The person sent by Hou Junji didn't say much, and as soon as he handed over the things and letters, he left.

Xu Qilin knew that he wanted to seal his mouth, so he didn't catch anything, so he was angry in his heart, and turned to tell His Majesty Li Er.

After reading the letter, it was just a simple greeting, and it was said that Xu Qilin had made a lot of contributions to this expedition. As for the gift and purpose, there is no mention of it.

Xu Qilin read the letter, looked at the list casually, and gave it to Wang Fangyi.

Wang Fangyi didn't know why, and he didn't know what Xu Qilin's intention was when he took the list.

Xu Qilin said with a smile: "The property on this, a certain Gaochang treasure knife, can't live up to Hou Shangshu's good intentions." As for the rest, I'll leave it to you as a temporary assassination, and get the work started as soon as possible! ”

Wang Fangyi suddenly couldn't help but admire. Xu Qilin is rich, not ordinary rich, but who would be afraid of money biting his hand? Handed over so generously as a fund, this character is much higher than Hou Junji.

Moreover, you can hand it over casually, and you don't even want a record, showing your trust in yourself. Of course, he is also sensible, and this is to be written in the report and forwarded by Xu Qilin.

"The matter of purchasing cotton, an official from the big surplus treasury will be sent to handle it." Xu Qilin pondered for a while and said, "By the way, there is another thing, Du Zhenglun was sent to Ganzhou, and he couldn't stay in Gaochang for long. ”

Wang Fangyi was stunned for a moment and asked, "Is Du Zhenglun going to succeed Xu Cheng, or is he appointed someone else?" ”

Xu Qilin said: "The meaning of the imperial court seems to be to let him serve in Suzhou. Well, when so-and-so goes back to talk to him, he can reply to the court. ”

After a pause, Xu Qilin continued: "You settle down as soon as possible, and as soon as the Silk Road trade opens, Gaochang's economy can also be boosted." It's not good to govern the place, but you can't do it if you don't have money. ”

"Xia Guan understands." Wang Fangyi bowed down and replied, "Then so-and-so will leave." ”

Xu Qilin said: "You go with a certain person to visit Hou Shangshu and show him His Majesty's decree, which is also convenient for you to exercise the right to govern." ”

The two left the mansion, took the guards, and went to Hou Junji's residence.

As he was walking on the street, he saw Ashina Sheer with a few guards pushing a car forward.

"Xu Cheng." Ashina Sheer was the first to greet him.

Xu Qilin returned the salute and asked with a smile: "General Ashina, be polite." I wonder where this is going? ”

Ashina Sheer pointed to the vehicle and said, "This is the spoils of the battle to conquer Gaochang, and I dare not collect it without an edict." ”

Xu Qilin was a little surprised, this general actually regarded money as nothing, which was admirable. This kind of consciousness is more than a step higher than Hou Junji and the Tang generals.

Previously, Ashina Sheer and Qibi He Li led the army to attack the Khan Futu City, and they had just arrived in Gaochang to hand over orders. Hou Junji also considered the same thing, and also gave them property.

And this Ashina Sheer is not simple, and has had a brilliant experience. He was originally an Eastern Turk expansion, set up a tooth banner in Mobei, commanded Tiele, Xue Yantuo and other tribes, and was later defeated by Xue Yantuo, and led his troops to move west to the Khan Futu City.

After moving westward, Ashina Sheer took advantage of the civil strife in the Western Turks to seize nearly half of its territory and proclaimed himself Dubu Khan. But later he was defeated by Xue Yantuo and had to flee to Gaochang Kingdom.

In the ninth year of Zhenguan, Ashina Sheer led his troops to defect to the Tang Dynasty, and his tribe was placed in Lingzhou (now Wuzhong, Ningxia), and was named the general of Zuo Xiaowei, the eldest princess of Shang Hengyang, and worshiped the captain of the horse.

Counting up, Ashina Sheer is still the brother-in-law of His Majesty Li Er. If you want to talk about it with Xu Qilin, well, it's good to be a peer.

Although Ashina Sheer also lives in Chang'an, he has only met Xu Qilin a few times, and he has not even spoken.

Xu Qilin has never walked around the court, only taking care of his own big Yingku. As a general, although His Majesty Li Er treats him as a khan, he is also quite low-key.

At this time, they went to Hou Junji's military tent together, and the two had a chance to talk.

"When I was in Beijing, I heard the name of Xu Cheng, and I also admired the tea saint Lu Yuxian very much."

Ashina Sheer turned his head slightly, and arched his hand: "From Her Royal Highness Princess Changle, I also asked for tea and prescriptions for treating qi diseases, but I have never thanked Xu Cheng. ”

Xu Qilin smiled and said, "Treating the sick and saving people is what the family teacher wants." If the general said thank you, it would be too polite. ”

Ashina Sheer said: "Lu Yuxian is unpredictable, and if I want to thank Her Royal Highness Princess Hengyang, it can only be Xu Cheng." ”

Xu Qilin was no longer modest, but he stretched out his hand and pointed to the vehicle, and said, "The general will return it like this, I'm afraid it's not okay?" ”

Ashina Sheer was stunned for a moment and said, "Why is this? ”

You're not Han Chinese, so you don't understand the twists and turns. Everyone else is muffled to make a fortune, you come to a high wind and bright festival, and you don't take anything in autumn, not only does it make Hou Junji unhappy, but how should the generals look at you?

