Li Xiaogong looked at the wailing imperial relatives and the majestic palace behind the curtain of rain. His thoughts seemed to follow the falling rain back to the past, where he fought side by side with His Majesty and swept through the princes from all sides. The iron horse moved forward indomitably. era.
And with the death of His Majesty Li Er, the huge empire created by Zhenguan ministers was in danger of collapse at its peak...
If Li Ji remains neutral, even if a war for the throne does break out, the scope can be narrowed as much as possible to Guanzhong or even Chang'an City; if Li Ji falls to either side, it will inevitably turn into a massive turmoil sweeping the entire empire. ——As Li Ji himself said, the battle for reserves will not be limited to the competition for reserves. The party with the advantage will take advantage of the situation to eliminate dissidents.
Regardless of the prince or the king of Jin, supporters are all over the world. The balance is instantly broken. What follows is the east wind overwhelming the west wind. The foundation of the entire empire will be crumbling in the wind and rain...
Of course, this is just what Li Ji said. Only God knows what he thinks in his heart.
Which one is better? In his eagerness, Li Xiaogong did not dare to make a decision on his own, so he had to say: "Everyone has their own opinions on this matter, and it is difficult to decide at the moment. Let me follow Maogong's opinion and prepare for His Majesty's funeral first. After all, We must go all out and make no mistakes, otherwise how can we repay His Majesty for so many years of kindness? We will make a decision after the funeral."
Li Jidao: "This is good, as it can provide sufficient preparation space and ease the tense situation of all parties. This may be able to avoid this war for reserves."
Li Xiaogong paused and said, "For now, that's all we can do. I have something else to do, so I'll leave first."
Li Ji bowed and said: "We rely on the county king as the commander-in-chief. You can imagine how exhausted we are. Please take care of yourself. Above the court and within the clan, you also need the king's leadership to support the overall situation."
"Don't dare. I have not been involved in government affairs for many years. Mr. Mao, you are the chief minister. Of course it is you who makes the decision on these matters. It would be fine if you let me run the errands and contribute."
"The prince is humble. You are the leader of the clan. The head of all the kings is the pillar of the empire."
"Mao Gong praised me so much that I can't bear it..."
After exchanging pleasantries, Li Xiaogong walked out of the rain corridor. Immediately, someone came forward with a huge oil-paper umbrella to protect him from the wind and rain. They protected him and walked around the relatives of the emperor who were kneeling on the ground crying in front of the hall, and walked quickly into the main hall.
Li Ji was still standing in the rain corridor with his hands behind his hands, looking calm.
A conversation between the two is really necessary. After all, as the leaders of the court and the clan respectively, once the two of them reach an agreement, it will be difficult for even the prince and the king of Jin to overturn it. Perhaps the inevitable battle for the throne will be over. Even in death, the imperial power can be smoothly transferred.
However, the two have an extreme lack of trust, and naturally have no basis for working together. This not only involves which prince their respective ideas tend to support, but also who is the leader and who is second, and who can take the dominant position in the cooperation. Get more benefits.
In fact, who among the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty was not like this?
Perhaps only Fang Jun, who participated in the fight for the reserve when he should not have done so, was more pure, because at that time, participating in the fight for the reserve not only failed to maximize the interests, but also made him jealous and alienated by His Majesty Li Er. Suppression, resulting in huge losses.
Not to mention losing the post of Minister of War, just in that battle, facing the Guanlong army that was dozens of times larger than his own, he defended the empire Zhengshuo to the death and supported the crown prince. What he did was beyond the reach of others.
Li Ji couldn't help but sigh deeply when he thought about the stabbing.
Compared to Fang Junzhi, how could he not only be inferior to Fang Junzhi? However, as the head of the Prime Minister and the nominal leader of the military, the interests involved were too many and too intricate to be separated, so how could he do it? How could Fang Jun and his gang not care about it and just let their passion make them enemies of His Majesty and the nobles of the world?
He stepped into the wind and rain, and his own soldiers held up umbrellas to cover his head, but his heart felt heavy and breathless.
This majestic and majestic palace represents the supreme imperial power of the Tang Empire, but now it is shrouded in the cold wind and rain. The civil and military ministers who had previously sworn loyalty to His Majesty had tears of sorrow on their faces, and some How many eyes are filled with joy?
So what if he is a loyal minister?
No matter how wise and wise the emperor is, it only lasts for a few decades and his soul disappears. Who else will keep the oath of allegiance he made before?
In this splendid court, all the princes have wiped away the paintings and stripped off their clothes. The souls inside are just walking corpses built by interests...
In this highest structure of power in the world, all right and wrong, good and evil, right and wrong have disappeared, and only the word "interest" remains.
*****
The emperor's funeral was a major event that caused the earth to collapse. All the emperor's relatives and important officials from the imperial court entered the palace one after another. Officials from the Ministry of Rites and Zongzheng Temple organized the funeral ceremony. Therefore, although the imperial court has not officially announced the death of His Majesty Li Er to the world, the news It was leaked and most people in the city already knew about it.
During the heavy rain, although there were soldiers guarding the gates of every neighborhood and not allowing residents to go out unless necessary, the people still knelt in the courtyards of their homes and in the streets, burning paper money and offerings under umbrellas and raincloths. Pay homage to the emperor.
