The left side hall of the Xuanwu Hall of Prince Wei's Mansion is simply and refreshingly decorated. There is no dazzling array of luxurious and magnificent decorations. Only one corner of the main hall has a bronze incense burner with light smoke. The faint scent of sandalwood permeates every corner. It is refreshing and refreshing. A log table placed in the middle of the empty hall can be used to identify people.
Yang Ji was wearing a long white laminated cloth gown, with his hair tied up in a purple gold crown. He lost his usual aura of looking down on the world and was replaced by a gentle, elegant and gentlemanly temperament. At this time, after sitting on the case for a few days and approving official documents, he looked like a Confucian scholar who had read poetry and books, rather than the King of Wei, Shangshu Ling, the Minister of the Ministry of Military Affairs, and General Youyiwei (formerly General Youwei) who held the power of life and death. ), Liangzhou Mu.
"Sir, Mr. Hao is back." Just when Yang Ji finished processing the official documents in his hand and was about to take a rest, Liu Rumei quickly stepped inside. Since Yang Ji agreed to take her to participate in the Northern Tour, she gradually resumed her role as secretary-general and gradually alienated her son Yang Chang to adapt to it. However, what made her relieved and frustrated was that whether his son has "Nai", he is his mother. A perfect example of someone who would only chase Pei Shuying for food, but not care at all about the presence or absence of her own mother, attention or lack of attention.
"Oh? He came so quickly. Please invite him in." A smile appeared on Yang Ji's lips, and he ordered Liu Rumei: "While I am discussing matters with Chengyuan, no one else is allowed to come near. If anyone wants to see you on important matters, please do so." Let me know in advance.”
It was Li Shimin who was sent by Yang Ji to assassinate him. In order to ensure nothing went wrong, Yang Ji also asked Hao Yuan, a top strategist, to serve as the executive commander of the assassination. For a child who was not paying attention to him, this seemed to be killing a chicken with a knife. Making a fuss out of a molehill and being overly cautious. But it is very necessary.
It's just because Yang Ji knows that although he has enemies all over the world, his fights with everyone are all within the legal principles and the rules tacitly approved by the officialdom. If there are too many assassinations, it is definitely not a good thing: firstly, because you can assassinate others, and others can assassinate you; secondly, if you start it, break the rules of officialdom, and let others know about it, no matter which political opponent is assassinated in the future, or He committed suicide. The first person that others suspected was himself. In the end, he jumped into the Yellow River and couldn't clean it up. As time went by, he was in the same situation as He Ruobi at the beginning. He became a street rat that everyone wanted to beat. Even the emperor would do it. Alienated, angry, and defensive because of his all-out tactics. Therefore, assassination must not be regarded as the only magic weapon to control political opponents, but it is okay to do it occasionally. But even if you do it occasionally, you must be cautious and leave no clues, lest people follow the clues and find you.
"Yes!" Liu Rumei responded.
After a while, Hao Yuan walked in after changing into clean clothes. At this time, he was no longer the scary "black-robed man" or "sir", but a frail scholar who seemed to be very elegant. Yang Ji bowed and said, "I am sorry to see you, Your Majesty."
"There are no outsiders here, Chengyuan doesn't need to be polite!" Seeing that his hair was still wet, Yang Ji motioned for him to sit down and talk. After Hao Yuan sat down, he asked with a smile: "Although I know you are wearing I've returned to Daxing with good news, but I still want to ask you a nonsense question - how did things go?"
Hao Yuan smiled slightly, bowed to Yang Jifu again, and said softly: "Fortunately, Beizhong and others did not disgrace their orders and successfully pulled out the small nail. And after Beizhong and others completed the task, the weather was good, and a heavy rain suddenly fell. This heavy rain It came very timely, not only hiding the whereabouts of the low-ranking people and others, but also the damage to the evidence was obvious."
"I can rest assured that Cheng Yuan is doing the work!" Yang Ji pondered for a long time and then told Hao Yuan: "But it is always right to be careful. Everyone involved in this matter will be dispersed and transferred out of Guanzhong."
"I obey, I will arrange this when I get down!" Hao Yuan responded, then thought of another target. He lowered his voice and asked, "Your Majesty, the other target is Yuanshou's son Yuan Min, but I don't know when is the right time to take action. ?」
"If you take action frequently, you will inevitably fall into the sight of someone who is interested." Yang Ji suddenly thought of the gathering of representatives of the Guanlong nobles at Zhang Jin's residence, and added in a deep voice: "At this time, the Li family and Guanlong nobles, the court I am afraid that all the officials are silently paying attention to this matter. After today, there may be some changes. Let’s wait until the limelight is over and then make arrangements as appropriate!”
