Li Shimin, one emperor through the ages

Chapter 45
11
It was the first time such a sad banquet in Tiance Mansion.Civil and military bureaucrats gathered together and divided into two conference halls.In front of everyone, there are all delicacies, but no one moves their chopsticks with a smile like before, and drinks happily.Li Shimin announced:

"The banquet begins!"

It's been a while, and everyone is still sitting at the table, no one picks up the wine glass, proposes, yells, or chats and laughs to say something.Everything looked dull, and the generals didn't even look at the delicious food on the table in front of them.Everyone was seeing off Yuchi Jingde, Qin Shubao, Cheng Zhijie, Fang Xuanling, and Du Ruhui, and they were also worried about their future, the future of Tiance Mansion.Now, the crown prince is aggressive, but the king of Qin endures it.Who knows, when will such a farewell banquet be held for herself?

Li Shimin, King of Qin, had a smile on his handsome face, but seeing everyone like this, he couldn't smile anymore.He looked serious, raised a glass of wine, stood up and walked slowly, walked up to Yuchi Jingde, Qin Shubao and Cheng Zhijie from the high position in the middle, and said:

"This king has wronged you, come on, drink this glass of wine, and this king will see you off."

"Slow!" Yuchi Jingde yelled out the word in a hurry, then lowered his voice and said, "King Qin, can you listen to me?"

"Say!"

"Now the king is in constant danger and will only wait to be killed."

"That's right!" Hou Junji continued angrily without waiting for the king of Qin to speak: "The crown prince transferred our general and forced our counselors away. It is already obvious that this is an evil plan to uproot the tree. If we continue to If you go down, you will dig out the roots of the trees in my Tiance Mansion one by one, and then attack you directly, Your Majesty, when the time comes... Your Majesty will fight back again, so it is better to strike now."

"Yes, the matter is already very critical. If you don't fight back at this time, you will be controlled by others, and you will become more and more passive." Changsun Wuji said.

…………

All bureaucrats scrambled to express their opinions, and their words had similar meanings. They advised King Qin to make a decisive decision at this time and fight back against the prince.Li Shimin is not surprised that officials have such views, but it is strange that everyone is so excited and filled with righteous indignation.Li Shimin gently put down the raised wine glass and listened quietly to the persuasion of the crowd.He knew very well in his heart: this is the end of the matter, he will eventually have a battle with the crown prince and King Qi, but if he makes a move now, can he win?This sentence, he had asked himself over and over again in his heart.Although he has just turned 26 years old, as the commander of the army, he has been doing it for 10 years.In the past 10 years, the troops he commanded ranged from thousands, tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands, and fought hundreds of large and small battles.Among them, no less than ten times, he almost died in battle.It is by virtue of one's own bravery and wisdom, as well as the gift of God.He, Li Shimin, defeated every invincible enemy and survived the misfortune of fleeing on the battlefield time and time again.Now, having gone through battles, victories and defeats, and life and death tests, he has deeply understood: In a battle, there is only one word for both parties, "life" or "death"!King Qin was never afraid of death, but he has experienced life and death several times, he has matured in the choice of life and death, and he has already enjoyed his own glory and wealth.He knows how to cherish himself and how to preserve his own interests.He has become more cautious, so that once he fights with others, he must win.

Therefore, with the wisdom and experience of an outstanding military commander, he had already conducted an in-depth and delicate analysis of the battle with the prince.He is clear: if he openly confronts the prince supported by his father, his chances of winning are very small.Because of this, he didn't want to take the risk, he could only endure it, enduring it with heartache.He originally thought that with his own prestige and his brotherly friendship with officials over the years, at this critical moment, everyone would follow his will.Unexpectedly, their reaction was so strong.Even so, King Qin was still unwilling to show his trump card right away, but said slowly:

"All of you are right. The crown prince seems to want to put me to death, but we are brothers after all. If you can bear it, bear it for a while." As soon as Shimin's words fell, many people rushed to speak, Shimin See you, wave your hand and say:
"Everyone has already said what they mean, and I know it too. Now, I want to hear what Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui mean." After speaking, Li Shimin got up and came to Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui who had been silent all this time.

Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui, seeing King Qin approaching, also stood up, looked at each other politely, and turned their gazes to King Qin.

"King Qin and the crown prince are indeed brothers." Fang Xuanling said slowly: "The former Zhou Gong, Guan Shu, and Cai Shu were also blood brothers. However, Zhou Gong still killed Guan Shu and exiled Cai Shu. Uncle Guan was exiled, and Uncle Cai was exiled, his two brothers. No matter at that time or before, people still respect Duke Zhou as a sage. Because people know that it is not that Duke Zhou has no brotherhood, but for the sake of the country and the country. For the sake of tens of millions of people, it is necessary to kill relatives righteously."

