Li Ji believed that the troops in Guanzhong were currently empty, and the Eastern Expedition should be ended as soon as possible at all costs, and the troops should return to the court. Whether it was to stabilize the defense of Guanzhong or rush to aid the Western Regions, the arrangements could be made calmly and comprehensively.
His Majesty Li Er believes that the Western Region is desolate and has no value except for one Silk Road. Even if it is burned, killed and looted by the Great Eater, it will not be a big deal. As long as the Anxi Army can securely defend Yumen Pass, the rest of the areas will follow the Great Eater. That’s what people do.
If those Hu tribes in the Western Regions can be wiped out by the cannibals, it can even be said to be a surprise...
There is no need to rush for the Eastern Expedition. The crossing of the Yalu River is inevitable and unstoppable. The overall situation of the Eastern Expedition has been determined. Then we will drive straight to Pingrang City to complete the siege. Even if winter comes, there is no need to worry. There is a navy to transport food and baggage.
Under such circumstances, the Eastern Expedition should be fought steadily to avoid unnecessary attrition.
After Goguryeo is destroyed and the army returns to the dynasty, it will be completely late even if it sends troops to the Western Regions next spring, and it can give the army time to rest and recuperate. By then, a fierce battle in the Western Regions will naturally achieve twice the result with half the effort.
There was a deviation in the understanding between the monarch and his ministers regarding the war in the Western Regions...
Li Ji is not Wei Zheng. Although he can express his own opinions and give advice, he will never be like Wei Zheng who breaks the boat and speaks out against his advice. He points at His Majesty Li Er's nose and yells: "Since you are a wise king, you should accept advice. Otherwise, you will be ignorant and ignorant and will bring disaster to the world" and other disrespectful words...
After pondering for a while, Li Ji compromised and said: "In this way, after crossing the river, the soldiers will be divided into three groups, one along the coast, one along the hills, and one way eastward along the upper reaches of the Xishui River. After arriving at Pingrang City, the three groups Encirclement, supplemented by navy ships sailing upstream to bombard Pingrang City to break the will of the defenders."
This is again different from previous plans.
The original battle plan was for the army to cross the Yalu River and rush into Pingrang City. Then there would be no battle. Instead, Pingrang City would be surrounded, making it difficult for the defenders in the city to fly. At that time, it would depend on the battle situation whether to attack or besiege.
However, His Majesty Li Er is not blindly stubborn. He said happily: "Just follow Mao Gong's words! Later, I will also ask Mao Gong to formulate a detailed battle plan and distribute it to all ministries."
Large-scale army operations are always based on pre-planned strategies. There is no such thing as hitting where you hit. Even though the situation on the battlefield is changing rapidly, we can only make slight adjustments when the opportunity arises.
Since the battle plan has changed, it naturally needs to be re-drawn. Otherwise, the various departments will be at a loss and lose their footing, which will definitely ruin the matter.
Seeing Li Ji nodded in agreement, His Majesty Li Er reminded again: "Changsun Chong is lurking in Pingrang City? He thinks he is an internal agent and can pass on news of Pingrang City's defense at any time. Maogong should be accepted. Moreover, his status is not low, and he is Can you influence the eldest son of Yeon Gaesumun, and lead the crowd to revolt after a critical incident? Open the Seven Star Gate, can Mao Gong formulate a strategy on this? It will definitely get twice the result with half the effort."
Li Ji thought for a moment and then said: "Your Majesty, is it clear? Changsun Chong is in Pingrang City. His identity is known to everyone in Yuan Gaisu and Wenjin. How can he be allowed to master the most secret defense? It is the person who was sent back the previous time. The defense plan? Even the ministers dare not believe it. It would be fine if we don’t get the information, but if Yeon Gaesumun deliberately induces it with false information, the consequences will be serious."
"Countermeasures" has never been a sophisticated strategy, but it has been tried and tested throughout the ages.
Once Yuan Gaisuwen sets a trap and deliberately induces Changsun Chong with false news, the Tang army will stupidly go straight into the trap and will inevitably suffer heavy losses.
It even directly affected the success or failure of the Eastern Expedition.
His Majesty Li Er frowned and hesitated a little.
However, he stroked his beard and thought of Fang Jun, and felt that talents have emerged from generation to generation. The younger generation now has emerged and is not much worse than his generation back then. They naturally have the ability to turn the impossible into possible.
He said, "I know very well that Changsun Chong's ability is not inferior to Fang Jun's, or even better than that of Fang Jun. With his ability, he can naturally identify the authenticity of the information he has received. There is no need to doubt this. He has indeed committed a major crime. Wrong, but after all, it is the people of the Tang Dynasty and the empire who have made great contributions. There is no doubt about their loyalty to me. What happened back then was more of a temporary confusion and was coerced by others. Of course, the message it sent still needs to be screened based on merit, but it should not be treated Doubts about character and ability lead to missed opportunities.”
Li Ji was silent.
