"There are many lanes in Luoyang City. Luoshui runs through it and divides the city into two, with twenty-nine lanes in the north of Luoyang and seventy-four lanes in the south of Luoyang. Shangshanfang is located in the sixth lane from the east of Dingdingmen Street, close to the Luoshui Embankment , facing Ziwei Palace across the Tianjin Bridge... Luoshui does not freeze in winter and the water flow is gentle. The boats under the general's command can sail into the city from the water gate above Luoshui and cruise on the river, not only ensuring that the north of Shangshanfang As long as the side is safe, we can also land at any time to reinforce Shangshanfang."
Xi Junmai was very familiar with the layout of Luoyang City and talked about it eloquently: "The last general can also lead his troops to station at the gate on the north side of Shangshanfang. When entering, he can ensure the safety of His Highness, and when retreating, he can escort His Highness to the Luoshui River. Either exit the Luoshui River to the west and take the ancient trade route back to Chang'an, or go east to enter the canal and go straight down to the south of the Yangtze River... I will not dare to boast on land, but as long as we are on the water, no one in the world can threaten the safety of His Highness. Even if there are ten times as many enemies, we can defeat them.”
Obviously, since receiving the order from Fang Jun to assist Li Tai, Xi Junmai led his elite troops to garrison at Mengjin Ferry. At the same time, he had a detailed understanding of the terrain of Luoyang City and formulated the most reliable defense strategy, which can be used to attack and attack. You can retreat or defend, and with the navy's elite soldiers, advanced warships, and powerful firearms, you will be foolproof.
Li Tai didn't know anything about military affairs, but he had read a few military books, and he was very intelligent and keen. Listening to Xi Junmai's words, the map and terrain of Luoyang City came to mind. Taken together, he felt that it was a perfect strategy.
The remaining imperial guards guard him, and the navy is responsible for the perimeter, building two lines of defense, one inside and one outside, and has a plan to retreat from land to the water at any time. If something goes wrong under such tight defense, it will probably It's him, Li Tai, who deserves to die, no one can blame him...
He immediately nodded and said, "Just as you said, immediately mobilize soldiers and warships to gather here, and follow me into the city later."
"Here!"
Xi Junmai stood up and walked out of the tent, gave a few instructions to the accompanying captain, took out his military talisman and handed it to him, watching him quickly ride away to convey the order.
*****
Pei Huaijie rode back to the city. He first arranged for people to go to Shangshanfang to clean up an abandoned government office in the former Sui Dynasty. Then he returned to the Henan government office in the east city, got off his horse in front of the door, and entered the gate.
In the official building, a man in his thirties wearing a scarlet official robe came up to him. He first served tea, then sat on Pei Huaijie's side and asked with a smile: "His Royal Highness, King Wei, refuses to enter the city?"
Pei Huaijie took a sip of tea and snorted, looking uncertain: "As expected, how dare he come in?"
The man sighed, with a look of helplessness on his face: "I hope His Highness the King of Wei can understand our hard work and not try to lure him into the Ziwei Palace so that he will be impeached by the censor and jealous of his majesty. Otherwise, we will have to live a hard life." .”
Who would be stupid enough to let Li Tai move directly into Ziwei Palace, committing a major taboo?
Since he did that, there must be a deeper meaning, but I wonder if Li Tai can understand it...
Pei Huaijie put down his tea cup, exhaled, and said slowly with a sad look on his face: "It is obvious that His Majesty has the intention to suppress the clans, but the world is still a world of clans. This empire that relies on clans to build a country in troubled times, and How can we really get rid of the clans? Your Majesty only sees that "the prosperity of the clans will lead to chaos in the empire", so he insists on cutting off the clans, but cannot see the crisis of "the death of the clans, the empire will fall". His Majesty is short-sighted and only clings to the imperial power, but does not know that the skin is gone. The principle of "Mao Jiang Yan Fu" is sad and deplorable."
This is the conflict between the two mainstream concepts at present. One believes that the clan is the foundation for building a country and governing the world, and if the clan dies, the country will not exist. The other believes that although the clan is the foundation of the country, it is also the source of disaster for the country. The influence of clan cannot be suppressed or cut off. Due to the influence of the government, the empire will one day follow the old path of the Sui Dynasty, and its destruction is not far away...
Both of these two concepts have certain truths and both are right, but neither can convince the other. As they gradually develop, they naturally evolve into a struggle of interests.
The emperor's interest lies in the concentration of imperial power, and he does not want to become a puppet of the clan; the interest of the clan lies in influencing politics, and he does not want to become a dolphin dog that the imperial power can abuse at will...
In Chang'an City, the imperial power is supreme, and everyone has to fight within the rules. Although the confrontation is fierce, everyone is wary of each other and is somewhat calm.
But everywhere in the world, the struggle is gradually becoming more and more fierce. As the city of Luoyang with "the highest political status in the world outside Chang'an", this kind of struggle is everywhere, and the arrival of Li Tai is bound to make the struggle more intense. It cannot be Contain it until it sets off a huge wave.
As the Yin of Henan, Pei Huaijie had to protect his own interests.
It is also the benefit of the local aristocratic families in Luoyang...
