Li Ji believed that the troops in Guanzhong were currently empty, and the Eastern Expedition should be ended as soon as possible at all costs, and the troops should return to the court. Whether it was to stabilize the defense of Guanzhong or rush to aid the Western Regions, it could be arranged calmly and comprehensively.
His Majesty Li Er believes that the Western Region is desolate and has no value except for one Silk Road. Even if it is burned, killed and looted by the Great Eater, it will not be a big deal. As long as the Anxi Army can securely defend Yumen Pass, the rest of the areas will follow the Great Eater. That’s what people do.
If those Hu tribes in the Western Regions can be wiped out by the cannibals, it can even be said to be a surprise...
There is no need to rush for the Eastern Expedition. The crossing of the Yalu River is inevitable and unstoppable. The overall situation of the Eastern Expedition has been determined. Then we will drive straight to Pingrang City to complete the siege. Even if winter comes, there is no need to worry. There is a navy to transport grain, fodder and baggage.
Under such circumstances, the Eastern Expedition should be fought steadily to avoid unnecessary attrition.
After Goguryeo is destroyed and the army returns to the dynasty, it will be completely late even if it sends troops to the Western Regions next spring, and it can give the army time to rest and reorganize. By then, a fierce battle in the Western Regions will naturally achieve twice the result with half the effort.
There was a deviation in the understanding between the monarch and his ministers regarding the war in the Western Regions...
Li Ji is not Wei Zheng. Although he can express his own opinions and give advice, he will never be like Wei Zheng, who will break the boat and speak out against the advice, pointing at His Majesty Li Er's nose and yelling: "Since you are a wise king, you should accept advice. Otherwise, you will be ignorant and ignorant and will bring disaster to the world" and other disrespectful words...
After pondering for a while, Li Ji compromised and said: "In this way, after crossing the river, the soldiers will be divided into three groups, one along the coast, one along the hills, and all the way eastward along the upper reaches of the Xishui River. After arriving at Pingrang City, the three groups Encirclement, supplemented by navy ships sailing upstream to bombard Pingrang City to break the will of the defenders."
This is different from the previous plan.
The original battle plan was for the army to cross the Yalu River and storm into Pingrang City, and then not start a battle, but besiege Pingrang City, making it difficult for the defenders in the city to fly. At that time, it would be determined whether to attack or besiege depending on the battle situation.
However, His Majesty Li Er was not blindly stubborn. He said happily: "Just follow Mao Gong's words! Later, I will also ask Mao Gong to formulate a detailed battle plan and distribute it to all ministries."
The battle of a large army is always based on pre-strategy, and there is no reason to decide where to hit. Even though the situation on the battlefield changes rapidly, it can only make slight adjustments when the opportunity arises.
Since the battle plan has changed, it naturally needs to be re-drawn. Otherwise, the various departments will be at a loss and lose their footing, which will definitely ruin the matter.
Seeing Li Ji nodded in agreement, His Majesty Li Er reminded: "Changsun Chong is lurking in Pingrang City, thinking that he is an internal agent. He can pass on the news of Pingrang City's defense at any time, and Maogong should be accepted. Moreover, his status is not low, and he It can influence the eldest son of Yeon Gaesumun, and in critical situations, he can lead the crowd to take action and open the Seven Star Gate. Mao Gong can formulate strategies accordingly, and he will definitely get twice the result with half the effort."
Li Ji thought for a while and said: "Your Majesty clearly knows that Changsun Chong is in Pingrang City. His identity is known to everyone in Yuan Gaisu and Wenjin. How can he be allowed to master the most secret defense? It is the person who was sent back the previous time. Even the ministers dare not believe the defense plan provided by him. It would be fine if he didn’t get the information, but if Yeon Gaesumun deliberately induced him with false information, the consequences would be serious."
"Countermeasures" has never been a sophisticated strategy, but it has been tried and tested throughout the ages.
Once Yuan Gaisuwen set up a trap and deliberately lured Changsun Chong with false news, the Tang army would foolishly go straight into the trap and would inevitably suffer heavy losses.
It even directly affected the success or failure of the Eastern Expedition.
His Majesty Li Er frowned and hesitated a little.
However, he stroked his beard and thought of Fang Jun, and felt that talents have emerged from generation to generation. The younger generation now has emerged and is not much worse than his generation back then. They naturally have the ability to make the impossible possible.
He then said: "I know very well that Changsun Chong's ability is not inferior to Fang Jun's, or even better than that of Fang Jun. With his ability, he can naturally identify the authenticity of the information he has received. There is no need to doubt this. He has certainly committed a major crime.
Wrong, but after all, we are the people of the Tang Dynasty. After the achievements of the empire, there is no doubt about their loyalty to me. What happened back then was more of a moment of confusion and was coerced by others. Of course, the information they sent still needs to be screened based on their merits, but they should not be ignored
Doubts about one’s character and ability lead to missed opportunities.”
Li Ji was silent.
