Almost exhausted

In Chang'an, all the city gates were closed, and people were walking in a hurry on the streets. From time to time, soldiers with strong armor could be seen mobilizing, and the atmosphere was unprecedentedly tense. Li Shimin was defeated in Huoyi, and the elite troops of the Tang Army suffered heavy losses, and in the end they had to abandon the entire Hedong.

area, and retreated to the west bank of the Yellow River. Now the news has spread throughout Guanzhong, the whole country is shaken and uneasy, and everyone is in danger.

In addition, the leader of Qi, Gao Changqing, broke through Hangu Pass not long ago. Now one hundred thousand Qi troops have arrived to the east of Tongguan. In addition, the war in the Bashu region is also extremely favorable. It is said that the prince Li Xiaogong has abandoned Badi and retreated to Hanzhong.

Li Xiyu struggled to support himself in Shu County.

In other words, the war between Li Tang and Gao Qi has been completely defeated. The Qi army is launching a Z-shaped offensive against Chang'an from three directions: Hedong, the Central Plains, and Bashu. Li Tang's situation has reached a precarious stage and is extremely dangerous.

That's not good.

In Zhongshu Province, Fang Xuanling looked very haggard, as if he had aged a lot overnight, hunched over slightly and kept coughing. Fang Xuanling's health has not been good. During this time, he was responsible for staying behind, working day and night, and adding

The continuous bad news hit him, and his body completely collapsed. He had a high fever for three days and three nights, and he vomited whatever he ate. Even his family thought he was in trouble. Fortunately, the fever subsided on the fourth day.

Now, I can eat some porridge, my body gradually recovers, and I finally passed the threshold of death.

Fang Xuanling has not recovered yet, so he has returned to the Ministry of Public Affairs to work despite his illness. Now there are undercurrents and crises in Chang'an City, and it is impossible without him to take charge of the overall situation.

Fang Xuanling finally stopped coughing and was about to drink a cup of tea to relieve himself. A confidant came in and reported: "Master Fang, Shangshu Zuopu She Pei Ji has gone to Tai Chi Palace."

Fang Xuanling nodded and said, "I understand, please step back."

As soon as the confidant left, Fang Xuanling coughed violently again, and finally spit out a mouthful of bloody phlegm into the spittoon. His stuffy chest finally felt better. He picked up the tea cup and rinsed his mouth. His frown clearly contained

Huge hidden worries, and finally let out a long sigh.

The emperor was not in the right position to begin with. If there had been no external troubles, with the emperor's talent and illustrious military exploits, he would have been able to secure his position in a year and a half. It's a pity that Gao Qi didn't give him this chance. Gao Changqing had a vicious vision and was quick and quick to attack.

The emperor was ruthless and did not allow the emperor to take a breath. Now the Tang army was completely defeated, the whole country was shaken, foreign troubles were serious, and internal troubles began to break out.

After the Emperor seized the throne through the Xuanwumen rebellion, although he destroyed the prince's and Prince Qi's palaces, in order to show his benevolence and righteousness and appease the people, he did not completely eradicate the forces of the prince and Prince Qi's line. If the world is peaceful, these remaining forces will naturally not be able to stir up much trouble.

Wind and waves, but it’s hard to say now.

However, the biggest hidden danger now is not the remnants of the crown prince and King Qi, but the Supreme Emperor who has retreated behind the scenes. The appeal of the Supreme Emperor Li Yuan is still very powerful, especially in the current situation of internal and external troubles. The court is calling on the Supreme Emperor to return to power.

The voice is getting louder, which can be seen from the increasing number of court officials visiting Taiji Palace in recent days.

Obviously, Li Shimin suffered a huge defeat, which led to the instability of Li Tang's kingdom, and his own throne began to be shaky. Once the Supreme Emperor returned to power, then Li Shimin was in danger of being deposed, and even his life was in danger. After all, Li Yuan except Li Shimin

, and there are many sons. Although they are not direct descendants, it is not difficult to straighten them up.

Of course, Fang Xuanling can kill Li Yuan at any time, but the matter is so important that he cannot make his own decisions. He must ask Li Shimin for instructions. And in this situation, if Li Yuan is killed, the situation in Chang'an will be even more chaotic.

, at this time, if a restless hero appears in the army, it is hard to say whether Chang'an can still be named Li.

Fang Xuanling quickly wrote a secret memorandum, explaining the current situation in Chang'an one by one, and then sent someone to report to Li Shimin urgently.

