Chang'an City.

"His Royal Highness King Qin, the Generalissimo of the Expedition to the West, has returned victorious!!"

"Really?!"

"How can there be a fake? It spread all over the west side of the city, and the prince led a hundred officials to greet it in person! I heard that some businessmen saw the Tang Army from afar, and all the tens of thousands of horses that captured Xue Bawang drove back! ”

"Hahaha, it's good to win the battle, and we can rest assured."

The news of the return of Li Shimin, the king of Qin, led his army made the people of Chang'an City talk about it, and their faces were excited.

They may not all be happy about the victory of the Tang Dynasty, but at least they are relieved that Chang'an has been spared from war.

At the west gate of Chang'an, many people poured out of the Jinguang Gate, looking behind the officials of the Tang Dynasty, and the prince led a hundred officials out of the city gate to welcome the victorious return of the army.

Soon after, the sound of horses' hooves sounded like muffled thunder, and in the midst of smoke and dust, a mighty army came from the west.

Li Jiancheng sat under the canopy of the carriage to enjoy the coolness, listening to the people behind him start cheering, and could hear many people shouting about the courage of the King of Qin, and it seemed that he also heard harsh words similar to the defeat of the crown prince, but the king of Qin captured the overlord in a battle.

His face was very ugly, and his eyes were fixed on the distance.

Li Gang, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites and the crown prince Zhan Shi on the side, walked up and saluted and said: "Your Royal Highness the prince, you should now lead a hundred officials to welcome the victorious return of the royal army. ”

Li Jiancheng said angrily: "They are still two or three miles away from here, and now they are leaving, do you want to be alone in the sun?!" ”

Nearby officials lowered their eyebrows, as if they hadn't heard.

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

Li Gang insisted on admonishment.

Li Jiancheng was irritable in his heart, and when he saw this Li Gang, he thought of what Yin Shishi said, about Yang Yong and Yang Guang.

This Li Gang is the horse washing in the former Prince Yang Yong's mansion, and after Yang Yong was deposed, he was promoted instead.

The army was approaching, and the officials looked at it one after another, Li Jiancheng had to suppress the thoughts in his heart, get out of the car and lead the hundred officials to meet the generalissimo of Zhengxi, his second brother King Qin.

A team galloped out of the army.

"Brother!"

Li Shimin, the generalissimo of the expedition to the west, was dressed in silver and white armor, and galloped on his horse, first calling his brother, and turned over and dismounted when he approached, and then saluted the prince respectfully.

"Why should Erlang be polite?"

Li Jiancheng reluctantly smiled on his face, helped him up, and congratulated him on his victory.

Qu Tutong, Yin Kaishan, Chai Shao and others also rode their horses to arrive, and hundreds of officials stepped forward to greet them and salute and congratulate.

At the city gate, the people craned their necks and watched excitedly as the army approached.

Li Jiancheng rewarded the three armies on behalf of Li Yuan, and rewarded the soldiers in the name of the prince's mansion.

After the group entered the city, the people along the street cheered, and Chang'an City was boiling.

"Jiro." Chai Shaoze walked to the side and said to Li Shimin with a smile: "Fortunately, we won the battle, otherwise we would really have no face to come back." ”

"Don't say that."

Li Shimin patted him on the shoulder.

Chai Shao reacted at this time, and the person who defeated the battle was in the team at the moment.

A thousand Tang troops escorted Xue Rengao, Zong Luohu and dozens of other people, entered the imperial city from the Vermilion Bird Gate, and escorted Xue Rengao and others to the front of the Taiji Palace.

Li Yuan was sitting in the Taiji Hall.

In the hall, Pei Lin knelt and sat in the first place on the left, and the rest of the officials either knelt or stood behind.

Before Li Jiancheng left, after Li Shimin left, he led the generals into the Taiji Hall.

"Your Majesty! The last will come to confess! ”

Qu Tutong was the first to kneel, and the generals were stunned, and then they also knelt down.

