Chapter 3525 East Palace Returns
All the main forces of the Sixteenth Guards followed His Majesty Li Er in the Eastern Expedition, leaving Guanzhong empty of troops. This led to the Guanlong Clan to pull up a ragtag army that could still take advantage of the situation to break into Chang'an City and besiege the East Palace. The Sixth Army of the East Palace can barely protect themselves. If they want to counterattack, they must have foreign aid. The Youtun Guards are also responsible for guarding the Xuanwu Gate and dare not move without permission. Where can they find the troops to serve as foreign aid?
There were only half of the Youtun Guards who followed Fang Jun in his western expedition, and the Anxi Army that guarded the Western Regions.
These two armies are both elites who have fought in hundreds of battles. If one of them is deployed, they can annihilate the Guanlong rebels, bring order to the chaos, and turn defeat into victory.
However, as soon as Xiao Yu finished speaking, Li Chengqian immediately shook his head and said categorically: "Absolutely not! The current military remonstrance is, in the final analysis, nothing more than a struggle for imperial power. The fights are all within the empire. Of course, there are honors and righteousness, and there are more. It's personal interests. But the Duke of Yue and the Anxi army fought fiercely in the Western Regions, but they were fighting for the country. How many Han families? Only by crawling on the ice and snow and staining the battlefield with blood could Erlang keep the territory intact. If he is transferred back to the capital to suppress the rebellion at this moment, the cannibal Turks will definitely take advantage of the situation to invade the Western Regions. It will be difficult to drive them away in the future. God, the price paid will be the blood and lives of more sons of the Han family! This must not be done.”
As soon as these words came out, everyone here was in high spirits.
All of them are outstanding people in the world, and they have revenge in their hearts. Otherwise, they would not still work hard to protect the East Palace in such critical moments. With their talents, qualifications, and status, even if the Guanlong clan finally gains power, it will be difficult to defeat them. If it is idle, it still needs to be reused.
But they were risking their lives and wealth, standing in the East Palace camp and fighting Guan Long's sword against sword and gun against gun. Why?
It’s nothing more than fame and righteousness.
The prince was conferred by His Majesty in the Golden Code, and he was the legitimate successor to the throne of the Tang Empire. When His Majesty Li Er was likely to have passed away, protecting the prince was to safeguard the will of His Majesty Li Er, and to safeguard the orthodoxy of the world.
This is not only the duty of a minister, but also the constraint of the moral bottom line. Even if he dies today, he can be famous and famous throughout the ages and become a model of loyal ministers and righteous men.
In the same way, Li Chengqian was able to sacrifice his family and life, and would rather be killed by the rebels and lose his throne than to withdraw the elite troops guarding the Western Regions and lose an inch of his land. This sentiment can also be called heroic!
His Highness has usually been criticized for his weak character and benevolent woman. However, at such a critical moment of life and death, he can have such perseverance and courage, which makes the civil servants and generals who follow him feel very proud. .
Ma Zhou stood up, adjusted his clothes a little, bowed his hands to the ground, and said with emotion: "Your Highness is loyal and persistent, and you are really a wise king. I can follow Your Highness, and I will be lucky for the rest of my life! I am willing to go through fire and water for Your Highness in this life, even if I die!"
A scholar dies for a confidant, and a scholar lives for a hero. As a minister, if you choose a strong and wise king, why would you regret dying?
Xiao Yu, Li Jing, Li Daozong and others also stood up together, bowed their hands to the ground, and said in unison: "I am willing to die for His Highness!"
The Crown Princess and Li Xiang heard the noise in the back hall. They didn't know why and were very surprised. Although Li Chengqian was the Crown Prince, no minister had ever spoken to him in such a generous and heroic tone before. Li Xiang couldn't help but be curious, and secretly poked his head out from the door of the back hall. He saw several ministers bowing before his father, just like these ministers usually bowed before their grandfather. This made him feel proud and yearning for it... …
Li Chengqian's heart was also agitated. He quickly stood up and stepped forward, helping each one, and said: "All of you are the pillars of the country and outstanding figures in the world. Even if you have been through difficult situations, why do you talk about life and death? We all We must work together to thwart the villain's plot and maintain the country. When the day comes, we will work together to create a grand plan and build a better future!"
Everyone was excited and echoed.
When I sat down again, the atmosphere in the hall was completely different. Li Chengqian understood that although these people had followed him, supported and defended him before, it was more because he occupied the rightful position. Everyone supported the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, not Li Chengqian.
But now, he has gained the recognition of everyone. From this moment on, these people will truly gather around the East Palace without reservation, helping him achieve great things and jointly develop a prosperous future!
In the final analysis, some people value righteousness, some value profit, some value reputation, and some value ambition. People who value fame and fortune seek advantages and avoid disadvantages, and are often capricious. People who value loyalty are upright and often do not distinguish between right and wrong. Only people who value ambition will be ambitious. When they meet like-minded people, they can often rely on life and death and perseverance.
These people in front of me are the humerus of the East Palace. They are not for fame, fortune or power, but for the legitimacy of the country and the grand ambition of the prosperous age!
No matter how dangerous the situation is, these people will not be able to abandon the East Palace, because it means that they have abandoned their ambitions and are still alive.
