Chapter 551: Prosperous Times, Like First Meeting (End of the Main Text)
During these ten days, Li Yuanhui visited his brother Li Sanlang almost every day, but Li Sanlang, lying on the couch, often fainted and vomited blood.

On the second day of the second lunar month, when Li Yuanhui entered the palace again, he found that Li Sanlang was exceptionally sober.

"Third brother looks good today."

After hearing this, Li Sanlang smiled at him and said, "It should be the end of the world."

Li Si's originally smiling face suddenly became serious. He wanted to comfort him but couldn't. The words came to his lips but he couldn't say them.

It was obvious that if the person in front of him died, he could become emperor and sit on the throne, and no one could threaten him, but he still didn't want this person to die.

"Shiro, I still feel a little reluctant to see you type down the picture you drew."

"Then live a few more years, and you will see it eventually."

"I want to, but I can't help it. I have to go see my father and mother, as well as my elder brother and second brother. The Tang Dynasty is now in your hands. Go ahead, go ahead."

On February 15th of the 11th year of Zhenguan, Li Xuanqing died in Taiji Hall. Before his death, he said, "The country depends on an old ruler," and passed the throne to Prince of Qi Li Yuanhui.

Li Yuanhui succeeded to the throne in front of the coffin and appointed Sima Xiuye ​​as the envoy to the mountain and mausoleum to preside over Li Xuanqing's funeral.

He ordered his ministers to discuss Li Xuanqing's posthumous title and temple name, but in the end he made a dictatorial decision and gave his brother the temple name "Chengzu" and the posthumous title "Gaowu", and buried him in "Yanling".

In March, the king's wife, Murong, was made empress, the concubine, Zhang, was made noble concubine, the wife, Duan, was made concubine, the eldest son, Li Chengping, was made king of Qi, the second son, Li Chengdao, was made king of Dai, Sizong's son, Changgong, was made king of Xu, Yanzong, was made king of Han, and Taizong's son, Li Ke, was made king of Yue.

Han Quan was appointed as the General of the Left Thousand Oxen Guard, Wang Fobao as the General of the Right Thousand Oxen Guard, Duan Wuda as the General of the Left Guard, and Yuchi Jingde as the General of the Right Guard. The four of them were in charge of the palace guards.

Afterwards, he conferred titles on many officials, including Pei Hongde as Grand Tutor, Sima Xiuye ​​as Grand Protector, Yang Sui as Grand Tutor, Pei Ji as Minister of Works, Wen Daya as Minister of Education, and Yuwen Chengye as Grand Commandant.

A group of old ministers who had served as prime ministers since the Wude period or had already resigned as prime ministers were promoted to "Three Masters" and "Three Dukes". These people thus entered the state of honor and cultivation.

However, two of the prime ministers who were originally in office were retained. One was his uncle Dou Mao, who was promoted from the Minister of the Central Secretariat to the Minister of the Chancellery, and the other was the Right Minister of the Chancellery Du Keming.

Guo Shoucun, the chief secretary of the Tiance Palace, was appointed as the Minister of the Central Secretariat, Dugu Ying, the left servant of the Xingtai, was appointed as the Shizhong, and Li Baishi, the governor of Sizhou, was appointed as the left servant of the Shangshu.

Li Qinglian was the Minister of War and co-director of the Secretariat, Fang Qiao was the Minister of Personnel and co-director of the Secretariat, and Yao Yi was the Minister of Revenue and co-director of the Secretariat.

In addition to his own confidants, Fang Qiao, an old minister of Emperor Taizong, and Yao Yi, an old minister of Emperor Chengzu, were also promoted to prime ministers. This was also a statement that the new dynasty was willing to accept the old ministers of Emperor Taizong and Emperor Chengzu, and that there was still a place for them.

In April, the empress, concubines, princes and some officials from Luoyang arrived in Chang'an. Also arriving in Chang'an were General Zhu Deyu of the Right Guard, General Zhang Jian of the Left Guard and elite soldiers of the Left and Right Guards.

As for the Tian Ce troops and the Qi Wang guards, they had already been stationed in the palace before the late emperor passed away.

In Chang'an, the guards of Guanzhong Prefecture were still in Hebei, but the armies of the former Luoyang Prefecture had become the majority of the troops in the city.

