Chapter 773 Playing the long game to catch big fish? The important ministers wont allow it!
"Huang Junhan?"
Li Gang was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said, "It's quite suitable..."
Where are Huang Junhan's abilities and qualifications? Li Gang couldn't say anything against him.
"Then it's settled!"
Li Yuanji made the final decision, and then sent people to remind Liu Hongji and Li Shenfu, and sent people to convey orders to Huang Junhan. At the same time, he sent people to summon Cheng Yaojin to Tai Chi Hall.
After Cheng Yaojin arrived, Li Yuanji did not exchange greetings with Cheng Yaojin. He said to Cheng Yaojin straight to the point: "Zhijie, I am going to send you to Daizhou to assist the King of Xiangyi. What do you think?"
Cheng Yaojin was wearing a large, dark black robe. He waved his sleeves and was about to say a witticism or two. After hearing this, he was stunned.
Li Yuanji gritted his teeth and smiled and said, "What? You don't want to?"
Cheng Yaojin felt a chill in his heart when he saw Li Yuanji's teeth sticking out. He subconsciously thought of Li Yuanji's brutality in the previous Xuanwumen coup, and a cold sweat broke out on his back unconsciously.
Before Li Yuanji could ask again, he nodded without hesitation and said: "I...I am willing!"
Li Yuanji nodded with satisfaction and said: "That's good! The reason why I sent you to assist King Xiangyi is because I recently received news that the Turks and Tuyuhun have formed an alliance to deal with me, the Tang Dynasty.
In order to prevent them from suddenly invading our Datang and causing heavy damage to our Datang, we must make preparations in advance.
That’s why I sent you to King Xiangyi, hoping that you can help King Xiangyi.”
When Cheng Yaojin heard this, he was stunned again and again. Then he shrank his neck very tactfully and whispered: "Your Highness, you should leave such an important matter to someone more capable.
For example, Li Shiji, an old man with a good nose, is best suited to do this kind of thing.
He had resisted the Turks in various parts of Shizhou before, and recovered Daizhou and other places from the Turks. He was very familiar with Daizhou and other places where King Xiangyi was seated.
If you ask him to assist the King of Xiangyi, let alone the alliance between the Turks and the Tuyuhun people, even if he forms an alliance with the Dahe clan and the Western Turks and invades our Tang Dynasty, he can still keep the enemy outside the Great Wall."
Li Yuanji glared at Cheng Yaojin angrily, "So you don't want to go?"
Cheng Yaojin hurriedly said with a smile: "I don't dare, I just feel that this task is important and should be handed over to someone more capable and powerful, so I would like to recommend a suitable candidate."
Li Yuanji hummed and said: "You think Li Shiji is suitable, but I think you are suitable, so I want you to go. Who do you think we should listen to?"
Cheng Yaojin was shocked and said hurriedly: "I will listen to you! Of course I will listen to you!"
Li Yuanji snorted coldly: "Why don't you go back and prepare?"
Cheng Yaojin quickly agreed and left the Tai Chi Hall in a hurry.
After Cheng Yaojin walked away, Li Gang shook his head and commented in a dumbfounded voice: "This slippery man..."
Apart from that, Li Gang didn't say a word more.
It’s not that Li Gang didn’t know what to say, or that Li Gang wasn’t qualified to say more, but that Li Gang abided by the principles of a gentleman and would not comment on other people’s qualities behind their backs.
He is not a treacherous person, he is just a little naughty. He criticizes others with his own thoughts and speaks ill of others, which is really against the behavior of a gentleman.
Li Yuanji didn't care about this aspect, and commented without hesitation: "He is not only cunning, he also has second thoughts..."
Li Gang smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying nothing.
Whether Cheng Yaojin had second thoughts or not was not something he could say.
Because the matter concerns Li Yuanji and Li Shimin, it is not convenient for him as an outsider to say more.
"You will send an order to Honglu Temple soon, asking them to halve the conditions proposed by the Turks, and then pay them to the Turks."
After Li Yuanji finished evaluating Cheng Yaojin, he gave instructions to Li Gang.
Li Gang stared in astonishment and said, "Really?"
In his opinion, the Tang Dynasty is now stronger than the Turks, so it should be the Tang Dynasty that demands various tributes from the Turks.
Nowadays, under the threat of the Turks, the Tang Dynasty gave things to the Turks, which is really unreasonable and insulting to the country.
He didn't believe that Jie Li really dared to hurt Tang Jian and his party.
Li Yuanji said calmly: "If you really give it, you must give it. If you don't give it, how can you lure them into taking the bait?"
Li Gang was stunned and said: "Your Highness is trying to arouse Jie Li's greed, and then lure Jie Li into the urn step by step to get more information?"
Li Yuanji nodded and said: "Of course, people are greedy, especially the leader of a force, he will be even more greedy. As long as we let him taste the sweetness, he will never stop asking us for things.
As long as he asked for something, Tang Jian could successfully send back more news.
As for the few things, they are nothing compared to the news Tang Jian sent back."
In Li Yuanji's view, being able to exchange supplies for all the information on the enemy's country is simply extremely profitable.
After all, how much are the supplies the Turks asked for worth?
