Chapter 3787 Wait and see what happens
Keeping all the private armies of the powerful clans outside the pass in the middle of the pass and destroying the foundations of the clans is too much trouble. It will inevitably lead to the revenge of those clans. War breaks out at every turn and the country is shaken. How can Li Ji shoulder that responsibility?
Furthermore, with Li Ji's current status and power, there is no need for such troublesome actions to show his achievements. What does it have to do with him if the family is causing trouble? All you need to do is to assist the prince safely or to establish another prince to achieve the purpose of having great power. There is no need to add any unnecessary unnecessary extravagance.
But if there is His Majesty Li Er's edict, it can be completely explained.
The purpose of this Eastern Expedition is that the world only knows that His Majesty Li Er has a universal mind and lofty ambitions. He wants to incorporate a corner of Liaodong into the territory of the Tang Dynasty. He also wants to eliminate Goguryeo, a powerful enemy that threatens the northeastern border of the empire, and lay the foundation of the empire for eternity. .
However, important ministers such as Xiao Yu and Cen Wenwen had already guessed that His Majesty Li Er had another unknown purpose: to use war to eliminate the power of aristocratic families.
Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, aristocratic families have almost monopolized political resources. Those who join the officialdom are all children of the family. Without the recommendation of the family, it is impossible to become an official in the court. Forcibly promoting the imperial examination is a weapon used by His Majesty Li Er to break this situation. Furthermore, it will consume the wealth of the family.
With His Majesty Li Er's great talent and strategy, how could he not know the dangers of the eastern expedition to Goguryeo? When the former Sui Dynasty was at its most powerful, millions of troops could not conquer it. Since the Zhenguan period, the country had just recovered its vitality and was prosperous from all its failures. It was time to accumulate strength to create an opportunity for a more glorious and prosperous era. Why did it need to devote the entire country to the eastward expedition?
It's not that it can't be fought, but the gap between risk and return is too big.
However, His Majesty Li Er ignored the opposition of his courtiers and insisted on going his own way, which shows that his original intention was not to destroy Goguryeo. It would be best if it could be destroyed, and it would shine through history. Even if it could not be destroyed, it could still consume the power of the family members, which would greatly promote his national policy of suppressing the family members.
It’s just that no matter how hard you calculate, you still can’t figure out that “you will die before you leave the army”...
His Majesty Li Er did not die suddenly, but stayed in bed for many days. It was normal to leave a posthumous edict during this period, but it was abnormal to say nothing or leave nothing.
Perhaps to His Majesty Li Er, it doesn't matter whether the prince successfully ascends the throne or whether the King of Wei, King of Jin or even the prince usurps him. In the end, it is his blood who becomes the emperor. If we take this opportunity to wipe out all the private armies in the world and leave our children and grandchildren a unified and prosperous era with centralized imperial power, what will happen even if the entire city of Chang'an is razed to the ground?
No matter how high the price is, it is worth it.
In the final analysis, as long as the power of the clan is still there, the dynasty will always be precarious. Yesterday, the clan was able to support the Li family of Longxi to the throne of emperor, and tomorrow they can also support others to usurp the Li and Tang Dynasties. It is not difficult for the country to change its owner. This is for every emperor. All deeply detested.
And with His Majesty Li Er's courage, it is extremely possible that he would really leave such a legacy...
Cen Wenwen asked: "If this is true, where should we go?"
Xiao Yu shook his head and sighed: "If the imperial edict really exists, it is obvious that Li Ji has informed the prince, and Fang Jun must also know, otherwise it is difficult to explain the toughness of these two people. Then the prospects for peace talks are bleak, and in the end we have to rely on weapons. Speak.”
How could the peace talks break the backbone of the family?
Even if the Guanlong clan lowers their bottom line, they will never be able to sit back and wait for death. If they are forced into a hurry, they will be defeated. With more than 100,000 Guanlong troops and tens of thousands of clan private troops, even if they run out of food and fodder, they can still fight together. .
At that time, the future of the East Palace will still have to be decided by the army, and civilian officials will never be able to take the stage and take the initiative...
Cen Wenwen was also a little helpless. This was basically a dead end. The protagonist was always the army. Even if civilian officials tried their best, they could not replace the army to fight on the battlefield.
He sighed: "Look again, look again."
Xiao Yu also sighed: "No matter whether our guess is true or not, the day when the answer to the mystery is revealed is not far away. Let's wait and see what happens."
The two of them drank tea in silence, speechless for a moment, both feeling confused, unpredictable and worried about the current situation.
*****
Fang Jun returned to the military camp from the inner gate and rushed into the Chinese army's tent. The fire burned more than 100,000 stones of grain in Guanlong, leaving only the rations scattered in various military camps. Even though they were not exhausted, they still had nothing left. Very little, it can be said to have a reversal effect on the situation.
