Chapter 3401 The sky is falling and the earth is falling
The next morning, the heavy snow that was falling had subsided slightly, and the north wind was howling, but it was even colder than when it snowed, and water dripped into ice.
Li Ji got up before dawn, washed up, had a simple breakfast, and then processed military official documents in the camp. He was busy until the end of Mao hour. When his wrists were numb and his back was sore, a soldier came in and said it was Yuchi Gong, Cheng Yaojin and Qiu Xiaozhong came together to ask for an audience.
"Do you know what it is?"
Li Ji put down his brush and asked with a frown.
Yesterday, Yuchi Gong roared and screamed, and was scolded by his own staff. Although there was no danger of his life, after being hit with dozens of military staffs, his muscles and bones were still damaged. He could not move around unless he lay down on the bed for a month. Why did he just finish the fight yesterday and come to the door again today?
Could it be that he still refuses to see anyone because His Majesty is injured?
Li Ji had a headache. Yu Chigong, Qiu Xiaozhong and others now have high status and high rankings, but they have been in the army for many years and have accumulated a lot of military spirit. They are very stubborn and strong. If they cannot give a reasonable explanation, they will not give up. .
I just don’t know how Cheng Yaojin got involved with Yuchi Gong?
The two of them seemed to be laughing and joking, but in fact they were quite wrong. They had never been willing to walk together and advance and retreat together... Today they must be unwilling to give up.
But no matter how bad the headache is, it can’t be ignored.
These are all generals in the army. If they cannot be calmed down, it will easily lead to serious consequences...
Rubbing his eyebrows, Li Ji said: "Let them come in."
"Here!"
After the soldiers left, Li Ji got up from behind the desk, went to the chair by the window and sat down. He looked at the sparse snowflakes outside the window, and the howling of the north wind reached his ears.
"We have met the British Duke!"
Cheng Yaojin and Qiu Xiaozhong entered and bowed to salute.
Li Ji also stood up and returned the courtesy.
Qiu Xiaozhong was fine. Cheng Yaojin was senior, had great achievements, and his title was only slightly lower than him. It would be inappropriate for him to sit down and receive Cheng Yaojin's courtesy. That's not to say it can't be done. As the head of the Prime Minister and Fu, he is extremely polite to all officials. Now he is the deputy commander in the army. One person is inferior to ten thousand people, so he can receive Cheng Yaojin's courtesy. However, Li Ji was low-key by nature and always kept a low profile. He would never do anything that might lead others to criticize him for "treating honorable ministers indifferently".
Yuchi Gong was carried in by two soldiers on a wooden plank. He lay on the wooden plank and cupped his hands casually, saying angrily: "I am injured and cannot perform the full salute. I hope the British Lord will not blame me!"
Li Ji's eyelids twitched and he said: "It doesn't matter."
Then he sat down and stretched out his hand to signal Cheng Yaojin and Qiu Xiaozhong to sit down as well. Yuchi Gong asked his soldiers to put him on the ground and then waved him away.
A scribe offered him some fragrant tea and then left the tent.
Li Ji took a sip of tea from the cup and asked, "We are all here together. It's okay to speak out if you have something to say."
Cheng Yaojin and Qiu Xiaozhong looked at each other, then looked at Yuchi Gong on the ground, and then said: "I also heard about the commotion between the two people outside your majesty's tent yesterday. I came here today not to blame the British prince. It was not handled properly, but I just want to remind the British public that a country cannot survive without a king, and an army cannot survive for a day. Wu Shuai, His Majesty has not been shown in front of others for many days, and various speculations are spreading in the army. It is just when the whole army is attacking the city. If the debate about whether His Majesty's dragon body has recovered affects the morale of the army, and then delays the siege plan... …Who can bear this responsibility?”
It was still dark today, so Qiu Xiaozhong went to his camp and talked about what happened yesterday. Cheng Yaojin has been commanding troops to attack the city continuously in recent days. Faced with the stubborn defense of the Goguryeo people, he suffered heavy losses. At a time when he was so worried, he forgot about His Majesty's injury.
But after Qiu Xiaozhong explained the pros and cons to him, Cheng Yaojin also realized that there was something wrong with this matter.
He doesn't care about the stability of the military and the level of morale. He has been getting along with His Majesty Li Er for twenty years, and his affection for His Majesty Li Er has already surpassed that of a monarch and his ministers. As long as there is even the slightest chance that His Majesty Li Er will be framed by traitors, he will not stand idly by and watch even if he risks his life.
Li Ji fell silent.
He naturally knew that the matter of His Majesty Li Er being seriously injured and unconscious could not be delayed for long, but he did not expect that the matter would be revealed so soon...
Yuchi Gongye, who was lying on the wooden board, said loudly: "We have followed His Majesty for many years, and there is no way that we will allow His Majesty to be slaughtered by traitors!"
