Chapter 4019 Killing two birds with one stone
In the evening, in the back hall, His Majesty Li Er was enjoying dinner with Concubine Yang.
Although the rebellion has subsided, the trade routes in and out of Guanzhong are not yet completely open, and hundreds of thousands of Eastern Expedition troops have gathered at key passes such as Tongguan and Hangu Pass, making it still difficult to supply materials in Guanzhong, even in the imperial palace. There is a lack of food, but there is no shortage of ordinary meat and vegetables, and there is almost no shortage of delicacies from all over the world.
However, in the past few years, the Tang Dynasty has been prosperous and prosperous, and the trend of enjoyment has become more and more popular. His Majesty Li Er has also changed his past hard and simple style, and his life has become more and more extravagant. As the saying goes, "It is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but it is difficult to go from luxury to frugality." I had suffered enough during the Eastern Expedition, and I thought about returning to Chang'an to make up for it. Who would have expected that the melee in Guanzhong and the lack of supplies would actually be worse than during the Eastern Expedition? Not much better...
His Majesty Li Er took a few bites of green vegetables and ate less than half a bowl of rice. Then he put down his bowl and chopsticks, picked up the teacup beside him and took a sip of water without eating.
Concubine Yang held the bowl and chewed slowly. As she ate, she lowered her head and began to sob.
His Majesty Li Er put down his tea cup, frowned, and opened his mouth to yell impatiently, but he held back the words and asked, "What's wrong with you?"
Concubine Yang put down her bowls and chopsticks, wiped her tears, lowered her head and whispered softly: "Chang'an is a prosperous city in the world, but it was ruined after just one battle. Even His Majesty's diet is extremely frugal. And Silla is even more so. In the land of foreign barbarians, upon hearing this, Your Majesty went to During the war, both Goguryeo and Baekje were beaten to the point of almost subjugating their countries, and their defeated troops fled to Silla. There must have been a series of battles... It must be very difficult for Ke'er to guard Silla in the face of the rebel army, and I don't know what the situation is now... …”
His Majesty Li Er's somewhat impatient mood calmed down, his brows were still furrowed, but he did not say a word.
The mother is worried when her son travels thousands of miles. Li Ke's feudal Silla is more than a thousand miles? Moreover, the people in this land are all foreigners. They have not obeyed the king's ways and do not know how to educate them. They are almost no different from animals. However, Li Ke has lofty ambitions, and he will definitely not be willing to live in peace and pleasure. He will definitely use his best efforts to conquer a subjugated country that belongs to him, and pass it on to his descendants, and also show it to the people in Chang'an. He Li Ke Although Ke is not his legitimate son, his literary skills and martial arts are as good as anyone else...
In this way, one can imagine Li Kezhi's difficulty.
It is human nature for Concubine Yang to miss her son. Even if he, Li Er, is an emperor, how can he have no father-son affection?
After a long time, Concubine Yang stopped sobbing, stood up and said apologetically: "Your Majesty has returned from the Eastern Expedition. He has worked hard and it is time for him to live a good life. I am ignorant and have caused trouble to Your Majesty. I hope you will forgive me."
"Alas..."
His Majesty Li Er sighed, pulled Concubine Yang to sit next to him, and comforted softly: "Ke'er is also my flesh and blood. Among all the disciples, he is the most like me. His love is by no means inferior to that of Qingque and Pheasant Slave." , how can we endure the separation of flesh and blood? But he is not the legitimate son, but he has a high prestige. Isn't this good? What happened? The reason why he feudalized Silla was to protect him. Moreover, with Ke'er's talent and ability, he would definitely be able to retaliate in Silla, which would be hundreds of times better than in Chang'an. In the future, his branch would be considered open. The branches and leaves are scattered, the glory is extremely high, and I am worthy of him.”
A few years ago, he had the idea of leading an army to fight in all directions, conquering foreign lands and enfeoffing them to his sons. For example, Li Ke now feudalizes Silla, and other places such as Xueyantuo, Xiyu, Waguo, and Annan have become his own. The son's kingdom is surrounded by the Tang Dynasty like stars, which is the imperial barrier, and they are all of the blood of Li Tang. Isn't it beautiful?
Even if one day the center collapses and is taken over by these kingdoms, it will be rotten in the pot, and there will be no advantage for others...
It's just that the battle of the Eastern Expedition to Goguryeo made him feel a little depressed. The seemingly powerful Tang army didn't have much to do when facing Pingrang City, which preferred death over surrender. This shows that the tenacity and fighting power that broke out at the time of a clan's survival was enough. Make up for the disadvantages in military strength, equipment, etc.
To put it bluntly, he is afraid of losing his life.
Only those who possess a level of force far beyond that of a navy master can crush them at will.
Firearms...
His Majesty Li Er stroked his beard and became upset.
The Youtun Guards Station was stationed outside Xuanwu Gate. Although it suffered heavy losses in several battles, with insufficient soldiers and damaged equipment, it could recover in less than a year. Such an army, where almost half are equipped with firearms and adopt firearm-based tactics, is really a serious problem.
How can you allow others to snore and sleep on the side of the couch?
Even if he believed in Fang Jun's loyalty and would not follow the prince into the Xuanwu Gate to repeat the "Xuanwu Gate Incident", he was still on tenterhooks...
Thinking of this, he felt more and more on pins and needles. He stood up and said: "I remembered that there are still some things that need to be dealt with urgently. You can go to bed first."
Stride out.
Wang De was waiting outside the door. When he saw His Majesty Li Er coming out, he hurriedly greeted him: "What are your orders?"
His Majesty Li Er walked towards the side hall without stopping, saying: "Send someone to call King Han and Li Junxian. I have something to ask."
"Here!"
