As Li Shimin withdrew from Luoyang and returned to Guanzhong via Pujin Pass, Li Yuan, who retreated north to Xianyang, also mobilized 40,000 elite troops from Hexi, Longyou, and Hanchuan. They marched in two directions and easily recovered the empty city that had been abandoned by Long Zhi. Chang'an.
However, a series of military defeats such as the destruction of the capital, the fall of Bashu, and the defeat in the Luoyang War hung over Chang'an City like dark clouds, making Li Yuan, Li Shimin and others breathless.
In the imperial study room, the emperor Li Yuan was leaning on the dragon chair, his face was pale and his spirit was listless. He no longer showed the high spirits he had when Taiyuan raised troops and entered Guanzhong. A series of blows had caused his body to go downhill.
"My dear friends, this is an eventful time right now. Bashu has fallen and the capital city has been attacked. The Battle of Luoyang also ended with the defeat of our Tang army. General Qu Tutong, Prince Zhao Li Xiaogong, and Prince Consort Chai Shao were killed. King Yuanji of Qi and Changping Commandery were killed. Wang Li Shuliang, Minister of Industry Dugu Huai'en, Huangmen Minister Wen Daya and many other important officials were captured. It is no exaggeration to say that our Tang Dynasty has reached a critical moment of life and death. I also hope that all of you, my dear friends, will help me and Help Datang overcome this difficulty."
Li Yuan reluctantly sat up straight, looked around at all the important officials of the Tang Dynasty in the study, and said in a hoarse voice, "This time, I hope that all of you, dear friends, can speak freely. As long as you are sincerely advising for the Tang Dynasty, I will not care about anything you say. "
"Father!"
Prince Li Jiancheng stepped forward, raised his hands and said, "My son, can you say a few words first?"
Although Li Jiancheng did not capture Qingzhou this time, his troops suffered little damage. Except for the unfortunate death of General Li Sheng, the main force of the Tang army returned to Guanzhong safely. This was much better than Li Shimin's record of losing troops and generals under Luoyang City. Therefore, Li Yuan now had a great impression of Li Jiancheng. He immediately smiled and said, "Your Majesty, it doesn't matter if you say so!"
Li Jiancheng cleared his throat and said loudly, "Father, I believe that the current situation is an irreversible fact that the Sui Dynasty is strong and the Tang Dynasty is weak. Therefore, I believe that it is difficult for me, the Tang Dynasty, to be the opponent of the Sui Dynasty alone. The first step we have to take is to admit defeat, surrender to Yang Gao, and bring back all the important ministers captured by the Sui Dynasty and the tens of thousands of soldiers from Guanlong."
As soon as Li Jiancheng finished speaking, almost all the Tang Dynasty military figures Li Keyong, Li Jilong and other generals glared at him, their eyes full of injustice and resentment.
Li Jiancheng had long expected the reaction of Li Keyong and others. He turned around calmly and looked at Li Keyong and others, and slowly said, "I know that the generals are not convinced. To be honest, I am also not convinced." Not convinced. But the situation is stronger than the people. The defeat of Luoyang and Bashu and the attack on the capital have brought the Tang Dynasty to the brink of collapse. Now that the people are tired of war and morale is low, we have no capital to continue fighting. "
"Your Majesty, I think what His Highness the Crown Prince said is true!"
Chen Shuda, the prime minister, came out and said, "In ancient times, Gou Jian lived on his back and tasted his courage. He gathered together in ten years to destroy Wu. Temporary submission is nothing, winning the final victory is the most important."
"Your Majesty, I also second the proposal!"
Pei Ji also came out and echoed, "As long as we, the Tang Dynasty, can overthrow the Sui Dynasty in the future. Thousands of years from now, who will remember what happened today? They will only remember that your majesty was wise and powerful, and defeated the Sui Dynasty in one fell swoop, and unified the world!"
"But have you ever thought about it, my lords, even if we want to negotiate a peace, will Yang Gao agree? He has the advantage now, why should he give us time to breathe?"
Li Shimin, standing opposite Li Jiancheng, spoke slowly.
