The prince's edict has been issued. Thousands of soldiers from the East Palace and the Royal Guards surrounded the prince and slowly moved westward, heading straight to the direction of Baqiao. At the Chunming Gate, Cheng Chubi commanded the soldiers under his command to be very energetic.
Ready to support the prince at any time, and at the same time, be prepared for his father to be stunned and come to attack the city...
At the same time, Gao Kan commanded the right guard to press forward slowly, staring at the left guard with eager eyes. If the opponent showed any intention of seizing Chunming Gate, he would launch a surprise attack on his own.
…
Cheng Yaojin stood in front of the camp and ordered all the ministries not to act rashly. He was anxiously waiting for orders from the Shandong family. Although he had expressed more than once that he would not confront the East Palace with open swords and guns, who knew that those old men were buried up to their necks in loess?
Could he have lost his mind and intended to use a large army to suppress Chunmingmen and then force the prince to open more benefits to it?
What if the Shandong sects were so powerful that they lost their wits? How should I make a decision?
If he turns a deaf ear, it will definitely cause great dissatisfaction among the Shandong family. From then on, they will break up and go their separate ways. All the achievements he has done before will be in vain. The world will regard him as "both ends" and "poor character" and despise him.
, when the time comes, the Shandong family will alienate him, and the East Palace will not accept him, which can be said to be a betrayal of all relatives.
But if he obeys orders, he is openly hostile to the empire's Zhengshuo. When the prince compromises and ascends the throne, won't he regard Cheng Yaojin as a rebellious official and a traitor who needs to be killed urgently?
Even if he, Cheng Yaojin, had military power and was protected by the Shandong family, the prince could do nothing for him for a while, but what would the Cheng family do after his death?
The liquidation from the emperor is always late, never absent...
Seeing the prince's guard of honor, surrounded by imperial guards, moving further and further towards Baqiao, and feeling anxious in his heart, his own soldiers came to report, and Zhang Xingcheng asked to see him...
Cheng Yaojin returned to the big tent and asked someone to bring Zhang Xingcheng to him. The latter was in a hurry and covered with dust. As soon as they met, he said: "Everyone has discussed the decision. Please hold the troops temporarily. If Li Ji is ambitious and sends troops to attack Chang'an, then
Seize the Chunming Gate before the prince returns to the city, decide the prince's retreat, force him to agree to the terms of each family, and then let him return to the city, help him defend Chang'an, and defeat the Eastern Expedition army; if Li Ji surrenders to the East Palace before the battle, we will immediately
Withdraw your troops, swear allegiance to the prince, and support him as emperor!"
"What?!"
Cheng Yaojin's eyes widened with disbelief on his face: "Are those old guys stupid or crazy? Li Ji has hundreds of thousands of elites under his command. If he attacks Chang'an, even if all the troops may not obey his orders, they will be enough to conquer Chang'an in one fell swoop. We
If we then defend Chang'an and fight against them, wouldn't it be self-destruction?"
Do you really think that the hundreds of thousands of imperial elites under Li Ji's command are just like the rabble in Guanlong? If Li Ji didn't care about imitating the Yuwen culture of the past just to have the emperor's addiction for a while, and not because of the subsequent backlash from the world, he could have rushed to Chang'an to change the dynasty.
No one can stop it!
Not only is his Zuowu Guard incompetent, but Fang Jun's Right Tun Guard is also incompetent!
Zhang Xingcheng, however, did not take it seriously and said calmly: "No matter how confused the heads of the families are, how can they not know the principle of hitting an egg against a stone and using a mantis' arm as a chariot? Duke Lu, please relax, he will not fight to the death with Li Ji."
Cheng Yaojin nodded, understanding that this was some kind of deal that the Shandong family had secretly reached with Li Ji...
But he immediately shook his head again: "We can't capture Chunming Gate and cut off the prince's retreat! Thousands of people from the East Palace and six soldiers are defending the city, and there are Youtun guards below the city to assist. Do you really think that I can't do it with only three heads and six arms? I can't fight, I can't fight.
Do not move!"
Zhang Xingcheng said curiously: "The Sixth Army of the East Palace has been in battle for a long time and is already exhausted. Until now, it has not been rested and replenished. How much combat strength is left? The right guard is powerful, but the Chunming Gate only has more than 10,000 people stationed there. The left guard is
A thunderous strike with the power of the entire military guard army will surely defeat them in one fell swoop.”
"Mother..."
Cheng Yaojin laughed angrily, glanced sideways at Zhang Xingcheng, and asked: "After all, this Shandong family's plan for the next hundred years is all relying on me to fight for life and death alone? No other support is needed.
No?"
Zhang Xingcheng was a little embarrassed. He also knew that what the Shandong family did was unethical, so he handed over his hands and said apologetically: "Duke Lu should know that it is difficult for each family. Since the end of the Sui Dynasty, there have been scuffles in various parts of Shandong. Each family has suffered heavy losses and their vitality has been severely damaged. After entering the Tang Dynasty, they were suppressed by Guanlong.
It is getting worse. Although I want to provide more support to Duke Lu now, my strength is limited and I am more than willing but not strong enough. But please rest assured, Duke Lu, the losses you have suffered today will be compensated tenfold when the success is achieved in the future.
Don’t break your promise!”
Cheng Yaojin sneered and said: "Just draw a big pie and let me lead my men to fight for their lives through fire and water?"
Zhang Xingcheng smiled bitterly and said patiently: "The current situation is like this. As long as Lu Guogong works hard, every family in Shandong will give generous rewards."
