Kesan, I promised him that the Tang Dynasty would send troops to help him restore his country. There are two reasons. The first is to reward him for his merits. Without his cooperation with Ashina Helu, Gao Deyi might not be able to successfully control Tuozhe City, not to mention that the burning of the Arab army's food and fodder outside Kesan City would severely hit their morale. The second is that Persia is high and far between Damascus and the Central Asian region. Once Persia is restored, it can block the Arab army's way to the Central Asian region and play a role of strategic isolation."

After this battle, the Tang Dynasty was bound to exercise jurisdiction over the Central Asian region, whether it was a vassal state or an autonomous region, and it was bound to restrain the countries in Central Asia and ensure the smooth flow of the Silk Road.

As long as Persia is restored, it will be able to isolate the Tang Dynasty from the Caliphate, making it difficult for the Caliphate to directly influence the Transoxiana countries as before, and it will also be able to avoid direct conflict between the two countries' armies.

In any case, the Arabs are still the strongest country in West Asia and even in the West. If a military conflict breaks out between the two countries again, it will be difficult for the Tang Dynasty to launch another war of conquest with tens of thousands of people like this time.