At the end of the Sui Dynasty

Chapter 851
In Chang'an, all the gates of the city are closed tightly, people on the street are in a hurry, and from time to time you can see the mobilization of the armed forces, and the atmosphere is unprecedentedly tense.Li Shimin was defeated in Huoyi, and the Tang army's elite troops suffered heavy losses. In the end, they had to abandon the entire Hedong area and retreat to the west bank of the Yellow River. Now the news has spread throughout Guanzhong, shaking the whole country and everyone is in danger.

In addition, Qi lord Gao Changqing broke through Hangu Pass not long ago, and now the [-] Qi army has arrived east of Tongguan, and the battle in the Bashu area is also extremely favorable. It is said that the county king Li Xiaogong has given up Badi and retreated to Hanzhong, and Li Xiyu was struggling to support in Shu County.

In other words, the war between Li Tang and Gao Qi has been completely defeated. The Qi army is forming a character-shaped offensive against Chang'an from the three directions of Hedong, Central Plains, and Bashu. Li Tang's situation has reached a precarious situation. It's not good.

Zhong Shusheng, Fang Xuanling looked very haggard, as if he had aged a lot overnight, bowed slightly and coughed non-stop.Fang Xuanling's health has not been very good. During this period of time, he was in charge of staying behind, working day and night, coupled with the continuous shock of bad news, his health completely collapsed, and he had a high fever for three days and three nights, vomiting whatever he ate , even his family members thought he was useless, but fortunately, the fever subsided on the fourth day, and he could eat a little porridge, and his body gradually recovered, and he finally passed the gate of hell.

Fang Xuanling hadn't recovered yet, so he supported his sick body and went back to work in the Ministry of Education. Now the city of Chang'an is full of undercurrents and crises, without him he can't take charge of the overall situation.

Fang Xuanling managed to stop his cough, and was about to drink a cup of tea to relieve it, when a confidant came in and reported: "Master Fang, Shang Shu Zuo Servant shot Pei Ji to the Tai Chi Palace."

Fang Xuanling nodded and said, "Understood, step back."

As soon as his confidant withdrew, Fang Xuanling coughed violently again, and finally spit out a mouthful of bloody sputum into the spittoon. His oppressed chest finally felt relieved. He picked up the teacup and rinsed his mouth. Huge hidden worry, finally let out a long sigh.

The emperor was supposed to be in the wrong position. If there were no foreign troubles, with the emperor's talent and illustrious military exploits, he would surely be able to secure the position in a year or so. It's a pity that Gao Qi didn't give him this chance at all. Ruthless, the emperor will not allow the emperor to take a breather. Now that the Tang army has completely lost, the whole country is in turmoil, and the external troubles are serious, which leads to internal troubles.

After the emperor's Xuanwumen mutiny seized the throne, although the Crown Prince and Prince Qi's mansion were destroyed, in order to show benevolence and justice and appease the hearts of the people, he did not completely eradicate the forces of the Crown Prince and King Qi. Wind and waves, but it's hard to say now.

However, the biggest hidden danger today is not the remnants of the Prince and King Qi, but the Supreme Emperor who has retreated behind the scenes.The appeal of the Supreme Emperor Li Yuan is still very strong, especially in the current situation of internal and external troubles, the call for the Supreme Emperor to return to power is getting louder and louder, which can be seen from the increasing number of court officials who have visited Taiji Palace in recent days .

Obviously, Li Shimin suffered a big defeat, which made Li Tang's country unstable, and his own throne began to crumble. Once the Supreme Emperor came to power again, Li Shimin would be in danger of being deposed, or even his life. After all, besides Li Shimin, Li Yuan , and there are many sons, although they are not descendants, it is not difficult to straighten them up.

Of course, Fang Xuanling can kill Li Yuan at any time, but the matter is so important that he can't make up his own mind, he must ask Li Shimin for instructions, and in the current situation, once Li Yuan is killed, the situation in Chang'an will be even more chaotic. At this time, if there is a restless hero in the army, it is difficult to say whether Chang'an can still be named Li.

Fang Xuanling quickly wrote a secret note, explaining the current situation in Chang'an one by one, and then sent someone to report it to Li Shimin urgently.

Just after Fang Xuanling sent out the secret performance, the left servant of the Shangshu shot Pei Ji, and the right servant of the Shangshu shot Feng Deyi came hand in hand.Fang Xuanling's heart skipped a beat, he calmly invited the two of them in, and asked with a smile: "Duke Pei and Duke Feng have come together, what advice do you have?"