"Your Majesty is wise, and I humbly obey my orders!" Hao Yuan saw Yang Ji being so cautious, and felt very pleased: Yang Ji
Although he is very young, he does not have the problem of being arrogant like most young people and young generals, nor is he arrogant or arrogant because of his impressive achievements in the past. Not only did he distinguish things, enemies, and circumstances very clearly, and he did not underestimate any small "enemy," he also did not bring the fighting style of "it is better to chase the poor bandits with the remaining brave men" into the political field and political struggles. This is undoubtedly the magnanimity, courage, and political wisdom that those in power should have, and it is undoubtedly a huge security guarantee for their followers.
"Let's not talk about this anymore. As for when to take action, you can just explain it. There is no need to ask me about everything." Yang Ji irresponsibly handed over the assassination of Yuan Min to Hao Yuan, and said in a deep voice: "Cheng Yuan, we will soon follow the sage on his northern tour, and the northern tour will definitely not end in a short time. In my estimation, it will take a few months at least. During this period, the internal affairs of the Sui Dynasty Anything can happen and we can't be careless."
"Above the officialdom, Liangzhou has Li Jing, Yang Shanhui, Yu Shinan, Wang Cong, Zhang Xutuo and others. In addition, Qian Shixiong has become the prefect of Fufeng County in Guanzhong, helping Liangzhou to guard several portals that connect the east and west; Privately, Daxing has Grand Manager Gongsun, Luoyang has Jingzhi (Ling Jingzhi), and Lintao has the original copy, so we don’t need to worry about the rear area." At this point, Yang Ji glanced at Hao Yuan, who was listening carefully, and continued: "But in Bingzhou, Youzhou, and Jizhou, our power is virtually nonexistent, which makes us very passive when facing the Shandong gentry, and we are unable to understand the latest trends of our opponents. Therefore, the Tianmen Bingzhou branch, the Youzhou branch, and the Jizhou branch We must get up as soon as possible."
The three states of Bing, You, and Ji mentioned by Yang Ji are now the places where the forces of the King of Wei and the "secret forces" are the weakest. However, these three states happen to be places where aristocratic families are rampant and have the final say. Among them, in the southern part of Bingzhou are the Pei family of Hedong, the Liu family of Hedong, the Xue family of Hedong, and the Zhang family of Hanoi; in the northern part of Bingzhou are the Wang family of Taiyuan and the Wen family of Taiyuan. Youzhou has the Fanyang Lu family and the Yuyang Yuan family; and from north to south in Jizhou, there are the Boling Cui family, the Hejian Liu family, the Zhaojun Li family, the Bohai Gao family, the Qinghe Cui family, etc... And this kind of family Not only are the clans deep-rooted and powerful, but the relationships between them are also layered and intricate, making it difficult to sort out.
It is true that Yang Ji can now use the convenience of the Wangfu's caravan to get some information, but the Wangfu's caravan is walking on the bright side after all, and the information they get is either irrelevant or deliberately released by the local aristocratic families. Rumors, or false news spread by local aristocratic families.
The authenticity of all the news cannot be guaranteed, and the thinking of these decision-makers may even be led in the wrong direction by the other party's false news; therefore, if the Wei Palace/Prince Wei Department does not set up a "professional" intelligence point, there will be no Deploying "professional" intelligence personnel makes it impossible to understand the opponent's movements in a timely manner; and it is even more impossible to target them in a timely manner.
The reason why he mentioned the intelligence agency at this time was mainly to prevent Yang Ji from causing some major events against their Wei Wang faction in the mainland during his accompanying Northern Patrol; and he was thousands of miles away and could not learn and respond in time; in addition, he was around him In addition to Yang Guang, there are many civil and military officials, and the existence of these people, as well as indirect supervision and restraint, make him unable to let go no matter what he does. Therefore, the best way is to leave everything that may happen to the "left behind" personnel for discussion and decision-making.
Originally, Hao Yuan and Gongsun Huan were enough to cope with everything and act on his behalf, but he couldn't do without Hao Yuan. After all, the remaining Gongsun Huan was just a senior counselor who lacked the ability to make decisive decisions and sufficient experience. He alone , I am afraid that they will not be able to deal with the powerful and terrifying family members; therefore, in the case of insufficient manpower, they can only hope that the intelligence personnel will find out the information in advance, so that they can detect it in advance and be prepared to respond.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty, when Tianmen was founded, Bei Zhi and others professionally analyzed the states of the world, and also regarded the merger of the seven states of You, Ji, Jing, and Yang as the top priority. However, these seven states have many powers. , there are many aristocratic families, if we rashly allow a large number of elites from Tianmen to enter, it will definitely attract the other party's attention and vigilance, so we decided to slowly explore and gradually infiltrate. From the current point of view, the situation is very impressive. Next, Beizhi will work with Gongsun Da The manager communicated the matter and informed Zhengben and Jingzhi by means of a bird-passing message, and then dispatched more capable manpower to Bing, You, and Jizhou as quickly as possible." Hao Yuan understood.
