The foundation of imperial power lies in military power. If military power is lost, the emperor will either become a puppet manipulated by his ministers, or he will be completely overthrown and replaced.
Although the "second generation emperors" like Li Chengqian have not personally experienced the difficulties of conquering the world, they have witnessed how their fathers crushed thorns step by step, broke through the siege, and fought hard in desperate situations until they sat on this beautiful scenery. The rivers and mountains are like picturesque China, so I naturally understand the importance of military power.
Li Chengqian could not feel completely reassured by just one Donggong Sixth Commander, and now that he had ascended the throne as emperor and the crown prince had been appointed, the East Palace Sixth Commander was bound to undergo reorganization, either into the Sixteenth Guards, or to start a new one.
It is a good idea to imitate the old name of "Zhi Jinwu" in the Han Dynasty and establish the "Jinwu Guard" to guard the capital and defend the imperial power.
Li Ji Leng looked on and saw that Fang Jun seemed a little surprised by this suggestion, so he knew that this matter should be Li Chengqian's own idea. It seemed that he had initially possessed the political means that an emperor should have. Compared with the past, there was no progress. Small……
Power is the thing that can best catalyze changes in people's mentality, and this is especially true for the supreme imperial power. Even if you were pure and kind in the past, as long as you sit in that position, there will be more or less different changes.
I hope that Li Chengqian, a kind man, can stick to his original intention and not be blinded by power, and will not go astray...
Fang Jun was surprised that Li Chengqian suddenly proposed to establish the "Jinwu Guard", and he was even more puzzled by Li Ji's suggestion that he take charge of the "Jinwu Guard". He hurriedly said humbly: "Your Majesty knows very well that a humble minister has few talents and little knowledge. How dare you steal such an important position? Your Majesty, please Choose talented people and stay in the imperial palace."
He has no interest in military power.
In fact, the future national policy of the empire has little to do with war, and the focus is on internal affairs. He has already considered this aspect comprehensively, adopted many policies in history and combined it with the current situation of the empire, and refined many new policies. There was a vigorous reform within the empire.
And with the current situation of confrontation between civil and military forces, once he regains control of the military, he will inevitably be ostracized by the civil service system, and it will naturally be difficult for him to lead reforms.
Li Ji smiled and shook his head: "Wei Gong is already old. Retiring in the past two years can be a good time to sort out what Bisheng has learned and condense the military books compiled in the past. Maybe we can leave a military strategist that can be passed down to future generations. Works. I am not young yet. I have been in a high position because of the great favor of the late Emperor these years. I have long felt that my talent is not worthy of my position. How can you let Your Majesty sleep peacefully when you lead the entire army? And only you, Erlang, can take on this task, and no one else can."
Fang Jun responded coldly.
He finally understood. This old fox had already figured out what he was thinking. He knew that he wanted to make a big fuss in domestic affairs and deliberately used military power to fetter him to prevent him from getting involved with civilian officials again and attacking the military because of his own interests. Fang suppressed him in every possible way.
Even if Li Ji abdicates in favor of a more talented person, his status in the military will be difficult for others to shake. His foundation is always in the military. Naturally, he does not want to see the military be weak and be completely rejected by the civilian officials...
Li Jing did not understand this, but expressed his support: "Even if the rebels are destroyed, there is no guarantee that the remaining army of the Sixteenth Guards will be loyal to the court and your Majesty. For a long time to come, we will still pay close attention to the garrison in various places and beware of rebellion." It happened again. In this way, the abolition of the Youhou Guards and the addition of Jinwu Guards can better ensure the stability of Chang'an and the security of Guanzhong. Erlang should be unyielding and shoulder heavy responsibilities bravely."
The words sounded nice, but his original intention was that Fang Jun should have been in charge of an army alone and become one of the leaders with his merits and abilities, instead of giving him the title of "Shang Shu of the Ministry of Rites" and being idle.
Fang Jun deserves an army of one guard.
And Fang Jun should inherit his many incestuous feelings in the army, so that he can fight against Li Zhengting and stabilize the army.
It is impossible for a single-dominated army to be stable and must be balanced...
Li Chengqian was very happy that his proposal could get the support of the two military bosses, and said happily: "Since Ying Gong and Wei Gong both said it is okay, Erlang, why do you have to belittle yourself? The addition of an army like the 'Jinwu Guard' is not only crucial to Chang'an's defense. , and it will have a profound impact on the reform of the imperial army. Looking at the army, no one can do it better than you."
Whether it is the previous restructuring and reorganization of Youtun Guards or the dispersion and reorganization of the Navy, we can see Fang Jun's outstanding ability and forward-looking vision in military reform. No one in the military can match him for this, not even Li Jing. , Li Ji was also slightly inferior.
The most important point is as Li Jing said, unless Fang Jun is commanding such an army, how can anyone else make him, the emperor, sleep peacefully?
Fang Jun had no choice but to agree: "Your Majesty loves you so much, I will serve you to the death and live up to your Majesty..."
Li Chengqian was very happy, thinking that when the time comes, he must recruit elite soldiers and strong generals to join the Jinwu Guard, and build it into a strong army that surpasses the Sixteen Guards. Only by having such a strong army stationed in the palace and guarding the capital can he have peace of mind.
After all, ever since the Guanlong Rebellion and the current Jin King's rebellion, the less courageous Emperor has already been frightened and worried, and every tree and tree is under attack...
The monarch and his ministers drank tea and discussed the issue of the addition of the "Jinwu Guards" and the reorganization of the Sixteenth Guards, before finally returning to the original topic.
