There are not many people who agree with these conditions, but there are definitely a lot of them. After all, Li Chengqian is a generous person and does not pay much attention to imperial dignity. If officials of the third rank and above have something to meet with, Li Chengqian will probably meet them as long as he is free. He is very approachable.
Who is the one?
Li Chengqian glanced at Li Junxian, who was standing solemnly at the entrance of the hall, and said, "General Li, please send someone to investigate this matter."
Li Junxian responded: "Here."
This task is very troublesome. After all, there are many people who agree to the conditions, but it is just a trouble. Nowadays, there are four gates all the year round and more than a hundred miles of square are under military control. Although it is still inevitable that some people come in and out without authorization, as long as there are enough manpower, we can investigate the nearby areas one by one.
The people I have contacted in the past two days will give feedback soon.
Wang De, the chief chamberlain, walked in from outside the door. Although he walked silently, his feet moved very quickly. He came to Li Chengqian's side and whispered: "Your Majesty, Zhongshu ordered Liu Jie to come to see you."
Li Chengqian frowned, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Xuan."
Although he was dissatisfied with Liu Ji's repeated interference in military affairs, Zhongshu Ling was already one of the core leaders of the empire, and he still had to be given the dignity he deserved.
"Here."
Wang De quit.
Li Chengqian said: "It seems that the military morale of Pheasant Nu's side is unstable. Even the important people around them have different aspirations. The day of defeat is not far away."
Now that His Majesty has ascended the throne, he is not a horse-riding emperor like Emperor Taizong who conquered the world with his Zhenguan ministers. He also has great trust in Fang Jun. Who knows whether he will be wary of Li Ji?
The reason why he stood aside and did not get involved in the struggle for the throne when His Majesty first came to the throne was because of this consideration.
Liu Jie burst into tears with gratitude: "This is my duty, and it is the greatest honor to share your worries for you. Naturally, I work hard and sleep late and dare not slack off. Thank you for your understanding."
The logic is self-consistent and reasonable. It is indeed Xiao Yu's impeccable and forward-thinking style, and he clearly calculated the situation. The only thing he neglected was that he trusted Chu Suiliang and was secretly betrayed by Chu Suiliang, which greatly reduced the effectiveness of this letter.
But Li Jing stared at Liu Ji and said unceremoniously: "Military and political affairs are different. The discussion here is military affairs. As the Zhongshu Ling, since you have no right to interfere, it is better to listen less. If the strategy is leaked, it will be detrimental to Liu Zhongshu.
It’s better to avoid it.”
In the letter, it was indeed as Chu Suiliang said, Xiao Yu frankly said that he could "incite rebellion" against Xue Wanche, so that he could suddenly launch a surprise attack on the King of Jin's army under the guise of joining forces with the King of Jin. At that time, the army on the west bank of the Ba River would cross the river to respond.
A pincer attack can defeat the rebels under Lishan Mountain.
We are already at a disadvantage in terms of strength and cannot work together as one, so how can we have any chance of winning?
Li Ji and Liu Jie said with a nod that the King of Jin already lacked talents, both in strategizing commanders and ingenious counselors. Figures like Xiao Yu and Chu Suiliang must have been his right-hand men, but now they are
They expressed their loyalty to the emperor one after another. It can be seen that the king of Jin had more than 100,000 troops, but his subordinates were already alienated from him.
Li Jing remained silent.
Just now, I wanted to check who was secretly colluding with Xiao Yu, but in the blink of an eye, he jumped out...
Liu Ji's expression changed and he said displeasedly: "I am the 'Secretary of the Central Committee', and my duty is to assist His Majesty in handling affairs. Why should I use military and political distinctions? Now that Duke Wei has military power, he can be called the number one person in the army. It is because of the orders."
Don’t you dare to disobey? Don’t you understand the principle of avoiding taboos at all and insist on excluding dissidents and covering up the sky with one hand?”
This was said in an extremely rude manner. Not only did Li Jing get charged with monopolizing military power and excluding dissidents, but his title of "the first man in the army" even tried to involve Li Ji who was standing beside him...
He had never been a person who snitched behind his back, but he was extremely disgusted with Liu Jiequ. He believed that he was just a bureaucrat, not even a famous official, and was narrow-minded and only interested in profit. Such a person would be a disaster if he was placed in the center. .
Liu Jie looked a little surprised and explained: "Probably because Wei Chen had worked under Song Guogong before and accumulated some friendships, which made Song Guogong willing to trust Wei Chen's character, so he entrusted such an important matter to him. However, since Song Guogong defected, This humble minister has absolutely no connection with him, so please let your Majesty know clearly."
Obviously, Xiao Yu regretted it. Now he felt that the King of Jin could not succeed, and he was afraid that the emperor would pursue him for treason later, so he expressed his loyalty to the emperor in this way, which was almost like a "voucher of honor." As long as he acted according to Xiao Yu's design, then No matter what happens after the war, he must be credited with a meritorious service.
Seeing Liu Ji's helpless smile, Li Chengqian averted his gaze and ordered someone to open the letter and read it carefully.
The reason why he expressed his attitude so fiercely was just to support Fang Jun. He himself would be disbanded and returned to his hometown in a short time. What did things above the court have to do with him?
But since Fang Jun will inevitably have to quarrel with the civil servants headed by Liu Ji in the future, he will naturally help a little if he can...
After a moment, Liu Jie, dressed in official uniform, quickly stepped inside.
Liu Ji's face turned red and white. He hesitated for a moment, then he had to stand up and said with a sigh: "Your Majesty's atonement is not for the humble minister to criticize the military commander. In fact, the military commander's misuse of power is a hidden danger to the country and has to be restrained. But the humble minister was indeed rude. This is Resign."
