Cheng Yaojin said carelessly: "You can tell me, in this dynasty's civil and military affairs, I rarely convince anyone. In the past, Du Ruhui was one, Fang Xuanling was one, and you, Xu Maogong, were half. I can listen to your words."
"Xu Maogong" is Li Ji's real name. At that time, Emperor Gaozu gave him the surname Li and "official affiliation with the clan", and he was very fond of him. Cheng Yaojin is calling him by his real name now, which is obviously hinting to Li Ji that we are actually in the same group.
At that time, His Majesty Li Er, as the commander-in-chief of the right-hand army, led the army to capture Luoyang from three thousand to one hundred thousand outside Hulao Pass, and defeated the coalition forces of Wang Shichong and Dou Jiande. His outstanding military exploits made him famous, and Emperor Gaozu named His Majesty Li Er the title of General of Tiance. , and allowed him to open a government office, which was called Tiance Mansion.
As General Tiance, His Majesty Li Er is in charge of national conquests and the general judge of government affairs.
The ambitious His Majesty Li Er immediately formed an entourage of about fifty people, including Du Ruhui, Fang Xuanling, Li Jing, Yuchi Jingde, Cheng Zhijie, Hou Junji, Qin Qiong, Changsun Wuji, Chai Shao, Luo Shixin, and Shi Wanbao. , Li Ji, Liu Hongji, etc., for a time, military commanders were like clouds, counselors were like rain, and their strength was greatly enhanced.
However, at that time, neither Cheng Yaojin nor Qin Qiong and Li Ji were far inferior to the Guanlong clan and the Guanzhong family headed by Changsun Wuji and Du Ruhui, and could only be regarded as marginal figures. It is precisely for this reason that the Shandong aristocratic families headed by Li Ji and Cheng Yaojin have always been at odds with the Guanlong clan.
From the beginning to the end, Li Ji had little contact with Cheng Yaojin, Qin Qiong and others. When they met, they only nodded and greeted each other, as plain as water, but their interests were consistent.
Whether it was the Tiance Mansion back then or the current court.
Only when the interests are consistent can there be eternal friendship and we can move forward unswervingly side by side...
Li Ji nodded, understanding what Cheng Yaojin meant, then he put down his chopsticks and said: "From now on, you will restrain the Zuowu guards and horses under your command. Do not rush forward too much during the war, stay as close as possible to the Chinese army, and beware of changes. "
"Click"
Cheng Yaojin's hand trembled, and a chopstick fell on the table. He was so shocked that he opened his mouth wide and his eyes widened, and shouted: "No way?! Is it possible that someone dares to rebel in the army?"
"Keep your voice down!"
Li Ji was shocked and angry, and shouted in a low voice: "You are old, can you be more cautious? You shout so loudly, do you want everyone to know what the two of us are planning?"
Cheng Yaojin was startled and said hurriedly: "I was reckless... But what you said, Maogong, is too scary. Your Majesty is in the Chinese army. You asked me to lead Zuowu Wei as close as possible to the Chinese army... This is not If you want us to rebel, we are trying to prevent others from rebelling!"
"Calm down!"
Li Ji said something, took the wine jar and poured wine, and said in a low voice: "It's not as you guessed. Although there are many factions in the army, your majesty's prestige is growing day by day. Who dares to do such a treasonous act? Absolutely no Half of the possibility of doing anything can only be found in the grave."
Cheng Yaojin took the wine bowl, thought for a moment, and nodded: "It makes sense. As long as your Majesty stands there, who in the world would dare to rebel? Even if someone really eats the courage of a leopard, the soldiers under his command will immediately They turned against each other! But you let me get close to the army like this... mother!"
He widened his eyes again and said in disbelief: "Could it be...could it be..."
There is no doubt that no one will dare to rebel. As long as His Majesty Li Er is still alive, no one in the army will dare to do such self-destructive things.
On the other hand, if Li Erbi dies...how is this possible?
Although His Majesty has not been in good spirits since the Eastern Expedition and has often been bedridden, he seems to have no serious health problems. Surrounded by thousands of troops and accompanied by imperial doctors, how could such unbearable things happen?
Is it possible that someone intends to assassinate...
Li Ji took a sip of wine, put down the wine bowl, and said worriedly: "Among the millions of soldiers, even if there are some who are so bold as to assassinate, how can they get close to your majesty? I am worried that your majesty will be injured if he takes pills for a long time. Texture, leading to a decline in body function, and now we are marching outside in the freezing cold. A little carelessness may lead to unpredictable consequences."
Cheng Yaojin remained silent.
Although there is no evidence that His Majesty Li Er took elixirs in the army, the generals can still infer from His Majesty Li Er's cunning mental state. Moreover, there was a precedent of His Majesty Li Er taking elixirs when he was in Chang'an. …
After a moment of silence, Cheng Yaojin questioned: "It's just taking pills. Even if attaining enlightenment and becoming an immortal is a myth, and strengthening one's body is nonsense, but taking a few pills can... that's not it, right?" "
Li Ji glanced at him and said calmly: "Do you think I am just having nothing to do to say such disrespectful words to you?"