Pei Ji went straight to the point and said: "Master Fang, now the Tang Dynasty is in jeopardy, the country is in danger of being overthrown, the whole country is in turmoil, and the emperor is not in the capital right now. At this critical moment of life and death, someone in the capital needs to take charge of the overall situation. What do you mean? Please come out and preside over it temporarily, and I hope Mr. Fang will take care of the overall situation." After speaking, he bowed deeply sincerely.

Fang Xuanling's expression froze slightly. He is a man with a beautiful heart and a wealth of knowledge. If Pei Ji beat around the bush and played tricks, he could handle it with ease. As a result, Pei Ji came straight to the point and told him frankly. For a while, I didn't know how to answer.

Feng Deyi coughed lightly and said: "The Supreme Emperor will hold an emergency court meeting in Wude Palace tomorrow, and I hope Mr. Fang will attend it on time with the country as the most important thing."

Fang Xuanling's complexion changed slightly, he cupped his hands and remained silent, Pei Ji and Feng Deyi looked at each other, turned and left Zhongshu Sheng.

Fang Xuanling's complexion changed for a moment, and then he suddenly coughed violently again. The two old foxes, Pei Ji and Feng Deyi, were soft and hard at the same time.

Fang Xuanling sighed for a long time, now there are only two options in front of him, the first is to kill Li Yuan with blood and iron, and at the same time kill all the courtiers who went to Wude Hall for counsel; the second is to watch Li Yuan helplessly. back in power.

The first choice is easy and easy, but the consequences are also extremely serious. In the end, in order to quell public anger and appease the hearts of the people, the emperor might take the blame on himself, but with the second choice, the emperor loses power in the end, and he may also be killed. liquidation.

For a moment, Fang Xuanling fell into a dilemma, entangled in his heart, and suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest, wow, spit out a mouthful of blood, and fell limply on the ground, unconscious.

The clerk outside heard the movement, took a look, and found Fang Xuanling lying down beside the desk covered in blood. He couldn't help being shocked, and hurried in, pinching him, and shouting: "Come here, Mr. Fang vomits blood!" Fainted, please call the imperial physician."

…………

It was night, everything was silent, and the lights were still on in the Taiji Hall of the Taiji Palace. Li Yuan sat behind the case and wrote vigorously, with a hint of worry hidden between his brows.

The second son, Li Shimin, launched the Xuanwu Gate Mutiny, and his brothers fought against each other. This has always been a lingering pain in Li Yuan's heart. He is dissatisfied with Li Shimin, but he has to admit that this son is more talented than the prince Li Jiancheng. It is undoubtedly a good thing that Datang Jiangshan is handed over to him.

No, Jieli Khan led 20 cavalry to the vicinity of Chang'an, and was dismissed by Li Shimin. Although he lost a lot of property and emptied half of the treasury, it did not hurt the fundamentals.

However, Li Shimin's recent performance was too bad. He was completely defeated in the battle with Gao Qi, so that the whole country was in turmoil, and Li Tang's country was in danger of being overthrown.

Li Yuan was really surprised. He never expected that his son Li Shimin, who was once invincible, would be defeated by Li Jing, ruining the most elite troops of the Tang Dynasty, and the Tang army in Hangu Pass and Bashu also lost one after another.Today's Guanzhong is besieged on all sides, and the situation is really worrying.

"Shimin, Shimin, my father gave you a chance, but you are useless. My father can't just watch the Great Tang Dynasty perish in your hands." Li Yuan sighed secretly, and put the brush on the pen stand superior.

It was late at night, Li Yuan didn't go to bed with his concubine, but went to sleep alone in Baoxia Pavilion's study, closed the door, and blew out the lamp.

It is the beginning of July, the end of summer and the beginning of autumn, but the heat is in full swing, and I am still sweating slightly while lying on the mat.Li Yuan suddenly felt a gust of cool wind blowing, and the curtain seemed to be lifted by someone. He subconsciously opened his eyes, and vaguely saw a black figure standing in front of the bed. He couldn't help but be shocked.

Hei Ying coughed twice, Li Yuan settled down and sat up, forced himself to calm down and said, "Xuan Ba, is it you?"

Heiying apologized, "Did the child wake you up, Father?"

Li Yuan said calmly: "I haven't fallen asleep yet, Xuanba came to look for me late at night, but is there something wrong?"

The fire was lit in the darkness, and someone came to light a candle. Under the candlelight, the man was as thin as a skeleton, with sunken eye sockets, and black lips, as if he could be blown away by a gust of wind. The moment he lit the candle, he coughed twice again.

Li Yuan frowned and said, "Xuan Ba, you are weak, you should go to bed earlier."

Li Xuanba sat down by the bed, smiled and said: "It's okay, for so many years, the child hasn't had a peaceful night's sleep, father is up late at night, but is there something on his mind?"