In August, Murong Wuji was promoted to Minister of Punishment, and he ordered that all death sentences must be reviewed three times before being executed in order to avoid wrongful imprisonment.

In October, the prefectures and counties throughout the country were redelineated.

During the Wei Dynasty, a lot of prefectures and counties had actually been added. But after Murong Xianbei established the Yan Dynasty, because he admired the might of the Han Dynasty, he restored the geographical divisions of the world to the Han Dynasty.

After the founding of the Tang Dynasty, in order to prevent the local areas from becoming too big, many large states and counties were divided. For example, Jingzhou was divided into three, Yanzhou and Yuzhou were divided into two, and Yangzhou was divided into three.

However, the newly conquered Hebei and Hedong, Bingzhou, Youzhou and Jizhou were still too large and needed to be further divided.

Although some states were not as big as a province in later times, there was still a huge gap between the administrative system and governance level of this era and those of later times. Therefore, the three-level administrative system should still be maintained, but the geographical units should be demarcated according to the current specific conditions.

Li Chunfeng was appointed as the Imperial Observatory, Yu Zhining as the Minister of Taichang Temple, Zhao Jiong as the Minister of Honglu Temple, Dou Xianjun as the Minister of Taichang Temple, Zheng Shandao as the Minister of Dali Temple, and Dou Fengjie as the Minister of Weiwei.

In November, the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Astronomical Observatory selected and submitted a new year name, and agreed to name it "Xingming".

As for this reign title, Li Yuanhui subconsciously wanted to change it at first, but when he thought carefully about the Jianghuai warriors under his command, it seemed that this was an explanation from God to them?

That's it. Xingming is Xingming.

The first year of Xingming, a new year and a new atmosphere.

Li Yuanhui appointed Chang Yanheng as the General of the Northern Expedition and the Chief Commander of the Lulong Road Army, and Li Chengdao and Zhang Zhen'e as Deputy Chief Commanders, to lead 30,000 cavalrymen to the northern expedition against the Turks. Former Northern Han generals Su Dingbian, Xue Andu, and Yang Kan all accompanied him.

The army crossed the Yanshan Mountains, won a series of battles along the way, chased the main force of the Turks to the Sanggan River, and defeated them. They captured dozens of Turkic Teqin and Yehu, as well as Hulu Jin and his son and other Northern Han ministers.

However, the Turkic Tuli Khan and the Northern Han Emperor Liu Chengyou escaped again under the protection of the Fuli warriors and the Baibao Han, and Wei Xiaoju also escaped with them.

Tuli Khan looked at the vast North Sea in front of him and finally breathed a sigh of relief. This was already the northernmost part of the desert, and the Tang army should not be able to get through.

Tuli Khan was the son of Shibi Khan and nephew of Jili Khan. After Jili Khan was captured alive by the Tang army in the Battle of Gaoping, he was elected as the new Khan.

However, he was a very cautious Khan. His father had suffered greatly at the hands of the Tang Dynasty and the Northern Han Dynasty. When his uncle was Khan, he thought he was making friends with the Northern Han Dynasty and mobilized hundreds of thousands of cavalry to attack the Tang Dynasty. He even said that he would destroy the Tang Dynasty in one battle and enter Chang'an.

Chang'an was indeed captured, but he was not captured by force. He was also named "King of Guiyi". It is said that whenever there was a celebration in Chang'an, there would be singing and dancing.
Tuli Khan Ashina Shibobi never dared to confront the Tang Dynasty, nor did he have a conflict with the Northern Han. However, when the Northern Han emperor went out of the border and surrendered to the Turkic king, Tuli Khan suddenly became arrogant. You know, his father was beaten by Liu Xuanji a lot in the past. How could the Northern Han emperor surrender to him? This was too much of a face.

Liu Chengyou also expressed his willingness to be a vassal very respectfully, and said that as long as the Turks were willing to lend him troops to restore his country, he would cede all the land north of Jinyang to the Turks in the future.

Although Tuli Khan was inflated, he knew how his uncle became the King of Guiyi of the Tang Dynasty. Was it because Chang'an was prosperous and had a pleasant climate? If you could beat me, you would cede it to me?

So he accepted the surrender and named Liu Chengyou Dingli Khan. But the borrowing of troops and the march south were just empty talk.

