Pei Shiju was cold and had difficulty walking. Galan carefully supported him and clearly felt the heavy weight of Pei Shiju's body and mind.

Pei Shiju weighed the pros and cons for a long time and could not find a way out, but could only take responsibility.

Lou Guandao and Longxi Li took the initiative to compromise with Jia Lan and secretly helped Jia Lan send Xue Deyin out of Hexi. This is actually intentional to drag himself into the water and force him to form an alliance with them. Jia Lan sent Xue Deyin to Xue Shixiong, which was the same. If he turned a blind eye and ignored him, Lou Guandao, Longxi Li, and Xue Shixiong would try every means to report the news to the emperor through other channels, but he would definitely fall into a passive position and might even lose the emperor's trust.

From another perspective, it is precisely because of Galan's loyalty to himself that after learning the news, he always put his interests first, whether in the northwest or in Youyan, he did his best to ensure the safety of Xue Deyin, and took the initiative to accept the transaction conditions between Lou Guandao and Longxi Li, and pulled Xue Shixiong this "ship". If these three forces form alliances and work together, and each gains their own benefits in this storm, it will definitely change the situation in the court, affect the central decision-making, and even affect the political situation of the future empire.

For me, this is a good thing. Of course, the first question is that Yang Xuangan is plotting a rebellion. Without this first question, he would not be able to get the best benefit from the alliance. On the contrary, he was a sucker and used the two alliances to make great profits with his own strength. Especially Lou Guandao and Longxi Li, who were suppressed by the emperor, happened to take the opportunity to get out of the predicament. This was something he could not bear. This was a backward proof that Lou Guandao and Longxi Li used the mouths of Jialan and Xue Deyin to him to have a very high credibility.

If the credibility is high, the Guanlong powerful people, led by Yang Xuangan and Li Mi, led by Yang's power and the remnants of the prince, are plotting to rebel and usurp the country, and now only a few people know that, then this is a "big pie" falling from the sky. They can be used, planned and strived for the maximization of interests. Not only can they benefit themselves and their alliances, but they must also benefit the emperor and the center, and the empire, so as to promote the wheel of imperial reform to move forward and quickly move towards prosperity and strength.

Once Pei Shiju decides to take on this matter, he will put aside his disadvantages and expand his interests as much as possible. As a result, his confidence will increase greatly, and his heroism will suddenly arise without hesitation.

Pei Shiju's eyes gradually became firmer and his steps gradually became relaxed. Galan once again felt the changes in Pei Shiju's inner world, and knew that he had made a decision. He was secretly happy and his blood was rushing. In an instant, he felt blood rushing. If Pei Shiju destroyed Yang Xuangan and Li Mi and stopped the upcoming storm, would the empire change its direction? Will the people escape a catastrophe of death?

"I remember before you went to Tulunchuan, I entrusted General Xue to send a letter to someone." Pei Shiju turned his head and looked at Jia Lan, showing a look of appreciation. "I told you that the Eastern Expedition ended in a crushing defeat. Nothing could have become a reality. You know, a person's power is very limited, and even if he has a high position and a high position and a powerful person, he cannot stop the roaring torrent." Pei Shiju did not believe Ga Lan's "spoken words" at the time, but even if he believed it, under the circumstances at that time, if he had "everyone was drunk and I was awake alone" and "unconventional" objection, he would have been kicked out of the center by the emperor and the ministers who supported the Eastern Expedition, and even kicked back to his hometown directly.

"The second Eastern Expedition is imminent. You have traveled thousands of miles and gone through hardships. I am very happy to have rushed from Tulunchuan to someone's side." Pei Shiju finally said something that moved Galan. The factual sentence means that Pei Shiju accepted Galan again.

"Galan, tell me, what is the chance of winning in the Second Eastern Expedition?"

Galan's steps were stagnant, and he immediately guessed Pei Shiju's plan. A hint of panic and a hint of confusion flashed through his eyes.

Pei Shiju is not an ordinary person. A great wise man has great courage. In the past, he assisted the founding of the late emperor, assisted Chen in the present, managed the western territory, and promoted reforms. With his power, strategy and wisdom, in order to maximize his interests, he would do his best to assist the emperor in the east, without doing his best to deal with rebellions such as Yang Xuangan and Li Mi. In the case of Yang Xuangan's rebellion, he had already grasped the initiative, controlled the initiative, and destroyed his opponents easily, so he would resolve this crisis while continuing to assist the emperor in the expedition to Goguryeo, winning victory on both battlefields, and then turning the world around in one fell swoop.

