"Shangtu Protector, Cui Xi is here again! Ask for a meeting at the gate of the village!" The chief manager Ren Quan walked into the study happily and reported to Zhang Qian, who was fiddling with a lot of parts.

"Please ask him to go to the main hall to use tea. I just said that Zhang was fiddling with the mechanism and was inconvenient to go out to greet him in person. Please forgive me." Zhang Qian was happy on his face, gently put down a trigger-shaped bronze part, and smiled and ordered.

"Yes!" Ren Quan bowed and agreed and trotted away. He did not feel any arrogance in his own owner's behavior.

In his opinion, the owner of his own mansion was the founding county duke, and he was the second-rank special. The Minister of Personnel and the Protector of the West Protectorate. Whether he was awarded a title or his official position, he was much higher than Cui Shi, the Minister of Personnel and the Minister of the Central Secretariat. His own owner was willing to let the latter go to the main hall for tea, which gave him enough face. If he wanted to let his own mansion go out to welcome him, regardless of his friendship or level, the person named Cui was obviously not qualified!

Guo Nu, Ren Cong and Luo Huaizu, who were present, also stopped their work and looked at each other and smiled. There was a hint of ease of success in the conspiracy on everyone's face.

Luo Huaizu had already investigated clearly. Cui Ximing was the Princess Taiping, and behind his back, he had already found Shangguan Wan'er as his backer. This person came to visit Zhang Qian at this critical moment, and must have carried the mission assigned by one of them. The reason why Zhang Qian has refused to refuse his colleagues who visited him in the past few days was to "fish" like Cui Xi.

Now that the big fish comes to bite the hook, how can Zhang Qian not take it seriously? Immediately, with Zijuan's help, he went to the back hall to wash and change his clothes. After he had cleaned up from head to toe, he walked into the main hall in Zhuangzi with a smile, which was specially used to entertain distinguished guests.

Cui Shi had already added tea twice. Seeing that Zhang Qian was finally willing to come out to meet him, a bit of resentment suddenly appeared on his face, "I am so busy back from Zhaozi's expedition. Cui wanted to come over to see Shangguan since the New Year, but he had been waiting since the end of the year until now."

"Oh!" Zhang Qian sighed quietly when he heard this. Then he took the initiative to bow and apologize, "Zhang was too sad some time ago and really couldn't raise his energy to meet any friends. Please forgive Cui Pingzhang!"

"Where do you say this? When the situation was special, you had a heavy responsibility on your shoulders. How dare Cui blame you?" Cui jumped out of the chair decisively, dodged sideways, and then bowed again, "Don't mention it again with forgiveness. If you mention it again, Cui could only take the initiative to say goodbye! Otherwise, everyone in the world would laugh at Cui for no reason!"

"For this reason, I'll thank Cui Pingzhang for understanding!" Zhang Qian was not very polite, and gently whipped his hands again, then smiled and straightened his body.

"With Zhao and understanding the word "two words" are still too heavy." Cui Shi bowed bitterly and bowed again. "Cui thought that there was some friendship between you and me, and he only came to disturb him again and again. If you are not available, Cui will leave, and he really dare not be that annoying villain!"

"Since Cui Pingzhang is destined, Zhang will not be polite to Cui Pingzhang!" Zhang Qian smiled slightly and reached out to the chair, "Cui Pingzhang invites you to sit down. Come and get some Sogdian camel milk snacks I brought back from Anxi, and give Cui Pingzhang a rare taste."

"Yes!" A servant outside the main hall agreed in unison, and then quickly went to prepare the snacks. In the main hall, Cui Xi did not dare to be arrogant, and waved his hand gently with a smirk, "It's better to ask Zhao first. You are the Minister of Personnel, and Cui is the Minister of Personnel. How could the Minister of Personnel be so arrogant that the Minister of Personnel has not sat down?!"