If all the information about the Turks can be exchanged with very few supplies, and if the Tang Dynasty can understand the various national conditions of the Turks and the true strength of the Turks, then the Tang Dynasty will be more calm when it conquers the Turks and does no harm.
will also be reduced to a minimum.
Compared with the tens of thousands of battle losses, a few supplies are nothing.
Li Gang thought for a while and roughly understood Li Yuanji's purpose of doing this, and immediately said with a wry smile: "I am afraid that your highness's doing this will be counterproductive and will turn Xie Li into a greedy guy.
The most important thing is that once Jieli develops the habit of using envoys to threaten us, it will be dangerous for our envoys from the Tang Dynasty to send envoys to the Turks in the future."
after?!
As long as the Tang Dynasty gathers its strength and understands the various national conditions of the Turks, as well as the real strength and distribution of these powers, the Tang Dynasty can send its troops northward and defeat the Turks in one fell swoop.
The Turks have all been wiped out, so what will happen next?
However, it was difficult for Li Yuanji to tell Li Gang these words directly, because he was still planning the northern expedition against the Turks, and the Tang Dynasty had not gathered enough strength to tell Su Dingfang and other generals that it would inspire them to be more energetic and make them more capable.
Prepare early, start deducing the strategy of conquering the Turks early, and tell Li Gang and other civil servants, just for excitement.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! With the current national conditions of the Tang Dynasty, Li Gang will definitely advise him to think twice. If he doesn't listen, Li Gang will also tell Pei Ju, Xiao Yu, and Chen Shuda about the matter.
Wait for others and let them come together to admonish, and then everyone will know about the trouble.
The spies placed by Yang Zhengdao in Datang will also know.
Yang Zhengdao's spies in the Tang Dynasty all knew about it. Doesn't that mean Jie Li also knew about it?
Jie Li knew about it and made preparations in advance, so how could he still fight?
Therefore, regarding the northern expedition against the Turks, nothing could be told to Li Gang.
"Don't worry, Mr. Li, I have my own sense of discretion."
Li Yuanji immediately fooled Li Gang with his snake oil answer.
Li Gang hesitated for a moment, obviously a bit difficult to fool, but he didn't say anything more on this issue. He immediately stood up and bowed and said: "Then I will go and give the order to Honglu Temple..."
With that said, Li Gang left the Tai Chi Hall.
The next day, the people from Honglu Temple gritted their teeth and paid everything the Turks asked for.
After receiving the news, Li Shentong, Pei Ju, Xiao Yu, Chen Shuda, Li Shentong, Li Xiaogong, Qu Tutong, Shi Wanbao, Li Jing, Su Dingfang and other civil and military officials in the court gathered at the Tai Chi Hall.
I want to see Li Yuanji no matter what.
Li Yuanji knew why they were looking for him, so he hid in Wude Hall and asked Liu Jun to send a message saying that he was sick.
But Li Yuanji underestimated the determination of Li Shentong and his party.
They waited for a whole day in Tai Chi Hall, but after waiting for no one, they went to Wude Hall.
Since Li Shentong took the lead, Zhao Chengyong, who was guarding in front of Wude Hall, could not stop them, so he had no choice but to let them go to the front hall of Wude Hall.
As for the middle hall and back hall, due to the presence of female relatives, Li Shentong did not trespass on the basis of his status.
"Your Highness, the King of Huai'an and others are staying in the front hall and will not leave even if they say nothing. I have tried to persuade them several times but they are still unmoved. You should go and see for yourself."
The main hall of Butokuden Hall.
Li Yuanji was lying on his side on the couch, holding a book in his hand and reading absentmindedly.
Zhao Chengyong knelt on one knee in the hall and sighed.
Li Yuanji put down the book in his hand, rubbed his temples with a headache and said, "You didn't tell them that I did this for a purpose?"
Zhao Chengyong said with a bitter face: "I told you, but they didn't listen. They also said that no matter what your purpose is, it is wrong."
At this point, Zhao Chengyong stopped talking.
Li Yuanji took a deep breath and said, "What else did they say?"
Zhao Chengyong hesitated and said, "They also said a lot of unpleasant things."
Li Yuanji said: "Just say it, I won't make a fuss about what they said, and they won't blame you."
Zhao Chengyong hesitated for a while, and then said hesitantly: "They also said that what you did was an insult to the country and them. They asked you to take back your order no matter what, and send people to recover the things given to the Turks."
It was obviously blackmailed by the Turks, but when it came to the mouths of Li Shentong and others, it became a reward.
Although it is a bit secretive, if it is spread like this, the people will still accept it.
If we directly tell the people that the Tang Dynasty has been blackmailed by the Turks, then not only Li Shentong and other relatives of the emperor and officials will be bombed, but the people will also be bombed.
The Tang Dynasty built its country by force and advocated bravery.
Therefore, whether it is the royal family, the civil and military officials, or the common people, they all have a passion to sacrifice their lives for the country.
They can live or die for the Tang Dynasty, but they will never watch the Tang Dynasty be humiliated.
Therefore, Li Shentong and others covered up this matter again and publicized it again, hoping that the impact of this matter would not spread.
It can be considered a good intention.
However, just because they will cover it up doesn't mean they can accept it.