Tiantang Splendid

When Jin Wang Li Zhi led his army to the vicinity of Huayin, he got the news of the fall of Hangu Pass, especially when he heard that Hangu Pass did not make much resistance and was captured by the navy in less than half a day, which made him even more worried.

Originally, he was counting on Qiu Xinggong to be able to guard Hangu Pass and delay the navy for a few days, so that his actions could be more calm, but Qiu Xinggong would not see it as useful. The Shandong private army who went for reinforcements was also captured. When the news spreads in the army, it is bound to shake the morale of the army.

After the fall of Hangu Pass, Tongguan faced the fierce attack from both land and water sides of the enemy, and it will be a matter of time before it falls.

At this point, there is no possibility of recovery of the situation, only a last stand to win the battle.

Unsuccessful, they become benevolent.

Seeing the banners unfurling, the chariots and horses rumbling, and the army of more than [-] mighty and murderous, Li Zhi's worries and setbacks were swept away, replaced by strong self-confidence and longing for a better future.

Faced with the suppression and persecution of Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji back then, and the support of Emperor Gaozu, the situation faced by the father is not only several times worse than it is now?But even in such a desperate situation, the father was still able to subdue the Guanlongmen clan for his own use, fought against the Xuanwu sect, and changed his fate against the sky.

To usurp in desperation, and win the battle under the pessimistic gaze of everyone, this is the destiny!
How do you know that Li Zhi's family of destiny is not as good as his father's emperor?
When the iron armor under my command kills Chang'an and seizes it, then the world will know my destiny!

……

The army marched forward, mighty and mighty, the news from Guanzhong and Hangu Pass continued to gather and pass into the army, after passing Huayin, it was getting late, the more than [-] troops were all private troops hastily formed by the Shandong family, and there was a serious lack of military regulations Military discipline, once faced with an unexpected situation, it is very likely to cause unpredictable dangers, so Li Zhi did not dare to march in a hurry at night, and chose a place with sunny mountains and shady waters, set up a camp, lit a fire and made meals.

The night wind was blowing, and the tents of more than [-] troops were like clouds, and they were hard to see from head to tail. Wind lanterns were hung everywhere in the camp. Military law teams on horseback went to patrol.

In the tent of the Chinese army, Li Zhi, who had just had dinner, drank tea with Xiao Yu, Chu Suiliang, and Cui Xin. Cui Xin said worriedly: "The navy is aggressive and has chased after us all the way. Now that Hangu Pass has fallen, Tongguan is at stake, we are getting closer and closer to Chang'an, a great war may break out at any time, I wonder if Your Highness has any good strategies to defeat the enemy?"

Although the Shandong family is on the side of Jin Wang Li Zhi, the situation they are facing is different.

For Li Zhi, from the moment he absconded from the Taiji Palace, he has already embarked on a road of no return. The victory or defeat is life and death, and there is no retreat.But the Shandong aristocratic family is different. Although they abandoned Li Chengqian and chose the King of Jin, their fundamental purpose was to maximize their interests. If the country is stable, it cannot indulge Shandong's corruption. No matter how much the Shandong family hates, it needs to be appeased. The deep hatred can only be slowly drawn.

But once Tongguan fell and the way of retreat was completely cut off, then the Shandong family could only follow the king of Jin all the way to the dark, and it was impossible to return to Shandong.

After all, the private army composed of more than [-] young and strong men has exhausted the wealth accumulated by Shandong aristocratic families for hundreds of years. Once the entire army is wiped out, the severe consequences will be absolutely unbearable for these aristocratic families. The vast Shandong area will be completely out of their control.

A Shandong clan who cannot control the Shandong region does not have much fear and deterrence for the emperor.

Since there is no fear and deterrence, how can the emperor get used to them and give them a break?
So Cui Xin's face was very ugly. The Shandong family fully supported the King of Jin and was willing to take huge political risks with the King of Jin to gain greater political benefits, but suddenly found that they had been completely coerced by the King of Jin, and the fates of both parties were bound together. There is no distinction between each other in one place, life is life together, death is death together.

This made Cui Xin very dissatisfied. We can bear a huge punishment after you are defeated and die, but we don't want to die with you...

Li Zhi glanced at Cui Xin, took a sip of tea, and said calmly: "Where is there any good strategy for victory in this world? Throughout the ages, the victory or defeat of every war is nothing more than one sentence. When two armies meet, The brave win."

Before, he had tried every means to win over the elites in Shandong and Jiangnan, but what he thought was to use their strength to strengthen himself, so as to complete his war against the sky and change his fate.

Today, the Jiangnan family is on the verge of collapse, being bullied by the navy in Jiangnan terribly, and the Shandong family has completely stood on its own ship, wanting to go nowhere, wanting to retreat, so why bother to flatter, Take care of their mood?

"Don't worry, Cui Gong, this king is not one who breaks his promise. As long as this battle is successful, the conditions promised at the beginning will not be discounted. Whether you can be promoted or feudal is just a matter of whether you can go all out to make contributions. His court On the day my wish is fulfilled, this king will not hesitate to reward you."

