The night was deeper and the drizzle was gurgling. Li Ji held the battle report under the candle and read it word by word. Then he raised his head, shook it, and sighed slightly.
The situation in Chang'an was reversed, and the East Palace was rescued from a desperate situation... Fang Jun keenly sensed the defensive gap after the "Woye Town private soldiers" were transferred to Chang'an in the chaotic situation, decisively sent troops to raid, and captured the Jinguang Gate in one fell swoop. This move was like a stroke of genius. Completely turning the Chang'an war situation into a situation favorable to the East Palace.
In particular, Zhang Shigui rebelled against the enemy and not only released the prince from Xuanwu Gate, but also publicly stated that he would fight to the death for the prince to stop the rebels from Xuanwu Gate.
Completely forcing the Guanlong clan into a desperate situation...
At present, it seems that it is no longer necessary for him to command the Eastern Expedition army and continue to garrison Tongguan. At the critical moment, he still has to pull in the Guanlong clan. Otherwise, once the Guanlong clan is completely defeated by the Donggong army, its power will be cut off and expelled from the court. It is bound to cause a swarm of wealthy families from Shandong and Jiangnan.
This is an unavoidable phenomenon. The center needs to operate and Guanzhong needs to be rebuilt. Every position must not be vacant. The imperial examination system has just started. Although it has achieved initial results, it is far from being able to provide enough qualified talents for all levels of government offices in the empire. The advantages on one side are too great and cannot be replaced by students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
After being suppressed by the Guanlong clan for twenty years, the clans of Shandong and Jiangnan were secretly entangled, and they banded together to fight against Guanlong. If Guanlong was completely destroyed this time, the clans of the two places rushed into the court together, and they were intertwined with each other. Going back and forth, I am afraid that as the leader of the prime minister, he will have a hard time. Just thinking about dealing with those old guys who have been isolated from the center and full of resentment all day long will give him a headache.
After this battle, Guan Long's strength was greatly reduced, but his foundation was still profound. With just one pull, he could still become the most suitable sword to use against Shandong and Jiangnan. He only needed to sit in the center and operate behind the scenes, making When both sides reach a balance, this is the most ideal court ecology.
But if he wants to raise troops and return to Chang'an now, it doesn't matter what he says...
…
Outside the door, Wang Shoushi walked in as if he was floating, making no sound with his steps, as light and agile as a cat...
As the candlelight flickered, Li Ji turned around and saw Wang Shoushi walking in silently. He frowned and said displeased: "This is the Chinese Army Festival Hall. Anyone who enters must be informed in advance. You are the emperor's personal servant, how could you not know this?" Such rules? Please pay attention to them in the future."
Wang Shoushi turned a blind eye to Li Ji's attempt to vent his dissatisfaction. He stared blankly at Li Ji with a pair of white and black eyes, and asked one by one: "Why did Fang Jun know about Woye Town?" The private soldiers have already entered the city, and the defense outside the Golden Light Gate is empty, so you dare to send out the main force to surprise the Golden Light Gate?"
Just like the reason why Changsun Wuji dared to mobilize the "private soldiers of Woye Town" into the city, almost everyone believed that Chang'an City, which was blocked on all sides, had contained the news. This deployment seemed to be a life-threatening attack, but in fact it may not be as risky. It seemed so big, because Fang Jun would not have known these details in a very short period of time. By the time he reacted or received the news, Guanlong's army must have attacked Taiji Palace in one go and defeated the Sixth Army of the East Palace.
As a result, Fang Jun's precise timing of sending troops and his determination to mobilize the main force were like a stroke of genius in this change of situation, causing the battle situation to reverse and the offensive and defensive positions to change. He was able to rescue the East Palace from the brink of despair by himself, which made the situation even more shocking. The Guanlong army that invades Taiji Palace may face the danger of being attacked front and back, and the entire army may be wiped out at every turn...
However, behind all this amazingness, there is a huge doubt - how did Fang Jun know that the defense of Jinguangmen was empty?
The biggest suspect is naturally Chen Bing's Eastern Expedition Army at Tongguan.
Hundreds of thousands of people are gathered together in one place, with complex composition and different thoughts. Naturally, there are many people who are interested in the East Palace. However, the entire military camp is under martial law. It is difficult for casual soldiers to leave the camp privately and reach the sky once they are discovered. It is a capital crime. If you want to send the news to Fang Jun without anyone noticing, only a few people in the army can do it.
No wonder Wang Shoushi was suspicious.
Li Ji frowned: "You don't think that the 'Baiqisi' gang are just freeloaders, do you? They can assassinate several clan kings in the heart of the Guanlong Army, and naturally they also have channels to investigate the Guanlong Army. This is not surprising.”
Wang Shoushi shook his head, he would not be fooled easily: "Then why did Zhang Shigui betray the enemy and side with the prince completely?"