After Du Ruhui's words fell, the faces of the generals and officials were full of excitement.Li Shimin knew that this meant that everyone agreed and supported Du Ruhui's words.If it weren't for his previous prestige, perhaps his generals and officials would applaud Du Ruhui's words.Li Shimin felt a little sad and lonely in his heart.Since Fang Xuanling recommended Du Ruhui to come, Li Shimin regarded Du Ruhui as a confidant.Du Ruhui lived up to his expectations, whenever he encountered difficult things, he would always come up with a unique plan to make these difficult things disappear.But now, for the first time, Du Ruhui said what he didn't want to hear.However, these words of Du Ruhui are the same as usual, every sentence is reasonable, and the analysis is thorough.Li Shimin glanced at Fang Xuanling, and Fang Xuanling was also looking at Li Shimin calmly.The four eyes met at a glance, Li Shimin knew that Fang Xuanling's opinion was the same as Du Ruhui's.Therefore, he felt that this matter could not depend on Fang Xuanling, but on himself.With this in mind, Li Shimin listened carefully to Du Ruhui's words, nodded to Du Ruhui, and said, "Sir, you are right, I have kept it in my heart. But no matter what, now that the Turks are coming, the Crown Prince and the King of Qi We are about to go out to kill the enemy, and it would be inappropriate for me to come to directly confront him at this time. Therefore, I can only wrong you, everything will be discussed after defeating the Turks."

"What's inappropriate, after defeating the crown prince, we will follow King Qin to destroy the Turks." Yuchi Jingde got up and said.

Seeing that everyone was still insisting, Li Shimin couldn't help shaking his head, thinking, it's time for a showdown, so he asked Yuchi Jingde with a smile:
"Do you think we can win the open confrontation with the prince right now?"

Yuchi Jingde couldn't help being taken aback when he heard King Qin's question.Li Shimin didn't wait for others to speak, and continued:
"Now against the crown prince, we must be the losers. Not to mention the crown prince now has the military power, in Chang'an city, he has two thousand Changlin troops, and he is in charge of commanding the security forces in the capital. , King Qi will definitely help him, and King Qi’s men have also raised five or six hundred madmen and narrow men. How much power will these three aspects add up to? And my king’s Tiance Mansion, with a total of 800 warriors, can win Are they?"

"I'm afraid it's..."

"Don't say any more, this king has made up his mind." Li Shimin interrupted Hou Junji's words. "Please trust me. Now that I have thought about all this clearly, I will step up my preparations. I don't want to fight an uncertain battle, and I don't want you all to sacrifice for me. Now you all have to fight with me. If you suffer some grievances, in the end, you will definitely win. Come on, everyone, raise your glass and see off our generals and advisers!"

After all, Li Shimin picked up the wine and drank it down.Although the hearts of all officials were still full of doubts, they had no choice but to raise their wine glasses and drank it down in one gulp after hearing what King Qin said so clearly.

?

11
After the banquet, Li Shimin sent everyone away, leaving three generals, Yuchi Jingde, Qin Shubao, and Cheng Zhijie, and two advisers, Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui.Yuchi Jingde finished what he was supposed to say, and just sat quietly waiting for King Qin's order.In the past, Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui, who always had opinions when they encountered problems, felt that they had nothing to say now.Although they were about to be exiled in Shu, there was no trace of sadness on the faces of the two of them, as if they had a plan in mind, they sat quietly all the time.Qin Shubao, who usually doesn't talk much, said at this moment:

"I'm about to leave the King of Qin and go to the battle with the crown prince. I don't know if the King of Qin has anything else to say."

Li Shimin listened, and answered without haste, went to see Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui, and saw that both of them nodded at him, clearly saying: You should explain a few words yourself.Li Shimin saw it, smiled slightly, and said:
"I'll give you three words: Pay attention to safety, and return when the enemy is defeated."

"The last general is just worried about whether the crown prince will let us come back after defeating the Turks," Cheng Zhijie said.

"The legs grow on us, so the prince dares to kill us?" Yuchi Jingde said in a muffled voice.

"Why don't you dare, the prince privately recruited soldiers, why don't you just let it go, kill a few generals, what's the point? What's more, if you want to add a crime, there is no reason to worry about it. At that time, you will be charged with any crime. Kill him, why not dare?" Du Ruhui walked up to Yuchi Jingde and said.

"Do you really think that the crown prince will kill them then?" Li Shimin asked.

"Unless..." Du Ruhui said this, shook his head, and smiled secretly.

"Unless what?" Cheng Zhijie asked anxiously.

Du Ruhui didn't say a word anymore, he just turned his eyes to Li Shimin.

"Unless what? Tell us quickly!" Cheng Zhijie grabbed his hand and asked again.

