In the imperial study room.
His Majesty Li Er took off his luxurious and thick fur hat, put on a relaxed straight jacket, took a sip of tea, and moistened his dry throat.
Then he looked up at Changsun Wuji, who was sitting opposite him...
Feeling the emperor's eyes scraping across his face like a blade, even though he was as scheming as Changsun Wuji, he couldn't help but his heart skipped a beat, but his face remained calm and composed as he sighed: "Your Majesty, you have been working hard and sleeping all night. , worked hard for more than ten years, and single-handedly created the glorious and prosperous age of the Tang Dynasty, with millions of armors. The territory of the Tang Dynasty has long been far superior to that of the previous dynasties. It has been unmatched from ancient times to the present. It only needs to flatten Goguryeo in the corner of Liaodong, and the whole world will be conquered. There is no powerful enemy in the country, and His Majesty’s achievements surpass those of Emperor Qin and Emperor Wu of Han, and he can be called the only emperor through the ages!”
It is impossible that there is no strong enemy within the four seas. Nearby, there is Tubo, which has the advantage of occupying the plateau and fierce folk customs. Far away, the vast territory and crazy expansion of Dashi are enough to fight against the Tang Dynasty.
It's just that it's a good time now, and only when you lose your mind will you talk about these powerful enemies adding to the obstruction of His Majesty Li Er.
Of course His Majesty Li Er will not care about the shortcomings in Changsun Wuji's words. Who doesn't know how to say something nice and who doesn't like to hear it?
With a sighing expression on his face, he said with emotion: "The words of the auxiliary machine are ridiculous! From ancient times to the present, neither the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors nor the Emperors of Qin and Han Dynasty have ever governed the people by themselves. The reason why I have achieved what I have today. , and are inseparable from every meritorious minister around me. You have worked tirelessly to help me achieve dominance and create this glorious age. Your achievements will be recorded in the annals of history together with me, and your name will go down in history. I once swore that every son of the Tang Dynasty who had meritorious service I will show kindness to the people, share wealth and honor with them, and will never be incompetent!"
Having said this, he paused, then looked directly at Changsun Wuji, and said slowly: "I am not a mean and ungrateful person, and I am willing to share this wealth with every hero. Therefore, I also hope that I All the heroes can understand and tolerate each other, and the family family will last for generations to come, and each of them can have a happy ending. Auxiliary machine, you are my humerus minister, you must understand my intention, right?"
"His Majesty!"
Changsun Wuji stood up in panic, knelt down at the feet of His Majesty Li Er, and said loudly: "Your Majesty is generous and generous, which is really a blessing for my ministers. The old minister followed your Majesty and received your blessing, and then he made some small achievements and was able to achieve something." Today's holy family members have been blessed for three lifetimes, how dare they feel dissatisfied? The old minister is getting older, has become fainter, and has long been unable to do anything about the government. I hope that your majesty will allow the old minister to take up an official position and retire in old age, and bury his bones in his hometown."
How could he not understand what His Majesty Li Er meant?
On the surface, I am telling him that I have spared no effort in confronting you against the imperial power several times in order to preserve the friendship between monarch and minister. I cannot bear to kill you to death, so you must be grateful.
But in fact, it was to remind him not to push Fang Jun too hard. Your grandson Wuji is the hero, and Fang Jun is also the hero. If you really assassinate Fang Jun, ignore the dignity of the court, ignore the laws and regulations of the country, and fail to abide by the bottom line of human beings, then don't blame me for being ruthless. If one day it doesn't end well, don't blame me for not predicting what I said!
Obviously, His Majesty Li Er has reached the end of his endurance and is on the verge of breaking out.
If there was no Eastern Expedition, I am afraid that the army would have already been dispatched to the Guanzhong under martial law at this moment. The "Hundred Cavalry Division" reconnaissance cavalry came out and dealt a thunderous blow to the Guanlong nobles headed by the Changsun family.
However, Changsun Wuji was completely fearless.
The Eastern Expedition has not yet started, and the entire empire has been preparing for it for two years, spending countless money and food, and millions of troops are marching to Liaodong. At this time, if there is turmoil in the capital and the capital, and even the power structure of the court is turned upside down, the chain reaction will be enough to demoralize the Liaodong army. Collapse, demoralization.
Guanlong has lasted for hundreds of years, and it has controlled the center of the dynasty for more than a hundred years. How can Jiangnan noble families and Shandong aristocratic families compare with their profound heritage?
After Guanlong is wiped out, the entire empire will face a turmoil like a landslide and the earth will fall apart, and no one can stay out of it.
Changsun Wuji was sure that His Majesty Li Er would not make a big move during the Eastern Expedition.
And after the Eastern Expedition... the world has changed, and no one knows what changes will happen then.
What Changsun Wuji was most afraid of was that His Majesty Li Er took him with him to Liaodong. Once he was no longer in Guanzhong, no one in the family could take the lead. The rest of the Guanlong nobles had different ideas and ulterior motives. The layout and planning are difficult to carry out.
