"I am reporting to you, Your Majesty. I have been favored by Your Majesty, and I have been able to take charge of the Honglu Temple. I have never dared to neglect it, and I have been conscientious about it. Now there is a matter that cannot be decided by me, so I would like to ask your Majesty to express my gratitude to you."
Cai, there is a country in Persia, which has always been on good terms with us, the Tang Dynasty, and has paid tribute year after year. Unfortunately, it has been destroyed by the evil country of Da Shi, and its leader is humble.
Si failed to restore the country several times, so he went into exile in our country, the Tang Dynasty, and died in a foreign land. Before he died, he asked our country, the Tang Dynasty, for help, but he couldn't, so he died with hatred. His condition was sad, and his situation was also pitiful. Today,
His son Master Ni Ni moved the manuscript again and handed it over to Wei Chen, asking Wei Chen to report it to Heaven on his behalf. I don’t dare to specialize in it, so I beg the empress to judge it!"
Yuan Wanqing was known for his eloquence and excellent acting skills. When he finished speaking, he was quite inciting and spoke passionately, even with a slightly choked voice, as if he was really touched by the hardships of the Persian King's restoration.
"Buzz..."
On the matter of Persia, Emperor Gaozong had already made a decision, that is, to ignore it. Although he had not expressed his position clearly, the courtiers knew it. At this time, seeing Yuan Wanqing general, this matter was already finalized.
They moved to the court hall to discuss things seriously, and everyone immediately became commotion.
"My lords, the country of Persia has always been on good terms with us, the Tang Dynasty. Now that it has been destroyed, we, the Tang Dynasty, cannot sit back and ignore it. Do you have any advice on this? We might as well discuss it."
Empress Wu was obviously very satisfied with the reaction of the courtiers, because it meant that the secret work of this raid was not in vain. Therefore, Empress Wu did not rush to speak, but allowed the courtiers to discuss randomly for a while before finally
He spoke slowly and slowly.
Empress Wu did not speak, but when she spoke, it was with an obvious tendency. The focus was on "cannot sit idly by". There is no doubt that Empress Wu was planning to make a fuss about this matter. Ministers
While the workers were stunned by this, they also couldn't help but become suspicious. Not only did the noise of chaos not subside, it actually became louder.
"I would like to inform you that the weak ministers think that the big eater is a bad country. It is conquest-driven and has destroyed countless countries. It kills people and fills the wilderness. There is no reason to control the barbarism. Persia, our Tang Dynasty is a friend of our Tang Dynasty. I want to destroy his country.
It is absolutely impossible to offend the great power of the Tang Dynasty.
Forgivably, Chen Tang, the famous general of the Western Han Dynasty, once said: "Anyone who offends our powerful Han Dynasty will be punished no matter how far away!" However, the power of our Tang Dynasty is far greater than that of the previous Han Dynasty, and our spirit is not as good as that of the previous Han Dynasty. Therefore, I think it is time to fight.
Only by winning can we show that our Tang Dynasty is unparalleled in strength!"
As soon as Empress Wu finished speaking, Jia Chaoyin stood up and made an impassioned statement, issuing a very clear declaration of war.
"My Majesty is aware of this, and I believe that what Prime Minister Jia said is true. The strength of our Tang Dynasty is far beyond what the previous Han Dynasty could achieve. How can we, the Tang Dynasty, let the ancients be more beautiful than the previous Han Dynasty and fight!"
"My dearest lady, I think what Prime Minister Jia said is true. How can our illustrious name in the Tang Dynasty be blasphemed by a small country in the wilderness? You can't do anything that can be won by fighting!"
"Your Majesty, I agree that this battle is inevitable!"
With Jia Chaoyin as the leader, Wu Chengsi and others from Empress Wu's party came out one after another to echo. Suddenly the sound of fighting broke out in the hall. Under the excitement of the crowd, there were really people who were wiping out all directions and swallowing up the pride.
Waves endlessly.
