Li Shimin, one emperor through the ages

Chapter 46
After listening to Li Yuanji's suggestion, Li Jiancheng nodded.The two brothers came to the "General's Mansion" of Yuchi Jingde, Qin Shubao and Cheng Zhijie.This was specially set up after they transferred here yesterday.The words "General's Mansion" on the gates of the three houses were written by the prince himself.Yuchi Jingde and the three were discussing the war, when they heard that the crown prince and the king of Qi had arrived, they hurriedly stood up to greet them.

"Are you okay?" the prince asked with concern.

Yuchi Jingde turned his head to look at Qin Shubao, then at Cheng Zhijie, and said, "I'm going to go out soon, the temporary residence is so luxurious, I'm really sorry for the future." Saying this, let the crown prince and the king of Qi sit on the table, and he and Qin Ji Bao and Cheng Zhijie stood aside.

"Sit down, too." The prince said with a smile, "Don't be polite, and don't be embarrassed. If you are still satisfied with this place, you can stay here for a long time, and don't have any idea of ​​a temporary residence."

"However, the generals are about to go out to fight on the battlefield, how can they stay here for a long time?" Yuchi Jingde said.

"That's right, the Crown Prince is going to lead you to the expedition. However, can a mere tens of thousands of Turks be able to withstand the 20 elites of our Tang Dynasty? According to the estimation of this Crown Prince, you will be able to return victoriously in one month at most. What do you say?" is not it?"

"The last generals have just discussed the war, and it is estimated that they can defeat the Turks in January."

"That's right, since the generals also have the same view on the war, don't regard it as a temporary residence, but within two days before the expedition, bring your wives, children, and parents, and when you return triumphantly, share with them Live here forever."

Yuchi Jingde, Qin Shubao and Cheng Zhijie were all shocked when they heard the prince's words.They froze there, not knowing what to do for a moment.When the prince saw him, he smirked at the king.

"Generals, do you think that this 'General's Mansion' is not as rich as the king of Qin's? If that's the case, but if you speak up, His Highness the Crown Prince will definitely satisfy your request."

"That's not true." Yuchi Jingde said: "I have been fighting with the King of Qin for many years, and I have never lived in such a luxurious room."

"This king thinks so too." King Qi cast his eyes on the three generals and said, "Actually, Xue Wanche, the prince's general, doesn't have such a luxurious mansion. The reason why the prince is like this is that he admires the three generals. I hope The three generals have lived up to the prince's hope, and have followed the prince wholeheartedly since then."

After hearing this, Yuchi Jingde already understood the intentions of the crown prince and King Qi, he didn't want to answer hastily, he cast his eyes on Qin Shubao and Cheng Zhijie, and saw that their eyes were also on him.The six eyes staggered, and they understood in an instant.

King Qi saw that the three generals were silent, and said again: "As the saying goes, a good bird chooses a tree to live in, and a good minister chooses a master to serve. The prince is the one who will inherit the throne in the future, and he loves the three deeply. Don't miss this once-in-a-thousand-year opportunity. If you figure it out, just express your opinion here, go and bring all the family members here, and then you will surely be able to protect your life's glory and wealth." After finishing speaking, he looked straight at Yuchi Jingde.

"The last general is a subordinate general of King Qin's residence, and King Qin is the brother of the crown prince and King Qi. The last general is loyal to the King of Qin, which means he is loyal to the Tang Dynasty. I don't know why the King of Qi said that "a good minister chooses the master"? The last general was ordered to come to accompany him. When the prince goes out to fight, he must obey the prince's order and conquer the Turks, and he dare not be careless. As for how to go back, the prince will discuss with the king of Qin. As a soldier, the general can only obey orders."

"It's just, do you obey the King of Qin, or the Crown Prince?" King Qi asked again aggressively.

"As a subordinate general of the Qin Palace, the last general can only take orders from the King of Qin. Now he is following the crown prince to fight against the Turks. Regarding the battle, he should naturally follow the crown prince's orders." Yuchi Jingde insisted.

"You two, are you also like this?" King Qi turned to Qin Shubao and Cheng Zhijie and asked aggressively.

"I am waiting for the same idea as General Yuchi Jingde." Qin Shubao and Cheng Zhijie replied together.

