The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 10: A Group of Boys

Penglai Courtyard.

Located to the north of the Purple Palace and the south bank of the Taiye Lake, it is one of the side halls of the Tang Palace and was built in the second year of the Longshuo reign of Emperor Li Zhi. It contains a large number of palace archives, files, and secret documents, such as records of eunuchs monitoring court officials and spies. It is an alternative secret library. It is mostly used to deal with matters that are not suitable to be made public in formal occasions, or for small group banquets.

Behind the screen, there are shadowy figures in the five-meter-long mural of Emperor Taizong's journey, as if they are watching the people walking in.

"Squeak."

The palace door was pushed open, and the four ministers, namely, Grand Marshal Du Rangneng, Minister of the Ministry of Personnel Liu Chongwang, Minister of the Ministry of Revenue Cui Zhaowei, and Minister of Rites Li Xi, arrived together.

It was a rare occasion that all the eunuchs came out in full force to command the troops and prepare for war, so Li Ye reluctantly convened the first meeting since he traveled through time.

"Please sit down." Li Ye ordered the concubine Zhao to bring a cushion for him to sit on and some tea for him to drink.

Under the mural, only two balls of South China Sea fish oil from Guangzhou were burning. The dim candlelight shone on the wrinkled faces of the prime ministers, which was indeed a bit eerie. Daizong died here, and the place where he lay with his last breath was the broken bed behind Li Ye.

"The Shen Ce Army is weak and cannot fight." The newly appointed Prime Minister Cui Zhaowei broke the silence: "Yang Fugong, Ximen Chongsui, Liu Jishu, Han Wenyue, etc., each have hundreds of fake sons to serve as military students. Those who are ambitious are excluded, and those who are left are either running dogs of eunuchs or scoundrels. The good sons have left the country! Now we have to defend the city against the thieves, and we can't rely on these boys."

The daughter of a good family is far away from the country!

What a bunch of brats.

Du Rangneng and Liu Chongwang kept silent. Although they thought that Cui Zhaowei, a native of Hebei, was unreliable, they had the same opinion about the Shen Ce Army. These lucky ones, in times of crisis, could not only not protect the emperor, but they might even kill the eunuchs.

"The rebel army is approaching the capital. Since the six armies are useless, can you provide support and use it for my benefit?"

Li Xi, the Minister of Rites, suggested: "Shaanxi, Hezhong, and Jinshang can be summoned by messengers. Otherwise, the imperial carriage will be in turmoil again... Since the Chaos Rebellion, the state has been in a state of decline. After the Shence Army was stripped of its tiger skin, even the princes in Guanzhong did not obey its orders! This will make the saint's home all over the world, alas!"

As an emperor, he could become a refugee and flee at any time.

Talking about this, Li Xi couldn't help covering his face and crying, unable to speak any more.

"Shaanxi, Shang, and Hezhong, let's give it a try." Liu Chongwang took over the conversation: "Shuofang, Xiasui, Jingyuan, etc., can't be trusted."

In the past, when Chang'an was recovered, the chaos of the troops entering the city and robbing women, property and killing people was still vivid in my mind. Not to mention that they couldn't be called, even if they were called, they would be a bunch of little Li Maozhen. Jinshang, Hezhong and Shaanxi had suffered the most from years of war and had no grudges with the court. Secondly, they were relatively wealthy, and the soldiers were not too greedy.

It is something you can consider.

"Then send an envoy to summon them." Li Ye did not hold out hope. He spoke in a very low voice, as if afraid of being overheard. "The army that comes to support the king may not be trustworthy or may not come. The rebel army is too powerful and there is nowhere to escape. If you rely on mountains, they will fall; if you rely on water, it will flow. Now we have to mobilize the people of Chang'an, the guards of the nobles, the merchants and travelers, and the prisoners to build a city and store water for self-defense."

"Not feasible..."

Cui Zhaowei said vaguely: "Let's not talk about how big Chang'an City is. The circumference of the city is nearly a hundred miles long. How many people are needed to defend it. Just cutting off the rivers and stopping the water supply... Moreover, there are also the three towns of Bin, Hua, and Tong. I'm afraid there will be no less than hundreds of thousands of people. The story of Chuping in the previous generation is so similar to today. If the Han Emperor had..."

"I know that, but I have no choice." Li Ye narrowed his eyes and looked at Cui Zhaowei who was hesitant to speak: "What if the Han Emperor had killed Wang Yun early to appease the anger of Li and Guo, then he could have avoided the disaster?"

