In October 887, the northwest has entered the winter, the temperature has dropped very much, and some areas have begun to snow, but the prosperous atmosphere of Fengzhou has not been affected much, after the completion of the rice harvest, the Fengzhou Thorn Shifu began to arrange manpower to take advantage of the arrival of winter to reclaim two 200,000 mu of state farms again, this time not concentrated in the surrounding areas of Fengzhou, but arranged near Tushenze in the west, and the newly increased immigrants also gave priority to a part of the past, with the help of the local garrison, Demarcate residential areas and reclaimed areas in preparation for next year's farming.

Due to the arrival of winter, the Thorn Mansion has also ushered in a rare period of adjustment. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Li Xuanqing convened a meeting of Fengzhou civil and military forces in the Assassin's Mansion to prepare for the implementation of the second round of reforms.

After the order was passed out, Xu Tianxiang, who was stationed in the city of Xishou, rushed back first to report the situation in the north. The Flying Eagle Brigade spent five months in the grassland, relying on Li Xuanqing's idea of special elite operations, and finally helped the Dinghu three tribes stabilize the situation, dispelled the invasion intentions of the surrounding Kelie and Naiman tribes, and let these two departments change three tribal leaders in just a few months, and several generals who can fight for war were assassinated inexplicably, which greatly shocked the grassland tribes north of Yinshan.

"Xiaohu, so in this way, the Flying Eagle Brigade has suffered heavy casualties this time?" Li Xuanqing looked at Su Xiaohu, who came with Xu Tianxiang, and asked in a deep voice.

An indescribable sadness flashed on Su Xiaohu's face when he heard this, and his voice trembled a little because of this, "Of the hundred brothers in the Flying Eagle Brigade, only eighteen came back alive. This northwestern man who had trekked with Li Xuanqing from Lingzhou could no longer hold back the tears in his eyes, and fell to his knees with a thud, "Lord, I'm sorry for them, it's my incompetence that has harmed so many brothers in the grassland." Lord, punish me. ”

"The loyal soul bones by the Wuding River, especially like the beloved people of the year." Li Xuanqing also sighed leisurely, and helped Su Xiaohu, who was kneeling beside him, to help him up, "Don't cry, a manly man doesn't shed tears when he bleeds." Those brothers will not die in vain, they are heroes, they are the guardians of the people, the people will remember them, Datang will remember them, and we will all remember them. patted him on the shoulder, and his voice suddenly became excited: "Although they are gone, we must continue to walk along the road opened up by the blood of the martyrs, and the blood of heroes will be passed on from generation to generation, do you understand?" ”

Looking at Li Xuanqing's scorching eyes, Su Xiaohu knelt on the ground again, and said loudly: "Please give the order of the lord to rebuild the Flying Eagle Brigade, the eagle strikes the sky, and is invincible." ”

"Okay, you immediately return to the West Surrender City, gather the surviving soldiers of the Flying Eagle Brigade, and then select members from the whole army to form a new Flying Eagle Brigade. Tell everyone that the Flying Eagle Brigade, as the fist unit of the Tiance Army, enjoys the highest treatment in the whole army. Li Xuanqing's words ignited the blood in Su Xiaohu's heart, and he took the highest token of the Tiance Army handed to him by Li Xuanqing, his face turned red, he didn't say anything, turned around and left the Assassin's Mansion and rushed towards the West Surrender City.

Li Xuanqing looked at Su Xiaohu's back, took a deep breath, glanced at Xu Tianxiang on the side, and nodded.

"Lord, it's too late." Just when the atmosphere was a little dull, Cen Tianshi and Hu Xiaosi hurriedly walked in.

"Little Four, what's the emergency?" Xu Tianxiang saw that Hu Xiaosi's face was in a hurry, and he was about to speak before he even had time to salute, and said curiously.

