Chapter 3688 Worry
Cheng Yaojin did not dare to accept this gift, and hurriedly stood up to avoid it: "How can I bear it? Song Guogong is too polite. I am responsible for the defense of Tongguan, and I am busy with many things. I can't accompany you more. I hope Song Guogong will forgive me. I will send Song Guogong to me later. Please tell the commander whether you see him or not, I will send someone to inform you.”
Xiao Yu nodded and said: "That's very good. I'll leave now."
"You always walk slowly."
After bidding farewell to Cheng Yaojin, Xiao Yu and Li Junxian rode back to the camp. They happened to see an army of powerful men entering the pass. The two of them stood by the road holding reins. Xiao Yu saw that the army was in good order and marching. They were also very powerful, so they asked: "Which army is this?"
Li Junxian took a closer look and saw that this army numbered about three thousand and was well-equipped. The flag was a light blue background with a bright red seal character "Zheng", and replied: "It should be the Zheng family in Xingyang."
Xiao Yu looked solemn and remained silent.
Since the Northern and Southern Dynasties, clans have been called warlords. Almost every powerful clan has its own army. The clans have seized the wealth of the world to support their private armies. As a result, the imperial treasury was empty and unable to make ends meet, and had to rely on clans to rule the country.
The consequence of the growth of the clan is that the country's foundation is emptied out. The branches are strong and the trunk is weak. It is difficult for government orders to be issued to the states and counties. The entire country is ignored by the clan. If the nobles above the court do not have the background of the clan, nothing will happen. Don't even think you can do it.
Since the Sui and Tang Dynasties, although the clans have been contained to a certain extent, the background remains. When the country was established, these clans were all heroes. But now, these clans have become a cancer for the stability and unity of the empire. Otherwise, His Majesty Li Er will not weaken the clans. Positioning national policy.
But Xiao Yu has no complaints about this, because he himself is a beneficiary of clan politics, and the Lanling Xiao family is one of the few wealthy clans in the world with profound foundations. The entire Jiangnan has to look up to the Lanling Xiao family. Lanling Xiao's words are much more effective than the imperial decree...
……
After returning to the camp, after a brief lunch, Xiao Yu returned to the bed to rest. As a result, just after noon, a school captain came and said that it was Li Ji who invited him.
Xiao Yu quickly got up, washed his face and cheered up, and arrived at the city gate under Li Junxian's guard.
In a small courtyard not far from Cheng Yaojin's office, the British Duke Li Ji, the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Expedition Army and the chief minister, met with Xiao Yu.
This is an elegantly decorated small courtyard, with side rooms on the left and right. In the front row are several gatehouses where soldiers, cooks and other handymen live. The three-part main house is simple but not shabby. The middle of the courtyard is paved with blue bricks and is cleaned thoroughly. It is clean, with a few old trees with gnarled branches and thick trunks.
Inside the house, Li Ji and Xiao Yu were sitting opposite each other on either side of the table in front of the window. On the table, a pot of fragrant tea was steaming hot and the tea was fragrant.
As the commander-in-chief of an army, Li Ji did not wear armor, but wore a plain green shirt. His slender face was handsome and his youthful demeanor was vaguely visible.
Holding the pot to pour tea for Xiao Yu, Li Ji smiled and said: "I just arrived at Tongguan and found that there are countless troops inside and outside the pass, and they are disorganized and do not belong to each other. In order to prevent the army from being chaotic, violating laws and disciplines, and harming the people, I have The commander had to guard Tongguan and restrain the troops. Therefore, the affairs were prosperous and chaotic. I had to worry a lot about finding out the clues for a while. I apologize for neglecting the Duke of Song and offering tea instead of wine. "
Xiao Yu picked up the tea cup with both hands and responded, saying: "The British Lord is the head of the Prime Minister and his Majesty, and he has the trust of His Majesty. He should maintain the order of the country and the country, the country and the country. How dare I blame you for my broken body? Please."
"Please."
Li Ji smiled, raised his glass and took a sip of hot tea.
Xiao Yu also took a sip, put down the tea cup, and asked: "More than ten thousand noble troops pass by Tongguan every day, but the British Duke has sealed the city gate and only allows entry but not exit. I don't know why?"
Blocking the city gates is what it should be, but only people are allowed to enter and not go out, which makes people think a lot.
Li Ji smiled and said: "The armies of the clans have always lacked control and were lawless. If they were to return to Guanzhong, there would be armies everywhere. They would have to be careful about whatever they wanted to do. But once they are allowed to return to the clans in various places, they will inevitably be wanton along the way. He acts recklessly and commits crimes, causing chaos everywhere he goes, so we have to guard against them.”
This answer is watertight, and there is no way to guess his stance...
Xiao Yu braced himself, knowing that he was facing an extremely difficult opponent. The city was as deep as Changsun Wuji, and he was even the only person in the court who had the resourcefulness to compete with Changsun Wuji. His mind was spinning rapidly, and he said thoughtfully: " Although the clan's army is unruly and unruly, in the final analysis it is nothing but a disaster. How can the rebellion endanger the country as the rebels are doing now? Moreover, no matter how much the clan's troops harm the people, they can only go all the way. If the Chang'an rebellion is not suppressed now, spring plowing will be delayed, and the consequences will be Guanzhong is full of hungry people and corpses..."
