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After Wang Shoucheng was taken away, Li Jiecai presented Li Mao's letter, Li Chun swept it at a glance, looked at it again, and said: "So look at him in Liaodong in the past few years, he still tossed out the roll call hall and built inland river warships, is this to unify Liaodong?"

Li Jiedao: "His Donggao Town already has 40,000 people, 5,000 soldiers and horses, more than 10,000 militia, rainbow"

Li Chundao: "With this foundation, you can do whatever you want in Liaodong, why do you still ask to tell me, it's not very good to be the master of your own house"

Li Jie hesitated for a moment, but still said: "Back then, he was excluded from participating in the party struggle and had to leave Liaodong, but his loyalty has never changed, and now he wants to dedicate his land to the imperial court is a clear proof. ”

Li Chundao: "What kind of proof is this, Liaodong is far away from thousands of mountains and rivers, across Hebei, I am beyond the reach of the whip, called the Tang Dynasty courtier, in fact, I am not under the banner of self-established king, do you do your own thing?"

Li Jie smiled and didn't dare to answer.

After Li Chun lost his temper, he read the letter again, and then said: "Back then, he was framed by the villain and had to go to Liaodong, and he didn't forget that he was a courtier of the Tang Dynasty after all these years, and it was not easy to use the banner of Liaodong Economic Strategy." I remember that when you recommended him to me, your original intention was to send him to Liaodong to make contributions and regain lost territory for the imperial court, but I didn't expect to turn around in such a big circle and turn back. ”

Li Jie sighed with emotion: "Yes, I had high hopes for him and gave him everything, but he ran back to Ziqing to help the Li brothers engage in internal strife, and when the imperial brother wanted to use him as a minister, he went to Liaodong to make contributions. ”

Li Chun was in a good mood when he said this, three years ago, he listened to slander in the matter of Empress Dowager Shen, was hot-headed, and acted recklessly, and almost made a big mistake, it was Li Mao who did not hesitate to sacrifice his future to prevent him from continuing his mistake.

For Li Mao, he hid a trace of regret in his heart, but this apology could not be said clearly, Li Jie's words scratched the sore spot in his heart, but it was very comfortable to scratch him: Li Mao was forced to leave the country because he participated in the party struggle and was forced to leave the country because of the infighting with others, and he was completely to blame for falling into this step of the field today, and it was he who failed me, not that I was ashamed of him.

The knot in his heart was untied, Li Chun was in a good mood, but he asked again: "Did he say these words himself, or did you help him say them?"

Li Jiedao: "He sincerely knows that he is wrong, otherwise, let me say a big disrespectful word, according to his current strength, he can completely establish himself as the king of Liaodong and be at ease, so why bother to put a pair of bridle on himself and let the imperial brother drive it."

Li Chun laughed, he liked this metaphor very much, no matter how fierce the Liaodong horse is, I will put a pair of bridle on you, and you must obediently listen to my drive.

"Datang is good at manufacturing inland river warships, the first recommendation is Runzhou, followed by Dengzhou, although Dengzhou is close, but there are people who hinder it, then transfer manpower from Runzhou. But I can't give him this benefit easily, I want him to exchange his loyalty. ”

After Wang Shoucheng punished the slacking players, he came over to talk back, and Li Chun asked the four people kneeling under the corridor: "You can be convinced of his disposition, and if you are not convinced, tell me that I will make the decision for you." The four of them were convinced.

Li Chundao: "Accompany me to play ball, let me, this is not wrong, but let everyone know, this is wrong, you go back and ponder my words." The four of them retreated.

Wang Shoucheng served Li Chun to wipe his body and put on court clothes, and Li Jie was about to retire when he saw this.

Li Chundao: "Today, there are foreign envoys to see you, and you go to the Linde Hall with me to play together." ”

Li Jie said in a continuous voice: "How dare you, a major national event, how can it be because of the abolition of the ceremony, the national system must not be bad." ”

Li Chun was stunned for a moment, held Li Jie's hand, and said melancholy: "What's the matter, do you really become a loner when you become the Son of Heaven, you can't even bring your own brother when you go out to meet guests?"

This is the end of the conversation between the two brothers, and they turn to their own business.

At the end of the day's feast, Li Chun summoned Lin Ying in his dormitory and asked him two questions:

Liaodong Li Mao is now smooth sailing, or is it full of dangers

After the imperial court supported Li Mao to recover Liaodong, what method would it use to restrain him

Lin Ying replied: "If he only seeks to occupy the mountain as the king, then it is a peaceful and prosperous era now, and if he has the heart of fighting for hegemony, he will still be in danger." If it is discussed by what method is used to restrain it, it is the power and responsibility of the prime minister, and Weichen does not dare to say anything. ”

Li Chun summoned the messenger for questioning on the second day, and the messenger was still outside the palace gate, and there was an edict to confer eight rank officials, and the officials were promoted to one level when they entered the palace gate. The meeting was soothed with kind words, and the messenger was grateful and weeping.

When the service was over, the messenger withdrew outside the temple.

Li Chun summoned Pei Du, Li Jifu, Li Jiang, and Zhang Hongjing to discuss the strategy of dealing with Liaodong.

Li Jiang advocated the establishment of a military town in Liaodong to help Li Mao unify Liaodong and recover the lost territory for the Tang Dynasty.

