It was almost exactly as Zhang Shigui expected. The garrison troops along the Yellow River were sent out from many gates, and there was no unified command. It was impossible for Li Yuan to put such a large army into the hands of one person, unless he personally commanded it.
The consequence of this is that when King Qin Li Shimin was there, Prince Li Jiancheng stood still at Tongguan and watched the fierce battle between Li Shimin and Li Po, just like a fisherman who was just reaping the benefits. In the end, Li Shimin returned to Beijing to recuperate.
Now, there is a subtle opposition between Donggong and Shaandong Daoxingtai. Even people like Li Shenfu who are not prepared to get involved in the battle for the reserve have to make a choice here.
The young man who made the rude remarks was named Chu Suiliang, who joined the army as Cao Cao of Tiance Mansion. His father, Chu Liang, now held a literary position in the Prince of Qin's Mansion and was deeply trusted by the King of Qin, Li Shimin.
Both father and son were descendants of Xue Ju, and both were descendants of the Southern Dynasties. Their ancestral home was Qiantang, Hangzhou, and later settled in Yangzhai, Henan. The family had officials for generations, making it a quite prestigious family.
The father and son took some detours and now belong to the sect of King Qin Li Shimin. Naturally, they expected King Qin to follow suit and would not treat the people of the East Palace with pretense.
It is natural that words that others cannot say come from his mouth.
Having him present here actually explained Li Shenfu's attitude in disguise.
As for Chu Suiliang, despite his young age, his official position at this time was not high, but he had sacrificed himself for Xue Ju before. Like his father, he was highly used by the Xue family and his son, so he was not an unknown person.
Among Xue Ju's subordinates, they, father and son, were famous for their literary talents, but they were also proficient in military affairs. They were typical civil and military talents in these days.
At this time, Chu Liang had returned to Chang'an with Qin King Li Shimin, leaving only Chu Suiliang and others to serve in front of the army. Among them, only Chu Suiliang was valued by Li Shenfu and often took him with him.
It makes sense to put it this way, this person is just another person, but he is eloquent and has bright eyebrows. Because he is young, he is inferior to Nai's father in terms of articles, talents, official experience, etc., but he can be considerate.
However, it has a talent bonus.
Otherwise, even if Li Shenfu was on good terms with King Qin Li Shimin and knew King Qin's intention of keeping these people in the army, he would not be able to immediately recruit Chu Suiliang to serve as Hucao and join the army, leaving food, grass, baggage and other matters to such a young man.
In fact, he has already accepted this person into his own shogunate.
For example, now, without any prior discussion, Chu Suiliang was the first to criticize the East Palace. This was not just because of the bad relationship between the King of Qin and the East Palace. Another important reason was that Chu Suiliang had guessed the relationship between the King of Xiangyi County and the East Palace.
mind, and was absolutely certain that his guess was right.
Does Li Shenfu, the Prince of Xiangyi County, really think so? It doesn’t really matter. He has always done things well, but if you think that the Prince of Xiangyi County is a good old man who doesn’t want to offend others, you are totally wrong.
.
Among the Kansai nobles, there are very few "honest people" because such characters will soon be eliminated during the process of promotion in official career.
At this time, Li Shenfu remained silent with a look of embarrassment on his face, allowing the quarrel in the hall to get louder and louder.
What this means, Li Shenfu knows very well. The power of the East Palace is not an empty talk. When King Qin was there, there would definitely not be so much noise here. But when King Qin left, as long as the prince was involved, there were more and more different voices.
Seeing everyone's anger growing, Li Shenfu finally waved his hand helplessly, "What everyone said makes sense, so let me think about it for a while and then make some sense."
Emperor Pu'ao, the governor of Tongzhou, was a little reluctant. He was a disciple of the East Palace and had just taken office. He was no longer a newcomer to the officialdom. He should not have been upset, but he had just been stimulated by Chu Suiliang's harsh words.
At this moment, he was a little impatient. Before Li Shenfu finished speaking, he followed up and said: "Your Majesty, the military situation is so fierce, how can you..."
He must be looking for trouble. No matter how "good-tempered" Li Shenfu is, he will not allow others to be so presumptuous. Just like Li Po did when he was in Shangdang some time ago, the dignity of the superior cannot be offended.
Yes, anyone who wants to make decisions for them must think carefully.
Otherwise, later on, Confucianism would not have included so much content about people's hearts and increasingly strict rules on etiquette. It would not only teach you how to behave, but also teach you how to be an official.
If you don't grasp the situation well, you will fail as an official, and sometimes your life will be in danger.
Li Shenfu seemed to glance at Huang Puao casually, but it was like a needle pricking the governor of Tongzhou. He immediately lowered his head and said, "Come down, everyone. There is nothing to argue about in the face of a powerful enemy. I am a Shaanxi official."
The commander-in-chief of the host march has his own plan, and if he says anything else, military law will be dealt with."
Everyone stood up and left one after another, and Li Shenfu only left Feng Li behind.
"Your Highness wants to mobilize troops to Tongguan, which is all right, but I have thought about it carefully and found it quite troublesome. I would like to ask General Feng to clarify his doubts."
Feng Li was very calm, because before coming to Feng Yi, he had already anticipated this trip. After all, deploying troops was a big deal, and Li Shenfu, the king of Xiangyi County, was not a disciple of the East Palace...