"Gong Lu disobeyed military orders and retreated without authorization. I wonder how your Majesty plans to punish him?"
Li Ji held the tea cup and asked.
How to deal with Cheng Yaojin requires a lot of knowledge, and it will also have a great impact on the subsequent situation, so it has to be done with caution.
However, Li Chengqian just put down the tea cup, waved his hand helplessly, and said: "Lu Guogong is not young now. He is no longer the invincible general who bravely won the three armies in the past. It is inevitable that he occasionally misjudges the battlefield situation and makes mistakes. .After all, it was the meritorious service of following my father to conquer the country. You can't punish him severely just because he is old and can no longer be as brave as before, right? That would chill the heart of Zhenguan Honorable Minister, and I can't do that. Waiting for something. The war situation is tense now and the situation is not optimistic, so I asked Lu Guogong to take the blame and perform meritorious service to still block the rebels. After the rebels are completely wiped out, we will discuss rewards and punishments."
Li Ji clicked his tongue and said in admiration: "Your Majesty has a kind heart, which is really a blessing for our ministers."
He was willing to believe that Li Chengqian was kind-hearted and could not bear to criticize Cheng Yaojin harshly. This approach seemed to offend the fairness and rigor of military law, but it was extremely important for stabilizing military morale. After all, Cheng Yaojin was not just a cat or a dog. There were many Zhenguan ministers. Everyone was waiting to see Cheng Yaojin's fate at this moment. His Majesty was so tolerant, and those people must have felt relieved.
However, the last sentence, which is obviously "settlement of accounts after the fall", also attributes Cheng Yaojin's nature. If he is not guilty, how can he use the words "dedicate his crime to meritorious service"?
As for whether to let it go gently or to liquidate it completely, it depends on Cheng Yaojin's next performance...
Now he thinks more highly of Li Chengqian, always feeling that His Majesty the Emperor, who was not very qualified before, has made rapid progress and already has some political talent.
Everyone likes "Ren Jun", but the synonym of "Ren Jun" is "foolish". No one wants their emperor to be a fool with a razor-sharp ear and no independent opinions, because that will make the life and death future of his ministers full of uncertainty.
, after all, everyone in the court is a human spirit, but the human spirit cannot figure out the fool's thoughts...
Li Chengqian said a few words modestly, and then said to Li Jing: "Gong Wei leads the army to defend Tongguan head-on. Even if the pheasant slaves come from Tongguan, there is no need to rush to fight. Let him advance with confidence, and place the battlefield to the west of Xinfeng and south of Xinzhu.
, within the area east of Ba River. The timing of the attack can be fully controlled by you, Duke Wei, and all other armies will cooperate. I only have one request, that is, we must fight quickly and end this rebellion in one battle. The rebels
You can either die in battle or surrender, but you will never be allowed to flee in all directions and wreak havoc throughout Guanzhong."
The imperial court had a huge advantage in this battle, and it was reasonable to win.
But compared to pacifying the rebels, the top priority is how to ensure that the routed rebels do not infiltrate into the entire Guanzhong and poison the countryside and endanger the common people.
After all, even the rebels are the people of the Tang Dynasty. Once their defeat is determined, it is difficult to kill them all. Once the more than 100,000 mobs scatter and flee, they are like flocks of sheep over the mountains and fields, and they cannot be caught even if they want to...
In addition, the various clans in Guanzhong are inseparable from the imperial court. I don’t know how many people are waiting to see the joke between the imperial court and him as the emperor. They will definitely support these rebels in every possible way. If they want to be cleared one by one by then, it will be time-consuming and laborious, which will seriously hinder the implementation of the New Deal.
Implementation.
Although Li Jing was not familiar with government affairs, he also knew that rebels were like bandits. He nodded solemnly: "Your Majesty, don't worry, I will personally take charge of Bashui and the rebels will be completely wiped out."
*****
Yuchi Gong led his army to cross the Ba River, but Cheng Yaojin retreated continuously. The news spread throughout Guanzhong overnight, causing a shock almost as much as when the King of Jin raised his army to rebel. Guanzhong was in an uproar, and many families were even more shocked.
Frightened and panicked, carriages leaving the city for refuge began to arrive at the city gates in an endless stream, and the crowds gradually became overcrowded.
However, Jingzhao Prefecture, Chang'an, and Wannian counties have changed from the normal situation. The previous strict interrogation has been relaxed. Those who go through the process are still carefully screened and interrogated. However, as long as there are legitimate reasons, most people leaving the city will not be stopped and let it go.
At the same time, the various armies stationed on the Ba River defense line began to move. The long snake line from south to north was completely abandoned. Two troops led by Dong Gong Liu slowly moved south along the Ba River, and Zuo Wuwei stopped retreating.
A fan-shaped semi-encirclement was gradually formed, blocking the attack route of Yuchi Gong who had successfully crossed the river, and seemed to want to force him to retreat to the east bank of Bashui to avoid being completely surrounded.
As for the Youwu Guards north of the Wei River, they once again shocked the whole of Chang'an. Xue Wanche led his army westward back to the north of Xinzhu, where the Wei River and the Jing River meet to the south. He ignored the court's order to cross the river and march eastward to Tongguan.
, set up camp on the north bank of the river and stood still.
When many people who were loyal to the rebels saw this scene, they suddenly became excited. If Xue Wanche, a fool, had reached an agreement with the King of Jin, then the outcome of this battle was still a matter of uncertainty...