Xu Qilin pondered for a while, reined in the horse's head, and said: "The reason for not being edicted is very far-fetched, and there is no reward for the merit of destroying the country?" If the general has any doubts, he will seal them first and wait for the edict to arrive. ”

Ashina Sheer blinked, as if he was thinking, and as if he didn't understand.

Alas, it's still less read! I don't know the sentence "Everyone in the world is drunk and I am sober, and everyone in the world is turbid and I am clear", didn't Old Master Qu throw himself into the river because of this?

Xu Qilin didn't want to say too thoroughly, so he smiled and said: "I went to see Hou Shangshu to show him His Majesty's decree and take over the government affairs of Gaochang." If the general goes to return the property, it is inconvenient to go with him. ”

As soon as Ashina Sheer heard His Majesty's edict, he knew that Xu Qilin had already received instructions from His Majesty, and he might even have several secret decrees and the right to supervise.

In this case, he let himself seal his belongings for the time being, to a large extent, on behalf of His Majesty's intentions.

Thinking of this, Ashina Sheer arched his hand and said: "In this case, I will return first and make plans later." ”

Xu Qilin arched his hand and said, "The general walks slowly." ”

Ashina Sheer brought people back, and Xu Qilin saw him go away before continuing to visit Hou Junji.

came to Hou Junji's residence and was soon received. Seeing the Gaochang treasure knife on Xu Qilin's waist, Hou Junji was a little settled in his heart, and his attitude was very friendly.

After a few polite words, Xu Qilin took out the edict and asked Hou Junji to handle it accordingly.

For the arrangement after the conquest of Gaochang, His Majesty Li Er already had a strategy. It's just that I don't know what the specific results of the battle will be, and the edict is not too dead.

It is certain that there are prefectures and counties in Gaochang that are under the unified jurisdiction of the central government; If the Khan's Futu city is also captured, it is also necessary to consider establishing a state and establishing a county; The Anxi Protectorate was best set up in Jiaohe City to guard against the Western Turks.

After reading it, Hou Junji thought that according to the current results and progress of the Tang army, there was no problem in implementing His Majesty Li Er's edict.

"Your Majesty has arranged it with great wisdom. In a certain opinion, it is also necessary to establish a capital protectorate in the city of Khan's Futu and govern the area north of the Tianshan Mountains. Hou Junji pointed to the map and said: "The Anxi Protectorate is in Jiaohe City, which is far away from Futu City. ”

Xu Qilin nodded and said, "Hou Shangshu can make this suggestion clear to His Majesty." Although Your Majesty has an edict, but because the distance is too far, I don't know the details of this place, so let's take the actual situation as the standard! ”

Hou Junji glanced at Xu Qilin meaningfully and said, "A certain self-meeting will play Your Majesty." Now, it is still arranged according to His Majesty's decree. The day after tomorrow, a certain led the army to Jiaohe City and set up the capital protectorate. ”

Xu Qilin arched his hand and said: "Since the imperial court wants to set up a state county, Gaochang's operation cannot be delayed. Dare to ask Hou Shangshu to give an order, allow the garrisons in various places to transfer personnel, obey the arrangements of the magistrates, or maintain law and order in the city, or carry out reclamation. ”

"Now you want to reclaim it?" Hou Junji was a little puzzled, after all, spring ploughing has passed, isn't it too late to sow seeds now?

Xu Qilin said: "According to the local climatic conditions, winter wheat can be planted and harvested in April and May next year. ”

After a pause, he continued: "There are also prisoners of war, who will dig ditches, dig wells, and improve water conservancy and irrigation facilities. ”

Due to its location in a basin, even in winter, the daytime temperature level here is relatively high, so the accumulated temperature can meet the growth needs of winter wheat. As for the construction of the qanats, it was naturally done by the prisoners of war.

"That's it-" Hou Junji nodded and said, "Okay, I will order that the garrisons in various places will transfer some soldiers to form field pawns, open up wasteland for farming, and reclaim the borders." ”

"Thank you, Hou Shangshu." Xu Qilin arched his hand and said, "Then I won't bother in the future, and I will leave here." ”

Hou Junji politely sent Xu Qilin and Wang Fangyi out, and when he returned to the house, he couldn't help but re-evaluate Xu Qilin's status in the heart of His Majesty Li Er.

The edict is only an acknowledgment of Xu Qilin's investigation of how Gaochang was restored and rebuilt after the war, and it only involves civil affairs, and the reclamation of Tianshu is not considered to be military intervention.

