Chapter 4324 Where does confidence come from?

Chapter 4324 Where does confidence come from?

Li Jing's face was cold and his tone was sonorous: "When the military order comes, you should not hesitate even if you go through fire and water. As a soldier, everything you do is for the victory of the war. For this, even if you die nine times, you will have no regrets! If everyone is like you, you will do everything after a defeat. Shit, who else is willing to fight and defend the territory? Liu Yanjing was defeated and fled. , which led to the ruin of the war, and countless soldiers died because of him, so it is impossible to escape the death penalty! If you really think that being a "Yuancong hero" can make you above the military law, you might as well go to the mausoleum and commit suicide in front of Emperor Gaozu now! , sue me under the drinking fountain!”

"Master Li, you are going too far! My son's life cannot be in vain, and he will not let it go!"

Liu Dewei was filled with sadness, slapped the table and walked away.

In the tent, Li Jing calmly watched Liu Dewei's back disappear at the door, his face not changing at all.

*****

In the flower hall of Liu Ji's house, Zhang Xingcheng was present. The two of them were kneeling on the smooth floor. There was a carved lacquer table by the window, and a small red clay stove with a charcoal fire. Liu Ji stretched out his hand to put in the boiling kettle. Lift it up, pour boiling water into the teapot, and then hold the pot to pour tea.

There was drizzle outside the window, and the fragrance of tea was lingering in the hall. It was very comfortable for the two of them to sit opposite each other, drink tea and talk.

Zhang Xingcheng put down the tea cup, put the kettle back on the small stove, and said: "This time Feng Qiyuan's defeat caused the Jin King's army to march straight into Chang'an City, which was only one step away. Chang'an offensive and defensive battles could start at any time. Li Jing made a strategic mistake. ”

For a long time, the reason why the government and the public were not very optimistic about King Jin was not because of the huge disparity in military strength between the two sides, but because of the huge difference in strength at the strategic and tactical levels. On the imperial court side, there were the world-renowned marshals like Li Jing and Li Ji who had accomplished great feats in military affairs during their lifetimes and were invincible in strategizing. The younger generation also had rising stars like Fang Jun, who bravely conquered the three armies and rarely suffered defeat. However, on the side of the King of Jin, there were only A Yuchigong.

However, now, the myth of Li Jing's "Military God" has almost been broken, which will directly lead to low morale in the imperial court. As one goes, the morale of the King of Jin will inevitably increase, and the combat capabilities of both sides need to be re-evaluated.

Liu Ji took a sip of tea and shook his head: "How can a mere defeat turn the overall situation around? Moreover, Liu Yanjing suffered a huge defeat in this expedition. It seemed that Li Jing's decision-making was wrong, but in fact the process was too rough and not at all like his previous ones. Be cautious, there may not be a deeper layout, and it cannot be superficial.”

Could a man who could be universally recognized as the "God of War" commit such a negligent mistake in such a major war?

Liu Jie is skeptical about this.

Zhang Xingcheng had the same view on this and sighed: "It is really difficult for outsiders to figure out the whole story. Only Li Jing knows whether it is intentional or unintentional. But now almost all the troops belonging to various forces among the Six Commands of the East Palace have been killed in the battle." Feng Qi turned out to be true, and Li Jing even put all the charges on Liu Yan Jing, he himself didn't even have the reputation of being 'rejecting dissidents'... Although His Majesty's move was brilliant, it also showed that the 'kindness' he had always flaunted was really just a show. All forces are afraid that they will be purged one by one.”

Liu Ji lowered his head to drink tea and did not agree.

From Zhang Xingcheng's position, he naturally wanted to spare no effort to publicize Li Chengqian's negative side, making all forces fear and resent Li Chengqian, so as to win more support for the King of Jin. As long as his remarks do not appear in public, even if Li Chengqian is very dissatisfied with him, he cannot be convicted.

In the Tang Dynasty, people would never be punished for their words.

Liu Ji understood what Zhang Xingcheng meant. From the beginning, he stood by and watched, and later he wanted to unite the civil servants of the DPRK and China to resist the imperial power. Until now, he and the military are at loggerheads. It can be said that he has never been a direct descendant of Li Chengqian.

If Li Chengqian can instruct Li Jing to use extremely dark means to vigorously exclude dissidents in the army, then it will be possible to purge those civil and military ministers who belong to his direct lineage in the court tomorrow...

"So, whether Li Jing intended it or not, the consequences of this defeat are extremely serious."

Liu Jie sighed, the seriousness was not only the military passivity, but also the fact that it would make all the forces in Guanzhong jealous and fearful, making the already swinging position more in favor of the King of Jin.

The situation is not optimistic.

But if it is said that Li Jing made such a mistake, it is hard for Liu Jie to believe it. What if Li Jing did it deliberately, or even with His Majesty's instructions?

Zhang Xingcheng's eyes flashed: "No matter what the internal situation is, Liu Zhongshu's situation is extremely worrying, and he should have made plans early."

If this defeat was an unintentional mistake made by Li Jing, then there must be no pre-remedial measures. The strategic mistake led to the current passive situation, and the Jin army may storm Chang'an City at any time.

If Li Jing did this intentionally, there is only one reason, and that is to exclude dissidents and completely eliminate the troops who are not directly related to the emperor in the army, so as to prevent these troops from being at odds in the future and ruining major events.

The impact of the latter is more serious, which shows the emperor's extreme distrust of all forces. Once the crisis of King Jin's mutiny is overcome and the throne is gradually secured, it is almost inevitable to purge all forces one by one.

In fact, this defeat was simply because the emperor, Li Jing and others deliberately made all the forces anxious, so that they completely sided with the King of Jin, in order to achieve the purpose of "leading the snake out of the hole" and eliminating them one by one...

