Chapter 4076 Shocking Change (Part 1)
In the evening of that day, in the Hall of Wude, His Majesty Li Er looked at the naval memorial spread out on the table in front of him and felt a thorn in his side...
The Soga family secretly contacted various forces in the Japanese country and gathered a large number of troops to raid the navy's military port station at Nambajin in an attempt to resist the rule of the Tang Dynasty. Liu Rengui, who was stationed here, organized a defense force while sending people to deliver a message to Su Dingfang, who was patrolling the coast of Silla. Afterwards, Su Dingfang led the main force of the navy to rush for reinforcements and personally sat in Nambajin, commanding the army to repel the enemy invaders and attack Asukakyo.
At the same time, the Ezo people in the northern part of the Japanese country raised their troops to attack south under the command of the navy, and attacked Asukakyo with the navy. The Soga clan was completely defeated. Asukakyo was full of murderers and corpses were lying on the ground, and the Japanese country was completely destroyed.
While Su Dingfang was cleaning up the mess and stabilizing the situation, he wrote to Chang'an for instructions on how to deal with the aftermath...
His Majesty Li Er frowned at this.
How to deal with the aftermath is not difficult. Before that, his beloved young son had already given the answer - follow the example of Silla, grant the land of Japan to the King of Jin, and establish the Ping Fan...
At this moment, His Majesty Li Er was angry that the King of Jin was too smart to avoid the current predicament, and he was also worried about the navy's combat power. The Japanese country was not just a flat city. , the emperor's lineage has existed for hundreds of thousands of years and has unrivaled prestige. However, under the navy's attack, it melted and collapsed in an instant like boiling soup and snow.
The Youtun Guards and the Navy...these two armies, which were originally weak and even disorganized, immediately exploded into extremely strong combat capabilities after being trained by Fang Jun. The latter was even formed by Fang Jun. This shows that Fang Jun's In terms of talent, he may not be as talented as Li Jing, a great master of military art in the world, but when it comes to practicality, he should be the first in the army, even those Zhenguan ministers who have made great contributions should be ranked below him.
However, in this case, the foundation of the East Palace is too great, and his move to force Yishu will easily lead to extremely strong reactions...
Just as he was looking downcast and in a dilemma, a servant came into the room and told him that he was paying an audience to the Duke of Shen.
His Majesty Li Er was slightly startled. Duke Shen has been a noble and honest official for a long time. He no longer cares about political affairs. He spends his days either living in the palace to enjoy his family life or traveling around the mountains and rivers. Why did he suddenly come to the palace to pay an audience?
But no matter what, it must be seen.
Everyone knows that he relied on the assistance of the Guanlong Clan to seize the throne, but without Gao Shilian's recommendation and help at the beginning, how could the Guanlong Clan put all their chips on his second son? ?
"Xuan."
"Here!"
The chamberlain exited, and His Majesty Li Er stood up and walked out from behind the desk. He knelt down on the mat by the window and ordered someone to make a new pot of tea. He turned his head and looked at the scenery outside the window, his mind spinning rapidly.
After a moment, Gao Shilian, dressed in rich clothes, entered. After greeting him, His Majesty Li Er smiled and invited him to sit in front of him.
Gao Shilian's qualifications, identity, and status naturally meant that he would not be restrained in front of His Majesty Li Er. He knelt down opposite him with a smile. It was only when His Majesty Li Er dismissed the servants and poured tea with him with a pot in his hand that he said with sincerity and fear: " I can’t afford it!”
"Hey! I have been busy with government affairs recently and have no time to visit my uncle at home. Fortunately, my uncle came today. There is no need to be formal. It is just a family chat between us nephews and uncles."
His Majesty Li Er looked kindly, and regardless of Gao Shilian's humility, he filled the teacups in front of them with tea.
Gao Shilian could only bow slightly to receive it...
……
There were only two monarchs and ministers in the side hall, and all the internal servants stayed away, so no one knew what was discussed. It was only an hour later that they walked out together with a smile. His Majesty Li Er even personally sent Gao Shilian outside the hall. , and watched him leave.
Early the next morning, Menxia Province received His Majesty's edict. After reading it, the officials could not hide their shock. They hurriedly stamped the imperial seal and immediately distributed it to all the yamen of the imperial court.
Then countless bookboys and domestic servants quickly returned to various mansions from the province, and the news spread quickly: Your Majesty has an edict, and Cheng Yaojin, the Duke of Lu State, led his Zuowuwei to Chang'an, and the palace of Suwei was banned...
Various previous signs have shown that the powerful families in Shandong and Jiangnan are completely turning to the Jinwang. Now the much-anticipated post of Suwei Jingji has fallen into the hands of Cheng Yaojin of the Shandong faction, which indicates that the strength of the Jinwang family has skyrocketed. , and His Majesty’s intention is clear.
The reserve position is at stake and involves countless interests. Naturally, the government and the opposition are in shock, and all parties take action upon hearing the news.
That night, the city gates of Chang'an were not locked. Groups of well-equipped Zuowu guards lined up into the city and stationed themselves in the camps where the Sixth Army of the East Palace was originally stationed in various squares. They formally took over the defense of Chang'an and cooperated with the "Xuanwumen" stationed at Xuanwu Gate. "Armored cavalry" stayed together in the Wei Palace.
This indicates that His Majesty Li Er is determined and Yi Chu is imminent...
……
In the Furong Garden, King Li Tai of Wei was upstairs overlooking the brightly lit military camp by the Qujiang Pool, his face was as gloomy as water, and his thick eyebrows were knitted together.
The hands behind his back were clenched tightly, and the veins were bulging...
Fang Jun was sitting on the side of the table, drinking tea slowly.
