The Battle of the Wei River was on the twelfth day of the seventh lunar month, and tonight was the Hungry Ghost Festival three days later, when it was time to pay homage to our ancestors.
In front of Emperor Yan's Mausoleum, the five people talked for a long time, but they still stood under the stone steps and had no results.
Beside the stone steps are stone tablets.
Occasionally, the moonlight shines through the clouds, allowing people to barely see the mottled words on the stone tablet that have experienced vicissitudes of life.
"The virtue of fire establishes the unity, and the mountains feel the spirit..."
Liu Yuanzhen stood there with his hands tied, keeping his mouth shut while listening to what Li Xia and Liu Heima said.
After a while, he lowered his head and read the inscription.
The last sentence is "Shengde is never isolated, and we share it with others throughout the world."
"Shengde is never alone, and we have colleagues from all over the world." Liu Yuanzhen muttered in his heart.
Later, he heard that Li Xia encouraged himself with Li Shimin.
Inexplicably, Liu Yuanzhen suddenly felt much more relaxed at this moment.
"Compared to Tang Taizong, Li Xia is too arrogant...but losing to such a person is understandable."
As soon as this thought came out, most of the burden that had been weighing on Liu Yuanzhen's mind in recent days seemed to be lifted, and he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Not to mention whether Li Xia has this qualification, in short, he is comparing himself to others in the past.
Then who should Liu Yuanzhen compare himself to?
During the turbulent times of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the Turks were far less powerful than the Mongols today, and there were no extraordinary princes like Liu Yuanzhen...
After thinking about it, a name popped into his mind. Liu Yuanzhen couldn't help but shook his head, feeling a little ashamed.
But the more I thought about it, the more similar I felt.
Qututong.
Qu Tutong was born in Donghu, a different tribe from the Khitan. He was good at riding and shooting, good at military strategy, brave and resourceful, and could be said to be similar to him.
Moreover, he had a benevolent heart and once remonstrated in front of Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty, "I feel as if I were dead, and I hope to save the lives of thousands of people", just like what the Liu family did.
The experience was similar, he was defeated and captured.
However, Qu Tutong later followed the King of Qin and pacified Xue Ju, Wang Shichong...
Liu Yuanzhen was even more ashamed and scolded himself endlessly.
How could you start thinking about surrender like this?
But there was another voice saying in my head.
"If you are sincere and sincere, when you meet the Lord of the Ming Dynasty, you would rather be limited to two countries? You must obey the rules and seek benevolence, so you can place it in Lingyan Pavilion and arrange it in the Taizong temple... Is your ambition comparable to that of famous generals throughout the ages?"
Liu Yuanzhen then thought: "Although I have the ambition to be on par with famous generals throughout the ages, how can I be called the Lord of the Ming Dynasty when Li Xia is insignificant?"
"Three times you have been defeated by his hand; two times you have been captured without restraint. If Li Xia cannot be called the master of the Ming Dynasty, how can you compare yourself to a famous general after three defeats and two captures?"
Liu Yuanzhen couldn't help but feel that he was too ridiculous.
I know I can't compare to Qu Tutong.
"The figure is in Lingyan Pavilion and arranged in the Taizong Temple Court."
"I will take Anxi and serve my country. I will write a big book in Lingyan Pavilion."
"..."
These words became more and more dense in his mind, and Liu Yuanzhen suddenly realized that he already wanted to surrender to Li Xia.
I don’t want to admit it, but I really want to.
He looked at Liu Heima. He couldn't see Liu Heima's eyes clearly in the night. He could only feel that Liu Heima was still unhappy.
"Father."
Liu Yuanzhen finally spoke.
It was Li Xia who turned around first and glanced at Liu Yuanzhen, as if he had read through his mind.
Li Xia then nodded and said, "That's fine, let you father and son discuss it first."
After that, he walked a few steps to the side, not even caring whether Liu Heima would untie the ropes from Liu Yuanzhen and Liu Yuanli and try to escape.
