This was another bold and risky decision for him. Over the years, he had fought in the south and north, and he had never forgotten the training of successors. Not only did Li Xu learn about the Spring and Autumn Period, Zuo Zhuan, the Art of War, historical annals, and Confucianism, etc.
.I also taught my son some alternative modern concepts, such as land annexation, redistribution of the means of production, emperors' thick blacks, continental hegemony, ocean hegemony, Malthusian population trap theory, and the replacement of rule by law with the rule of man. These are new things.
The thought had a huge impact on the soul of Li Xu, who had been reading poetry and books since he was a child, and made him develop an absolute admiration for his father Li Siye.
In Li Xu's view, his father is a person who transcends this world. It is a pity that his father participated in the war in the secular world. If he hides in the mountains to study knowledge, he will definitely be able to spread the word like sages such as Laozi, Confucius, Mencius, and Guiguzi.
The school of eternity.
Li Xu has been controlling the situation in Guanzhong in Chang'an for his father these years. Many non-important decisions are made by Li Xu personally, and there are even some decisions that even Prime Minister Xu Bin dare not make. After careful consideration, Li Xu made the decision first and later. Therefore, Chang'an
People call him the hidden prince. It is not even an exaggeration to say that because Li Siye leads troops outside all year round, Li Xu is often the one in control of the north.
Therefore, what Li Siye was most worried about was not that Li Xu could not inherit his legacy, but that he would die during the campaign. The troops who were far away from Chang'an and conquering the south of the Yangtze River were no longer under Li Xu's control, or were all under Li Chongbao's command. Therefore,
And there are cases of fights between roommates and brothers competing for position.
As for Chang'an, what he was most worried about was that after Li Xu left, someone would take the opportunity to stir up trouble and raise the puppet emperor and seize his base. So Li Siye arranged for his most trusted people, Micha Qian and Yan Xiaosi, to stay in Chang'an, while Cen Shen and Bai Xiaode stayed in Luoyang.
, Prime Minister Xu Bin was on his way here with Li Xu.
In order to maintain the smooth and orderly progress of the Southern Campaign, Li Siye would not cause division among the generals after his death, nor could he lose his command due to the death of the general, which would ruin the current good situation.
He controlled this process well while he was seriously ill. In order to enable Li Xu to better control the situation, the letters he wrote to them also set a good time lag. Li Xu came to the quarrying front first, and Li Siye
As a matter of course, he transferred the position of commander-in-chief of the three armies to him, and patrolled the army with his son.
At this time, his illness was already very serious, but he still mounted his war horse and inspected the camp with Li Xu. He said to the generals and lieutenants of each army: "Li Xu is old and prudent and has a lonely heart. From now on, he will lead the three armies to complete the southern expedition."
The great cause of unification."
He then said to Li Xu next to him: "These soldiers are all my brothers. You must treat them more favorably after I leave."
The soldiers were deeply moved and raised their swords and guns and shouted long live.
After returning from an inspection tour in the army, he said to Li Xu who was riding a horse: "You have been living in the capital all year round to deal with government affairs and are not proficient in combat. Therefore, you should listen to the opinions of the prime minister and generals on general matters, and do not interfere in combat.
Below are the plans of the generals. As for how to control the army, you only need to remember twelve words: strict rewards and punishments, knowing people well and being considerate of the soldiers."
Li Xu supported him and said with sobs: "Son, remember this."
He coughed, but had no intention of going back to camp. He pointed to a hill by the river and said, "Come on, follow me over there to see the scenery."
"But, father, your body."
"It doesn't matter, I can still hold on for a little longer."
He did not let his guards follow him. Li Xu knew in his heart that his father might want to give him instructions, so he helped him climb to the top of the mountain. The cool river breeze blew in front of him. The weather in the south was hotter, but at this moment Li Siye
Shivering from the cold, he touched his upper and lower teeth and said: "Under the stone bricks under the bed in the Jiaotai Hall of King Yong's Mansion in the capital, there is a book written in vernacular that I left for you. I think it is better to leave it to you.
