Chapter 3993 The Emperor’s Thoughts
His Majesty Li Er angrily scolded: "Both kings are my own flesh and blood. They are favored by heaven and are of the bloodline of the supreme being in the world. How can they suffer such small harm? If you curse my son again, you will never forgive me!"
Fang Jun is a very clever boy. Since he has welcomed the two kings into the camp, how could he not have thought that someone would use such a vicious trick to kill two birds with one stone? Strict precautions must be taken to ensure the safety of the two kings. Wang Shoushi's insiders may not even be able to get close to the two kings, let alone poison them. There is almost no possibility of success.
Seeing Wang Shoushi's servile appearance with lowered eyebrows, lowered eyes and slumped shoulders, His Majesty Li Er became even more angry. Isn't this the perfect image of a treacherous minister? With such a treacherous minister beside him giving advice, wouldn't he become a foolish and tyrannical lord like Xia Jie and Shang Zhou?
This is simply unreasonable.
Wang Shoushi was a little aggrieved. He thought this plan was very good, but it was a pity that His Majesty pretended to be serious and refused to adopt it. If he had thought of this plan before and acted on his own without reporting, he would probably have already made a living and solved all His Majesty's difficulties in one fell swoop. .
As for whether he would be executed in Lingchi or quartered by five horses afterwards, he didn't care at all. As His Majesty's eagle dog, he had protected His Majesty in the darkness for many years. He had already regarded himself as carrion. As long as he could solve His Majesty's problems, he would die sooner or later. What's there to be afraid of?
However, His Majesty Li Er has already expressed his position. He said hurriedly: "Your Majesty has taught you that it is the old slave who speaks without restraint and deserves death."
His Majesty Li Er then snorted and warned: "Don't mention these words again. If I hear them from elsewhere, I will definitely skin you!"
Wang Shoushi bowed, his head almost dropped to his feet, and said in fear: "This slave deserves to die!"
He understood why His Majesty Li Er warned so cautiously. The current situation in Chang'an was unstable, with various forces fighting overtly and covertly, and using all kinds of methods. He might not have the same idea as him, and wanted to target the people in Youtunwei. On the two highnesses. If his advice today comes out, and someone happens to attack your two highnesses tomorrow, His Majesty Li Er will not be able to clear away the suspicion of "sacrificing the father to the son" even if he jumps into the Yellow River.
After all, who knows whether His Majesty Li Er listened to his advice?
……
The tall gate tower of Chunming Gate looked even more majestic and majestic under the dark sky. The towering tower seemed to be inserted straight into the clouds and stood tall against the sky. His Majesty Li Er squinted his eyes and his heart surged.
At the beginning of spring last year, hundreds of thousands of troops broke out to march eastward. The momentum shocked the world. The emperor himself even led the expedition himself, vowing to use all the strength of the country to pacify Liaodong and overthrow Goguryeo. Among them, there was the intention to eliminate hidden dangers on the border and destroy powerful enemies, but there was also a desire to demonstrate to Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty.
Thinking back to the time when Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty was so famous for his martial arts and martial arts, he was like a great hero. Even the glory of his father, Emperor Wen, who unified the world was eclipsed. He mobilized an army of nearly one million people on land and water to fight in the east, but failed many times, which not only brought down Shengji. The temporary national power of the Sui Dynasty caused conflicts among various domestic forces, and wars and bandits arose everywhere, until the great empire of Nuo suddenly collapsed.
Now Li Tang has inherited the empire of the Sui Dynasty and upholds his ambition. If Li Er can overthrow Goguryeo in one fell swoop, his civil and military skills will be far superior to that of Emperor Yang of Sui Dynasty. He will also be able to conquer Liaodong, a land that has never been truly included in the history of the Han Dynasty. In the future, there may not be a chance to surpass Emperor Qin and Han Wu and achieve the grand hegemony of one emperor through the ages!
It's a pity that despite his great ambitions, he fell short in the end. There were bloody battles under Pingrang City, but he still failed to break through the city. He fell from his horse and was injured, which made his morale low. He had to end the Eastern Expedition with hatred and return in vain.
Unexpectedly, when the overall situation was decided, the navy, under the command of Su Dingfang, actually broke through the city in one fell swoop, and completely captured Pingrang City in a few days. Yuan Gaisu Wen committed suicide, and Goguryeo was destroyed...
What is this? ! He was a majestic emperor who personally led the expedition and used all the strength of the country to fail to conquer Pingrang City. As a result, a mere navy accomplished what hundreds of thousands of troops failed to accomplish... This made Fang Jun and his direct troops who had tacitly allowed all forces to do so. Why did His Majesty Li Er feel so embarrassed when he was excluded from the Eastern Expedition?
If it had been a shameless person, he might have followed the navy into the city with a shameless face and taken the results of the battle that destroyed the city and destroyed the country. After all, if there were not hundreds of thousands of troops from Liaodong all the way to Pingrang City, how could the navy be so trembling? ? When it is announced to the world, this meritorious service will be truly recorded on the head of His Majesty Li Er.
But His Majesty Li Er is different. He has done too many things in his life, including killing brothers and killing brothers, forcing his father to abdicate, and seizing his brothers and sisters-in-law... When he was young, he believed that the winner was the king and the loser was the villain, and he disdained this. However, as he gets older and his position becomes more stable, he cares more about his face, especially how he will be evaluated in future history books...
Coupled with the sudden poisoning incident, he was so angry that he simply let the navy torment in Liaodong, pretended to be dead, and sneaked back to Chang'an to prepare to solve the chronic diseases in the country in one fell swoop...
However, countless plans and plans were devoted to his lifelong fame, but in the end, he still failed to achieve full success.
