Chapter 4318 Position Issue
Cheng Wuting thought for a long time and finally came up with an answer that he thought was reasonable: Li Jing did it on purpose...
Deliberately sending Liu Yanjing, a rookie, to lead troops into battle, and then deliberately causing a defeat?
What's the reason?
It makes sense that Liu Dewei, the father of Liu Yanjing, wanted to have a close relationship with the Guanlong clan, perhaps because he wanted to take the opportunity to suppress the only remaining noble Guanlong in the court.
But just to suppress Guan Longxungui, he would not hesitate to suffer a huge defeat that is very likely to lead to the erosion of the situation?
If this is really the case, it’s terrifying to think about it...
Cheng Wuting looked at Fang Jun with dumbfounded eyes and stammered: "Well...could it be that Duke Wei deliberately wants a defeat? This is to lure those people with ulterior motives to jump out, and then kill them all... What a good plan! But although this plan is clever, it is also dangerous. If you fail to kill the snake and get bitten instead, the gain will outweigh the loss. ”
Fang Jun: "The villain dies from talking too much, and the supporting character dies from knowing too much... You know too much."
Cheng Yaojin swallowed and kept silent, but his heart felt like a stormy sea.
If the speculation is true, then Fang Jun asked himself to keep an eye on Li Daozong. Is it because Li Daozong was secretly colluding with the rebels and would rush into Tai Chi Palace to kill the emperor and usurp the throne at the critical moment?
If this is really the case, and his mission is to guard Taiji Palace, when Li Daozong rushes from Xuanwu Gate to Chongxuan Gate, he will have to lead his army to intercept it... Think about the thousands of elites in Xuanwu Gate, some of whom are great ancestors. Descendants of the emperor's "Yuan Cong Forbidden Army", part of His Majesty Li Er's "Xuanjia Iron Cavalry", that combat power...
Cold sweat dripped from his forehead.
It's not that he's worried about not being able to defeat him, but that the consequences of failure are too serious and definitely not something he, a mere deputy general, can bear...
Fang Jun drank water, looked at his nervous look, and said with a smile: "The edge of a sword is sharpened. If it has not passed a truly severe test, how can it be successful? But don't worry too much, Jiangxia County The probability of Wang's rebellion is extremely small, and the army will secretly come to reinforce him tomorrow. ”
Hearing that there were reinforcements, Cheng Minzhen hurriedly asked: "Which army is it? What is its combat strength?"
Fang Jun put down his tea cup, looked out the window at the autumn scenery in the rain, and said leisurely: "The combat power is naturally first-class, and each one is good at fighting and not afraid of death. As for which army... we will keep it secret for the time being."
Cheng Mingzhen was puzzled: "Why secret reinforcements?"
"If Xuandemen's additional troops are enough to deter all troops, then who will dare to attack Taiji Palace? If no one comes to attack Taiji Palace, how can you sharpen your abilities? If your abilities cannot be sharpened, Your Majesty How to promote and reuse you in the future? ”
Cheng Mingzhen: "..."
Is it okay if I don’t work hard? Is it okay if you don’t want this opportunity for His Majesty to promote you?
It’s too dangerous...
*****
"Penetration" is often mutual. The right guard infiltrates into Xuanwu Gate all the time, gaining insight into the movements above and below Xuanwu Gate. By the same token, how can the garrison at Xuanwu Gate not penetrate into the left and right guards?
Since the day when Li Daozong took command of Xuanwu Gate, he had been constantly infiltrating into the two military camps outside the city gate, using all possible means of bribery, coercion, spying, etc. After all, Xuanwu Gate was backed by Taiji Palace, which was equivalent to an isolated city with no one. The retreat is that once the left and right garrison changes, the situation is too dangerous. If the left and right garrison changes and you cannot detect it in time, you will be too passive.
In the night, the Xuanwu Gate is covered with shadows, and the lights above and below the city are swaying in the wind and rain, flickering on and off. Li Daozong is sitting in the duty room below the city, listening to his lieutenants' reports on the situation outside the city.
