From the Second Palace Change to the present, Li Yuan has been imprisoned in the palace for more than ten years. At that time, many people speculated that the Supreme Emperor, who was not young, could survive for up to two years.
How long can an old man who once served as an emperor endure hardship in the cold palace? Let’s not talk about his body, just talk about the huge gap in status, which is unacceptable.
Most of the people who made such speculations were dead, but Li Yuan was still alive and kicking, drinking and eating meat in the cold palace.
Someone once said that the great emperor has a long life.
It is rare for an emperor to live a long life. Li Yuan is one of them, but Li Mi doesn't look bad either.
In comparison, the King of Yue seemed a bit weak.
From the moment he arrived in Shu, Li Mi's attitude towards him was somewhat lukewarm.
Logically speaking, if King Wei rebelled, the crown prince position should be given to him. But Li Bi never mentioned this matter.
But the strange thing is that the King of Yue didn't mention it either.
The King of Yue's residence was quite spacious and even had a polo field. When nothing happened, he liked to stand on the edge of the polo field and look at the wide field, wondering what he was thinking.
Zhao Dongping came to look for the King of Yue and saw him looking at the court again, so he said: "Your Majesty, Yang Ni has arrived in Anzhou."
"I know." The King of Yue said calmly, "Do you think it's possible to defend Shu?"
"Of course it is possible." Zhao Dongping said: "Yangling Pass is a natural danger, and the road to Shu is difficult to travel. Yang Ni's army can only do nothing."
"If Shu can be defended, I, in ten years, can I turn Shu into a foundation for counterattack?"
"Your Majesty..." Zhao Dongping smiled bitterly, "But there is so much outside Shu!"
It is too difficult to control the world with one corner.
"But that bastard is using Taiping as the foundation to control the Northern Territory step by step. Then using the Northern Territory as the foundation, he will destroy the Northern Liao Dynasty, go south and defeat Shi Ni... and finally unify. Old Zhao, he can, why can't I?"
"Your Majesty, please don't forget that the Northern Xinjiang Army is the strongest army in the world."
"Yes, but a strong army is also made through hard work. I like to read history recently. Looking at the deeds of those emperors and generals who trained a group of peasants to become a strong army, I can't help but feel excited. Old Zhao, the current situation cannot wait any longer.
Already."
"But the guards in the palace are quite strict!" Zhao Dongping said with a bitter smile.
"That evil army is pressing down on the territory, and the people in Tongcheng are in a state of confusion, as well as in the palace. I asked you to buy some people, is there any progress?"
"I bought a few, but it's not enough." Zhao Dongping said: "There are not only those guards in the palace, but also the Tianma camp. Our manpower cannot enter the palace."
"I have never thought of attacking the palace, do you understand?"
"That……"
"Within three steps, we will meet you with swords!"
…
The King of Yue immediately went to see Yang Songcheng.
"The situation is relatively calm."
Yang Songcheng looked like he had more white hair, and the King of Yue maliciously guessed that he was furious after hearing that all the slaves of the Yang family in Yingchuan had been expatriated, which led to the gray hair.
"Yes." The King of Yue smiled and said, "The king's father has worked hard, and he has a lot of gray hair."
"That bastard broke the roots of the Yang family, and also broke the roots of the emperor." Yang Songcheng rubbed his eyebrows a little tiredly, "The emperor and the powerful Guanzhong clan are one and the same. He is afraid of this group, but if this group is gone, he will
What can we use to check and balance the court and the world?"
So, he checked and balanced this result?
The King of Yue found it a bit funny.
"And the role of the noble family is to assist the emperor to balance the world. After the fall of Qianchen, if it weren't for the help of my noble family, when would the world be able to be peaceful?"
"yes!"
Yang Songcheng looked at his respectful grandson and said quietly: "If the emperor is stupid, the family members will help the prince... Hmm!"
The King of Yue's face flashed with joy, "Yes."
Later he resigned.
Back at the palace, Zhao Dongping was waiting for him.
"What did the father-in-law say?"
The King of Yue walked into the study, turned around and sat down.
"He means to tell me not to worry. He will make decisions for me in the future. But what kind of decision can he make?" The King of Yue sneered: "Except for those around me and some people from Shu, all the Yang family's slaves have been dismissed.
.Even if he can return to Chang'an, how many years will it take for the Yang family to recover? But how could Aye give him this opportunity!"
"Then, which way do we have to go?" Zhao Dongping sighed.
"There is nothing wrong with taking that path. If we follow the steps, even if I ascend the throne, I will become the puppet of Yang Songcheng and others. Instead of being a puppet, it is better to fight to the death."
…
After the King of Yue left, Yang Songcheng took a nap.
"Alang." A servant came to report, "Someone from the palace is here, saying they want to get some money."
The calligraphy is vulgar, which shows that the servants are dissatisfied with the palace's practice.
Yang Songcheng didn't open his eyes, "Give it to him!"
The servant resigned.
The staff came in and said, "This is the fifth time that the emperor has asked for money. Mr. Zhang, this trend cannot last forever!"
"That scoundrel was cleaning up the servants of the powerful clans in Guanzhong, and the Yang family was the first to bear the brunt. Without the population, the Yang family lost an arm. Don't look at the emperor who was furious at the time, but secretly he must have been happy. In his opinion, Yang was missing a leg.
