Chapter 331 After the report

The nightfall in winter fell particularly early. Not long after Li Qing reported his work, the sky began to be dark. Today's report ended here, and the important officials returned to their homes one after another. The Zichen Palace seemed increasingly empty and dark.

Li Longji did not leave. He was still sitting on the high dragon throne, his eyes closed, as if he was asleep, and seemed to be waiting for something.

Apart from some guards and palace servants, the only ministers left in the palace were Yang Guozhong. He was anxiously waiting for Li Longji's defeat. He was extremely scared. He wanted to shout and beg for mercy, but Li Longji's silence was like a wall that was densely covered with wind and rain, which isolated him.

Of course, behind Li Longji, Gao Lishi was still standing straight. He seemed to be a man carved in sandalwood, noble, silent, and never tireless, but at this moment he was more anxious and annoyed than anyone else. Perhaps Li Qing didn't know the reason, because from the perspective of his standing, he couldn't see Li Longji's back, where there was a thick curtain covering it, just like the waiting spot on the stage. Let's go over and take a look at what made Gao Lishi so nervous and uneasy.

Yu Chaoen stood behind Li Longji. He also stood with a stack of performance reports in his arms and stood there expressionlessly. It was like a polygamous clan. The eldest lady tried her best to stop the emergence of competitors. When she was old and deteriorated, she asked her confidant girl to serve the master. In the end, the external troubles were over, and she suddenly realized that the girl she chose was actually sitting in her seat.

The first Ge Shuhan's report was that Yu Chaoen stood behind Li Longji. Of course, Li Longji's excuse was that Gao Lishi worked too hard and needed someone else to share one or two for him, but this kind of sharing was like a matter in bed. How could Gao Lishi allow it?

Gao Lishi knew that the problem lies with Li Cong. Li Cong almost gave full play to the Yang family. After years of accumulation and hard work, he finally got rewards. Coupled with his low-key and forbearance over the past three years, Li Longji's favorability gradually increased. On the issue of the principle of establishing a crown prince, he had a conflict with Li Longji.

"Tell me! What's going on? No word is allowed to be hidden." Li Longji finally spoke. As an emperor, he must be good at controlling his subjects. This kind of control is not to peel this one today or cut it in half tomorrow. It should be a very profound knowledge. Just as Li Longji asked Yang Guozhong now, he was not someone else who asked anxiously when he left, what happened?

He was waiting, and Yang Guozhong was suffering from his mentality. When he was about to collapse, he dug a canal for him a little. He didn't need to say more about it later. Yang Guozhong would naturally explain everything in a row.

'Pu!' Yang Guozhong knelt down heavily, "Your Majesty save me!" He finally cried out in tears.

"Wait!" Li Longji suddenly stopped his words and signaled everyone to retreat, including Yu Chaoen. Only him, Yang Guozhong and Gao Lishi were left in the hall, which made Gao Lishi see another glimmer of light.

While crying in a low voice, Yang Guozhong gave him his promise letter to An Lushan for a while. Later, how could An Lushan use this guarantee letter to threaten him? He said nothing without any concealment.

Li Longji didn't say a word, he just listened quietly, without any expression on his face. If this kind of thing happens to others, he will be furious, but it is normal for Yang Guozhong, the idiot.

When Yang Guozhong finally talked about it, when An Lushan wanted to remove several thorny generals who did not obey the command, Li Longji's eyelids jumped up suddenly.

He immediately realized that An Lushan was not ready yet, at least he did not have complete control over Hedong. At this point, Li Longji had no doubt about An Lushan's rebellion. This man's wolfish ambition had been exposed step by step. He privately incorporated the Shuofang Army and took the idea of ​​Anxi Mo Dao Army.

There is no doubt that it will be possible to get rid of An Lushan. The key is how to get rid of him directly. But what should I do in Hebei? Li Longji knew very well that the elites of the Tang Dynasty had reached the border, and the military palace in the Central Plains had already become an empty shell, and the money used to establish a recruitment system was spent by himself. Once An Qingxu set off an army, the entire Central Plains would fall. If his troops pointed at the Jianghuai River and cut off the canal transportation, within half a year, Chang'an would wither and die.