Pei Shiju is a central important official and one of the "five nobles" of the dynasty who dominated the fate of the empire. He stood at the peak and looked down at the world. His thinking, vision, courage, etc. were very different from ordinary people. He knew what harm would the rebellion led by Yang Xuangan cause to launch a rebellion at this moment. However, this harm was too great compared to the victory of the Second Eastern Expedition and the impact of this victory on the political situation of the empire. Pei Shiju first considered the national affairs, the prestige of the emperor and the central government, the control of the central government over the localities, the promotion of the new policy, and the future of the empire. Therefore, the Eastern Expedition was definitely the first, the main, and the suppression of the rebellion was the second, and the secondary.

Since the emperor and the central government decided to fight the east and mobilized national strength to prepare for the preparations, the two sides of the river suffered a rare flood in a century. Between the eastern expedition and the disaster relief, the emperor and the central government chose to give priority to the eastern expedition. As a result, disaster relief was not effective, starvation was everywhere, and disaster victims rose up, and riots swept across the country. Last year, the eastern expedition was exhausted, but the country suffered another rare drought. The emperor and the central government's countermeasures were still given priority to the eastern expedition. As the disaster situation worsened, rebellions in various places became a prairie fire and were out of control. While riots in various places were repeatedly launched, government officials in various places also began bloody suppression. Judging from the reports from the severely affected areas such as Hebei, Henan, Shandong, and the Huai River, the situation was still under control, and the rebellion of thieves from various places had not yet shaken to the foundation of the empire.

As long as Yang Xuangan's rebellion is strangled in its bud or the scale of the rebellion is controlled within a certain range, then after the victory of the Eastern Expedition, the army can pour down from north to south. Then, let alone Yang Xuangan, even the mobs on both sides of the river will be wiped out in one go, and then major events can be settled.

Pei Shiju's idea of ​​expeditioning the east was not affected at all because Yang Xuangan might rebel. He wanted to expedition the east, destroy Goguryeo, win the victory of the east, and win the overall victory of politics.

Galan hesitated for a long time and had to carefully remind Pei Shiju.

"The winter in Liaodong comes early, and it may snow in October. If the heavy snow will make it extremely difficult to transport food and supplies. If the army fails to conquer Pyongyang and destroy Goryeo before the end of September, the eastern expedition will inevitably fail. In other words, the army must at least cross the Yalu River between June and July, and gain enough time for attacking Pyongyang. After the army passes the Yalu River, the navy should also arrive at its destination. If Yang Xuangan launches a rebellion at this time, cuts off the Yongji Canal and cuts off the food route of the eastern expedition army, then the army will have to retreat, and the eastern expedition will be defeated again."

Jialan looked at Pei Shiju and said earnestly, "Even if the second Eastern Expedition returns in vain, it will be a big failure, which will give the emperor and the center a fatal blow."

Pei Shiju frowned with white eyebrows and a plain tone, "In your opinion, there is no chance of winning?"

Galan shook his head, "We must first stabilize the country when fighting foreign countries. The labor force needs a steady stream of food and grass for the expedition. Now that domestic rebellions are on the rise, there is a crisis of cutting off the grain channel, where will the chance of winning come from?"

This sentence is very serious, but Pei Shiju didn't care. "We were defeated in the first Eastern Expedition, but the Goguryeo also paid a heavy price. The loss of the 300,000 army is indeed very large for us, but our country is strong, and this loss is actually nothing. On the other hand, the Goguryeo people are weak, and their heavy losses have shaken its roots. The reason why we launched the Second Eastern Expedition is this. It is optimistic that the army can cross the Liao River at the end of April, cross the Yalu River at the end of May, and take Pyongyang at the end of June. As for your concerns, it is unnecessary. Since you know that Yang Xuangan is going to conspire to rebel, you have your own way to kill it to ensure that the food channels are unobstructed."

Pei Shiju's confidence comes from strength, and Galan couldn't find a reason to refute, so he could only shut up his mouth.

