Chapter 4308 The storm is coming
Herdsmen on the grasslands rely on livestock to survive, but raising livestock requires pasture, which is also land. People in the Central Plains do not have so many livestock to eat meat every day, so they need to cultivate food on the land to feed themselves; even in places close to the sea , there are countless fish to feed the hungry, but the only land still has to be used to cultivate food...
Wherever there are people, there must be land to cultivate food, so that they can thrive.
However, although the Tang Dynasty had countless territories, there were limits after all, and the amount of cultivated land was limited. As generations of wealthy families continued to plunder, the land in the hands of the common people would become less and less...
This is an inevitable cycle of death, so dynasties cannot last forever and will always cycle through destruction and rise.
Now suddenly some people are saying that the wealthy families should pursue cheaper land and let go of the basic livelihood of the people. They also say that the people should no longer rely on the land to live...
What does this mean?
It took a long time for Li Ji to come back to his senses. He looked at the emperor as if he were a fool: "May I ask Your Majesty, where does the cheap land come from?"
Li Chengqian spoke firmly and resoundingly: "Liaodong, overseas!"
Li Ji frowned, feeling that His Majesty had been poisoned by Fang Junna: "Your Majesty clearly knows that Liaodong is bitterly cold and wild beasts are rampant, so it is not suitable for large-scale farming. And if you want to farm overseas, you will inevitably wage wars with foreign countries for many years... Although the empire Strong, but those who are willing to fight will perish! ”
He is the number one person in the military, and he naturally represents the interests of the military. The interests of the military can naturally be maximized during war, so since ancient times, most of the military have been hawks and tough on the outside world.
But even so, Li Ji only had to think about if the empire's strategy in the future was to continuously expand outwards to seize land and population. These two things happened to be the most beloved things of the aristocratic families, and they would definitely provide strong support to the military. The officials are united as one, endlessly expanding outward and fighting year after year...
How many years can a wealthy family last?
During the foreign wars, China's treasury was gradually depleted, while the aristocratic families gradually grew stronger. With strong branches and weak trunks, wouldn't it run counter to the strategy of suppressing the aristocratic families since Emperor Taizong?
When the empire's finances collapse due to the war and the aristocratic families completely rise, I'm afraid the scene of the troubled times in the late Sui Dynasty will be repeated...
Li Chengqian smiled and said: "Don't be nervous, Mr. Ying. It's just an idea. It takes too much planning and too much time to implement. Once implemented, it will definitely not be a matter of ten or twenty years, but ten generations." How could it be possible without Zhou Xiangzhi’s preparation for the continuous development of twenty generations of people? ”
In fact, what he said was not entirely true, and he did not tell all the things he learned from Fang Jun. After all, the kind of "nationalize all smelting, grain, shipbuilding, and firearms, and devote all the efforts of the country to development" The grand scene can make people tremble all over just thinking about it, and it is so unbelievable... What kind of powerful empire center will that be?
Li Ji breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the emperor didn't insist on going his own way when his head was hot, as long as he still had time, he could naturally find another way to persuade him.
*****
Outside Xuande Gate, Fang Jun inspected the military camp in the evening. After dinner, he walked around the camp for a while, then returned to the barracks to read the military report for a while, washed up, and planned to fall asleep. He had no idea that the emperor in the Tai Chi Palace was being raped by him. The grand idea of "state capitalism" makes me toss and turn and find it difficult to sleep...
Cheng Wuting strode in and said in a deep voice: "Li Fengjie sneaked into the Youtunwei barracks again. He is currently hiding in a captain's camp. Li Daliang's former troops keep coming, sneaking and not knowing what to discuss. What, this movement is not small, and it is completely different from the past cautiousness. General Gao estimated that the thieves would most likely take action, so he sent someone to inform him and ask the commander for instructions on how to deal with it. "
He asked his soldiers to make two cups of tea and bring it in. Fang Jun and Cheng Wuting sat by the window, drinking tea. The drizzle was gurgling outside the window. They thought about it carefully and whispered: "It seems that these two days ...Tell Gao Kan to keep an eye on Li Fengjie and never let him escape surveillance, but don’t attack just Li Fengjie first. I want to see who else is behind them."
Even if Li Fengjie can instigate some of Li Daliang's old troops in the Youtun Guards, they are not even sure whether they can control the entire Youtun Guards. How can they be confident that they can attack the Xuanwu Gate and enter the Taiji Palace?
Moreover, Li Fengjie's identity, status, and qualifications could never be the key to the Chang'an mutiny.
Do they work independently and all parties work together?
Not possible either.
No one will rush into the situation when the situation is unclear. Not everyone can bear the risk. There must be someone who climbs up and shouts, and then they can gather from all directions and swarm Chang'an City.
And who could this person be?
If you think about it carefully, there are countless generals who have troops under their command in Guanzhong now, and these generals are either from Guanlong or have deep entanglements with Guanlong. Anyone may respond to the king of Jin and send troops to attack Chang'an...
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"We must keep an eye on Li Daozong and not relax at all. If there is even the slightest movement in the troops under his command, report it immediately."
Although everyone may betray the emperor and respond to the Jin king, the greatest threat is to Li Daozong. Although Fang Jun can't think of a reason for Li Daozong to rely on the rebels, he is still fully on guard.
