Film and TV: Starting from the marriage with Zhao Linger

Using luxury goods to paralyze the morale of the barbarian leaders and erode their warlike genes is a win-win situation.

The fat cattle and sheep obtained from the trade could be used as food for the soldiers who were undergoing arduous training, thus strengthening their bodies. This was also the reason why Li Shouxi was able to win over most of the generals.

If you follow Li Shouxi, you can eat meat!

This also made the Duke of Zhenguo more willing to let it go.

As long as it is not treason, these methods, although not aboveboard, are the most labor-saving methods.

Even Emperor Tang couldn't help but sigh at Li Shouxi's bloodless tactics after hearing the report from the Bad People. No wonder he was able to undermine the highly prestigious Duke Zhenguo in the army.

Chapter 4: Daliang Marries Princess Nihuang

Martial arts arena at Prince Yan’s mansion, barbecue feast.

As Li Shouxi returned from his training, hundreds of people in the mansion began to get busy.

After bathing, it is time for lunch, especially for the black-armored cavalry that followed Li Shouxi in and out. They need at least ten kilograms of meat and wine in one meal, which requires hundreds of people to be busy for a long time.

Therefore, these barbecues are grilled on low heat from the morning until they are ready at noon.

Eating with the soldiers was also a way for Li Shouxi to win their hearts.

After bathing and burning incense, Li Shouxi, who was sitting at the head of the table, opened the Tang Emperor's edict. After quickly skimming through it, he couldn't help but frowned and said with a puzzled look:

"Go to Daliang for marriage?

I have heard that Princess Nihuang is already in her prime, which is almost ten years younger than her. How could the royal family agree to this?

What's more, our Tang Dynasty is tens of thousands of miles away from Daliang, and there is no border between our territories, so we are not even close to each other!"

The eunuch who was sitting at the bottom and eating was absorbed in his own meal. Hearing Li Shouxi's doubts, he quickly stood up and explained:

“Your Highness has misunderstood. His Majesty is not asking Your Highness to go on a marriage mission, but to be an envoy to Daliang.

Over the past few years, Prince Liang has held several marriage competitions for Princess Nihuang, and this year is the third time. The candidates who participated in the marriage competition were mainly from noble families over 30 years old who had not yet married, and Your Highness was not among them.

Your Majesty has heard that the prince has many brave generals under his command, and many of them are still unmarried. This is a match made in heaven."

“Another reason is that His Majesty and His Majesty are worried about Your Highness’ marriage.

This time, we sent His Highness to Daliang as an envoy, hoping that the envoys from various countries could see His Highness's peerless elegance, so as to promote marriages among various countries and relieve the Queen's worries."

Hearing this, Li Shouxi narrowed his eyes slightly, and a hint of coldness flashed in the depths of his pupils!

This sounds good, and Li Shouxi has also reached the age to get married. After all, even the crown prince Li Shouqian, who is one year younger than him, has already married and has children.

But a royal marriage is no joke.

The reason why Li Shouxi's marriage fell through over the years was not because the Emperor of Tang was not interested, but because there were not many noble ladies in the entire Tang Dynasty who were suitable for Li Shouxi to marry.

Originally, when she was sixteen years old, Princess Shang wanted to marry Shang Xiuxun, the legitimate daughter of a Shang family, to Li Shouxi to strengthen the relationship between the two families.

But Li Shouxi rejected it on the grounds of "human ethics".

Although it was very common for cousins ​​to marry each other in ancient times, in Li Shouxi's eyes, the blood relationship was only two generations apart, and it was impossible for him to accept such a close-kin marriage.

As for the five surnames, seven families, and the four great clans? ?

Once the prince marries into these transcendent families, it will become a trend for the foreign relatives to become more powerful, and it is very likely that it will eventually evolve into the foreign relatives' monopoly of power.

This is not a result that any emperor would like to see.

Although Li Shouxi was only involved in military power at this time, his influence in the court was enough to be on par with the Crown Prince Li Shouqian, the third prince Wu Wang Li Shouke, and the fourth prince Chu Wang Li Shoutai, making him a popular candidate for the throne.

First, Li Shouxi controlled 300,000 soldiers at the border, and was undoubtedly a powerful lord;

Second, Li Shouxi's smuggling business affects the interests of all parties, which is a huge pie worth at least tens of millions of dollars every year;

Third, the reputation of the Prince of Yan for his wisdom and ability to govern the country was such that in just a few years he transformed Liaodong, a land that had been in deficit and had to make up for the shortfall year after year, into a major grain-producing province, a remarkable achievement.

