Chapter 84 Promotion
Soon the weeds near the big tent were cleared. Qimin Khan was panting with exhaustion, and white steam was coming out of his head. But Ke Que still smiled and said:

"To atone for my sins, I want to send my people to build an imperial road for the emperor. We will build it from the north of Yulin all the way to Yazhang, and then from Yazhang all the way east to Zhuojun. Is that possible?"

Li Jiancheng and Changsun Sheng had to admit their mistake. Not to mention that they were only there to convey the emperor's orders, even if they were there to cause trouble on purpose, it would be difficult to find fault with Qimin given his attitude.

This wasn't one of their own, so Chang Sun Sheng nodded and said, "Yes!"

Qimin Khan asked, "I wonder how wide the imperial road should be to conform to the rules."

Li Jiancheng pondered for a moment and said, "Originally it should be two hundred steps, but Your Majesty is also the Great Khan of the Turkic tribes and would not want to see his people overworked, so a hundred steps is enough."

"Ah, I bow to the magnanimous Khan, the Holy One. I will give instructions to my servants right away."

However, the two received a grand reception. Chang Sun Sheng was at ease. Li Jiancheng was going to marry the noble daughter of the Xiao family next year, so he did not dare to be dissolute and asked to go back to report.

Needless to say, the journey was tiring, but after reporting to the emperor, he was overjoyed and waited at ease for the Turks to build the imperial road before heading over.

Of course, the most important thing is that Yang Guang’s big tent and Guanfengxing Hall have not been built yet. In order to show the majesty of the emperor, the emperor’s big tent can accommodate tens of thousands of people for banquets.

As for the Guanfengxing Hall, it can accommodate hundreds of guards and is decorated with brocade, pearls and jade on all sides. It has wheels underneath, so it can move when it wants to move and stop when it wants to stop.

More than 500,000 people began to wait here. The emperor naturally did not rest. He had shown kindness and justice in the south, and now he wanted to show his power in the northern border. Naturally, he would not forget the Western Regions.

The upstart Pei Ju has gone to Zhangye and is stationed there, presiding over communications and commercial transportation with the Western Regions, as well as trade with Western countries. He is also in charge of secretly collecting intelligence on the Western Regions, their mountains, rivers, customs, etiquette and costumes, etc.

But no matter what the purpose is, in Zhangye today, the splendor of the Sui Dynasty is piled up like mountains, and treasures from overseas are loaded down with carts, which are exchanged with each other over and over again.

Moreover, the imperial court was still reforming the official system, promulgating the "Daye Code", and there were corvee labor in various places. It must be said that the emperor was quite energetic, not only was he tormenting the world, but also himself.

More than a month passed in a flash. The imperial road was built, the big tent and the viewing platform were also ready. But at this time, Gao Zuo and others made another report: "The world is peaceful and the borders are safe. Your Majesty should just go out and spread the teachings. Why do you have to travel to a remote area in person and put the safety of the country above the hearts of the Turks? I hope Your Majesty will think twice!"

Yang Guang summoned all his ministers and said, "I have heard that the ancient sage emperors and wise kings all toured the country and personally observed the sufferings of the people.

Later, the rulers of Jiangdong only knew how to enjoy cosmetics, eat jade and wear brocade, sit in the deep palace and enjoy themselves, and never meet with the common people. How is this different from women?
I am truly ashamed of this. I want to take advantage of this peaceful and prosperous time to personally visit the border, reward the barbarians, and hold a grand event for the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. Please do not persuade me again, or you will not blame me for punishing you. "

The ministers were speechless and retreated noddingly. Gao Zuo, who wanted to persuade him again, had his mouth covered and was dragged away.

But after all, entering the Turkic territory is different from being in one's own territory. Although an army of 500,000 is strong, it is easy for chaos to occur without careful deployment and arrangements.

As it concerns his own safety, the emperor was very cautious, so he summoned the military heroes to ask for advice. Yuanshou, the Minister of the Imperial Household, thought that the emperor just wanted to show off his power, so he hurriedly stepped out and said, "If we talk about the grand military expedition, it should be like the expedition of Emperor Wu of Han, with flags and banners stretching for thousands of miles, with unprecedented grandeur, which must have shocked the world.

