Chapter 3 Fuyao (three clicks) On the way back to his residence, Li Shimin still felt in a daze. He never expected that just when the army was about to set off, his father only used one move to divide the troops and completely dispersed them.
The power he has built up through years of hard work
The warrior Xun Gao was promoted to Si Kai of the "General's Office" and joined the army, but Sun Shunde was completely kicked out of the decision-making circle. This seemingly ordinary personnel change caused Li Shimin to lose both a right-hand man and a strong supporter behind the scenes.
But no one can find anything wrong with this arrangement. The warrior Yu came from a wealthy businessman's family. He was in charge of the needs of the army. He was indeed using his talents according to his talents. The eldest son, Sun Shunde, had experience in leading troops and had received the support of the Great Sui Dynasty.
With the title of Honorary Guard, being the leader of a battalion is exactly what allows him to show off his talents!
The problem is that with the caution of the warrior Xun, after he came to Tang Gong, he would not dare to intervene in the internal disputes of the family like the eldest Sun Shunde. The eldest Sun Shunde came down to lead the troops. With his indecisive character, Li Shimin could not rest assured.
Let him take charge alone. Moreover, Tang Gong Li Yuan also gave Liu Hongji the position of leader of the right battalion. With this eldest brother who is loyal to the Li family, mature and twice as old as the others, Li Shimin can have a belly.
No matter how hard you think, it’s hard to pull off any tricks behind your father’s back.
The entire Taiyuan Prefecture has become a large military camp, and all men of the right age have "voluntarily" joined the Li family's army. The once bustling market has suddenly become depressed, most shops have closed, and pedestrians have almost disappeared. All the people walking on the road are soldiers. They
Under the leadership of their respective team leaders and brigade leaders, they were busy adjusting their garrison locations according to Tang Gong's arrangements. Many low-level generals had already learned that they had become Li Shimin's subordinates. When they saw their leader, they immediately crossed their hands and saluted.
"Dunhuang Duke!"
"I've met the Duke of Dunhuang!" The soldiers passed by Li Shimin and greeted him enthusiastically. The smiles on their faces were very sincere, but in Li Shimin's eyes, they all turned into mockery.
"I'm really a pig, the fattest pig in the world!" Li Shimin raised his hand and returned the favor to his brothers with a smile, but in his heart he cursed himself for his stupidity over and over again.
"Why don't Duke Dunhuang inspect the military camp and arrange for the brothers to go home and rest!" Changsun Wuji had long noticed that something was wrong with Li Shimin's behavior, and smiled and tried to help him find a way to relieve his depression.
"Guanyin has a bad appetite recently. I'll go back and see her first before going to the military camp!" Li Shimin turned around with a smile and explained to his wife's uncle in a low voice.
Guanyin is his wife's maiden name, and because he is surrounded by close confidants, there is no need for Li Shimin to speak too elegantly. Besides, it is well known that he and his wife are deeply in love with each other, so calling his wife by her maiden name in public would seem incompatible with everyone.
The estrangement makes people understand his current behavior.
"Then you go back home first. Junji and I will go to the camp to say hello to the brothers!" Changsun Wuji saw that Li Shimin really couldn't keep his spirits up, so he had to take the initiative to share the worries for his sister-in-law.
"Just leave it to you, Junji, and uncle. With you three here, I can do things much more easily!" Li Shimin got off the donkey along the slope and said with some gratitude.
He wanted to find a place to be quiet and think about the future path. His father's punishment was obviously because he used a trick to harm someone last time and did not consider it well enough to implicate his brothers in the family. But if he hadn't died,
After losing tens of thousands of troops under Li Zhongjian's command, will this man move closer to Hedong now? Maybe he will disown his relatives and lead his troops to fight for the imperial court and the Li family in Hedong on the battlefield. Who among the generals in Hedong is his opponent?
Li Shimin, who had seen Li Xu's strange military tactics, could not guarantee that he could defeat the opponent. In fact, deep down in his heart, he had always admired Li Xu very much, and even had a hint of fear. For an enemy who could not be defeated head-on, Li Shimin
The family has always been willing to use unconventional means. Therefore, from the traditional perspective of the family, Li Shimin did not think that he had done anything wrong. Although he caused the death of several brothers and sisters who were concubines, even if the news of the rebellion was not leaked, the imperial court would let the generals of the Li family go.
Will all the nephews and nephews evacuate to Taiyuan calmly? I am afraid that as soon as Jiancheng and Yuanji disappear, the others will be arrested immediately!