=

Xue Shixiong came in a hurry.

The confidential news that Galan brought from the northwest was also a huge trouble for Xue Shixiong.

Yang Su was too powerful and the remaining strength was too strong. The emperor initially wooed and used this force, but as Yang Su died of illness, Yang Xuangan rose rapidly, and the emperor's new policy increasingly harmed the interests of the powerful and noble families, and the two sides gradually moved away. Yang Xuangan's power was a "big figure" in Chang'an, and the emperor had always tried every means to curb and weaken it. Yang Xuangan was expressing his support for the emperor's reform and the emperor's eastern expedition, but secretly mobilized local forces to fight against the central government and instigated the generals of the army to preserve their strength to attack dissidents.

The emperor may not know about these things, after all, his trusted ministers around him dare not impeach Yang Xuangan at will. Although the central forces are constantly fighting, the best way to maximize interests is to strive to exchange interests in balance. Hello, I, everyone, and they will not easily provoke wars unless they have to, so as not to kill a thousand enemies and harm themselves. The first Eastern Expedition was damaged at home and abroad. Some ministers at the Tai Pavilion died of illness, some were deposed, and some were beheaded. The army commander was replaced by a large number. Some were unlucky and some were lucky. Yang Xuangan was lucky because the Tai Pavilion and the army needed to supplement senior officials. Many powerful bureaucrats in his group who were suppressed and attacked made a comeback. Among them, the most famous was the meritorious and veteran commander Li Zixiong.

Although Xue Shixiong was born in a noble family and joined the army at a young age, he had never been famous since Zhou and Sui Dynasty. During the late emperor, Xue Shixiong inherited his father's title and was promoted to the General of the Yitong Sansi, the Right Guard, and was also a fourth-rank imperial guard military officer. However, Xue Shixiong once commanded the army in Jiangzuo and established a good relationship with Jin, who was the general of Yangzhou at the time. Later, he followed Jin to the frontier and northern expeditions, and was regarded as a general placed in the army. After inheriting the Grand Priest, Xue Shixiong "sparkled" and fought for the emperor in the south and west. He successively served as the General of the Right Guard, General of the Right Guard, and General of the Yumendao Army. Although he was dismissed from his post in the Eastern Expedition, he was immediately appointed as General of the Right Guard.

Xue Shixiong's "late-up" was not because of his great achievements, but because he stood in the right position. If he supported the prince like Gao Bing, Liu Shu, Xue Daoheng, He Ruobi and others, he would have died long ago. Since Xue Shixiong is a current trusted minister, he has achieved success and fame because of his current valuation. Naturally, he is loyal to the present and naturally is hostile to other factions. Especially after the emperor's reforms increasingly endangered the interests of the powerful families, this hostility became more and more serious. Xue Shixiong had to act low-key to avoid becoming the target of public criticism.

In the past, Xue Shixiong was not Yang Su's group and was greatly suppressed. Now he certainly would not show mercy to Yang Xuangan's group. There were frequent "frictions" between the two sides. At this time, Jia Lan suddenly gave him a "big gift" to attack Yang Xuangan's group. Of course he was happy, but with his strength, even if the emperor was the backer, once the two sides "start war", Yang Xuangan's group would suffer heavy losses, and this series would be scarred and not worth the loss.

The weight of the "gift" is very heavy, but unfortunately it is not something Xue Shixiong can bear. Fortunately, Jialan has already made plans. Not only does he have the help of the Li family in Longxi, but he also has to push Pei Shiju, the most powerful, to "carry the banner". If the three forces form an alliance and join hands, they dare not say that they are sure to win, at least they have a chance of winning with a 50% chance.

Pei Shiju invited him late at night, which was enough to show that this matter was half successful. Xue Shixiong came in excitedly and paid respects. In terms of title, Xue Shixiong was a county duke and Pei Shiju was a county duke, both of them were from the first rank; in terms of official positions, the right guard general was a third rank, and the Huangmen minister was from the third rank, and Pei Shiju's rank was still one level lower; but in terms of power, the General of the Guard's General and the Deputy Chief of the Menxia Province Huangmen minister were too far apart. Pei Shiju was just too old, so it was natural that Xue Shixiong was more respectful and took the etiquette to be sufficient.

