In the early winter of the 823rd year of the Holy Tang Dynasty, just when Li Jiangyao led a lone army and dreamed of regaining the great rivers and mountains one day, a new crisis was brewing in the imperial capital thousands of miles away.
Located in the Prince's Mansion in Yuhefang in the east of the city, a small private banquet has just entered a wonderful place where the wine is flowing and the atmosphere is fiery.
The host of the banquet was none other than Huaiyang King Li Kuang, who was recently appointed as the deputy general manager of Jinhe River Affairs.
A group of beautiful dancers finished their performance, bowed to the guests, and then exited the hall one by one. Xiao Shao, the doctor of Guanglu, hugged the beauty with one hand and held the wine glass with the other. He laughed loudly and said: "Hahaha, Your Highness, you are really calm. It has been more than a month since the official appointment documents of the imperial court were issued. It has been more than a month since I saw it. The River Sacrifice Ceremony is about to be held, but you still stay in the imperial capital to have a banquet all day long, hahahaha."
Li Kuang drank all the wine in the golden bottle and hummed nonchalantly: "I don't care so much about him?!"
"That's right -" Luo Linyuan, Li Kuang's brother-in-law and the deputy general of the Forbidden Army's Tiger and Leopard Cavalry Jinwu Guards, said flatteringly: "Our Highness is the eldest son of the emperor and a serious heir. Who would have thought that he would be betrayed by a man with an unfair name and a dishonest reputation? The guy is interfering with you, do you think it is irritating or not? Now that the imperial court has been coerced by Xie Guang, our Highness has been given a sesame and mung bean official to serve as, isn’t this intentional abuse? "
Xu Hanzhong, a doctor of Taixue, said: "What you say makes sense, what you say makes sense. Li Bing is in charge of Jinhe River Affairs, but he makes His Highness his deputy. Wherever Your Highness goes, you can't be squeezed by him."
Li Kuang felt frustrated and waved his hand: "Hey, don't talk about these troublesome things, let's drink!"
Everyone responded and raised their glasses to drink with the King of Huaiyang. At this moment, the palace steward suddenly walked in quickly from outside, walked to Li Kuang and whispered a few words in a low voice.
Li Kuang was stunned for a moment, looked at the housekeeper and wondered: "Why is he here? ... Where is Zhao Jing? Did he come back too?"
The Zhao Jing mentioned by Li Kuang was the chief general of the Huaiyang Palace. In his early years, this man was a powerful thief with special skills. Four years ago, by chance, he was recruited by Li Kuang to serve as the Royal Palace Commander.
The housekeeper shook his head and whispered: "Your Highness, General Zhao has not come back, only that gentleman..."
Li Kuang's eyes rolled wildly, and he immediately said to the guests: "Everyone, drink slowly. I have some things to deal with. I'll come back when you go." After that, he got up and left the table, and went to the study in the back garden accompanied by the butler. .
When they arrived, a man in black robes was sitting in the room waiting. The man lowered his hood, almost covering his entire face.
Li Kuang turned around and ordered the housekeeper and guards: "You all wait outside. You are not allowed to come in without my order!"
All the men agreed in unison, turned around and left, closing the door of the study tightly.
Li Kuang pricked his ears and listened to the movement outside, and then said: "Okay, General Di, take off your hat."
The man in black robe nodded when he heard the words, and gently took off his hood, revealing a fair and handsome face. It was Xie Guang's Sima Canjun and Xuanjia Zhonglang General - Di Xian!
Li Kuang calmly walked to the opposite side of Di Xian, lifted his robe and sat down, burped from the wine, and said: "General Di, why are you here suddenly? Where is Zhao Jing? How did that matter... go? "
"We encountered a little trouble," Di Xian responded calmly: "Your Highness, this is why the general is here. That person, he escaped by chance, and General Zhao is currently rounding up with his men."
"Escaped? Not dead?!" Li Kuang was slightly shocked: "How could this happen? What went wrong?"
Di Xian comforted him: "Your Highness, don't worry. Although General Zhao failed to succeed in one blow, he has completely blocked the nearby mountains and forests. It is estimated that that person will be unable to fly. What's more, haven't we discussed it before? If we can succeed, Of course it’s the best, but even if it fails, the situation is still as planned.”
Li Kuang nodded in disappointment and sighed: "Well, that's what I said, but wouldn't it be better if we could really get rid of it once and for all?"
