Fang Jun didn't take it seriously and said casually: "The Duke of Song has matured to seek the country and is loyal to His Highness. His suggestions are naturally the most comprehensive. The ministers will not comment and His Highness can make up his mind."
Several people gave Fang Jun a slightly strange look.
Ever since the Youtun Guard broke into the Jinguang Gate and severely defeated the Guanlong army, completely reversing the situation and turning defeat into victory, Fang Jun seemed to have suddenly faded away from the core of the East Palace. His previously unparalleled deterrence suddenly disappeared, which puzzled everyone in the East Palace...
Take for example what Fang Jun said.
It is foreseeable that in the future, Jiangnan gentry will come to Beijing in large numbers to fill the power gap left by the Guanlong clan, and Shandong aristocratic families will control the Tang Dynasty military because of Li Ji's military flag. Jiangnan and Shandong seem to be mutually exclusive. The water in the well does not interfere with the water in the river, and the interests of the other party will not be touched. As long as we work together, it will not take long for Guanlongmen valve's remaining power in the court to be wiped out and uprooted.
The core of power in the Tang Empire will be completely reshuffled successfully...
Everyone knows Xiao Yu's thoughts, and he himself has not hidden anything, which is to strengthen his voice in the East Palace as much as possible and take the lead in future cooperation with the Shandong family in order to seize more benefits.
As Shandong aristocratic families and Jiangnan gentry entered the capital in large numbers and completely controlled the military and political power of the Tang Dynasty, Fang Jun suffered the most... but Fang Jun didn't seem to care much about it, even though Li Chengqian publicly expressed his trust and importance in him. , still looking carefree and carefree.
It’s really hard to understand…
Cen Wenwen stroked his beard at the side and said slowly: "What Your Highness just said, I think it is most appropriate. The outcome of Guanlong is already doomed. There is no way he can come back to life. Even if the British Duke returns, he cannot openly favor his plot." The most important thing now is to restore the people's livelihood in Chang'an and rebuild Guanzhong. There is no need to spend more power on the remnants of Guanlong."
As the situation was decided, the East Palace turned defeat into victory, and the full cooperation between him and Xiao Yu came to an end. The original meaning of uniting with each other to fight against the East Palace military no longer existed. He himself had decided to stay in the East Palace to get through this most difficult period. After that, he retired and retired, and his obsession with power was almost gone. To refute Xiao Yu like this was just to calm down and think about the interests of the East Palace.
Once the Jiangnan nobles represented by Xiao Yu completely control the government affairs of the court, it will be more dangerous than Li Ji, the representative of the Shandong family, completely subduing the Tang military. After all, the military cannot interfere with government affairs. When the prince ascends the throne, Li Ji's temperament will not It is possible that he might raise an army to rebel, and Xiao Yu would most likely block the sky from the court and evade the imperial power.
Therefore, he was both confused and dissatisfied with Fang Jun's attitude, so he had no choice but to step forward...
Xiao Yu pondered for a moment and did not refute.
Since Cen Wenwen is about to retire and all the forces he represents will be taken over by Liu Ji, there is no need for him to openly turn against him at this time. He can just let him retire easily. After he leaves, he will gradually take control of the court.
As for the remnants of Guanlong... let's wait for Li Ji to come back and see what happens.
…
After leaving Wude Hall, Xiao Yu returned to his mansion in the city. On the way, he was riding a carriage and saw Dong Gong Liu leading his soldiers to clean the streets under the assignment of officials from Jingzhao Palace. Piles of dirty and messy objects were piled on the street in the rain. , soldiers pushed carts one by one out of the city to bury them, and the originally messy streets were quickly cleaned up.
Many people were hired by the Jingzhao Mansion to carry burdens and push bricks and stones. They braved the light rain to clean up the damaged and collapsed walls and houses. The city of Chang'an was busy. The chaos caused by the mutiny and war was moving at an extremely fast pace.
speed recovery.
