Of course, Galan didn't know what Pei Shiju needed Li Yuan to do for him, but he knew that if Li Yuan could come up with a practical Northwest strategy to prove the loyalty of the Wuchuan faction to the emperor and the empire, and to show that the faction had great consistency with the emperor and the reformists in the interests of the northwest, then Pei Shiju considers the overall situation. Regardless of whether he likes Li Yuan to implement the Northwest strategy or not, he can only choose Li Yuan. In fact, Li Yuan is also the only candidate, and the compromise with the Wuchuan faction in the interests of the northwest will also help ease the conflict between the two factions.**(..)

After the banquet, Li Yuan found several trusted subordinates and discussed with them overnight. After several revisions, he finally came up with a satisfactory northwest strategy. After a short rest, Li Yuan crossed the river to Jincheng Pass to meet Pei Shiju.

As the evening came, Li Shimin hurried to the Longwei Mansion military camp and reported to Jialan that Pei Shiju adopted Li Yuan's suggestion and ordered the Turkic army to be summoned to the battlefield in Longxi.

When Jialan heard this, he was overjoyed. After all, he had made the right move. Pei Shiju finally succumbed to the overall situation. In order to complete the mission of stabilizing the northwest and for the future of the empire, he had to make a decision to maintain a tacit understanding of "cooperation" with the Wuchuan faction headed by Dugu and Li.

In October, prisoners sent from the eastern capital, Turkic cavalry galloped from Huining County, and elite brigades from various towns that went south from Hexi Pegasus to gather in the Longxi battlefield.

The troops on the Xichuan battlefield were increasing day by day, and the Tuyuhun people became more and more threatening and frightened.

The expansion of Longwei Mansion was very smooth. With the "sincere cooperation" of the three commanders Pei Shiju, Li Yuan and Feng Xiaoci, the old relatives of the robes of the Northwest Wolf brothers, Feng Xiaoci trusted and admired by Feng Xiaoci, were summoned one by one, and within a short time, it expanded to twelve regiments. In addition, the Sima of Longwei Mansion, the military, the military, the military, the military, the military, the military, the military, the cavalry and other bureaucrats, as well as the guards of the Lang generals, the lieutenants, and the personal guards of the Longwei Mansion, the total strength of the Longwei Mansion exceeded 2,500.

Fu Duanyi followed the order of his master Pei Shiju and stayed in the Longwei Mansion to serve as the Sima position. He was recommended by Pei Shiju to be the deputy commander of the Longwei Mansion to be the general of the Yongwu Mansion. Although it was difficult to advance several levels in a row, Pei Shiju's power would not be too much hindered. Buyi served as the military commander of the military commander, Jiangdu Hou and Yang Hu led the military commander and the cavalry. Wei Fei, Chu Yue, Mao Yuxuan, Jiang Chengzhi, Lu Long, and Ashina He Bao were recommended by Pei Shiju as the lieutenant.

The Northwest Wolf is famous and is well known to the Northwest soldiers. They are "divided" the highest military officers in Longwei Mansion. No one dares to object, so twenty-four brigade commanders from the sixth rank became the targets of "fighting". Feng Xiaoci was not polite and "robbed" eighteen in one breath. Pei Shiju was unwilling to "offend" Feng Xiaoci in this trivial matter, and Jialan was originally Feng Xiaoci's old subordinate, so how dare he compete with Feng Shuai? Let's talk about it. {http:

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Friends uploaded and updated} In the past, except for the sand thieves and Hebei prisoners in the Longwei Tong, the rest were Feng Xiaoci's old subordinates. After all, everyone is brother, so how can there be no need to "fight"?

In a blink of an eye, from the General Xiongwu Lang to the elite knights, almost all the "Feng" people. The Sha Horse Thieves and Hebei Zhuangyong who supported half of the Longwei dynasty became marginal figures. So a strange scene appeared. Two groups of people who could not even beat Baganzi actually became intimate. The Sand Horse Thieves and Hebei Zhuangyong, who were famous in the West, actually called their brothers and the Hebei Zhuangyong. There was no way, if they didn't join forces, they couldn't even drink water in the Longwei Mansion.

