Li Shimin said melancholy: "The prince has failed to win over the King of Chu, so he is finally going to take action."
In Li Shimin's view, the prince's capture of the Yunyang Army was equivalent to the prince's confrontation with the King of Chu. All officials in the Tang Dynasty knew that the Yunyang Army was a direct lineage that followed King Jinyang of Chu and had never been commanded by a second person.
Yu Zhining said: "Your Highness, this conclusion is premature."
"Oh, what do you think?" Li Shimin tilted his head and asked him.
"Your Highness, I think that the prince wants to develop his power in the army and does not want to give up on winning over the King of Chu now. This incident is just an opportunity. The King of Qi and the prince are on good terms, so the prince will naturally not attack him.
The generals of the clan, such as the King of Huai'an and others, are close friends of the saint, and it is difficult for the prince to take action. As a result, only His Highness and the King of Chu are left. If His Highness's troops stay in Chang'an this time, the Prince will also take action."
Fang Qiao nodded in agreement, "What you said makes sense. The prince is by no means a person who gives up easily. The King of Chu is respected by the saints and is a brother. There is no reason for the prince to give up now."
Li Shimin said: "In any case, it is true that the prince has hated the king of Chu this time."
Seizing a direct line soldier is not as simple as a verbal conflict.
Yu Zhining thought of something and said with a smile: "There is one more little thing. Your Highness may be very happy to hear it."
"Tell me about it." Li Shimin looked very interested. This kind of gossip about watching his opponent suffer was very interesting to hear.
Yu Zhining said: "My brother mentioned in the letter that after the King of Chu led his troops to Wuguan, he immediately integrated his troops and horses without letting Li Yuan interfere in the slightest. Later, when he defeated Zhu Can, he did not give Li Yuan and Zheng Yuanxuan a share of the pie.
Instead, it was King Changping who finally replaced King Chu and commanded the army to attack Xiangcheng, giving Zhu Can a fatal blow."
Hearing this, Li Shimin burst into laughter.
Changsun Wuji also laughed sadly, "King Changping has been trapped in Nanyang for a long time. I didn't expect that once he got out of trouble, he could take Zhu Can on behalf of King Chu. It's interesting, so interesting."
How could they not understand this kind of behavior that obviously excludes Li Yuan and disgusts him?
Fang Qiao said: "It seems that King Chu is really angry this time."
Li Shimin couldn't hold back the smile on his face, "It's normal to be angry. After all, the Yunyang Army has always been commander-in-chief Zhiyun. Anyone would be angry if he acted like a prince."
"It seems that King Chu also knows who is plotting against him." Changsun Wuji pondered for a moment and thought: "However, King Chu's behavior in this matter seems to be a bit too calm and smooth."
"Auxiliary engine, what do you mean?" Li Shimin blinked.
Changsun Wuji said: "According to my investigation, after the prince plotted to seize the Yunyang Army, the King of Chu was still escorting the grain and grass to Xiangzhou. Logically speaking, the Yunyang Army is a direct descendant of the King of Chu. It is impossible that no one informed the King of Chu about the Yunyang Army.
changes and Chang'an's
What happened, but the King of Chu seemed to know nothing about it. He didn't rush back to Chang'an under the sage's order until he arrived in Puzhou. Isn't this strange? Does the King of Chu really not know anything about the Yunyang Army?
Something?"
"The second point is that from the moment Li Yuan entered Shangzhou, the development of the situation deviated from the prince's plan. When King Changping asked Li Yuan to cooperate with him in attacking Zhu Can, it is understandable that Li Yuan was defeated. After all, Zhu Can had many soldiers and horses.
, but it would be a bit wrong to retreat to the Wuguan Pass after being defeated. Even if it is involved, it seems that the defeat will not be so miserable."
"The whole thing gives me the feeling that besides the prince, there is another hand controlling the outcome of the war in Nanyang."
News of Nanyang's great victory had already reached Chang'an. As the King of Qin, Li Shimin could naturally see detailed victory reports. Therefore, all the confidants in the Qin Palace knew what happened. Furthermore, Yu Zhining's elder brother was Yu Yongning. He had experienced it personally.
He passed the news to the Qin Palace, so Changsun Wuji and others could know the details of the war very well.
Fang Qiao said: "You mean, King Chu is also planning this matter secretly?"
"I don't have any evidence, so it's hard to be sure." Changsun Wuji said.
Li Shimin rubbed his chin, pondered for a while, and said: "I know a little about Li Yuan's character. Being a governor of one party is enough, but if it is a battle, it is not enough to take on a big responsibility. Furthermore, if the prince's plan is the Yunyang Army, then Li Yuan
Deliberate defeat in order to save troops is an option. What do you think?" Gu
Yu Zhining nodded and said, "It's possible."
Changsun Wuji thought about it and said, "What His Highness said is more reasonable than what my subordinates said. My subordinates' thoughts are more of speculation."
"You can't say that." Li Shimin said: "At the very least, I think that when the prince moved the Yunyang army, someone from the Yunyang army must have informed the King of Chu. On this point, your guess is somewhat reasonable."
After saying that, everyone fell into deep thought again.
This matter does not look simple on the surface, let alone an in-depth analysis.
Not long after, Yu Zhining said: "No matter whether the King of Chu has something secretly planned or not, there will definitely be a lot of differences and even hostility between him and the prince now."
"That's right." Li Shimin smiled and said: "It is true that the prince plotted to seize the Yunyang Army, and it is also true that the King of Chu rejected Li Yuan and Zheng Yuanxuan. This cannot be false."
He was happy when the King of Chu was not with the prince.
Yu Zhining said: "Your Highness, maybe this time when King Chu comes back, we can have more contact with him."
Li Shimin nodded. He had always been in contact with King Chu, but King Chu had always been aloof. This time was a good opportunity.
Changsun Wuji said: "In my opinion, it is better to take this opportunity to make the prince hate the king of Chu."
"How do you say it?" Li Shimin asked.
Changsun Wuji analyzed: "This time King Changping was trapped in Nanyang by Zhu Can. The court said that the prince's recommendation of Li Yuan was a major mistake. From this point of view, the saint wanted Li Yuan to take the responsibility for the defeat. We
We might as well push the boat along in the great dynasty and ask the saint not only to deal with Li Yuan, but also to deal with Zheng Yuanxuan. In this case, the prince and the king of Chu will definitely be dissatisfied with each other."
Everyone looked at Li Shimin, who tapped his forehead lightly, half-squinted his eyes, and said, "You can do this, but we can't propose it. You have to push it at the critical moment."
The three of them nodded.
Immediately afterwards, Yu Zhining reminded: "Your Highness, the prince is now more and more eager to get the support of the army. We still have to be careful and must not be careless."
Of course, Li Shimin knew this very well. He now held half of the elite army of the Tang Dynasty in his hands, and his military merit was also the first in the court. He certainly understood where his advantage lay.
The army is the most important thing and must not be missed.
Speaking of this, Li Shimin thought of something and suddenly said: "Before entering the palace, my father gave my eldest son the name Cheng Qian. What do you think of this name?"
The three of them looked at each other and immediately held their hands in congratulations.
"Congratulations to Your Highness, Congratulations to the Crown Prince."
Li Shimin smiled and waved his hand, "You all will stay today and have a few drinks with me."