At the beginning of the afternoon of the seventh day of the fourth month of the sixth year of the Tang Dynasty, a team of dusty cavalry arrived outside the Jinguang Gate in the west city of Chang'an. The city gate guard recognized the little general with a white horse and silver spear in front of the team, it was the march judge of the Jiannan Army, General Guide Zhonglang, and Liu Jun, the young master of the Lady of Qin's mansion.

Liu Jun took one hundred and fifty guards to escort back the seven Nanya Praetorian Guards, who were the seven lucky ones who were rescued from the desert.

An hour later, the news of Wang Ji and Luo Xi's death in Jiannan spread throughout the Tang Dynasty court like wings, and the news exploded like a thunderbolt above the heads of hundreds of officials, and everyone in the court looked sideways and discussed. Li Linfu, who learned the news, could hardly believe his ears, and even confirmed it several times with the little official who sent the letter to the mansion before he dared to believe that this matter was true. Li Linfu, who had not recovered from his illness, almost fainted at that time. He was sweating profusely, his face was so pale that he couldn't even breathe, and his family hurriedly called the imperial doctor to come, and it took him a long time to let Li Linfu's symptoms slowly adjust.

Li Linfu asked people to help themselves to sit in the pavilion in the back garden, and after waving everyone away, he sat alone in the pavilion and pondered. The sun in the garden is bright and full of flowers, the yellow orioles are chirping in the willow shade, and the catkins are fluttering and flying, it is the time of the year when the spring is in full bloom, but Li Linfu's heart has sunk into the ice pool, and the cold is biting.

……

In the hundred gardens of Xingqing Palace in the evening, Xuanzong sat under the fence on the first floor of the Agarwood Pavilion with his brows furrowed, and Yang Guifei on the side looked absentmindedly at the colorful butterflies flying in the flowers outside the pavilion, not knowing what to think.

Gao Lishi, who was full of silver hair and had a stiff back, walked in lightly from outside the pavilion, bowed slightly, and reported: "Your Majesty's noble concubine, Yang Zuoxiang and Mrs. Qin Guo and the little general Liu Jun are summoned to meet you. ”

Xuanzong hurriedly said, "Call them in." ”

Gao Lishi agreed, turned around and walked a few steps outside, and shouted: "Xuan Yang Guozhong, Liu Jun, and Mrs. Qin Guo are here." ”

There was a heavy footstep outside the pavilion, it was Yang Guozhong's footsteps, and he could hear it as soon as he heard it. Xuanzong straightened his back, looked at his clothes, and a smile appeared on his face. Yang Guifei on the side also withdrew her scattered gaze looking at the colorful butterflies outside the pavilion, and cast her eyes on the screen at the entrance of the Agarwood Pavilion. But seeing Yang Guozhong's tall figure appear on the side of the screen, followed by Mrs. Qin Guo, who was covered in jewels with colorful skirts fluttering clouds and trembling temples. Behind them was the stout and childish Liu Jun.

"See Your Majesty, Concubine Niangniang, long live Your Majesty, Niangniang Hail." The three of them knelt down and saluted, shouting in unison.

Xuanzong smiled and stretched out his hand and said, "Get up, give a seat." ”

Several attendants moved stools for the three of them to sit down, and Xuanzong beckoned to Liu Jun with a smile: "Liu Jun, come here, let me take a look." ”

Liu Jun hurriedly got up and walked in front of Xuanzong, Xuanzong stretched out his hand and took Liu Jun's hand and patted it with a smile: "Good boy, you are very good, you charged for me at a young age, and at the age of eleven, you went into battle to kill the enemy, who can compare with you throughout the ages." In time, my Datang will have to produce a generation of famous generals who will shake the past and the present. Aunt Ba, what a good son you gave birth to. ”

Mrs. Qin Guo hurriedly got up and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, don't praise him like this, how much credit has he made, and he deserves such praise from Your Majesty?" ”

