Chapter six hundred and fortieth: grabbing the military power
"Gao Kaidao," Li Yuan couldn't help but frown when Li Jiancheng suddenly mentioned this person. As a member of the Guanlong nobles, Li Yuan didn't like these bandits from the Northeast very much. Besides, Gao Kaidao had never been one. It is very strong. It has been suppressed by Dou Jiande in Hebei. It only occupies one or two cities and has only ten to twenty thousand troops. It cannot become a big deal at all.
Li Jiancheng also nodded immediately, squinted his eyes and smiled: "This Gao Kaidao was originally a general under the Shandong bandit Ge Qian. Ge Qian was killed by Wan He back then, so Gao Kaidao always regarded Wan He as his enemy. Now the situation in Hebei has become very serious. Obviously, if Dou Jiande is defeated, the entire Northeast will be owned by Wanhe. Gao Kaidao will naturally not watch this happen. We only need to promise it a benefit and let Gao Kaidao do things for us. At least, Wanhe will If He wants to defeat Dou Jiande so quickly, it will not be that easy."
Hearing what Li Jiancheng said, the ministers who supported Li Jiancheng also echoed and responded. Only Li Gang sighed longly, shook his head, and sat down with a look of helplessness. After hearing Li Jiancheng's idea, Li Yuan couldn't help but frown. Locking tightly, he said with some hesitation: "But can it really be done with Gao Kaidao's small number of troops? The opponent is not only Wan He, but also Luo Yi, Xue Shixiong and Du Fuwei. ,"
"Whether it works or not, it has nothing to do with us," Li Jiancheng continued to persuade. If his plan is adopted, it will mean that his status with Li Yuan will be improved to a higher level, which will also be of great benefit to Li Jiancheng's future plans. , and seeing that Li Yuan was already interested, Li Jiancheng struck while the iron was hot and said: "What we have to do is to take advantage of this opportunity to first enthrone our father as emperor, inspire the soldiers of the three armies, and then select a general to go north. To attack Liu Wuzhou and recapture Taiyuan, as long as the rear is stabilized, Wanhe will immediately mobilize his troops back to Luoyang at Chen Bingtong Pass. In this way, Wanhe's arrangements in Hebei will all come to nothing. In order to gain control of Hebei this time, Wanhe will Shandong worked hard, but in the end it was all in vain, which must have had a great impact on the morale of Wan He's army. When the time comes, our army will seize the opportunity to send troops, and it will definitely achieve miraculous results."
"Well," Li Yuan couldn't help but feel confident after hearing what Li Jiancheng said, and nodded repeatedly. However, out of caution, Li Yuan still turned his attention to his most trusted adviser Liu Zhenghui, and Liu Zhenghui also thought for a moment and said to Li Yuan He nodded and said: "Prince Tang, my subordinates believe that what the Crown Prince said is absolutely true."
Even Liu Zhenghui agreed with Li Jiancheng's opinion. Li Yuan was relieved and nodded repeatedly: "Okay, then just as Jiancheng said, send someone to contact Gao Kaidao. Well, let's make him the general manager of Hebei. I hope this People will not let me down,"
Seeing that Li Yuan had adopted his opinion, Li Jiancheng couldn't help but be overjoyed. When he bowed to Li Yuan, he said: "My father is wise, I will find a suitable candidate for my father to complete this task."
"Well," Li Yuan nodded, and then said: "There is one more thing, and that is about the commander who went north to recover Taiyuan. Liu Wuzhou is not an easy character to deal with. To recover Taiyuan from him, this commander must be cautious. It’s a matter of choice,”
Hearing what Li Yuan said, everyone in the hall suddenly became silent again. As Li Yuan said, Liu Wuzhou was not a good man or woman, especially since he had Turks backing him. With Li Tang's current strength, he wanted to It is very difficult to defeat Liu Wuzhou and conquer Taiyuan. Li Shimin was originally a good commander. He had just defeated Xue Ju, the overlord of the Western Qin Dynasty, and forced the aggressive Li Gui to retreat to Liangzhou. If he had fought , the hope of winning is also much greater, but Li Yuan has just expelled Li Shimin from the hall, and according to Li Yuan's wishes, Li Shimin will have to think about his mistakes behind closed doors in the Prince of Qin's Mansion within this month, let alone drag him out to fight.
Seeing that no one spoke, Li Yuan couldn't help but show a disappointed expression. Of course, he also thought of his second son who had just been scolded away by him, but it was impossible for Li Yuan to sacrifice his face to find Li Shimin, and at this moment , but a figure suddenly stood up from the crowd and shouted loudly: "Father, just let the child go,"
Everyone took a closer look and found that the person who stood up to ask for a fight was none other than Li Yuan's fourth son, Li Yuanji. However, after Li Yuan saw Li Yuanji asking for a fight, he was not surprised. Instead, he frowned and shouted: "What nonsense are you talking about?" Don’t you think it’s noisy enough? Sit down for me.”
