After the master left, Butler Xu said reluctantly: "Is the Marquis leaving Chang'an? I heard that there are frequent wars in Anxi, why did your Majesty transfer the Marquis to Anxi? Alas, the official has been promoted, and now you are really taking the lead.

The general of the army, but..."

Butler Xu was both happy and worried about this imperial edict, and didn't know what expression to put on.

Gu Qing unfolded the imperial edict and read it several times before saying, "There is something I want to confirm. What does the imperial edict seal me with?"

"What?" Butler Xu was stunned: "Didn't the Marquis understand the imperial edict?"

Gu Qing glanced at him: "Butler Xu, you've been a bit naughty lately."

Steward Xu immediately calmed down and said: "Master Marquis, the Emperor has appointed you as the 'Deputy Envoy of Anxi Jiedu', and given you the title of 'Shanghujun'. The Deputy Envoy of Jiedu is a third-rank officer, and the title is also a third-rank title."

There was no expression of joy on Gu Qing's face, but he said solemnly: "Is the governor of Anxi Gao Xianzhi?"

"Yes, after General Gao Xianzhi defeated Xiao Bolu in the sixth year of Tianbao, he replaced Fumeng Lingcha and was promoted to the Jiedushi of the Fourth Town of Anxi, and he has been there to this day."

Gu Qing pondered for a long time, and Li Longji appointed him as the deputy envoy of Anxi Jiedu. It has to be said that part of it was out of great trust, and the other part was imperial magic, in order to balance the power of the top leaders of the Anxi army. Gu Qing has not forgotten that Li Longji had a meeting with him a few days ago.

As he said, Li Longji told him bluntly that Gao Xianzhi should be contained in Anxi.

Obviously, since the Tang army under the command of Gao Xianzhi was defeated in the first battle of Talas, Li Longji became a little worried about Gao Xianzhi. He transferred Gu Qing to Anxi, firstly to give him experience, and secondly, to send someone close to Li Longji who he trusted relatively.

Monitor and even contain Gao Xianzhi. Maybe it won't be long before Gao Xianzhi will be relieved of his power as a military governor and transferred back to Chang'an.

The imperial edict in Gu Qing's hand contained a lot of information. It ordered him to lead 10,000 Zuowei troops into the Anxi Army. One was because after the Battle of Talas, the Tang Army suffered heavy losses in the Western Regions, with more than 20,000 casualties.

Thousands of soldiers and horses were sent to Anxi to preserve Datang's right to speak in the Western Regions.

Secondly, the Zuowei is the army directly under the emperor of Chang'an. The loyalty of this army is definitely the highest in the world. Li Longji sent the Zuowei to Anxi, which shows that he is not only uneasy about Gao Xianzhi, but also the entire Anxi army.

not worried.

In his later years, His Majesty the Emperor had no other abilities, and his suspicions and illnesses were getting worse and worse.

At the same time, Gu Qing also noticed that the imperial edict allowed Gu Qing to "act expediently and dispose of military aircraft by himself." This sentence is profound.

It is clear that the leader is Gao Xianzhi, but he allows Gu Qing to "cut off the military aircraft cheaply", combined with the 10,000 left guard troops given to him, this is equivalent to giving half of the control power of the Anxi Army to Gu Qing. The 10,000 left guard troops are Gu Qing in Anxi

The confidence of the four towns to establish themselves.

Gu Qing waved away the housekeeper, holding the imperial edict and lying down on the hut in the yard, closing his eyes and meditating, with a solemn look on his face.

Strong soldiers and horses bring great power, but responsibilities are also as heavy as Mount Tai.

Li Longji gave him enough power and powerful soldiers and horses. What he wanted was to stabilize the Western Regions, so that the Tang Dynasty could quickly regain its previous power after the defeat of Talos, continue to maintain strong strength among the countries in the Western Regions, and let the Western Regions and the

The trade routes between the Tang Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty were unobstructed.

These tasks are not easy to accomplish.

The complicated situation among the countries in the Western Regions, the relationship between many small countries and the Tang Dynasty as friends and enemies, and there are two covetous enemies, Tubo and Dashi.

How to handle and balance the situation in the Western Regions, how to stabilize the morale of the Anxi Army, how to open up trade routes, how to isolate Gao Xianzhi according to Li Longji's instructions, and how to fully control the Anxi Army's military power. Each of these is a huge challenge for Gu Qing.

Gu Qing closed his eyes for a long time, then suddenly opened them, with a faint smile on his lips.

I patted the imperial edict in my hand and felt the power conveyed on the yellow silk. That power was called "power".

If he can successfully complete the task, Gu Qing will be the number one person in the Anxi Protectorate, with tens of thousands of elite troops in his hands. So, will this be regarded as watering and fertilizing his ambitions?

If you think more deeply, if you have completed your mission and mastered the military power of the Anxi Army, and your prestige in the Anxi Army is rising, if Li Longji suddenly asks you to hand over your military power and return to Chang'an, how should you politely refuse? Self-respect,

Raise thieves or start a war with neighboring countries?

The world of the Tang Dynasty at that time was probably not as peaceful as it is now, right? There will eventually be a most suitable path for you to take.

For entrusting such an important task to a twenty-year-old young man, it has to be said that Li Longji became comatose to a certain extent in his later years. Of course, Gu Qing's life-saving grace played a very important role in this.

The suggestions he made when quelling the Nanzhao rebellion, the subsequent confrontation between Li Longji and Gu Qing, and even the Romance of the Three Kingdoms written by Gu Qing, etc., all combined, made Li Longji have a lot of feelings for Gu Qing.

With his trust, he intuitively believed that Gu Qing could entrust him with the important task and successfully stabilize the Anxi Army.

