"Yuanzhi, what do you think about the conflict between Marquis Zhengbei and Marquis Weiwu?"
Xiao He stood up with a serious expression: "Your Majesty, as a humble minister, I can only appease Marquis Zhengbei. His claim to leave is not really because he is estranged from me, but he just feels aggrieved after being bullied. That¡¯s all. As long as your Majesty punishes the generals of Xiangyang Town who caused trouble this time and gives an explanation to the Marquis of Zhengbei, then he will naturally change his mind."
Before Emperor Renxing could speak, Fang Yan had already sneered: "The Dongping soldiers and horses who conquered the Northern Marquis are of course important, but the Jingxiang Army's position in our dynasty is also very important. Especially now that the Northern Expedition is in full swing! Officer Xiao Duanshi , you keep saying that you want to deal with the military academy of the Xiangyang Army, don¡¯t you know what kind of trouble it will cause to the Tang Dynasty if you mess up the morale of the Xiangyang Army?"
No matter what Fang Yan said before, Xiao He and I either retorted or sneered. But this time, he pursed his lips tightly and said nothing to the Minister of War's accusation.
No one was surprised by Xiao Hewo's reaction. Everyone in the palace knew that the discussion between the two parties had gradually touched upon the court's taboo on the relationship between Jingxiang Town and the Jiangdu court. It was a well-known but well-kept taboo in the Southern Tang court.
Jingzhou and Xiangyang have been important towns between the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers since ancient times. They were the strongest fortresses of the Southern Dynasty against the Northern Wei Dynasty. The Southern Dynasty has always stationed heavy troops here to threaten the Central Plains and resist the Northern Wei Dynasty. But things are always like this in the world. Every advantage has a disadvantage. Jingxiang Town was the largest military town in the Southern Dynasties, with strong military strength. And because it straddles the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, its superior geographical environment allowed it to resist the Northern Wei Dynasty while also The downstream city of Jiangdu has a commanding vantage point. Those who are discussing matters in the palace will never forget that the reason why Li Changsheng, the founder of the Southern Dynasty, was able to successfully usurp the remnants of the Liu Han Dynasty and sweep across the south of the Yangtze River was because he controlled Jingzhou, which controlled the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. and the military strength of Xiangyang two towns.
The revised official history of the Southern Tang Dynasty "History of Liu Han" records that in the eleventh year of Liu Han's reign as Emperor Guangxian, Liu Nan, the last emperor of the Liu Han Dynasty, admired Li Changsheng, the Taizu of the Tang Dynasty, for "not only his bravery in martial arts, but also his noble character. His noble conduct made him a worthy "Watched by the world", he "felt ashamed of himself" and said, "In the world, those who are virtuous will live in it, and those who are powerful will live in it. I have no virtue and no power, how can I occupy such an important position?" So the emperor of the late Han Dynasty "voluntarily" sent out the imperial court. The important ministers invited Li Changsheng to Jiangdu with an imperial edict, and presented the imperial seal and the emperor's sword to inform the world. Indicates that he voluntarily abdicates the throne to the emperor.
¡°Obviously, the late Emperor Liu Han could be regarded as a good and enlightened comrade if he could achieve this, but Taizu Li Changsheng¡¯s consciousness was even higher than him. According to the history books, when Mr. Li Changsheng, the ¡°King of Chu, Commander-in-Chief of the Jingxiang Town Military, Commander-in-Chief of the Chinese and Foreign Military, President of the Internal and External Armies, Grand Master, and False Huangyue¡± of the Tang Dynasty received the edict, his reaction was as follows: ¡° When he first heard the emperor's edict, Taizu burst into tears. Holding the angel's hand, he said, "I was born a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty, and died a loyal ghost of the Han Dynasty. How dare I covet the position of a non-human minister?" Then he firmly refused the edict.
