Of course, Li Tai didn't need to go back and forth to get the latest information about Shu. Long before the Zhongwai Office received Yu Chijun's report, he had already received the news from He Ruodun and Li Qianzhe, one step ahead.
Understand the changes in the situation in Shu.
Many important events may not have a spectacular start, and some people may not have powerful abilities, but due to their special status, a disaster may be brewed in a single thought.
As early as when those smart Brazilians played the renegade surrender trick, which made Yuchijiong alert and conflicted, Li Tai actually gave up the plan of further intervening in the situation in Sichuan.
Man's plan and God's will determine his success. There is no guaranteed success in this world. Everything that changes has the possibility of getting better or worse.
He also understood what these Bashu powerful men were before the incident happened, so he was prepared for unexpected occurrences. It would be best if the development of things could follow his vision, but if it went against expectations, it would just be a failure.
It's hard to say how regretful it is to lose a move in casual chess.
It's just that Li Tai didn't expect that things would take such a turn of events. Xianqi, which was originally thought to be dead, actually gave birth to new possibilities and variables.
Although he did not know that the Chinese and Foreign Governments were going to ask him for advice, after learning about this situation, he understood that his right to speak about the situation in Sichuan had been strengthened.
The reason is also very simple. At present, he is the only one who can provide substantial assistance to Shuzhong.
Although Yu Wentai casually led 30,000 elite cavalry to Longyou to show off his power, the current situation in the country did not allow him to continue to send too many more troops to Shu.
On the one hand, there are naturally constraints from the emperor and the court. In order to stabilize the situation in Guanzhong, Yuwentai must have absolute military superiority in Guanzhong. Before this undercurrent of situation comes to an end, he must not move too many
Many troops are stationed abroad, especially in a place like central Sichuan where access is difficult.
On the other hand, there was the threat from the old enemy Northern Qi. Although Northern Qi did not directly take military actions against the Western Wei, Qi leader Gao Yang's increasingly frequent military actions also forced the Western Wei to strengthen its border defense arrangements.
There is another point, although Li Tai does not want to admit it yet, but he cannot ignore it, that is, the existence of the Jingzhou General Administration has actually caused constraints and threats to the military and political activities of the Chinese and Foreign Affairs Office.
Previously, he sent more troops to quell the rebellion in Shannan, Hanzhong, and actually took over the military power in Hanzhong. So now, even if Yuwentai wants to send more troops to Shu, he must fully communicate with him, because of the advance and retreat of Shu's troops.
The road is already in Li Tai's hands.
If it was a trend and a feeling that the Jingzhou General Manager's Office had a big tail in the past, in fact, as long as it is faced and dealt with seriously, there is still room for change.
However, the current control of Hanzhong by the Jingzhou Governor's Office has actually formed an obstacle for the Chinese and foreign governments to manage Shu. If the expedition to Shu goes smoothly, then this obstacle will not be too prominent. But now the expedition to Shu is going on
It did not go well, and even fell into a quagmire, so the ownership of Hanzhong was a very stuck issue.
So now Li Tai also needs to face a choice. Should he take a step back and voluntarily give up control of Hanzhong, so as to continue to express his loyalty to Yuwentai to avoid suspicion, or should he firmly hold Hanzhong in his hands?
So as to gain a greater say in Shuzhong and other issues?
This is undoubtedly a very critical choice for Li Tai, which will directly affect the subsequent relationship between him and Yu Wentai. Whether they are a pair of close monarchs and ministers, or a superior and subordinates who are at odds with each other.
From this point of view alone, it is not difficult for Li Tai, who has established his Lu ambition very early, to choose, or even not a choice. But if we talk about the benefits and disadvantages brought by each of the two choices, then
I have to think about it seriously.
The stakes involved are not simple, but in the final analysis, a fundamental question is, should Li Tai control his destiny in his own hands or in the hands of others?
Many times, the more people possess, the calmer and safer they are. On the contrary, the more they enjoy, the greater their responsibilities. When strength does not match what they have, backlash is not far away.
Li Tai understands this very well, and it also applies to Yu Wentai. So this time Li Tai wants to give it a try. Why don’t I dare to come to the table even if you already know your cards?
