Li Yuan was overjoyed and asked repeatedly: "Master Pei, please tell me, do you have any good ideas?"
Pei Ji smoothed his long beard and asked, "Does the prince know that in addition to the strength of the heroes in this world, there is another force that is equally important?"
"Are you talking about those aristocratic families?" Li Yuan shook his head, "As far as King Gu knows, those aristocratic families have a close relationship with Liu Ziqiu. Behind the Changshan Army in the south of the Yangtze River, there is the shadow of the Xie family, and if there is no Li family in Longxi
Without his help, I’m afraid Liu Ziqiu won’t be able to defeat Yang Xuangan so quickly.”
Among the heroes except Liu Ziqiu, Li Yuan is the one with the most ambitious plans and the one who attaches the most importance to intelligence collection. He has been an official in the Sui Dynasty for many years, served as the prefect for two terms, and has relationships with those aristocratic families.
Some relationships and friendships. In the past six months, caravans from aristocratic families have been traveling frequently from Shandong to Hexi. How could he not know the relationship between these aristocratic families and Liu Ziqiu? But at that time, Li Yuan did not put Liu Ziqiu on
In his eyes, he didn't pay enough attention to it. Now think about it, Liu Ziqiu's rapid rise was probably inseparable from the help of the famous family.
Pei Ji laughed loudly and said: "The prince only knows one thing, but not the other. It is true that the aristocratic family has a close relationship with Liu Ziqiu, but it is all due to interests. Liu Ziqiu controls the trade routes to the west, and the aristocratic family has a close relationship.
Naturally, we want to have a good relationship with him. But who is Liu Ziqiu? He is just a pawn, and how can those aristocratic families really think highly of him? Therefore, as long as the prince can get enough benefits, those aristocratic families will naturally turn to the prince's side. "
Li Yuan pondered: "But what benefits does the lonely king have that can be given to them?"
Pei Ji said disapprovingly: "Your Majesty has great ambitions for the world. If one day, Your Majesty succeeds in taking over the throne, there is nothing he can't do!"
Everyone in this hall is Li Yuan's confidant, and Pei Ji no longer needs any cover-up for his treasonous words.
Gao Shilian nodded and said: "Master Pei's words make sense. But how can we make those aristocratic families believe that the prince will inherit the throne in the future and abandon Liu Ziqiu to help the prince? Please make it clear to Mr. Pei!"
"No, no, no. Those aristocratic families are all masters who don't see rabbits and don't let go of hawks. How can they easily believe the prince's words and risk all their wealth and life?" Pei Ji waved his hand, suddenly laughed, and said,
"Pei's plan is to make the prince a member of the aristocratic family! Is there any need to say what the result will be?"
Liu Wenjing, however, had already realized something, nodded and said, "Master Pei, do you want the prince to recognize his ancestor and return to his clan?"
Li Yuan was also a smart man. He nodded and said, "Do you mean to make the lonely king a member of the Li family of Longxi or the Li family of Zhao County?"
There are many aristocratic families in the world, but the strength gap between different aristocratic families is also very large. For example, the Xie family in Jiangnan can only be regarded as a second-rate family. There are only seven truly top aristocratic families, namely the Boling Cui family, the Qinghe Cui family, and the Fan Yang family.
The Lu family, the Li family of Longxi, the Li family of Zhaojun, the Zheng family of Xingyang, and the Wang family of Taiyuan were known in history as seven sects and five surnames. This whole family was so powerful that the two Sui emperors, Yang Jian and Yang Guang, once wanted to weaken their power.
It was very easy to deal with some officials who came from aristocratic families through some things.
For example, Cui Junchuo, the Duke of Dongjun, who belonged to the Cui family in Qinghe, was implicated by the deposed prince Yang Yong. Yang Guang issued an edict to punish him with a hundred sticks, and confiscated all his wife, children, property, land and house. His daughter was also imprisoned.
She entered Yeting and later became one of Yang Guang's concubines. However, in the end, because the foundations of these aristocratic families were too deep to truly shake them, Yang Guang could only focus on appeasing him. In Yang Guangxi's expedition to Tuyuhun
When he was young, he once stationed himself at the Li family in Longxi, and the rewards for the Li family were quite generous.
Generally speaking, the relationship between the imperial court and these aristocratic families is both interdependent and mutually restrictive. Because many of the officials in the court are from aristocratic families, without the support of the aristocratic families, the imperial court is an empty frame. But the imperial court cannot let those people go.
The children of aristocratic families have too much power, otherwise it may affect the emperor's own authority and rule. After all, aristocratic families cannot have a strong army. Without the approval of the imperial court, any aristocratic family may be eradicated by the imperial court in an instant.
For example, the Wang family in Jiangnan is an example. However, if all the aristocratic families unite to oppose, the court will not be able to maintain its operation.
If Li Yuan wants to conquer the world, he will naturally pay attention to the situation of the aristocratic families. And if he wants to gain the support of the aristocratic families, he will naturally join a top aristocratic family.
Pei Ji stroked his palm and smiled and said: "Sure enough, I can't hide it from the prince. The Li family in Longxi is the birthplace of the Li surname in the world. The prince is just recognizing his ancestors and returning to the clan, so why not?"
Gao Shilian also laughed and said: "This plan is really brilliant. For the Li family in Longxi, I'm afraid they can't get what they want. The prince is finally one of their own. It's better to support the prince, one of their own, to ascend to the throne than to support him like Liu Ziqiu."
Son."
According to the information they had, Liu Ziqiu was a military household in the south of the Yangtze River. Military households were half soldiers and half farmers. In their eyes, they were the same as mud-legged men.
