A few days later, Qin Mubai, who had been a light soldier all the way, led his troops to arrive at the territory of the Lanzhou Governor's Mansion. When it was still eighty miles away from the city of Lanzhou Prefecture, a large group of men and horses appeared in front, and the banner was spread to the sky. If you look closely, it's Tang Jun.

It turned out that it was Xue Wanjun, the acting governor of Lanzhou, who left the team to greet Guo Xiangying.

Qin Mubai pressed the soldier and horse palm flag and stepped forward, Xue Wanjun and others had already dismounted, and stood beside the road with Lanzhou Thorn Shi Xiao Liang and other officials and bowed their hands-

"Shanzhou Governor Xue Wanjun!"

"Lanzhou Thorn Shi Xiao Liang!"

"Liangzhou Governor Xue Wanche!"

"Lead the generals under the jurisdiction of the Lanzhou Governor's Mansion to welcome Young Marshal Qin!"

Behind the crowd, there were about two or three thousand cavalrymen, who dismounted and saluted together, and shouted in unison - "Welcome to the young marshal!" ”

Qin Mubai was a little dazed for a while, in the past, they were used to calling themselves "young generals", and this title of young marshal was new. Moreover, he just went back to the capital and then returned to Lanzhou, and he didn't need to go out of Guo Eighty Li to set up a battle of 3,000 troops to meet him.

This number of rituals is a bit excessive.

"You are too polite, you have tormented Qin." Qin Mubai hurriedly dismounted and returned the salute, saying, "The two generals, Xiao Tingshi, Qin Mou is just the fourth grade of the Lanzhou Governor's Mansion, and his official rank is still behind you, how dare you welcome each other with such a big courtesy?" If you come to greet King Jiangxia and Princess Wencheng, you will probably be disappointed. Their team is still far behind, and it is estimated that they have just set off from Chang'an. ”

Xue Wanjun and the others looked at each other and smiled, and said, "Young Marshal, we naturally have our reasons for doing this. Even if it was the father and daughter of the King of Jiangxia, we would at most welcome them in the city, and we didn't need to go out of Guo's eighty-mile military formation to greet them. Just because Young Marshal Qin is the new lord of Lanzhou, I have to do this. ”

"Oh, how do you say that?" Qin Mubai asked in surprise.

Xiao Liang stepped forward with a Tsing Yi official. The Tsing Yi official took out a delicate brocade box and handed it to Qin Mubai with both hands, and said: "Young Marshal Qin, before you arrived in Lanzhou, the imperial court sent a lowly fast horse to Lanzhou to take the first step and issued a holy decree, appointing you as the governor of Lanzhou!" Therefore, from now on, you are the new master of Lanzhou. ”

"Oh? What about my dad? Qin Mubai was surprised again.

"Why don't you ask the angel to read the decree?" Xue Wanjun and the others said with a smile.

"Please!"

So the Tsing Yi official read out the holy decree.

It turned out that the imperial court issued an edict appointing Qin Shubao, the governor of Lanzhou, as the "general manager of the march of the Guanxi Road" and the "protector of the Anxi capital". After Qin Mubai arrived in Lanzhou, he took over the post of Qin Shubao's Lanzhou Metropolitan Governor, took charge of all important military and political affairs under Lanzhou's rule, and awarded the "Guanxi Road Marching Chief" under the command of the military commander, that is, the military advisor and staff officer.

This "way" of Kansai Province, which is used for military purposes, is different from the way of "Gangnam Province", which is divided into geographical and administrative regions. The former is almost the meaning of "military region", often named after the place where the military region is located, and the metaphor of "Guanxi Road" theoretically refers to a large area west of the Guan, and this official position is quite large, almost equivalent to half of the Tang Dynasty. In a narrow sense, it refers to the Guanlong area west of the Yellow River and the Western Regions.

The general manager of the march of the Guanxi Road is the commander-in-chief of all the soldiers and horses of the Tang Dynasty in Guanlong and the towns of the Western Regions.