"Unless you seek refuge with the prince." Du Ruhui said.

"Is this possible?!" Cheng Zhijie shook off Du Ruhui's hand and said.

"It's just..." Qin Shubao gritted his teeth and stared at Du Ruhui.

"What nonsense!" Yuchi Jingde finished speaking, flicked his sleeves and walked away.

"Hey, you..." Du Ruhui shook his head with a wry smile, and said, "If I thought you were going to seek refuge with the crown prince, would I tell you in person?"

"Three generals, please don't misunderstand what you mean. Besides, this king knows Du Ming's loyalty to the three generals, and he firmly believes in it."

After hearing this, Yuchi Jingde let out a long sigh of relief.

"The top priority is to think clearly about how the three generals will retreat after defeating the Turks." After Li Shimin finished speaking, he turned his attention to Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui again.

"For this matter, the three generals need to play by ear, and once the Turks are defeated, they will come back immediately." Fang Xuanling said.

"Please rest assured, now that we know the danger, we will definitely see the opportunity when the time comes. We will definitely return to Tiance Mansion at the earliest possible time." Yuchi Jingde said.

"I'm afraid it won't be that easy."

"You mean we don't have the ability to come back?"

"No, I'm worried about the crown prince. Now, even though Wang Gui is gone, there is still Wei Zheng beside the crown prince. I heard that this man is amazing. He must have expected this and let the crown prince prepare early."

"Even if this is the case, we have to try to come back. If not, we will die." Yuchi Jingde said.

"I am moved by the loyalty of the generals, but there is one thing I want to tell you here: From now on, no matter what your situation is, you will not be able to come back even if you try your best, and you must not die. Alive, this king needs you, and the Great Tang Dynasty needs you. You must keep this sentence of this king firmly in your heart, and never forget it."

"Remember!" The three generals replied in unison.

Li Shimin was happy when he heard this, nodded to them and said, "You go, I will wait for your return."

"Of order!" The three generals replied in unison again, turned and left.

Li Shimin sent them out of Tiance Mansion, stood outside the door, watched them go away, disappeared, and then turned around.

120,

Li Shimin sent the three generals away, returned to the hall, looked at Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui, his eyes were deep and full of mystery.Seeing him like this, the two couldn't help but secretly wondered in their hearts, and looked at each other questioningly, and were about to say something, only to hear Li Shimin ask:
"Generals Yuchi Jingde, Qin Shubao, and Cheng Zhijie are going here, what do you think is auspicious?"

"I think that with that Wei Zheng's scheming, the three generals Yuchi Jingde might be hard-pressed to escape?" Du Ruhui said.

"What do you think?" Li Shimin asked Fang Xuanling again.

"The minister and Ru Hui have the same opinion."

"So, are the three of them coming back?"

"No, I can come back, but only when King Qin... defeats the crown prince." Du Ruhui replied.

"Oh, so, sir, I have a lot of ideas about this, let's talk about it."

"I think that after the crown prince returns from the Turkic expedition, he will turn his hand to deal with the king. At that time, it will be the time for the king and the crown prince to share the victory."

"Go on."

"Looking at the current situation, just as what the king said just now, the crown prince has a large army in his hand, and the strength of the mansion is also very strong. He also controls the security forces in the capital. It seems that he has the upper hand. However, when the crown prince competes with the king in the future, The key is the security forces in the capital, if Your Majesty wins over Chang He, the chief of the security forces in the near future, then the chances of victory will be assured."

"Mr.'s concern is exactly what this king wants. This king wants to tell you now: the princess has gone to the palace to find Chang He's cousin, Chang Cairen, to do the work of winning over Chang He."

Du Ruhui listened and secretly admired it.I thought to myself, I have underestimated the King of Qin, he has great vigor in strategy and courage; when dealing with matters, he can always grasp the key points and think far-reachingly.Thinking of this, he blurted out:

"Your majesty, everything is determined first, which is admirable. However, I know that Chang Cairen has a vague relationship with Chang He. Chang He was able to be the chief guard of the capital because of his own military achievements. If you only rely on It may be very difficult for Chang Cairen to persuade Chang He to join the King."

"According to what you see, sir, how should this matter be handled?"

"As far as I know, although Chang He fought bravely, he was an ordinary man. After he became the commander-in-chief, he had a beautiful woman and took him as a concubine. He relied on his power and extorted money. Now he has a group of wives and concubines. Your Majesty If you can catch his special money-greedy habit and donate a lot of money, it will not be difficult to buy this person."

"Lust and money lovers are the easiest to deal with." Li Shimin smiled and said, "This king not only gifted him a lot of money, but also gave him a beautiful woman, so that he will be determined and loyal to this king."

"At such a critical moment, it's better not to make a big show of it. It's most appropriate to gift her a beautiful woman, fearing that his wives and concubines will be jealous among themselves, spread the word, and attract attention.

