Zhenguan: I, Dou Fengjie, will not be the first cuckold.

February 8th, Liangyi Hall.

"You mean, the Zhangye River, this treacherous waterway, could potentially become a breakthrough point for the Tang Dynasty?"

Li Shimin took a sip of the Spring Brew wine, and his body seemed to be freed from its shackles, his bones cracking and popping all over.

Dou Fengjie, upon entering the Liangyi Hall for the second time, realized that Li Shimin, as a military general, was also a formidable figure.

At least, there is still a slight gap between him and me.

Tsk, I wonder how much of a gap there is between him and a general of Cheng Yaojin's caliber?

"Which of my generals do you think is suitable to break through this breach without being harmed by misleading information of dubious veracity?"

Li Shimin asked it casually.

"Logically, as a lowly official, I should not be involved in this topic."

"However, since Your Majesty has inquired, I have dared to recommend the Minister of War, Duke of Lu, Hou Junji."

The saying "one should not avoid relatives when recommending worthy people" goes without saying. There are many relatives in the court, and those who fight to the death may be relatives.

Therefore, there is another saying: those who are not relatives will not harm others.

The favor owed to Lady Dou, the Dowager Lady of Lu State, must be repaid. Hou Junji, with his ruthless nature, vicious military tactics, and cautious approach, is indeed the most suitable candidate.

Li Shimin nodded slightly. He knew Hou Junji's abilities; although he had some minor flaws, they did not detract from his overall excellence.

Dou Fengjie hesitated for a moment before adding, "I am not worried about the Duke of Lu's military prowess, but I am concerned about the distribution of the spoils."

This is not just needless worry. Hou Junji was a poor man in his early years and learned a lot of江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) habits. If he were to be swayed by his subordinates' emotions, it is not impossible that the distribution of resources would not be unbalanced.

The soldiers risked their lives, the imperial court provided money and provisions, and the spoils of war were naturally distributed according to regulations.

Li Shimin hummed in agreement: "You're quite right. Who do you think is suitable to keep him in check?"

Dou Fengjie reached out and took the teacup handed to him by the imperial messenger, took a sip of tea, and said: "I believe that having the Prince of Yue as the military supervisor will make the Duke of Lu think twice."

"Secondly, I recommend Xu Yushi, the Supervising Censor, to oversee the army."

"It should be stated beforehand that the allocation of resources shall be handled solely by the military supervisor."

The King of Yue was just a figurehead. Given Li Tai's fat appearance, it's impossible that he would be out of breath after just a few steps.

This was also a false favor; Li Tai knew the whole story, yet he still had to say thank you.

Xu Yushi's prestige soared after impeaching the Yongjia Princess's residence. Coupled with his background as a family friend of the emperor, his role as military supervisor also made Hou Junji somewhat wary.

The background is a wonderful thing.

Xu Yushi can claim that he never relied on his background to become an official, but he cannot deny that his background contributed to his success.

The practice of imperial censors supervising the army has existed since ancient times, and when necessary, they can even seize military power and lead troops into battle.

What's quite surprising is that there are actually successful examples of imperial censors leading troops.

"You're really considering his needs!"

"What? Even with the imperial decree forbidding him from retiring due to illness, you're still adhering to the precepts against wine, women, song, and dance?"

Li Shimin muttered to himself.

Dou Fengjie is a man who responds better to gentle persuasion than force. He remembers the kindness shown to him by his wife and always puts Hou Junji first.

Tsk, if only Yongjia hadn't taken a liking to him, then we could have used him freely.

"I have no way to repay the kindness of being born and raised; I can only express my sorrow with this."

Dou Fengjie answered calmly.

If something is stable and balanced, no one can find fault with it.

After all, no one can say that it's wrong to be filial.

To say that Dou Fengjie went too far doesn't seem to have reached the point of harming his health.

Compared to Dou Fengjie, Li Shimin suddenly felt that he was very unfilial.

-----------------

Longzhengfang, the residence of Dou Fengjie.

With her head full of silver hair, Lady Dou brought over some steamed rice cakes, accompanied by a much gentler Dou Fengjie. Dou happy's mouth watered at the sight of them.

