Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 267: Give dignity to those who don’t want dignity

"how do I say this?"

Yong Wang Li Lin looked at Gao Shang with burning eyes. Although he tried his best to pretend that nothing had happened, the surprise and confusion on his face still betrayed his inner thoughts.

"The slave did not voluntarily become a eunuch, but was forcibly castrated by the emperor. The slave assisted King Yong only to avenge the death of his descendants. Your Highness, please do not doubt the slave's sincerity and determination."

Gao Shang gave Li Lin a prosperous ceremony.

Well, it seems excusable.

Yongwang Li Lin nodded slightly, noncommittal. The noble words cannot be said to be unreasonable, but it does not rule out the possibility that Brother Ji arranged the "fishing" scheme. Of course, it's always right to listen to what they say and watch what they do.

"Your Highness, you know that the emperor actually has no intention of making King Shou the crown prince. Forcing him to be the crown prince is obviously just a temporary measure."

Gao Shang said to Li Lin calmly.

He thought the other party would be surprised, but he didn't expect Li Lin to sneer with disdain: "Of course, who doesn't know this? On the day of Li Heng's rebellion, our good saint was humiliated like that by King Shou, and now the one who killed Li Long How can I sincerely make him the prince if he has his heart!"

Li Lin, who was so ignorant, actually said something that he could not mention to outsiders no matter what!

"Can your Highness tell you a little bit about the inside story? I can give His Highness some advice."

When Gao Shang heard that there was an inside story, his whole body trembled with excitement.

"Uh, actually..."

Li Lin immediately realized that he had let something slip, but for the sake of saying it, he also felt that Gao Shang was not like a loser who only wanted to do things for Brother Ji, so he sighed helplessly and said: "This matter can be traced back to the first birthday of the year." Princess Yang Yuhuan started talking. The hatred between the prince and the emperor is beyond the imagination of ordinary people. "

So Li Lin told the whole story about how Brother Ji kidnapped Yang Yuhuan, how he attempted to insult the second Princess Shou, causing her to jump off the building and commit suicide, and how Prince Shou unexpectedly launched an attack. After hearing these secrets, Gao Shang was so surprised that he was speechless for a moment.

Unexpectedly, the mess in the Li clan's house was far beyond his expectation.

The longevity king Li Long was really a ruthless man, and he wanted to punish people even if he killed people. No wonder the emperor drove many princes out of Chang'an and placed them in the suburbs of Gyeonggi Province, just to prevent these princes and princes from rebelling in Chang'an City!

After Li Xuan's fuss, the emperor now completely distrusts any adult prince!

Making Li Xuan the prince only turned him into a target for other princes to attack.

All the pieces of the "jigsaw puzzle" have been completed, and Gao Shang finally knows why Brother Ji asked him to come over to Prince Yong's Mansion to be an "undercover".

“Your Highness, now that things have come to this, it’s better to resort to the trick.

The emperor asked his slaves to persuade his highness to attack the prince, and took the opportunity to support his highness in the ring with the prince.

In this case, why didn't His Highness pretend to attack the prince to gain a certain amount of authority, and secretly joined forces with the prince to grow stronger together.

When the time comes, as long as there is a chance to overthrow the emperor... won't the opportunity for His Highness to be crowned the great treasure come? "

Gao Shang took the opportunity to persuade Li Lindao.

Pretending to fall into the trap, he secretly strengthened himself, helped Li Chen ascend the throne, and then looked for opportunities to get rid of Li Chen.

Li Lin secretly thought about the noble plan, and I have to say that this is indeed a clever plan!

Although there are still some details that need to be considered in operation, it sounds somewhat feasible.

At least it's better than being trapped to death in the suburban counties around Chang'an!

"Well, yes, you do have some intelligence."

Yongwang Li Lin nodded slightly in approval and said.

"Your Highness is so complimentary. I will definitely do my best to advise His Highness. Please cheer up and don't give up on yourself."

Gao Shang said with a respectful look and crossed his hands in salute.

