In the autumn and October of the twelfth year of Tianbao, Li Siye led his generals to return to Wuwei in Liangzhou, and in November he brought a large amount of looted property from the temple palace of Qunucheng to enter Chang'an and present it to the emperor.

The Tang army has gained a lot in the capital of North India this time, and the Brahmin temple has accumulated nearly a hundred years of gold, jewelry, spices and other property, all kinds of treasures have been looted, and the property transported by him to Chang'an alone has reached 20 carts. Among these tributed trophies, there were also a few Brahmin monks, who offended Zhao Congfang or the elders, and were also sent to Chang'an as trophies.

It was Yan Xiaosi who was fully responsible for escorting the gifts, leading the carriage and horses to rush ahead. Li Siye's horse team overtook the treasure convoy and saw several Brahmin monks inside, and couldn't help but ask strangely, "Where did these monks come from?" ”

Yan Xiaosi stepped forward and said, "Doctor Qiyu, this is Zhao Congfang's selection from the Brahmin Temple, and they all have an art body." ”

Li Siye stepped forward and asked one by one: "What kind of art do you have?" ”

"Doctor, I am proficient in pigment painting, I can paint and paint flowers, birds, fish and insects, beautiful horses and horses."

"What about you?"

"Doctor, I am proficient in the art of medical science, which can cure diseases and prolong life."

He asked the last man in white, "What about you?" ”

"I am proficient in the art of the room, which can make people indulge in joy, but it does not hurt the body, but strengthens the body. Doctor, you see that I myself have benefited greatly from this. ”

Li Siye pursed his lips and frowned, thinking that this Zhao Congfang was too good at finding trouble, and he actually found this kind of person for the emperor. He seemed to remember that when Wang Xuance pacified Zhongtianzhu, he brought back a Brahmin monk from Qunu City, offered a pill to Tang Taizong, and directly killed the emperor.

Now that the monk who had done the art in the room for such a while was dedicated to Li Longji, it had a bad reputation, so he immediately gave Yan Xiaosi a look and asked him to clean up this person.

Yan Xiaosi simply called two soldiers, pulled the Brahmin monk into the remote wilderness, and directly chopped off his head.

In the early morning, Li Siye led the team into Jinguangmen and went directly to Xingqing Palace, where dozens of large carts of belongings were all carried to the calyx building, and the boxes were opened and arranged on the ground.

Li Longji couldn't put it down when he saw it, walked from one end of the hall to the other, grabbed the property in the box and played with it carefully, then threw it into the box and said with a smile to Li Siye, who was standing in the hall with forked hands:

"Aiqing, you pacified the Great Bolu this time, and crusaded against North India, so that my Tang soldiers were intimidated, and you brought back so many captures to me. I should reward Aiqing with heavy rewards, and Li Siye listens to the seal! ”

Li Siye bowed to the ground with his crossed hands: "The minister is here." ”

"I named you the king of Xiliang, awarded the Pillar Kingdom, 5,000 households in the food estate, and 5,000 acres of Yongye fertile land."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, Long." Li Siye knocked on the ground three times with his head, crossed his hands and said: "Your Majesty, this expedition to the Great Bolu, North India, is all under the blessing of Your Majesty, and the soldiers use their lives. Feng Changqing, the deputy envoy of the camp, is good at using soldiers, Zhao Congfang is steady and able to break the Queron army, Bai Xiaode, the envoy of Longshuo army, and Zhao Chongxuan, the envoy of Shule Town, all have meritorious deeds, please give your majesty a reward. ”

"Okay," Li Longji said with a smile: "You will transcribe their exploits in the song later and report them one by one." ”

"Whoa."

The emperor stepped forward to help Li Siye up, pointed out the window and said: "The first snow fell last night, and the scenery of Longchi is just right, how about Aiqing go to the Agarwood Pavilion with me to enjoy the snow and drink together." ”

"Heiye gladly accepted the order!"

The palace eunuchs followed behind the emperor with a canopy, and Li Siye also followed towards the Agarwood Pavilion. On the road, there were palace servants sweeping the ground. Li Longji raised his hand and pointed to the surface of the lake, letting him see the snowflakes on the lake, as if thousands of miles of flat rivers, the world and the sky were vast.

