Leaving all the private armies of the powerful clans outside the pass in the middle of the pass and destroying the foundations of the clans would cause too much trouble later on, which would inevitably lead to the revenge of those clans. There would be wars and wars everywhere, and the country would be shaken. How could Li Ji shoulder that responsibility?
Furthermore, with Li Ji's current status and power, there is no need for such troublesome actions to show his achievements. What does it have to do with him if the family is in trouble? He only needs to assist the prince in peace or establish another prince. It is enough to achieve the goal of having great power, and there is no need to add unnecessary extraneous things.
But if His Majesty Li Er's edict is there, it can be completely explained.
The purpose of this Eastern Expedition is that the world only knows that His Majesty Li Er has a universal mind and lofty ambitions. He wants to incorporate a corner of Liaodong into the territory of the Tang Dynasty. He also wants to eliminate Goguryeo, a powerful enemy that threatens the northeastern border of the empire, and lay the foundation of the empire for eternity. .
However, important ministers such as Xiao Yu and Cen Wenwen had already guessed that His Majesty Li Er had another unknown purpose: to use war to eliminate the power of aristocratic families.
Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, aristocratic families have almost monopolized political resources, and those who join the officialdom are all children of the family. Without the recommendation of the family, it is impossible to become an official in the court. Forcing the imperial examination is the first move of His Majesty Li Er to break this situation. The sharp weapon, moreover, is to consume the wealth of the family.
With His Majesty Li Er's talent and strategy, how could he not know the dangers of the eastern expedition to Goguryeo? When the Sui Dynasty was at its most powerful, it sent millions of troops but was still unable to conquer it. Since Zhenguan, the country has just recovered its vitality and has prospered from all the wastes. It is time to accumulate strength. With the opportunity to create a more glorious and prosperous world, why do we need to devote all our efforts to the eastward expedition?
It's not that it can't be fought, but the gap between risk and return is too big.
However, His Majesty Li Er ignored the opposition of his courtiers and insisted on going his own way. It can be seen that his original intention was not to destroy Goguryeo. It would be best if he could be destroyed, so that he could shine in history for thousands of years. Even if he could not be destroyed, he could also use it to consume the power of the famous family members. , which greatly promoted his national policy of suppressing powerful families.
It’s just that no matter how many times you calculate it, you can’t even calculate that “you will die before you leave the army”...
His Majesty Li Er did not die suddenly, but stayed in bed for many days. It is normal to leave a posthumous edict during this period. It is abnormal to say nothing and leave nothing.
Perhaps for His Majesty Li Er, it doesn't matter whether the prince successfully ascended the throne or whether the king of Wei, the king of Jin or even the prince usurped the throne. In the end, it was his blood who became the emperor. If he can take advantage of this opportunity to unite the world's elites into private armies Catch them all in one fell swoop and leave their children and grandchildren a unified and prosperous era with concentrated imperial power. What would happen even if the entire city of Chang'an was razed to the ground?
No matter how high the price is, it is worth it.
In the final analysis, as long as the power of the clan is still there, the dynasty will always be precarious. Yesterday, the clan was able to support the Li family in Longxi to the throne of emperor, and tomorrow they can also support others to usurp the Li and Tang Dynasties. It is not difficult for the country to change its owner. This is for every emperor. They are all deeply disgusted.
And with His Majesty Li Er's courage, it is extremely possible that he would really leave such a legacy...
Cen Wenwen asked: "If this is really the case, where should we go?"
Xiao Yu shook his head and sighed: "If the imperial edict really exists, it is obvious that Li Ji has informed the prince, and Fang Jun must also know, otherwise it is difficult to explain the toughness of these two people. Then the prospects for peace talks are bleak, and in the end we have to rely on weapons. Come and talk.”
How could the peace talks break the backbone of the family?
Even if the Guanlong clan lowers their bottom line, there is no way they can just sit back and wait for death. If they are forced into a hurry, they will be defeated. With more than 100,000 Guanlong troops and tens of thousands of clan clan private troops, even if they run out of food and fodder, they can still fight together.
.
At that time, the future of the East Palace will still have to be decided by the army, and civilian officials will never be able to take the stage and take the initiative...
Cen Wenwen was also a little helpless. This was basically a dead end. The protagonist was always the army. No matter how hard civilian officials tried their best, they could not replace the army in fighting on the battlefield.
He sighed: "Let's look at it again, let's look at it again."
Xiao Yu also sighed: "No matter whether our guess is true or not, the day when the answer to the mystery is revealed is not far away. Let's wait and see what happens."
The two of them drank tea in silence and were speechless for a while. They both felt confused, unpredictable and worried about the current situation.
*****
Fang Jun returned to the military camp from the inner gate and rushed into the Chinese army's tent. The fire burned more than 100,000 stones of grain in Guanlong, leaving only the rations scattered in various military camps. Even if they were not exhausted, they still had nothing left.
