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May in the desert is undoubtedly extremely hot, it is rare to see a trace of clouds in the sky, the hot sun shines on the desert unobstructed, the sand and stones are extremely hot, even if there is an occasional wind blowing, the wind is also hot, walking in such an environment is undoubtedly a torment, but as long as there is enough profit, even if it is a difficult road, it is not an ordinary person, not to mention that since the king of Yue, Li Zhen, ruled the Western Regions, the sand thieves who are rampant in the desert are almost extinct, which makes the profit-seeking merchants continue to increase the size and number of caravans, like this May, It is the most prosperous season of the Silk Road, the large caravans coming and going on the Silk Road are endless, and the crisp camel bells and the melodious mandolin bells are drifting with the wind into the most beautiful scenery in the desert.

"Drive, drive!" Chai Zhewei shouted again and again, regardless of the physical strength of the ** war horse, constantly urging the horse to accelerate, the galloping war horse rolled up a dragon-like dust storm, not only him, followed by the Yizhou town guard Liu Qi is also the same horse gallop - four days, only four days, must be rushed from Yiwu City to Gaochang within four days, this is a death order from the metropolitan governor Li Zhen, there is no room for bargaining, since the order was received, Chai Zhewei and Liu Qi have been driving the road for three days and three nights, and all the replacement war horses have died of exhaustion on the road, But no one dares to say the word "rest" easily, even if it is sleeping on the back of a horse, this kind of suffering, it is difficult for people who have not experienced it to imagine, but compared to the bitterness on the **, the bitterness in the hearts of Chai and Liu is a little more astringent - the prince died, he was murdered to death, he died a very undignified death, and he died unclearly. Whether it is Chai Zhewei or Liu Qi, they are anxious to know what the plan of Li Zhen, the king of Yue, is, so they are naturally in a hurry, but fortunately, both of them are generals immediately, and this bit of suffering can still be endured.

"Chai Dudu, we will go to Gaochang City in front, do you want to go to the post station outside the city to rest before entering the city?" Seeing the towering city walls of Gaochang City from afar, Liu Qi whipped up, caught up with the leading Chai Zhewei, and respectfully asked for instructions.

"No, Lao Liu, His Highness summoned me so urgently, there must be something important to discuss, it is better to enter the city to see His Highness earlier." Since the battle of Sidaowan, Chai Zhewei and Liu Qi have become friends, at this time I heard Liu Qi's inquiry, Chai Zhewei only hesitated slightly, and then resolutely shook his head and rejected Liu Qi's kindness - this time after the Western Regions War, Chai Zhewei was completely impressed by Li Zhen's military talent, and felt that he owed Li Zhen a life, and his heart had completely fallen to Li Zhen, but his identity was too special to make a public act of allegiance, at this sensitive time, Chai Zhewei must first determine Li Zhen's pace, so as to decide his position, Therefore, he did not want to delay even a minute, let alone go to the post station to rest.

"Alright, let's go to the city first." Liu Qi didn't insist, to be honest, Liu Qi was more eager to see Li Zhen than Chai Zhewei - Liu Qi is Li Zhen's absolute confidant, and he is a senior general from the personal guard, he can know most of the confidential information of the "Rising Sun", for the death of the prince, Liu Qi has a lot more in his heart than Chai Zhewei, however, Liu Qi can't guess what Li Zhen's reaction will be, but Liu Qi knows that Li Zhen's days in Anxi are running out, so Liu Qi is eager to know Li Zhen's specific arrangements for the generals of Anxi and the entire Anxi affairs, Personally, he Liu Qi didn't want to be a town guard, he just wanted to follow Li Zhen's side, and the purpose of this was to ask Li Zhen to let him return to the personal guards, even if it was a small team.

"Speed up into the city!" Chai Zhewei turned his head to look at Liu Qi, who was a little absent-minded, and then looked at the officers and soldiers of the pro-guard team who were already exhausted behind him, roared, and rushed towards the wide open Gaochang city gate......