Li Yuan nodded and said, "My Tang Dynasty is in turmoil, and my heart is restless."

Li Xuanba shook his head and said: "Since my father has retired, why bother to worry about state affairs? Victory or defeat is a common matter in military affairs. Give Shimin a little time. I believe he can reverse the unfavorable situation. Don't go to Wude Hall tomorrow. .”

Li Yuan frowned, and said displeasedly: "Xuanba, are you teaching me how to do things?"

Li Xuanba shook his head and said: "I don't dare, I just try to persuade you with nice words."

Li Yuan sneered and said, "What if I don't listen to my advice?"

Li Xuanba bowed his head in silence for a moment before saying: "That child has no choice but to offend."

Li Yuan suddenly changed color and said: "Presumptuous!"

Li Xuanba sighed and said: "The child doesn't want to be rough, so father, you'd better listen to my advice."

Li Yuan was frightened and angry, and said suspiciously: "The people of the world suddenly launched a mutiny, and brothers killed each other. Could it be that you, an evil animal, are obstructing it?"

Li Xuanba said frankly: "The root of the disaster was planted by the father himself, and the child just lit a fire."

Li Yuan's breathing became short of breath in vain, and he trembled with anger, pointing at Li Xuanba and tremblingly said: "You... this beast, back then your mother (Ms. Dou) took great risks to raise you up Find a famous doctor to treat you, is this how you repay my Li family?"

Li Xuanba said calmly: "Ha'er killed Xue Ju, killed Shibi Khan, and almost killed Gao Changqing and Li Jing. Doesn't that count as repaying the Li family for their upbringing? If Hai'er hadn't killed Xue Ju, I'm afraid he had reached Chang'an three years ago, and Shibi Khan led his army south, if he hadn't died suddenly on the way, would Li Tang Jiangshan have been safe for the past few years?"

Li Yuan's complexion fluctuated, and he said in a deep voice: "Yuwen Daoxin, I don't believe that you are so kind. You help the people everywhere, and you incite his brothers to kill each other. What is your intention? Is there any ulterior purpose?"

Li Xuanba looked at Li Yuan whose eyes were twinkling, sighed and said, "Father's eyes are like a torch, I'm sure you won't be able to hide my child's thoughts from you, anyway, that child confessed that the Yang family belonged to my Yuwen family, but It was snatched by Yang Jian."

Li Yuan said coldly: "Then you will harm the Yang family, but why do you want to avenge me, Li Jiaen?"

Li Xuanba said calmly: "The Yang family has come to its end, Yang Guang was humiliated and strangled to death, Jiangshan was also lost, and almost all the men of the Yang family died, and you, father, are among the people who deserve the credit."

A look of unnaturalness flashed across Li Yuan's face, he was indeed the one who killed the acting king Yang You.

Li Xuanba continued: "Although Li Tang's country was snatched from Yang Guang, it is actually my Yuwen family's country."

Li Yuan sneered and said: "It's ridiculous, then where did you snatch the land of your Yuwen family? There is no one in the world, and those who are capable live in it."

Li Xuanba nodded and said: "Father's words are not unreasonable, so we don't care who robs whom, the winner is the king, as long as the child is in the country."

Li Yuan blurted out: "As long as Shimin is in power, you can forget about it."

"What if Shimin takes the initiative to give up the throne to Hai'er?" Li Xuanba stared at Li Yuan intently.

Li Yuan lost his voice: "Impossible."

Li Xuanba smiled and said: "Father can give up the throne to Shimin, why can't Shimin give up the throne to me?"

Li Yuan's complexion changed, and he said sharply: "Beast, no wonder I feel that something is wrong with the people of the world, did you use some evil methods to him?"

Li Xuanba did not admit it, nor did he deny it, but said indifferently: "It's late at night, father should go to bed early."

After Li Xuanba finished speaking, he wiped his left hand in front of Li Yuan's eyes, and the latter fell back on the bed without a sound, his whole body was stiff and unable to move, but his eyes were wide open, staring at the ceiling blankly.

Li Xuanba stood quietly for a while, then put down the curtains, extinguished the lamps and candles, and disappeared into the boundless darkness.

On the second day, at the Wude Hall, dozens of court officials headed by Pei Ji and Feng Deyi gathered here, waiting for the arrival of the Supreme Emperor Li Yuan.

Fang Xuanling did not come, it is said that he fainted because of a sudden illness, he invited the imperial doctor to rescue him but was unable to recover, now he is dying, he does not know if it is a real illness, or he did not attend the court meeting for an excuse.