Di Xian smiled slightly: "Your Highness is right, and we think so too. But anyway, the plan has started, and there are some surprises in the middle, which is normal."
Li Kuang obviously had no other good idea but to listen to what Di Xian said. He was silent for a moment, still a little worried: "I am naturally relieved that you are doing things. But... are you really sure that Mr. Xie is not aware of this matter at all? Will he fall out with the court next?"
Di Xian was mentally prepared for the Huaiyang King's virtues and said calmly: "Your Highness, you can rest assured that Xie Guang has been kept in the dark about this matter. I am afraid that he has not received any news until now. "
Li Kuang hesitated for a moment: "Well, that's fine. From now on, we will have to rely more on Mr. Lao and General Di. If you two can stand by my side, why worry about big things happening? When I ascend the throne, you two will He is the number one hero. Xie Guang’s position as Grand Tutor belongs to none other than Mr. Lao, and the Xuanjia Army must be General Di’s bag.”
After hearing this, Di Xian quickly stood up, knelt down on one knee, and said with joy on his face: "Thank you, General! From now on, Di Xian will go through fire and water for His Highness without hesitation!"
Li Kuang was the worst at this in his life. He immediately beamed with joy and stretched out his hand to help Di Xian: "Oh, dear, you don't have to be so formal. I have always loved talent as much as my life. If you work hard, your future is limitless!"
Di Xian stood up, said some more compliments, and then said seriously: "Your Highness, Mr. Lao sent me to the Imperial Capital. In addition to reporting to you the situation there, I also want to remind Your Highness that we can implement the next plan. ”
Li Kuang was stunned when he heard this: "Oh? Really? So fast?"
Di Xian explained patiently: "It's not too fast, Your Highness. You will have to walk for half a month from the imperial capital before you can enter the Xuanjia Army's defense area. By that time, we will just stage an attack by the Xuanjia Army. His Highness's big drama, blaming Xie Guang, makes it look like he intends to take revenge because of Li Bing. As a result, a fierce conflict will inevitably break out between the imperial court and the East Palace, and we, as for us, are watching from the side. In a tiger fight, when they are both dead and wounded, His Highness only needs to stand up and shout, and the government and the public will respond, and his position as emperor will be safe!"
Li Kuang nodded while listening to him, looking a little absent-minded. He didn't know what the Huaiyang King was thinking in his heart. After a while, Li Kuang asked hesitantly: "Hmm... Regarding the ambush on the way, um... you won't do it for real when the time comes, right?"
Di Xian almost became angry when he heard the other party speak so bluntly. He shook his head angrily and amusedly, and patiently enlightened: "My good Highness, how is this possible? We are not direct descendants of the East Palace, and Xie Guang is unlikely to achieve great things, so we still hope to follow you and prosper in the future. Please. Your Highness, please rest assured that the operation is personally presided over by General Zhao Jing of your palace, and the whole process is guaranteed to be foolproof. Even if Your Highness suffers some pain, it will only be minor flesh injuries at most, just for show to the court."
Li Kuang thought carefully for a while, gritted his teeth and said: "Oh, how can we seize the throne without risking our lives? Well, I will take a risk and take the gamble! Tomorrow! Set off early tomorrow morning!"
Di Xian was overjoyed when he saw this, and once again confirmed all the subsequent details with King Huaiyang, then stood up to leave, and quietly left from the back door of the palace, boarded the carriage that had been waiting there for a long time, and quickly disappeared into the hazy twilight of the imperial capital. .
Sitting in the shaking carriage, Di Xian recalled his previous conversation with Lao Jianhua. He still remembered that he still didn't understand at that time: Why did he secretly cooperate with Huaiyang King Li Kuang?
Lao Jianhua said to him: "The general trend of the world has fallen into a complicated situation. The emperor Li Chengwu is declining day by day, the prince Li Bing is just beginning to take shape, Xie Guang's ambition is expanding, and the Turks are gaining momentum. All these are like layers upon layers. It only takes a spark to set firewood into flames. However, the wise people in the court also saw clearly the key points of the chaos. They wanted to use the clever strategy of "suppressing it with calm" , using some compromises and concessions as the price, first stabilize the crisis, and then secretly plan, step by step, peel off the cocoons, and finally unravel the mess. Once these people's strategies are effective, then our hard work over the past ten years will be It will definitely be in vain. Therefore, we must throw this spark out before they succeed!"
