Chang'an. In the study room of Tiance Mansion, Li Shimin and a group of his cronies gathered here. Everyone sat in their respective positions and did not speak for a long time. The whole room was filled with suppressed tension. A long time passed. Dugu Yanyun, who was sitting on the left side of Li Shimin, couldn't bear it any longer. He stood up, clasped his fists at Li Shimin and said, "King Qin. King Qi's war in Taiyuan was not going well. Song Jingang, the general under Liu Wuzhou, lost eighteen battles in a row. If it weren't for Liu General Hongji and Gongsun Wuda rescued each other. I am afraid that the King of Qi has been killed by Liu Wuzhou's fierce general Wei Chigong. If this continues, Your Majesty will definitely let you go to Taiyuan to fight on behalf of the King of Qi."
"Yeah." After listening to Dugu Yanyun's words, Li Shimin just nodded in agreement. He slowly picked up a cup of tea from the table in front of him and took a slow sip. He didn't seem to have listened to Dugu Yanyun's words. Seeing that Everyone was stunned by Li Shimin's appearance. They didn't know what to say. After a long time, Li Shimin said quietly: "If my father insists that I go, then what can I do? It’s impossible to disobey an order and disrespect it.”
"Your Majesty." Perhaps Li Shimin was surprised by this attitude. After everyone looked at each other, General Li Anyuan stood up and said to Li Shimin: "This time, Your Majesty asked King Qi to take the place of Your Majesty in the northern expedition to Taiyuan. He also promised King Qi to send General Liu and General Gongsun from The prince's subordinates were mobilized. His attitude was already very obvious. He just wanted to let the prince of Qi make more military exploits and contain the prince. Now that the prince of Qi has been defeated one after another, your majesty wants to invite the prince to go to the Northern Expedition. Could it be that the prince himself has no other ideas? ."
"Ideas." After hearing Li Anyuan's words, Li Shimin couldn't help but smile bitterly. He shook his head slightly, glanced at everyone, and then said, "I believe you all already know. Qian Que, who used to be an aide to the prince, is actually Liang Wang Wanhe. And now Wan He has also fled back to Luoyang. This shows that my previous speculation is correct. Wan He is indeed lurking in Chang'an. But after my father knew all this, what was his reaction? Haha. There is nothing. In response, I only verbally reprimanded the prince. How unfair is my father? Do I still want to ask for trouble?"
After Li Shimin said this, he directly picked up the tea cup in his hand and drank all the tea in the cup. Then he threw it hard. The fine porcelain cup immediately smashed to pieces on the ground.
Seeing Li Shimin's appearance, everyone understood clearly. It was not that Li Shimin had no desire to compete for the throne. It was just that Li Yuan's behavior of favoring Li Jiancheng made Li Shimin very helpless and angry. Seeing that Li Shimin at least did not give up his original ambition. Everyone finally secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If even Li Shimin himself no longer had that thought, then all their thoughts would be in vain. Then Zheng Rentai, who had just been promoted to the brave cavalry general of Tiance Mansion, stood up and advised: "Your Majesty. Don't be discouraged. The merits of the prince can be seen both inside and outside the court. Without the prince, there would be no Tang Dynasty today. Your Majesty is only considering that the prince is the eldest son. As long as the prince continues to fight for it, we will also be willing to work for the prince. Serve me. I believe that I will be able to assist the prince in ascending to the position of great treasure in the future."
After Li Shimin threw the tea cup, the depression in his heart also dissipated a lot. Then he took a deep breath to calm down. Then he bowed his hands to everyone and said, "I lost my temper just now. Please don't blame me."
"Your Majesty, you're welcome." Seeing that Li Shimin had returned to normal, everyone was happy and returned the favor. Then, Duguyanyun brought up the old topic again and said, "Your Majesty, based on my father's information. It won't be long before your Majesty will summon the prince to the palace and discuss with him the matter of going to Taiyuan for assistance. I just don't know if the prince is willing to go."
"Go. Of course I have to go." Li Shimin lowered his head and thought for a moment, but nodded vigorously. He replied with certainty: "No matter how my father treats me, Liu Wuzhou is the enemy of the Tang Dynasty. Taiyuan is also Li Shimin's. The foundation of our family. How can we abandon it? This time, I must not only agree to my father's request, but it is also best to take the initiative to raise this request and ask my father for orders to go to Taiyuan to help my fifth brother and conquer Liu Wuzhou."
"Ah." Everyone was dumbfounded when they heard Li Shimin's answer. According to their thinking, even if Li Shimin did not refuse the request of the Northern Expedition, he would at least make some demands. It would be best to make Li Yuan agree and agree to make Li Shimin the prince. He would inherit the throne in the future. But no one expected it. Li Shimin not only agreed, but also agreed without any requirements. This was beyond everyone's expectation. Then Li Anyuan hesitated for a moment and said to Li Shimin: "Your Majesty. Since your Majesty has something to ask of you, why don’t your Majesty take this opportunity to ask your Majesty to agree to your request, for example, make him the crown prince or something.”