If Fang Xuanling didn't come, the officials from the former Tiance government department would naturally also not come, but it's better not to come, so as not to be a hindrance, so Pei Ji and Feng Deyi were also happy to see Fang Xuanling not coming.

However, Pei Ji and the others waited until almost noon and did not see Li Yuan appearing. They couldn't help feeling extremely anxious. Dozens of court officials in the palace were also beating their hearts out. It's over. Fang Xuanling couldn't be pretending to be sick, right?

Pei Ji and Feng Deyi are the leaders, and they are even more anxious at this moment. Political disputes in the court are often cruel, and the consequences of standing in the wrong team range from relegation to loss of head.

As time passed, Pei Ji and Feng Deyi became more and more anxious, and some sloppy officials in the palace had already made excuses and slipped away.

Just as Pei Ji and Feng Deyi were about to go to the Tai Chi Hall to ask to see the Supreme Emperor, a palace official ran into the Wude Hall in a panic and shouted: "It's not good, the Supreme Emperor has suffered a stroke."

All the officials present were astonished and suspicious at the same time, the Supreme Emperor did not have a stroke sooner or later, but it happened at this juncture that he had a stroke, which is too coincidental.

Pei Ji and Feng Deyi were shocked, and hurriedly followed the palace servants to the Baoxia Pavilion study room in the Taiji Hall, and they saw Li Yuan lying stiff on the bed, his eyes were straight, he couldn't speak, and the corners of his crooked mouth were still dripping with saliva , one hand was clenched into a fist, and the other was bent into a chicken paw.

When Pei Ji and Feng Deyi saw it, their hearts turned cold. At their age, stroke patients are often seen, and Li Yuan's state is useless even if he doesn't die.

"The Supreme Emperor, this minister is Pei Ji, do you still recognize him?" Pei Ji approached and asked.

Li Yuan's eyes were straightened, and he didn't respond.

Feng Deyi did not give up, and leaned forward and asked: "The Supreme Emperor, the subject is Feng Lun, do you still recognize the subject?"

Li Yuan also kept his eyes straight, without any reaction.

Pei Ji sighed secretly, and asked the imperial physician next to him, "What's wrong with the emperor?"

At this time, there was no filming or anything. The doctor's diagnosis depends on experience, and Li Yuan's symptoms are undoubtedly related to a stroke, so the imperial doctor said with certainty: "The emperor has suffered a stroke, the two gentlemen should hurry up and inform the emperor."

The subtext is that Li Yuan may be dying soon, so hurry up and inform the emperor to come back and see him for the last time.Stroke is cerebral hemorrhage. This disease is very dangerous even in modern times. If the operation is delayed, it will lead to death or disability, let alone in ancient times when medicine was extremely backward.

Although Pei Ji and Feng Deyi were surprised, they did not doubt it, because people at a certain age were indeed prone to strokes, which was related to the aging of blood vessels, so they ordered the palace servants to take good care of the Supreme Emperor, and then left sadly.

In this way, the turmoil of the great emperor's comeback disappeared, and the officials who had been to the Wude Hall began to panic, and they all ran to Fang Xuanling's house under the pretext of visiting a sick person to ask about his health. That night, Fang Xuanling's condition worsened, and he passed away in the middle of the night.

Li Shimin, who was in Chaoyi, Fengyi County, suffered from inexplicable heart palpitations, and could not sleep all night. On the afternoon of the second day, the sad news came that the Supreme Emperor Li Yuan had a stroke and was paralyzed, and Fang Xuanling died of a sudden illness.

Li Shimin felt as if he was hit by a bolt from the blue sky, and his world was spinning for a while, and he almost fell off his horse.

Huo Yi suffered a disastrous defeat. He lost Hedong and lost one hundred thousand elites. The most terrible thing is that a large number of his confidants and generals died, especially Yin Kaishan and Hou Junji, the two loyal backbones who died in battle. Changsun Shunde was captured, and he had undoubtedly cut off one of his arms. Now that the chief adviser, Fang Xuanling, had died of illness, Li Shimin felt that the sky was about to fall.

"God thief, are you going to kill me Li Shimin? I don't believe in evil, I don't believe in evil!!!" Li Shimin drew his sword and pointed at the sky, as if he was crazy, and the soldiers around him dared not approach him.

Zhang Gongjin and Tang Jian felt awe-inspiring. As the saying goes, when a country is about to perish, there must be evildoers. Now that all kinds of misfortunes are coming one after another, is it true that Li Tang is really dying?
Li Shimin calmed down for a while, and immediately ordered Li Shentong, king of Huai'an County, to guard the front line of the Yellow River, and then hurried back to Chang'an.

(End of this chapter)