Seeing that Li Lin's expression was still hesitant, he asked softly: "Your Highness, do you still have any concerns?"

"Gao Shang, I would like to ask you that Fang Youde, who is beside the emperor, is loyal, able to fight well and has a large army, and he is also responsible for training new troops.

If you want to cause trouble, it will be difficult to move forward without military power. Where will this king get his military power? "

Li Lin's face was full of entanglements, and she asked unwillingly.

"The possibility of the Chang'an Forbidden Army being touched by His Highness is almost non-existent, so we might as well look further ahead.

If an elite frontier army surrenders to His Highness, it will not be difficult to accomplish great things. "

Gao Shang said slowly, looking confident.

"Which frontier army?"

Li Lin asked in a deep voice. He also knew that the answer was the frontier army. The only question was: which army it was!

"In Longyou and Hexi, Fang Youde's son Fang Chongyong and his father-in-law Wang Zhongsi have deep connections here, so it is impossible for these two towns to be used by His Highness.

The sky in Jiannan is high and the emperor is far away, and the mountain road is difficult to travel. A mountain pass can hinder an army of 100,000 people, so they cannot be counted on. Even if the Jiannan Army surrenders, it is better than nothing.

The power in Shuofang and Hedong Jiedu has always been dispersed, and there are many hills in between. Even if a certain unit listens to His Highness' orders, others will not follow blindly easily and it will be difficult to form a joint force.

Only the towns of Youzhou and Pinglu can provide assistance to His Highness, but His Highness needs to wait for the opportunity.

Once there is a change in the mountains and rivers, His Highness will have the army of Youzhou to surrender. If you advance, you can summon soldiers and horses from Youzhou to join King Qin of Chang'an. If you retreat, you can segregate a corner of Hebei and wait and see what happens.

Isn't it a beautiful strategy for Your Highness to implement this two-pronged strategy that allows for both advance and retreat? "

"Pinglu Jiedu envoy An Lushan?"

Yong Wang Li Lin said to himself. I have to say that Gao Shang really moved him.

Today's Youzhou Jiedushi Huangfu Weiming is obviously not someone Li Lin can win over.

Huangfu Weiming's family had a cousin who was Ji Ge's concubine, and he was promoted accordingly. But because of this, this person's movements are closely related to how the family aligns.

Once Li Lin wins over Huangfu Weiming, Brother Ji will definitely notice his movements. At that time, the chicken will definitely not be stolen, but the rice will be lost.

"An Lushan was of low origin, and the barbarians could not worship him as prime minister. The emperor could not give him many things, but King Yong could."

Gao said in a low voice.

Li Lin nodded. Although he always felt that there were many variables in Gao Shang's plan, he seemed to be unable to think of a better way.

Having an answer, even if it is imperfect or even wrong, is better than doing nothing and handing in a blank test. At least, he struggled hard.

"Okay, then... you tell the emperor as soon as possible, and say that I have completely trusted you and obeyed your words."

Li Lin tried her best to suppress the excitement in her heart and said.

"That's natural. By the way, I want to find an official position for Your Highness. Without an official position, you can't get things done."

Gao Shang saluted Yong Wang Li Lin with his hands crossed and his face was very respectful.

"Okay, okay, you are really my king's butt. Write a letter. Write it quickly. Write it now."

Li Lin said with excitement, forgetting about superiority and inferiority.

"Your Highness, please rest assured. I will write it first and show it to Your Highness after it is finished. If Your Highness thinks it is okay, he will send someone to Chang'an."

Gao Shang said with a smile.

……

"Judge Cen, did Fang Guozhong say anything else?"

In the lobby on the first floor of the Qin Government Affairs Building, Gao Lishi held a thick letter in his hand and asked without raising his head while reading it.

"Back to the high chamberlain, Fang Jieshuai has no other instructions. He just said that this letter must be given to the high chamberlain."

Cen Shen said with a respectful salute.

"I understand, then I'll go talk to the saint right now."

After reading the letter at a glance, Gao Lishi nodded slightly and said without comment.