Even if it is carried out, if there is a slight change and no one can accurately predict the situation and respond to it, the success may fall short.
And the price of failure... is unimaginable.
When His Majesty Li Er heard Changsun Wuji's words to "retire in office", he held the cup hard with his palm, the veins on the back of his hand bulged, and the corners of his eyes twitched uncontrollably.
After a long while, he slowly exhaled and said warmly: "How can the auxiliary machine say such words? Today is the critical moment when the Tang Dynasty is making great progress and creating a prosperous age. The Eastern Expedition is like an arrow and cannot be changed. I will do my best to help me achieve this unprecedented grand ambition, so how can I be afraid of difficulties and refuse to move forward, asking myself to retire?"
All the anger is suppressed in the bottom of my heart. His Majesty Li Er, who is about to know his destiny, is no longer the same as when he was in his prime. All the grievances and anger can be kept in his heart, just to achieve the most magnificent goal of his life - Dongfeng. levy.
After the Eastern Expedition, it will not be too late to liquidate them one by one...
Changsun Wuji's heart sank, and he struggled hard and said: "Your Majesty is wise and powerful, commanding a million troops to march across Liaodong, with a cloud of counselors and a rain of fierce generals under his command. The mere Goguryeo was like a mantis holding a car, and it collapsed and disappeared in an instant. . The old minister is getting old, his body is exhausted and his energy is low. He has long been unable to charge into battles and make suggestions for His Majesty, but he has to share the merits of the Eastern Campaign. It is really shameful."
He had never underestimated the importance of the Eastern Expedition in His Majesty Li Er's mind, but now he found that he still did not pay enough attention to it.
For the sake of the Eastern Expedition, His Majesty Li Er was actually able to suppress his temper. Even if he was burned with anger, he had to endure today's anger and wait for the future.
His Majesty Li Er put down the teacup in his hand, stood up, took a step forward, leaned over to hold Chang Sun Wuji's shoulders, and said sincerely: "Why do you think the auxiliary machine is so arrogant? When you and I left Dasanguan in the west, we fought fiercely in Qianshuiyuan. Xue Rengao, Hulao Pass defeated 3,000 and 100,000. One battle determined the Tang Dynasty. Under the Xuanwu Sect, they fought side by side with strength and tenacity to achieve today's wealth and glory. Now the battle of the Eastern Expedition is the glory of my life. At the pinnacle, how could your beloved abandon me and let me go into battle alone with a sword and fight alone?"
One after another, one after another, every step is a last-ditch fight against the odds, and finally turns defeat into victory and seizes against the odds.
This is His Majesty Li Er's lifelong glory. Isn't it the lifetime contribution of his grandson Wuji?
The years of fighting and iron horses have long passed away, but now when I recall it, it seems like it was just yesterday that we worked side by side to create a dynasty. What kind of unparalleled feats was this? Not to mention that since Zhenguan, in the face of the increasing pressure of the Guanlong nobles, His Majesty Li Er has taken targeted measures and established a national policy to weaken the aristocratic families, but he has always tolerated the eldest grandson Wuji, the leader of Guanlong. , giving way again and again, even though there is some alienation, they never break up their friendship.
Who else in the world has this holy favor?
Changsun Wuji was still kneeling on the ground, feeling His Majesty Li Er's hands squeezing his shoulders hard. His mind was moved by His Majesty Li Er's words. His heart was agitated for a moment, and his eyes couldn't help but become moist and blurred.
Immediately he paused with his head on the ground, tears streaming down his face, and said with choked sobs: "Your Majesty is so kind to me, how can I repay my kindness? If your Majesty does not mind that I am old, I am willing to serve in front of the emperor and do the work of my filial dogs and horses, even if my body is shattered to pieces, I will not hesitate!"
Since the conflict with Fang Jun in the imperial study, although His Majesty Li Er never said anything about letting Changsun Wuji accompany him on the Eastern Expedition, everyone in the court knew that this was a must-do. In order to stabilize the situation in Chang'an after the imperial commander's personal expedition, Only Changsun Wuji could be transferred away from Chang'an.
Changsun Wuji tried again and again to disobey the order that His Majesty Li Er was bound to say.
However, now, His Majesty Li Er still failed to express this request, and Changsun Wuji had to plead with him to accompany him on the Eastern Expedition...
The emperor's art is brilliant and true, how can it be resisted by conspiracy and calculation?
Upon hearing this, His Majesty Li Er burst out with a happy smile on his face, and immediately patted Changsun Wuji on the shoulder, helped him up, and said boldly: "Okay! You and I, the monarch and my ministers, will join hands again from behind the Xuanwu Gate. , defeated Goguryeo with one drum, created an unprecedented hegemony in history, and became famous in history, shining brightly in the annals of history!"
