Chapter 379: Marquis of Guzang County
Although Yuwen Tai, the boss, is not particular most of the time, he is quite generous when he is particular.
After the knot between them was untied, Li Tai once again enjoyed the meticulous care of the Grand Secretariat, and staying for dinner in the tent was the most basic thing.
When it was late at night, when Li Tai stood up to leave, Yuwen Tai stood up again and personally escorted him out of the tent. Seeing the starry sky and the night wind blowing in his face, he hurriedly asked the waiter to get his cloak and hood for Li Tai to put on, and then ordered the confidants in the tent to send Li Kaifu back to the camp safely.
This preferential treatment did not end until the next day. At dawn, Li Tai had not yet gotten up, and the Taifu messenger from the central army tent had already hurried into the camp, bringing many fresh ingredients and specifically explaining that it was the food given by the Grand Secretariat to Li Kaifu to prevent heatstroke and relieve greasiness.
Li Tai hadn't finished eating the breakfast specially sent by the Grand Secretariat, and another official from the Secretariat came to inform him that his troops were ready to participate in today's review.
After receiving this news, although Li Tai knew that Yuwen Tai couldn't help but want to review the quality of this army, he was also very happy.
The prestige of a military leader depends not only on the merits but also on the bravery of his subordinates. His troops have not been arranged to participate in the review. He obviously feels that everyone doesn't respect him as much as before. I'm afraid they are secretly mocking his troops for being just for show.
Li Tai is not without opponents in the country. Zhao Gui, his old enemy, has just been promoted to military judge. I don't know what the Grand Secretariat is thinking. Is it because this old guy runs fast on the battlefield?
Therefore, it is beneficial for Li Tai to show his military power at the right time. It can deter some potential malicious intentions, and it can also enhance his influence and attract more Guanlong children such as Liang Shiyan to get close to him.
When he gathered the generals and soldiers and conveyed the news to them, everyone was excited and eager to perform well in the review!
Li Tai was very confident about the quality of these Longyou boys. Now he was no longer a newbie who knew nothing, and he was becoming more and more proficient in military affairs.
These soldiers had a good foundation in archery and horsemanship before they formed an army. They had also been fully integrated all the way from Longyou to Guanzhong. They had previously fought against other troops in the Xianyang camp and performed very well. As long as they were arranged to appear on the stage, they would definitely be able to amaze the crowd.
In the afternoon, Li Tai's troops, who had been ready and waiting outside the review ground for a long time, rode their horses into the field accompanied by the exciting sound of drums and horns. With the entry of this cavalry team, the atmosphere around the field suddenly became heated.
Under the constant changes of drums, horns and flags, the cavalry team on the parade ground practiced the cavalry's advance and retreat formation, clutch changes, galloping and plundering, and other military formation modes one by one, and also interspersed with various military skills such as horseback archery, swords and spears.
The whole exercise lasted for half an hour, but the spectators around were fascinated and unaware of the passage of time. They cheered until they saw the large group of people withdraw from the other side of the parade ground.
Although the soldiers were full of confidence, they rarely experienced such a solemn and grand occasion. They tightened their hearts and worked hard to complete various exercise tasks. They didn't know that this exercise was a great success until they heard the thunderous cheers behind them after they left the field.
After Li Tai brought the team back to the original position, before he could encourage the soldiers, a messenger came galloping and invited Li Tai to return to the parade ground to receive rewards. He ordered several generals to restrain the troops here, and he turned his horse and returned to the parade ground in a hurry.
When Li Tai returned to the parade ground, he was led directly to the high platform, and was praised by the Grand Secretariat and the Crown Prince Yuanqin. Then Lu Tong, who served as the Crown Prince's Secretary, stepped forward and announced in public that Li Tai's title would be promoted from the original Luochuan County Prince to Guzang County Marquis, and his fiefdom would be increased by 300 households to 800 households.
After hearing about his reward, Li Tai thanked the stage while sighing in his heart that Yuwen Tai was really passionate and unrestrained.
Last year, he served as the General of the Wuwei Army and supervised the construction of the Circular Mound, which was originally intended to prepare for promotion, but ended up with nothing because of the marriage with the Dugu family. Yesterday, the gap between the two sides was just eliminated by offering troops and horses, and all the original debts were exchanged back.
The honors of General of Chariots and Cavalry and Kaifu were fought for by his father-in-law. Apart from that, his title was also promoted several levels, from the original county son to county marquis, which was one level higher than the scattered marquis that Li Tai expected years ago.
Moreover, the newly conferred title of Guzang County Marquis was the old title of his great grandfather Li Cheng, similar to the title of Gaoping County Man of his grandfather Li Qian, which he was conferred when he just started his career in the Western Wei Dynasty. When he was promoted to Duke, it would be the title of Dunhuang Duke of his great-grandfather Li Bao.