He is not immediately going to draw a clear line with Yuwentai, or even go to tit-for-tat, but he wants to test the space and scale of seeking common ground while reserving differences. You have your demands, and I have my ambitions. When we don't agree with each other, we can
Let's discuss it instead of just going up and down like before.
For a subordinate, such an idea is of course very dangerous. If you are not careful, you may play with fire and burn yourself. After all, Yuwentai's powerful position is by no means given for free. Once he feels that he has been offended and disobeyed by his subordinates, say
Hysterical suppression and retaliation may immediately begin.
But for Li Tai, now is a very favorable opportunity. The emperor Yuan Qin of the country continues to attack and shake Yuwen Tai's hegemony, and the outside world has a bleeding point like Yuchi Jiong's attack on the Shu army. Now
Yuwentai is also worried about internal and external troubles, so Yuwentai needs overall stability more than Li Tai.
Therefore, after receiving the reports from He Ruodun and Li Qianzhe, Li Tai weighed the matter and personally led 10,000 troops from Mianbeixi to Xingzhou. The name was to inspect the Danjiangkou shipbuilding base, but in fact it was
In order to increase the choices that can be made in the next step, for example, through some unconventional means, Yu Chijun and his troops to conquer Shu were directly buried in Shu.
Recruiting troops also took some time. When Li Tai led his troops to Xingzhou, envoys from the Chinese and Foreign Affairs Offices also arrived, namely Sun Jian, the right chief of the Chinese and Foreign Affairs Office, and Tang Jin, the founding official.
Changsun Jian is an old acquaintance, especially as Li Tai's predecessor. Every time he comes to Jingzhou to meet Li Tai, he feels doubly emotional. This time when he came to Danjiangkou, a ship manufacturing base, Changsun Jian couldn't help but sigh.
, I feel that when he was appointed governor of Jingzhou, he never dreamed that this position would have such room for development.
As for Tang Jin, Li Tai knew his name quite well and had met him on various occasions in the imperial court and the Chinese and Foreign Governments, but he did not have any in-depth understanding or friendship with each other.
"I am here just under the orders of the Lord. May I ask if Mr. Taiyuan has any good plan to deal with the current situation in Shu?"
After explaining the current situation in Shuzhong in detail, Changsun Jian looked at Li Tai and asked seriously.
Although Li Tai already knew what the situation was, he still pretended to listen carefully. After listening, he frowned and said: "It has been ten days since the news came out, and the situation is changing rapidly. Now the situation may have changed again. For example, Wei Angong's original intention
We entered the city smoothly, but unexpected changes occurred, so that our success was ruined at the last minute. If we make a plan now, even if we have a successful plan, by the time it is implemented, I am afraid it will be against the times."
After Changsun Jian heard this, he waved his hands and said: "It shouldn't happen. Duke An of Wei is also a man who knows the military. Now he knows that the situation is not good. He also has tens of thousands of elite soldiers under his command. Even if he doesn't make any great progress, it shouldn't be difficult to stabilize the current situation."
.”
"How can a person who knows the military know how to do this? He knew that a lone army would enter the country and it would be difficult to support him, but he was unable to take advantage of the situation and actually made the public angry. Who can say that he will not do it again if he knows the military well?"
When Li Tai heard this, he sneered rudely and said that he had his own way of knowing that Yuchi Jiong had made a small report to the Chinese and Foreign Affairs Office when the military affairs were going well, so he did not hide his disapproval of Yuchi Jiong at this time.
dissatisfaction.
It's just that after Changsun Jian and Tang Jin heard what Li Tai said, they couldn't express their attitudes and opinions. Now they were asking Li Tai for information, but they actually hoped that the Jingzhou General Manager's Office could help and solve the problem.
The difficulties and troubles at hand. If they have any more verbal quarrels here and offend Li Tai, they will inevitably be punished.
Fortunately, Li Tai was quite considerate. Seeing that the two of them looked a little embarrassed, he waved his hands and said, "I know that even if I make further accusations at this time, it will no longer help. After all, we still have to face the problem squarely in order to solve it correctly. You two are ordered to
Come and inquire, if I am just making wild remarks and it will bring trouble to you, I still have to discuss the matter and hope it can be of some help."
After hearing this, the two of them nodded repeatedly and praised Duke Taiyuan in unison for being worthy of being a famous minister of the country and for knowing how to put the overall situation first.