Cheng Yaojin was silent again.
He and Li Ji have been together for many years, how can he not know what Li Jizhi is like? This person is the most tight-lipped and never talks about things he knows well, let alone those baseless speculations?
If there was no evidence, he would definitely not talk about such a thing in front of himself.
He picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks and stuffed it into his mouth to chew. After a long while, he said in a loud voice: "Be clear, if that day comes...what do you need me to do?"
Li Ji drank wine and whispered: "No one wants something like that to happen, but His Majesty will definitely not listen to the advice, and even... His Majesty's body may only be supported by pills. Don't be afraid of ten thousand, Just in case, if it really comes to that day, I hope you can lead Zuowuwei to surround the Central Army Corps in time to prevent the news from leaking out. Once such news spreads throughout the army, I don't need to say more about the consequences. "
Cheng Yaojin nodded.
He has commanded troops for many years and knows that no matter how powerful an army is, weapons, equipment, strategies and tactics are actually secondary. The most important thing is military morale and morale.
As long as the morale of the army is stable and the morale is high, it is normal to defeat the large with a small number and attack the masses with a small number. However, if the morale of the army is weakened and the morale collapses, even a million-strong army will be completely defeated by the enemy like chasing rabbits.
His Majesty Li Er's prestige in the army is as powerful as Mount Tai. As long as he is around, the Tang army will never collapse. Even if there is only one soldier left, they will fight to the death and not retreat.
But once the news of His Majesty Li Er's death spreads throughout the army, this menacing army of one million people may collapse in the blink of an eye.
Li Ji said in a deep voice: "This Eastern Expedition mobilized the best soldiers and generals from all over the country. It can be said that the whole country has devoted its power. If it wins, it will be nothing more. But once it fails, the backlash will be enough to make the empire tremble in an instant and the building will collapse." ! Some things we can't stop, but some things must not be allowed to happen! Whether it's Changsun Wuji, Yuchi Jingde, or even Cheng Mingzhen, Xue Wanche, Ashina Simo... I can't trust any of them, I can only trust you! We know integrity and the sea is changing. We must stand firm and keep our minds firm. Even if we are faced with mountains of swords and seas of fire, we must never look back! Otherwise, once these hundreds of thousands of troops collapse, and those generals have different thoughts ...The consequences will be disastrous! I am afraid that the Zhenguan era has not yet reached its peak, and it will collapse and reappear the chaotic times of the late Sui Dynasty..."
These words were sincere and resounding, fully demonstrating the responsibility of the leader of the dynasty.
Cheng Yaojin drank the wine in the bowl in one gulp, wiped his face, and said: "Don't worry about Maogong. Although I am a rough man and have not read a few books, I still know the meaning of righteousness. The principle of "I am gone". Even if there is no recovery, I will not sit back and watch the world fall into war and turmoil, and the people will be in dire straits."
Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty made excessive conquests, and the people were transferred constantly, and the corvee service was endless. There were many soldiers in the ravines, and the bones were scattered all over the plains. To the north of the Yellow River, there is no smoke for thousands of miles; between the Jianghuai River and the Huaihe River, there is wormwood. In addition, during the disaster years, there was famine and grain prices soared, making the people miserable, suffering from cold and exhaustion, and starving to death everywhere.
They have all come from that troubled time, and have seen the tragic situation of "thirty rebels against the king, seventy-two puffs of smoke" raging across China. The prosperous city was once reduced to ashes and ruins, and how many people were involved in the war and suffered. Poisonous.
At the time of Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty, there were 8.6 million registered households in the country. Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty imposed excessive levies and expropriations, causing turmoil in the world. However, until his death, there were still more than 5 million registered households in the Sui Dynasty. But in the early years of Wude when the Tang Dynasty was founded, the world's population was only about two million households...
Of course, there are cases where household registrations have been lost due to war and the population has been under-reported, but at best there are only 3 million households.
A total of 5 million households and 30 million people lost their lives in the war-torn chaos...
Today, Zhenguan has been established for the first time. The prosperous age can be deceived. How can we tolerate the recurrence of troubled times? The population that the emperors and ministers of the Tang Dynasty have managed to accumulate in the past twenty years will be destroyed in one fell swoop, allowing foreign countries to take advantage of the opportunity to become powerful, and even repeat the "Five Husbands". Same mistake?
Cheng Yaojin naturally understood that once something unbearable happened, and he led his troops to surround the Chinese army to prevent the news from leaking out, his merits may not be remembered by the world, but he might very well be responsible for "killing the king" and "conspiracy to usurp". If you are not careful, you will be killed and your family will be destroyed.
It is not easy to take on the responsibility of turning the tide...
