Cheng Yaojin was also speechless. He looked at Fang Jun, who looked indifferent and casual, and couldn't help but shake his head.
In fact, he liked Li Zhi quite a lot. At first, he was indifferent to His Majesty Li Er's desire to support Li Zhi in his bid for the throne. Both the left and right were royal family affairs. Why should a minister care about so many other things? However, as the situation developed, he realized that if Li Zhi succeeded in his bid for the throne, the imperial court would inevitably undergo a huge change. At that time, the court would be in turmoil, and whoever could benefit from it would be destroyed. There will be no trace left.
He does not pursue higher power and status, but it does not mean that he is willing to give up everything he currently has. The battle for the reserve position is by no means peaceful, and it does not mean that whoever does not want to get involved does not need to get involved. Many times you think you are on the right side. On the shore, a wolf came over, and everyone got wet.
So he had to choose between the prince and the king of Jin. Of course, this choice was not difficult to make.
Fang Jun relied on his influence to forcibly bind the Jiangnan nobles and Shandong aristocratic families and stand behind the East Palace. How could Guanlong, who was declining in the west, be able to compete?
As long as His Majesty Li Er is not ruthless and overthrows the entire court, King Jin has no chance of winning.
Even so, the move of the King of Jin to take charge of the military department with the intention of cutting off the crown prince's foundation in the six departments seems really stinky now.
The six ministers are by no means decisive in their respective yamen. Although they have great power, the left and right ministers should not be underestimated. Once the minister is ignored by the left and right ministers, the chief ministers and doctors below will also work in secret, which will greatly restrict the power of the minister. For example, when it comes to transferring generals, the left and right ministers can unite to refute the minister's proposal, and they can join forces with the chief of staff to complete all the procedures in private. Regardless of whether the minister agrees or not, all procedures are legal.
This is the system of checks and balances within the three provinces and six ministries system. No one has control over everything and can do whatever they want.
Of course, if you can truly conquer all the yamen, there will naturally be no constraints from opponents. Just like Fang Jun to the Ministry of War, even if he steps aside, he still firmly controls the power of the Ministry of War, and almost all officials of the Ministry of War will follow his lead. Follow your words...
What can Li Zhi do?
He didn't even dare to publicize this matter. Once everyone knew about it, the left and right ministers in the yamen would certainly have to bear the reputation of "despising the superior" and "disobeying the law." Their reputation in the officialdom would be bad. No yamen would welcome such a person, but Li Zhi's own prestige would plummet, which would seriously affect his prospects for competing for the reserve.
You can't even settle within one department, and you let your officials trick you every once in a while. Who would believe that you can be a good prince, or even the king of a country?
Cheng Yaojin also wondered why the officials in the Ministry of War could be manipulated by Fang Jun.
It's really awesome...
Li Ji also looked at Fang Jun in surprise, but did not say much. He nodded slightly and said: "Erlang should be credited with this matter. The leaders of the six rates are all his own people. They work together like an arm and a finger. It can better display its combat effectiveness. But there is still one very important thing that needs to be carefully considered. Your Highness, how many troops do the East Palace Sixth Army need to reorganize? "
This is a very sensitive issue. If the number of people is small, the fighting power is insufficient, which is better than nothing; if the number of people is large, the East Palace is close to the Taiji Palace, and a small number of troops will guard the East Palace every day. The emperor is afraid that he will be unable to sleep at night, lest the prince stay late at night He climbed over the wall into Tai Chi Palace and rushed into the dormitory...
Li Chengqian asked Li Jing: "What does Duke Wei think?"
Li Jing thought about it for a long time and said slowly: "The old minister thinks that it is better to divide the six rates into different groups. The strength of the troops is different, some are more than a thousand, some are more than two thousand, but never more than three thousand. In this way, the six rates will be combined. It is probably about 10,000, which is in line with Erlang's purpose of "preserving elite soldiers rather than large numbers". He abandoned the cavalry and used all heavy infantry equipped with plate armor and strong shields, as well as musketeers equipped with firearms. In this way, it can ensure that The combat effectiveness of Liu Lv is not enough to cause slander and slander from the outside world. It is too much and not enough."
"Yes, although the cavalry is more mobile, the purpose of the Sixth Army of the East Palace is to protect the East Palace and serve as the wings of His Highness. It cannot guard the border or expand the territory. What use does the cavalry have? It is better to equip them all. For heavy infantry, it is most useful to vigorously practice their ability in street fighting, breaking down doors and charging down streets."
Cheng Yaojin agreed.
