Just as Fang Yiai was struggling with whether to lead his troops west to the battlefield or stay as long as possible to see Feng Blacksmith die, Li Chengqian took a long breath and made a decision.
No matter whether the speculation is true or not, no matter whether it is for the sake of filial piety or for the sake of Li Tang's empire, Li Chengqian cannot let anything happen to Li Shimin!
If the Second Route Army is dispatched one day earlier, it will gain one more day, the Western Expedition Army will be less dangerous, and the Tang Dynasty will suffer less losses!
As for whether Li Shimin would suspect him of ulterior motives, Li Chengqian sighed inwardly. He could no longer care about it. He could only go to Empress Changsun and explain the stakes to her in detail after sending troops.
As long as the queen mother understands that she sincerely cares about her father, the country of Li Tang, and the soldiers of the Western Expedition, and believes in her father's doubts, the queen mother will help her slowly resolve them.
In the current situation where no emergency report for help from the border has arrived in Beijing, the real reason for sending out the Second Route West Expedition Army needs to be concealed, so as not to cause any panic.
The envoys of Baekje, Fusang and Japan, which were defeated just last year, are also in the capital. If Li Shimin personally conquered the Western Expedition in the first battle, they fell into the enemy's trap. The envoys of the Three Kingdoms who had been watching from the periphery for a long time, they surrendered to the Tang Dynasty.
Attitudes will definitely change!
Furthermore, since it is necessary to hide the truth from the superiors and subordinates and prevent people from guessing the real reason for the Second Route Army's Western Expedition, the candidate to command the Second Route Army really needs to be carefully considered.
Thinking about this, Li Chengqian glanced at Fang Yiai, whose eyes were bloodshot, and thought to himself, if there is really no other suitable candidate, he must let Fang Yiai accompany him to bear the infamy again.
It’s just that Feng Tiejiang and Sun Yunniang are really...
"Master Fang, can we collect enough food and grass in a short period of time?" Since he had already done everything possible, Fang Yiai could only give up his filial piety and show his loyalty. Li Chengqian took a deep look at Fang Yiai and asked the question
Xiang Fangxuanling.
"Now the capital can mobilize one month's worth of food and grass for the fifty thousand troops at any time. If it waits for three to five days, it can also mobilize half a month's more food and grass." Fang Xuanling finished the calculation in his mind and replied without any hesitation. As expected of Li Shimin.
A qualified Hubu Shang that I can’t bear to replace!
Li Chengqian nodded, very satisfied with Fang Xuanling's business understanding. All that was left now was to determine who would lead the expedition.
The commander-in-chief sent out by the Second Army. When the court officials and subordinates do not know the details, they will inevitably be classified as someone who has taken refuge in the prince, and they will even be labeled as being on the front line to steal military glory for free.
If the people sent can't bear this kind of grievance, the Second Route West Expeditionary Army will not be able to say that it has made great achievements by then. It would be good if they don't get eaten in vain again.
Therefore, one has to be careful in selecting candidates.
Moreover, the person chosen must be trusted by several people, otherwise it will be easy to cause trouble. Furthermore, the several important officials in the court who assist them in supervising the country must also be given a break in this matter, so as not to worry about the court tomorrow.
If the superiors in the hall say anything to stop it, things will become even more disturbing.
Rubbing his brows, Li Chengqian glanced at Qin Qiong, who was frowning and thinking. Knowing that he was also worried about the selection, he didn't ask him out loud.
Fang Yiai drank cup after cup of bitter tea that was as bitter as coptis. Then she managed to sleep without closing her eyes. With a pair of blood-red eyes, she waited sluggishly for the three of them to discuss matters.
Li Chengqian and others also knew how Fang Yiai spent these ten days. It was very rare for him to be the first to realize that there might be something fishy in the Western Expedition. No one could bear to force him to think about who should be sent to the expedition.
Something happened.
While Li Qing entered the room in person to serve tea and snacks, Li Chengqian asked Li Qing to find someone to bring a blanket, and ordered Fang Yiai to go to the soft couch in the room to close her eyes first, and wait for Jin Yu generals Sun Wuji, Du Ruhui and
The three of Wei Zheng came over to discuss the next arrangements.
Fang Yiai naturally understood, because Li Shimin was particularly strict with the army, and the generals who could really take on important responsibilities and take charge were all Li Shimin, and they would not easily participate in the fight for the throne.
Li Tang's empire, a hundred years after Li Shimin, no matter who takes the throne, they will not easily move the new military stars trained by the successor before they are mature. Each of the generals will see clearly, and only then will they be able to sit firmly on the throne.
Watch a show on stage.
For this reason, except for the princes in charge of the army, no one in the Li Tang royal family, except for the legal private soldiers, could mobilize the high-level generals in the army for their own use, not even the dignified prince Li Chengqian.
Like the previous King of Qi, Li You, who took advantage of every opportunity to win over were only middle- and lower-level generals in the army, and they were still people with little ability and unfulfilled ambitions.
In the absence of an urgent message from the border for help, the Second Route Marshal who led the troops to go on an expedition at this time would undoubtedly be exposed to a lot of false accusations and suffer a lot of infamy.