Regarding Li Anyuan's suggestion, Li Shimin didn't even think about it. He just shook his head and refused. Li Shimin said with a serious face: "Not to mention whether the father will agree. Even if the father agrees, don't forget it. . Over the years, my father has promised me too many times. But in the end, my father has not made Li Jiancheng the crown prince. My father's promise has no effect at all. This king will make my father unhappy. The emperor thinks that I am using my power to blackmail you. My father will definitely be dissatisfied with me because of this. It will only be self-defeating."
Hearing what Li Shimin said, the generals understood the problem. Li Anyuan was even more ashamed. He cupped his fists and saluted Li Shimin, which was regarded as an apology for giving such a bad idea to Li Shimin. Li Shimin did not Mind. He just waved his hand lightly and then said: "It is precisely because of this that I must let my father know. No matter whether he makes me the prince or not, I will serve the Tang Dynasty wholeheartedly. This will make my father feel guilty for me. This is my biggest advantage in competing with Li Jiancheng for the throne. Secondly, I am willing to go to Taiyuan in order to be able to hold military power in my hands. As long as I have military power. . Then everything will be easier to handle in the future.”
Hearing what Li Shimin said, the eyes of all the generals here lit up. Dugu Yanyun's originally iceberg-like face couldn't help but reveal an expression of excitement. He stood up and looked at Li Shimin. He couldn't help but ask: "Your Majesty, you means……"
"My king has no other intentions." This aroused the thoughts of the generals. However, Li Shimin did not mean to make his words clear. Instead, he still said slightly mysteriously: "The Tang Dynasty and the Li family can only be under the hands of capable people." Only in this way can we unify the world. When necessary, for the Tang Dynasty and for the Li family, I will be willing to bear a lifetime of infamy."
"Oh." After hearing Li Shimin's words, the generals all stood up excitedly. Of course, there were exceptions. Behind the generals, a white-faced general was sitting there with his eyes narrowed. The generals looked excited, as if he was an outsider sitting here to watch a good show. This white-faced general was none other than Liu Shili.
And Liu Shili's behavior also fell into Li Shimin's eyes. When he met Liu Shili's eyes, a cold light flashed in Li Shimin's eyes. But soon Li Shimin smiled and made a downward gesture to the generals. He gestured and said: "Everyone, please be patient. This is what I just said. If possible, I don't want to use such drastic measures. Okay, let's stop discussing today's matters. Please Please be prepared when you go back. We are very likely to send troops to Taiyuan in a short time."
"Well." This time, the generals no longer opposed Li Shimin's proposal to send troops to Taiyuan. Instead, they were very positive about the proposal. Soon, the generals each received their tasks from Li Shimin and then retreated. In the end, In the entire study, only Li Shimin and Liu Shili were left sitting in their respective seats.
"Haha." After all the generals had left, Liu Shili suddenly laughed. He just sat there, looked at Li Shimin, and said with a smile: "The prince is indeed a good trick. Our Xiaoyao Sect gave up Wang Shichong and chose the prince. It is indeed true. It's a wise move. These words can mobilize the enthusiasm of the generals so well. It is enough to show how high the prince's status is among the generals. At least, these people should be loyal to the prince."
"Humph." Hearing Liu Shili's words, Li Shimin snorted coldly. Then he stood up and walked slowly in front of Liu Shili. His eyes were fixed on Liu Shili. He said in a deep voice: "That's what you said now. Wait until a certain day. One day, you find another chess piece that is more useful than my king. Then you will throw this king away like an abandoned piece. Huh, just like you did to Wang Shichong."
"Haha." In response to Li Shimin's question, Liu Shili didn't mean to explain at all. He just sat there steadily, slowly sipping the tea in the cup. After waiting for a long time, he said to Li Shimin: "So, Your Majesty. If you don't want to be an outcast, then you have to work harder. Judging from the current situation, although we are still very optimistic about the prince, Li Jiancheng has the upper hand in the situation."
Regarding Liu Shili's words, Li Shimin's face suddenly turned green and white. He changed his face several times, but he changed the topic and said: "You can get the specific military information about Li Yuanji's defeat in Taiyuan. You can get Liu Hongji." Li Yuanji, who assisted Gongsun Wuda, lost eighteen battles in a row. This Song Jingang is probably not an easy person to deal with. I need to understand this person more clearly."
"Please don't worry, Your Majesty." Liu Shili slowly drank the last bit of tea in the cup. Then he took out a letter with a roar from his arms. He threw it away, but it fell firmly into Li Shimin's hand. Immediately afterwards, Liu Shili said with a smile: "From the first battle to the eighteenth battle, the detailed battle reports of each battle are here. I am here. I wish you, my lord, a victory."