Dou Jiande always discussed important matters with his ministers in a relaxed atmosphere.
Even though he paid more and more attention to rules and etiquette after becoming the emperor, he was still mostly kind to his ministers. Even if his ministers made any mistakes, he could tolerate them as much as possible. So when it came to the degree of generosity to his ministers, in fact, both Li Yuan and Xiao Xian were very kind. Not as good as him.
Some people would say that he killed heroes and old people, but with the development of the rebel army now, it would be wrong if he did not kill people. The generals of the rebel army started from the grass and had a very rebellious spirit.
When they were suppressed by the imperial power, the final outcome was mostly not very happy, because it was difficult for them to adapt to a stable political structure.
Just like a bachelor who is used to spending a lot of money, and suddenly one day he has a very calculating woman, it will definitely not be a good feeling.
It's just that the atmosphere in the palace is no longer gentle now, and Dou Jiande is not in the mood to tolerate his subordinates anymore.
His eyes widened with a hint of ferocity, and he slammed the table, "Why don't you say anything anymore? I'm not mean to you guys. I've been waiting for you for so long, but you haven't come up with a good idea for me. I Why do I feed you wastes?"
The roughness of his early years seems to have revived in Dou Jiande, but there are not many people left in the palace who can adapt to his style.
The ministers lowered their heads, dumbfounded. Dou Jiande took a deep breath. He couldn't help but think that if Tong Guangshou and others were still there, they might be shouting to lead the troops in front of the formation, right?
"Don't be upset, Your Majesty. I am willing to go ahead and replace Wang Cong's guy... If he wasn't timid, he wouldn't be where he is today. I have long said that he is unreliable, but Your Majesty just doesn't believe me..."
Everyone looked and saw that the person speaking was General Liu Heitai.
Liu Heitai is a typical Hebei person. He is tall and strong, with a full beard, a face full of horizontal strands of flesh, and a loud voice.
This person's experience is not simple either.
He is from Beizhou, Hebei Province, and is a serious fellow villager with Dou Jiande and others. When he was young, he was uneducated and ran rampant in the countryside. He was a well-known gangster in the local area and had contacts with people like Dou Jiande who had a reputation as a hero in Beizhou.
During the chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty, when Dou Jiande started to rebel, he had already gone to Hao Xiaode. He had no choice but to do so. This guy was a drunkard and gambler. He was not engaged in production. He was also treacherous and strong. No one was willing to pay attention to him. That is to say, Dou Jiande and the others could still do it. Give him some support from time to time.
After the expedition to Liaodong, Dou Jiande and others were drafted to the front of the army. He completely lost his source of livelihood, became impoverished and had no way to survive, so he simply joined a gang of thieves and started a business without capital.
Later, he followed Hao Xiaode and others to surrender to Li Mi, and joined those in Wagang. When Li Mi was defeated and fled to the west, he followed Hao Xiaode and surrendered to Wang Shichong, taking orders to defend Xinxiang.
After fighting with Wang Shichong for so many years, he looked down upon Wang Shichong. He felt that Wang Shichong had been hiding in a turtle shell and had no skills, so he was unwilling to work for him.
At this time, Dou Jiande rose to prominence in Hebei. Liu Heitai did not hesitate when he heard about it, and immediately led his troops to Hebei to surrender to his fellow villagers. However, he came a little late and his reputation was not great, so he has always been under everyone.
However, he quickly gained the trust of Dou Jiande, and he emerged as a very qualified rebel general during the conquest of Youzhou, the pacification of Shandong, and the battle with Wang Shichong.
However, this man's cruel and murderous nature was undoubtedly exposed. When he led the army to attack, killing prisoners was a common thing he did. He also massacred the city twice, so his vicious reputation gradually became apparent.
The aristocratic generals headed by Wang Cong disliked him very much. As long as they fought together, they would speak ill of Dou Jiande about him when they came back, and they became enemies over time.
Dou Jiande had a soft ear. When Wang Shichong sent troops to attack Hanoi, Liu Heitai led his troops to resist. After Wang Shichong withdrew, he massacred the city again. Dou Jiande recalled him to Wei City in anger. Many people wanted to kill him because of his cruelty.
Got him.
After all, Dou Jiande spared him once because they were fellow villagers and Liu Hongtao was loyal to him, and kept him by his side, never allowing him to lead troops in front of the army.
This actually allowed Liu Heitai to avoid disaster. When Tong Guangshou and others were killed, he did not have military power, so he was not implicated. Otherwise, based on his virtue, he would definitely be among the executed.
He stood up now because he couldn't help it anymore. Those who were usually eloquent all shut up. The emperor returned to his old ways, which made him very comfortable. Naturally, it was his turn to speak.
He had the same tone as Tong Guangshou and others. He first clamored to go to the army to lead the troops, and then wanted to clean up the dissidents. Most of the rebel generals had this style, which was not surprising.
Dou Jiande would definitely not be willing to listen to it on normal days, but it was different now. It seemed to be very pleasant to listen to. At this time, he felt that without these men who could fight and kill, who else would be there in times of crisis?
What to rely on?
It's just that his realization of this was obviously a little late, and he had already almost wiped out the old people.
Of course, there are still remnants left, and Liu Ya, the general of the left army, is one of them. He is a trusted general of Cao Dan and has a good reputation among the Xia army.
