Chai Zhewei was wearing a moon-white tunic, with a moon-white forehead bandage wrapped around his head. His face was sallow and his expression was haggard. He sat on a chair in the dormitory and raised his hands to Li Yuanjing opposite him: "Why does the prince have to come to the palace in person? It's just an occasional wind and cold, it will be fine in a few days."
But I felt very annoyed in my heart.
The involvement between the two of us has now been known to many interested people. It is impossible to say that there are spies from the "Hundred Qisi" watching closely at this moment. You came to the house directly without avoiding suspicion. Aren't you afraid that His Highness the Prince will be suspicious? , any guesses?
How reckless...
Li Yuanjing ignored Chai Zhewei's worries. He took a sip of tea and said with a smile: "When Third Sister was alive, I was very close to me. At that time, I was very naughty. I often played behind Third Sister, and I would be beaten from time to time. Let me teach you a lesson. I am not afraid of the prince, nor the second brother, nor even the brave and fierce third brother. I am only afraid of this sister. Now that you are sick and bedridden, why shouldn't I come to visit you? Who can say what is wrong? "
The "third sister" he calls is naturally Princess Pingyang.
I think back then, although Princess Pingyang was a female, she was so handsome and a woman that she could not be outdone by her men. Which dandy, big and small, in Chang'an City would not be willing to respect her? There were not a few who followed behind her like a follower like Li Yuanjing and fawned over her.
Chai Zhewei could only smile bitterly in return.
He was really helpless towards this prince. Let's say that he was doing great things but he was willing to sacrifice his life. However, he dared to run to his own house. He was a general in charge of the army. What would a prince of a clan want if he made friends with a general in charge of the army? It can be said that he was bold and reckless. Well, he is so careless and unwilling to give up money and silk to make friends with the clan officials. He just hides in the palace alone to make plans...
I really don’t know how to evaluate it.
It stands to reason that Chai Zhewei doesn't like Li Yuanjing very much, but this person is the only person in the clan who has a status and is likely to go further...
When Li Yuanjing saw that Chai Zhewei was silent, he laughed in his heart.
Everyone in the government and the public said that he "does great things without sacrificing his life", but compared with himself, Chai Zhewei is the one who is ineffective. The Tuyuhun rebellion is imminent, and Hexi is in danger. As a soldier, shouldn't we die to serve the country and defend the country? But in this world Received the emperor's favor, but hesitated to move forward at the critical moment, fearing that he would be defeated by Tuyuhun's cavalry, he even resorted to pretending to be sick, and even lost his face...
"The government has now determined that Fang Jun will lead half of the Youtun Guards to Hexi to defend against Tuyuhun, which is extremely dangerous. Therefore, the government and the public are full of praise, and they highly praise that guy's high ambition and fearless behavior. , and his reputation is unparalleled for a while. It is conceivable that if this battle is defeated, Fang Jun will definitely die in front of the army, and his reputation is destined to shine in history and be admired by future generations. If he wins, there is no need to deny it, he will be the first person in the military, and even vaguely The status of the most famous minister in the empire. I have received favors from the emperor throughout my life, but I am not even as good as a sycophant minister. I am really ashamed."
Li Yuanjing drank tea and shook his head, as if he was sighing endlessly.
Chai Zhewei's face was ashen and he remained silent.
When he thought about it, this battle was bound to be defeated, so why would he rather die than go on an expedition? Wouldn't it be better for the army to guard the passes in the west and keep Tuyuhun's army at bay than to go to Hexi and die in vain? As for desolate places like the Western Regions , What does it matter if it is lost for a while? As long as the Eastern Expedition is successful, His Majesty's troops return to the court, hundreds of thousands of troops march westward from the Great Shock Pass, and the Hexi counties can be recovered in an instant, and the Western Regions are leveled, why bother to fight for life and death right now? Even if you lose your life, you are not willing to temporarily abandon the counties in Hexi?
It's simply the behavior of an idiot.
However, it was such idiotic behavior that separated him from Fang Jun.
No matter how highly the government and the public praise Fang Jun, they slander him!
He was extremely angry in his heart, snorted, and gritted his teeth and said: "It seems that he is extremely brave, but in fact he is just seeking death! I want to see how he was completely defeated by the Tuyuhun cavalry, and then fled back to Chang'an in panic! Now those people
How high you praise him will be how hard you will throw him down in the future!"
He definitely didn't think Fang Jun could defeat Tuyuhun.
The Youtun Guards had less than 40,000 troops, and they only brought 20,000 horses to Hexi this time, while Tuyuhun had at least 50,000 elite cavalry. When Fang Jun's soldiers came out to overthrow Xue Yantuo, it was because Xue Yantuo never expected that there would be a
The Tang army unexpectedly penetrated into the heart of the people, causing more than 100,000 elite troops to be scattered throughout Mobei. Before he could command his troops, King Qin was defeated by Fang Jun.