"not necessarily."

Cui Zhaowei did not answer again, swallowing the words that were about to come out of his mouth: Li Maozhen's reason for this is that Yang Fugong poisoned the court and the people, and Du Rangneng moved the governor of Huazhou without authorization. If these two people are killed, and then rewarded with money and goods, and promised to give them the land of Shannan, the rebellious army will retreat. Tang's virtue is not exhausted, and heroes have risen up. Li Maozhen does not dare to do what Cao Wei did. What he wants is nothing more than money and land.

"Wrong, wrong, wrong." The emperor was a little discouraged.

He is not stupid. The ministers have been trying to get rid of the eunuchs for more than ten or eight years. However, if he could kill these evil slaves, he would have done it long ago. Why does he need to be instigated? It is easy to say that Yang Fugong is Wang Yun... They are now stationed outside the Jinguang Gate. Let's try to move one of them? No matter how bad his subordinates are, it is not too easy to overturn the temple and kill a lot of people.

Or maybe killing Du Rang can eliminate the disaster...

He is now the actual controller of tens of thousands of officials and clerks in the Southern Court, and he works day and night for the royal family. If he is killed, who will take him as an emperor in the future? He is not like Zhu Youjian, who is irresponsible and shirks responsibility. Why should he cut off his own hands and brothers?
Looking at Cui Zhaowei again, Li Ye sighed silently.

The so-called aristocratic family is nothing more than this, it is really unwise. If it really was that useful, why would the Tang Dynasty be in such a state?

"This Prime Minister..."

In silence, Li Ye stood up, turned his back to Cui Zhaowei, and said in a more serious tone than ever before: "Minister Cui, please quit your job. Don't come to see me from now on, and I will... no longer summon you."

"What's your crime?"

Being addressed by the emperor directly, Cui Zhaowei quickly stood up, took off his official hat, and prostrated himself on the ground: "Killing Chao Cuo to stop the calamity of the seven kingdoms is a strategy! Abandoning the left and right to protect the confidant is helpless! Speaking the truth about strategy is the duty of a minister. The intention is to retreat the rebellious army and protect the saint! Even if I made a mistake, why should the relationship between the monarch and the minister be like this? Your Majesty, please understand..."

"The prime minister should be loyal to the people and suppress the barbarians, so that the three dukes and nine ministers can do their jobs well." Li Ye stared at the mural on the wall and said deeply, "It is not a crime to make suggestions, but if you want to benefit the world, you should not be the prime minister. The prime minister must be loyal and capable. Today, the rebel army is forcing the palace, and you hinted that I should kill people and sell land to protect myself. In the future, when the ministers want to take the throne, you should advise me to abdicate to save my life."

Isn't this exactly the case in history?

“Your Majesty!!!” Cui Zhaowei kowtowed.

"Go ahead..."

"Since the founding of the country, I have only heard that Emperor Taizong was afraid of his ministers who gave advice, but I have never heard of anyone being punished for their words!" Cui Zhaowei's head was broken and bleeding, which was unbearable.

"Go ahead..."

Du Rangneng, Liu Chongwang and Li Xi looked at the emperor in surprise.

Accompanying you is like accompanying a tiger!
Even a sick tiger.

Although you should not be convicted for your words, it's because you were pushed up by Ximen, and you still come up with bad ideas.

Li Ye did not directly deprive Cui of her position as prime minister, but the words "Don't come to see me from now on, and I will never summon you again" had made her a mere figurehead.

Cui Zhaowei looked at the emperor's back and walked away in a daze.

"At this point, there is nothing to say." Li Ye stopped asking for anyone's opinion and concluded his speech: "Grand Marshal, please lead the Weiwei and the officials of the Imperial Household Department to transport the treasures, food, and armor from the warehouses of Daying, Qionglin, and Feixian into the palace for storage. Then go see the Palace Supervisor of the West Gate and the Lieutenants of the two armies to discuss whether we can withdraw the troops into the city and prepare to defend against the enemy at the gate."

"As for the military envoy..."

Li Ye's eyes flashed with Yang Fugong's hateful face, but now he had to unite all the forces that could be united. After carefully considering the words, he said: "Send an envoy to comfort him and tell him that I still remember...his support. If he is willing to enter the city, then lead the army into the city to rest. Now that the situation is precarious, I'm sure Ximen Palace Supervisor won't say much."