But who knows if Xu Qilin has any other holy decrees in his hand, but he just hasn't shown it. It was precisely because of this concern that Hou Junji happily agreed to the matter of Juntun.

From the edict of His Majesty Li Er, it can be seen that there is an urgent need to firmly occupy Gaochang and make it a bridgehead for the expansion of the Western Regions as soon as possible.

From another aspect, it can also be seen that Xu Qilin has won the appreciation and attention of His Majesty Li Er in terms of local management and governance.

Even Hou Junji has no doubts about this, after seeing the achievements of Ganzhou, who can believe that this is only the result of more than a year?

The wasteland is now being cleared and ready to be planted with winter wheat, which will be harvested in May or June next year. This alone saves the transfer of grain and grass from Guanzhong or Hexi, and even if not all of it, the money saved is eye-popping.

No wonder His Majesty Li Er trusts him so much, which emperor has changed, and he will also be kind and trustworthy to such a capable minister who governs and manages finances, right?

Hou Junji shook his head with a wry smile, called his own soldiers, and began to arrange matters such as going to Jiaohe City to set up the capital protection mansion.

……………

After breaking through Gaochang City, the Tang army continued to divide its troops into strategic areas, "three counties under its ranks, five counties, twenty-two cities, eight thousand and forty-six households, thirty-seven thousand seven hundred and thirty-eight mouths, and four thousand three hundred horses." ”

See, it's really a small country, with a total population of less than 40,000. However, such a small country has three counties, five counties, and 22 cities, and it is estimated that one city is equivalent to a village in the interior.

Of course, Gaochang has an area of more than 70,000 square kilometers, more than Ningxia, Hainan, and Taiwan, which is not particularly small!

Xu Qilin personally sat in Gaochang, and Wang Fangyi led people around, and the officers and soldiers stationed in various places also gave full cooperation. The work of purchasing cotton, reclaiming wasteland, and preparing fertilizer for seeds was soon carried out in an orderly manner.

The Tang army easily defeated the Gaochang Kingdom and shocked all parties in the Western Regions. The Western Turks hid from afar, but the small neighboring countries could not help but express themselves.

King Yanqi acted first, came to meet Hou Junji, offered food and tribute, and asked for the return of the three cities that had been taken by Gaochang. After Hou Junji reported to the imperial court, he returned the three cities and the Yanqi people plundered by Gaochang.

Small countries such as Qiuci, Khotan, and Shule also rushed to show goodwill, bitterly Chen Gaochang's crimes, and successively sent envoys to resume tribute and worship to the Tang Dynasty.

This is not the end, but the beginning!

Xu Qilin knew that the competition between the Tang Dynasty and the Western Turks in the Western Regions had just begun, and these small countries in the Western Regions were vacillating between the two powers, and there would be no less wars in the future. Otherwise, where did the four towns of Anxi come from?

Therefore, what Yanqi, Qiuci, Khotan, and Shule will all be occupied by the Tang army, so that the Silk Road in the Western Regions is completely in the hands of the Tang Dynasty.

He was aware of these historical trends, but some people were struggling with the lack of a war. In addition to Fang Er, who can it be?

This guy followed Ashina Sheer to attack the Khan Futu City, thinking that he would always be able to rush and kill and show his skills again. However, the people descended directly, and they didn't even have to throw stones, which was worse than Gaochang City.

As for the other small cities of Gaochang, not to mention. There are no more than a thousand soldiers, and the city is no more than a village. As soon as the Tang army arrived, they immediately surrendered, which was called a crisp and neat.

After a long circle, people are tanned and their mood is more depressed. Seeing that the imperial decree is also coming, where should he go?

Xu Qilin was also very helpless, looking at this annoying guy dangling in front of him, what idea could he give?

His Majesty Li Er may not mention him, but what about Fang Xuanling, can he let this stinky son continue to hang outside?

"What should I do?" Fang Er came over again, and he didn't know if he asked the first time without skin and face.

Xu Qilin felt that his eyes were about to roll out, so he had to change his contemptuous and helpless expression, and said: "You didn't fight when you stayed here, and you didn't like to do it when you managed and reclaimed the border." Come back to Ganzhou with me first, and then we'll figure out a way. ”

"What's the solution?" Fang Er felt that there was a drama this time, Xu Qilin replied to him, and couldn't help but stare at Xu Qilin, "As long as you don't go back to the capital, even if it is a year or two, it will be good to drag out the matter of Princess Shang." ”

Xu Qilin scratched his head, he didn't actually think about it, he just wanted to get this guy back. Of course, he brought it out, and then he had to take it back.

Fang Er pursed his lips and said, "Look, it's not you who tricked me." ”

Xu Qilin couldn't help but roll his eyes again, and said: "Think about it slowly, think about it now, think about it on the road, and think about it when you get to Ganzhou." ”

Fang Er smiled and said, "I thought of a way, you can't listen to it." ”

You? Can you think of a way? Xu Qilin squinted at Fang Er's fool and looked disdainful.