Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4231 The Battle for Military Power
With a sullen face, Li Chengqian tapped the table in front of him with his knuckles, and said slowly: "In the face of a great enemy, we should unite as one and deal with the outside world. I am a ungrateful and suspicious person. Whoever can make meritorious service will be able to do so." If you get a reward, there will never be such absurd things as the master of meritorious deeds! Similarly, what abilities you have should be used as much as possible. As long as the merits are in the community, who dares to deny or refuse to accept? From now on, I don’t want to see Until the wind of jealousy and jealousy is raging in the court."

As Li Chengqian, who was educated by the crown prince since childhood, he understands the importance of "balance".

Because of the difference in fundamental interests, the civil and military sides have never been able to live in harmony and friendship, and advance and retreat together.Such a situation is naturally not conducive to the implementation of imperial policies and the promotion of national power, but for the emperor, it is an indispensable condition for maintaining "balance".

Once the civil and military merge, the emperor will completely lose control of the government, and the imperial power will be lost.

For example, Emperor Yangdi of Sui Dynasty, who was forced by the Minister of Chinese and Military Affairs of the court and the Guanlongmen clan, did not even dare to live in the imperial palace and had to go to the south...

But at the moment, it's not just as simple as civil and military competition.

The navy defeated the powerful private army from the south of the Yangtze River, and then went northward along the canal, rushing forward, and the soldiers pointed directly at Luoyang and Hangu Pass. How great is the contribution?
Such feats are enough to make the power structure unbalanced, not only between civil and military forces, but also within the army—compared to the invincible and siege navy, the rest of the armies either retreated to Chang'an and were passively beaten , or scattered everywhere to watch the fire from the shore, one can imagine what kind of reward the navy will receive after the rebels are put down.

The civil servants can't sit still, and the military can't sit still either.

The so-called "Old trees are beautiful in the forest, and the wind will destroy them; when they are piled on the shore, the current will be turbulent; if they are higher than others, they will be wronged by others." The navy is so dazzling, which naturally arouses the jealousy and jealousy of others.

This is absolutely unacceptable to Li Chengqian under the current situation.

Not only have the rebels not been wiped out, they are even sending troops to counterattack Chang'an. Instead of thinking about how to defeat the enemy and win, you are here to intrigue and envy the talents. How can this be possible?
Even if you want to fight, you have to wait until the world is peaceful...

Liu Jie got up in a hurry, bowed to the ground, and said in shame: "Your Majesty's lesson is that all humble ministers are confused."

Cen Wenwen slightly closed his eyes, expressionless.

The dispute between civil and military is a conflict of interests, not a conflict of hatred. It is a battle of swords and swords, and there is no retreat, but it does not require life and death. .

On this point, Liu Jie did a good job. He not only asserted his own position, but also let the courtiers know to be united with him, without causing the storm to make His Majesty unacceptable. The scale between them was quite safe.

Li Chengqian's face softened, and he nodded slightly: "Liu Shizhong is my humerus and a hero of the empire. I believe that you will always put the interests of the empire first."

Liu Ji said: "I know my crime."

Li Chengqian waved his hand: "It's true that something is wrong, but it's also reasonable. What's the crime? Liu Shizhong, please take a seat."

Liu Ji: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

He turned back to his seat and knelt down, raised his eyes and looked at the opposite side, but found that Fang Jun was talking to Li Jing next to him in a low voice, and he didn't even look at him.It seems that the right to speak that I have worked so hard for is completely dismissive in the eyes of the other party... Ha!hypocritical.

Li Chengqian also looked at Fang Jun and saw the military were discussing in a low voice, so he asked, "I don't know if you have a choice?"

Hearing this, Li Jing glanced at Li Ji first, seeing that his face was expressionless and indifferent, so he could only say: "After the discussion, we agreed that we should adopt a defensive position, so as not to increase the casualties caused by a field battle with a strong enemy. We can retreat to the Baqiao line to block On the way for the rebels to advance, Xue Wanche was also ordered to deploy a defensive line along the north bank of the Weishui River to ensure that the Weishui River was safe, and then wait for the navy to capture Luoyang and Hangu Pass. At that time, even if the rebels did not collapse without a fight, they could gather troops and sailors Attack back and forth, annihilating the rebels in one fell swoop."

Li Chengqian and Wei Wei nodded, glanced over the faces of all civil and military officials, and asked, "Do you have any objections?"

Although he is not proficient in military affairs, he is not ignorant of everything, and he still understands simple military principles.This strategy can be said to be the most suitable strategy at the moment. It can not only avoid huge casualties caused by field battles with the rebels, but also prevent the remaining sixteen guards from suddenly rebelling and threatening Chang'an.

The problem is that in this way, the hope of changing the situation has to be pinned on the navy. If the strategy is achieved as scheduled, the merits of the navy will surpass everyone, and it will be the first meritorious service of the new dynasty.

All things depend on "not worrying about the few, but the unevenness." Hundreds of thousands of troops gather in Guanzhong, and finally let the navy win this feat. How can others be reconciled?

Military is the continuation of politics, so there has never been any war in the past and present that can be started from a purely military point of view, but has to take into account many political situations, weigh the pros and cons, and make choices...

He finally fixed his gaze on Li Ji's face.

Although Li Ji drank tea slowly and did not participate in the discussion of tactics, he felt Li Chengqian's burning eyes at this moment, sighed secretly in his heart, put down his teacup, and said slowly: "Wei Gong is strategizing, the navy is powerful, and can advance and retreat freely. Both, this is the best countermeasure, I have no objection."