=

Jialan retreated consciously and stood guard outside the garden gate. The green-robed clerk Shi knew that Jialan must have brought important news from the northwest, but he was humble and did not dare to inquire. He closed his mouth and gave Jialan a smiley face greetings.

The two old men walked side by side in the night wind, and after a few greetings, they started chatting about homework.

Pei Shiju has been in the center for a long time. He has been in the middle of the emperor for more than 20 years and has too old experience. In comparison, Xue Shixiong is a new high in the court and a new high in the army. The psychological gap is relatively large. Fortunately, the two have had close cooperation in the process of conquering the Western Land, and they are close ministers of the emperor and have similar interests, so they have established a good relationship. Otherwise, the two would not have been together at all, and there would not be any secret discussions tonight.

Relationship is relationship. Nowadays, one of the two is the deputy chief of the Central Menxia Province and the other is the general of the Military Affairs Office. According to convention, we should try our best to avoid private meetings, especially late-night gatherings. Before that, the two met at the Grand Court or on some special occasions, and there was basically no chance of private communication.

Perhaps it was because they had not met for a long time, and they chatted with each other for a long time, from their parents, wives, concubines, children to grandchildren and great-grandsons, laughing constantly.

"Your Majesty will rest for two days in Linshuo Palace." Pei Shiju said calmly, "Duke Tang is with you, you should have time tomorrow. The general can find an excuse to visit."

Xue Shixiong hesitated for a moment and asked, "Gei Master, is this credible?"

"This doesn't matter." Pei Shiju's face showed a slight smile. "Your Majesty is very concerned about Mr. Chu and is always looking for the right opportunity."

Xue Shixiong nodded without saying a word. Pei Shiju made a quick decision and was determined very much. He probably would have to report to the emperor as soon as the sky was dawn. This was impossible. Tonight, the deputy chief of the Menxia Province met secretly in the Emperor's Palace with a general of the Guard Palace. How could he hide it from the emperor? He personally sent Jialan to the palace to pay homage to Pei Shiju, but in fact he forced Pei Shiju to make a quick decision. Fortunately, judging from Pei Shiju's words and deeds, he also "accepted" Jialan's gift, and was not angry because of his own forced.

"Gei Master, will the Eastern Expedition continue?" Xue Shixiong asked again.

"The plan for the Eastern Expedition cannot be changed." Pei Shiju was determined.

Xue Shixiong sighed secretly, and a shadow flashed through his heart. The emperor and the central government were determined to win the victory of the Second Eastern Expedition. One was the domestic situation, and the other was sure to win this time, because the Goguryeo people were dying. As long as they were lightning strikes, Goguryeo would definitely be destroyed. Therefore, even if they knew that Yang Xuangan was going to rebel and usurp the country, the emperor and the central government would definitely stop the pace of the Eastern Expedition.

Since the Eastern Expedition continues, we cannot hurry to arrest people, because there must be Yang Xuangan's accomplices around the emperor and within the central government. Once the news is leaked, Yang Xuangan cuts off the food route, Li Zixiong and Yuan Hongsi raise troops at the same time, attacking both capitals one east and one west, and there will be chaos in the country. There will be no need to give up in the Eastern Expedition, which is something that the emperor and the central government absolutely do not want to see.

In order to ensure the Eastern Expedition, we must first stabilize the rebellion and resolve the enemy one by one. The biggest threat is Li Zixiong and Yuan Hongsi. These two must be taken first, and firmly control the navy and the Northwest Army. Once these two people were taken down, the news reached Yang Xuangan's ears. He must know that the matter was exposed, and the horse would raise troops to rebel and cut off the food route. Therefore, we must secretly send people to the eastern capital Luoyang to make the Dongdu prepare to quell the rebellion. At the same time, we try every means to trick Yang Xuangan to Luoyang to arrest him.

