Chapter 4891 Supreme
Many times we have to talk about "position". What is "position"? It's just about interests. Whichever side is in your best interests is your position, that's all.
Of course, "interests" are not just power and money. Sometimes they can also be ideals and beliefs. They are nothing more than personal pursuits. "Interests" are not good or bad, and "positions" are not right or wrong.
In Zheng Rentai's view, although Liu Ji held the high position of "Zhongshu Ling" and became the Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty with the support of His Majesty, in fact, it may not be in Liu Ji's "interests". After all, His Majesty always trusted and relied more on him. It was Fang Jun. No matter in terms of royal family, merit, power, influence, etc., Liu Ji always succumbed to Fang Jun.
A de facto prime minister had to be firmly suppressed by a prime minister who was not a prime minister. How could Liu Jie, who was very ambitious and concerned about fame and fortune, be willing to accept this?
Therefore, His Majesty may not necessarily be Liu Ji's "position".
As long as His Majesty stabilizes the throne and exterminates the rebels, the situation in the court will not change. Even if Fang Jun once again performs some meritorious deeds, he will definitely hold an extremely important position to reward his achievements, and his status will become more stable.
On the other hand, if the thief succeeds in his rebellion, the court will be turned upside down. As the most determined "
"Emperor Party", Fang Jun's fate can be foreseen, and no matter who comes to power, the chaotic court needs a minister with high enough qualifications, status, and official position to stabilize the situation...Who else can he replace Liu Jie?
As for "loyalty to the emperor", this is just talk. When Emperor Taizong died violently, Liu Jie's hands and feet in it may not be so clean...
……
Zheng Rentai suddenly discovered that since Emperor Taizong passed away and the new emperor ascended the throne, the most noble belief in "loyalty to the emperor" throughout the ages seemed to be crumbling bit by bit. Everyone seemed not so enthusiastic about who should be the emperor, as long as it was Emperor Taizong. The descendant of the Tang Dynasty is the orthodox one. It doesn’t really matter who is superior and who is inferior.
Everyone cares more about the survival of the empire and the rise and fall of the country, because it is related to their own interests. Perhaps more people are willing to "treat death as if they are home" and "wrap themselves in horses and hides" when fighting foreigners, but they are not willing to sacrifice their lives for the honor and disgrace of the king. .
Are all those who think like this traitors?
This is not the case, because the vast majority of people are still loyal, but they are no longer "loyal to the king" but "loyal to the country."
For people of a certain level, what Confucianism preaches can no longer blind their understanding. Everyone clearly understands that a country is not only a country for the king, but also a country for everyone. Being within an empire, the rise and fall of the empire Concerned about the interests of everyone, everyone will be prosperous and everyone will suffer. What does it matter who the emperor is? As long as everyone is loyal to the empire, there is nothing to lose.
As Fang Jun often says: National interests are above all else.
……
"National interests are above all else!"
Liu Ji looked at the two people with bright eyes and said in a deep voice: "No matter how the situation develops, I just want to ask you two to put the interests of the empire at the highest level. Everything that is beneficial to the interests of the empire is what we need to support. On the contrary, we need to support , everything that harms the interests of the empire must be abandoned or even opposed!”
Pei Huaijie was stunned: "What do you mean..."
Liu Jie said decisively: "I am not a treasonous person, but if the situation really collapses, you must remember this sentence, the interests of the empire must not be trampled on!"
These words are impassioned and resounding, but in Zheng Rentai's understanding - if His Majesty is contrary to the interests of the empire, then it takes precedence over the interests of the empire...
Then he nodded: "Zhongshu Linggong is loyal to the country and loyal. He is really a role model for our generation."
Pei Huaijie suggested: "Since the situation in Chang'an is turbulent and there is always danger of subversion, and the position of the troops stationed in various places is unclear and the future is uncertain, why not simply transfer the troops stationed in Hexi back to Guanzhong to suppress the situation?"
Pei Xingjian has tens of thousands of elite Anxi troops guarding Hexi. Entering Guanzhong will inevitably cause an imbalance of power among all parties. Who dares to rashly rebel?
Liu Ji shook his head and said: "Your Majesty will not agree."
Your Majesty's intention is to induce Li Shenfu and others to brazenly commit rebellion in order to catch them all in one fell swoop and show their imperial domineering power. If Li Shenfu and others are allowed to surrender and remain immobile, wouldn't this plan be all in vain?
Your Majesty does not want to bear the reputation of "slaughtering the clan", so he can only wait for Li Shenfu and others to rebel and cause rebellion before he will fight back. If Li Shenfu does not cause rebellion, His Majesty will have no choice but to endure it... However, as a king, he knows that his ministers have How can I endure my rebellious heart?
Therefore, His Majesty will never allow the Anxi Army to be transferred back to Chang'an.
Zheng Rentai echoed this: "The Anxi Army must not move lightly."
Although the conclusions are consistent, his views are completely different from Liu Jie's.
In his view, Pei Xingjian was stationed in Hexi to implement the "Tubo Strategy". This was a long-term strategy formulated by the imperial "Military Aircraft Department" that would affect the struggle between Tang and Tibet in the next hundred years. With so many dangers, it is almost impossible to regain the current strength. If it fails, the Gar tribe may turn back and directly invade the four towns in Hexi, causing violent shocks in Guanzhong and the Western Regions.
