Chapter 4403: Vertical and horizontal cooperation
After all, Cheng Yaojin has a "criminal record". Since he was able to swing back and forth before, who knows if he will backstab him again at a critical moment?
Li Ji's comment about "loyalty to the country" is absolutely true. If foreigners invaded, Cheng Yaojin would not hesitate even if his body was wrapped in horse leather. But now that His Majesty Li Er is gone, neither Li Chengqian nor Li Zhi ordered Cheng Yaojin to With Jin's prestige and ability to swear allegiance to the death, how could he expect Cheng Yaojin to follow him wholeheartedly?
Li Chengqian was silent. When Li Xiaogong came back from the message, he believed that Cheng Yaojin must be firm this time. But now that Li Ji and Fang Jun have questioned Cheng Yaojin's "conduct", he also began to hesitate.
After thinking for a moment, Li Chengqian nodded and said: "In that case, it's all thanks to the Duke of Yue. The defense of Wude Palace and my life and death are all entrusted to the hands of your beloved."
Fang Jun quickly stood up and knelt on one knee: "This is the duty of this humble minister. No matter how much he is hurt, he should live up to the king!"
Li Chengqian said again: "Let me tell all the soldiers that I am not a ungrateful person. Those who are still able to defend the country in the desperate situation are all loyal and loyal soldiers of the Tang Dynasty. I will not hesitate to bring them to destroy the rebels and stabilize the country." Reward!”
"Protecting the king and protecting the country are the bounden duty of soldiers. We respect your majesty's order and must cut off the traitors and wipe out the rebels!"
Fang Jun's voice is like a bell, and every word is generous and heroic.
Li Ji on the side was stroking his beard, and he was full of emotions. It is said that once the emperor has one minister, after this mutiny, if the emperor can secure the throne, then the title of "the first man in the army" must be Fang Jun, no matter it is Neither Li Ji nor Li Jing could shake his unparalleled prestige.
Of course, Li Ji was not only not jealous at all, but was very pleased and looked forward to the future.
He is not a person who loves power and fame. Otherwise, he would not be afraid of his status as "the first person in the court" and deliberately alienate the emperor. He would calmly stand aside and do nothing when the emperor needs him most, let alone because of Fang Jun's rise to power. And cause dissatisfaction in the heart.
A country is full of talents, and the waves behind the Yangtze River push the waves ahead. Fang Jun is really capable...
Moreover, the tremendous changes that Fang Jun has brought to the army with his foresight and creativity over the years, as well as the emperor's irreplaceable trust in him, will surely make the Tang army make great strides forward on the path he envisioned.
Today, the equipment and strategies of the Tang army have far surpassed those of the surrounding countries. If Fang Jun was allowed to control the military for twenty years, how arrogant and domineering the Tang army would be?
As long as Tubo is eliminated, it can be foreseen that within the next hundred years, there will no longer be powerful border threats around Datang...
Perhaps, we will usher in a century of prosperity unprecedented in Chinese history.
*****
Not only did the heavy rain not stop, but it intensified. Floodwaters from upstream flooded into the Wei River, causing the water level to skyrocket. Previously, the Jingzhao Prefecture prevented people from dredging the river and strengthening the dams, so there is currently no worry of the river overflowing the embankments.
Yuwen Shiji set out from Xi County to cross the Wei River. The boat was bumping and swaying on the river, and it was not easy to reach the other side.
Although his body was exhausted and almost overdrawn, the sudden increase in hope brought about by Li Huaiqin's revolt made him extremely excited. His aging body seemed to be radiating a trace of energy again, and his spirit was extremely strong.
After landing, Yu Wenshiji did not stop. Instead, he put on his coir raincoat, mounted his horse, and rode toward Yong County along the north bank of the Weishui River in the wind and rain. Li Huaiqin has organized the army to break camp and set off for Chang'an, breaking the silence of the various armies in Guanzhong. Once this silence is broken, it will surely trigger an extremely violent chain reaction, and a mighty military momentum will be set off throughout Guanzhong!
When he arrived at Yongxian County, he passed through the military camp outside the city gate without entering. He went straight into the city and arrived at a mansion with a large courtyard. When he got off his horse in front of the gate, he handed him his famous assassin. The servant at the gate welcomed him into the mansion. Quickly report inwards.
When Scholar Yu arrived at the main hall, which was five rooms wide, he saw more than ten powerful people from the Guanlong clan and Liu Keman, the head of the family, standing in front of the door and waiting in front of Baoxia.
When they saw Yuwen Shiji coming, more than ten people bowed to the ground and said, "I have met the Duke of Ying."
Yu Wenshiji stopped and bowed in return: "All the sages are here to greet you. I am ashamed to accept it."
Liu Keman was full of emotion and said sincerely: "The Duke of Ying is the leader of Guanlong. He drags his old body around and does his best for the family business of Guanlong and the future of his children. How can all our Guanlong families do their best?" Don’t you feel admiration and gratitude? No matter how great the courtesy is, you can still deserve it.”
Linghu Defen, who had not been seen in front of people for a long time, was a little impatient, and his voice was old and hoarse: "This is not a place for conversation. Please invite me to sit down and talk."
Liu Keman hurriedly said: "This is the rectification, Lord Ying, please!"
He turned sideways to make room in the middle, leaned down slightly, raised his left hand, Yu Wenshiji nodded slightly, and walked into the main hall without hesitation. He changed his shoes at the door and stepped on the burned floor.
When everyone humbly sat down on the main seat, looking at the postures surrounding him like stars over the moon, an indescribable sense of pride suddenly rose in my heart: the status of "Guanlong leader" that I pursued tirelessly. , until now, it can be regarded as being recognized by all the Guanlong families, but it is just when it is like facing the abyss of despair...
