The concept and understanding of "country" is a very high-end knowledge in this era. It is difficult for ordinary people to understand its meaning. They often think that "the country is the king" and "the king is the country" are confused and difficult to distinguish from each other.
"Monarch, subject, father and son" are the principles of human ethics. No matter what, you cannot use your son to seek your father, or your ministers to seek the emperor. Although the idea of "the king tells the minister to die and the minister must die" has not yet appeared, the concept in the subconscious has gradually emerged.
In short, the monarch is the embodiment of the country. No matter what the circumstances, he cannot rebel or cause chaos, otherwise it will violate universal values...
Therefore, Fang Jun used a knife to cut open the "king and country", dividing it into two parts and treating them differently.
A social group formed by a group of people with the same language, culture, race, history, etc. coming together is called a "country". The main body of a "country" is the "people". As long as the people pass on from generation to generation and the bloodline reproduces,
If culture has a long history and will never be cut off, then the "country" will always exist.
As for the monarch, it doesn’t matter whoever becomes the monarch...
Therefore, when the interests of the monarch conflict with the interests of the country, the interests of the country must come first.
Fang Jun ate some food and drank some wine, and said concisely and concisely: "The interests of the country are above all else."
Li Daozong ate food and drank heavily, with a thoughtful expression on his face. After a long time, he slowly said: "When I was a child, I followed the late emperor and roamed Chang'an unruly all day long. When I got older, Emperor Gaozu Jin
As soon as the army was raised, I followed the late emperor to fight with his troops, fighting through bloody battles one after another, and conquered this huge country... In my heart, the late emperor is the sky, and the rest should prostrate at the feet of the late emperor."
The conflict of ideas cannot be distinguished in a few words, so Fang Jun avoids talking about it. While drinking, he talks about all kinds of unsavory rumors about Chang'an Xungui, as if a man of any status cannot avoid taking advantage of others when drinking in private.
Nasty teasing...
Fang Jun drank like an ocean, and Li Daozong was no less generous. The two of them drank the wine very happily. By the time the banquet was over, the sky was filled with colorful clouds and the setting sun was shining brightly.
Farewell to Li Daozong, Fang Jun entered Taiji Palace from Chongxuan Gate, followed the way back to Xuande Gate, called Cheng Wuting into the barracks, and ordered in a deep voice: "Let all the scouts out, and monitor them day and night.
Xuanwu Gate, if there is any trouble, report it immediately without delay. If the situation collapses due to negligence, do not use my military law to deal with it. You can commit suicide yourself and apologize."
"Is the Prince of Jiangxia County really going to rebel?"
Cheng Wu's eyes widened in disbelief.
Li Daozong is the most famous general in the clan after Li Xiaogong. He holds a high position and has a deep connection with the Li family in Longxi. If Li Daozong raises an army to rebel, it almost means that the entire Li family in Longxi has chosen the King of Jin and given up on his current majesty.
Moreover, Xuanwu Gate's strategic position is extremely important. Li Daozong's rebellion can directly attack Taiji Palace. If the five thousand people under his command cannot resist it, the consequences will be disastrous.
Fang Jun asked someone to make a pot of hot tea, took a sip of tea, and said calmly: "It's not certain yet, but there is definitely a risk. Maybe Li Daozong himself is hesitant and undecided. After all, this is an act to strangle the emperor Zhengshuo.
No matter what, it will make him infamous. It is hard to say whether it is worth it to give up his life's reputation for what he calls loyalty to the emperor and serving the country."
Although they had a drink with Li Daozong, the two of them had a tacit agreement not to talk about the safety of Xuanwu Gate. There was no need to talk about such things. The emperor's purpose of recruiting Youtun Guards to station at Xuande Gate was to suppress Xuanwu Gate. It was obvious.
Everyone understands it tacitly, but it won't end well if we talk it through.
But after testing each other, they have roughly understood each other's bottom line.
