The Decree of Emperor Li Si (Part 2)

  When mentioning Huo Qubing at ordinary times, people would feel a sense of sigh and some regret; but now that he is mentioned, it can't help but make the officials feel unexpected.

  What kind of person Li Jing is and what kind of situation he is in, they understand that to get such an evaluation from Li Jing means it's true, and Li Jing absolutely dare not deceive Emperor Taizong.

  Who is Huo Qubing? Although his life was only 24 years old, and his military history was only six years old, he went to the battlefield at the age of 18 and died of illness at the age of 24. However, in these six years, he created a miracle that China had not achieved in five thousand years. His active six years were exactly when the Great Han Empire thoroughly defeated the Xiongnu. Huo Qubing rose from a small general to the high position of General of Chariots and Cavalry in just a few years.

  What shocked the officials even more was not only these, but also what Huo Qubing represented. It was not just his military achievements and victories, but most importantly, Huo Qubing's ruthlessness! In Chang'an, he was notorious for being a troublemaker, a spoiled son of a noble family who repeatedly committed wrongdoings without changing his ways, harming countless common people, high-ranking officials, or even members of the imperial family. Emperor Wu of Han sent him to the grasslands with Wei Qing to wreak havoc on the Xiongnu in order to protect him from getting into more trouble.

  It turned out that Emperor Wu of Han's decision was extremely wise. Huo Qubing brought more harm to the Xiongnu than to the Great Han, and he was truly a god of death! Every time he attacked the grassland tribes, it was a bloody massacre with corpses piling up like mountains and not a blade of grass left standing on the ground they passed through. The Xiongnu were forced to sing a sad song: "I have lost my beauty, making my women lose their color." Huo Qubing was an anomaly in the era of the heavenly dynasty. Thinking back to everything Su Ning did, it really is similar!

  Same youth, same talent, same ruthless decisiveness, same ruthlessness towards the alien tribe! In order to wipe out the 30,000 Turkic soldiers, set fire to Yinshan, how ruthless is that!

  However, Huo Qubing achieved great merits but died early, and his son also died at the age of ten or more. The Marquis of冠军侯 was abolished, and since then no one has been able to become the Marquis of 冠军侯; therefore, some people say that Huo Qubing's killings were too numerous and he suffered retribution, but no one held a negative attitude towards Huo Qubing. Of course, this is inseparable from Emperor Wu of Han's favoritism towards Huo Qubing. Huo Qubing and Emperor Wu of Han were very good friends, and even when Emperor Wu of Han handled state affairs, Huo Qubing would point fingers and draw pictures beside him. Emperor Wu of Han did not think it was bad, but rather was delighted.

  The Xiongnu have not been eliminated, how can we have a household?

  Will Suning become the second Huo Yuhao before he turns twenty?

  All the ministers couldn't help but feel a chill, not just because of the military affairs, but also because they were afraid that Su Ning and Huo Qubing had similar personalities, which was a disaster! Zhangsun Wuji was much wiser, he was more concerned about Su Ning himself, so he asked: "What did General Li mean by his words? Why did he say that using Huo's cavalry to describe Su Ning is both suitable and not suitable?"

  Emperor Li II first frowned, then suddenly laughed, causing the officials to be puzzled. Later, Emperor Li II shook his head and laughed: "After breaking through Dingxiang, the Imperial Physician was going to discuss merits and rewards, appointing Su Ning as a Colonel, leading 300 soldiers to fight on the battlefield. This is also considered a promotion beyond the normal ranks. The Imperial Physician had planned to promote and cultivate Su Ning properly. Do you know how Su Ning replied?"

  The ministers were puzzled and shook their heads. Emperor Li II smiled and said, "Su Ning clearly stated that he did not want to command troops and go to war, but only wanted to do administrative work. If the Imperial Physician forced him, he would escape and would rather not be in the army than command troops. Have any of you ever seen such a person? Which military officer does not want to become a great general, commanding a large army to fight on the battlefield? But why is Su Ning unwilling? This time, he voluntarily requested to be the deputy vanguard, because the vanguard Su Lie was his cousin, and also because the opponent was the Turks.