In particular, the neutral factions in the court were very optimistic about Li Shouxi, the crown prince who was both civil and military.

Although since ancient times, the eldest son has been the heir, not the eldest son, and the most capable one has been the heir.

But with these three advantages combined, they didn't think Li Shouxi would be much worse than the crown prince. Moreover, the Tang emperor was in his prime, and the battle for the throne had not yet been fully launched, and there were many variables in the meantime.

The noble ladies in the families of high-ranking officials had basically married early or had already been engaged.

If it were any other prince, it would be fine, but Prince Xiaoyao is also a first-class prince or duke, with endless wealth and glory!

But the eldest son and the eldest daughter are fighting like dragons and tigers.

Therefore, the marriage became a question of taking sides. Even if those old guys were optimistic about Li Shouxi, they would not take sides at this moment.

What’s more, it is an absolute bond of this kind of marriage.

In addition, Li Shouxi had been stationed at the border, which was known for its bitter cold, for several years, so marriage became a big problem.

The reason why the Emperor of Tang chose Li Shouxi as the envoy this time was that he wanted to promote him and show his unrivaled elegance among the Tang people, and at the same time solve Li Shouxi's marriage problem.

But this is just the surface.

Behind the mission to Daliang, there is a conspiracy against Liaodong.

Tune the tiger away from the mountain.

The straight-line distance from Liaodong to Daliang Jinling is no less than 50,000 miles. Even if one travels light and travels a thousand miles a day, it will still take nearly half a year to go back and forth.

This period of time is enough to weaken Li Shouxi's influence in Liaodong so that he will not continue to grow and threaten the imperial power.

This is the ruthlessness of heaven.

Li Shouxi's foundation in Liaodong over the years has begun to make the Tang Emperor wary.

Even though Li Shouxi was a prince, it was not uncommon for princes to kill their fathers to ascend the throne or to rebel since ancient times, so the Tang Emperor played a trick on him.

"When will the mission depart?"

"Your Highness, according to the time, the imperial delegation has already set out. Your Highness only needs to travel light and take a few followers with him!"

Hearing the eunuch's instructions, Li Shouxi simply shook his head and chuckled:

“It is true that the might of the Tang Dynasty intimidates all quarters, but it is not unacceptable for some of the princes of small countries to take unconventional actions.

Moreover, Daliang is one of the vassal states of Yangzhou and already has many enemies. How could they sit idly by and watch me go on a diplomatic mission to Daliang, or allow the Tang cavalry to march south?

It’s better to go by water, which is not only convenient but also safe.

Shaoqing, go to the storehouse and prepare some gifts, about a hundred carts, and set out in three days and sail in half a month."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Shaoqing, namely Cao Shaoqing, is the general manager of the Prince of Yan's Palace.

He was originally a eunuch who signed in to serve Li Shouxi when he was seven years old. He was also a master secretly trained by the royal family to protect his safety closely.

This kind of serving eunuch is an orphan adopted by the royal family since childhood and has excellent qualifications. He will only serve one master throughout his life.

Unless the prince dies young.

At the age of thirteen, Cao Shaoqing was already a fifth-rank master, with a sword that was sharp and cold, as fast as lightning.

Now, thirteen years have passed. He first practiced the Hunyuan Boy's Skill. After Li Shouxi signed in the Holy Spirit Sword Skill, he also passed it on to Cao Shaoqing to practice hard, and his progress was rapid.

At this time, he was already the Kyushu Sword Immortal who had reached the Great Finger Profound Realm.

The realm of the devil sword is dominated by killing.

Once the evil sword in his hand is unsheathed, the whole country will be stained with blood.

The Sword Immortal is another name for the pinnacle of the sword, and is also the ultimate pursuit of sword masters, such as the Snow Moon Sword Immortal, the Blue Lotus Sword Immortal, the White Cloud Sword Immortal...

Each sword immortal represents a ninth-grade grandmaster, an extraordinary being in the way of swordsmanship.

However, Cao Shaoqing had never appeared in the martial arts world, so no one knew about this terrifying sword immortal in the realm of magic sword, and no one would take the eunuch chief steward of Prince Yan's Mansion seriously.

If Cao Shaoqing had not had physical defects, he would not have been able to reach the highest level of Hunyuan Tongzi Gong.

At this moment, he is the Grand Master of the Second Realm, the one standing at the pinnacle.

But even so, Cao Shaoqing, who has attained the status of a sword immortal, is no less powerful than an average Great Celestial Realm cultivator.

The ultimate magic sword can freeze time and space and allow the soul to leave the body.

This is the true ninth-grade sword art.

