Chapter 3434: Lots of Doubts
In the simple house, the cold wind penetrated through the cracks in the doors and windows, causing the candlelight on the table to flicker, which made Li Ji and Cheng Yaojin's expressions gloomy and dim, both of them frowning.
Even today, it is difficult for people to believe that His Majesty has passed away. This fact is too sudden and too unbelievable. His Majesty Li Er was not a pampered emperor who grew up in the palace. Although he was born into a noble family, he was polite and hands-on. As the second son of Tang Guogong, he supported his father's rebellion against the Sui Dynasty and established his own independence. He raised an army in Jinyang and later took the lead in wiping out all heroes. , Dingding Jiangshan.
Naturally, there were times when people were injured during this period, but who would have thought that back then, he could survive a narrow escape from death in the blood-fire battle formation, but now he is surrounded by hundreds of thousands of troops and dominates Bintian...
Apart from being sad and sad, there is still the most important thing: after returning to Chang'an, how to explain to the royal family of Li and Tang Dynasties, the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty, and the people of the world?
The emperor went on a personal expedition and died in the midst of hundreds of thousands of troops, but you ministers are all vigorous and vigorous... After all, someone has to take responsibility and give an explanation to the world.
Li Ji held the tea cup in one hand, with a calm and solemn expression on his face, and said slowly: "Right now, the most important thing is to keep the situation stable. After returning to Chang'an, we must ensure that the prince successfully ascends the throne at all costs. It's not me who is leaning towards the East Palace, it's really of these situations Your Majesty, only the prince can legitimately ascend the throne, otherwise the world will be in chaos. When the prince ascends the throne and the world is peaceful, I will commit suicide to accuse Your Majesty. After my death, I will cover my face with my hair and bury my body at the foot of Zhaoling Mountain. I will bow down and apologize. .”
"Maogong! Think twice!"
Cheng Yaojin was shocked and called out Li Ji's name, showing some true feelings.
Everyone knows that if His Majesty dies, someone must bear the blame, and there may even be more than one person. In fact, for such a huge mistake, Li Ji, who was the deputy commander, could not escape the blame, but who in the army could stay away from it? If in the future Li Ji, as the head of the prime minister, takes full responsibility for the crime, or even dies to apologize, it will be equivalent to asking everyone to shoulder the responsibility.
Death is still a trivial matter. If this matter is confirmed, then Li Ji will suffer eternal infamy, and his descendants and descendants will never be able to get over it!
The price is too high...
Li Ji was very calm. He drank all the tea in the cup and put it on the table. He said softly: "I have made up my mind about this matter. You don't need to persuade me. It's just that the current situation is dangerous and the country is in danger. I still need your help." Protect the country, otherwise, we will never be able to atone for our sins!”
The big mistake has been made, and it is useless to say more. Only by devoting all our efforts to completely stabilizing the situation can we be considered as giving up the merit. Otherwise, once the death of His Majesty Li Er makes everyone want to get involved in the throne, causing chaos and war everywhere in the world, then all of them will become sinners through the ages.
Cheng Yaojin's face was solemn, he nodded heavily, and said in a deep voice: "Don't worry, Mao Gong. From today on, I will definitely follow your lead. If you have selfish motives, the sky will strike like thunder!"
He understood what Li Ji meant. Regardless of whether he was the prince, or even the king of Wei or Jin, the most important thing was to confirm the new emperor's enthronement as soon as possible, so that other people who were qualified to covet the throne would cease their activities. And this requires all the forces in the court to gather as much as possible to forcefully promote the new emperor's accession to the throne.
Li Ji sighed softly and frowned: "It's just that the news of His Majesty's death cannot be concealed. At this moment, the city of Chang'an is probably already turbulent. It's hard for us to fight the fire that is far away, and I don't know what we can do when we return to Chang'an. Can we turn the tide in time? ”
The disappearance of Zhao Guogong's eldest son, Sun Wuji, has already cast a haze on the current situation. Regardless of whether the death of His Majesty Li Er was related to Changsun Wuji, the mere fact that he left the army privately and disappeared without trace means that he had ulterior motives. What's especially important is that if he sneaks back to Chang'an at this moment and plots something evil, before others know about His Majesty's death, there is a high chance that he will be able to make a calculation and be attacked by him unintentionally.
However, Li Ji could not tell the world about His Majesty's death...
I only hope that Donggong has received his warning, is fully prepared, and has enough strength to stabilize the situation and defeat all subversive plots.
Otherwise, once Changsun Wuji's plan succeeds, all of them, the generals who followed His Majesty in the Eastern Expedition, except for a very small number of Changsun Wuji's confidants, will die without a burial place. Especially once the prince is deposed and the king of Jin ascends to the throne, it is tantamount to subverting moral norms and seeking to usurp the throne. This will inevitably cause dissatisfaction in the world, and the chaos in China is inevitable...