Wang De quickly called the two young chamberlains and asked them to leave the palace to invite people, and then ran a few steps to catch up with His Majesty Li Er.
……
The sun was setting, and the light in the side hall was dim. For some reason, His Majesty Li Er did not let people light the candles. When Li Yuanjia and Li Junxian entered one after another, their eyesight could not adapt for a while, and they came to the throne in front of the throne to pay homage with almost black eyes. .
It wasn't until His Majesty Li Er waved his hand to offer a seat and the waiter served him tea that the sight of the two returned to normal...
His Majesty Li Er got straight to the point: "How did Prince Jing die? What happened when Prince Jing's palace was destroyed and his whole family was wiped out?"
Li Yuanjia and Li Junxian looked at each other, and the latter said: "Let the general decide this matter..."
He immediately described the situation he had in detail. After all, this was his job. He was derelict in failing to understand Li Yuanjing's situation before he rebelled. If he still didn't understand the whole situation, it would be a crime.
The matter is not complicated. How did Li Yuanjing visit Chai Zhewei from time to time with ulterior motives to win over him, and how he led the royal coalition to join the Zuotunwei to attack the Xuanwu Gate. In the end, Gao Kan led half of the Youtunwei to defeat him badly, until he was defeated and died... …
After he finished speaking, His Majesty Li Er was silent for a moment and asked: "What evidence points to King Jing's rebellion? Did he openly declare himself emperor, did he raise a rebel flag and change the country's name, or did he murder loyal ministers and poison the people?"
Li Junxian was stunned, evidence?
He has already led his troops to storm the Xuanwu Gate to enter the palace, what more evidence is needed?
He didn't even conquer the Tai Chi Palace, where would he get the chance to become emperor?
As for raising the flag of rebellion... Even if he succeeds in his rebellion, he will definitely continue the Tang Dynasty. So why would there be any need to change the country's name?
Li Yuanjia was still smart, and he understood it after a moment's thought, and said hurriedly: "It's just that everyone in the government and the public accused King Jing of treason, but there is no conclusive evidence."
Li Junxian glanced at him, vaguely understanding.
His Majesty Li Er nodded and said in a deep voice: "King Jing is my biological brother. He heard that I was killed in Liaodong, and it happened to be the rebellion of the eldest grandson Wuji. He was worried about my family in the palace, so he wanted to lead his army into the palace to protect him. Why did he have any intention of rebellion? ? If someone outside slanders King Jing's reputation and tarnishes the royal family's reputation, 'Baiqisi' will strictly stop it, and no matter who is involved, he will be severely punished!"
Li Junxian also completely understood, and quickly agreed: "The general will obey the order!"
Was Li Yuanjing defeated and killed in rebellion? It doesn't matter, he's dead anyway. What Your Majesty Li Er really cares about is whether someone will use Li Yuanjing's death to throw dirt on him. He "pretended to be dead" and sat back and watched the Guanlong mutiny. It is very likely that he induced Li Yuanjing to raise troops and then killed him. After all, he had the ability to kill. The history of brother-killing...
Furthermore, although Li Yuanjing was a dignified prince, how could he mobilize so many royal troops at once? If we dig deeper, it will inevitably involve many princes, heirs, or county kings from the royal family. Once they are found out one by one, should they be killed or not?
When Yi Chu is about to arrive, it is best to stabilize the royal family and unify their views, so as to show favor.
Therefore, Li Yuanjing must not be killed because of rebellion. He only needs to find a reason and someone to take the blame...
As for the death of the whole family in Prince Jing's Mansion, Li Junxian couldn't figure it out, so he could only let it go.
His Majesty Li Er said in a deep voice: "King Jing saw that the eldest son Wuji had launched a mutiny and was worried about the prince in the palace, so he contacted Qiao Guogong to join forces and go to Xuanwu Gate to rescue the prince. Before the right guard could distinguish it, he sent troops to attack, resulting in King Jing was defeated and died in the chaos."
Li Yuanjia and Li Junxian were silent. Since King Jing was not treasonous, someone must be responsible for his death.
Sure enough, His Majesty Li Er continued: "The Youtun Guards did not distinguish between ourselves and the enemy, and Fang Jun was guilty of negligence. However, thinking about the Youtun Guards' outstanding performance and bravery in the mutiny, and Fang Jun was not in the army at the time, I felt so moved. There are excuses, so he is dismissed from the post of General of the Right Guards and another person is selected... What do you think?"
Li Junxian would not express his opinion: "Your Majesty obeys the order!"
It not only avoids the possibility of "conspiracy to kill brothers", but also takes away Fang Jun's military power. It is reasonable, kills two birds with one stone, and is acceptable to all parties.
Li Yuanjia thought for a while, after all, Fang Jun was his brother-in-law. If he didn't say a word at this moment, that guy would have to trouble him later... Then he tentatively said: "General Sixteenth Guards is related to the safety of the capital, and his appointment and removal are important matters. , Your Majesty, will you consider letting the Military Aircraft Department discuss it before making a decision?”
In addition to helping Fang Jun try to save things, he also has his own selfish motives - even as a royal family, he does not want the imperial power to be unstoppable. He can appoint and remove a general of the Sixteenth Guards with one word today, and he can say it tomorrow. And the life and death of a royal family!
If the power of life and death is really concentrated in the emperor, and the promotion and dismissal of ministers, knowing that honor, disgrace, life and death can all be decided according to the emperor's mood, who can sleep in the future?
So he is both a struggle and a reminder.
Although the courtiers are currently keeping silent about Yi Chuqiu, there are not a few who sympathize with and support the East Palace. If Your Majesty behaves so strongly, it may arouse the fear and backlash of the courtiers... (End of Chapter)