Yang Guifei smiled and said, "Eighth sister, isn't this worthy of praise?" Other people's children are eleven-year-old and still pestering their parents to be coquettish and happy, and our family's Liu Jun has already gone to the battlefield to kill the enemy, so I said, it is worth boasting. ”

Xuanzong smiled and said: "What the concubine said is true, it is definitely worthy of praise." Gan Luo is twelve years old, and Liu Jun is eleven years old, which is completely comparable to not falling behind. ”

Mrs. Qin Guo had a bright smile on her face, and her eyes were full of love and looked at Liu Jun. Liu Jun has always been very squirming, and said with a red face: "Your Majesty and Aunt Guifei praise Jun'er so much, Jun'er really doesn't dare to be." All this is the work of the father-in-law's teaching, Jun'er just followed the father-in-law to do something for the court, but he can't afford this praise, if His Majesty praises, he should praise my father-in-law. He is only nineteen years old, and his ability is much older than Jun'er. ”

Xuanzong laughed and said: "Good boy, you can not be complacent and arrogant, and you will not forget the grace of others' teachings, but you are a benevolent and righteous person." You're right, Wang Yuan is really good, and I was very surprised by his performance. I have to say that Guozhong's eyesight is very good. When I recommended him to go to Jiannan to fight Nanzhao, I was actually not very relieved, but it turned out that I was wrong. Wang Yuan is both civil and military, and with the experience of time, he can be the pillar of my Tang Dynasty. ”

Yang Guozhong smiled and arched his hand: "If you want to talk about eyesight, it is Your Majesty's good eyesight. If it weren't for His Majesty's good eyesight, how could Wang Yuan be today. ”

Xuanzong laughed, although he knew that Yang Guozhong was talking about sycophancy, but he still felt very comfortable in his heart.

After the laughter stopped, Xuanzong sighed lightly, and finally asked in a deep voice, "Did you bring me some bad news?" Say, I want to know what's going on. ”

Yang Guozhong coughed and said: "Your Majesty, it is indeed bad news, Wang Ji and Luo Xizao were attacked by the Tubo people when they were patrolling the Tibetan border in Jiannan, and both of them died. The accompanying 200 Nanya Janissaries, except for seven Praetorian guards who escaped by chance, were all killed by the Tibetans. Liu Jun's return to Beijing this time was ordered by Jiannan Jiedu to escort the seven guards back to Beijing safely. ”

Although Xuanzong had heard such news a long time ago, but now that he heard Yang Guozhong's report with his own ears, he was still very angry, and the wrinkles on his face trembled, suppressing the anger in his heart.

"The Tibetan people are so rampant, can the border land be allowed to run rampant? Qincha's safety, why didn't Jiannan Jiedu make Wang Yuan strictly protect it? Wang Yuan disappointed me a little. Xuanzong frowned and said in a deep voice.

"Your Majesty is angry, Wang Yuan knows that the protection of Qin is not effective, so he asked Liu Jun to bring the guilty twist and ask Your Majesty to take a look." Yang Guozhong took out the fold from his sleeve.

"Why didn't he come to Beijing in person? Are you afraid that I will reprimand him to his face? Xuanzong didn't take the fold, and said coldly.

Liu Jun was anxious to speak, but was stopped by Mrs. Qin Guotong's stern eyes, but seeing Yang Guozhong, he sighed and said: "Since Your Majesty asked, the minister will say it directly, Wang Yuan is not that he doesn't want to come, but he is seriously injured and sick in bed and can't move." ”

"Seriously injured?" Xuanzong was surprised. The concubine on the side also looked at Yang Guozhong with her small mouth open in surprise.

"Yes, Wang Yuan didn't want to tell the court about this, but I forced Liu Jun just now, and Liu Jun told me the truth. I also felt that such a big thing had happened, and it was very undeserving for Wang Yuan not to come to Beijing in person to report the reason and receive the punishment, but it turned out that he was seriously injured and almost lost his life, so he asked Liu Jun to come with a fold. Yang Guozhong said softly.

