Jiuxi

Chapter 694: 692 [Jane in the Emperor's Heart]

As the eldest son of Li Daoyan, the current head of the Jinlin Li family, the leader of the Jiangnan aristocratic families, and the Minister of Personnel in charge of the assessment and appointment and removal of officials in the court, Li Shizhi's statement can be regarded as a great support for the emperor.

Li Zongben just felt happy. Before Xue Nanting spoke, he said leisurely, "What Li Qingjia said is very inspiring, but Xue Xiang's concerns are also reasonable."

This sentence seems unbiased, but how could these important officials in the palace not hear the emperor's preference? It is obvious that Li Shizhi's advice is more favored by the emperor.

Li Zongben continued, "War is a major issue for a country. It is a matter of life and death, a matter of survival and destruction. We must pay close attention to it. I think the opinions of Duke Rong, Prime Minister Xue, and the two nobles Han and Li are all reasonable. The Northern Expedition cannot be taken lightly and must be treated with caution. I summoned you all today just to let you prepare in advance. The final decision will depend on subsequent progress."

Xue Nanting lowered his eyes, feeling a little depressed.

The emperor did not insist on his own way. Having said that, what else could he do as the prime minister?

Do we have to force the emperor to immediately give up the idea of ​​a northern expedition?
Xue Nanting could not do such a thing.

After the ministers praised him, Li Zongben looked at Su Yunqing in the corner and said, "Mr. Su, the Textile Bureau must find out the details of the situation in the north, especially whether the enemy's civil unrest is intensifying after the death of the Crown Prince of Jingguo."

Su Yunqing bowed and said, "I will obey your order. The Weaving Bureau will do its best."

Li Zongben showed a look of relief, and said to Xiao Wangzhi: "Duke Rong, the Military Academy will formulate two strategies in the near future. One is the strategic plan for the second Northern Expedition, and the other is how to further strengthen the strength of the Beijing Army and the Border Army if the Northern Expedition is temporarily shelved."

Xiao Wangzhi said: "I accept your order."

"Here at Zhongshu..."

Li Zongben looked at the civil officials on the other side and said slowly: "We must also be prepared for both situations. Regardless of whether the Northern Expedition is carried out in the end, the court must have a corresponding strategy."

Everyone responded in unison.

This short court meeting ended here.

Although no resolution was reached in the end, the emperor's intention was already clear. With the support of two important ministers, Han Zhongjie and Li Shizhi, he took a big step forward.

As Li Shizhi said, all things are difficult at the beginning. Since the plan of the Northern Expedition was not blocked at the beginning, as time goes by, as long as the Weaving Bureau can confirm the authenticity of the civil unrest in Jingguo, the Northern Expedition will be inevitable.

The four words "civil governance, military achievements" have always been the highest standards for measuring a king from ancient times to the present.

Li Zongben not only pursued this goal, he was also firmly carrying on the late emperor's will. In addition, he did not make any rash decisions and was willing to continue waiting for more accurate information from the Weaving Bureau. Even the upright Xue Nanting could not forcefully oppose him.

The ministers walked out of the palace with different expressions.

Li Jingda walked over to Xiao Wangzhi openly, completely ignoring the gazes of others, and said with a smile: "Duke, do you have time to have a drink?"

In today's Da Qi court, Li Jingda can be said to be a very unique existence.

Relying on his own connections in the Beijing army and the Li family's complex and large-scale friendships among the prominent families in Jiangnan, Li Jingda was very comfortable and relaxed in his position as Minister of Military Affairs. At the same time, he was no longer as greedy for power as before, and could be open-minded and at ease at any time and in any place. Gradually, he became a freak in the eyes of Han Zhongjie and others who could not be beaten, scolded, threatened or bribed.

Just like at this moment, he knew that those guys were watching secretly, but he still extended an invitation to Xiao Wangzhi without any scruples.

Xiao Wangzhi naturally would not refuse.

When they arrived at the flower hall of the Li Mansion and asked the servants to leave, Li Jingda's face changed and he said solemnly, "Brother, why didn't you dissuade His Majesty?"

“How to dissuade?”

Xiao Wangzhi seemed to have expected this, and said calmly: "After the implementation of the Jingjie Law, the court's tax revenue has increased greatly. Moreover, this is not a one-time deal like the previous emperor's confiscation of the four clans. As long as there is no chaos in Jiangnan, the treasury will have a steady stream of income. Under the premise that the strength of our border army and the Jing army is comparable, fighting a war is ultimately a test of whether the treasury can support it, so Your Majesty has confidence."

Li Jingda sighed softly.

Xiao Wangzhi continued, "Secondly, both the Dingzhou Army and the Jingzhou Army have made great progress in the past few years. This is the foundation laid by Li Tianrun and I, and it will not deteriorate in a few years. Compared with the trepidation of the previous emperor, the current emperor can naturally seek to make further progress."

Li Jingda nodded and said, "Indeed."

Xiao Wangzhi took a sip from the wine glass and said in a deep voice, "Third, and most importantly, the civil strife in Jing gives Your Majesty a legitimate reason to send troops. Qi and Jing have been fighting for decades, and at most there is only a brief and tacit peace, and in the end there will be life and death. As long as Your Majesty can confirm that the civil strife in Jing is true, who do you think can oppose the Northern Expedition? Didn't you see that Xue Nanting was speechless today?"

"But... Commander Lu made it very clear in the secret letter that this was most likely a trap set by Emperor Jing and Qing Yugong."

Li Jingda obviously trusted Lu Chen's judgment very much. Before in the palace, if Xiao Wangzhi had not made his position clear, he would definitely stand up and give frank advice.

