The next morning, Qin Mubai got up early and practiced archery in the backyard.
He was about to go to the border, and his bow and horse skills would inevitably come in handy, so he had been practicing more frequently in recent days. In terms of martial arts, Qin Mubai felt that he was second-rate at best, on the same level as Yin Yang and Yuwen Hongtai. But he is still far away from his father Qin Shubao and Yuchi Jingde, veterans of the battlefield.
As for the "god" peak figure Xue Rengui, let alone that. Qin Mubai always felt that Xue Rengui might be a little more powerful than his old man. It's just that he is accustomed to modesty and rarely shows it deliberately. But because of this, Xue Rengui always gives people a mysterious feeling, which makes people inevitably estimate how strong Mo's martial arts are.
Qin Mubai had carried the tiger-headed gold spear with him for more than a year, and it was still brand new and had never seen blood. Today I was taken out for a practice session. I practiced the Qin Family Tai Chi Spear several times, and I suddenly felt soreness in my arms.
"You still have to practice!"
By the time he finished practicing, he was dripping with sweat. After taking a shower and changing clothes, he was ready to have breakfast with his mother and sister. When I arrived at the front hall, I found that there were guests in the yard of the front house. A man in casual clothes and a hooded head was walking in the forest garden admiring the plum blossoms.
Qin Mubai took a look at it, wasn't that Li Ji
Li Ji also saw Qin Mubai and waved to him from a distance. Qin Mubai walked forward quickly and cupped his hands and said, "When did Uncle Shi come? I was really disappointed! The servants in this mansion were also crazy, and they didn't even announce it!"
Li Ji chuckled: "Don't blame them, I didn't let them pass the news. I heard that you were practicing martial arts, so I walked around the garden without disturbing you."
Apart from Qin Mubai, the only women left at home were his mother and sister, and there was no one to welcome him. Li Ji actually waited in this garden for an hour. Qin Mubai couldn't help but feel a little apologetic, and hurriedly invited Li Ji into the hall, paid homage to him, and invited him to have breakfast with him.
If someone like Li Ji comes alone and incognito early in the morning, there must be something going on. After tea and dinner, Qin Mubai asked: "Uncle Shi condescended to come to visit, what do you want to teach me?"
Li Jiwei smiled to himself and said, "I have a few things to discuss with you."
"Please give me some advice, Uncle Shi."
"I dare not take it." Li Ji said with a smile, "In recent days, I have been busy dispatching troops and punishing generals under your Majesty's order. Junji, the Duke of Lu State, has led a group of troops south to Songzhou to defend the enemy. Another group of troops is going to Songzhou. The troops in Lanzhou are almost ready. In the near future, they will be ready with food, armor, and troops to set off. Your Majesty has secretly informed me that the commander leading the army to Lanzhou is you, Qin Mubai, right?"
"Yes, His Majesty did give me a verbal order, but the imperial court's order has not yet been issued." Qin Mubai said truthfully.
Li Ji nodded and said, "It's probably just a matter of these two days. You have to prepare. The purpose of my coming here is to discuss with you the selection of generals."
"General?" Qin Mubai frowned slightly, "What should I say?"
"Lanzhou will become an important military town and barrier. It cannot be compared with the general governor's office. It is related to the future Guanhe and military plans of the Tang Dynasty!" Li Ji said, "Therefore, when it comes to the selection of generals, I must listen to your opinion. The original Lanzhou Governor's Mansion was just an ordinary military town. Your father held the position of Governor and had very few capable people. Now that your Majesty has sent you here, you can give him a new one. But just you and your son are not enough. The Governor's Office of Lanzhou is about to expand its jurisdiction. It originally governed the three prefectures of Lanzhou, Hezhou, and Kuo. Now it is possible that Liangzhou will also be under its control. The number of troops under the command will increase from more than 20,000 to nearly 50,000. The original Lanzhou Lower Governor's Palace will also be restructured into the Central Governor's Palace. Therefore, more capable people will be needed."
"Oh? What talents did Uncle Shi choose?" Qin Mubai asked.
