In the inner door, Li Chengqian was sitting on his knees behind the coffee table, drinking tea slowly. The wind and rain outside the window had just begun to subside, and there was a gentle breeze. The dark clouds in the sky had dispersed, and the moon was like a hook, and there were stars.
Difficulties and dangers can become whetstones, sharpening a person's temperament and character. His Royal Highness, who has always been ridiculed by the government and the public as "cowardly, stupid" and "indecisive", can now face the raging war outside Tai Chi Palace with peace of mind.
Maybe there is still some anxiety and fear in my heart, but at least my face is so calm that I can never tell...
Li Jing, the chamberlain, walked in from behind, received the greeting first, and then reported: "Your Majesty, the rebels have temporarily retreated and gathered their remaining soldiers, but there is no sign of stopping the war. I think they will make some adjustments before launching the next war."
The onslaught.”
Li Chengqian handed Li Jing to sit in front of him, poured tea for him with his own hands, and asked: "I heard the battle report earlier that Changsun Wen was killed by Cheng Chubi... Has this been confirmed?"
Li Jing thanked him, holding the tea cup in both hands, and said: "It's absolutely true, the body will be sent here later for His Highness to inspect. At this point in the battle, Bi suddenly had a whim and repeated his old tricks, which was unexpected by everyone.
The heavy damage to the rebels should be the first priority."
The tone was quite emotional.
The previous time they planted gunpowder under the Chengtian Gate to severely injure the rebels. The premise was that Chengtian Gate was no longer defensible at that time and the rebels would capture it at any time under a fierce attack. Therefore, they could only retreat to the Taiji Palace and bury the gunpowder along the way. Unexpectedly, the effect was very good.
But this time it was different. Although the rebels attacked fiercely and put many defense lines in danger, they were still unable to truly break through. The East Palace still had the strength to fight. However, Cheng Chubi took the initiative to let go of Chengtian Gate and allowed the rebels to break through the defense line.
, this will most likely lead to the complete collapse of the entire defense line, the rebels will break into Tai Chi Palace, and the war situation will be out of control.
No one with any sense would do this. If they succeed, they will severely damage the rebels and gain a lot, but if they fail, they will be doomed.
Therefore, Li Jing did not expect that Cheng Chubi would do that, and Changsun Wuji also did not expect... but Cheng Chubi did it.
This situation completely went against the purpose of the art of war that Li Jingyi had learned. He could not fight even one battle for a hundred years, but Cheng Chubi could do it... He now began to review the generals he had given to Donggong Liu.
He believed that this would allow his soldiers to put down their burdens and go into battle lightly, but it was obvious that the "decompression" was too much, making the generals too relaxed and almost forgetting that this was a battle that was about the survival of the East Palace.
The decisive battle of the prince's life and death...
Li Chengqian didn't know the process of the battle. He only looked at the result, so he nodded heavily: "Don't worry, Duke Wei, the achievements of the lieutenant generals have been recorded here. After this battle, rewards will be given according to merit. Except for the regulations of the imperial court.
In addition to the rewards, Gu will also give extra heavy rewards. After all, those who can still fight for Gu and the empire at such a desperate time are all loyal people. No amount of rewards can show their noble loyalty.
Morality.”
"In the palace and in the mansion, they are all integrated into one body. There should be no differences or similarities between punishments and punishments." Zhuge Liang's words to teach Liu Chan back then, although only 16 words short, conveyed the most important and core quality of being a ruler - rewards and punishments.
distinct.
Those who have made mistakes will be punished, and those who have merit will be rewarded. How can he not be grateful to Donggong Liuli, Youtun Guard, and even the Anxi Army who still persisted in such a critical moment and will be generously rewarded in the future?
At this time, the chamberlain came to report that the soldiers had transported Changsun Wen’s body to...
Li Jing asked: "Your Highness, do you need to check your identity?"
Li Chengqian stood up and said: "It's not necessary to check the identity, but I just want to take a look."
Li Jing nodded, stood up and followed Li Chengqian out of the residence and into the courtyard. There were lanterns burning all around, and the courtyard was bright. Dozens of guards were guarding the courtyard. There was also a small group of soldiers with broken armors and tired soldiers standing in the middle.
There is a corpse lying there.
Li Chengqian did not go to examine the body, but walked quickly to a small group of soldiers, looked at them one by one with kind eyes, and then asked the dark-looking young man in the middle: "Where are you from?"
The soldier turned to the prince, his face flushed with excitement, he swallowed hard, and then stammered: "Return to... your highness, I am from Lantian."
