Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 348 The insecure Empress Wu
The conversation between Chen Qingsi and Liu Rengui is the most realistic portrayal of Baekje at this moment.

Is Fang Renyu poor?
Of course it's not bad. Being able to catch Li Zhi's eyes is enough to prove that he is indeed excellent.

After he took charge of Baekje, he promoted benevolent government and applied all the strategies he implemented on the people of the Central Plains to Baekje, wooing local powerful people and promulgating policies and systems that benefited the people.

But the effect is minimal...

If Fuyu Yici was a tyrant, Fang Renyu's appeasing behavior was effective.

But Buyeo Yiji was a benevolent lord. During his reign, he worked hard to govern Baekje. The people's livelihood and economy were very good. The people up and down could live in peace and contentment, but they were able to survive in a down-to-earth manner.

In fact, in the final analysis, it is closely related to the greatness of Datang.

After the turmoil in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Tang Dynasty once again stood at the top of the world.

Tang culture also began to spread its influence to all directions, and all neighboring countries around Datang were affected.

This also gave them something to imitate. Whether it was Baekje, Goguryeo or Silla, they were all impacted by Chinese culture and began to learn from China's current culture.

For this reason, every country in the Three Kingdoms of Haidong is developing very well and is in a stage of prosperity.

It was also for this reason that later a scholar in the Goryeo Dynasty, Kim Bo-seok, compared this period of history in Haidong with the Three Kingdoms in China and wrote a book called "Historical Records of the Three Kingdoms".

Buyeo Yiji was deeply influenced by Chinese culture. He was known as Haidong Zengzi when he was young, and was praised as a virtuous person by all the people in Baekje.

For this reason, Fang Renyu's benevolent government in Baekje was like icing on the cake and did not achieve the desired results.

For the people of Baekje, Tang Ting was an intruder after all, and they could not be brought home by just giving them a piece of candy.

As for military ability, Fang Renyu is also very good.

The restoration movement launched by Baekje provoked riots in various places.

Fang Renyu commanded well. Within a month, he defeated nine rebels and killed many Baekje rebels.

but……

The rebels in Baekje were as stubborn as weeds, and they were killed repeatedly.

This place has been calmed down today, and the spring breeze will come back again.

None of the rebels in Baekje were a match for the Tang army led by Fang Renyu, but Fang Renyu was unable to completely eradicate them.

Baekje is a mountainous and forested place. Once the rebels burrowed into the mountains, the Tang army, with its dazzling combat effectiveness, was like a blind man, unable to find any trace of the opponent.

But that doesn’t stop the good news from spreading frequently.

Chen Qingsi was in the Ministry of War, and good news about Baekje's military situation came one after another across the sea.

Chen Qingsi looked at how many enemies Fang Renyu defeated today, how many enemies he defeated tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow...

All in all, in the past six months, Fang Renyu had received as many as sixty-three successful reports of defeating the enemy.

The more Chen Qingsi watched, the more her heart sank, but Li Zhi and Empress Wu were very happy.

Chengqian Palace.

Queen Wu once again sent meals to Li Zhi.

Li Zhi rubbed his groggy head and looked at the chaotic memorials on the table. He was a little upset. He spread his hands and pushed the memorials aside. Some even dropped the table to make room for the meal.

Empress Wu put the meals neatly on the table, looked at the messy memorials on the table, and asked tentatively: "Your Majesty, can I help you sort out the table?"

Li Zhizheng was irritated by this and immediately nodded in agreement.

Empress Wu was very disciplined and did not look at it casually. Instead, she sorted out all the memorials and put them away neatly.

Li Zhi filled his stomach, took down the food box, looked at the neat imperial cabinet, his heart suddenly felt happy, and said: "Queen, give me a squeeze on your shoulders!"

Empress Wu served Li Zhi wholeheartedly, and Li Zhi reviewed the memorial in front of Empress Wu for the first time.

Empress Wu could see the contents of the memorial, but she did not dare to say a word. She just rubbed it and watched.

After several memorials in a row, Empress Wu's eyes lit up, her charming eyes showing a bit of joy. It was a memorial uploaded by the Ministry of War, and the content in it happened to be the good news from Baekje: Baekje rebel leader Bu Yufeng, Gui Shi Fuxin and Daochen gathered in Jeolla Changshui with the intention of attacking Guangzhou. Renyu, the protector of the army, personally led the troops to attack them, and defeated 20,000 of them and captured the heads of 3,000. The thieves broke up and fled in the mountains.

"Pretty!"

Li Zhi was most worried about the situation in Baekje. Seeing that Fang Renyu had received good news again, he patted his thigh and smiled in praise.

He glanced at Empress Wu behind him and said: "Baekje's good news comes frequently. I think it won't be long before Baekje is determined."