It is necessary for these people to realize the current situation. Now not only he, the King of Jin, needs them to achieve his grand plan and hegemony, but they themselves have to face death as if going through fire and water to strive for greater achievements.

There is no pie in the sky, and the giving and the harvest are always equal.

Cui Xin was silent for a while, then nodded and said: "Your Highness, don't worry, we are heirs of poetry and books, and we know the way of loyalty. Since we have decided to assist Your Highness to achieve a great cause, we must do our best and swear to serve. There is absolutely no reason to give up halfway."

Li Zhi nodded happily, and praised: "Duke Cui understands righteousness deeply, and it is indeed a blessing for the people of the empire. If he succeeds in the future, Mr. Cui should be the first to contribute."

Cui Xin even said that he didn't dare: "It's all His Royal Highness's destiny, and we dare not take credit for it."

……

After comforting the leader of the Shandong family, Li Chengqian looked at Xiao Yu and asked, "Although the Jiangnan family suffered heavy losses in Yanziji, after all, it has been passed down for thousands of years and has a deep foundation. As long as the situation is stabilized, it will surely be able to fight back under the oppression of the navy. Otherwise, if the navy is allowed to wreak havoc on the south of the Yangtze River, your foundation will be shaken, and even if this king ascends to the throne in the future, it will be powerless to help you rebuild your sense of glory."

Even if you suffer a disastrous defeat in Yanziji and your foundation is shaken, you can't just watch the navy unify the Yangtze River and go northward without any scruples anytime, anywhere, right?
If you are really unwilling to do your best, the benefits you want will be greatly reduced if this king ascends the throne in the future...

Consolation and beating, promises and warnings, Li Zhi's tricks of playing power are at his fingertips, and he is extremely talented.

Xiao Yu smiled wryly and shook his head, and said helplessly: "It's not that the various families in the south of the Yangtze River are unwilling to do their best. The deterrence of the navy in the south of the Yangtze River is far beyond your highness' imagination. The price of food in the south of the Yangtze River has caused a great impact, making every family wary and afraid to do anything, I hope His Highness can understand."

Maritime trade is controlled by the navy. They do not allow anyone to play, and whoever has to be excluded from the maritime trade system. The Shibo Department issues licenses, and the navy is responsible for escorting. Datang marine merchants must rent from the navy in overseas countries. Set up warehousing, report and prepare goods, and start trade in the ports. Every move and every aspect is under the supervision of the navy. Whoever dares to deal in prohibited items, disrupt the market, or evade taxes will be severely sanctioned and punished. .

That's all, the big deal is to cut off the sea trade, isn't it the same as before without the sea trade?

But food touched the foundation of the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River and even all the powerful people.

What is the foundation of the gate valve?
One is education, and the other is land. In the final analysis, it is land.

When the aristocratic families control more and more land, they can control more and more population, and the right to speak in politics will naturally become more and more important.The food produced by the land is the lifeblood of the country and the basis for the survival of the common people.

Since the navy leased ports with Annan, Linyi and other places and controlled their internal affairs, cheap grains began to be continuously transported into the Tang Dynasty, which greatly eased the crisis of food shortage in the Tang Dynasty.

Up to now, the price of grain transported into Datang by the navy is almost equal to that in China, which maintains the domestic grain system.

However, once the Navy gives up making huge profits from grain and instead imports grain into the country at a low price, it will not be the ordinary people who will be impacted first, but the aristocratic families who occupy countless lands.

Because the most direct consequence of low food prices is the reduction of land prices, which directly shrinks the wealth accumulated by the aristocratic families for hundreds of years or even hundreds of years, or even cut them in half. Who can bear this?
Throughout the ages, aristocratic families have arbitrarily manipulated the rise and fall of land and grain prices, and continuously harvested the wealth of the common people from the difference in price, so as to achieve the purpose of annexing land, privately accumulating population, and accumulating wealth. It will be destroyed fundamentally, and the basis for the survival of the aristocratic family will be completely lost.

The aristocrats in Guanzhong and Shandong may still be able to rely on their strong control to eliminate the losses caused by changes in food prices in their territories, but the Jiangnan gentry with an increasing population and relatively shallow foundation will suffer greatly from it.

Under such circumstances, even the Xiao family, a family that clearly supports the King of Jin, has secretly reached a series of agreements with the navy in exchange for the navy to stabilize the food price in the south of the Yangtze River and ensure the stability of the south of the Yangtze River. The background is even more at the discretion of the navy.

After the battle of Yanziji lost countless young adults, the foundation of each family was severely shaken, who would dare to challenge the navy?

If it were a navy, the person involved would still be Su Dingfang, who was outstanding in military affairs but lacking in politics, and there might still be some room for turning around. But now that Fang Xuanling is sitting in Huating Town, he holds the power of the Maritime Department with one hand and the military power of the Navy with the other. I have already cleaned up all the families in the south of the Yangtze River into obedience...

Jiangnan is no longer the Jiangnan of the Jiangnan gentry.