Zhou Jun originally wanted to write to Kong You in Chang'an City to discuss Li Longji's abdication, but the defeat of the West Route Army in Hehuang forced him to put down other matters in his hands and urgently summoned Feng Changqing and a group of military officials.
discuss.
After reading the battle report, Feng Changqing frowned and said to Zhou Jun: "The name Sang Chiruo, if I remember correctly, is he who defeated Duan Xiushi and almost captured Dunhuang City?"
Zhou Jun nodded: "This person is a difficult character. He was originally under house arrest in the Tubo capital due to suspicion, but for some reason he became the leader of the Tubo army."
Feng Changqing: "And the Shankai Army, if I remember correctly, disappeared without a trace after the Battle of Dunhuang."
Zhou Jun: "Although there has been no news about the Shankui Army, it may have been training and growing. It has been dormant for the past few years, just waiting for an opportunity for a surprise attack."
After saying that, Zhou Jun asked his subordinates to get a map and said to Feng Changqing: "Dafichuan was lost and Hehuang fell into the hands of the Tibetans again. Although the terrain of Shibao City is dangerous, the peak is narrow and it is impossible to station a large army.
.The Tibetan army is located in the west and has a geographical advantage. If they capture Chengfeng Fort, they can form a two-sided attack on Shibao City, which will be difficult to defend."
Feng Changqing: "Prime Minister, why don't we send more troops to Hehuang and fight again?"
Zhou Jun: "The Tang army not only has to defend Chang'an, but also attack Henan and Luoyang. Guo Ziyi has an army of 200,000, and Li Guangbi has an army of 150,000. These two armies have almost drained all the military power in the north. As for the remaining Hexi army
, if you want to defend Liangcheng, you cannot easily move away. Therefore, the Hehuang battlefield can only be defended, but not attacked."
Feng Changqing: "If the Tubo cavalry enters Guanzhong from Hehuang, they can reach Chang'an within ten days. It is best to ask Guo Ziyi to separate a partial army to defend the northwest."
Zhou Jun nodded: "I will order Guo Ziyi to defend the east and west fronts at the same time. But if this happens, the battle of Luoyang will be postponed."
Feng Changqing nodded yes.
After discussing countermeasures with officials from the Ministry of War, Zhou Jun left Feng Changqing alone and talked about what happened in the Chengyu Palace.
When he heard that Emperor Li Longji wanted to adopt Zhou Jun as his adopted son and pass the throne to him, Feng Changqing said happily: "Prime Minister, this is a great good thing!"
Zhou Jun: "This proposal coincides with your and my previous thoughts."
Feng Changqing: "If the prime minister ascends the throne, it will be a lucky move. This will break the doubts of the people in the world and minimize the trouble."
Zhou Jun: "I understand this truth, but..."
Feng Changqing: "Just what?"
Zhou Jun: "Your Majesty raised this matter, which is beyond my expectation. I always feel it is a bit sudden."
Feng Changqing was familiar with government affairs and military affairs, but not proficient in conspiracy and strategy. After listening to Zhou Jun's words, he turned to advise: "The Prime Minister may be overly worried. Your Majesty has always wanted to regain Chang'an. If you complete this great cause, Your Majesty
In gratitude for your contribution, coupled with Li Heng's perverse actions in the Southern Tang Dynasty, which turned Jiangnan into a mess, and died of a sudden illness not long ago, Your Majesty wants the Zen throne."
When Zhou Jun heard this, he first thought to himself, maybe he was really suspicious.
Then, Zhou Jun asked Feng Changqing: "During my absence from Liangcheng, was there anything unusual in the palace?"
After thinking about it, Feng Changqing said: "After Your Majesty became critically ill, there were a lot more people coming and going in the palace, but there were a lot of people coming in and out, and there were no suspicious people. In addition, Your Majesty's time is short, so I decided to choose a place behind the Chengyu Palace.
We built a yard and started to build a coffin hall, and a lot of construction work was carried out."
Zhou Jun thought for a while and realized that it was not strange for Li Longji to ask his servants to start building a mourning hall when he knew that he was about to die. In addition, the Imperial Medical Office was all from Anxi, so it was unlikely that His Majesty would pretend to be ill.
Zhou Jun said to Feng Changqing: "The imperial doctor told me that your Majesty's oil has run out and the lamp has dried up, and there is less than ten days left. During this period, the patrols in the palace will be increased to guard against all variables."
Feng Changqing responded.
In the following days, the news that Li Longji wanted to settle in Zhoujun spread like wildfire in Liangcheng.
Some officials in the court said that Your Majesty still has an heir, so choosing your consort as your successor violated the ancestral system.
However, most of the people in Liangcheng's court were Anxi officials, and the three powers of military, politics, and law were all held by Zhou Jun. This voice soon disappeared without a trace like waves.
God bless the winter of three years, which came very late.
When the first snow began to fall in Liangcheng, it was the time when the stars were rising and the long moon was in the sky. Zhou Jun was writing with Zhou Xiao and Zhou Wanniang at home.
When he was just writing the second article, Xiao Qingchan hurried to the door of the study, leaned against the door and whispered: "Erlang, there has just been news from the palace."
When Zhou Jun heard this, his heart trembled, he put on his fur robe and walked out of the study, and followed Xiao Qingchan to the central hall.