Outside the imperial camp, please divide them into 24 armies, and send one army out each day, 30 miles apart, with flags visible from each other, gongs and drums audible, connected from head to tail, and unbroken for a thousand miles!" Yang Guang frowned. He had led an army before, so he knew that although this was impressive, it had hidden dangers.

Li Jiancheng also felt that it was inappropriate. He was waiting for Yang Guang to die so that he could compete for the world, but he did not want Yang Guang to die in the Turkic army, causing the Turkic herdsmen to move south, or simply be captured, allowing the emperor to appear eight hundred years earlier.

So he said, "Your Majesty, I think this is inappropriate. The troops are thousands of miles away, and the mountains and rivers are in turmoil. We are in a state of panic, and we are torn apart. We are in trouble, and we don't know where to start and end. The road is long and blocked, and it is difficult to rescue us. Please be careful!"

Yang Guang's brows relaxed and he said to Li Jiancheng, "As expected, Jiancheng is the right one."

Yuan Shou, the Minister of the Imperial Household, was also an old friend of Yang Guang when he conquered Chen. In his shame and anger, he did not care what the emperor thought and directly said to Li Jiancheng: "Hmph, what do you think, Li Dalang?"

Li Jiancheng glanced at Yuanshou. It was naturally difficult to be both powerful and safe, but it was not easy to be safe.

Then he bowed to the emperor and said, "In my humble opinion, if the army is formed into a square array, and the six palaces and the families of the officials are all inside, if there is a change, the front will resist, and the special forces will be drawn in to fight outside. The chariots will be used as a barrier, and the hook array will be set up. How is this different from occupying a city?"

"Your Majesty, the country is worth millions of gold, and it is more important than Mount Tai. I, your humble servant, think this is a perfect plan. I respectfully ask Your Majesty to correct it."

Yuanshou sneered: "How dare you say such a shallow and humble opinion? Everyone here knows that you..."

Li Jiancheng ignored him. Yang Guang cast a cold gaze at him, "Shut up! How dare you say such a stupid plan that disregards my safety? How can you not say such a foolish plan that Jiancheng has prepared for me? Get out of here!"

Yuanshou was extremely terrified and immediately knelt down to apologize, but as the emperor looked increasingly unpleasant, he still ran out covering his head.

The emperor ordered that everything be done as Li Jiancheng had said, and everyone took their leave to perform their duties. Li Jiancheng was left behind to have lunch with the emperor, and the two of them seemed to have returned to the Prince of Jin's Mansion in the past.

But Li Jiancheng did not dare to be presumptuous at all. He was so well-behaved that he did not dare to stretch his chopsticks too far or sit down completely. Whenever the emperor spoke, he would stand up and bow his head to listen attentively.

Although Yang Guang said that there was no need to be polite and formal, his satisfied tone could not deceive people, so Li Jiancheng agreed verbally, but still did so, and at most added a sentence at the end: "I am terrified by your majesty's majesty, and I am terrified. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

When Li Jiancheng returned to his bedroom with cold sweat all over his back, the emperor's decree of promotion also came. It was the short-statured Wang Yi who came to announce the decree. He raised his eyebrows at Li Jiancheng, indicating that it was good news.

As expected, the emperor promoted Li Jiancheng to the third-rank Yinqing Guanglu Doctor, and rewarded him with grape wine, glass, amber and other treasures that were tributes from the Western Regions.

That is to say, last month, the emperor announced the reform of the official system. The original eleven ranks from Shangzhuguo to Dudu were changed to nine ranks: Guanglu, Zuo and You Guanglu, Jinzi, Yinqing Guanglu, Zhengyi, Tongyi, Chaoqing and Chaosan.

In addition, the Palace Neisheng was established, the Unicorn and the Sili Bureau were added, the titles of Earl, Viscount and Baron were abolished, and states were changed into counties.

.........

(End of this chapter)