In order to prevent the Guanlong army from being defeated, the Youtun Guards and the Tubo Huqi began to deploy troops to defend the territory to avoid being captured by the rebels. Therefore, official documents were exchanged like snowflakes, more than ten times the usual number.
Until dark, the official documents on the desk were still piling up.
Putting down the brush and rubbing his wrist, Fang Jun glanced out the window and realized that it was already late at night. He was about to ask the soldiers to prepare some food. The soldiers had already brought in a food box and reported: "His Royal Highness Gao Yang saw the commander-in-chief. I didn’t come back for a long time. I was worried that you were hungry, so I sent someone to bring you dinner.”
Asking the soldiers to put the food box on the table by the window, Fang Jun washed his hands. After seeing a few of his favorite meals, he picked up the bowls and chopsticks and ate them sweetly.
After eating, he asked his soldiers to make a pot of tea. He sat there and drank it slowly, thinking about the current situation...
The soldiers took away the bowls and chopsticks and put them into food boxes and exited. After a while, they returned and said, "Commander, Princess Baling asks to see you."
Fang Jun subconsciously said "hmm", then was stunned and asked: "Who?"
"Princess Baling."
"Princess Baling?"
Fang Jun frowned, put down his teacup, and looked at the dark night outside. The rain was heavy and the air was cold and humid. It was so late at night...
After thinking about it, Fang Jun shook his head and said, "No."
He has had little contact with Chai Lingwu in the past few years, and he has never even spoken to Princess Baling. Except for the royal gatherings during festivals and festivals, he has never seen her face to face. What is there for Baling? The princess came to the military camp in the rain late at night to visit?
The royal family of the Tang Dynasty was open again. It would not be a good thing for a princess to run into the tent of a man other than her husband late at night...
The soldiers did not withdraw, but said: "Princess Baling has said that if the commander-in-chief refuses to receive her, she will stay outside the camp gate and will not leave. If the commander-in-chief sends troops to expel her, she will kneel outside the camp gate... ”
"Ha!"
Fang Jun smiled angrily: "Did you get into trouble with me by being a hooligan?"
But if Princess Baling didn't just talk about it and actually did it, it would be really troublesome. He now has great achievements and military power, and is like the number one general under the command of the East Palace. It is not impossible that he will become the number one person in the court in time.
In this way, I don't know how many people are jealous and call him a "powerful official" and "treacherous". If Princess Baling does this again, someone will definitely accuse him of "bullying the royal family" - even a princess will have to kneel down. What kind of power is this outside Fang Jun's camp?
What's particularly important is why the majestic royal princess and the golden leaves are kneeling outside the gate of Fang Junying?
Did Fang Jun do something to others that led to chaos and abandonment?
After all, his reputation as Fang Jun has long been known all over the world. His wives and sisters are so stinking on the street. If you combine them together to think of it... My dear, is this the princess of the Tang Dynasty who just wants to play with Fang Er? That’s enough?
Fang Jun rubbed his eyebrows and said helplessly: "Please invite her in."
"Here."
The soldiers then withdrew.
After a long time, there was a sound of footsteps at the door. Princess Baling, who was wearing a crimson cloak, with towering black hair and a slender figure, walked in gracefully.
Fang Jun stood up and left his seat, took two steps forward, and knelt on one knee: "I will see you at the end of your visit, Your Highness."
Even the lord of the country must give courtesy when facing the princess. There is a difference between monarch and minister. For example, when he was playing with Princess Changle, he would like to say something like "Wei Chen is guilty", "Wei Chen is here", "Your Highness, rest, Wei Chen is here", etc. Changle would feel that he, the official, knew how to behave appropriately and wisely. Advance and retreat, Fengyan is happy...
Princess Baling could not tolerate Fang Jun's courtesy, so she bowed down and returned the courtesy, with a clear and beautiful voice, like pearls falling on a jade plate: "You don't need to be polite, Duke of Yue, please get up quickly."
With Fang Jun's current status, even a prince must be cautious and respectful in front of him, let alone a mere princess?
Besides, I still have something to ask for...
After the two of them finished the ceremony, they each stood up. Fang Jun asked Princess Baling to sit at the table by the window, and he got off the throne to accompany her. He asked with a smile: "Your Highness has something to say, why do you need me to condescend to you?" Just send someone to inform you.”
Princess Baling has a beautiful face and a sweet smile: "The Duke of Yue is busy with state affairs, and he is the pillar of the empire. My coming here today is a private matter. How dare I work for the Duke of Yue to abolish the public service for private purposes?"
As he said this, perhaps because he felt that the atmosphere was too serious, his bright eyes turned and he saw the mountains of official documents and military affairs on the desk. He pursed his lips and said: "I have been bothering you all night and delayed the Duke of Yue from handling state affairs. Please don't blame me. "(End of Chapter)