In addition, the important figures under the former Lanzhou Metropolitan Governor's Office each have a new pardon and mission. Xue Wanjun was appointed as the commander of the march in Xihaidao (Hexi and Qinghai Lake) and the governor of Shanzhou, in charge of the military administration of Shanzhou and the military of the Dafeichuan Military Region; Xue Wanche awarded Yuliangdao (Lanzhou to Yumen Pass) the head of the march and the governor of Liangzhou, in charge of the military administration in the Liangzhou area and commanded the Qishan Company to the Yumen Pass area. Xiao Liang, the former Lanzhou assassin, concurrently served as the assistant driver of the Lanzhou Metropolitan Governor's Mansion left by Qin Mubai, and assisted Qin Mubai in handling the people's livelihood and government affairs under the rule of the Metropolitan Governor's Mansion; Su Dingfang, who was about to come to Lanzhou, was appointed as the governor of the Lanzhou Metropolitan Governor's Mansion and served as the military officer of the Metropolitan Governor's Mansion.

In this way, the old marshal Qin Shubao was promoted and became a figure who was on the same level as Li Tao, in charge of half of the rivers and mountains west of the Yellow River in the Tang Dynasty and in charge of tens of thousands of soldiers and horses; Qin Mubai, Xue Wanjun and others became the commanders of the military division under Qin Shubao, and at the same time, Qin Mubai also took over the administrative power of Lanzhou.

In this way, Qin Mubai is indeed the "new master of Lanzhou"!

After receiving the holy decree, Qin Mubai was not in a hurry to rejoice, but asked: "What does the imperial court mean by appointing my father as the 'Protector of the Great Governor of Anxi'?" ”

Xue Wanjun took a step forward and replied: "After Gaochang surrenders, the marshal will offer the imperial court." The imperial court ordered the marshal to build the two prefectures of West and Ting in the hometown of Gaochang, divide the county to govern the military town, and set up the Anxi Metropolitan Protectorate in Tingzhou to control the military and political power of Helong and the Western Regions. In this way, the Lanzhou Metropolitan Governor's Mansion was subordinate to the Anxi Metropolitan Protectorate. ”

Qin Mubai furrowed his brows and said, "Set up the Anxi Metropolitan Protectorate?" Isn't this a fool's dream right now! Just after all kinds of bloody battles, he defeated the Tubo and Gaochang coalition forces. Although it was a victory, it was still a tragic victory. Datang's strength in the west of Yumen Pass is simply not enough to set up any capital to govern the Western Regions, and it can even be said that Datang has not yet gained a foothold over there! Tibet is defeated, but it is difficult to guarantee that it will not make a comeback. Koji Zhisheng has fallen, but in addition to their Koji surname, there are three other Gaochang Kingdoms in Gaochang Kingdom. The four countries have only pacified a country, and they are not convinced, so how can they set up a metropolitan protectorate? The Tang Dynasty's power in the Western Regions has just sprouted, and now is actually the most sensitive and dangerous period! It's just a miserable victory, I really don't know what those people in the court think! ”

Everyone saw that Qin Mubai was not only unhappy but also a little angry, and couldn't help but make mistakes. Xue Wanjun glanced left and right, and said softly: "The young marshal is angry." There are many people, and how about going back to the governor's mansion to speak? ”

Qin Mubai smiled coldly and said to the Tsing Yi envoy: "You tell you the truth, whose idea is this will?" ”

"This ...... The humble position is just a small official who runs errands in the Hongwen Pavilion, and I don't know the details. The official in Tsing Yi said cautiously.

Qin Mubai narrowed his eyes and said, "Is it the bad idea of the eldest grandson Wuji?" ”

Everyone listened to the words "eldest grandson Wuji" coming out of Qin Mubai's mouth and was quite disdainful, and they changed color one after another, and they were silent.

The Tsing Yi official was stunned for a moment and remained silent.