Li Shimin was the leader of the military faction in the Tang Dynasty. Civilians were in charge of peace and military generals were in charge of battles. This is the eternal law of the dynasty for thousands of years. Therefore, Li Jiancheng had already anticipated Li Shimin's reaction, and immediately said, "Although Yang Gao won a great victory on all fronts this time, the losses were not small. According to our informants in Jiangdu, this battle has depleted most of the Sui Dynasty's money and grain stocks." , even in a country as prosperous as Jiangnan, a pound of rice has now risen to forty dollars, let alone the Central Plains, which has just recovered."
After finishing speaking, Li Jiancheng paused for a moment, looked at Li Shimin and smiled playfully, "If my second brother doesn't believe it, you can send people from your Tiance Mansion to Jiangdu to investigate."
"My brother naturally believes the news that the emperor has inquired about."
Li Shimin also smiled slightly and changed the subject, "But because of this, we, the Tang Dynasty, must never negotiate peace with the Sui Dynasty. Otherwise, Yang Gao'er will definitely open his mouth and extort money and grain from our Datang Dynasty to make up for his shortfall."
"But my second brother, have you forgotten that Yang Gao captured a large number of imperial officials of our Tang Dynasty, as well as tens of thousands of prisoners of war from Guanlong. This is the foundation of our Tang Dynasty. Is it possible that my second brother wants to let them go under Yang Gao's command?" Are you going to fend for yourself?" Li Jiancheng glanced at the other ministers while speaking.
"Your Majesty, I believe that what His Highness the Crown Prince said is actually good advice. Negotiating peace with the Sui Dynasty is a wise move for us in the Tang Dynasty at the moment."
"Your Majesty, I second the proposal!"
"Your Majesty, I also second the proposal!"
After hearing this, Dugu Zhen, Dou Kang and many other important ministers from Guanlong came out to support Li Jiancheng. Dugu Huai'en, Dou Dan and others who were captured by the Sui Dynasty were the legitimate sons of the younger generation of their Guanlong nobles, and they were the hope of their family's inheritance. Therefore, even Dou Kang, who belongs to Li Shimin's faction, cannot express his support for Li Shimin at this time.
Li Yuan raised his eyelids slightly and looked at the group of Guanlong nobles in front of him who were asking for orders. He knew in his heart that the Guanlong nobles were the foundation of the Tang Dynasty, and especially at times like this, he must not fall out with them. He immediately nodded and said, "Dugu Huai'en and Dou Dan are our important ministers of the Tang Dynasty, and there is no room for failure. Once the project is completed, I will leave the peace negotiation to you!"
"My son obeys the order!"
Li Jiancheng accepted the order and immediately said, "Father, the current situation in the world is that the Sui Dynasty is the dominant family. We, the Tang Dynasty, are not the only ones who feel threatened. I think we can win over a group of allies to jointly curb the development of the Sui Dynasty." . Zhu Yuanzhang and Yuan Chu in Hebei, Temujin, Wanyan Aguda, Yelu Abaoji outside the Great Wall, Goguryeo, and Oda Nobunaga of Japan are all targets we can win over."
"What the emperor said is not unreasonable. According to the current situation, it is really difficult for us, the Tang family, to compete with Yang Gao'er."
Li Yuanshen nodded in agreement, frowned slightly, and said with some worry, "However, there are many conflicts among the princes in the world, and it may be difficult to unite them. As far as I know, Zhu Yuanzhang and Yuan Chu have already fought for the land of Hebei. Their heads were broken and bleeding, and Temujin and Yelu Abaoji were also fighting constantly."
Li Jiancheng cupped his hands and replied, "My son thought that he could send an envoy to mediate first. He made it clear that if there are still people who don't know what to do, we, the Tang Dynasty, will do our best to help the other party. In addition, we can also use the power of the princes to intimidate the princes, such as Nayelu Abaoji." , his cousin Xiao Yanyan is now Yang Gao's concubine, and she can easily be won over by Yang Gao. The son-in-law suggested that his father could order Chai Rong, and Li Guangbi to send a small group of elite troops from Bingzhou and Hexi to attack Yelu Abao's rear. Help Temujin."