The common people are grateful that His Majesty Li Er has been diligent and caring for the people since he came to the throne, and all industries have prospered, making the world stable and living in peace and contentment. They are also worried about whether the new emperor can continue the old regime after he ascends the throne and whether life will continue to be stable... With mixed feelings, they cry The sound was so continuous that even the thunder and rain could not cover it up. The whole city of Chang'an was filled with sorrow and sorrow in the wind and rain.
Cheng Yaojin received the news as soon as possible and hurriedly gathered the generals to raise his tent. With tears in his eyes, he first knelt down with the generals toward the palace to perform military salutes, then stood up, glared at everyone, and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, your Majesty has done a great job, and the whole world is united. Sadly, this is the time for our soldiers to strictly observe military discipline, protect the country, and do their best to serve! Send my military order and immediately take over the defense of the four gates. When entering or exiting the city, you must have a survey document issued by Jingzhao Mansion. If anyone breaks through the gate by force, he will be arrested on the spot. , I don’t care whether he is an important minister or a relative of the emperor, whoever dares to resist will be killed without mercy!"
"promise!"
The generals agreed with a roar.
The army should show toughness at this time, otherwise it will not be able to stabilize the situation. How can it become the mainstay? Military orders are like mountains. Only by not being selfish or showing mercy can we guard the country like mountains.
At this time, every soldier acted according to military orders, killed decisively, and ignored life and death, because they knew that they were the last barrier to the stability of the country.
The generals rushed out of the Central Army's tent, jumped on their horses one after another, ignoring the wind and rain, and each led his soldiers to rush towards the assigned city gates. The sound of hoofbeats, thunder, and heavy rain poured down on the entire Chang'an city. Swords were drawn, and there was a killing spree.
…
Niu Jinda led his troops and the soldiers rushed eastward along Tianjie, leaving Yanximen, passing Buzhengfang, Pingkangfang, and arrived at Chunmingmen, where they were ordered to take over the defense.
The school captain guarding the city was in a state of distress. The troops of the right marquis outside the city arrived at the city gate in the rain. He had sent two groups of soldiers to warn the right marquis guard not to approach the city gate any further, but they turned a deaf ear. The school captain was helpless.
Yu Chigong, one of the big "bastards", is sitting in the Youhou Guards. Who dares to argue with him?
The captain who was milling around on the city tower was suddenly startled by the sound of horse hoofbeats in the rain. He ran to the battlements in three steps and leaned over to look outside the city. He didn't care that the rain had soaked his armor. He thought that Youhou
The guards launched a surprise attack to attack the city...but there was no trace of anyone under the city, and the vanguard of the right marquis guard was still dozens of feet away.
A soldier ran up from the city and shouted: "Report to the captain, Zuo Wuwei has been ordered to come and take over the city defense!"
"Take over the city defense?"
The captain was stunned at first, and then became furious: "Do these people really think that they have nothing to do with the king? There are no military orders outside the city to attack the city gate, but the people inside the city dare to take over the city defense... take over with a hammer! This Chang'an City is the capital of the capital.
I have never heard of an army controlling the city defense. It is simply ridiculous! Brothers, please unsheath your swords and cock your arrows. Wait for me to come down and see who dares to falsely pass on Duke Lu’s military orders. If he really dares to ignore military laws and not repent, I will take his crown.
Head!"
In the capital city of Chang'an, city defense is a top priority and has always been controlled by the emperor's cronies. However, even so, no one has ever been heard of being able to take over all the defense of Chang'an City alone - unless the emperor is tired of living and crooked, he dares to gather his own gate guards.
One person's hand.
This is a rule since ancient times.
He turned around and walked down the city, holding a sword in one hand. The soldiers who reported the news hurriedly followed him. After thinking about it, he whispered to dissuade him: "The captain should not be too angry. The person coming down from the city is Duke Langya..."
"Mom..." The captain mixed garlic at his feet and almost rolled down the steps on the side of the horse road to the city...
Who is Niu Jinda? Although he is the second-in-command of Zuo Wuwei, he is the only second-in-command among the sixteen who has been given the title of Duke. Moreover, he has a life-long friendship with the first-in-command Cheng Yaojin, and he can be entrusted with his wife and children.
Not only did he have great military exploits and great reputation, but the military almost unanimously believed that Niu Jinda would succeed Cheng Yaojin as General Zuowuwei in the future.
The key is that this guy has a hotter temper than Cheng Yaojin. Cheng Yaojin was a "bastard" while this one was a "violent". In his career, he defeated the enemy countless times and massacred the city, even killing prisoners a few times.
For making such a big mistake, when His Majesty generously rewarded Zhenguan ministers, a county prince might not be able to claim the merits of Niu Jinda, and maybe a duke who was behind the wheel might also be...
Such a murderous god, I actually wanted to take his head just now?
Niu Jinda must not be rebellious when he is praying to gods and worshiping Buddha. Otherwise, the first thing he would do would be to chop off the head of him, the city guard, in order to completely occupy Chunming Gate...
At the foot of the city, a group of soldiers stood in the wind and rain. Despite the thunder and lightning, their expressions remained unchanged and motionless. Niu Jinda sat upright on his horse, with rainwater pouring down from the edge of his bamboo hat and coir raincoat. He looked up at the towering Chunming Gate in front of him with a stern expression.