Your Majesty's affection for Queen Wende was enough to protect the Changsun family more than ten years after the death of Queen Wende. Not to mention that Changsun Wuji repeatedly challenged the imperial power and was treated favorably by Your Majesty. It was Changsun Chong who committed treason.
Serious sins may also be pardoned.
Of course, the imperial power is supreme and His Majesty is omnipotent in his actions.
However, Li Ji was puzzled by such trust in a criminal official who had committed a serious crime of rebellion. What made him particularly dissatisfied was that His Majesty Li Er compared Changsun Chong to Fang Jun. This was simply unbelievable to Li Ji. In terms of loyalty, Fang Jun
Jun was loyal and willing to die for the safety of Guanzhong and the stability of the country. A mere 20,000 troops came out of Hexi to defeat Tuguhun's 70,000 elite cavalry. In terms of ability, Fang Jun made countless achievements and made outstanding achievements. During the Zhenguan Dynasty, there were several others.
Dare you say that you can definitely defeat Fang Jun in terms of merit?
Changsun Chong only served as Secretary Supervisor, which was quite satisfactory. Later, he stole Fang Junzhi's achievements and took charge of the Shenji Camp. Not only did he achieve nothing, he even single-handedly turned this powerful army that once dominated the Western Regions into a group of second-generation ancestors who were waiting to die.
, causing Shenji Camp to remain in a state of confusion to this day, unable to afford to sink.
It's just that the elders favoring the younger ones is not just common in ordinary people. The Tian family is no less generous, or even more so.
As a minister, I should not argue with His Majesty in this regard...
…
After Li Ji left, His Majesty Li Er rubbed his forehead and leaned on the soft couch to rest. Now his body is getting weaker and weaker. If he sits for a long time, he will become weak all over, his eyes will be dazzled, and he will feel short of breath and weak every time.
, mentally tired.
He naturally knew that this was the result of taking too much pill.
But for him right now, if he wants to have enough energy to deal with various things during the Eastern March and keep the army firmly in his hands, he can only continue to drink poison to quench his thirst.
Once he stops taking the elixir, he is afraid that he will fall seriously ill immediately. At that time, the morale of the army will fluctuate and everyone will have their own agenda. Maybe the victory that is about to be won will be lost, and the meritorious achievements that are worthy of being remembered in history will be missed. This is something he absolutely cannot allow.
After closing his eyes and taking a moment, he remembered that Zhu Suiliang was still in the tent.
You must not show any weakness in front of foreign ministers, otherwise it will inevitably affect your prestige in his mind. His Majesty Li Er forced himself to sit up, glanced at Zhu Suiliang, who was still writing at the desk, and said slowly: "Deng Shan,
Don’t let something like today happen again.”
He was also deeply dissatisfied with Zhu Suiliang's casual praise and criticism of the frontline generals. However, since Li Ji started to reprimand him, he could not reprimand him again, but had to defend it. This was not only the emperor's balancing act, but also because of the emperor's balancing act.
Suiliang was regarded as his close minister, and it also represented his dignity. He could give orders himself, but he could not let his foreign ministers completely suppress him.
But in his spare time, he must give warnings.
Throughout the dynasties, the emperor's close ministers have been bad deeds, relying on favor and arrogance, manipulating power is the norm, and even selling their official positions and titles, causing trouble for the government. A slight laxity in their supervision will lead to catastrophe.
However, it seems that such close ministers are indispensable. The emperor is also a human being. He wears a straight face and looks like an emperor in court, but in private he also needs to have hobbies and talk to others. Therefore, the status of close ministers cannot be replaced by foreign ministers.
But what a talented and strategic person His Majesty Li Er is? As long as these close ministers show the slightest sign of going too far, they will immediately warn or even suppress them.
If you don't change your ways despite repeated admonitions, you will definitely kill a lot of people without even frowning...
Zhu Suiliang quickly got up and left the table, came to His Majesty Li Er's soft couch and knelt down with a bang. He said in fear: "I know you are guilty! I will never dare to have the slightest thought of overstepping my bounds. I just said it casually, and I have already been affected by the British public."
I have reprimanded you and will never dare to do it again from now on!"
Scared and sweating profusely.
Throughout the ages, it is difficult for anyone who has the reputation of being a "close minister of the emperor" to have a good ending. Generally speaking, people with this status are servants in the palace, but His Majesty Li Er is a very human being, and he always treats his servants without pretense.
Even Wang Dena, the chief chamberlain, and other old men who had been with him since he was hiding in Prince Qin's mansion, were never allowed to discuss the government affairs arbitrarily.
Because of his good handwriting and extraordinary literary talent, he was favored by His Majesty and was granted the title of Huangmen Shilang. He was highly favored and gained the title of "a close minister of the emperor".
In fact, it is unfair to say it. When it comes to favor and trust, how can I compare to Fang Jun? That guy is better at pleasing His Majesty than I am. He is very familiar with flattery and has great power. No matter how you look at it, he is a model of a powerful minister and a sycophantic minister. Keywords
No matter how well he writes, his literary talent is higher than his own, so why isn't he given the title of "the closest minister of the emperor" to him?