Empress Wu hurriedly praised: "Your Majesty is brave and virtuous, and he is a holy king in this world. Baekje is just a matter of course. He is ready to surrender. Baekje is established, and Goguryeo is no problem. By then, your Majesty will complete the great achievements that the previous emperor was unable to complete." .”

Li Zhi was even more happy after hearing this. Before Li Shimin, the world regarded Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty as the model of a wise ruler. After Li Shimin, the world regarded Emperor Taizong as the model of a wise ruler.

As Li Shimin's son, Li Zhi doesn't want to be overshadowed by his father's halo. It is his biggest wish to accomplish what Li Shimin has failed to do.

"Borrow the queen's blessings!"

Li Zhi happily patted Empress Wu's hand and continued to read the memorial below.

Empress Wu also watched secretly. She didn't know how to deal with government affairs now. Her ability to manage government affairs was not something she was born with, and she couldn't understand many of the contents in the memorial. But she has a very good sense of politics and can identify those things that are beneficial to her. She should keep these things in mind and avoid them.

Until Li Zhi picked up a memorial from Chen Qingsi.

Empress Wu obviously found that when facing Chen Qingsi's memorial, her husband unconsciously sat upright and changed from relaxed and casual to serious and solemn.

Perhaps Li Zhi himself didn't realize that Chen Qingsi's suggestions had a different status in his heart.

Looking at Chen Qingsi's memorial, the smile on Li Zhi's eyebrows obviously disappeared.

Queen Wu's eyes also flashed with displeasure and dissatisfaction.

In the memorial, Chen Qingsi asked Li Zhi to draw attention to the trends in Baekje, and asked Li Zhi to write to Fang Renyu, change the method, and continue with disastrous consequences.

Empress Wu suppressed her silence. Fang Renyu was not hers, and she was not qualified to have someone now. However, Fang Renyu originally stood with Li Zhi, supporting the deposing of the queen and appointing her as the queen instead.

Empress Wu kept this support in mind, so she immediately thought of Fang Renyu, who could not only repay the favor, but also extend the favor and use it for her own use, killing two birds with one stone.

It is also a great joy for her that Bang Renyu is really established in Baekje.

But despite the frequent reports of good news, why is there talk of changes in Baekje?
Queen Wu couldn't understand.

Li Zhi also couldn't understand. Queen Wu was angry.

But Li Zhi paid attention to it.

Knowing Chen Qingsi's talents well, even Li Zhi did not dare to ignore his suggestions easily.

"Come here, go and invite Minister Chen."

Li Zhi put Chen Qingsi's memorial aside and ordered to invite Chen Qingsi.

He put Chen Qingsi's memorial aside and continued to review other memorials until news came that Chen Qingsi had come to see him.

While Li Zhi let Chen Qingsi in, he naturally looked at Queen Wu behind him and said: "Queen, please go down first..."

Empress Wu was as depressed as death, but she didn't dare to disobey, so she could only leave slowly.

Looking at Chen Qingsi waiting outside the palace, even in this situation, Queen Wu still had a smile on her face and gave Chen Qingsi a friendly smile.

Chen Qingsi bowed and cupped his hands to see her off, and then strode into the hall.

Li Zhi calmed down and let Chen Qingsi sit down first, and then asked: "What does Aiqing mean by this memorial? Judging from the news from Baekje, the situation is very good. Why does Aiqing want me to worry about Baekje's situation?" "

Chen Qingsi said: "Your Majesty, the situation in Baekje is indeed very good on the surface. This is because our army is strong enough. Your Majesty, I have summarized all the good news of Fang Duhu in the past six months and found a phenomenon. Baekje is getting more and more defeated. The stronger we become, but our army becomes weaker and weaker. If we continue, we will have to pay the price sooner or later."

Chen Qingsi presented the information he collected at the Ministry of War to Li Zhi.

Li Zhi looked at the thick stack of information in front of him, and compared the scale of Fang Renyu's more than sixty victories one by one in a clear and concise narrative.

One look at it and you can tell that a lot of effort has been put into it.

What Li Zhi likes most about Chen Qingsi is that she is practical and speaks with facts and data.

Looking at the information in his hand, he found that, as Chen Qingsi said, the Baekje rebels were only small in scale at the beginning.

At first, there was only one rebel force, Fu Yufeng, Onimuro Fukunobu, and Dochen, and only a few loyal Baekje generals such as Jiebo, Wei Liang, and Maruyama Haruka responded.

Fu Yufeng, Onimuro Fuxin, and Daochen's troops were beaten and fled like lost dogs. Wei Liang and Maruyama Yao were directly killed. Jie Bo was quite talented, but he just led the troops and hid in Tibet. Dare to fight head-on.

They were all small-scale rebellions, which can be said to be not worth mentioning. However, as the Tang army won more and more battles, the Baekje rebels became stronger.

The latest good news is that Baekje actually formed a 30,000-strong resistance army.

Although they still lost, if this continues, if another hundred thousand comes again, will they still win?