"You..." King Qi's eyes widened in anger.

"King Qi, don't be angry." The prince gently persuaded: "The loyalty of the three generals makes me admire the prince. Just invite the three generals, and I can understand the love of the prince. You should also consider what King Qi said." Think about it, after the Turks are defeated, we will have a heart-to-heart talk." After the prince said, he glanced at King Qi, and the two got up and left.

Back at the Prince's Mansion, King Qi was still angry, gnashing his teeth and said: "These fellows really don't know what's good!"

When the prince saw him, he smiled slightly and said, "Fourth brother, don't be angry. It's not worthwhile to hurt your body because of these fellows. Now they are the turtles in the urn. This king can take care of them slowly. After fighting the Turks, they If there is no intention of repenting at all, I will follow the King of Qin. When the time comes, don't blame the prince's ruthlessness."

"Brother, is he ready?" King Qi made a vivid killing move.

"Is it possible to let the tiger go back to the mountain?" The prince asked back.

"Since this is the case, the prince should not make a move. I will let my subordinates go down and solve it."

"It's still too early, wait until the Turks are defeated, if they don't change their minds, it's not too late to do it.

"only……"

"Don't worry." The crown prince interrupted King Qi and said, "Brother has his own arrangements. They can't escape my palm."

After all, the prince summoned Wei Zheng, Feng Li and other civil and military officials to arrange matters related to the expedition.

12
"The remnant clouds harvest the summer heat, and the new rain brings autumn haze." In the summer after the rain, the sky is high and the air is fresh.Generalissimo Li Jiancheng and Deputy Marshal Li Yuanji led an army of 20 to conquer, and set out from Chang'an, headed northeast to the Yellow River.Turkic Yushe planned to report the arrival of the Tang army, and before facing Li Jiancheng's army, he hurriedly crossed the Yellow River and retreated north.

Li Jiancheng's soldiers went to the Yellow River and crossed the north bank, which was regarded as chasing the Turks.Li Jiancheng ordered the army to advance 30 miles north and set up camp.While sending people to Chang'an to pass the good news, he reorganized the troops.Three generals, Yuchi Jingde, Qin Shubao, and Cheng Zhijie, were taken into the Grand Marshal's Mansion one by one and became the generals in front of the crown prince.The [-] elite soldiers under their command were all incorporated into Li Jiancheng's army.The three generals became out-and-out commanders in the blink of an eye.The prince's army, triumphant class teacher.On the way, when Yuchi Jingde's three generals wanted to take action, they immediately found that the prince's eyes and ears were already surrounded by them, so they dared not take any action.

"What should we do? If things go on like this, we won't be able to get in touch with King Qin at all." Qin Shubao approached Yuchi Jingde and said in a low voice.

"We are not in contact, but it is still a kind of connection." Yuchi Jingde said with a smile.

"how do I say this?"

"If we don't contact, King Qin will definitely know about our situation, so that doesn't mean we have already contacted."

"That being said, King Qin can't get any news from us, and he can't give us instructions. What should we do?" Cheng Zhijie said angrily.

"The current situation is like this. We can only take one step at a time. When we arrive in Chang'an, we will play by ear."

The three generals had nothing to say all the way, and reluctantly followed the prince's conquest army and returned to Chang'an.Before he had time to rest, he was summoned by the prince and King Qi in time.

"Several generals, I wonder if you would like to go back to the 'General's Mansion'?" the prince asked in a very friendly voice, covering them with his eyes.

"Now that the battle is over, His Royal Highness, please let us go back to Prince Qin's mansion." Cheng Zhijie said with both hands in his arms.

"I asked the general to think about it before. Did the general forget all about it?" The prince approached Cheng Zhijie without anger and authority.

"I haven't forgotten it, I've already considered it. Since the last general is a member of the Qin Palace, he should return to the Qin Palace when he returns, unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Unless there is an order from King Qin."

"Could it be that in your eyes, the prince is not as good as King Qin?" Li Yuanji shouted sharply.

"You can't say that. The crown prince is a thousand years old and the heir to the throne, so he is naturally nobler than King Qin. However, we are under King Qin, so we should listen to King Qin. King Qi should understand this better than we do."

