Chapter 3096 Fishing in troubled waters
Chapter 940: Fishing in troubled waters
The Duke's Mansion of Qiao State.
Chai Zhewei was wearing a moon-white tunic, with a moon-white forehead bandage wrapped around his head. His complexion was sallow and his expression was haggard. He sat on a chair in the dormitory and raised his hands to Li Yuanjing who was opposite him: "Why does the prince have to come to the palace in person? It’s just an occasional cold, it’ll be fine in a few days.”
But I was very annoyed in my heart.
The involvement between the two of us has now been known to many interested people. It is impossible to say that there are spies from the "Hundred Qisi" watching closely at this moment. You came to the house directly without avoiding suspicion. Aren't you afraid that His Highness the Prince will be suspicious? , any guesses?
How reckless...
Li Yuanjing ignored Chai Zhewei's worries. He took a sip of tea and said with a smile: "When Third Sister was alive, I was very close to me. At that time, I was very naughty. I often played behind Third Sister, and I would be beaten from time to time. A lesson learned . I am not afraid of the prince, not even the brave and fierce third brother, but I am afraid of this sister. Now that you are sick and bedridden, who can tell you what is wrong?" br>
The "third sister" he calls is naturally Princess Pingyang.
I think back then, although Princess Pingyang was a female, she was so handsome and a woman that she was not inferior to men. Which dandy, big and small, in Chang'an City would not be willing to respect her? There are not a few people like Li Yuanjing who follow behind him like a follower and flatter him.
Chai Zhewei could only smile bitterly in return.
He was really helpless towards this prince, saying that he was doing great things but cherishing his own life, yet he dared to run to his own house. He was a general in charge of the army. What did a prince of the clan want to befriend a general in charge of the army? It can be said that he was bold and arrogant, but he was also very cautious and refused to give up money and silk to make friends with the royal court officials. He just hid in the palace alone to make plans...
I really don’t know how to evaluate it.
It stands to reason that Chai Zhewei does not like Li Yuanjing very much, but this person is the only person in the clan who has a status and is likely to go further...
Li Yuanjing laughed in his heart when he saw Chai Zhewei not speaking.
Everyone in the government and the public said that he "does great things without sacrificing his own life", but compared with himself, Chai Zhewei is the one who is ineffective. The Tuyuhun rebellion is imminent, and Hexi is in danger. As a soldier, shouldn't we die to serve the country and defend the country? It happened that this person was favored by the emperor, but he hesitated to move forward at the critical moment. For fear of being defeated by Tuyuhun's cavalry, he even resorted to pretending to be sick and lost his face...
"The government has now determined that Fang Jun will lead half of the Youtun Guards to Hexi to guard against Tuyuhun, which is extremely dangerous. Therefore, the government and the public are full of praise, and they highly praise that guy's high-spirited and fearless behavior. , the reputation is unparalleled for a while. It is conceivable that if this battle is lost. , Fang Jun will definitely die in front of the army, and his reputation is destined to shine in history and be admired by future generations. Needless to say, he will be the number one person in the army, and he will even have the status of being the number one minister in the empire. , but I am not even as good as a sycophant, I am really ashamed.”
Li Yuanjing drank tea and shook his head, as if he was sighing endlessly.
Chai Zhewei's face was ashen and he remained silent.
When he thought about it, this battle was bound to be defeated, so why would he rather die than go on the war? Isn't it much better to hold the army at various passes in the west and keep Tuyuhun's army at bay than to go to Hexi and die in vain? As for those desolate places in the Western Region, what does it matter if they are lost temporarily? As long as the Eastern Expedition is successful and His Majesty's troops return to the DPRK, hundreds of thousands of troops will march westward from Dazhen Pass to recover the counties in Hexi and level the Western Regions in an instant. Why bother to fight with life and death right now? He would rather lose his life than give up on Hexi temporarily. Counties?
This is simply the behavior of an idiot.
However, just such idiotic behavior separated him and Fang Jun into a world of difference.
No matter how highly the government and the public praise Fang Jun, they slander him!
He was extremely angry in his heart, snorted, and gritted his teeth and said: "It seems that he is extremely brave, but in fact he is just seeking death! I want to see how he was completely defeated by the Tuyuhun cavalry, and then fled back to Chang'an in panic! Now those people How high you praise him will be how hard you will throw him down in the future!”
He definitely didn't think Fang Jun could defeat Tuyuhun.
The Youtun Guards had less than 40,000 troops, and they only brought 20,000 horses to Hexi this time, while Tuyuhun had at least 50,000 elite cavalry. When Fang Jun's soldiers came out and overthrew Xue Yantuo, it was because Xue Yantuo never expected that a Tang army would unexpectedly penetrate his heart, causing more than 100,000 elite troops to be scattered throughout Mobei. Before they could command King Qin, they were crushed by Fang Jun. Got Long Tingya's account.
