Chapter 4133: Difficult position
"Bang!"
Li Chengqian slammed the oiled paper package on the desk in front of him, and the emotions he had been suppressing finally burst out, and he shouted angrily: "What a bastard! Is this Tai Chi Palace like a rat's nest with holes everywhere? Everyone in the palace is eating in and out and looking at the emperor's palace like a palace. Both the east and west cities should be killed!”
Everyone in the palace was silent. They didn't know why His Highness the Crown Prince was so rarely angry. They were all at a loss.
You need to know that when you heard that the Youhou Wei captured Chunming Gate and entered Chang'an City and the bloody battle broke out outside the Chengtian Gate with the Sixth Army of the East Palace, you had never been so furious. This calmness had made everyone admire you very much...
Ma Zhou put down a document in his hand and looked up at Li Chengqian in surprise: "Your Highness, what happened?"
Li Chengqian had a livid face and pointed at the oil paper package on the table: "See for yourself."
Ma Zhou picked up the scattered package, took out a few pages of paper, unfolded it and looked at it carefully, his expression gradually became serious, and then handed it to Fang Jun who was standing aside.
Fang Jun took it and glanced at it, but he didn't have much trouble in his heart.
At all times and in all countries, no matter what you do is right or wrong, you have to find a high-sounding excuse to cover up your true intentions. Even if everyone in the world knows his nature of looting, burning, killing and plundering, he still has to set up a seemingly natural reason to do despicable things.
The wisdom of the Chinese people has been passed down for thousands of years, and they have long been well versed in the nature of the world. Do you really think that the words "Those who have gained the Tao will have many help, and those who have lost the Tao have few" are just words?
This person is the most reasonable person in the world.
Therefore, King Li Zhi of Jin raised his troops to usurp the throne. He must find a reasonable and legal reason for himself, and the best reason is naturally the "edict" of His Majesty Li Er. As long as the "edict" is made public, it will not only give him the opportunity to raise his troops. His actions will be given legality, and the prestige of His Majesty Li Er will be used to make the world more sympathetic and on his side.
However, the accusation of "poisoning the late emperor" in the memorandum was somewhat unexpected. What happened in the Liaodong Army was a secret. Only the people involved knew what happened. It had been shrouded in mystery before, although all parties speculated that it was Changsun Wuji who attacked Li Er. His Majesty can't do anything, otherwise how could he have the courage to raise troops and remonstrate with the intention of abolishing the reserve? But no one knew the details. As Changsun Wuji committed suicide and apologized, the matter was completely forgotten.
But now looking at Chu Suiliang's "accusations" in the memorandum, the original details have emerged. It was probably Chang Sun Wuji who instigated Chu Suiliang to murder His Majesty Li Er.
Afterwards, His Majesty Li Er did not kill Chu Suiliang with a thousand swords. It can be seen that Chu Suiliang must have taken the initiative to surrender to His Majesty Li Er and exposed Changsun Wuji's conspiracy. His Majesty Li Er then used his plan to fake death to confuse Changsun Wuji and make him launch an army. , trying to achieve His Majesty Li Er's own goal of "killing two birds with one stone".
Moreover, Chu Suiliang must have been coerced and induced by Changsun Wuji to do it, so His Majesty Li Er was so tolerant.
But now, either Chu Suiliang is willing to side with the King of Jin, or the original incident was exposed and someone caught him...
Of course, the truth of the matter is not important. Such a statement compiled by Chu Suiliang will be believed by many people, which will have an extremely negative impact on the prince's reputation.
However, if the influence of prestige alone is not enough to affect the overall situation, the most important thing is whether such remarks will influence those generals who hold heavy troops.
You must know that the loyalty of the Zhenguan ministers to His Majesty Li Er is as solid as a rock. If His Majesty Li Er is really poisoned by the prince, these people will never surrender to the prince. And His Majesty Li Er has always loved the Jin prince and has stated several times that he wants to change his throne. , will become the object of allegiance to the generals.
That is a disaster...
Therefore, Fang Jun immediately admonished: "The King of Jin's statement can be said to confuse right and wrong and refer to deer as horses. It is laughable and shameless. However, people's hearts are unpredictable and must be guarded against. His Highness immediately ordered the British Duke to give orders to the Sixteenth Guards garrison in various places in Guanzhong and order all ministries. Hold fast to the camp and do not move without permission, to prevent the rebels from taking the opportunity to disrupt Guanzhong and cause trouble in the area. ”
At this time, it is necessary to ensure the neutrality of the military. Pulling Li Ji out to make a big flag will be very effective. With Li Ji coming forward, the military departments will believe that what the King of Jin said in the message is untrue and nonsense, and they will also I believe that the so-called imperial edict is simply a fabrication.
In addition, you can also take the opportunity to force Li Ji to take sides. Even if he is not on the side of the prince, he must remain as neutral as possible.
Otherwise, if even Li Ji is won over by the King of Jin, then don't seize the direct lineage. Hurry up and gather the troops from the East Palace to break out of the city and flee to the west of the river overnight. If you run faster, you may have a chance of survival...
Li Chengqian hesitated: "The British Lord...what should I do if he refuses?"
He was very dissatisfied with Li Ji's attitude of sitting on the sidelines. As the chief minister and military leader, he remained silent on the matter of the ownership of the throne. This could not be justified in any case. But at the same time, I feel that it is good for Li Ji to sit firmly like a mountain. At least he is not attached to Zhinu and opposes him with all his strength. It does not seem unacceptable...