  Chang Sun Wuji asked: "Your Majesty, has Su Ning's identity been investigated?"

  The Emperor nodded and said, "Yes, it's clear that the Su family of Wuyang, Hebei Province is the eldest son of Su Lie's second uncle. When he was young, due to the Turkic people's attack on Wuyang, he got separated from his parents and was luckily rescued by his teacher. This matter has records and is true. What Su Lie said matches what Su Ning said, and with their extremely similar appearances, there won't be any mistake. It seems that Su Ning hates the Turkic people so much and doesn't mind burning down Yingshan to defeat them because he knows about his own life story and wants to avenge his relatives and hometown."

  The various ministers nodded in agreement, such hatred was indeed worth Su Ning doing so. However, this kid really did benefit from the disaster. It seems that Your Majesty has a good impression of him. The Great Tang Dynasty is surrounded by foreign tribes and is full of crises, it needs a general like Huo Qubing who can bring calamity to the enemy. Su Ning seems to be very suitable for this role, but why doesn't he want to command troops?

  Chang Sun Wuji was unwilling to guess, he knew that as long as Emperor Li II was willing, Su Ning had no room for choice. So he continued to ask: "May I ask Your Majesty, how do you plan to reward Su Ning?"

  Changsun Wuji had known Li Shimin since he was young, and his own sister was even the empress of Li Shimin. The feelings between them were deep, so Changsun Wuji and Li Shimin could be said to have a very close relationship. How could this super emperor not understand the little thoughts in Changsun Wuji's heart?

  Chong'er that little guy achieved meritorious service, how could Wuji not be delighted?

  Is it not also for his own son's reward?

  Chong'er is the eldest son and will inherit Wuji's title in the future, so it wouldn't be suitable to grant him another title. Hmm... isn't he always fond of being with Chang Le? Alright, alright, let's just arrange for Chong'er to marry Chang Le, it's a match made in heaven anyway! As for Su Lie, haha, Su Ning, you young man are so proactive, I'm not narrow-minded, Su Lie, hmm... let's grant him the title of Duke of Wuyi County. Wait and see how things develop later.

  As for Suning, no rush, no rush, he's only 14 years old, there's plenty of time to work hard, yeah!

  "Alright, the specific rewards will be drafted by the Ministry of War according to regulations and then presented to me. I just want to mention a few points: Longsun Chong has made great achievements in capturing the Princess of Yicheng, but since he is the eldest son, it's not suitable to grant him another noble title, so let's appoint him as Left Guard Commander, and arrange for Princess Changle to marry Longsun Chong."

  The ministers looked at Zhangsun Wuji with envy and jealousy as he thanked Emperor Taizong of Tang for the great joy, Princess Changle was after all the beloved daughter of Emperor Taizong of Tang, this time the Zhangsun family was glorious enough.

  Li Er bowed his head and continued: "The commander of the Kuangdao Prefecture, Su Lie, is brave and powerful, with a bold and unmatched spirit. He captured the former Sui dynasty's Xiao Hou, a great achievement indeed! I hereby appoint him as the Left Wuwei Middle Lang General, and grant him the title of Duke of Wuyi County, with a real fiefdom of 300 households." The position of Left Wuwei Middle Lang General was only a mid-level military officer, and Su Dingfang was already over 30 years old, not young anymore. It was still worth it, but the fact that he was granted the title of Duke of Wuyi County with a real fiefdom of 300 households showed that His Majesty highly valued him, or rather, loved the house and its crow. These ministers were all clever people, how could they not understand this?

  So for this war's true first achievement, Su Ning, how will Emperor Li reward him?

  "For the time being, that's all. The Ministry of War will carefully draft it. This is indeed the greatest victory since the founding of the Great Tang Dynasty. We must not miss anything, otherwise, we will not be lenient!" Li Er said with a heavier tone, and the ministers responded in agreement. However, they immediately reflected on why Su Ning was not mentioned by Li Er? He was the one who made the real contribution! Why didn't he mention him?

  "Your Majesty, what about Su Ning? How will he be rewarded?" asked Zhangsun Wuji.