Yin Yu stood in the hall wiping her tears. Zhou Jun walked over and hugged her gently, and said, "Prepare the carriage, let's go to the palace."
The snow in Liangcheng is getting heavier and heavier. The wheels pressing on the snow make a crunching sound, which is particularly harsh on the long street.
The streets of Liangcheng, which should have been deserted, were unusually uncharacteristic tonight, with groups of Tang troops patrolling back and forth.
The people didn't know what was going on and were hiding in their homes. Only some brave ones occasionally opened the windows and took a look outside.
When the carriage of the Prime Minister's Mansion arrived at the palace gate, Zhou Jun opened the curtains and looked outside.
Inside and outside the palace gate, there are banners of the Anxi Army.
Feng Changqing acted cautiously and replaced all the imperial guards in the palace with men from the Anxi Army.
The carriage continued to move forward until it reached the gate outside Chengyu Hall.
Zhou Jun supported Yin Yu, stepped out of the carriage, and looked to his side.
Wang Hong and a group of personal guards guarded him and entered the palace gate first.
When you walk into Chengyu Hall, everything is quiet except for the soft sounds of people walking.
Zhou Jun and his entourage came to the inner palace. Yang Yuhuan was dressed in snow-white fashion. When he saw Zhou Jun and his wife, he said softly: "Come in."
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Entering the main hall, Zhou Jun found many members of the clan standing inside, including the clan supervisor and the history museum supervisor.
Gao Lishi, whose eyes were black and his face was pale, bowed to Zhou Jun and said, "Your Majesty wants to see the Prime Minister."
Yin Yu wanted to go with him, but Gao Lishi shook his head and said, "Your Majesty wants to see Zhou Erlang."
Wang Hong whispered to Zhou Jun from the side: "Prime Minister, the palace guards and Sergeant Anxi have surrounded the Chengyun Palace. If anything happens to you, just give a shout and we will rush in immediately."
Zhou Jun nodded.
Following Gao Lishi, Zhou Jun walked into the bedroom and saw Li Longji sitting upright on the bed leaning on a soft pillow.
Li Longji looked at Zhou Jun quietly, stretched out his finger and pointed to a chair.
Zhou Jun looked around the room and then sat down.
Li Longji waved his hand to Gao Lishi and motioned for the latter to go out.
After Gao Lishi left and there were only the emperor and his ministers in the room, Li Longji sighed: "It has been fifteen years since I have known Zhou Erlang."
Zhou Jun cupped his hands and said, "When I first met Your Majesty, I was just a small official. To have the status I have today, I am fortunate to be appreciated by His Majesty."
Li Longji looked at Zhou Jun and said: "When I saw you for the first time, I knew that Zhou Erlang was not an ordinary man. However, I did not expect that Zhou Erlang could actually have the achievements he has today."
Having said this, Li Longji sighed: "Sometimes, I really think about how perfect it would be if Zhou Erlang were my heir."
Zhou Jun: "If Jun was really His Majesty's son, I'm afraid he wouldn't be alive today."
Li Longji was stunned for a moment and then understood what Zhou Jun meant.
The fine tradition of Lao Li's family in the Tang Dynasty is fighting in the nest.
If an outstanding talent like Zhou Jun was really a prince, he would have been feared by Li Longji long ago and would have taken advantage of him to get rid of him.
When Li Longji thought of this, he couldn't help recalling all the past events. He looked desolate and asked Zhou Jun: "Mr. Zhou, please tell me, I have been on the throne for nearly fifty years, and the history books of later generations have said that I am a wise king or a cowardly king?"
Zhou Jun looked at Li Longji, was silent for a while, and finally said: "It's a mixture of praise and praise."
Li Longji was stunned on the spot, then nodded and smiled: "You are telling the truth, unlike those people outside who only want to make me happy."
Zhou Jun: "His Majesty has been in charge of government for fifty years. In the first half, he was the master of ZTE, but in the second half, he was in charge of far-reaching talents. If you ask me, you can say: relying on the country's wealth and prosperity without being cautious will lead to disasters without noticing."
Li Longji repeated softly: "Relying on the prosperity of the country without being careful will lead to disaster without noticing..."
Li Longji suddenly became a little excited: "What Zhou Lang said is true and reasonable. It's a pity that I realized it too late..."
After his emotions slowly calmed down, a wave of fatigue hit Li Longji, causing him to lean back unconsciously.
Li Longji tried his best to take out an edict from under his pillow and put it next to the bed.
His eyes slowly began to close, and he said slowly with his last voice: "Zhou Lang said something wrong... I have seen how you treat your family. If you are really my child, everything will be the same."
It’s different…it’s a pity, it’s a pity…”
Before he finished speaking, Li Longji's hand slowly dropped, and his whole body no longer breathed.
A generation of monarchs died like this under Zhou Jun's watchful eyes.
Zhou Jun closed his eyes and sighed, then stood up and came to the bedside and opened Li Longji's edict.
It clearly states that Li Longji accepted Zhou Jun as his adopted son and passed the throne to the latter.
In addition, requirements such as Zhou Jun not to disobey the Tang Dynasty and treat the clan well were also included.
However, there is another article in the edict that after Li Longji's death, his coffin will be placed in Chengyu Hall. As his successor, Zhou Jun will keep vigil for him for three days before taking up his coffin and leaving for Chang'an.