Li Tai stood in front of the window for a long time before turning back and sitting in front of the table. He raised his hand to take the full tea from Fang Jun and took a sip. He put down the cup and pursed his lips without saying a word.
Anyone can see the despair and unwillingness in his heart...
Fang Jun picked up a piece of pastry and put it into his mouth to chew, and asked casually: "I wonder why Your Highness summoned you at night?"
Only then did Li Tai come back to his senses, looked at Fang Jun, and asked instead: "I thought you wouldn't come. Didn't you fear your father's suspicion earlier and didn't dare to have too much contact with me?"
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As the pillar of the East Palace faction and a former military general, he had close contacts with the prince who was vying for the throne, which was a taboo for any emperor.
Even Zhenguan ministers like Cheng Yaojin, who had always been deeply trusted by His Majesty Li Er, usually tried to hide behind their backs when meeting with the King of Jin, and did not dare to show themselves openly to others...
Fang Jun put the cake under his eyes, took a sip of tea, sighed, and said helplessly: "Why do you ask, Your Highness, knowingly?"
The overall situation has been decided, so there is no need to worry too much.
What His Majesty Li Er was afraid of was that before he could make up his mind, the power of Li Tai's side would soar and compete with the King of Jin. The fight between the two tigers would have wide implications. As long as you make up your mind, you will naturally not have these worries. People like Fang Jun cannot deliberately rebel because of competition for savings...
Li Tai was stunned for a moment, twitching the corners of his mouth and giving a wry smile.
It's just that this smile is uglier than crying...
After pondering for a long time, he rubbed his face vigorously, exhaled a long breath, and said in despair: "I am the second son of my father. If the prince is deposed, I should succeed... Besides, I have an excellent reputation and prestige. Outstanding, in the past few years, he has built schools and established education, and countless people in the world have praised and commended him. Why did his father turn a blind eye and instead choose a useless pheasant slave? "
He couldn't figure it out.
Pheasant Nu had been trained in Shangshu Province before, and was mediocre and ignored everyone. Later, he went to work in the Ministry of War. Under Fang Jun's suppression, he was submissive and could not see any amazing talent.
Is it just because the pheasant slaves grew up beside their father and have a stronger affection for each other than other princes?
But this is choosing the crown prince!
Although the pheasant slave is intelligent, he has a soft character and is too easy-going. Compared with the prince, he is no less generous. How can such a person be decisive in killing and be a good emperor?
So he was both angry and dissatisfied...
Fang Jun took his free time to sip his tea cup and advised: "After all, the imperial edict has not been promulgated yet, your highness can still fight for it."
They are just words of relief. Historically, His Majesty Li Er considered this situation in many ways, and the final answer was to abandon Li Tai and choose Li Zhi. Of course, Changsun Wuji supported Li Zhi on behalf of the Guanlong clan, but There is also Li His Majesty believed that Li Zhi had an unparalleled filial piety, a gentle personality, and was able to be friendly to his brothers. After all, he had personally experienced the "Xuanwu Gate Incident" and would never want to repeat the killing of brothers among his sons...
The inertia of history will never change easily, so even if the current situation is completely different from that in history, as long as His Majesty Li Er is determined to be easy to reserve, the possibility that the reserve will belong to Li Zhi is still very high.
Doesn't Li Tai know that things have reached this point and there are not many changes left?
It's just that we were only one step away from that position. How could we be willing to give up like this?
His eyes were red and his face was ferocious. He took Fang Jun's hand and said in a deep voice: "If Erlang is willing to fully support this king, it may not be impossible to persuade my father to change his mind! I can swear an oath here, as long as he does everything in his life." If successful, an edict can be issued to respect the prince. Prosperously support the Jiucheng Palace, allowing his descendants to inherit the title of king, never to be abolished, to be rich and prosperous, and to live with the country! I will also treat the pheasant slaves with kindness, protect their wealth, and use their descendants... If it is violated. This oath will be punished by heaven and earth!”
Fang Jun was silent for a moment, pulled his hand back, sighed softly, and said: "His Highness...do you believe it?"
Li Tai: "..."
He was speechless.
Fang Jun himself does not have the power to compete with the powerful families in Jiangnan and Shandong. If he wants to turn things around, he can only bring the entire East Palace team over to form a confrontation. Only then will his father be afraid of internal fighting and have to start again. Weighing the balance between him and Pheasant Nu, establishing him as crown prince is more suitable for the interests of the empire.
But even if he could force his father to make him the heir apparent, how would he face the prince Li Chengqian after his father died and Li Tai ascended the throne?
The team that assisted him in ascending the throne were Li Chengqian's former subordinates. How could he safely watch Li Chengqian raise the Jiucheng Palace?
There is no room for others to sleep soundly on the side of the couch.
Who knows whether these people will return to Li Chengqian's command again, help him start a mutiny, depose him as emperor and replace him?
Today, Pheasant Nu can rely on the support of the powerful families in Shandong and Jiangnan to gain the approval of his father, and is one step away from Dabao. When the Japanese ascend the throne as emperor, how can they tolerate the pheasant slaves enjoying themselves and exchanging flirtations and flirtations with the nobles of the two places overtly and covertly?
Faced with Fang Jun's questioning, Li Tai remained speechless.
Even if he took the oath at this moment, he himself did not believe that he would be able to treat the prince and the pheasant slaves well in the future, so how could he convince his father?
He always thought that he had a chance to compete for the reserve position, but only now did he realize that it was a dead end.
Suddenly there was a sound of hurried footsteps downstairs. Not long after, a chamberlain quickly went upstairs and came to the two of them. He said quickly: "Your Highness, news just came from Taiji Palace. Your Majesty suddenly became dizzy and vomited while handling government affairs." Blood, unconsciousness..." (End of Chapter)