Tuyuhun dared to rebel at the height of the Tang Dynasty. It was obvious that he had planned it for a long time and had prepared everything well. Fang Jun went to Hexi in a hurry. The situation was very different from when Xue Yantuo was overthrown, and even completely opposite. How could he win?
As for nonsense such as "death to serve the country", he even laughed at it.
With status as high as theirs, even if the battle fails, how can their lives be in danger? As long as he escapes back to Chang'an, even if he is dismissed from his position, he will still live a pleasant life. After a few years, when the limelight is over, why not he will be promoted to a higher position?
Li Yuanjing laughed loudly, put down his tea cup, and the old god looked at Chai Zhewei and said: "Fang Jun went out to fight, and only half of the Youtun Guards were left. This Xuanwu Gate can be said to be completely under the control of Duke Qiao."
< br>
Chai Zhewei was startled for a moment at first, and then he lost his voice and said: "What does the prince want to do?"
Li Yuanjing shook his head and smiled: "Why such a big reaction? For Your Majesty, I only have respect and admiration, and I absolutely dare not do such rebellious things. However, the battle for the throne between the Crown Prince and the King of Jin is getting more and more intense. Who controls the Xuanwu Sect? It is equivalent to controlling the key to Chang'an, Qiao Guo However, the most taboo thing in the court is to be indecisive. Sometimes it seems that he is right and wrong, but in fact he is not the same person inside and outside. He should not follow the crowd and have nothing. Opinion.”
Chai Zhewei was a little confused again.
Where does the compromise come from? The prince didn't pay much attention to him at all, and even wished he could just give up his military position as the general of Zuotunwei and replace him with someone from the Donggong line. The only person who can win him over is Jin Wang Li Zhi.
Are you asking me to support King Jin and help him fight for the throne?
But even if King Jin successfully competes for the throne, what benefit will it bring to you, King Jing?
Li Yuanjing understood Chai Zhewei's doubts, and did not pretend to be a ghost. He smiled and said in a low voice: "You can fish in troubled waters, and you can make things right by stirring up chaos. Only when the city of Chang'an is in chaos can we profit from it. Otherwise, if everything goes according to plan, when will it be possible? Is it our turn?”
Chai Zhewei was stunned.
Although North Korea and China are currently in turmoil, a balance has actually been reached between the various forces. The Guanlong nobles have been suppressed, but they have a deep foundation and it is impossible for His Majesty to uproot them. The impact would be too far-reaching and would plunge the government into chaos.
It is inevitable that the Shandong aristocratic family and the Jiangnan gentry will take advantage of the situation. However, these two parties have a shallow foundation in the court. They can only eat away at the benefits given up by the Guanlong nobles bit by bit. They dare not go to war, otherwise they will become the next The object of suppression by the emperor.
The three forces, restraining each other and fearing each other, achieved the balanced situation that His Majesty Li Er has been seeking.
Anyone who wants to break the balance in this state will not be easy, and will most likely suffer collective backlash and become the target of public criticism.
However, Tuyuhun's rebellion had the possibility of disrupting the balance of the government through external forces.
Whether Li Yuanjing or Chai Zhewei wants to reap benefits when the government is stable, they will have to face counterattacks from those with vested interests. It is hard to say they have a chance of winning, and a little carelessness can even lead to disaster. But once the political situation is in turmoil and there is pressure from external forces, it will be a good opportunity to fish in troubled waters.
Chai Zhewei thought for a while and felt that although Li Yuanjing had too many character flaws, he had a really good vision. He asked tentatively: "In the opinion of the prince, what should I do?"
At this time, Li Yuanjing started to think deeply, shook his head, and said with a smile: "It's not what we should do, but what is the trend of the government and what we need to do! We are loyal to the emperor and patriotic, how can we watch the situation deteriorate? Since It is the responsibility of calming down the chaos and protecting Chang'an."
Chai Zhewei understood that this prince had the idea of "the mantis stalks the cicada, while the oriole follows". He asked King Jin to take the lead in making trouble, and when the situation deteriorated, he would step in to clean up the mess in the name of justice. In this way, not only can the maximum benefits be obtained, but it can also be justified and no one can fault it.
What a cunning old man...
However, if you want the King of Jin to jump out and cause trouble, you must give him strong support so that he has the confidence to make trouble. Otherwise, if you have no soldiers and no one in the army, how can you have the courage to cause trouble?
Fang Jun went to Hexi, and only half of the Youtun Guards were left. As long as he, Chai Zhewei, expressed his support for the King of Jin, the King of Jin would be more courageous...
What a good plan.
As long as the King of Jin gets involved and stirs up a fight for the throne, and if there is external pressure, Chang'an will inevitably be in chaos and turmoil...(End of Chapter)