Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 451 Awarding a Brocade Robe and Bestowing Imperial Wine!
Outside Chunming Gate, a large crowd of people had already gathered. After receiving the news, they spontaneously came to the city gate to welcome the guests.

Besides the common people, many princes and nobles also came to greet them. They all stood on the city wall, mostly young people.

Li Yong and Li Lian stood side by side on the city wall to watch the excitement, but Li Xiao was nowhere to be seen.

It turns out that everyone in the Flying Feather Class has been released, and Zhou Boyu has been exiled to Falcon State.

Prince Ji, Li Shen, has been back in the capital for several days, but the emperor has not yet brought up the matter of marriage.

Li Xiao thought that Empress Wu had played a role in the marriage, and that the marriage had been cancelled. He specially invited Li Lian to a banquet to express his gratitude.

He originally wanted to take the opportunity to ask Emperor Li Zhi for permission to marry Xu Ling, but Consort Zheng felt that asking for permission now would be too abrupt.

She devised a plan for her son: Liu Chong'ai would adopt Xu Ling as her goddaughter, allowing Xu Ling to live in the palace, learn etiquette, and at the same time become familiar to Emperor Gaozong (Li Zhi).

The chances of success are greater if we wait until the time is right and then ask Li Zhi for permission.

Li Xiao thought it made sense, so he agreed.

Liu Chong'ai was a gentle person. Her son Li Zhong was not around. When she heard Zheng Cairen plead for her, she took Xu Ling as her goddaughter.

Xu Ling has now moved to Chengxiang Palace, and for this reason, Li Xiao goes to the palace to pay his respects every day.

Li Yong originally wanted to invite him to come and see the excitement, but when they went to Prince Xu's mansion, they found no one there.

At this moment, the victorious army could be seen in the distance, crossing the Chan River and heading towards the city gate.

Li Ji, Yuchi Gong, and Cheng Zhijie led the way, followed by Xue Rengui, Zheng Rentai, Qibi Heli, Li Yuanfang, and others.

When the group arrived at the city gate, they suddenly saw several fast horses galloping out from inside the gate. It turned out to be a group of eunuchs, and the leader was none other than Wang Fusheng.

Before the horse could stop, Wang Fusheng reached out and pressed down on the saddle, dismounting with a clean and swift motion, drawing admiration from the surrounding crowd.

"Wow, I didn't expect Supervisor Wang to be such a skilled horseman!" Li Lian exclaimed in surprise.

Li Yong laughed and said, "What's so strange about that? I once heard General Xue say that Supervisor Wang is quite skilled in martial arts. If he were to go to the battlefield, he would be a fierce general!"

Li Lian clicked his tongue in amazement.

Wang Fusheng represented Li Zhi. When the generals saw him, they all dismounted and bowed in greeting.

Wang Fusheng did not return the greeting, but stood ramrod straight and said loudly, "By imperial decree, all of you generals have fought valiantly and made great contributions. I am very pleased and hereby bestow upon you a brocade robe and a cup of imperial wine. Tonight, a banquet will be held in Chengqing Hall, and I will personally welcome you all!"

All the generals knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Your subjects thank you for your grace!"

A line of eunuchs filed out of the city gates, and all the generals and deputy generals who went to war were given a red brocade robe and a cup of imperial wine.

After delivering the imperial decree, Wang Fusheng rode away without exchanging many pleasantries.

The generals entered the city and returned to their residences to rest. As for the Goguryeo prisoners, surrendered generals, and spoils of war they brought, the officials of the Ministry of Rites received them.

After Li Yuanfang entered the city, he parted ways with Xue Rengui and was about to go to Dali Temple to say hello to Di Renjie when he heard shouts coming from the street.

Turning his head, he saw that it was Di Renjie who had called him.

"Minister Di, why have you come in person?" Li Yuanfang led his horse over, his face full of surprise.

Di Renjie, leading a horse, laughed and said, "My dear friend has returned victorious from the battlefield, so of course I have to come and welcome you personally. I was originally planning to invite you to Qingfeng Tower for a welcome banquet, but since the Emperor himself is hosting the banquet, I will not compete with the Emperor."

Li Yuanfang hurriedly said, "No, no, no, it's rare for you to treat me like this, we can't just let it go like this, we can reschedule the dinner for tomorrow!"

Di Renjie laughed and said, "Alright, tomorrow it is."

The city gate was too noisy, so the two of them led their horses and talked as they walked.

Di Renjie asked him about his campaign in Goguryeo. After listening, he nodded and said, "Just as I guessed."

Li Yuanfang was stunned and asked, "What?"

Di Renjie glanced at him and said, "I have some bad news for you, but don't be discouraged."