However, when Liu Chengyou went out to the frontier, he also brought a lot of troops with him, including more than a thousand Baibao men and more than two thousand imperial cavalry, all of whom were personally guarded by Liu Xuanji and led by the great generals Zhang Shiwu and Liu Zhi. Even when they were outside the frontier, they were a force that could not be underestimated. In addition, there were nearly ten thousand cavalrymen from the Hulu family.

So when the Tang Dynasty attacked, Tuli Khan did think about selling out his teammates, but firstly, the Tang Dynasty had come to the grassland, which was his home ground, and secondly, these teammates were also very capable and well-prepared, so the Battle of Sanggan River took place.

After the battle, he regretted it. The bravery of the Tang army reminded him of the time when he and his father, Shibi Khan, invaded Guanzhong during the Wude period, but were beaten and scattered by the Tang cavalry at Ziwuling. That was the fear of being dominated by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty.

After being defeated, he ran for his life and ran all the way to the place where Su Wu grazed sheep, Beihai.

Running over with him were Liu Chengyou and his personal soldiers who were very fierce in fighting. Together, there were more than 4,000 people on both sides.

But who could have thought that the Tang army could actually chase here?

Li Chengdao, the king of the Tang Dynasty, led 3,000 cavalrymen with Lan Yu, Duan Shao, Wang Bi, Zhang Yixian, Xi Junmai, Zhang Jin and others, and pursued them relentlessly for more than a month, finally catching up with Tuli Khan and Emperor Liu Chengyou of the Northern Han Dynasty on the shore of the North Sea.

When the two saw the Tang Dynasty flag, they were devastated, but they still led their troops to fight.

Li Chengdao looked at the army formation of the Turkic and Northern Han coalition forces and laughed: "Soldiers, you are all good men of the Tang Dynasty. We have arrived at the Beihai where Su Wu of the Han Dynasty grazed sheep. In front of us are Tuli, the Khan of the Turkic Khanate, and Liu Chengyou, the false emperor of the Northern Han Dynasty. They are all in front. Now I want you to join me in capturing these two chieftains alive and establish an unprecedented achievement!"

"kill."

After saying that, he took the lead, holding a long spear, and rushed towards the enemy formation.

Although the Tang army soldiers behind him were somewhat exhausted after the long march, they still resolutely followed their commander in charging.

Because he was the emperor's son, the young man of only twenty years old had walked thousands of miles just like them, sleeping in the open air, and working day and night.

He was the first to rush in, and no one had any reason not to burn themselves.

The entire army attacked with force like thunder.

In the Battle of Beihai, the Tang army, which had been chasing for thousands of miles, succeeded in one battle and captured Tuli Khan and the Northern Han Emperor Liu Chengyou alive.

In this battle, the Tang leader was the son of Emperor Li Yuanhui, the King of Dai, Li Chengdao. He was the most famous general at the time, captured 20,000 people in one battle, and truly destroyed the Turkic Northern Han.

In July, Li Chengdao returned to Guanzhong via Bingzhou with a group of captives.

Li Yuanhui led all the officials to welcome his second son who had made great contributions, and conferred him the title of King of Yan, General of the Cavalry, and the title of Kaifu Yitong Sansi. He also presented captives to the Imperial Ancestral Temple and offered sacrifices to the ancestors.

Originally, Li Yuanhui wanted to confer the title of King of Qin on him, but this title belonged to his second elder brother. It would be better to forget about conferring the title of King of Qin on his own second son.

Firstly, I was afraid that the boys in my second brother's family were dissatisfied, and secondly, I was afraid that this boy would become arrogant.

As for the King of Yan, it doesn't matter. If the eldest son is named the King of Yan, that might cause people to have wild thoughts, but the second son's maternal family is the Zhang family of Guangling, so there is no need to worry about these issues at all.

After the battles of Sanggan River and Beihai, for the Tang Dynasty it not only meant the annihilation of the Turks again, but also the capture of two monarchs alive.

There was no strong opponent in the entire grassland. The Tang Dynasty basically solved the threat from the north. And after these two battles, the Tang Dynasty seized millions of horses, cattle and sheep. This meant that there would be no shortage of horses from then on.