Xue Wanche sighed deeply: "Our young marshal is asking you something, say!" ”

"Yes! …… It's Situ's meaning! ”

Qin Mubai nodded: "That's true." If you go back to Lanzhou with me to rest for two days, I will entertain you well. When you return to Chang'an, you will convey the original number of what I just said to the eldest grandson Wuji. and told him what he was going to do, and I knew very well; You let him rest assured that the Qin clan's heart is in the community and the ambition is in the wilderness, and he doesn't have the time to talk nonsense with him! ”

At this time, even Xue Wanjun changed his face and said busily: "Why did the young marshal say this, could it be that you returned to Beijing this time and turned your face with the eldest grandson Wuji?" …… In that case, it's better to be cautious - you, listen! Don't send a word back! Otherwise, let Lao Tzu know another day and cut off your bird's head! ”

"Ahh The Tsing Yi official was so frightened that he took two steps back.

"Don't scare him." Qin Mubai waved his hand and motioned for Xue Wanjun to take a step back, and stepped forward himself, "You are just an errand messenger, you can help me convey whatever I say." No vague words, no adding fuel to the fire. I see? ”

"Clear, understood."

"Okay, go back to Lanzhou!"

Qin Mubai turned over and got on the horse, Xue Wanjun and the others were full of suspicions, and they didn't want to ask too much, so they got on their horses one after another, and returned to Lanzhou together with the army led by Qin Mubai.

The original soldiers and horses of the Yifu family of the Lanzhou Military Region have been led by Xue Rengui and Yuwen Hongtai to accompany Qin Shubao on the expedition to the Western Regions. This time, the 10,000 elite Yue Qi brought by Qin Mubai personally happened to form a new Yifu Qinxun. So, the 7,000 cavalry who came with Qin Mubai one step ahead were stationed in the city and lived in the original Yifu military camp.

After many years in the army, Qin Mubai finally has a personal soldier and horse that truly belongs to him. He appointed his henchmen and guards as generals and generals to assist him in leading the training of this army and horses. He himself lived in his original father's residence and became the new owner of Lanzhou.

As soon as he arrived in Lanzhou, he received the holy decree of promotion, and in the eyes of others, Qin Mubai should be happy. But he went crazy in public, which made Xue Wanjun and the others really confused.

There were many things that Qin Mubai couldn't say to them, and they didn't dare to ask. Seeing that the young marshal was in a bad mood and was very angry, the originally scheduled banquet had to be stopped.

Lanzhou has been ownerless for many days, and Xue Wanjun, the acting governor of the capital, spends most of his time in Dafeichuan dealing with the military and politics there, and he lacks skills. As a result, there is a backlog of important military and political affairs to be dealt with in the Metropolitan Governor's Palace. Therefore, for several days, Qin Mubai was very busy, and with the assistance of Xiao Liang and others, he finally handled the administrative and livelihood work at hand.

In terms of military affairs, there is Xue Wanjun leading the army and red-clothed cannons on the side of Dafeichuan, and the Tubo people dare not take a step forward, and there are relatively few things; A little more troublesome is the military change of defense in the Ganliang area. Xue Wanche was in charge of this matter, and the progress was relatively slow due to the cumbersome relocation of the military region.

Xue Wanche, the governor of Liangzhou, is a good fighter in war, and he is troublesome when he does these trivial things. Qin Mubai had to personally supervise the daily inquiry, and put the focus of the work of the Metropolitan Governor's Mansion in the Ganliang area.

Fortunately, Xue Wanche also knew some of the severity, and after receiving the imperial edict issued by Qin Mubai entrusted by Li Zhi, he immediately stationed troops at Yumen Pass and Yangguan, and suppressed Puchanghai, echoing with Qin Shubao's headquarters in Gaochang and forming a line, so that they would no longer hang overseas like a kite with a broken line.

A snake can't fly without a head, and a bird can't fly without a head.

