I would like to thank Ma Jia’s relatives and friends for the huge reward. I bow my head in respect.
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Li Dingguo was born in a poor peasant family in Yulin, Shaanxi Province. He is now 28 years old. It is hard to imagine that he has been fighting for 18 years in his life.
In the turbulent times of the late Ming Dynasty, Li Dingguo was adopted by Zhang Xianzhong as his son, and from then on he began to fight with Zhang Xianzhong in the north and south. He was only 10 years old that year.
Zhang Xianzhong's life was not smooth sailing after he started his rebellion. He was often in danger of losing his life at any moment. Sometimes he was reduced to only a few dozen people by the Ming army. It was a miracle in itself that a 10-year-old child could survive on such a battlefield.
He was eight feet tall, handsome, and well-mannered. He was famous for his tolerance and kindness in the brutal Dashi Army. He liked to read military strategies, and had led tens of thousands of troops into battle since he was a teenager. He was always at the forefront of the battles and was extremely brave. He was known as "Little Weichi" and "Ten Thousand Enemies", and was a wise and brave general in the Dashi Army.
Qin Mu felt it was a pity to freeze such a rare military talent.
On this day, Qin Mu specially summoned Li Dingguo and his son to Yinghua Palace. Li Dingguo's son was 6 years old. He followed behind Li Dingguo and seemed a little uneasy and curious.
"Your Highness, I, Li Dingguo, pay my respects to Your Majesty and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
"Li Qing, please excuse me. Come, please take a seat."
Qin Mu smiled as he watched the boy behind Li Dingguo follow him and his son in paying respects. He was quite likable. Qin Mu waved to him with a pleasant expression. He looked at his father nervously. Li Dingguo encouraged him in a low voice, "Your Majesty has summoned you. My son, go quickly."
Encouraged by his father, the boy took small steps to Qin Mu, knelt down and kowtowed, saying: "Greetings...Greetings to Your Majesty."
"Haha, hurry up and get up. Come on. Tell me your name."
"Your Majesty, my name is Li Sixing." Seeing that Qin Mu was amiable, he was not so afraid anymore.
It was Chinese New Year, and the children came to kowtow to receive New Year's money. Qin Mu seemed unprepared, so he took off a jade pendant and said with a smile, "Here, consider this as New Year's money from me. I wish you grow up quickly. In the future, be a good man like your father."
Li Dingguo saw it and immediately stood up and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, this is not possible. Your Majesty carries a jade with him. How can I, your son, deserve such a generous gift?"
Qin Mu waved his hand at him and said to Li Sixing with a smile: "A gift from an elder cannot be refused. Come. Take it quickly."
Li Dingguo could not say anything to stop him, as he knew that Qin Mu's move might have other meanings, but he could not guess it for the time being.
Qin Mu personally put the jade pendant on Li Sixing, and then asked him what books he had read. Li Sixing answered one by one, and recited a passage of the Three Character Classic to Qin Mu. After he finished reciting, Qin Mu praised him a few more times. Then he patted Qin Ye who was sitting next to him and said: "Ye'er, take Brother Li for a walk, you are the host. You must entertain Brother Li well, understand?"
Qin Ye was only three and a half years old, but he was very sensible after being trained by Yang Zhi. In addition, there were usually no children to play with him in the palace. He seemed very happy to see Li Sixing, who was a little older than him, and answered crisply: "Father, I want to take Brother Li to see Aunt Yun's parrot, is that okay?"
Qin Mu smiled and said, "Sure, as long as you don't leave the palace, you can go wherever you want to play today. Later, your father will have someone tell your mother that you will be given a day off today so you can play as much as you want, hahaha."
"Thank you, father. Thank you, father..." Qin Ye was overjoyed. He turned to Li Sixing and boasted to Li Sixing about how fun the parrot raised by his aunt Yun was. Then he pulled Li Sixing out of the hall. Han Zanzhou quickly followed with several eunuchs and palace maids.
Qin Mu then turned around and said to Li Dingguo with a smile: "Don't worry, Li Qing, there are palace servants watching over you, and they won't lose your precious son."
"Your Majesty, you are joking. I am just worried that my son is ignorant and has offended His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
"Little kid, it's okay to fight, hahahaha... The prince usually has no companion in the palace. I think your boy is good and smart. If Li Qing is willing, how about letting him accompany the prince to study?"
"Your Majesty, my son is too naughty. I am worried that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will be infected with his bad habits." Li Dingguo certainly knew what it meant to accompany the Crown Prince in his studies. He was afraid that all the ministers dreamed that their sons would have such an opportunity.
"Li Qing, there's no need to be so modest. How about this, let them play together for half a day. If they get along well, then it's settled."
"Your Majesty..."
Qin Mu waved his hand again and said, "There are no outsiders here today, so I'll be frank. The reorganization of the Northwest Army is indeed a routine move. Can Li Qing understand this?"
Li Dingguo quickly stood up and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, as the saying goes, all under heaven belongs to the king, and all the people are his subjects. Your Majesty wants to reorganize the Northwest troops in order to enhance their combat effectiveness. How dare I have any objection?"