The one who knelt down to accept the guilt was undoubtedly the first batch of generals who followed Li Jiancheng to defeat the battle.

Li Jiancheng is not standing, walking, kneeling, frozen there, and the eyes of the hundred officials are looking at each other.

Li Yuan, who was sitting on the couch, said with a smile: "All the generals are invited, victory and defeat are common things, what is the crime?" ”

Qu Tutong, Yin Kaishan, Chai Shao and others stood up at this time.

Li Jiancheng's face was hot and painful.

"Erlang!"

Li Yuanbian bypassed him again and shouted at Li Shimin behind him: "Come forward!" ”

"Yes!"

Li Shimin walked past his brother, saluted his father, handed back the tiger talisman, and resigned from the post of generalissimo of the expedition to the west.

Li Yuan ordered the eunuch to accept the tiger talisman, smiled from ear to ear, and said to the hundred officials:

"Look, everyone, this is my Han Xin of the Tang Dynasty, who led the army when the situation was extremely critical, sent beams and burned boats, fought against the water, and captured Xue Ju in less than two months!!"

"King Qin is like a god with soldiers."

Hundreds of officials praised one after another, but Pei Lin did not sweep Li Yuan's excitement, and followed the praise.

Li Shimin gave the credit to Li Yuan, who was sitting in Chang'an, saying that it was the sufficient logistics supplies that allowed him to stick to the defeat of the Xue Qin army.

"Haha!"

Li Yuan was very satisfied, and said with a smile: "This is the credit of the crown prince." ”

Li Jiancheng's face has improved a lot.

"But!"

Li Yuan's face changed, and he shouted: "Bring up all the guilty ministers who defeated the battle!" ”

Chai Dong, the supervisor standing aside, immediately passed the decree.

Qu Tutong and other generals changed their expressions slightly, and stood at the gate of the hall with their hands down, not daring to say anything, and Li Shimin was also nervous.

After a while, Liu Wenjing, who was demoted to a concubine, and the two Yin Shishi were brought up by the guards.

Liu Wenjing's face was ugly, she walked to Li Shimin's side, looked at him with complicated eyes, and then knelt down towards Li Yuan.

Li Yuan scolded heavily, put the blame for the casualties of tens of thousands of soldiers on the two of them, and ordered them to be dragged to Xishi for beheading.

The superintendent Chai Dong's will was conveyed half a beat slowly, his eyes looked at Li Shimin, and just as he opened his mouth to announce the decree, he saw Li Shimin stand up, and he closed his mouth with interest.

"Father!"

Li Shimin said: "Mr. Liu used to be the Sima of the General's Mansion, and after his father changed the Yuan to ascend the throne, Mr. Liu repaired the "Kaihuang Law" and made great contributions to the Tang Dynasty. ”

He didn't mention that Liu Wenjing had the holy family of forgiveness and death.

Li Yuan did not speak.

The officials who followed the army in Taiyuan pleaded for mercy one after another.

Li Jiancheng stood in place, and the kneeling Yin World Master couldn't help but sigh after glancing at him.

He has done his best for the Great Sui.

"Your Majesty."

Kneeling down Pei Lin Qi Qi said: "Liu Wenjing is the hero of Taiyuan Yuanmou, Chen Lin begs His Majesty to forgive him once, only take back the holy family who is exempt from two deaths, and order him to reflect." ”

"You!"

Liu Wenjing, who was kneeling on the ground, raised his head sharply and looked at Pei Lin with an angry expression.

If you only sin once, you want him to avoid death twice?!

"Okay, that's it!"

Eunuch Pei spoke, Li Yuan no longer hesitated, and ordered the Yin World Master to be dragged out and beheaded, and Liu Wenjing was still demoted to a commoner, waiting to be called.

Yin Shishi stood up, looked at Li Yuan, and said in a loud voice:

"Please take back my official position, I am willing to die as a subject of the Great Sui!"

