Chapter 4979 Military power falls apart
The official residence of Zhongshu Province is located in Yanming Gate on the west side of Taiji Gate, adjacent to Sherenyuan. Because it is a government office that directly assists the king in handling government affairs, it is very large and covers an extremely wide area, starting from Xingren Gate to the west. The Qingming Canal leading into the palace, and many of the buildings are official residences of Zhongshu Province.
Liu Ji entered the palace early in the morning from Chengtian Gate, passed through Youyanming Gate, arrived at the duty room of Zhongshu Provincial Officials, and began his day's government affairs.
Sitting in the duty room, drinking the strong tea brewed by the clerk, looking at the gloomy sky outside the window and the dry branches in the courtyard with bloodshot eyes, I felt slightly absent-minded.
Last night, I spent all night interrogating the criminals related to the "rebellion case" in Zongzheng Temple. I didn't sleep all night. At dawn, I simply washed up and drank a bowl of porridge and rice, and then went directly to Zhongshu Province.
Although His Majesty has set a bottom line for the "treason case" and "only punishes the mastermind and never asks about the rest", after all, this case has a wide range of implications, and many of them are intertwined with another "Zhaoling case". What needs to be considered in it There are so many places, and we cannot go against His Majesty’s wishes, so we must pay attention to them everywhere.
Many people's confessions even had to give hints and guidance, otherwise a large number of people would be implicated...
It's really exhausting.
Not long after I sat down and finished the pot of tea, I saw Wang De, the head chamberlain, walking quickly under the guidance of the clerk...
Liu Ji was shocked. Before Wang De could speak, he had already taken the lead and asked: "But your Majesty has called you?"
Wang De bowed and said: "That's right, His Majesty summoned Zhongshu Ling to appear."
Liu Jie did not dare to delay, so he put down his teacup, tidied up his clothes, and then followed Wang De out of the Zhongshu Provincial Yamen.
While crossing the Taiji Palace Square, Liu Ji asked in a low voice: "I wonder why your Majesty summoned you to see him?"
Wang De kept walking, shook his head and said: "I don't know."
Liu Jie: "..."
This old slave has always been cautious in his words and deeds, and does not speak falsely about the civil and military affairs of the DPRK. He is really disgusting.
He changed his approach again: "Apart from your own official, can your Majesty call others?"
This time Wang De hesitated and whispered back: "There are also servants."
Ma Zhou?
Liu Ji thought for a while and asked again: "But it has something to do with the morning naval battle report?"
Wang De simply shut his mouth and quickened his pace...
Liu Jie was helpless. The old slave was too tight-lipped and couldn't get any information out, so he couldn't make preparations in advance.
When they arrived at Wude Hall, Liu Ji stayed outside the door. Wang De went inside to report. He turned around after a moment and asked Liu Ji to see him...
"I have an audience with Your Majesty."
"No need to pay homage, just be free."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Liu Ji stood up and sat on the chair on the side of the imperial case. He took the tea offered by Wang De, nodded in greeting, and put it aside gently.
It was dark today, and there was even less light in the imperial study, so lamps and candles were lit.
His Majesty sat behind the royal desk, his face slightly gloomy, but there was no sign of joy or anger, so it was hard to guess what his mood was.
Probably because the Jingzhao Mansion Yamen is outside the palace, Ma Zhou has not come yet...
"I wonder if your Majesty summoned the minister for important matters?"
Liu Jie asked tentatively.
Li Chengqian was still at his desk processing the memorial, and signaled Wang De to hand Liu Ji the battle report on the imperial desk.
Liu Ji took the battle report and read it carefully. He didn't notice any problems. But if there were no problems, how could His Majesty summon him and give him the battle report? He lowered his head and frowned and looked again, and finally noticed some problems.
The governor of Shirov Port signed the contract in his own name, and took the initiative to seek peace. The huge compensation did not include real money, but was paid by several Tang Dynasty merchants... No need to ask, it must be that Shirov. There are also some private dealings between the Governor of Hong Kong and these Datang companies.
But in the eyes of His Majesty, is this kind of thing a big deal?
Your Majesty, who is busy with food and clothing, and has many things to do every day, why should you pay attention to the private activities of several business houses?
Um?
wrong!
Liu Ji blinked his dry eyes hard, read the battle report again, and finally discovered what the problem was.
In a war between two countries, both sides used more than a thousand ships and tens of thousands of soldiers. They even signed a compensation clause for defeat. The navy not only received compensation, but also forced the other side to open the port and The commercial tax reduction and exemption is undoubtedly a far-reaching war... But from the beginning to the end, the war was initiated by the navy, and the contract was signed by the navy. There were even private companies in the Tang Dynasty participating, but there was no central discussion, Not to mention His Majesty’s permission!
The two countries are at war, and they are taking the initiative to attack, but there is no imperial decree to approve it?
Hiss...
It's scary to think about it.
"Your Majesty, once this case is opened, there will be endless troubles!"
Among the armies of the Tang Dynasty, the Royal Navy was a very special existence. It could be said that this army was founded by Fang Jun, and they were all his close relatives from top to bottom. Emperor Taizong was broad-minded and powerful. Although he was the nominal commander of the navy, he delegated the command to Fang Jun, believing that Fang Jun would be loyal to the king and the empire.
And indeed it is.
Fang Jun controlled this army and tried its best to expand outwards, opening up new routes one after another. Relying on strong ships, powerful cannons and invincible military power, he traveled across the seven seas. He not only opened up countless trade routes, but also opened up a steady stream of overseas gold, silver and copper mines. Transporting it back to the country made the royal family's internal funds more abundant than ever before.