"The two generals also think in the same way?" The crown prince was unwilling to argue with Cheng Zhijie, and instead cast his eyes on Yuchi Jingde and Qin Shubao, asking with little confidence.

"Exactly!" Yuchi Jingde and Qin Shubao replied confidently.

"You guys, are you so foolish and loyal to King Qin?" King Qi yelled at the three generals.

"As a bureaucrat, you should be loyal. Does King Qi like disloyal people?" Yuchi Jingde replied coldly.

"Hmph! If King Qin is finished..."

"King Qi!" The prince interrupted King Qi, sighed and said: "Since the three generals insist on not following the prince, I have to wrong you for one night. When the king of Qin takes the place of the prince tomorrow, I will take you with me. After saying that, he waved his hand, and the three of Yuchi Jingde were escorted into a secret room.

After a few warriors went out and the iron door was closed, the secret room was very dark.For the first minute, the three generals seemed to be unable to see anything, and gradually they could see their surroundings clearly.It turned out that there was nothing in this secret room except four high walls.The very faint light came in from the crack of the closed iron door.

"It seems that the crown prince will not let us go." Cheng Zhijie said angrily.

"I'm just worried about the King of Qin. The prince and the others are treating us like this now, and they will definitely attack the King of Qin." Yuchi Jingde said.

"How is this possible?" Qin Shubao asked.

"Didn't the general hear what King Qi just said, if King Qin is finished...it's terrible! We have to try to get out and rescue King Qin."

"Yes, we can't be stuck here and watch them attack King Qin." Cheng Zhijie said.

"However, the walls here are solid and there are guards outside, how do we get out?" Qin Shubao asked himself while searching around.

"No matter what, we must try to go out and help King Qin." Yuchi Jingde said.

Thus, the three battle-tested generals took action one after another.They carefully knocked on every wall and carefully examined every roof, hoping to find an opportunity for themselves that would allow them to go out.

12
Watching Yuchi Jingde, Qin Shubao, and Cheng Zhijie leave, the crown prince sighed and said, "I never thought that the generals under King Qin would be so devoted to him. This is really a terrible thing."

"What's so scary, what ability does Li Shimin have now, can he compete with you, Prince?"

"Now, although he has temporarily fallen, I still have a headache when I think of him."

"If that's the case, why don't you come here and give him a quick fix. When he comes to welcome us tomorrow..." Li Yuanji made a murderous gesture.

"It's just that we are brothers after all, alas!" After Li Jiancheng finished speaking, he let out another long sigh.

"Brother? Why is my brother not as secure as I am, but wants to covet your crown prince? Moreover, his strength, prestige, and ability make you worry. Because of King Qin's ambition, we all There is no peace, and many things are not easy to handle. For example, at the banquet tomorrow, if King Qin asks his three generals, how will the crown prince explain it?" King Qi looked at the crown prince when he said this.

"This is indeed a problem." The prince said with a frown.

"It's not just this one thing, there are many other things. In short, I think that if you keep this King Qin, you will have endless troubles. There are too many and too many troubles. According to the fourth brother, it's better to just settle everything and give him a good one." There is no return." After Li Yuanji said the last words that he held back for a long time in his heart, his eyes pressed tightly on the prince again.

"You, let me think about it again. We, after all..." The prince was just saying this when someone came to report:
"News came from the inside of the Qin Mansion that Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui have sneaked back to the Qin Palace."

The prince was shocked when he heard this, and after the visitor left, he gritted his teeth and said, "This is Li Shimin!"

"The matter has come to this point, brother, please don't hesitate any longer." King Qi said, staring at the prince.

"I think that's the only way to go." Although the prince's voice was soft, it was full of murderous intent.

"Brother, do you agree?" King Qi said happily.

Li Yuanji and Li Shimin stayed together when they were young, what a pair of brothers they were!Ever since he followed his father in Taiyuan, Li Shimin won many battles, but he was always defeated. Whenever he heard his father's praise of Li Shimin, Li Yuanji felt a little inexplicably angry in his heart; Li Yuanji was even more aggrieved by his welcome.Gradually, these anger and grievances caused Li Yuanji to develop an inexplicable hatred for Li Shimin, and he always stood on the opposite side of Li Shimin when everything happened.Soon, Li Yuanji found the prince, the successor to the throne who was almost covered by Li Shimin's prestige. He and the prince quickly formed an alliance to resolutely oppose and attack their common rival Li Shimin.At this moment, Li Yuanji looked at the prince happily, and said sinisterly:
"I have already thought of a perfect plan to make him come and go."