Taking a deep breath, Yu Wenshiji looked at Liu Keman: "I just came from Yi County. Nanyang Huiwang Li Huaiqin has already sent troops to march eastward to Chang'an. My nephew, you should also prepare your troops and horses to join forces immediately. As long as you two When the troops arrive at Chang'an City, the whole Guanzhong will be excited. With the combined strength of Guanzhong, we will be able to turn things around and bring peace to the world! ”
Liu Keman's father, Li Shili, was the Duke of Xiangwu County in the Tang Dynasty, the General of Youwuwei in the inspection school, and the governor of Qizhou. When His Majesty Li Er launched the "Xuanwumen Incident" in the ninth year of Wude, he was one of the ten generals who charged into the battle with him. One of them, died two years ago, with the posthumous title "Su".
In the early years of Zhenguan, Liu Shili assumed the post of governor of Qizhou, gathered troops and horses to prepare for the battle in Tuyuhun, and recruited Tuoba Chi's tribe to surrender. At that time, the Po Chou clan of Xiang Xiang in Hexi often invaded the border and prevented other tribes from joining the imperial court. Liu Shili led his troops to attack, but before the army arrived, the Po Chou clan ran away in fear. Liu Shili pursued them and killed the enemy all the way to Shiyu Zhen Mountain. They also fought with Tuyuhun in Xiaomomenchuan and defeated the Tuyuhun cavalry, forcing them to retreat to the south of Qinghai Lake and not dare to invade the territory of the Tang Dynasty without permission.
From this, Liu Shili took root in Qizhou and began to have close contacts with Guanlong... But after all, Liu Shili was a native of Yucheng, Shangqiu, and was not of Guanlong's lineage.
When Yu Wenshi came out of Chang'an City, he arranged for people to deliver letters to the families in Guanlong, asking them to gather in Yong County to persuade Liu Keman to send troops. Originally, there was little hope, but now Li Huaiqin thinks that the clan king will take the lead. Liu Keman no longer has any scruples and must be willing to give it a try...
Liu Keman looked troubled, why: "My family has been favored by the emperor and has been blessed with glory and wealth. I am willing to fight for the glory of Li Tang's country, and I will not hesitate even if the sword and ax are thrown at me! But now that Emperor Taizong has passed away, this emperor What difference does it make to us ministers which son takes the throne? As long as he is the blood of Emperor Taizong. As human ministers, it is inappropriate to rashly participate in the battle for the throne."
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The rest of the people were about to speak, but Yu Wenshi waved his hand to stop him. He looked at Liu Keman and said bluntly: "After this battle, regardless of victory or defeat, all Guanlong families will gather ten thousand acres of fertile land in Guanzhong and one hundred thousand dollars and silk." How about compensating the Duke for your losses, but the reward from His Highness the King of Jin is not included?”
They are all excuses. If you really have no intention of raising an army, how can you allow so many people who are close to the Long family to conspire and discuss in their mansion?
It's nothing more than profit. The Guanlong clan is now at a critical moment of life and death, and anything outside of the body can be given up. So let's raise enough chips at once to make it difficult to refuse.
Sure enough, as soon as these words came out, everyone looked shocked.
Throughout the ages, Guanzhong has been regarded as the "Land of Abundance" from generation to generation. The population has continued to increase, and the fields have begun to become increasingly barren. It is precisely because the output of the fields has become less and less that it can no longer feed so many people in Guanzhong, so water transportation has been opened without hesitation to waste huge amounts of losses. The whole world is used to supply Guanzhong, and there are even proposals to move the capital to Luoyang since the Sui Dynasty...
The fertile land in Guanzhong is getting less and less. Even though the Guanlong clan has occupied almost 70% of the land in Guanzhong, it still feels painful to take out thousands of acres of fertile land at once.
In comparison, 100,000 guan of silk is relatively easy to say...
Liu Keman himself was shocked. He really wanted some benefits to balance the risks, but he didn't expect that Yu Wenshiji would come up with such a number as soon as he opened his mouth. At first, he was overjoyed and thought that since Yu Wenshiji agreed so happily, It should be tightened a little more, maybe even a little more, but I immediately suppressed this thought.
Since the time of his father Liu Shili, the interests of the Liu family and Guan Long have been inseparable. If Guan Long fell, the Liu family would definitely not live well, so Yu Wenshiji not only used benefits to win over him, but also coerced him.
Either everyone will prosper, or everyone will suffer.
Taking a deep breath, Liu Keman said with emotion: "Since the Liu family entered Guanzhong, they have received the care of countless wise men. Although a certain person is not talented, he is by no means an ungrateful person. The mere money can indeed make up for the loss of the family's troops. , but even if he doesn’t have this money, how can he stand by and stay out of the matter? Of course, if words are unfounded, we should still prove it with words..."
This turn of events almost made everyone dodge, thinking that Liu Keman's shameless demeanor is not at all inferior to that of his father...
Linghu Defen was now completely immersed in the life achievements of writing books and was extremely impatient with these power struggles. After hearing this, he immediately asked someone to bring him pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and wrote a deed on the spot, and everyone present signed it. He stamped the drawing, then threw away the brush, stood up and left: "The manuscript at home is placed on the desk for fear of getting soaked by the rain. Now that this matter has been settled, I will go home and deal with it, and you can take care of the rest."
After saying that, he walked to the door and put on his shoes, put on a raincoat when he went out, and walked away.
Everyone in the hall was left looking at each other in confusion...
So free and easy? (End of chapter)