Your Majesty's affection for Queen Wende was enough to protect the Changsun family more than ten years after the death of Queen Wende. Not to mention that Changsun Wuji repeatedly challenged the imperial power and was treated favorably by Your Majesty. It was Changsun Chong who committed treason. Serious sins may also be pardoned.
Of course, the imperial power is supreme, and His Majesty is omnipotent in everything he does.
But Li Ji was puzzled by such trust in a criminal official who had committed a serious crime of rebellion. What particularly dissatisfied him was that His Majesty Li Er compared Changsun Chong to Fang Jun. This was simply unbelievable to Li Ji. In terms of loyalty, Fang Jun was loyal and would rather die for the safety of Guanzhong and the stability of the country. Thousands of troops marched out of Hexi to defeat Tuyuhun's 70,000 elite cavalry; in terms of ability, Fang Jun made countless meritorious deeds. How many people during the Zhenguan Dynasty dared to say that they could defeat Fang Jun in the first place?
Changsun Chong only served as secretary supervisor, which was quite satisfactory. Later, he stole Fang Junzhi's achievements and took charge of the Shenji Camp. Not only did he achieve nothing, he even single-handedly turned this powerful army that once dominated the Western Regions into a group of second-generation ancestors who were waiting to die. , causing Shenji Camp to remain in a state of confusion to this day, unable to afford to sink.
It's just that the elders prefer the younger ones, which is not only common in ordinary people, but also in the Tian family, which is no less generous, or even more so.
As a minister, I should not argue with His Majesty in this regard...
…
After Li Ji left, His Majesty Li Er rubbed his forehead and rested on the soft couch beside him. Nowadays, his body is getting weaker and weaker. If he sits for a long time, he will feel weak all over, his eyes will be blurry, and he will often feel short of breath, weak, and mentally exhausted.
He naturally knew that this was the result of taking too much pill.
It's just that for him right now, if he wants to have enough energy to deal with various things on the Eastern March and keep the army firmly in his hands, he can only continue to drink poison to quench his thirst.
Once he stops taking the elixir, he is afraid that he will fall seriously ill immediately. At that time, the morale of the army will fluctuate and everyone will have their own agenda. Maybe the victory that is about to be won will be lost, and the achievements that are worthy of being remembered in history will be missed. This is something he absolutely cannot allow.
After closing his eyes and taking a moment, he remembered that Zhu Suiliang was still in the tent.
You must not show any weakness in front of foreign ministers, otherwise it will inevitably affect your prestige in his mind. His Majesty Li Er sat up, glanced at Zhu Suiliang, who was still writing at the desk, and said slowly: "Deng Shan, Don’t let what happened today happen again.”
He was also deeply dissatisfied with Zhu Suiliang's casual praise and criticism of the frontline military commanders. However, since Li Ji opened his mouth to rebuke, he could not follow up with another reprimand, but had to defend it. This is not only the emperor's balancing act, but also because Zhu Suiliang is considered his close minister, which also represents his dignity. He can give orders himself, but he cannot let foreign ministers completely suppress him.
But in his spare time, he must give warnings.
Throughout the dynasties, the emperor's close ministers have been bad deeds. It is normal for them to be arrogant and manipulate power. They even sell their official positions and bring troubles to the government. A slight laxity in their supervision will lead to catastrophe.
However, it seems that such close ministers are indispensable. The emperor is also a human being. He has a straight face and the majesty of an emperor when he is in court, but he also needs to have hobbies and talk in private. Therefore, the status of close ministers cannot be replaced by foreign ministers.
But what a talented and strategic person His Majesty Li Er is? As long as these close ministers show the slightest sign of going too far, they will immediately warn or even suppress them.
If you don't change your ways despite repeated admonitions, you will definitely kill a lot of people without even frowning...
Zhu Suiliang quickly got up and left the table, and knelt down in front of His Majesty Li Er's soft couch. He said in panic: "I know you are guilty! I will never dare to have the slightest thought of overstepping my bounds. I just said it casually, and I have already been influenced by the British public." I reprimanded you, and I will never dare to do it again from now on!"
Scared and sweating profusely.
Throughout the ages, it is difficult for anyone who has the reputation of being a "close minister of the emperor" to have a good ending. Generally speaking, those with this status are chamberlains in the palace, but His Majesty Li Er is a very kind person and has never been polite to his chamberlains. Even the chief chamberlain Wang Dena and other old people who have been with him since he was hiding in the Qin Palace, He is never allowed to discuss government affairs arbitrarily.
And because of his good calligraphy and extraordinary literary talent, he was favored by His Majesty and was granted the title of Huangmen Shilang. He was highly favored and gained the title of "a close minister of the emperor".
In fact, it sounds unfair. When it comes to favor and trust, how can I compare to Fang Jun? That guy is better at pleasing His Majesty than I am. He is very familiar with flattery, and he holds great power. No matter how you look at it, he is a model of a powerful minister. He writes keywords well, and his literary talent is higher than mine. Why do you think he is a "close minister of the emperor"? Wasn't the title deducted from him?
This world is unfair...
