Shimin has now arrived in Jiangdu successfully. After the New Year, he will become Yang Guang's second son-in-law.
Yang Guang gave Shimin a mansion in Jiangdu as the Prince Consort's Mansion.
When Li Shimin heard that the imperial court was going to use troops against Lingnan next year, he volunteered to go with the army. Yang Guang was very happy, and Li Yuan had no objection.
This is the second son, and he can take risks.
The eldest son wants to seize the title, which is the foundation of the family inheritance and does not build a dangerous wall. However, the second son must work hard on his own, otherwise it will not be easy to get a title, even if he is the consort.
This is the case with Li Jing. His eldest brother Li Duan can get a title without working hard, but he can't.
Li Shimin had lofty ambitions since he was young. He was familiar with military books and had been studying with Xue Daoheng with Yang Rui. His vision was far beyond that of his peers. He wanted to join the army not for merit, but purely out of interest.
Li Shimin, who has no equal in military use in ancient and modern times, is about to go to the battlefield.
Li Shimin before Princess Shang was the second son of Tang Guogong, and he could only be a general in the army. But after Princess Shang, he was the son-in-law of the emperor, so Yang Guang directly named him Sima, the commander-in-chief of the march, which was regarded as the third-in-command.
Mai Tiezhang is the marching general manager, Xin Shixiong is the deputy general manager, there is no long history, and the following is the general manager Sima.
Li Shimin did not refine the armor, so his old father Li Yuan quickly took out a set from the family treasury and asked someone to modify the armor according to Shimin's body shape.
The mother, Mrs. Dou, actually didn't want her son to take risks, but after all, she was used to people in big storms, and she knew that it was unjustifiable for a family like theirs not to serve the country.
Historically, Mr. Dou died very early, probably in the ninth year of Daye, which was next year.
Without her, the three sons would fight fiercely. In fact, if you think about it, if the Dou family had lived a few more years, maybe the brothers would have avoided fighting each other.
This is their biological mother. Jiancheng, Shimin, and Yuanji have spent the most time with Dou since they were young. Compared with Li Yuan, who is away from home all year round, they are closer to their mother.
If Dou had been as old as Li Yuan, the history of the Tang Dynasty might have been rewritten. Yes, no matter how awesome Li Shimin was, he would not disobey his mother.
Li Yuan can't control Li Shimin without his mother.
In fact, the Xuanwu Gate incident was fundamentally caused by Li Yuan. After Li Shimin killed Wang Shichong and Dou Jiande, look at what officials Li Yuan granted him.
General Tiance, who is above the three ministers, is the Daxingtai and Shangshuling of Shaanxi Province. He has the power to mint money and set up official offices.
Throughout the ages, there has been no greater official position than this.
How big is Shaanxi Road? Shandong, Henan, and Hebei are the top leaders of three provinces.
With this power, Li Shimin, let alone Qian Jiancheng, could directly kill Li Yuan. Therefore, the Xuanwu Gate incident was equivalent to taking care of Li Yuan together. Li Yuan was his father and could not be killed, so he assumed the role of Supreme Emperor.
Until later generations, many people thought that the founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty was Li Shimin. Don’t you believe it? Ask some people on the street and you will see that there are definitely more people who answer Li Shimin than Li Yuan.
Because it was indeed the people from Tiance Mansion who conquered the world, which is why Li Shimin did not kill the heroes.
Because here, there is no one with great achievements, no one has greater merit than him.
"Li Shimin, the last general, pays homage to the general manager," Li Shimin saw Mai Tiezhang and Xin Shixiong at the temporary tent in Yuzhang County.
The army will gather here and march south in April next year.
"Shimin, sit down quickly," Mai Tiezhang asked the other party to sit down with a smile, and said with a smile:
"Although Shimin is young, I have no intention of looking down upon him. My brother Dingfang once said that the prince has high hopes for Shimin, but he never thought that the day when he would rise to prominence would come so early."
Xin Shixiong also smiled and said: "There are talented people from generation to generation, and we old guys can hardly do anything anymore. Sooner or later, we have to make room for you. Shimin, have you worked hard along the way?"
Li Shimin came here to report this time. He probably had to go back to Jiangdu to marry a wife after getting familiar with military affairs. After marrying a wife, he would return to the army.
From Jiangdu County to Yuzhang County, it is separated by Liyang County, Lujiang County, Tongan County, Luchun County, and Jiujiang County. The journey is not very close. Li Shimin is also impatient and wants to come over early to take a look at the situation. After all, this is the first time in his life. the first time.
"It's not hard," Li Shimin's eyes glanced at the sand table in the center of the tent.
Mai Tiezhang saw it in his eyes and said with a smile: "Since you are the commander of the army, you might as well share your thoughts."
Li Shimin smiled and said: "I wonder how the army recruitment situation is now?"
Xin Shixiong explained: "Half of it is here, and the remaining half will arrive one after another before February next year."
"So what's the situation in Lingnan?" Shimin asked.
Xin Shixiong said: "As expected, Shi'an County has been lost. Qiu He and Pei Xuanji are returning north. For people like them, it does not count as loss of city and land. After all, Lingnan has been disobedient to the imperial government for a long time, and they cannot recruit locally. troops."
Shimin smiled: "Actually, strictly speaking, they have lost their city and territory, but the situation is special and they can be lenient."
Mai Tiezhang and Xin Shixiong couldn't help but look at each other. This guy was young and quite serious.
That's right, the situation of Qiu He and Pei Xuanji was a real loss of city and land. The Sui Dynasty Law does not record that it does not count under any circumstances. Instead, as long as the defense is abandoned, the city is lost, no matter what the reason.