"I'll take my leave." Cen Shenxing bowed, thanked him and left, neatly and neatly.

After he left, Gao Lishi hurriedly came to a room in Huaxianhui Building and saw Li Longji, the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, playing the piano inside. Several musicians from Liyuan were accompanying him, and the sound of mountains and flowing water rushed to his face, which made people feel relaxed and happy.

To be fair, the career of emperor is not suitable for Brother Ji. His talent was in the wrong place. In fact, he was more suitable as a musician.

Seeing Gao Lishi holding a letter in his hand, Brother Ji waved his hand gently. The Liyuan musician not far away quietly exited the room, leaving the space to Gao Lishi.

"What is Rikishi holding in his hand?"

Brother Ji slowly tied up his loose hair and asked slowly.

"Return to the saint, a letter sent by Fang Guozhong. He suggested that the grassroots soldiers in the border town begin to change their defenses one by one this year to prevent the border generals from threatening their own troops.

Let’s start with the army in Hexi. Here is the letter. "

Gao Lishi handed the thick stack of letter paper to Brother Ji and then stepped aside.

Generally, Gao Lishi decides on small matters by himself, and will not bother Brother Ji at all. But when it came to things like the dispatching of soldiers and horses in border towns, Gao Lishi didn't dare to make his own decisions.

"Both Fang's father and son are loyal ministers. What do you think of Li Shi?"

Brother Ji casually read the letter, then put it aside and asked.

"Back to the saint, Fang Guozhong's words are a policy for long-term peace and stability. I think I can implement them."

Gao Lishi saluted and stepped forward to help massage Ji Ge's slightly stiff shoulders.

"You can just decide on some small matters by yourself in the future."

Brother Ji waved his hand gently and said.

In fact, Fang Chongyong's suggestion is not groundless, nor is it the first time. The Tang Dynasty had already implemented it many years ago, but in the past ten years, Brother Ji has been lazy in politics and doesn't want to bother with it anymore.

For example, Li Guangbi, who generally existed as the adopted son of Wang Zhongsi, was originally a direct descendant of the Li family from Liucheng who came from the Khitan people in Youzhou to serve. Then Li's tribe did not serve under the Youzhou Jiedushi, but was transferred to Hedong as a whole and became part of the Hedong frontier army.

Now, Bu Qu and the general are separated. Li Guangbi's direct descendant Bu Qu is in Hedong, and he himself has come to Longyou!

Similarly, there is the Lunshi of Liangzhou.

It's just that at that time, such things had not been institutionalized, and more of them were targeted at the surrounding Hu tribes.

Now Fang Chongyong's proposal of "exchanging locations at the grassroots level of the border troops" actually institutionalized this situation. It was not a random "whim", but took into account the long-standing practice of the Tang Dynasty's border troops. On this basis Slightly modified.

The frontier troops exchanged troops and horses, and were separated from their familiar generals. I have to say that this is a clever trick to prevent frontier generals from becoming powerful. Doing it is definitely better than not doing it!

Of course, such a big-moment troop mobilization will definitely require additional expenses. It depends on whether the court is willing to pay for it.

On the one hand, it means spending money to buy peace of mind, on the other hand, it wastes money and people. In short, no matter what Ji Ge chooses, there are advantages and disadvantages to him. There is no perfect solution, it all depends on Brother Ji’s own choice.

"If we run out of money, we can let Ge Nu find a way. If there is chaos on the border, we will still have to spend money to calm it down, which is far more than this resettlement fee.

Fang Guozhong's words are mature and prudent, so let's do it. "

After thinking about it for a while, Brother Ji sighed softly and said.

It’s true that he likes to make money, but he is more afraid of the frontier generals’ self-respect! As for spending more money, wouldn’t it come back with more taxes?

By the way, make money!

Brother Ji suddenly remembered that incident, and his expression suddenly sank.

"Go and find me Zheng Shuqing, and also Liu Yan, and let them face each other quickly!"