"how so?"

Li Zhi's face was tense.

Chen Qingsi said: "Because the people's support is gone. If we continue, it won't be long before there will be a wave of rebellion throughout Baekje."

Li Zhi said: "Fang Duhu, there is nothing wrong with the governance of Baekje."

Chen Qingsi said: "It is true that Fang Duhu did not bully the people, but treated them with sincerity. However, the people of Baekje are biased, and Fuyu treated them righteously and kindly. It does not show that Fang Duhu's benevolent government is good." How special. On the contrary, because of the emergence of the Baekje rebels, they went around inciting the people to rebel, and our army went everywhere to conquer. Wherever the army went, it would inevitably affect the people's livelihood of Baekje, especially since some of the rebels were originally composed of Baekje people. It is inevitable to leave a name for killing.”

"Conquests from all directions also mean wars. When Buyeo Yiji was the king, Baekje was internally stable, but after our army replaced it, there were constant wars. The people who wanted peace could not farm with peace of mind, and chaos broke out."

"Comparing the two, one can tell the difference."

"Your Majesty, do you think the people of Baekje are on our side? Or are they on the side of the Baekje rebels?"

"The more chaotic Baekje becomes, the more the people in the territory will hate us, and the resistance will continue to strengthen. It is true that our army currently has sufficient strength to control the situation, but if this continues, the rebels will become stronger and stronger. And our army will eventually get tired. At that point, it will be extremely difficult for us to peacefully control Baekje."

Li Zhi understood and his face turned slightly pale.

Chen Qingsi also realized it later. He knew that Fang Renyu would not be able to calm Baekje for a while.

But because of his reminder, Tang Jun was not as careless as in history.

Historically, because the Tang army won too quickly, they did not take Baekje seriously and only left a small number of troops to guard it. As a result, the rebels became so powerful that the Tang army could only retreat to a few isolated strongholds.

Now that Su Dingfang had left enough troops, and Fang Renyu was a man who knew the troops well, Chen Qingsi felt that even if there was nothing he could do to defeat the Baekje rebels, they would not be at a disadvantage. Who would have thought that Fang Renyu's continuous good news would bring Baekje's situation to the point of collapse, leaving huge hidden dangers.

"My dear, what should I do?"

Li Zhi felt regretful now. If he had known that Baekje was so difficult to deal with, he should have let Chen Qingsi go directly. Since he could see the hidden dangers of Baekje through letters of success, he would not have made this mistake.

Chen Qingsi looked ashamed and bowed: "I am incompetent. I don't know what is going on in Baekje now, and I don't know how to deal with it."

"The rebels must not be unyielding. If you indulge them, it will lead to disaster. If you lead the troops to put down the conquest, you will also fall into the situation, getting deeper and deeper, and it will be difficult to extricate yourself."

"The only way to restore the decadent situation is to fight quickly and eliminate the thieves as quickly as possible instead of consuming each other. On the land of Baekje, we cannot consume them. But... Baekje is very mountainous. Dolin, it’s not easy to do it.”

Li Zhi also knew that Chen Qingsi was in Chang'an, and it was already remarkable that he could have insight into the crisis in Baekje. Zhang Liang and Chen Ping were just like that, saying: "I love you, don't blame yourself. This is not your fault..."

He pondered for a moment and said: "I sent an advance messenger to remind Fang Duhu not to rush into military action, and then send people to understand the true situation in Baekje before making a decision."

Chen Qingsi bowed and flattered: "Your Majesty is wise."

After Empress Wu left the Chengqian Hall, her eyebrows furrowed deeper and deeper, and her heart became more and more uneasy.

Apart from Chen Qingsi, the only person in the world who understands Li Zhi's physical abnormalities best is Empress Wu.

But unlike Chen Qingsi...

Chen Qingsi knew clearly that Li Zhi could survive for another ten or twenty years despite his poor health.

Empress Wu didn't know, she only knew that her husband, her God, the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty was suffering from an incurable disease and could die of it anytime, anywhere.

It is true that her son Li Hong is the prince of the Tang Dynasty, but he is only six or seven years old. If something unexpected happens to Li Zhi, how will an orphan and a widowed mother face the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty?
Based on Li Zhi's current regard for Chen Qingsi, he is probably one of the auxiliary ministers.

It would be best if he could fully assist Li Hongzi, but what if he, at such a young age, has Wang Mang's heart? Or does he want to establish Xiao Shufei's son Li Sujie?
Empress Wu was abused by her elder brother since she was a child, and she felt most insecure. She thought wildly and felt cold and trembling all over.

You must have your own people and have power. Only in this way can you not be bullied.

Empress Wu thought of Fang Renyu, with a firm look in her eyes, she must take him for her own use.

Empress Wu walked faster and faster, and went directly to the backyard and asked someone to call her mother.

(End of this chapter)