Empress Wu and her party were all shouting and fighting, and all the old ministers could not help but frown. They all felt that this matter was extremely inappropriate. However, seeing that Empress Wu was quite complimentary, the ministers could not help but have some scruples in their hearts.
He didn't even dare to express his position easily, and the court meeting turned out to be one-sided.
"I object! Your Majesty knows clearly that your Majesty has already made a clear decision on this matter. Persia is thousands of miles away from our Tang Dynasty. If we send out few soldiers, it will be difficult to accomplish anything. If we send out more soldiers, it will be difficult to plan the logistics and equipment, and the end of a strong crossbow will not be able to penetrate the plain material. It is outrageous
Raising troops is not the way to fight, so be careful!"
Others did not dare to express their opinions easily due to the power of Empress Wu, but the new governor of Luoyang, King Luo Bin, did not care at all. He immediately snatched him out of the ranks of civil servants and loudly remonstrated.
"I would like to report to you, your Majesty. I also believe that we must be cautious about this matter. Soldiers are a major matter for the country and a matter of life and death. We must not be careless and suddenly raise an army thousands of miles away. If there is a mistake, the danger will be serious. We must consider it in the long term."
As soon as King Luo Bin finished speaking, the new Sinong Qing Di Renjie also stood up. He also opposed the invasion of Persia, but his words were much more tactful than King Luo Bin.
"My Majesty, it is clear to me that although our Tang Dynasty is strong and prosperous, we will not be able to overcome major disasters, and the people's hearts are still hard to be called stable. In fact, this is not the time to use troops, so we must be cautious."
"I would like to report to you, Your Majesty, you have already made up your mind on this matter. Anyone who talks about war in vain is treacherous!"
"Your Majesty, I think what Luo Fuyin said is true. Unless we don't fight, we can't listen!"
…
As soon as Luo and Di came forward, the courtiers of the East Palace were not willing to lag behind. They stood up one after another and expressed their opinions, all of which were anti-war words. Although the number of people was not as large as that of the rear party, the momentum was the same.
It's not a small matter. At this point, the Chao Dynasty, which was previously kept in the dark,
I finally understood that whether or not to fight has become a battleground between the East Palace clan and the rear party. The courtiers who originally wanted to express their attitude all backed down because no one wanted to get involved.
Get into such a vicious fight between mother and son.
"What you all said is reasonable. I will consider it carefully, Xian'er!"
When she saw that the officials in the East Palace reacted so quickly and their actions were so uniform, how could Empress Wu not know that the people in the East Palace had already received the news in advance?
It was an occasion, but it was hard to break out, so he pressed his hand to stop the debate among the ministers, spoke in a noncommittal tone, and after a pause, he suddenly nodded Li Xian's name.
"My son is here!"
Li Xian had long expected that Empress Wu would target him directly, but he didn't take it to heart. When Empress Wu called her name, he immediately stood up and bowed respectfully to answer.
"You have a reputation of being good at fighting. After just a few years of marching west of Hexi, you were able to annihilate Tibet and enhance the prestige of our Tang Dynasty. You are a rare talent in ancient times. If you command the army, it will not be difficult to restore the kingdom of Persia. I don't know.
Is Xian'er willing to share your mother's worries?"
Empress Wu was decisive by nature. Seeing that the raid had failed, she simply stopped playing tricks. After praising Li Xian for a few words, the conversation changed and she began to unabashedly pressurize Li Xian.
Haha, the old thief’s intentions are really vicious!
Li Xianduo, one of the shrewd individuals, already knew the intention behind Empress Wu's question - if he said he couldn't, he would be unwilling to share Empress Wu's worries, which was unfilial. If he said he could, then Empress Wu would not have the slightest regret.
Even if he was vague, he could directly issue an order and kick Li Xian out of the court. By the time Li Xian returned in triumph, the court would have already been ruled by Empress Wu. No matter how capable Li Xian was, it would be difficult to overthrow him.
Heaven goes.
"My mother has given me too much praise, and my son really doesn't deserve such a good reputation. As for whether to fight or not, I have no opinion at all. Everything is subject to the will of my father."