Several people looked at Li Chengqian, and Li Chengqian nodded and said: "You are all experienced generals in hundreds of battles. They are not proficient in military affairs. You should follow the advice and make your decision like this. It's just that the plate armor is expensive to build, and the muskets are also expensive." Is it difficult for Erlang to equip large-scale equipment?"
Both plate armor and muskets came from the foundry bureau, and only Fang Jun could equip them on a large scale.
Fang Jundao: "Wei Chen is naturally duty-bound. After the new year, he asked the Foundry Bureau to conduct large-scale forging production and strive to have all the equipment in place before the Qingming Festival to equip the six-level troops. In terms of weapons and equipment, Wei Chen did his best, but the training of soldiers and the deduction of battle formations failed. It's not something that Wei Chen is good at, it still requires a lot of effort from a few seniors, so don't dislike me for being lazy and slippery."
He knows his own business, and all his achievements so far have been achieved by relying on super strong firepower. He has no tactical strategy at all. When he encounters an enemy, no matter how strong or weak he is, he just crushes them. .
The Youtun Guards now have strong troops and elite soldiers, all of which have been trained by a group of future famous generals. He himself does not understand it at all.
Military ability is also a kind of talent. Some people are born with it, and some people gradually accumulate it through war. It cannot be mastered by just reading a few military books...
How can anyone believe it?
The tactics of muskets combined with infantry assaults, and cavalry combined with sky-shaking thunders, have already been heard at home and abroad. How many foreigners are frightened by these tactics? You actually say that you don’t understand tactical drills?
Cheng Yaojin complained: "You are really a cunning boy. You have the nerve to hide aside and let us old guys go into battle to train soldiers in the wind and sun? Besides, when the Spring Expedition begins, the British Duke and I will accompany you." The imperial commander will go on a personal expedition, and when the time comes, only Duke Wei will be left, how can you bear to let him work so hard at such an old age?"
But Fang Jun said shamelessly: "As the saying goes, those who are capable work hard. Although Duke Wei is a little older, he is still as powerful as a dragon and a tiger. He controls seven women at night and trains thousands of soldiers. How can it be said?"
"Get out!"
Li Jingsheng laughed angrily, pointed at Fang Jun and cursed: "If you dare to spread rumors again, you believe it or not, I will knock on the door and break your legs in front of your father? Damn it! Fang Xuanling has lived a pure life. , gentle and gentle as jade, he is a rare honest gentleman in ancient and modern times, how could he give birth to such a stick like you!"
Fang Jun was not angry, and his face didn't even turn red. He looked at Cheng Yaojin and said, "Did you see it? This junior claims to be the bravest of the three armies. Even ten or eight of the bravest soldiers in the army can't get into this junior. Duke Wei." But he keeps saying that he can break the junior’s legs, which shows that he has strong physical strength and a sword that will never grow old. Mr. Lu, please don’t worry about his old man.”
Cheng Yaojin leaned towards Li Jing in a serious manner, and asked with a wink: "Are you really the Seventh Girl of the Night Palace? Mother, I am so envious! What is the secret recipe that can make you so brave? Can Wei Gong reveal some of it?"
Li Jing smiled and scolded: "You old man is as shameless as that stick. I will ask Liang Guogong later, did you two have the wrong child?"
Several big guys laughed and cursed, and Li Chengqian looked on with a smile, feeling very confident in his heart.
With the help of these people, once the Sixth Army of the East Palace is reorganized, its combat effectiveness will surely rise to the top of the entire army. By then, the strength of the East Palace will skyrocket, its influence will be greatly enhanced, and his position as the crown prince will become more stable.
After the official business was discussed, Li Chengqian invited several people to go to Lizheng Hall. Crown Princess Su had already ordered people to prepare meals, and they sat down together to have a drink.
After the banquet, several people retired together. Li Chengqian stood up to see them off and said, "Erlang will stay for a while. I have a private matter to ask."
Li Ji, Li Jing and Cheng Yaojin glanced at Fang Jun, said goodbye and left.
Fang Jun accompanied Li Chengqian to the side hall and sat down. After the palace maid offered the tea, Li Chengqian rebuked her, so Fang Jun took the pot and poured the tea himself.
Li Chengqian drank a cup of tea, considered it for a long time, and then said with a gloomy face: "Erlang, I wonder if you have seen my father recently?"
Fang Jun was stunned, not knowing what he was going to say. He nodded and said, "I come to the palace to see you from time to time."
Li Chengqian pursed his lips, looked around to make sure no one was nearby to eavesdrop, and then said softly: "I wonder if Erlang has noticed that my father... seems to be a little inappropriate recently?"
