The howling autumn wind stirred up the withered yellow leaves in the sky. The grass in the garden was withered, the prosperity was gone, and the majestic palaces and pavilions seemed to be filled with an aura of decadence and desolation.
Xingqing Palace was originally the palace of Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty. Later, Daxing Palace was built as the emperor's residence and the center of the court, and it was gradually abandoned.
When the Tang Dynasty was founded and Daxing Palace was renamed Taiji Palace, Xingqing Palace became more and more abandoned. Later, it briefly served as the residence of the great ancestor Li Yuan after his abdication...
In the main hall, Prince Li Chengqian was in the middle, Xiao Yu, Cen Wenwen, Liu Jie and others were arranged on the left and right, listening to the memorial from Cui Dunli, the left minister of the Ministry of War.
Since most of the Youtun Guards followed Fang Jun out of Hexi, Prince Li Chengqian temporarily moved to Xingqing Palace under the persuasion of Xiao Yu, Cen Wenwen and others, and also moved the cabinet with him.
…
Cui Dunli knelt down behind a low table, put the memorial on the low table, and said in a clear voice: "The Duke of Yue fought in Hexi. There were more than 30,000 enemy bandits and nearly 20,000 prisoners. Among them was Tuyuhun Khan Nuohebo.
His eldest son Fuzhong... it was truly a resounding victory. More than 20,000 Tuyuhun troops fled in panic following Nuohebo, and peace returned to the land west of Hexi."
Although the news of the great victory in Hexi had come long ago, these prime ministers still felt excited and excited every time they heard about it.
Who would have thought that such a battle that could have endangered Guanzhong was suddenly won by Fang Jun and half of the right guards?
The people here may have different positions and express different demands, but without exception, no one wants to see the enemy troops reaching Guanzhong, causing Chang'an to be shaken, the country to be destabilized, and the rule of the Tang Empire to be seriously threatened.
At least at this stage, a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Tang Empire would support the interests of all forces in the court.
Those who really want to shake the foundation of the country, bring chaos to the government, and bring the existing order to the brink of collapse are only those who are in the dark, unable to reap benefits from the court, and who are deeply suppressed by the government...
Xiao Yu glanced at the prince and saw that although he was sitting upright, he was trying hard to hide the excitement on his face, which showed how excited he was.
It’s no wonder that everyone in the government and the public initially thought that this would be a major crisis for His Royal Highness, because once Hexi fell and Guanzhong was in danger, the prince would immediately be regarded as “unworthy of his moral character” and “unable to be favored by Haotian”, which would lead to
A fight that threatens the reserve.
And once he is accused of those crimes, the crown prince's throne will naturally be in danger.
I don’t know how many people are secretly holding back their joy, waiting to see the prince impeached by officials in a state of embarrassment, and then deposed after His Majesty returns to the court...
However, an incredible victory in Hexi turned the entire situation around.
Not only were all those crises lifted, but the prince's prestige suddenly increased. Since the fall of Hexi was due to "incompetent virtue" and "unable to be favored by Haotian", then turning defeat into victory in the impossible, defeating more with less, isn't it right?
Does it mean that the prince is “destined to return”?
Besides, the prince has never been a deep-tempered person. Now he can suppress his excitement and only show it on the surface, which is already considered very valuable.
Xiao Yu's mind turned and he asked: "I heard that the Tibetan envoy arrived in Chang'an yesterday, but did not pass the credentials through Honglu Temple. Instead, he rushed directly to the Yamen of the Ministry of War, and the Yamen of the Ministry of War presented his letter to His Highness the Crown Prince... The Ministry of War has done a great job for its hard work.
, but we cannot ignore the court regulations."
There was quite a bit of dissatisfaction in his words.
When Tibetan envoys come to Chang'an, they must be received by Honglu Temple for discussion, and then contacted, and then contact the various ministries of the office. Even if the Tibetan envoys come to Chang'an, it is said to be a military matter between the two countries, and there is no Ministry of War to pick them up directly.
of rules.
With Fang Jun's power and prestige, the current Ministry of War has been gradually rising to the top of the six departments. The officials in the Ministry are all Fang Jun's confidants. They are all arrogant and arrogant. Not only do they not pay attention to the other five departments, they even
Even the three provinces have very limited restrictions on it.
Three provinces and six ministries restrict each other. If the Ministry of War is the only one, it will inevitably usurp the interests of others. This is somewhat inappropriate...
Nowadays, officials belonging to the Jiangnan gentry are very dissatisfied and have complained in front of themselves more than once.
Xiao Yu was the leader of the Jiangnan gentry, and he was naturally responsible for maintaining the interests of his faction. If the Ministry of War was allowed to grow stronger and suppress other tribes, his prestige would decline. Therefore, both publicly and privately, he had to stand up and beat him.
