At this time, Li Tang's strategic environment worsened.
The importance of the battle in Jin was also highlighted. If Li Po could be defeated and the counties in Jin were stabilized, Wang Shichong would be wary and not dare to attack Tongguan.
But if the war in Jin fails again...
Well, whether Li can stay in Chang'an is a matter of discussion.
Therefore, Tongguan divided its troops to assist Li Shentong.
The people who came were none other than Xu Shiji, Duke of Calais, and General Wu Houwei, who had just surrendered to Li Tang. They led an army of 20,000 and came under the control of Li Shentong.
This is undoubtedly an all-out battle.
Because of its importance, Prince Li Jiancheng wrote to Shangshu Tang Jian to lead the army, because he was really not confident about Li Shentong's ability to lead the army.
Some court officials suggested that Qu Tutong lead the army.
At this time, Li Shimin sent Lu Guogong Liu Wenjing back to Beijing, and his intention was self-evident.
Li Yuan thought about these candidates, but none of them satisfied him.
Tang Jian was from Jinyang, and some of his relatives and family members were in Jinyang.
Qu Tutong was a surrendered general, but he couldn't trust him.
Not to mention Liu Wenjing, who is on the same level as Pei Ji, Li Yuan also deeply hates this person who is arrogant and does not know how to restrain himself. Moreover, Li Shimin's deeper meaning also makes Li Yuan very angry. He wants Liu Wenjing to push Li away. Will Shen Tong and Pei Ji be replaced?
At this time, the initiator of the crisis in Jin Dynasty, King Li Yuanji of Qi, wrote sincerely, wanting to serve in front of the Hedong Army to avenge his previous humiliation.
He didn't say to lead the army, only to serve. Otherwise, among Li Yuan's sons, Li Yuanji and Yang Guang were the most similar. When it came to coaxing the elders, neither of his two brothers were his rivals.
Sure enough, Li Yuan was quite pleased. Although he was not stupid enough to let this prodigal son go to Hedong to lead the army, he released him again and sent him to Tongguan under the command of Li Jiancheng.
The clamor for changing the leadership of the army was very high, which showed that Li Shentong's reputation both inside and outside the court was very bad, but it was the emperor Li Yuan who ultimately decided this matter.
As a result, Li Shentong and Pei Ji's positions were secure, and Li Yuan dismissed everyone's suggestions on the grounds that changing generals before battle was a taboo in the army.
……………………
End of April, Princess Pingyang Mansion, Chang'an.
At this time, Princess Li Xiuning of Pingyang opened a mansion because of her military exploits, and the rules of the mansion she lived in were also different from those of other princesses. She lived in the former residence of Yang Gao, the youngest son of Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty, Prince of Zhao.
The mansion occupies a large area and has many residences. Except for the lack of military generals in the mansion, it is no different from the Qin Prince's Mansion and the Qi Prince's Mansion.
Since Li Yuan gave Princess Pingyang a residence here, Princess Pingyang Li Xiuning returned to the mansion and did not go out much. The prince-in-law Chai Shao has been leading troops outside, and Li Xiuning no longer has military power, so Princess Pingyang's mansion has gradually become quiet.
This is obviously another living heroine legend, and the process of its birth has been widely praised by people inside and outside.
At the beginning, there were some people who saw this and wanted to attach themselves to Princess Pingyang, but they were all rejected by Li Xiuning. So those who knew better knew that the princess did not want to pay attention to foreign affairs, let alone fight for power and gain.
As a result, those who were interested felt relieved, and those who were unwilling to accept it all reluctantly averted their eyes and went to find another source of support.
There is only one owner of such a large mansion, and even relatives are not allowed to take part in it, which gives this honorable mansion a somewhat deserted feel.
But at noon on this day, the front door of the princess's mansion changed from its normal state. The door of the palace was wide open, and Pingyang Princess Li Xiuning led everyone in the mansion to greet her outside the door.
The subordinates of the Princess Mansion are also different from other places. There are half men and women, most of them are wearing military uniforms, and they obviously have military positions. People say that the Princess Mansion is deserted, but in fact, this is not the case. The population of the Princess Mansion is not large at all.
It can be said that apart from Prince Li Jiancheng's East Palace, there is only Princess Pingyang in Chang'an who can raise troops in the palace.
A large group of people gathered in front of the palace gate to wait, and there were many soldiers and armor guards, and then groups of armored guards came. No need to ask, this is the Emperor Li Yuan who is about to visit the princess palace.
It didn't take long for the emperor's guard of honor to arrive.
In the eunuch's shrill voice, Li Xiuning led everyone to bow down and greet him.
When Li Yuan got off the chariot, he simply waved his hand and said, "No courtesy."
Then he strode to Li Xiuning and said with a warm smile: "I haven't seen you for a long time. It's not easy for me to leave the palace. Why don't you come to the palace to meet me? Is it because your father is old and nagging?"
Li Xiuning held her father's arm and helped him to go inside, while saying sadly: "Father has lost weight..."
Her ability to coax her elders is no worse than that of Li Yuanji. With just four words, Li Yuan felt warm in his heart. He looked at his daughter and said, "You have also lost a lot..."
At this point, Li Yuan sighed and said nothing. His daughter married Chai Shao. However, since the beginning of the war, the couple has always been together less and more apart. Now they are in the midst of hiring, so they cannot recruit a consort back. The pain of missing each other is so great.