Fang Xuanling had just delivered the secret memorial. Shangshu's left servant shot Pei Ji, and Shangshu's right servant shot Feng Deyi, so they arrived hand in hand. Fang Xuanling's heart skipped a beat, and he quietly invited the two in and asked with a smile:

"Pei Gong and Feng Gong came hand in hand. I wonder what I can teach you?"

Pei Ji got straight to the point and said: "Master Fang, the Tang Dynasty is in danger now, the country is in danger of overthrowing, the country is in turmoil, and the emperor is not in the capital at the moment. At this critical moment of life and death, someone in the capital needs to take charge of the overall situation. What do you mean?

Please come out and preside over it for the time being, and I hope Mr. Fang will take the overall situation into consideration." After saying this, he bowed deeply and sincerely.

Fang Xuanling's face was slightly stiff. He was a man of fine words and a wealth of knowledge. If Pei Ji was beating around the bush and playing tricks, he could still handle it. However, as soon as Pei Ji came, he got straight to the point, told the truth frankly, and tried to persuade Fang Xuanling based on the overall situation.

For a moment I didn't know how to answer.

Feng Deyi coughed slightly and said: "The Supreme Emperor will hold an emergency meeting at Wude Hall tomorrow. I hope that Lord Fang will take the country as the first priority and attend on time."

Fang Xuanling's expression changed slightly, she cupped her hands and remained silent. Pei Ji and Feng Deyi looked at each other, turned and left Zhongshu Province.

Fang Xuanling's complexion changed for a moment, and suddenly she coughed violently. Pei Ji and Feng Deyi, two old foxes, one soft and one hard, were trying to kill themselves.

Fang Xuanling let out a long sigh. Now he had only two choices before him. The first was to kill Li Yuan with iron-blooded means and also kill all the courtiers who went to Wude Hall to discuss the matter; the second was to watch Li Yuan helplessly.

Back in power.

Although the first choice is pleasant and easy, the consequences are also extremely serious. In the end, in order to calm down the public anger and appease the people, the emperor may take the blame himself. However, the second option may cause the emperor to lose power in the end, and he may also be blamed.

liquidation.

For a moment, Fang Xuanling was caught in a dilemma. She was in a dilemma. She suddenly felt a sharp pain in her chest, spit out a mouthful of blood, and fell to the ground unconscious.

The clerk outside heard the commotion, looked over, and found Fang Xuanling lying next to the desk covered in blood. He was shocked and rushed in. While pinching the person, he shouted: "Come here, Mr. Fang is vomiting blood."

I fainted, please call the doctor quickly."

…………

It was night, everything was quiet, and the lights were still on in the Taiji Hall of Taiji Palace. Li Yuan sat behind the case and wrote furiously, with a trace of worry hidden in his brows.

The second son Li Shimin launched the Xuanwumen mutiny, and the brothers killed each other. This has always been a lingering pain in Li Yuan's heart. He was dissatisfied with Li Shimin, but he had to admit that this son was talented and resourceful, and was much stronger than the prince Li Jiancheng.

It is undoubtedly a good thing for the Tang Dynasty to be handed over to him.

No, Jieli Khan led 200,000 cavalry to attack near Chang'an, but was summarily dispatched by Li Shimin. Although he lost a lot of property and emptied half of the treasury, it did not damage the foundation after all.

However, Li Shimin's performance in recent times has been really bad. He was completely defeated in the battle with Gao Qi, which caused the whole country to be in turmoil, and Li Tang's country was in danger of overthrowing.

Li Yuan was really shocked. He never expected that his once invincible son Li Shimin would be completely defeated by Li Jing, destroying the most elite troops of the Tang Dynasty. At Hangu Pass, the Tang army in the Bashu area also suffered successive defeats.

Today, Guanzhong is besieged on all sides and is in danger. The situation is really worrying.

"Shimin, Shimin, my father gave you a chance, but you didn't use it. My father can't just watch the Tang Dynasty fall into your hands." Li Yuan sighed secretly and put the brush on the pen holder.

superior.

It was late at night, and Li Yuan did not go to sleep with his concubine. Instead, he went to sleep alone in the study room of Baoxia Pavilion, closed the door, and blew out the lamp.

It was the beginning of July, the end of summer and the beginning of autumn, but the heat was still strong, and he was still sweating slightly while lying on the mat. Li Yuan suddenly felt a gust of cool wind blowing, and the curtain seemed to be lifted. He subconsciously opened his eyes and vaguely saw

When he reached the bed, he saw a dark shadow standing in front of the bed, which made him startled.