Duan Baoyuan picked up the teapot and poured tea into the teacups in front of the two of them, and said disapprovingly: "The King of Wei may not be standing in the same place as His Majesty. Besides, it doesn't matter even if he stands in the same place. In the final analysis, it is just a struggle... Emperor Taizong back then and The Guanlong clan has been fighting for a lifetime, and now His Majesty has gone one step further to fight against the clans of the world... So what if he wins? The imperial examination they conducted seems to support the children of poor families, but today the children of poor families suddenly ascend to high positions If you gain power, won’t you become a member of a noble family one day?”
Dynasties rise and fall, imperial power changes, but what remains unchanged is that the aristocratic families always hold the most basic and greatest power.
As long as the pursuit of interests is inconsistent, struggle will always exist.
Of course Pei Huaijie understood this truth, but he was still worried: "But if this happens, the situation will inevitably become more turbulent, between the central government and the world, the imperial power and the family... If we are lucky enough to have a hard-won prosperous age after endless struggles, If it is consumed and annihilated, we will inevitably become sinners."
Duan Baoyuan retorted: "The imperial power is high and supreme, and it is invincible. What does it matter to the people of the world? We are the ones who can represent the interests of the people, the aristocratic family, and the clan. Even if the prosperous times are no longer and the world is unstable, it is still your Majesty's fault."
Whether the people can live and work in peace and contentment depends on the amount of taxes, the level of leasing, changes in rice prices, and the increase or decrease in corvee labor. All of these are actually in the hands of the aristocratic families, and the people of the world depend on the aristocratic families for their survival.
"For example, measuring acres, although I don't know what your majesty's real purpose is, it must be for the aristocratic family, because land is the foundation of the aristocratic family... Since it is for the aristocratic family, it is for the people of the world. If the land in the hands of the aristocratic family is If the reduction is reduced, land rent, corvee, and taxes will naturally increase, because the interests of the aristocratic families cannot be reduced. Every missing point will be plundered from the people. Therefore, once the measure of the world's land acres is implemented, the opposition will be the most fierce. It’s not the aristocratic families that matter, but the people who depend on the aristocratic families for their survival.”
"Since the people are the world, when Your Majesty is the enemy of the whole world, who is the sinner?"
Duan Baoyuan talked eloquently: "The King of Wei stayed behind in the Eastern Capital after he took office. No one knows what His Majesty's original intentions were. Did he not want King Wei to be trapped in the director's house, depressed and frustrated, and wanted him to make great achievements and leave a name in history? Or did he deliberately put King Wei into the spotlight?" Spend money in Chang'an to give those ambitious people who try to disrupt the government an opportunity to eliminate such a potential threat to the throne? We don't know, but the King of Wei must know it himself. Give him a warning and let him know about Luoyang The city is not a group of subservient people, I think he will be wary of it."
The purpose of Li Tai's stay in Dongdu was unclear, but whether it was to build Dongdu or to preside over the measurement of land in Henan Prefecture, it would seriously harm the interests of the Henan family, so it was not accepted.
Either Li Tai just hides in the former Sui Dynasty capital and lives a luxurious life, or he really has to face endless dangers.
Pei Huaijie took a sip of tea, exhaled a breath, shook his head and said: "We can give King Wei a warning, and even King Wei can face some dangers, but you have to tell those people that King Wei must not have any real accidents in Luoyang. .”
He didn't care about the life or death of a Wei king. As Emperor Taizong's meritorious service when he was in hiding, although he was not as good as Fang Du and his ilk, he still had a deep foundation and outstanding achievements. Without conclusive evidence, he would not be affected by this. And was angered by the emperor.
However, the life and death of King Wei affected the struggle for power at the highest level of the empire, and was bound to sweep the entire world into it. This was something Pei Huaijie did not want to see.
Struggle is possible, but it must be within a certain framework and cannot be expanded or restrained without any restrictions.
Duan Baoyuan laughed and said: "Is Fu Yin confused? After all, he is His Highness the King of Wei. Even if some people want to cause something unexpected to happen to him, they can't do it easily, not to mention the various imperial guards around him. Elite and loyal, just seeing that he summoned the naval captain as soon as he arrived in Luoyang, we can see that he has won the support of Fang Jun. The strength of the navy is not only on the water, they protect the king of Wei, and the safety of the king of Wei is impregnable."
At this point, he looked outside to make sure there was no one nearby, and then asked in a low voice: "Fu Yin, could the person who chased and killed King Wei last night be Fang Jun's people?"
The soldiers on the city could see clearly that the cavalry chased King Wei to the foot of Luoyang City, and even rushed into Shanglin Garden. They only needed to go further to kill King Wei, but they turned around at the last moment. go.
Are you afraid of the defenders of Luoyang City?
not necessarily.
Not to mention whether the guards of Luoyang City dared to leave the city in the middle of the night, even if they did, they might not be the opponent of the cavalry. The other party could easily escape after killing the King of Wei.
The only explanation is that the other party did not want to kill King Wei, but just wanted to scare King Wei or create a tense atmosphere.
Sometimes the situation is too tense, just like a bowstring being fully drawn. It only takes a slight external force to trigger unpredictable conflicts.
And the only one who can do this and take the life of King Wei into consideration is Fang Jun...
Pei Huaijie laughed: "So King Wei is a smart man. He denied that he was not assassinated last night. All the plans launched against him will fail, and he himself will break free from the whirlpool."
(End of chapter)