There are always some people who live for their own ideals and ambitions. Fame and wealth are not in their eyes. They are happy with life and death, honor and disgrace. They struggle to survive in difficult situations, with high ambitions in their hearts. They do not compromise with evil, even if the swords and axes are used against them. Even the body, severe punishment and torture cannot take away his ambition.
……
The monarch and his ministers were talking. The sound of footsteps outside the door once again alerted them. They all stopped talking and looked at the door.
It is very likely that news from the Xuanwu Sect has come...
Sure enough, this time it was not the chamberlain who came to deliver the message, but Li Junxian who returned again. As soon as he entered the door, he first stepped forward to salute and presented a battle report to Li Chengqian, and then said with joy: "General Gao Kan of the Youtun Guard. Report, eldest grandson Wen, Hou Mo and Chen Lin led 30,000 infantry and cavalry and attempted to take advantage of the opportunity of the Right Guards to pursue the Left Guards to raid their camp. They were routed by them. They pursued them with cavalry and killed thousands of rebels. Countless of them were routed and a great harvest was achieved. Complete victory!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Jing stood up and said excitedly: "Gao Kan has done a great job! In this battle, the rebels lost their troops and their morale was greatly reduced. Even if they had tens of thousands of troops, they would not be able to bear such losses. After this battle, The rebels are bound to restrain themselves, and the situation will be greatly improved!”
Even Xiao Yu here is familiar with military books. Although he has never led a soldier, his theory is not bad. They all realize that this battle is almost equivalent to a hard knock on the backbone of the rebels, causing their muscles and bones to break. , no longer dare to attack as wildly as before.
Once there is another such failure, the main force of the rebel army will be lost. How can they capture the imperial city guarded by the six leaders of the East Palace with only those domestic slaves and bankers?
The critical situation was reversed in an instant. Now the Sixth Army of the East Palace only had to defend the imperial city and wait for the Eastern Expedition army to return to Beijing. However, the Guanlong rebels had to find ways to break through the city as soon as possible, but they did not dare to act rashly to avoid another defeat. Then there will be no recovery...
Li Junxian was in a high mood: "The general and the Duke of Guo watched the enemy's formation at Xuanwu Gate. They saw that although the Youtun Guards were at a disadvantage in terms of strength, their formation was rigorous, their advance and retreat were well spaced, and they were well-equipped, and their soldiers were brave and good at fighting. He first retreated the Zuotun guards and then defeated the rebels. Gao Kan fought with ease, and he can be described as a famous general in the world! ”
He had been watching the battle at Xuanwu Gate and was particularly impressed by these two battles. The unparalleled power of firearms, the fierce impact of armored cavalry, the coordination between infantry and cavalry, the switching between formations, and even the strength of individual soldiers had a great impact on him and Zhang Shigui.
It is like this half an army of 20,000 people, guarding outside the Xuanwu Gate but as warm as a rock. Not only is the defense tight and watertight, but it can even still have the strength to pursue a strong enemy. This model of a strong army can be seen in After this battle, it is destined to shock the Tang Dynasty military. Almost every army will develop towards the model, organization and equipment of Youtunwei.
If all the armies of the Sixteenth Guards were as powerful as the Youtun Guards, who else in the world could stop the Tang Dynasty Tigers from expanding their territories?
Li Jing stood up, bowed and said: "The heaviest rewards and punishments in the army are clear. Gao Kan defeated Zuotunwei and Guanlong rebels in succession, and firmly defended the Xuanwu Gate to ensure that nothing was lost. It is really a great achievement. Your Highness should be grateful and give it to you." The reward makes the three armies work hard and their morale is stable."
Such great achievements deserve a heavy reward. Especially in such a critical situation, it is inevitable that the army's morale will be unstable and its morale will be low. At this moment, rewarding Gao Kan and Youtun Wei will definitely boost their morale.
Li Chengqian said happily: "I also have this intention!"
He thought for a while and then said: "Gao Kan has guarded the Xuanwu Gate for a long time. He has worked hard and achieved great results. He should be awarded the title of Lieutenant of Qingchao and the official title of General Yunhui. What do you all think?"
Li Jing said: "That's exactly what it should be!"
This can be said to be an extraordinary reward. The rank of Captain Qingche and the official position of General Yunhui both correspond to the third rank, while the army of the Sixteenth Guards is the third rank. Generally speaking, the adjutant in the military should be lowered by two to three levels than the commander. Otherwise, the commander's orders and prohibitions will easily lead to the adjutant constraining the commander.
However, the situation in Youtunwei is better. After all, Fang Jun's title is the second-grade founding Duke of the country, and his rank is from the first-grade Zhuguo. Except for a few famous founding generals, no one in the court is above him, so his It wouldn't hurt if the adjutant had a higher rank.
Ma Zhou hesitated a little and said: "Ordinarily, with Gao Kan's achievements, such a reward is indeed worthy. However, although he was the general of Youtun Guard before, his rank was only from the fifth rank of Feiqi Lieutenant to the fourth rank. Somewhat Too much.”
Ma Zhou naturally knew the truth about heavy rewards in troubled times, but being promoted to a fourth rank all of a sudden was really shocking, and could easily cause Gao Kan and Youtun Guards to be jealous and ostracized by the other military guards. Subi was unhappy. If the army was unbalanced and people were competing against each other, the situation would be even more troubled. (End of chapter)