When he thought of this, His Majesty Li Er turned back and glanced at Li Ji who was riding with the prince behind the chariot. He couldn't help but grit his teeth secretly and his anger rose sharply.
Never thought that the person he trusted the most and had always been firmly in control of would actually go against his will at the last moment?
Ahead, two cavalrymen of dozens of men each galloped forward. They reined in their horses and stood a hundred steps away. The cavalrymen on horseback all turned over and dismounted, kneeling on one knee on both sides of the official road, one in the south and one in the north. When the carriage passed by, the south side The leader said loudly: "I respectfully welcome your Majesty back to the capital!"
His Majesty Li Er stood on the top and looked down from a high position. When he saw it was Cheng Yaojin, he snorted in his heart and waved his hand casually.
Among Zhenguan's ministers, they were all more or less inclined towards the ownership of the crown prince. They either supported the prince, favored the king of Wei, or were optimistic about the king of Jin. Their positions were inevitably biased. Only Cheng Yaojin has always stayed away from the throne. He treated the prince with the courtesy of a monarch and his ministers, and treated the two kings of Wei and Jin with courtesy. He maintained a neutral and impartial stance. He was once praised as a model for civil and military ministers - - Since as a minister, you should be loyal to the emperor wholeheartedly, why should you interfere with the ownership of the throne? He, the emperor, was in his prime, but his days were numbered, and everyone was vying to serve the future emperor. Where would he, Li Er, be placed?
However, after hearing the news of his "death", Cheng Yaojin, who had the most neutral stance, couldn't help but wade into the muddy waters...
A group of people on the left shouted loudly: "General Gao Kan, welcome your Majesty!"
His Majesty Li Er glanced at Gao Kan who was kneeling on the ground, then raised his eyes to look at Yan Zheng, the guard in the right camp on the north side of Chunming Gate, and became more and more sad.
He knew that Youtunwei was very powerful. When the troops came out of Baidao and overthrew Xue Yantuo, it was a shock to the whole world. Everyone praised Fang Jun's achievements as being comparable to Li Jing's. But His Majesty Li Er knew that in terms of military strategy, Fang Jun was thousands of miles away from Li Jing. ? The most important reason why they roamed Mobei as if they were in an uninhabited land was that the Youtun Guards, who were equipped with a large number of firearms, were very powerful.
But His Majesty Li Er never thought that Youtun Guards would be so tyrannical. Half of them followed Fang Jun on the expedition to the Western Regions. They were unstoppable along the way and faced the Turks, Tuyuhun, Dashi and other powerful armies in the world. They were invincible and never suffered a defeat; Led by Gao Kan in front of him, he defended the Xuanwu Gate impregnably, defeated Chai Zhewei's Zuotunwei and Li Yuanjing's royal army, and fought several fierce battles with Guanlong's army that was ten times his own, winning consecutive battles...
A group of Youtun Guards not only protected the Western Region, which the Sui and Tang dynasties had spent countless blood to pierce, but were also able to protect the East Palace like a sea-fixing needle.
It is a blessing for the empire to have such an army; but if such an army is loyal to the prince, it will become a worry for the emperor. If one day this army repeats the "Xuanwu Gate Incident", looking around Chang'an , which other army can compete with it?
Not to mention that there is a Donggong Sixth Leader who is completely worthy of the crown prince. He has also been tempered by the flames of war and is commanded by Li Jing and other great military masters in the world...
The carriage did not stop and drove straight to Chunming Gate. His Majesty Li Er took a deep breath, and his restless heart gradually calmed down. Thinking about it carefully, the situation in Chang'an is more complicated than ever before, and the power controlled by the prince is even more powerful. The prince who had been betrayed and separated from his relatives was no longer Wu Xia Amen. His wings gradually became fuller. Even in the days when Li Er "passed away", he was still able to support this huge empire.
Approaching Chunming Gate, you can already see more and more people rushing out of the city, either staying by the moat, or simply rushing to the front of the royal palace. They are coming and going, bustling, and naturally they are the city's dignitaries, royal family, and relatives. When I learned that His Majesty had returned to Beijing, I was shocked and hurried out of the city to greet him.
"Baiqisi" and Jingzhao Mansion can block ordinary people, but they cannot block people like them...
Wang Shoushi saw that many officials who came to pay homage were blocked by the "Xuanjia Iron Cavalry" and had to return to the sides of the city gate to wait. Then he stood behind His Majesty Li Er and said cautiously: "The news of His Majesty's return to Beijing has spread in the city. The people's support is so strong that they will definitely come to the streets to express their support. To celebrate. But the people are too enthusiastic, and some stampedes may happen... The prince is responsible for supervising the country, but he is outside Chang'an at the moment. I hope he can arrange a proper plan in advance so that innocent people will not be harmed. Suffered death ”
The prince is responsible for supervising the country. No matter what happens in Chang'an City, the prince is the first person responsible. At this moment when His Majesty returns to the capital, if anything goes wrong, he will be impeached by the censor, and even the people in the city will criticize him. slander.
His Majesty Li Er was silent for a moment and murmured: "Innocent people were killed..."
Then he thought that "one general can achieve eternal results." If we can achieve our big plan, even if we sacrifice a few people, what's the point?
The rain is getting heavier and heavier, and the fine raindrops have become one. However, His Majesty Li Er's face is getting more and more flushed, bloodshot eyes are bursting out, and the whole person is a little excited.
Several fast horses rushed out from Chunming Gate and arrived in front of the "Xuanjia Iron Cavalry" formation. They were stopped by soldiers and showed their waist badges and seals before being allowed to go. One of them quickly came to the imperial chariot and reported a few words to Wang Shoushi. His color suddenly changed. (End of chapter)