Li Zhi entered the palace with his chamberlain. He had written a letter asking for an attack on Chu a few days ago, but there was no reply. Today, his father finally called him into the palace, and he was a little overjoyed. The meeting was held in the imperial study room, and Emperor Yong Li Yuan sat behind the dragon desk.
, squinting his eyes slightly, with a look of hesitation, and beside him sat a beautiful young woman in palace clothes. On the chair on the left side of the desk sat Prince Li An, Prime Minister Wei Guan, and Wei Guogong Cheng Shu, on the right.
In addition to the first seat, there are General Qin Yi of Fuyuan and King Li Xian of Qi. Li Xian is still pale and a little sick, but he is in good spirits.
Prince Li An is thirty-six years old this year, two years older than King Yong Li Zhi. However, he has never practiced martial arts. He is not as handsome as Li Zhi. Although he does not look very old because he has taken good care of himself, he still has a certain complexion between his eyebrows.
With a hint of exhaustion, he looked at Li Zhi's stunning heroic appearance who came in from the outside, and a trace of jealousy flashed in his eyes. Li Zhi walked directly to the Long Bookcase, prostrated himself in the tunnel and said: "My son, I bow to my father." Li Yuan said: "
Zhi'er, why are you here so late?" Li Zhi said with a smile: "I just received the intelligence information from Jiangnan before I came here, so I sorted it out and brought it over so that my father can take a look."
Li Yuan looked at Li An strangely and said, "An'er, didn't you already hand over the Jiangnan spy information?"
Li An smiled and said: "My second brother must not know that Jiangnan's intelligence has reached me first."
A cold smile flashed in Li Zhi's eyes, and he said: "The intelligence from the south of the Yangtze River came from Liang Wan, the prince. The intelligence channels here are different, so there must be some things that the father doesn't know yet."
Li An looked stern. He tried every means to control the Jiangnan spy network. He didn't expect that Li Zhi still had other information. How could he not be jealous? He said coldly: "I see. A few days ago, the sixth brother attacked Xiangyang. If the second brother
If you bring out that information, I'm sure Sixth Brother will not be defeated so miserably." He only focused on his own pleasure and attacking Li Zhi, but forgot about Li Xian's mood, and a hint of gloom flashed in Li Xian's eyes.
Li Zhi said calmly: "Brother Chen only discovered that our intelligence network in Jiangnan was not complete when the sixth brother failed in his first attack on Xiangyang. The military deployment map of Xiangyang we obtained was very rough. It must be the defender of Xiangyang."
There were manipulations when submitting the report to the Ministry of War. It can be seen that the intelligence network in charge of Miss Liang has been noticed by knowledgeable people in Nanchu. It is only because of the protection of the monarchs and ministers of Nanchu that we dare not eliminate them. In this way, when we officially negotiate with Nanchu
When the war begins between Chu and Chu, our intelligence network will inevitably be destroyed. Due to this situation, I have to rewire the wiring. It has finally been quite successful. Your Highness the Crown Prince does not know the details. It is not that I blocked it, but the new wiring has just been effective.
, so I didn’t come to you in time." At this point, Li Zhi glanced at Li Xian and bowed slightly to apologize. Li Xian shook his head slightly to show that he didn't mind.
As soon as Li Zhi came in, he was quarreling with Prince Li An. Seeing that they stopped temporarily, except Emperor Yong, the young woman and Li An, everyone else stood up to salute Li Zhi. King Li Xian of Qi was about to stand up, but saw Li Zhi
With the anger in An's eyes, he sat back. Li Zhi sat down on his seat and agreed to everyone. The beautiful woman in palace attire had ice-like eyes from the moment Li Zhi accused Liang Wan. When Li Zhi sat down, she
He opened his mouth and said, "Your Highness, my nephew Wan has endured a lot of hardships in the south of the Yangtze River, and yet he is still left behind, right?" Seeing her speak, Li An lowered his head slightly, with a smile on his face.
Li Zhi leaned forward and said: "My dear concubine, I dare not underestimate Miss Liang's achievements. When Changle married far away, my father and we all felt sorry for Changle. Her temperament was gentle and gentle, so the noble concubine sent Miss Liang to accompany Changle to Southern Chu."
, Li Zhi is also very grateful. Over the years, we have been so successful in Nanchu, and Miss Liang has contributed a lot. However, now that the situation has changed, Miss Liang has almost made it obvious, so I have to establish another spy network to prevent Miss Liang.
After being forced to retreat, we lost control of Jiangnan."
A faint smile appeared on the young woman's delicate dimples, as if she accepted Li Zhi's explanation. Her smile, which was like plum blossoms after snow, made all the men in the study feel moved. However, since she was a noble concubine, they all soon
Averted his eyes.