Lanzhou has a new master, and everything is gradually returning to normal. After the victory of Puchanghai (the people of Lanzhou used to call it the 'great victory of Loutai'), the tension within Lanzhou also tended to ease, and the merchants who had been detained here were allowed to go one after another, and the business travel was finally able to circulate and became more active than before.

Merchants seek profits, in fact, the more wars and turmoil, the higher the prices, the more profitable.

After a period of tension and depression, Lanzhou Douran burst out with terrifying vitality, and the business and travel were like flowing and the people's passion was more prosperous than in the past.

Often after experiencing war, the people are more eager for peace and tranquility, and those who survive are more passionate about life and upward.

This is probably the reason why, often a country that was initially determined in troubled times, can always achieve "great governance" at the beginning of the founding of the country - people's minds are determined.

In just ten days after Qin Mubai returned to Lanzhou, Guan Long was reborn and was on the right track and prosperous.

But Qin Mubai knew that the "big things" that were really waiting for him had just begun.

On this day, the semi-monthly meeting of the important ministers of the Metropolitan Governor's Mansion was about to be held, and of course it was presided over by Qin Mubai. The Xue brothers, Xiao Liang and others all came.

Qin Mubai watched the list of comers counted by the doorman with a heart, everyone who should have come came, but there was only one person missing-

Liangzhou Sima, Hou Junji.

On that day, the officials were about to leave Guo Xiangying's team, and Hou Junji was not seen.

Qin Mubai was silent, finished the meeting as originally planned, and discussed some important military and political affairs. After the meeting ended, he asked Xue Wanche to stay and asked him why Hou Junji didn't come to the meeting.

Xue Wanche's face was embarrassed, he shook his head and said, "I knew that the young marshal would ask about him." ”

"What's wrong with him?" Qin Mubai asked.

"Hey! ......" Xue Wanche sighed and said, "His situation, the young marshal may know better than us, the young marshal was in Chang'an at that time, wasn't it?" ”

"Well, I know about Chang'an. What I asked was, how did he do after he came to Liangzhou? Qin Mubai asked.

"From the day he arrived in Liangzhou, he didn't wear a day's official robe, and he didn't pay attention to a day's political affairs. Every day, he buys drunk and never returns, and he is notorious for gambling and prostitution. Xue Wanche shook his head and sighed, "The dignified founding father and battlefield veteran has fallen into such a field today, how can it not be embarrassing?" ”

Qin Mubai twisted his brows and said, "He can actually break the jar?" This was a bit of a surprise to me. Hou Junji was a veteran of the army of my father's generation. If you really talk about the prestige and celebrities, Hou Junji after the founding of the country has a status far above my father. He went out with me under the door of the Duke of Wei, and he was my senior brother again. However, I don't know much about him, except for hearsay and some legends about him. All in all, he's not the kind of person who gives up on himself. ”

Xue Wanche hesitated for a moment, and then stopped.

"Say whatever you want, don't be obscure." Qin Mubai said.

"Well...... Xue Wanche nodded and said, "As everyone knows, Hou Junji was defeated in the party struggle of the imperial court, and was taken down by the eldest grandson Wuji under the pretext of the change of the crown prince, and was demoted to this point. Sima, who doesn't know that Sima in the state town, especially Sima in a border town like ours, is an official position to eat idle food? - Hou Junji, he is considered to have fallen off the horse, and I am afraid that it will be difficult to turn over in this life. It's a blessing to be able to end up with a useful body. I guess that he should have done it on purpose, deliberately to show the eldest grandson Wuji and those people above the court, so that they would let him go and kill him again, so that they could save their lives. ”

Qin Mubai's eyes lit up and said, "You mean, Hou Junji is here to cultivate obscurity?" ”

"Isn't it?" Xue Wanche asked rhetorically and said, "Originally, it was impossible for a prince like Hou Junji to escape the sword and axe of the eldest grandson Wuji. Now that he has escaped with a life, most of it is because His Majesty the Emperor remembers his past merits and extrajudicial gratitude. If it weren't for that, he really didn't know how many times he would have died. Now that he has been relegated to Liangzhou, how dare he show his edge again, of course, he can only spend his days in confusion. If not, the eldest grandson Wuji thinks that he still has ambitions and threats, how can it be good? ”

