Chapter 1,199 The morale of the military is unstable
Li Zhi looked extremely ugly.
The reason why he dared to escape from the Taiji Palace and raise a banner to resist Li Chengqian was because the three powerful clans of Shandong, Jiangnan, and Guanlong secretly gave him their full support, so he risked his life and fortune.
After all, they are all aristocratic families with a long history and profound heritage. Although the Guanlong clan was seriously injured due to the failed mutiny, the centipede insect did not die. In addition, the Shandong aristocratic family and the Jiangnan gentry were able to compete with Li Chengqian no matter how difficult it was.
The customs were guarded, and the east and west were divided and governed.
But who would have thought that now the Guanlong clan is sparing no effort to connect the troops stationed in various places in Guanzhong, and the Shandong family has exhausted its family resources to provide full support. On the contrary, the Jiangnan gentry, which was the most optimistic and the most powerful before, retreated because of a defeat...
So he was extremely angry. You put me in this position and let me boil and roast, and then you don't want to play anymore?
This is simply unreasonable...
However, this is the time to unite all the forces that can be united. No matter how angry we are with the Jiangnan nobles, we can only win over them, but we must not shut them out. If these old and cunning people switch to the emperor's camp again, they will really be asking for it.
perished.
Suppressing his anger, Li Zhi nodded, understanding and even empathizing: "This recruitment of private troops was defeated by Yanziji, which dealt a huge blow to the Jiangnan nobles. I feel guilty in my heart, but the difficulties are temporary.
As long as we persevere, we will be rewarded twice as much when we achieve great things. Huating Town is located in the south of the Yangtze River, and every family in the south of the Yangtze River has experience in going to sea. In the future, the shipping company and navy will still need the all-out efforts of the Jiangnan nobles.
Stabilizing the situation in Jiangnan can continue to create financial resources for the imperial court. It is a heavy responsibility and not easy."
To deal with allies like the Shandong aristocratic family who have no way out, we must insist on suppressing them so that they cannot harbor dissent; while to deal with allies like the Jiangnan nobles who have not yet gone all out, we must make heavy promises and use heavy profits to win them over.
Aren’t you all coveting sea trade, and are you worried about the impact of sea trade on Jiangnan? Then I promise to hand over both the Shipping Department and the Navy to you in the future...
Xiao Yu humbly said: "Sea trade is of great importance, and the navy must consistently maintain the empire's maritime hegemony. It requires an outstanding person like your highness to take full control of it. I, the ministers, have shallow knowledge and are vulgar, so I would never dare to take on this responsibility."
Heavy responsibility.”
It would be a lie to say that I am not excited. Each sea route is a blood vessel flowing with wealth. It transports the cheap goods of the Tang Dynasty to overseas countries for dumping at high prices, and in turn transports the resources that the Tang Dynasty lacks back.
, the wealth created is a height that land can never reach.
If the whole sea trade was in the hands of the Jiangnan nobles... then the picture would be so beautiful that Xiao Yu couldn't even imagine it in his dreams.
However, even if Li Zhi takes the throne in the future, will he really be able to completely control the navy and make him do whatever he wants without any disobedience?
Not necessarily.
Nowadays, the Navy has become a behemoth because its unique system is beyond the imperial court. Even if Li Chengqian wants to control the Navy, he must go through Fang Jun, otherwise the Navy has the ability to ignore the imperial decrees.
Do you really think that those arrogant and powerful generals from Su Dingfang on down will not rebel?
As long as the naval base is moved to ports in Silla, Wa, Annan, and Nanyang, they can freely traverse the oceans. No matter how brave the imperial army is, they can only look back at the ocean and sigh, and they have to bear the naval attack on the coastal areas of the empire.
Endless harassment and attacks...
It is conceivable that in the near future, the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy will inevitably be assigned the title of "General", which will be independent of the Tang army system and form its own system.
If you want to control the navy, it cannot be achieved just by some people's verbal promises...
Therefore, Li Zhi's promise is a sweet and delicious cake, but it is difficult to actually eat it.
Li Zhi himself seemed to know this, so he changed the subject and asked Chu Suiliang on the side: "Is there any latest battle report from Duke E?"
Chu Suiliang, who acted as the secretary of the march, took out the top document from the pile of documents in front of him and handed it to Li Zhi, saying: "The public war report of E State has just been delivered, saying that it is currently confronting Cheng Yaojin's Zuo Wuwei.
, there is a group of East Palace Six Commands in the north that are surrounding and outflanking us. The situation is very dangerous. Whether we are advancing or retreating, we must make a decision as soon as possible."
Li Zhi read the battle report, stood up and stood in front of the map on the wall with his hands folded, carefully checking the standard enemy and enemy situations on the map.
Xiao Yu took the battle report and read it, and was silent.
Cui Xin also read the battle report, his gray eyebrows furrowed, and he was a little worried. Although Yuchi Gong broke through the Bashui defense line, it did not really destroy the defense posture of the imperial army. The Bashui defense line was like a rubber band, and was blocked somewhere.
Push it inward hard, and the surrounding areas will lengthen accordingly, showing extremely strong toughness.
And this resilience will continue to increase as Yu Chigong continues to advance. When it reaches the critical point, the backlash will be even greater.
If Yuchi Gong's right guard is buried in the imperial army's counterattack, it will be a fatal blow to the King of Jin...