The civil and military officials looked at each other, Li Yuan's face was moved, and after a while, he sighed: "It turns out that the general is such a loyal minister, but it's a pity that he can't contribute to my Tang Dynasty." ”

Hundreds of officials talked about it, but no one pleaded, and the crown prince Li Jiancheng was even more silent.

Li Yuan said again: "Although he is a Sui minister, he has also led the army for the Tang Dynasty, I heard that you have a daughter and a son, and your daughter is beautiful and wise, so I will marry her to my son Shimin, and your son will be given an official title when he grows up in the future." ”

Li Shimin was shocked.

Yin Shishi was silent for a long time, only then did he look at Li Shimin, and said loudly: "The number of Great Sui Qi has arrived, and the one who calms the world in the future must be the Li family...... Datang also! ”

Thinking of a pair of children in the family, he finally changed the Li family Erlang to the Li family Datang.

Li Yuan laughed, "Please go general." ”

Chai Dong understood and announced in a loud voice: "Your Majesty has a decree to give the Yin Shishi of General Sui Zuo Yiwei before death!" ”

As we all know, death is also a holy favor.

The Netherworld Master was escorted in.

Li Yuan ordered again: "Escort Xue Ju up!" ”

"Father, Xue Ju has been sick and dead for many days." Li Shimin hurriedly prayed.

Li Yuan's face remained unchanged, "Then bring Xue Qin's big and small officials up!" ”

He didn't even know Xue Rengao.

Waiting for the ragged Xue Ju's son to kneel and kowtow violently to plead, Li Yuan started scolding, and after scolding, he waved his hand and let him be pulled to Xishi to be beheaded, there is nothing to say more, Li Shimin, who surrendered early, will not be brought back to Chang'an, this group of people, together with the Yin Shishi, are used to appease the families of tens of thousands of dead and wounded soldiers in the Tang Dynasty.

Li Yuan was in high spirits, and began to discuss the reward for meritorious deeds, and asked Li Shimin what he wanted.

"Father."

Li Shimin pleaded: "When Erchen led the troops, he found that my Tang cavalry had many shortcomings, and the Longxi cavalry ......."

"I know what you're going to say." Li Yuan said with a smile: "I am allowed to set up a cavalry battalion, with three thousand in number, armor, weapons, and war horses, and requisition, and I must make my Tang cavalry strong in the world!" ”

"Yes, Father!"

Li Shimin's face was happy.

It's happier than having a wife and concubine.

Li Yuan asked Qu Tutong and other generals to come forward and reward them one by one, and all the generals of the Qin Palace's mansion also added officials to the knighthood.

After the reward is completed, the officials will retire.

"Your Majesty!"

Pei Lin followed Li Yuan from the apse alone, and said to him in a low voice: "Liu Wenjing has received the grace of His Majesty, but he has not thanked ......."

"Hmph, how can I not know? He knew I wasn't going to kill him, and he had no fear. ”

"Alas, I'm afraid he will still be a general when His Majesty is still a general."

"Don't pay attention to him, let's go, go drink with me!"

……

Outside the Taiji Hall, Liu Wenjing smiled bitterly and threw his hand towards Li Shimin, "Erlang is really ...... It hurts me. ”

If Li Shimin had not defeated Xue Qinjun in a battle, he would have been safe and sound in Chang'an, at most he would have been cut off, the law would not be held accountable, and Li Yuan would not have pursued it more, and he would still be used in the near future.

Li Shimin didn't take his joke, and said: "Mr. Liu, he still needs to be cautious in his words and deeds, don't-"

"Don't do anything?"

Liu Wenjing looked at him.

"Don't clash with Pei Xiang again." Li Shimin whispered.

"Humph!"

Liu Wenjing immediately became angry, said what happened in the hall just now, and scolded Pei Lin for falling into the well.

Li Shimin had a headache and pulled him to hurry away.

Hopefully, his words didn't backfire.