Cheng Yaojin shook his head and sighed, saying: "It's not that I don't want to fight hard, but is fighting hard to be useful? Although the right guard only has half an army, it is this half of the army that defeated 60,000 to 70,000 people from the left guard and the royal coalition.
Damn it, the commanders of the two armies were captured alive. You actually think that I can successfully defeat them and capture Chunming Gate? You think too highly of me, but I can't do it. Remember, it's not that I don't do it, but that I can't do it.
Come on! Even if I have a narrow escape, I will still fight once, but a fool will not do it if there is no chance of death!"
After talking about it, his voice turned serious.
Zhang Xingcheng's face was gloomy and very ugly.
She didn't think that the Zuo Wuwei could not defeat half of the Youtun Guards and the East Palace Sixth Army to seize the Chunming Gate in a desperate battle, so she naturally took it as an excuse for Cheng Yaojin not to go all out. But Cheng Yaojin was extremely important to the Shandong family at the moment.
It was definitely not possible to fall out, and he didn't even dare to yell. He could only hold back his anger and said in a deep voice: "What should Lu Guogong do?"
Cheng Yaojin walked a few steps in the tent with his hands behind his back, thought for a while, and said: "It is definitely not possible to attack the Youtun Guards. This army built by Fang Er is too powerful, and they are all arrogant soldiers from top to bottom.
A mighty general, who dares to say he will win? This is even when he is short of firearms. If he has enough firearms, just dozens of artillery can make any army in the world fall into disarray when confronting him! Now!
The situation is worse than calm. We should wait for Li Ji's response to the prince, and then we will act accordingly."
This is the safest approach. It can control the army to express its attitude of supporting the Shandong family without turning against the three armies of Dong Gong, Fang Jun and Li Ji. It can ensure that he will have enough room for maneuver in the future.
But for the Shandong family, they are definitely not satisfied...
Zhang Xingcheng reminded: "No matter what, the British Duke is still the flag of the Shandong family in the DPRK. Once the situation stabilizes, the British Duke's status and power will increase. It will be really difficult for you, Lu Guogong, to seek more."
The value is reflected in the degree of scarcity. The current purpose of the Shandong Aristocratic Family is to use Cheng Yaojin to put pressure on Li Ji, so that he will not dare to completely violate the will of the Shandong Aristocratic Family and form his own faction, completely dividing the Shandong Aristocratic Family. But if we wait until the overall situation It has been decided that whether Li Ji makes peace with Dong Gong or storms Chang'an City in a violent uprising, how can Cheng Yaojin influence the outcome?
Since you can't decide the outcome, what value do you have to the Shandong family?
Without value, why should Shandong Family spend resources to support you and obtain huge returns?
Unexpectedly, Cheng Yaojin was unmoved, shaking his head and saying: "I like beautiful women with wealth and silk, and I even prefer high-ranking officials with generous salaries, but if I exchange everything I have now, what's the point?"
What he needs to consider now is not how to seize greater benefits, but how to be as stable as Mount Tai, so that when drastic changes are about to occur, he will not use the lives of his soldiers to earn chips for the Shandong family, so that they can gain a head start in negotiations with Li Ji. machine.
The overwhelming power is tempting, but the prerequisite is to protect the combat power of Zuo Wuwei under his command. Without Zuo Wuwei, what would Cheng Yaojin be like? I'm afraid the Shandong family wouldn't even bother to look at him!
The situation is chaotic, and the only one who has soldiers is the grass-headed king...
Zhang Xingcheng had no choice but to let Cheng Yaojin make his own decisions.
In fact, he also criticized the decision of the heads of families in Shandong to "take millet from the fire". He probably left the central government for too long, dominated the local area, and acted unscrupulously, which fostered a rebellious mentality. Never take the heroes of the world into consideration. The Guanlong rebellion and the chaos in Guanzhong will be regarded as the huge changes in the power structure of the empire during the "Xuanwumen Incident". The Shandong family can rely on the foundation of decades of recuperation and health gathering to make a breakthrough Entering the dynasty, grabbing maximum profits, recreating the story of Guanlong back then, taking charge of the political power from then on, and even being able to influence the emperor's will, thereby washing away all the humiliation suffered when compiling the "Chronicles of the Clan", and allowing the Shandong family to return The order of the best families in the world...
But how is it possible?
Zhang Xingcheng also wanted to shout out to those old guys who are aging but still control the lifeblood of Shandong aristocratic families: Times have changed!
Although His Majesty Li Er has passed away outside the capital, this will inevitably trigger a fight for the throne, which will lead to changes in central power. Shandong and Jiangnan clans will take advantage of the situation to enter the court and replace Guanlong's position, but that's all.
No matter whether the prince or other princes ascend to the throne, they will not allow the monopoly of power to occur again. The clans in Shandong and Jiangnan restrain each other, and Guan Long intervenes as a restraint. This is a power structure that can be recognized by all parties. It is particularly important. What is surprising is that the imperial military now stands side by side. There are mainstays such as Zhenguan ministers like Li Ji, young nobles like Fang Jun, rising stars, and famous royal generals like Li Xiaogong and Li Daozong. Even Li Ji cannot suppress them. It is absolutely impossible for all parties to unify the military power, and it is absolutely impossible to reproduce the situation in which the Guanlong army powerfully crushed all parties in the army.
The reason why Guanlong is in such a state of decline and ruin today is precisely because the army it controlled quickly degenerated after Zhenguan, and became decayed in just more than ten years, making it difficult to support its political power over the world...
It is difficult for both the military and the political parties to have a dominant power. If any party covets the power and monopolizes power, it will be besieged by the other parties. Not only will it be impossible to achieve anything, but it will even be overturned if it is not careful. To attack and eat the prey...