Li Yuanfang's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "What news?"

Di Renjie said slowly, "This war against Goguryeo made many people famous overnight. Leaving aside the veteran generals, among the young generals, the most discussed are Zhao Chiman, Wei Daijia, Jiang Ke, Gao Kan, and so on. It's just a pity that very few people mention you."

Li Yuanfang said with a wry smile, "That's normal. I'm not as good as them anyway."

Di Renjie shook his head and said, "No, judging from your achievements in those battles just now, your achievements are at least greater than Wei Daijia's, but your reputation is far inferior to his."

Li Yuanfang laughed and said, "Minister Di, you flatter me. I just followed General Xue and picked up a few credits."

Di Renjie glanced at him and said, "If that's how you see it, then I have nothing to worry about. Let's not bring this up again."

Li Yuanfang hurriedly said, "No, I was just saying. What is the reason why my reputation is not well-known?"

Di Renjie said slowly, "Overall, you were implicated by General Xue."

Li Yuanfang exclaimed in surprise, "How could this be?"

Di Renjie said, "What I mean is that General Xue's reputation is too great and his brilliance too dazzling, thus overshadowing everyone around him."

Li Yuanfang shook his head and smiled, "It was only because General Xue recommended me that I was able to participate in this battle. If that's the case, then there's nothing more to say."

Di Renjie said no more, only patted him on the shoulder.

Li Yuanfang went home, took a bath, changed his clothes, and set off for the palace in the middle of the day to attend a banquet at Chengqing Hall.

Since this palace banquet was attended by military officers, there were no formalities, and everyone drank and ate to their hearts' content, making it even more lively than usual.

After several rounds of drinks, Li Zhi personally descended the steps and toasted the generals.

He first approached Li Ji, raised his cup to him, and said, "Lord Li, I have not failed you, and you have not disappointed me. I toast you!"

Upon hearing this, Li Ji recalled his promise to Li Zhi, and tears welled up in his eyes. He raised his cup and said, "This old minister thanks Your Majesty for your trust, which allows me to lead troops on the battlefield again in my twilight years and achieve this great feat."

Li Zhi smiled and said, "You were able to achieve this result because of your own efforts, but of course, it also depended on the concerted efforts and bloody battles of all the generals."

He took a step forward and came to Xue Rengui, raising his cup and saying, "Minister Xue will never disappoint me." Xue Rengui raised his cup and said, "Your Majesty flatters me. The veteran generals performed even better in this battle. I dare not take credit for it."

After Li Zhi and Xue Rengui drank a cup together, Li Zhi turned his gaze to Qibi Heli, who was sitting next to Xue Rengui.

"General Qibi's capture of Anshi City greatly boosted our army's morale and deserves the greatest credit. By the way, where is General Cheng?"

Qibi Heli said, "Your Majesty, Brother Cheng was seriously injured in the battle of Anshi City and was arranged by Lord Li to recuperate in Yingzhou. He has already returned to Chang'an ahead of schedule. He has been unwell these past few days and therefore was unable to attend the banquet."

Li Zhi nodded and instructed, "Fu Sheng, after the banquet, arrange for an imperial physician to go to the Cheng residence to examine General Cheng."

Wang Fusheng agreed.

Li Zhi then walked over to the table where Yuchi Gong and Cheng Zhijie were sitting, raised his cup and said, "My two dear ministers, you were both calm and composed and strictly followed the battle plan. You deserve much credit for this victory!"

Yuchi Gong, who had drunk quite a bit of wine, was flushed and laughed, "His Majesty is willing to send these two old fellows to the battlefield again. Even if we can't make great contributions for His Majesty, at least we can't hold him back, right?"

Cheng Zhijie smiled and said, "The Southern Route Army's smooth advance is also largely due to General Jiang Ke's cooperation."

When they were at the Xiongjin Governor's Office, the two of them took advantage of Jiang Ke quite a bit, and they were well aware of it.

At their age, achievements are no longer important; what they value more is leaving a mark on history.

In the future, when history books record the Tang Dynasty's conquest of Goguryeo, their names will suffice.

As for the credit, it can be given to the younger generation.

Jiang Ke and Gao Kan were both left to garrison Goguryeo, Zhao Chiman was transferred to Junju, and among the remaining generals, only Zheng Rentai remained.

As soon as Li Zhi arrived at Zheng Rentai's desk, Zheng Rentai knelt on the ground, kowtowed, and said, "This old minister is guilty, please punish me, Your Majesty."

Li Zhi helped him up and said gently, "Minister Wei has already told me everything. Although the old general was tricked, he was able to remain calm in the face of danger and successfully break through the encirclement. I think he can make up for his crime with his merits."