Also, when he was granted Kaifu before, it was only Yuwen Hu who entered the camp and conferred it casually. Now he was promoted to a higher title in the full view of the public in the Grand Review Field. This compensation was really meticulous!
Of course, the boss had done so well, and Li Tai had to execute what he promised without compromise. When he left the field, he saw Yuwen Hu standing by the road outside the field surrounded by a dozen personal soldiers, looking at him with a smile on his face.
"Boshan, congratulations! You are brave and daring, loyal and diligent in serving the country, and now you have been promoted to a higher position and admired by everyone!"
Yuwen Hu strode forward with enthusiasm, and even raised his hand to take the reins of Li Tai's horse. Li Tai naturally did not dare to let this petty guy hold the horse for him. He quickly turned over and dismounted and waved his hand, saying: "In front of others, I can still boast of my high status, but in front of Brother Sabao, how dare I be arrogant!" "No need to be humble. I am much older than you and have entered the world earlier, but I still rely on the support of my parents to have the vanity I have today. It is really hard to compare with Boshan." Yuwen Hu's humble attitude today seems to have changed. He would never say such words of weakness and surrender in the past, but in When he talked about it today, his eyes were full of sincerity: "There is no need for too many worldly considerations between me and Boshan. But no matter what, I still want to thank you today! Before, when things were difficult and unclear, it was you, Boshan, who recommended me to serve as the governor of the government. Now that I have suddenly reached a high position and am at a loss, Boshan has entrusted me with the elite troops. It is difficult to express everything before and after, and I really don’t know how to deal with it..." Seeing that Yuwen Hu was so excited that he didn’t know what to say, Li Tai listened to his words and couldn’t help but sighed secretly. This is really not bragging. Except that we are not related by blood, I treat you, brother Sabao, better than your father treats you! If one day your uncle can’t help but give me the surname Yuwen, then I, Yuwen Tai, will have to treat you as my own son and nephew! Yuwen Hu naturally didn’t know what Li Tai was thinking at the moment. When he learned from his uncle that he would take over the more than 3,000 athletes that Li Tai brought back from Longyou, his heart was already burning. After seeing the heroic figures of these warriors, he became even more impatient.
After expressing his gratitude, Yuwen Hu pulled Li Tai and helped him onto the horse, and said with a smile: "After a drill, Boshan seems to be tired. I happen to be free now, so I will send you back to the camp to rest."
Li Tai naturally knew what he was thinking. Seeing his anxious look, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart, Brother Sabao, I really didn't mean to fool you, it was really your uncle who pushed too hard.
So Li Tai returned to the camp with Yuwen Hu and his party. After entering the camp, he ordered the camp soldiers not to see any visitors today, and to take time to deal with Yuwen Hu.
After entering the tent and sitting down, without waiting for Yuwen Hu to remind him again, Li Tai ordered his subordinates to come to the tent to see him.
Not long after, all the generals entered the camp. While they were coming in one by one to greet each other, Li Tai also introduced them briefly. When he organized this army, he had not yet been officially granted the title of Kaifu, so all the generals temporarily led the troops in their old positions. The cavalry was more streamlined than the infantry, with 300 people in a group, and there were nearly 20 generals and officers above the group leader.
In addition to Zhang Shinu and other confidants who still served as personal guards, there were Shi Jing, Liang Shiyan and other generals who defected from the original state and county soldiers, as well as Li Yunxin and other sons of Longyou nobles, especially the latter. After all, Li Tai's team was formed by the money and effort of these Longyou nobles.
Facing the courtesy of the generals, Yuwen Hu also put on a respectful attitude, nodding and smiling frequently in response. After all, whether an army can be flexibly controlled depends on the connection between the upper and lower levels of these backbone soldiers.
Today's military parade was an excellent one. In addition to Li Tai's promotion to a higher rank, the Grand Secretariat also rewarded him with a batch of food and other valuables such as cloth, rice, and meat. In order to win people's hearts, Yuwen Hu also brought more than ten fat sheep and dozens of jars of fine wine. The next step was to kill sheep and prepare a feast to celebrate.
When the atmosphere was just right, Li Tai raised his wine glass and said to the generals in the tent with a smile: "In addition to celebrating the military performance in the military training ground today, I have another thing to tell you. I am appreciated by the Grand Executive. After returning to the country, I will be appointed to another position and will no longer be in charge of military affairs. All of you will be under the command of Lord Shuichi..." Before he finished speaking, Yuwen Hu had already sat up straight, ready to accept the gazes of the people in the tent, but a series of surprised shouts rang out in the tent: "What? Is what the envoy said serious... Absolutely not!" Li Yunxin and dozens of other Longyou generals left their seats and slammed their heads on the ground, with angry and sad tones: "We were inspired by the envoy's kindness and righteousness, so we had the ambition to defend the country and make contributions. We left our hometown and relatives to follow the envoy into the country. Now we are abandoned before we have made much progress, leaving us all alone in Guanzhong. I beg the envoy to think twice..."