If Li Longji could read minds and read Gu Qing's true inner thoughts, maybe... he would burst into tears, then gnash his teeth and cut Gu Qing into pieces.

…………

The news that Gu Qing was promoted to deputy envoy of Anxi Jiedu spread quickly throughout Chang'an.

As a rising star in the court, Gu Qing had already attracted much attention from courtiers and dignitaries. Li Longji's imperial transfer order made Gu Qing instantly become a popular figure in Chang'an City.

Discussions arose, and Gu Qing fell into endless jealousy and criticism.

A twenty-year-old young man was actually transferred to Anxi as deputy envoy to Jiedu, and he also commanded 10,000 troops. This was something that had never happened since the founding of the Tang Dynasty. Gu Qing set a precedent.

The criticisms from all parties can be summed up in two sentences. The first sentence is "How virtuous and capable is Gu Qing?" and the second sentence is "The Holy Emperor messed up his destiny."

In the past, whether Gu Qing was made a lieutenant general or a county lord, he never actually had much power. The courtiers only regarded him as a favored minister who was lucky enough to be promoted, and allowed the emperor to grant officials and titles at will. Anyway, the emperor

Just be happy.

But this time, Gu Qing really took control of the power, and he also controlled half of the military power of the Anxi Army in the western barrier of the Tang Dynasty. This undoubtedly touched the hearts of many people. The middle and high-level generals in the Anxi Army had thousands of connections with the Chang'an courtiers.

With so many connections, the court was full of discussions, and there were constant comments and admonitions.

Countless court officials went to Li Longji and begged the emperor to take back his orders. Even Chen Xilie, the left prime minister who had always been a good old man, also went to the court to remonstrate, saying, "Weak crowns cannot allow the country."

Interestingly, there were actually people in the court who greatly agreed with Gu Qingfeng's decree as deputy envoy of Jiedu.

The first person who agreed was Yang Guozhong, who was about to become prime minister. Yang Guozhong expressed his support for the Emperor's Holy Judgment in the court. He cared about young heroes and the army and horses in the Western Regions were put to their best use. The Emperor's ability to appoint people was admirable.

The second person who agreed was a person that even Gu Qing had not expected, Prince Li Heng of the East Palace.

Compared with the courtiers, Li Heng was Li Longji's biological son. He knew his father's urine better than anyone else. In his later years, Li Longji was stubborn and did not listen to the advice of his courtiers. The decisions he made were impossible to change.

Coupled with the unknown relationship that had just been established between Li Heng and Gu Qing, since the facts could not be changed, Li Heng simply followed the trend, selling Gu Qing's favor and gaining the favor of his father.

As for Yang Guozhong's approval, of course it has nothing to do with friendship. In the final analysis, Yang Guozhong is still worried about falling out of favor. Ever since Gu Qing saved Li Longji's life and Li Longji began to trust him more and more, Yang Guozhong began to worry, fearing that one day Gu Qing's favor would be higher than that of others.

He, now Gu Qing is going to Anxi, which Yang Guozhong couldn't ask for. The farther Gu Qing goes, the better. After he leaves, the Holy Emperor will only belong to me...

As the leaders of the two factions in the court, Prince Li Heng and Yang Guozhong expressed their approval at the same time. Li Longji was also a face-saving emperor who would never change his word. The criticism in the court quickly subsided.

As the deputy envoy of Anxi Jiedu, Gu Qing did his duty.

…………

In recent days, Gu Qing's house has been quite lively, with people coming and going in an endless stream.

Most of them were generals from Zuowei, and even old General Guo Ziyi came to the house to congratulate him in person. As for the generals from Zuowei, everyone's situation was different. Some begged Gu Qing to take him with him when he left Chang'an, hoping to make achievements in the Western Regions and gain military merit.

Some also asked Gu Qing not to take him with him. It was too comfortable to be in the prosperous place of Chang'an, and they had wives and children at home, so they were reluctant to leave.

Gu Qing agreed to all requests from General Zuo Wei.

Those who are willing to follow them out of the border to gain military merit will be recorded on the list by Gu Qing. Those who are unwilling to leave will not be forced by Gu Qing.

After leaving Yumen Pass, you have to fight all the hostile forces. If you have a group of unwilling generals under your command, you will lose half of the battle first.

The 10,000 left guard troops and horses that are about to be obtained are the foundation of Gu Qing's establishment in the Western Region. Gu Qing attaches more importance to the combat effectiveness of these troops than anyone else. Anyone and anything that is not conducive to the combat effectiveness must be decisively excluded.

A few days later, when the objections of the courtiers gradually subsided, Gu Qing secretly invited Yang Guozhong to meet at a restaurant in East City, Chang'an.

Gu Qing booked the entire restaurant, Han Jie and his guards stood at the door with their swords pressed. Gu Qing and Yang Guozhong sat upstairs by the window. There were only two people sitting opposite each other in the huge restaurant.

Yang Guozhong looked around the restaurant with a smile and said: "Brother, I have chosen a good place. This building has a bit of Wei and Jin style. Look at the inscriptions and ancient paintings on the walls. It is really quiet and elegant, suitable for elegant people like you and me."

,Ha ha."

Gu Qing's movement of pouring wine stopped, and a shocked light flashed in his eyes.

You are a guy with a business background. The biggest disadvantage that the world has against you is that you are ignorant and incompetent. Where do you get the courage to say that you are a "gentleman"? It's completely shameless, isn't it?

"What Yang Xiang said is absolutely true. This is the place that Yu Di has been looking for for a long time. Today, if Yang Xiang comes to this building, it will be a good story that will be passed down for generations to come. This restaurant is actually touched by Yang Xiang."

The light that shines upon it may become a place that scholars and scholars strive to admire and cherish in the future.”
Chapter completed!