Now Li Zixiong is in Donglai, Shandong, Yuan Hongsi is in Honghua, and Yang Xuangan is in Liyang, Hebei. Even if the emperor and the central government take three steps, the three places will take action at the same time, but because the distances of the three places are different and the situations in the three places are different, the alertness and determination to rebel are also different. As long as one of the places makes a mistake, it will inevitably cause chaos. Yuan Hongsi has the Northwest Army and Li Zixiong has the navy, all of which are tens of thousands of troops. Once the rebellion is rebelled, the harm is too great. Only Yang Xuangan has not many troops, and they are all local garrison troops, with a maximum of one or two thousand people, and their combat effectiveness is limited. Even if the rebellion is limited, there will not be much harm in the short term. Just wait for the left-behind army in Luoyang to fight to Liyang, and Yang Xuangan will definitely be defeated. In this way, the food route can be unobstructed and the eastern expedition can continue. Therefore, the most urgent thing is to take down Li Zixiong and Yuan Hongsi first, so the major event can be settled.

However, the strategies are based on evidence that Yang Xuangan is conspiring for rebellion, and the basis for the emperor to recognize the matter and start to suppress the rebellion. However, what is lacking now is evidence.

The empty words are nothing, especially when the Second Eastern Expedition has begun, impeaching the opponent to conspire and rebellion, intensify the central conflicts, and provoke the government. It is equivalent to slashing people with your head and seeking death. For the benefit of the empire and the emperor, you will die with the enemy. This is not what the wise man does. Pei Shiju is not confused yet, and Xue Shixiong will not destroy his future.

"Grandmaster, how do you reply to Your Majesty tomorrow?"

"Control the northwest first." Pei Shiju's voice was calm and powerful.

Xue Shixiong immediately understood that Guanzhong was the foundation of the Great Sui Dynasty, and the foundation should not be lost. The Northwest Army was too close to Chang'an, and the Northwest Army in the Honghua direction could reach the city within a few days. At this moment, the emperor was far away from the battlefield in Liaodong, thousands of miles apart. This would make the powerful and noble bureaucrats in Guanlong no longer fear because of the distance, and would have all kinds of luck and speculative thoughts. If nothing unexpected happens, Chang'an will turn against each other and Guanzhong will fall. Guanzhong will fall, rebels can enter and fight out of the pass, occupy Luoyang, sweep the Central Plains, retreat can defend the danger, separatist and independent, and divide the Middle Earth. In this way, the empire will fall apart and the creatures will be devastated.

In comparison, the Donglai Navy has no such terrible harm that can shake the fundamental harm of the empire. First, Donglai is too far from the Dongdu, and there is only one waterway to pass through. Second, the Dongdu Luoyang is located in the Central Plains. It has an important strategic position but its political status is not as strong as Chang'an. After its fall, it has an impact on the empire. Third, the Navy commander is Lai Hu'er, the General of the Right Guard, and the Deputy Commander is Zhou Fashang, the General of the Left Wu Guard. Both are from Jiangzuo, and their subordinates are from Jiangzuo.

, and the conflicts between the people of Jiangzuo and the people of Guanlong were fierce, so even if Li Zixiong rebelled, it would be difficult for him to kill Lai Huer and Zhou Fashang, let alone control the entire navy. In this way, Li Zixiong only had his own Guard troops in his hands. If there was any abnormal movement, he would definitely attract the siege of Lai Huer and Zhou Fashang. To take a step back, even if Li Zixiong defeated Lai Huer and Zhou Fashang and successfully killed at the city of Luoyang, he would face tens of thousands of Dongdu defenders, and it would be difficult to ascend to the sky to conquer Luoyang.

Between Yuan Hongsi and Li Zixiong, of course, Yuan Hongsi was taken first.

"The plan will be released?" Xue Shixiong had to ask, because after dawn, Pei Shiju was going to report to the emperor, how did he report to the emperor? How could he not report to Yang Xuangan without any silence?

"After dawn, the general sent someone to send Zhaowu Qushu to the Honglu Temple."

Pei Shiju did not answer directly, but Xue Shixiong guessed that Pei Shiju's plan was to use Zhaowu Qushu to lead the secret behind the sudden change in the northwest situation. From this secret, it was inferred that the mistakes of Honghua's strategy in the Western Land. At present, Qiemo Lost and Shanshan's nameless destruction, as well as the large-scale counterattack of the Tuyuhun people, all require people to come out to take responsibility, and a capable general needs to go to the northwest to preside over the overall situation, such as negotiating with the Turks to maintain the alliance, blocking the Tuyuhun people's plan to restore the country, helping Zhaowu Qushun people return to Kangguo, etc., and Yuan Hongsi is obviously not the best candidate and must be transferred.

