There are not many people who agree with these conditions, but there are definitely a lot of them. After all, Li Chengqian is a generous person and does not pay much attention to imperial dignity. If officials of the third rank or above have something to meet with, Li Chengqian will probably meet them as long as he is free. He is very approachable.
Who is the one?
Li Chengqian glanced at Li Junxian, who was standing solemnly at the entrance of the hall, and said, "General Li, please send someone to investigate this matter in detail."
Li Junxian responded: "Here."
This task is very troublesome. After all, there are many people who agree to the conditions, but it is just a trouble. Nowadays, four gates and more than a hundred miles of square are under military control all year round. Although it is still inevitable that some people come and go without authorization, as long as there are enough manpower, we can investigate the nearby areas one by one. The people I have contacted in the past two days will give feedback soon.
Wang De, the chief chamberlain, walked in from outside the door. Although he walked silently, his feet were very fast. He came to Li Chengqian's side and whispered: "Your Majesty, Zhongshu ordered Liu Zi to appear."
Li Chengqian frowned, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Xuan."
Although he was dissatisfied with Liu Zi's repeated interference in military affairs, Zhongshu Ling was already one of the core leaders of the empire, and he still had to be given the dignity he deserved.
】
"Here."
Wang De quit.
Li Jing was dissatisfied and said: "Separation of military and political affairs is a national policy set by His Majesty when he ascended the throne. The two sides do not interfere with each other and are integrated into one body. Your Majesty is in the middle. This can demonstrate the imperial power, improve efficiency, and avoid buck-passing. Liu Zi was rampant and rebellious, often interfering in military affairs, which led to a deepening estrangement between the military and the government, and the inability to cooperate sincerely increased internal friction, which was a grave crime."
He had never been a person who snitched behind his back, but he was extremely disgusted with Liu Ziqu. He believed that Liu Ziqu was just a bureaucrat, not a famous official at all, and was narrow-minded and only interested in profit. Such a person would be a disaster if he was placed in the center. .
As a prime minister, even if adhering to political opinions is a necessary quality, he will refute the political opinions of those he is hostile to without considering the interests of the empire. It is harmful and useless for such a person to sit in a high position.
Li Chengqian waved his hand and said: "Liu Zhongshu is diligent in government affairs and has excellent abilities. He is my best help in carrying out internal affairs. Duke Wei should not mention these words in the future."
Li Jing remained silent.
The reason why he expressed his attitude so fiercely was just to support Fang Jun. He himself would be disbanded and returned to his hometown in a short time. What did things above the court have to do with him?
But since Fang Jun will inevitably have to argue with the civil servants headed by Liu Zi in the future, he will naturally help a little if he can...
After a moment, Liu Zi, dressed in official uniform, quickly stepped inside.
"Wei Chen has met your Majesty."
"Without courtesy, Liu Zhongshu, please take a seat."
"Thank you, Your Majesty... I've met you all, I'm so polite."
"you are welcome."
After exchanging greetings, Liu Zi took a seat, took out a letter from his arms and handed it to the chamberlain behind him, saying: "Your Majesty, someone threw this letter into the mansion with a crossbow last night. I don't know the content of the letter." , so I rashly opened it and checked it, only to find out that it was entrusted to the minister to forward it to His Majesty. The minister did not dare to be expert, so he could only bring the letter to your Majesty for his review."
There was silence in Wude Hall, everyone had different expressions, but their eyes seemed to be lingering on Liu himself.
Just now, I wanted to check who was secretly colluding with Xiao Yu, but in the blink of an eye, he actually jumped out...
Li Junxian stood at the door of the hall, looking at his nose and heart. A troublesome errand suddenly disappeared. He was in a good mood, but he didn't show it at all.
Li Chengqian looked at Liu Zi, speechless, but his eyes were full of scrutiny.
The chamberlain placed the letter on the royal eucalyptus.
Liu Zi looked a little stunned and explained: "It is probably because Wei Chen had worked under Song Guogong before and accumulated some friendships, which made Song Guogong willing to trust Wei Chen's character, so he entrusted such an important matter to him. However, since Song Guogong defected, This humble minister has absolutely no connection with him, so please let your Majesty know clearly."
In fact, after receiving the letter sent into the mansion by a crossbow last night, Liu Zi thought about it for half the night before finally deciding to send the letter to His Majesty. After all, there is no clear explanation for secretly communicating with the traitors. Whenever His Majesty becomes suspicious, even if he doesn't show up, it's like a thorn hiding in his heart, and his trust in him is greatly reduced.
Of course, he also copied a copy of the letter and sent it to King Jin...
Seeing Liu Zi's helpless smile, Li Chengqian averted his gaze and ordered someone to open the letter and read it carefully.
After reading it, he pondered for a moment and waved his hand to the chamberlain to hand the letter to Li Ji and Li Jing for circulation.
Li Ji and Li Jing read it one after another, then handed the letter to the chamberlain and returned it to the emperor.
In the letter, it was indeed as Chu Suiliang said, Xiao Yu frankly said that he could "incite rebellion" against Xue Wanche, so that he could suddenly launch a surprise attack on the King of Jin's army under the guise of joining forces with the King of Jin. At that time, the troops on the west bank of the Ba River would cross the river to support him, and he would go forward and backward. A pincer attack can defeat the rebels under Lishan Mountain.
Obviously, Xiao Yu regretted it. Now he felt that King Jin could not succeed, and he was afraid that the emperor would pursue him for treason later, so he expressed his loyalty to the emperor in this way, which was almost like a "letter of surrender." As long as he acted according to Xiao Yu's design, then No matter what happens after the war, he must be credited with a meritorious service.