"Cui Pingzhang made Zhang's joke again. No matter how bad Zhang doesn't understand the rules, he knows what it means to be Pingzhang in the same position as the Secretary of the Central Secretariat!" Zhang Qian smiled and shook his head slightly, "And Zhang, the Minister of Personnel, is only given the title. Even the official gate is not qualified to join, let alone be the boss in front of you, the powerful minister!"

"The Shangshu who has the title is also the Shangshu, not to mention that Yong Zhao is still the founding county duke!" Cui Shi felt nervous when he heard this, but he refused to show any turmoil on his face, and just continued to make tricks with Zhang Qian on his respective titles.

"I can't be as good as Brother Cui. At a young age, you can work with the left and right servants, always accompany the emperor and give advice to the emperor at any time!" Zhang Qian thought of the relevant words with the help of Zhang Xu two days ago, with the help of Zhang Xu, pretended to be envious and shook his head gently.

There was no full-time prime minister in the Tang Dynasty. In theory, the Zhongshu Ling, the left and right purshe, and the Shizhong, could be regarded as one of the prime ministers. Once the Shangshu and the Shizhong, the third rank of the Tongshu Jun or the Pingzhangshi of the Tongshu Jun, these two titles are equivalent to entering the ranks of prime ministers. Although the real power is not as great as the left and right purshe, they can also meet with the emperor every day and put forward their own reference opinions on national affairs and various personnel arrangements in the court.

Now, Zhang Qian's title is the Minister of Personnel, the title is the founding Duke of the founding county, and the dismissal of his post is a special promotion, and his status is definitely far higher than Cui Shi. However, Cui Qian left Zhang Qian far behind only the title of Ping Zhang Shi, the subordinate of the Secretariat of the Central Secretariat, and his influence and real power in the court.

Therefore, once the etiquette becomes pretentious, it is difficult for the two to say which one will sit first, which is more in line with the rules. Of course, no one will be pretentious about this kind of red tape. On the one hand, it seems that the relationship between them is different, and on the other hand, it also has the demeanor of a heavy minister!

"If Zhao said this, Cui would be even more ashamed!!" Cui was forced to go to the forefront and had to make up his mind and admit frankly, "That is, using a talent like Zhao, you need to be in charge of the Western Regions, so Cui has the opportunity to make up the numbers. Otherwise, the emperor would have a place to use Zhao."

These words were logically unobstructed. However, the meaning to be expressed is very clear. That is, it is easy for Zhang Qian to want a title similar to the subordinate of the Secretariat of the Central Secretariat. The reason why no one considered it before was that Zhang Qian needed to take charge of the Western Regions, and it was not deliberately suppressed by all parties.

"I dare not. Zhang is a martial artist. He is a national affairs. How can he be qualified to speak randomly?!" Zhang Qian finished his first bid and waved his hand with a smile. "Unlike Brother Cui, he has a prominent family background, is well-organized, and has a top-notch knowledge. Brother Cui invites him to attend the meeting. Today, we don't care about official positions, only age. Brother Cui is older than me, so he should ask first."

'It's really easy to learn bad things and it's hard to learn well! Thinking back to the beginning, Zhang Yongzhao was so simple, but now it's so difficult!' Cui Shi secretly cursed in his heart and sat back on his original seat. "In this way, let Cui ask for a big shot. That is, at home, Brother Yu dares to take advantage of Zhao. If he goes outside, Brother Yu doesn't have the courage to."

"The same is true outside!" Zhang Qian sat opposite Cui Xi with a smile, and renovated tea for the other party with his own hands. "Brother Cui did not put any airs in front of me, the military weapon supervisor. Zhang has only been promoted to the position of Protector for a few days, so how could he have the courage to show off his power in front of Brother Cui?!" The fastest update is computer::/

"Don't be humble if you use Zhao. You first pacify Anxi for the court, and then solve the Turkic troubles for the court. Cui respects you a little bit. To be honest, Cui is the same as the Central Secretariat Pingzhang, to be honest, alas! It just sounds nice, but in fact, it looks similar to the Heavenly King in the temple." Since both sides had already left their seats, Cui Shi couldn't raise his strength to fight for whom first and whom he came first, sighed and shook his head gently.

