Li Ji slowly sipped his wine and pondered for a long time before he exhaled and said slowly: "I have no passion for power."
Fang Jun sneered when others said this, but Fang Jun believed what Li Ji said.
When Fang Xuanling retired from office and the position of Prime Minister and Assistant was vacant, His Majesty Li Er ordered Li Ji to take over. Li Ji refused several times and refused. Finally, His Majesty Li Er forced him to retreat and had no choice but to take over.
Even so, he did not install cronies and hold power like others, nor did he work hard to govern and work hard at night. Instead, he was just a monk clocking the clock, muddle along, and get along as well as he could...
Throughout the ages, as a prime minister, this has never been the case.
It can be seen that not only was Li Ji not keen on the power brought by the Prime Minister, but he even regarded the position of Prime Minister as a scourge and avoided it...
Fang Jun toasted, and then said calmly: "The position of prime minister not only represents the overwhelming power, but also means unparalleled responsibility and responsibility. The emperor relies on it as his heart and humerus, and the common people regard him as his food, clothing, and parents. He can put what he has learned in his life into practice." Work for the welfare of the common people instead of wasting your life and doing nothing. Only when you die and look back at your life will you not regret and sigh."
People should have ambitions in life. As long as they work hard for it, even if they cannot achieve it, their life will not be wasted.
On the contrary, even if there is glory and wealth, the bells are ringing and the food is eaten, and eventually a handful of loess disappears into smoke, what's the point?
Li Ji fell into deep thought.
It's not that no one has said this to him, and it's not that he doesn't understand it himself, but it's unprecedented for Fang Jun to speak like this.
How could a man as powerful and favored as he be without ambition?
only……
He sighed softly and said slowly: "The moon waxes and wanes, and the water overflows. My blessings and misfortunes are certainly insignificant, but if this affects my descendants and brings disaster to the clan, how can I feel at ease?"
People cannot be too selfish, let alone ignore the life and death of those around them in order to satisfy their own ambitions.
The road to power is full of thorns and spikes. While the glory is great, it is also dripping with blood. Especially when the power reaches its peak, there is no room for change between the prime minister and the imperial power. In the past, they cherished each other and cherished each other. Support will no longer exist, only collisions amid day after day suspicion and precaution.
That's not what Li Ji wants to pursue.
And this statement also expressed his wishes to Fang Jun and Li Chengqian behind him: I have no intention of wielding power, and I am even willing to taint myself for it, and I will not hesitate to cause the king's suspicion and anger, just to take a step back and protect the king and his ministers. friendship.
If the moon is not full, it will not lose; if the water is not full, it will not overflow.
As for the throne, he is even less willing to participate. Anyway, it is all about choosing one of the former emperor's sons. You guys have to fight among yourself. Whoever takes the throne will be supported by me...
Fang Jun was speechless.
This is simply the ultimate embodiment of the Tang Dynasty version of "lying flat"...
However, although the purpose of lobbying was not achieved, he also learned that Li Ji would not support the King of Jin, which was not unacceptable to Li Chengqian. Li Ji did not want to stand on the top and quarrel with the king, so he was willing to take a step back. , you can’t be aggressive and kill everyone, right?
Fang Jun nodded: "My uncle is one of the few smart people in the world. Although he doesn't understand the general situation, he knows how to advance and retreat. My nephew will forward these words to your majesty and elaborate on my uncle's difficulties. Your majesty is merciful and will help my uncle in the future." The painstaking efforts and lonely achievements.”
As the number one person in the military, Li Ji had unparalleled prestige and influence. As long as he did not support the King of Jin against Zhengshuo, any king would tolerate and understand him.
As for him not wanting to be an extremely popular minister, he was willing not to express his position in the struggle for the throne... At least a king like Li Chengqian had absolutely nothing to do with him.
As long as you're not on the hostile side, that's fine.
After understanding Li Ji's thoughts and indirectly receiving Li Ji's promise, Fang Jun put the matter aside and discussed military aspects with Li Ji.
While the two were drinking, Fang Jun said, "What do you think, uncle, of the government military system and the recruitment system?"
Li Ji took a mouthful of food, chewed it, swallowed it, and after Fang Jun's toast, he picked up the cup and took a sip. He thought about it carefully and said, "You want to promote the recruitment system of Youtun Guards and the Navy to the whole country?" military?"
Fang Jun said: "That's true. The government army system and the recruitment system each have their own advantages and disadvantages. The advantage of the former is that they can farm in their spare time and go on expeditions in wartime. At the extreme, all the people can be soldiers, which saves the country a lot of military expenses. It can also be exempted from paying taxes and corvees, and the morale of the army is very high. The disadvantage is that the soldiers have to serve for a long time to guard the border, which delays the farming and seriously affects the development of the economy. The advantage of the latter is that the soldiers serve for a long time and can accept the most Sophisticated training has maximized combat effectiveness. The disadvantage is that military expenditures have increased significantly. Although the world is not stable and the world is at peace now, there are fewer and fewer border wars. If we still maintain a huge number of troops, we must It will lead to a slow recovery of the domestic economy. Why not abolish the Sixteenth Guards and the border troops in large numbers, and replace them with more elite professional troops? In this way, the military's combat power will not be reduced, but it will allow more people to live in the country. Specializing in agriculture and commerce, the economy has developed rapidly."