Zheng Rentai said, "This old minister thanks Your Majesty!"

After Li Zhi toasted everyone, the ministers toasted him again. Then, the generals let loose and began to dance in the hall, expressing their joy to the fullest!
When Li Zhi held a banquet in the palace to celebrate the generals, the Governor's Office of Junzhou also held a banquet to welcome Zhao Chiman.

This welcoming banquet was attended not only by officials from the Governor's Office, but also by the four chieftains of the Falcon Tribe.

These four men were the four largest chieftains in the southern part of the Falcon Prefecture, and served as governors of Fengzhou, Feizhou, Rizhou, and Yuzhou.

When Japan occupied Kyushu, these four people also held sway over the south. Later, when the Tang Dynasty occupied Kyushu, they continued to hold sway over the south.

Moreover, they discovered that the Tang Dynasty was not as powerful as they had imagined, because Tang officials treated them with great respect.

In their view, when others respect them, it means that they are either afraid of them or need something from them.

If the Tang Dynasty were truly as powerful as rumored, they should frequently beat and abuse them, and exploit them.

If that were the case, they might obediently submit, but the actual situation is quite the opposite, so how can it not raise suspicion?

After the Tang Dynasty destroyed Goguryeo, they originally thought that the Tang people would change their attitude towards them.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Chiman hurriedly returned to Junzhou, and Liu Renyuan even specially invited them to Zhao Chiman's welcoming banquet.

What does this mean?
This shows that although the Tang Dynasty conquered Goguryeo, it was not as easy a victory as they claimed.

The truth is, both the Tang Dynasty and Goguryeo suffered heavy losses in the process!
This is why the Tang people were worried about a counterattack from the Japanese, which is why Zhao Chiman hurriedly returned to appease the Hayato tribe in order to deal with the Japanese.

The more friendly the Tang people were, the weaker they appeared. Therefore, the four of them secretly began to exchange pleasantries with the Japanese.

The Nine Provinces originally belonged to them and should be ruled by them. Wouldn't it be better to take back the Nine Provinces while the Tang people are weak?
The governor of Rishu was named Hyuga Yoshio, and he was a womanizer.

He had long heard that Zhao Chiman's wife was extremely beautiful and skilled in dancing, and he was already secretly thinking that once he conquered the Nine Provinces, he would take Zhao Chiman's woman.

In his drunken state, he couldn't help but reveal his true feelings, saying loudly, "General Zhao, I've heard that your wife is skilled at dancing. How about she performs a song for everyone to liven things up?"

With a "bang," Zhao Chiman threw the wine glass in his hand, hitting him on the head.

Yoshio Hyuga's head was immediately smashed open. He reached up and touched it, finding his hand covered in blood. In an instant, he sobered up and looked up to see Zhao Chiman staring at him coldly.

Yoshio Hyuga was stunned by the blow and didn't dare to make a sound for a moment.

The other three chieftains, however, stood up and glared at Zhao Chiman.

"General Zhao, what do you mean by this?"

"Brother Hyuga was just joking with you. If you don't want to accept it, fine, but why did you have to hit me?"

"Is this how you treat us Hayato? Is this what you meant by wanting to live in harmony with us?"

Zhao Chiman remained silent, then with a clang, drew his sword, his face filled with murderous intent!
The four chieftains were taken aback and quickly huddled together, looking at Liu Renyuan.

Liu Renyuan raised his hand and said, "Brother Zhao, calm down. After all, they are governors of the Tang Dynasty!"

Zhao Chiman snorted coldly, sheathed his sword, and said coldly, "Governor Liu, farewell." He strode away.

Seeing him back down, the four chieftains became even more arrogant.

Yoshio Hyuga slammed his fist on the table and shouted, "Governor Liu, you owe me an explanation!"

Liu Renyuan was already short-tempered, and asking him to hold Zhao Chiman back was already asking too much of him. Now that he saw these Hayatos taking advantage of his kindness, he flew into a rage.

"You dog-like, rat-like, and foolish servants! If it weren't for Protector Liu's instructions, I would have chopped you all up for Brother Zhao just now! Now get out of here!"

The four were taken aback and frightened when they saw his attitude change so drastically.

They looked at each other for a while, then slunk away.

After leaving the governor's mansion, the four men, along with their subordinates, did not go to their lodgings but returned to their respective tribes, all of them extremely angry.

They were initially hesitant about whether to help the Japanese fight against the Tang people.

There's no need to think about it now. When the Tang people and the Japanese start fighting, we'll launch a surprise attack on the Shunzhou Governor's Office!
(End of this chapter)