So now he had to force Li Ji to take sides, which made him a little uneasy. What if Li Ji didn't listen to his orders and turned to Zhinu's side?
Although the situation is tense at the moment, the East Palace is still capable of fighting, and it is still unclear who will win. However, once Li Ji falls to Zhinu, it will cause a series of reactions in the army, and many bystanders will follow, making the situation completely corrupt.
Fang Jun said categorically: "In the current situation, success or failure is on the thin line. How can there be any chance of luck? The British government has always been vague about its attitude. If it is allowed to swing back and forth and play both sides, it will lead the government and the opposition to follow suit, leading to an ambiguous situation. It’s hard to distinguish between ourselves and the enemy, so it’s better to accomplish everything in one battle, bring those with evil intentions to the surface, and then fight them to the death!”
Ma Zhou, who had not spoken much, said: "Let me go and talk to the British public. It stands to reason that although the British public is indifferent to fame and fortune, he is by no means a timid person who cannot take responsibility, or has something to say. It may not be a bad thing to talk about your difficulties or concerns. ”
Li Chengqian saw that his two generals, civil and military, were consistent, so he nodded and agreed: "Then I'll trouble you, Prince Bin, to make a trip."
Ma Zhou smiled and said: "The British Duke is preparing for the 'big burial' at the Liangyi Palace. It's not far away. I can come back as soon as I leave."
After saying that, he stood up, saluted and left.
Battle reports were coming like snowflakes, and a fierce battle was going on between the two armies outside Chengtian Gate. Because the street was flat and straight, the two sides could not engage in so-called vertical and horizontal penetrations and could only engage in head-on bloody battles. The casualties in the battle skyrocketed like crazy, which made the soldiers of both armies kill each other. At first glance, the battle area was too narrow and long. Tens of thousands of troops from both sides continued to pour in. The battle area expanded rapidly, and it had already spread to the unfinished imperial city in the south.
During the Guanlong Rebellion, many buildings in the imperial city had been completely destroyed. The reconstruction had not yet been completed, and the central government office had not moved in. Now it is likely to become rubble again.
Fang Jun stood up and came to the map. His eyes passed by Chunming Gate, Jinguang Gate, Chengtian Gate, Tianjie, etc., and finally focused on Xuanwu Gate.
The predecessor of Chang'an City was Daxing City in the Sui Dynasty. It was the work of a generation of architectural wizards and general craftsmen Yu Wenkai. The reason why Yu Wenkai set the address of Daxing City here was because he saw the terrain of Guanzhong and discovered this place. From south to north, gradually rising The high six-slope land is very consistent with the "Six Yao" in the "Book of Changes". The palace and imperial city were ultimately built at the highest point, symbolizing the supremacy of imperial power, while the lower areas were built with lanes, lakes and ditches, or markets. , or it is a residential building, the planning is just like that.
The highest point of Chang'an's terrain is Longshouyuan where the "First Yao" is located in the north. The Xuanwu Gate is built on the highest point of Longshouyuan. It overlooks the entire Chang'an city to the south and reaches the Wei River through flat fields to the north. Strategically. The location is second to none.
Therefore, during the Tang Dynasty, there were as many as four coups launched from Xuanwu Gate, and each coup was the final victory of the party that controlled Xuanwu Gate. It was no coincidence...
But now, Xuanwu Sect is in the hands of Li Daozong.
As a person whose military achievements in the clan are second only to Li Xiaogong and who has even deeper personal feelings than Li Xiaogong, Li Daozong has always been regarded as a confidant by His Majesty Li Er. Therefore, in order not to arouse His Majesty Li Er's jealousy, Li Xiaogong had to taint himself in the name of being greedy and violent. But Li Daozong had no such considerations at all.
It can be seen that such a dangerous place as Xuanwu Gate was handed over to Li Daozong for guarding instead of being handed over to Li Xiaogong, the leader of the clan and a famous general in the world.
If His Majesty Li Er had not died violently, Yi Chu's matter would have been carried out steadily, and control of the Xuanwu Gate would have been firmly in his hands. No matter who among the Sixteen Guards fell to the Crown Prince in the end, the East Palace would not have been able to cause too much trouble. Everything you save will definitely come true.
But now that His Majesty Li Er has passed away, the Xuanwu Sect has become the decisive factor in determining the ownership of imperial power...
The last time Li Chengqian went to Xuanwu Gate to meet with Li Daozong in person, Li Daozong's answer was very clear, but his position was equally clear - His Majesty has never left a legacy, so the prince is the legitimate crown prince, and it is natural for him to ascend the throne, and he is the object of loyalty to all ministers. .
But now that Li Zhi concocted a so-called "edict" and accused the prince of "poisoning the late emperor and persecuting his brothers", will it affect Li Daozong's position?
After all, whether the imperial edict is true or false, believed or not, is too subjective, and it is difficult for others to judge.
The most difficult part of this battle to seize the inheritance is not how powerful the opponent is, but that it is difficult to distinguish whether you are an enemy or a friend, no matter you are around you or in the opposing camp...
Fang Jun then moved his gaze from Xuanwu Gate to the north, to the left and right garrison camps, and Fang Jun felt a little relieved.
Even Li Daozong could not wipe out all the forces loyal to Fang Jun in the Youtun Guards in such a short period of time. As long as he raised his arms at the critical moment, he would be able to draw away more than half of the elites in the Youtun Guards. He would then cooperate. The East Palace Guards and Baiqisi in the palace could eradicate Li Daozong in one fell swoop even if he turned to Jin King Li Zhi. (End of chapter)