"No! We must never let the military affairs come to light, otherwise, let me explain to my ancestors."

Li Longji closed his eyes again. He wanted to find the most advantageous solution. After thinking about it, he had to follow the scheduled plan, first slow down and then slowly seize the power, so that he could not know what he had noticed.

His eyes opened a slit slightly, waved to Yang Guozhong, and ordered him to step forward. Yang Guozhong's tears were dry at this time. He suddenly realized that Li Longji did not seem to blame him. The string in his heart was so tense that it was almost broken that it suddenly loosened. He walked forward happily and bent over and listened to the emperor's words.

"Remember! You didn't say anything to me, and I didn't know anything about the guarantee letter at all."

Yang Guozhong was stunned. He didn't understand what Li Longji meant. He couldn't help but look at Li Longji in confusion, but saw his eyes full of time and stabbing him sharply. He shivered in his heart and swallowed the words he was about to ask.

"Idiot! Now send someone to stop the investigative person from returning to Beijing. If necessary, silence me."

Li Longji cursed him softly, and his eyes suddenly appeared. He turned to Gao Lishi and said, "You go to Li Qing's mansion again and tell him that the report has ended and everything in the Western Regions is busy. Let him leave Beijing and return to Kucha within three days. You can go now!"

Gao Lishi was about to leave, but Li Longji suddenly called him, "Let's go, there's something else!"

"Please give me instructions!"

Li Longji pondered for a moment and said resolutely: "Go to pass on my will and order Yu Chaoen to be the Hebei Xuanfu envoy, and go to Fanyang to reward the three armies for me."

Gao Lishi's heart suddenly jumped, and he was extremely shocked. In this way, when Yu Chaoen returned, he would have the opportunity to contact the major military affairs. Although Gao Lishi was surprised, his face did not show it. He just bowed and responded quickly.

At this time, Yang Guozhong also said goodbye. Li Longji was the only one left in the empty hall. He paced back and forth on the steps with his hands behind his back, with a hint of smug smile on his face from time to time. Finally, he stopped and said to himself: "Yu Chaoen, since you like to take An Lushan's gold, I hope you can get more this time."

The sky outside was getting darker. Dozens of eunuchs and guards walked into the hall and prepared to protect their hosts and return to the palace. After listening to the report for a day, Li Longji felt a little tired. He stretched his waist long and was about to issue an order to return to the palace, suddenly, he saw a little eunuch running over hurriedly. He was sweating profusely and shouted in panic: "Master Li's family is here to report, Master Li is no longer able to do it, it is time to die."

"Li Linfu, is he going to die?" Li Longji was shocked. He hesitated for a long time before he forced himself to order: "Prepare it! I'll go and see."

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Li Linfu was indeed going to die. He was in a coma, his face was as thin as gold paper, his body was as thin as a handful of dry firewood, and his beloved, shabby yellow rattan chair had also been broken up and piled up at his feet. A large group of children, wives and concubines surrounded him and cried, each of them talking nonstop. The whole room was filled with a dying smell. "Hurry! Hurry! Everyone, go out quickly, the emperor is here!"

The eldest son Li Xiu ran over like a gust of wind and shouted at everyone. Everyone was suddenly panicked and rushed out of the back door. A few were reluctant to leave, but they were afraid of Li Xiu's newly established family rules, so they had to cry a few times and leave.

After a moment, countless guards surrounded Li Linfu's bedroom. Li Longji, who was wearing regular clothes, strode in. Li Xiu immediately knelt on the ground, sobbing and tears flowing like a spring. Li Longji sighed, patted his shoulder, and walked quickly to Li Linfu's side. His steps stopped suddenly. In front of him, there was no ruthless Li Xiangguo, who used to be, clearly a skeleton, wrapped in a thin piece of skin.

