Xiao Siye did not witness yesterday's scene of the battle between the Tang army and Xue Yantuo's cavalry, so at this moment it was inevitable that he would be a little sarcastic and ridicule Fang Jun for asking the big man. Feng Lang Juxu, Le Shi Yanran was called a world-famous hero, and was regarded by generations of Han family members.
It is a supreme military achievement precisely because it is as difficult as climbing to the sky!
As long as you deviate slightly from the direction, the desolate Gobi and the vast desert can easily swallow up an army. It is also the middle of winter. There are no herdsmen grazing on the grassland, and there is no guide. It is difficult to distinguish the east, west, south, and north, and there is no logistics supply.
How to get to Yudujun Mountain?
At that time, Li Jing only led a few thousand cavalry, all with less equipment and food, and then raided Jieli Khan's tent for thousands of miles. Now the Youtun Guards have no less than 30,000 to 40,000 troops, and even among them there are 20,000 cavalry.
, with so many soldiers and horses, how much grain does it take for people to eat what the horses chew?
How childish...
Despite the ridicule, Xiao Siye naturally felt sad about his fate.
He was relieved that Fang Jun was defeated, but that also meant that no one would ever clear his name. Without the merits of overthrowing Xue Yantuo, how could he balance his merits and demerits?
Mother!
What a tangle!
It was snowy and frosty in northern Xinjiang, and war was raging, but Tai Chi Palace fell into a depressing and gloomy atmosphere after the first day of the new year.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the annual Great Meeting is held in Tai Chi Hall.
In the past two years, the Tang Dynasty's military exploits shocked the world. Not only did the surrounding Hu people surrender in panic, but even some distant countries sent envoys to Chang'an for the first time to congratulate them. The entire city of Chang'an gathered envoys from countless countries, large and small, in the world.
Officials, in one fell swoop, became the dazzling center of the world, with unprecedented grandeur.
However, after meeting with the royal family of Silla Jin, the Emperor Soga of Japan, and other vassal nobles who were close to the Tang Dynasty, His Majesty Li Er endured the discomfort and repelled the envoys. After returning to the palace, he finally couldn't hold on anymore and fainted on the bed on the spot.
…
The entire Tai Chi Palace was in panic.
The concubines were all panicked. Since the death of Queen Wende, the harem has been without a master. At this moment, there is not even a person who can stabilize the position. It is a mess.
Even the cultural relic ministers of the previous dynasty were a little confused...
Who would have thought that His Majesty Li Er, who was in his prime and in the prime of life, would suddenly become so seriously ill?
The news was tightly sealed and was only known to some important ministers and highly respected people within the royal family. If the news spread, there were countless envoys from all over the world in Beijing. Who knows who would have different ideas if they heard the news that the emperor was seriously ill?
What kind of thoughts?
Now that the Eastern Expedition is imminent, we must not have any more border troubles...
But then again, as soon as this new year is over, it is early spring. If the emperor is so ill, can he still drive and conquer in person?
*****
The sky was a little gloomy, with snowflakes falling sporadically.
Li Ji raised his head and glanced at the gloomy sky, sighed in his heart, stood in front of Chengtian Gate, rubbed his brows, and suppressed the irritability in his heart.
Soon, the palace door opened, and Wang De, the chambermaid, came to greet him personally.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, has a decree to announce your presence."
"Um."
Li Ji was not good at words and was serious by nature. He just nodded and walked quickly into the palace.
Wang De lowered his body slightly, and the two of them walked towards the Dragon Palace, one after the other.
The palace was solemn, and the maids and maids were all restrained. Not many people came and went in the large palace. The red walls, black tiles, and blue bricks paved the floor, and snowflakes fell quietly, making it even more peaceful.
"How is your Majesty doing today?"
Li Ji lowered his voice and asked.
Wang De's voice was also very low, with a worried look on his face: "I ate half a bowl of porridge and drank a cup of ginseng soup early in the morning. The meal was not bad. It's just that my body was very weak. I felt tired after sitting for a while.
I felt sleepy and had to lie down to rest, feeling a little tired."
The two of them kept walking, and there was no one around them.
Logically speaking, as the chief minister, Li Ji should inquire about His Majesty's physical condition. As the chief chamberlain, there is nothing wrong with Wang De reporting the emperor's physical condition to the chief minister. However, the two of them spoke in low voices for fear of being overheard by others, and Wang De's
The words are a bit too detailed...
Li Ji moved his steps, his face solemn: "Has Duke Zhao ever entered the palace?"
Wang De paused slightly and said, "No."
Li Jinong frowned, but did not ask any more questions. He sped up his feet slightly, turned around a palace, and arrived at the Dragon Palace, standing solemnly outside the door.
Wang Deze entered the store directly, turned around soon, bowed and stood by the door, and invited Li Ji to come in.
Only then did Li Ji step into the Dragon Palace.