Li Ji smiled and said: "These people will work with you and your son in the future. Of course, I have to ask for your opinions first. I have already selected some people, and His Majesty has also appointed a few candidates. I will inform you now." Take it and take a look!"
After that, Li Ji took out a list of officials and generals added to the Lanzhou Dudu Mansion this time.
The Central Governor's Mansion is a relatively large military base. The highest officer is the Governor, with a rank of third rank. The three most important deputies are Biejia, who is in the fourth rank, Chang Shi, who is in the fifth rank, and Sima, who is in the fifth rank. There are also soldiers, lawmen, knights, scholars, warehouses, gongs, and other Cao Cao soldiers, as well as other officials such as city magistrates, prime ministers, assistants, doctors, and assistant teachers. The system of these officials is quite similar to that of the local governor's office. But because the Dudu Mansion is more focused on running the army, it also has a military establishment of guards. If according to what Li Ji said, the number of soldiers and horses under the control of the Lanzhou Dudufu will reach 50,000. According to the general establishment, there will be at least 20 military mansions and more than 20 Zhechong Duwei.
In addition, the troops and horses of the Lanzhou Dudu Mansion are under the Zuoweiwei establishment. When Qin Shubao was first activated, he was appointed General Zuo Weiwei and also the governor of Lanzhou. That is truly the highest military commander. Officials under the Dudu's Mansion, especially military attachés, often served as guards and officials in the Dudu's Mansion at the same time.
Qin Mubai took a look at the personnel list given by Li Ji. There were not many changes in the officers of the original Zuowei Wei, but there were major changes in the official positions in the Governor's Mansion. First of all, Sima and Chang Shi were replaced. The two people who were replaced were the two brothers Xue Wanjun and Xue Wanche who Qin Mubai never expected!
These brothers have outstanding martial arts skills and outstanding military achievements, and their prestige in the army is not small. Moreover, his current official rank is not low. The generals who are divided into Zuotunwei and Youwuwei are of the same third rank as Qin Shubao, and are one of the twelve generals on an equal footing. In addition, Xue Wanche is also Li Shimin's brother-in-law. , relative of the emperor.
It can be said that if the emperor had not re-activated Qin Shubao, the founding veteran, not long ago, the Xue brothers would now be far more prestigious and famous than Qin Shubao!
The Xue brothers not only appointed Chang Shi and Sima respectively, but also changed the position of General of Benwei to Inspector, and General Zuo Weiwei (a total of two people, the deputy of the general) was also appointed by them. In other words, their military rank has not been reduced and they are still in the third rank (general inspection officer). The service officer was converted to a general one level lower and served as the deputy of the general Qin Shubao.
Since it was increased from the lower governor's office to the middle governor's office, Lanzhou added an assistant officer who was only available in the middle governor's office - Biejia, which was the position second only to the governor and was the highest civilian official to assist Qin Shubao in managing people's livelihood.
This candidate is empty.
The other civil and military officials are not very important. They are basically selected from the guards of various palaces and the supervisors of various government offices in the imperial court.
After Qin Mubai read it, he was silent for a long time without speaking.
"What are you thinking about?" Li Ji drank tea slowly and asked with a smile.
"Uncle Shi, you are not an outsider either. This junior has something unclear and would like to ask for advice." Qin Mubai said.
"speak."
Qin Mubai did not hide anything anymore, and said: "As everyone knows, the Xue brothers have made outstanding achievements in recent years and have been in the limelight. My father has been out of the court and the army for more than five years. He is also a bit old. His reputation is not as good as that of Xue." Brothers. Now, His Majesty the Emperor has asked Brother Xue to serve as my father's deputy... How can this convince the two of them? It would be bad if there is discord within the Governor's Mansion. "
Li Ji smiled nonchalantly, as if he had expected Qin Mubai's worries. He said: "Your Majesty has made such an arrangement, and we ministers must also be considerate. After all, Lanzhou is related to half of the country to the west of the Tang Dynasty. It is a barrier and a gate to the country. If you don't choose capable people, it will definitely not work; If the selected capable people are all in a group, that may not be what His Majesty wants to see."