Cheng Yaojin was naturally aware of this situation, and not only sighed, but said: "If Fang Jun is still in Chang'an at this moment, he must be able to turn the tide and deter the situation from collapse."
Li Ji was silent for a moment and nodded slowly.
Once upon a time, that dandy boy who ran rampant in Chang'an and acted recklessly, and was called the "Pest of Chang'an", had already made extraordinary achievements and abilities, and could intimidate the government and protect the country. He quietly became a giant in the party and had the ability to become the mainstay.
Although there have been talents throughout the ages, it is still breathtaking for people like Fang Jun to rise like a comet and then emit such dazzling brilliance.
As Cheng Yaojin said, if Fang Jun is still in Chang'an at this moment, then with his abilities and methods, although he cannot deter the disloyal people from planning evil acts, he still has enough energy to protect the East Palace and thwart the thieves' conspiracy.
Now that Fang Jun is in the Western Regions, he is fighting against the invasion of the cannibals alone. Facing a dangerous and dangerous situation, can the generous and kind-hearted Crown Prince be able to keep the East Palace from being lost and the country from chaos?
Li Ji felt really unsure.
Although His Royal Highness the Crown Prince may be a benevolent king, he is definitely not likely to become a British ruler. For his ministers, a gentle and cowardly king is a good thing. He will not be like Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, who will be arbitrary and disrupt the government. He can give his ministers More room for development.
But it also means that it is difficult to take charge of one's own side and cannot make decisive decisions when faced with difficulties.
……
When Cheng Yaojin walked out of Li Ji's house, he was greeted by wind and snow. The cold wind blew on his face like a knife, making him shiver and refresh himself.
He refused the horse rein offered by his own soldiers and stepped on the thick snow, walking in the wind and snow with his hands behind his back.
A detailed discussion with Li Ji aroused more doubts in his heart...
From the determination expressed by Li Ji to bear the responsibility for the crime, he felt the other party's determination, and naturally he admired him. After all, the consequences were not just "kill yourself to thank the world". If it were anyone else, it would be very difficult. Difficult to do.
But he couldn't explain why, but he always felt that Li Ji's expression was very calm, as if everything was under his control. He said he was serious, but in fact he was completely sure... Who gave him the confidence? ?
His Majesty's death is a devastating news, and the consequences are not just limited to the struggle for the throne. To this day, the nobles in the south of the Yangtze River may not be very loyal to the Tang Dynasty. They only surrendered because of His Majesty's power and the overwhelming trend. Once His Majesty dies, Guanzhong will be in turmoil, and the entire Jiangnan will be in danger of subversion.
Not to mention the Turks who were beaten by the Tang Dynasty and fled westward. After hearing that His Majesty died and the situation was turbulent, a comeback was almost inevitable.
There is also the Western Region. The news of His Majesty's death will have an immeasurable impact on the morale and morale of the army. Although Fang Jun is in charge, the 200,000 troops originally facing the cannibalism will be overwhelmed and retreat step by step. Once the morale of the army is unstable, One can imagine the serious consequences it will lead to...
Each one of these events will explode as the news of His Majesty's death spreads, eventually forming a huge whirlpool that will sweep the entire empire into it.
Even if he, Li Ji, was a genius, how could he have the confidence to dare to say in such a situation, "When the world is at peace, he should kill himself to apologize for his sins"?
After supporting the sky and turning the tide, dying to thank the world is called high moral integrity, which can eliminate guilt and gain forgiveness from the world.
In the midst of turmoil and chaos, he was finally defeated and punished in the name of a guilty minister. He was a thief who deserved his crime and was a thief who brought chaos to the country...
We are still in Liaodong and have not yet entered the territory of the Tang Dynasty. Chang'an is probably already turbulent, and these hundreds of thousands of troops are beyond reach. Moreover, even if they return to Chang'an, these hundreds of thousands of troops belong to different factions, all with their own interests. Does Li Ji think that with his prestige, he can intimidate these hundreds of thousands of troops to do whatever they want?
If it were anyone else, Cheng Yaojin would have ridiculed "arrogant and underestimating one's own abilities", but if it were Li Ji, he would have to think deeply about whether there was any inside story that he had not yet learned about. Li Ji has always made a decision before moving on, or even making a decision without moving. His temperament is extremely calm. If he is not completely sure, he will never speak with confidence.
To be able to think like that and say such things is really inconsistent with Li Ji's usual perception.
So the question remains: Why is Li Ji so confident that when the army returns to Chang'an, he will be able to clean up the filth and bring order to chaos?
The wind and snow were approaching, Cheng Yaojin rubbed his face that was about to freeze, and the doubts in his heart were as chaotic as the snowflakes flying in front of him. (End of chapter)