"These are just ordinary snacks from Sanshui County, nephew, please don't find them offensive." Dou Niangzi's smile grew even more kind.

"Your recommendation for me to lead troops is certainly a favor, but why did you also recommend me as a military supervisor?" Hou Junji, who had just finished his search for a son-in-law, was somewhat displeased.

"What do you know? Your nephew is genuinely trying to help you, afraid you'll go astray! What, do you think you're better than the Duke of Dai?" Lady Dou slapped Hou Junji's arm hard.

Hou Junji, who was fierce to outsiders, could only obediently act as a good son at this moment.

What can I do, Mother? She's my own daughter!

Li Jing defeated the Turks, yet he was still impeached by the censor for allowing his troops to plunder. What was he anyway?

Even though Hou Junji was extremely arrogant, he had to admit that Li Jing was far superior to him in military strategy.

"Forgive my bluntness, but my fifth cousin rose to prominence in the martial arts world, yet he also suffered because of it."

"If one does not shed the habits of the martial world, the favor bestowed upon him will eventually run out."

"As for being related to His Majesty, aren't roughly half of the court officials related to him in various ways?"

Dou Fengjie spoke frankly and without reservation.

If it weren't for Lady Dou's sake, he wouldn't have bothered to save Hou Junji.

Hou Junji hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

These words rubbed salt into his wounds, and he couldn't even offer a defense.

If he gets angry, his mother is there; one slap will bring him back to his senses.

Dou Niangzi's voice was full of relief: "Since the beginning of the new year, your aunt has been dreaming about your dead uncle. He asked me to go back to Sanshui County, saying that he had even prepared a burial plot for me."

"But I'm worried! Goro is so stubborn; he never listens to anyone else's advice except mine."

"Fortunately, my nephew spoke frankly and corrected his words and actions. My aunt will be returning to Sanshui County in the next year or two!"

Hou Junji hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Lady Dou is seventy-nine years old. Even if she were to speak frankly about life and death, she would have no taboos. But what's with this act of entrusting her orphan to someone else?

Frankly speaking, it's not very realistic for Lady Dou to be buried with her deceased husband; at most, they would be buried next to each other.

After all, her deceased husband was a commoner, while she was a first-rank lady-in-waiting; their statuses were not equal.

"Returning to Sanshui County" refers to being buried in Sanshui County.

"Fifth cousin, just focus on commanding the troops. As for how to allocate them, leave that to the military supervisor. You can rest assured you won't have any worries."

Dou Fengjie drew a conclusion.

"it is good."

Hou Junji responded succinctly.

Aside from mundane matters like assigning tasks, when it comes to fighting, Hou Junji has never been afraid of anyone.

Without real ability, Hou Junji wouldn't be able to hold onto his position as Minister of War.

Hou Junji suddenly asked, "My cousin previously recommended the Prince of Yue as military supervisor. Does that mean I should maintain a good relationship with him?"

Dou Fengjie smiled and said, "Fifth cousin, you don't need to get close to any princes. Regardless of honor or disgrace, you are one of the generals relied upon by the court."

"Recommending the King of Yue was not only a pretext, but also a way to kill any thoughts the Crown Prince might have about recruiting you."

Hou Junji finally addressed Dou Fengjie as his cousin, which was a genuine recognition of Dou Fengjie.

The fact that Helan Chushi, the former Prince Qianniu, had intended to propose marriage might not have been entirely unexpected, as it was part of Li Chengqian's scheme.

For someone at the level of Duke or General, participating in the struggle for the throne would be too risky and foolish.

Lady Dou nodded in satisfaction: "My nephew has a far-sighted vision, which is far superior to that of the dull-witted Fifth Brother."

"Wulang is a rough man who only knows how to fight and kill. Nephew, you should remind him often."

Hou Junji gave an awkward laugh.

The general who could stop a child from crying at night had no temper in front of his mother and would scold her whenever he wanted.

The only problem is, the criticism won't last more than a few years.

"Then let me add one more thing: apart from the Minister of War, my fifth cousin should not take any civil service positions, and he should not even be promoted to prime minister."

Dou Fengjie uttered words that sounded like those of a charlatan.

Whether Hou Junji listens or not is up to him.