"What do you mean?" Zhang Qian was stunned and frowned slightly.

He was not good at playing puzzles with people at first, and today he could talk about such a lot of things around the corner, which was already a very extraordinary performance. So when Cui Shi suddenly turned the topic into the court, he didn't know how to deal with it for a while, so he could only let it go.

"What else can I say? The decorations." Cui Shi did not hide it. He shook his head and whispered, "Since Cui added the title of Tongpingzhang's subordinate, he has not been adopted by the late emperor, the queen mother and the king. Recently, every time he was summoned by Jin Shang with several other important officials, he could only listen with his ears. Therefore, this title of Tongtingzhang's affairs only looks glorious on the surface, but in fact, really, alas, it is really not the same."

"Brother Cui, don't be discouraged. You are finally in the face." Zhang Qian smiled and shook his head slightly. "Others want to listen with their ears, but they are not qualified yet! What's more, you are just not as experienced as a few others, but your ability may not be bad. Wait patiently for a while, and you will eventually have a chance to make a big splash!"

"If that's true, Cui must thank You Zhao for his auspicious words!" Cui Shi's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he immediately bowed with a smile, "It's been spreading outside that you are not only civil and military, but also a lucky star. Brother Yu borrowed your blessing today, and maybe one day you will get what you want."

"Is Zhang a lucky star? Who is so optimistic about Zhang?" Zhang Qian's eyes immediately widened, and then he was overjoyed, "I'm not hiding this from Brother Cui, this is the first time Zhang has heard this."

"You are not a lucky star, so who can you be? After you went there, you would completely resolve all the dangers like a quick knife to cut the mess!" Cui Shi looked up at Zhang Qian, and the appreciation and envy on his face were like a fake. "Also, besides the royal relatives, who have you seen, who was only in his early twenties, and you were granted the title of a county duke? Don't be busy refuting, I have other evidence here! In the past few years, who has been close to you, who has not been smooth in the career of the officialdom? Ji Weng is the top scholar in the last rank of the second grade of the rank of the officialdom. Before he met you, he had been in the sixth rank of official positions for less than three years!"

These words were all true, and Zhang Qian could not refute it for a while. Therefore, he could only smile and shake his head. When Cui Shi saw that Zhang Qian's defense towards him was finally not as heavy as before, he quickly turned the topic back to the topic, "To be honest, Cui happened to be in bad luck the previous year. If he had not been unwilling to drag you down, he would have wanted to be a colleague with you nearby. However, at that time, Cui really didn't have the courage to speak. Now, in the west of Zhen, he cannot do without the protection of Zhao, the upper guardian."

"That may not be. The Zhenxi Protectorate was originally part of the Anxi Protectorate. Return to the Anxi Protectorate, and the veteran General Niu Shizhao continued to take charge of it!" Zhang Qian suddenly had a warning in his heart, and shook his head with a decisive smile. "Zhang happened to stay in Chang'an, so he had some rest."

"Don't act with Zhao, don't act intently. Niu Dadu is already in his seventies. The two towns of Kucha, Khotan, are enough to be tired. How can you care about Sui Ye and Shule!" Cui Shi's heart trembled, and he really wanted to swallow what he had just said back into his stomach. "Besides, there have been rumors recently that the great cannibals want to lead troops eastward. If it weren't for you, Niu Dadu's alone might not be able to withstand it!"

The purpose of his visit to Zhang Qian today was to find out what conditions the other party needed to go to Suoye to take office quickly, rather than persuade Zhang Qian to stay in Chang'an. If Zhang Qian really bit his head and insisted on staying in Chang'an and being a colleague with him and spread it, he would become a thorn in the eyes of many people!