Fang Yi understood clearly that in the absence of a suitable candidate, the person who took the lead would most likely fall on him. The look in Li Chengqian's eyes just now said everything.
In my current situation, I haven't slept well for ten days in a row. I just followed the words of Feng Tiejiang and his wife. With the doctor's instinct that I have developed over the years, I can wake up instantly no matter how sleepy I am in the event of an emergency, so I won't get sick.
What's wrong.
However, if he leads the army to fight, without adequate rest, Fang Yiai cannot guarantee that his brain can make accurate judgments clearly and his physical strength can support him to fight in front of the battle. He understands that what he needs most now is rest.
Therefore, when Li Chengqian asked him to sleep on the soft floor of the room for a while, Fang Yiai nodded and lay down on it without any burden.
After lying down, Fang Yi's lover was already fast asleep.
Slight snoring sounded, unusually clear in the silent night.
Qin Qiong, who was selecting candidates suitable to lead the army one by one, was awakened by Fang Yiai's snoring and glanced at the situation in the room.
Li Chengqian looked at Fang Yiai, who was sleeping, with deep eyes, as if he was constantly thinking about something.
Qin Qiong could also guess that if there was no one else who could replace him, the crown prince would definitely let Fang Yiai lead the second army.
Fang Xuanling cupped her hands towards Li Chengqian and silently apologized. Then she took off her coat and let Fang Yiai put it on her body.
Looking at her son's sleeping tired face, Fang Xuanling had nothing to say except sighing heartbrokenly.
As early as the conversation between Fang Yiai and Jin Yuechuan in prison reached Li Shimin's ears, Fang Xuanling expected that Li Shimin would hold Fang Yiai in the hands of the royal family.
When Li Shimin selected Fang Yiai to be Li Chengqian's companion, Fang Xuanling understood that Li Shimin was really planning to train the prince Li Chengqian so that he could succeed to the throne in the future.
At the same time, I also knew in my heart that if the prince was in any trouble, Fang Yiai would undoubtedly be there to solve the trouble for the prince.
This is what happened with Hou Luanpei; this is what happened with Lizhou; this is how he tried his best to save the Empress Changsun in order to make the crown prince's position more stable; even the friction between the crown prince's natal family and the Hou Mansion was Fang Yiai's best effort to deal with it.
Now, there is no doubt that Fang Yiai is also the best candidate to attract attention and make people jealous!
What happened to his eldest son was due to his negligence, but what happened to his second son now, it can even be said that after Fang Yiai fell in Li Shimin's eyes, his affairs were not something that Fang Xuanling could have the final say on.
Sitting next to Fang Yiai, looking at Fang Yiai's sleeping face, Fang Xuanling's back, which had always been straight, actually looked a little rickety and old at this moment.
Looking at Fang Xuanling and Fang Yiai, Li Chengqian's eyes flickered, he spat out slowly, and looked away.
Qin Qiong saw Fang Xuanling's somewhat stooped back and sighed in her heart. It turned out that people like her were really old without knowing it.
His eyes moved from Fang Xuanling's gray hair to Fang Yiai, who was lying on a soft bed, unable to stretch his body.
Yes, the kids below have all grown up and can take care of things on their own. How can you and others stay young?
Thinking of his son Qin Huaiyu who was now a father, Qin Qiong was relieved and his eyes lit up. Perhaps, he could try to persuade the prince and others to let Huaiyu lead the army for his beloved this time?
However, there is no kindness on the battlefield, swords and guns have no discernment, and the enemy is not a vegetarian. Can Huaiyu do it? Qin Qiong's brows furrowed again.
If Li Shimin hadn't strictly ordered him to guard the capital, Qin Qiong would have really wanted to lead the army on his own, so he wouldn't have to worry about the choice of a general to lead the army in the middle of the night!
Li Qing knocked on the door and came in with a blanket. Fang Xuanling put on her coat again and covered Fang Yiai with the blanket, tucking every corner carefully.
It's not that he doesn't believe in his son's abilities, it's just that the battlefield is ruthless and has always been a place where human lives are devoured. People who can survive on the battlefield rely not only on their own strong abilities, but also on the extraordinary luck favored by God.
Just like what he told Fang Yiai earlier, the Fang family had already ruined one son, and Fang Xuanling really couldn't afford to pay for his second son!
While thinking about raising food and grass, Fang Xuanling, like Li Chengqian and Qin Qiong, carefully filtered through the people who were capable of going out and suitable to lead the army at this time, and eliminated them until the end. Suddenly, he found out:
The most suitable person is undoubtedly his son.
Coming to this conclusion, Fang Xuanling felt that it was impossible not to suffer.
Even though she was bitter in her heart, even if she was reluctant to give up, if it was really proposed that Fang Yiai lead the army despite the reputation and hatred, there would still be countless reasons for Fang Xuanling to just nod in agreement.
Looking at Fang Yiai's sleeping face, Fang Xuanling kept convincing herself that her son would come back alive! He would be fine!
In the Battle of Songzhou, thanks to Hou Junji's many calculations, his son was able to save the day, and this time should be no exception.
Although I have said the words of persuasion thousands of times in my heart, the worry in my heart about the situation my son may face has only increased instead of decreasing! (To be continued...)