He thought there would be no big problem with the five thousand men under his command defending Taiji Palace to resist Li Daozong, but what if Li Daozong was not the only one to attach himself to the King of Jin and storm Chang'an City? No matter how elite the five thousand people are, and no matter how equipped they are with firearms, it will be difficult to resist all the enemies in the narrow Tai Chi Palace. If the enemy has enough soldiers to divide their troops, we can only watch helplessly as they rush into the Tai Chi Palace. , helpless.
Although there are still guards on the left and right outside Xuanwu Gate, we are not afraid of ten thousand, just in case...
Cheng Wuting responded in a deep voice: "Here!"
He knew that his future was tied to the Tai Chi Palace. If he could successfully survive this crisis and annihilate the rebels, it would only be a great achievement for him. This was the most important political foundation, enough to ensure that he would not violate the great principles. At this time, high officials will show their nobility for life.
Similarly, if he is killed by the rebels and enters the palace, he can only fight to death and apologize with death...
*****
The sky was dark, the mountains and forests were vast, and the drizzle rustled under the yellow and green leaves and weeds. Li Zhi stood in front of the open window with his hands behind his hands, looking at the bleak scenery of early autumn outside the window. The sound of rain was mixed with the uneasy sound. The footsteps and scoldings of soldiers patrolling in the distance could be heard from time to time.
The mountains and forests were quiet and the autumn rain was falling, but Li Zhi couldn't find a moment of peace in his heart.
Ever since he embarked on this road that was related to his life and death, and whether he could make progress or retreat, he always walked on thin ice and was cautious. Since the incident, things have often been unexpected. As a result, the current situation seems to be favorable, but in fact, it may be destroyed at any time. How can I rest in peace when I am in danger?
The sudden death of Cen Wenwen led to major changes in the power structure of the imperial court. This was a good thing for Li Zhi, because the more changes happened now, the greater his advantage would be. On the contrary, remaining unchanged would mean that the great cause of fighting for the throne would be difficult and difficult. .
Li Zhi did take the opportunity to let those officials in the court who were leaning toward him launch their own actions, hoping to completely muddy the waters of the court.
However, the emperor's response was somewhat unexpected. He first promoted Xu Jingzong to a high position to fight against Liu Ji, and then appointed Liu Xiangdao as Yushi Zhongcheng to take charge of the Yushitai. He used the excuse of "clearing up old cases" to criticize those officials who tried to confuse the imperial court, which made everyone Self-conscious, the turmoil caused by Cen Wenwen's death was suppressed unconsciously.
The emperor, on the other hand, hid behind the scenes the whole time. Not only did he not engage in tit-for-tat arguments with those officials, which would damage his prestige, he even never showed up...
It can be seen that the emperor's control over the affairs of the court has gradually become more and more stable, and it becomes more and more stable every day. When all important positions in the court are filled with close associates, and the civil and military parties no longer argue and fight and are unanimous in dealing with the outside world, the throne will be regarded as inviolable. Shaken.
Time waits for no one...
……
The sound of footsteps outside.
Li Zhi frowned, who would come to his camp at this time? There must have been another emergency.
This made his heart beat twice...
"Your Highness."
The guard outside the tent let people in without first reporting, and there was no one else except Yuwen Shiji. This was the privilege he gave Yuwen Shiji to show the difference in Yuwen Shiji's status and to appease Yuwen. Scholars and.
"The Duke of Ying does not need to be polite."
They greeted Li Zhi one after another. After Li Zhi sat down at the desk by the window, Yu Wenshi stepped forward and said, "Just now Cheng Yaojin sent Su Jia to ask for an audience with His Majesty. He is outside the tent at the moment."
Li Zhizheng picked up the teacup and wanted to drink tea. Hearing this, he subconsciously held the teacup tightly with his palms, causing the teacup to tremble slightly. The tea in the cup overflowed and splashed on the back of his hand. He didn't even feel the slightest burning sensation. His eyes widened. Suppressing the voice: "Please!"
"Here."
Yu Wenshiji noticed Li Zhi's slight loss of composure, turned around and turned around for a moment. Su Jia, who was following behind him, took two steps forward and knelt down on one knee, saluting: "The general has an audience with His Highness!"
Li Zhi put the tea cup on the desk, controlled his facial expression as much as possible, and said calmly: "Without courtesy, is there something going on with Lu Guogong?"
Now Cheng Yaojin is a big mountain blocking the way, and Yuchi Gong has been responsible for the communication between the two armies. With Su Jia's arrival, there is a high probability that there will be a reply from Cheng Yaojin.
Su Jia did not stand up, but took out a letter from his arms, raised his hands above his head, and presented it to Li Zhi: "There is a letter from Duke Lu. The commander-in-chief will send it to you at the end of the day. Please read it."
Yuwenshi on the side stepped forward, took the letter, and forwarded it to Li Zhi.
Su Jia was stunned for a moment, then lowered his gaze. Being able to let Yu Wenshiji do such a thing is a treatment that only the emperor can have...
Li Zhi first looked at the seal, and after confirming that it was correct, he opened the seal, took out the letter and read it at a glance. Then he took a gentle breath, controlled his hands that were slightly trembling with excitement, and glanced at Yu Wenshiji first, and then his eyes met. He looked and nodded slightly.
Yu Wenshiji's eyes lit up, and his tense body completely relaxed... (End of Chapter)