He looked at Li Ji with burning eyes: "The British Duke is not only the commander of these hundreds of thousands of troops, but also the prime minister and the head of all officials of the country. It is your duty to assist His Majesty to benefit all people, but I don't know if the British Duke is willing to do this." Millions of people in Guanzhong did their best to be loyal to His Highness the Crown Prince for the sake of the Tang Empire? ”
Li Ji looked at him for a moment, then smiled suddenly, poured tea from the pot, and said calmly: "This country is your Majesty's country, and I am only loyal to your Majesty."
Xiao Yu refused to give in an inch: "Where is your majesty?"
Li Ji filled the teacup in front of Xiao Yu with tea and said, "Your Majesty is seriously ill and unconscious now."
Xiao Yu was aggressive: "Since His Majesty is unconscious and unable to see things, the prince of the country should be fully responsible for state affairs. We are very ministers and should obey the prince's orders."
Li Ji took a sip of tea and shook his head: "Although His Majesty is unconscious, he will eventually wake up. If we ignore Your Majesty today and all serve the Crown Prince, where will this put Your Majesty? I don't care about such rebellious officials and traitors. Dare to do it.”
Xiao Yu said: "I want to see your Majesty."
Li Ji lamented: "Your Majesty is seriously ill and cannot be disturbed."
"..."
Xiao Yu was furious.
I keep saying allegiance to His Majesty, but once I am with Your Majesty, I cannot switch my allegiance to His Majesty and turn to the Crown Prince. But I want to see Your Majesty, and you won’t let me...
Seeing Xiao Yu, who was blushing and thick-necked with anger, Li Ji felt a little embarrassed.
If this man's cultivation hadn't been world-class, I would have grabbed the tea cup and poured the tea in his face at this moment...
After coughing dryly, Li Ji said again: "The former Fang Erlang came here, expressing his emotions and reasoning in various ways, hoping to persuade me to surrender to the East Palace. I have told you that I am only loyal to your majesty, and Chang'an is in chaos. Well, whether you have peace talks with Guanlong or not, it has nothing to do with me.”
Xiao Yu's face was gloomy and he hesitated to speak.
……
evening.
Back at the camp, Xiao Yu lay on the bed and was massaged by the imperial doctor. His body felt a little more relaxed. After drinking the medicine, he felt groggy but could not fall asleep.
Tossing and turning, my mind was filled with the day's mileage and gold and Li Ji's words and demeanor.
For some reason, although Li Ji flatly refused to take sides, there was a hint of dissatisfaction with the peace talks between Donggong and Guanlong in his words...
What does he mean?
Unwilling to complete the peace talks between Donggong and Guanlong, he has hundreds of thousands of troops but is unable to play the role of a mainstay, hold up the world, and gain maximum benefits?
He also mentioned the last time Fang Jun came to lobby. Could it be that the reason why Fang Jun strongly opposed the peace talks had anything to do with Li Ji?
Or maybe Fang Jun was ordered to come to lobby Li Ji, but was persuaded by Li Ji instead?
The more I thought about it, the more confused I became, and my whole head turned into a mess.
With a splitting headache, Xiao Yu simply stood up, put on a robe, lit the oil lamp on the table, and sat under the lamp to meditate.
After a long time, he stood up suddenly, walked to the door and pushed it open.
The cool air came towards him and made him shiver. He walked out and saw a group of "Hundred Cavalry" patrolling the camp passing by. He asked, "Where is General Li? Invite him to come over. I have something to ask." Let’s discuss everything.”
"Here."
The soldiers walked away quickly, and Xiao Yu returned to the house. He asked the servant who came with him to boil a pot of hot water and brew a pot of hot tea. He sat at the table and sipped the tea while waiting.
Not long after, Li Junxian came quickly, saluted and asked: "Song Guogong summoned me at night, what's the urgent matter?"
Xiao Yu invited him to sit down, poured him a cup of tea, and said: "Have a rest tonight. Early tomorrow morning, the whole army will pack up and we will return to Chang'an."
Li Junxian was stunned for a moment while holding the tea cup, and asked curiously: "Why are you so anxious?"
The purpose of this trip was to lobby Li Ji. Although they met during the day and the conversation was not pleasant, and Li Ji had no inclination to seek refuge in the East Palace, how could "lobbying" be accomplished overnight? Both Donggong and Guanlong sent people to lobby more than once, but they all returned without success, which shows Li Ji's firm will.
You have to make many attempts and confirm that you cannot successfully lobby him before you can return to Chang'an. Otherwise, wouldn't this trip be in vain?
Xiao Yu was worried and had a solemn expression: "How could I not know that things cannot be settled at once? However, after talking with Li Ji today, another hidden danger arose in my heart. I always feel that if I am not watching in Chang'an, I am afraid that Fang Er will sabotage the peace talks regardless.”
Peace talks are his big plan. Not only are they related to his own interests, but he also believes that only peace talks can keep the East Palace safe. If Fang Jun, that stick, seduces the prince while he is away, and recklessly uses troops against Guan Long, causing the peace talks to collapse, What to do?
After all, Fang Jun always believed that as long as the Anxi army arrived in Guanzhong, it would be able to defeat the powerful coalition forces in one fell swoop, so he was unwilling to engage in peace talks.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt that this possibility was too great, and he couldn't sit still for a moment... (End of Chapter)