Chai and Liu are not once in Gaochang City's Dadu Protectorate, they are very familiar with the roads in the city, as soon as they entered the city, they hurried to the door of the Dadu Mansion, but the two of them were strange in the past, there was always a solemn Dadu Protectorate in front of the door, a large group of middle and senior generals gathered in front of the gate, it seemed that they were noisy around someone, the two were strange, they didn't think much about it, they got off their horses, handed over the horses to the guards to take care of, and squeezed in from behind the group of generals, and then looked, Only then did I find that the person who was surrounded in it was Wang Binghe, the head of the palace.

"Manager Wang, just give a briefing, and let a certain person meet His Highness first?"

"Princess, is Your Highness really leaving?"

"Lao Wang, who of us is with whom, you can't raise your hand and let us see His Highness."

……

The generals were gossiping together, and poor Wang Binghe was stunned by the noise, his face was covered with sweat, but he didn't dare to lose his temper with this gang of killers, and his face was bitter, full of helplessness.

"What are you arguing about, He Chengye, Liu Fawu, what are you two doing?" Liu Qi only glanced at the generals, and immediately found that there were no senior generals such as Chen Wu and Liu Whirlwind, all of them were officers at the rank of captain, and the two who made the most trouble were He Chengye and Liu Fawu.

He Chengye and Liu Fawu were both generals under Liu Qi, and when they saw Liu Qi appearing at this time, they didn't dare to be more presumptuous, and let Wang Binghe go, but they invariably entangled Liu Qi, but seeing that these two living treasures sandwiched Liu Qi in the middle, they each said with a hippie smile: "Liu Tou'er, you came just right, hey, Your Highness will soon enter Beijing, ah, you can only bring a hundred personal guards, you can help the brothers talk, will the brothers be incorporated into the personal guards?" ”

When Liu Qiyi heard this, his eyes rolled white, and he said in his heart: Damn, Lao Tzu still wants to enter himself, I helped you, who will help Lao Tzu. But he said coldly: "Get out, go back to the camp, don't forget that you are all generals, you dare to make trouble here, be careful that Your Highness is engaged in military law, don't get out quickly." "The official level can crush people to death, not to mention that Liu Qi was originally their top boss, he was angry, He Chengye and the others really didn't dare to delay any longer, and they dispersed in a huff.

Wang Binghe got out of trouble, and finally came to his senses at this time, ran over to Chai and Liu with a wry smile on his face, and arched his hand and said: "Chai Dudu, General Liu, it's really thanks to the two of you who helped a certain family break the siege, alas, this group of bastard boys is always so noisy, it's really uncomfortable." ”

Chai Zhewei only watched from the sidelines before, and didn't say much, without him, Chai Zhewei knew very well that although he was the deputy governor, he didn't have any prestige in the eyes of the proud generals of the Tang Army in Anxi, even if he stood up, no one would care what he said, at this time, I heard Wang Binghe say this, it seemed that the rumor that Li Zhen was going to leave Anxi was confirmed, and his heart sank, and he hurriedly asked: "Princess, is Your Highness really leaving Anxi?" ”

"Ah, it's ......, oh, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know a certain family, Chai Dudu went to ask His Highness." Wang Binghe first replied casually, but soon knew that he had lost his words, and hurriedly changed his words, and he really wanted to cover up, but Chai and Liu had no intention of making fun of Wang Binghe's gaffe, and they each glanced at each other, and they both saw shock and uneasiness in each other's eyes.

Chai Zhewei saw that he couldn't get more news from Wang Binghe's mouth, so he didn't ask any more, and arched his hand very politely: "Annoying father-in-law to go in and say goodbye, I want to meet His Highness." ”

"Your Highness has an explanation, after the two generals come, even if they go to the study, there is no need to report." Wang Binghe explained with a smile.

"Thank you father-in-law for the point." Chai Zhewei had something in his heart, he didn't want to talk nonsense with Wang Binghe anymore, he thanked him politely, and hurriedly walked into the Dadu Protectorate with Liu Qi, just arrived in the backyard, and immediately saw Chen Wu, Dong Qianli, Liu Whirlwind and other generals were all there, everyone hadn't seen each other for a long time, so they greeted each other very politely, and were making trouble, but they saw Yingda come out of the study, and said loudly: "Chai Dudu, Your Highness is invited." ”