Chapter 5: Recruiting a Marriage Adviser

"Li Shentong, Li Xuanhu!"

"Your Highness!"

Looking at the burly men who came out, they were all wearing armor and were over ten feet tall.

There was one man in particular, with a full beard and messy greasy hair, who looked like the reincarnation of E Lai, with a terrifying appearance. He was the vanguard general under Li Shouxi.

Regardless of how many calculations were involved in this mission to Daliang, the Tang Emperor's decree had already been issued and there was no way to avoid it.

Over the years, Li Shouxi has been stationed in Liaodong, and has recruited many experts, even quite a few ninth-grade grandmasters, but there are only a few suitable candidates:

Li Shentong, the black-armored cavalryman; Yuwen Chengdu, the commander of the Prince of Yan's Palace; Qin Shan, one of the great border generals; Wanyan Wudi of the Jurchen tribe; and Li Xuanhu, the vanguard general.

Li Shentong is a descendant of the Li family and a branch of the Longxi Li family.

At the age of 27, he was promoted to the ninth rank of martial arts and transferred to Li Shouxi's side, becoming the commander of three thousand black armored cavalry. Because of his obsession with martial arts, he has not married yet;

Yuwen Chengdu was the gift package that Li Shouxi signed in for when he opened his own government at the age of twelve.

A wise counselor and a brave general!

The wise counselor does not speak, and the fierce general refers to Yuwen Chengdu, a direct descendant of the Yuwen family, one of the four great clans. He is burly and resolute, with tiger eyes and dragon eyebrows, and extraordinary bravery. His strength is at the level of Vajra in Buddhism, and he also serves as a third-rank general of the Jinwu Guard.

Qin Shan, the son of Qin Shubao, one of the Nine Elders of the Tang Dynasty and Duke Protector of the Country, is at the quasi-ninth-rank realm.

Originally from a wealthy family, Qin Shan had no shortage of marriage partners, but because he had been stationed at the border for many years and had a military temperament, he remained unmarried.

And he just turns thirty this year!

However, Qin Shan is a general under the Duke of Zhenguo, so just notify him.

Wanyan Wudi, the number one master of the Liaodong Jurchen tribe.

Because of a chance encounter in Taibai Mountain when he was young, he ate a thousand-year-old blood ginseng, which made his blood and energy flourish. Now he is also a top master in the ninth level of Vajra Realm.

Over the years, Li Shouxi reclaimed the black soil, transforming the Jurchen tribe from a fishing and hunting civilization to an agricultural civilization. Wanyan Wudi was grateful for his great kindness and became his disciple.

But under normal circumstances, Wanyan Wudi likes to practice hard in Taibai Mountain.

Li Xuanhu, a talented general from a humble family who rose from the bottom of the army, was born with extraordinary talent.

When he was discovered and recruited by Li Shouxi, his martial arts skills were only at the sixth level.

But with the help of Li Shouxi, he began to practice Hunyuan Tongzi Gong. In just three years, he was promoted from the sixth rank to the quasi-ninth rank in martial arts. He only needed to cultivate the Vajra Indestructible Body to become a ninth rank grandmaster.

With such talent, he is a dazzling and brilliant genius in the entire Tang Dynasty.

He is now the commander of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, the vanguard general, and the third-rank General Yunhui!

"Commander Li, you will accompany me to Daliang this time to protect my safety.

General Li, after I leave Longmen Pass, you will take my place and stay at Longmen Pass. You must obey the command of the Duke of Zhenguo. If there are any changes in Liaodong, you must not leave Longmen Pass without permission!"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

···

"Your Highness, this is the gift list for the diplomatic mission to Daliang!"

The setting sun is blood-red and the border is grim.

Li Shouxi had just finished his afternoon training when Cao Shaoqing arrived with a prepared gift list in hand. His efficiency was astonishing.

One cart (ton) of cliff honey unique to the Yanyun Mountains, one cart (stone) of snow clam from the Taibai Mountains, 100 pieces of top-quality ferret fur, one bucket of Liaodong specialty Dongzhu, 10 barrels of Taibai Mountain ice wine...

Li Shouxi just went through the gift list and nodded. These were all specialties from Liaodong.

Ginseng, snow clam, mink fur...

If the three major workshops in Jiangnan had not already produced soap, glass, sugar and other epoch-making products, Li Shouxi would not mind using these worthless things instead of the expensive local specialties.

After all, where is the cost price!

But unfortunately, the three major workshops in Jiangnan and Liaodong are far apart from each other, and the best-selling products they produce are basically the same, except that they focus on different specialties.