At this time, he finally had the opportunity to talk privately with Li Shenfu. Feng Li could not help but feel refreshed, and he admired the way the king of Xiangyi County worked.
First express your intention through the mouth of the crowd, and then when you speak, it gives both sides more room for maneuver. The general meaning is, you see, the situation is like this, it is difficult to convince the crowd if I want to send troops to you.
Ah, and you are going to cause me a lot of trouble, do you understand?
Feng Li thought about the feeling, and the slight unhappiness he had had before disappeared. At this time, he clasped his fists and said respectfully: "The prince is polite. If you have something to ask, I will definitely tell you everything I can tell you."
Li Shenfu smiled slightly and said: "Tongguan, Yongfengcang, Feng Yi, and Hancheng are all key points in the east, and they are close to the capital. If something goes wrong..."
Having said this, Li Shenfu shook his head and sighed: "General, you are familiar with military affairs. Can you tell me whether Tongguan is safe compared with Feng Yi and Hancheng?"
Feng Li was stunned. There were so many excuses, but he didn't mention them at all. Instead, he mentioned military strategies, which surprised him. But the problem was that what Li Shenfu said was indeed the crux of the matter.
If the answer is not good, the hat of not caring about the overall situation will be taken off, and this big hat was originally prepared by the East Palace to put on Li Shenfu.
Feng Lisi thought about it, and finally gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice: "Li Ding'an has occupied Fengling Ferry, Hongnong and other places, but Feng Yi and Hancheng are supported by the natural danger of the Yellow River. Is Tongguan safe? Hey, why does the prince ask knowingly?
"
Li Shenfu stroked his beard, and his eyes finally became sharp. Now that he has said this, you still want to use the power of the East Palace to suppress me?
At this time, Li Shenfu finally felt a little angry in his heart. He was able to make good friends with the King of Qin, but his estrangement from the prince actually proved that he could not understand some of the prince's actions.
What Feng Li said made him even more disgusted.
"General Feng is saying that with 20,000 soldiers and horses, the prince can lead his troops out of the pass and drive Li Ding'an out of Henan? If this is the case, I am willing to be scolded and help the prince first."
Feng Li couldn't get off the tiger. After much thought, he didn't dare to make a random promise to the prince. He just said vaguely: "I will report all the prince's concerns to your highness in detail... I feel that all the ministries on the shore have to worry about it."
The distance is quite close, and it is cheap to provide support... If something happens to Feng Yi and Hancheng, does the prince think that His Highness will just sit back and watch?"
After hearing this, Li Shenfu said to himself, "That's not certain. That day, King Qin and Li Ding'an fought fiercely on the shore. Your Tongguan garrison was strong, but how much strength did you exert?"
It's just that things are like this. After all, Li Shenfu is not the King of Qin Li Shimin, and he has never thought about breaking up with the Prince of the East Palace, even if he doesn't like some of the practices of the East Palace people who only focus on internal strife and don't care about the overall situation.
But Li Shenfu thought he saw clearly. Li Jiancheng was the prince after all. As a relative of the Li clan, it would be very dangerous for him to get too close to either of his two nephews, because that would make his cousin
Very unhappy.
Therefore, no matter whether it is Li Xiaogong in Shu, Li Daozong in Lingzhou, or even the two brothers, even if they are inclined, no one dares to stand firmly on a certain side and help others.
Unlike those ministers who want to make great achievements, after Li Yuan became emperor, the Li family members were among the royal family. They were born noble. No matter who became the emperor, they must be reused, so why put themselves in an unexpected position?
This is actually the advantage of using relatives. They are the most "public-minded" people under Li Yuan's rule.
Just like now, Li Shenfu would reason with the people sent by Li Jiancheng instead of deliberately causing trouble for the prince Li Jiancheng because he was close and friendly with the King of Qin Li Shimin.
Feng Li was a bit unreasonable, but Li Shenfu tolerated it, because he knew that Li Jiancheng was indeed in trouble, and he would not get angry with him, the marching director of Shaanxi Province. It was too late to win over him, even if the people below said anything.
I'm at a loss. Let's calculate today's accounts later, but we can't blame the prince.
At this point, Li Shenfu no longer wants to say anything to Feng Liduo. He has made enough gestures and made the truth clear, but you are still insisting on it. This Feng Liduo has no bearing and is very ordinary. He is probably the one who is better than everyone else.
One is loyal.
Li Shenfu has seen many people like this. The most famous ones in Chang'an today are General Zuo Wuwei and Jiang Baoyi, the Duke of Yong'an County. That person is very incompetent, but he is highly valued by the emperor. Isn't it because loyalty is rare?
?
"Okay, even if the prince insists on sending troops to Tongguan, I will not refuse... Why don't you order the governor of Huangpu to lead five thousand soldiers back with General Feng, and then if you can get approval from the court, then proceed?
It’s not too late to mobilize troops.”
Feng Li pondered for a long time, looked at Li Shenfu's face, and finally said with his hands: "The prince understands the righteousness and has the overall situation in mind. His highness the prince will definitely remember the support he expressed today."
Li Shenfu smiled, his smile so bland that it no longer tasted interesting...