The next morning, the imperial edict came again, but Taizu refused again and knelt on the ground. Wailing and weeping, unable to stand up for a long time, firmly refusing the edict;
On the third day, the emperor's edict came. Taizu was in indescribable grief and said, "I am an innocent son. Why would the Holy One doubt that we have come to this?" The Lord is worried about the humiliation of his ministers. The only way for the guilty subject to die is to prove his innocence. ' Then he drew his sword and wanted to kill himself. Fortunately, all the generals were standing by and grabbed the sword to stop him. Taizu wanted to seek death again. Headed by Marquis Shiyang, all the generals knelt down and hugged their knees, saying mournfully, 'Heaven and God cannot take it, it will cause great disaster. . You may have nothing to fear, but we still have parents, wives and children to support, so please have mercy on us¡¯¡
All in all, the facts recorded in "History of Liu Han" have fully proved Comrade Li Changsheng's noble sentiments that he had no intention of the throne. The reason why this loyal minister of the Han Dynasty who was indifferent to fame and fortune and devoted himself to the public was finally forced to wear a yellow robe was entirely due to being manipulated by the imperial court. She colluded with the reactionary forces in the army to persecute her, and she was like a pure and beautiful school beauty who was reduced to a delinquent woman step by step. She was simply too innocent, outrageous, and pitiable.
Of course, there are some things that "History of Liu Han" will not record. It will not tell everyone that the place where Comrade "King of Chu and Fake Huang Yue" received the edict was not at his residence, Xiangyang Guards House, but at Baixiaji outside the city gate of Jiangdu, which is less than 100 meters away from the city gate. Five miles away; moreover, Li Changsheng did not come to Jiangdu alone to travel with public funds. By his side, there were tens of thousands of majestic soldiers from Xiangyang and Jingzhou, thousands of battle armors, and behind him, there were even more Large numbers of soldiers and horses are landing continuously, and the cloud-like sails of the naval ships in Jing and Xiang towns have obscured the water of the Yangtze River.
It has been a fine tradition since ancient times to keep taboos for respected people and taboos for elders. Naturally, it will not be recorded in the official history of the Southern Tang Dynasty. But in addition to official history, there is also unofficial history, and in addition to unofficial history, there are also folklore. The founding of the Southern Tang Dynasty was only three hundred years ago. Although there have been faint kings in the past dynasties, they still don¡¯t understand the difficult operation of literary inquisition, so there are many things that everyone just wants to know. Can't forget it. Except for Emperor Li Gongwei, everyone in the palace was not a Jinshi. They were well-read and full of classics. They were all aware of the tricky things that happened during the Ding Revolution.
Three hundred years since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, although there has never been a strong man like Li Changsheng in Jingxiang who was lucky enough to change the dynasty, there have been many unruly powerful ministers and warlords. Especially Heng Yuanzi, the commander-in-chief of Xiangyang during the Yonghe period. He was a ruthless character that makes the kings and ministers of Jiangdu still sweat coldly when they think of him. When this person was at the height of his power, he deposed the emperor at will, led troops into the court, and wiped out all the fifteen wealthy families who had followed Taizu in setting up the country. When he was arrogant, even the powerful Shen family would not dare to compete with him. They could only choose to retreat and compromise. Everyone said that if Heng Yuanzi hadn't died suddenly at the age of sixty-one, there would have been another Li Changsheng.
All in all, Jingxiang Town has special significance on the political stage of the Tang Dynasty. The power possessed by Jingxiang Town is really terrifying. It controls such a powerful military power, and even the most loyal ministers will deteriorate if they sit in that position. Therefore, the Southern Tang Dynasty court's feelings towards Commander-in-Chief Jing Xiang have always been complicated. They love, fear, doubt and fear him. Otherwise, the northern troops may attack Jiangdu at any time, and the emperor will not be able to sleep; but he Even if it is too strong, the emperor will also be unable to sleep.
Therefore, when the royal family appoints the general to guard Jingxiang Town, the first criterion for selection is not "brave and good at fighting" or "resourceful" or "remarkable record", but often the kind of "sophisticated, mature and steady" type. It would be better if the characters are old men over sixty years old and suffering from seven or eight chronic diseases. As for the talent of the town commander, it must not be one that is too strong, but it should also not be one that is too weak. If the Jingxiang town army is turned into a pile of waste, then the meaning of setting up a town will be lost.
(Actually, it is not in line with the traditional royal employment rules for Yu Huailie, a military veteran with high military record and high prestige, to serve as the commander-in-chief of Jingxiang. However, there are special reasons for this: First. In order to prepare for the conquest of the Tang Dynasty, In the Battle of Shu, Jingxiang Town was the main force of the Western Expedition. During the war, a capable commander was needed, and there was nothing that could be done about it;
Secondly, although Yu Huailie has a bad temper, his family has served in the army for the Tang Dynasty since his grandfather's generation. His grandfather and father both died fighting for the Tang Dynasty. This kind of general family should be said to be quite loyal. There shouldn't be any dissatisfaction. Although the old guy Yu Huailie has a bad temper, he is still a straight-tempered soldier. There's no such thing as a conspiracy.