Careful calculation shows that there are more than twenty compatriots who are both Li Yuan's flesh and blood, but not Li Shimin's mother. Except for a few who are of great use to the family, Li Yuan may not be able to remember their faces. Therefore, Li Shimin is not worried about the death of these brothers.
He felt too much sadness. In his opinion, since as a descendant of the Li family, he should have the consciousness to sacrifice for the family, and his father made himself responsible for their deaths, which was a bit too harsh.
While complaining about his father's unfair treatment, he was thinking about how to get out of the predicament at hand. Unknowingly, he had arrived at the door of his house. Several soldiers standing guard outside the door hurriedly came forward, ready to take the horse from the Duke of Dunhuang.
However, the others who held the reins enthusiastically ran past the general to greet the silent visitors.
"Junji, why are you following me?!" Li Shimin was alarmed by the behavior of his guards. He turned around sharply and saw Hou Junji's face full of disappointment.
He remembered that he once ordered the other party to go to the military camp with Changsun Wuji, but the other party actually ignored his order. A nameless anger quickly surged into the heart of Mr. Li, making his eyes red: "Didn't you hear my order just now?"
Why are you following me home? There are so many things to do in the military camp, how can Wuji be so busy alone?"
"So the second young master also knows that there are many things going on in the military camp?" Looking around, there was no one else around. Hou Junji clasped his fists on his horse and replied coldly.
Li Shimin suffocated, and smoke almost came out of his nostrils. "You question me?" He raised his riding crop, lit it on Hou Junji's nose and shouted angrily, "Do you still know who you are? Do you know that you are following me?"
Who speaks?"
"I know that I am Hou Junji, and I also know that you are the Duke of Dunhuang!" Hou Junji shook his head gently and replied in a low voice, but as sharp as a knife. "I am here to say goodbye to you. Since the second young master will bring tens of thousands
Brother, I regard him as less important than a woman, so there is no need for Junji to stay with the second young master! Therefore, we, master and slave, say goodbye!"
"You—" Li Shimin opened his eyes wide, and the voice from his throat was already a roar, "Get out, get away, you ruthless guy, don't let me see you again!"
At the end of the shout, he almost burst into tears. The moment he was suppressed by his father, he expected that someone under his command would meet Feng Shiduo, but he did not expect that the first person to ask to leave was Hou Junji. He single-handedly promoted him.
For Li Shimin, the unknown soldier has been serving as the captain. For Li Shimin, the other party is not only a subordinate, but also his confidant, weakness, and even a friend who can share the same joys and sorrows.
The soldiers did not dare to come forward to persuade them, so they formed a circle from a distance. They all knew Hou Junji, and they also knew the relationship between the general and the other party. They often had disputes occasionally, but they were all based on matters, never like today.
It's like they have an irreconcilable hatred for each other.
Hou Junji shook his head and sneered, as if he had met Li Shimin on the first day, looking him up and down, "Second Young Master, please rest assured, if you continue to be decadent, I'm afraid you won't have many chances to see me!"
"I am a person with poor background and short-sightedness. I followed you just to seek fame." No matter that Li Shimin was trembling with anger, he confessed with a sneer, "But since you value women more than your career, you can't stand it."
If any scandal arises, he is naturally not a hero to follow. Hou Mou has only one life to die, and his wealth is extremely valuable, which cannot be wasted on a mediocre person."
After the words were spoken, the surroundings immediately fell silent. Almost all the guards put their hands on the hilts of the swords at their waists. As soon as Li Shimin gave the order, they rushed forward and hacked Hou Junji, a senseless rat, to death. However, he was killed by someone.
Li Shimin, who was ridiculed repeatedly, did not respond. He was stunned and stood there on the horse. His hand holding the whip trembled and trembled, and finally hung softly to the edge of the saddle.
"Brother Hou taught me a lesson, it's me who failed to live up to expectations!" After a while, Li Shimin sighed as if waking up from a dream.
"You are really disappointing!" Hou Junji turned the horse's head and tried to leave.
"I know I was wrong. Please don't leave, Brother Hou!" Li Shimin stretched out his arms anxiously and made a blocking gesture.
"You are still one step away from making a mistake!" It was clear that the other party had given in, but Hou Junji was unyielding and continued to entangle him.
Li Shimin looked at the door of his house, which was just a short distance away, and knew what the other party was saying: "Guanyin's maid is indeed ill!" He murmured in explanation, and then resolutely chased after her, walking alongside Hou Junji.