The clan can only become his vassal from now on."
Yang Songcheng sneered: "How could he dare to ask for money from me in the past? What this person is best at is pushing the envelope."
"But we don't have much money left. If we allow the emperor to blackmail us..."
"He knows what's appropriate." Yang Songcheng said: "Now all he can rely on is me and others. If he completely angers me and others, he will be alone. It was fine in Chang'an, but in Shu, he wouldn't dare!"
"Last time, the father-in-law donated half of his net worth. Isn't that enough?" the staff sneered.
"Although the emperor is vicious, there is something good about him." Yang Songcheng smiled and said, "He has always been good to those who rely on him."
Most of the people from Conglong back then were prosperous and wealthy. Except for the idiot Chang Sheng who was too ambitious and rebelled and was destroyed, most of the others are still there.
"This time, do we have to follow the dragon again?" Yang Songcheng squinted his eyes, "He has made a big mistake in ruling the world with his method. If he rules Shu, he will probably make heaven and earth angry."
"Isn't there a King of Yue?" the staff member laughed, "The King of Yue is very respectful to the father-in-law!"
"The King of Yue is a monkey. Don't look at Gongjin. I dare say that when he saw me, he was secretly scolding the old dog." Yang Songcheng was not angry at all. "After all, he is the emperor's son, and he will be ruthless. But
Why should I care about this?"
Although one of Yang's legs was broken, the other one is still there. That is a complex and huge network of connections. As long as he has this big network in hand, he can control the situation no matter who is in that position.
…
As we walked along the official road, the mountains on both sides became taller and taller.
The official road winds in the canyon, and from time to time you can hear the singing of birds or the roar of animals on both sides.
Yangling Pass is right in front of the canyon.
The peaks on both sides are so high that there is no possibility of climbing on the cliff.
Between the two peaks, a pass is stuck there, as if God dropped a tall but not wide city out of thin air.
The pass is very high, at least 50% higher than an ordinary city.
The key is that the front is too narrow. Even if you have a million troops, you can only climb hundreds of people to attack the city.
The defenders can focus on facing this narrow defensive surface.
The narrower the defensive surface, the better it is for the defenders.
“What a dangerous pass!”
Han Ji looked up at Yangling Pass and took a deep breath.
The tall pass makes everyone look up.
The peaks on both sides make people feel a little uncomfortable, as if the peaks will fall down in the next moment.
The defenders on the pass were laughing, and some even rushed to follow the emperor. When they saw this, they explained: "Shu people love to joke."
That means he loves to joke.
The emperor said calmly: "Go back!"
The emperor has always attached great importance to pre-war inspections. He would say at least half an hour at a time, or at least a day or two at a time, and would even conduct inspections multiple times.
This is probably his fastest ever.
Back in the camp, the emperor summoned everyone to discuss matters.
Liang Jing was also among them. He couldn't help but be secretly excited when he looked at the civilian generals.
"As you have seen, Yangling Pass is indeed a dangerous pass. If we attack step by step, I feel that even if it takes a year or two, it will not help."
Pei Jian said: "Your Majesty, when I was in Chen Dynasty, it was Yangling Pass that protected Shu. I think it cannot be attacked forcefully."
"Your Majesty, I have seen both sides before, and it is difficult for a monkey to climb." Jiang Cunzhong has good observation skills.
The emperor looked at Lin Feibao.
"Your Majesty, the rock wall is smooth. We can climb up, but we can't hide in the eyes of the defenders. There is a bed crossbow when the door is closed..."
Even a monk cannot fly to the sky or escape from the earth. When climbing on that cliff, it is a good target for the bed crossbow.
"The false emperor is probably laughing at us in Tongcheng right now." He Lianrong said, "Can I use the room?"
Rooms must be occupied by people from Shu.
Everyone looked at Liang Jing.
Liang Jing lowered his head, "I don't know the general."
Han Ji said: "The false emperor will definitely be wary of this, and it is impossible for the general to surrender!"
Everyone thought that the small Nanzun City had resisted for a day and a half, and they all nodded and agreed with this judgment.
But what to do now?
Once the army is dispatched, it cannot stagnate. Once it stagnates, one's own soldiers will have doubts: Are they encountering difficulties?
Once such thoughts arise, morale will inevitably decline.
But the other side will feel that they have a chance to win, and their morale will soar.
But if you attack the city, you will die in vain!
In his many years of conquest, this was the first time that the emperor encountered such a helpless situation.
Everyone immediately began to discuss how to deal with the current situation.
Some people say that they attacked by force and flooded the pass with a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. Some people say that this is a waste of human life. If it is useful, that's it. But Yangling Pass is so tall that such an attack is useless.
The two groups were frothing at the mouth, and the old thief was even rolling up his sleeves.
Jiang Cunzhong on the opposite side sneered and rolled up his sleeves, as if he would cut off his robe and sever ties with you today.
"Ahem!"
The emperor coughed twice, and the tent that had been a little chaotic just now suddenly became orderly.
The old thief stood in his position with a solemn expression, as if the old gangster's face had never appeared at all.
Jiang Cunzhong looked at the ground with a straight face, as if there was a beauty there that he could touch by squatting down.
"What a fuss!" said the emperor.
No one said anything.
"No more trouble?"
Still no one said anything.
"Then, build siege equipment and prepare to attack the city!"