"Master, when you say Mars, do you mean King Huaiyang?" Di Xian seemed to understand.
Lao Jianhua nodded: "Yes, that's him I'm talking about. Li Kuang is the eldest son of Li Chengwu and has a distinguished status. After the weak crown, this guy has shown to be quite ambitious, especially in recent years, he has been overtly and covertly trying to win over the court. As a minister, he always looks for opportunities to show off his talents and abilities. From this, it is not difficult to know that his ambition is not just to be a prince. It is no exaggeration to say that at least half of the reason why Prince Li Bing made up his mind to join forces with Xie Guang was It’s a threat from Li Kuang.”
Lao Jianhua paused for a moment and continued: "In the crisis situation in the imperial capital, Li Chengwu chose to retreat instead of advancing. He used appropriate compromises to stabilize Xie Guang and the Xuanjia Army, successfully avoiding the danger of Shengtang immediately falling into civil strife and war. But you know Is it? The imperial court has not been idle for a moment in secret. According to my spies' reports, in those states, prefectures, and counties that the Taifu Mansion cannot touch, personnel adjustments have been quietly begun. All officials who have ambiguous positions and are undecided have all He was replaced; the main generals of the legions, the Protectorate, and the Zhechong Prefecture secretly went to Beijing one after another to meet with the emperor and receive instructions face-to-face; the officials at all levels who were scheduled to be appointed by the East Palace Office, whether they were Xie Guang's people or not, had Bei Yamen around them. Secret agents are under the strict surveillance of Nilin Division at all times."
Di Xian was shocked: "How could such a thing happen? Have you told the Grand Tutor?"
"Tell him?" Lao Jianhua sneered: "Why should I tell him? Look at Xie Guang's arrogant and domineering look, does he seem to be able to listen to advice? People surrounding him now are all Those who flatter you will fail more than you succeed! What's even more ridiculous is that Xie Guang himself doesn't even know it."
Di Xian agreed: "Master is right. Xie Guang is very satisfied with the current situation and very confident. He believes that if the current situation continues, as long as Li Chengwu dies and Li Bing takes the throne, he will be able to He controls the whole government and the public, covers the sky with one hand, and becomes the master of the dynasty who controls the puppet emperor."
Lao Jianhua sighed: "Well, with such a structure, being a hero is just about the same. If you want to go up further, it will be as difficult as climbing to the sky. If things continue like this, within two years, Xie Guang will be like boiling a frog in warm water. Li Chengwu and the others slowly strangled him in his sweet dream. By the time he wakes up, I'm afraid he won't even have the ability to resist a little bit."
Of course Di Xian believed in Lao Jianhua's judgment and couldn't help but said: "So it is necessary for us to stimulate Xie Guang and make him take action?"
"You finally understand the purpose of being a teacher." Lao Jianhua said with a smile: "Whether it is Xie Guang, Li Bing, or Emperor Li Chengwu, they are nothing to us. What I want is chaos in the world! Only complete chaos Only then can the real opportunity appear. We can't just watch Xie Guang fall into the court's trap and lose in confusion if we take advantage of Xie Guang's ambition and strength. At this time, we will bring in the King of Huaiyang and provoke the court and Xuanjia. The conflict between the legion is the best choice. Once the situation gets out of control, I don’t believe that Li Chengwu can do anything to calm it down when he sees his own son dying!"
Di Xian looked out the car window at the streets gradually sinking into night, and admired his master's judgment more and more. With the strength in Lao Jianhua's hands, if he really wanted to attack the prince, Li Bing would have died hundreds of times. However, this is not their goal.
Whether the prince is alive or dead, he is just a tool to be used.
The most ideal effect is, of course, this situation:
The king of Huaiyang, Li Kuang, sent people to ambush and kill Li Bing for the throne. Regardless of whether the prince can escape this disaster, Xie Guang will not be able to help but go to war and take revenge. Once Li Kuang was killed, Emperor Li Chengwu would be furious and unable to restrain himself. In order to protect himself, Xie Guang could only take risks and raise troops to cause chaos.
At this point, Shengtang will eventually fall into the abyss.
Thinking of this, a cold smile appeared on Di Xian's slightly pale face.