  Li Er hesitated for a moment, as if he had just reacted: "Oh, I almost forgot, Su Ning's matter doesn't need to be handled by the Ministry of War. I have my own decision. Let's arrange it when we meet with the meritorious generals later. Alright, dismissed."

  The ministers were somewhat stunned, and Li Er said, "Your Majesty, what are you going to do?"

  Emperor Li II arrived at the palace of Empress Changsun with an enigmatic smile. In recent years, the Tang Dynasty had been facing difficulties, and except for his father, Emperor Gaozu of Tang, who was still living a life of luxury after being forced to abdicate, all other members of the imperial family, including the emperor himself, were living frugally. Empress Changsun, who prided herself as a virtuous empress, set an example by practicing thriftiness, and as the emperor's principal wife, she naturally followed suit, thus starting a trend of frugality...

  So the imperial harem, which used to be so magnificent, has become as shabby as this. Empress Changsun is even dressed in the attire of a woman from an ordinary poor household, with her skirt and shoes barely covering her feet. A woman's feet have always been considered a private and important area since ancient times, not even her husband can play with them, let alone see them, even if she is wearing shoes, they must be well protected, for example, the skirt should cover her feet, this is etiquette, the royal family should follow it even more, but the country is poor, the royal family cannot be extravagant, this is what Emperor Li said himself.

  So the husband sings and the wife follows, Empress Changsun was frugal in her expenditure, often saving a lot of money to help Emperor Gaozong in times of need. Therefore, when Emperor Gaozong saw that Empress Changsun wore such simple clothes that even her feet were not fully covered, and she still made clothes for him herself, he really felt ashamed in his heart. After becoming the emperor, he was not as good as when he was the King of Qin, and he had to make his own woman suffer for himself.

  He walked up and took Longsun Empress's somewhat rough hand in his, saying gently, "You've had a hard time."

  Empress Changsun was concentrating on making clothes, and Emperor Taizong also didn't alert the palace staff. It wasn't until Emperor Taizong's large hand grasped Empress Changsun's that she realized he had been standing in front of her all along, gazing at her with gentle eyes. And then there were those words... In that instant, Empress Changsun felt that everything she had done was worth it.

  Young couple, affectionate for decades, such feelings are rare in the imperial family. Although it is necessary to marry many women due to the need for offspring and to comfort meritorious officials, this is also an unavoidable thing for emperors. There are exceptions, but they can be counted on one's fingers. Emperor Li II, in a sense, was the founding emperor, making it even harder to avoid. Women are naturally jealous, especially women of this era. Empress Longsun claims to be a virtuous empress, pretending to be magnanimous, but her heart is bitter.

  The deeper the love, the less room there is for a third person to intervene.

  In such a situation, he still guaranteed her stability and never asked for anything more. This is the place where Emperor Taizong of Tang loved Empress Changsun the most. Therefore, after Empress Changsun's death, Emperor Taizong was heartbroken and never established another empress for the rest of his life, to show that Empress Changsun had an irreplaceable position in his heart. It can be said that among so many women, Emperor Taizong truly loved and treated with all his heart only one person, Empress Changsun.

  Empress Changsun was immediately defeated by this sentence. The palace staff looked at everything in front of them with some envy. Emperor Li's personal eunuch had a keen eye and quietly summoned all the palace staff to leave, closing the palace door and leaving the space for the couple. With no one around, Empress Changsun didn't need to pretend anymore, throwing herself into Emperor Li's arms, enjoying the rare warmth, and only at this time could she feel that Emperor Li belonged to her alone.

  "Guanyin, I owe you an apology. All these years, I've let you suffer so much for me, endure so many hardships and injustices. I'm deeply sorry to you." Li Er tightly hugged Empress Changsun, with the same passion as on their wedding night.

  The Empress Dowager Longsun appears strong on the outside, but is weak at heart. These years have also been spent in fear, forcing herself to be brave and strong. How many tears have flowed in countless sleepless nights? But in front of people, she is absolutely the elegant and noble Tang Dynasty empress...