Qiu Xiaozhong also said: "His Majesty is injured, but we, as ministers, can't even meet him. How can there be such a reason in the world? The British Lord has always been glorious and righteous. It is natural for me to kowtow in front of His Majesty and express condolences." , otherwise even if we believe that His Majesty is fine, we may not be able to appease the morale of the army.”
Yesterday, he tried to dissuade Yuchi Gong from speaking rudely, but today he went along with Yuchi Gong...
Cheng Yaojin frowned, feeling that the two people's words were a bit serious, but before he could change his mind, Li Ji was already staring at Yuchi Gong who was lying on the wooden board, and asked one by one: "Who do you call the traitor, and who does the massacre? Your Majesty?”
Yuchi Gong stiffened his neck and snorted angrily: "If you don't want others to know, you have to do nothing! The British Lord may as well see your majesty here. As long as your majesty is fine, you can kill him or chop him into pieces as you like!"
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Li Ji snorted coldly, "In that case, I will lead you to see His Majesty!"
After saying this, he raised his voice and said to the soldiers outside the tent: "Go to Zhao Guogong's tent and invite Zhao Guogong to your Majesty's tent."
Before the soldiers outside responded, Qiu Xiaozhong shook his head and said, "I have just gone to Zhao Guogong's tent, but I was told that Zhao Guogong went out to inspect the camp early in the morning and did not turn back."
Li Ji frowned and said in confusion: "Everyone in the army performs his own duties. The generals and I are in charge of military affairs. When will Duke Zhao be required to inspect the camp?"
Qiu Xiaozhong spread his hands and said: "I don't know, the soldiers in Zhao Guogong's camp said so."
Li Ji stood up and said, "Let's go to the Chinese army's tent and meet His Majesty!"
Cheng Yaojin and Qiu Xiaozhong stood up quickly, and Yuchi Gong also called his soldiers in, carried him, and followed the three of them to the Chinese army's tent.
As soon as they arrived at the door of the tent, they saw the imperial doctor crawling out of the tent. His face was pale and bloodless, and his expression was frightened. When he suddenly saw Li Ji and others approaching, they rushed towards him as if grasping a life-saving straw. He went and knelt at Li Ji's feet. Before he could speak, he was already bursting into tears.
Li Ji and others were startled and quickly asked in a low voice: "How is your Majesty?"
The imperial doctor finally came back to his senses. His lips moved a few times. He wanted to say something but suddenly shut his mouth. He stood up and pulled Li Ji's sleeves, dragging him into the tent.
Cheng Yaojin and Qiu Xiaozhong also changed their expressions and hurriedly followed.
Yuchi Gong shouted repeatedly: "Put me in..." But suddenly he remembered something and hurriedly said: "Put me down, put me down!"
When the soldiers put him on the ground, regardless of his injuries, he lay down on the snow and entered the tent. The soldiers wanted to help him, but he stopped him: "Stay here, no entry is allowed. If anyone breaks in without permission, , Kill without mercy!”
"Here!"
The soldiers were frightened. After obeying the order, they held the swords on their waists and stood guard outside the big tent door together with the guards, watching with eager eyes and not allowing anyone to approach.
Inside the tent, curtains were used to cover the windows, and only two lamps were burning. From the bright spot outside, it suddenly entered the darkness. It was difficult for everyone to adapt to it, and they could not clearly see what was going on inside the tent.
Li Ji walked towards the bed and asked, "How is your majesty doing?"
The imperial doctor knelt down on the ground, paused with his head, and cried loudly: "The humble minister is incompetent, and your majesty is... already dead!"
"Boom!"
Li Ji, Cheng Yaojin, Qiu Xiaozhong and Yu Chigong, who had just climbed in, felt as if there was a muffled thunder explosion in their ears, which made their heads buzz. They were all stunned and at a loss.
Your Majesty... passed away? !
How is that possible? !
Thinking back to the early years of Wude, His Majesty Li Er was majestic and heroic. Although he was only the second son of Emperor Gaozu, he already had the power to conquer the mountains and rivers and dominate the world. Everyone followed him to conquer the unfaithful and make great achievements, until he finally became the descendant of the Xuanwu Sect. Fight on the field, seize the throne in reverse, and determine the kingdom.
Today, His Majesty Li Er is at the peak of his spring and Autumn period, his empire is prosperous, his Eastern Conquest of Goguryeo is about to be completed, and his unparalleled feats that shocked the past and the present are at his fingertips, but he died just because he was injured after falling from a horse?
Everyone was shocked and at a loss. For a while, even sadness, anger and other emotions did not appear, and they did not dare to accept this truth.
Could it be that His Majesty was planning something big and resorted to cheating death to achieve certain goals?
……
Li Ji finally calmed down and walked quickly to the bed to see what was going on. Cheng Yaojin had already rushed to the bed with a "ouch" sound. Looking at His Majesty Li Er's peaceful face, he felt sad for a moment and let out a loud voice. burst into tears.
Yu Chigong and Qiu Xiaozhong also woke up from their dazed shock. They both knelt on the ground, paused their heads on the ground, and cried bitterly. *****
(End of chapter)