Liu Yuanzhen was not in a hurry to get rid of his bonds, but said to Liu Heima: "A few days ago, your Majesty appointed Li Fen as the governor of the Jianghuai River. He bestowed more than sixty gold and silver charms in total, and praised and rewarded him repeatedly. However, the child got According to news from Beijing, before this, Lian Nanhe, Zhang Hong and others had advised His Majesty that Li Fen would rebel."
"I know, it's just a pacification and appeasement measure." Liu Heima sighed, "Your Majesty is at war with Mobei, and the situation in Shandong is not good. This is one of the reasons why I am willing to negotiate terms with Li Xia."
Liu Yuanzhen had another meaning, and said: "If others don't know Li Fen's rebellious intentions, just treat him as generous as your majesty treats all princes."
Although he was still tied up, he finally regained the courage to comment on the country after being depressed for a period of time.
"Your Majesty's current treatment of Li Fen is a policy of appeasement and hypocrisy. Then, the good attitude and respect that An Zhi treats his father are real? One day, the four seas will be united and the troops will be suspended. Who will be true?
Can you tolerate the feudal princes splitting the land and dividing the territory and holding military power?
Didn't father see that Shi Tianze always declined and was transferred to the post of marshal of the capital, and Meng Ge was full of praises for his great position? From this point of view, the Mongolian Khan was not really powerful. He did not seize the military power of the prince.
I wish, but it is impossible. And His Majesty’s power is unpredictable..."
Liu Heima sighed.
He understood better than the eldest son that in any case, Kublai Khan treated the princes more leniently, and there was no doubt about this.
What Li Xia just said was that he wanted to seize the Liu family's military power. It would be stricter than Mongolia, but it would not be as suspicious and balanced as Zhao and Song.
What Liu Yuanzhen said cannot change this fact.
But the current situation is forcing me to listen to these words and find a way out.
"The child thinks that Li Xia is honest and trustworthy." Liu Yuanzhen added: "He made the conditions clear, instead of deceiving his father first and then regretting it later. He came with sincerity."
In his eyes, Li Xia's integrity is indeed good.
Moreover, he has an excellent grasp of the aspects of "fighting without hesitation" and "being frank".
What is the difference between the two?
For example, Kublai Khan negotiated with Ali Buge's envoy and agreed to go back to Hara to discuss with Lin, but he secretly prepared to kill the envoy and ascend the throne first. No one would say that he was treacherous, because only fools would go to Hara.
He Lin died. This is called a soldier who never tires of deceit and uses all means to deal with the enemy.
For another example, in order to win over the northerners, Kublai Khan always kept saying "practice Han law". The northerners listened to his words and saw his actions, so they made efforts and sincerely supported him. Now he has indeed ascended the throne, changed his reign title, and issued an edict
The world practices Han law. This means being consistent in words and deeds, and being honest with one's own people.
The difference between the two is that both parties make their commitments sincerely, which is a truly effective commitment.
Li Xia was more unscrupulous than Kublai Khan in dealing with the enemy, using assassinations, sneak attacks, deceptions, threats, and all kinds of despicable tricks;
Li Xia, however, was more honest with others than Kublai Khan. He laid out the conditions first. Since he could not tolerate the Liu family splitting the country to raise troops, he would not compromise and deceive first. One is one and the other is two. It can be called "straightforward"
.
A weak person who is too outspoken will only be looked down upon, so everyone ignores him at first.
Only when Li Xia shows off his strength and looks down upon Guan Long can his forthrightness become courage.
Looking back at how many heroes in ancient times lacked this forthrightness before rising to power, they made light promises, deceived and deceived, and finally broke their promises and put them into practice, which is difficult to redeem.
Compared to this point, Li Xia's straightforwardness has become an even more valuable advantage...
Liu Heima stood silently, listening to the eldest son's persuasion, and gradually felt this.
"Do you think Li Xia can really succeed?"
"I don't know." Liu Yuanzhen said: "But before the battle of Sanfeng Mountain, did my father ever think that more than 30,000 troops could defeat an army of 150,000?"
Liu Heima murmured: "Actually, it was luck. It snowed heavily... Before that, I thought I was going to die..."
