Chapter 310 Prepare for a rainy day
Li Heng didn't know whether what he did was unscrupulous. From beginning to end, he never thought of making Li Longji mend his ways, nor did he think of cooling down the powder keg of Hebei. On the contrary, he had been doing the emperor's evil and heating up the powder keg in Hebei. If history could speak, he didn't know whether he would be defined as a sinner.

Thinking of this, Li Heng took a closer look at Yang Yuhuan.

Due to her weak physical condition, Yang Yuhuan's face was a little pale, but this paleness embellished on Yang Yuhuan's stunningly beautiful face made her beauty even more breathtaking.

Li Ying recalled the path he had taken.

At first, he thought he was just doing it to prevent Yang Yuhuan from being taken away, he thought he was doing it for love, but now, he has realized his true heart.

From the very beginning, he did it not for love, but for his own dignity. He was selfish from the beginning. He used love to coerce himself and also coerced Yang Yuhuan.

Li Heng suddenly felt a little confused. He put down the medicine bowl, reached out and stroked Yang Yuhuan's face, saying, "I don't know if I did something wrong."

Yang Yuhuan was startled, not knowing why he suddenly said that. She grabbed Li Heng's hand on her face and said with a smile, "Why do you say that, my dear? In terms of military affairs, you have expanded the territory and protected the people. In terms of government affairs, you have been in charge of Anxi Beiting for many years, making these two places the most clean and honest places in the Tang Dynasty. In terms of treating the people, you love the people like your own children and uphold justice. Now everyone says that you are a wise king of the Tang Dynasty. How could you do anything wrong? Even if you did something against your will, it was forced by the situation and you had no choice but to do it."

Li Ying saw that Yang Yuhuan was speaking sincerely, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but slightly raise, and asked: "Do you really think so?"

Yang Yuhuan said, "It's not just me, many people think so. Even saints and sages can make mistakes, so how can you expect yourself to be perfect?"

Li Ying said: "It is my blessing to marry you."

Yang Yuhuan said: "My dear, you have taught me well. As the saying goes, a red man is red, and a black man is black. I have followed you for more than ten years, and my thoughts and ideas now are deeply influenced by you."

Li Ying smiled even more and said, "You always attribute all the credit to me. A woman with a quick mind like you can shine wherever you go."

"Really?" Yang Yuhuan smiled, thought for a moment, and said, "Sister Mu Jin has just given birth. My husband must go see her later."

Li Ying said, "I'll listen to you."

"Yeah." Yang Yuhuan responded and opened her mouth.

Li Heng picked up the medicine bowl again and fed the medicine to Yang Yuhuan.

After staying with Yang Yuhuan for a long time, Li Ying went to accompany Zhang Mujin, then returned to the lobby and called Zhang Guangsheng.

Li Ying asked, "Did you see the battle to capture Xing Xi?"

"I see." Zhang Guangsheng nodded and analyzed, "The yamen runners of Jingzhao Prefecture are not worth mentioning. The sixteen guards of the Southern Yamen are in name only. The rest are a bunch of good-for-nothings. The only ones with some fighting power are the four guards of the Northern Yamen. Among these four guards, the left and right Yulin Guards have been passed down since Emperor Gaozu and are all children of high-ranking families, used for gilding. The truly fighting ones are the left and right Longwu Army. However, there is another force that is not well-known but worth paying attention to."

"Which one?" Li Ying asked.

Zhang Guangsheng said, "The Flying Dragon Guards led by Gao Lishi."

The name Feilongwei did not actually exist. The names of the soldiers were mainly hung outside the left and right gates. They were the elite selected by Gao Lishi from the Sixteen Guards of the Southern Court.

Li Longji trusted Gao Lishi very much. If Gao Lishi wanted to give Feilongwei a number, Li Longji would definitely agree. However, Gao Lishi himself was more self-restrained. He was relatively wary of interfering in politics and only regarded Li Longji's interests as his own.

Li Heng pondered for a moment and said, "I currently only have 4,000 guards, which is not enough. I need to select more. Now I am in charge of Hexi and also the herdsman of Hexi. I cannot waste this opportunity. There are many good horses in the Ganzhou military horse farm. I can select more."

"Yes." Zhang Guangsheng accepted the order and said, "But we don't have many people who can pick horses, so we need to find a few people who know horses." Li Ying asked, "Have An Zhongzhang and An Baozhen arrived?"

Zhang Guangsheng said: "The two brothers have lived in Liangzhou for three months, waiting for Your Highness to summon them."

Li Heng said, "Go and invite them to see me."

"Yes." Zhang Guangsheng took the order.

An Zhongzhang and An Baozhen were brothers, Sogdians, who grew up in Xizhou.

An Zhongzhang was good at raising and identifying horses, and had many methods of training cavalry, while An Baozhen preferred to train infantry.

Historically, after the Anshi Rebellion, these two people did not dare to use the surname An anymore, and asked Li Longji to give them a surname. Li Longji gave them the surname Li. An Zhongzhang changed his name to Li Baoyu, and An Baozhen changed his name to Li Baozhen.

Not long after, Zhang Guangsheng led An Zhongzhang and An Baozhen into the room. The two of them respectfully saluted Li Ying and stood properly.

Li Heng asked the two to take a seat and said, "Back then, Duke Guiguo guarded Liangzhou and defeated the Turks. He had great military exploits and was listed as one of the sixteen heroes of the Tang Dynasty. As the great-grandsons of Duke Guiguo, the two generals have followed me in battles over the years and have also made many contributions. They are worthy descendants of a famous family."

When the brothers An Zhongzhang and An Baozhen heard Li Ying first praise their ancestors and then themselves, pride appeared on their faces.

An Zhongzhang said, "Our ancestors relied on the divine power of Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Taizong to achieve great achievements. Thanks to Your Highness, I and my brother have the opportunity to make some small contributions. Your Highness's words make me and my brother feel ashamed."

An Baozhen echoed, "Yes, I have failed my ancestors and I am ashamed of your kindness."

"You two generals are too modest." Li Heng smiled and asked, "Most of your relatives and friends have gone to Chang'an and Luoyang to seek their future. Do you have any intention of going to Chang'an and Luoyang?"

Hearing this, the two stood up together.

An Zhongzhang said, "Since Your Highness took over Beiting, my two brothers have followed Your Highness. Your Highness has been so kind to us that we would never be able to repay you even if we die. Now that Your Highness has not returned to the capital, how can we abandon Your Highness? If Your Highness does not abandon us, we two brothers are willing to follow Your Highness until our death!"

An Baozhen said: "If my two brothers betray Your Highness, they will not die well!"

"You two are too polite." Li Heng also stood up and said with a smile: "I just respect your choice and have no intention of testing you. If you two are willing to follow me, I will naturally be very happy."

The two said in unison: "We will follow His Highness till death!"

Li Heng nodded and said, "Since you are willing to follow me, I cannot bury your talents. The position of Hexi Herdsmen Deputy Envoy is still vacant, so General An Zhongzhang will fill it. General An Baozhen will first go to Chishui Army as a training envoy. What do you two think?"

The two were overjoyed upon hearing this and said in unison: "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. We will never fail in your mission!"

"Okay." Li Heng smiled, "I have prepared a banquet. The two generals will go to the banquet with me first, and then go back to their respective duties!"

"Yes." The two of them responded in unison.

(End of this chapter)