…
The earth dragon was burned in the hall, and the brazier was lit. It was very warm.
In the palace, His Majesty Li Er was lying on the dragon couch, covered with a thick quilt. A slender woman with picturesque features was holding a white jade bowl in front of the couch and called softly: "Father.
Your Majesty, get up and take medicine."
His Majesty Li Er, who was on the couch, said "Hmm" and struggled to get up. A tall man in front of the couch quickly stepped forward, his upper body next to the dragon couch, and stretched out his hand to help His Majesty Li Er sit up.
There was also a girl with bright red lips and white teeth who poured rock sugar from a glass jar onto a plate. The tinkling sound was very pleasant, and she said crisply: "This is the rock candy made by my brother-in-law. It's so sweet."
Hey! Father, you can take one after taking medicine."
They are the three direct children of His Majesty Li Er, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Princess Changle, and Princess Jinyang.
Li Ji paused slightly and stood at the door with his hands tied.
His Majesty Li Er, who was sitting on the dragon bed, frowned and drank a bowl of decoction with Princess Changle's hand. He clicked his tongue and said displeasedly: "These imperial doctors in the imperial hospital are becoming more and more useless, and they can't prepare any medicine."
Add a few sweet herbs to neutralize the taste, it’s too bitter.”
Princess Jinyang said softly: "Father, it's true that good medicine tastes bitter and is good for diseases! Come, come, come, eat a rock candy and it won't be bitter anymore."
It's like coaxing a child...
His Majesty Li Er just followed this trick and allowed Princess Jinyang to pick up a piece of rock candy with two slender jade fingers like spring onions and put it into her mouth. She suddenly smiled and said happily: "It's better for you, Si Zi, to be good to your father."
, your sister feeds your father to drink bitter medicine, but Sizi feeds his father to eat rock candy, your father's love for you is not in vain, haha!"
Princess Changle rolled her eyes angrily.
Can this be the same?
Princess Jinyang covered her mouth and smiled, her two bright eyes curved into crescent moons: "Then tomorrow it will be my brother, the prince, who will serve my father and take medicine."
Li Chengqian, who had just half left the dragon bed, trembled when he heard this and looked at Princess Jinyang with a grimace.
The elder brother feeds bitter medicine, the younger sister feeds rock sugar...
You are really my good sister!
Princess Changle smiled gently on her beautiful face. She turned around and put the white jade bowl on the coffee table. She saw that the British Duke Li Ji was already standing at the door. She quickly stood up and saluted, saying: "Changle has met the British Duke."
The prince and Princess Jinyang also hurriedly came over to greet him: "I have met the British Duke."
Li Ji bowed and returned the courtesy: "I don't dare to be a minor minister."
His Majesty Li Er, who was sitting on the dragon bed, waved his hand and said warmly: "When did Mao Gong come here? I didn't even notice it. It's all because of these children making a fuss."
Li Ji took two steps forward, with a trace of envy on his usually cold and expressionless face, and said softly: "His Royal Highness Changle was serving His Majesty the medicine when the minister came in. I just couldn't bear to disturb Your Majesty's enjoyment of family life, so I didn't say anything.
, please forgive me, Your Majesty."
His Majesty Li Er looked at Li Ji's expression and said angrily: "Ha! How come you seem to be quite happy, Maogong, when you are so lingering on the sickbed?"
If it were anyone else, if the emperor said such words, he would probably be scared to death...
However, Li Ji didn't seem to hear anything. He even pulled a smile from the corner of his mouth and replied: "The family is harmonious and the children are filial. If possible, I would really like to change with Your Majesty."
The emperor's question was outrageous, and the minister's reply was even more outrageous...
The minister wants to change with the emperor?
In the Ming and Qing dynasties, such a sentence would have been enough to annihilate the nine tribes...
Fortunately, the Tang Dynasty was not the Ming and Qing dynasties, and His Majesty Li Er was not one of those narrow-minded mediocre people. Instead of being annoyed when he heard this, he laughed happily and said: "You just want to change it? Why don't you do it? You, just do it."
Go home and worry about your two careless sons and your useless son-in-law, and don’t worry about these children!"
Hearing this, the smile on Li Ji's face turned into a bitter smile...
Every family has its own scriptures that are difficult to recite, but who would have imagined that the majestic British Duke Li Ji, who was the head of the Prime Minister, would actually have troubles in his family and his descendants would not be well-off?
The eldest son Li Zhen has a calm temperament and is very prestigious among the younger generation. He became the Sima of Guizhou a few years ago. During the battle to suppress the rebellion, he accidentally fell off his horse, causing injuries to his internal organs and vomiting three liters of blood. Although he was rescued,
He lost his life, but his vitality was damaged. Now he has returned to the capital to recuperate. The imperial doctor diagnosed and treated him and said that his vitality was severely damaged, not a sign of longevity.