Liu Renshi stood solemnly on the side of the table and said respectfully: "The news has been sent back. Cheng Yaojin stood still and watched as Yuchi Gong crossed from the north side of his barracks and rushed to Shenheyuan. Liang Jianfang led three thousand soldiers to fight in Du Qu's formation. The enemy was outnumbered and the entire army was wiped out. Yuchi Gong led the After the army arrived at Shenheyuan, they set up camp for repairs and will set off for Chang'an early tomorrow morning. Duke Wei has sent Liu Yanjing to lead 10,000 troops to withdraw from the Bashui defense line and rush to the Hongguyuan and Fengqiyuan areas to try to resist Yuchi Gong's army. "
"Liu Yanjing?" Li Daozong thought for a while and then remembered who Liu Yanjing was. He frowned and said, "This son is young and weak, and his abilities are not obvious at all. He does not have the charisma of his father in both civil and military affairs. How can he be entrusted with such an important task by Duke Wei? ”
Liu Renshi said: "Liu Yanjing can't be considered a dandy. He still has some abilities. He is the best among the only remaining Guanlong disciples. He may not be able to achieve success in the future, but he can command three to two thousand people. , has no ability to command an army of ten thousand people, so Duke Wei’s move was somewhat ill-advised.”
His father, Liu Hongji, and Liu Yanjing's father, Liu Dewei, had a close personal relationship. Not only were they of the Guanlong lineage, but they were both "Taiyuan Yuancong", the emperor's great ancestor. They were extremely close to each other and knew their roots well.
Li Daozong's eyes flashed, he thought for a long time, and sighed: "It is indeed a good thing to lure a snake into an urn, but sometimes you get bitten by a snake. It is not smart to take such risks."
Liu Renshi was puzzled, but did not ask.
Li Daozong sighed with emotion and asked: "Is there any change in the guards on the left and right?"
"The Zuo Tun Guard is as usual. The whole army has been on alert since yesterday. Weapons and weapons have been distributed. There are a large number of soldiers patrolling the camp day and night. There are not many abnormalities. However, there is something unusual about the Right Tun Guard. Li Fengjie has been working in tandem. He continued to meet with his father's former subordinates in private, and his behavior was suspicious and he was obviously up to no good. Gao Kan warned him twice, but Li Fengjie turned a deaf ear and continued to go his own way."
Li Daozong frowned and tapped his fingers subconsciously on the table...
Something's really wrong.
As far as he knew, although Gao Kan did not have a prominent background, he was single-handedly promoted by Fang Jun from a soldier to the general of Youtun Guard. He was one person under one person and above tens of thousands of people in Youtun Guard. He was a calm, honest, fair and fair man. Selfless and highly prestigious. Although he was nominally the "General of Youtunwei", he also tried to install cronies to trick him, but all ended in failure.
After all, Youtun Guard is still Fang Jun's army, and more than half of the army's generals, captains, and soldiers obey Fang Jun's orders...
With Gao Kan's ability and support, how could he be helpless against a mere Li Fengjie?
Think again of Li Jing sending Liu Yanjing, who had no qualifications and mediocre abilities, to lead his army to resist Yu Chigong's right guard...
Obviously everything is within the chess game.
"The ambition is not small. It seems that he has a bit of the courage of Emperor Taizong. It's just that people decide what to do and what to do depends on heaven. But whether it is destiny or not is still unclear..."
Li Daozong muttered and ignored it.
……
In the imperial study, Li Chengqian and Li Ji sat opposite each other on the floor by the window. There were several ordinary dishes placed on the carved lacquer table in front of them, which were exquisite but not extravagant. The fine wine in the white porcelain jar was also the rice wine sent as tribute from the south of the Yangtze River. A drink will make you feel good, but you won't get drunk.
Li Ji had no expression on his face, but there was some emotion in his heart. His Majesty, the emperor who grew up in the palace, was not tainted with extravagance. His daily expenses were mainly practical and did not blindly pursue luxury. He was a rare understanding person.