Li Yuan was both in love with and annoyed with Li Yuanji. As his youngest son, Li Yuan naturally loved Li Yuanji very much. But this time Li Yuan was worried about going north to attack Liu Wuzhou. After all, it was not because Li Yuanji gave Taiyuan to Taiyuan half a year ago. The reason why he lost it is that, in Li Yuan's view, Li Yuanji is just a child who has not grown up yet. He can just play around and have fun. Things on the battlefield are not suitable for this young boy. After all, not everyone is like him. Like Li Shimin, he has such a talent for fighting.
Seeing that his father rejected his request directly, Li Yuanji curled his lips and shouted: "Father, why don't you let the child go? The child lost Taiyuan and should be taken back by the child. In the child's view, In all the civil and military officials of this dynasty, no one is more suitable to fight in Taiyuan than the child. My father once taught the child to get up from where he fell. Does the father believe that the child cannot do this?"
Li Yuan's brows suddenly wrinkled. What Li Yuanji said was not unreasonable, but Liu Wuzhou was not a kind person. Last time in Taiyuan, Li Yuanji was able to escape. But this time, over the years, he has already After losing two sons, Li Yuan could no longer bear the pain of losing a son.
Seeing Li Yuan's hesitation, Li Yuanji also saw hope, and quickly winked at Li Jiancheng. When Li Jiancheng saw it, he immediately understood, and then stepped forward and said to Li Yuan: "Father, it's rare for my fourth brother to have such determination. Father, It’s better to fulfill the fourth brother’s wish,”
This time it was about Li Yuanji's life. Li Yuan was not so easily convinced. He hesitated for a while and finally said: "What I care about is the safety of Sanhu. That's no joke on the battlefield. The sword No eyes, who can guarantee his safety?"
"Haha, father is worrying too much." Seeing Li Yuan actually thinking about this issue, Li Jiancheng felt a little relieved. Sanhu is Li Yuanji's diminutive. In the past, only Li Yuan would call him this when he was in a good mood. At least in Li Yuan's mind, Li Yuanji's defeat in Taiyuan was no longer very important. Immediately afterwards, Li Jiancheng continued: "The man of the Li family was not trained on the battlefield. It happened to be in troubled times. It’s time for the fourth brother to be trained. Well, my father’s worries are not unreasonable. We might as well send a few more tough men to be the fourth brother’s deputies and let them protect the safety of the fourth brother.”
"Well, this is a way, but who is the best to send?" Hearing what Li Jiancheng said, Li Yuan nodded again and agreed to Li Jiancheng's method. In Li Yuan's mind, Li Jiancheng's performance today He was so outstanding that he gradually replaced Li Shimin's important position. He subconsciously accepted all the suggestions made by Li Jiancheng.
When Li Jiancheng saw that Li Yuan had adopted his opinion again, he was even more ecstatic, but he still kept calm on the surface and said respectfully: "Father, I thought that both General Gongsun and General Liu under my second brother were They are brave generals who will protect the fourth brother and ensure his safety."
"Well, you are talking about Gongsun Wuda and Liu Hongji." Hearing what Li Jiancheng said, Li Yuan also frowned. He was not a fool. Li Jiancheng suddenly proposed these two candidates, and Li Yuan immediately understood Li Jiancheng's intention. , this is to divide Li Shimin's military power, but even if he understood, Li Yuan did not immediately veto the proposal. Today's Li Shimin made Li Yuan really disappointed, and Li Jiancheng's outstanding performance made Li Yuan's heart even more The balance of power was tilted towards Li Jiancheng. Perhaps it would be a good thing to reduce Li Shimin's military power one by one. Thinking of this, Li Yuan also made up his mind, and then nodded and said: "This is not impossible, but these two people They are all Shimin's favorite generals. If you want them to accompany Yuanji to the north, you have to convince Shimin first."
Li Yuan's answer also made Li Jiancheng curl up. He could no longer suppress his joy. Since Li Yuan could answer like this, it was equivalent to agreeing with Li Jiancheng's suggestion. With Li Yuan's words, as long as Li Jiancheng was not a fool, If you do a little manipulation and polishing, you won't be afraid of Li Shimin's disapproval.
The reason why Li Shimin kept winning in battles was, of course, because Li Shimin was really good at fighting. On the other hand, it was also because Li Shimin had many strong generals to help him, and Gongsun Wuda and Liu Hongji were the best among them. Li Jiancheng this time The purpose is to poach these two people, not only to reduce Li Shimin's military power, but also to weaken Li Shimin's capable people and strangers. Although Li Shimin has not been completely defeated, at least he made a good start today. Li Jiancheng I believe that given time, I will be able to defeat Li Shimin and consolidate my position as the eldest son.
Immediately, Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji looked at each other, and then worshiped Li Yuan at the same time: "Thank you very much, father Chengquan,"
Hearing what the two brothers said, Li Yuan also had a complex expression. He didn't want his sons to live in peace, but it was not a good thing that his sons were too good. In the future, he would only have one seat, which would inevitably cause several problems. Competition for a son, and now, Li Yuan still prefers his eldest son. Li Yuan immediately reached out and patted Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji, and said sincerely: "Do a good job and don't let me down."