"Lord, Huaixi Jiedu envoy, the puppet emperor Qin Zongquan and Zhu Quanzhong are inseparable from the fight between Bianzhou and Caizhou, and Zhu Quanzhong leads the four towns of Xuanwu, Yan, Yun, and Yicheng to go to war soon. Secondly, Wang Chongrong was defeated by Li Ke's subordinates Fu Cunzhen and Li Siyuan, and the territory of Hezhong was occupied, and his own whereabouts are unknown. Hu Xiaosi finished the two pieces of news in one breath before taking a breath.

Several people present were also slowly digesting these messages, and no one spoke for a while.

"The battle in the river must be a displacement of people, Wang Chongrong was originally a tyrannical person, and the people under him were miserable. Xuan Yingwei immediately contacted the wealthy merchants of Fengzhou who had business contacts in the river through his own channels, and during this time, he would do whatever it took to lure refugees north to Fengzhou, and he could take extraordinary measures when necessary. Li Xuanqing groaned slightly, and ordered Hu Xiaosi.

"My lord, when the strife in the world has reached a critical moment, we can't slow down. If Tianshi's guess is correct, the battle between Zhu Quanzhong and Qin Zongquan in Bianzhou will soon be decided, and Qin Zongquan will definitely lose. At that time, Zhu Quanzhong's power will be able to extend to the Huaishui region, although the jurisdiction of Qin Zongquan has long been ruined, and Liao is uninhabited and barren. But it is undeniable that Zhu Quanzhong, who defeated Qin Zongquan, must be the first prince of the Central Plains. At that time, he will be left in the Central Plains to compete with Li Keyong, who has unified the Hedong River. Hu Xiaosi took the order and hurried away, Cen Tianshi had already sorted out his thoughts, and when he saw Li Xuanqing staring at the large map behind him, he was silent, and suddenly spoke.

"What does the assassin mean that we also want to go south to fight for supremacy? Which side should I choose? Xu Tianxiang also walked to the two of them, staring at the map and said in distress. At present, Fengzhou is lonely outside the river, and the forces of all parties in the Central Plains cannot be taken into account for the time being, giving them rare time for development, but when it comes to going south, there is no good choice. The Zhenwu Jiedu envoys in Yunzhong, Daijun and other places to the east are Li Keyong's sphere of influence, and they can't be moved for the time being. To the south is the Xiazhou of the party members, and in addition to the party members blocking the way to the west, it is getting farther and farther away from the Central Plains to the west?

After a while, Li Xuanqing withdrew his gaze from the map, motioned for the two to sit down, and said with a smile: "What does Mr. mean that we should also enter the WTO now?" ”

"If you don't enter now, when will you wait? Lord, Tianshi thinks that this is the most appropriate time, the two princes of the Central Plains have no time to take care of it, but my Fengzhou is full of soldiers and food, and there is no harm of the Hu people in the north, and there is vigorous development in it, which is the beginning of the unification of the world. Cen Tianshi clasped his fists again and saluted, and said with a solemn face: "The people of the world have been harmed by the secession of the feudal towns for a long time, and they have been fighting for many years, and the people are not happy. Tianshi is willing to follow the lord to sweep the world with the power of thunder, and return the people to a peaceful world. ”

Li Xuanqing nodded, and his voice became very formal, "Instead of letting them fight around in the Central Plains and consume Huaxia's vitality, let's take action as soon as possible, even if there are difficulties, it is better than the status quo." After a pause, he continued: "The military and political system of Fengzhou must also be thoroughly reformed this time to prepare for our next move south." ”

As soon as these words were spoken, Cen Tianshi and Xu Tianxiang immediately sat upright, quietly waiting for Li Xuanqing's next words, and even Cen Tianshi picked up the paper and pen on the table to prepare for the record.

