Li Zhi thought for a while and became very troubled: "As you said, Prince Hejian is very loyal to his father, and he doesn't have many opinions on who the throne will be. He will probably support whoever his father chooses... However, the Prince of Hejian County has a close relationship with Fang Jun. The two have many business contacts and interests. Even the Jiangnan Shipyard, which monopolizes the construction of Tang Dynasty ships, is owned by both of them, so they will definitely be influenced by Fang Jun. And Fang Jun is on good terms with the King of Wei... Will this make the King of Hejian County prefer the King of Wei?"
Xiao Yu frowned and said nothing, feeling a little unsure in his heart.
Li Xiaogong is indeed loyal to His Majesty and will resolutely support whoever Your Majesty appoints as his heir; but with Li Xiaogong's prestige and influence within the clan, His Majesty Li Er will definitely pay attention to Li Xiaogong's opinions.
Before the reserve position has been decided, Li Xiaogong does have the ability to influence His Majesty Li Er...
*****
The drizzle was falling, and people from all over Guanzhong had just stabilized after receiving timely assistance from Jingzhao Mansion and other yamen, and they hurriedly opened up fields and cultivated in the fields in the rain.
It’s too late for crops like rice and corn, but at least we can still plant some potatoes, peanuts and other crops to harvest before autumn. Then we can sow a season of winter wheat, and then use the food donated by the court to survive the winter. If it’s still later, In a few months, I am afraid that the entire Guanzhong will have nothing to gain this year...
In the evening, the sky was gloomy, and a dusty motorcade crossed the makeshift Zhongwei Bridge in the rain. The windows of the carriages surrounding it were opened, and Li Xiaogong, who looked tired, looked at the busy people in the fields on both sides of the official road. , and the road that had been trampled by the cavalry and was full of pits and had not yet been restored, I couldn't help but feel worried.
A military revolt swept almost the entire Guanzhong into it. Even though the Gyeonggi area is so fertile and has a large population, it is still difficult to recover. This shows how urgent the current situation will be...
And when Fang Jun led his army thousands of miles to aid the East Palace, he fought several battles with the Guanlong army whose strength was ten times his own, and finally came back and won, which shocked him even more.
It is a law that talents will emerge from generation to generation, but the rapid growth rate of a young general still puts him, a veteran on the battlefield and the first commander-in-chief of the clan, under great pressure.
Innovating through the old, survival of the fittest, I don’t know when these Zhenguan ministers will completely give up their dominant position, and the situation in the court will be controlled by young people...
The convoy did not stop all the way, crossing the Weishui River directly through the temporary Zhongwei Bridge, crossing the flat area in the north of Chang'an and arriving at the Jinguang Gate. Following the cavalry on the left and right, someone rode up and handed a seal from the Hejian County Prince's Palace. The soldiers who were guarding the city, the latter verified that it was correct, quickly returned it with both hands, led their colleagues to retreat aside, and bowed to watch the motorcade drive into the city gate.
In the light rain, the motorcade entered the city and stopped outside Chengtian Gate.
Li Xiaogong got off the carriage, and the soldiers held up an umbrella to cover the rain. He looked up at Chengtianmen, which was still being rebuilt even if it rained, and felt deep in his heart.
Of course, there were many dangers in going out to control Hexi this time, and we almost failed to win, but Chang'an City was even more magnificent, with life and death on the line, especially when Fang Jun first sent half of the right garrison to control Hexi and defeated the tens of thousands of fine cavalry that Tuyuhun had accumulated for many years, and then Continuously defeated the Turks and the cannibals' ambushes, and then went straight into the Western Region to confront the 200,000 food-eaters' army. They won the first battle and completely defeated the invading invaders.
After that, without having time to rest and recuperate, he rushed thousands of miles to fight his way back to Chang'an from the Western Regions, defeated the Guanlong army that was ten times larger than his own, and held the sky to protect him and help the country...
After this battle, although Fang Jun's military qualifications were not as good as those of Li Xiaogong, his prestige was not inferior at all. He was already the well-deserved number one of the new generation, and no one could challenge his status.
Coupled with the loyal generals and subordinates under his command such as Su Dingfang, Xue Rengui, Liu Rengui, etc., he has formed the foundation of a dominant force, and he is like one of the military bosses.
But at this time, His Majesty Li Er insisted on deposing the Prince of the East Palace who he fully supported...
Li Xiaogong sighed, worried, turned to the people around him and said: "Transport everything back to the mansion, inform the king of the news of my return to the capital, and wait until I have an audience with your majesty, and then return to the mansion for a reunion."
"Here!"
Bu Qu obeyed the order and left with the convoy to return to the mansion, leaving more than twenty cavalry to guard him.
Li Xiaogong had just arrived at the Chengtian Gate. The guarding captain did not dare to neglect and hurriedly entered the palace to report. After a while, he turned around and was summoned by His Majesty...
After entering the palace, you can see all kinds of building materials, wood, bricks and stones covered with raincloths. Almost every palace and palace has traces of damage after the war. It can be seen how fierce and cruel the fierce battle in Taiji Palace was. This place in the heart of the Tang Dynasty was almost destroyed.
When they arrived outside the Wude Hall, the servant came in to greet him. He returned after a while and bowed to invite Li Xiaogong to come in.
…
It was raining today, and the light in the palace was a little dim. After the monarch and his ministers greeted each other, His Majesty Li Er stood up and took Li Xiaogong to the floor mat by the window of the side hall. He ordered the servants to serve him some fragrant tea and then dismissed him, leaving only the monarch and his ministers sitting across from each other.
