Li Jing's face was cold and his tone was sonorous: "When the military order comes, you must not hesitate even if you go through fire and water. As a soldier, everything you do is for the victory of the war. For this reason, even if you die nine times, you will have no regrets! If everyone is like you, after a defeat, you will do everything.
Shit, who else is willing to fight in front of the army to protect the territory? Liu Yanjing was defeated and absconded, causing the war to deteriorate. I don’t know how many soldiers died because of him, so it is impossible to escape the death penalty! If you really think that the identity of a 'Yuan Cong hero' can make you
Above the military law, you might as well go to the mausoleum and commit suicide in front of Emperor Gaozu now, and file a complaint with me under the drinking fountain!"
"Mr. Li, you are going too far! My son's life cannot be in vain, and he will not let it go."
Liu Dewei, filled with sadness, stood up from the scene and walked away with a puff of his sleeves.
Inside the tent, Li Jing calmly watched Liu Dewei's back disappear at the door, his face not changing at all.
*****
In the flower hall of Liu Zi's house, Zhang Xingcheng was present. The two of them were kneeling on the smooth floor. There was a lacquered eucalyptus table by the window. There was a small red clay stove with a charcoal fire. Liu Zi stretched out his hand to boil the
Lift the kettle, pour boiling water into the teapot, and then hold the pot to pour tea.
There was drizzle outside the window, and the fragrance of tea was lingering in the hall. The two of them sat opposite each other, drinking tea and talking, which was very comfortable.
Zhang Xingcheng put down the tea cup, put the kettle back on the small stove, and said: "This time Feng Qiyuan's defeat caused the Jin King's army to march straight into Chang'an City, which was only one step away. Chang'an offensive and defensive battles could start at any time. Li Jing made a strategic mistake.
"
For a long time, the reason why the government and the public were not very optimistic about the King of Jin was not because of the disparity in military strength between the two sides, but because of the huge difference in strategic and tactical strength. On the court side, there were people like Li Jing and Li Ji who were experienced in seeking country.
A famous commander, he had made great achievements in half his life, and was invincible in strategizing. Among the younger generation, there was also a rising star like Fang Jun, who bravely won the three armies and rarely suffered defeat. However, there was only one Wei Chigong on the side of the King of Jin.
However, now, the myth of Li Jing as the "God of War" has been almost shattered, which will directly lead to low morale on the part of the imperial court. As one goes, the morale of the King of Jin will inevitably increase, and the combat capabilities of both sides need to be re-evaluated.
Liu Zi took a sip of tea and shook his head: "How can a mere defeat turn the overall situation around? Moreover, Liu Yanjing suffered a huge defeat in this expedition. It seemed that Li Jing's decision-making was wrong, but in fact the process was too rough and not at all like his previous ones.
Be cautious, there may not be a deeper layout, and it cannot be superficial."
Could a man who could be universally recognized as the "God of War" commit such a negligent mistake in such a major war?
Liu Zi was skeptical about this.
Zhang Xingcheng had the same view on this and sighed: "It is really difficult for outsiders to figure out the whole story. Only Li Jing knows whether it is intentional or unintentional. But now almost all the troops belonging to various forces among the six leaders of the East Palace have been killed in the battle."
Feng Qiyuan is a fact. Even Li Jing put all the charges on Liu Yanjing, and he himself didn't even have a reputation of "excluding dissenters"... Although His Majesty's move is clever, it also shows that the "kindness" he has always advertised is really just a show.
When he secures the throne, all the forces that are not his direct lineage may be purged one by one."
Liu Zi lowered his head to drink tea and did not agree.
From Zhang Xingcheng's position, he would naturally spare no effort to publicize the negative side of Li Chengqian, making all forces fear and resent Li Chengqian, thereby gaining more support for the King of Jin. As long as his remarks do not appear in public, then even if Li Chengqian
I am very dissatisfied with him and cannot be punished for it.
In the Tang Dynasty, people would never be punished for their words.
Liu Zi understood what Zhang Xingcheng meant. He initially stood by and watched, but later wanted to unite the civil servants of the DPRK and China to resist the imperial power. Until now, he and the military were at loggerheads. It can be said that he has never been a direct descendant of Li Chengqian.
If Li Chengqian can instruct Li Jing to use extremely dark means to vigorously exclude dissidents in the army, then it will be possible to purge those civil and military ministers who belong to his direct lineage in the court tomorrow...
"So, whether Li Jing did it intentionally or not, the consequences of this defeat are extremely serious."
Liu Zi sighed, the seriousness was not only the military passivity, but also the fact that it would make all the forces in Guanzhong jealous and fearful, making the already swinging position more in favor of the King of Jin.
The situation is not optimistic.
But if it is said that Li Jing made such a mistake, it is hard for Liu Zi to believe it. What if Li Jing did it deliberately, or even with His Majesty's instructions?
Zhang Xingcheng's eyes flashed: "No matter what the internal situation is, Liu Zhongshu's situation is extremely worrying, and he should have made plans early."
If this defeat was an unintentional mistake made by Li Jing, then there must be no preemptive means of remedial measures. The strategic error led to the current passive situation, and the Jin army may attack Chang'an City at any time.
If Li Jing did this intentionally, there is only one reason, and that is to exclude dissidents and completely eliminate the troops who are not directly related to the emperor in the army, so as to prevent these troops from being at odds in the future and ruining major events.
The impact of the latter is more serious, which shows the emperor's extreme distrust of all forces. Once the crisis of King Jin's mutiny is overcome and the throne is gradually secured, it is almost inevitable to purge all forces one by one.
In fact, the defeat was caused by the emperor. Li Jing and others deliberately made all the forces anxious and completely sided with the King of Jin in order to "lead the snake out of the hole" and eliminate them one by one...