Cui Dunli's face remained unchanged and his words were respectful: "The Duke of Song Dynasty knows that the person coming from Tibet this time is Lun Qinling, the second son of Lu Dongzan. He represents his family to discuss the defense of Hexi with the Tang Dynasty. He is not an envoy from Tibet.
Tang Dynasty. Therefore, this matter has nothing to do with Honglu Temple. It only needs to be reported to the Ministry of War, and then submitted to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for a ruling, or discussed and discussed through the Political Hall. If it is circulated through Honglu Temple first, then submitted to the door, and then submitted to
Your Highness, the Crown Prince, was finally assigned to the Ministry of War...the steps were really cumbersome, doing twice the result with half the result, and wasting the manpower and material resources of the central court."
His attitude was very respectful, but he immediately pushed Xiao Yu back.
Xiao Yu's face was a little embarrassed, but he didn't fall out with Cui Dunli. Cui Dunli was nothing, but Fang Jun behind him was the top ally of the Jiangnan noble clan, and they couldn't let the two sides get into trouble over such a trivial matter.
I originally thought that the aristocratic families would unite to exclude Fang Jun from the Eastern Expedition, making it difficult for him to win military glory, but he didn't expect that Tuyuhun would come to his doorstep, which contributed to Fang Jun's "Great Victory in Hexi" that shocked the world and skyrocketed his reputation.
At the same time, he also made great achievements.
Nowadays, Fang Jun has grown up and stands as a strong flag in the military. Countless generals of the younger generation are following him. Not only can he no longer be able to suppress him as before, but no one can suppress him...
Li Chengqian smiled as he watched Xiao Yu beating Cui Dunli, and then smiled as Cui Dunli beat Xiao Yu back. Then he took out the memorial on the desk in front of him and handed it to the chamberlain beside him, ordering him to pass it on to Xiao Yu.
, said: "This is the memorial sent back by the Duke of Yue in Hexi. It talks about the current situation in Tubo and the suggestions for Tang Dynasty and the Gar family to become... strategic partners for each other. Dear friends, please read it.
If I feel that my words are meaningful, I might as well implement them in this way."
Xiao Yu was speechless.
We didn't even read anything written in the memorial, and you just approved it directly. How can we talk?
I feel a little depressed in my heart, feeling that the prince's trust and favor towards Fang Jun is getting worse, which is not a good thing for the Jiangnan nobles...
After receiving the memorial from the chamberlain, he read it ten lines at a time, then handed it to Cen Wenwen beside him. He frowned and took a sip from his tea cup, but did not express his opinion easily.
When Cen's text arrived, Liu Jie read the memorial one after another and handed it to the chamberlain, who then placed the memorial on the prince's desk.
Li Chengqian looked at the three prime ministers and asked, "Dear ministers, do you have any opinions on this memorial? Do you think it is feasible?"
Xiao Yu stroked his beard and said nothing.
What are you talking about? You have previously stated that this memorial "has substance" and "should be implemented". Even if we really have opinions, we can't refute the face of your Royal Highness, right?
It's really depressing.
Throughout the ages, nothing good will happen to anyone who has anything to do with "sycophants"...
He didn't speak and expressed his dissatisfaction with silence, but others didn't think so.
Liu Jie said: "I am a civil servant and have never experienced military affairs. I dare not speak lightly to the suggestions of the Duke of Yue. However, I think about it. The Duke of Yue has made great achievements in battle and is a master of military use. Previously, his troops came out of Baidao to overthrow Xue Yantuo. This time there was another big battle.
Pull out the valley and build a city to defeat Tuyuhun. Looking at the world, except for the Duke of Wei and the Duke of England, who can do it? Therefore, since the Duke of Yue made such a suggestion, it must be after comprehensive consideration. We are really
I don’t have the qualifications to refute it.”
What he said almost made Xiao Yu laugh angrily.
Please, you, Liu Ji, are now a servant, one of the prime ministers and assistant ministers, and the highest-ranking official in the world. How can you flatter Fang Jun so shamelessly?
Flattery has no bottom line...
Even Li Chengqian's face trembled and the corners of his mouth twitched.
Glancing at Liu Jie, who looked "naturally" and "seeking truth from facts", Li Chengqian said helplessly: "In government affairs, everyone has always been required to express their opinions and discuss matters. The Gar family is a Tubo noble, and they are intricately involved with Tubo. Is it as good as the Qin Dynasty?"
As the mausoleum said, they were suppressed and were not at odds with each other. Songtsen Gampo even wanted to kill the Gar family? This matter is related to the safety of Hexi and must be handled with caution. We cannot just agree with the Duke of Yue. Everyone
So I acquiesced and did not refute. Although I am not as broad-minded as my father, I am open-minded enough to accept advice. If you have something to think about, you can speak freely."