Therefore, Li Yuanhui decided to set up a military town in the northern border and supervise the various tribes with the Protectorate and the Military Governor's Office.

He also took advantage of the military success brought by his second son to reorganize and reorganize the Weifu Army.

Officially named the Sixteen Guards, the twelve guards were the leading organizations of the imperial guards: the Left and Right Guards, the Left and Right Xiao Guards, the Left and Right Wu Guards, the Left and Right Wei Guards, the Left and Right Lingjun Guards, and the Left and Right Jinwu Guards. In addition, the Zhechongfu were set up throughout the country. The twelve guards led 657 Zhechongfu in the country, and led the imperial guards from various military offices to Chang'an for the night shifts. They were stationed in the center to defend the capital, and they were the integration of the imperial guards and the imperial guards.

The other four of the Sixteen Guards were the Left and Right Gate Guards and the Left and Right Thousand Oxen Guards. The Left and Right Gate Guards were in charge of the imperial guards, while the Left and Right Thousand Oxen Guards led the Thousand Oxen Guards and others as the emperor's attendants and ceremonial guards.

The twelve generals of the guards are as follows: General of the Left Guard, Zhu Deyu.

General of the Right Guard, Zhang Jian.

General of the Left Guard, Yu Zhongheng.

General of the Right Guard, Xu Qiande.

General of the Left Guard, Li Changgong.

General of the Right Guard, Xie Shufang.

General of the Left Guard, Zhang Jin.

General of the Right Guard, Cheng Zhijie.

General of the Left Guard, Yuwen Xiao.

The Right General of the Guard, Xue Andu.

General of the Left Jinwu Guard, Dou Cong.

General of the Right Jinwu Guard, Li Heng.

The four generals of the Left and Right Gate Guards and the Left and Right Thousand Oxen Guards were still Han Quan, Wang Fobao, Duan Wuda, and Yuchi Jingde.

This ensures that he has absolute control over the army.

Six major protectorates were set up, namely the Western Regions, Lingnan, Longyou, Liaodong, Beiting, and Anxi.

Feng Ang, the leader of the Lingnan nobles, was appointed as the Grand Protector of Lingnan, Xue Wanche as the Grand Protector of Longyou, Li Yaoshi as the Grand Protector of Liaodong, Li Su as the Grand Protector of Anxi, Li Cang as the Grand Protector of Beiting, and Luo Shixiang as the Grand Protector of the Western Regions.

The Tiance Mansion was abolished, and all the armies were subordinate to the Northern Court. Six military titles were retained, namely "Shen Ce", "Tian Wu", "Bei Wei", "Shen Wu", "Xiao Guo" and "Pong Ri", with a total of 30,000 troops. A general commander was appointed, with a rank equivalent to that of a general, and he was the Northern Court's forbidden army.

The chief of the Shence Army was Zhang Qiong, the chief of the Tianwu Army was Fu Weixue, the chief of the Beiwei Army was Wang Jie, the chief of the Xiaoguo Army was Pei Xingyan, the chief of the Pengri Army was Yang Xianguo, and the chief of the Shenwu Army was Lou Jun.

Murong Sanzang was appointed governor of Western Yanzhou, Li Damu was appointed governor of Qingzhou, Huang Junhan was appointed governor of Jingzhou, Li Chengan was appointed governor of Yangzhou, Li Yanzong was appointed governor of Xiazhou, Xue Renmei was appointed governor of Eastern Yanzhou, and Hou Jun was appointed governor of Northern Yuzhou.

In the second year of Xingming, Li Chengqian, the King of Shu, was renamed the King of Qin, Li Chengzhi, the son of Taizong, was renamed the King of Shu, and Li Chengze, the son of Shizu, was renamed the King of Jin. In addition, all six sons of Gaozu were made princes.

A clan school was set up, and all the children had to learn the rules and regulations, classics, history, etiquette, martial arts, riding and archery. At the same time, a clan cavalry was established, all of which were descendants of the clan, as well as the descendants of the four branches of the Longxi Li family, Guzang, Dunhuang, Danyang, and Didao, and led by General Li Chengdao.

In the second year of Xingming, the Ministry of Rites submitted a memorial to the emperor, suggesting that the ranks of the wives of civil and military officials should be announced by the empress. Empress Murong declined, saying that this would lead to women interfering in politics, and she could not set this precedent.