No matter what, Liu Zi's position, now or in the future, cannot escape the emperor's liquidation.
Zhang Xingcheng believes that not only Liu Zi, but also the heads of the various forces in Guanzhong are worried and jealous in the palace, and their positions are increasingly leaning towards King Jin...
Liu Zi believed that what Zhang Xingcheng said made sense, but he was still puzzled: "The arrival of the King of Jin at Chang'an City was enough to trigger a violent response from all forces in Guanzhong. No one could predict how many people would side with the King of Jin.
Under such circumstances, shouldn't Your Majesty try to unite all the forces that can be united and defeat King Jin's rebels first? If you can "lead the snake out of the hole" to lure out all the forces that are not loyal to Your Majesty, wouldn't it become even more powerful?
The power of King Jin has created a cocoon on itself and brought about its own destruction?"
Unless the emperor has full confidence in quelling the Jin Dynasty's rebellion, he will still have the energy to eliminate the hidden dangers that will sooner or later become constraints to the imperial power.
But where does such sufficient confidence come from?
Zhang Xingcheng leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice: "The King of Jin has made complete preparations and will definitely win this battle. Liu Zhongshu needs to make a trade-off early, so as not to miss the opportunity and let others take the lead."
Sometimes the gains outweigh the losses.”
The earlier you invest, the greater the risk and the higher the return. If you wait until the situation is completely clear, there will be no risk at that time, but who will accept your investment?
But Liu Zi would naturally not change his stance so easily.
He looked at Zhang Xingcheng and asked: "What kind of preparation do you mean by 'complete preparation'? After all, what is at stake is so important, not only my life and death, but also the survival of the entire family and even the huge faction, so I have to be careful.
cautious."
There are people in the garrison in various places in Guanzhong who are secretly communicating with the King of Jin. They are just waiting for the King of Jin to come to Chang'an City and show the dawn of victory. This is no longer a secret, but who would do this? It is not yet known.
unclear.
Moreover, judging from various signs, there must be an extremely important person who will respond to King Jin, so that King Jin and the forces attached to him can give it a go...
Who is this person, or these people?
If you don't tell me, how can I believe that you will make it happen?
However, Zhang Xingcheng smiled and shook his head and said: "Only His Highness the King of Jin can master this kind of mystery. How can we know about it? Liu Zhongshu doesn't need to use my words. I can only say that as long as the army reaches Chang'an, the victory will be King Jin's."
What’s in the bag.”
Liu Zi lowered his head to drink tea and remained silent.
Obviously, Zhang Xingcheng was not lying. He had no idea who the person King Jin was secretly contacting was.
"Let me think about this for a while and then make an answer."
If you don't tell me everything, why should I put my treasure on you?
Zhang Xingcheng smiled bitterly and had no choice. He secretly contacted the ministers of the DPRK and China, but he did not dare to expose himself too much. He could only do it in this way of private lobbying. However, he did not have even the slightest autonomy in the face of cross-examination and did not dare to give any reply at all. How?
Can you convince others?
The King of Jin was very afraid of their Shandong family...
At this time, a Liu family servant knocked on the door from outside and came in. Liu Zi asked, "What's the matter?"
The servant glanced at Zhang Xingcheng and stopped talking.
Liu Zi thought for a while and said: "There is no need to hold back, it doesn't hurt to speak directly."
He is just a domestic servant, what he said must be nothing private, so there is no need to guard against Zhang Xingcheng...
The servant then said: "The news just came. After Liu Yanjing's defeat, he fled back to the mansion alone. He wanted his father Liu Dewei to come forward to intercede. Liu Dewei rushed to the camp outside Chunming Gate and talked privately with Duke Wei for a while. Duke Wei probably didn't give him any help.
After this, Liu Dewei left angrily, and Liu Yanjing had his head displayed to the public, and his head was spread throughout the army as a warning to others."
When Zhang Xingcheng heard this, he immediately cheered up and said: "Li Jing Hu Tu has brought about his own destruction! Liu Dewei is a 'hero of Yuan Cong'. Although he retired from office and no longer holds power, his status is extremely high. Li Jing is so unkind, which will inevitably make all 'Yuan Cong'
I feel the same way as the hero, the rabbit dies and the fox is sad! Liu Zhongshu, God helps the King of Jin!"
However, Liu Zi said calmly: "Liu Yanjing's command error led to the defeat. Later, instead of being unable to defeat the enemy and losing his merits, he fled in fear of death and abandoned more than ten thousand soldiers, resulting in the annihilation of the entire army. This has seriously violated military discipline.
He deserved his death. How could Duke Wei, who was enforcing military law, be given a lenient sentence just because he was concerned about Liu Dewei's reputation and status? Liu Yanjing deserves to be killed. Anyone who feels disloyal because of this is really a treacherous official and traitor."
He thought even deeper than Zhang Xingcheng - Li Jing was not a fool, how could he openly provoke all the "Yuan Cong heroes" just because of the so-called defense of military discipline?
If he dared to do this, he must have had the confidence to prevent the situation from collapsing.
In the final analysis, it all comes down to confidence. Not only is His Majesty full of confidence, but so is Li Jing...
But where does this mysterious confidence come from?
Zhang Xingcheng had a look of astonishment on his face. Why was it that Liu Zi had relaxed a little just now, and now he suddenly changed his tune when he heard the news that might lead to the erosion of the entire situation in Guanzhong?
Liu Zi looked at Zhang Xingcheng and said, "Brother, please go back first. Such a big thing has happened. I want to go to the palace and wait for your Majesty's orders."
Zhang Xingcheng had no choice but to say goodbye depressedly.
Liu Zi asked his servants to bathe and change clothes, held up an umbrella and walked out of the palace, and entered the palace in a carriage.