The black shadow coughed twice, and Li Yuan calmed down and sat up, forcing himself to calm down and said: "Xuan Ba, are you a fool?"

The black shadow said apologetically: "Did the child wake you up, father?"

Li Yuan said calmly: "I haven't fallen asleep yet. Xuanba came to see me late at night. Is there something wrong?"

The fire lit up in the darkness, and the visitor lit a candle. Under the candlelight, he saw that the man was as skinny as a skeleton, with sunken eye sockets and black lips, as if a gust of wind could blow them away. The moment he lit the candle, he coughed twice again.

Li Yuan frowned and said, "Xuanba, you are weak, you should go to bed early."

Li Xuanba sat down next to the bed, smiled and said: "It's okay, after so many years, the child has not had a peaceful night's sleep. The father stayed up late at night, but he has something on his mind?"

Li Yuan nodded and said: "My country, the Tang Dynasty, is in turmoil, and I feel uneasy."

Li Xuanba shook his head and said: "Since my father has retired, why should he bother with state affairs anymore? Victory or defeat is a matter of military affairs after all. Give Shimin some time. I believe he can reverse the unfavorable situation. Don't go to Wude Hall tomorrow."

.”

Li Yuan frowned and said displeasedly: "Xuanba, are you teaching me how to do things?"

Li Xuanba shook his head and said: "I don't dare, I just want to persuade you with good words."

Li Yuan sneered: "What if I don't listen to your advice?"

Li Xuanba lowered his head and was silent for a moment before saying, "That kid has no choice but to be offended."

Li Yuan suddenly changed his color and said: "How outrageous!"

Li Xuanba sighed and said, "My child doesn't want to be violent, so father, you'd better listen to my advice."

Li Yuan was shocked and angry, and said with suspicion: "The people of the world suddenly launched a mutiny and brothers killed each other. Is it because you, the evil beast, are getting in the way?"

Li Xuanba said calmly: "The father planted the root of the disaster himself, the child just lit the fire."

Li Yuan's breathing became faster in vain, and he was trembling with anger. He pointed at Li Xuanba and said tremblingly: "You... this beast, your mother (Mrs. Dou) took great risks to raise you.

Looking for a famous doctor to treat you, is this how you repay my Li family?"

Li Xuanba said calmly: "Haier killed Xue Ju, killed Shibi Khan, and almost killed Gao Changqing and Li Jing. Doesn't that count as repaying the Li family's upbringing? If the boy hadn't killed Xue Ju,

I'm afraid that he had reached Chang'an three years ago, and Khan Bi Khan led his army south. If he hadn't died suddenly on the way, would Li Tang's country have been able to enjoy the stability it has enjoyed in the past few years?"

Li Yuan's expression changed, and he said in a deep voice: "Yuwen Daoxin, I don't believe you are so kind. You help the people in every way, and instigate his brothers to kill each other. What are your intentions? Is there any ulterior purpose in it?"

Li Xuanba looked at Li Yuan with twinkling eyes, sighed and said: "Father's eyes are like a torch. I can't hide the child's thoughts from you. Anyway, the child told me frankly that the country of the Yang family originally belonged to my Yuwen family, but

He was robbed by Yang Jian."

Li Yuan said coldly: "Then you went to harm the Yang family, but why did you avenge my kindness to the Li family?"

Li Xuanba said calmly: "The Yang family has met its due end. Yang Guang was strangled to death in humiliation, the country was lost, and almost all the men in the Yang family died. Among them, father, you are the creditor."

A trace of uneasiness flashed across Li Yuan's face, he was indeed the one who killed the acting king Yang You.

Li Xuanba continued: "Although Li Tang's empire was stolen from Yang Guang, it is actually my Yuwen family's empire."

Li Yuan sneered and said: "That's ridiculous. Then where did your Yuwen family steal the country? There is no owner in the world, and those who can take it will occupy it."

Li Xuanba nodded and said: "What father said is not unreasonable, so we don't care who robs whom, after all, the winner is king, as long as the child takes the throne."

Li Yuan blurted out: "As long as Shimin is in power, you can't even think about it."

"What if the world's people take the initiative to give up the throne to their children?" Li Xuanba stared at Li Yuan intently.

Li Yuan lost his voice and said: "It's impossible."
To be continued...