As a result, the court and the public praised Murong as a virtuous queen, and someone even submitted a petition to make the eldest son the crown prince.

In fact, Li Yuanhui, who had been on the throne for three years at this time, had already completed control of the court, but he did not agree to establish a crown prince, but he did not mention the Golden Casket Alliance either.

In April of the third year of Xingming, the emperor ordered the governor of Youzhou, the general of the Northern Expedition, and the Duke of Zhenguo, Chang Yanheng, to lead an army of 100,000 to the north to attack Liaodong. The army crossed the Liao River and captured Xiangping. They captured 30,000 Goguryeo soldiers and buried them all.

Li Yuanhui reprimanded him and decided to reduce Chang Yanheng's original fief of 1,000 households to 900 households. Well, it was equivalent to three cups of wine as punishment. He then ordered him to return to the capital and replaced him with Xu Maogong, the General of the Left Guard, as the Governor of Youzhou and the General of Zhenbei.

After Chang Yanheng came to Beijing, Li Yuanhui conferred upon him the title of General of the Champion Army and granted him a residence in Chang'an.

In the autumn of the fourth year, the King of Gaochang cut off the tribute route from the Western Regions. Upon hearing this, Li Yuanhui became furious and wanted to attack him.

The court and the public all said it was not possible. The Tang army would have to travel a long distance and pass through a desert, which made it difficult to march. In addition, many court officials believed that Gaochang was thousands of miles away, and even if the Tang army won, it would be difficult to defend it. General Chang Yanheng came to the palace to ask for a fight. Li Yuanhui was worried about his health and wanted him to recuperate in Chang'an. After Chang Yanheng requested three times, he was ordered to hand over to the general manager of the river. Xue Wanjun, Fu Weixue, and Pei Xingyan were deputy general managers, and 20,000 cavalry were sent.

In December, Chang Yanheng led his troops to the expedition. After three months of trekking, the Tang army arrived at Gaochang, and then destroyed the Gaochang Kingdom like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves, and obtained three counties, five counties, and 22 cities, 8,000 households, 40,000 people, 4,500 horses, and an area of ​​800 miles from east to west and 500 miles from north to south. The Tang established Xizhou in the area and Tingzhou in Khan Futu City. It also established Anxi Protectorate in Jiaohe City and left soldiers to garrison.

However, Chang Yanheng himself died of illness on the way back. Before his death, he instructed his son Chang Lin and brother-in-law Lan Yu: "I was a bandit in Huainan, but my lord did not abandon me and chose me to be a general. I fought for more than 30 years. Now I die on the battlefield, which is considered to be my repayment for the great grace of my lord." Li Yuanhui was deeply saddened when he heard this, and ordered his second son Li Chengdao to welcome the coffin and suspended court for three days.

He also "wrote" his only poem: "I have thousands of lines of iron juice, but I never cried for my children. Suddenly I heard that Mr. Chang passed away yesterday, and my tears soaked the earth and the grass."

After Chang Yanheng's coffin returned to Chang'an, Li Yuanhui personally went to Chang's house to burn incense, showing the friendship between the monarch and his subjects. He was given the titles of "General of the Cavalry", "Grand Commander", "Shangzhuguo", "Grand Protector" and "King of Kaiping".

The highest posthumous title "Zhongwu" was given. Since Zhuge Liang, Zhongwu has been regarded as the highest level of posthumous title.

He also said to the crowd: "Yan Heng loves his soldiers and is always in the vanguard when he goes out to fight the enemy. He is always the last one to retreat. The soldiers are happy to use him. He is calm, brave and resolute. He has never been defeated. Although he is not well versed in history, his military tactics are as good as those of the ancients. Even the famous generals of the past have never surpassed him."

In July of the fifth year of Xingming, You Pushe Du Keming made a memorial, and Li Yuanhui issued an edict to reduce corvée and simplify everything.

In August, Shizhong Dugu Ying suggested that due to the wars, different currencies were used in many places across the country. The Western Wei, Eastern Wei, Northern Han, Former Yan and even Former Wei all had currency left. In addition, various privately minted coins of different weights and qualities were circulated in the market with mixed values. Even the Shu region still used the Zhibai coins from Liu Bei's time, which was very inconvenient for trade and taxation.