"I'm tired." Although Chai Zhewei is the prince of the country, the deputy governor, and the cousin of Li Zhenzheng's eight classics, he didn't dare to underestimate Yingda, who was the captain of the guard, and bowed his hand to Yingda very politely, so he straightened his clothes and strode into the study. If I really go back to Chang'an, wouldn't it be suffocated to death, alas, you just let me stay, Your Highness, please. ”

When Chai Zhewei heard this, he almost laughed, a group of generals outside were clamoring to go back to Beijing with Li Zhen, and there was a clamoring to stay here, it was really a big forest and there were all kinds of birds, but he didn't bother to care why Yan Eighteen wanted to stay, as soon as he entered the door, he took a few steps, rushed forward, and saluted respectfully: "The last general Chai Zhewei see His Royal Highness." ”

Li Zhen ignored Yan Shibai's nonsense, and greeted Chai Zhewei with a smile: "Cousin, please wait, wait until this king has dealt with this monkey, and then talk to you." Seeing Li Zhen say this, Chai Zhewei just smiled and nodded, stepped aside, and watched with interest as Yan Shibai performed there endlessly.

"Eighteen Lang, you listen to this king, there is no price to talk about, give you a day to pack your luggage, and the day after tomorrow morning with this king into Beijing, and then make trouble, the next time this king goes out, I will never take you with you again, get out!" Li Zhen straightened his face and reprimanded unceremoniously.

Yan Eighteen finally got off the army, became a general, and was playing happily, I really didn't want to go back to the dull place of the Beijing Division, it can be seen that Li Zhen's intention has been decided, but there is nothing to do, and when he heard Li Zhen's threat not to take himself on the expedition next time, he was a little panicked, and he stuck out his tongue in a hurry, and after answering "yes" with a bitter face, he withdrew from the study in a gloomy manner.

"Cousin, I'm laughing, this stinky boy knows how to cause trouble all day long, don't take him with you, God knows what kind of trouble he will make, just don't talk about this, come, sit down." Li Zhen smiled at Chai Zhewei and waved her hand, and let Chai Zhewei sit down on a chair in the corner of the study.

"Is Your Highness really going to Beijing?" Chai Zhewei took a sip of tea, put down the tea bowl, hesitated slightly, and asked straightforwardly.

"Well, the holy decree I received three days ago, my father summoned this king to enter Beijing immediately." Li Zhen didn't hide it, and replied calmly.

"Has Your Majesty returned to Beijing?" Chai Zhewei was shocked in his heart, but his face was faint, he didn't say much, and asked casually.

Li Zhen shook his head and said, "Father, the emperor is still up, but it's almost there, and it will be time to arrive in Beijing in three or two days." ”

"Oh." Listening to Li Zhen's explanation, Chai Zhewei realized that Li Shimin issued the holy decree in the middle of the road, his heart moved, and after thinking silently for a while, he shook his head and said: "The situation in Beijing is unpredictable, Your Highness still needs to be more careful." ”

As far as Chai Zhewei's current embarrassing position is concerned, he can remind Li Zhen to be careful in person, which can already be regarded as showing loyalty, Li Zhen knows this in his heart, so he said with a smile: "Thank you cousin for reminding me, this king knows it, let's not talk about this, what does my cousin think about the overall situation in Anxi, you might as well talk about it." ”

Li Zhen's words seemed to be a homely look, but Chai Zhewei knew that things were not as simple as they seemed, and he really couldn't see through Li Zhen's purpose for asking the Fa for a while, so he didn't dare to answer easily, just lowered his head and thought silently, and Li Zhen didn't urge, just looked at Chai Zhewei with a smile on the corner of his mouth.

After a long time, Chai Zhewei finally raised his head, looked at Li Zhen with blazing eyes, and said: "Since Your Highness wants to listen, the lower officials will tell the truth, now Anxi has fewer external troubles and more internal worries, if you can't solve the problems of internal affairs, it will eventually be chaotic." ”

Chai Zhewei is nominally the deputy governor of Anxi's Grand Metropolitan Protectorate, but in fact, he can't get access to Anxi's core secrets, and he doesn't know the overall layout of Anxi, so he can see Anxi's current hidden dangers, which is commendable, but for Li Zhen, this is not enough - it is another thing to be able to see what the problem is about, and whether it can be solved is another matter, so Li Zhen just smiled, and did not say anything special, and then asked: "What is the good plan for my cousin?" ”