"Have he fainted a lot?"

"It's been two days." Li Xiu whispered.

"Okay, if the Grand Master can wake up, tell him that I have been here." After saying that, Li Longji turned around and left. The smell in the room really made him feel nauseous, and he couldn't stay there for a moment. Li Xiu was secretly dissatisfied, but he didn't dare to show it. He had to say respectfully: "Your Majesty's favor, my whole family is engraved in my heart."

But just as Li Longji was about to step out of the door, he suddenly heard an intermittent voice, "Your Majesty, is that... are you?"

"Ah! Father is awake." Li Xiu was surprised and hurriedly stepped forward to help Li Linfu sit up. Li Longji's eyes were cold and lonely, and he returned to the bed. However, he suddenly realized that Li Linfu's complexion had completely changed. His originally waxy-golded face turned red, and a strange look flashed in his eyes.

"Your Majesty!" Li Linfu said with difficulty: "I am no longer able to do it. Please let my family go for my loyalty."

Li Longji's face changed slightly. He laughed dryly and said to Li Xiu: "The Grand Master is already confused and he talks about me like a cruel king."

He lowered his head and smiled at Li Linfu, "Master, have a good rest! I will come to see you again next day."

As soon as he stood up, Li Linfu grabbed him and said, "Your Majesty, I have some suggestions on An Lushan's affairs."

Li Longji looked at Li Xiu, and Li Xiu understood and slowly retreated.

"you say!"

Li Linfu sighed softly, his face becoming brighter and brighter. "An Lushan's wolfish ambitions are not ruthless to him or give him a chance. Your Majesty must make a quick decision and kill him immediately!"

"But in this way, his son An Qingxu will rebel. I may not have time to dispatch troops and generals at this time."

"Your Majesty, if the disease occurs, you must be treated immediately. If you delay the treatment for a long time, it will cause great trouble. Although An Qingxu rebelled, it is not as good as An Lushan to convince the public. As long as he is frustrated in a battle, His Majesty will seduce his generals and then the rebels will fall apart. Even if there is a small pain, it is much better than the chaos in the world."

When Li Longji saw him talking, he became more and more excited. He stinked a foul smell and looked terrifying. He suddenly felt bored. He was about to die and was still teaching himself a lesson. If it weren't for him, would An Lushan have been so big that he is today? At this moment, Li Longji put all the responsibility on Li Linfu's head. He snorted coldly, shook Li Linfu's hand away, and strode out of the house.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" Li Linfu called anxiously over there, while Li Longji took out a silk hand and wiped the back of the hand that Li Linfu grabbed, and left without looking back.

Li Linfu shouted for a long time but there was no response from Li Longji. He couldn't help but feel heartbroken and cried to the sky, "My family is over! The Tang Dynasty is over!"

After shouting several times, a generation of powerful people died.

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If we only look at the performance report, Li Qing's performance report was successful. All his plans were approved. Immigration matters to the Western Regions were fully responsible for Cui Huan, the current Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and the westward strategy has been officially launched.

But his strategy on An Lushan was not approved by Li Longji. He was consistent with Li Linfu's point of view. If things could not be avoided, then let it explode earlier and minimize the degree of destruction. However, Li Longji's attitude was just the opposite. He still wanted to solve it by political means. Even if he had to use force, at least he had to wait for his own deployment. Gao Lishi's arrival clearly conveyed this information to him.

At this moment, in Li Qing's study, Gao Lishi conveyed Li Longji's order to Li Qing with concern, asking him to leave Chang'an and return to Kucha within three days. Li Qing did not say a word. He understood Li Longji's meaning. Li Longji had no idea that he was incompatible and did not want him to interfere in An Lushan's affairs again, so he wanted to drive him away.

"General, you shouldn't have revealed Li Xianzhong's affairs today, disrupting His Majesty's deployment, and it is very likely to force An Lushan to rebel. This is something His Majesty doesn't want to see now."