So he pondered for a while. After pondering for a while, he knew that he shouldn't speak at this time, but he still couldn't help but said: "We might as well ask Duke E to return to the east of Bashui, set up camp and stabilize the position, and join forces after we arrive.
Once at one point, we will cross the Bashui River with all our strength, break through the Bashui defense line in one fell swoop, and reach the foot of Chang'an City."
He felt that he should not take risks in the current situation, but should ensure Yuchi Gong's safety and strengthen his own strength so that he could attack when advancing and defend when retreating. Otherwise, once Yuchi Gong's entire army was wiped out, only a dozen of the troops under King Jin's command would be left.
With the ragtag crowd and all the elites gone, defeat will happen sooner or later...
Li Zhi looked at the map for a while, but decisively rejected Cui Xin's advice and said to Chu Suiliang: "Draft a military order immediately and order Yuchi Gong to completely break through the Ba River defense line no matter what, and clear a road from Ba River to Chang'an.
, when our army arrives, we can quickly cross the river and attack Chang'an."
"Here."
After Chu Suiliang received the order, he quickly polished his pen and wrote a military order. After confirming it with Li Zhi, he stamped it with the seal of the King of Jin, put it in an envelope and sealed it with fire paint. He went out and handed it to the captain of the order outside the account, and immediately sent it to the right guard.
Seeing that Cui Xin looked a little unnatural, Li Zhi took two steps forward, smiled and reassured: "Except for not listening to Mr. Cui's advice, it is really that today, where do we have a way out? There is only one way in front of us, and we can only
Go forward indomitably and live toward death. If you don't have the courage to risk death and live later, how can you change your destiny and achieve great things? You must know that when two armies meet, the brave one wins."
From the moment he rebelled, his destiny has been on the road of no return. He will either reach the peak and change his destiny against the will of heaven, or he will fall into dust and die without any bones left. If he has the idea of compromise in his heart, he will be ruined.
If too much courage is eliminated, great achievements can no longer be achieved.
Between life and death, Li Zhi still had the courage to face it.
Xiao Yu also understood Cui Xin's thoughts. He squinted his eyes and said calmly: "We have already been on the imperial court's must-kill list. If we want to honor the ancestral legacy of each family, we can only overcome all obstacles and regard death as home. If anyone gives up halfway and causes the great cause to fail,
We will definitely kill him with our own hands!"
At this time, whoever thinks of giving up halfway and changing his ways is a sinner and will be punished by everyone!
Chu Suiliang glanced at Xiao Yu, who was filled with indignation and loyalty, and said nothing.
If this person hadn't forced him to write such a "letter of allegiance" as a "killer trumpet" after King Jin failed, then at this moment he would probably believe that Xiao Yu planned to live and die with King Jin...
Seeing that he had aroused everyone's suspicion, Cui Xin hurriedly explained: "Why do I have such intention? Now the Shandong family has spent hundreds of years of accumulated wealth and spared no effort to assist His Royal Highness King Zuo Jin to achieve great achievements. There is absolutely no reason to retreat voluntarily.
Please rest assured, Your Highness, that no matter what, the Shandong Family will stand behind His Highness until death."
Li Zhi stepped forward to hold his hand and said with emotion: "I can also guess a little bit about Cui Gong's thoughts. He just wants to be safe. If things cannot be done, he will withdraw from Tongguan and seek a comeback based on the Shandong family... But
Cui Gong should also know that those who do great things should avoid looking forward and backward, and have two minds. If you don't have the determination to burn the cauldron and sink the boat, how can you change your fate against the will of heaven? You should try your best in this battle. If you don't succeed, you will be benevolent."
Don't beat too much, otherwise it will make the Shandong family jealous, which will be a serious problem.
At present, the Jiangnan noble family is almost abolished, and they all count on the Shandong family to live and die with him...
It is a big taboo to have an unstable military morale.
*****
The Ba River was rolling and flowing. Yuchi Gong was sitting in the Chinese army camp on the west bank of the Ba River. He looked at the battle report that had just been delivered, his thick eyebrows furrowed and he was worried.
The King of Jin's idea makes sense. As the saying goes, soldiers are valuable and quick, so there is no need to delay. If the right guard can completely break through the water defense line, when the King of Jin's army arrives, they can merge into one to attack Chang'an, which will be more likely to cause Guanzhong.
A sudden change in the situation.
As long as the situation changes, it will definitely be beneficial to King Jin.
Once the delay continues and delays the opportunity to fight, with each passing day, the foundation of the imperial court will become more secure, and fewer people will follow the King of Jin to disrupt the situation...
But the problem is that Yuchi Gong does not have the confidence to break through the water defense line without losing too many troops.
He regards the right guard under his command as the basis of his power and status. With this army, the day King Jin wins is when he becomes the first in the army. Even if King Jin is defeated, he can rely on this army to fight with the court.
Bargaining - On the left and right, you brothers are fighting for family property. As ministers, no matter who we support, it is not considered disloyal to the empire.
There will be a lot of room for mediation.
But once the right guard suffers heavy casualties and his influence is greatly reduced, no matter whether the King of Jin wins or loses, his power and status will be greatly reduced. Without the constraints of the army, the court will have no choice but to deal with him.
No need to worry too much...
His defection to the King of Jin was, in the final analysis, nothing more than an act of speculation.
But who will devote all their efforts and risk all their wealth and life just for speculation?
Now looking at King Jin's military order, he weighed the pros and cons, considered the gains and losses, and was still unable to make a decision.