Very little, it can be said to have a reversal effect on the situation.
In order to prevent the Guanlong army from being broken down, the Youtun Guards and the Tubo Huqi began to deploy troops to guard and guard against being captured by the rebels. Therefore, official documents were sent back and forth like snowflakes, more than ten times the usual number.
Until dark, the official documents on the desk were still piling up.
Putting down the brush and rubbing his wrist, Fang Jun glanced out the window and realized that it was already late at night. He was about to ask the soldiers to prepare some food. The soldiers had already brought in a food box and reported: "His Royal Highness Gao Yang saw the commander-in-chief.
I haven't returned home for a long time. I was worried that you were hungry, so I sent someone to bring you dinner."
Asking the soldiers to put the food box on the table by the window, Fang Jun washed his hands and saw a few of his favorite meals, picked up the bowls and chopsticks and ate them sweetly.
After eating, he asked his soldiers to make a pot of tea, and he sat there drinking it slowly, thinking about the current situation...
The soldiers took away the bowls and chopsticks and put them into food boxes and left. After a while, they returned and said, "Commander, Princess Baling wants to see you."
Fang Jun subconsciously said "Hmm", then he was stunned and asked: "Who?"
"Princess Baling."
"Princess Baling?"
Fang Jun frowned, put down his tea cup, and looked at the dark night outside. The rain was heavy and the air was cold and humid. In the middle of the night...
After thinking about it, Fang Jun shook his head and said, "No."
He has had little contact with Chai Lingwu in the past few years, and he has never even spoken to Princess Baling. Except for the royal gatherings during festivals and holidays, he has never seen her face to face. What is there for Baling?
The princess came to the military camp in the rain late at night to visit?
The royal family of the Tang Dynasty was open again, and it would not be a good thing for a princess to run into the tent of a man other than her husband late at night...
The soldiers did not withdraw, but said: "Princess Baling has said that if the commander does not accept her, she will stay outside the camp gate and will not leave. If the commander sends troops to expel her, she will kneel outside the camp gate...
"
"Ah!"
Fang Jun laughed angrily: "Did you trick me into being a hooligan?"
However, if Princess Baling did not just talk about it, but actually did it, it would be really troublesome. He now has great achievements and military power. He is like the first general under the command of the East Palace. In time, it is not impossible to become the first person in the court.
In this way, I don't know how many people are jealous and call him a "powerful minister" and "treacherous". If Princess Baling does this again, someone will definitely accuse him of "bullying the royal family" - even a princess will have to kneel down.
What kind of power is this outside Fang Jun’s camp?
What’s particularly important is—why does the majestic royal princess, with her golden branches and jade leaves, kneel outside the gate of Fang Junying?
Did Fang Jun do something to others that led to chaos and abandonment?
After all, his reputation as Fang Jun has long been known all over the world. His wives and sisters are so stinking on the street. If you combine them together to think of it... My dear, is this the princess of the Tang Dynasty who can play with Fang Er as he pleases?
Is that enough?
Fang Jun rubbed his eyebrows and said helplessly: "Please invite her in."
"Here."
Only then did the soldiers withdraw.
After a long time, there was a sound of footsteps at the door. Princess Baling, slender and graceful, wearing a crimson cloak and tall black hair like clouds, walked in with light steps.
Fang Jun stood up and left his seat, took two steps forward, knelt on one knee and said, "I will see you at the end, Your Highness."
Even if he is the Duke of the country, he must give courtesy when facing the princess. There are differences between monarchs and ministers. For example, when he was playing with Princess Changle, he would like to say "I am guilty," "I am here," "Your Highness, rest."
"Look, the humble minister is here to move" and so on, Changle will feel that his minister knows the rules, knows how to advance and retreat, and is very happy...
Princess Baling could not tolerate Fang Jun's courtesy, so she bowed down and returned the courtesy, with a clear and sweet voice, like pearls falling on a jade plate: "You don't need to be polite, Duke of Yue, please get up quickly."
With Fang Jun's current status, even a prince must be cautious and respectful in front of him, let alone a mere princess?
Besides, I still have something to ask for...
After the two of them finished the ceremony, they each stood up. Fang Jun asked Princess Baling to sit in front of the table by the window. He got off the throne to accompany her and asked with a smile: "Your Highness has something to say, why do you need me to condescend to you?"
A trip? Just send someone to inform you."
Princess Baling had a beautiful face and a sweet smile: "The Duke of Yue is busy with state affairs and is the pillar of the empire. My coming here today is a private matter. How dare I work for the Duke of Yue to abolish the public service for private purposes?"
As he said this, perhaps because he felt that the atmosphere was too serious, his bright eyes turned and he saw the mountains of official documents and military affairs on the desk. He pursed his lips and said: "I have been bothering you all night and delayed the Duke of Yue from handling state affairs. Please don't blame me.