Thinking of the last "charity auction" where many treasures failed to be auctioned, Brother Ji felt upset.

Yes, those so-called "treasures", except for the pair bought by Zheng Shuqing for 10,000 yuan, are indeed very poor. It is normal for the Chang'an dignitaries who are used to seeing good things to look down upon them.

But those idiots really don’t understand what the emperor of the Tang Dynasty means by playing like this?

No dignity for him, an old man in his sixties!

Many dignitaries from aristocratic families in Chang'an City did not want him, a saint of the Tang Dynasty, to be respected at all!

Since these people don't want to be decent, then I will give them a "decent" show!

Brother Ji thought bitterly in his heart.

Brother Ji has never cared about using the cruelest heart and the most vicious hands against those who are shameless.

Feeling Brother Ji's anger, Gao Lishi quickly crossed his hands and saluted, saying, "Sage, don't be anxious, I'll go call someone right now."

Gao Lishi hurriedly left the Huaxianhui Building and ordered the servants in the palace to quickly go to the office of the Imperial City's Minister of Education to summon people. The yamen where Zheng Shuqing and Liu Yan were located were not far from here.

After a while, Zheng Shuqing and Liu Yan arrived in a carriage and were taken by Gao Lishi to the study room in the main building of Qinzhengwu. At this time, Brother Ji's mood was still clouded, and even a blind man could see his unhappiness.

After thanking and saluting, Zheng Shuqing asked softly: "I wonder what the saint's instructions were when he summoned the ministers?"

"Can't I ask you to gossip if I have nothing to do?"

Brother Ji scolded with an unhappy expression.

"Please forgive me, saint."

Zheng Shuqing quickly knelt down and saluted without any moral integrity.

"That's all, I don't want to see you kowtow and kneel down! Get up!"

Brother Ji waved his hand impatiently.

"Liu Yan, you set the price for the last auction. Many things failed to be auctioned. What crime should you be responsible for?"

Brother Ji looked at Liu Yan with a tigerish face and asked. This was purely an excuse.

"Back to the saint, the treasure was leaked, and Wei Chen is willing to take the blame. But in the price calculation, Wei Chen is not wrong."

Liu Yan crossed his hands and saluted.

"Although what you said is correct, it will be difficult to handle next."

Brother Ji sighed, turned his head and said to Zheng Shuqing:

"My original intention was for Liu Yan to raise money through the auction of treasures for the northwest military expenditure. But now the proceeds from selling the treasures are far from what is needed.

Now, I want to issue bonds, which will be repaid by the national treasury without interest in ten years to raise funds for the military expenses of the border army. What do you two think? "

No, it’s almost like robbing money!

Liu Yan complained in his heart, but still crossed his hands and saluted: "The words of the saint are true, and we have no objection."

"Well, it's up to you to handle the issue of bonds. At that time, there will be a bottom line for raising money. If you can't raise that much money, you don't need to be an official. You can go home and work in the farm.

In short, the more money you can make selling bonds, the better, there is no limit. You can go back to the Yamen to do your business. I will send someone to give you an errand as a debt issuer. Go ahead. "

Brother Ji waved his hand. Liu Yan wanted to say something, but after looking at the solemn-looking Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, he finally swallowed what he wanted to say. Then he took the order and left.

After he left, Brother Ji said to Zheng Shuqing: "Ai Qing, did you write down the list I asked you to record last time? Especially those people who don't have a dime at the auction."

"Return to the saint, take note."

Zheng Shuqing said cautiously.

"Well, this is what you do..."

Brother Ji waved to Zheng Shuqing, and after he came over, he muttered for a long time, and finally emphasized: "In short, if the bonds cannot be sold, I will ask you for it."

"Please rest assured, saint, I will definitely have a solution."

Zheng Shuqing was so frightened that he quickly complained about the crime, and Brother Ji nodded with satisfaction and let him leave the Qinzheng Affairs Building.

　My cold is much better. I’ll keep my monthly pass for now and use it to support activities at the end of the month.

　　

　

(End of this chapter)