"Then since the situation is at this point, why not take another gamble?" Liu Yuanzhen said: "No matter what, wouldn't it be bad to fall into the Song army's counterattack in the middle of the pass, and the family's foundation would be destroyed by war and suspicion?"
This is the key.
We can't reach an agreement today. Li Xia just lost the opportunity, but the Liu family is worried about destroying its foundation.
Whether the conditions are good or bad is only one of them, whether you can comply with them is also important.
More importantly, can Li Xia succeed...
Liu Yuanzhen straightened his back and said: "Back then, my father and grandfather made a desperate move to gain the Liu family's prominence for more than thirty years. Now that time has changed, my son is willing to make a desperate move and take on the family business."
Liu Heima finally saw the former glory in his eldest son's eyes.
A while ago, he thought his eldest son was too verbose and thought his fifth son was stable. As a result, he launched a surprise attack on Hanzhong and his entire army was wiped out.
At this time, seeing my eldest son cheer up again, I no longer find it annoying, I just feel happy.
Li Xia stood there with her sword pressed, silently looking at the figures of the Liu family and his son.
After that, Jia Hou stepped forward and whispered to Liu Heima for a long time.
As the night wind blew, I could occasionally hear Jia Hou retelling the conversations he had during the first month of the year.
"...the people's livelihood has been in decline for three hundred years...look at their words and deeds, and support the will of the world..."
Li Xia took two more steps back.
He didn't persuade much. His words and deeds in the past were more important than the words he used to persuade him now.
So far, no powerful Northland power has surrendered to him regardless of his strength.
In the past, when he won battles, he would kill them head by head.
This situation must be ended. Time is running out. He needs to conquer the first powerful Northland power before he can develop his power.
While Kublai Khan was fighting with Ali Buge, he also had to capture Guanzhong as soon as possible to bring the base of both sides closer.
This is the arena for competing in the world, and this is the last chance to qualify.
Li Xia also knew that the conditions he proposed were very general.
It is said that the Liu brothers were allowed to command the troops separately. But to listen to his orders and hand over money and food was essentially equivalent to the generals of the Zhao and Song Dynasties. Without the power to govern one side, what could the Liu family do to support their troops?
The difference between Li Xia and Zhao Song only depends on whether the Liu family believes in his popularity.
As for whether the Liu family agrees or not, it all depends on whether they think the situation has reached this point.
Li Xia can no longer give more. He cannot tolerate the autonomy of princes in the Central Plains. This is a matter of principle...
"Have you not finished talking about the conditions?" Liu Heima turned around and asked.
Li Xia nodded and said, "What I just said is the most important point. Did Liu Gong agree?"
"We haven't thought it through yet. Li Shuai might as well finish explaining the conditions first, and then I'll think about it."
"My brother will marry the daughter-in-law as his legitimate wife. From then on, the Liu family and the Li family will be one and the same. As long as the Liu family does not violate the laws of the country, and the Li family has a share of wealth and prosperity, the Liu family will have a share."
Liu Heima took a deep look at Li Xia.
After that, he took a few steps and asked, "How to master Guanzhong?"
"It's mid-July now. The Song Dynasty is afraid that it hasn't received the battle report of my surprise attack on Gongchang... If Guanzhong can be captured as soon as possible, it can be delayed until half a year before reporting. After that, I will ask Duke Liu to be the pacifier of Chengdu Prefecture.
To manage the people's livelihood and government affairs, I asked Zhang Jue to be transferred to the north. It will take another half a year until the officials take office. I have more than a year to take control of Guanzhong."
“Govern Chengdu?”
"Liu Gong has been fighting for a lifetime, but he is willing to build a prosperous business among the ruins?"
Liu Heima turned his back and looked up at the deep black sky.
"Do you really have...the ambition to clear up the emperor's universe?"
"Yes." Li Xia did not hesitate and said: "Now Mr. Liu still doesn't believe it, so it's okay. I'll do it bit by bit and show it to Mr. Liu."
Liu Heima neither agreed nor refused. After looking at the sky, he turned back to look at Emperor Yan's Mausoleum.
"The Ghost Festival is almost over, how about you and I pay homage to our ancestors first?"