"Hou Junji obeys the order, I order you to lead 20,000 troops to be the chief general of the Midao marching. In addition, the General Niu Jinda of the Left Guard is the Kuoshui Road, and the General Liu Lan of the Left Leader is the chief general of the Taohe Road. They lead 10,000 troops respectively. They are all controlled by you. Be sure to annihilate the invading enemies!" After a brief contemplation, Li Shimin finally made a decision and gave a loud command. At the end, he deliberately increased the tone of the two words "total annihilation".

"Here!" When Hou Junji heard Li Shimin asking him to lead the troops, he also looked ecstatic and strode forward to take the order. He also heard what Li Shimin said, that he could let go and kill him this time.

Seeing that such a good thing actually fell on Hou Junji, Cheng Yaojin next to him couldn't help but look disappointed. After all, although there were occasional frictions around the Tang Dynasty over the years, it was all small things. There was no need for a general like him to take action. Now, he finally encountered the opportunity to take action, but was snatched away by Hou Junji.

Changsun Wuji and Li Xiu did not show any unexpected expressions when they heard Li Shimin's decision. After all, the enemy has entered the territory of the Tang Dynasty, so it is certain to send troops. Otherwise, the face of the Tang Dynasty would not be taken. Moreover, the reason why Li Shimin chose Hou Junji instead of Cheng Yaojin was mainly for the sake of safety. Although Cheng Yaojin was also good at using troops, he liked to use strange weapons when using troops, and sometimes he had to take great risks. If he was defeated, the Tang Dynasty would have to bear very serious consequences.

In contrast, Hou Junji is known for his delicacy and stability in his military use, and he never leaves any chance for his opponent, so Li Shimin is more at ease to lead the troops. Of course, both Hou Junji and Cheng Yaojin have one disadvantage that is not a disadvantage, that is bloodthirsty. Although this is not a big disadvantage for the general, it is easy to be caught. However, this time Tubo actually attacked him on his own initiative, so don’t blame Li Shimin for sending Hou Junji to kill people.

Fang Xuanling and other civil officials didn't say anything at this time. After all, although they didn't like to use force, since Li Shimin had made a decision, these ministers would cooperate with all their strength. What's more, the Tang Dynasty is now rich and strong, and a war of tens of thousands of people is not a big burden for the Tang Dynasty.

Li Shimin then announced his resignation, but kept Hou Junji and Li Jing, probably to discuss the details of the dispatch of troops. Although Li Jing had ignored military affairs, he would also help Li Shimin plan in detail when encountering such a major event.

"Why don't you choose me? Which is better than me?" As soon as he left Liangyi Hall, Cheng Yaojin complained angrily, but the people around him dodged one after another, and no one wanted to have anything to do with Cheng Yaojin, the hob meat.

Only Li Xiu usually has a good relationship with Cheng Yaojin, so he was embarrassed to avoid it at this time, so he had to step forward and comfort him: "General Cheng, don't be angry, in fact, General Hou can seize this opportunity this time, not necessarily a good thing!"

"Oh? What are your opinions, prince consort?" Cheng Yaojin couldn't help but lit up when he heard Li Xiu's words. He immediately pulled Li Xiu to the side and asked, but he knew that Li Xiu, as Li Shimin's right-hand man, could usually have more secrets than he did, and with their friendship, Li Xiu would not lie to him.

"Haha, why did General Cheng forget? Su Dingfang has been consuming Goguryeo's strength. And according to my estimate, His Majesty will use troops to Goguryeo in the past two years. This time General Hou snatched the opportunity. Then next time he attacked Goguryeo, General Cheng, you can take the lead!" Li Xiu said with a smile.

The old generals who founded the country died, and the only ones left were Cheng Yaojin and Hou Junji. Compared with others, Cheng Yaojin and Hou Junji had a higher status. If Li Shimin attacked Liaodong, he would definitely choose one of them. Moreover, Li Shimin planned to lead the army in person, so he would more likely use Cheng Yaojin, a favorite general.

"Hey! Why did I forget this? It seems that I was a blessing in disguise this time. When His Majesty decided to send troops to Goguryeo, even if I gave up this old face, I would have to fight for it!" Cheng Yaojin immediately slapped his hands when he heard Li Xiu's words. Since destroying the Turks, Goguryeo has become the most wanted target of conquering the Tang Dynasty. It can be said that if Goguryeo could be destroyed, then the Tang Dynasty could surpass the former Sui Dynasty in its reputation, and the generals who went on the expedition would also be famous in history.

"By the way, can you help Shubao ask for love? His biggest wish is to destroy Goguryeo, so he wants to participate in this war than anyone else?" But at this moment, Cheng Yaojin hesitated for a moment and spoke again. When he mentioned Qin Qiong, his face also showed a look of worry.