Fortunately, Zhang Qian did not have the habit of cheating his friend. Seeing that his face suddenly showed a hint of nervousness, he immediately shook his head, "Of course I won't be irritated. Brother Cui, please relax. Zhang is just talking! The soldiers were retracted by bloody battles. Thousands of brothers were buried here. How could Zhang hand him over to others with confidence? However, if the rumors about the cannibalism coming soon are true, Zhang really can't go back too hastily!"

"Why is this?" Cui Wei's heart broke out again, and his inquiry blurted out, "If the rumors are true, shouldn't you rush back and lead your brothers to fight? Why can't you rush back in a hurry?"

Zhang Qian sighed and explained worriedly, "Brother Cui doesn't know that Suoye and Shule want troops but no troops, money, food, and food. If the cavalry rebelled, Zhang can still suppress it with his former reputation. If the cannibals attacked, he must have to gather all the strength of the country. Zhang rushed back rashly without any preparation, and he would definitely lose!"

"This..." Cui Shi was crying secretly when he heard it. On the surface, he could only pretend to be ignorant of military affairs and continued to whisper, "This is indeed reasonable. But if you don't go back, how could Suoye and Shule stop the great tiger-eating army?"

"The city is lost, and there is still a chance to regain it in the future. If the morale of the Tang Dynasty athletes is lost, not only will Shule and Shuye not be able to be recaptured in the future, but even Khotan, Kucha, Guazhou and Shazhou are in danger!" Zhang Qian knew that the news of the Dashi Army's invasion was fake, but he tried to speculate in the worst case. "So, Shuye and Shule can be lost, but Zhang must not lose when fighting with the Dashiren. The troops and horses of Shuye and Shule are combined with the three thousand brothers on my hands, which is less than 20,000 yuan, and Guo Hong's qualifications are far older than me. I hurried back and used an exhausted army to unite the mob. At the least, they will lose their troops and injure the country. In any case, they will regret it!"

"What should I do? You just said that the brothers took back the bloody battle and were reluctant to leave it to others! Do you watch it, and it was beaten up by the Great Cannibal again? If you don't even dare to fight with the Great Cannibal, who can resist those tigers and wolves for the court?!" Cui Shi felt uncomfortable the more he heard it, and couldn't help but raise his eyes and questioned him repeatedly.

"Of course I won't watch it." Zhang Qian patted the table with his hand and answered firmly, "No matter whether the rumors are true or false, I must prepare in advance. Therefore, food, supplies, soldiers, and the right to make a decision in the West Protectorate's Office in Zhenxi must not be missing. Only in this way can Zhang have the power to fight against the Great Cannibal. Otherwise, Zhang would rather let the Great Cannibal take advantage of it first, and accumulate strength little by little to achieve the future!"

"Then when will you accumulate?" Cui Shi suddenly appeared in his eyes, and he sighed and shook his head, "It's better for me to help you and explain the reasons to the Empress Dowager and now, so that the Empress Dowager can pay attention to it and let you achieve your wish as soon as possible!"

"Brother Cui can help me?" The sudden happiness made Zhang Qian almost unable to believe his ears. He immediately stood up and saluted solemnly, "If Brother Cui is willing to help with righteousness, Zhang will be grateful!"

'If I don't help, are you willing to get out of here?' Cui Shi was angry, but he quickly stood up and returned with a kindness of his peers. "You should be polite to use Zhaoxiu, this is Cui's duty. What's more, you once advised Cui to support his family."

"In this way, Brother Cui will be forced!" Zhang Qian would not be polite to the dealer, and bowed again, knocking on the brick and nailing the foot.

Cui Shi knew that he was getting closer and closer to the target. While bowing back the favor, he added with a wry smile, "Just make a unified list of what you need and the convenience that the court needs to give you. Cui took it, and you can submit it to the Empress Dowager and Your Majesty. When you come, you can try to convince several other important officials of the dynasty for you!"