Li Chengqian looked at Liu Ji, silent, but his eyes were full of scrutiny.
"you are welcome."
Li Chengqian waved his hand and said: "Liu Zhongshu is diligent in government affairs and has outstanding abilities. He is my best help in carrying out internal affairs. Duke Wei must not mention these words in the future."
"Without courtesy, Liu Zhongshu, please take a seat."
There was silence in Wude Hall, everyone had different expressions, but their eyes seemed to linger on Liu Ji.
Is it true that there are people who would bow down to such a title and let them be driven around?
On the contrary, the emperor, who was extremely sensitive to military power, would be suspicious of this. That is to say, Emperor Taizong was broad-minded and extremely confident in his control of the army. Otherwise, Li Ji would probably have to remove his armor and return to his fields long ago, otherwise it would be difficult for him to die well...
After reading it, he pondered for a moment, then waved his hand to the chamberlain to hand the letter to Li Ji, and Li Jing passed it around.
Li Jing was dissatisfied and said: "Separation of military and political affairs is a national policy set by His Majesty when he came to the throne. The two sides do not interfere with each other and are integrated into one body. Your Majesty is in the middle. This can demonstrate the imperial power, improve efficiency and avoid buck-passing. Liu Ji was rampant and rebellious, often interfering in military affairs, which led to a deepening estrangement between the military and the government, and the inability to cooperate sincerely increased internal friction. This is a grave crime."
Li Chengqian said to Wang De: "Recently there has been turmoil in various parts of Guanzhong. Zhongshu Ling is handling government affairs day and night, working hard and taking two kilograms of tea from last year's tribute to Zhongshu Ling."
Liu Ji was naturally dissatisfied. When it came to speaking skills, who among the generals was he more afraid of than Fang Jun?
Just as he was about to retort, Li Chengqian had already spoken: "On the day I ascended the throne, I decided on a strategy of separating military and political affairs, so as to prevent the military and political parties from fighting each other and criticizing each other. You are all my humerus, and I hope you can follow it."
Li Ji and Li Jing read it one after another, then handed the letter to the chamberlain and returned it to the emperor.
But Liu Ji kept saying "the first man in the army", which seemed to be referring to Li Jing, but his real intention was an insinuation...
Get up and salute.
After all, one has to avoid suspicion.
After exchanging greetings, Liu Ji took his seat, took out a letter from his arms and handed it to the chamberlain behind him, saying: "Your Majesty, someone threw this letter into the mansion with a crossbow last night. I don't know the content of the letter. , so I rashly opened it and checked it, only to find out that it was entrusted to the minister to forward it to His Majesty. The minister did not dare to be expert in it, so he could only bring the letter to your Majesty for his review."
"Thank you, Your Majesty...I've met you all, I'm so polite."
Li Jing was displeased. Before he could speak, Li Ji on the side said calmly: "Liu Zhongshu's words are wrong. Your Majesty is the marshal of the world's soldiers and horses. We are all your Majesty's soldiers. You keep saying that you are the best in the army." ' , but where does that put His Majesty?"
He had long been tired of the title of "the number one in the army". Ever since Li Jing retired from the military and lived in seclusion in his mansion, this title has been attached to him. However, apart from sounding particularly domineering, such a title is not at all domineering. Not half beneficial.
Coupled with the corruption in Jiangnan, which seriously affected the empire's finances, it was necessary to rely on Xiao Yu's influence to appease and govern Jiangnan. With the combination of the two, the emperor would inevitably absolve Xiao Yu of all culpability and restore his official position as before...
He also said to Liu Jie: "I am not biased against Zhongshu Ling, but since the rules have been set, we should try our best to abide by them, regardless of whether we are emperor or minister. The government affairs in the DPRK are like a mountain, and Zhongshu Ling's hard work has achieved great results. We should also pay more attention to our health. I have many things to rely on.”
Of course, he also copied a copy of the letter and sent it to King Jin...
In fact, after receiving the letter sent into the mansion by a crossbow last night, Liu Ji thought about it for half the night before finally deciding to send the letter to His Majesty. After all, there is no clear explanation for secretly communicating with the traitors. Whenever His Majesty becomes suspicious, even if he doesn't show up, it's like a thorn hiding in his heart, and his trust in him is greatly reduced.
After saying this, he thanked him again and left the palace to wait for Wang De to get the tea...
As a prime minister, even if adhering to political opinions is a necessary quality, he will refute the political opinions of those he is hostile to without considering the interests of the empire. It is harmful and useless for such a person to sit in a high position.
The chamberlain put the letter on the imperial desk.
Li Junxian stood at the door of the main hall and looked at his nose and heart. A troublesome errand suddenly disappeared. He was in a good mood, but he didn't show it at all.
"Wei Chen has met your Majesty."
I had to express my position in front of the emperor.
Quietness returned to the palace.
Li Chengqian asked: "How should we deal with this matter?"
Li Jing looked at Li Ji and said, "Mao Gong is always very wise, so please be more prepared."
Li Ji didn't want to say anything more, but the matter had come to this, so he had to say: "Xue Wanche is your Majesty's person, and the Duke of Song Dynasty didn't know it, so he had a 'lobby'. According to the opinion of the minister, it is better to follow the plan and allow Xue Wanche to respond to Xiao Yu's request." Cross the Wei River to join forces with the King of Jin. You can attack the King of Jin's army according to Xiao Yu's plan, but you can't attack its key points. You can attack its rear formation, which will weaken the strength of the rebels and leave the King of Jin with no room to retreat."