"I will definitely help General Qin, but I am most worried about his health now. Uncle Ma fell seriously ill some time ago, and now I'm afraid it's difficult to ride a horse." Li Xiu also said with a worried look when he heard Cheng Yaojin's words.

Qin Qiong resigned from his military post two years ago and went to the military academy like Li Jing. Speaking of which, although he recovered a lot in the past few years after Sun Simiao's diagnosis and treatment, he still couldn't compare with his prime. In addition, there was a gap between him and Li Shimin. Even if he stayed in the army, he had no chance to lead troops to fight, so he went to the military academy later, so that he had something to do in normal times.

"Shubao's health should be fine. In recent years, he has been holding his breath in his heart. He rarely drinks alcohol. In order to maintain his body, it's not nice to say, even if he dies, he wants to destroy Goguryeo and die again!" Cheng Yaojin sighed at this time and replied. He wanted Goguryeo for military merits, but Qin Qiong was to avenge his previous shame. Not to mention anything else, just for the brothers who died in Liaodong in battle, Qin Qiong would also go there again.

"Okay, I'll take the time to visit General Qin these two days. As long as His Majesty is preparing to use military force against Goguryeo, I will definitely help you with all my strength!" Li Xiu nodded immediately, but when he said this, he felt a little regretful. Qin Qiong might go to Liaodong, but Ma's side was not good. After he recovered from his illness this time, he seemed to have grown much older and could not even ride a horse.

Cheng Yaojin is a person with thick outside and thin inside. Seeing the change of expression on Li Xiu's face, he guessed what he was thinking. He couldn't help but pat his shoulder and said with emotion: "Old Ma is old, and in fact we are the same. When people reach this time, they will grow old very quickly. Maybe when they wake up, they find that their legs and feet are not flexible, their arms are boring, and their brains are not clear. So we all want to make some achievements before we grow old, to leave blessings for our descendants, and to leave some reputation for ourselves!"

Cheng Yaojin rarely said something heart-to-heart words to others, and after that, he was also a little depressed. The greatest sorrow in the world is "the beauty is old and the hero is old." I think Cheng Yaojin ran around all his life. No matter how difficult he encountered, he did not bow to fate. But now he is getting older, he suddenly finds that he is also unable to do so.

Hearing Cheng Yaojin's words, Li Xiu couldn't help but sigh. He was a human being in his two lives, neither in his past nor in this life, but as he watched Ma grow old day by day, he was deeply moved by Cheng Yaojin's words, and he was already middle-aged. Perhaps more than ten years later, he would fall into fear of aging like Cheng Yaojin now.

At that moment, Li Xiu and Cheng Yaojin chatted for a while before saying goodbye to leave. However, on the way back, he kept thinking about Cheng Yaojin's words. Speaking of them, the founding veterans retreated from the army one by one. Fortunately, Su Dingfang and others have also grown up now, and the military academy has been continuously sending generals to the army, so Li Shimin doesn't have to worry about having no generals available.

Li Xiu returned home, but was told that Wanniang was coming, which made him happy. When he arrived at the inner house, he found that Princess Pingyang, Yi Niang, Yue Chan and others were also there, teaching experience around Wanniang, who had a slightly bulging belly. Speaking of which, Wanniang was not pregnant for a long time, but she looked much plump and seemed to be well taken care of at home.

"Sir, are back!" Wanniang also saw Li Xiu at this time, and hurriedly stood up and saluted. Although Li Xiu was her uncle, she used to calling Li Xiu a husband since she was a child, and she could not change even after getting married.

"Wanniang, you are inconvenient, so don't be too polite!" Li Xiu also smiled and asked about Wanniang's life during this period. Pei Xingjian went to Liaodong, and only Wanniang and Pei Xingjian's mother were left at home. Li Xiu was also worried that the conflict between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were common in any era. No matter which era, conflict between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is common. Then there will be no one to mediate, and Wanniang will be wronged.

However, Wanniang and Pei Xingjian's mother got along well, especially now that she is pregnant, Pei's mother takes care of her personally. Even the food she ate was cooked by her, which made Wanniang quite embarrassed. She advised her many times and refused to listen. But this is understandable. After all, Wanniang was pregnant with the blood of the Pei family in her belly. Pei's mother was anxious to hold her grandson, so she naturally devoted all her energy to taking care of Wanniang.

Wan Niang was back. Li Xiu originally wanted to keep her for dinner, but Wan Niang said she wanted to go back, otherwise Pei's mother would be worried, which made him have no choice but to chat with Princess Pingyang and the others with her for a while. Finally, Wan Niang stood up and said goodbye, but suddenly she was a little shy and quietly pulled Li Xiu aside and said, "Sir, I want to ask you for help if you have something!"

"If you have anything, just say it, why are you polite to me?" Li Xiu immediately smiled happily. Although Wan Niang is not his daughter, it is almost the same. As long as she can do it, she will naturally do her best to help her.
Chapter completed!