Li Yuan also came to "join the fun". The Longwei Mansion arranged a recorder, which was the chief executive and recorded the articles. The job was quite important, but because it was a copywriting work, there was no suitable candidate for a while. Jia Lan wanted to go back to Dongdu to see if Xue Deyin, who was idle at home, was willing to surrender. However, Li Yuan "looked" at it and wanted Li Shimin to do this recorder. Li Shimin was fifteen years old this year, and he was still six years away from the age of the crown ceremony. Under normal circumstances, only after adulthood could he take the title of "Pai Shiju to become an official, but in fact, the policy was dead and people were alive. Many children of military officials followed their fathers and brothers to join the army to fight in the army to win merits when they were young, while the children of civil officials followed their fathers and brothers early to serve as subordinates to gain fame. Therefore, Pei Shiju had no reason to refuse Li Yuan's request.

Li Yuan personally sent Li Shimin to the military camp of Longwei Mansion and handed it to Jia Lan, saying a lot of beautiful words. At this moment, don't look at Li Yuan's position as commander of the Northwest Army. He is incredible and powerful. In fact, he is as good as walking on thin ice as if he is in the abyss at all times, for fear that the emperor's "help" will be sent to him. This time, Jia Lan's "help" is crucial to him. Continuing "cooperation" with Pei Shiju is equivalent to winning him a "talisman" and saving him from the crisis of prophecy and divination. Li Yuan must try his best to win over Jia Lan to maintain a cooperative relationship with Pei Shiju. The future Longwei Mansion will definitely be a sharp sword in the hands of the emperor and the reformists. Putting Li Shimin in the Longwei Mansion is a beneficial and harmless thing for Li Yuan himself, from the perspective of Li Yuan himself.

Galan didn't expect fate to make a joke with him, a very unfunny joke.

Li Yuan is not a god, and he can't tell the future with his fingers. Although the empire's crisis is deep and it is on the verge of collapse, who dares to say that the empire will collapse and collapse soon? Li Yuan can only infer according to common sense and can only think about countermeasures with the purpose of avoiding disasters, so this "stupid move" that seems extremely stupid to Galan.

Galan had no intention of forming a friendship with Li Shimin. He had a bad impression of this man who might dominate Middle Earth in the future. Especially after meeting Li Yuan and Li Jiancheng, his "prejudice" towards Li Shimin became deeper. Although this "prejudice" comes from the history in his memory and a history that has not happened yet, human nature is difficult to change. Since Li Shimin could cut off family affection for power and to cover up his bad deeds in that history, no matter how many reasons Li Shimin had to do, the dark side of his character existed. Therefore, Galan psychologically rejected Li Shimin and instinctively "rejected" Li Shimin's friendship.

Jialan secretly made up his mind and found a way to let Li Shimin leave after returning to the Eastern Capital. Li Yuan was "confused", Li Shimin must be "not confused". There was no place for him to stand at the Longwei Mansion, so there was no need to ask for trouble here or seek boredom.

Under the threat of heavy troops from Zhongtu, Murong Fuyun, the Busabor Khan of the Tuyuhun people, finally chose to compromise, reached a new alliance with Pei Shiju, and then led his army to evacuate Longqi City. At this point, the Longxi crisis ended, but both Pei Shiju and the Longxi soldiers felt very shameful. This was the territory that the emperor had opened up, but it was thrown away in their hands. Why? Is it because there were too few garrison troops, insufficient national strength, or other reasons?

Pei Shiju was in a very bad mood. He summoned Galan in Xiping City that night and asked, "If you hand over the northwest to you, can you wash away your former shame and take back the West Sea?"

Galan shook his head, "The West Sea is vast, barren, and the climate is harsh, and the Middle Earth people cannot adapt. It is even more difficult for the national strength to support the needs of the garrison army for a long time. It can be foreseeable that if we attack again, the Tuyuhun people will have a lesson from the past, and they will inevitably have a strong wall and clear the fields and retreat. By then, the garrison army will probably last shorter than now. Attacking the West Sea and capturing the Daxue Mountains. This strategy has cost Middle Earth a heavy price. Intimidating Tuyuhun and allowing it to be a vassal forever is the best conquest strategy proved by history. The three armies cannot seize the commander, and every man cannot seize the ambition. If you want to conquer the Daxue Mountains, you can only seize the ambition of Tuyuhun. You can only win the hearts of Tuyuhun."