Xuanzong turned his gaze to Liu Jun and said, "How did Wang Yuan get seriously injured?" What happened? Was it the injury he suffered while fighting Nanzhao? ”

Liu Jun hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, my father-in-law was not injured when he fought Nanzhao, but was attacked by assassins the day after the two envoys arrived in Chengdu to announce the decree. More than a dozen Assassins broke into the assassination of his father-in-law while he was admiring the moon in Sanhualou, Chengdu, and his father-in-law was seriously injured and almost died at the hands of the Assassins. ”

Xuanzong frowned and said, "Assassins from there? ”

Liu Jun said: "Later, it was found out that it was a barbarian warrior raised by the barbarian clan of the Fu clan, and because he had a grudge against his father-in-law for destroying the Fu clan, he mixed into the city of Chengdu and waited for an opportunity to assassinate. The stepfather was injured in the chest and abdomen, and he was poisoned by them, but fortunately, he was treated by a miracle doctor and saved his life. Although he is gradually recovering, he still can't get out of bed and walk. Before leaving, my father-in-law told me not to inform Zuo Xiang and His Majesty about this matter, for fear of causing displeasure to His Majesty and Zuo Xiang. But when my uncle asked me why my stepfather didn't come to Beijing in person, I had to tell the truth. ”

Xuanzong said angrily: "What a Nanzhao barbarian, he is still doing evil at this time, and it is really hateful." I also planned to agree to the terms of their peace agreement, knowing that this was the case, Wang Yuan should not have made peace with them, and took Taihe City in one fell swoop, and drove all these barbarians to the mountains and forests. ”

Yang Guozhong hurriedly said: "Your Majesty is angry, this matter has nothing to do with Ge Luofeng, it is the remnants of the Fu clan under the hands of Chongdao." On the same day, outside the city of Wangzhou, Wang Yuan annihilated Chongdao and his 9,000 soldiers and horses, and Chongdao also died in Wang Yuan's hands. The people of the Chongdao clan are still alive, so it is not Ge Luofeng's fault that they came to assassinate and seek revenge. ”

Xuanzong was silent for a moment and said, "Is Wang Yuan's injury already fine?" ”

Liu Jun hurriedly said: "The father-in-law is recovering, and the father-in-law wants to ask for the murder of the two messengers, but in fact, I know the reason, the father-in-law did not fail to protect the two messengers, it was entirely because of an accident." ”

Xuanzong said: "Tell me." ”

Liu Jun said: "Originally, my father-in-law ordered the soldiers and horses of the Jiannan Army to lead two thousand soldiers and horses to accompany the two Qincha to patrol the border and shoulder the responsibility of protection. Because after the Nanzhao was defeated, all the more than 30,000 troops of my Jiannan stayed in Yaozhou to rest, and it was also to monitor whether the Nanzhao Kingdom would be repeated, so there were only a few thousand soldiers and horses in Chengdu. In order to protect the two Qincha, the father-in-law transferred almost half of the soldiers and horses in the city to protect them, which has been taken very seriously. It's not that I'm talkative, but many of my generals and officials in Jiannan think that if it weren't for the sudden loss of 2,000 soldiers and horses in the city, which led to the overstretched troops, the assassins would have taken advantage of it. Speaking of which, it was not that the father-in-law was unfavorably protected, but that the two father-in-laws who had been killed by the arrival of the Chincha were found by the Assassins. ”

"Jun'er, don't talk nonsense."

"Liu Jun, don't talk nonsense."

Mrs. Qin Guo and Yang Guozhong shouted in unison.

Xuanzong was not surprised, and frowned: "Liu Jun's words are not completely unreasonable. Chengdu is huge, and four or five thousand soldiers and horses may not be able to maintain law and order, let alone mobilize half of the soldiers and horses to protect Wang Ji and Luo Xizao. It can only be said that the assassin's opportunity to attack was carefully chosen, and there was a deliberate calculation or not, which led to this incident. However, what I don't understand is that since I sent 2,000 soldiers and horses to escort it, how could I let the Tubo people succeed? Could it be that the Tibetan army has overwhelmed the border? ”