Li Xian was not stupid. He knew clearly that Empress Wu was digging a hole, but he was not willing to jump in. He first said something modestly, and then he carried Gaozong out and used it as a shield in a grand manner.
"Is Xian'er scared, or he doesn't want to worry about his mother, eh?"
Empress Wu's original plan was to take advantage of Li Xian's unpreparedness and use the general trend to force the court meeting. After everything was settled, she would then inform Gaozong and use the fait accompli to prevent Gaozong from intervening in the matter.
She knew about this when she saw Dong Gong's behavior.
It was no longer possible to proceed according to the predetermined steps. In this case, Empress Wu was too lazy to look for a fig leaf for Shen Zi, and simply used the authority of the empress to press hard. As long as Li Xian made a slight mistake in dealing with it, Empress Wu could take advantage of the situation.
Give Li Xian a hard blow.
"My mother's words are serious. When I led three thousand troops across Tuyuhun, I smiled and faced the siege of hundreds of thousands of Tibetan soldiers and horses. At this time, I didn't even say that I was afraid. What's more, it was just a big meal, like this one. How difficult is it to destroy it? Why bother?
sons and ministers
If we take action, it will be enough to put an end to the enemy if a general leads his troops. However, my father has spoken in advance, and I dare not disobey him. If I get an explicit edict from my father, I can plan for it. I only have this intention, so please do me a favor.
The Queen Mother is a clear warning."
Li Xian didn't care at all about Empress Wu's high-pressure posture, nor did he get angry because of it. He just acted like he was stating the facts and being reasonable, and responded unhurriedly.
"Buzz..."
Although Li Xian's words were plain, the underlying meaning was not simple. He was saying that Empress Wu was just entrusted by Emperor Gaozong to come to the court, and was not a real emperor. Naturally, he had no right to decide on major military and state affairs.
Li Xianjian will not take it
The words should be regarded as an imperial edict, and everything must be said by Emperor Gaozong before they can be counted. As for Empress Wu's words, they have no binding power for Li Xian. As soon as these words came out, the courtiers who had been quiet suddenly became upset again.
A small commotion.
Li Xian did not deviate from Gaozong's original intention in every sentence, and made it clear that he was unwilling to act according to Empress Wu's will. This attitude immediately made Empress Wu extremely uncomfortable, and she was still unable to get angry, because what Li Xian said was correct, and although the meaning was not good, it can be understood from
On paper, there was nothing wrong with it. No matter how angry Empress Wu was in her heart, she could not get angry. Seeing that things were about to come to a standstill, Empress Wu was unwilling to give up, so she quickly called on the most eloquent Li Shi.
Made a look.
"His Majesty the Crown Prince's words were wrong. Your Majesty did not say no to fighting. He just said that it would take time to decide. Now that Belus has died, his son has gradually lost contact with the country. Any further delay may be detrimental to the restoration of the country.
How can we, the Tang Dynasty, lose face if we just sit back and watch Persia destroy our country? Your Highness is capable of what you can do but is unwilling to show it, how can you bear it?"
Li Shi's reputation as an eloquent speaker is indeed true. Although he was not prepared for this, as soon as he caught the look in Empress Wu's eyes, he immediately jumped out and spoke with awe and righteousness. Standing on a high moral level, he expressed his admiration for Li Xian.
avoid fighting and make accusations.
"What Li Yushi said is true. In today's world, there is no more handsome person than His Highness the Crown Prince. If His Royal Highness the Crown Prince personally leads the army, why worry about the failure of great things?"
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is so heroic that he can sweep through Tuyuhun with just one brigade and kill hundreds of thousands of Tibetan troops. If he leads an expedition now, he will be sure to be safe. Your Majesty, upon hearing this, will not hesitate to do so!"
…
As soon as Li Shi took the lead, Empress Wu's party naturally followed suit, and they were all flattering and planning to kill Li Xianpeng. Their intentions were really cruel...
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