Traveling through Du He, Li Chengqian's rebellion begins

When the civil and military officials heard that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was hosting a luncheon banquet, they once again shouted their thanks.

After a cup of tea, all the civil and military officials finally sat down.

Below the main hall.

Du He saw Li Chengqian's expression change slightly and look a little helpless, and knew that there was more bad news to announce.

"Is the war going against Western Turkestan going badly?"

"Hou Junji is such a capable fighter, and with Su Dingfang's assistance, he shouldn't be defeated, right?"

In Du He's opinion, Hou Junji, Li Ji and Su Dingfang are the most capable commanders at present except Li Jing.

With the two super-powerful generals Xue Rengui and Xi Junjia, there is no reason why we cannot defeat the Western Turks!

After the voices of the officials died down.

Li Chengqian frowned and said, "My dear ministers, I have some bad news for you."

bad news?

Is there something wrong with Hou Junji?

The first thought of all the civil and military officials was the same as Du He's, that the war was not going well for Hou Junji.

Li Chengqian said in a deep voice: "Hou Junji led the main force deep into the heart of the Western Turkic people and was ambushed by the main force of the Western Turkic people."

"Although our soldiers fought bravely and annihilated over 2 elite Western Turkic troops, our Tang army also lost over 7 soldiers."

"What a heavy loss!"

If Xue Rengui and Xi Junmai had not followed Hou Junji, the Tang army's casualties in this battle would probably have increased by 30%.

Such a huge loss?

When the civil and military officials heard the news, their faces were filled with astonishment.

The Western Turks, whom they had looked down upon before, were able to burst out with such strong combat power after the alliance between the Southern and Northern Courts!

We really cannot underestimate the countries in the world.

When Cheng Yaojin heard the news, there was no trace of gloating on his face, but instead his expression looked very solemn.

He had fought side by side with these soldiers for more than a year and had already developed a deep bond with them.

Li Jing stood up tremblingly and said, "Your Highness, I request to fight and hope to become the adjutant of the Marquis!"

"Only by quickly clearing the Western Turkic obstacle can we implement our plan to open up the Western Regions. Otherwise, we will be attacked from all sides."

"I hope Your Highness will grant me your permission!"

what!

Li Jing volunteered to become Hou Junji's adjutant?

All the civil and military officials looked at Li Jing who stood up, and a hint of anticipation appeared in their hearts.

Perhaps only Li Jing, the military god of the Tang Dynasty, could personally take action to defeat the Western Turks in a short period of time and at the lowest cost!

Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "Duke Weiguo, you are not young anymore and your health is not very good. You should stay in Chang'an."

"If you suffer any harm, it will be a great loss to our Tang Dynasty!"

Another reason why Li Chengqian refused to let Li Jing go to war was because Li Jing had not led troops to fight for so many years, and his military tactics might not be as good as before.

Moreover, Li Jing was Hou Junji's adjutant, so even if the Western Turks were defeated, everyone would think it was Li Jing's credit.

After all, Li Jing has a reputation for being invincible, and anyone would think so.

Li Jing said sadly: "I have accomplished the king's affairs, won a good reputation in life and after death, but my hair has turned white!"

"Hey!"

After Li Jing finished reading it in a rhythmic manner, he sighed heavily and then sat down helplessly.

Hearing the words recited by Li Jing, the faces of the civil and military officials showed emotion.

Li Jing, with his temples now gray, is also a hero in his twilight years!

Li Chengqian comforted him, "Don't worry, Duke Wei. With Su Dingfang and Xue Rengui, two of our talented disciples, they will definitely help the court conquer the Western Turks."

"After the banquet, the Emperor will summon you to Cuiwei Palace. You will have to offer your advice then."

Thinking of his two disciples Su Dingfang and Xue Rengui, Li Jing's face suddenly showed a bright smile.

Those two talented disciples really made him proud. They were much more promising than that brat Li Dejian.