Third, and the most critical point: Old Yu Huailie is over sixty years old. He has suffered both open and covert injuries from many years of fighting. Even if he has any ulterior motives, he only has a few more years to worry about. )
By understanding the subtle relationship between the imperial court and Jingxiang Town, one can understand why the emperors and ministers of the Southern Tang Dynasty were so cautious when talking about this topic. In fact, everyone knows that in this conflict in the Privy Council. Yu Huailie was the first to provoke for no reason, and then a group of officers from Jingxiang Town beat him up. Meng Ju was beaten alone, but he was actually very innocent. But here¡¯s the trouble with politics. It¡¯s not enough to just consider the merits of everything. You also have to weigh the interests and power balance behind the conflict and properly appease the interests of all parties. Especially now that the Northern Expedition has reached its second stage, when the Xiangyang Army is needed to fight to the death, Yu Huailie may not have the courage to rebel. But if he feels unhappy, why can't he just go out of his way to work during the war?
Now, the positions of all parties in the court discussion have become clear. Fang Yan, the Secretary of the Ministry of War, advocated the indulgence of Jingxiang Town and suppressed Meng Ju, while the attitude of Xiao Hewo, the judge of Beifu, was to severely punish the officers responsible for the trouble in Jingxiang Town and to support Meng Ju. However, Ouyang Min, the Privy Councilor, expressed his opinion. Lots of them, actually they don¡¯t have any opinions.
Ouyang Min was the chief strategist of the Southern Tang Dynasty. He loved military affairs since he was a child and was good at war planning. According to later generations, he was an expert affairs official. He relied on his own ability to climb to the position of chief military officer of the Privy Council. position, rather than relying on the support of any aristocratic family or force. He also knew that he was in a situation where "no one above him had anyone to rely on", so he usually acted very low-key and was only responsible for the military planning of the Privy Council and did not say a word about other political disputes in the court.
Usually, Ouyang Min can probably get by with his slippery attitude and vague statements. But today, his always unfailing tactics failed, maybe because he was in a bad mood, maybe because he was annoyed that the Privy Council mishandled the situation and caused this big trouble. Anyway, the emperor was not going to let him go easily.
Li Gongwei stared at him: "Privy Councilor, Mu Gong and Yuanzhi have all expressed their opinions. You should also tell me how to deal with this matter?"
Hearing the emperor's question, Ouyang Min felt excited, knowing that the situation was not good. The emperor asked himself for the second time, and when he called Xiao He, I and Fang Yan both called them by their names, and when he called himself, he called his official position. The difference between closeness and distance was obvious. It was obvious that the emperor had opinions about him, and he still If you continue to be cunning, I'm afraid something bad will happen next.
"Your Majesty has learned clearly that the veteran minister has little talent and little knowledge.?Limited, I really don¡¯t know how to handle this matter. However, in the opinion of veterans, the court needs to know what is beneficial and what is indispensable. "
Li Gongwei had already planned to give Ouyang Min a severe reprimand when he tried to shirk again. But when he heard what the other party said, there seemed to be a lot of profound meaning in his words, so he was a little surprised: "Privy Councilor, why don't you speak more clearly? I don't understand."
As if he had already given up, Ouyang Min said calmly: "Your Majesty, the two generals Zhengbeihou and Weiwuhou are indeed important generals that the imperial court relies on for Qiancheng. To the imperial court, these two generals are naturally very important. But please your Majesty and all your lords, please think deeply. For the great cause of the Northern Expedition, if the imperial court has to give up one of the two generals, which one is indispensable? After thinking about this, your Majesty can naturally come to the conclusion. .¡±
Li Gongwei and the two important ministers were stunned: they all said that dogs that bite don¡¯t bark. Privy Council Ouyang was usually languid and silent, but he was forced to have no choice but to say something. Analyzing it from this perspective, it is not surprising that Meng Ju or Yu Huailie, which one is necessary?
Fang Yan agreed: "Privilege Ouyang is a veteran in planning for the country. What he said is true, and the veteran also agrees. At present, the most important priority for our government is the Northern Expedition, and Jingxiang Town is the main force of the Northern Expedition. This Under such circumstances, the veteran is not saying that Dongping Town is unimportant. With the cooperation of Dongping Town, our Northern Expedition will certainly be smoother and more convenient. But even without the cooperation of the Dongping Army, relying on the Jiangdu Forbidden Army and the soldiers and horses of Jingxiang Town, the imperial court can still control the Northern Expedition. It's over, it just takes a little more effort and time.