This question is not easy to answer, if it is really said that it will be up, I am afraid that it will not be able to say it clearly in a few words, but it will not be difficult for Chai Zhewei, who has been prepared, but seeing Chai Zhewei looked at Li Zhen seriously, he smiled indifferently and said: "Although the lower officials are not talented, but Xiao Gui Cao still knows the truth, what does His Highness think?" ”

Wise man! As soon as Li Zhen heard it, he knew the true meaning behind Chai Zhewei's answer - Chai Zhewei's words were firstly to subtly express his loyalty to Li Zhen, and secondly, he was telling Li Zhen that he already knew that Li Zhen would hand over the burden of Anxi to himself, and what he would do was to do what Li Zhen had originally planned to the end, or even be a hands-off shopkeeper who ignored it, and let Li Zhen's "Xiao rules" take care of people.

"Cousin, this king will enter Beijing, I'm afraid it will be difficult to go back to Anxi, but Anxi is not only the king's hard work over the years, but also the blessing of my Tang Dynasty in the future, if you can build Anxi successfully, not only can you completely solve the border problem for my Datang, but also leave a hot land for future generations. Now that Chai Zhewei has seen the mystery, Li Zhenzi will not be polite, and directly threw out the olive branch.

To be able to get the trust of such an eloquent person as Li Zhen, Rao is Chai Zhewei is calm nature, but he couldn't help but be so excited that he was about to open his mouth to agree, but he immediately stopped, and after pondering silently for a while, he said very sincerely: "Thank you Your Highness for your love, this is what you want, but you also have self-knowledge, if your Highness is not here, you can't do anything." Although Chai Zhewei said it vaguely, the meaning inside was very clear, that is, he couldn't command the arrogant soldiers in the Anxi Tang Army at all, and he was unable to control the overall situation.

The reason why Li Zhen chose Chai Zhewei to take over the post of governor of Anxi, instead of selecting people from the generals of Anxi, has his own considerations, although the generals of Anxi are all outstanding in battle, it is a pity that they are all branded with Li Zhen, and if the candidates are selected from them, it will inevitably leave Li Shimin with the feeling of Li Zhen's nepotism and small groups, after all, Anxi at this time is no longer Anxi more than two years ago, and now Anxi is a large region with a population of millions and nearly 100,000 troops. Even if Li Shimin can reluctantly agree, it will be difficult to pass the court meeting; Second, most of the generals in Anxi are from a humble background, even if they have more military exploits, in this dynasty that is still born in the family, they are obviously not qualified to sit on the throne of the Grand Governor, the only exception is Yan Eighteen, but unfortunately Yan Eighteen is an out-and-out Yue Wang Party, and secondly, Yan Eighteen's ability is not enough to bear the burden of the Grand Governor, which is also the root cause of Li Zhen's tough transfer of Yan Eighteen from the Anxi Tang Army, what he is afraid of is that no one can control him; Third, Li Zhen's gang of arrogant soldiers and fierce generals come from different systems, although they are all loyal to Li Zhen, but they are not too harmonious with each other, the accident caused by the last attack on the country of Qiuzi is a lesson, with Li Zhen here, everyone is naturally united around Li Zhen, but once Li Zhen leaves, God knows how virtuous they will be, so that an outsider must come, so that the generals can have a reason to unite together; Fourth, Li Zhen has been observing Chai Zhewei for a period of time, and thinks that this person's talent is enough to be qualified for the position of Metropolitan Governor, and more importantly, Chai Zhewei's ability to understand the general situation makes Li Zhen feel at ease.

It is precisely because of this kind of reason that when Li Zhen heard Chai Zhewei raise the issue of unification of power, Li Zhen was not very dissatisfied, but just muttered for a while: "Cousin, rest assured, this king thinks that the military of southern Xinjiang will be handed over to Liu Qi, and the military of northern Xinjiang will be handed over to Lin Chenghe. ”

Li Zhen has already made it clear that it is Chai Zhewei's turn to make a choice, but it is very easy to say, but it is difficult to really make a choice, after listening to Li Zhen's words, Chai Zhewei's heart was intertwined with all kinds of thoughts, and he was a little stupid for a while......

Finishing (full book)