"General Liu is right. We never care about our wealth and life when we fight. Some people are different. They always think about their own glory and wealth. When the Tang army attacks Hulao, they should cross the river and cut off the Tang army's retreat.
Many of the Tang army were Xiao Mian's men. How could they sincerely work for Li Ding'an? As long as they fought one battle, they might be defeated. However, Wang Cong and others led the troops by the river and remained unmoved, watching the general leading the army.
The soldiers went to rescue Xuchang but were surrounded by Tang troops.
That guy may be trying to get rid of the general. How can such a person trust him to lead the troops and stationed by the river? He should be recalled as soon as possible and punished."
With them coming forward, voices of agreement rang out in the hall, it was Wang Xiaohu and others, but the momentum was not as strong as before.
Seeing these people about to attack Wang Cong, the emperor looked very moved, and his retorts became fierce. During the quarrel, Liu Heitai and others were instantly at a disadvantage. Several people
Roll up your arms and sleeves and rush forward to beat the opponent violently.
A smile appeared on Dou Jiande's face, but he immediately put it away. He stood up and kicked the table over, saying angrily: "Do you want to make me angry to death? You are still fooling around at this time. When Li Ding'an and his people rush in,
If you catch us all, you will be happy, right?"
No one wanted to be taken away, so everyone suppressed their anger and started talking again.
This time Cui Junsu didn't want the warriors to speak first, "Changing commanders before battle is a taboo in the army. It's better to ask several generals to recruit troops to reinforce General Wang. The troops by the river are indeed a little thin..."
The minister ordered Pei Ju to remain silent. Then he glanced at Cui Junsu and couldn't help but sigh to himself, this is really a bad idea. Liu Heitai, Liu Ya and others obviously have a rift with Wang Cong. If they were sent to the front of the army, it would not be a good idea for Wang Cong.
Is it troublesome? Isn’t it a taboo in the army for generals to be at odds with each other?
In order to drive people out of Wei City, he made fun of military affairs. He was really right. Cui Junsu was not worthy of his position because he lacked courage...
Fortunately, Dou Jiande was not confused yet. He waved his hand and said: "Where to recruit soldiers in the winter, let's wait until later. Alas, you people, one by one... go back and think about your ideas. I will be there."
Waiting for you here.
If anyone can provide good advice and help me preserve this foundation, I will reward him well. If there is no other way, you don't have to fight. Let's see you in Chang'an."
After saying this, he turned around and left without caring about the crowd.
Just like before, it ended hastily, and no one could come up with a good idea for the emperor. The atmosphere was extremely depressing, and several elders felt that if this happened again, they might not be able to survive this winter.
Pei Ju walked slowly out of the palace, but was stopped by someone. After whispering a few words in his ear, Pei Ju slowed down and turned around and came back after everyone dispersed.
He was led to Dou Jiande again.
At this time, Dou Jiande seemed to have nothing happened, sitting there calmly, showing neither anger nor frustration. After Pei Ju looked at him for a moment, he bowed and sat opposite the emperor.
Dou Jiande smiled. He was a little disappointed that he didn't see any surprise or surprise on Pei Ju's face. They were all old foxes. Who doesn't know how to behave?
In the end, Dou Jiande couldn't help it and asked: "You are not surprised, why can I still sit so firmly?"
A smile appeared on Pei Ju's wrinkled face, "The Supreme was born in Shandong and stood out among the heroes. Zhang Xutuo, Yang Yichen, Xue Shixiong, Guo Xuan, etc. are all famous ministers and generals, but they still cannot be the Supreme.
How can the supreme heart be shaken by a mere crisis now?"
The flattery was so loud that Dou Jiande couldn't help laughing and said: "Pei Qing still knows me, the others... are far behind."
Pei Ju was actually very curious about what the emperor was thinking, "The Supreme Being has already made a plan, so why did he still call everyone to discuss it?"
Dou Jiande smiled proudly, "I won't hide it from you, I just want to see who is loyal to me at this time of year and who wants to find another place to go.
I have used this method several times in the past. As long as I pretend to be miserable, someone will fall for it. Today is strange, no one persuades me to surrender to the enemy. Could it be that I am so popular after becoming the emperor? "
Even though Pei Ju was a deep-seated man in the city, he was dumbfounded when he heard these words. How long has it been, yet he still wants to lure people into taking the bait? Such a heart... Tsk tsk, you are worthy of being the emperor.
"Then the Supreme Summoner turned around, maybe he also wanted to test Yu Chen?"
Dou Jiande smiled and shook his head, "You are silent in the palace. You must have some ideas. Why don't you talk to me and see if you are what I think."
Pei Ju pondered for a while and then said: "It should be about the same. The current plan is that the riverside is almost undefendable. It is better to retreat to Youzhou and make sense...after that...the Turks will be connected to the north, and Li Ding'an may be able to resist."
Dou Jiande patted the table gently and praised: "Sure enough, Pei Qing is more resourceful than anyone else..."
Pei Ju shook his head and sighed: "The Supreme Being is ridiculous. What I want to say is that if the Supreme Being surrenders like this, he may still be able to save his life. If he really retreats to Youzhou and connects with the Turks, once he is defeated, I am afraid that he will be defeated."