Fang Jun firmly supported Li Chengqian and did not care whether Li Chengqian was the late emperor's favored prince. As long as Li Chengqian had the right to fulfill his destiny, he would be the undisputed successor of the empire and the new generation of emperor.
Because only in this way can the political situation be stable, all industries prosper, and a prosperous age will come. Hundreds of millions of people can be supported in their old age, educated in their young, and the poor can be supported, and the poor can be helped.
Li Daozong, on the other hand, was loyal to the late emperor with all his heart, took the late emperor's will as his guideline, and was willing to go through fire and water in order to fulfill the late emperor's will. The rise and fall of the country, and the life and death of the people, could not compare with the late emperor's words.
Of course, Li Daozong did not say whether Li Zhi's retreat to Tongguan was in line with the late emperor's will...
Cheng Wuting nodded and said: "Don't worry, Commander, I will keep my eyes open even when I'm sleeping. I'm sure Li Daozong will be stared at to death."
Although the number of his subordinates is only 5,000, which is far less than the 10,000 elite forbidden troops that Li Daozong guards the Xuanwu Gate, and may even include the Zuotun Guards outside the Xuanwu Gate, their combat effectiveness is not weak at all, as long as they are not killed by Li Daozong in a surprise attack.
Palace, it will definitely be able to block it firmly within the Xuanwu Gate.
*****
Outside Xuanwu Gate, there is a guard camp on the right.
The golden setting sun finally disappeared under the mountains, the last ray of light on the horizon disappeared, and night enveloped the surrounding areas. Even the tall and majestic Xuanwu Gate Tower, which was extremely close, also disappeared into the vast sky, and gradually only an outline remained.
In the central military tent, Chai Zhewei, dressed in military uniform, sat in the middle. His younger brother Chai Lingwu, also in full armor, was accompanied by the Prime Minister.
The two brothers each occupied a table, but the sumptuous dishes on the table were quite unpalatable. Chai Lingwu shook his neck and felt uncomfortable being strangled by his armor. He simply stood up and untied the silk ribbon, which made him feel better, but his tone was extremely unpleasant.
: "Your Majesty is very sincere to Fang Er. Youtunwei has long been under the command of Li Daozong, but now he is forcibly requisitioning one part and assigning it to Fang Er, allowing him to regain military power. It is simply unreasonable."
Chai Zhewei glanced at him, chewed slowly, and reprimanded: "If you can bravely resist the Guanlong rebels while His Majesty is still the Crown Prince, and can unswervingly support His Majesty in the current situation, Your Majesty will also
You treat me with special eyes and entrust me with important tasks. There has never been anything for nothing in this world. Today's harvest lies in yesterday's farming. Since you have not taken the risk of your family being destroyed, why should you enjoy the power that Jian has in the emperor's heart?"
Chai Lingwu ate silently with his head down.
Everyone understands the truth, but jealousy is unreasonable. In the past, he and Fang Jun were both ungrateful and uneducated dandies who relied on their family background and their status as consorts to do whatever they wanted. Now Fang Jun is in the heart of the emperor and has great power.
There is a faint tendency to replace Li Ji as the military leader, but he, Chai Lingwu, has always been in the position of Taipusi Shaoqing. The gap between them is simply a world of difference. Who can bear this?
Chai Zhewei put down the bowl, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, and reminded: "Don't think about those little things. In the past, my brother neglected your future. From now on, I will serve as the deputy general in Zuotunwei, accumulate some merits, and then
Asking Princess Baling to go to His Majesty to beg softly will definitely give you a good future."
After a pause, he whispered again: "The second room looks like flowers and brocade, and the fire is cooking oil, but in fact it is full of dangers. If you are not careful, you will fall into a situation of eternal disaster. You don't need to be too jealous, the days are still long.
Just watch it quietly."
Chai Lingwu's eyes lit up: "Brother, what do you mean by this?"