Compared with Fang Jun's "magic move", Zhang Shigui's surrender to the East Palace brought a greater shock to the chamberlain who controls the most mysterious power under His Majesty Li Er. Everyone knows that Zhang Shigui's loyalty to His Majesty Li Er can be seen from the sun and the moon. , there is absolutely no possibility of betrayal. If you really don’t want to kill the prince, you will defiantly let the prince leave the palace and ignore him, but you will never betray His Majesty Li Er’s decree and openly surrender to the prince.
How could it be possible if nothing happened behind the scenes?
When Li Ji faced Wang Shoushi's cross-examination, he responded unceremoniously: "You have to ask yourself, if you hadn't been smart and sent a dead soldier to first spy on Zhang Shigui's loyalty and then assassinate Fang Jun, how could Zhang Shigui be discouraged by you? Feeling cold, giving birth to a rebellious heart, and then completely surrendering to the East Palace? I have reminded you many times that even if you stay in the gutter without seeing the sun for a long time, you cannot look at everything with a dark and dirty heart. The human heart cannot withstand temptation. "
Wang Shoushi was not angry either. He kept staring at Li Ji with his eyes, not missing the slightest expression on his face, hoping to find some clues.
But who was Li Ji?
In terms of the depth of his thoughts, he was probably even more serious than Changsun Wuji. The depressed look on his face was mixed with indignation and regret, nothing out of the ordinary.
Taking a deep breath, Wang Shoushi looked deeply, still feeling that Li Ji might have done something behind his back...
"Private soldiers from Woye Town were transferred to Chang'an. Did the British public receive any war reports?"
"Of course there is." Li Ji nodded.
Guan Long fought to the death and completely gave up the power of Jinguang Sect to attack Taiji Palace. How could such an important change not be completed without a battle report?
Wang Shoushi said: "Can we let our family see this battle report?"
Li Ji agreed happily: "Of course."
He leaned slightly and looked at the mountains of battle reports piled on the desk. He rummaged through the official documents, but couldn't find them anywhere. Ignoring Wang Shoushi's growing doubts, he turned his head and thought for a moment, called a clerk in and asked. : "Who sent the Chang'an battle report yesterday?"
The scribe said respectfully: "The scout handed it over to the humble officer, who personally delivered it to me."
Li Ji looked at him: "Where did you put the battle report?"
The scribe didn't know why, so he pointed to the writing case and said, "Put it on this writing case."
Li Ji asked again: "Can any outsider enter this place and see this battle report?"
The scribe shook his head and said: "I don't know if anyone in Beizhi has seen the battle report. It's just that I sent the battle report in at that time. Lu Guozheng was lucky."
…
Wang Shoushi's face was expressionless, but his eyes swept over the two people's faces intently. When he heard this, his eyes like a dead fish finally changed a little...
"Gong Lu?" he asked.
The scribe said: "Exactly."
Li Ji remained silent and looked at Wang Shoushi.
Wang Shoushi didn't say much, nodded slightly, turned around and walked out.
The scribe was frightened by the sinister lifelessness on Wang Shoushi's body, and looked at Li Ji anxiously: "Commander..."
Li Ji waved his hand and said: "It has nothing to do with you. No matter who asks about this matter in the future, this is the answer, go out."
"Here."
The scribe didn't feel relaxed at all, but he didn't dare to ask any more questions, so he had to bow out and leave.
Li Ji sat down, stroking his beautiful beard under his chin with his palms, his eyes were deep, and he sat quietly behind the desk and thought for a long time without saying a word...
…
Cheng Yaojin was wearing a middle coat, exposing the dark hair on his chest. He yawned and sat on the chair. He ignored Wang Shoushi in front of him with drooped eyelids and said impatiently: "It's late at night, if you have anything to say, please tell me quickly." , finish speaking and get out of here."
He didn't have the slightest fondness for this chamberlain who had a high status and mysterious whereabouts.
Wang Shoushi stood in the tent, his eyes flickering, and he asked in a solemn voice: "Yesterday, the Chang'an battle report arrived at the Chinese army, but it was suddenly stolen. Has Duke Lu ever seen that battle report?"
Cheng Yaojin frowned. Of course he had seen the battle report, but he had never stolen it. Why was it stolen again?
He did not answer, but asked: "What happened in Chang'an?"
Wang Shoushi thought for a moment and didn't hide anything: "Changsun Wuji mobilized private soldiers from Woye Town to enter the city. It was impossible for Fang Jun to find out in a short time, but he knew about it and made timely arrangements... Apparently someone had sent Woye Town soldiers into the city. Fang Jun was informed of the news of the town's private soldiers entering the city, and this person probably got the details from the stolen battle report, so I ask Duke Lu to be calm and not hide it."