No matter what, Liu Ji's position, now or in the future, cannot escape the emperor's liquidation.

Zhang Xingcheng believes that not only Liu Ji, but also the heads of the various forces in Guanzhong are worried and jealous in the palace, and their positions are increasingly leaning towards King Jin...

Liu Jie thought there was some truth in what Zhang Xingcheng said, but he was still puzzled: "The arrival of the King of Jin at Chang'an City was enough to trigger a violent reaction from all forces in Guanzhong. No one can predict how many people will side with the King of Jin. Under such circumstances, shouldn’t Your Majesty The idea is to try to unite all the forces that can be united and defeat King Jin's rebels first. If we "lead the snake out of the hole" to draw out all the forces that are not loyal to His Majesty, wouldn't it increase King Jin's power and create a cocoon for himself? Destruction? ”

Unless the emperor is fully confident in quelling the Jin Dynasty's rebellion, he will still have the energy to eliminate the hidden dangers that will sooner or later become constraints to the imperial power.

But where does such sufficient confidence come from?

Zhang Xingcheng leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice: "The King of Jin is fully prepared and will definitely win this battle. Liu Zhongshu needs to make a trade-off early, so as not to miss the opportunity and let others take the lead." Sometimes the gains outweigh the losses. ”

The earlier you invest, the greater the risk and the higher the return. If you wait until the situation is completely clear, there will be no risk at that time, but who will accept your investment?

But Liu Ji would not change his stance so easily.

He looked at Zhang Xingcheng and asked: "What kind of preparation do you mean by 'complete preparation'? After all, it is a very important matter. It is not only my life and death, but also the survival of the entire family and even the huge faction. I have to be careful." Be cautious.”

There are people in the garrison in various places in Guanzhong who are secretly communicating with the King of Jin. They are just waiting for the King of Jin to arrive at Chang'an City and show the dawn of victory. This is no longer a secret, but who would do this? It is not yet known. Unclear.

Moreover, judging from various signs, there must be an extremely important person who will respond to King Jin, so that King Jin and the forces attached to him can give it a go...

Who is this person, or these people?

If you don't tell me, how can I believe that you will make it happen?

However, Zhang Xingcheng smiled and shook his head and said: "Only His Royal Highness the King of Jin can master this kind of mystery. How can we know about it? Liu Zhongshu doesn't need to trick me. I can only say that as long as the army reaches Chang'an, victory will be the King of Jin's." What’s in the bag ”

Liu Ji lowered his head to drink tea and remained silent.

Obviously, Zhang Xingcheng was not lying. He had no idea who the person King Jin was secretly contacting was.

"Let me think about this for a while and then give an answer."

If you don't tell me everything, why should I put my treasure on you?

Zhang Xingcheng smiled bitterly and had no choice. He secretly contacted the ministers of the DPRK and China, but he did not dare to expose himself too much. He could only carry out private lobbying in this way. However, he did not have even the slightest autonomy in the face of cross-examination and did not dare to give any reply at all. How? Can you convince others?

The King of Jin was very afraid of their Shandong family...

At this time, a servant of the Liu family knocked on the door from outside and asked, "What's the matter?"

The servant glanced at Zhang Xingcheng and hesitated to speak.

Liu Ji thought for a while and said: "There is no need to hold back, it doesn't hurt to speak directly."

He is just a domestic servant, so what he said must be nothing private, so there is no need to guard against Zhang Xingcheng...

The servant then said: "The news just came. After Liu Yanjing was defeated, he fled back to the mansion alone. He wanted his father Liu Dewei to come forward to intercede. Liu Dewei rushed to the camp outside Chunming Gate and talked privately with Duke Wei for a while. Duke Wei probably didn't give him any help. After this, Liu Dewei left angrily, and Liu Yanjing had his head displayed to the public, and his head was spread throughout the army as a warning."

When Zhang Xingcheng heard this, he immediately cheered up and said: "Li Jing is confused and is bringing about his own destruction! Liu Dewei is the 'Yuancong hero'. Although he has retired and no longer holds power, his status is extremely high. Li Jing is so unkind, which will inevitably make all the 'Yuancong heroes' The hero feels the same, the rabbit is dead and the fox is sad! Liu Zhongshu, God helps the King of Jin!"

However, Liu Jie said calmly: "Liu Yanjing's command mistake led to the defeat. Later, instead of being unable to defeat the enemy and losing his merits, he fled in fear of death and abandoned more than ten thousand soldiers, resulting in the annihilation of the entire army. This has been a serious violation. Military discipline means death is unworthy. How can Duke Wei be punished lightly because he is concerned about Liu Dewei's reputation and status? Anyone who feels disloyal because of this is really a traitor."

He thought even deeper than Zhang Xingcheng - Li Jing was not a fool, how could he openly provoke all the "Yuancong heroes" just because of the so-called defense of military discipline?

If he dared to do this, he must have had the confidence to prevent the situation from collapsing.

In the final analysis, it all comes down to confidence. Not only is His Majesty full of confidence, but so is Li Jing...

But where does this mysterious confidence come from?

Zhang Xingcheng had a look of astonishment on his face. Why did Liu Jie change his tune in an instant when he heard the news that might lead to the erosion of the situation in Guanzhong?

Liu Jie looked at Zhang Xingcheng and said, "Brother, please go back first. Such a big thing has happened. I want to go to the palace and wait for your Majesty's orders."

Zhang Xingcheng had no choice but to say goodbye depressedly.

Liu Jie asked his servants to bathe and change clothes, held up an umbrella and walked out of the palace, and entered the palace in a carriage. (End of chapter)