"Yes." Du Rangneng was deeply pleased with the emperor's performance tonight.

Those who achieve great things do not care about likes or hates.

"Mr. Liu."

"The minister is here."

"From tonight onwards, no one and no horse shall enter or leave Chang'an. All the soldiers and civilians in the city shall be mobilized to build the city walls and store water in preparation for disasters. If any rogue young men cause chaos..."

The four words "scoundrel boy"...

When Huang Chao came, they robbed. When Huang Chao left, they robbed. When Li Keyong and others took Chang'an, they robbed. When Zhu Mei entered Chang'an, they robbed again!
As long as there is a war, just rob the fuck out of it!
The market, the treasury, the palace, they robbed everything, and set fire to everything after robbing. What's worse, they took a knife and broke into people's houses to commit adultery, and chopped men directly. Because of the bad guys, the nobles in the capital all recruited warriors as guards. There were dozens of them at least, and no one knew how many there were, such as Du Rangneng, a nobleman from his generation. And most of the people recruited by the Shen Ce Army in Jingzhao were these hooligans.

Thinking of this, Li Ye made a decision: "Instruct Jingzhao Yin to implement a curfew. Anyone who goes out at night or sneaks into people's houses during the day will be punished with death. In addition, there are rumors that the emperor has left Chang'an? Tomorrow I will hold court in Hanyuan Hall and meet with all the civil and military officials."

Liu Chongwang nodded: "It's the right thing to do, to calm people's hearts." "Tired." The shadow on the screen gradually lengthened, and the emperor walked away. A gust of cold wind made the Penglai Palace clang everywhere.

……

Outside the Jinguan Gate, Yang Fugong paced back and forth.

He knew better than anyone that Li Maozhen was coming for his territory. Facing a powerful enemy, the imperial court would most likely deprive him of his official position in order to avoid disaster, and discard him like a worn-out shoe to justify Li Maozhen's crusade, not to mention the Ximen family, a group of political enemies? The situation was almost over! His subordinates urged him to flee, but he knew better that if he went, he would never come back. If he came to the territory of his fake sons and had to live by their faces, would the fake sons still respect him as a father after a long time? Wasn't Tian Lingzi killed in this way?

dilemma.

Dilemma!

Perhaps he should have established good relations with the emperor and the government and the public at the beginning, at least to avoid being taken advantage of by the Ximen family, and there would not be today's situation.

pity.

It's too late to regret.

"Father, don't hesitate. Run to Hanzhong before the rebel army arrives and join forces with Waizhailang to fight back against the Qi bandits!" Yang Shouxin said anxiously.

His 5,000 Yushan troops were quite good at fighting and were enough to protect his adoptive father safely to Hanzhong.

Yang Fugong remained silent.

“Father!!”

"If you want to leave, just go by yourselves!" Yang Fugong slapped his thigh and said angrily.

"Father!!!" Yang Shouxin strode forward, grabbed Yang Fugong's hand, and shouted, "I am not Lu Bu! But if we wait any longer, Ximen's people will be anxious to protect themselves, and will forge an imperial edict to sentence you to death! Do you think that the ruthless emperor will come forward? Even if he comes forward, can he stop Ximen Chongsui?"

Just as the father and son were about to quarrel, Zhang Guan, an aide, came in and said, "Junrong, Grand Commandant Du Rangneng is here to see you."

What was he doing here? Yang Fugong was puzzled, but it was not easy for him to come to him at this critical moment, so he sighed and said, "Please take a seat, General."

"I won't sit down." A vicissitudes of life voice sounded outside the military tent. Du Rangneng went straight in. There were many grievances in the past, so he didn't waste words: "The saint has something to tell Junrong, but I'm afraid that Junrong won't believe it if someone else tells him, so I came here."

"What?" Yang Fugong sat quietly on the couch, his face calm, without any trace of anxiety from before.

"The Saint said in Penglai Palace that he still remembers Junrong's support. If Junrong is willing, he can lead the army into the city to rest."

Yang Fugong didn't believe it and sneered, "Can he make the decision?"

"Jun Rong has a large army and is determined to enter the city. Ximen Chongsui will not object to avoid fighting." Without waiting for Yang Fugong to say anything, Du Rangneng continued, "The Saint has changed a lot recently, and seems to have figured out a lot of things. Before I came, the Saint had told the four prime ministers that killing Wang Yun to apologize for the crimes of Li and Guo was absolutely not allowed. For this reason, he also rebuked Prime Minister Cui who proposed this idea, saying, I will not summon you again."