And after this incident, Tubo will surely unite as one and become a thorn in the side of the Tang Dynasty. This will cause the Tang Dynasty to spend countless national resources on the Tang-Tibetan border, which will seriously hinder the long-term development of the empire.
This is the true "imperial interest above all else".
In short, anyone can be the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, but Tubo must die...
Zheng Rentai suddenly realized that perhaps His Majesty felt that "imperial interests above all else" had seriously violated the rights of the emperor, so he was willing to take risks and go his own way, not only to establish his own prestige, but also to I want to completely take back the supreme power of the imperial power.
After all, "imperial interests are above all else" and "imperial power is supreme" are contrary to each other, and even full of contradictions...
In other words, the aristocratic families may not necessarily value "the interests of the empire above all else", but their selfish nature absolutely does not want to see "the supremacy of imperial power". Who wants life and death to rise and fall depending on the emperor's thoughts?
However, Fang Jun admired "the interests of the empire above all else" and opposed "the supremacy of imperial power", but he united with His Majesty to suppress the noble families...
Still full of contradictions.
Zheng Rentai felt that he had insufficient brain power and insufficient realm. He was confused for a while and could not clearly see the positions of all parties.
Since Pei Huaijie left his "home" Luoyang and entered Chang'an alone, he has long been confused about the complicated situation in the court. The most serious thing is that although he is attached to Liu Jie, he does not think that it is in his best interest, so he is trapped in a cage. Unable to break free, he could only temporarily use Liu Jie's side as a shelter.
I feel unwilling but helpless.
*****
Xiangyi County Prince's Mansion.
The study room is as warm as spring. Looking from the window, you can see the snow falling in the courtyard, and the eyes are full. The writings and ink on the desk have been put aside. There are a few side dishes, a pot of hot rice wine, Li Shenfu and Li Daoli. Sitting opposite each other, Li Demao stood beside him.
Li Daoli took a sip of rice wine and asked, "What did Li Xiaoyi say?"
Li Shenfu shook his head, with a gloomy expression: "What this boy said is very good, but judging from his expression and guessing his character, I'm afraid he may not support me. It's no wonder that both father and son are mediocre, but they have everything going smoothly, so naturally they don't I am willing to make a fortune with you.”
Li Dao was stunned for a moment and sighed: "Comparing people to each other makes people mad."
Full of sadness, Li Shenfu raised his glass and took a sip.
When it comes to Li Xiaoyi's father and his late brother Li Shentong, Li Shenfu is really full of complaints but has nowhere to spit it out.
He said he was envious, but he was actually jealous.
Li Shentong fought for half his life and almost won every battle. It can be said that he suffered repeated defeats.
Emperor Taizong once said, "When the Righteous Banner was first raised, everyone was motivated. Although my uncle arrived with the troops first, he did not actually carry out the formation. Shandong was not yet decided, and he was commissioned to conquer. Jiande invaded the south and the entire army fell; when Liu Heitai turned over, his uncle watched the wind. And broken..."
However, others were punished and punished for their defeats, but Li Shentong was often promoted and won awards because of this. Emperor Gaozu was afraid that his cousin would be in a bad mood after losing the battle, so he promoted Li Shentong with promotions and rewards so that Li Shentong could be happy...
And what about Li Shenfu? As long as there is a slight mistake, he will face the scolding and disgust of Emperor Gaozu.
The reason why Emperor Gaozu treated this incompetent Li Shentong with such kindness and hospitality was because he fully supported Gaozu at the beginning of the war. At that time, many Li family members were afraid of being liquidated by the Sui Dynasty, and thus drew a clear line with Gaozu. However, only Li Shentong not only gave his full support, but also sacrificed his family and property to recruit troops and actively responded. He joined forces with Princess Pingyang to capture Hu County and swept through Guanzhong. He waited until Emperor Gaozu crossed the Yellow River to greet him, and then together they pacified Chang'an. .
At the beginning of the war, when everyone in the world was the enemy, it was Li Shentong who served as Zong Zhengqing, took charge of the guards and horses, and ensured the safety of Emperor Gaozu. This shows how much Emperor Gaozu trusted him.
Therefore, in the eyes of Emperor Gaozu, ability is important, but such loyalty is even more important! At that time, Emperor Gaozu had a cloud of fierce generals and a rain of counselors. They were all brilliant and outstanding, but how many of them were so loyal?
What does it matter if we lose the battle?
The most important thing is whether my brother is happy...
Li Demao said: "But Emperor Taizong was not close to the Huai'an palace. He once said, 'Xuan Ling and others have made great contributions in strategizing and fixing the country. Therefore, Xiao He of the Han Dynasty, although he had no powerful horses, pushed the boss with all his strength, so he ranked first in merit. Uncle." I have no love for my dearest relatives in the country, and I must not indulge in selfish motives and share the appreciation with honorable ministers.' This made my uncle close the door in anger. He didn't come out, and he died of illness not long after... Although Li Xiaoyi was promoted to Zongzheng Shaoqing, he was actually the highest-ranking official among his brothers. He should be dissatisfied with Emperor Taizong in his heart, and he was also dissatisfied with Li Chengqian, but why not Are you willing to follow us and make great achievements? ”
Li Shenfu shook his head and said: "Everyone has his own ambitions, why should we care?"
Li Daoli thought for a while, leaned his upper body forward, and asked in a low voice: "I wonder if the troops that Uncle Wang has contacted are reliable?" Li Shenfu stared at Li Daoli with eyes like lightning.