But Qiu and the others really had no choice. They had no one under their command, and they were in an unfamiliar barbarian land. They were originally here to implement the imperial policy, but they were caught off guard.
If you really want to fight in full battle formation, Qiu He won't scare you.
"Other counties should have asked for help, right?" Shimin asked again.
Mai Tiezhang nodded: "I have sent people to Jiangdu to send letters of request for help from the governors of Guizhou. However, it seems that they can only protect themselves before April next year. If the imperial court does not send troops, neither will we." Method."
Li Shimin smiled and said: "Is there any rebellion in Feng An's Guangzhou area?"
"Not yet," Xin Shixiong said.
Li Shimin said directly: "Then let's attack Feng Ang directly. This man is standing by and watching, and if he wants to reap the benefits, he has to guard against it. If our army drives directly to Guizhou, if there is a change in Guangzhou, it can directly cut off my retreat. This is a major march." avoid."
Mai Tiezhang and Xin Shixiong were shocked at the same time and looked at each other.
"But His Majesty's decree is for us to suppress the rebellion. There is no rebellion in Guangzhou, so I have no excuse to send troops," Xin Shixiong frowned.
Li Shimin nodded: "We only need to say hello to Feng Ang and tell him that the army will pass through Guangzhou through the road and ask him to accommodate him. If this person refuses, it is tantamount to rebellion, and we can directly use troops. If he allows us to pass, , after entering Guangzhou, they said that Feng Ang was colluding with the rebels and used this as an excuse to capture him."
Mai Tiezhang was dumbfounded: "We can't do this, can we? Feng An is not at fault. It's really unjustifiable to want to accuse him. His daughter is the prince Liangyuan. If we act like this, how will we explain to the prince in the future?"
"Do you think the prince will care about a woman?" Li Shimin said with a smile:
"In Lingnan, either we don't fight, or if we fight, we have to fight to death. Feng Ang and Ning Chang are really the same thing. It's not that the imperial policy cannot be implemented only in Guizhou, isn't it the same in Guangzhou? Your Majesty, here The purpose of using troops is to completely wipe out the anti-imperial forces in Lingnan, and Feng Ang is one of them."
"No, no, the people are too whimsical. That's not how things are done," Mai Tiezhang waved his hands repeatedly: "Our mission is to exterminate the rebellion in Guizhou. The use of troops against Guangzhou is not part of the plan. If you mess up, Your Majesty will He will be held accountable."
Li Shimin said: "I am humble enough to speak lightly. This plan requires the two general managers to state it to Your Majesty. The Guizhou rebels are already prepared. If Shi'an County is lost, the rebels will inevitably set up defenses in Yuecheng Ridge and Dupang Ridge. We will not." It’s easy to fight, but Guangzhou, which is unprepared, is the easiest to win.”
"No, no, no," Xin Shixiong waved his hands and smiled as if he had heard a fairy tale: "Feng An is nominally the lord of Lingnan and the general of Zuo Wuwei. He has done nothing, but we framed him. It is not what a gentleman would do." for."
Li Shimin smiled and said nothing more. He knew in his heart that the two of them would probably not accept this plan.
Mai Tiezhang smiled and said: "Shimin joined the army for the first time and doesn't know much about marching and fighting. You have been with the prince for a long time. In fact, you should understand that going out to fight is not just about conspiracy. There are many aspects that need to be taken into consideration. .”
Li Shimin shook his head: "If it were the prince, I wouldn't have said what I said today."
"That's right, the prince will not let you do this," Xin Shixiong said with a smile.
Wrong. If he were the prince, he would have made such a decision without my reminding him. The two generals only looked at the loss of one place and did not take the overall situation. After all, there is a difference between the marching general and the marching marshal. Li Shimin smiled silently.
After Li Shimin left the tent and went to various ministries to check the deployment of soldiers, Mai Tiezhang shook his head and smiled bitterly:
"Young people today are so courageous. Even Feng Ang dares to do something. He dares to think like this, but I don't dare to do it."
Xin Shixiong nodded: "However, Shimin's views are indeed far-sighted. We have to guard against Feng Ang. Qiu He's letter suggested that the rebels in Guidi are supported by the Ning family. They are fully equipped and have adequate supplies of food and grass. , marching quickly and fighting clearly, this is the Lingnan regular army. The road to Guizhou is not easy to walk, but Feng Ang wants to go around behind us, but the road is wide. If the situation that the people are worried about really happens, even if we have soldiers Even if it is surrounded by mountains, it cannot be used to its advantage."
Mai Tiezhang sighed: "Originally, I thought it would be easy to attack Guizhou this time. After Shimin reminded me, the situation is quite complicated. The variable is Feng An. If this person also rebels, we will be attacked from both sides, but they will not rebel. , we can’t use troops, what a dilemma.”
The second son, Mai Zhongcai, said: "Then let's follow Shimin's method and deal with Feng An first, lest he set a fire behind our butts."
"How can it be that easy?" Mai Tiezhang said:
"Your Majesty is still relieved about Feng An. It can be seen from the fact that Your Majesty asked Feng An to go back, but did not let Ning Changzhen go back. This man is the leader of Lingnan Public Affairs. If you deal with him, you will be the enemy of the entire Lingnan. We With only 30,000 men, we can attack western Guangxi, but it is far from enough to attack the entire Lingnan."
"The main force is in the north, there are no troops available," Xin Shixiong said: "Take it step by step. Feng Ang must be on guard."