When they came to the Agarwood Pavilion, they saw the concubine sitting in the pavilion, wearing a white fox coat, white clothes, and ruddy without makeup, like a red plum blooming after the snow. Li Siye lowered his head sideways and didn't dare to look more, stepped forward and saluted: "Minister Li Siye see Niangniang." ”

The concubine nodded slightly, waved her hand, and said, "Doctor Li is exempt." ”

The two of them sat on the carpet opposite the warped case, while Li Siye knelt in front of the case a little farther away, with a palace maid serving and pouring wine.

Li Longji and Yang Guifei talked about family life, drank a few glasses of wine, Yang Guifei got up and covered the fox fur and said: "San Lang, it's a little cold outside, the concubine went back to Nanxun Hall first." ”

"That's good."

Li Siye hurriedly got up and crossed his hands.

The emperor was in a good mood, repeatedly persuaded Li Siye to drink, and looked at the Longchi Lake to make a few poems with smooth rhyme. Li Siye sat aside and praised the words, he was not afraid of embarrassing the emperor by blowing the wrong one, anyway, our character is not comprehensible, and the emperor will not be blamed for touting the wrong one.

After a few glasses of wine, the emperor seemed to be a little drunk, and leaned against the table. Li Siye rolled his eyes a few times, and originally wanted to find an opportunity to mention to the emperor about recruiting and expanding the army and garrisoning troops in North India. If he was sober, he wouldn't necessarily agree, but at the moment, he was slightly drunk, and he just brought up the matter.

"Your Majesty, the minister has a suggestion."

Li Longji held the wine cup and said with a smile: "It's okay to talk about it." ”

"Your Majesty, after the minister pacified North India, there was still an army left in the city of Qunu, but Anxi did not have enough troops. Therefore, I have the courage to ask Your Majesty if you can ask the Ministry of War to recruit troops in the Central Plains to replenish Anxi, so that the ministers can draw forces to station an army in North India for a long time. ”

Li Longji raised his head and hesitated for a moment, as if he was not very drunk, and he was still able to keep his mind sober and asked him, "How many more people do you need?"

"You only need to recruit 20,000 good families."

"So much?" The emperor pursed his lips a little reluctantly, and after thinking for a moment, he asked, "You want to send people to North India now, but the end of Master Xuanzang's westward journey to seek Buddha?" ”

Li Siye nodded very seriously: "Your Majesty, exactly."

"This is thousands of miles away from the Western Heavens, far beyond the reach of the Central Plains, and it is not a place where soldiers must fight, so why should the heir expand the boundary to such a remote area. I mean you might as well withdraw your men and horses and garrison them alone. ”

Li Siye secretly felt bad, and when he was drunk, his thoughts were so clear, it seemed that it was not easy to convince.

He had no choice but to change his angle and persuade: "Your Majesty, the richness and fertility of North India are not just those offered by ministers. Pepper and spices are abundant here, and the sandalwood couch that the minister dedicated to Niangniang in the first two years was imported from North India. ”

The emperor still refused to nod, waved his hand and said: "Since North India is rich, you can make it attached, let him pay tribute every year, and come to the court every year." ”

Li Siye pondered for a short time, and then he had another rhetoric: "Your Majesty, although North India is rich, its people are not enlightened, and their behavior and language are crazy and confused. Even their monarch had no power and no status, and it was the monks in the temple who really had status. Such foreign nations that rebel against the rules of heaven and earth will never submit to our court, so they must not only get rid of them, but also stay there for a long time to control them. ”

"I see," the emperor tugged at his beard and thought for a moment, "I can order the Ministry of War to recruit soldiers and horses for you, and grant you armor and weapons." But if it is 20,000 people, it will cost a lot of money and food, and I cannot set a precedent for you. ”

"Your Majesty, since we want to be stationed in North India for a long time, the money and food consumed by the army will naturally have to be prepared by North India, and we only need to garrison the army with peace of mind."

The emperor looked up at the top of the Agarwood Pavilion before slowly nodding in agreement.