The foundation is more valuable.”
"I have something else to say to you. Remember, land annexation is the root cause of the demise of most dynasties. Even if you cannot completely cure it, you must find a way to curb it from the source.
"There will never be a vacuum in power. There is no benefit to having too much monarch power. Neither you nor I can guarantee that our children and grandchildren will not become a fool. The power of a fool will be borrowed by the sycophants and careerists around us. The greater the power, the greater the harm.
"Everyone in the world has selfish desires, but the law has no selfish desires. It is there to maintain order. As a king, you must maintain the credibility of the law. You can see other things in books."
Li Xu knelt on the ground with tears in his eyes, and knelt three times and kowtowed to his father: "I only hope that my father can live a long life and teach you more in front of me."
Li Siye lifted his son up and brushed the dust off his shoulders and said, "Let's go. I won't close my eyes until you can lead the three armies on the right track."
Having said that, after Li Siye returned to the Chinese army's tent, he fell into a coma for a while. Li Xu had been staying by his father's side and had no intention of supervising the battle, so all the Yong army units that were besieging the quarry were resting and waiting step by step.
Pu Guhuai'en, the general of the Tang army who had gained a breather from the enemy's siege, was hesitant and suspicious. He wondered why the Yong army no longer besieged him. However, he did not expect that the commander of the Yong army, Li Siye, was already dying. He just took this opportunity to repair the fortifications.
, missed the only opportunity to turn defeat into victory.
Zang Xiye and Li Chongbao arrived at the quarry by boat one after another. They stood anxiously outside the tent and waited. Li Siye first ordered someone to invite Zang Xiye in and raised his hand with difficulty from the sick bed.
General Zang walked quickly to Li Siye's body, knelt on the ground, held his hand, and whispered: "Whatever my lord has ordered, Xiye will complete it even to the death."
Li Siye was short of breath and spoke slowly: "After my death, my son Li Xu will take over the throne of King Yong and will be responsible for all affairs of the Southern Expedition. I hope the general can fully assist him."
Li Xu knelt beside him and choked with tears. Zang Xiye nodded solemnly: "I will obey my master's orders to the death."
After Zang Xiye went out, he called his second son Li Chongbao to come in.
When Li Chongbao entered the tent, he was already crying when he suddenly saw his younger brother kneeling in front of the bed. He obviously couldn't believe his eyes. Then he realized what he was doing and hid a trace of dissatisfaction in his heart. He quickly knelt down in front of Li Siye's bed and cried.
He said: "The child is late and cannot fulfill his filial piety in front of his father. I feel really guilty."
Li Siye first said angrily: "You have managed well in Youyan, I am very pleased." He waved to Li Xu who was kneeling beside him. Li Xu stretched out his hand, and he used his weak strength to hold the two brothers' hands together.
, said in a low voice: "After I leave, you should assist Xu'er with all your heart. You two brothers will work together to create a great cause. Your brother is good at fighting, so you should listen to his advice more when using the army."
After hearing this, the two of them cried and nodded in response.
"You go out and call Prime Minister Xu Bin in."
Xu Bin entered the tent and took off his mask to reveal his scarred face. It was hard to tell whether his expression was sad or sorrowful.
Li Siye whispered to him: "Li Xu has outstanding abilities, so I have nothing to worry about. The only person I can't worry about is Chong Bao. He has outstanding achievements and has always been conceited. Until now, he doesn't know that he is not my biological son. I'm afraid that he may have some influence on the throne."
I hope you can comfort and guard against the covetous heart, and never let him have any ambitions he shouldn't have, let alone let the two of them fall into a situation where brothers are fighting against each other."
Xu Bin choked up in response, and Li Siye thrust another note into his hand.
The prime minister took the note out of the tent and looked at it. It read, "With all our efforts, we will attack Jinling."
After Li Siye gave his last words, he still refused to die. He must have been waiting for victory to be established before he could close his eyes.