"Really?" Yang Fugong stood up, still with doubt in his eyes.

"Du has been the Prime Minister for nearly ten years. When has he ever cheated anyone? The sage also said that as long as there is affection, there is a tiger lying on the bed. Between the master and the servant, it should not be so. Now that I have said this, I will drink a little and say goodbye."

Yang Fugong fell into deep thought.

If the Li boy really thought so, he would feel ashamed.

……

On October 25th, the war accelerated.

Li Shunjie, who was ordered to occupy the territory, was frustrated in his attack on Han Jian and was in a stalemate. Unexpectedly, Qi, Bin, Tong, and Hua successively raised their flags to purge the emperor's side. Most of Li Shunjie's troops were children of the three prefectures and had families in Chang'an. When they heard that their homes were being stolen and their wives and daughters might become spoils of war, they were beaten day and night, played with and cried, and finally their whereabouts were unknown. They were immediately panicked and rushed to Chang'an with Li Shunjie. The army was in turmoil and rumors were endless.

Some thief-like military academies have already shouted: How can Chang'an be defended! It doesn't matter who you work for, just go and join Li Maozhen!

One moment they shouted, "Don't die with the saint." The next moment they said, "Why not seize Chang'an, flee east to the Central Plains, and find a lower family to rely on?" This made Li Shunjie furious, and he killed more than a dozen military academies in one breath, smashing their heads into pulp with an axe before he could contain the rebellion.

But while he was angry at the tyranny of the common people and wanted to kill people to vent his anger, he also thought that it made sense. But when he recalled Li Maozhen's old face, and the soldiers' contempt for him from time to time, secretly calling him a slave of three surnames, and the regret of not being able to get Huazhou, his anger surged again.

The soldiers are arrogant and the generals are domineering. So what if they surrender to Li Maozhen?
If I can't get Huazhou, these evil soldiers won't have an easy life either!
The overall situation was critical, and he had prepared for the worst. He told his trusted officers: "If things are not going well, I'm afraid we'll be beheaded. Gather your trusted brothers as soon as possible. If we lose the battle, grab Chang'an and head east to Bianzhou to join Zhu Quanzhong."

"Where's the saint?"

"We are all incompetent, so why should we care about him? If the saint is willing to go to Luoyang, we can take him with us and escape."

……

As the chaotic Tianwei Army poured into the city gate, Li Shunjie became more and more depressed.

At dawn on the 27th, Han Jian, the governor of Huazhou, and Li Maozhuang, the governor of Tongzhou, who were following behind, led their armies to the western suburbs of Chang'an. Nearly 20,000 troops from the Tong and Hua armies set up camp along the Longshou Canal.

in the afternoon.

Wang Xingyu, the governor of Bining, set up a camp and cooked ten miles outside the Chongxuan Gate in the north city. There were nearly two thousand smoking stoves.

At dusk on the 29th.

Several long dragons marched in columns under the setting sun, coming into view from the horizon, with no end in sight. The Qi people were in high spirits, shouting and yelling. Li Maozhen stood on a covered cart pulled by four horses, grinning with a big mouth, his fat body almost bursting the armor. He could have arrived a long time ago, but he had been dawdling for a few days to exert maximum pressure.

Haha.

I don’t know what Yang Fugong’s mood is now.

Is the court afraid?
The little emperor must be very nervous now, and is preparing to "travel to Yue" again, right?
But now, my cavalrymen are everywhere on all sides, where can you run to?

"The face of the person... the face of the person has gone, but the peach blossoms still smile at the spring breeze, smile at the spring breeze~" Looking at the capital city that was like a turtle shell, Li Maozhen grinned: "Come on, send an envoy to the court and give my gift to the saint, tell him that this trip is only to kill the traitors, so he should not be frightened."

As he said this, he threw away the bronze turtle in his hand.

"Wait another two years and I'll become the King of Qin! Hohohoho..."

Suddenly, there was a commotion in the military academy.

"Look, look, look!"

"Let's go up to the Yuguanghua Tower!"

"That's the saint, he's watching us!"

"What do you think? When I'm in a good mood, I call him Emperor. When I'm in a bad mood, I call him Li Ye. So what?"

"Shoot him with an arrow!"

"..."

(End of this chapter)