"That's natural!" Zhang Qian responded without hesitation, and then quickly turned his head to the door of the main hall, "Come on, please send me an order to Zhang Ganjun!"

"The last one is here!" Lu Dechuan suppressed his smile, walked in quickly, and bowed to Zhang Qian.

"Go and pass the order to Zhang Ganjun, and ask him to make a list of things urgently needed by the Protectorate in the West. No matter money, food, supplies, soldiers, civil servants, generals, or all kinds of powers that are conducive to decision-making in the battle, don't be polite. Brother Cui is his own person, and he will do his best to help us!" Zhang Qian grabbed an arrow and slapped it to Lu Dechuan, and ordered it straightforwardly.

"As for the order!" Lu Dechuan took the command arrow with the same neat movement and flew away. From beginning to end, there was no room for Cui Shi to interrupt.

With Cui Xi's intelligence and etiquette, how can you not tell that Zhang Qian is using himself as an agent to bargain with others? However, he came with the purpose of exploring Zhang Qian's words. He made a promise and was not able to repent immediately. After thinking about it, he had to grit his teeth and explain with a dry smile, "Use Zhao, with the friendship between you and me, Cui should of course run for you. However, if Cui is not good enough, don't blame Cui. After all, Cui has just become the subordinate of the Secretariat of the Central Committee for a few days, and what he said is not much weight!"

"Brother Cui's words are out of the blue. If you can help, how can Zhang rely on you if you can't do it?!" Zhang Qian smiled and shook his head gently. "If the conditions cannot be met, Zhang will naturally go to the door of several Zhongshu Ling, Shizhong, and Pushe's houses and pray in turn. When everything is ready, when will it be ready? Anyway, the soldiers are in danger. If you are not sure, Zhang would rather stay in Chang'an for the rest of your life than set off rashly, which will ruin the great situation that is too late for our court!"

"You, you are cautious!" Cui Shi was so angry that he wanted to slap the table. He endured it and nodded with a blue face. "However, this should be the case. It is better to be prepared for the fierce battles than to be unprepared."

"Actually, Zhang was forced to do nothing!" Zhang Qian sighed and added with aggrieved look, "There are not many Han people in the two places of Suoye and Shule. The leader of the Tuqi Shiren was killed by Zhang. Zhang did not guarantee that they did not hold a grudge against Zhang. Therefore, we can only ask the court to give more support and more time so that Zhang can slowly build a barrier for the court there!"

"This is a saying of a long-standing country!" Cui Shi's smile did not change at all, and a few unshakable boredom flashed in his eyes. "Cui tried his best to let more people understand Yong Zhao's difficulties."

Anyway, I am just a messenger. If I agree or not, there will naturally be Princess Taiping and Shangguan Wan'er to make the decision. There is no need to be very careful with Zhang Qian here. What's more, I'm very careful and I'm not sure to get any advantage from Zhang Qian.

"Brother Cui knows me!" Zhang Qian bowed gratitude, "Thank you, no matter how much you say, Zhang will not repeat it anymore. Brother Cui must know Zhang's ability to make money. Zhang promised that every time the court invests in the other side, in five years, Zhang will let the court get more than three times the return, whether it is money, food, or other!"

"Cui believes in this!" Cui Shi's eyes suddenly shone, and his fatigue instantly weakened most of his time. "Where Yong Zhao goes, wherever he will soon become a gold mountain. Including foreign wars, every time, the court almost earned ten times the military capital! Unfortunately, Cui has no luck, and this time he has no chance to follow you to the Western Regions to make achievements."

"If Brother Cui is willing to come, Zhang will definitely wait for the position of Chief of the Army!" Zhang Qian took the conversation without hesitation and made a promise loudly.