Your Majesty, the matter is obvious. Our country can live without Dongping Town, but it cannot live without Jingxiang Town. Therefore, it is very obvious how to deal with this matter. "
Xiao He reacted very quickly. As soon as Fang Yan finished speaking, he immediately retorted: "I don't know if Duke Mu is really confused, or is he just pretending to be confused?"
"Official Xiao Duanshi, what do you mean by this?"
"Your Majesty, what we are discussing here is the conflict between Weiwuhou and Zhengbeihou. It is not the conflict between the two armies of Jingxiang Town and Dongping Town. There is a big difference between the two.
Not long after the Dongping Army returned, the soldiers and the court had not yet returned. Moreover, the town was founded by Zheng Beihou, who could make a decision with one word. If the court wanted to win over the Dongping Army, it could only rely on Zheng Beihou. There is no other way, so to conquer the Northern Marquis is the Dongping Army, and the Dongping Army is to conquer the Northern Marquis. The two are essentially one and are indistinguishable from each other.
But how can Marquis Weiwu represent the 200,000 officers and soldiers of the King's Division in Jingxiang Town? Since when did the town of Jingxiang, supported by the imperial army, turn into the private army of Marquis Weiwu?
Therefore, if the imperial court talks about who has to give up, then the humble minister would like to ask, which one is more important and is more important to the imperial court: Dongping's 100,000 strong soldiers or Weiwuhou alone? Isn't this obvious? "
"Xiao He, I said it plausibly, Fang Yan frowned slightly. He and Ouyang Min looked at each other, and both saw the helplessness in each other's eyes. Obviously, the two veterans had the same view. They both believed that maintaining Jingxiang Town's loyalty to the court was the most important thing at the moment, but Xiao He and I reacted quickly. , emphasizing that Jingxiang Town and Yu Huailie are not one and the same, which makes them not know how to refute.
"Xiao Thief is very cunning. He emphasized that Jingxiang Town is not Yu Shuai's private army. This makes it impossible for us to argue. How can we say that otherwise, Yu Shuai is very influential in Jingxiang Town and is far away?" Extraordinary? If this is the case, it will only make it darker. Doesn¡¯t it imply that Commander Yu is a warlord of our court and is secretly raising private soldiers? Then if we speak for him, wouldn¡¯t it mean that we are colluding with the ministers of the court to suppress the local vassal? "
Knowing that this is the most taboo thing for the owner, the two veterans are both experienced old men, so it is naturally impossible for them to make such a simple mistake. Fang Yan shouted sharply: "Official Xiao Duansi, you insist on punishing Marquis Weiwu and the officers of Jingxiang Town. If anything happens because of this, you may bear the responsibility?"
"Why should the humble ministers be held responsible?" Xiao Hewo asked back: "It was the Marquis Weiwu who stirred up the trouble, and it was the officers of the Jingxiang Army who attacked the Northern Marquis. They made mistakes first, and the officials in the imperial court followed the emperor's orders and implemented them in accordance with the law." Punishment is a matter of course. If there is any commotion in the Jingxiang army, the generals and supervisors of each department will be responsible for suppressing it and asking the Duke of Mu for advice. How can the humble ministers be held responsible for this?"
Fang Yan was at a loss for words again, and he groaned: "A treacherous sycophant brings harm to the country, and a clever tongue. Your Majesty, I have nothing to say to this generation!"
This night's court meeting lasted until late at night, because several military ministers held different opinions, and no results could be reached until late at night. In the end, Li Gongwei did not express his position, and everyone could only disperse hastily.
The reason why Meng Ju knew this news was that the prince who tipped him off from Boyang Hou Shizi Xu Yan even repeated to Meng Ju the exact words of several important ministers that night.
"Your Majesty's original intention is?I want to help General Meng seek justice for you, but unfortunately the time is not right now. Yu Huailie came to Beijing this time to discuss with the Privy Council the dispatch of troops to Jingxiang Town. The military attach¨¦s who followed Yu Huailie were the backbone of Jingxiang Town. Without them, Jingxiang Town's combat effectiveness would be greatly reduced. . When a war is imminent, punishing the commander-in-chief of an army and his fierce generals at this time will do too much damage to morale and create too much resistance in the DPRK.