Li Chengqian nodded happily: "It turns out he is a disciple of Guanzhong, not bad."
He looked at the other people and said warmly: "You are loyal, brave and loyal. You are unyielding in the face of the rebels, fighting to the death, and repeatedly inflicting heavy losses on the rebels. You have made great achievements. You are indeed a model for our soldiers of the Tang Dynasty! Fight this battle well.
After the war, I will not hesitate to reward you."
Then, he said in a solemn tone: "When you go out, tell the army commander, if anyone dies heroically, I promise you that you will receive the pension you deserve, and your rank will be doubled. Your wife, children, and parents will all be taken care of by the court. If your children study, they will be free of charge."
If you enter the school opened by the imperial court, if you join the army, you will go directly to the Forbidden Army of Gu!"
Several soldiers flushed with excitement. They immediately knelt down on one knee and shouted loudly: "We will follow His Highness to the death, and we will stay where you are!"
No wonder they are so excited.
Military merit was the most important thing in the Tang Dynasty. Once you achieved something on the battlefield, you would not only be promoted to a higher position and receive generous rewards, but it would also benefit your children and benefit the whole family. Therefore, the Tang army was extremely brave in battle and had no fear of death. And the prince's
The promise made them even more overjoyed. For a poor commoner, the biggest reward is not how many levels he has been promoted to, how much money he has been rewarded, or how many acres of land he has been given, but a jump in social level.
This is the most difficult thing. It was better when the country was founded. Once the country is stable, the social class is basically fixed. It is as difficult as climbing to the sky for the common people at the bottom. But the promise of the prince gives them hope. If the children in the family follow Wen
Being exempted from expenses means that your status is different. If you have a way to rise, you can get close to the water. If you can enter the Forbidden Army from nowhere, you can become a prince's general in one fell swoop!
With such a reward, why not die in battle?
Li Chengqian then looked at the corpse lying on the ground and took a closer look. It was indeed Changsun Wen... He couldn't help but feel filled with emotion.
Changsun Chong died in prison. He personally ordered his execution. Changsun Huan committed suicide in front of his own house. Changsun Jun died violently in the Western Regions. Changsun Dan suffered a brutal death a long time ago. Now, Changsun Wen died in front of the army...
…The eldest grandson’s family, which used to be prosperous in the past, has gradually declined.
Such a famous family, which was so famous for a while, has also fallen into decline.
The rise and fall of a family often begins with the increase or decrease in the number of people...
I don’t know how sad it will be to see my mother’s spirit in heaven.
But this is war. Since Changsun Wuji provoked this mutiny, he will naturally have to pay a price for it. Both the enemy and ourselves, for the sake of the empire, for the interests of the family, and for personal honor and disgrace, everyone must fight bravely. Merit.
Veteran generals, veterans of many battles, children of aristocratic families, even him, the prince of the country... everyone will face death.
Defeat will naturally result in the death of one's body, clan, and family; victory will also face the ruined mountains and rivers, and one does not know how much hard work it will take to complete the reconstruction and restore the former vitality.
There is no winner in this war started by Changsun Wuji.
Well, maybe just one...
Li Chengqian stood with his hands clasped behind his hands, his gaze lifted from Changsun Wen's deathly gray face, as if he had traveled through the dark night, focusing on Tongguan in the east...
But, is this really what you want?
You could have prevented all of this from happening, but instead you allowed it to happen, and even added fuel to the flames. For your own selfish desires, you did not hesitate to plunge the people in Guanzhong into dire straits.
"The people are the water, the king is the boat, and the water can carry the boat and capsize it." I have known this truth from my teachers since I was a child. Why have you forgotten it?
…
A house not far away.
It had been rainy for several days in a row. Although it cleared up this evening, the air was cold and humid, and the inner door was too dark, so a charcoal fire was lit to make the room dry and warm.
Princess Changle wore a blue Taoist robe, with her head full of green silk tied into a bun and fixed with a jade hairpin. Her neck was white and slender, and her graceful and exquisite figure was hidden under the Taoist robe. She was a bit of an immortal in her beauty.
The posture, the eyebrows are picturesque, the eyes are bright and the teeth are white.
Crown Princess Su sat next to her, holding her hand, and said calmly: "I shouldn't say such things, but what the eldest grandson's family did is really too much... Empress Wende cared about her natal family and was very fond of his family.
What kind of preferential treatment, what is the result? Empress Wende is dead, first they treated you harshly, and then they continued to plot against Yi Chu to depose the prince, and now they are raising an army to raise a flag of rebellion. They are simply ungrateful, despicable and shameless!"