Before Cui Shi refused, he smiled and waved his hand, "Just, joke, Brother Cui is now in a long-term future, how dare Zhang delay Brother Cui? However, if there are talents available in Brother Cui's clan, you might as well recommend some to Zhang. You also know that there are no decent civil servants in Suiye and Shule. Although the conditions there are a little harder, there are no less opportunities to make contributions than in other places. In addition..."

He paused deliberately, and his voice quickly lowered, "There are some confidants under Zhang who are specialized in making money to support the family. So far, no one who has worked with them has lost money!"

"Cui can recommend his clan members to your subordinates? Whether you are a subordinate or go to do business with your confidants?" Cui Shi was really overjoyed, stood up and asked blankly.

"Have Zhang failed Brother Cui since we met?" Zhang Qian did not answer directly, but asked with a smile.

"This..." Cui Shi couldn't answer, and in an instant, his heart was mixed.

He and Zhang Qian are not friends, but after dealing with Zhang Qian several times, both individually and family have made great incomes. Especially more than two years ago, Zhang Qian instructed his two junior brothers to teach them all the skills of digging and selling peat, the Cui family changed its previous decline, and their financial and strength were thriving.

What about the reward he gave to Zhang Qian? Zhang Qian had never lived in a house, but was used by Princess Taiping and almost killed Zhang Qian. Today, he came to find out Zhang Qian's words and falsehoods by the orders of Princess Taiping and Shangguan Wan'er! After returning, he basically did not dare to hide anything from the two women!

"Why, Brother Cui is now a big family and has a big business, and he doesn't like my small businesses!" While feeling guilty, he heard Zhang Qian's words coming into his ears. Every word made him feel ashamed.

"How is that possible!" He shook his head quickly, and Cui Shi threw all his guilt behind his head. Then he smiled and bowed, "In this way, Brother Yu thanked me first. After Brother Yu returned, he immediately chose his tribe members and reported to you. At most ten days, no, five days are enough. If there is a need in the future, I will let more people take my handwritten letter to you to the Western Regions!"

"Brother Cui, don't worry, Zhang will definitely accept everyone!" Zhang Qian smiled and nodded generously.

"You do things, Brother Yu is certainly relieved! After the list is written, you can send a servant to my house. Cui will definitely run for you with all his strength!" Cui Shi grabbed the teacup and drank it clean in one breath. Then, he bowed to Zhang Qian gently, "It's getting late, and Yong Zhao has to prepare for the long journey, Brother Yu will not disturb you much. When you leave another day, Brother Yu will go to the ten-mile long pavilion and play the piano to strengthen your journey!"

"Brother Cui will walk slowly, wait for Zhang to give you!" Zhang Qian felt relieved in his heart. He smiled and returned the gift, and then walked side by side with Cui Shi.

He has already quoted the price, so there is no need to continue to stay customers. Cui Xi is definitely not the first guest to come to "inquiry" at home. He still needs to spare enough energy to welcome the next round of "bad battle".

"If you have any work, you can do it!" Surprisingly, Cui Shi did not ask the owner to stay, but instead followed the situation and asked Zhang Qian to send himself out of the yard.

This person has a solid knowledge and extensive knowledge. He talked about official rumors and interesting markets along the way, but it did not make Zhang Qian bored. However, before getting on the carriage, he suddenly put away his smile and said solemnly: "Okay, let's send it here. It's cold and freezing, so you won't have to use more Zhao. Use Zhao, the spring climate in Chang'an is changing, but it may not be as comfortable as the Western Regions. If I were you, I would definitely wish to go further as far as possible!"

"Well, thank you Brother Cui for your reminder!" Zhang Qian suddenly realized something, stopped and nodded with a smile, "If Brother Cui is tired of living in Chang'an one day, you might as well volunteer to go to the Western Regions. Zhang cannot guarantee anything else that decades of lamb wine can still be afforded by Brother Cui?"

"Take it seriously?" Cui Shi's eyes suddenly felt a little luster, he tilted his head and asked with a smile.
Chapter completed!