The change in the situation in the West and Turkish situation was after Pei Shiju gave up control over the foreign affairs of the West and Turkish, so Pei Shiju could use the Zhaowu Qu Shuzhi incident to launch a fierce "counterattack" against the political enemies, attack Yuan Hongsi, and take the opportunity to drive Yuan Hongsi out of the northwest, and first cut off Yang Xuangan's "right arm".

"I am willing to help the elders." Xue Shixiong made a promise immediately. If he wants to drive Yuan Hongsi out of the northwest, he must set off a storm in the court, so that the emperor can feel the heavy pressure and the crisis, and then the emperor will quickly cut the mess and solve the problem.

"Please work hard for Mr. Tang," said Pei Shiju. "The condition is that Mr. Tang can serve as the remaining guard of Honghua and take charge of the military affairs of the 13 counties of Longyou. When Mr. Tang arrives in the northwest, it will help Louguandao operate the northwest, which is considered to be a favor for Louguandao."

One sentence determines the fate of Li Yuan, the Duke of Tang, which seems unbelievable to others, but in terms of Pei Shiju's power, it is just an ordinary thing. At that time, Yu Wen Shu controlled the army, Pei Yun was in charge of supervision, Su Wei, Yu Shiji and Pei Shiju had to make decisions, among which Yu Shiji and Pei Shiju were the most trusted by the emperor, so it was easy for Pei Shiju to decide the future of a fourth-rank guard Shaoqing.

"Yuan Hongsi was transferred for crimes, and the Hexi Weifu Mansion will also be implicated." Pei Shiju reminded Xue Shixiong, the meaning was very obvious. Feng Xiaoci and Wang Wei of Hexi Weifu Mansion were both Xue Shixiong's old subordinates, so he could take care of him.

Pei Shiju bowed to thank him. He had received a letter from Feng Xiaoci and Wang Wei before. The two of them felt that the situation in the West and the Turkish country was getting increasingly difficult and their future was bleak. They were interested in transferring them and begging the old coach for help. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Pei Shiju was not polite and directly proposed the conditions, asking Pei Shiju to transfer Feng Xiaoci and Wang Wei from the northwest.

Pei Shiju was so eager that the two hit it off. The three Northwest Army commanders who belonged to different factions were transferred from the Northwest to the northwest, which was more concealed and more operational.

"Where is Donglai?" Xue Shixiong asked, "Although Rong Gong Lai Hu'er is an old subordinate of Chu Gong Yang Su, he has always been incompatible with Li Zixiong and can be used."

Pei Shiju smiled and shook his hand, "Li Zixiong is highly respected and highly respected in the army. It is best to keep such a person by His Majesty's side. It is best to let him lead the Xiaoguo army to charge on the battlefield, and those who will definitely be invincible."

Xue Shixiong admired him very much. If we talk about power and strategy, there are only a few people who can compete with Pei Shiju today. Once Li Zixiong returns to the emperor, the tiger will enter the cage and there will be no threat, and he will be killed.

"What should I do with Li Yang?"

Pei Shiju frowned deeply, and was speechless for a while. Li Yang was the first major transfer station for the Eastern Expedition of Grain and Grass. If Li Yang lost it, the grain route would be cut off and the Eastern Expedition would be in danger. The front line could still be supported after ten or half a month, but if it was cut off for twenty days, the food and grass of the Eastern Expedition army would be unsustainable, and there would be only retreat, and the consequences would be unimaginable.

When Xue Shixiong saw Pei Shiju, he was helpless and smiled bitterly, "If there is evidence, it's good that you can report directly to His Majesty to take down Yang Xuangan."

"Your Majesty will be in Liaodong in two days. Before the end of April, Your Majesty will definitely lead the army to cross the Liao River." Pei Shiju shook his head, "We have too little time, we must find a way to get evidence, even if we are falsely accused."

Falsification? Who dares to frame them? Xue Shixiong suddenly thought of Jia Lan and thought of Jia Lan's original intention to leave Xitu, and his eyes lit up, "Master Ge, do you know why Jia Lan left Tulunchuan?"

Pei Shiju immediately understood Xue Shixiong's intention, stretched his white eyebrows, stroking his beard and laughed, "I'm good at it, I'm good at it!"

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Chapter completed!