  "For Erlang, these things are nothing. Erlang is the ruler of a country, and I should do so for him. Just now, what was the reason for that huge explosion sound in Chang'an City?" Snuggled in Li Erlang's arms, Empress Longsun felt extremely at ease, wiping away her tears to ask this way. She had just been really frightened, but as usual in the palace, she didn't do anything else. Her years of experience told her how important it was for those in power to remain calm and composed in front of their subordinates.

  Li Er laughed and said: "That's a joyful event, without a joyful event, how would the common people set off firecrackers? Haha, Guanyin, we won, we won beautifully! Congli was captured, Princess Yicheng was beheaded, and more than 50,000 aristocratic officials, over 10 million cattle and sheep were all captured by me. Guanyin, it's all gone! Haha!"

  Empress Changsun looked at Emperor Taizong of Tang in disbelief, seeing the joy on his face and his open mouth, as if she didn't believe him: "Second Brother, don't deceive me, I...I can bear it..."

  Emperor Taizong of Tang couldn't help but smile, and took out the letter from Li Jing: "You don't believe me, but you should at least believe Li Jing's words, right?" Empress Changsun snatched the letter away, quickly scanned it, and was even more shocked: "Su Ning set fire to Yin Mountain, and five hundred iron cavalry defeated thirty thousand Turkic soldiers?! Your Majesty, are you sure you're not mistaken?!"

  Li Er said: "I was also surprised when I first found out, but this is the truth. The crime of falsely claiming military merit in the Great Tang Dynasty is something you should understand too. The medicine master wouldn't deceive me like that, so this is credible. It's really true that Su Ning that kid achieved military merit, and Xie Li was caught by him personally. This kid's decisiveness in killing also surprised me. Do you know how he treated the prisoners?"

  The Empress Dowager Longsun asked tentatively: "He wouldn't have killed him, would he? That would be terrible!"

  Li Er shook his head: "It's much more ruthless than killing prisoners! When Li Jing's army arrived, the battle was already over. Su Ning had only a few hundred men to guard all the Turkic prisoners, which was unbelievable. However, when the Turks refused to kneel down after seeing the arrival of the main force, he kicked Ashina Helu to the ground and stepped on his head. He also beheaded Ashina Helu's uncle with one sword and shouted that anyone who didn't kneel would be executed along with ten others. This kid is heartless!"

  Five hundred men can hold down so many tens of thousands, it's also conceivable that he thoroughly humiliated the Kui Li, the Kui Li is the soul of the Turks, without a soul, do the Turks still have hope? Such an ethnic annihilation strategy, only he could think of it. Now I feel that Su Ning's abilities far exceed what we know, saying he is Huo Qubing is underestimating him, what did his teacher teach him?!

  Looking at Emperor Li's emotional state, Empress Longsun asked with some concern: "Then, Your Majesty, how do you plan to deal with Su Ning?"

  Li Er lowered his head in thought for a moment before saying, "This time he has achieved the first merit, and I must reward him. I will promote his title by one rank, making him the Count of San Yuan County. He is still young, and there are many opportunities for him to achieve more merits. In fact, this achievement alone would be enough for him to be enfeoffed as a marquis, but what should we do after he has been enfeoffed? Give him double the amount of fief, 300 households, as an extra reward. As for his official position, Guanyin, I have an idea that I mentioned to you before, I don't know if it aligns with your thoughts."

  Empress Changsun said: "Is Erlang saying let Su Ning enter the palace and read?"

  Li Er nodded and said, "Yes, this young man is only fourteen years old. It's too early for him to be an official at this time. He is so decisive in his killings, very mature. I'm also worried that if he continues like this, some uncontrollable things will happen. However, I really want to make good use of him. Young and without a foundation, it's the best time to control him in our hands, make him our person, can't let those families take him away. So, I plan to let him enter the palace to study."

  The Empress nodded: "I'm also very interested in this young man, and it's just right that he's still young, so I can keep an eye on him easily. This way, I won't have to worry about him doing anything out of line, and I can teach him at all times."

  Emperor Li II nodded happily and then revealed a silly smile: "The official business is done, now it's time to do some private things!" Amidst the shocked cries of Empress Changsun, Emperor Li II picked up Empress Changsun from the waist and walked into the inner chamber...