"It makes sense." Qin Mubai furrowed his brows, nodded, and groaned, "But a useful talent like him, he wastes himself among vocal dogs and horses every day, isn't it my biggest loss in Lanzhou?" ”

Xue Wanche was taken aback, "The young marshal is ...... Want to enable this person? ”

"Why not?" Qin Mubai said with a smile, "Commanding the troops to fight and kill the enemy, how is Hou Junji better than the two of you?" ”

"Charge into battle, he is inferior to us; Strategizing, we are inferior to him. Xue Wanche replied sincerely.

"That's not it." Qin Mubai said with a smile, "Lanzhou Xinding, when it is time to employ people, he doesn't need such a big talent, who is used?" Don't forget, not only fighting, Hou Junji, who was born in the military, also served as a secretary in Chang'an, and he also did a good job of abandoning military forces and joining Rong. Governing the army on the horse and governing the people on the horse, I am definitely not as good as he can do it. General Xue, you can arrange it. I want to go to Liangzhou privately and visit Hou Junji in person. But please don't alarm him beforehand. ”

"Uh...... Isn't that okay? Xue Wanche said, "The young marshal is a superior, he is a subordinate, how can he deign to visit and not be greeted?" ”

"It's okay, that's it." Qin Mubai smiled and said, "Just take it, I'll go visit my uncle and senior brother." Purely private, visited. ”

"Okay, lowly arrangement." Xue Wanche agreed, but still hesitated, and said, "Young marshal, there is a mouthful of words in the lowly position, I don't know whether to say it or not." ”

"Say it!" Qin Mubai said with a smile, "You can talk more, it means that at least you care about me, of course I have to listen to it." ”

Xue Wanche also smiled, and said: "I think that Hou Junji was demoted from Chang'an by the eldest grandson Wuji because of the impact of the prince's case. The eldest grandson Wuji regarded him as a thorn in the eye, and if it was because of the emperor's affection and his past achievements, I am afraid that he would have been eliminated a long time ago. Now, the young marshal wants to enable Hou Junji, is this ......?"

Qin Mubai smiled and said, "If Hou Junji hadn't been kicked out of the imperial court and relegated to Liangzhou by the eldest grandson Wuji, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been so interested in using him." ”

"What do you mean?" Xue Wanche exclaimed, "Could it be that the young marshal has to go against the eldest grandson Wuji and be an enemy with him?" ”

"Definitely." Qin Mubai said, "Think about it, the eldest grandson Wuji belittles Hou Junji, and I use Hou Junji...... Hou Junji's hatred for the eldest grandson is certain, whether he is grateful to me or not, I don't know if he is very happy, but I know that he will definitely fight to the death! In public and private, Hou Junji will unswervingly stand with us. In this way, there must be one more general in Lanzhou! Isn't that a tiger with wings? ”

"The young marshal is wise!" Xue Wanche suddenly realized and said, "However, is it cost-effective to turn against the eldest grandson Wuji because of this?" ”

"I've turned it over more than once a long time ago, and I'm not afraid of one more time." The corners of Qin Mubai's mouth grinned, and he smiled coldly, and said, "Anyone can be afraid of the eldest grandson Wuji, but I, I can't be afraid, and I won't be afraid!" ”

"This ......" Xue Wanche was both shocked and suspicious, full of confusion, and it was difficult to ask any more.

Qin Mubai smiled and said silently, and said secretly in his heart: If I don't do something that is contrary to the wishes of the eldest grandson Wuji, how can I let the emperor see my firm determination? If I am afraid because of the pressure of the eldest grandson Wuji, why should I let Li Shimin have confidence in me and Lanzhou?

Hou Junji, Su Dingfang plus me, Qin Mubai, Wei Gong is one of three apprentices, it won't be long before we will join hands on the battlefield!