Seeing that the atmosphere had improved, Li Zhi said: "Since my father has received the intelligence brought by His Highness the Crown Prince, he must have seen the "Book of Admonitions to the Emperor of Jin"?" Li Yuan picked up a copy of the manuscript from the desk and said
: "Yes, this Jiang Zhe is indeed very talented. Both the prince and the king of Qi have recommended this person to me. I have seen his poems, especially the poem Po Zhenzi, a small poem that drove the king of Shu to death. He is really talented.
Jueshi, after seeing this book today, I believe that this person is not only a talented man, but also a capable minister. If Nanchu reuses this person, it will be the disaster of Dayong. Now that this person has been dismissed from office, he must be recruited.
.”
Li Zhi smiled and said: "Father is right, this man's talents are indeed extraordinary. My sons and I have seen him in Shu, and my sixth brother has seen him in Nanchu. It's a pity that this man is indifferent to fame and fortune, and he is a loyal minister of Nanchu. I'm afraid he won't surrender."
Bar?"
Li Yuan nodded and said: "Yes, I am also worried about this. Seeing this person's appearance, he should be a loyal minister of Southern Chu. It's just that as the saying goes, a wise minister chooses his master and serves him. I see this man's poems are free and easy, so he should not be
A stubborn person, right?"
When Li Zhi heard what he said, he knew that Li Xian had not told Li An about his encounter with Jiang Zhe in Xiangyang, so Li Yuan would not think that Jiang Zhe might not surrender. He glanced at Li Xian and said,
Li Zhi looked a little uneasy, smiled slightly, and continued: "Yes, because I got Jiang Zhe's seal this time, I checked carefully and found that this person has a close relationship with Prince De Zhao Jue. In Shu, he
He was the counselor for Zhao Jue. It is said that he was recuperating at home for more than two years, but he kept writing letters to Xiangyang. This time Liang Wan sent someone to assassinate Zhao Jue on the way. It was the servant he sent who saved Zhao Jue, and he even went to Xiangyang to see him in person.
During Zhao Jue's last meeting, I also found out that the new Governor of Southern Chu, Lu Xin, and Jiang Zhe also knew each other. Before Jiang Zhe passed the exam, he was the teacher of Lu Xin's son, Lu Can, so I thought that this man might not surrender easily.
.”
Li Yuan listened with great interest, while Li An and Concubine Ji secretly exchanged a look. It seemed that they did not pay much attention to Jiang Zhe. Li Yuan looked at Wei Guan and asked: "Wei Xiang, what do you think?"
Wei Guan replied: "Your Majesty, there is no need to worry. Southern Chu is exhausted now. It will only take a few years to pacify the south. When the world is at peace, the wise men will naturally come back. Jiang Zhe, judging from his poetry, is not a stubborn person, so how can he not
Feng Zhengshuo."
After hearing his answer, Li Yuan couldn't help but smile and said: "What Xiang Wei said is right. Although this person is worthy of reuse, there is no need to worry too much. After the Southern Chu is pacified, I will order him to join the court as an official."
Li Zhi looked at everyone and found that both Li An and Ji Guifei had indifferent expressions in their eyes. Only Li Xian's eyes were full of ridicule. He knew that his goal had been achieved. He praised Jiang Zhe in front of everyone just to hide his feelings for him.
If you want to secretly arrange to win over Jiang Zhe, it is difficult to avoid the attention of Li An and others. It is better to show your importance to Jiang Zhe in a clear way. Then other people's eyes will focus on Jiang Zhe's appearance.
Talent, on the contrary, will not truly understand the importance of Jiang Zhe, nor will he fight against himself for an "ordinary" celebrity. The only one who can see through his plan is Li Xian. He also understands Jiang Zhe's talent, but he must also hope that
Taking Jiang Zhe under his account, for this reason, he would never expose what he had done. Next, he would only have to fight with Li Xian secretly.
Having achieved his goal, Li Zhi said cheerfully: "My father has summoned his ministers to discuss the attack on Chu. I wonder what my father's plan is?"
Li Yuandao: "This time Dayong lost his troops in Xiangyang. I'm worried that Nanchu will be out of control from now on, so I plan to send you to lead the army to attack Chu. Now that the leader of Nanchu has proclaimed himself emperor, it just gives us the best excuse. Last time we used virtue.
The prince has bad intentions and is preparing to harm me, Dayong, and the excuse is too far-fetched. Now it is natural for us to attack Chu. What does Zhi'er think?"