Li Jifu said: "Liaodong has fallen to Huchen for more than 40 years, and the chiefs still regard the Tang Dynasty as Zhengshuo, and suddenly create a military town, they will be dissatisfied, and it will cause disaster in Liaodong, affect Youyan, affect Hebei, and cause disaster to the world." The new policy of the saint is very unfavorable. ”

Li Chundao: "In Aiqing's opinion, what should I do?"

Li Jifu said: "If Li Mao can be reinstated as the imperial historian, he will be the deputy envoy of the Ziqing Domain, and act in the name of appeasing Liaodong, and the imperial court will benefit." ”

Li Jifu, like Pei Du and Wu Yuanheng, all advocated the use of force to flatten the towns of Hebei, Ziqing, and Huaixi, and did not want Liaodong to jump out at this moment to stir up the situation, so he said this. Li Chun knows this. If Li Mao is given a strategic envoy and fails to recover Liaodong, he will become the laughing stock of the world and damage the prestige of the imperial court.

Li Chun said with a smile: "The prime minister is old and seeking the country, and I am very relieved, but in this way, I want to give Ziqing a great credit." I don't compete with my subordinates, but I don't want my courtiers to be wronged. I will divide Donggao Town into East and Gao Prefecture, which belongs to Ziqing, and Li Mao is the envoy of Dongzhou Thorn Shi Chong Liaodong. How about you?"

Li Jifu saw that the exhortation was useless, and he was a little helpless, and the other three prime ministers were not as conservative as him, so they echoed and agreed in unison.

Li Chun's cronies when he regained his submersion suddenly became the military envoy of Liaodong.

After Tutu Chenghuang released the Huainan Prison Army, he was not in harmony with the Jiedu envoys, relying on the backers of the court, acting arbitrarily, arrogant and domineering, one day of drinking and feasting and killing the Jiedu judge Cui You, the political enemies of the DPRK and China attacked him, Li Chun had to deprive him of his official title and punish him for hard labor in the court bureau.

Knowing this appointment, Tu Tu Chengxuan's face was similar to the bottom of the pot, although he is now in charge of the most humble affairs in the court bureau, but as long as the holy family is not abolished, and he is in the palace, it is only a matter of time before he turns over and recovers, and this time to Liaodong, although he is a prison army, it is even worse than the flow of Lingnan, and he really doesn't know that he can stand up in the year of the monkey.

Tutu Chengguang took the opportunity of thanking Li Chun to cry and complain, unwilling to go to Liaodong, Li Chun scolded with a smile: "Dog slave, look at your little talent, you are from a humble background, and you made a big mistake, and you don't go to the border to seek fame, why should I promote you in the future?"

He also said: "You are the prison envoy sent by me, what can Li Mao do to you, it is just to give you a little anger, you endure it, kill your sharp spirit by the way, and let you know how to behave." ”

Tu Tu Chengguang said: "The minister is not afraid of Li Mao's revenge, but he is unwilling to leave Chang'an. He bowed to old tears.

Li Chun sighed a little, since he can remember, Tutu Chenghuang has served by his side, is his most trustworthy person, he can't leave it for a moment when he was a child, and as he gets older, he is slightly dissatisfied with some of Tutu Chenghuang's style, and often reprimands, but his trust in him has not been reduced in the slightest, and he sent him to Liaodong, one is to give him a chance to make a comeback, and the two also have their own plans, but he can't tell Tutu Chenghuang about this plan, lest the old eunuch don't know the height of the sky.

Liaodong is not Huainan, don't give his life in vain.

Li Chun helped Tu Chengxuan and said, "If you are really loyal, you will solve problems for me, instead of lying here crying and crying." I became an emperor and became a lonely person, why don't I want to have a few people around me who can speak, I am not willing to let you go, but can you walk, your head is too big, I don't help you stand up, can you stand up?"

A warm current suddenly swept through Cheng Xuan's body, and the old eunuch was moved to tears, gritting his teeth and expressing his loyalty: "The minister has to do this errand even if he riskes his life, he will live up to the expectations of the Son of Heaven for the minister." ”

When Tutu Chengguang trekked through thousands of mountains and rivers and came to Dongzhou City, Li Mao was inspecting the construction site at the riverside shipyard, and the shipbuilder from Runzhou had arrived a month ago.

Li Jie hired a total of nine craftsmen for Li Mao, and someone deserted halfway through the trip and slipped away. When passing through the Henghai Navy, Cheng Huaixin died of illness due to the festival, and there was a small storm in Henghai Town, and one person ran to see the excitement, and was scattered by the rebels, and his body was found in the moat a day later.

When the remaining seven people were passing through Yingzhou, they quarreled with the Khitans over the purchase of mink skins, and one of them was killed by the Khitans on the spot, and the remaining six people had a big dispute, and then the two returned to the south, and the remaining four people came to Dongzhou City.

Li Mao immediately asked for officials for the four people, and enjoyed the treatment of the shogunate, and the four people felt Li Mao's sincerity, and saw that Liaodong was full of vitality and contained unlimited potential, and they were also greatly moved.

The Liaodong Shipyard had been renovated and expanded before this, and initially had the hardware to manufacture large warships. On the fourth day after the four of them arrived in Dongzhou, the first warship was officially built, and under Li Mao's reminder, the four of them fully considered the particularity of the climate and hydrology of Liaodong.

By the time Tutu Chengguang came to Dongzhou, the keel of the second battleship had already been built, and the same process would take at least two and a half months at the Runzhou shipyard.

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