Tuyuhun dared to rebel at the height of the Tang Dynasty. It was obvious that he had planned it for a long time and had prepared everything well. Fang Jun went to Hexi in a hurry. The situation was very different from when Xue Yantuo was overthrown, or even completely opposite. How could he win the battle?
As for nonsense such as "sacrifice one's life to serve one's country", he even laughed at such nonsense.
With status as high as theirs, even if the battle fails, how can their lives be in danger? As long as they escape back to Chang'an, even if they are dismissed from their posts, they can still live a fulfilling life. After a few years, the limelight will be over, and it will not be the same.
Promotion of official rank?
Li Yuanjing laughed loudly, put down his teacup, and the old god looked at Chai Zhewei and said: "Fang Jun is going on the expedition, and only half of the Youtun Guards are left. This Xuanwu Gate can be said to be completely under the control of Duke Qiao."
Chai Zhewei was stunned for a moment, then he was startled and said in a voiceless voice: "What does the prince want to do?"
Li Yuanjing shook his head and smiled: "Why such a big reaction? For Your Majesty, I only have respect and admiration, and I absolutely dare not do such rebellious things. However, the battle for the throne between the Crown Prince and the King of Jin is getting more and more intense. Who controls the Xuanwu Gate?
It is equivalent to controlling the key to Chang'an, and Duke Qiao will definitely become the target of the two parties. However, the most taboo in the court is to waver. Sometimes it seems that he has both sides, but in fact he is not a human being. Duke Qiao should have his own ambitions and
Ambition should not follow the crowd and have no independent opinions."
Chai Zhewei was a little confused again.
Where did he come from? The prince didn't pay attention to him at all. He even wanted to give up his military position as the general of Zuotunwei and replace him with people from the East Palace. The only person who could win over him was Jin Wang Li Zhi.
Does this mean that I will support the King of Jin and help him fight for the crown prince?
But even if King Jin successfully competes for the throne, what good will it do to your Highness, King Jing?
Li Yuanjing understood Chai Zhewei's doubts, and did not pretend to be a ghost. He smiled and said in a low voice: "You can fish in troubled waters, and you can make things right by bringing chaos to order. Only when Chang'an City is in chaos can we reap benefits from it. Otherwise, when will everything go according to plan?
Is it our turn?"
Chai Zhewei was suddenly stunned.
Although the DPRK is currently in turmoil, a balance has actually been reached between the various forces. The Guanlong nobles have been suppressed, but their roots are deep, and it is impossible for His Majesty to uproot them. The impact would be too far-reaching and would plunge the government into chaos.
It is inevitable that the Shandong aristocratic families and the Jiangnan gentry will take advantage of the situation to rise up. However, these two parties have a shallow foundation in the court and can only eat away at the benefits given up by the Guanlong nobles bit by bit. They dare not go to war, otherwise they will become the next
The object of suppression by the emperor.
The three parties restrained and feared each other, achieving the balanced situation that His Majesty Li Er has been seeking.
Anyone who wants to break the balance in this state will not be easy, and will most likely suffer a collective backlash and become the target of public criticism.
However, Tuyuhun's rebellion had the possibility of disrupting the balance of the government through external forces.
Whether Li Yuanjing or Chai Zhewei wants to reap benefits when the government is stable, they will have to face counterattacks from those with vested interests. It is hard to say they have a chance of winning, and a little carelessness can even lead to disaster. But once the government is in power, The situation is turbulent and there is pressure from external forces, which is a good opportunity to fish in troubled waters.
Chai Zhewei thought for a while and felt that although Li Yuanjing had too many character flaws, he had a really good vision. He asked tentatively: "In your opinion, what should I do?"
At this time, Li Yuanjing became serious, shook his head, and said with a smile: "It's not what we should do, but what is the trend of the government and what we need to do! We are loyal to the emperor and patriotic, how can we watch the situation deteriorate? Since It is the responsibility of calming down the chaos and protecting Chang'an."
Chai Zhewei understood that this prince had the idea of "the mantis stalks the cicada, while the oriole follows". He asked the King of Jin to take the lead in making trouble, and when the situation deteriorated, he would step in to clean up the mess in the name of justice. In this way, not only could he seize the The greatest interests can still be justified, and no one can find fault with them.
What a cunning old man...
But if you want the King of Jin to jump out and make trouble, you must give him strong support so that he has the confidence to make trouble. Otherwise, if you don't have soldiers in your hands and no one in the army, how can you have the courage to make trouble?
Fang Jun went to Hexi, and only half of the Youtun Guards were left. As long as he, Chai Zhewei, expressed his support for the King of Jin, the King of Jin would be more courageous...
It's really a good plan.
As long as the King of Jin gets involved and stirs up a fight for the throne, and if there is external pressure, Chang'an will inevitably be in chaos and turmoil...