Baiguan felt that what Li Jing said made sense, but in many cases it was not possible to do things that made sense.
To start a war with Goguryeo, what Datang needed was a justifiable reason.
When the Tang Dynasty flourished, it always advocated courtesy first and then war.
No official in the court would agree to a war without declaring it.
"Your Majesty, I do not agree with the statement of Prime Minister Wei and several generals." Changsun Wuji stood up and objected.
"Changsun Wuji, the hatred of the country and the family, in the face of great right and wrong, what are your motives for saying this?" Cheng Yaojin was very impatient and glared at Changsun Wuji with anger on his face.
Changsun Wuji opposed the Tang Dynasty's war against Goguryeo because he gave up his desire to avenge Qin Qiong.
This is something Cheng Yaojin cannot tolerate.
"Gong Lu, your so-called intention to go to war with Goguryeo is just because you want to take this opportunity to avenge Duke Hu."
"We are all deeply saddened by what happened to Duke Hu, but the general will inevitably die before the battle. If we attack you, you should know this better than I do."
"It is an honor for a soldier that Duke Hu Guo died in battle, but those of us who are still alive cannot inexplicably declare war on Goguryeo out of selfish anger."
"The Tang Dynasty is a country of etiquette, not a barbaric tribe."
"Besides, Yeon Gaesumun has already ceded the Shacheng of Goguryeo to me, the Tang Dynasty."
"We, the Tang Dynasty, have promised not to attack Goguryeo."
"If we break our promise now, how will our Tang Dynasty gain a foothold in the future, and how will your Majesty face all the people in the world?" Changsun Wuji said, his attitude still very firm.
Cheng Yaojin's eyes stared with anger, and he clenched his fists tightly.
If this was not the Tai Chi Hall, Cheng Yaojin would probably have punched Changsun Wuji down.
Changsun Wuji was not afraid of him, but looked at Cheng Yaojin indifferently.
"Your Majesty, what Changsun Shangshu said is very reasonable."
"Previously, the deposed prince declared war on Goguryeo for no reason, which already ruined the reputation of the Tang Dynasty. We can still say that the deposed prince acted recklessly. There is still a way to explain it."
"But if His Majesty wants to do this now, I, the Tang Dynasty, will definitely be shamed by others."
"How can we, the Tang Dynasty, gain a foothold in this world in the past?"
"Your Majesty, please think twice!"
"I also ask your Majesty to think twice before proceeding!"
All the officials spoke one after another, all supporting Changsun Wuji's idea.
Cheng Yaojin's face was extremely gloomy, and Li Jing's face was not very good-looking either.
As soldiers, they just want to avenge their sacrificed comrades.
They don't think too much about other things.
But at this moment, facing the opposition of the courtiers in the hall, all the generals also looked angry.
At this time, they can't even express their thoughts of revenge for their comrades.
The emperor looked at the officials who expressed their objections one after another, without any expression on his face.
For the emperor, this was a result he had anticipated a long time ago.
But this matter is obviously not his real purpose.
"I understand what you are thinking. It means that the Tang Dynasty cannot take the lead in going to war with Goguryeo. But what does this mean?" the emperor asked the officials.
"Your Majesty, your Majesty!" all the officials shouted.
"In this case, have you ever thought that Goguryeo would take the initiative to partner with me to start another war?" The emperor nodded and asked the officials again.
The officials were silent, and then some officials spoke: "Yuan Gaisuwen is determined to be a traitor, and he will definitely start a war with the Tang Dynasty again."
"Okay, if that's the case, then we, the Tang Dynasty, must prepare in advance to respond to Yuan Gaisuwen's sudden attack at any time."
"So I decided to select a leading general today to lead the troops at the border. What if Yeon Gaesumun invades again and he leads the army to conquer Goguryeo?" The emperor nodded and asked the officials in front of him.
The officials all nodded blankly, and he found that the true purpose of the emperor today seemed to be different from what they had guessed.
The emperor needs to choose the leader of the army in advance?
So who is this candidate?
Or is it that in today's court meeting, when Wei Zheng mentioned it and Cheng Yaojin and Li Jing supported it, it was actually arranged by the emperor in advance?
"Your Majesty, even if we, the Tang Dynasty, cannot take the lead in launching a war against Goguryeo, we must have the awareness to take precautions before they happen."
"Otherwise, if we were caught off guard, wouldn't the sacrifice of our soldiers of the Tang Dynasty be in vain?" Cheng Yaojin nodded.
There was no conspiracy between him and the emperor, he simply felt that the Tang Dynasty should have made preparations in advance.
"I also think your Majesty is right!" Li Jing nodded, and he suddenly realized that the emperor's real purpose may not be to take the lead in attacking Goguryeo.
The reason why I say this is just to confuse the officials.
"Since everyone thinks what I said is right, do you have a suitable candidate?" the emperor asked the officials.
The right candidate?
All the officials were there, you looked at me, I looked at you, but no one spoke.
I'm afraid the emperor has already thought about this suitable candidate.
The emperor probably would not like the others they recommended.
"Does your Majesty have any suitable candidates?" Fang Xuanling suddenly spoke and asked the emperor.
"Yuan Gaisuwen is a difficult guy. In the previous battle with Yuyuan Gaisuwen, my general of the Tang Dynasty almost never defeated him once, but that kid from the King of Han rarely defeated Yuan Gaisuwen a few times.
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"I plan to ask the King of Han to lead the troops to the front line and prepare for war at any time. What do you think, my beloved?"
Letting Zhao Chen lead the army to the front line was something Baiguan did not expect.
They felt that the emperor was a little strange. He had planned to make Zhao Chen the crown prince before, but only a few days later, he asked Zhao Chen to lead the troops at the front.
What is this idea?
Could it be that the emperor was no longer prepared to make Zhao Chen the crown prince, but to appoint someone else instead?
But it was hard to ask, and no one dared to tell the emperor what they had guessed.
But letting Zhao Chen lead the troops to the front line seems to be weird in every way.
"His Royal Highness the King of Han is a master of military skills. He is indeed a rare talent. However, His Highness the King of Han has a distinguished status. If he goes to the front line, it will not be good after all, right?"
"The general will inevitably kill me on the battlefield. Why can't the descendants of the Tang Dynasty royal family go to the front line?"
"I just want to ask you, is it suitable for the King of Han to marry?" The emperor looked at the officials and asked in a deep voice.
All the officials nodded.
Li Jing is old and is obviously no longer suitable to lead troops on the front line.
The rest of the generals had all fought against Yeon Gaesumun, but they always seemed powerless in the face of Hou Junji who was familiar with their fighting methods.
It seems that only Zhao Chen is better than Yeon Gaesumun.
Zhao Chen is of course the most suitable candidate.
Besides, as far as the officials are concerned, Zhao Chen is not in Chang'an, so they can breathe a sigh of relief.
Otherwise, who knows when it will fall into Zhao Chen's hands again.
They didn't want to face Zhao Chen at all.
If Zhao Chen goes to the front line, he probably won't come back to Chang'an in a short time.
Then their life should be much easier.
"Your Majesty, all ministers support His Majesty the King of Han to go to the front line to lead the troops!" an official shouted loudly.
"Your Majesty is wise, and I all support your Majesty's will!" The others also shouted.
The emperor nodded with satisfaction, and then said: "Since you all agree, I have one more question."