Liu Wenjing nodded and said: "Master Pei's plan is feasible. The prince can send people to Longxi to contact the Li family. At the same time, he can send people to Chang'an to reply to Liu Ziqiu and is willing to welcome Queen Xiao back to Luoyang. As for Yang Gao,
Whether Yang You should be the emperor or not, it all depends on Empress Xiao."
Li Yuan was stunned and said: "How do you say this?"
Liu Wenjing said with a smile: "No matter whether Empress Xiao is a puppet controlled by Liu Ziqiu or not, she ultimately represents righteousness and orthodoxy. As long as Empress Xiao is in Chang'an, if the prince refuses to obey Empress Xiao's will, it will be rebellion, so
Whether we fight this battle or not, we are already at a disadvantage. If Queen Xiao is willing to come to Luoyang, she will definitely fall into the hands of the prince because the prince controls the power of the prison gate palace and the body preparation palace. By then,
Isn't it the same no matter who becomes the emperor? Even if she becomes the empress dowager, what difference will it make?"
Li Yuan thought for a moment and said: "First, win the support of the aristocratic families. This matter cannot be delayed. If it is completed, it is up to you to do it yourself. As for welcoming Empress Xiao back to Luoyang, I'm afraid Liu Ziqiu will not agree easily."
But Liu Wenjing said confidently: "Didn't Liu Ziqiu ask us to surrender in the name of Queen Xiao? Now that we welcome Queen Xiao back to Luoyang and hand over all power to Queen Xiao, he will have nothing to say. If Liu Ziqiu doesn't agree, then
He is rebellious and wants to hold Empress Xiao hostage to order the princes! When the time comes, we can pin any crime on him, including dirtying the palace..."
Hearing these words, Li Yuan couldn't help but shudder. He had indeed been in and out of the palace more frequently in the past few days, but it was only in the palace of Empress Dowager Xiao. As for the concubines such as Chen Chou and Chen Sui, he had not yet visited them.
There is still time to get involved. But if Empress Xiao is welcomed back, Xiao Concubine will definitely give up her position as Queen Mother, and her son Yang Gao may not be able to become the emperor. If that happens, the little secret between herself and Xiao Concubine may not be kept.
. But then he thought of Empress Xiao's charm, and Li Yuan was a little fascinated again.
Liu Wenjing saw that Li Yuan was a little distracted and quickly said: "My lord, there is no need to worry. Even if Liu Ziqiu refuses to agree, we can still delay the time. Maybe the eldest son, the second son and the others will bring surprises."
Li Yuan nodded and said: "That's the only way it can be. Who do you think can be sent as envoy to Chang'an?"
Yu Shinan, who had not spoken until now, suddenly raised his hand: "Your Majesty, I am willing to go!"
Yu Shinan knew that his strengths lay in poetry and calligraphy, but was not proficient in strategy, so he rarely spoke when participating in such discussions. Of course, Yu Shinan also knew a little about diplomatic etiquette, but he was not an eloquent speaker.
He was a guest, so Li Yuan did not agree to him immediately, but looked at other people in the hall.
But going to Chang'an was actually more dangerous than going to Jiangnan. Everyone was silent and no one spoke.
Seeing this, Yu Shinan raised his hands again and said, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, my subordinates will definitely fulfill their mission!"
To be said to be timid, Yu Shinan is probably even more timid than the others. But this time his brother Yu Shiji was able to come to Luoyang as an envoy, which gave him a deep stimulation. Yu Shiji was the best at bragging and flattering. When Yang Guang built the Sixteenth Courtyard of Shanglin
, and it is indispensable for him to brag about his achievements in it. Therefore, Yu Shinan looked down on his brother from the bottom of his heart, but he did not expect that his brother would risk his life to go on a mission for Liu Ziqiu this time. Yu Shinan did not want to be compared with his brother, so he gritted his teeth and took the initiative.
Please order!
Li Yuan looked around the hall and found that there was indeed no one else who could serve as the envoy, so he had no choice but to agree that Yu Shinan would be the envoy to Chang'an.
…
From Luoyang to Chang'an, you can enter the Guangtong Canal via the Yellow River. Although you go upstream, the journey is much more comfortable. However, Yu Shinan was afraid of danger, so he chose to enter Chang'an by land. After leaving Luoyang, he headed west, passing through Hongnong.
Then they arrived at Tongguan, located in Fengyi County.
At this time, Tongguan Pass had been garrisoned by the Hexi Army. Most of Yang Xuangan's troops were ordered to disarm and return to their fields by Liu Ziqiu, while a small number of strong soldiers were transferred to the Xihai Wasteland to participate in intensive training. After two wars against Yu Wenhua and Yang Xuangan
, Liu Ziqiu felt more and more that the government military system could no longer meet the needs, and he had established a new military system in his jurisdiction.
The core of this system is the standing army based on the Hexi Army, and a reserve army is set up in each county. The reserve army is somewhat similar to the government soldiers in the past. Their equipment is far inferior to that of the standing army, and they only serve during the slack season in winter every year.
Training will only be assembled when necessary. But one thing is different from the prefectural army. The scope of activities of the reserve army is limited to the county or county. Its main task is to engage in defense and anti-theft. Some less important county towns and prefectures are also controlled by the reserve army.
Carry out daily maintenance.
However, at important passes like Tongguan, the garrison must be the standing army, mainly the Hexi Army. The equipment, morale and training of the standing army are much stronger, and the momentum looks very different. Standing outside the gate, Yu Shinan flinched.