His Majesty assured the general that this matter would never be tolerated. As soon as the war comes to an end, the imperial court will investigate Marquis Weiwu and his men for their criminal culpability, and give them justice, General. I wonder what your thoughts are, General? "
After hearing this, Meng Ju's first reaction was to sneer: "Wait until the war is over." Not to mention that the Northern Expedition really started, I don't know if it will last ten or twenty years. Even if the war is really won, Yu Huailie will No matter whether it is the military attaches of the Jingxiang Army, which one is not a great hero with countless meritorious deeds? At that time, who would pursue these meritorious military attach¨¦s who had returned with great honors for such a small case of a fight?
The most critical one: when the Northern Expedition is over, the Xianbei people have been wiped out, and the Dongping Army has lost its use value, it is time for him to be put aside. Now that there is no way to punish the perpetrators, do you still expect that the emperor will offend the meritorious general for himself, an idle prince?
It seems that Emperor Renxing really thought himself a fool.
He sneered in his heart, but Meng Ju didn't show it at all on his face. He said sincerely: "The general is deeply frightened by putting your majesty in trouble. In fact, your majesty does not have to worry about the general. The court can handle this matter how it should be handled. Wei Wei I don¡¯t mind.¡±
Xu Yan carefully observed Meng Ju's expression: "The general is so magnanimous and considers the overall situation. Your Majesty will be pleased to hear that, but I don't know what the general said last time about returning to the north"
Meng Ju lowered his eyes: "The humble minister has naturally surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, and he is the general of the Tang Dynasty. Everything is entirely up to your Majesty's arrangement. Since Your Majesty does not want the general to go back, then the general will continue to stay in Jiangdu." There is no tailwind. Even after exerting all his strength, Meng Ju also knew that he could not finish the matter. Regardless of whether it is true or not, Li Gongwei has made a promise to punish the murderer after all. If he still insists on leaving, he will not believe the emperor's promise and will not give the emperor face. Once Li Gongwei is angered, the consequences will be It¡¯s hard to predict.
In fact, this result is the best solution for Meng Ju. Meng Ju magnanimously expressed that he didn't care. Both the emperor and the Southern Tang court felt guilty about Meng Ju. Then, would they still have the nerve to ask the Dongping Army to send troops to help the Southern Tang fight against the Xianbei people? Meng Ju estimated that Li Gongwei's face was not that thick-skinned.
¡°Oh, that¡¯s good, that¡¯s good!¡±
Hearing that Meng Ju made it clear that he would not leave, Xu Yan felt relieved. He said: "Marquis Zhengbei, you are absolutely right. Of course it is better to stay in Jiangdu! The northern Xinjiang is desolate and remote. Apart from the desert and yellow sand, there are demons. What's the point of going back there? Huh? You have finally come all the way to the Tang Dynasty, and you haven¡¯t fully explored the beautiful scenery of Jiangdu. You have never seen the style of the Qinhuai River. Why are you in such a hurry to go back?
??????????????????????????????????????????????????? On my side, I also asked a few close friends to introduce you to Mr. Hou. They are all good brothers who are substantial and loyal!
????????????????????????????????????????? Mr. Marquis, I¡¯m sorry to say something harsh. Mr. Hou, you are at a disadvantage this time because you have too few friends in Jiangdu. Those Jingzhou people are just bullying you because of the small number of people. However, the group of brothers I brought tonight have a wide range of people, large portions, and great magical powers. There is nothing in the capital that they cannot eat.
¡°Now that I know them, from now on, Lord Marquis, you can walk sideways in the capital, no matter where you are, as long as you state your trade name, you will never suffer any loss! "
Meng Ju was really dumbfounded when he heard this. I am a dignified second-grade military attache and marquis who commands tens of thousands of troops. How can I rely on you guys to protect me in the capital?
"How can I let the prince spend money? Since I arrived in Jiangdu, I have been harassing the prince's house. I feel very uneasy. It's rare that the prince introduces you to me tonight. I ask the prince to give me this opportunity to be a host." The last general."
Xu Yan said with a smile: "The Marquis is too polite. It doesn't matter whoever invites you, as long as the Marquis is willing to honor me. That's it. Let's just say that we will ride there together tonight!" (To be continued. Mobile phone users please come read.)