So an imperial decree was issued to recast the five-zhu coin. The casting technology of the new coin was also very advanced. The edges of the coin holes on the front and back had raised contours. Each thousand coins weighed four pounds and two ounces. Ancient coins and private coins were completely banned. New coin samples were placed at all checkpoints and markets. All old coins had to be replaced with new ones within a specified time. All privately used coins were confiscated and destroyed.

At the same time, private coinage was listed as a major crime, and the coinage rights were taken back by the court.

After the coinage, Li Yuanhui ordered people to re-establish the law, retaining only beheading and hanging as the death penalty, and requiring three seconding motions. All cruel punishments such as five horses dismembering a body and slow slicing were abolished, as well as castration, flogging and other punishments that injure people's limbs.

The basic criminal law consists of five means: flogging, beating, exile, banishment and death.

This newly established set of laws was named the Tang Code, and was later called the Xingming Code. It basically became the blueprint for later laws.

After the law was passed, the young and vigorous Li Yuanhui once again made internal changes, ordering that all officials above the ninth rank must be appointed and dismissed by the central government, civil officials must be controlled by the Ministry of Personnel, and military officials must be selected by the Ministry of War. Local governments were prohibited from recruiting officials on the spot. And they had to conduct assessments every year to determine rewards, punishments, and promotions. He also issued an edict that official documents should be accurate and concise, and not be flowery, to improve administrative efficiency.

Reform has always been the most difficult thing, especially when it comes to making changes to the system.

Fortunately, although Li Yuanhui was not the founding monarch, he came to power through his military achievements and personal prestige. He had strong prestige both in the army and among the people. At the same time, he also had an efficiently connected team of central officials who fully supported him in making various reforms.

After the military restructuring, Li Yuanhui had no rivals at all. He personally led the troops to conquer the Northern Han Dynasty and was invincible in foreign wars. These efforts consolidated the foundation of the Tang Dynasty and his own rule.

It was not until the tenth year of Xingming that Li Yuanhui's reforms were basically completed.

The Tang Dynasty also began to prepare to conquer its next opponent, Goguryeo, which was entrenched in the northeast. In the past ten years, Li Yaoshi has been serving as the Protector General of Liaodong, and has been implementing the strategy of exhausting the enemy. Except for the major battle when Chang Yanheng conquered Liao and captured Xiangping, Li Yaoshi has been sending small groups of cavalry to harass and destroy, causing Goguryeo to continue to bleed. Every year, troops were sent during the busy farming seasons in Liaodong, and a large amount of grain production was reduced, which brought great problems.

In February, Li Yuanhui issued an imperial decree to personally lead an expedition to Liaodong, with his eldest son, Prince of Qi Li Chengping, as regent, and all his other sons, nephews, and brothers accompanying him. Old generals such as Zhu Deyu and Zhang Jian also followed, as this was likely their last chance to personally lead the emperor.

In April, Li Yuanhui led his people across the Liao River and took charge of Xiangping. He ordered Li Yaoshi and Zhu Deyu to be the left and right generals, each leading tens of thousands of troops to attack by land, while the other route was led by Gao Huang, a famous general of the Former Yan Dynasty, as the marching general, leading the navy to attack by water. Although the national strength of the Tang Dynasty is growing stronger, the total force this time does not exceed 150,000.

The three armies launched a simultaneous attack by land and sea, and conquered Goguryeo in one battle, capturing more than a hundred members of its royal family. Zhu Deyu's fourth son, Zhu Yongle, the son-in-law of Zhu Deyu, was extremely outstanding in this battle, capturing the Goguryeo general Yeon Gaesomun alive.

Li Yuanhui specially appointed him as General Champion and Duke of Liaodong County.

After this battle, the Tang Dynasty completely eliminated the biggest border threat in Northeast China for decades. Li Yuanhui set up many military towns in Liaodong and appointed Su Dingbian as the Grand Protector.

And in the northwestern frontier, another heavyweight rival emerged, Tubo.

In the 11th year of Xingming, Li Yuanhui was patrolling the border of Longyou when he encountered a large Tibetan army of 100,000 invading. At that time, Li Yuanhui had only 7,000 cavalrymen with him. Li Chengdao, the Prince of Wei, suggested that his father should go first and he would take care of the pursuing troops.