Gao Lishi was obviously not in a good mood. One King of Qing Li Cong and the other King of Yu Chaoen were directly related to his vital interests, but he was helpless. An Lushan's affairs were a crisis in the entire Tang Dynasty, which made him even more upset.

He sighed and continued, "Your Majesty doesn't want to deal with An Lushan, but he also needs time. You have been in the Western Regions for a long time. The imperial court's finances have become increasingly difficult in recent years. The recruitment system that had long been implemented has not yet begun. Last year, Pei Kuan submitted a note. He randomly checked the three military prefectures in Xuzhou. All the troops were less than 30%. The military preparations have been long-lasting. Even the training grounds were covered with grass with a man-tall man-tall man-tall man-tall bows and rusty swords. One leaf can tell the autumn and the Central Plains are empty!"

"What happened later? How did the emperor deal with this matter?" Li Qing did not look back and said coldly: "Did you behead the captains of the three military palaces and show them to the public, and finally let them go?"

Gao Lishi couldn't say a word. In fact, Li Longji handled the matter coldly, treating headaches and foot pain. Pei Kuan's later requested a thorough investigation of the proposals of the National Military Office, and he didn't even look at it. But what if he saw it, Zuozang's money was less than 300,000 guan, and it was not enough to even celebrate the birthday of Niangniang Yang. How could he afford tens of millions of guan?

But Gao Lishi still wanted to defend Li Longji. He smiled bitterly and said, "But this is the disadvantage of the military system that was left behind when the Tang Dynasty was founded. No wonder the emperor."

Li Qing shook his head gently and said to Gao Lishi sincerely: "I did not say that the corruption of the military government is the emperor's responsibility. Of course, I know the drawbacks of the military system. People have no land, and who is willing to pay for the army out of their own pockets and have to support them at home. It is normal for the military government to have no soldiers. Since the military government has broken down, a new system must be established. So I levyed salt tax to accumulate money to implement the recruitment system. But from the fifth year of Tianbao to the present, six years have passed, and I have collected at least tens of millions of chunks of money, but the finances are still in a dilemma. Wherever the money has gone, I see how much tax it is to fill the big hole."

Speaking of this, Li Qing was slightly angry, "I am now called Li Shimo by the people, so it's better not to mention this! Even if the emperor stabilizes the situation and An Lushan does not rebel for a while, will he reduce the palace expenses? Gao Weng has been by his side for many years, so don't he understand him? In a few years, the military will become more and more short, but An Lushan will be the opposite. At that time, the soldiers were well-trained and the soldiers used their lives to shout "equalize the fields" and the people responded. At that time, my Tang Dynasty was really in danger."

Gao Lishi's face was grim. He had to admit that what Li Qing said was a fact, which was by no means sensational, but the matter could no longer be restored. Li Longji was extremely stubborn in this matter, and no one could persuade him, and even Yang Guifei could not.

After a moment of silence, Gao Lishi suddenly whispered: "General, do you know that the emperor sent Yu Chaoen to Hebei to reward the three armies. He should have sent him to inquire about Xushi. Perhaps when he comes back, the emperor will change his mind."

"What else do you need to find out now?" Li Qing shook his head gently and smiled faintly: "The emperor did this just to make An Lushan think he was still confused. When Yu Chaoen took An Lushan's heavy bribe, he came back to say that the Hebei soldiers were loyal to the emperor. At that time, the emperor pretended to be confused and continued his singing and dancing life, the matter of An Lushan's rebellion would be gone."

Li Qing sneered repeatedly: "Mr. Gao, he was burying his head in the soil. He couldn't see outside, so he thought the world was peaceful. How could he not know that this was what An Lushan expected."

"What should I do now?" Gao Lishi finally realized the seriousness of the problem. As an instinctive concern for Li Longji, he did not want Li Longji to bear this historical responsibility. Now, perhaps only Li Qing can stop the worst situation.

"You said, what can I do for you?"