Coupled with the corruption in Jiangnan, which seriously affected the empire's finances, it was necessary to rely on Xiao Yu's influence to appease and govern Jiangnan. With the combination of the two, the emperor would inevitably absolve Xiao Yu of all culpability, and his official position would be restored as before...
The logic is self-consistent and reasonable. It is indeed Xiao Yu's impeccable and forward-thinking style. He calculated the situation clearly. The only thing he neglected was that he trusted Chu Suiliang and was secretly betrayed by Chu Suiliang, which greatly reduced the effectiveness of this letter.
Li Chengqian said: "It seems that the military morale of Pheasant Nu's side is unstable. Even the important people around them have different aspirations. The day of defeat is not far away."
Li Ji and Liu Zi nodded and said yes. The King of Jin already lacked talents, whether it was famous commanders who planned strategies or wise counselors. People like Xiao Yu and Chu Suiliang must have been his right-hand men, but now they are They expressed their loyalty to the emperor one after another. It can be seen that the king of Jin had an army of more than 100,000, but his subordinates were already alienated from him.
We are already at a disadvantage in terms of strength, and we cannot work together as one, so how can we have any chance of winning?
Li Jing stared at Liu Zi and said unceremoniously: "Military and political affairs are different. The discussion here is military affairs. As the Zhongshu Ling, since you have no right to interfere, it is better to listen less. If the strategy is leaked, it will be detrimental to Liu Zhongshu. It’s better to avoid it.”
Liu Zi's face changed and he said displeasedly: "I am the 'Zhongshu Ling', and my duty is to assist His Majesty Zuo in handling affairs. Why should I use military and political distinctions? Now that Duke Wei has military power, he can be called the number one person in the army, and he can give orders." If you dare not disobey, don't you understand the principle of avoiding taboos at all and insist on excluding dissidents and covering the sky with one hand?"
These words were extremely rude. Not only did Li Jing get charged with monopolizing military power and excluding dissidents, but his title of "the first man in the army" even tried to involve Li Ji who was standing beside him...
Li Jing was displeased. Before he could speak, Li Ji beside him said calmly: "Liu Zhongshu's words are wrong. Your Majesty is the marshal of the world's soldiers and horses. We are all your Majesty's soldiers. You keep saying that you are 'the number one in the army.' , but where does that put His Majesty?"
He had long been tired of the title of "number one in the army". Ever since Li Jing retired from military service and lived in seclusion in his mansion, this title had been attached to him. However, apart from sounding particularly domineering, such a title has no real benefits at all.
Is it true that there are people who just bow down to such a title and let them be driven around?
On the contrary, the emperor, who was extremely sensitive to military power, would be suspicious of this. That is to say, Emperor Taizong was broad-minded and extremely confident in his control of the army. Otherwise, Li Ji would probably have to remove his armor and return to his fields long ago, otherwise it would be difficult for him to die well...
Now that His Majesty has ascended the throne, he is not a horse-riding emperor like Emperor Taizong who conquered the world with his Zhenguan ministers. He also has great trust in Fang Jun. Who knows whether he will be wary of Li Ji?
The reason why he stood aside and did not get involved in the struggle for the throne when His Majesty first came to the throne was because of this consideration.
After all, one has to avoid suspicion.
But Liu Zi kept saying "the first man in the army", which seemed to be referring to Li Jing, but his real intention was an insinuation...
He had to express his position in front of the emperor.
Liu Zi was naturally dissatisfied. When it came to the skills of his lips and tongue, who among the generals was he more afraid of than Fang Jun?
Just as he was about to retort, Li Chengqian had already spoken: "On the day I ascended the throne, I decided on a strategy of separating military and political affairs, so as to prevent the military and political parties from fighting each other and criticizing each other. You are all my humerus, and I hope you can follow it."
Liu Zi's face turned red and white, he hesitated for a moment, then he had to stand up and said with a sigh: "Your Majesty's atonement is not for the humble minister to criticize the military general. In fact, the military general's unauthorized use of power is a hidden danger to the country and has to be restrained. But the humble minister was indeed abrupt, so this is Resign."
Get up and salute.
Li Chengqian said to Wang De: "Recently there has been turmoil in various places in Guanzhong. Zhongshu Ling is handling government affairs day and night. He has worked hard to take two kilograms of tea from last year's tribute and give it to Zhongshu Ling."
He also said to Liu Zidao: "I am not biased against Zhongshu Ling, but since the rules have been set, we should try our best to abide by them, regardless of whether we are kings or ministers. The government affairs in the DPRK are like a mountain, and Zhongshu Ling's hard work has achieved great results. We should also pay more attention to our health. I have many things to rely on.”
Liu Zi burst into tears with gratitude: "This is my duty, and it is the greatest honor to share your worries for you. Naturally, I work hard and sleep hard at night without slacking off. Thank you for your understanding."
After saying this, he thanked him again and left the palace to wait for Wang De to get the tea...
Silence returned to the palace.
Li Chengqian asked: "How should we deal with this matter?"
Li Jing looked at Li Ji: "Mao Gong is always very wise, so please be more prepared."
Li Ji didn't want to say more, but the matter had come to this, so he had to say: "Xue Wanche is your Majesty's person, and the Duke of Song Dynasty didn't know it, so he said he was 'lobbying'. In the opinion of the minister, it is better to follow the plan and allow Xue Wanche to be ferried at Xiao Yu's request." Cross the Wei River to join forces with the King of Jin. You can attack the King of Jin's army according to Xiao Yu's plan, but you can't attack its key points. You can attack its rear formation, which will weaken the strength of the rebels and leave the King of Jin with no room to retreat."