Li Yuanhui, who was over fifty years old, said, "The bandits have 100,000 men and we have 7,000 men. If we retreat now, the enemy will know our strength and will naturally lead their troops to attack, and Longyou will be invaded by the bandits. If we take the initiative to attack at this time, the enemy will not know the truth and will definitely think that our main force is behind us."

There is no way to retreat, just go up and fight him. If you young people are afraid, we old veterans will be the vanguard.

Following Li Yuanhui on the border patrol were several veteran generals including the Protector General of Longyou Zhang Zhen'e, the Right Guard General Zhang Jian, and the Left Guard General Zhu Deyu. After hearing this, their blood boiled and they immediately wanted to be the vanguard.

But Li Chengdao said that old people can no longer rely on their muscles and bones, so I will do this little thing, and you just watch me break the formation.

Li Chengdao led Zhu Yongle and other young generals with cavalry to charge directly at the Tubo army. They were stunned at the first sight. What was going on? With such a small force, they took the initiative to attack. There must be a main force behind them. So the Tubo army began to retreat, and Li Yuanhui took advantage of the situation to command the army to kill them. A great victory was achieved, and more than 10,000 people were beheaded.

Later, Li Yuanhui appointed Li Chengdao as the commander-in-chief of the military affairs of Qin, Xia and Liang states, and put him in charge of the war against Tubo.

During the Xingnian period, both civil and military achievements achieved remarkable results.

After returning to Chang'an, Li Yuanhui summoned the descendants of the royal family, including Li Cheng'an, Li Chengqian, Li Chengze and other three parties, and of course a group of adult princes.

Then he showed them a world map and pointed to it to explain to them the experiences of various monks and caravans on their journey to the West. Then he allowed them to recruit 3,000 followers each to expand their territory.

Because the commanders of this army were mainly descendants of royal family, it was also called "The Western Expedition of the Royal Family's Sons."

In the twelfth year of Xingming, Li Yuanhui felt that the power of Buddhism was too great and began to restrict Buddhist temples.

Temples were not allowed to own more than 2,000 mu of land, accept land donations, possess weapons, or engage in business. The issuance of monk and Taoist certificates was strictly managed, and any monks, Taoist priests, or nuns who broke the law were severely punished.
The eldest son, Prince of Qi Li Chengping, finally got stuck in a dead end. He brought many ministers to the court to make suggestions and knelt in front of the door of Taiji Hall to ask the emperor to abolish these laws.

Li Yuanhui was furious and demoted him to the title of Prince of Donglai and ordered him to move to Luoyang. Later, because Empress Murong was seriously ill, he was recalled from Luoyang to take care of her.

In the spring of the thirteenth year of Xingming, the Lantern Festival had just passed.

Empress Murong's condition became increasingly serious. This virtuous queen, who had lived with Li Yuanhui for decades since their youth, was now on her deathbed.

"Shiro, am I really ugly now?"

"Silang, Chengping is simple-minded. He is not as smart and capable as Chengdao. You should be more tolerant of him and do not make him the crown prince."

"Vajra doesn't have the ability to be a high official, so just let him be a rich and idle person."

"Shiro, I don't know if there is an afterlife."

There were only the couple in the huge bedroom. The terminally ill Queen Murong had already become emaciated. She leaned in her husband's arms and spoke weakly.

Li Yuanhui was already choking and unable to speak, because the person in his arms was no longer breathing.

In February of the thirteenth year, Empress Murong died in Changchun Palace. Li Yuanhui was so sad that he could not control himself. He posthumously named her "Zhaomu" and buried her in the "Jiling" prepared by Li Yuanhui for himself and the empress.

At the beginning of the fourteenth year, Taiwei Zhang Jian died of illness, Autumn Taifu Guo Shoucun died of illness, and Taibao Zhao Yi and other civil and military officials passed away one after another.

Li Yuanhui issued an edict to build the Lingyan Pavilion, in which portraits of thirty-six meritorious officials were painted.

The first ranked person is Zhu Deyu, the Prime Minister, General of Chariots and Cavalry, and Duke of Wu.

The second one is Li Huaizhen, Sikong, Prince of Zhaojun, General Zhengbei, and Governor of Bingzhou.