He wanted to get away from the center of the new dynasty unscathed, preserve his power and at the same time avoid the master of high meritorious deeds, but obviously, Li Chengqian didn't think so.From repeatedly forcing him to express his position, it can be seen that this majesty is extremely dissatisfied with his previous behavior of watching the fire from the other side, and has already got the impression of "either or that", either you will contribute to me, or we will settle the score later.

Imperial power is indeed the first-class medicine in the world. To be able to transform a soft and even cowardly person into such an aggressive person in such a short period of time makes him feel a bit miscalculated...

Li Chengqian looked at Li Daozong again.

Although he seeks the opinions of civil officials, he pays attention to "speaking freely and accepting advice with an open mind", but he also knows the truth that each of them performs his own duties and specializes in spells. Regarding how to formulate a strategy against the enemy, he must finally adopt the opinions of generals.

Li Daozong didn't talk much from the beginning to the end, and now seeing Li Chengqian's inquiring gaze, he just nodded and said: "Yes."

Only then did Li Chengqian say: "Since you love ministers have no objection, then let's implement it accordingly."

All the ministers said in unison: "Your Majesty is wise."

Immediately, Li Jing, Li Ji, and Fang Jun formulated a detailed strategic plan and sent general orders to pass on to all parties.

At this time, the meeting should have ended so that the military could complete the deployment more quickly, but Li Chengqian took a sip of tea from his teacup and said suddenly: "Since the death of the first emperor, the court was in chaos, and because of the rebellion of King Jin, the government and the opposition There are many dependents from top to bottom, so that the functions of various yamen are more or less affected, and even many yamen have been completely stopped due to the lack of chief officials. The functions of the imperial court will be restored and improved as soon as possible, so as to restore order in Guanzhong and even all over the country, and minimize losses.”

Everyone was a little stunned.

The matter is indeed as Li Chengqian said. Since the time of the Guanlong Mutiny, people in the three provinces, six ministries, and nine temples of the court have been implicated. , leading to sluggish operation of the Yamen and limited efficiency.

This is indeed a major event, but shouldn't we go all out to destroy the rebels first?
If the rebel army is not wiped out, what is the use even if the government is smooth?
Fang Jun raised his eyes to look at the main seat, saw Li Chengqian looking at him, thought for a while, and then understood Li Chengqian's intention.

After thinking for a while, he opened his mouth and said: "Your Majesty's words are indeed justified. The lack of officials in the various ministries and the limited functions have led to the poor operation of the government and greatly delayed the time and efficiency of arranging combat plans and raising logistics supplies. …As the prime minister’s military aircraft and the yamen for deployment and operations, it should be rebuilt as soon as possible to play its own functions in the operation to wipe out the rebels, which is extremely important.”

Obviously, Li Chengqian, who has already ascended the throne, faced the current chaotic situation and turbulent people, still restless at night and unwilling to eat. He urgently needs to grasp the military machine in his hands so as to completely control the military power and achieve the goal of centralizing the imperial power. Only then can he feel relieved.

Since Li Chengqian instructed him to speak, he had absolutely no reason to refuse.

However, the concentration of imperial power has both advantages and disadvantages. It is definitely not a blessing for the empire and the world for an unwise monarch like Li Chengqian to control the power of the only one.

Fortunately, it's not just that he doesn't want to see the imperial power concentrated and unstoppable...

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Ji said angrily: "No way! The current situation is chaotic, and most of the sixteen guards in Guanzhong are watching the fire from the other side with ulterior motives. Now, if the Military Aircraft Department is re-established, so that the military power belongs to His Majesty, how can those generals who have always been rebellious in the army be willing? Doesn’t this push them to the King of Jin? Your Majesty, the Duke of Yue seems to be loyal to the country But in fact, he has other intentions, he is shaking the foundation of His Majesty's imperial power. He should be punished for his crime!"

All the ministers were speechless, are you coming again?
Your Majesty just reprimanded Bi, can you stop for a while...

Sure enough, Li Chengqian's complexion changed, and he looked at Liu Jie with unkind eyes.

He knew very well that this time Liu Ji was by no means as simple as the previous "civil and military dispute", but showed his chariots and horses to prevent the re-establishment of the Military Aircraft Department.

The purpose of the establishment of the Military Aircraft Department is to attribute the military power of the world to the emperor. On the surface, it is because of the delay of military aircraft and inefficiency caused by the separation of powers of the various ministries of the imperial court when emergency military affairs occur, but in fact it greatly enhances the concentration of imperial power. .

After all, what does the emperor use to rule the world?

It's not a family, a powerful family, or a civil servant, but a military power.

As long as the general power is tightly held in his hands, the emperor can look down on the world, dominate the world, and become a nine-five-year-old supreme with the constitution of heaven in his mouth.

On the contrary, anyone can growl and impeach in front of you, even like Emperor Sui Yang who had no family to return to, a generation of emperors who lost their families were generally hanged and killed by their officials in the Jiangdu Palace...

But for the courtiers, no one wants to see a king who firmly controls the military power and will not disobey his words. The feeling of deciding the life and death of a person with one word, the feeling of knowing that the king is incompetent and disasters the country and the people but is powerless to resist. No one wants to bear it.

Now, it has evolved from a civil and military struggle to a military power struggle, and even a battle between monarchs and ministers.

(End of this chapter)