"The first change of the Fengzhou Patrol Embassy to the Tiance Governor's Office, as the highest body under the Tiance Army, unified management of all affairs in the jurisdiction. There are two permanent institutions, the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Ministry of Military. The Ministry of Civil Affairs handles all civil affairs within its jurisdiction, and the Military Department is divided into the General Staff Department, the Logistics Department, the Special Operations Department, and the Lecture Hall. ”

"Secondly, the Tianci Governor's Office has implemented the separation of military and government, and the Ministry of Civil Affairs has Mr. Cen as the chief of civil affairs, and I am personally responsible for the military department. Tianxiang, you lead the General Staff and are responsible for formulating and implementing the strategic plan of the whole army in wartime. The logistics department was promoted from Zuo Tiancheng to one level, and the special operations department of the Xuanyingwei and Flying Eagle brigades carried out special combat missions, and the lecture hall was responsible for training military personnel. During the war, the General Staff controlled other branches of the military department. ”

After Li Xuanqing said this, he continued: "The two of you must come up with the Tiance Mansion's military and political reform plan and department setup as soon as possible to complete the reorganization. The Ministry of Civil Affairs should adapt itself to the new development situation and set up appropriate departmental posts, and should not stick to rigid dogmas, and the General Staff Headquarters should do the same; it is necessary to strengthen the improvement of the skills of the officers and men in battle, and at the same time seize the time to do a good job in ideological education and arouse the morale and morale of the soldiers. ”

"It is important to emphasize that the implementation of the system of separation of military and political affairs by the Tiance Mansion is similar to the degree of moderation so that this freak of military and political integration must disappear, and we cannot trip over the same stone twice."

"The lord is wise." Cen Tianshi sighed with emotion, "The lack of separation between military and government will inevitably lead to the unlimited expansion of power in the hands of local officials, and eventually lead to the end of the tail, which is the current division and dispute." ”

Xu Tianxiang was also deeply touched, nodded and said: "Don't worry, the officers and men of the Tiance Army are all dedicated to the country and loyal to the lord, and they will strictly abide by the lord's decision and never interfere in local government affairs." ”

Li Xuanqing was also deeply relieved to see that his subordinates had understood what he meant, and said with a smile: "That's it, the army is to defend the country and fight, and it cannot become a tool that causes civil strife in the country." The General Staff Headquarters should immediately draw up plans for the reorganization of all units and make all preparations. ”

"My lord, the Tiance Governor's Mansion is self-reliant, so how should we deal with the relationship with the court of Chang'an?" After the two recorded the main points, Xu Tianxiang groaned slightly, and still asked this question. After all, according to the current practice of other jiedu envoys, except for Qin Zongquan's self-proclaimed emperor, which is a rebellion, other jiedu envoys still respect the imperial court on the surface, at least this fig leaf is still needed.

Before Li Xuanqing could answer, Cen Tianshi smiled and said, "Tianxiang, you are too worried." The Governor's Mansion of Heavenly Strategy, which was elected by the Lord, is very suitable. The Governor's Mansion is actually a regular position, and the border army is subordinate to the Governor's Mansion, which is the norm in this dynasty, but it was gradually changed to the Jiedu Embassy during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong. Strictly speaking, the authority of the Governor's Office is much smaller than that of the Governor's Office. His Majesty the Emperor will not have an opinion. Besides, the lord is originally a descendant of the royal family, why not call General Tiance? ”

Originally, Li Xuanqing and Xu Tianxiang listened to Cen Tianshi talk about the origin of the Governor's Mansion and felt that it was not bad, at least for good reason. But the last sentence startled the two of them. Li Xuanqing's hands trembled even more, and said, "Sir, a descendant of the royal family?" You're not mistaken, right? How can it be? ”

"Yes, sir, there are no outsiders now. My lord and I are fellow villagers, how is this possible? No one believes me. Xu Tianxiang was also confused, and he didn't know what Cen Tianshi meant.

"I have already checked, and the lord is indeed a descendant of Li Xuanli of the Tang Dynasty. Don't worry, I even have compiled the genealogy of the lord's branch. Cen Tianshi laughed when he saw the two of them.