Chai Zhewei pointed to the Xuanwumen gate tower with lanterns hung in the distance outside the window, and said slowly: "Your Majesty has recruited a unit of Youtun Guards to station in the Forbidden Garden outside Xuande Gate. His intention must be to suppress Li Daozong. It is obvious that Your Majesty has already
I no longer trust Li Daozong. With Li Daozong's status, power, ability, and his influence within the clan and the Li family in Longxi, once he rebels, the army can rush into Taiji Palace in an instant. How can Fang Jun's five thousand men be able to stop it?
Can you live with it? As long as His Majesty is defeated and Li Daozong welcomes the King of Jin back to the capital to ascend the throne, Fang Jun's fate is self-evident. He will either die to thank His Majesty for his kindness, or he will grovel and live in servility, but he can only be idle and completely destitute.
"
How did Chai Lingwu know that there was such a background in recruiting a unit of Youtun Guards to station at Xuandemen?
He quickly asked: "Then what should we do? When Li Daozong raises his troops to enter the Tai Chi Palace, he also raises his troops to respond and seize a share of the merit of following the dragon?"
According to my brother, as long as Li Daozong plots rebellion, the final winner will definitely be the Jinwang faction. At this time, if he leans over to hug his thigh, at least one of his achievements in following the dragon will be safe...
Chai Zhewei shook his head and asked his soldiers to remove the dishes and make a pot of tea. Chai Lingwu hurriedly stepped forward and poured a cup. Chai Zhewei took a sip from the tea cup and said slowly: "Don't worry, our family is also a Zhenguan minister after all.
, I also have a guard and horse in my hands, not to mention the lingering shadow of my mother... If my prediction is correct, someone should come to convince us, and we can negotiate a good price by then, and we can't suffer a loss."
For the Chai family, there is actually no difference between being loyal to His Majesty or to the King of Jin. After all, they are both the sons of Emperor Taizong and the nephews of their own mothers, so who should be different?
The most important thing is to sell it at a good price, eliminate the negative consequences of the previous defeat, and at the same time completely consolidate the foundation of the Chai family.
Thinking of this, he reminded Chai Lingwu: "Although you are now serving in the army and must abide by military regulations, you must always return home in your spare time. Don't let your highness the princess be left out in the cold."
Chai Lingwu blushed, feeling embarrassed and annoyed.
These words simply told him clearly that he should go back to the house frequently to keep an eye on Princess Baling, so as not to be taken advantage of by shameless people. As for who the shameless person is, it is self-evident...
In fact, ever since the last time Princess Baling came to the palace to intercede for Chai Zhewei, Chai Lingwu had already felt a strong sense of crisis. After all, Fang Jun was a "good princess" who was known to the public.
It's normal for the charm to make that guy excited.
Although he has always looked down on Fang Jun, he has to admit that power and talent can add infinite benefits to a man. If Fang Jun really seduces Princess Baling, can Princess Baling strictly adhere to the bottom line and not be breached?
Chai Lingwu was unsure...
"Commander, there is someone outside the camp holding the seal of the Chai family, saying that he is your old friend, Commander-in-Chief, and I beg you to meet him."
The soldiers came inside to report, interrupting Chai Lingwu's random thoughts.
The two brothers looked at each other and became excited...
Chai Zhewei said: "Please come quickly!"
"Here!"
After the soldiers withdrew, Chai Lingwu stood up and said, "I'll take shelter for a while." He went to the nearby barracks to take shelter temporarily.
Chai Zhewei waved his hand and said: "No, this matter must be done in front of you. In any case, there is no privacy issue between our two brothers."
Since the price is being negotiated, it affects the entire Chai family. You cannot negotiate everything in secret by yourself. If your younger brother thinks there is a discrepancy, it will be worth the loss. It would be too much to negotiate the price for supporting the King of Jin in front of Chai Lingwu.
Both young brothers have to recognize it and there will be no trouble afterwards.