"Where are you going, sir?" A very pleasant-looking maid came out on the order of the mistress to find out what was going on outside, and happened to see Li Shimin's back.
"Go to the military camp, brothers are still waiting!" Li Shimin shook the reins, and the horse flew away.
With the crisp sound of horse hooves, the gap between the master and the slave was lifted like ice. "You, a useless guy, how dare you scold me in front of so many people!" Li Shimin complained as he walked.
"If you step into the house today, I will definitely not be the one who abandons you!" Hou Junji smiled and replied nonchalantly.
Li Shimin and his brother Jiancheng fought openly and secretly, and the staff and generals of the Li Mansion were naturally divided into two factions. In the past, Duke Tang did not express his position to stop it, so many people were hanging around Li Shimin looking for opportunities to get ahead. Today, Duke Tang Li Yuan publicly supported him.
The eldest son, those guys who are more utilitarian will naturally have the idea of changing their families.
If Li Shimin shows weakness and panic at this critical moment, more people will think that he is an Adou with no future. In fact, as Hou Junji said, most people follow Li Yuan in rebellion in order to gain fame.
If he continues to waste his good life on a mediocre person who has lost his father's favor and has no room for justice, there will be almost no other outcome waiting for Li Shimin besides betrayal and separation.
Thinking of the possible serious consequences of his momentary weakness, Li Shimin broke into a cold sweat. "Thank you, Brother Hou, for saving me!" He clasped his fists on the horse and whispered, "If Brother Hou hadn't woken me up today, I would have almost become a disaster."
wrong!"
"It was Changsun Wuji who discussed it with me. He will be a good person and I will be a villain. Anyway, I have to pull you out of the house!" Hou Junji refused to take the credit alone and explained to Li Shimin with a smile, "Actually, the second young master
Some are overreacting. Tang Gong’s arrangement today may not be just for you. Our right army seems to be weak, but maybe we will get more development opportunities because of this!"
"How do you say this?" Li Shimin was stunned and asked with a frown. What saddened him the most today was that the candidates his father assigned to the right army were obviously not as good as those of the left army. That also meant that his performance on the battlefield would be surpassed by his elder brother.
In fact, the eldest brother doesn’t know how to fight at all!
"Second Young Master, do you think Chen Yanshou will completely obey the Crown Prince's orders when he arrives at Zuojun?" Hou Junji looked around and then asked with a smile.
At this moment, the sun has turned to the west, so there are fewer and fewer soldiers coming and going on the road. Occasionally, a few soldiers rush by, but they never dare to come close to the Duke of Dunhuang and listen to his secret conversation with Hou Junji and the other two.
"No!" Li Shimin pondered for a moment, and then replied alertly, "Are you saying that my father doesn't fully trust his eldest brother?" This answer almost made him exclaim that his father, who always appeared to be loving, was so cautious! He didn't believe himself.
, I don’t believe in the eldest brother, and I don’t believe in the third brother either.
In an instant, Li Shimin saw through all of his father's personnel arrangements today. Liu Wenjing, who had just joined the Li family, became a military commander. Pei Ji, a flatterer who won his father's appreciation by contributing hundreds of maids to the Jinyang Palace, became the chief of the general's palace.
This by no means means that my father trusts these two people very much! Granting them the highest position among civil servants is partly because the Li family needs them to attract more heroes to join them. On the other hand, I am afraid that only by putting them in low regard can my father be able to
Really assured
Similarly, the fact that Chen Yanshou left his father's side and became the commander of the Zuo Army does not mean that he lost his father's trust. The eldest son Shunde was demoted to the commander of the third right battalion. It was not just because he lost his father's favor!
'He only believes in himself!' Li Shimin didn't dare to say it, but this conclusion made him feel chills down his spine. He had always underestimated his father, always thinking that he was as indecisive and sloppy as his elder brother. In fact, what was hidden behind his father's smile was
The sharp fangs are the real means of manipulation. In comparison, the ruthlessness and decisiveness that I usually display are just the nonsense of a child.
"My subordinates dare not speculate on Duke Tang's thoughts!" After Li Shimin's expression slowly turned from shock to calm, Hou Junji continued, "But since Duke Tang focuses on the left army in terms of manpower arrangements, he will naturally not treat the right army.
If you have such high expectations, it will be natural for the Left Army to win any battle. But as long as our Right Army can perform at the same level as the Left Army, who can not be impressed by the Second Young Master?!"