Li Chengqian personally held the pot to fill the wine glass in front of Li Ji, and said with a smile: "It is an ordinary side dish. Let us monarchs and ministers have a few drinks. Any slights will be tolerated."
Li Ji said sincerely: "Your Majesty is the supreme being and is rich all over the world. Even if you should not be too extravagant, you don't have to wrong yourself. Especially in terms of food, you should be more generous, otherwise you will be ashamed and helpless."
All the civil and military officials in the dynasty came from well-known families. They were pampered and pampered since they were young. Now that they are in high positions and powerful, they are even more extravagant and eat a lot of food. This is already the current trend in the court, but as an emperor and the supreme leader of the Nine Five-Year Plan, it is like this Doesn't it make the ministers feel guilty and frightened because of its simplicity?
"It doesn't matter," Li Chengqian took a sip of wine and said calmly: "I am not that strict person. The reason why I spend so little money is because I have long been tired of eating those delicacies. As you said, I am rich all over the world. I really want to How can we not be too critical of the daily lives of our ministers when we eat and use them as we please? Is it for enjoyment? It’s just that they have different understandings of enjoyment. Some people enjoy the glorious achievements of annihilating enemies and destroying countries, some enjoy the command of the country, some enjoy the appetite of delicacies, and some enjoy the drunken life and death of beautiful women... ...As long as it doesn’t break the law, I don’t care.”
Li Ji was silent for a moment and said with admiration: "Your Majesty has a universal mind and can accommodate hundreds of rivers. I am far behind."
The more I get along with Li Chengqian, the more I realize that this is a king who is seriously underestimated by the outside world. Now I have not only seen the courage and courage that is not inferior to Emperor Taizong, but also understands the mind that can accommodate the world, and I can't help but be impressed.
After thinking about the past, I also understand that the reason why Li Chengqian did not perform well in front of Emperor Taizong was that he was under great pressure and worried about gains and losses, so he made repeated mistakes. Looking at it now, it is really excusable.
In the face of gains and losses in reserve, who can maintain a normal mind? Especially the tragic consequences after Yi Chu can really crush people completely. In fact, it is commendable that Li Chengqian did not collapse under such heavy pressure.
The rest of the princes are different. They are in lower positions. They are lucky if they get it, and they will lose nothing if they don't get it. Especially Li Chengqian has a kind personality, and he will not even have any grudges because of his past fight for the throne until he ascends the throne to take revenge...
The princes have no worries and can naturally go all out to fight for the throne. It is reasonable for their performance to become increasingly outstanding.
Li Chengqian motioned to Li Ji to enjoy the cold cabbage heart on the plate, and said with a smile: "Why should you be so humble, Lord Ying? Emperor Taizong appointed you as Shangshu Zuopushe and became the chief minister. I also respect you very much in my heart. You Not only the White Jade Pillar of the Tang Dynasty’s military, but also the leader of the imperial court On the Zijin Liang, we, the monarchs and ministers, should complement each other and walk hand in hand to continue the prosperous Zhenguan era left by Emperor Taizong for a long time. Even hundreds or thousands of years later, people will still look forward to and yearn for this period of history when they talk about it. Admire.”
Li Ji didn't expect that it was just an ordinary small gathering, but it was the Hongmen Banquet set by the emperor.
He knew he had to take a stand. If he continued to be vague and idly watch as before, there might be hundreds of swordsmen ambushing him outside the imperial study. When the emperor gave the order, they would swarm in and chop him into pieces. Mud...
After pondering for a while, Li Ji held the pot in both hands to pour wine for Li Chengqian, and then stood up: "I was promoted by the late emperor and became the prime minister and assistant. I should have served myself wholeheartedly and died for myself. However, in times of crisis such as the death of the late emperor and the accession of His Majesty to the throne, I have failed to fulfill my duty as chief minister. I feel guilty and my heart is broken. Please forgive me.”
A bow to the ground.
In any case, since we must take a stand, we must admit this mistake. This is a matter of stance... (End of Chapter)