But after Emperor Taizong died, this army was completely outside the control of the royal family and almost became Fang Jun's private army.
It's nothing more than a private army. The Sixteenth Guards are nominally a national army, but in fact they are in the hands of their own commanders, and the soldiers under his command will follow his lead.
But now the Navy is waging war overseas without authorization, ignoring the Central Committee and His Majesty... Where does this place the national structure of supremacy of monarchy? !
Li Chengqian said "hmm" without raising his head, and continued to work on the memorial at his desk.
Liu Ji didn't know His Majesty's thoughts for a while and didn't dare to say anything, but his heart was full of turmoil and uneasiness.
"Your Majesty, I have an audience with you."
"Please."
"Here."
Not long after, Ma Zhou, dressed in official uniform and with a pale face, quickly entered the imperial study and bowed to salute.
"I have an audience with Your Majesty."
"Without any courtesy, please take a look at the battle report."
"Here."
Ma Zhou was confused and glanced at Liu Ji who was standing aside. The two nodded to each other, then sat down and picked up the battle report.
Naturally, he also heard about the messenger coming to the capital, but he didn't know what happened, let alone the reason why His Majesty summoned him to the palace...
After reading the battle report twice, Ma Zhou frowned and saw the same problem as Liu Ji.
At this time, Li Chengqian put down the brush in his hand, rubbed his wrist, washed his hands under Wang De's service, dried them with a handkerchief, walked out from behind the imperial case, sat across from the two of them, took a sip of tea, and asked: " My dear friends, you might as well share your views on this matter.”
Liu Jie sat upright, but did not speak.
He had just said that "if this case is opened, there will be endless troubles", but His Majesty ignored it and didn't ask about it until Ma Zhou came... Whether he paid more attention to Ma Zhou or not, he had some opinions in his heart, so Pretending to be reserved, he expressed his attitude slightly without making it too obvious.
Ma Zhou glanced at Liu Ji and said: "Zhongshu ordered the chief to take a picture of Bai Kui to assist your majesty. I am willing to listen to your opinions."
"General Photographer Bai Kui" is a description of the prime minister, but the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty is not only Zhongshu Ling. In fact, the governors of the three provinces are all prime ministers, but the ministers left and right are not the governors of the ministers. But because the emperor is the fact According to the order of the minister, the ministers on the left and right As the emperor's deputy, and therefore the de facto prime minister, although Zhongshu Ling is not as close to the emperor as Shangshu Zuopushe, he is still the chief of Zhongshu Province. It is not wrong to say that he "generally takes charge of Bai Kui". The provincial governor's servant under his sect has to be ranked low.
Liu Ji thought that Ma Zhou was impatient with hypocrisy and pretentiousness. It would be unsightly for him to be polite and reserved only to be taken seriously.
Then he said bluntly: "The power of the monarch is supreme. Your Majesty is the commander-in-chief of the world's soldiers and horses. No army can start a war without His Majesty's imperial edict. The imperial edict should be issued, the relevant personnel of the navy should be punished, and the commander-in-chief should be strictly warned and disciplined. Punish accordingly, avoid past mistakes, and serve as a warning to others!”
Fang Jun dominated the navy, but the nominal commander of the navy was Su Dingfang, the commander-in-chief. He was severely punished and could shake off the enemy.
Li Chengqian was noncommittal and asked Ma Zhou: "What do you think?"
Ma Zhou pondered for a while and then said slowly: "There is nothing wrong with what Zhongshu Ling said. The soldiers and horses of the world must accept your Majesty's control. How can they do what they want? However, it is not easy to generalize. The merchants of the Tang Dynasty suffered at Shirov Port Extortion and massacre, if you cannot fight back, not only will the goods and property be lost, It was a disastrous disaster, and the national prestige of the Tang Dynasty plummeted. However, the Persian Sea was tens of thousands of miles away from Chang'an. If the messenger waited for the news to be transmitted back to Chang'an, the central government would discuss it, draft an imperial edict, and then send it to the Persian Sea... I would be afraid of delaying the war effort and jeopardizing the situation. Unfavorable.”
Liu Jie retorted: "Your Majesty, please note that this is not a small-scale conflict, but an all-out war between the two navies. How can a war of this scale be left to the navy generals to make their own decisions? In this way, it is Where is the military system and where is the king? ”
"Zhongshu Ling exaggerated. Perhaps the navy of the Great Food Kingdom did use all its strength, but the Royal Navy was just a partial division. There were more and bigger warships distributed in the East and Southeast Asia. How could they use all their strength? Attack theory? ”
"The servant is confused! Is this a matter of how many troops have participated in the war? This is a matter of principle! The navy has no superiors and no discipline at all. If we condone this trend, I am afraid there will be something unbearable to say!"
"It's just a matter of fact. Why can Zhongshu's order be extended indefinitely? What I said is reasonable. Nowadays, the territory of the Tang Dynasty covers the four seas and stretches thousands of miles. There are more than one million troops. There cannot be any military situation that needs to be rushed to Beijing. After your Majesty's decision is discussed at the center, right? If so, the border will be full of wars and it will be difficult to deal with it."
"In order to fight foreign affairs, we must first settle our own affairs. If we cannot even control the army, how can we talk about encompassing the whole world and spanning thousands of miles? I am afraid that one day we will be subject to chaos!"
The two held different opinions and were at loggerheads, and they actually got angry. On the contrary, Li Chengqian was drinking tea slowly at the side, watching the two ministers quarreling with deep eyes without saying a word.