Xiao Yu secretly nodded, Ma Zhou was indeed an official and a capable minister. He usually kept quiet in the court and did not fight or compete, but when it came to doing things, few people in the government and the public could compare with him.
When the carriage entered the mansion, the servants rushed to greet him and helped him get out of the carriage.
Although the rebels occupied Chang'an for almost a year, there was still some bottom line in Guanlong. The residences of important court officials such as the Xiao family sent troops to guard the residences so that they would not be attacked by the rebels, and rice, grain and other daily necessities were supplied on time, so that the mansion did not suffer
What a loss.
After getting off the carriage and going to the study to wash up briefly, he made a pot of tea and sat in front of the window. Looking at the lush flowers and trees in the yard, Xiao Yu felt a little upset when he thought of Fang Jun and others' indifferent attitude towards the power of the East Palace.
Confused.
If something is abnormal, it is a monster.
In this mutiny, the East Palace turned around and won, and the prince escaped from death, all can be said to be Fang Jun's contribution. He almost single-handedly defeated Guanlong's rebellion, which can be regarded as a great achievement. The prince also trusted him and relied on him to help him.
.
The current situation is not stable and the strategy is undecided. It is the time when all parties within the East Palace are vying for power. Except for Cen Wen and other veterans who are about to retire and have no covetous power at all, who is not anxious and jumping up and down?
Why is Fang Jun so indifferent to this and not caring about it?
Are you really floating beyond the worldly power and not eating the fireworks of the world?
Something is wrong.
Xiao Yu believed that he had a thorough understanding of Fang Jun. Although Fang Jun did not seek power, let alone love it, he was ambitious. Anyone with ambition cannot be indifferent to power.
If you don’t have power in your hands, how can you use your ambitions?
Therefore, it must be something that I have overlooked, which makes me and Fang Jun have different perceptions of the current situation and the overt and secret struggles within the East Palace, which leads to huge differences in how we treat things.
But what exactly did he overlook? Xiao Yu couldn't remember it for a while.
He's getting older... Xiao Yu sighed, took a sip of tea, and remembered that after the fall of Nanliang, he was detained as a hostage in Daxing City, surrounded by tigers and wolves, swords and swords, and he could still think clearly in such a situation that could be catastrophic.
He knew clearly, assessed the situation, and never misjudged anything. Step by step, he became a trusted and respected figure in the Sui and Yang royal families from a family that had lost the king. It can be said that he was prosperous.
Later, the Sui Dynasty was defeated and was about to fall, and he decisively defected to Tang Guogong Li Yuan. After entering the Tang Dynasty, he became one of the most powerful people in the court. When His Majesty Li Er ascended the throne, no matter "Fang Du" who was deeply trusted by His Majesty Li Er,
, or Changsun Wuji, the "No. 1 Honorable Minister of Zhenguan", never really suppressed himself, firmly held the power, and assumed the position of "Qingliu Leader" with great prestige.
However, now, I increasingly feel that my stagnant thoughts are no longer able to keep up with the ever-changing situation.
Perhaps when the prince ascends the throne and Jiangnan nobles enter the court in large numbers and gain a foothold, he should learn from Fang Xuanling and Cen Wenwen, retire bravely, return to his hometown as an official, and enjoy the happiness of his family in the woods and springs.
The court is about to become the world of those young people...
*****
On the official road from Tongguan to Chang'an, the carriages and horses rattled and splashed with mud and water. Tens of thousands of troops marched slowly forward. The flags were wetted by the rain and hung listlessly in a bunch on the flagpole. The soldiers were lifeless. At first, The excitement caused by the impending arrival in Guanzhong gradually faded away with the slow march.
Since ancient times, soldiers have not been afraid of bloody battles on the battlefield. Fighting with one's life will result in death at the most, and pleasure on the left and right. What they fear most is expedition. That kind of endless march can exhaust all a person's energy and physical strength, and often only results in death. Only by gritting your teeth and holding your breath can you persevere and reach your destination.