When he first heard that the Ministry of War was vigorously reorganizing their subordinates, Li Dingguo was indeed uneasy. But later, Qin Mu trusted Ai Nengqi to serve as the commander-in-chief of the southern expedition, which had already released a very clear goodwill. Today, he specially summoned him and his son to come, which was a further expression of goodwill. How could Li Dingguo not know how to advance and retreat
"It's good that you think so, Li Qingru. Please stand up. What do you think about the invasion of the Yarkand Khanate by the Dzungar tribe?"
"Your Majesty, I believe that once the Dzungars annex the Yarkand Khanate, they will become a great threat to our northwest."
Qin Mu nodded with satisfaction and said, "Li Qing, what do you think is the best way for our dynasty to deal with this?"
Li Dingguo had obviously thought deeply about this matter, and he answered confidently: "Your Majesty, to defend Hexi and even to expand the Western Regions, cavalry is the key. Although our dynasty has no shortage of war horses, it will take more than a year to train good cavalry.
Therefore, I think that we should focus on the southern part of the desert and integrate the Mongolian areas as soon as possible for our use. In addition, if the southern part of the desert continues to be a loose sand, it will definitely attract the attention of the Junggar tribe. Combining these two points, I think that integrating the southern part of the desert is indeed the top priority of our dynasty. "
Qin Mu was very satisfied with Li Dingguo's opinion. If he could really integrate the Mongolians south of the desert as he said, on the one hand, he could prevent the Dzungar tribe from taking advantage of the chaos to invade the south of the desert, and on the other hand, he could use the Mongolians south of the desert as a helper.
In the original history, if there was no support from the Mongols in the south of the desert, it would be impossible for Kangxi to defeat Junggar Dan. This shows that Li Dingguo's idea is absolutely correct.
"Besides Mo Nan, what else does Li Qing have in mind?"
"Your Majesty, be careful to prevent the Khoshut and Dzungar tribes in Qinghai and Tibet from uniting together. Your Majesty has foresight and sent envoys to Xijing. But I have been thinking about this carefully these days and feel that sending envoys to show goodwill is not enough. These tribes have always been profit-seeking, and there is no guarantee that Gushri Khan will not unite with the Dzungar tribe for his own benefit."
"What good plan does Li Qing have?"
"Your Majesty, we must stir up a dispute between the Khoshut and Dzungar tribes to prevent them from uniting. Your Majesty, I suggest that you make Gushi Khan the King of the Western Regions. Perhaps that will work."
"Isn't this too obvious?" Qin Mu asked thoughtfully. Li Dingguo's intention was to use the Western Regions as bait to let the two tigers, the Khoshut and the Dzungar, fight each other.
"Your Majesty, the key lies in whether Gushri Khan is willing to accept the title bestowed by the Great Qin. If he is willing to accept, everything will be easy. If he is not willing to accept, things will not get worse for the Great Qin."
Qin Mu nodded slightly and said, "Li Qing, the situation in the northwest is changing rapidly now, and we need a general to take charge. Li Qing, please work hard for a few more years and go to Lanzhou as soon as possible. As for Xijing, I will also send a capable minister to assist Li Qing."
As soon as Qin Mu finished speaking, Li Dingguo immediately stood up and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, the situation in the northwest is unpredictable. I am ignorant and incompetent to take on this important task. I hope Your Majesty can select another good general to go to Hexi."
Qin Mu looked at him quietly for a few seconds without saying a word.
Li Dingguo lay prone on the ground, not daring to move. Hearing the thunder in silence, his heartbeat quickened rapidly. No one could guess the so-called emperor's mind. He also didn't know if Qin Mu was testing him intentionally. If he was not careful, he might lose his head.
After a while, Qin Mu said the opposite: "Li Qing doesn't trust me?"
This made Li Dingguo even more uneasy, and sweat oozed from his back: "Your Majesty, I dare not. Your Majesty has been so kind to me. I will repay you with my life. How dare I not believe Your Majesty? It's just..."
"It doesn't have to be just that. I trust you, but it depends on whether Li Qing trusts me."
"Your Majesty, I will die!"
Among the five great commanders of the Qin army, Li Dingguo and Li Guo were both from Shaanxi and had fought in the northwest for a long time. In terms of their familiarity with the northwest, Ma Yongzhen, Meng Ke, and Liu Meng could hardly match them.
Qin Mu still had doubts about Li Guo and it was impossible for him to let him return to the northwest to lead the army. The best choice at the moment was Li Dingguo.
"Please get up, Li Qing. The situation in the Northwest is not optimistic. After the Lantern Festival, you should go back to the Northwest. I will leave the safety of the Northwest to Li Qing." Qin Mu's voice became gentle, with expectation in his eyes.
Li Dingguo felt mixed emotions. If it were any other emperor, he would never let him go back to the northwest at this time. Qin Mu allowed him to go back at this time. This trust was indeed extraordinary. With tears in his eyes, he kowtowed three times and nine times solemnly: "I will report your kindness on the Golden Terrace. I will help you die with Yulong."
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ps: It's the end of the month, and I'm getting anxious seeing other people's monthly tickets soaring. Brothers and sisters, please give me monthly tickets!
.(To be continued..)
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