Li Qing walked to the window with his hands in his arms and stared at the distant sky. The revival of a country was born in distress. The Tang Dynasty had been stable for a hundred years. Both the rulers and ordinary people had already developed a kind of laziness. The accumulated problems were hard to change. Only in the face of disasters can this shackles of social laziness be broken and revitalized to the country. To a certain extent, An Lushan's rebellion may not be a bad thing, as long as it can control its destruction to the social economy.

But controlling an unknown social unrest requires great courage and wisdom. Does Li Qing have this courage and wisdom? The answer is yes, he can! Thinking of this, Li Qing turned his head, his eyes clear and firm. He stared at Gao Lishi and said slowly: "I need to replace An Sishun as the governor of Hexi."

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From the outside, An Lushan's mansion was extremely quiet, and most of the lights were gone, as if everyone had already rested early, but if they walked to the mansion, they would find that it was not quiet. The personal soldiers were silently sorting out one package after another, burning letters, and packing up horses. All signs indicate that An Lushan was preparing to escape.

At this time, An Lushan, his adviser Gao Shang and An Qing Zongzheng were hiding in the secret room to discuss the final plan. He received news from the palace in the afternoon. When Li Qing reported his duties, he mentioned Li Xianzhong's defeated army. An hour ago, Yang Guozhong sent someone to report the letter, saying that Li Longji was suspicious and sent eunuch Yu Chaoen to Hebei. In name, it was a reward for the army. In fact, it was to investigate the whereabouts of the defeated army and let him prepare early. An Lushan immediately ordered his personal soldiers to start packing up and prepare to evacuate at any time.

Gao Shang was also puzzled by Li Longji's intention to send Yu Chaoen to Hebei. He could not see Li Longji's intention to take this move, but one thing was certain. Things were getting worse and worse, so he had to leave Chang'an as soon as possible.

He paced back and forth in the room, thinking about countermeasures, and after thinking about it, he said decisively: "Master, the situation has changed now. The assassination of Li Qing can only be put down temporarily. We must leave Chang'an as soon as possible and return to Hebei."

"I also mean that killing Li Qing will cause unnecessary trouble. It's better to go back to Hebei as soon as possible, but I'm afraid that Li Longji really didn't make up his mind, so I'll expose the situation when I run."

An Lushan faced a dilemma. The time was not ripe. He didn't want to rebel yet. It would be better to give him a few more years to prepare. He said to Gao Shang with a worried look on his face: "Is there any way that sir, can you leave Chang'an as soon as possible, and can prevent Li Longji from being suspicious."

Gao Shang smiled slightly and said, "I had already thought of a plan just now, so that the general would return to Hebei tomorrow."

An Lushan was overjoyed and said anxiously: "Sir, please speak!"

"Tomorrow, a person can be sent to pretend to be a messenger and say that the Khitans are in rebellion, and the general can immediately resign from Li Longji. If he does not agree, it means that he really has the intention to kill the general. The general will escape immediately, do not go to Tongguan, and go around Shuofang from Fengxiang to go back to Hebei through Taiyuan."

Speaking of this, Gao Shang said to An Qingzong again: "If Li Longji is the commander-in-chief to return to Hebei tomorrow, then the young master will still stay in Chang'an. If not, the young master will escape with us. After returning to Hebei, we will immediately raise an army."

An Lushan nodded slowly. This was indeed the best way. He not only tried Li Longji, but also returned to Hebei, which was a killing two birds with one stone.

"Since that's the case, we all go back to pack up our things. I will resign from Li Longji early tomorrow morning."

Gao Shang left the secret room and hurried towards his room. He lived in the backyard and for a separate courtyard, An Lushan specially sent several young and beautiful women to serve him. As soon as he entered the courtyard gate, an An Lushan's personal soldier ran from behind and called him, "Mr. Gao, someone came from outside the mansion, saying that it was your brother, and he had something to do to find you."

"Brother?" Gao Shang was stunned for a moment. How could his brother come here in Shangzhou? "What's his name?"

"He said his name is Gao Yun and he came from Shangzhou."
Chapter completed!