However, since the withdrawal of troops from Liaodong, the expected rapid march of thousands of miles did not happen. The army wandered as if touring the mountains and rivers. After more than half a year of the original two-month journey, it was still more than a hundred miles away from Guanzhong...
Endless marches are no less tormenting the morale and morale of the troops than rapid marches.
At this moment, in the government office under the Tongguan City Tower, Li Ji had already packed his gear. Tens of thousands of troops were setting out one after another, but he, the leader of the first army, had not yet set off...
Li Ji took a sip of tea, put aside the military newspaper he had reviewed, rubbed his brows, and let out a sigh of relief.
Yuchi Gong sat under him, his voice was thick and he frowned and said: "Commander, now the Youtun Guards have broken into the Jinguang Gate, combined with the Sixth Command of the East Palace to attack from inside and outside, they have defeated the Guanlong army, and Chang'an's defense is under the control of the Sixth Command of the East Palace. Next, the remnants of Guanlong retreated to Zhongnan Mountain to resist stubbornly, and were in a stalemate with the Youtun Guards... Why don't we quickly send our troops back to Beijing to put an end to the chaos?"
Not just him, but everyone in the army, from the generals to the soldiers, was not anxious to return to Chang'an?
Originally, the Eastern Expedition to Goguryeo was regarded by both the government and the public as a "gilded" journey. Goguryeo was simply unable to withstand the cavalry of the Tang Dynasty, let alone the imperial cavalry. All forces were eager to infiltrate the Eastern Expedition army. I hope that this war will end an era and that there will no longer be another war of this magnitude in the foreseeable future.
However, unexpectedly, the Eastern Expedition was unstoppable at the beginning, and the army marched straight into Goguryeo. However, it suffered extremely heavy losses when it arrived at Pingrang City. Not only was the "first to get there" finally seized by the navy, but also made His Majesty Died in the army...
Such a huge responsibility must be shouldered by every general and commander in the Eastern Expedition Army.
When the Guanlong clan clan raised their troops and set off a mutiny in Guanzhong, all the generals in the army became red-eyed, hoping that they could quickly return to Beijing to quell the rebellion and achieve special honors, and then support the prince to ascend the throne and become a "minister of the dragon". Not only could they Offsetting the inaction of the Eastern Expedition to Goguryeo, he was also rewarded by the Prince of the Eastern Palace.
However, the development of things was beyond everyone's expectations...
As the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Expedition, Li Ji, the chief minister, seemed to be indifferent to whether the prince was deposed. He commanded the army and returned to Beijing in an orderly manner. The two-month journey took more than half a year, and he obviously sat back and watched the Eastern Palace destroyed and the prince deposed. .
There are many speculations about Li Ji's intentions.
But no matter what, now that the East Palace has turned defeat into victory and come back to life, after all, where is the honor and righteousness, you have to return to Beijing quickly to show your stance, right?
But now looking at Li Ji's attitude, he is still unhurried and unhurried, which is hard to understand...
Li Ji loosened the fingers that were kneading his brows, glanced at Yuchi Gong, and said: "Gong Lu has returned to Chang'an as a vanguard. The East Palace and Guan Long each suffered heavy losses in the battle. Guan Long certainly lost all his elite troops, and the six troops in the East Palace also suffered heavy losses. The Youtun Guards traveled thousands of miles within a year and defeated Tuyuhun, Turks, Dashi troops and Guanlong in succession without receiving any reinforcements. Lu Guogong's Right Tunguards are enough to cope with any situation, so there is no need to worry."
Yu Chigong was speechless, am I worried that Cheng Yaojin cannot control the situation? I am worried that all the benefits will be taken away by Cheng Yaojin, and the prince will record all his favors on Cheng Yaojin... If so, what will happen after the prince ascends the throne that day? , how do we humans behave as human subjects?
Li Ji had some free time, glanced through the window at the courtyard next to the government office, and said calmly: "Don't worry, I am free to make my own decisions."
Do you think I don’t want to return to Chang’an quickly?