"Sir, you shouldn't have already publicized it, right?" Hearing that the genealogy had been compiled, Li Xuanqing suddenly felt bad, and hurriedly asked: "I'm nothing, anyway, I'm an orphan, and I won't suffer anywhere if I say something ugly." It's just that sir, you're loyal to the future, isn't it okay to do this? "Anyway, doing this still makes Li Xuanqing's heart weak.

"It's because I'm a descendant of Cen Zhongshu that what I said will be true. Rest assured, there will be no mistakes in doing things every day. Besides, this matter is related to the political status of our Tiance Mansion, and Tianshi will not be sloppy. ”

Li Xuanqing also felt a deep headache, but with Cen Tianshi's temperament, eighty percent of this kind of thing had already been publicized to the outside world, so he didn't bother with his words, so he simply didn't ask anymore.

"Lord, where should our foreign strategy begin?" Seeing that Li Xuanqing was no longer entangled in the issue of identity, Cen Tianshi also cooperated to change the topic.

"I think we should go west." Xu Tianxiang saw Li Xuanqing looking at him, his face was a little tangled, but he still said his answer, and then said with a wry smile: "But personally, I don't think there is much future in the west." ”

"No, Tianxiang, you're wrong. Heading west was the only way out for the Tiance Army. Li Xuanqing shook his head and said: "To the east, not to mention that we want to take down Li Keyong's vassal Zhenwu army, let's just say that the north of Youyun Twenty-four Prefectures is adjacent to the Khitan nomads, and if you go south, you will face Zhu Quanzhong's interception, which is a strategic dead land." To the south, we need to confront Xiazhou head-on, and the land in the river has been taken by Li Keyong, and when we finish fighting the party, we will not have much strength to deal with Li Ke. Only to the west, the early sweep of the party in Dingyuan, Yongfeng area. This part of the party and Xiazhou's Tuoba Sigong are not all the way, part of them are Tuoba Sigong's opponents, and part of them are the herdsmen of the party people, and dealing with them will not attract too much attention from other forces. Then go south and take Lingzhou City. ”

"Yes, Lingwu Army Han Zun heard that he was old and frail, and he was riddled with diseases, and in order to let his son take the throne in order to be stable in the past few years, he wantonly installed his cronies in the army, and the contradictions within the Lingwu Army were almost to the extreme. If we take Lingzhou, we will have a bridgehead to attack Fengxiang, Pizhou, and Yangzhou from behind, and when the time comes, we can take the Guanzhong region in one fell swoop when Li Ke and Zhu Quanzhong are fighting for the hegemony of the Central Plains, and the situation in the Central Plains will inevitably change at that time. Cen Tianshi nodded in agreement, and talked eloquently along with Li Xuanqing's words, which seemed to be in line with Li Xuanqing's plan.

Li Xuanqing and Xu Tianxiang themselves came from the Lingwu Army, and through Tie Liangping's words, they also knew the changes in the middle and upper echelons of the Lingwu Army in the past few years. And Li Xuanqing was still thinking about how to receive the Lingwu Army. After thinking for a while, he suddenly said to Xu Tianxiang: "You go back and ask Xiao Si to inform the forces of the Lingzhou side, pay close attention to the whereabouts of Zhang Tianhu, Ma Laosan and Wan Yi, and protect their safety when necessary." ”

"Alright, let's split up. By the end of October, all adjustments and preparations must be completed. After the reorganization of the army is completed, preparatory redeployment begins. Li Xuanqing clapped his hands, stood up and said with a smile: "Let's see if I, the fake royal family, can save the Tang Dynasty." Sir, what is the chronology of your family tree? If you are lower than our emperor, I will not be finished with you, and I will wait for him to salute me when the time comes. ”

The three of them laughed, "Don't worry, my lord, your status is not comparable to him." Cen Tianshi's voice came from afar with his steps.