When Li Ji said this, Qin Mubai suddenly realized!
Yes, kings are suspicious!
An important military town like Lanzhou, with an army of 50,000, directly faced the naked Guanzhong of the Tang Dynasty. Controlling the Silk Road was related to the plan to dominate the Western Regions. It could be said that it could become a country of its own. If something changes here, the risk to Tang Dynasty will be millions of times greater than that of Tubo!
Since the founding of Zhenguan, the Xue brothers have not been of the same faction as Qin Shubao and other old generals in the Qin palace. Not to mention that there are conflicts with each other, at least they are secretly competing with each other and are not convinced. Li Shimin's intention in playing this trick is obvious, which is to make Lanzhou strong and have two obvious factions at the same time.
The emperor resented factions and factions the most, but he was also most willing to take advantage of them. If there are conflicts between ministers, it will be easier for the emperor to coordinate and control them. If they are all in the same group, then they are just trying to form a gang. If this is the case, Lanzhou, which is "a country of its own", will only know the governor but not the emperor. This will not work.
After thinking about this clearly, Qin Mubai smiled in relief. The emperor's mind is nothing like this. It can’t be said that Li Shimin is narrow-minded, and the emperor also has the emperor’s difficulties, that’s all!
So he stopped asking the question and changed the topic: "Then why is this special post vacant again? Well, there are also the generals of Yifu of Zuo Weiwei, Zhonglang, Zuolang, Youlang, Sanlang and generals are all vacant."
"His Majesty the Emperor deliberately ordered this arrangement. After thinking about it, this special post is naturally yours." Li Ji smiled, "Your father is the governor, but like the Xue brothers, he was born in the military and is not good at civil affairs. You are the most important addition to the three of them.”
"That's interesting." Qin Mubai said with a smile, "I am here to ride alone, but I am also riding on top of the two Xue brothers, the chief historian and Sima. They must be aggrieved."
"There is nothing to be aggrieved about. They govern the army and you govern the people, each with his own division of labor." Li Ji said, "Moreover, when it comes to the army, the two generals can stand alone, but you are just a member of the Yifu who is in charge of Zuowei Wei." Xun, follow your father as a great general."
"That is to say, I may be the Lanzhou Biejia and concurrently serve as the lieutenant general of Zuowei Weiyi's mansion, right?" Qin Mubai said.
"It's very possible." Li Ji nodded, "But in the end we have to wait for His Majesty the Emperor to make a decision."
Qin Mubai nodded and smiled, finally understanding. The emperor forcibly inserted the Xue brothers into the Lanzhou Dudu Mansion. In the Governor's Mansion, these two men were almost at the same level as Qin Mubai, and they assisted Qin Shubao together; in the army, these two men held the post of generals and were nominally subordinate to Qin Shubao, but their military power was enough to compete with Qin Shubao.
The powers of the Qin family father and son and the Xue brothers are extremely intertwined. When the time comes, it will be difficult for you and me to fight over each other without causing friction. But these four people are all people with bottom lines and vision who can accomplish big things, and will not interfere with state affairs because of private fights. From this point of view, Li Shimin's arrangement is exquisite. The emperor's palace and mind can be said to be displayed to the fullest.
"The purpose of my coming to ask you is to ask you to recommend two strong generals, who will be appointed as the left and right generals of Zuowei Weiyi Mansion, that is, your left and right deputies in the army. Together they will command the general and the generals of the central army." Li Ji said so.
Qin Mubai smiled bitterly: "Who can I recommend? Uncle Shi has the final say!"
"Mubai, don't worry." Li Ji smiled and said, "If you go to Lanzhou, you will definitely have to march and fight. When we charge into the battle, is it possible that you and your father will take the lead? That won't work! So, we must You need two capable lieutenants to shoulder the important task of charging into battle. The Xue brothers are a pair of strong generals, but you and your son will definitely not be able to use them well when they reach the front line. Do you know that this may be fatal? "
Qin Mubai nodded and said: "But, I really don't have a suitable candidate! He must be a strong general, but also someone we can punish at will. Such a person... There really is no such person!"