Li Zhi said: "Father is right, the military in Southern Chu is in chaos now. According to my original plan, the army should be encircled and cut off the connection between Jingxiang and Jiangnan. It would take several years to gradually
It consumes the military power of Nanchu and the people's hearts. But now it seems that if they are given time and their army stabilizes again, it will be impossible to capture Nanchu in less than ten years. If the father allows it, I want to take a risk.
, give Nanchu a heavy blow, causing them to lose their determination to confront me, Dayong, and then pacify the resistance forces one by one. Although this may take a long time, within three years, I can guarantee that Nanchu will be conquered.
Return to the territory of Dayong, and then spend another twenty years slowly regaining the people's support, what does the emperor think?"
Li Yuan heard what Li Zhi meant. According to his idea, the most perfect thing is to wipe out Nanchu in one fell swoop. But now it seems that Nanchu still has something to do. He thought that Nanchu could be conquered within three years, although the cost
It was decades of turmoil, but it should not affect the situation in the Central Plains, and he no longer had to worry about it by then. His desire to build a career outweighed everything else, so he agreed with Li Zhi's opinion.
A hint of gloom flashed in Concubine Ji's eyes. She knew that if this happened, Jiangnan would be in chaos for many years and the people would suffer. However, she did not stop it because she knew that Li Yuan had already decided. She once again believed that the sect leader's decision was the right one.
Yes, although King Yong is very talented and wise, in comparison, the mediocre Li An is more suitable to be the Lord of Yong.
Seeing that Li Yuan had agreed, Li Zhi put forward a detailed plan. According to the intelligence, Nan Chu's military strength was now dispersed. Because of the battle with Dayong, Nan Chu strengthened its defenses in Shu to prevent Dayong from breaking through Shu and flowing down the river.
, and Xiangyang was attacked twice, resulting in heavy losses of soldiers. In order to replenish the troops, the Southern Chu military headquarters was almost stretched, and there was also a long defense line along the Yangtze River. It can be said that Southern Chu is now in a situation where the outside is strong and the middle is strong. Li Zhi proposed that first, start from Shuzhong and Xiangyang.
He launched an attack and siege everywhere, allowing Nanchu to concentrate on the two wars. Then he brought a group of elite cavalry to break through the Yangtze River and advance towards Jianye. According to common sense, Jianye City could not be captured in a few months. In a few months,
It was enough for the Southern Chu army to cut off Li Zhi's retreat and gain the support of King Qin Jianye. But now that Jianye is empty, and using Dayong's internal support in Jianye, Li Zhi is confident that he can capture Jianye within a few days, and then bring the Southern Chu royal family and the
Hundreds of officials plundered Dayong, leaving Southern Chu without a leader. Not to mention that even the capital was breached and the king was captured. This was enough to severely damage the morale of Nanchu. Even if they established another king, it would be difficult for them to fight Dayong again.
Confrontation, and then Dayong can pacify Jiangnan in the name of Zhao Jia. Although this plan will take more time to actually completely rule Jiangnan, and there will be more troubles, but Li Yuan hopes to make Nanchu a vassal sooner.
, so I agreed to the plan.
Although Li An was not very proficient in military affairs, he was aware of the consequences. However, he thought that if Li Zhi completely captured Nan Chu, he would not be able to keep his reserve position. Li Xian failed to attack Nan Chu this time and was heartbroken.
Thinking that this way there would be a chance to save their lives in the future, neither of them objected. Although Wei Guogong Cheng Shu and Fuyuan General Qin Yi both disagreed, they also understood the mystery and knew that objections were useless.
In this way, such a plan to attack Chu that was criticized by later generations and did not conform to the art of war was passed. Except for Li Zhi and Shi Yu, no one knew that Li Zhi's biggest purpose was to get Jiang Zhe.
After everyone had made a decision, Li Yuan sighed: "Zhi'er, this time you attack Jianye, you must ensure the safety of Changle and bring her back safely. She has sacrificed too much for Dayong. I feel sorry for her."
.”
Li Zhi sighed slightly. Princess Changle was the beloved daughter of his father. Her mother, the eldest grandson, was known for her virtues. Changle herself was dignified and gentle, so Changle was the most favored by her father. The second son of the emperor, Li Xian, who was born to the eldest grandson, was killed by an assassin in order to protect Li Yuan.
The fourth son of the emperor, Li Jin, died at a young age. Therefore, in order to comfort the eldest grandson, the imperial concubine, the emperor promised Princess Changle that she could choose her own son-in-law after Ji. Princess Changle already had someone she liked, and the emperor also agreed to grant her a marriage.
