According to the military system of the Tang Dynasty, the six armies of the Northern Yamen and the sixteen guards of the Southern Yamen jointly defended the capital, with a total number of about 100,000. The six armies of the Northern Yamen were slightly larger, and the Shenwu Army was ranked behind the Yulin Army and the Longwu Army. It was low-key, which could give Li Xiang military power without being too conspicuous.
The emperor really put in a lot of effort. Li Xiang only had 6,000 men on the battlefield, and he was just able to accommodate all of them. In the eyes of the two generals, Li Xiang was indeed very favored. He could even bring back his own officers and soldiers from the front line. This was a new beginning in the history of the Tang Dynasty.
As for Li Xiang's title, the emperor did not promote him at all. He was still a prince. After all, Li Xiang was an emperor's grandson. If Li Xiang was to be promoted to a prince, he must have been established as the crown prince. However, the emperor did not do so this time. It seems that there is another deeper meaning.
Of course, Li Xiang did not care about this. Compared with the empty title of a crown prince, the army in his hands was the most important, especially the 6,000 troops who had been tempered on the battlefield and could replace tens of thousands of troops at a critical moment.
"Thank you for your grace..."
Everyone got what they wanted, and basically everyone was happy. Fighting on the battlefield was dangerous, but if you won the battle, it also represented a progress in life. The generals present were all very happy.
Some people will be stationed locally, some will return to the capital, and some will be transferred to other places. This was all decided by the Ministry of War after careful consideration and then requested approval from the emperor. After all, after the trials of war, these people have developed deep friendships, and they cannot continue to stay together, as it will easily lead to the formation of factions. Therefore, it is better to separate them. Everyone has already begun to say goodbye.
According to the requirements of the imperial edict, everyone was given three months of leave. During these three months, they had to rush back to their homes. These people's homes were all over the world, and they would probably set off in the next two days. There might be opportunities to meet each other in the future, but it would definitely not be too many.
"Uncle."
On the city wall of Liangzhou, Li Xiang finally had the opportunity to talk with Changsun Wuji. Both of them were the people that the generals wanted to visit. Changsun Wuji was the person the emperor trusted the most. If the generals could establish a good relationship with Changsun Wuji, they would have a strong position in the court in the future.
As for Li Xiang, he was even more popular. The emperor had appointed him General of the Left Divine Martial Army, a remarkable promotion. The emperor had risen through the military, and Li Xiang was the first of his sons and grandsons to command the army. Didn't he understand the implications of this? If not, then his brain had degenerated dramatically.
Even if some generals have never spoken to Li Xiang, they have to go over and make themselves familiar with him. If Li Xiang really ascends the throne in the future, they will be considered to have fought with the emperor, which will be a very rich resume.
So the two of them always wanted to find an opportunity to talk, but unfortunately there were people everywhere around them, and it took a long time before they found an opportunity.
"After all, you have been on the battlefield, and you have become much more calm. I have heard about your story. You performed well on the battlefield. After returning to the capital, your future is bright."
Looking at Li Xiang in front of him, Changsun Wuji was also filled with emotion. Originally, Changsun Wuji was the most supportive of Li Chengqian, but Li Chengqian had lost his position, so Changsun Wuji turned to support Li Tai and Li Zhi, but these two guys always made Changsun Wuji hesitant. Later, Li Xiang emerged again, and Changsun Wuji adopted a wait-and-see strategy.
However, Li Xiang did not give Changsun Wuji a chance. Instead, he tied Changsun Wuji down with business. From that time on, even if Changsun Wuji did not express his opinion, most people understood that he and Li Xiang were already a family.
"I'm just learning from the two great generals. As for these military matters, I still don't quite understand them. I'll learn them slowly when I get back."
Li Xiang spoke very modestly, and Changsun Wuji nodded in satisfaction. If Li Chengqian had had this attitude back then, how could he have ended up like this? Having achieved such great feats on the battlefield, even a man of Changsun Wuji's age might have been a little overwhelmed. But Li Xiang was still able to maintain this mentality. It was hard to believe he was only fourteen years old.
"Hurry up and deal with things here. It's time to return to the capital. No matter how great your achievements are outside, if you leave the capital for too long, it's like leaving the center of the court. Sometimes you have to be careful. Leaving the center of power for too long is not a good thing."
Changsun Wuji patted Li Xiang on the shoulder. Li Xiang agreed with what he said. He had been away from the capital for quite some time. All kinds of things had happened in the capital. Some people spoke for him, some slandered him secretly. Anyway, there were all kinds of people. However, after the emperor's edict came down, some of these people were happy and some regretted it. Li Xiang also wanted to go back to the capital to see what they really looked like.
"About the grassland auction?"
Li Xiang had already thought about it and was ready to let Zhidao Baolai do it, but judging from the expression on Changsun Wuji's face, it seemed that the matter had not been accomplished.
"I've read your letter, and I've also made suggestions to the Emperor, hoping we could get this job. Unfortunately, we're not strong enough..."
Changsun Wuji said with some guilt that although Li Shimin was the emperor, the power of the major families was too great. If they did not know how to maintain a balance, all kinds of things would emerge one after another. Therefore, Li Xiang might not be able to get involved in the grassland auction this time.
"The Cui family or the Li family? Or the Wang family?"
Li Xiang thought about the five surnames and seven clans. If anyone could still snatch food from his mouth, it should be them.
"Five surnames united."
When Changsun Wuji said this, Li Xiang was completely stunned. When he left Chang'an, hadn't these families been fighting each other? At that time, he thought this was a good sign, and he would be able to disintegrate them after returning. But he didn't expect that after only a few months away, they would actually get together again.
Come to think of it, even with Li Xiang's current victory, he couldn't even get something like this. You can imagine how strong the other party is. Li Xiang also expected their strength, but he didn't expect them to be able to unite...