"Mr. is considerate. Well, this matter will be according to what Mr. said."

"There is one more thing, and I hope Your Majesty will pay attention to it." Fang Xuanling said at this time: "What is the fight for? It is of great importance and extraordinary. Not only must it be done quietly, but also the time must be calculated, neither too early nor too late." Late. In my opinion, a few days before the crown prince returns to Beijing is the most suitable time."

"This..." Li Shimin thought for a while, and immediately understood: "Lust, a man who loves money, a pure villain, capricious, can't stay for long. Mr. Shimin is really careful, thank you Shimin."

"Such earth-shattering events require caution, and some negligence is too late for regret."

"Yes, what you said is right, the king will definitely be careful and cautious." Li Shimin paused for a moment when he said this, and then asked: "The three generals, Yuchi Jingde, Qin Shubao, and Cheng Zhijie, are going to be inauspicious. I wonder what the two gentlemen think of the ominousness of my visit?"

Du Ruhui and Fang Xuanling asked each other and looked at each other.Du Ruhui said: "I'm waiting for you to go here. It doesn't matter whether it's bad or good. Everything is under the control of the King of Qin. It's just a trick to go to Shu in the Ming Dynasty and sneak into Chang'an to cover people's eyes."

"It turns out that the two of you have already figured it out. That's good. I don't need to explain it like I did to the three generals. I won't keep the two gentlemen anymore. You go and bring your family members with great fanfare and come from the south gate." Go out and go to the land of Shu. But when you travel more than [-] li, you can return a little bit.

"It's more than thirty miles, I'm afraid it won't work." Du Ruhui said, "We must go all the way to Sichuan, and then look for opportunities to return."

"Sir, do you think it must be so?" Li Shimin asked Fang Xuanling.

"I think this must be the case. The prince is smart and very comparable to others. If he wants to drive us away, he will not fail to send people to follow and pay attention." Fang Xuanling said: "However, the minister will only go for about ten days at most. The prince It will take at least one month to go back and forth to the Turks, and we still have time to prepare.”

After hearing this, Li Shimin nodded and said, "Okay, after ten days, this king will wait for your return here, but your family members will suffer."

"The future will be long, and it is a great honor for the family to make some small sacrifices for the king. Why bother. I hope the king will take care of you, and I will leave now." Du Ruhui said sincerely.

"Go, I will wait for your return." King Qin gently shook Fang Xuanling.

"Take care, Your Majesty, I will come as soon as I go." Fang Xuanling said with a smile.

12
This is Li Jiancheng's happiest moment.In the past two years, since Li Shimin defeated Wang Shichong and Dou Jiande in one fell swoop, his power has become increasingly powerful and his prestige has reached the peak. Except for his father, no one seems to be able to match him.However, this should be the scenery of the prince!How can the King of Qin replace him?
Whenever he saw the beautiful King Qin, the prince would feel angry in his heart and question himself.It had been two years, and he felt more and more clearly that on his way to the emperor's throne, he was always being blown by the hurricane of prestige controlled by King Qin, and he might fall off his horse at any time.But now, his spies have just reported that the two counselors who caused him the most headaches in the Qin Palace, Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui, have left Chang'an with their families and headed for Shu.And Li Shimin's three fierce generals, Yuchi Jingde, Qin Shubao and Cheng Zhijie, have all been transferred to his command and are under the control of his prince.Not only that, but his prince controlled the guards of the capital while holding an army of 20.He is going to fight the Turks and make meritorious service for the country.When he returns in triumph, will the King of Qin not bow his head and proclaim himself a minister?Even if he is ambitious, what can I do?Thinking of this, Li Jiancheng showed a smug smile on his face.All of this was clearly seen by Li Yuanji, King of Qi who was standing beside him.

"Brother, let's go and see Yuchi Jingde, Qin Shubao, and Cheng Zhijie. If we can subdue their hearts, we can rest easy." Li Yuanji suggested.

Yesterday, Li Jiancheng sent a team to follow Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui all the way to Sichuan.He made it very clear that if Du and Fang returned to Beijing on their way, they would be killed mercilessly; if they went all the way to Shu and would not interfere with the prince's business, then let them stay there.The matter that had caused him headaches for two years was finally resolved.The most urgent thing is to transfer the three generals from Qin Wangfu.From Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji's point of view, Yuchi Jingde, Qin Shubao and Cheng Zhijie are the most elite generals in Prince Qin's residence. As long as they can be bought, King Qin will no longer be able to compete with his prince in military affairs.For this reason, when Yuchi Jingde and the other three came, they were not only grandly received by the crown prince and the king of Qi, but also named generals one by one, and three mansions were picked out in the East Palace to reward them.

(End of this chapter)