His Majesty Li Er took a sip of tea from his tea cup, looked at Li Xiaogong and said, "I transferred you back to Chang'an. Do you know why?"
Li Xiaogong did not pretend to be confused. He nodded and said: "If you can guess a thing or two, please let your highness know clearly."
His Majesty Li Er put down his tea cup, rubbed his brows, and said in a deep voice: "The situation is tense right now, and various forces are fighting each other. It is not ruled out that there will be conflicts. I want you to sit in the capital and help me stabilize the clan. No matter what the situation, The clan must be united and cannot go against my wishes."
The army is an artifact of the country, but the prerequisite for stabilizing the army must be to stabilize the clan.
Until the last moment, we will never know the close connection between a certain clan and a certain army...
Li Xiaogong stood up, knelt on one knee, and performed military salutes as he did when he followed His Majesty Li Er in the Southern and Northern Wars. His tone was sonorous and his expression was resolute: "I swear to be loyal to Your Majesty to the death, and I will do my best to maintain the stability of the clan. If there is any mistake, I am willing to seek death penalty!" "
"Hey, why is this necessary? Get up quickly."
His Majesty Li Er helped Li Xiaogong up with a pleasant look, took his hand and sat down again, and poured him tea with his own hands...
Ordinarily, with Li Xiaogong's prestige, merits and status, the position of Da Zongzheng belongs to him. For the purpose of checks and balances, the official position of Da Zongzheng was awarded to King Li Yuanjia of Han after he came to the throne. But now at a critical moment, it must be Only with Li Xiaogong in charge could he, the emperor, feel completely at ease.
In comparison, King Han was still too kind and easy-going, but not decisive enough in critical moments...
The two of them were sipping tea, and His Majesty Li Er smiled and talked about the past when he was in the army and fought in the north and south. He was filled with infinite pride, which made Li Xiaogong put aside the distinction between monarch and minister, and echoed from time to time.
After a long while, His Majesty Li Er put down his tea cup and asked casually: "What do you think about the ownership of the reserve?"
Li Xiaogong was immediately alert and said hurriedly: "Your Majesty speaks of the Constitution of Heaven and makes decisions arbitrarily. No matter what decision he makes, I will support you firmly."
The establishment of a prince certainly means a change of power, and it is easy to gain huge benefits from it, but it also hides countless dangers, and catastrophe is always imminent.
He has reached the end of his title as a county king. He is neither a sibling of the emperor nor a prince. How can he still covet the further title of prince?
In terms of title, he cannot be promoted; in terms of merit, he has already surpassed his master in meritorious deeds.
If you still don't know how to satisfy yourself and want more, that is the way to die...
Therefore, he had already made up his mind about Yi Chu. He would do whatever His Majesty Li Er said. He would follow His Majesty's wishes wholeheartedly and never be half-hearted or covetous.
His Majesty Li Er shook his head and sighed, and said: "You, you, when you were the commander-in-chief, you were also decisive in killing and marching forward indomitably. I understand the meaning of hiding one's strength and biding time in these years, but how can you become so timid? At present, the court and the clan, If there is one person I can trust completely, it is you, so there is no need to be so hesitant and cautious."
An old minister with a distinguished status and outstanding achievements like Li Xiaogong, who has long since had no desires and desires, is the person he can trust the most at the moment.
Li Xiaogong said respectfully: "Although Yi Chu is a state matter, it is also a family matter. Your Majesty can make your own decision, and it is not convenient for others to comment."
His Majesty Li Er was sipping his teacup and said helplessly: "The palms and backs of your hands are all flesh, so it's really difficult to make the best of both worlds."
Li Xiaogong didn't say anything, but he felt a little slanderous in his heart.
What does "the palms and backs of your hands are full of flesh"? King Wei and King Jin are your sons, aren't the princes? At the moment you are only thinking about how to choose between King Wei and King Jin, but why don't you think about once you become the prince? What kind of situation will you face if you are deposed?
Of course, he also understood that as an emperor and a national leader, he should not only think about the relationship between father and son, the grace of blood, but also the interests of the empire, and his personal emotions could only be put aside. Since His Majesty is not optimistic about the prince's ability to become a An excellent emperor will continue the prosperous age of Zhenguan, and Yi Chu has no choice but to...
In short, I will do whatever His Majesty orders me to do, and I will definitely not have any thoughts or actions in Yichu.
His Majesty Li Er looked at Li Xiaogong with lowered eyebrows and lowered his eyes without saying a word. It was obvious that he was not prepared to express his opinion on this matter, so he could only shake his head helplessly.
He is really worried now and is quite in a dilemma.
Now there are various signs that the clans in Shandong and Jiangnan are not clear with the King of Jin. Once they are completely on the side of the King of Jin, and the King of Wei wants to fight for it, the confrontation can only rely on the former subordinate officials of the East Palace. This is the result of this situation. , either the prince died violently and the East Palace faction was leaderless, or the prince hid behind King Wei and waited until the day King Wei came to the throne to cause trouble.
On the contrary, if the King of Jin becomes the prince, the powerful families in Jiangnan and Shandong will become the stable cornerstone of the future court, ensuring a smooth transition of imperial power and minimizing the internal friction caused by the change of imperial power.
Therefore, establishing the King of Jin as the crown prince may be the safest approach at the moment.
However, the King of Wei was old and had a certain degree of prestige in the clan, the court and even among the people. How could it go smoothly if he suddenly "abolished the elders and established the younger ones"?
The monarch and his ministers were silent for a long time.