... Even if he is the Nine-Five-year-old, there is nothing he can say.
Li Xiuning has indeed lost a lot of weight, and the corners of her eyes and eyebrows also have a somewhat gloomy look. She is far different from the young girl she was in Yunnei.
Of course, he has also grown in size, and his slender eyes are opening and closing with a focused look and majesty that is unmatched back then.
Both father and daughter fell silent.
After walking for a while, Li Yuan looked around and said with a smile, as if he had nothing to say, "Why don't you see Li Changshi in your house?"
Li Xiuning smiled as he expected, and replied softly: "Li Changshi occasionally felt cold. I have found some doctors who are treating him."
Li Yuan said with a faint smile, and then said, "As long as it's not a heart disease."
Li Xiuning's eyes flashed, her heart skipped a beat, and she thought to herself, there was more than one person in this mansion who had heart disease... If she hadn't tried to comfort her, people's hearts would have been gone, and how many people would be left in Princess Pingyang's mansion by then?
?
And to this day, correspondence with that man has been cut off for a long time, and I don’t know... Huh, what do you want him to do? Did he ever think about me as a friend when he set off to march south?
At this time, her father came to the house, and she was so smart that she had already vaguely guessed some of her father's intentions...
But even if she guessed it, she was not happy at all. She only felt that her mouth was extremely bitter, just like eating Coptis chinensis, and her heart was like a mess that she couldn't sort out.
At this moment, she could only pretend to be confused, shook Li Yuan's arm, and said angrily: "Father..."
Seeing his daughter behaving like this, Li Yuan seemed to have seen the clever little girl nestling under his knees and always making him happy. He couldn't help but laugh, "Okay, okay, let's not talk about that Pharmacist Li. You have prepared wine and food.
You won’t let your father talk on an empty stomach, right?”
"My father is here unexpectedly, but I have made some preparations. I am afraid that in the rush, I will not be able to compare with those in the palace..."
At this point, the lingering suspicion and the separation between father and daughter finally dissipated a lot.
They talked among the crowd and came to the main hall of the mansion.
Following Li Xiuning's instructions, the food and drinks were quickly served. Li Yuan impatiently dismissed everyone, and soon only the father and daughter were left in the hall.
Li Yuan took a few bites, said a few words, and then stopped.
Looking at her daughter, her tired face finally turned serious, and the emperor's majesty gradually dissipated the faint warmth.
"You don't blame my father for being preoccupied with state affairs and treating you lightly, right?"
Li Xiuning raised his head slightly, then quickly lowered his head and said respectfully: "I don't dare."
Li Yuan frowned slightly. At first, this daughter loved to show off her talents in front of him, and she was also willing to share his worries. She was the most considerate person. When did she start... not wanting to talk to him anymore?
Not to mention how they met in the palace before, her visits to the palace have become less and less these days. Until now, her daughter has not spoken as much as her father...
Thinking of this, Li Yuan felt guilty again, but when he thought of the purpose of coming here, Li Yuan's eyes darkened unconsciously.
Over the past year, he has thought about it countless times. If he had known what would happen, he would have taken advantage of his infancy to get rid of him quickly.
Of course, how could we have guessed today’s situation a few years ago?
At that time, Li Ding'an would not be a budding general in the border town. He was born in the sixth class and was not qualified for a big job. He only had thousands of soldiers and only a few lands. He didn't expect that today he had annexed several states and appeared like a tiger and a wolf, so he had to be honest.
Look at it.
After pondering for a moment, Li Yuan's heart gradually hardened, and he said in a deep voice: "As a father, I can't stay here for a long time, so I'll just tell you some things. With your intelligence, it shouldn't be difficult for you to understand how hard it is to be a father."
"Li Po has become a close friend. You have made good friends with him. My father wants to...send you to go and say that this person is here to surrender. Are you willing to take on this important task and share my father's worries?"
Li Xiuning raised her head and looked at her father in surprise. In addition to being surprised, she was also worried and shocked.
In the flash of lightning, she had already thought, how could that person surrender so easily in such a season? Furthermore, even if he surrendered, would he still come to Chang'an? If he came, would he still be able to save his life?
With her mind spinning, she had unconsciously begun to look at her father, who was becoming more and more unfamiliar to her. No one could understand this man as well as she did.
In just a moment, she already knew clearly that no matter whether he surrendered or not, her father would not allow that man to live.
The waves in her heart gradually calmed down, and all her emotions cooled down.
Li Xiuning nodded lightly and said: "My son is willing to share my father's worries... It is terrible that it is an important task. Although Li Ding'an had the grace to save my life, he was still used by me back then. Today, the situation has changed, and my son really doesn't know what happened.
Do people still remember the feelings of our engagement that day?"
Li Yuan was also looking at his daughter, and he felt a little relieved after hearing these words... Fortunately... this daughter should have nothing to hide, otherwise, even if the thief was skinned and bones, it would be difficult to eliminate the hatred in his heart.
Of course, he doesn't have any regrets in his heart. If something really happened, he might as well take advantage of it... But he will only hide these ulterior thoughts in the deepest part of his heart and will never reveal them.
Father and daughter are suspicious, the emperor's family is indeed the most ruthless...