"Why not?" Li Ji smiled mysteriously, "Aren't there several over at Prince Wu's Mansion?"
"Ah?" Qin Mubai immediately shook his head after hearing this, "They are the people of King Wu!"
"That's also someone from the imperial court!" Li Ji said lightly.
When Qin Mubai heard this, he couldn't help but feel a little alarmed - what did Li Ji mean by this? Does he want me to poach people from King Wu? This kind of thing has always been the most unkind and hateful thing. With Li Ji's smooth personality and deep insight into world affairs, how could he encourage me to do such a stupid thing
After thinking about it, Qin Mubai thought that after returning to Beijing this time, he and Li Ke had coincidentally thought about keeping a distance from each other and drawing a clear line. Li Ke also became more and more low-key, huddled in the house all day without leaving the house, and even refused to host the engagement ceremony for Qin Mubai and Gao Yang, openly showing that there was a conflict between the two.
Thinking of this, Qin Mubai probably understood: This is probably what Li Ke meant!
Now that he is an idle prince who has returned to the capital, what else can he do to keep so many generals and soldiers in the palace? Once these people become idle, they may be poached at some point. After all, if the imperial court wanted to recruit people to serve under King Wu, it was just a matter of words. There are countless people in the court who want to chop Li Ke into a bare tree.
Instead of waiting for people to poach them and break their wings, it is better to give up on sending these people out - giving them to Qin Mubai is of course the most cost-effective!
Moreover, the emperor may also intend to reduce the talent around Li Ke. After all, he is a small concubine prince, and his subordinates are powerful and powerful. They have Xue Rengui, Yu Wen Hongtai, Yin Yang and others. Wherever they are, they are all first-class talents. Now they are all in Wu The palace. Not to mention that the King of Wei, the Crown Prince and others were worried, Li Shimin would also find it dazzling if he saw it too much!
"When Uncle Shi said this, I really remembered it." Qin Mubai didn't point it out and said with a smile, "I recommended two of the three fierce generals in Prince Wu's palace. They are Xue Rengui and Yuwen Hongtai. . If these two people are transferred to Zuowei Weiyi's command, I will be able to punish them with ease."
"Then let them do it!" Li Ji didn't say much, and actually made the decision directly.
It seems that this is already tacitly understood, and there is a tacit understanding.
"In addition, those Baiqi who followed you to Xiangzhou in the past have also been transferred back, and have returned to the Baiqi camp a few days ago." Li Ji said, "Your Majesty means that these people follow you to travel north and south, and the friendship is incredible. When we arrive at the border and enter the battlefield, what we need is the care of our brothers. Your Majesty said that you are his precious son-in-law. These hundreds of knights will still be assigned to you, serving as the rank, middle marquis, and division commander of Yi Mansion. Ge and other military attachés will work with you to control the Chinese army."
"Okay!" This made Qin Mubai a little overjoyed. Those thirty brothers were all the most considerate people. With them by their side, he felt more confident.
"But Pang Fei didn't come back." Li Ji said, "He will take over the position you left as the captain of Xiangzhou and continue to stay there. The young man is good and very energetic. He grew up from an ordinary pawn. As a unique captain, Mu Bai, I didn’t expect you to be very discerning and well trained!”
"Haha! Uncle Shi made fun of you!" Qin Mubai felt very happy. This kid Pang Fei is really mature now.
"That's pretty much it. That's it." Li Ji was always straightforward. After finishing speaking, he folded the list and put it in his arms, then stood up and said, "I'm leaving, no need to see me off. You have already made preparations, you will be leaving Beijing soon."
"Thank you, Uncle Shi!" Qin Mubai still sent him all the way out of the house.
Li Ji got on his horse and left.
Qin Mubai paced the courtyard, thinking to himself: Compared with the Dudu's Mansion in Lanzhou, Xiangzhou is really just a table of house drinks. Go there and face real wars and real enemies. Whether externally or internally, the situation will become more complex. Moreover, it is also responsible for the military and national plans of the Tang Dynasty, which can also be said to be a thousand-year plan related to the entire Chinese territory!
Well, a new challenge is here again!