Chapter nine hundred and seventieth sacrifice to heaven
On the tenth day of March, Li Zhi was sitting in the central tent of Huben Army, with Zheng Kaicheng, Zhong Feng, Cui Changwu and a few other people sitting next to him.
Li Zhi is discussing important matters and cannot involve too many people to avoid leaking the news.
Cui Changwu cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I think it is impossible for the emperor to execute these eleven hundred people."
Everyone looked at Cui Changwu.
Cui Changwu said: "Nowadays, it is said inside and outside the court that the prince wants to get close to the civil servants, and it is said that the prince wants to absorb the power of the civil servants to control the court. Under such a situation, even if the emperor is angry at the betrayal of the civil servants in the court, he is afraid of the consequences of attacking the civil servants.
Political isolation.”
"Just imagine, if the emperor kills so many officials in the name of the emperor, what will be the result if the prince has a hint of disobedience? After the emperor uses the court laws to kill the civil and military officials of the entire dynasty, he will openly break with the gentry of the world. By then, as long as
If the prince releases some news and spreads rumors that this massacre was led by the emperor, then the gentry in the world will completely stand behind the prince and deal with the emperor to death."
"If the emperor does not take action, although the civil servants betray the emperor, if there is a conflict between the prince and the emperor, the gentry will still support the emperor, and there will be some checks and balances in the court. If the emperor kills the civil servants of the dynasty, not to mention that the prince can control the court
, even deposing the emperor will be easy. When the time comes, no matter how the prince deals with the emperor, the gentry will loudly applaud, and no one in the world will object at all."
"If we think about the problem from the perspective of the emperor, the emperor will never break the current fragile balance and stand at the forefront to face the civil servants and gentry."
After listening to Cui Changwu's analysis, everyone fell silent.
What Cui Changwu said makes sense. The emperor was not only pessimistic and disappointed and unable to kill people at this time, but also considered the political balance in the court. The most important thing for an emperor is the art of checks and balances, and it is impossible to fight violently.
Zhong Feng blew out a breath from his nostrils and said: "The Emperor really can't help you. Your Majesty, I don't think we should care about the affairs of these civil servants. Let's directly send troops to Jiangnan and focus on expanding our territory first.
"
Li Zhi looked at Zhong Feng but said nothing.
Cui Changwu said: "Even if we occupy more territory, if we cannot clarify the law, the social order will still be distorted by treacherous officials. What matters is not how much territory we rule, but the extent to which the rights and wrongs of this country are upheld."
Hearing Cui Changwu's words, Li Zhi nodded and said, "Chief Cui's words deeply touched my heart."
Standing up, Li Zhi said: "Now that I am the king of Qi, I have to consider the people of the world and shoulder the heavy burden of the Ming Dynasty. I cannot sit back and watch so many traitors hiding in the court, holding high
Jue Houlu destroyed the order of this country."
"The emperor dare not kill, I will kill you!"
After hearing Li Zhi's words, everyone's eyes widened and they were a little unable to react.
Zheng Kaicheng said in a panic: "Your Majesty, I can't do it."
Standing up, Zheng Kaicheng said: "Your Majesty, although these traitors are guilty of treason, they are still high-ranking ministers of the court before the emperor convicts them. They are the emperor's subordinate officials and the managers of this country. How can you, Your Majesty?"
Can you, as a vassal king, kill all the emperor’s ministers?”
"My lord, if you do this, you will be regarded as a rebel by everyone in the world."
Everyone frowned when they heard Zheng Kaicheng's words.
Zheng Kaicheng continued: "And since the emperor has no intention of killing all these traitors, how can he sit back and watch the prince wield the butcher knife? Although these civil servants have all betrayed the emperor, they are all familiar figures promoted by the emperor for more than 20 years. Then the emperor will overnight.
How will the emperor and the prince get along with each other when they lose all their subjects and are so angry?"
"Your Majesty, why didn't you see what happened to Er Zhurong?"
The officials in the tent fell into deep thought when they heard Zheng Kaicheng's analysis.
If Li Zhi killed the civil servants himself, he would be challenging the emperor's imperial authority and all the gentry in the world at the same time. The risk is very high.
Er Zhurong in the Northern and Southern Dynasties is a lesson learned from the past.
During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Er Zhurong, the general of the Northern Wei Dynasty, killed thousands of civil and military ministers because of the corruption of the court. The final outcome was that the emperor of the Northern Wei Dynasty, who was supported by Er Zhurong, became increasingly incompatible with Er Zhurong, and Er Zhurong could not be tolerated in the capital.
He set up an ambush and killed the unprepared Er Zhurong.
In fact, Er Zhurong had military power at that time, and the emperor of the Northern Wei Dynasty killed Er Zhurong out of righteous indignation. In the end, Er Zhurong's descendants rushed into the capital and bloodbathed the emperor's clan.
With Er Zhurong's experience in mind, if Li Zhi kills more than a thousand of the emperor's ministers, how will the emperor react? It's really hard to predict.
Everyone looked at Li Zhi.
Li Zhi sneered and said, "No matter how risky it is, I still have to try it."
"Without Er Zhurong's iron-blooded massacre, the traitors in the court of the Northern Wei Dynasty would have controlled the Northern Dynasty for hundreds of years. Where would there be any living space for the veterans of Jiujiang, Guanlong and Longxi? Where would the glory of the Tang Dynasty be possible a hundred years later?"
"For the sake of this country and this nation, I must kill all the parasites in the capital at once."
Everyone was shocked by Li Zhi's words and were speechless for a moment.
The prince has made up his mind? As a prince, he wants to kill 90% of the ministers in the court?
What would the people of the world think? What would the emperor think?
How to operate specifically to attack the capital?
Zheng Kaicheng gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, think twice!"
Li Zhi looked at Zheng Kaicheng and said: "How can we do great things by looking ahead and looking behind?"
Cui Changwu came out, bowed his hands to Li Zhi, and said loudly: "Your Highness, regardless of personal safety for the sake of the common people and the country, dares to go to dangerous peaks and willing to go into dangerous places. This is really a blessing to our Ming Dynasty and a blessing to the people."
Zhong Feng looked at Li Zhi and said loudly: "As long as the prince gives the order, Zhong Feng will lead the Huben army to the capital and arrest these civil servants one by one."
Zheng Kaicheng's face turned pale and he said: "You can't do it, Your Majesty, you can't attack the capital. That would be treason! We have to find other ways."
Li Zhi walked a few steps back and forth in the tent, then raised his head and thought for a while.
Finally, Li Zhi asked: "Chen Wenyue, Minister of the Ministry of War, said that he wanted to entertain me. What day is the date set for?"
Zheng Kaicheng replied: "It's March 15th."
Li Zhi raised his head and thought for a while, then said: "Okay, let's set it on March 14th, take my post to the capital, and send a message to all the officials to go to the Grand Canal outside the city to worship heaven."
Zhong Feng was stunned and asked: "The emperor must lead the sacrifice to heaven, and it is also going to the Temple of Heaven. How can we go to the Grand Canal to worship heaven? The prince has set a trap like this, fearing that the civil servants will not believe it."
Li Zhi sneered and said: "Those civil servants are greedy, how can we use common sense to measure it? Just follow my instructions and send the posts, and those civil servants will naturally take the bait."