"Tell me." The prince said softly.

King Qi's sharp eyes glanced at the hall, and found Wang Jian, the servant.Just as he was about to drive him away, he heard Li Jiancheng say, "This Wang Zhe is one of the elder brother's cronies, but it's okay for King Qi to say so."

King Qi looked at Wang Fan, saw him standing very solemnly, not moving, so he lowered his voice and said to the prince:

"In my place, there are some crane crests that I just got. Tomorrow, the King of Qin will host a banquet for us. Just put a little bit in his wine glass, and after he drinks it, the prince's trouble will be gone forever." !"

"This is a good idea. However, the matter is of great importance, and the fourth brother must arrange it seamlessly." The prince instructed carefully.

"Brother, don't worry, fourth brother, I will definitely arrange this matter properly, and it will be seamless."

"It's just that there is a contingency in everything. The so-called precautions, King Qi still ambushes a team of troops, just in case. If you want to do it, you have to do it to the end. Things like this can't be taken back at the beginning. Just in case If the poison does not kill the King of Qin, we will send him to the underworld with a steel knife."

"Brother thought carefully, so I ordered Xie Shufang, my charioteer, to lead two hundred elite soldiers to ambush, thinking it was a surefire plan."

"Xie Shufang, good! He is a brave general, you arrange him to ambush, I don't worry. Well, time is running out, so fourth brother Lao will arrange this matter." The prince said.

"Okay, please take care of the eldest brother, and the fourth brother will leave first."

Seeing off Li Yuanji, the prince waved, and Wang Ni walked quickly to the prince.

"Go quickly and find General Feng Li."

After Wang Di left, the prince walked back and forth in the hall.Li Shimin, Qin Wang Li Shimin!You were my good brother.But why, you want to covet my crown prince?Since you are like this, don't blame me for being ruthless.All of this is what you asked for.The prince was muttering to himself, Feng Li hurried over, and when he saw the prince, he fell down and bowed.

"General, please get up." The crown prince bent down to help Feng Li, looked at him carefully, saw Feng Li's tired face, and asked:
"The general just came back from the bank of the Yellow River, he hasn't come home yet."

"The troops have just been deployed." Feng Li said: "The last general is preparing to report the situation to His Highness."

"Just arrange the troops. The prince invited you here this time because he has a very important matter for you to handle. Tomorrow, King Qin will hold a banquet at Yuquan Palace to welcome the prince and King Qi. I want you to ambush eight hundred warriors." There, if you see me throwing a cup, immediately fight out, and not one person from Prince Qin's residence will be left behind."

After the crown prince finished speaking, Feng Li stood quietly, motionless, the crown prince glared at him, and then asked softly:

"King Qin will not stay?"

"No way, I have no choice but to stay!"

"The last will obey!"

"Okay, you go, and you must choose the bravest warrior."

"The last will obey!"

Watching Feng Li go away, the prince nodded lightly, walked back and forth in the hall, and muttered what he just said to himself again:
Li Shimin, Qin Wang Li Shimin!You are my good brother, but why do you covet my crown prince?Well, you can't blame me, you asked for everything!

12
On a summer day after the rain, the "Pleasant Garden" in Prince Qin's Mansion is extremely cool.The gentle breeze blows the emerald green water of the pond.The freshest is the weeping willow by the pond.The branches and leaves are swaying reservedly. I really don't know if it is the breeze that blows the weeping willow, or the weeping willow shakes the breeze.What a cool world!The birds chirped, the fish leaped out, and the king of Qin standing under the willow tree by the pond alone felt a little hot in his heart.

His father arranged for him to hold a banquet in Yuquan Palace to welcome the prince and King Qi. He was not surprised by this, but it was very embarrassing.The crown prince and King Qi had returned in triumph, but he did not see his three generals returning home, which made him feel that the matter was very serious.He knew these three veteran generals well, knew their wisdom and courage, and firmly believed in their loyalty to him.

(End of this chapter)