The third one is Guo Shoucun, the Grand Tutor, Minister of the Chancellery, and Duke of Chu. (deceased)

The fourth one is Taiwei, General of the Cavalry, Governor of Youzhou, and Duke of Zhenguo, Chang Yanheng. (deceased)

The fifth one is Zhang Jian, the Grand Commandant, the General of the Zhen Army, the Governor of Yangzhou, and the Duke of Wei. (deceased)

Sixth, Li Qinglian, Special Advancement, General of the Army, Minister of War, Duke of Liang.

Seventh, Zhang Zhen'e, the Grand Tutor, the General of the Western Expedition, the Governor of Qinzhou, and the Grand Protector of Longxi
They were followed in order by Li Yaoshi, Dou Cong, Yu Zhongheng, Xue Renmei, Yuwen Xiao, Li Heng, Li Baishi, Dou Fengjie, Luo Shixiang, Xu Qiande, Liu Fuwei, Murong Sanzang, Xiao Shizhi, Chen Zhen, Hou Jun, Duan Xiong, Xue Wanche, Pei Xingyan, Lou Jun, Li Qinglian, Wang Fobao, Duan Wuda, Xie Shufang, Yuchi Jingde, Han Quan, Zhao Jiong, Liu Zhenghui, Dugu Ying, and Zhang Jin.

Thirty-six people in total.

Among them, Zhu Deyu, Zhang Jian, Chang Yanheng, Li Yaoshi and Guo Shoucun have been designated as candidates for enshrining in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

In the 23rd year of Xingming, Wu Zhu Deyu was seriously ill, and Li Yuanhui went to visit him in person.

Zhu Deyu's eyes, which were already a little cloudy, brightened a little when he saw Li Yuanhui.

Li Yuanhui joked: "Great monk, can't you find the way?"

Old Zhu, who was lying on the sickbed, struggled to sit up and said, "My dear, how can we get to Yanfu Temple?"

"Just follow me."

"Okay, thank you very much, Mr.

This conversation between the two left the accompanying princes, grandchildren, civil and military officials, and Zhu family members all confused.

That night, a comet fell to the ground, and Duke Wu Zhu Deyu died of illness at the age of 76. His life was particularly legendary in the eyes of outsiders. He was born in a humble family, worked as a monk, and then became a member of Li Yuanhui's founding team of Jianghuai. In the end, he became a high-ranking official and died suddenly.

Li Yuanhui, who had been emperor for twenty-four years, was looking at the bright moon in the sky in the palace and suddenly felt sad. People want to live longer.

Li Yuanhui, who was over 60 years old, was particularly grateful for this. He was in good health, with sharp hearing and eyesight, and could still ride a horse and shoot arrows. However, when all his relatives, partners, friends, and even enemies passed away one by one, he could not help feeling a little lonely.

Although his soul came from the afterlife, he had long since been integrated into this era.

The achievements he made surpassed those of most emperors. He created a prosperous era where most people could have enough food to eat and conquered a vast territory. Under his rule, all nations submitted to the Tang Dynasty and came to pay tribute.

The countries in the Western Regions and the tribes on the grasslands gave him the title of "Tian Khan".

That night, Li Yuanhui slept very well. In his dream, he seemed to have returned to Chang'an fifty years ago.

He was fourteen that year, and it was his first year here.

My father had just been named Duke of Tang, and his hair was still black. My third brother had just gotten married, and his third sister-in-law was a girl from the Xue family. I hadn't seen my eldest sister and brother-in-law for several years. My eldest brother was very strict, and my second brother was still the high-spirited young master of Chang'an, mocking his poor archery skills.

The person walking towards them was Zhang Jian, who came to Chang'an to give gifts. He looked like Zhang Fei, with a long beard and a mighty appearance. Or was Old Zhu, who looked like a monk, with stubble all over his head and a silly smile on his face.

There was also Lao Liu who was a guest at his home, shooting arrows with people outside early in the morning.
In the dream, a little child with braided hair suddenly came over and pulled him forward.

Suddenly it started snowing. A tall woman wearing a white fox fur coat stood there with a plum blossom on her forehead.

Her smile was as beautiful as a flower, stunning the time.

(End of text)

(End of this chapter)