Xiao Wangzhi said with a sigh: "My dear brother, this is only Lu Chen's guess after all. The death of the Crown Prince of Jing is probably true, and the subsequent instability in the court is foreseeable. Judging from the situation today, Your Majesty has the full support of Li Shizhi and has a very large say in the Military Academy. It is not realistic for you and me to go against His Majesty's will."

Li Jingda frowned and gritted his teeth, saying, "The good situation created by the late emperor with all his heart and soul, and the powerful frontier army built by my brother, Duke Wei, and Governor Lu with all their efforts, are they going to be destroyed in the hands of these people? I cannot accept such an outcome."

"Don't be anxious, my dear brother."

Xiao Wangzhi slowed down his tone and said gently: "Although your majesty has the final say in the court, if the Northern Expedition is to be implemented, it will ultimately rely on the soldiers in Jiangbei."

Li Jingda said slowly: "Brother, are you saying that Governor Lu should forcibly disobey the order?"

Xiao Wangzhi was silent for a moment, his expression slightly bleak: "Relatively speaking, this is probably the best result, although Lu Chen is a little wronged. If he forcibly refutes your majesty's order in the end, it may be able to dispel your majesty's thoughts, but the impression of him by the court and the public will definitely drop to the bottom."

"Is this the best outcome?" Li Jingda's eyes widened in disbelief. "Can it be any worse?"

Xiao Wangzhi turned his head to look at the early spring greenery outside the window, and after a long while he said softly, "You should know that the border army of the Great Qi is not just the Dingzhou Governor's Office."

Li Jingda was speechless. How could he not understand the subtext of this sentence?

Xiao Wangzhi raised his glass again, drank it all, and said something with both pride and pity.

"Not everyone has Lu Chen's courage and responsibility."

……

A few days later, in the imperial study of the palace.

Yuan Yuji stood cautiously by the side, and the emperor had a calm and composed expression on his face.

There were three secret memorials on the imperial desk, one from Jingzhou and the other from Dingzhou, which were delivered to the palace one after the other.

Li Zongben first read the secret memorial from Liu Shouguang, the Grand Commander of Jingzhou.

Liu Shouguang already knew the details of the civil unrest in Jingzhou. He did not show a too radical attitude in his secret memorial, but honestly explained to the emperor the latest situation of the various troops in Jingzhou, and finally briefly stated his own views. In a nutshell, the Jingzhou Military Governor's Office would follow the emperor's will meticulously.

Li Zongben seemed to be in a good mood after reading it, and then picked up Lu Chen's secret letter next to him.

As Li Zongben expected, Lu Chen advised the emperor in his secret memorial not to be deceived by the Jing people's tactics. The death of the Jing prince was true, but the subsequent civil unrest was most likely an illusion.

He believed that Da Qi should wait and see what happens and focus on strengthening itself in the next two years.

Li Zongben's mood did not change significantly. He said calmly, "Why did Lu Chen hold back this time? You should know that when there was no civil strife in Jing State, he repeatedly suggested to the late emperor to start the Northern Expedition."

Yuan Yuji's mind was as clear as a mirror. He bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, the Duke of Shanyang has only been in office for a short time. I think he is being cautious."

"cautious?"

Li Zongben shook his head and said calmly: "Before, he did not lead a border army alone, and the power in his hands was limited, so he naturally wanted to make achievements. Now he is the powerful governor of Dingzhou, with countless elite soldiers and generals under his command, so he will naturally have some other ideas."

Yuan Yuji didn't dare to answer.

Li Zongben didn't take it seriously. He put down Lu Chen's secret memorial and picked up the third secret memorial.

This is a memorial written by Xu Zuo, the governor of Dingzhou.

However, Li Zongben only looked at it for a while, his face turned very gloomy, and after a moment he slammed the letter shut and said coldly: "This Xu Yanbi!"

"Your Majesty, calm down."

Yuan Yuji quickly bowed to comfort him.

Li Zongben closed his eyes slightly, his chest heaving, but the sharp words written by Xu Zuo lingered in his mind.

Of course, Xu Zuo would not be bold enough to denounce him as the emperor. Li Zongben believed that he was quite tolerant and would not be unable to tolerate a loyal minister like Xu Zuo. Even if his way of giving advice was extremely sharp, Li Zongben would be happy to accept it if it had nothing to do with the Northern Expedition.

but--

Li Zongben's eyes moved to Lu Chen's secret report next to him. He could never have imagined that Xu Zuo's attitude would be so similar to Lu Chen's, as if the two had discussed it in advance.

In this case, what was the point of him letting Xu Zuo go to Dingzhou?
"His Majesty……"

Yuan Yuji had not seen the emperor in this state for a long time. The last time was that night two years ago. He couldn't help but look worried.

Li Zongben took a few deep breaths, and gradually calmed down. He waved his hand and said, "I have nothing to do. Go and summon Marquis Yongyi to the palace."

Yuan Yuji quickly responded, "I obey your order."

As an old acquaintance of the emperor during his time in the palace, Yuan Yuji understood very well the emperor's trust in Han Zhongjie, and he must be summoning him to discuss important matters at this time.

But before he took a few steps, Li Zongben said again: "Wait."

Yuan Yuji listened respectfully.

Li Zongben hesitated for a moment, but finally said calmly, "Also call Li Shizhi here."

Yuan Yuji's heart moved. It was amazing that this Minister Li had risen so fast and became the emperor's confidant in just one year. He was indeed the successor trained by the old prime minister. He had to pay more attention to him in the future.

He bowed and said, "Yes, Your Majesty."

(End of this chapter)