However, because he wanted to make a good relationship with Nanchu, his father ordered Changle to marry the prince of Nanchu, Zhao Jia. At that time, Concubine Changsun cried in front of his father that Dayong and Nanchu would turn against each other sooner or later. If Changle married, how would he live in the future. But
The father was still determined. Princess Changle's desperate look when she said goodbye was something Li Zhi could never forget. Although he cleverly arranged for Yongnu to compete for Zhao Jia's favor and prevent Princess Changle from having too much emotional involvement with Zhao Jia, but that day
When he knew that Princess Changle was almost living in seclusion, he still felt extremely sad, especially when he knew that Princess Changle was pregnant and decided to abort the child after many considerations. Li Zhi could almost see Changle's grief and despair. She knew clearly that if the child was born,
Everything I will face in the future will be so cruel, so I made this decision.
Thinking of this, Li Zhi said categorically: "Father, don't worry, this time I will definitely take my sister back. My sister has sacrificed a lot for me, Dayong. I will definitely ensure her safety and bring her back to my father's house."
We are happy on our knees."
Li Yuan sighed and said: "After taking her back, I will choose another son-in-law for Changle in a while, so that she will not be left as a widow at such a young age."
Everyone hesitated for a moment, then Wei Guan said: "Your Majesty has your own way, but if Zhao Jia is captured and comes here, he will still need to use his name in a short time. The princess is the Queen of Nan Chu. If your Majesty openly chooses a son-in-law for the princess, the people of Nan Chu will inevitably
I hate Dayong with gnashing of teeth."
Li Yuan said angrily: "Are we going to let my daughter suffer forever?"
Wei Guan was speechless. In his opinion, it was not important whether Princess Changle was happy or not, but he did not dare to say this.
Li An smoothed things over and said: "Father, what Xiang Wei said makes sense. How about this? Let's choose a husband for the imperial sister first and let them make an engagement secretly. In a few years, Southern Chu will be pacified, and Zhao Jia
After it has no effect, I can justifiably marry the imperial sister."
Li Yuan nodded slightly and said: "That's it, don't spread this matter out now, wait until Chang Le comes back. Okay, I'm a little tired, you can go."
Li An, Li Zhi, Li Xian, Wei Guan, Cheng Shu, and Qin Yi all stood up to say goodbye. Concubine Ji helped Li Yuan out of the imperial study. Everyone also left separately. Li Xian did not go with Li An, but deliberately stayed behind.
, said to Li Zhi: "Second brother, do you think Jiang Zhe will definitely submit to you?"
Li Zhi said calmly: "Why, the sixth brother also wants to keep him under his command."
Li Xian geared up and said, "Second brother, I fell in love with Jiang Zhe as soon as I saw him. You have so many ministers and generals under your command, just give me Jiang Zhe."
Li Zhi smiled slightly and said: "Do you think if he doesn't vote for me, he will definitely vote for you?"
Li Xiandao: "I think this kid is quite aware of current affairs sometimes. If he is willing to vote for me, I will worship him as my teacher and obey his words. He will definitely agree, as long as the second brother does not compete with me."
Li Zhi smiled bitterly. He didn't expect that Li Xian would surrender so hard. He didn't want to argue with Li Xian, so he said: "We still don't know whether he is willing to surrender to Dayong. We argued too early. By the way, you and Li Xian
When will Miss Qin get married?"
Li Xian smiled and said: "I'm not in a hurry. Anyway, my fate has been decided. Qin Zheng's master and father want me to hurry up, so I'm planning to get married next month."
Li Zhi smiled and said, "Then I won't be able to come back in time. You have delayed me for several years. It's a pity that Miss Qin is waiting for you."
Li Xian sneered: "If Concubine Ji hadn't urged my father to issue the edict, I would have waited a little longer. There are so many beauties outside, how could I possibly be busy? The Liu Piaoxiang I met last time in Nanchu is really a natural.
Beauty, if it weren't for Qin Zheng, I would have gotten it. Second brother, when you come to Nanchu this time, you might as well go and see her. She is really a peerless beauty. A hypocritical woman like Liang Wan can't compare to her.
, women, why are you thinking about worrying about the country and the people?"
Li Zhi smiled and said: "Okay, I will tell my sister-in-law to go and let her know that you look down on her." Li Xian quickly apologized.
Although Li Zhi was smiling on his face, his heart was cold. Li An now had Fengyi Sect and Li Xian was helping him. If Li Xian was more mature, then Li An could really compete with him instead of relying on his father.
Favoritism, and thinking of the increasingly dangerous situation around him, Li Zhi once again determined that he must get Jiang Zhe. He needed someone who could help him break through many obstacles.
In September of the first year of Zhihua, King Yong Li Zhi proposed a plan to pacify Chu and led an army of 400,000 southward. Jingxiang was shaken——
"History of Chu in the Southern Dynasties: Biography of King Chu Yang"