Pei Shiju looked at Galan silently for a long time. His face showed a look of fatigue and his eyes were filled with haze. A faint sense of despair was revealed.

"Did Gong Ming think of Liaodong and Goguryeo?" asked Galan.

Pei Shiju remained silent for a long time. Can Galan help him solve the Longxi crisis and maintain his alliance with the Western Turks, but can he help him stop the emperor from launching the third Eastern Expedition? So what if this Eastern Expedition is won? Will it conquer the hearts of Goguryeo? Will it be possible to occupy the territory of Goguryeo forever? If the future ending of the Eastern Expedition is to repeat the mistakes of Tuyuhun, what is the significance of the three expeditions that are exhausted and damaged? How serious will it be to the damage it causes to the empire and the emperor and the authoritarian authority of the central government?

"Ming Gong, no one can stop the third Eastern Expedition. You can't do it, and the emperor can't do it." Galan said carefully in a low voice, "Now, we must consider... or in other words, the purpose of the Third Eastern Expedition must be changed."

Pei Shiju immediately understood what Galan meant and his expression was solemn.

The Eastern Expedition was not initiated by the emperor personally, but was jointly initiated by the imperial reformists headed by the emperor under the common interests. This aristocratic group that controls the fate of Middle-earth and the development direction of the empire cannot give up their vested interests. The victory of the Eastern Expedition is directly related to the desperate battle between the reformists and the conservatives. Only by achieving the final victory of the Eastern Expedition can the reformists defeat their opponents politically. Even if they defeat their opponents nominally, it is necessary, and it is urgently needed by the reformists under the current imperial political situation.

The military failure of the reformists on the battlefield in Liaodong led to their political progress and decline. In fact, no matter whether they advance or retreat, the current political situation and political opponents in the court will force them to the third Eastern Expedition. At this time, what kind of results will be achieved in the third Eastern Expedition become the key to reversing the situation.

But the problem is that no one knows the future, nor does no one know the direction of the imperial political situation after the end of the Third Eastern Expedition. All futures are predictions and imaginations. Out of instinctive fear of unknown affairs, the powerful ministers from the emperor to the decision-making level all looked at each other and were confused. Has the purpose of the Eastern Expedition been completed? What kind of results will be achieved in the Eastern Expedition? If the political purpose of the Eastern Expedition has been completed and the Third Eastern Expedition is nothing more than a military victory, then what is the key to reversing the political situation? Is it in the Eastern Capital Imperial City or in the Liaodong battlefield?

When the Longxi crisis ended, the next step was to try to maintain a peaceful alliance with the Western Turks. This mission was of course subject to the Western Regions Duwei Mansion, supplemented by the Hexi Town Army.

The Changsun Heng'an of Laolang Mansion had already sent envoys and troops to escort Zhaowu Qushuzhi's return home, and together with the 30th regiment of prisoners in Hexi, a mighty army set out in the warm sunshine of early winter.

Pei Shiju, Li Yuan and Feng Xiaoci stood on the Jinchengguan city tower, looking at the army winding north from afar, feeling low, and their worries and anxiety about the future lingered in their hearts, making them feel very frightened.

At this moment, the emperor's imperial edict was sent to the east capital in a hurry. Pei Shiju quickly returned to the east capital; Li Yuan was in charge of Longyou to ensure stability in the northwest; Feng Xiaoci was urgently dispatched to Hebei to suppress the thieves; Jia Lan led the Longwei Mansion to travel day and night to speed up to Xijing to kill the rebels.

Who would have thought that as soon as the rebellion in the East Capital was quelled, Xijing launched another rebellious craze, and the center of the empire was severely damaged, and ominous signs gradually emerged.

The emperor was anxious and didn't care about the northwest. He first extinguished the rebellion fires in Xijing and Hebei. Fortunately, Pei Shiju had solved the Longxi crisis, and the Western Regions Duwei Mansion also began to implement a new Western-Earth strategy. The Northwest Army also received the strength of ninety regiments, which was enough to ensure the stability of the northwest border in the short term.

=(To be continued...)
Chapter completed!