Li Ji frowned and picked up the wine glass. When he saw Fang Jun coming over to raise the glass, he subconsciously touched it. Then he woke up and glared at Fang Jun angrily, but he could only drink the wine in the glass.
Everyone knows that Fang Jun drinks like an ocean, and anyone who gets drunk by him will never end well, so he just drinks his own. If he clinks glasses with Fang Jun and drinks them all, he will probably die of drunkenness...
Seeing Fang Jun filling up the wine glass again, he didn't stop him. With his current identity, status, power, and the situation he was in, it was really rare for him to have someone he could drink with without any precautions.
Whether it is the government army system or the army recruitment system, they have been carried out alternately from ancient times to the present. None of them is truly orthodox. They are just adapted to the times and local conditions.
Whichever one is more in line with the current situation will be adopted.
Since the implementation of the imperial army system in the Northern Wei Dynasty, it has greatly covered up the shortcomings of the sparse population and insufficient military strength of the Northern Wei Dynasty, allowing all the people to become soldiers and improve their combat power. It was then inherited by the Guanlong nobles, and finally created the Sui and Tang dynasties in succession, occupied the center of power, and aspired to the throne. In the world, the Guanlong nobles suddenly became the top nobles in the world.
So now Fang Jun wants to reform the military system, and Li Ji is very clear about it. On the one hand, if the soldiers are good but not too many, they can liberate more people to develop the economy, and on the other hand, they can cut off the foundation of power control by powerful families since the Sui and Tang Dynasties.
When the military power was vested in the central government, no matter how well-trained the noble families were in Confucian classics and had strong financial resources, they would not be able to influence the government as before, and they would even depose kings and change dynasties.
So after just a brief thought, Li Ji knew that this was the general trend. No matter what he said, what the courtiers said, or what the people of the world said, it could not be changed.
The stability of the imperial power is a good thing for the country and the people. However, even a wise and powerful man like His Majesty Li Er was able to ascend to the position and dominate the world with the support of the Guanlong clan, so he had to accept the constraints of the Guanlong clan and wanted to withdraw. Power was unavailable, so he finally made up his mind to suppress Guanlong and weaken the family, and then the Guanlong rebellion ushered in.
Now that the court situation is in turmoil, the original imperial power structure is in chaos, Guanlong is weak, and the clans in Shandong and Jiangnan are more likely to face a traumatic defeat. It is a great opportunity for the central government to take over power. Like Cen Wenwen, How could one miss such an outstanding person like Fang Jun?
Of course, the recruitment system is indeed more suitable for the future of the empire. Abolition of the government military system and restoration of the recruitment system can be said to kill two birds with one stone.
There is no reason to object.
After thinking about it carefully, Li Ji said solemnly: "The military system is indeed not conducive to the country's economy. If you want to make the country strong and the people rich, the military recruitment system is a good way. But you have to know that freezing three feet is not a day's cold. From the Northern Wei Dynasty to the present , the government military system has been developed for more than a hundred years and has penetrated into all aspects of the empire. Its influence is huge and its foundation is far-reaching and cannot be underestimated. This matter must be done step by step and cannot be done boldly and rashly, otherwise it will inevitably cause a backlash from all parties. Once the situation is repeated, The political situation is turbulent and the gains outweigh the losses."
Any system must be protected by those with vested interests. Anyone who wants to change it will inevitably suffer backlash.
At present, the Guanlong clan is almost useless, and the clans in Shandong and Jiangnan are also very likely to suffer heavy losses. However, the so-called centipede is dead but not dead. These clans have been entrenched in all parties for hundreds or even hundreds of years. They have long been entrenched. How can they be destroyed in an instant? Will it wither and wither?
Once it initiates a backlash, it will be overwhelming and earth-shattering.
Fang Jun nodded repeatedly, looked at Li Ji, and said: "This is a big matter, so I dare not touch it without permission, but once it is completed, it will definitely be a feat that will last forever. As the head of the prime minister, my uncle has unparalleled prestige in the military. We should lead the reform and create the foundation for a century of prosperity."
Li Ji was silent.
It is true that he does not care about fame, fortune, or power, but in the face of such an eternal achievement, can he really remain indifferent?
But once he participates in the reform of the military system, he will definitely become the leader of this matter. When it is completed, won't it be another great achievement?
This is contrary to the original intention that he tried to avoid...