Less than a cup of tea later, Li Chengqian immediately announced the end of the court meeting.

noon.

Under the auspices of Li Chengqian, a grand banquet was held in the Taiji Hall.

Musicians played music, court dancers danced gracefully, and civil and military officials toasted each other, creating a very lively atmosphere.

Since a group of important ministers had to go to Cuiwei Palace to discuss matters later, the banquet lasted for more than half an hour.

Li Chengqian said loudly, "Du He, Li Ji, Fang Xuanling, Li Jing, Ma Zhou, Xu Jingzong, Xiao Yu, and Zhangsun Wuji, follow me to Cuiwei Palace to discuss matters."

"The rest of you ministers, you must handle the affairs of your departments."

Your Majesty has called so many important ministers to discuss matters?

Is it to discuss the war with Western Turks, or the governance of the new territories, or is there another important national policy to be promulgated?

Hey ~

What an eventful time!

The birth incentive decree issued by Your Majesty a few days ago has exhausted everyone.

If similar unreasonable decrees are issued again, they really want to hit their heads against the Taiji Hall and die, leaving behind a reputation of dying for their remonstration.

...

The sun is westward.

Inside the main hall of Cuiwei Palace.

When Li Ji, Fang Xuanling, Zhangsun Wuji, Ma Zhou and others saw the various financial statements in their hands, their hearts were suddenly filled with turbulent waves.

Once the financial statements are implemented, people in the states and counties will definitely not dare to continue to act recklessly.

Otherwise, if the Ministry of Revenue finds something wrong in the accounts, they can follow the clues and catch all these parasites.

After everyone looked through the report, they first turned their attention to Du He.

Only Du He could come up with something as groundbreaking as this.

"Is your premonition so accurate?"

Du He's eyelids twitched, and he immediately spread his hands and said.

"Everyone, you don't have to look at me like that. I can't think of such a complicated report."

On the imperial platform.

Li Shimin laughed out loud and said, "My dear ministers, these reports were indeed not prepared by Du He, but by someone else."

"As for who it is, you don't need to ask."

"Now let's discuss and see if there are any areas for improvement in these reports. If not, all departments will be required to fill out reports in the future."

After hearing what Li Shimin said, everyone turned their attention away from Du He.

More than half an hour later.

Li Shimin said loudly: "My dear ministers, since everyone agrees, this law will be officially enacted starting next year!"

Everyone stood up and shouted "Your Majesty is wise and wise."

There was a pause.

Li Shimin turned to Li Ji and said, "Li Ji, the Secretariat should arrange for officials to go to various prefectures and counties to teach how to fill out the report forms, so that the people in the provincial governor's offices can become familiar with filling out the report forms as soon as possible."

These reports are not difficult for people like them, but local county officials will probably make a lot of mistakes when doing them for the first time.

They must be trained in advance to avoid mistakes.

Li Ji stood up and replied, "I obey your order!"

After discussing this matter, Li Shimin originally wanted to discuss the issue of tax reform, but when he thought about the slow progress of the war in Western Turkestan, he immediately changed his mind.

Moreover, tax reform involves a lot of consequences and is not suitable for implementation during war.

Otherwise, the trouble caused by people from official families would shake the stability of the country.

Li Shimin asked in a deep voice: "My dear ministers, the war in Western Turkestan is not going well and is progressing too slowly!"

"I'm thinking of changing the commander. What do you think?"

Another change of commander-in-chief?

But didn’t Hou Junji just pass away not long ago?

Fang Xuanling immediately advised: "Your Majesty, this is absolutely not allowed!"

"If the imperial court frequently changes commanders, the soldiers' morale will be unstable and low!"

The rest of the people also stood up to persuade Li Shimin to give up the idea of changing the commander to avoid affecting the stability of the army's morale.

long silence.

Li Shimin said in a deep voice, "Will letting Du He replace Hou Junji also destabilize the military morale?"