Yang Ji was worried about this and suggested: "If it is really urgent and urgent, I would like to suggest that the king ask the Governor of Dugu of Bingzhou and King Teng of Jizhou; and for Youzhou, you can consult Yan Xun. After all, their Yan family is Zhuojun. Hope, the foundation is very strong.”
"The three of them have a very good personal relationship with the king and have many connections. The information they gave must have been screened." After saying that, Hao Yuan reminded: "But since ancient times, emperors have been very taboo about officials in the capital and local officials. Officials communicate privately, and it is difficult to repay the favors owed, so if the king can do without the above three people, it is best not to use them. To avoid owing favors and giving others leverage. "
Hao Yuan's last words made Yang Ji deeply convinced and agreed. After all, it is a shameful thing to inquire about other people's situation; unless it is critical, it is best not to seek help from outsiders. However, my uncle Dugu Kai, my cousins Yang Lun, and Yan Xun can be used as backup connections in case of emergencies. If possible, I won't use them.
Thinking of this, Yang Ji said to Hao Yuan: "Well, let's consider the three of them as alternative relationships for emergencies! Just leave this matter to General Manager Gongsun."
Before becoming the counselor of the founding Wei Zhao Yang Shuang, Gongsun Huan, the chief steward, was a free and unrestrained Taoist priest. When he was young, although he took care of Pingkangfang Nanqu's business from time to time, he had no idea of starting a family until he met Wen Wen. Like the Zhang Shen family, Gongsun Huan suddenly had the idea of starting a family and inheriting the Gongsun family's incense.
After the "old couple" obtained Zhang Chuchen's consent, Gongsun Huan married Zhang Shen's family according to the lineup and rules of marrying a wife. Not only did he now have a stepdaughter Zhang Chuchen, but their "old couple" unexpectedly gave birth to a fat and white son.
Although Gongsun Huan was a wise man with resourcefulness, both civil and military skills, and rich experience, he used to have a Taoist style of purity and inaction. Until more than a month ago, after he was promoted to the "father" generation, Gongsun Huan's mentality became completely different from before. .
Because he has a son, Gongsun Huan has a much stronger sense of responsibility than before and works much more seriously. In addition, he is very familiar with Dugu Kai and Yang Lun, so Gongsun Huan is undoubtedly in charge of "activating backup connections" The perfect candidate for the key.
After hearing this, Hao Yuan thought for a while, nodded and said, "Your Majesty is wise!"
After Yang Ji became Shangshu Ling, other large and small factions were indeed on guard at first. However, seeing that he had not interfered excessively in government affairs as usual, and had not made dangerous moves to seize power, everyone was no longer on guard. It is as strong as before. This also means that Yang Ji Shangshu Ling's position has gradually stabilized. In addition to the previous achievements around Liangzhou and Youzhou, as well as his great reputation among the poor people, other It would be extremely difficult for the faction to capture him.
The only thing that needs to be worried and careful is that when Yang Ji is accompanying Yang Ji on his northern tour, the palace lacks a powerful and powerful person to take charge of the overall situation and deal with unexpected changes that may occur. At this time, Hao Yuan felt relieved when he saw that Yang Ji had carefully considered and arranged things in place, and also asked General Manager Gongsun to coordinate various people.
Just when Hao Yuan was about to stand up and leave and go to arrange various matters, Liu Rumei's voice came from outside the door: "Sir, the concierge came to report that Governor Yong Shi sent a messenger outside the door to ask for an audience. Did he see it or not? ?」
"He came very quickly. Let's bring him in." Yang Ji couldn't help but sneer when he heard this. More than an hour before Hao Yuan came back, Yang Ji heard that representatives from the Guanlong nobles had sent representatives to Zhang Jin's mansion to celebrate his birthday. However, Li Yuan, who went to celebrate his birthday, unexpectedly ran wild in the heavy rain and did not even greet the prince who went to deliver the decree.
The arrival of this news also made Yang Ji expect that Hao Yuan had succeeded at that time. The reason why he did not come back for a long time was simply to deal with the follow-up matters in Cuihua Mountain. Judging from the time difference, the representative of the Guanlong nobles had already sent the news of Li Shimin's assassination back to his mansion.
As for the history of Governor Yong mentioned by Liu Rumei, it was Li Changya, Yang Ji's cousin-in-law and the consort of Princess Xiangguo. He had obviously got some news, or someone had reported the case, but the reason why he sent someone to Prince Wei's Mansion to ask for an audience was to let People are surprised.
"Yes!" Liu Rumei responded outside the door and left in a hurry.
In the hall, Hao Yuan stood up and cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, I have just returned from my humble post.
Come on, your hair is not dry yet. Do you want to avoid it? "
Looking at Hao Yuan's hair that was still wet, Yang Ji waved his hand and said, "No need, you haven't done anything wrong. Is there anything worth avoiding? Just sit down and listen."
"Here!" Hao Yuanfu sat down again, looking like Yang Ji, as if nothing had happened.
